Dealing With Our Doubts Series

By the way, the word “preach” means to proclaim or publish. That’s way we do all we can to get the Word on the web as we have over 650 sermons available on pontiacbible.org. Sermons can also be downloaded for free on iTunes, on CDs or as printed manuscripts each week. A lot of proclaiming went on Friday and Saturday at the Caring Closet as well.

I like what Bob Deffenbaugh points out about these followers of Jesus: “At first, the disciples are almost invisible. They’re hiding behind closed doors and filled with doubt…these almost invisible guys are transformed into an invincible force that turned the world upside down.”

These ordinary men were transformed from frightened wimps into courageous communicators of the gospel. Every one of them had come from doubt to determination, from confusion to conviction, from fear to faith. Tradition tells us how the apostles died. See if it sounds like they were just making up the Resurrection. This is what tradition teaches:

• Matthew was killed in Ethiopia

• Mark was dragged through the streets until he was dead

• Peter, Simeon, Andrew, and Philip were crucified

• James was beheaded

• Bartholomew was flayed alive

• Thomas was pierced with lances

• James, the less, was thrown from the temple and stoned to death

• Jude was shot to death with arrows

• Paul was boiled in hot oil and beheaded.

Not only did Jesus impact lives in the first century, His resurrection power is still transforming people today. The combined testimony of changed lives attributed to the risen Christ runs into the billions, from every race and tribe and language and nationality in the world. Despite the various intellectual and social backgrounds, believers are united in their conviction that Jesus Christ is alive.

Lingering Doubts

Let’s admit something at this point. Even though there is a ton of evidence, for some of you, your doubts don’t go completely away…but that’s ok. Because doubts don’t disqualify you.

Turn over to Matthew 28:16-17. Right before Jesus ascended into heaven; He commissioned them with a task: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”

While some apostles adored Him, there were also some who doubted. This is hard to believe, or is it? These disciples had seen so much, and yet some of them still doubted. I think they flipped out because they lost focus. They started looking around and wondered if they were up to the task before them. This shows us at least four things:

• We will continually have to deal with our own doubts

• Doubts don’t disqualify us from ministry

• Within every group, there are some who worship and some who waffle

• The mission of the church is advanced in the midst of doubters

Let’s ponder the descriptions that show what the increasing amount of evidence did for them. They started out “startled and frightened.” And then they moved to “troubled and doubting.” But they didn’t stay there. They ended up with “joy and amazement.”