Welcome…
We’ve been in this series called Asking for a Friend. We all have these questions that we don’t dare ask right… So what we do is we pose the question hey I have this friend and he’s and she’s struggling/wondering, about whatever. So in this series we’ve been tackling some of those questions that pertain to faith.
TENSION
Today we are going to be talking about Doubt…
We all have doubt right… We all doubt something… How many of you have ever seen an As Seen on TV commercial? You’ve all seen them and probably doubt their claim right? Every year for Life Group Christmas we do white elephant gift exchange but the catch is it has to be an As seen on TV product… Then we report back on well it worked… It’s not very often.
We all have doubts…
But what about when it comes to your relationship with God? Your faith… How does doubt play in there? When it comes to our relationship with God it becomes a little more difficult to admit, doesn’t it?
But the reality is many of us have had doubts about God. Some of you, doubt is keeping your away from faith. Others you had faith and doubt crept in… And some of you are trying to believe, you have a good faith. But you have these questions that just won’t go away.
Here’s the deal… Everybody has had doubt, will doubt, or knows something going through doubt. (repeat)
So let’s define what doubt is… Doubt - To hesitate to believe, or to question. That’s what it means… But here’s what it doesn’t mean… Doubt is not unbelief. Rather it’s struggling to believe. The truth is everybody has had doubt, will doubt, or knows something going through doubt.
And we tend to view doubt as a negative thing. But the Bible does quite the opposite, it highlights the doubters. It seems God has more of a tolerance for doubt than most Christians do.
The Bible is full of stories of doubting people. Oftentimes the “heroes” of the Bible did not earn their title because they believed without doubt. Rather they earned their title because they had faith WITH doubt.
In fact 100% of Jesus followers doubted… All of them. John the Baptist doubted whether Jesus was legit. The disciples doubts Jesus when he said he would raise from the dead and all promptly abandoned him. And one even earned a nickname for his doubt… Who we call Doubting Thomas…
Which I think is a little unfair… He was only reacting how you and I probably would.
But here’s one that I find the most shocking… Jesus has risen from the grave he’s about to go to heaven. He’s visiting with his disciples, not just the now 11, but likely many more. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. Matthew 28:16-17
The author could have excluded that part right? I mean that doesn’t do much to instill confidence… Unless the author was trying to do something different. Trying to show us that doubt is normal… And that’s what the Bible does over and over again…
And here’s the good news… Jesus doesn’t toss you out if you doubt. (Leave Up on screen)
Here’s the good news… This is important. You can doubt and be a follower Jesus at the same time. You do not have to have it all figured out and have all your doubt worked out. The people who literally walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, and lived life with Jesus didn’t have all their doubts worked out and Jesus still let them follow him. And not only follow him, but he used them. And that’s good news.
But here’s the tension… Here’s what we need to be aware of… While it’s true that Jesus doesn’t too you out if you doubt. If we don’t pay attention. If we don’t respond properly to doubt.
Jesus doesn’t toss you out if you doubt.
BUT
Your doubt can take you out. (both on the screen in separate lines)
If we don’t respond well it can destroy our relationship with God.
TRUTH
So today I want to look at how Jesus handled doubt in the disciples. Because everybody has had doubt, will doubt, or knows something going through doubt.
Now Peter, one of the disciples, learned these lessons of doubt that we’ve been talking about in a very dramatic way. If you grew up in church you probably know who he is, you’ve probably heard of him and heard of this story.
This one day the disciples are on a boat when this storm comes. This storm is winning. They are paddling and struggling to break through the waves. But they are losing the battle.
?And then Jesus comes walking on the water. The way Mark puts it in his Gospel is he says Jesus comes walking by… Kind like Hey they! See you on the other side!
And then Peter who’s still figuring this thing out has an epiphany… He realizes if Jesus invites him he too can probably walk on water. So he calls out to Jesus… Invite me out. If you ask me to do it I will be able to. But if I do it myself I know I can’t. This isn’t magic it’s faith. If you tell me to come to you I can do it.
So Jesus says come on out… Let’s pick up the story there…
29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:29-30
That’s a great prayer isn’t it?… Peter doesn’t know what else to say so he cries out.. Lord, save me…
Stay in this moment for a minute.
