Why Do We Doubt God?
Matthew 14:22-33
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Nov. 30, 2008
*Why do we doubt God? Christians, I am not talking about doubting your salvation, though many believers do at some point in their spiritual life. Tonight I am talking about us doubting God when unexpected problems hit.
*Why do we doubt God? That’s an important question, especially when the question comes from God Himself. Let’s look into the Word of God to find some answers that will help us stop doubting and start trusting God more.
1. Why do we doubt God? One reason is because we tend to expect positive results when we obey.
*The disciples were not looking for trouble in this story. In vs. 22 Jesus made them get into the boat and go before Him to the other side of the sea. Jesus told them to go and they went -- probably expecting smooth sailing. But as Jesus sent the multitudes away and went up on a mountain to pray, the disciples were running into trouble. In vs. 24, “The boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.”
*“Tossed by the waves.” He’s not talking about some gentle rocking back and forth. The idea behind that word “tossed” is “pain, toil, torment, torture.” They were in real trouble, not because of some failure, but because they had obeyed the Lord. Results like that can lead us to doubt God.
*Today many Christians are being influenced by a false prosperity gospel. There is a feel-good lie being taught that you should expect nothing but the best from this world, because you are a child of the King. But in John 16:33 Jesus told His followers, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
*Job was an Old Testament hero, who “was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). But for a while Job lost almost everything that mattered to him in this world.
*The Apostle Paul was a great hero of the New Testament. If anybody should have received only good things in life, it would have been Paul. But listen to his testimony from 2 Corin 11:24-28:
24. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
25. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26. in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27. in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness
28. besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
*Down through the ages there are countless other examples to teach us that we should not expect only the good-life from following the Lord. Don’t make that mistake. You keep trusting Jesus in the good times and the bad. You keep trusting Jesus no matter how bad things may get in your life.
2. Why do we doubt God? Sometimes it’s because we tend to expect positive results when we obey, and because the Lord doesn’t proceed according to our expectations.
*The Lord doesn’t always act according to our expectations. He is God and we are not. So He is going to do things that we don’t expect or understand. This is what happened when the disciples were hammered by the wind. But they were even more shocked when Jesus came to them, walking on the water!
*As we read in vs. 25&26:
25. Now in the fourth watch of the night (probably some time between 3 and 6 o’clock in the morning) Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
26. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
*They didn’t expect to be blasted by the wind. And the last thing they expected to see was Jesus walking on the water to them, so they doubted. But God really does move in mysterious ways.
*The Children of Israel were backed up against the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army bearing down on them. Bloody slaughter seemed inevitable. But God did the unexpected. He parted the waters of the Red Sea with less effort than it takes us to let the water out of the kitchen sink.
*Four hundred years later a giant and his army were terrorizing the army of Israel. Everyone in the army was afraid to face the giant, but God did the unexpected. He used a shepherd boy and a slingshot to bring that giant down.
*A thousand years later Israel was under the thumb of the Roman Empire. Yet the people had hope, because God had promised deliverance through a new King -- The Messiah! But God did the unexpected. The King of kings was born in a stable for animals. And He did not come to lead an army to victory over Rome. He came to give eternal victory to all who trust in Him. Jesus came to give us victory by dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead! God moves in mysterious ways.
*Many of you will remember the terrible tragedy that took place in the fall of 1999, at Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. A man with a gun entered the church, killed seven people, and injured seven others, before taking his own life.
*God was not responsible for that terrible crime. -- The devil was. In John 10 Jesus tells us that the devil is a thief who only comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus Christ came so that we might have His abundant, eternal life. And God never lets the devil have the last word. About a month after the shootings at Wedgewood, word began spreading about God’s amazing works before, during and after this horrible shooting. -- Dave Kepple shared these examples:
*Many denominations pulled together to offer help and support to Wedgewood. One Methodist church sent 15 people the following Sunday to cover childcare. They didn’t want any of the Wedgewood members to have to miss the service.
