Stop Doubting - Summer Series pt. 13

I am reminded of our educators and our students and our staff. Many of our students are already back off in college. And, you know, I remember myself kind of just going to school and, you know, love going to class. And this is not a still around to talk about how you get to cheat and repeat.

Don't do that. You know, we talked about that last time, but um, the first day of school always there's always that one teacher that tried to stand out above anyone else. Right. That one teacher the teacher that tells you to take out a sheet of paper on the first day, write your name on it because it's a pop quiz.

How in the world educators are you going to give your students a pop quiz on day one? I just don't get it. I mean, we have a conversation with me after class, after class, after church. Well, I'm trying to figure out, you know, this one thing that I used to hate to hear in class. Students have a seat take out a sheet of paper, write your name on it, and it's a pop quiz.

And then immediately I become asthmatic, right? Coughing syndrome start coming on or whatever, you know. But the point is that, you know, sometimes we're not ready for those pop quizzes. Sometimes we're not ready for what life throws at us. Sometimes those pop quizzes in life, we don't really embrace as much because many times those pop quizzes, is a curveball based on what you're not expected to receive. Those pop quizzes where God says, I need you to make a shift in your life.

And they begin to wonder like, God, what are you calling me to do? And truth be told that sometimes when God is asking us to make a shift, we begin to doubt what He's called us to do. Have you ever questioned God before? Like, have you have you truly like questioning God? Like why in the world are you calling me to do this?

And the point is, he doesn't give you the full story. He doesn't. He's like, He's talking to Abraham, saying Abraham, I need you to go. He doesn't tell Abraham where to go, what to pack. Just get your stuff and get ready to go. He doesn't tell them how long the journey is going to be. He doesn't tell them what terrain is going to be.

He says, Abraham, take your family and I need you to leave what is familiar with you and go, God is asking you to do something that is uncomfortable. God is asking you to get outside of yourself and begin to see things in a different lens. He's telling you to go. Begin to think and ask God If I go, what is going to happen?

Like I'm not the type of person I need a a strategic plan to map out everything that's that type A coming out of money to know what's taking place, where I need to go. I need to know the cost and, you know, the benefits I need to outweigh. You know, I'm weighing every options that we that we have. But then there's a part of me that just begins to walk out in faith as well.

And then I begin to begin to think about, my God, if I go, what would happen to my family? What will happen to myself? Well, will I be under attack in a way that I'm not expected to really recover from? And then I hear the stories about people who went and then bad things happen. Then I begin to ask, why does bad things happen to good people?

Now I can understand bad things happening to bad people, right? You know, they deserve it, right? You know, they need something to happen to them. But why does bad things happen to good people? But more or less, what does bad things happen to believers? Right. We're professing a faith where we're hearing the gospel, we're preaching and teaching the gospel.

We're living out the gospel in such a way. But then bad things happen to us. Then we begin to know that Ephesians six tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, that we wrestle against rulers in authority, the powers of darkness. You know, we begin to think and know what the scriptures are saying. Sometimes our faith meets us head on with doubt.

Sometimes our faith is met with disbelief. Sometimes our faith is met with discouragement. It doesn't matter how big your Bible is, It doesn't matter if you Holy Ghost filled, far baptized. Whatever the case you want to say, it's going to come a point in time in your life when everyone will be put to the test. There's going to be a point, a time in your life where you're going to doubt or have doubts about who you are and what God is calling to.

There's going to be times in your life where you're going to ask God, Why are you asking me to do this? Then God is going to tell you, go to James chapter one. He's going to tell you My brother count it all joy. When you fall into various trials and temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith. Right, the testing of your faith, like we're praying, God stretch me, God put me in places where I can be a position of influence.

He says okay but I'm gonna test you first. So you want influence without the test. So you want position without the test. It says that knowing that testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have his perfect work in you. That you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. See, I want the perfect and complete and the lack of nothing.

But you don't want the testing of your faith, but to get the perfect and the complete and the lacking nothing. There has to be a pop quiz. There has to be a testing of your faith because you want something to be tested. So what? You know, you're able to walk through the fire.

It says that if you lack wisdom. Let him ask for it. And then it says God will give it to you liberally. That means the guy has an overabundance of wisdom that he can give you when he says, then let him. Asking faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven tossed by the wind he who doubts.

