Hi, I am Pastor Floyd Bresee.
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And I've been thinking
it seems to me there be
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a lot more
Christians, if Christians were
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a lot more Christ
like. Let's pray about it.
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Loving Lord, I pray
that you will teach us
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something today
that will help us become
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more Christ like Christians.
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This is our prayer
in Jesus name. Amen.
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Our focus today is
on John the Baptist.
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Especially the time
that John the Baptist became
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John the doubter, we
don't very often think of
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him that way. But
we're talking today
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about a
particular instance when John
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the Baptist
became John the doubter.
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Let's open our
Bibles to Luke chapter 7,
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and I'll be using the
New International Version.
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There are some
words you know that
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where reluctant to
talk about in church
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one of those is
doubt. To some Christians
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doubt is a dirty word
and you should not use
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dirty words in church.
But it's our word today,
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even John the
Baptist on occasion
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wrestled with
doubt. John the Baptist,
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a fearless
outdoors men, a man's man.
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One of the best men
who ever lived doubted.
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Our lesson today is
from his life and it is this.
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Genuine faith grows
out of honest doubt,
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genuine faith grows
out of honest doubt.
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If you maybe are just
a little uncomfortable
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with my daring
you to doubt today,
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maybe you will be a
little bit offended.
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But please, hear
me out, hopefully
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we'll end up agreeing.
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John the Baptist,
doubted, Luke the 7th chapter
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and verses 18 and 19
John's disciples told
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him about all these things.
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Calling two of
them, he sent them to the
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Lord to ask, "Are
you the one who was to
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come, or should we
expect someone else?
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Now John the
Baptist is a very rare Bible
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character, one of
the very few of whom no
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sin is ever
recorded. And yet he doubted.
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Then doubt must not
necessarily be a sin.
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Once this great
man of faith had said,
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behold the lamb of
God at Jesus baptism,
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he heard the words
"This is my beloved
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Son, in whom I'm well pleased."
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He preached and preached
and preached the Messiah.
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Now, he was doubting.
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Christianity is
not plastic surgery.
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You can get plastic
surgery and rearrange
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your nose and
rearrange your face,
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you better like it because it's
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permanently
changed. And we like to think
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that when we have
expected, have expected
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our Lord, that we'll always have
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total faith and never doubt.
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But that simply is
not the way it works.
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We like things that
are free, we like fat free
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milk and
cholesterol free eggbeaters and
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pesticide free vegetables
and doubt free religion.
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We should be, everybody who
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thinks doubts, and if
I have no doubts maybe
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I'm not thinking, look
at the Bible characters,
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Abraham fell down
laughing when God said
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that 99-year-old
Sarah was going have a baby,
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the father of
the faithful doubted.
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Jacob's wrestling
with the Angel brought a
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blessing and a
new name to Jacob,
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now they call him
Israel, and Israel means
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one who strives with God.
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He still calls
his children Israel,
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his children are those
who are striving with God.
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In the book of Psalms,
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about 60 percent is doubting.
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God, where are
you says the Psalmist?
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Even Jesus
doubted. My God, my God, why
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have you forsaken
me? But you see there are
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two kinds of doubt.
There is negative doubt
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and there's positive
doubt, negative doubt is
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refusing to know,
if God were real and
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God were good, I'd
have to submit to him
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and I want to do
whatever I want to do,
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no submitting for
me. Doubt can actually be
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self worship,
nothing can be true
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unless I can understand it.
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Listen, a God small enough for
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you to
understand would be much too
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small for you to worship.
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And so there is negative doubt,
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really not wanting to believe.
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But this is also positive doubt,
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longing to
believe, longing to know.
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Doubt, D O U B T
has the same root as
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D O U B L E,
doubt and double are
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from the same root.
A doubt is when we are
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reasoning between
two different choices.
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Which one will I make?
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And we work our way
through the choices.
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Chinese say that doubt
is standing in two boats
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with one foot in each
and the boats became to move.
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You need to make a
decision, your situation
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is very insecure
and only after you chose
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your boat and
plant both feet in it,
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can you feel secure again.