Haven’t you prayed that prayer? Haven’t you said that? Pause, reflect on this more in a personal way…
Maybe not those same words, but you’ve prayed that prayer. You’ve been in that storm. You’ve felt yourself sinking. You’ve been overcome by the storm. That news that takes your breath away. When things don’t work out as you thought. When you thought God’s calling was clear, but things seem to fall apart. It’s in those moments that doubt can crept in… Doubt settles and whispers… Maybe it’s not true. Maybe the Bible isn’t reliable. Maybe God’s not good. Maybe he doesn’t care about me… And you start to sink. Just like Peter did.
I’ve been in that storm… Moved here was like getting out of the boat… Then the storm it.
2016 - 2017 was one a really hard season for my wife and I. A few family members died. Our church quite literally was flipped upside down. We had no idea what was going on. Most of my prayers in that time were asking God what he was doing and trying to figure out where to go next. But in the middle of the storm there was a bright spot. My wife and I found out we were pregnant… It seemed like God was finally answering those prayers…
But that was short lived. The storm picked back up. After maybe hitting the two month mark she miscarried.
I’ve never forget that first night. After getting home from the hospital exhausted and drained. My wife and I just laid in our bed and cried. Soon my sadness turned to anger. I thought God was supposed to be good. Sure doesn’t seem like it. I thought he gave peace in tough situations, I sure don’t feel it. My faith cannot make sense of this storm.
And doubt crept in on a level I had never experienced before. It was one of the darkest and loneliest seasons I’ve ever experienced. The storm came and I started to sink.
Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you are there. Maybe someone you know is in a storm like that.
And Peter teach us an important lesson on how to respond in the midst of the storms. Peter when he saw the waves, he we experienced doubt he cried out Lord Save Me…
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Matthew 14:31-32
Don’t miss this… Immediately catches him.. WHILE he was doubting… Jesus caught him. He doesn’t scold him he catches him. And then asks why do you doubt? The answers is fairly obvious isn’t it? He started to doubt when he realized things might not work out. Right? When we realized things were tough, the situation was dire.
I think the common perception is that Jesus is mad… He’s upset. He’s disappointed in our doubt. And listen some of you have good reason to believe that. Because one time you told your doubts, you expressed what you were feeling and some Christian, some church told you you can’t feel that way. Just believe. They point their finger and told you stop doubting. But Jesus doesn’t point a finger when we come to him for him. He extends his hand.
A year or so later Peter would experience this again. Jesus has been arrested and is the middle of a monkey trail that would find him guilty. Jesus told Peter about this moment, but Peter didn’t believe it. Soon people recognize him and start asking if he’s Jesus friend.. His disciple. Peter denies, and swears he’s never seen Jesus. 3 times…
At that moment after his last denial he locks eyes with Jesus. His friend, the person he literally gave up his life for. And he’s expecting him to point his finger and say I told you so… You’ve screwed up one to many times Peter. you’r done. But Jesus doesn’t do that. Jesus doesn’t point his finger. Instead he again extends his hand. This time on the cross. He willing let’s himself be nail to the cross, arms extended. For Peter. and for you.
This is the Gospel message… Jesus doesn’t point a finger at your mistakes… He extends his hand on the cross so that he can save you from your sin.
Listen… In your doubt. Your questions. Your storm. Jesus isn’t going to point a finger at you. He wants to extend his hand.
Peter when he cried out Lord Save Me. Jesus immediately saves him. But notice that Jesus doesn’t explain the storm… He doesn’t offer answers for why it happened. A lot of times in our doubt we what the answers. But God doesn’t often give us the answers. He reaches out, he runs towards us. But he doesn’t give the answers we want.
In your doubt… Jesus response is the same. He will grab you from the waters, save you from sinking. But that doesn’t mean you will have the answers you want. At least not on this side of heaven…
He doesn’t want to point his finger at your doubt, he wants to extend his hand to help you. When you face doubt… Don’t turn away from Jesus. Turn toward him.
There’s an other interaction that Jesus had with the disciples in John 6. And I think this passage can teach us something that’s also important about doubt…
And this passage is pivotal in the story. Because it was at this passage the disciples were at a crossroad. The disciples have an experience where their doubt didn’t just almost take them out in terms of faith in Jesus. In this situation if they had given into doubt we would have never even heard of them.
