Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU200012S
|
00:11 And this is the record that
00:13 God hath given to us eternal life 00:16 and this life is in His Son. 00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming. 00:30 Welcome, a big welcome to one and all. 00:33 I'm John Malkiewycz 00:35 and I've been blessed by the speakers 00:37 that have been presenting at 00:38 our 3ABN Australia Homecoming 2020 00:42 "Preparing for Eternity." 00:44 And each one has been presenting a chapter 00:47 from this little book Steps to Christ. 00:49 And it's been a real blessing. 00:51 And I'm sure our audience, have you been blessed? 00:53 Yes, they are nodding their heads. 00:55 In our last program, 00:57 Charissa Torossian spoke on Chapter 11, 01:01 The Privilege of Prayer. 01:03 And we've summarized and she summarized 01:05 that in five points. 01:07 Number one. 01:08 Nothing brings us closer to God than prayer. 01:11 If Jesus needed prayer, 01:13 how much more do we need prayer? 01:15 Number three. 01:17 Every revival in history began with prayer. 01:20 We can expect the same will be true 01:21 for the end of time as well. 01:24 More than ever before, number four, 01:26 it's time to be intentional 01:29 and deliberate in seeking God in prayer. 01:32 Number five. 01:34 God's end time people are a people of passionate 01:38 and earnest prayer. 01:40 Our speaker today is Blair Lemke. 01:43 And he's going to be covering Chapter 12, 01:46 "What to Do with Doubt." 01:49 We all have to deal with doubt 01:51 at some time or other and it affects the choices 01:54 that we make. 01:55 So we're looking forward to what Blair has to say 01:59 What to Do with Doubt, but before he speaks, 02:02 Rosemary Malkiewycz, 02:04 she will be singing "Sunshine and Rain." 02:07 So thank you, Rosemary. 02:23 I ask myself the question 02:28 and the answer is plain 02:32 Would I enjoy the sunshine 02:36 If I never had any rain? 02:40 And if I had no heartaches 02:44 and I live without loss 02:49 Would I seek for the comfort 02:53 At the floor of the cross? 02:57 And if there were 03:00 No winters cold and so dread 03:06 Would I earn for the love 03:10 Of spring every year? 03:14 And if all that I wanted 03:19 Will stay everyday 03:23 Would I kneel before my God 03:27 And earnestly pray? 03:38 If I never knew sickness, 03:42 Never felt any pain 03:46 Would I reach for His hand 03:51 To help and sustain? 03:54 If I never had a tear drop 03:59 Running down to the floor 04:03 Would I cry out to my Father 04:07 And seek Him on the floor? 04:11 And if there were 04:13 No winters cold and so dread 04:19 Would I earn for the love 04:23 Of spring every year? 04:28 And if all that I wanted 04:32 Will stay every day 04:36 Would I kneel before my God 04:40 And earnestly pray? 05:02 And if I had no trials 05:07 To calm down my way 05:10 Would I kneel before my God 05:14 And to earnestly pray? 05:19 So I've asked myself the question 05:23 And the answer is plain 05:28 I enjoy the sunshine 05:32 And I enjoy the rain 05:48 Well, hello, everyone. It is a blessing to be here. 05:52 I have been thoroughly blessed going through 05:54 the series, Preparing for Eternity. 05:57 And I trust that you have as well. 05:59 And I'm looking forward today 06:01 in sharing our next installment of the series, 06:04 and digging straight into our chapter. 06:07 Because this book right here, has changed my life. 06:11 And whenever I get an opportunity to share 06:13 from the pages of this book with friends, 06:16 with family, in a sermon, 06:18 I always rejoice at the opportunity to do so 06:21 because this is a book that changes lives. 06:23 And so I'm looking forward to journeying with you today 06:26 in our next installment of the series. 06:28 Before we begin, I'd like to start 06:31 with a word of prayer if you join me. 06:36 Heavenly Father, we want to thank You 06:38 for the privilege that we have to be here this day. 06:41 Lord, we thank You for Your Word that 06:43 You have given to us to guide us, to lead us 06:47 in this dark world. 06:48 You've not cast us out into the world 06:50 to fend for ourselves, to find our own way, 06:53 but Lord, You've given us a compass, 06:55 You've given us a light. 06:57 And we thank You for this Lord, 06:58 we pray this morning 07:00 as we study through Your Word 07:02 that Your Spirit would be with us 07:05 that You would lead us into truth. 07:07 And we claim this promise in Jesus' name. 07:10 Amen. 07:12 Well, it's been an action packed series so far, 07:15 and we've covered a lot of ground 07:17 in such a powerful little book Steps to Christ. 07:21 We've learned in our coverage 07:23 so far in this series, that God loves us, 07:26 and that we are in desperate need of God. 07:30 We've learned that 07:32 when we come to God with true confession, 07:35 with repentance, with earnestness of heart, 07:37 that He receives us to Himself, 07:40 and in receiving us to Himself, 07:42 He then forms us 07:44 into the very image of His own Son. 07:46 What a beautiful picture of what it means 07:49 to walk with Jesus to come alongside 07:52 and learn to walk daily with our Savior. 07:56 As we walk daily with our Savior, 07:58 we've looked through this series at the idea 08:01 of spending regular time 08:02 in God's Word daily walking with Him, 08:05 having a vibrant prayer life, 08:07 but as we journey with Jesus every day, 08:12 Satan still has some temptations 08:15 that he likes to throw at believers. 08:18 Even as they journey with Jesus day by day, 08:22 the devil is not content to sit back, 08:25 and to allow a relationship 08:28 with God to go on unheeded, unimpeded. 08:32 And so the devil has some particular strategies. 08:36 And one of those strategies 08:37 that we're gonna look at today is the strategy of doubt. 08:42 What do we do with doubt? 08:46 What do we do when we find something 08:48 in God's Word that 08:50 does not become immediately clear to us that 08:52 we cannot understand or we have doubt over? 08:57 Well, today, what I'd like to do with you 09:00 is share five simple principles from God's Word, 09:04 five crucial principles that will guide a believer in 09:08 what they should do with doubt. 