It is possible to have legitimate questions and concerns
about persons, propositions, or teachings.
A. What is the difference between these questions and
doubt?...none...they are the same thing.
1. It is healthy...even desirous (in some cases) to
question.
a. We are actually admonished to question
some things.
I John 4:1 - 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false
prophets have gone out into the world.
** We question these “spirits”, because we are unsure of
their validity...in other words, we doubt until that doubt
can be removed.
b. The Apostle Paul had his doubts about a
whole congregation...or so he writes in
Gal. 4:20.
Gal. 4:20 - 20I would like to be present with you now and
to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.
c. The Bereans questioned everything and
checked teachings out with the Word of
God.
1.) They were commended for it...as a
matter of fact.
Acts 17:11 - 11These were more fair-minded than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out
whether these things were so.
We see that question (doubting) motivates us to search
further and deeper in our quest for the truth.
A. In this there is a positive aspect to questioning
the validity and veracity of people, propositions,
and teachings.
With rare exception, however, doubt toward God or toward
the things of God is considered a negative thing.
A. Doubt and questioning of God, is almost always
an indication of a lack of faith...a lack of belief...
the absence of trust in God or His Word.
These kinds of doubts are placed in our minds by satan.
A. Doubting God or His Word is one of the number
one destroyers of our faith and is the main cause
of Christians falling away.
1. Doubt is the enemy of faith.
2. Doubt is a cousin,...if not a brother to fear.
Because a person has doubts does not make them a wicked
person.
A. Doubts are common.
1. Some doubt God because they cannot see
His hand working in their lives.
B. Some have been known to doubt the Church...that
is,...they doubt the belief system that they have
been taught, as a Christian.
C. A terrible problem arises when we doubt our very
salvation.
1. As time goes by, we sometimes need to be
reassured of the reality of our salvation.
D. Finally...troubles, trials, and distress can bring
about real doubt about all of our spiritual
soundness.
1. Doubts about ourselves,...doubts about God,...
and doubts about the promises found in His
Holy Word.
** Doubt indicates a real need in a person’s life to feed the
soul with faith building exercises.
Many Biblical men and women questioned and doubted:
Sarah - Gen. 18:12-14
Moses - Ex. 3:11; 4:1,10
Gideon - Judges 6:13-15
Samuel - I Sam. 16:1-2
Elijah - I Kings 19:13-14
Naaman - II Kings 5:9-13
The Diciples - Matt. 16:10-11
Thomas (Didimus) - John 20:25
Peter - Acts 11:5
Annanias - Acts 9:13-14
** This is not to justify doubts, but to show their common
relationship among men.
1. Nobody is so strong that they have never had
any doubts of any kind.
Even Jesus Christ was attacked by satan trying to place
doubt in His mind.
Matt. 4:3,6 - “... If You are the Son of God...”
A. We are told that Jesus was tempted in all ways as
we are (Heb. 4:15)...but isn’t it interesting that the
only temptation that is mentioned, specifically, is
the temptation of DOUBT.
Matt. 4:3,6; 27:40,42; Luke 23:37,39
One of Peter’s major blunders is one of doubt.
Matt. 14:28-31 - 28And Peter answered Him and said,
“Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the
water.” 29So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come
down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
30But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord,
save me!” 31And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand
and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why
did you doubt?”
A. Peter went from walking on water to drowning.
I. Doubting God and the things of God that have been
revealed to us from His Holy Word, is ALWAYS
FROM THE DEVIL.
A. Our faith must be built upon the Word of God.
Matt. 7:24 - 24“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of
Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who
built his house on the rock:
B. Our very final judgment will be based upon this
Word.
John 12:48 - 48“He who rejects Me, and does not receive
My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have
spoken will judge him in the last day.
C. It is the Word of God which cleanses us.
John 15:3 - 3“You are already clean because of the word
which I have spoken to you.
1. A Word which was at one time spoken...is
now ours in written form.
D. Our very salvation comes from this Word.
1. Why we believe, obey, follow, and respect
God and the things of God...is because of our
faith and trust in His word.
Acts 2:38-41 - 38Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and
let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is to you and to your
children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord
our God will call.”
40And with many other words he testified and exhorted
them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized;
and that day about three thousand souls were added to
them.
a. This salvation is assured and sealed by
the oath of God.
