Why the Believer Doubts, Part 1

Doubt is very real for people who believe is reality. But it is not an acceptable reality and it needs to be addressed. Gideon doubted God. Elijah doubted God. Jeremiah even express doubt the apostles down and here John the Baptist doubts. We understand that coming face-to-face without his coming face to face with ourselves. What about believers in the Bible did they ever question the claims of Christ. Consider that today on grace to you as John begins a series called when believers doubt will John. I can imagine some people being surprised by that title. When believers doubt you're not saying so-called believers are saying when believers doubt and it's not if they doubt.

But when they doubt. So are you saying that some level of doubt is inevitable for every Christian, even spiritually mature Christians. Yes, I think, because we're not perfect. Where were still fighting with the flesh in our fallen nature and we also have to remember that assurance is not necessarily always going to be the believers experience assurance is a gift to an obedient believer and when there is disobedience in your life as a believer when there is sin in your life for when you have the sort of loosened up your intimacy and relationship with the Lord doubt will begin to grow the sport.

That way it's not that kind of terminal doubt where you throw off the whole of the gospel and you reject everything and walk away, but yes, doubt is a sin and doubt is also the result of sin. This is an important enough issue that we want to deal with it in our new series is from Luke seven and it's titled when believers doubt now if if you've ever doubted whether your truly saved. Don't be surprised to visit every Christian will have that kind of maybe it's a fleeting moment here and there. Or maybe it's a it's a siege of doubt.

But that's that's going to happen to all of us because we do things in our lives that displease the Lord and that raises the reality that the possibility is we don't really know him and doubt can take a grip and begin to grow even John the Baptist had doubts that's amazing.

But he did. Jesus said, John was the greatest man who ever lived, and he had doubts. Think about that John the Baptist filled with the spirit from his mother's womb, and he knew all the reports of Jesus miracles yet on occasion he needed to be a reassured the Jesus was even the Messiah. So what caused John the Baptist to doubt and what encouragement can you find when you're tempted to doubt who Jesus is or what he accomplished or whether or not you really know him so in the study are going to see for reasons believers struggle without you learn how to respond to those doubts and see the reality of your faith a powerful portion of Luke's gospel. You may never have dug into it deeply before so stick with us for why believers doubt yes do stick with us friend we have all struggled with doubts at some point, but thankfully you can overcome doubt.

That's what this study is going to help you do trust Christ and his word more and more, even when times get tough.

So here's John MacArthur to begin this series when believers doubt Luke seven verses 18 to 23 and the disciples of John reported to him about all these things and summoning two of his disciples.

John sent them to the Lord saying are you the expected one or do we look for someone else and with a minute come to him. They said John the Baptist has sent us to you saying are you the expected one or do we look for someone else. At that very time he cured many people with diseases and afflictions and evil spirits any granted site to many who are blind and he answered and said to them go and report to John what you have seen and heard the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over me gospel writer Mark records an incident where Jesus confronted a father with a demon possessed boy a serious case of demon possession.

One of the most serious recorded in the New Testament. This demon had somehow made this boy mute so that he could not speak of the demon had affected this boy in such a way as to have seizures see foamed at the mouth. Scripture says he ground his teeth. He stiffened himself convulsing and falling over and smashing into whatever was in his way before he hit the ground and the father dealing with this pitiful son came to Jesus and told Jesus that it had been this way with the boy since childhood, which would lead us to believe that perhaps he was a teenager. The horror of this on only the physical difficulties with the embarrassment that created such a pitiful scene that the father hearing of the power of Jesus brought the boy and he asked Jesus if he could help his son Jesus responded with this statement. All things are possible to him who believes in the father's responses famous Mark 924 says the father said this, I do believe, help my unbelief.

What a strange statement. You do believe, help your unbelief, but we all understand that we understand believing doubt or doubting belief in that father's testimony is the testimony of most of us. I do believe, help my unbelief.

That is to say I believe but my faith is incomplete. My faith is assaulted and fraught with doubts. Astonishingly, that is exactly the situation in the text.

I read not with just a passing stranger, such as the father but with the greatest man who ever lived up until his time, John the Baptist greatest profitable.

Jesus had so designated him as the greatest man who ever lived. According to Matthew 1111 here is a saint of God, a prophet of God, the forerunner of the Messiah, the last of the Old Testament prophets, and the greatest who is struggling with doubt. You can read the New Testament.

