Dealing with Doubt

Introduction

Good morning. If you are please open in your New Testament with me to John chapter 20. John chapter 20. And we’ll pick up the reading in verse 24. One of the most difficult battles a Christian has or anyone has that just lives in this life with its ups and downs, is battling with doubt. There’s all kinds of reasons for doubt that range from philosophical to very basic in day to day. There can be questions of does God exist? Or questions of if God did exist, why are things going the way that they are.

It makes us start thinking, well, just maybe there’s something else. Maybe there’s something better than even I know God is real, I believe that, but I don’t have good reason. And so maybe somebody else is right. Maybe there is another way that’s better for me. Maybe I don’t need to serve God truly with every fiber of my being. I can stay in my routine pattern that I never stop to examine or decide whether or not that’s truly what God wants from me. But the thing about doubt is it can be overcome. In John chapter 20, if you look in verse 24, it says, now Thomas, one of the twelve called the twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord.

But he said to them, unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. And although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace before. Then he said to Thomas, put your finger here and see my hands, and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. This morning, as Thomas illustrates, we’re going to discuss the idea of dealing with doubt.

It’s important to qualify that doubt is normal, a point we’re going to illustrate in a moment. But doubt left unchecked, the type of doubt that leads to what Jesus is approaching here, the doubt that leads to disbelief, or a lack of faith, or a lack of dedication, that doubt must be eradicated. And we see doubt often takes form because what happens is we start to have one little thought. And then there’s another thought, and it starts piling up, and we can’t see anything but doubt, grief, confusion, and pain. One preacher was in a field, and he had a good point for the man he found. He found a man sitting there very upset, very confused, and he said, What’s wrong? And the man said, Well, I just have so many doubts.

I have so many questions. I just, I can’t live my day-to-day life. I just don’t understand why everything’s happening the way that it is. And the preacher said, You see that cow in the field over there, staring at the wall? And he said, Yeah. He said, Do you know why that cow is looking over the wall and has you right in his sights? And he said, No, getting a little bit afraid. He said, That cow’s looking over the wall because he can’t see through it. He looks up and over so that he can actually see what we’re doing over here. You see, your problem is you’re trying to stare through the wall. This morning, as we think of dealing with doubt, we have to realize the only way to conquer, get around, eradicate our doubt, is to look, to see.

What did Jesus do with Thomas? Did he say, hey, how come you didn’t know? How come you didn’t believe? It’s been eight days. Don’t you know better? There’s some subtext there that he expected that Thomas would have some better knowledge. But what does he say? He says, You touched my hands. Put your hands on my side. See that I am the resurrected Lord. And in so doing, helping his belief. You see from the next two verses, belief isn’t blind. Faith isn’t blind, and doubt must be overcome. You notice in verse 30. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

1. If Thomas Can Doubt, I Can Too

And so this morning, the first lesson in dealing with doubt is to recognize it can be overcome. Doubt may be normal or natural, but why were these signs, why were the miracles of Jesus worked, and why are they recorded for us? That we look over our doubts, our fears and our anxieties, and we see our Lord. That’s going to be the ultimate secret. But first of all, we have to stop and recognize that if Thomas can doubt, I can too. I said we’d address this idea. Go back to verse 24. It is Thomas, who is one of the twelve. And he wasn’t with them. But that shouldn’t really matter. You know, we tend to give the apostles a hard time. We think they should be perfect because they were with Jesus.

What was it that Jesus consistently taught the disciples, if not the masses? That I have come into this world not only to serve, not just to seek and save the lost, but to be crucified and then be raised from the dead three days later. If anybody should have known and believed that Jesus not only could, but would be raised from the dead, who would it be? The twelve. And here you have Thomas, one of the twelve, who is even told by his fellow disciples who say, We have seen Jesus. And he says, Nope. Not good enough for me. Notice his attitude, the response in verse 25. Unless I see it, unless I can put my hands on it, then I will never believe. You see, the problem is this isn’t just doubt.

This is a concern that says, I have to be proven otherwise. It would be one thing to be skeptical. Certainly it would be something that raises skepticism that Jesus, the Messiah, the prophesied Lord, would have to die. Why is it the disciples must have found themselves thinking, does Jesus sent from heaven have to be killed at the hands of lawless men? Why would God make it that way? As Andrew brought up in his pre Lord’s Supper talk this morning. It was the disciples who, when Jesus was captured and crucified, they all fled. Undoubtedly thinking they had lost. Not being able to believe or understand that God had a greater plan. And so the first thing we need to do is drop the mask this morning and realize if you have doubts, you are just like everybody else.

