Doubt #2
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Doubt #2
Doubt-ed
This is message #2 in our series about Doubt.
Last week we talked about Doubt-ing - We said:
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“Honest doubt is better than phony faith”
(NLT)
Today we are going to talk about being Doubt-ed
I think for the vast majority of us who regularly attend church we don’t Doubt that God can do anything - what we doubt is ourselves.
Am I:
Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Good enoughHoly enough Righteous enough
We know God will do anything - we are just not convinced he will do it for us. It is not necessarily God that we doubt - it is us.
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(NLT)
Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
Think about this - The leaper never had a doubt that Jesus could heal - but he didn’t think enough of himself to believe that Jesus would heal him.
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
I want you to remember this pattern that we introduced last week.
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Skepticism - Hope - Experience - Knowledge
The line between what we hope is true and what we know is true is experience.
Until you have a positive experience - you are stuck over in hope.
Now that’s not all bad - some people have great HOPE.
When we talk about Jesus coming back and rapturing the church what do we call that - it is our Blessed Hope.
Experience is what changes your position
Good or bad - for better or for worse - what we experience influences our beliefs.
And here is the risk - if we have the wrong expectations going in - our experiences are likely to disappoint us.
There are preachers and teacher all over the world today - selling a snake oil gospel that is not Christ centered it is self centered. It is all about making your life better.
They do it to pack out auditoriums, to sell books and create enthusiasm - but when the enthusiasm is worn off you will be left all alone with what you know from the Bible and believe about God. If that account is bankrupt - the our experience will turn our hope into doubt.
Remember that the doubt does not make a bad person it just means you are not yet convinced. But the goal is get the doubt out of your walk with God. You cannot do that by pretending it is not there. That is phony faith - that won’t get you anywhere.
(ESV)
Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Why is it so hard for us - not to doubt?
Think about it - if this were easy wouldn’t all churches and all Christians be walking around - with nothing but supernatural experiences.
Yet the reality is that supernatural experiences are so rare that many churches have decided to believe that was just for then - not for now.
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doubt:
διακρίνω (diakrinō) - waver; doubt
It means to waver. Unsteady - uncertain - separate one from another,
If we only believe that God answers all of our prayers - we will get disappointed when experience demonstrates the opposite.
Then quit believing all together.
The most powerful boost to your faith - is to see God’s Word fulfilled.
The most motivating experience that you can to make you want to pray more - is seeing God answer the prayers you have prayed.
Stats:
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94% pray alone
82% pray silently
Only 2% pray out loud with other people
Why? I have to conclude that the majority of us are just not convinced that prayer works. Why? Many have experience that is keeping our hope aways from knowledge.
fineprint.
Like the high speed voice at the end of a commercial for new medicine. — *Terms and conditions apply.
(ESV)
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
There are reasons why God does not answer our prayers.
But those are not the popular scripture so most Christians don’t them.
James says if we lack Wisdom we should ask God for it…
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(ESV)
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord
Remember I told you that Doubt or (diakrinō) means: to separate one from another
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(NLT)
But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty…
Another reason is unconfessed sin:
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(NLT)
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
We all want healing - but do we believe in confession.
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(NLT)
For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
17 For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke.
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Motives are wrong:
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(NLT)
And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
Treat your spouse poorly:
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(NLT)
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
In God does not pull any punched about what wants from us.
v3: Aren’t you impressed with fasting?
God: You fast only to please yourself.
v4: God: What good is fasting when you keep fighting and quarreling? That kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
v7: Share your food with the hungry, Give shelter, Give clothes, Don’t hide from relatives you need you
v9: God: then I will reply
God gives us an example of what he does listen to
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(NLT)
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
It is easy stay stuck between doubting and doubted.
Skepticism - Hope - Experience - Knowledge
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