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Doubt by the way
often follows discouragement
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and next time you
have a doubt, see if it's
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because something in
your life has discouraged you.
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John had preached his heart out,
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Herod had put him
in prison because John
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told him not to
divorce his wife and marry his
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sister-in-law
Herodias. And this outdoors man
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was cooped up, his
disciples were leaving,
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the crowds were
forsaking and that
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beautiful book
Desire of Ages says
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"despondency and
doubt crept over him."
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You notice that,
despondency and doubt
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tend to go
together. And when you have
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doubt it very possibly
will be because you are
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going through discouragement.
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His doubt? Is Jesus
really the promised Messiah?
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Have I, have I put my
faith in the wrong person,
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we have doubts
life comes crashing
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down and we begin to doubt.
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Is God really
there? Is God really good?
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Does God really love
me? Can I really trust him?
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Have I put my faith
in the wrong person?
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And we not only doubt
God that we began to doubt
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ourselves especially in
times of discouragement.
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Have I really confessed my sins?
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Have I really been saved,
do I really love the Lord?
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Am I really a genuine
Christian or I am faking
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it and just going
through the motions?
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Now John the
Baptist admitted his doubts.
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Notice if you will verse 19,
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Luke 7 and verse 19:
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"Are you the
one who was to come,
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or should we
expect someone else?"
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This was his doubt
woman came to Moody.
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She said, I have been
a Christian for 25 years
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I have not had one single doubt.
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And Moody replied, madam,
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I doubt you've ever
been a saved Christian.
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We erroneously
think that to be real
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Christians, we
must have absolute
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certainty about everything.
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Listen, none of us
have God all figured out.
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We're all of us
like ducks on a pond,
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they just go sailing, just so
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beautifully
gliding across the water.
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But underneath
they're peddling like crazy.
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And sometimes
that's the way with
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us even as
Christians. We show tranquility
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on the outside. But underneath
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we're trying to
figure out how is God leading
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me and how am I
to relate to him?
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How can I get closer to him?
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What is his plan for my life?
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Now, doubting doesn't
mean that your faith stops.
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It means, you're trying
to understand your faith
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at a higher
level. I stand on a small
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mountain and I
enjoy the view and it's
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comfortable here.
But looking yonder,
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I see a higher
mountain, it must be even more
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majestic up there.
How am I going to get
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from this mountain
to a higher mountain.
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I must go down
into the valley and do
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the hard work
of climbing higher.
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And I have faith in my
Lord, but I want to have
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a greater faith. I
want to climb higher
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in my relationship to my God.
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How do I get
there? It maybe we have to
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go down through
the valley of doubt and
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climb up, but when we get
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there we have a larger review.
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For we know God better and if,
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and when we know God
better we can love Him
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more and that's
what we are really after.
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Genuine faith grows
out of honest doubt.
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It's okay to doubt.
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Just don't make a career of it.
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If you are going to
doubt it should be temporarily.
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Doubt only if you have the
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courage to doubt your doubts.
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Now, what did John the Baptist
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do about his doubts?
Well, notice first of all
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that he investigated his doubts.
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He sent two disciples to Jesus.
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Notice, if you will verse 20.
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Verse 20 of Luke
and the 7th chapter.
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"When the men came
to Jesus they said,
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John the Baptist
sent us to you to ask,
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are you the one who was to come,
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or shall we
expect someone else?"
00:12:11.59\00:12:14.86
He investigated his doubts.
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Now, how do you
investigate your doubts?
00:12:20.77\00:12:23.94
How do you resolve your doubts?
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I want to make four suggestions,
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you want to resolve your doubts.
00:12:29.10\00:12:31.12
First of all, to
resolve your doubts about your
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relationship with your
Lord, make it a point to
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associate with believers
more then with unbelievers.
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This was a part
of John's problem,
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his temporary
doubts must have been
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partially from his disciples,
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who were watching
Jesus and they began to
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sow doubts in John's mind.
00:12:53.83\00:12:55.82
To grow roses you
don't go to the North Pole,
00:12:57.49\00:13:01.86
you go to where roses grow.
