Pulpit Curriculum - Faith Beyond Sight
Dorrance Parris
April 27, 2025

Pulpit Curriculum: Faith Beyond Sight

April 27th – May 3rd, 2025


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Sermon Summary

Today’s sermon “Faith Beyond Sight” uses the story of Doubting Thomas to show how Jesus meets our doubts with grace and invites us to believe. It reminds us that doubt can be the doorway to deeper faith. Thomas initially refused to believe the report of Jesus’ Resurrection unless he could see and touch His wounds. When Jesus appeared and offered him just that, Thomas cried out, “My Lord and my God!”. Jesus gently rebuked Thomas’ disbelief – “Stop doubting and believe” – and then pronounced blessing on all who trust without seeing. Even after seeing Jesus, Thomas needed encouragement to believe. Jesus’ words in verses 27–29 shift the focus from doubt to trust

We are encouraged that like Thomas, we must allow God’s Word and the witness of Christ to dispel our doubts. We should accept the truth of Jesus’s identity (He is Lord and God) and choose faith even when we cannot see Him with our eyes. This sermon challenges believers to walk by faith in God’s promises, not by what our senses perceive.

Verse of the Week

John 20:29 (ESV)
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Going Deeper

This section of the Pulpit Curriculum is meant to support Bible reflection, and encourage readers to come away with a high view of Scripture.

Review John 20:24-29

1a) What is the difference between reasonable doubt and willful unbelief?

1b) How does each influence the believer’s approach to faith?

2) What can be learnt from Thomas’ doubt about God’s patience with those who struggle to believe? (John 20:27)

3) In John 20:28, Thomas declares, “My Lord and my God!”. What does this declaration reveal about true faith?

b) If someone should ask, “why do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?”, how would you respond?

Assess Your Life

The following questions are meant to encourage personal reflection and identify areas for spiritual growth in your relationship with God. Ask yourself the questions, respond honestly, write down your responses, and then prayerfully seek God’s conviction and guidance to move forward to repentance and restoration. In discussions with your friends and family, or in your Small Group, be open to sharing your responses with others in a spirit of accountability and transparency.


1. In what areas of my life am I tempted to live by sight (what I see and feel) instead of by faith (trusting God’s promises)? Where in my daily life do I rely on experience, or human wisdom and reasoning instead of trusting Jesus?

2. What truth about Jesus might I be struggling to accept (His love, His forgiveness, His power over death)? How can I ask God to help me believe those truths?

3. How does Jesus’ personal response to Thomas encourage me when I wrestle with my own doubts?

4. In what areas of my life am I still waiting to see before I believe, rather than walking by faith? (2 Corinthians 5:7)

5. Exploring the root meaning of the word Makarios (Greek), what does it mean to you to be “blessed” because you believe without seeing?

Application

A key objective of this Pulpit Curriculum is taking God’s truth as exposed in the sermon and helping people apply that truth in practical and intentional ways to plot a course toward obedience and transformation. This section is intended to achieve that objective.


  1. What concrete steps can I take to “believe” more fully (for example, praying when anxious instead of worrying, or sharing my faith even when I fear rejection)?

2a. If Jesus stood before me today and said, “Stop doubting and believe”, what situation in my life would He be speaking about?

2b. I will acknowledge the situation by writing it down, then by finding scriptures of God’s promises that can encourage me to focus on God’s “unseen” promises.

Ask a trusted friend to help keep you accountable in these commitments.

Sermon Main Points

When God’s judgment is unleashed and the powers of the earth are shaken, who can stand? Only those who have been rescued by the Lamb, sustained by His grace, and secured by His salvation can confidently stand in:

1) Dispel Doubt: Build Your Faith
Trust God even when His plans defy human reason or experience.

2) Accept the Truth About Jesus
Jesus conquered death, giving us hope for our future and faith for the redemption of our sins.

3) Believe in Jesus
Put our entire faith and trust in who He is.

Quotes

  • Doubt is not always a sign of weak faith but sometimes could be an opportunity to seek deeper understanding and truth.

  • Sincere faith does not prohibit sincere investigation.

  • Our faith would have been meaningless and in vain if Jesus had remained in His tomb.

  • Faith is about trusting in the unseen and accepting truths that transcend our immediate sensory experiences.

  • Allowing human reason to overshadow faith leads to sinful doubt.

  • Faith means trusting God even when His plans defy human reason or experience.

  • The remedy for doubt is faith, and faith in God comes by hearing the Word of God.

  • An acknowledgement of Jesus’ Lordship is logically accompanied by a submission to Jesus’ authority


Sermon Reflection

What stood out for me in this sermon?

What can I do to remember this?


5 Day Study Plan

Use the Inductive Bible Study method to study these scriptures this week and remember to share with someone else.

Follow these steps

1. Observe the text.
(What do you see in the text? Look for answers to questions like: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)

2. Interpret the text.
(What did God and the human author of the text want the original people reading this text to understand/do? Why?)

3. Apply the text.
(How do I need to change in my thinking, my affections, my attitudes, and/or my actions?)


Day 1 - John 5:1-5

Overcoming the world’s view with faith. Rejection of the nature of the flesh.

What I learned / How I will Respond?

Day 2 - 2 Corinthians 5:6-9

Faith, Not Sight

What I learned / How I will Respond?

Day 3 - Hebrews 11:1-3

Definition of Faith

What I learned / How I will Respond?

Day 4 - 1 Peter 1: 8-9

Love and Joy in Unseen Christ

What I learned / How I will Respond?

Day 5 - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Temporary vs. Eternal

What I learned / How I will Respond?


For best results, this content should be read and prepared privately and then discussed in your small group or with family / friends. We were not created to do life alone - get connected with a small group and grow