I've Got Questions
Notes
Transcript
I’ve Got Questions
Week 1
“Why”
Intro: Talk about the new series and how it came about. Talk about the list of questions and how we all have them, even repeatedly, during certain seasons of our lives. I hope the series title draws you in. I have questions, do you?
For children, asking questions is normal. Expound on questions kids ask? We all know the “why” and “why not”. Take out the trash, don't touch the stove, and why can’t I go to name a few. Here a few of the top questions:
Why aren't there any more dinosaurs
Why are there so many languages in the world
Why do I have to wear clothes
Why do people get sick
Why can't I stay up as late as you do
Why can’t I do like you do instead of what you tell me
Why does the kids next door have more toys than me
Why do I have to invite them to my birthday party
Why don't you change you tattoos - funny
With age, questions and their depths change. As we are children of God you would think the depth of our questions would change, but some of us are still asking God why our neighbor has more than us.
Let’s look at some types of questions and examples
Why do we wear shoes? Because they protect your feet. No they trap your feet, they are feet traps (must have been a Ponder kid) -thought provoking
Are we there yet? - annoying
Why is that guy holding a sign? - Serious - homeless and try to explain that
Why doesn't God answer prayers and do miracles today like He did in the Bible?- scary- you can’t panic and let them know that it is ok to have questions and we do too. Show improper and proper responses. Answers must be based on the word and not the world like their friends telling him what they wants to hear, or news channels, or other propaganda want they want them to hear
Let’s all be honest. After the last 2+ years I think we still have more questions than ever. But even pre-covid we all had, and still have, questions. We still deal with other illnesses, social and racial injustice, poverty, hurt, and many more areas.
I wish more people knew this about God. As we look at the world we all have many questions. We all can say “I have questions”. Looking at relationships, our bank account, or faith and I think I have questions. I believe, either by just our own belief or even some church teaching, we think we cannot ask God our questions. We feel like we are letting Him down and if we ask questions. Please hear this if you hear nothing else, GOD IS NOT AFRAID OF YOUR QUESTIONS! In fact, He is prepared for them. Might I even go out on a limb and say that HE DESIRES THEM.
When you look at the book of Psalms (throw in about reading 1 Psalm a day) we realize that it is all about teaching us how to pray. If you want to learn how to pray read Psalms. When you see them praising God, it is teaching you about prayer. There are prayers of intercession, there are Psalms about vengeance. (ref punching the teeth of the wicked) Psalm 33? A big part of prayer is spiritual warfare.
There are other Psalms in the Bible that are Psalms of questions.
1 Why do You stand far off, O Lord?
Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?
Psalm 6:3 reference season of singleness, other things we want “how long Lord?”
3 My soul is greatly troubled,
but You, O Lord, how long?
Ps 73:11-14 (written by worship leader of the tabernacle Asaph)
11 They say, “How does God know?
And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
12 Observe, these are the wicked, always at ease;
they increase in riches.
13 Surely I have kept my heart pure for nothing,
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I am plagued,
and chastened every morning.
Ps 22:1 same prayer as Jesus prayed. Jesus is actually teaching us there, not complaining, of how to endure trial, trauma, and suffering. He is not complaining, He is quoting Scripture. If it was ok for Jesus, it is ok for…
1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from delivering me,
and from my roaring words of distress?
God wants your questions. Why?
God wants you to be free: Talk about my first therapy session with Emily. Talk about legal confidentiality and how that makes it easier. (joke about what my “issues” are not.) We all have some of “those” thoughts. So there I sat on Zoom, started talking. We all start slow then ramp up. She sat there nodding, making a few notes. At the end of the session, she said that is awesome, nice to meet you and our time is up, then she prayed and we disconnected. She did not tell me one thing to do, not a great nugget of wisdom or even any advice. I spent the entire time venting. That night Natalie asked me how it was, and I am like it was “awesome” (act this out). She said what did she say, and then I realized she did not say anything. She just heard me the whole time. It was exactly what I needed, a place to ask my questions judgment free. Why? I realize now that I was judging myself because of my own questions. How could I think that I am a pastor? How could you know what the Bible says and believe that? (expound) Because I was not asking anyone but me the questions, then doubt came. I realized there was freedom in asking questions. Listen to this profound statement: “LET YOUR QUESTIONS BE THE FEELINGS YOU SHARE NOT THE SHACKLES YOU WEAR!” If you keep your questions inside, you will always be bound to your questions, but when you release them, you also release the power they have over you. I think this is why Jesus prayed that. He was not looking for an answer, because He Is The Answer. But I believe it was to show us that He was in the presence of Someone He could trust. He knew He was in a judgment free zone. Expound.
God Wants to Build Your Faith: Talk about how thankful Natalie and I are that you chose us. Talk about how thankful I am that Natalie chose me and how she will say the obligatory thank you for choosing me in return. When we met, they were sure she was going to marry another guy in her church. They were together a lot. She had options, I didn’t. Thank you for choosing me. You chose me although you had options, so it makes the value of her choice that much more powerful. Faith is not the absence of doubt, it is what you do although you doubt. It is what you do although it does not make sense, it is what you do although you don’t have all the answers. Why is it so powerful that Jesus prayed this. Right after He said that He said this: Luke 23:46. Do you trust God enough to commit your life into His hands, or do you doubt God enough to wonder if He is even there? Looking not judging, but again, I have had questions. Questions I did not say out loud for a long time. Questions I have asked no one but me. The answer is both. Faith is choosing to pray even when you wonder if God is listening. Faith is choosing to wait, even if you wonder God is working. Faith is choosing to come to church every Sunday when you wonder if you are changing. (expound). Faith says keep doing faith things, even when you don't know. Although…. That although phase. It is what you do in that although phase that will help you make it.
