The Power Of Doubt

Matthew 28:16&17

The power of doubt

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.

In Albert Einstein's early days, physicists had scratched their heads for some 50 years over the unexplainable orbit of the planet Mercury. Newton's theories of gravity had served well for centuries to understand the orbits of all the other planets, but in Mercury's elliptical orbit, the point nearest the sun drifted by a very small amount. . . .

Astronomers theorized that another small hidden planet, which they named Vulcan, might orbit near the sun and exert gravitational force on Mercury. But Vulcan was never discovered. . . .

Then Einstein formulated his general theory of relativity. When he applied this gravitational formula to the eccentric orbit of Mercury, he had one of the breathtaking moments of his scientific life: the numbers fit. Mercury was a mystery no more.

My life will on occasion have an orbit like Mercury that for a time simply defies my best efforts to explain it. Nonetheless as surely as there is order in the universe, there is a heavenly reason for my circumstances utterly consistent with God's Word and character. I just cannot understand it yet. We doubt because we don’t have all the facts.

Here we see some doubting even when they see the facts, Know the facts but still doubt. They can not see beyond what they believe.

Vs 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

The following statements are taken from official documents, newspapers and magazines widely read during their day. Listen to what the "authorities" had to say:

1840 - "Anyone traveling at the speed of thirty miles per hour would surely suffocate."

1878 - "Electric lights are unworthy of serious attention."

1901 - "No possible combination can be united into a practical machine by which men shall fly."

1926 - (from a scientist) "This foolish idea of shooting at the moon is basically impossible."

1930 - (another scientist) "To harness the energy locked up in matter is impossible."

There have always been those who said, "It can't be done." Yes, even the experts can be wrong. But the real tragedy is that 99 percent of the people believed them.

That is the power of doubt

Taken from Glenn Bland's "Success, the Glenn Bland Method"

Like those here, they could see and touch but still doubted. We must ask why to understand how some could see and worship but some would doubt.

1. 15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15&16)

This is an example of what we are to see if we are to understand.

They are those who believe in Jesus and will follow him until they get to Baptism and then doubt and say “I don’t believe baptism is needed for salvation.” They meet Jesus where He tell us to, but when push comes to shove they doubt because they can not see beyond what THEY believe. Those there knew Jesus was killed and buried, but had a hard time believing He was alive, it must be some kind of trick. Remember Jesus insisted that messages be sent to His followers to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 26:32, 28:7, 28:10) so there was more then just the eleven possible, could this be the appearance to the five hundred of which Paul speaks of in 1st Corinthians 15:6. The meeting later was 120 in Jerusalem. Was this why only 120 showed up? I remember one friend who I was teaching said to me if I admit that baptism is essential I will be committing intellectual suicide. What he meant was, if I say I need it all my relatives that died before me would not be in heaven, and he believed they were and nothing would persuade him otherwise of what he needed because they could not all be wrong. Hebrews 11:1 says Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Vs 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. God leads us to places we have never been, But He is already there and we must be willing to follow Him where ever He leads, even if it goes against what we want to believe. Beloved what we believe does not change the truth of God’s word. Seeing is not always believing.

I remember in July 21st of 1969 when man first stepped foot on the moon, as I watched it on TV there were those with me that said it was not happening and they still believe it today. So seeing is not always believing. Faith is believing what we do not see, that which goes beyond us, even to unbelievable.