Without A Doubt
Scripture: John 20: 24 - 29
Key Verse: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
Ill: One day John Wesley was walking with a troubled man who expressed his doubt as to the goodness of God. He said, "I do not know what I shall do with all this worry and trouble." At the same moment Wesley saw a cow looking over a stone wall. "Do you know," asked Wesley, "why that cow is looking over the wall?" "No," said the man. Wesley said, "The cow is looking over the wall because she cannot see through it. That is what you must do with your wall of trouble (and doubt). Look over it." Faith enables us to get above circumstances (and doubt) and look to Christ who is over all.
This morning I want to share with you about DOUBT.
As we walk with God in our daily lives “doubt” seems to rise up consistently. When we talk about our faith, our assurance, or having confidence it can be easily recognized that the opposite of these is DOUBT. Most days we can handle doubt ... it comes in the form of a fleeting question or thought. When it comes this way it is easy for us to simply say ‘oh, that’s just doubt, but I know different’ ... and it has no affect on us. Yet there are those times in our lives when DOUBT fills us to overflowing and begins to stir within us action that can affect our belief. That action for the Christian usually translates this way: we begin to doubt God and his care for us, and this can lead to unbelief and God not being able to do for us what He is able to do. Doubt can close the door on God in our lives when we let it.
It affected Thomas. Thomas struggled with doubt every day, just like we do. However, in this passage we find that he is overwhelmed and doubt has overcome him. He simply stated it this way in John 20:25b
“ ... Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
Can you relate to this?
What is DOUBT?
Wikipedia defines it this way: Doubt is a status between belief and disbelief. It involves uncertainty, distrust, or a lack of confidence of a fact, an action, a motive, or a decision. It brings into question some notion of a perceived "reality", and may involve delaying relevant action out of concerns for making mistakes or faults.
The term "to doubt" can also mean "to question one’s circumstances and life-experience".
My definition of doubt is maybe a bit more simplistic:
Doubt is when a person is not sure enough to believe in his trust in God, and it affects his actions.
One author (unknown) shares this in the context of spirituality: ‘People can see doubt as the opposite of faith. If faith represents a compulsion to follow a path, doubt may block that particular path. People use doubts and faith every day to choose the life path that they follow.’
When Thomas was told about the disciples experience of seeing Jesus he should have rejoiced and believed. As Christians we are taught that this is the appropriate and correct response. After all, why would his fellow believers lie to him? Yet Thomas reacted more in line in the way that most of us would react. He was not willing to simply believe. He wanted more proof. He had to see, in order to believe.
Does this mean he had less faith than the others? I don’t think so. The others had the advantage of already seeing Jesus. They too had doubts when Mary came to them the first time and told them the tomb was empty; that Jesus was alive. Some of them had to run to the tomb to see for themselves ... they were not willing to accept the word of Mary, or her experience. It was only when Jesus appeared to them for the first time and spoke the words “Peace be with you!”, showed them his hands and side that turned their doubt into belief.
There is an old addage that says ‘seeing is believing’.
In the Christian context this is something that we battle every day. For Jesus reminds us, as he reminded Thomas, that our faith and belief must be more than just seeing. Jesus said this after he appeared to Thomas: (vs 27 & 29)
“Stop doubting and believe. ... Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
So often our faith is brought into question when we allow doubt to creep in. Faith and belief are not to be based on “feelings”. Yet for so many Christians how they feel at any given time dictates for them their belief. If we see God active and bringing blessing into our lives, our faith is without doubt ... it is strong. Yet, when we experience life’s situations that overwhelm us, then doubt begins to reign, and our emotions become unstable and our faith in God is weaker than doubt.
Recently I was overwhelmed with a situation that popped up into my life. And there have been many situations over my life where doubt was very evident. In each situation my belief at the moment was tested, and much of my faith at that moment was based on feelings, on how I felt, rather than on the foundation of God’s truth and His Word.
The situation overwhelmed me. In my frailty and in my humanity I could see no logical way out of it. I tried praying about it, however my prayers seemed to only hit the ceiling ... my emotions prevented me from praying out of faith. Instead I was praying out of desperation. That led me to begin to think crazy thoughts. Thoughts like: God doesn’t care about this situation in my life ... God is not going to take care of this ... I don’t know what to do! So God where are you ... you promised to meet my needs and this is a real need. Why do you have to allow me to go through this ...” Finally this ended with me not only having doubts, but now I was frustrated, seeing only a wall in front of me ... feeling hopeless, helpless, and not finding any comfort. I remember thinking ... if this is what depending on God yields then is it really worth it.
Isn’t amazing what Satan, using our minds, will do to try to get us to a place of desperation where our faith in God is being tested and tried. It reminds me of this passage of scripture found in Mark 9:24:
“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ’I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’”
Doubt is more than a little concern. It is a concern that we must recognize and know how to deal with when it rears its ugly head in our lives. Doubt will stop your spiritual growth, and it will put a dent in your faith if it is allowed to. It will appear every time you are faced with a situation that you are not comfortable with, and can overwhelm you. When we understand how we should deal with doubt every time it appears, and we deal with it, then you will find that as time goes on you will find it to be less and less in your life.
Did Jesus ever have doubt? Yes he did.
Hebrews 2: 14, 17-18 reminds us that Jesus “shared in their humanity ... he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God ... he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted”; however he dealt with it immediately and he was never overcome by doubt, nor overwhelmed ... nor did he ever lose his faith in His Father, God.