09:10 And so I would invite you if you have your Bible 09:12 to open up God's Word with me to the Book of Job, 09:17 we're gonna turn to Job Chapter 11. 09:20 And we're gonna begin our study here 09:22 in the Book of Job 11:7-9, 09:27 we pick up the story here we, 09:29 of course, Job has had a very interesting experience. 09:33 He's faced several trials, 09:34 and he has friends that come along 09:37 to offer advice and counsel him, 09:39 but what we see in this little passage 09:41 that I'm about to read to you 09:42 reveals an important principle 09:44 of what we should do with doubt. 09:46 And I want you to take note of it here Job 11:7-9, 09:52 God's Word says, 09:53 "Can you search out the deep things of God? 09:57 Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 10:01 They are higher than heaven what can you do? 10:05 They are deeper than Sheol what can you know? 10:08 Their measure is longer than the earth 10:10 and broader than the sea." 10:12 I want to tell you today that as we consider 10:17 what to do with doubt, one of the important things 10:21 for us to understand as believers, 10:23 as Bible believing Christians, 10:26 as we consider what we should do with doubt, 10:28 one of the first things that we should consider, 10:30 the first principle that I'd like to share with you 10:33 is that we need to be 10:34 willing to be to live in mystery. 10:39 We need to know that God fully intends that 10:44 you and I will not understand everything in it. 10:49 We won't understand 10:51 every single thing in God's Word 10:53 or in the world around us. 10:55 There are things that we just cannot understand. 10:58 You and I, we are finite beings, 11:01 we are not an infinite God. 11:04 The infinite God is far above and beyond us. 11:07 And as we read the pages of scripture here, 11:08 the question is asked, 11:10 Can we search out the deep things of God? 11:13 Can we know? 11:14 Well, no. 11:16 Certainly God has revealed to us things in His Word. 11:19 And we have the privilege of being 11:20 able to study His Word, 11:22 which is a Revelation from God to us. 11:25 However, this is not to assume that 11:28 we will know absolutely everything, 11:31 that every single little thing 11:33 will be made plain to our finite understanding. 11:36 This would be unrealistic to expect from a finite being 11:41 if we were able to understand 11:44 everything that an infinite God was and is, 11:47 then we would be God Himself. 11:50 We would have... 11:52 The God would no longer be supreme over us. 11:55 And so as we approach this topic of doubt, 11:58 a fundamental principle, 11:59 as we start our time together, 12:01 is to understand this simple idea 12:03 that we need to be willing to live in mystery. 12:06 There are certain things that God knows, 12:09 we will not fully understand. 12:12 And we will, in fact, be growing 12:14 and learning in our relationship with God 12:16 throughout all of eternity. 12:19 God is the treasure chest of knowledge. 12:21 And we will be learning and growing 12:23 and our appreciation and understanding 12:24 of His character of love 12:26 for the ceaseless ages. 12:27 What a beautiful idea. 12:29 I want to take you to 12:30 one other passage of scripture 12:32 that speaks to us about this idea. 12:34 Flick with me, if you will, turn with me to Isaiah 55. 12:38 And in Isaiah 55:8-9, 12:41 we find another coverage of this same idea 12:45 in the Book of Isaiah. 12:46 Isaiah 55:8-9, we read this, 12:50 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 12:54 nor are My ways your ways, says the Lord. 12:58 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 13:01 so are My ways higher than your ways, 13:04 and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.'" 13:07 You know what? 13:08 I am so happy that God is smarter than me. 13:13 I'm happy that God's thoughts 13:15 are higher than mine 13:17 that His ways are above mine 13:19 because if God was similar in thought and action to me, 13:24 this would be a pretty dire situation. 13:27 This would not be the sort of God 13:30 that we see pictured in Scripture. 13:32 And so, as we consider 13:35 what a believer should do with doubt, 13:37 it should not surprise us when there are things 13:40 that we cannot fully understand, 13:42 or there may be things that we have questions about. 13:45 This is something that God understands 13:49 and knows is a part of the existence 13:52 of being a finite human being. 13:55 And so an important idea to consider here 13:58 as we spend our time together. 14:00 Turn with me, if you will, 14:02 to a passage in the New Testament, 14:04 Romans, the Book of Romans in Romans Chapter 11. 14:09 And we'll cover this from one more angle, 14:12 one more text of scripture 14:14 that speaks to this simple principle, 14:16 but really foundational to this topic 14:19 as we deal with doubt. 14:21 In Romans 11:33, 14:26 notice what God's Word says, 14:28 God's Word says, 14:30 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom 14:34 and the knowledge of God! 14:36 How unsearchable are His judgments 14:40 and His ways past finding out!" 14:44 The God of Scripture is a big God. 14:47 The God of Scripture is transcendent above 14:49 and beyond you and I. 14:52 And as I read these passages of scriptures 14:54 I get a picture of what Scripture says that 14:58 we should expect, it becomes quite clear that 15:02 God understands 15:04 that this challenge of doubt will exist, 15:07 that will be a part of the experience of humans. 15:10 Now this doesn't mean that we can't know anything. 15:13 We've talked about this idea that 15:15 God's Word is a Revelation to us. 15:17 He's given it to us to teach us things in His Word. 15:20 And He makes it, He gives us His Holy Spirit 15:22 to guide us to give us understanding, 15:25 to lead us into truth. 15:26 And so this is not 15:28 some smokescreen to say that we don't have... 15:32 Put down the studying of God's Word, 15:34 or to suggest that we cannot come to truth 15:36 as we study God's Word, we certainly can. 15:38 But this is to say, this doesn't mean that 15:41 we can't know anything, 15:42 but it does mean that we cannot know everything. 