If you don’t have doubts, you’re lying. Okay, this morning I won’t ask who has no problem with doubt because that creates a problem. You can’t lie in church. Everyone has doubts of some kind. It may not be that God exists. You may be fully persuaded. You may be like Thomas after putting his hands in the side of Jesus, you could say, I know God exists. I am certain that God created this world and that the uniqueness and the parts of the human body that God has designed with such intricacy and purpose and design, it must have been from the Almighty Creator. It may be that you are certain that Jesus was crucified and was resurrected. You may have no doubt about that. But you know where there is doubt?

Something in your day-to-day life is telling you, do not believe. Don’t jump fully in. You know how I know everyone has doubts? Because we all suffer with temptation to sin. If we were fully persuaded at all times and in all ways that God exists and that my entire life is due Him, and we had that eternal perspective, nothing the devil offers us would be worth anything. You know, if that was Jesus’ secret in Matthew chapter 4, as Jesus is tempted three times. He responds to Satan with Scripture each and every time. But where is his focus? On doing the will of God. Jesus had no doubts. His faith was complete and secure. He was tempted, but he stood up because he had no doubts. Be aware that it is normal to have doubts.

Be aware that you’re not alone and that sometimes the best way to recognize that I need to jump over the wall of my doubts and my grief and my pain is to share that idea and be transparent and say, I do have doubts. I need some help. I can help you with your struggles and you can help me with mine. But just because doubt is normal doesn’t mean that it can stay that way. Even though Jesus doesn’t flip the table, so to speak at Thomas and get on some sort of rant scripturally or otherwise and tell him how foolish he is or how he should have known better, he does do something to Thomas that points out that this needs to change. In verse 27, he looks at him and he says, Put your finger here, see my hands, put out your hand and place it in my side.

Why? So that you may not disbelieve, but believe. Doubt may be normal, it may be understandable, but it has to be overcome. And so sometimes we get we fall on one of two sides. We generally try to say, Well, I don’t have doubts. My faith is sure. I don’t have this problem. Or we say, I have so many doubts that that just must be the way that it is. I’m just going to live like this. Does Jesus seem to think it’s okay for Thomas to live like that? Well, no. In fact, this would be a huge problem for Thomas because, as one of the twelve, what was he uniquely going to do as one of Jesus’ close disciples here? He’s going to be instrumental in the kingdom being spread.

The kingdom centered around what thought? That Jesus came to this earth, the Son of God, and was crucified and resurrected from the dead. If he didn’t embrace and believe that, how could he possibly be an effective teacher of that? I don’t think we have to stretch too far to see if we have doubts and we don’t address them, if we don’t try to look over the wall and instead keep banging our head on it. Don’t you think that might influence our lights? When others look at you and look at me and see how we live and the peace we do or don’t have, the happiness we do or don’t have. We don’t have to be an apostle or a close disciple of Jesus in the first century to be plagued by doubt and have our influence diminished.

We have to look. We have to see, and that of course depends on what your doubt is. And in the case of Thomas, it was that this can’t be the same Jesus. This can’t be the same body that was put to death. And yet in verse 29, it was. Here is the great news this morning. Doubt can be overcome. When Jesus says in verse 29, have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And again, Jesus isn’t saying, hey, I’m hoping everybody signs up for blind faith. Don’t hear anything about me, don’t know anything about me, just believe in me. Verse 30 and 31 make no sense that that’s what he’s saying. But notice Thomas starts with doubt.

2. The Resurrection Changes Everything

Jesus helps him correct it, and so he overcomes and becomes a pleasing servant of God. At least that’s what we would like to believe from the text that we have. And so this morning, our question is how do we deal with doubt? The first one is to recognize that if Jesus is resurrected from the dead, that literally changes everything. Look in 1 Peter chapter 1. The great antidote to doubt is a word found in 1 Peter chapter 1. The great antidote to doubt is found in 1 Peter chapter 1. In 1 Peter chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hop through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

Did you see that key in verse 3? We have been born again to a living hope. Through what? The resurrection of Jesus Christ. And while it may be that you are certain that Jesus was resurrected from the dead in a way that Thomas wasn’t at the moment of John chapter 20 when we picked up the reading, this is key not just to that instance, not just to accepting Jesus as Lord, but to all that the New Testament and the Old Testament prophets are writing about. Jesus is our everything, whether you believe in God or don’t. It is our hope that is the antidote to this doubt. Doubt is interesting. It’s not just about these deep theological issues. Should we look at evidences? Should we look at apologetics?