Here is a side note that we must address at this time. Many Christians believe that all DOUBT is sin. This is simply not true. Doubt that is sinful is doubt springing from unbelief. There are times when you may be faced with a moral situation that others say is okay, yet you know that God and his word says something else and you have doubt ... this is healthy. At these moments it is important for us to understand that it is the work of the Holy Spirit raising a BIG RED FLAG in our life and the doubt that comes is his presence telling you to follow His instruction, and to do what you know is right and true in God’s view.
So, how do we deal with DOUBT? God gives us some wonderful instruction on dealing with doubt.
1. Be confident in God. When doubt shows up, put your confidence in God. Know
who you can trust in order to deal with every situation.
Heb. 13:1 “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Heb. 13:6 “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid...”
Heb. 13:5 “ ... God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Ps. 139:3 & 5: God “you are familiar with all my ways. ... You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.”
Ps. 139:10 “... your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
This knowledge, and these words of affirmation must get into our MINDS and our HEARTS so that we believe it and we live it. We have a solid foundation of faith on which we can stand ... and its in a being - GOD. Our belief in God is established, and our confidence in him to do what he says, cannot be shaken. Our confidence is in a being who is omnipresent (always with us), omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and sovereign (always in control). It should never be in an emotion or circumstance.
So when doubt shows up ... remind yourself that you believe in God and in His presence with you. His Word is our promise ... and God never breaks his promises.
2. Be confident in your faith ... not in what you see.
Understand that the saying “seeing is believing” is only a half truth. Faith is not based on what we see.
Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"
John 20: 29b - “... blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Matt. 21:21-22 - “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, ... If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
I like that old saying ... “if God said it, I believe it.” And God tells us NOT TO DOUBT! So when doubt shows up and you already know that God is in charge, remind yourself that your confidence and faith is established in GOD and what he will do ... not in yourself and in what you think you can do, or in what you think others can do to you.
1 John 4:4 “... the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
3. Be confident in approaching God ... he will not let you down.
1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Believe it! Do not doubt ... because doubt will destroy your confidence in God and his ability to do for you what you need. When God says you can approach him in confidence knowing that he will do for you what you ask ... then approach him. Put your focus on him... don’t look at the circumstance because doubt will creep in ... rather look up to God from whom your help comes from (Ps. 121:1-2). Ps. 46:1 reminds us that “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble ... therefore we will not fear ...” or have doubt.
Ill.: When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water they were afraid. Jesus told them not to be afraid for it was He. However, Peter still had doubt. So he said to Jesus ‘Lord, if its you, tell me to come to you on the water.’ (Matt 14: 28). So Jesus did, and Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk towards Jesus.
However Peter still did not have confidence in approaching Jesus. We see that when he looked at the situation around him, the storm and the waves that were lapping at his feet, he became overwhelmed and began to sink. He began to put his faith in human logic ... and walking on the water was not logical. In his desperation he cried out to Jesus “Lord, save me!” (vs 30). You see Peter lost his confidence in approaching Jesus. He allowed doubt to creep into his thinking, and doubt destroyed his confidence in God ... and he began to sink. I’m sure glad though that he had a reality check. When he cried out for help ... Jesus reached down and lifted him up ... and reality sank in.
When we lose confidence in God, we doubt ... and we sink.
James 1:6 reminds us “... he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
When we doubt, we allow our confidence to be placed in our emotions, in human logic. Our emotions are like a roller coaster ... and we end up allowing our feelings to take control, and in our feelings we become overwhelmed with any situation. When we become overwhelmed we begin to make assumptions facts. Then we believe those assumptions and our doubt increases, and fear enters in ... and then desperation takes over. At that point logic leaves us ... and we are left with unbelief.
Feelings, if allowed, will shake us in our confidence and faith. Faith is not based on feelings ... it is based on FACT; and the fact is that we can put our confidence in GOD ... and doubt will disappear. Fact tells us that we can approach God with ALL CONFIDENCE and He will do for us what we ask, in accordance to his will; and His will is that we can TRUST HIM to meet our every need, and handle every situation to bring glory to HIMSELF. When God is glorified ... others see God and believe.
My friends, overcoming doubt is serious business for the Christian. If you are living with doubt today, you need to know that doubt will stop you from being everything God wants you to be. It will stop you from receiving every blessing God wants you to receive. It will shake your belief and faith to the point that you will become ineffective for God and His kingdom. Doubt, springing from unbelief in God, has no place in the life of the believer.
If you struggle with doubt today ... ask yourself these three questions ... for in them is the answer to getting rid of doubt in your life.
1. Am I confident in God ... do I really believe in HIM?
2. Am I confident in my faith, or do believe the adage “that seeing is believing”?
3. Am I confident enough to approach God for ALL things ... knowing without a shadow of a doubt, that he will meet my every need?
Friends, if you struggle with any of these areas, come and join with me in asking God to do a miracle in our lives by removing the roots of doubt, and planting within us the seeds of confidence and assurance that the Holy Spirit is willing and able to plant there. Let us ask God to remove any semblance of doubt within us, and fill us with just HIMSELF.
God is ready to fill us so completely with confidence, assurance, and with a faith that is solid and strong. Let us approach God with confidence and allow Him to fill us completely in every area of our life so that DOUBT will have no room to creep in.
Come forward and let’s pray and receive together.