15:46 We cannot know every single thing 15:48 that there is to know about God, 15:51 and about God's Word. 15:52 And sometimes what happens, 15:54 sometimes, we want to know everything. 15:57 And if we can't understand everything, 16:00 then we doubt and we reject everything. 16:04 If we can't, if there's little points 16:06 that we can't make plain to our understanding, 16:09 then we can fall 16:11 into the trap of dismissing God's Word, 16:14 and having a posture towards God Word 16:17 that is skeptical, 16:18 and that blocks us 16:20 from moving beyond an experience of doubt. 16:23 Now notice here with me, 16:25 I want to read for you a passage 16:27 from Testimonies for the Church, 16:29 volume five, and listen with me 16:33 how this experience is described. 16:36 We read here, it says, 16:37 "Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. 16:41 God does not propose 16:43 to remove all occasion for unbelief. 16:47 He gives evidence, 16:48 which must be carefully investigated 16:50 with a humble mind 16:52 and with a teachable spirit, 16:54 and all should decide from the weight of evidence. 16:57 God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe, 17:01 but he who turns from the weight of evidence 17:04 because there are a few things 17:06 that he cannot make plain to his finite understanding 17:10 will be left in the cold, 17:12 chilling atmosphere of unbelief and questioning doubts, 17:16 and will make a shipwreck of faith." 17:20 This is a very powerful idea 17:23 that is being communicated to us through inspiration. 17:27 We are told here, 17:28 that how we deal with doubt matters. 17:31 There are things 17:33 if we get caught up in this idea 17:36 that we need to make everything, 17:37 we need to understand every little 17:39 thing and everything needs to make sense 17:41 to our finite understanding, 17:42 then we'll find occasion to doubt. 17:45 God has not removed 17:46 the opportunity for us to doubt. 17:47 If we look for doubt, 17:49 we'll find a reason to doubt, 17:51 but if we look for reasons to believe 17:53 in God's Word, 17:55 if we look for evidence 17:56 that He is who He says He is, 17:57 then we'll find that also. 17:59 God does not ask us to believe, 18:01 to blindly believe in Him 18:03 and just accept as a version of events 18:07 in God's Word 18:08 without giving evidence upon which to base our faith. 18:11 And so, but if we take this hyper, 18:15 this very focused approach, 18:18 where we have to make everything plain 18:20 to our finite understanding, 18:22 and if we can't we reject it, 18:23 then this is a recipe for a cold, 18:26 chilling atmosphere of unbelief 18:27 and we make a shipwreck of faith. 18:30 This is an important idea, 18:33 important principle as we start out of our survey 18:36 of what to do with doubt. 18:37 When dealing with doubt, 18:40 we need to be willing to live in mystery, 18:43 we need to be willing to know that 18:45 God fully intended that 18:47 there would be certain things 18:48 that would we could not fully understand, 18:51 that we will grow in our knowledge 18:52 and our understanding of Him, 18:54 but that we can have faith in and through that. 18:57 And He has given us evidence 18:59 upon which to base a solid foundation of faith. 19:03 And a very important principle as we discover this idea 19:08 that we survey this idea of what to do with doubt. 19:11 Now I want to take you to a second idea. 19:15 The second idea or principle 19:18 that is important as we deal with 19:22 what to do with doubt, 19:23 as a believer considers what to do with doubt. 19:26 The second principle that 19:28 I'd like to share with you today 19:30 is to understand that others have been there too. 19:35 When we look at the record of Scripture, 19:38 we see many accounts of powerful men 19:42 and women of God 19:43 who'd faced periods of doubt. 19:46 If you face doubt, you can find strength 19:49 and encouragement from the many believers 19:51 who have gone before you and who have conquered, 19:55 who have overcome, who have faced 19:57 and overcome doubt in their life. 19:59 Doubt is something that at some point 20:01 in every believer's life, 20:03 it's faced, it shows its face. 20:07 And the Bible records many instances 20:09 of these sorts of things. 20:11 We usually associate with doubt in Scripture, 20:14 the infamous Doubting Thomas. 20:17 We think of Doubting Thomas as the character in the Bible, 20:20 who dealt with doubt. 20:22 But, you know, when you actually 20:24 look at the Bible, 20:25 there's many other accounts 20:26 and even in the other disciples 20:29 all of the other disciples first doubted 20:31 Jesus' resurrection 20:33 when it first happened, 20:34 but then, 20:36 and then Thomas later doubt it also, 20:38 even as we consider now another text of scripture, 20:44 the Bible even records that John the Baptist, 20:47 the forerunner of Christ, 20:49 the mighty proclaimer of the soon coming of Jesus, 20:55 the repentance, a message of repentance, 20:57 this mighty prophet of God, 20:59 face doubt as well. 21:01 And so this is, if you're facing doubt, 21:05 if you are a Christian, 21:06 and you're trying to understand 21:07 what to do with doubt, 21:09 understand that you're in good company. 21:11 There are others who have gone before you who have face doubt 21:14 and who have overcome doubt, 21:15 through dealing with it in the correct way. 21:18 And so I'd like you to turn with me 21:20 in your Bibles to Luke Chapter 7. 21:23 And we're gonna look here at an account of John, 21:27 John the Baptist. 21:29 We see that John in the Bible 21:31 was thrown into prison 21:33 because of his confrontation with Herod, 21:36 he took a stand for truth. 21:38 And he gave a message to Herod that 21:40 he didn't appreciate that he didn't want to hear. 21:43 And we see that as a result of this, 21:46 he was thrown into prison, 21:47 and spent many considerable 21:50 amount of time there in prison. 21:52 And as week after week passed, as John was sitting in prison, 21:57 he became discouraged. 