Heb. 6:13-20 - 13For when God made a promise to
Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He
swore by Himself, 14saying, “Surely blessing I will bless
you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15And so, after
he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16For
men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for
confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17Thus God,
determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an
oath, 18that by two immutable things, in which it is
impossible for God to lie, we might have strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the
hope set before us. 19This hope we have as an anchor of
the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the
Presence behind the veil, 20where the forerunner has
entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest
forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
B. Our very salvation hinges upon our faith and trust
in Christ, God, His Word, and His promises.
1. Our hope and our everlasting future depends
upon our faith and confidence in the things
of God.
a. Anything less than faith will cause us to
lose our great salvation.
1.) Nothing that is spiritually
rewarding is given to us by sight,...
but by faith and trust in the unseen
things of God.
2.) This must be completely of faith...
we cannot doubt, or we will lose
that salvation which we so much
want.
Rom. 4:19-25 - 19And not being weak in faith, he did not
consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a
hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
20He did not waver at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He
was also able to perform. 22And therefore “it was
accounted to him for righteousness.” 23Now it was not
written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24but
also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him
who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was
delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised
because of our justification.
II. A doubting man is unstable.
James 1:6-8 - 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and
tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he
will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a
double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
A. He is morally unstable.
1. He doesn’t really believe that God watches
and that there will be a judgment day.
a. The very words that warn him are left
unheeded and a course is set for hell.
b. This man doesn’t fear God or hell, for he
cannot believe in either.
B. He is spiritually unstable.
1. The basis for salvation is faith.
a. A doubting man cannot have that kind
of faith.
b. A doubting man doesn’t trust in the
promises of God
c. Only the things seen move this man and
he can only trust in what he can know
through his senses.
1.) Those senses can and do mislead
those who will put their trust in
them.
** This person’s life is frightening...confusing...and
without any real direction or true hope.
B. An unstable person...one who does not have a
firm faith in the things of God, can be easily
mislead by satan...through his false teachers.
II Peter 2:14 - 14having eyes full of adultery and that
cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a
heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed
children.
1. Confusion is the tool of the devil.
a. Those who are full of doubts can be lead
anywhere.
1.) They are confused and satan will
see that they stay confused.
2.) They are confused because they
will not accept...by faith...the truth
of God or His Word.
C. Ignorance plays into the devil’s hands.
1. Those who remain in ignorance are prey to
the devil.
II Peter 3:16 - 16as also in all his epistles, speaking in
them of these things, in which are some things hard to
understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to
their own destruction,as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures.
a. As long as this person remains in his
ignorance, he is going to have doubts.
1.) Only a true knowledge of the things
of God, can lead a person to a
real and saving faith.
2.) Ignorance breeds doubt.
III. Our faith...the faith that overcomes doubt, is based on
trust in the operation of God.
A. A Christian is fully persuaded that God can and
will keep His promises.
1. We don’t have doubt because we trust the
Word that God has given to us.
a. We have a faith in the forgiveness of God
1.) Even though we cannot prove that
forgiveness by empirical means.
b. We have faith in the fact that we can
contact the blood of Christ.
1.) Even though we never SEE that
blood, physically.
c. We have a faith that God is working in
our lives.
1.) Even though things don’t always
go the way we expected or wanted.
d. We have faith in the Church that we
can clearly see in God’s Word.
1.) This...in spite of the confusion of
the denominational world.
e. We have faith that God is on His throne
and fully in control.
1.) We have an assurance of this...no
matter what physical indicators may
show.
CONCLUSION:
We don’t doubt, because we can know.
A. God’s word tells us and we are assured that His
Word has never failed us or those who have gone
on before us.
1. Ours is not a religion of feelings.
a. Feelings can deceive and doubts can
arise as we are deceived.
2. There is no doubt, BECAUSE WE KNOW.
If you already know...reinforce your knowledge...reinforce
your faith...reinforce your trust.
A. Exercise your faith and trust in all that you do.
If you doubt, let us get together so that you may know
what the excellent riches are that God has in store for you.
A. Doubt is devastating...doubt is frightening...doubt
eats at the heart and destroys your confidence and
steals the quality of life from you that God has
in store for every child of His.
1. Doubt destroy...faith saves...come, let us
reason together.