*The Fort Worth police planted flowers in the flower beds before church members reentered the sanctuary to worship. The church received tens of thousands of emails and cards.
*Their pastor was given many opportunities to present the gospel through the media, including an appearance on Larry King Live. It is estimated that more than 200 million people heard the gospel bec of this tragedy.
*CNN broadcast the memorial service live around the world. Because one of the victim’s families worked and lived in Saudi Arabia, the Saudis allowed the service to be broadcast there as well. Keep in mind that Saudi Arabia is a country where it’s illegal to even say the name of Jesus on the street. Because of that same CNN broadcast, 35 people in Japan gave their lives to Christ.
*At several schools, students met around their flagpoles the next day. More than 100 students were led to accept Christ during gatherings at various schools.
*One woman reported that she had been praying for her husband, Scott, for years. She and their 4-year-old daughter were at Wedgewood that night. A short time later, Scott gave his life to Christ. (1)
*There were many other examples of the Hand of God at work, both during and after the shooting in Texas. He moves in mysterious ways. God does the unexpected, and we must not let that cause us to doubt Him, because He is always faithful to us.
3. Why do we doubt God? Sometimes it’s because the Lord doesn’t proceed according to our expectations, and because we don’t pay enough attention to the Word of God.
*In vs. 26 when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. Then in vs. 27, Jesus immediately spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
*But notice in vs. 28 that the Lord’s word was not good enough for Peter. Peter answered Jesus and said, “Lord, if it is You, (IF it is You, Jesus) command me to come to You on the water.”
*In this case, the Word of the Lord was not good enough for Peter. And we tend to have the same problem. At the extreme, people don’t even believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Sometime people will pick and choose what to accept:
-“Oh, I like the part about God’s love -- but not so much about His Lordship.”
-“I have to take up my cross?”
*Many times Christians will starve themselves from the Word of God. And that is a vicious cycle: We doubt the Word because we have not heard it. And we neglect God’s Word because of our doubt. Rom 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing the word of God,” and almost all of us need to pay more attention to God’s Word. We need to read what God says, and believe what God says in His Word.
*David Legge is a young pastor from Ireland, who wrote these words.
-Unbelief has always been the besetting sin of God’s people, and it has also been the cause of provocation and frustration to the Lord. The writer to the Hebrews, talking of the Jews history, said in Hebrews 3:19 that they could not enter the land because of their unbelief. . .
-Now, many of us younger people have been raised in an environment of skepticism of the supernatural. In school and, sadly I would have to say, in church there is a doubt, a cynicism when it comes to God moving in our day and age in a supernatural way, and that can breed unbelief in us.
-We don’t believe God can when God wills. But also there’s failure in our lives, moral and spiritual failure, there’s sin, there’s also a slipping of our spiritual disciplines, prayer, scripture reading, fasting, these things that increase faith within us. And because of that, there are not people today saying that they marvel at the great things that God has done. . . (2)
*We need to pay more attention to God’s Word. Chuck Smith tells of a time in his life when, as a pastor of a small church, he didn’t have a set salary. The congregation gave him whatever was left over in the offering after the church’s bills got paid. There was a period of time when there was not enough left over to live on. The bills began piling up and soon the creditors began calling. They were behind in their mortgage payments and the bank was about to foreclose. Their power was going to be cut off and the car repossessed.
*Chuck went before the Lord in prayer and fasting. And every time he prayed, the Lord repeatedly brought this scripture to mind: Phil 4:19, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” But the next day there was no sign of relief. So Chuck prayed more fervently and got the same reply from the Lord, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Soon Chuck couldn’t sleep at night, he was so anxious, and he continued crying out to the Lord. But still he saw no tangible answer.
