Sermon Reflections from Ask Me Anything: Deconstructing the Divine | Alex Hardt | September 1, 2024
Doubting is part of who we are, right? You questioned your parents growing up, doubting that they knew what was the right or best for you. You’ve gotten into circumstances where you did not know where God was as you could not see Him anywhere. Doubt clouds our vision both physically and mentally and that produces anxiety and fear as we struggle to find our way. Pastor Alex pointed us to scripture to see what Biblical characters did when confronting doubt. Scripture is our guide book for living based on truth and rooted and grounded in Jesus. It is the perfect place to go for answers!
Pastor’s first example came from John 20:24-29 and relates the experience of Thomas. Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them and he refused to believe in the resurrected Christ without seeing for himself. When Thomas saw Jesus, even though he appeared in the room miraculously, he believed. Jesus knew of his doubt and went immediately to him. This should encourage us to go to Jesus with our doubts, not our friends or family, but to Jesus. When we take our doubts to Jesus, he will give us the support we need to believe just as He did Thomas. If we openly come to Him, He will teach us and assuage our fears and doubts.
David faced doubts of a different kind. He did not doubt God but so like us, he did not see God in his situation and was searching. Saul was after David to kill him as reported in 1Samuel 24:1-22 and David had a chance to kill him. David did not know why Saul was persecuting him as he had not gone against Saul’s rule as king. David wrestled with whether to kill Saul when he had the chance. David did the right thing because he looked to God in his confusion. He prayed, he argued with himself and thought about God’s character. He knew God and knew He was good, sovereign, holy and righteous. David did not kill Saul and he had more than one opportunity in the 14 years Saul pursued him. He did not because he knew it was not God’s will for him to take Saul’s life that was God’s job. He knew that God knows the beginning from the end and is in control. What are you wrestling with in your life? Think about the character of God- His attributes. He is holy, sovereign, omnipresent, omnipotent, faithful, pure, eternal… God is so much more than anything we will ever face. Be brave or courageous and lay your concerns at God’s feet in prayer and leave it to Almighty God. He will not disappoint. We learn a lesson from King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19. He received a letter from Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, who was marching towards Jerusalem. His letter said give up you are beat, your God cannot save you. Hezekiah placed the letter on the altar before God. He recognized God’s power and might and asked Him to spare the Israelites.
God answered his prayer by miraculously defeating their enemies. Confused, wresting? Lay it before God in prayer.
The Apostle Paul was headed to Jerusalem and he knew it would be difficult and risky. In Acts 21:1-16 his friends were advising him not to go as they knew the Jews wanted to kill him. Paul was undeterred as he believed he was following God’s course. I’m sure he had moments of doubt but he knew what God had set before him to do. His confidence in God overrode any arguments others might give to persuade him. Why was he so confident? His hope was placed in Jesus and he knew that God was directing his path. He trusted God to bring him where he needed to go for the sake of the gospel.
When you face doubt, what do you do? Look to scripture and pray.
Our memory verse for this month is 2 Timothy 1:7. It is one of my favorite as God promises: power, love and self-discipline through His Holy Spirit.
“ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
God does not want us to have a spirit of timidity. Being timid in spirit means living with a sense of fear, lacking in self-confidence or being shy. God wants us boldly walking and trusting Him as we encounter the trials each day. Through His Holy Spirit he empowers us, covers us with His love, and assures us that through Him we can conquer our negative actions, bad habits, sinful desires, doubts and fears. Memorize this verse this month and claim God’s promises!
Linda
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