You could've been there during the events of the life of Jesus.

In either case, you have plenty of reason to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior, the Emmanuelle God with us. The Redeemer if you had done any association. Let's say with the family of Jesus or with the family. John the Baptist is aged mother and father, Zacharias and Elizabeth were also related to Jesus family Elizabeth being related to Mary if you knew those people you would know of the affirming evidences that Jesus was the Messiah you if you are hanging around the apostles would have ample evidence to believe that Jesus is God in human flesh. Truly, the Christ, the one who is coming, the expected one. As John calls them here, and even reading the New Testament that the proof is replete.

There is the testimony of angels. The angel came to Zacharias while he was doing his priestly duty in Jerusalem and told him he is going to have a son and he was probably in his 80s and he and his wife were barren and truly they did have a son who was none other than this great prophet, John the Baptist the testimony of the angel Gabriel came to Joseph and Mary, and testified to the fact that the spirit of God was going to plant a child in the womb of Mary who would be a virgin when the child was born. The testimony of the angels who spoke in vast numbers to the shepherds in the fields. Plenty of angelic testimony must've circulated around the family of Jesus and the family of the John the Baptist.

It must've been just part of normal family talk, even though John's family lived in the Judean Hillside in Jesus family lived up in Nazareth and they were spread apart by about 60 miles. They must've come together at Passover and other events and whenever they did the stories must've been the stories of the great angelic appearances. The virgin birth, all of that that was all part of the family history. They were well aware of the fact that Jesus came down through the Davidic messianic line in his dissent through his earthly father Joseph his descent through his mother, Mary, both coming from David. They were all aware of the fact that John the Baptist himself had given testimony that this is the coming one. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world they were aware that at that time when John baptized Jesus the spirit of God came down descending upon him and divine affirmation. The father's voice came out of heaven. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. There were all kinds of sort of events all the way through that indicated divine intervention from angels and from God himself, and the Holy Spirit. And then there was no other explanation for the teaching of Jesus's power over diseases power over demons in his power over death, except that he was God exercising divine power and that was all a constant public display. All those healings and all those casting out of demons going on all the time day after day after day, plenty of evidence plenty of reason to believe even people who didn't know the Old Testament very well. Even Gentiles could get the message, such as the centurion whose story begins in verse two of this chapter, centurion, a Gentile and outcast part of the Roman occupying army despised and hated probably having responsibility over the collection of taxes which the Jews despised a tax collector being the most despicable person of all this outcast, this outsider this centurion it come to faith in Christ and a faith that was so great that in verse nine, Jesus said, I have not even seen faith like this in Israel. There was plenty of reason to believe that Jesus was the Messiah God in human flesh Savior, the Redeemer, the promised one, the coming one and some did delete the centurion believed and some of Jesus disciples believed. Certainly the apostles believed, but most people came short of believing so as you study the story of Jesus, you see all of this prove all of this on answerable evidence that Jesus is God's son met with attitudes that are short of faith, what you see is criticism questioning indifference rejection, curiosity, fascination, hostility, hatred, and conspiracy to execute. So you have the great model of a pure faith in the centurion and you have this massive people in the middle who were somewhere in that spectrum that I just recited for you. Something short of faith and then you have those who believe. But their faith was mingled with doubt and that tended to be the more common characteristic of the believers. And you know that because how many times do you hear Jesus address his apostles.

This way, oh you of little faith, why do you doubt me that's the story of the apostles, we would like to think that they had a faith equal to the centurions but they didn't. It's amazing. One of the reasons the centurions faith was so pure and not mingled with doubt was because he didn't have the same expectations that you said it was the Jews expectations that tended to create their doubt. They had a certain expectation for what Jesus should do.

What do and what he didn't do it. They were fraught with doubt. Gentile wouldn't have those kinds of expectations not knowing the Old Testament same way and not being a part of the Jewish tradition and culture.

And when you come to the apostles themselves. They were all doubters. We think of Thomas as the doubter, but Thomas wasn't the only doubter they were all doubters.

Jesus said in in the Matthew 2121. If you have faith and don't doubt you can do this and this. Your problem is you have too much doubt mixed with your faith.

Amazingly, at the end of Matthew 2817. This is after the resurrection 11 disciples go to Galilee. Judas is obviously dead, committing suicide, they go to the mountain were Jesus designated and he shows up. They saw him they worshiped him and says, some were doubtful they doubted from the beginning to the end there still doubting.