In the next few weeks we will hit common, not specific, questions we all share. Many questions we have that are common and snowball then avalanche into a plethora of questions.
So today we will start with one very common question and answer it: WHY?
Have you ever asked God why? Have you ever looked at the world and asked God why? Why are children born sick? Why God are good people dying young? Why does the color of one’s skin determine the level of opportunity? Why would a loving God create an eternal hell? Have you ever looked at your life and asked why? Why are my parents divorced, why am I sick, why am I still struggling with this years later, why does that person I love have to die? Why God……
Well, for the remainder of our time today I am going to do my best to answer every single one of those questions. I believe I have the answer to yours, and my questions why. I am confident in it that is not my answer but Jesus’ answer when He was asked the same thing.
Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He remained where He was two more days. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”
14 So then Jesus plainly told them, “Lazarus is dead.
I’ve got questions. You know who else has questions… Martha. Do you know a Martha? One that does not play any games, a no nonsense person. Martha is a redneck woman! Let’s get to the rest of the story.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met Him, but Mary remained in the house.
She leaves Bethany and leaves to meet him on the road. Mary did not go, she stayed at home. They are 2 sisters who live together. They are different. But I think we can look at them and realize that they are a metaphor for our own hearts. One side who is marching out because we have questions. We are emotional, we are upset, (expound and act out). Then there is the other side of us, that we are so disappointed we do not want to even see Him. Both live inside of us. So another statement you need to resolve in your spirit:
God is never afraid of our questions, but sometimes we are afraid of His answers. Sometimes we wonder and are upset that God is not answering your prayers. Expound
Mary was afraid of the answer but in a different way. Mary was a relational person. We know there are work people and relational people. Reference other Mary/Martha Bible story. EXPOUND
Note Natalie and I lol. Because Mary saw relationally, she saw God not answering her prayer through a relational lens. When God did not do what He said He would do, she asked what is wrong with our relationship. Have you ever been disappointed by God and asked “what did I do wrong?” give examples. Remember the man Jesus healed that everyone assumed he was because of sin?expound on our relationship with God. Because we are afraid of the anwer we avoid the question altogether.
Martha is a worker. She does not approach the question relationally, but in a literal, productivity view. Because Martha is a worker she knows that sometimes she has to ask the hard questions, do the hard things, make sacrifices to “get the product out.” She has questions, but her questions and not what have I done, but what are you working on. I believe that you're good, but I don't understand why this is happening. What are you working on?
When one of your kids does something crazy, do you not have questions? Expound. Usually it is a “why”. And when they begin to explain why, you stop them because you really don't want to even know the answer. To be honest, a lot of the time it is not even looking for an answer, but opening a door for you to express your frustration, displeasure, anger, and every negative feeling that you are being flooded with. This question is not about you, it is about me.
Do not treat God like that!!!! Sometimes God will disappoint us in life and we ask why, and before He can answer we flood him with our emotions because we really do not care why, we just are angry it did not happen. Don’t treat God like a kid who lives in your house. He does not owe you answers, you live in His house, but gives you them because He loves you.
Talking about questioning someone who knows when they are doing a project for you. It is not asking “why” but HOW we ask why! We can ask with emotion, or we can ask because we know they know. So that is a why from a trust mindset. This is why God I trust when I ask why when you put a whole in one area of my life that I don't agree with that you are God and you're smarter and your plan is better than mine. But I have questions…. Show me why! I am not mad, I just have questions! Either you presume His disinterest in you, or you presume His goodness and His sovereignty. Whichever one you presume is how you will pray.
That is what Martha did. John 11:21-22 expound
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You may ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Martha has a lot of questions. She knew that Jesus can do it, could have done it, but did not do it. Here is Jesus’ answer.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live.
Whatever you question, God’s answer is “ I Am”. One hand Jesus did not give the answer, but on one hand he did. Many times he can't give it because we would not understand it because HE IS on a different level. Ever been to someone who was so educated above you that when they spoke you had no clue? With God, we probably cannot understand and it is on us, but we can understand that they understand and that is ok, so just take care of it.
When God makes a decision, it doesn't just affect you. But your friends, family, generations to come. If God actually sat us down and tried to explain to us why it would melt our brains because we are on another level.
The answer is I am. I know you want to decide the answer, but God is the decision maker.
If I were to walk up and offer you a million dollars, how many of you would ask why? The gift is so great we would not ask why. We would not want to talk them out of it.
When you offer kids ice cream or a trip to an amusement park, they don’t ask why. They ask why when you tell them it is time for bed, clean their room, or tell them no to their question.
When God does not do it the way we want it, we get mad. We question why. Just like a parent, he makes the decisions, he sets the rules, he is the I am. When he makes a decision you do not like, we have to trust him and our why should be for knowledge.
Share the story of the 8 y/o girl from a broken home who wrote a song about her circumstance. I want to read you some of the lyrics. The title of the song is “Names for You”:
The name of the story is You
Because you are the Savior and You are the King
You know a way to save me
There is a way for you to save me
And whenever I am afraid I know you will save me
Because you make a better King than me
Jesus you are bootyful.
Written by an 8 year old who would do anything to have her father in her life, but she knows they answer to why.
I have tried to be my own king. Most of us have. (expound)
Back to the statement He gave us the answer. You are looking for it. Here it is. Jesus is the answer!