21:59 And his disciples 22:01 still had access to him came, 22:03 gave him reports 22:04 of what was happening around the place. 22:06 And I want you to notice what happens here. 22:10 They come and suggest to John that, 22:14 you know, why wasn't Jesus 22:16 coming to do something to free him 22:17 from prison perhaps? 22:19 And these suggestions started to cause John 22:23 in his discouraged state to doubt. 22:26 I want you to notice what John does here. 22:29 In Luke 7:19, listen and see 22:34 what John does. 22:36 "And John, calling two of his disciples to him, 22:39 sent them to Jesus saying, 22:41 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?' 22:45 When the men had come to Him, they said, John the Baptist, 22:48 this is speaking of Jesus, 22:50 when the disciples had come to Jesus, 22:51 they said, John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 22:54 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" 23:00 John's unfavorable circumstances, 23:03 his expectations that failed expectations 23:08 of what he expected, 23:09 perhaps Jesus might be coming to do 23:12 contributed to a position of discouragement 23:16 and doubt for John and he sent his disciples to go 23:21 and ask this question, Jesus, are You who You claimed to be? 23:25 Are You the one 23:26 or should we be expecting someone else? 23:28 This is John the Baptist. 23:30 This is the man who proclaimed 23:33 Behold the Lamb of God. 23:35 This is the man 23:36 who was among the first people to explain 23:39 that I've seen and testify that this is the Son of God. 23:44 And John, a powerful prophet of God, 23:48 someone who Jesus later in this very chapter 23:50 describes as the greatest of all prophets, 23:53 face doubt. 23:55 Doubt is something that at some point 23:58 in every Christian's journey they will face 24:01 and how we deal with that is an important aspect 24:06 of whether this is a positive or a negative thing 24:09 in our lives. 24:11 How we deal with it is very important. 24:12 Now notice here with me 24:14 how Jesus responds to this question. 24:16 In Luke 7:21-23. 24:19 "At that very hour 24:20 He cured many infirmities, afflictions, 24:22 and evil spirits, 24:24 and to many blind He gave sight. 24:25 Jesus answered and said to them, 24:28 the disciples who had come, 'Go and tell John the things 24:31 that you've seen and heard, that the blind see, 24:33 the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, 24:35 the deaf hear, the dead are raised, 24:37 the poor have the gospel preached to them. 24:39 And blessed is he who is not offended 24:42 because of Me." 24:44 Jesus responds by pointing to His life 24:47 and demonstrating that 24:49 He had been there, a fulfillment of Scripture, 24:52 and He sends the disciples back 24:54 to take this report to John, 24:56 and I want you to notice 24:58 how John responds to this report. 25:01 I'm reading here from Desire of Ages, 25:03 that Chapter 22 that deals 25:05 with John's imprisonment and later death. 25:08 Notice how John's response is recorded, 25:11 "The disciples bore the message, 25:13 and it was enough. 25:16 John recalled 25:17 the prophecy concerning the Messiah, 25:19 'The Lord hath anointed Me 25:20 to preach good tidings unto the meek, 25:22 He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, 25:24 to proclaim liberty to the captives, 25:26 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,' 25:28 to not only declare Him to be the Messiah, 25:31 'to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'" 25:34 I should say. 25:35 The works of Christ here as He lived His life, 25:41 pointed forward to the manner 25:44 of what His kingdom would be. 25:45 And as John took this message, as the disciples took it, 25:50 and gave it to John, 25:51 John received it and he said, it was enough. 25:55 He was able to look then at Scripture, 25:58 Scripture came to his mind, 25:59 he was able to make sense of Jesus in His mission, 26:02 and His ministry, 26:03 and perhaps where he had had some unrealistic 26:05 expectations of what that might be. 26:08 He saw what Christ purpose was, 26:11 and it became clear to him 26:12 while he was sitting there in that prison. 26:15 Now I want you to notice something 26:16 very important here. 26:17 John's doubts caused him to question and to dig deeper, 26:23 he sent a messenger to go speak to Jesus. 26:26 And ultimately, this led him 26:28 to a firmer conviction of the truth. 26:31 His doubts drove him to Jesus. 26:34 And as Jesus articulated the response to his doubt, 26:38 it gave him 26:39 a firmer conviction of the truth 26:42 than what he had before. 26:44 He was more settled in the truth 26:46 because it caused him to dig deeper. 26:48 Many of us as believers as we become believers 26:53 at an early age 26:55 through inheriting a faith system 26:57 from our parents or mentors, 27:01 we accept these belief systems perhaps 27:06 without thinking much 27:07 or questioning much what they are. 27:09 But there comes a point in every believer's life 27:11 where you have to make that faith experience your own. 27:14 Where you go through a experience, 27:16 a time of asking what you believe, 27:19 but not only what you believe more often is quite familiar 27:22 what we believe 27:23 'cause we've grown up learning the stories, 27:25 but why you believe what you believe. 27:27 And that process of making faith your own, 27:31 that process of asking questions, 27:34 what do I believe, 27:36 and this is a process of, in some ways, 27:41 there may be some doubts through that process, 27:43 there may be, do I want to accept everything? 27:45 Do I want to accept this? Do I want to accept that? 27:47 And every person has to go through, 27:49 every believer has to go through 27:50 and build their own foundation of faith. 27:53 God does not have grandchildren, 27:55 He only has children, you are not, 27:58 your ticket to heaven 28:00 is not through a parent's relationship, 28:01 or mentor's relationship. 28:03 It's through you as a child of God, 28:06 and you build your faith system. 