They were on the edge. And maybe some of you here today can relate to that. You are on the edge and you don’t know which way you will go.
And here’s what we are wondering in those times… Here’s what the disciples were asking. Is it worth it, is it true? Is it worth it, is it true?
That’s the questions that doubt brings… Is it worth it? Is it true…
They were right on the edge of allowing all those doubts to snuff out their faith in Christ.
Here’s the situation.
Jesus had just done some miracles… He had just feed thousands of people. And food was a big deal. Especially in a culture where food was scarce. So they are trying to goad Jesus into doing that miracle again. So Jesus takes the imagery of bread and starts doing some teaching.
He says things like this… You think that was good… Well I’m the bread of life. I’m more satisfying more fulling than that bread you just ate. Then he says you need to eat my body… Than he gets crazier… And drink my blood. And then the crowds, alright you lost us…
The crowd begins stirring and people start leaving. This is a problem. Because the crowds were Jesus’ protection from the pharisees who wanted to nab him. The disciples are getting nervous and they are asking themselves, is this worth it. is it true?
Here’s what John says
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” John 6:60
A few verses later.
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. John 6:66
So the disciples are listening to this crazy teaching as the crowd leaves. The disciples are nervous. And they are asking… Is it worth it? Is it true?
But here’s the deal… They have no idea what hangs in the balance of their decision to stay there with Jesus or leave. They don’t know yet. But Jesus has chosen them to do things far more extraordinary than walk on water. Or any other miracle he has done. They don’t know it yet, but Jesus wants them to shape history.
They are on the verge of joining the crowd and walking away. Because they aren’t sure it’s worth. They aren’t sure it’s true…
And this is so awesome… Jesus turns to them and says. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” John 6:67
This question is brilliant… Because the disciples are thinking about leaving. Their doubt was about to take them out… Then Peter, of course Peter, gives them an answer. And listen if you have doubt. If you have questions, this is THEE question that you need to answer. This is the question you cannot loose site of when you are wondering is it worth it, is it true.
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? John 6:68
This is the question Peter knew he needed to ask… As he’s wondering is it worth it, is it true… He comes to realization of… If not Jesus than who? If not Jesus, then what?
When you step away from Jesus you step towards something else. So what Peter is saying… Is if not Jesus than who? Even though things are tough… Even though we got these questions. Even though there’s a lot of unknown… Where else would we go? Who else would we go too?
This is THEE question for us to ask. If you are going to step away from Jesus. You need to ask yourself this question. If not Jesus, than who? Than what?
No other religion makes the promise that Jesus makes. No other place are the words of eternal life found. So if not Jesus than what? Maybe you think you’ll just live your life. Do your own thing. Be a good person. Okay… But where does that get you?
If you’re doubt is about tot take you out… You need to ask yourself this question..
Here’s how Peter answers it…
You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:69
In other words… What Peter is saying is things don’t make sense. Yes we are a little tempted to bail. But Where else would we go? Jesus, you have the words of eternal life. You are the ONLY place I can find that. There’s no place else I can find that. So where would I go? If this doubt takes me out, where else could I go?
Jesus answered him and said, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, bro!”
I’m joking… He didn’t say that. But I put that up there for a reason… Listen…
The disciples in that moment had no idea what they almost missed out on. They had no idea what God’s plan for them. They had no idea what they almost walked away from. They have no idea what hangs in the balance of their decision.
We could continue on… I could show you more stories. But if you followed their story for the rest of the Gospels you would see them continue to doubt. Over and over again. But, Jesus never kicked them out. And they didn’t let their doubt take them out.
APPLICATION
If you doubt Jesus will not kick you out. But you need to answer the same question that Peter asked himself… If not Jesus than who? Because Jesus is the only place you will find the words of eternal life. So if not Jesus than who?
Listen this is so important for us… You will never know what God would have done if you allow doubt to take you out. You will never know what God would have done in your marriage if you allow doubt to take you out. You’ve never know…. Financially, professionally, who God wants you to change, the impact he wants you to make. You don’t have any idea what God is up too.
If not Jesus, then who?
In the midst of my doubts… I was asking the same questions that the disciples asked… Is it worth it, is it true… I’ll be honest. I wanted to say no… It’s not worth it. But then I remember Peter’s words. Lord, to whom shall I go?