Sometimes, if you’ve ever been with someone like Kashka and I, you walk up and you meet Kashka, and she says, Hi, I’m Kashka, and she smiles and makes you feel good, and then she says, This is my husband, and you can see everyone’s doubt in their face. Are you sure? And I say, Yeah, I’m used to that. That’s okay. See, doubt causes us to make some decisions. It affects our nonverbals, it affects our verbal communication. It changes us. But if we are certain that Jesus is resurrected from the dead, what can the devil possibly do to me? There’s a lot of insecurity when it comes to dating and being engaged and finding a date and finding someone you want to spend your life with. But being married to Kashka gives a hope.

Not a biblical hope, or excuse me, not a worldly hope, but a biblical hope. That is an assurance that she and I will be together. That she won’t wake up and see the doubt everyone else has. But that she’s stuck with me in the kindest of ways. You see, the hope that Peter’s writing about in verse 3 isn’t, well, I hope that Florida is 85 degrees instead of 95 tomorrow. Something I kind of just want. Or it may happen. Peter says, we are certain. What can we be certain of in verse 3 and 4? Because Jesus was resurrected, because I have that hope, I have a hope of an inheritance that is undefiled, that is imperishable, and that will not fade away. Because Jesus lives, I can too.

And because Jesus was raised from the dead, and Hebrews chapter 2 says, defeated the one who has the power of death, that is the devil. I can defeat him too. You see how this changes everything? Because Jesus lives, his death in my place stands. Because he was resurrected from the dead, I too can share in that resurrection. Have my sins forgiven. And so there’s nothing in this world that the devil can do to me. But of course, the world isn’t that simple. If we could always focus on the end, we wouldn’t have the problems that we do. Sometimes we get our heads back down, we leave the Bible classes, we leave the Sunday morning service, and our heads kind of back staring at that brick wall again.

3. Look Over the Wall: Proof of God Is Abundant

And so what we have to do is look over it. See that proof of God and his word is abundant. It is everywhere around us. Notice in Romans chapter 1. It wasn’t something blind we are called to. God says, I want you to see. It’s natural to doubt. It’s interesting to look up. Does God exist? To understand from the world, is there a creator or has it always been? Was there some sort of big bang, or was it something by intelligent design? God says, I want you to look and see. And in Romans chapter 1 and verse 20, he tells us his case in point example is the creation of the world. He says, His invisible attributes, those of God, his eternal power and divine nature.

Now stop for a moment. If I hadn’t read this verse and said, how do we find out the invisible attributes of God? Would anyone have said, you look at them? God says these invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made. And notice the last part of the verse. So that they are without excuse. God says, I want you to look around. I want you to see my power. I want you to see the greatness of who you serve, who you were made to serve. And so when we look around, there’s much to say, and this isn’t an evidence, it’s less than an entirety, so we won’t go as deep as many surveys and studies should.

But look around and consider the evidence of whether what you see around you in nature was made through some random chance or through intelligent design. Look up and study the human eye. Consider all the functions that the brain does on a moment by moment basis, the hundreds of thousands of connections that happen just to make us think and stand up and blink. How about the fact that there are laws of nature that keep things in check? You look around, look over the wall, find the proof of God. Don’t be afraid. Sometimes as Christians, we act like it’s a fight we don’t want to have. We don’t want to look at the evidence. We don’t want to look at the science because God’s not about science. The truth is there is only evidence.

Whether you call it God’s evidence or science evidence, doesn’t matter. God created the world. You look at the evidence and be persuaded. Take your hand and put it in the side of Jesus. See what God has made. He says, I’m not afraid. And so, as his followers, we can’t be either. But sometimes one of the proofs that is our greatest, we back away and shy away from. And it’s the Bible itself. The world likes to teach that it’s circular reasoning to say, well, I believe God because he’s in the Bible. Why do you believe the Bible? Well, I believe the Bible because God wrote it. Consider in Matthew chapter 2 something very important. I want us to see, touch, and feel Matthew chapter 2. Look over the wall with me in Matthew chapter 2 as we try to eradicate doubt.

Never be afraid to stand up for Scripture because there is an important point, both historically and biblically, that must be made from just this one passage, and we could look at several in the instances of prophecy. In Matthew chapter 2, and consider that Matthew’s gospel was written primarily for Jews, those who would have an understanding of Old Testament scripture. That’s why it starts in the first couple verses of the entire Gospel of Matthew, talking about Jesus being in the lineage of Abraham, the father of the Jews, and David, perhaps the most renowned king of the Jews. But in verse 1 of Matthew chapter 2, it says, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the names of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born, king of the Jews?

