The Dangers of Doubting John 1:43-50 Everyone has experienced doubt in one form or another. But this morning I will be talking about the dangers of doubting when it comes to God and his word. First, there are many people today that doubt weather God exists or that we have his words recorded for us in our Bibles. This is obviously very dangerous to a person s spiritual wellbeing because they will have no idea what to do with their lives and they will never be able to be saved because of their doubts. This was one of the major problems with 1 st century Jews. Granted, they believed in God and they knew that the scriptures spoke of a coming Messiah. However, their traditions taught that Messiah would establish a great earthly kingdom and overthrow Rome. When they saw Jesus and his background that did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. The Jews did not investigate Jesus, they dismissed Jesus. This was even the attitude of one of Jesus disciples before he believed. Nathanael s attitude was very negative as he doubted that any good could come out of Nazareth. The reason for this statement was because Nazareth was off to itself and many people who lived there were poor, so it didn t have a good reputation. To his credit, Nathanael investigated if there was anything to this Jesus. When Jesus revealed to him how he already knew him his doubt was turned into belief. Nathaniel could have easily said I don t care what you say, I m not going because nothing good could possibly come out of Nazareth. This is what many do today when it comes to God and hearing his word. I have no doubt that if those who call themselves atheists or agnostic, would simply do some investigating of God s Word they could see that there is ample evidence to show that there is a God and that the Bible contains his inspired word. We don t have time for every argument to show God is the creator, but we can look at one.
The simplest, most reasonable argument that does not need evidence from God s word is the cosmological argument. The basic principles behind this argument is this: Whatever begins to exist has a cause. The Universe began to exist. Therefore, the Universe had a cause. You can make this argument as complicated as you want, but the premise is this. The universe that we live in and the trillions of factors that make it work could not come from nothing. The system is simply too complex to be the result of dead matter coming to life. Anything complex must of necessity have a designer, in this case God. We can relate this argument to any object today. Most of us have a cell phone. Can you imagine someone arguing that your cell phone just happened? One moment it does not exist, and a moment later all the matter necessary to make a cell phone appeared. Then over time all those components came together by chance and formed into a cell phone. Even those who do not believe in the God of the Bible will usually agree that a cell phone does not make itself some higher being brought it into existence. When you considered that the 66 books in our Bibles were written by some 40 different writers with different backgrounds and languages over 1600-year period yet all the scriptures flow together in harmony is proof that these books were not written by man. When man writes there are inconsistencies from generation to generation. When the Bibles speaks historically or even scientifically it remains accurate even thousands of years after it was written. Contrast that with text books that man writes. A science book written 10 years ago has probably now obsolete in the science world because we keep making new discoveries. The next thing we learn about the danger of doubt is that it is a sign of a weak faith. I am talking about those who believe in God and his word but still yet they have their doubts about it and so they are not 100%.
We can see many great examples of this type of doubt with Jesus disciples who walked with him. It has always amazed me how they could see Jesus with their own eyes and experience firsthand the miracles that he did yet many of them still had doubts. Let s look at two examples of doubt. Our first example comes from Mark 4:35-41. On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" I find this event remarkable. One thing often overlooked is the statement that there were other little boats in this armada. Evidently Jesus was in a larger boat with His disciples and they were scared to death. What must those in the little boats have been thinking?? I have been in heavy seas in a liberty launch trying to get back to the carrier. This boat is about 45 feet long and is designed for rough water. I ve never been scared to death but I ve been concerned. In 5-8 foot swells you can get water into the boat even with gunwales that are very high to keep water out. Look, the boat is to be in the water, but water is NOT to be in the boat. So, I can relate to what these men were experiencing. The major difference is that they didn t have an engine to help get them out of their situation and the sides of their boat were probably pretty near the waterline. So, I can see why they were very frightened. They believed they were going to die according to the word perishing in the text. But what do they find Jesus doing as they perish? He is asleep on a pillow. These men simply cannot understand how anyone could sleep in this perilous time.
They wake Jesus in their panic and Jesus simply tells the sea Peace be still and then it was calm. I was once in a very bad storm at sea. It went on for several days. We did not sleep for three days because of the tossing of this huge ship. Then early in the morning it just stopped. It was positively eerie to go from 25-degree rolls to nothing in a heartbeat. The disciples had become overcome by fear because they doubted that they would survive this storm and then Jesus spoke, and it was calm. At that moment I picture 12 men with jaws dropped, eyes wide in dead silence. Maybe now they were more fearful than during the storm because they knew this man was not just a man. Now Jesus turns His attention to the 12 and their lack of faith. Jesus shows them that God is control. God is in control even when something as scary as a storm on the sea threatens you. Even if the storm takes your life you should still maintain faith in God. Our second example comes from Matthew 14:25-32. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So, He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Once again, our example involves water and the wind. Here we find Jesus walking across the water when He is spotted by his disciples. He did this walk sometime after 3 am. Imagine being out on the water early in the morning and you see somebody or something walking across the water. This will get you attention I am positive! Upon investigation, they discover that it is Jesus.
Peter still seems to have some doubt if this is Jesus, so he wants to test Him. He asks him to command him to come out on the water with him and so Jesus commands him to do so. At first Peter does a great job walking on the water toward Jesus. His faith is strong, and he has no doubt in his mind that because it is Jesus he can do this. But then he notices the wind and he starts doubting what he is doing. He realizes that a man cannot walk on water. At that moment he begins to sink because his faith is no longer in Jesus but in himself. Thankfully, Jesus was there to lend him a helping hand. After Jesus catches Peter, Jesus asks Peter how he could doubt. You see in similar way today we must be careful that we don t allow the world and its problems to distract us to the point to where we begin to doubt God. I hope this lesson has shown the dangers of doubting and how it can: Keeps some from believing in God Create fear in those who face difficult situations Cause you to spiritually sink into a world of sin Rob you of your confidence to grow as a Christian Hinder your prayer life. Isaiah teaches 3 ways to overcome doubt in chapters 40 and 49. Here Isaiah teaches: 1. He teaches us that God is always watching and listening 2. He teaches us that God will never leave nor forsake us 3. He teaches us that God s hand is not shortened because nothing is impossible for Him.