I had no where else to go. There is no other viable option.
So maybe you are thinking, but what do I with my doubts… This is great and all but what do I do with these doubts.
So I want to give you a few things you can do to help in seasons of doubt.
For Those Doubting:
Don’t withdraw from God
When I was in the middle of my doubt and questioning. I withdrew. I said you know what God if you aren’t going to come through for me and what I need… Which what I really meant was give me what I want. Then I’m not going to draw close to you.
And I didn’t. The thing is I really wanted to. But i was letting my doubts get the best of me. I almost let my doubt take me out.
While I was unfaithful… God was faithful. And he didn’t kick me out because of my doubt.
I made an already difficult season even more difficult. Because in the middle of my storm I refused to pray the prayer that Peter prayed… Lord save me…
If only I knew that the moment I looked to him he would reach down and save me. ??Listen… Whatever you are going through. Whatever doubt you have. Bring it God. He can take it. You don’t need to censor yourself or say the right words. Say what you are feeling what you are thinking. He wants your heart. So the perfect version of you. So go to him. With your doubts and all.
Don’t withdraw from God…
You see I knew that… I’ve preached that before. But in my doubt I forgot that. I need reminders. You know where that came from? Community. Others. Those around me. I say this every week in 4x4… The best shot that you and I have of following Jesus is together. Alone we will fail.
We need others.
Don't’ withdrawn from Community (include below the Don’t withdraw from God)
My wife and I lead a Life Group and one night at our meeting the topic of the video was connecting with God. I had what I thought was a brilliant idea. This week we would each do something to connect with God in a way we haven’t, or haven’t in awhile. then we’d hold each other accountable next week and share what we did. I thought this was a great idea… Until I realized I had to do that too… For a few minutes I thought I’ll just keep quiet and no one will notice that I didn’t give an answer. But that was short lived when someone in my group asked me what I was going to do.
Funny how that works.
But it was from them. From that Group that brought me back to a place were I going towards God, and not away. I needed those around me to remind me to not withdraw from God. That’s why one of our values around here is We > Me
And you do too.
You need community in the midst of your doubt. Don’t withdraw… Specifically from other Christians… In your doubt. Stay close. Let them encourage you and help you.
Now let’s switch gears and let me give you two things you can do to help those that are doubting…
For Those Who Know Someone Who’s Doubting:
Stay
One of the things I’ve learned in my life is your presence is greater than your words. Often times it’s not what you say it’s that you showed up. When someone you care about is struggling the best thing you can do is to be with them and to pray for them.
I know the fear… What if they ask me a question I don’t know the answer too… Don’t worry about that. Just be present and be consistent in prayer for them.
Pray
My wife has slowly, and kinda unsuccessfully, been teaching me that sometimes it’s okay to not fix a problem. Sometimes encouragement and a listening ear is all that’s needed… Listen… It’s taken me a long time to understand that and I still don’t always do it well.
People that are doubting are not broken. They are being honest with where they are at. They don’t need you to fix them. And in fact that will probably do more harm than good. Encourage them. Don’t fix them.
CONCLUSION
All of us… Have doubted, will doubt, or know someone who doubts. The good news is that Jesus isn’t going to kick us out because we doubt. But we’ve got to respond right to our doubt.
Just like the disciples were at a crossroads in our doubt we are too. And listen you have no idea what hangs in the balance.
I had no idea what I almost walked away from… When I was in the most moments of my doubt and I wanted to walk away throw in the towel. I had no idea what hung in the balance.
Now a couple years removed I look back… And listen I still don’t have answers. I might never have answers for why things happened. But so many incredible things have happened. Our church was rebuilt, Drew was hired and the staff here is the best I’ve ever worked with, and best of all my wife and I had our first baby who’d now 3 months old.
Listen… in my doubt I was at a crossroads. And had I let doubt take me out I would have walked away from all that. I would have walked away from all that is to come. I had no idea in that moment what God had in store for me.
But if we don’t run toward God, if we withdraw from community. Doubt can take you out.
So how will you respond? How will you help those that are doubting? Will you keep trusting God?
Because listen… You have NO idea what hangs in the balance on your decision to follow Jesus, to keep trusting him.
Let’s pray…