For we saw his sorrow when it rose and have come to worship him. Now notice Herod, not particularly godly, not particularly righteous. Herod the king in verse 3 heard this. He was troubled, and all Jerusalem was with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. Now stop the reading for a moment. Here is Herod historically saying, I need to know where this Christ is going to be born. Now, why is he gathering the chief priests and the scribes to tell them where somebody’s going to be born?

There’s only one answer to that. The chief priests and the scribes were experts at what? The law. The prophets. Herod knew what the Jews knew, which is that whether it was going to come to pass or it was a lie, whether it was true and about the Christ or the greatest fabrication this world’s ever seen, there was a prophecy that said the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. And so in verse 5, they told him in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet, and you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. This prophecy is found in Micah chapter 5 and verse 2.

I want to think for a moment, not just that Micah says it and Matthew says it. I want us to think that Micah was written at a minimum and translated at a minimum, a hundred something years before Jesus was born.

At the most recent to us. So even taking that skeptical date, there’s something powerful about this. How could the prophet have known, number one? But if that doesn’t squash the doubt, consider number two. How could anybody who is not God choose where he would be born? Sometimes people say, well, Jesus was just going off and checking the boxes of the prophecies. I would say the strongest answer to that is what he did at the beginning of his life and the end. First of all, at the end of his life, who is going to go and be crucified just for some sort of lie? But even if that’s not good enough, someone could be compelled to do that. No one who is not God can choose where to be born.

And so whatever you think about Scripture, whatever you think about God and his creation, recognize the Bible is a proof of God’s power. Who could know? How could someone like Micah know, hundreds of years before this random Jew was born, that Jesus, the Messiah the Christ, would not only be born, but would be born in Bethlehem. How is it that Herod and his advisors would have certainty to where he would be born? Because it was recorded. Because it was locked, it was sealed. Proof of God is abundant. Seek it out. Don’t be afraid. Proof of the word of God and the words of life contained within that give us the strength and the courage to overcome doubt, to get over our fear and trepidation, is also something we should never shy away from.

4. I Can Make a Difference

And so consider with me three quick points as we deal with our doubts, not just doubts in general, but three perhaps doubts that many in this room may or may not share. One of them is to recognize I can make a difference. Sometimes we doubt that I can make an impact. If I had said dealing with the doubt that says God has a plan for you, some might relate to that, but consider that would you raise your hand and say, I absolutely can make a difference in the kingdom of God. Some of us might kind of casually put our hands halfway up. Well, I think I could. He’s the preacher, it’s a Sunday, he probably wants me to raise his hand and say, Yes, I can.

Look in Hebrews chapter 4. God has a plan for us. It may not be what you expect. In fact, it’s generally not as it’s preached today. But God absolutely has a plan for his children. In Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 1, as he’s writing this letter, the Hebrew writer to the Jews, trying to persuade them to stick with God, don’t fall away from Christ. Verse 1, therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listen. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest, although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.

For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way. And God rested on the seventh day from all his works, and again in this passage he said, They shall not enter my rest. Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience. Again he appoints a certain day today, saying through David, so long afterward, in the words already quoted, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, notice this verse. There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever has entered God’s rest also rested from his works as God did from his.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. I know there’s a lot of Old Testament references there that went through really quick. They went by quickly. But as we think about verse 8, 9, 10, and 11. You see, Joshua, under the Old Testament law, was leading the people on. But the Sabbath rest that’s being spoken about in Hebrews 4 isn’t that kind of Sabbath. In fact, in verse 9, he says, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. It’s not the Sabbath day. The old law has been done away with. Hebrews chapter 9 suggests the new covenant through, guess which event? The crucifixion, the death of Jesus. Colossians chapter 2, Paul makes it clear, we don’t have any one day as more highly than another.

So what rest is being spoken of? Well, in verse 10, those who have rested from his works as God did his. Verse 11, a rest that we should be striving for. Here’s the thing. God has a plan for you. And God has a plan for me to make a difference. But his plan for me isn’t going to look like I think it should. His plan for you might not look the way you thought it would. If I ask whose life looks exactly like they thought it would 15 years ago, I doubt too many hands would go up. But God is in control. And we have the end of the story. What is waiting for God’s children? Rest. What kind of rest? The Saturday where we don’t do anything?