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You want to grow
faith, you want to go where
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there are people
whose faith is growing,
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you can learn from
them. Go to church and when
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you get there you
will find every member
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still has a lot
of growing to do.
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But you will find
also many who are growing
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steady and it is
easier to grow when you're
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surrounded by
others, who are growing too.
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If you haven't been
making it a practice or
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you haven't in
some way kind of lost
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confidence in the
people who make up
00:13:47.30\00:13:50.85
the body of a church.
Oh! They have a lot of
00:13:50.86\00:13:54.22
growing to do, every
single one of them does
00:13:54.23\00:13:56.36
including the
preacher, but you will find some
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there that are growing
and can show you how to grow.
00:14:00.54\00:14:03.82
So, first of all
spend more time with
00:14:03.83\00:14:06.53
believers then with unbelievers.
00:14:06.54\00:14:09.21
And then, you want
to resolve your doubts,
00:14:10.07\00:14:12.66
take time to
study, take time to think.
00:14:13.56\00:14:18.26
We get so busy that
we spend all of our time
00:14:19.38\00:14:23.99
with the secular.
No wonder we began
00:14:24.00\00:14:27.19
to doubt the sacred
and take a look at how
00:14:27.20\00:14:30.17
you've been spending your time.
00:14:30.18\00:14:32.11
If you've been spending
it all with the secular,
00:14:32.46\00:14:35.19
no wonder you
are beginning to have
00:14:35.69\00:14:38.16
doubts about the
sacred. Fill your mind with
00:14:38.52\00:14:42.86
faith building
materials, sermons or music or
00:14:43.36\00:14:48.34
books and especially the Bible.
00:14:48.35\00:14:52.53
Spend time with your Bible.
00:14:53.84\00:14:56.70
Spurgeon threw
out quite a challenge,
00:14:57.89\00:15:00.31
he said the greatest
doubters are the people
00:15:01.50\00:15:05.52
who do not read the Bible.
00:15:05.53\00:15:07.53
Fill your mind with scripture,
00:15:09.24\00:15:11.39
fill your heart
with Bible promises.
00:15:12.67\00:15:16.13
And memorize some of them.
00:15:17.48\00:15:20.07
For example, you
will be seek me and find
00:15:20.78\00:15:24.18
me when you will
search for me with all
00:15:24.19\00:15:28.00
your heart or ask and
it will be given to you,
00:15:28.01\00:15:33.10
seek and you will
find, knock and the door will
00:15:33.11\00:15:35.72
be open to you or
again. Never will I leave you,
00:15:35.73\00:15:39.99
never will I forsake you.
00:15:40.42\00:15:42.59
Don't wait to
believe until your have God
00:15:44.53\00:15:48.50
all figured out, it's
just not going to happen,
00:15:48.51\00:15:52.85
God is simply too big for ours.
00:15:53.69\00:15:56.63
Get over it. If
God sat down across
00:15:56.64\00:16:00.43
the table from you to
explain himself to you.
00:16:00.44\00:16:03.31
You could no
more comprehended it,
00:16:03.48\00:16:05.16
then you can comprehend advanced
00:16:05.17\00:16:07.56
calculus after
flunking high school algebra.
00:16:07.57\00:16:10.50
But, we can reason
enough to conclude that
00:16:11.97\00:16:16.38
it's more logical,
more sensible to believe
00:16:16.39\00:16:20.46
then to disbelieve.
You will never totally
00:16:20.76\00:16:24.62
understand God, but
you can think yourself
00:16:24.63\00:16:27.80
through, your way
through to where it
00:16:28.24\00:16:30.69
makes more sense to
believe then to disbelieve.
00:16:30.70\00:16:34.36
And then you want
to resolve your doubts,
00:16:37.10\00:16:39.76
remember his
leading in the past.
00:16:40.89\00:16:44.28
And if you notice
the good things he's done
00:16:45.23\00:16:48.94
for you before. As
you look backward it's,
00:16:48.95\00:16:52.10
it's so much easier to trust
00:16:52.11\00:16:54.08
his leading in the future.