After the resurrection.

That's why they're characterized so often as the little faith association could call it the right to book the apostle subtitled the little faith association you find out again and marking couple of places in Mark in one place. In Luke chapter 12, so doubt was not an uncommon thing. In fact, it was characteristic of those who were the most devout the apostles. Those have been chosen to be the first generation of preachers the Lord would train in here.

Then we find doubt on the part of John the Baptist, the greatest man who ever lived. Doubt is very real for people who believe is reality. But it is not an acceptable reality and it needs to be addressed.

Moses doubted God Gideon doubted God.

Elijah doubted God. Jeremiah even expressed doubt the apostles doubt and hear John the Baptist doubts. We understand that coming face-to-face with doubt is coming face-to-face with ourselves and that's why this is an important passage because God help us to be able to deal with doubt what we mean by doubt. While some people say means confusion or perplexity, but let me just give you simple definition doubt is a struggle to believe it is a struggle to believe it is something that prevents me from fully believing it can be momentary.

It can be prolonged it can be permanent, but I want you to understand how that the Gospels deal with that whenever Matthew Mark Luke John the Gospels deal with a doubting person. Listen to this. It's always a believer.

It's always a believer. There is one occasion. In John 1024 where it says the Jews were saying to Jesus how long will you keep us in suspense. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. But that was an honest doubt that wasn't a struggling to believe they were fixed in their hatred and unbelief that was just there unbelief try to put Jesus on the spot every true expression of doubt in the four Gospels relates to believers. Doubt is something that is part of being a believer so we again go back to what the man said, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief and you can identify with that is so can either have been times in all of our lives when in the midst of our believing. We struggled with doubts. Some of you going to that even now doubt is presented as a believers problem so we shouldn't be surprised to find the apostles having little faith in doubting. We shouldn't even be surprised to find a believer. John the Baptist, the godly prophet struggling with doubt if the greatest man who ever lived. Had some doubts if the 12 apostles were with Jesus had some doubts then maybe it's understandable that we have some doubts as well that I give you the picture. We don't want to think less of John and we should John believed the Jesus was the Messiah. He asks the question your are you the entire commonness are you the coming one.

That is a messianic title that appears in the 40th Psalm in the 118 Psalm are you the coming one. Well, he knew he was chapter 3 verse 16 of Luke, John answered and said to the people. As for me, I baptize you with water, but the coming one. There uses that messianic title the coming one who is mightier than I, and I'm not fit to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

So John was talking about the coming one.

He was pointing to the coming one. And of course the day came when Jesus appeared, and John says he pointed to him and said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then he baptize Jesus and then the father said this is the one who is my beloved son, and so there was no mistake, the Holy Spirit came down just settle on him. John knew he was the coming one.

So we affirm that John is a believer is a believer. At that time he was so convinced that Jesus was the coming one.

The promised Messiah and Redeemer that he said my basic work is done in John 330. He said to the people he must increase and I must decrease time for me to fade away.

I'm done. I was to be the forerunner I was to announce the Messiah to point to him to present him. I've done it. I fade in every sense that we can look at John's encounter with Jesus, we have to conclude. John believed Jesus was the coming one father affirmed the spirit affirm that Jesus himself affirmed it and then in verse 18 of Luke three, John went on with many other exhortations preaching the gospel to the people. They didn't stop his ministry he went on preaching.

Preaching Jesus Christ and the gospel, the good news Messiah is here the kingdom of God has come Messiah has arrived, and his message was always this repent, repent, repent, because unless you repent, you can't participate in the kingdom of God after repent of your sin. Well, he was a was a strong preacher. He was a hellfire and damnation preacher effect. There's not a lot of compassion in his preacher. There was very strong judgment that he preached and he called for repentance and he didn't mince any words verse 19, Luke three. This sets the stage when Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him wool when Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him. Herod the tetrarch. He was king over Galilee Paris of those adjoining areas where Jesus was ministering where John administered and he was a petty king. He was of the family of Herod the great, he was one of Herod's sons John the Baptist had occasion to confront him and when he did he reproved him on account of Herodias, his brother's wife. He was real specific, now you know this. Herodias was a woman married to Herod's brother. Now Herod Antipas as he was called the tetrarch had lots of half-brothers. He had one half-brother named Philip who had this wife named Herodias when this wife was married to Philip Herod and tip us the one here seduced her and stole her and married her. What makes it even more bizarre is that she was the niece of Philip, so he married his niece. She was also Herod's niece so that is passing around incestuous relationships matter how you look at this.