28:07 And what we see is that in these situations, 28:11 doubt is not a bad thing, 28:12 if it's dealt with in the right way. 28:14 If it drives you to dig deeper into God's Word, 28:18 if you take it to the right place, 28:20 then it will establish a firm foundation 28:23 as you are able to answer the questions of your faith, 28:28 and you're ready to share those with others. 28:30 And we see this in God's Word regularly. 28:33 James 1:3, "You know that 28:36 the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." 28:40 As you go through that experience of testing, 28:42 as you go through that question of questioning 28:45 what you believe and why you believe it, 28:46 your foundation, 28:48 if doubt is dealt with correctly, 28:49 is firmer than it ever was before. 28:52 This is an important principle of doubt 28:55 of how to deal with doubt, 28:56 as we look, as we're trying to decide 28:59 how to deal with doubt as a Christian, 29:01 we need to understand that others have gone before us. 29:05 And we can learn and grow from the experience, 29:08 we can be encouraged by the experience of others 29:11 who have gone before us 29:12 and have dealt with have faced 29:14 and have overcome doubt in their lives. 29:17 Now this leads us into a third principle 29:19 that I want to share with you. 29:21 But I want to ask a question, I want you to think with me. 29:23 John, when he had that experience of doubt 29:26 when he was in the prison cell 29:28 and his disciples were sharing reports with him. 29:31 And he began to have a doubt over who Jesus really was. 29:36 I want you to think with me, 29:38 what did John do with his doubt? 29:41 What did he do? Well, he took it to God. 29:45 He took it straight to Jesus. 29:47 He instead of festering over a doubt, 29:51 instead of taking it to another source, 29:53 he went straight to Jesus with his doubt. 29:56 And this is a very important principle 29:58 of how to deal with doubt. 30:00 We need to take our doubt to Jesus, 30:04 He is best equipped to deal with our doubts. 30:07 I want you to notice here in Desire of Ages, 30:10 speaking here of John the Baptist, 30:12 as he was dealing with his doubts says, 30:14 "Doubts which otherwise would never have arisen 30:17 was suggested to John through his disciples. 30:20 But the Baptist did not surrender a faith in God. 30:24 John would not discuss his doubts 30:27 and anxieties with his companions. 30:30 He determined to send a message of inquiry to Jesus." 30:36 How do we deal with doubt? 30:37 How do believers deal with doubt? 30:40 We need to take our doubts to Jesus. 30:43 Jesus is best equipped to deal with our doubts. 30:46 I want to take you to another passage of Scripture 30:49 that highlights this same idea. 30:51 Turn with me to Mark, the Book of Mark. 30:55 And we're gonna turn to Mark Chapter 9. 30:57 In Mark Chapter 9, 30:59 we find a story here of a young boy 31:03 who has a mute spirit and a father, 31:05 the father brings his young boy to Jesus to be healed. 31:09 And I want you to notice here in Mark 9:21. 31:15 "So He asked his father, 'How long...'" 31:19 This is Jesus asking the father of the young boy, 31:22 "'How long has this been happening to him?' 31:25 And he said, 'From childhood. 31:28 And often he was thrown him both into the fire 31:32 and into the water to destroy him. 31:34 But if You can do anything, 31:36 have compassion on us, and help us.'" 31:42 Was this a statement of faith here? 31:45 Or was this a statement of doubt? 31:48 He comes, and he says, 31:50 if, the father says, "If You can do anything." 31:56 He's not very sure whether God can do something, 31:58 can he? 31:59 Is he at this point? 32:00 He's not sure whether Jesus can do so he's hoping. 32:02 There's a degree of uncertainty there. 32:05 There's a degree of doubt over 32:07 whether Jesus can actually do something 32:09 to help his voice. 32:10 And if you can do something, please have compassion, do it. 32:14 Notice what Jesus says 32:16 in verse 23, 32:21 "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, 32:25 all things are possible to him who believes.'" 32:28 Jesus turns the if around, 32:30 and puts the if back on the father, 32:33 and says, "If you believe, it can happen. 32:37 All things are possible." 32:38 If you believe, if you have faith. 32:42 This man, this father had a doubt. 32:45 He had a question. 32:47 He had uncertainty 32:49 over whether Jesus could do something. 32:50 Where did he take that? 32:51 He took it to Jesus, 32:53 and Jesus was able to respond to him 32:56 and direct him to this a picture 33:02 that he was able to do something 33:03 if he firmed up his faith. 33:05 And notice here, the response. 33:11 The response here of the father, verse, 33:14 "Immediately the father of the child," 33:15 this is verse 24 here, 33:17 "cried out and said with tears, 33:19 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!'" 33:24 Where did the father take his doubt? 33:27 He took it to Jesus. 33:29 He said, "I believe, but help my unbelief." 33:32 There's some doubt there, 33:33 there's a level of unbelief help me. 33:36 And he took it straight to Jesus. 33:38 Jesus helped him with his unbelief. 33:41 And Jesus was able to deliver the son 33:44 in this instance 33:46 because of the faith of the father, 33:49 he took his doubt to Jesus. 33:52 Jesus is best equipped to deal with our doubts. 33:55 We don't need to be afraid that He cannot deal with our doubts. 33:59 He's there, and He's ready 34:01 and He is the best person to deal with our doubts. 34:03 Now notice this, 34:05 I want to read to you from Desire of Ages, 34:07 page 429, commenting on this interaction here. 34:11 "It is faith that connects us with heaven, 34:16 and brings us strength for coping 34:18 with the powers of darkness. 34:20 In Christ, God has provided means 34:23 for subduing every sinful trait, 34:26 and resisting every temptation, however strong. 34:29 But many feel that they lack faith, 34:32 and therefore they remain away from Christ. 34:37 Let these souls, in their helpless unworthiness 34:40 cast themselves upon the mercy 34:43 of their compassionate Savior. 