Let's just sit there for a second he who doubts so many times were marked by doubts and disbelief. See, we're not we're not supposed to struggle or have doubts or disbelieve as believers, right? That's what the world tells us. Like, oh, you're Christian. You're not supposed to have doubts or disbelieve. Well, I would disagree with you see its abnormal for us as believers to have disbelief.

It's abnormal for believers to have doubts. It's abnormal for believers to have doubts. Disbelief, coupled with faith. Is that possible? Can you have faith as a believer and still doubt? Can you have faith as a believer? So what do you do with life history, with doubts about God's goodness? What do you do when what you see in the Scriptures is not lining up with your life?

Like the doubts and disbelief? Of the world is caving in on you. What do you do? How do you walk through that? What do you do when you're struggling with your faith? What do you do when you're praying on Friday for God to move? You wake up on Sunday and God doesn't answer your prayers. What do you do when you pray for Friday and Saturday or Sunday?

You get to work on Monday then God's has not answered your prayers. Have you ever been there before? How about you pray on Friday and it's Friday again and God still has not answered your prayers. I promise you some doubts is going to start settling in. When God doesn't your prayers. And this is supposed to be the loving God, right?

He's supposed to be the sovereign God. And yet he has not said anything to you. But yet, we're supposed to have faith. We're still supposed to have faith because see people believe that doubt is the absence of faith. And I disagree. See, doubt is not the absence of faith, but faith is more than, more like a vehicle that actually overcomes your doubt.

Right. Faith is actually the vehicle that you should use to overcome your doubt. What do you mean? I don't need those churchy cliches. I know you got those friends that you know, that has all church cliches. They pull them up on Google and they tell you, you know what, God, close the door, open up another window for you.

He closes the door, but he can open up a door. I got to climb out of a window like, come on, now. That wouldn't make any sense. Like, I don't need the churches to get me through my doubts right now. All I can do, all things through Christ, is strengthens me. You know. I believe in that, too. Yes.

No, we're covered by the blood. And you know that God is blessed and highly favored. Like, I don't need all those church cliches when I'm when I'm dealing with life right now. I need something as tangible. I need something as real, something where I know that I can hold on to and God can help me walk through the valley, through the shadow of death.

Where I won't fear any evil, but yet I still have doubts. But I'm a I'm a believer where I'm supposed to have faith. Everything happens for a reason. But I'm standing before you and I'm troubled. I'm standing before you. And I'm perplexed. I'm standing before you and I'm lost. What do you do then, when the world is caving in on you?

It's Matthew chapter 11. Verse three says this Now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his 12 disciples that he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. And John had heard him heard in prison about the work of Christ. He sent two of his disciples and said to him, Are you the coming one?

Are you that one? Or do we look for another? Let's just let's sit there for a second. John is in prison. He sends two of his disciples to go ask Christ. Is he the one or is there another one coming? See this? This isn't doubt coming from Doubting Thomas. I can get that. I can get doubt from Doubting Thomas.

You know, I may even get the doubt from the sun he joined or the Pharisees or the woman that has an issue with blood. I can get that. But this is John who is doubting and asking Jesus Christ, is he the one or is there another one coming? I can get the doubt of the person who's a new believer.

I can get that. But John asking, is he the one or is there another? How can John the Baptist doubt if Jesus is the one? Because we know that just chapters before he was he was saying that this is John who knew him from birth, Right. This is his cousin. This is blood. This is his family.

Been at every cookout, open up the refrigerator and drink up all the Kool-Aid, right eating up all the chicken. And then he's going to leave a corner of Kool-Aid in the fridgerator. Come on, church. Y'all know what I'm talking about. There's always that person who leaves that corner of juice sitting in a fridge like, you might just drink the rest of the juice.

That's how John is, right? He's like, I'm gonna drink all the juice. But this little swallow, this is John who proclaimed him in the wilderness. This is John who preached the Messiah is coming. This is John who lived a God centered life this is John, who said, I baptize with water, but he's going to baptize with you with the spirit.

This is John doubting. This is John, who says there's one who's greater that is coming after me, asking, Is he the one? This is John who says, I'm not worthy to even tie the straps of his sandals, doubting, this is John who's saying, Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world is coming. Doubting, This is John, who said, I saw the spear descend from the heavens like a dove, doubting, asking, Is he the one or there's another?

