Sunday, December 10, 2017 pm
PROBLEMS CHRISTIANS FACE
The Problem of Doubt
As
we continue to examine various problems we face as Christians, tonight I
want to address the subject of doubt.
We are living in a very doubtful world.
Everything about God and his word is called into question.
A part of this is the product of a society that has called taught
us that we should question everything, especially authority.
And this comes with an education system, an entertainment
industry and a government that have rejected the idea of a divine being
greater than ourselves to whom we are accountable.
We are bombarded with information that questions who we are and
why are we here. Add to this
the rampant immorality and worldliness around us, is it any wonder that
from time to time we begin to question ourselves.
Personally, many, if not most of us, struggle with doubts of some
sort from time to time. We
may doubt ourselves (our ability to accomplish something, who we are,
dwelling on our past failures), others (a lack of confidence), or even
some spiritual fact (Who is God? Am I saved? Questions about
uncertainties such as suffering, eternal punishment, and evil.
Or perhaps our faith is not what it ought to be.)
For whatever reason, we have doubts.
So what do we do about them?
a.
Peter doubted – Matthew
14:28-33. Jesus walking on
water invites Peter to join him after he asks.
Peter looks down and begins to sink.
Jesus asked him, “Why did you doubt?”
b.
Thomas doubted – John
20:24-29. Perhaps the most
prominent example of doubt.
He refused to believe that Jesus was raised unless he saw Him and
touched his wounds. The next
Sunday he was able to. Jesus
said to him, “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
c.
When you pray, ask in
faith without doubting– James 1:5, 1 Timothy 2:8,
I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting;
d.
Romans 14:22-23 – to act
while doubting is sin. Our
actions must be with faith.
e.
From these passages it
becomes clear that doubt is something we ought to be concerned about.
a.
Is doubt sinful?
Not an easy question to answer. Is
it a legitimate question for which you seek an answer, OR is it a cause
to reject? Is it persistent,
or have you tried to deal with it?
Like so many other issues, it is HOW we deal with our doubts that
determines who we are.
Realize what doubt is.
It is not always a denial of our faith.
It is questioning something about our faith.
It is insufficient or weak faith.
One source noted that doubt is a bridge that connects your current faith
with perfect faith.
Doubt is not just
intellectual, it is also spiritual.
It is a tool of Satan.
Genesis 3:3-5, the very first sin was a result of Satan lying to
Eve. When you look at what
he said, did he plant a seed of doubt within her?
Ephesians 6:10-13, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.
b.
Deal with your doubt
i.
Do not ignore it, for that is sin. Rarely does
ignoring something make it go away. Resolve it!
ii.
Do not close your mind to an answer – Thomas, when told that Jesus was alive, refused to
believe it until he had evidence.
However, he was there the next Sunday.
Willing to consider it.
AND, when Jesus appeared, He immediately believed – “My Lord and
my God”.
One source said, Learn to doubt
your doubts. If you can
doubt something, can you be wrong about what you are doubting?
iii.
Be humble.
Many today let doubts excuse their ungodly behavior.
Skeptics and critics argue that because they don’t have a
concrete answer for spiritual matters they have a right to reject the
POSSIBLITY of a concrete answer.
We must humbly acknowledge that don’t know everything.
In fact, there are things we may never know!
The secret things belong to God – Deuteronomy 29:29; Romans
11:33-34 – who has known the mind of the Lord?
iv.
Search for answers – diligently!
Just because you don’t have an answer to something doesn’t mean there is
not an answer. Keep looking.
Romans 10:17 – faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.
John 8:32 – the truth will set you free.
Hebrews 4:12 – have faith in the word.
2 Timothy 2:15. – se
keep studying!
Be willing to accept the answer when you find it.
But realize you may not get all the answer, especially the way you want
them answered. Be humble
enough to accept that.
v.
Pray about it.
It is ironic that even though there are passages that address
doubting in our prayers, the answer includes prayer (cf. Mark 9:24, Lord
I believe. Help my unbelief)
vi.
If there is sin in your life, repent of it.
Often our doubts and questions come about because of sins we are
struggling with and refuse or hesitate to deal with them.
How many struggle with the condemnation of sinful behavior in the Bible
because they try to explain it away?
No wonder they are living with doubts!
How many struggle with the concept of hell (eternal punishment) because
they don’t want to change?
vii.
Keep growing.
If doubts are a manifestation of weak faith, the way to overcome
them is by strengthening your faith.
2 Peter 1:5-11 tells you how to do that.
You add to your faith…
In time, a strengthened faith (and wisdom and knowledge) will lead to
less doubting and questions.
c.
Be patient with those
who are in genuine doubt. Do
not create an environment where someone is afraid to ask questions.
Instead, be available to help them find the answers to their
doubts. 1 Thessalonians 5:14.
Hebrews 12:12 strengthen the feeble knees that hand down.
Doubt can do one of two things: It can devastate you OR it can make you
and your faith stronger. As
with everything else, it depends upon what you do with it.
How is your faith?