It was wicked multiple marriages, seduction, divorce, incest, and when John had the occasion to meet Herod.

He pointed it all out and that wasn't all it says in verse 20 and he also talked to him about all the wicked things were charted that we just hit him right between the eyes with all the wickedness he had was a result of that, he did more wicked things added.

This also hears them most wicked. He locked John up in prison blocked him in prison to stand for somebody's rebuking him in public so I slammed him in a dungeon down underneath Fort McKay wrists some miles east of the Dead Sea. The northern end of the Dead Sea out in the wilderness, barren, rugged place.

It was a summer palace. The Herodian set a lot of summer palaces, including the side of this was one they took John out bathroom in prison. The reason didn't kill him was he was very popular at the time he wanted the popularity to kinda die took them out of circulation for a while he did, he kept in prison for at least a year, for he executed you remember the story of how he died.

Don't you there was party and Salome came and danced and Herod said what you want, and prompted by her mother. Get rid of that profit.

I want his head on a platter and that's what out. They came in the middle of the party with settlement platter so John's faithfulness cost him his freedom and accosting ultimately's head.

So some of these disciples back to chapter 7 show up at the prison and they report to John what Jesus is doing to give him this update and remember, John has been in prison for months and months he hasn't seen anything or heard anything and he's beginning to doubt does he believe Jesus is the coming one shirt is a have ample evidence. Of course I told you what he what he personally would've had the whole family history of sure he believed he believed no question but doubt was growing on the edges of his faith just wasn't going the way that it should go. So some of his loyal disciples who were up in Capernaum, 60 miles at least or more, maybe even 80 miles from where John was imprisoned took the whole trek all the way down there walked all the way down to the Jordan Valley all the way over the tip of the Dead Sea down to the East aware of this place was and they told John what they had seen and heard and so John verse 19 summons to send them to the Lord saying here's the question, are you the expected one or do we look for someone else. It's like saying are you the Messiah. Are you the one promised in the Old Testament, and at that point where we are now coming face-to-face with John's doubts. What created those debts. What caused him to doubt what he believed. Why is he saying, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Why would he ever say or do we look for someone else. Why would he ever say that me with the father speaking out of heaven. This is my beloved son, with the spirit descending with Jesus affirming why would you even ask that well doubt had crept in that had destroyed his faith leads a tremendously interesting point you need to understand this, that his faith is proven by the way he reacts to his doubt if he had no trust in Jesus, he wouldn't go to Jesus to ask Jesus to dispel his doubt.

That to me is so interested. He is asking Jesus, whom he believes in and out at the same time to resolve his doubt and he knows that Jesus is the only one who can resolve that doubt. So he's really struggling against the weakness in the flashy struggling against the temptation they did what you out what you always need to do without you go directly to the Lord to somebody else or to nobody. The worst thing you can do with your doubt is keep it to yourself. He saying I've got some doubts and I need to get an answer in a way to get the answers to go directly to the Lord. In that sense he proves his faith. If he had no faith in Jesus.

He would never ask Jesus to be the one to resolve his doubts still that way if you want to get your doubt result go to the word of God, but to any other place.

You're listening to Grace to you as John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary began a study that shows you how Jesus helped John the Baptist and how we can help you have assurance of your salvation. It's titled when believers doubt. Keep in mind we have both the audio and written transcripts of this study available on our website and they are great tools for reviewing this material again and digging in at your own pace to get your copy of when believers doubt get in touch today to download the transcript and the MP3s free of charge. Go to TTY.org or if you'd prefer the two CD album that is also available and there's free shipping on that to purchase the CD album call 855 Grace or go to TTY.org and keep in mind at our website you will find more than 3500 John sermons available free of charge in MP3 or transcript format start downloading now TTY.also as a great complement to our audio study. I would encourage you to get John's book saved without a doubt, it's an ideal resource for anyone who struggling with assurance among its helpful features 11 test questions from the apostle John's writings that will help you see whether your clinging to genuine salvation to order the book saved without a doubt, call 855 Grace will go to our website TTY.org now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson. Thanks for starting your week off with Grace to you and join us tomorrow when John looks at common reasons people question the Bible and how you can fight those doubts. It's another half hour unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on Grace to you