34:45 Look not to self, but to Christ. 34:48 He who healed the sick and cast out the demons 34:51 when He walked among men 34:52 is the same mighty Redeemer today. 34:56 Faith comes by the word of God. 34:58 Then grasp His promise. 35:00 'He that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." 35:03 John 6:37, "Cast yourself at His feet with the cry. 35:07 'Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.'" 35:12 And notice how she wraps this statement up. 35:15 "You can never perish while you do this, never." 35:21 The best place to take our doubt is to Jesus. 35:25 Never think for one second, that if you lack faith, 35:31 you should remain away from Christ. 35:33 This is the worst possible solution. 35:35 This is the worst approach to doubt. 35:38 So many people, if they're facing doubt, 35:41 try to take their doubt to, 35:43 they stop going to church perhaps, 35:45 or take their doubt to the world. 35:47 This is not a solution for doubt. 35:50 This is not taking your doubt away from Jesus 35:54 will only confirm your doubt. 35:57 It will not help you to grow through your doubt 36:00 into a deeper faith experience. 36:03 And so when as a Christian, 36:05 as you try to think about this topic of doubt, 36:08 how do we deal with doubt? 36:10 God's Word is telling us, take your doubt to Jesus. 36:14 He is able to deal with your doubt. 36:17 And He is best equipped to deal with our doubts. 36:22 We see this clearly in God's Word. 36:25 I want to take you, 36:26 share with you another principle 36:28 from God's Word 36:29 as we consider how to deal with doubt. 36:31 This, the fourth principle, 36:33 the fourth idea that I'd like us 36:34 to consider as we try to understand 36:38 how to deal with doubt. 36:40 What do we do to deal with doubt? 36:42 You're doubting God's Word, you're doubting God, 36:46 what do you need to do 36:47 if you find yourself in this situation? 36:51 Well, I want to tell you that the solution, 36:55 a solution is to surrender your heart. 36:59 This may not be immediately obvious 37:04 why this is such an important principle, 37:06 but I want to spend some time unpacking this for you. 37:10 The real cause of doubt 37:11 and skepticism in most cases is a love for sin. 37:16 If you are struggling with doubt, 37:18 you may need to surrender your heart to God 37:21 and to submit to Him. 37:23 This is something 37:25 we see regularly throughout God's Word. 37:27 And one of perhaps the most important factor 37:33 that affects how well we understand the Bible, 37:36 or have questions and have doubts about it 37:38 is actually our morality. 37:41 If we have a cherished sin that 37:45 we hold dear in our life, 37:48 this will color our view of scripture. 37:51 If we have a cherished sin 37:53 that we hold on to, you will come up 37:55 with a theology that supports 37:57 or fits around your cherished sin. 38:00 Morality actually has a lot to do 38:03 with how we understand Scripture, 38:07 with how we understand God, 38:09 with how we deal with doubts and questions 38:12 that may come up 38:14 as we study God's Word together. 38:15 There is a misunderstanding that if you are intelligent, 38:19 or if you have a degree, if you're smart, 38:21 if you're academic, then you will be 38:23 able to understand the Bible 38:25 better than other people 38:27 who haven't had the same level of academia 38:31 or intellectual ability as perhaps you, 38:35 but this is a myth. 38:37 This is a complete myth 38:39 because God's Word was made for the common man. 38:44 God made His Word to be accessible for everybody. 38:47 Though, perhaps the best illustration 38:49 to share or show this idea 38:53 that this is a myth is by looking at the Pharisees 38:57 the religious rulers of Jesus' time. 39:01 Of course, the Pharisees were brilliant 39:04 with biblical knowledge. 39:05 They were outstanding in their field 39:07 from 6 to 10 years of age, 39:09 young Hebrew boys would memorize the Torah. 39:13 And then from 10 to 14 years of age, 39:15 they would memorize the rest of the Old Testament. 39:18 And the best of the best became Pharisees. 39:23 The Pharisees knew their Bible very well. 39:25 They were intellectually more capable 39:27 than anybody else to understand the Bible 39:30 and to recognize the Messiah. 39:33 But when we look at the record of Scripture, 39:36 we start to see that intellectual ability, 39:40 academia alone is not a significant factor 39:45 in understanding God's Word. 39:48 And in approaching it correctly and understanding it correctly. 39:52 I want you to turn with me to John, 39:54 the Book of John Chapter 12. 39:56 And I want to share with you this account here 39:59 of Lazarus resurrection. 40:02 In John Chapter 11, we have Lazarus, 40:06 who was buried, he's in the grave. 40:08 And Jesus comes along, 40:10 and calls Lazarus out of the grave. 40:13 And Lazarus comes out of the grave. 40:15 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. 40:19 He comes out. 40:20 And the evidence that Jesus has raised Lazarus 40:24 from the dead 40:25 is now walking around the streets. 40:28 Lazarus is walking around the streets. 40:31 He's been raised from the dead. 40:33 And he has evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, 40:36 that Jesus has raised him from the dead. 40:39 Now I want you to notice, with this remarkable evidence, 40:43 I want you to notice 40:45 how the religious rules deal with this. 40:47 Turn with in John 12:10, John 12:10, 40:53 look at what the chief rulers decided to do. 40:57 "But the chief priests plotted 40:59 to put Lazarus to death also." 41:06 The Pharisees were so steeled in their prejudice against God, 41:11 against Jesus, 41:12 that the evidence was right before them 41:14 to indicate that Christ was the Messiah, 41:17 but they would rather get rid of the evidence. 41:20 They would rather get rid of the evidence 41:23 than surrender their hearts to Jesus. 