True peace. Lasting joy. Don’t doubt this. God says, this is waiting for you, going back to chapter 3 and 4, if you stay faithful to me. Do you see how doubt could pull us away from the rest God wants for us? We get caught up on the here, and now we’re staring at, banging our head on that brick wall right in front of us. We start to think, I can’t really do this. It’s not worth it. I can’t make it. It may not be there. I can make a difference in God’s service because God has already done the heavy lifting. I can live because Jesus died. I only have to do the possible because God has already done the impossible part. So I can make a difference.

5. I’m Not Too Far Gone for God

I can find a way to serve. And if I am convicted and convinced that there is a rest waiting, then I’m ready to expel all my energy working because I know what God has planned is bigger and better than anything I could see, even looking over that little brick wall in front of me. Consider, secondly, I’m not too far gone for God. We won’t look at 1 Timothy chapter 1, but perhaps you’re familiar with the expression of Paul where he says, I am the chief of sinners. And 1 Timothy chapter 1 and many other Bible passages could be used, but Paul fits the bill, perhaps the best. We need to remember who Saul was before his name change and before his baptism and becoming a Christian.

He was not just a Jew, he was not just a zealous Jew. He was not just a Pharisee. He was a religious terrorist. He pulled Christians out, had them put to death on his watch. He was a terrorist and his mind for God. And he could be forgiven. And while we all, including me, would argue that he is not the chief of sinners, he viewed himself correctly. One of the doubts I can have when I say I can make a difference, it’s amazing that God can even use me. The second doubt I may have is does God even want me? Does God know what I’ve done? Does he know where I’ve been? Why? How could God want me? I can’t come back. I can’t make things right.

Not because I can’t say the right words or ask the right permissions. But because God won’t want me. God teaches us in the Old Testament and the New Testament alike. No one is too far gone for God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness if we will humbly seek it. There is absolutely something we must do. We must repent. We must humble ourselves. But don’t let the devil make you doubt God’s love for one moment. If it was ever about worthiness, Jesus would have never died. If it was ever something we could earn, no one would be here. But God sent Jesus and He died. Because we were incapable of freeing ourselves from sin. And by his grace and through humble submission to his will, we can have peace.

6. I Need to Know Jesus Is Coming Again

Consider with me one final point. I need to know Jesus is coming again. Turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 3. It’ll be our final passage this morning. 2 Peter chapter 3, beginning in verse 10. Notice the difference that this will make. I can’t doubt. And if I asked this morning, who believes Jesus is coming again, just about every hand would go up, and rightfully so. As promised in the scripture, time and again Jesus would come. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 says he’ll come like a thief in the night. But the question is not do I mentally accept it? The question is, do I doubt? And here’s how I know that I might have some doubt, because I don’t take every day captive the way I would if I knew Jesus was coming tomorrow.

First, 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10 the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a war, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. But according to his promise, we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Notice verse 11. Since these things are verse 10, what should we be doing?

Watching, waiting, and hastening. Let me ask one question of application, and the lesson will be yours. If we knew Jesus was coming tomorrow at 1 o’clock p.m. Might you live your day a little bit differently? Than you probably will today. Some of that would be natural. Sometimes in these applications, we forget the idea that people would want to say goodbye, would want to make an extra phone call. But if we knew Jesus was coming in a week, don’t you think a lot of us would be on our quote unquote best behavior? Don’t you think we go the extra mile, two or three because we know and believe judgment’s coming? The only reason we wouldn’t live that way is because whether we speak it out loud or we it’s deep internally down in our soul.

Conclusion

We either don’t think about or we truly doubt that Jesus is coming again. Know that God is real. Our Creator is true and powerful. The word of God brings life, but it also brings the warning that that day of the Lord will come and we will be prepared or unprepared. Make yourself right with God today. Don’t doubt. Overcome. Don’t doubt. Look over. Look at what God has done. Look out to your left. Look to your right. See people who will help you, who are there with you. Don’t doubt God. He’s given you everything you need. If you’ve never become a Christian, recognize this morning that you can have your sins forgiven. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You confess Him as Lord and all that that means in your life.

Repent of your sin of the error of your ways and come forward and are baptized, sharing in that death. And yes, also that resurrection of Christ that leads us to that hope of that inheritance that is undefiled, imperishable, and never fading away. Maybe you’re a Christian and you’ve doubted and you’ve drifted. Recognize we will pray with you, we will pray for you. God will love you. God will forgive you if you humbly come to Him now as we stand and sing the invitation song.