The Mess of Doubt
Notes
Transcript
God’s not scared.
God’s not scared.
One of the things that people of any faith and particularly the Christian faith think is that to have any question, to have any doubt, to have any form of curiosity about some of the things that happen and how God is and handles them means that my faith is not real, that God is somehow surprised or bothered or afraid that some strange house of cards built up by him will tumble when we have questions.
Let’s be clear, God’s not scared of our questions, he’s not scared of our wondering or our doubts. In fact it may surprise you that the questions and doubts that we have ab out God don’t disqualify us from his love, or from serving him or from being welcomed into fellowship with him.
The New Testament has more than one example of doubt without discount.
Today we are going to look at a snapshot of three of them, and see what God did with them in spite of their questions.
Nicodemus
Nicodemus
We know you’re more than we want to admit.
Talk about the whole coming at night and admitting things.
There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”
Jesus answers all of his questions and still.
“How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
“Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied.
At this point Jesus goes into greater detail about what it takes to be part of the Kingdom of God. He asks Nicodemus a question before though. Jesus isn’t letting Nic off the hook, but Nicodemus has to sit with his doubt for a while. We don’t see some great conversion story here, Nicodemus doesn’t run off and tell the others like the woman at the well will do. He doesn’t tell people about all that Jesus did for him. But he does sit with the thoughts for a while, and he comes to a faith that is developed slowly.
Later on in the same book we find a crowd of people arguing about who Jesus is. Jesus is teaching people are being challenged by his words and the religious leaders decide it’s time to bring him in by sending the Temple Police to arrest him. They come back without him and the People keep arguing about who Jesus is. Here we find Nicodemus again.
Nicodemus—the one who came to him previously and who was one of them—said to them, “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?”
“You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
This is big and the other religious leaders are looking at Nic and not sure what to think.
Finally we find Nicodemus doing something that acknowledges exactly who he knows and believes Jesus to be.
Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
Nic is all in now. The amount of spice that was brought was enough for the burial of a King.
Thomas
Thomas
Thomas is an interesting study when it comes to Doubt and Question.
Apart from him being listed as a disciple in Matthew, Mark, and Luke as well as Acts, John talks a bit more about him.
We see his devotion and courage here.
Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too so that we may die with him.”
We see his willingness to question to understand here.
“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.”
“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”
And we see that he never lost that questioning needing to know doubting a bit here.
But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Jesus shows up, and he does something that should give us all hope for those times when we wonder and question. He shows himself to Thomas and says. I love you…YOu may say wait pastor aaron that’s not what it says. Jesus actually said.
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.”
Expound
Peter
Peter
We are going to end with Peter. Peter who was the one chosen by God to start the church. Peter who would deliver the sermon on the day of Pentecost where 3000 people were added to the church. Peter who denied Jesus three times even after saying he would never do that, would in fact die for Jesus. Peter who asked this question.
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.”
We’ve heard the story of Peter walking on the water. A group of disciples sees a man strolling on the water and realizes that it’s not natural. They think it’s a Ghost and all of them freak out and Jesus calls to them and tries to reassure them and instead of staying in his place of fear and doubt he simply asks a question.
And then does something that no other person has done except Jesus.
He said, “Come.”
And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.
This is huge…and terrifying and amazing and well…we know what happens.
But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Expound hit.
Life can cause doubt’s especially when all hell is breaking loose around you.
When we cry out to God even in our doubt he does not leave us alone.
Drive home the importance of Immediately.
Talk about the fact that Peters doubt did not keep him from serving even when Jesus calls him on it he didn’t write peter off. Any of the times peter doubted he was never written off.
Okay to Question
Okay to Question
It’s okay to question, it’s okay to doubt and wonder. That’s part of being human, what matters more than the doubt and the question is what you do with that doubt what yoyu do with those questions.
God is not surprised by or worried by our questions, no those questions serve as a way to further our faith. To have His Strength be made perfect in our weakness yet again.
This Week’s Challenge
This Week’s Challenge
Own up to your questions about God. Write Five of them down and then each day spend time looking for answers in His Word.