00:16:54.36\00:16:56.13
Doubt is often the
result of short memory,
00:16:57.76\00:17:01.09
all we're thinking
about is God isn't doing what
00:17:01.71\00:17:04.33
we want Him to do
right now, and so we
00:17:04.34\00:17:06.94
wonder if He is real or if
there is a problem with us.
00:17:06.95\00:17:09.90
You doubt
miracles. Well, remember the
00:17:11.32\00:17:14.80
miracles he's worked
in you, in your body,
00:17:14.81\00:17:17.79
every single day of your life.
00:17:17.80\00:17:19.72
These are miracles
that nobody understands.
00:17:21.51\00:17:24.42
You doubt this
thing of life after death,
00:17:25.45\00:17:28.02
is there really
going to be a resurrection,
00:17:28.03\00:17:30.33
is there such a
thing as eternal life?
00:17:30.34\00:17:33.11
Well, that's not
so hard to remember.
00:17:34.80\00:17:36.97
If you remember how to believe,
00:17:36.98\00:17:38.66
if you remember how
he's led you in the past.
00:17:38.67\00:17:40.48
He gave you your life once,
00:17:40.49\00:17:42.25
nobody
understands how he did it.
00:17:43.88\00:17:46.04
And if God gave life
to you ones before is that
00:17:47.32\00:17:50.66
really so
difficult to have faith
00:17:50.67\00:17:53.10
to believe so
he can do it again.
00:17:53.11\00:17:55.08
Science is proving
that there is dying and new
00:17:58.42\00:18:01.64
life going on in
your body everyday.
00:18:01.65\00:18:04.72
Continually,
within your own body,
00:18:06.32\00:18:09.66
old cells are continually
dying and new cells are
00:18:10.17\00:18:15.29
being continually
born, created if you please.
00:18:15.30\00:18:20.26
As a matter of fact
all the cells in our bodies
00:18:21.54\00:18:25.06
are replaced on a
regular basis except
00:18:25.07\00:18:28.24
they say for those in
the brain and a few stem
00:18:28.25\00:18:31.66
cells in each of
the organs of our body.
00:18:31.67\00:18:34.18
Actually, did you
know that the cells in your
00:18:35.44\00:18:38.80
taste buds last only a few days.
00:18:38.81\00:18:41.95
And that virtually
all the cells in your body
00:18:42.75\00:18:45.54
are replaced every
90 days, every 90 days
00:18:45.55\00:18:49.52
you have seen
death and life going
00:18:49.71\00:18:52.09
on within your body.
Why doubt that there is
00:18:52.10\00:18:55.19
such a thing as life
after death, it's been going on
00:18:55.20\00:18:58.17
right within you
everyday of your existence.
00:18:58.18\00:19:02.06
And then, if you want
to resolve your doubts
00:19:05.90\00:19:09.46
focus on Jesus.
It's interesting to
00:19:10.60\00:19:14.17
notice Jesus
reaction to John's doubting.
00:19:14.18\00:19:17.35
Actually, we
learned from this story that
00:19:18.29\00:19:20.94
Jesus respects
the honest doubter.
00:19:20.95\00:19:24.43
Notice, if you will verse 28.
00:19:25.09\00:19:28.26
Luke 7 and now verse
28. "I tell you, among those
00:19:29.55\00:19:36.37
born of women there
is no one greater than
00:19:36.38\00:19:39.98
John, yet the one who
is least in the kingdom of
00:19:39.99\00:19:43.47
God is greater then
He." There is no one greater
00:19:43.48\00:19:48.61
Jesus said, then
John, don't you see?
00:19:49.12\00:19:52.65
God is not
frightened by your doubts.
00:19:54.74\00:19:57.15
He wasn't
frightened by John's doubts.
00:19:58.13\00:20:01.05
He is not
threatened when you come to him
00:20:02.09\00:20:04.48
wondering and not sure.
And when you come doubting.
00:20:04.93\00:20:08.37
He is not
frightened by your doubts.