So let me ask you again in your holy feel sanctified self, have you ever doubted before? And what do you do when you doubt what makes John doubt? John finds himself in prison. His life is changed. Reality is setting in. So is it possible that reality has a way of changing your beliefs? Come on, Church. Is it possible that when life happens to you that your reality shifts your perspectives of who Christ is God, You said you would never leave him, but I don't feel you God, if you are a cattle on a thousand hills while I got a cattle, just sitting on one hill like, why am I living paycheck to paycheck like

Why am I just struggling with life right now? Like I Why are we dealing with this stuff? Doubting, reality has a way of shifting our beliefs, but it forces you to seek truth. The reality has a way of shifting your beliefs, but it forces you to seek truth. So what do you do when our experiences does not always equal our expectations?

Right? Like, what do you do when our experience does not equal our expectations? See, John finds himself in prison. He sends the disciples to go talk to Jesus, asking, Is he the one? How is this happening? Why am I dealing with this? And Jesus answers him pretty simple. He says this in Matthew chapter 11, verse four. He says this Jesus answered

And said to him, Go and tell John these things which you hear, and you see. He said, John, the blind can see now. John the lame can walk now. John The lepers are healed. John The deaf can hear. John, you know what? The dead are raised now. John You know what the poor have heard the gospel preached to them.

John Go back and look at my track record for those who are doubting who God is, for those who are doubting what God can do, God is saying, go back and look at my track record. God is saying, Go back and check my credit score so that God is saying, don't allow doubt to rob you of your faith.

Don't allow doubt to rob you of your faith, because faith is bigger than your struggle, like your faith should be bigger than any struggles that you are faced with. And I believe this the fight that you're in today is developing the faith that you would need for tomorrow. The fight that you find yourselves in today is developing the faith that you need for tomorrow.

So sometimes you have to believe God while you're doubting him. Sometimes you just have to believe God while you're doubting what he's going to do, how he's going to make a way out of no way that you have to begin to believe God, even in the midst of your chaos. It may be scary, may be uncomfortable, but I know what it is to be in a struggle.

I know what it feels like to doubt. I know what it means to begin to walk out on water where you don't know where how deep the water is. I know what it looks like when gas is just go and I'll show you. God is saying stop doubting and trust me. Stop doubting and seek my face. But, God, I'm scared.

I just don't know what to do. He's saying, I want you to lay it all down, sell everything, and go to a place I'm going to show you. God is saying, Take the next step. God is saying take the next step because you can trust him. He's saying take the next step because you can trust him with your time.

Take the next step because you can trust him with your talents. He's saying, take the next steps because you can trust him with your treasures. He's saying, take the next step and stop doubting. Matthew 28 is a very familiar passage. We call it the passage where it's The Great Commission. You know, we as preachers and teachers and just believers, we know the Matthew 20 right go out, make disciples of the world.

Every nation, every tribe, every telling that's we know. Matthew 28 But do you know Matthew 16? Matthew 20 over 16. Let me let me tell you what, Matthew. Chapter 28 verse 16 says. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain was Jesus had appointed for them and verse 17 says this when they saw him, they worshiped him.

But some doubted See, we skip over that part. Now we just go directly into Matthew 28 verses, you know, 19 therefore go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father. You know, we know that part, but we skip over verse 17 where he tells them there's some worship of some doubted. Now, who's that some?

That was the disciples. That was his ride to die boys. Now it was the other 11 disciples that walk with them for three years who knew what he looked like, knew what he did, knew his track record. But yet some even still doubted him. The disciples who walk with Jesus for three years, doubted the disciples who was hand-selected by Jesus, doubting, the disciples who watched Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, doubted the disciples who saw Jesus cast out demons, doubted the same disciples who watched Jesus, heal the woman with the issue of blood, doubted the same disciples who watched Jesus turn water into wine, doubted the same disciples who saw Jesus walk out on water.

Doubting, Is that enough? Let me give you one more just in case you're still sitting there doubting the same disciples who watched Jesus heal a centurion servant, just by speaking it, doubted. Yeah. So just in case, if you're trying to figure out what my lesson today is and what the title of it is, don't doubt. Don't doubt what God is calling you to do.

