Doubt! Not What You Think.

INTRODUCTION:

Illustrations for Doubt:

A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. In the defense’s closing statement, the lawyer, knowing his client probably would be convicted, resorted to a trick.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch.

“Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom,” as he pointed toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened.

Finally the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement; but you all looked on with anticipation. Therefore, I put to you that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”

The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.

“But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.”

The jury foreman replied, “Oh, we looked, but your client didn’t.”

This morning we are going to look at DOUBT!

BODY:

Please Stand as we read God’s word .....

Matthew 28:16-18 “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

I have never preached a message “after Easter” that continued with the story right after the resurrection.

We find these 11 disciples all together.

These ones who had seen all the MIRACLES

Seen all the Healings

Seen all the events that took place

Some had witnessed the beating Jesus took

Just a few saw the death on the cross

But they all saw the resurrected body standing before them.

We hardly hear a message “following Easter Sunday morning” about the 11 Disciples meeting up with Jesus at Galilee.

Why Galilee? Its were Jesus came from right before He was Baptized.

Mountains - it is important to remember that in Jewish though hills and mountains are places of divine revelation.

Disciples were together in Jerusalem and would have had to travel 3 days back to Galilee (Via Samaria)

I think it would be safe to day though .... It’s more about the revelation than it was about the location.

Just like the women, We hear about the 11 disciples see Jesus and “Worship” Him.

Physical act of bowing down or prostrating themselves.

Whats interesting is we read that they “Doubted.”

There are two different word that we find in scripture that can be translated “Doubt!”

Diakrino -

: To be divided in two with one’s self.

: Of intellectual weighing of matters that leads to waiving or hesitation, especially within a belief system.

Suggest , not so much weakness of faith, as LACK of FAITH

EXAMPLE: James 1:6–8 (ESV)

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;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Distazo -

: To stand in two ways, implying “uncertainty which way to take”

: Having second thoughts

Suggest that of a believer whose faith is small.

EXAMPLE: Matthew 28:17 (ESV)

17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

Doubt is not unbelief, but it is not faith either.  It wavers between faith and unbelief, unable to make up its mind what it wants to be.  It is like the hitchhiker who was thumbing a ride with his hand in one direction–and thumbing a ride with his other hand in the other direction.  He wasn’t sure which way he wanted to go.

But scripture tells us that they all “worshiped him, but some doubted.” (17)

You might be sitting there saying to your selves .....

“How could they DOUBT?”

Others of you might be saying to your selves .....

“I might have doubted as well?”

Or “I don’t know what I would have done!”

The Greek word we find for doubt here is “Distazo”

Which we know means WAVERING in ones thinking / to lack confidence in.

We find 4 things taking place in these 3 verse that I believe should impact us today.

They obeyed.

They obeyed His command to meet them in Galilee

They saw Him.

The other Gospels tell us that they touched him, He ate in front of them.

They Worshiped Him.

Just as the women did.

Some doubted

The lacked confidence in what their eyes were seeing.

Would it be safe to say that even though all see, even though all worship, Some will question?

..... we might be so amazed at what we are seeing and worshiping ....

we might lack confidence in what the Lord is doing.

So amazed we JUST CAN”T BELIEVE IT!

Having a hard time wrapping our minds around it.

Doubting is not a SIN.

Doubt becomes SIN when questioning becomes rejecting.

So looking at this passage .......

Just as was last week, we see a sequence to follow .....

Obeying: The commandments of God

Seeing: Christ Himself, His Power, His Love, His goodness

Worship: The expression of reverence adoration for God.

Matthew 28:16-17 “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”

Obeying, which leads to .....

Seeing, which leads to .....

Worshipping which leads to .....

Believing, Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

which IS FAITH!

Poem:

Doubt sees the obstacles Faith sees the way Doubt sees the darkest night Faith sees the day Doubt dreads to take a step Faith soars on high. Doubt questions 'who believes?' Faith answers, 'I.'

These Disciples went from this moment recorded in scripture to Changing the world for Christ.

I don’t have to understand everything I see in order to have Faith in what I believe.

If I obey .... I then can see (Him, His power, His goodness)..... which in turn cause me to freely Worship (He moves to Lord in my life) which concluded with a build up of MORE FAITH.

Everyone in this room today is at one level in this spectrum:

Obedience

Seeing

Worshiping

Faith

Let discard DOUBT and add to our FAITH.