41:28 Morality is a big deal in how we understand God's Word. 41:32 Surrendering your heart is a big deal 41:35 as we approach this topic of doubt 41:37 and questioning that may come 41:39 as we study God's Word. 41:41 We see, being academically smart 41:44 is not an important factor 41:46 in understanding God's Word well. 41:49 The majority of the world's best Bible scholars 41:52 do not even acknowledge something as basic 41:56 in God's Word is the Sabbath. 42:00 Academia alone, intellectual ability alone 42:04 is not an important factor 42:06 in understanding God's Word well, 42:09 surrendering your heart is, as we surrender our heart, 42:14 we provide an opportunity. 42:16 This is the mechanism that God uses to lead us 42:20 into a correct understanding of His Word and to 42:22 and have a full understanding to better understand 42:26 to avoid doubt in our life. 42:29 And we see this in many places in God's Word in Mark 8:18, 42:34 Jesus speaking of the Pharisees, 42:35 He says, "You have eyes and you do not see. 42:39 You have ears and you do not hear." 42:42 Why? 42:44 There hasn't been a surrendering of the heart. 42:46 In Matthew 5:8, the Beatitudes we read in God's Word. 42:50 "Blessed are the pure in heart, 42:54 for they shall see God." 42:57 Well, apparently, spiritual perception 43:01 requires pureness of heart, 43:04 correctly understanding God's Word 43:07 and understanding what God is trying 43:09 to communicate to us through His Word 43:12 is connected to having 43:14 a surrendered pure heart to God. 43:17 This is a very important principle 43:20 to consider in God's Word. 43:21 I want you to turn with me to John, 43:22 the Book of John Chapter 7. 43:24 John Chapter 7, just a few chapters back. 43:27 John 7:17. 43:30 And we'll look at this in one more place in Scripture. 43:34 Jesus as He describes, how to understand doctrine, 43:39 how to understand the teachings of God's Word 43:42 doctrine is just simply the teachings of the Bible, 43:44 teachings about Jesus. 43:46 Notice how Jesus, Jesus gives an answer 43:49 here of how you can understand the Bible, 43:52 how you can correctly understand it 43:54 and avoid uncertainty and doubt. 43:57 This is what Jesus says. 43:59 He says, "If anyone wills to do His will, 44:03 he shall know concerning the doctrine, 44:06 whether it is from God 44:08 or whether I speak on My own authority." 44:10 As Jesus answers the question of how to know, 44:14 correctly understand His Word. 44:16 He says, "Whoever wills to do His will, 44:18 will know of the doctrine." 44:20 Apparently, I will, is more important than IQ. 44:26 Having a surrendered heart, 44:29 having a willingness to commit yourself 44:32 to surrender yourself to God, 44:34 and to His word is more important 44:37 as a factor for understanding God's Word 44:40 than perhaps anything else. 44:42 Surrendering your heart. 44:43 He who wills to do His will, will know of the doctrine. 44:46 As you put into practice the things in your life, 44:51 as you show a willingness to put into practice the things 44:54 that you're learning, God reveals through His Spirit, 44:57 the truths in His Word, 44:58 and this will lead us out of an experience of doubt, 45:02 to have greater clarity of God's Word, 45:06 very important principle. 45:08 In order to overcome doubt and to arrive at truth, 45:11 we need to have a sincere desire 45:13 to know the truth 45:15 and a willingness of heart to obey it. 45:18 A very important principle as we consider 45:21 how the Christian is to deal with doubt. 45:24 Well, I want to take us to our last principle 45:27 of dealing with doubt, 45:28 of course, we could look at several others, 45:30 but the last one we've decided to look at today, 45:34 as a Christian thinks about how to deal with doubt, 45:38 I want to suggest today, an important principle 45:41 in dealing with doubt is that 45:44 we need to act on faith and not on our doubts. 45:48 We need to act on the things that we understand that 45:53 we need to act on faith and not act on our doubts. 45:57 That's what Noah did when he built the ark. 45:59 That's what Abraham did 46:01 when he left Ur of the Chaldeans. 46:04 That's what Abraham did when he offered Isaac. 46:06 That's what Moses did when he marched through 46:08 the Red Sea on dry ground. 46:11 That's what David did when he faced Goliath. 46:13 That's what Joshua did when he marched around Jericho. 46:16 That's what Daniel did 46:18 when he was thrown into the lions' den. 46:19 That's what Nehemiah did when he built the wall. 46:23 They acted on faith, and not on doubt. 46:26 Don't you think that 46:27 all of these great heroes of faith 46:29 had their doubts at times? 46:31 They have their doubts at times. 46:33 Every Christian faces a doubt, 46:35 doubts at different places in their life. 46:38 But they didn't fully know in advance 46:43 what their lives would look like, 46:45 what every part of the following God's will 46:47 for their life would play out to be. 46:50 But they decided to trust in God, 46:52 and they acted on their faith and not on their doubt. 46:56 This is an important principle 46:57 as we consider how to deal with doubt, 46:59 we need to do the same thing. 47:01 Your faith will grow stronger 47:03 as you act on your faith and not on your doubt. 47:06 Most of the time, I want to suggest today 47:08 most of the time, 47:09 people are in darkness and doubt, 47:11 not because of ignorance, 47:13 not because they don't know something, 47:14 but because they do not do what they already know. 47:18 Most of the time, people are in darkness and doubt 47:21 not because their lack of knowledge 47:25 or they don't haven't really understood something. 47:28 That's not usually the reason. 47:29 Usually, it's because they do not do what they know. 47:33 They don't act on faith, they act on doubt. 47:37 This is not a safe course of action. 47:40 And it will lead us down a path of confirming 47:43 and strengthening doubt and moving away from God. 47:46 We need to walk in the light that God has revealed to us. 47:49 And as we walk in that light, 47:51 God will reveal more light to us. 47:53 This is the principle we see in God's Word. 47:55 In James 4:17, we read, 47:58 "If anyone knows the good that he ought to do 48:01 and doesn't do it, to him it is a sin." 48:04 We're held accountable to the light that 48:06 has been revealed to us. 48:08 In Desire of Ages, page 489 we read that, 48:11 "Our condemnation in the judgment 48:13 will not result from the fact that we have been in error, 48:16 but from the fact that 48:17 we have neglected heaven-sent opportunities 48:20 for learning what is truth." 