Don't doubt where God is calling you to go, because sometimes you have to believe God, even while you're in doubt. As our worship team make their way up front today, I wanted to honor our time as we get ready for baptism and baptism is significant because baptism saying that, you know what? I've placed my trust and my belief in a guy that has who's died and rose for us.

And we don't doubt we don't doubt that but what God is saying this next season that you're going into, he doesn't want you to doubt. Then now begin to think about all of the disciples, right? Matthew 28, verse 17. Some worship and some doubted. We don't hear anything else. After that. We go directly to the Book of Acts, which is the Acts of the Apostles.

And as we see the acts of the Apostles, we know that the disciples, even in their doubt, they continue to press forward. Do you see that in Matthew 28, when we get the Great Commission, he sends out his disciples, half of them worship and half of them doubting, and we don't hear anything else about what happened. But we begin to see and begin to experience what they did afterwards.

And even in that, we knew that there were still going now proclaiming who Jesus Christ was and even in their doubting, they was willing to lay down their lives for Christ. You we know that Simon was crucified upside down. James the Great was beheaded. John was thrown into a pot of boiling oil, but yet they doubted You don't lose your life.

You don't become a martyr for something that you don't believe in. You don't get crucified upside down for something that you don't believe in. Thomas was impaled by a spear for doubting. Are you willing to lay down your life for Christ? Are you willing to go all in for what God has called you to do, even in your doubts?

You see, your doubts may not be who Christ is.That may not be your doubt, but your doubt may be what God is calling you to do. What God is calling you to walk away from. And sometimes that's hard because he's not going to show you the entire picture. He wants you to walk it out in faith because he knew that if he would show you the entire picture.

You'll be like, God, You know what I'm going to say where I'm at? God is just going to give you enough to say, Will you trust what I what I want to do in your life? Even in your doubts a little bit over three years ago, our team began to think about merging with another church and we had our doubts, We had our apprehension.

We just launched. The church ministry was going well, and God said, You know what? I didn't give you the full picture. There's something else I need you to do. So we end up merging with another church, which is now what you see is called one church, two doubting churches merged together to show what's taking place today. And I'm going to be honest, if you were to show me and our team the journey that we would have to take to get us where we are today, there ain't no way in God's creation fill in the blank.

I would be doing what we're doing today, but there's a benefit of what God is doing. We get to look around. We get to see every tribe, every tongue and every generation present in a place like this, even in our doubts, even in our disbelief, like stuff was not going to work out. God is saying go and I'll take care of everything else.

So stop doubting God and trust him. And that's going to be difficult for a lot of us. And we do what we do because we want to honor every tribe, every tongue, every generation. And that's the reason why we worship in English and Spanish, because we want to represent the God of all nations. And sometimes that's difficult.

But are you willing to lay down your preference to mobilize the gospel? Are you willing to lay down everything that you have for where God is calling you to go? And that may be leaving somewhere that's familiar. So stop doubting what I was going to do and just wait on the Lord. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to close out today.

We're going to wait on the Lord is the song that really just kind of speaks to maybe where you're at, like, God, I'm in a season of waiting. I don't know what I need to do. Even when the disciples doubted they still worshiped, even when the disciples did not know what to do, they still went forward. Are you willing to weigh in even to the point of waiting to hear God's voice?

And sometimes he's telling you he may not even speak. He just wants you to trust him and move out of faith. So let us stand today. So I don't know what doubts you have. I don't know what you're struggling with and that doubt could be anything. So my prayer for you today that you stop doubting and truly trust what God is calling to do get out the boat and let's walk on water together.

Amen. Father in heaven, we thank you God for who you are. God, I'm believing that we have some water walkers in the midst of this congregation today. And, Father, we know that walking to water, it's solely keeping our eyes on you. We're not looking to the left and to the right. We're not looking for a road map gallery not looking for anything but your face, and father

We place our trust and are hoping you got even know that we know that it's okay to doubt, but we give it all over to you.

God, speak to us. Speak through someone God that can give us a prophetic word throughout the week, a word of confirmation, a word of affirmation. God, but even if we don't get it, God, we trust you more than anything else. And so father, we are getting out of the boat today in all that you have called us to do, in all that you've called us to become a God, we love you and we honor you and we will continue to wait on you.

When all of fails, we will trust you it is in Christ that we say, amen.