00:20:09.24\00:20:11.55
And then notice that
Jesus will provide the
00:20:12.29\00:20:16.12
necessary evidence at
the right time when you
00:20:16.13\00:20:20.24
doubt and you come
and you ask for help,
00:20:20.25\00:20:22.93
He has help
available. Notice in verse 22,
00:20:23.46\00:20:27.49
here came John's
disciples and they
00:20:27.78\00:20:31.13
were representing
to Jesus John's doubts.
00:20:32.16\00:20:35.37
And what are we
suppose to believe?
00:20:35.66\00:20:38.34
What really does
the future hold and now
00:20:38.35\00:20:42.35
notice how Jesus
reacted in verse 22.
00:20:42.36\00:20:47.15
So he replied to the messengers,
00:20:48.54\00:20:50.73
"Go back and report to John what
00:20:51.33\00:20:54.01
you have seen and heard:
00:20:54.02\00:20:55.65
The blind receive their sight,
00:20:56.48\00:20:58.46
the lame walk,
those who have leprosy are
00:20:58.92\00:21:02.20
cured, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised,
00:21:02.21\00:21:05.95
and the good news is
preached to the poor."
00:21:06.28\00:21:10.72
You see apparently,
John the Baptist being
00:21:11.88\00:21:19.85
Jewish had, had at
least some misunderstanding
00:21:19.86\00:21:24.87
regarding the
mission of the messiah.
00:21:25.44\00:21:28.43
The Jewish thought
that the mission of the
00:21:29.60\00:21:31.26
messiah was to
rule, he was going to come
00:21:31.27\00:21:34.51
to throw off the
oppressor, but as the disciples
00:21:34.52\00:21:39.46
came back and they
reported what they had seen,
00:21:40.08\00:21:44.29
ah! A light came on and
John the Baptist realize
00:21:46.06\00:21:51.36
more fully now
what the messiah's true
00:21:51.37\00:21:55.72
mission was it was
not to rule the Romans.
00:21:55.73\00:21:59.82
His true mission was
the help the hurting his
00:22:00.35\00:22:05.64
true mission wash to bring to
00:22:05.65\00:22:08.12
good news of salvation from sin.
00:22:08.13\00:22:12.18
And so, our story
has a happy ending.
00:22:12.19\00:22:16.49
John the Baptist
overcame his doubts,
00:22:17.68\00:22:21.37
the book Desire of Ages
says "the disciples bore
00:22:22.21\00:22:25.39
the message, and it was enough."
00:22:25.40\00:22:29.05
And having investigated,
having seen the proof
00:22:31.03\00:22:33.92
the evidence his
doubts began to vanish and
00:22:33.93\00:22:38.94
honest doubt grew
into a martyr's faith.
00:22:38.95\00:22:44.78
Genuine faith grows
out of honest doubt.
00:22:48.20\00:22:52.94
And if you want to
resolve your doubts,
00:22:54.36\00:22:57.11
do like John the Baptist,
first of all admit them,
00:22:57.12\00:23:00.11
don't be frightened of
them, don't be afraid to
00:23:00.80\00:23:03.91
bring them to
the Lord in prayer.
00:23:03.92\00:23:06.15
Confront your
doubts and then do some
00:23:07.49\00:23:10.91
investigating, instead
of just kind of stewing in
00:23:10.92\00:23:15.59
your own juices.
Investigate, examine,
00:23:15.60\00:23:19.20
seek evidence,
spend time associating
00:23:19.21\00:23:23.23
with those you are
believers, spend some
00:23:23.24\00:23:25.18
time studying, spend
some time remembering
00:23:25.19\00:23:28.37
all of the things in
your past that God has
00:23:28.38\00:23:30.85
already done for you
and makes you so much
00:23:30.86\00:23:33.37
easier to believe that
he will lead you on into
00:23:33.38\00:23:35.72
future and that helps to remove
00:23:35.73\00:23:37.53
doubts and above all
else. Focus on Jesus.
00:23:37.54\00:23:43.24
Do you believe
that I have a $20 bill
00:23:48.50\00:23:53.60
in my hand or do you doubt?