48:23 This tells us that God reveals to us truths. 48:28 And as we faithfully walk in that light, 48:32 He reveals more light to us. 48:36 If God reveals light to us, and we decide no, 48:40 I'm gonna take my own posture, 48:42 my own path and walk separately 48:44 to how you've shown me 48:46 and we take a direction down here. 48:48 Why would God continue to show us more light, 48:51 when we've already demonstrated that 48:52 the light that He's shown us, 48:54 we're not regarding, we're not listening to, 48:57 we're not responding to. 48:59 We've taken a posture of walking away. 49:02 God's Word calls us to walk in the light, 49:04 act on the faith, 49:06 walk according to the light that you know. 49:09 And as you do so, 49:10 God will reveal more light to you, 49:12 and will continue to grow your faith. 49:15 And you will find those doubts slipping away. 49:19 James 3:1, we read, "My brethren, 49:21 let not many of you become teachers, 49:23 knowing that they shall receive a stricter judgment." 49:26 We're held accountable to the light that we know, 49:28 the more that we know, 49:30 the more we're held accountable. 49:31 And so we see 49:33 this simple principle in God's Word, 49:37 this principle, 49:39 that God is revealing truth to us. 49:43 And He invites us to act on the things 49:47 that He has already revealed to us. 49:49 And as we do that, as we be faithful to that, 49:51 as we act, we walk in the light 49:53 that God's revealed to us, He'll reveal more. 49:56 And some of those things that you had questions about. 49:59 If you act in faith on the things 50:02 that you know, 50:03 then some of those other things 50:04 as you walk in the light will start to drop away 50:08 because you have had more light revealed to you, 50:10 as you walk on, you're walking in faith. 50:13 And some of those things just drop away, 50:17 they become clearer to you as more light is revealed 50:21 because like what we started on, 50:23 we can't know everything, 50:24 we grow in our understanding 50:26 that happens throughout all of eternity. 50:28 And so we see 50:29 this very simple principle in God's Word. 50:32 We invited to act on our faith, 50:36 and not on our doubts. 50:38 We're invited to step into 50:40 what God has already revealed to us 50:42 to be faithful to that. 50:44 And as you're faithful in those things 50:46 that are clear to you, 50:48 then God will reveal more light to you. 50:50 And that's the invitation of God's Word. 50:53 And so as we consider these five simple principles, 50:59 as we have taken a very short survey 51:03 of what to do with doubt, 51:04 I would encourage you to pick up 51:06 that little book Steps to Christ, 51:08 that 12th Chapter what to do with doubt, 51:10 so much we haven't been able to touch on, 51:12 but five simple principles we've shared today. 51:15 We've looked at the idea that in dealing with doubt, 51:18 we need to be willing to live in mystery. 51:22 Some things are not fully explained, 51:26 we cannot make clear to our finite understanding. 51:29 We've looked at the idea that there, 51:31 as we try to deal with doubt 51:32 as the Christian deals with doubt, 51:34 a helpful tool is to understand that 51:36 others have been there too. 51:38 Faithful men and women of God 51:40 have faced doubt in their lives 51:42 and have overcome it. 51:44 And we can look to their experiences 51:46 and be admonished and encouraged by it. 51:48 And we will find strength as we do so. 51:51 We've looked at this idea that as we deal with doubt, 51:54 we need to turn to Jesus and take our doubt to Jesus. 51:59 He is best equipped to deal with our doubt. 52:02 And He will help us to move through that doubt 52:05 in a way that will build our faith firmer 52:08 and deeper than it was 52:09 before we had a question or a doubt. 52:12 What a powerful idea. 52:14 And we've also looked at the idea 52:15 that as we try to deal with doubt, 52:17 that an important principle, 52:20 if we want to avoid doubt in our life is that we need to, 52:23 we may be being called to surrender our hearts. 52:26 If we're struggling with doubt, 52:28 we may need to surrender our hearts to God. 52:32 And as we surrender our heart to Him, 52:35 as we will, as we demonstrate a willingness 52:38 to learn of His truth 52:40 and put it into practice in our lives, 52:43 then God will reveal truth to us. 52:46 Those doubts will start to fall away. 52:49 And lastly, we've looked at this principle 52:53 in God's Word that as you are dealing 52:56 with doubt in your life, 52:58 I want to encourage you to act on the faith, 53:02 not on the doubt. 53:05 In those, go back to those things that are clear. 53:07 Go back to those things 53:09 that God has made abundantly clear to you. 53:10 Put them into practice in your life, 53:13 walk in the light that has been shown to you, 53:15 and as you do so, 53:16 God will reveal more light to you. 53:18 And so the simple appeal that 53:21 I want to leave with you, 53:22 a simple opportunity is do you want to take 53:27 your doubt to Jesus? 53:29 Do you want to surrender your heart to Jesus 53:34 to move that doubt out of your life? 53:37 Do you want to act on faith and not on your doubt? 53:41 Well, if that's your desire, 53:43 I want to invite you to pray with me as we close together. 53:47 Heavenly Father, we thank You for the privilege 53:49 that we have had to study Your Word. 53:51 And we do thank You 53:53 for what You have shown us today 53:55 with these five simple principles 53:57 that we can put into practice in our lives. 53:59 Lord, we pray that You would help us 54:01 to take up these challenge, 54:03 seals these decisions that have been made, 54:06 and may we go forward 54:07 from strength to strength with You. 54:09 We pray in Jesus' name. 54:11 Amen. |
Revised 2021-06-01