John 14:1-21 Dealing With Doubt

Objectives

• Congregants will identify ways in which they may doubt God.
• Congregants will recognize that Christ is God.
• Congregants will identify at least one way in which they can depend on the power of God to dispel doubt.
• Congregants will identify ways in which they can live with resurrection power.

Introduction

• Rhetorical questions to consider asking:
  • Have you ever been lost?
  • What does it feel like to be lost?
• Tell a story of being lost

Main Body

Doubt is a very real emotion for everyone. If I had to guess, I would say that most people have doubted something already this year. Perhaps you have doubted:

• A fact on the news
• A story you were told
• A coworker
• A family member

Doubt is real. Moreover, most of us have probably at some point or another doubted God. Maybe you have doubted:

• His goodness
• His provision
• His love

The fact is, doubt is real.

Main Proposition

As Christians, we need to deal with doubt by …

Setting The Stage

Disappointment

1. Jesus has just told his disciples that where he is going they cannot follow.
2. Peter, in what probably seemed like a great declaration of faith has told Jesus that he would die for him.
3. Jesus responds by telling Peter that not only will he not die for Jesus, but he will deny Jesus, not once, but three times.

Point 1 (V 8-11)

We need to deal with doubt by recognizing that Christ provides our connection to the Sovereign of the universe.

Is Seeing Believing?

1. We believe what we see. This is such a prevalent idea in our culture that websites like youTube and Instagram are among the most popular websites in the country.
2. However, scripture tells us something different:
   1. In Hebrews 11:1 we see that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
   2. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that “we walk by faith, not by sight.”
   3. In fact, in John 20:29 Christ proclaims “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Desiring to See God

1. Do you desire to see God? You are not alone. In fact, Moses had the same desire.
   1. In Exodus 33:18-23 Moses asks God. “Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Seeing God Through Christ

1. Seeing Christ = Seeing the Father
   1. In many cases of logic a interesting problem arises when you want to show that two sets (A and B) of things are equal. In order to show equality one shows that everything in set A is also in set B you first show that everything in A is also in B. You then proceed to show that everything in B is also in A. If both of these conditions are met then we say that A is equivalent to B. In short, Christ argues his equivalency to God.
2. The work that Christ has done in your salvation is evidence of God.
3. Doubt is real, but we can deal with doubt by recognizing that when we see Christ, we see God.

Point 2 (V 12-18)

We need to deal with doubt by recognizing the power of Christ working in us.

Point 3 (V 19-21)

We need to deal with doubt by recognizing that we are responsible for showing the world Christ.