00:23:54.26\00:24:00.08
Well, how do you go
about deciding whether
00:24:02.37\00:24:05.16
or not I have a
$20 bill in my hand?
00:24:05.17\00:24:09.06
What if I were to look
you in the eye and tell
00:24:11.06\00:24:14.40
you I swear there is
a $20 bill in my hand,
00:24:14.41\00:24:20.37
would that remove you doubt?
00:24:20.38\00:24:21.95
I may not be a man of my word,
00:24:23.42\00:24:25.70
I may be a
prankster. I may be just pulling
00:24:26.95\00:24:31.41
some kind of a
nasty joke on you.
00:24:32.10\00:24:35.59
I maybe trying to fool you.
00:24:35.60\00:24:37.43
How do you know
whether it's true when
00:24:39.17\00:24:41.54
I say I have a
$20 bill in my hand?
00:24:41.55\00:24:45.79
Well, it would help if we
would spend time together.
00:24:47.89\00:24:51.83
And the more time
that you spend with me the
00:24:53.04\00:24:55.84
more you get to
know me the better you
00:24:55.85\00:24:58.42
understand me. They should begin
00:24:58.69\00:25:00.59
to increase your
trust. And while it increases
00:25:00.60\00:25:04.61
your trust it will
decrease your doubt.
00:25:04.62\00:25:08.10
God holds out his
hand to you today,
00:25:13.51\00:25:16.20
and he says I
have in my hand love.
00:25:18.17\00:25:22.99
And I have in my
hand eternal life.
00:25:24.57\00:25:28.44
Do you sometimes doubt it?
00:25:30.45\00:25:32.32
Well, how you going to decide?
00:25:33.68\00:25:35.61
The way you decide is
to spend time together.
00:25:36.93\00:25:41.00
And as you spend
time together with God,
00:25:41.74\00:25:44.72
it will increase your trust.
00:25:45.23\00:25:47.67
And it will decrease your doubt.
00:25:48.28\00:25:51.08
Now, listen folks
God's hand is going to remain
00:25:52.68\00:25:59.05
closed all the way
from here to heaven,
00:25:59.06\00:26:02.78
you will never ever be
able to prove everything
00:26:03.82\00:26:07.15
you may want to prove about God.
00:26:07.16\00:26:10.18
But when you
spend time with Him.
00:26:11.04\00:26:14.29
You will be able to
thank Him for all good
00:26:15.45\00:26:18.87
things He has done for you.
00:26:18.88\00:26:21.18
You will be able to
see how He has led you and
00:26:21.62\00:26:24.38
you will learn how to trust Him.
00:26:24.39\00:26:26.99
Spend time with
Him, one day when
00:26:28.75\00:26:31.36
we get over there,
His hand will be open.
00:26:31.37\00:26:34.84
And you will understand it all,
00:26:35.55\00:26:37.66
meanwhile through
spending time together
00:26:37.97\00:26:40.89
learn to trust
Him here. Let's pray.
00:26:41.53\00:26:44.95
Father, we thank
you for all the good
00:26:46.33\00:26:50.38
things your
holding in your hand.
00:26:50.39\00:26:52.46
Sum of what you
offer, we can't see and we
00:26:54.54\00:26:59.89
can't always
understand. But may we today
00:26:59.90\00:27:04.71
commit ourselves
to spending more time
00:27:04.72\00:27:07.62
together, so that we
might learn to trust you more.
00:27:07.63\00:27:11.99
And doubt you less,
in Jesus name. Amen.
00:27:13.72\00:27:20.06
Are you spending time?
00:27:22.47\00:27:24.66
It takes time to
learn to trust God.
00:27:26.84\00:27:30.44
Find someway on an
everyday basis to spend
00:27:31.58\00:27:36.32
time with your Lord.
And as you spend time,
00:27:36.33\00:27:40.75
you will learn to trust
Him more and more and more.
00:27:41.37\00:27:45.64
And faith will grow
and doubt will decrease.
00:27:45.65\00:27:49.10
Thanks for tuning
into Faith Chapel.
00:27:49.35\00:27:52.39
God bless you and yours.
00:27:52.86\00:27:55.19