*Then two days before the end of the month when they would lose their house and car, the phone rang. It was an old acquaintance with whom they hadn’t had contact for a long time. The man knew nothing about their circumstances, but he said, “I’m not sure why but I have been strongly impressed upon in my spirit to phone and tell you that my wife and I have recently mailed you a check. You should get it today or tomorrow. God impressed upon our hearts a few days ago to send you the money and we did, but we weren’t going to say anything to you. But now the Lord seems to be impressing upon our hearts that we need to call you now and tell you it is coming.”
*So the man told Chuck how much the check was made out for. It was exactly the amount that was needed to completely pay off all of their debt. After getting off the phone, Chuck and his wife began to shout, “Praise the Lord, hallelujah, thank you Jesus” as they (jumped for joy) around their living room.
*Later when Chuck was alone he said the Lord spoke so clearly to him it was almost audible. “Chuck, why are you so excited?” -- “Well you know Lord, because a check is coming in the mail for the full amount we need to pay our debts.”
*Then God said, “How do you know it’s really going to come?” -- “Well Lord, my friend told me he put it in the mail and he wouldn’t lie about something like that.”
*Then God said, “Chuck, why didn’t you believe Me and (jump for joy) when I repeatedly told you that I would supply all your needs?” (3)
*We need to read what God says to us in His Word, and believe what God says to us in His Word. Peter should have paid attention to the Lord’s word, and so should we.
4. Why do we doubt God? Sometimes it’s because we don’t pay enough attention to the Word of God, and because we focus more on our problems than His power.
*That’s what Peter did in this story. He had said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So in vs. 29, Jesus said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
30. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
31. And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32. And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
33. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
*Peter started sinking when He took His eyes off the Savior and started looking at the storm. We tend to make the same mistake all the time. That’s why author Evangeline Blood said, “It is far more important to pray with a sense of the greatness of God than with a sense of the greatness of the problem.” (4)
*God is greater than any problem we will ever face, and Jesus is able to calm any storm. In 1993, I had the privilege of preaching the funeral for Bro. Moses Lee. Bro. Lee served for many years as a pastor in Franklin, Tensas and Winn Parishes, later on he served in the Mobile area. He was 93 when he died.
*At the graveside, Bro. Lee’s son told me something that happened when he was 13-years-old. He said they were down on the Boeuf River trying to have a baptismal service. The wind was blowing real hard that afternoon. It was so hard that the water had choppy waves on it. And they were afraid to get people out into the water -- especially the children.
*But Bro. Moses Lee took the problem to the Lord. He led the people in prayer, and asked God to calm those waters so the baptismal service could go on. And God answered that prayer. Almost immediately, the wind and the waves died down. And they stayed down until the last person was baptized. Then the wind and the waves came back up again.
*Jesus is able to calm any storm. And he cares. He cares about little children getting baptized in the Boeuf River. And He cares about you.
*For reasons we do not understand, Jesus may not calm the storm you are in. But in those times, He will surely calm the storm in you. So you trust in the Lord and keep trusting in Jesus. Like those disciples in vs. 33, we should come to Jesus. We should worship Him, and say, "Truly You are the Son of God.’’
*And if you don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord, call out to Him the same way Peter cried out when he was going down: “Lord Save Me!”
-You can call on the Lord right now, as we go to God in prayer.
1. "Mysterious Ways" - Dave Kepple - Gen 45:3-11&15 - Union Chapel UMC - Feb. 18, 2001 (www.gbgm-umc.org/unionchapel-oh/sermons/Feb18_01.html)
2. "How Does He Put Up With Us?" - 2006 - Irish Pastor David Legge - http://www.preachtheword.com/sermon/misc0070-putupwithus.shtml
3. Adapted from: “Thanksgiving 2008” sermon by Ron Stone - Parkdale Grace Fellowship - Oct. 12, 2008
www.parkdalegrace.ca/sermons/sermon_notes/Topical/2008%2010%2012%20-%20Thanksgiving%202008.pdf
(4) Men of Integrity, November/December 2006, p.11/16 (IN OTHER WORDS Nov. 2008 - #2) (Produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry, 6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706 (800) 553-4697 www.iows.net)
