Defeating the Enemies of Success (Part 4)

I really believe that if we are honest with ourselves. Probably every one of us have experienced doubts at some point in our lives.

So, maybe even go in and out of doubts. Some are progressing in the school of faith in overcoming doubt is going to see some examples, the most important thing I want to tell you is this. If doubt whenever it comes to any of us. If it goes unchecked. If it goes unanswered, it can really produce very harmful results ultimately God is the one who knows the hearts I can only tell you what the word says in James chapter 1 verse six that a habitual doubt that that is a person who does not deal with that doubt is unstable. What are the things that really allow doubt to sit in and defeat us and how can we defeat doubt instead of solitude to with me just for a moment.

What are the things that cause doubt to flourish. There are number of things that happen to us that temporarily can cause is valid but I want to tell you that the overarching reason that causes gout to grow in us and flourish illness is a faulty view of God, a faulty understanding of who Jesus is and when you have a faulty view of who Jesus is. Doubt is gonna take hold in our hearts and in our lives and oh my goodness. We have churches filled with people who have faulty views of Jesus we have pulpits that occupied by preachers who are faulty views of Jesus. There are some people who think of Jesus just as Mr. fix-it there are others faulty view of Jesus of thinking. Just that super handyman that you call upon when you need something done and when you're finished. That's it until you need something else than some other time. There are some people who think of Jesus is that concierge in the hotel. You know that what you get them to do something for you for a tip is all faulty views of Jesus. Listen to me when I view of God is like that rather than the Almighty. The all-powerful God of power and might, the God of all knowledge.

The God that's all sovereign that we got experience doubt on a regular basis. When we do view him as the all sovereign God who is working in all things, including the crushing circumstances.doc times the dark days working through all the difficult situations in our lives to bring us good out of them that good that God intends for us to have that moment doubt will not stay for very long. Job had a distorted picture of God, and he began to experience doubt.

In fact, in chapter 38 verse four God gently rebukes Job when he said to him, where were you when I laid the foundation and Johnson roots literally in 42 three said he began to backtrack and he said I spoke of things I did not understand sorry Lord that's the way you there without when you're dealing with teenagers allow them in atmosphere and environment to bring up their questions to bring up that doubt in that a very protective environment rather than rebuke them hard. Why because it's better for them to get an accurate answer true answer. Then hear it from somebody else outside and when you do that you develop confident children even when the two of us have not blown up every hunt again. But even when they blow they still have the confidence in the God of the Scripture, the mighty powerful sovereign God, the creator of the universe, the Redeemer of the world affect our thinking about the confidence and I thought about the little girl who really had absolute confidence in her faith and yet you had a teacher in school who was trying to shake her face down and she is always questioning, always questioning him one day she said she said do you know for sure that Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days rigorous. No, I don't know about when I go to heaven I'll ask the teacher said well what about the Jonah is not in heaven. The girl immediately said then you can ask him easy. That confidence comes from having such deep rooted faith now I'm aware of the fact that there are temporary times of doubt when they come to us in times of weariness in times of exhaustion or illness and those temporary doubts moments of doubts come to us in times when there's we will under stress or where there is a sustained pressure that seems to sap our emotional energy and our spiritual energy or when we feeling inadequate and fruitless, but whatever causes you doubt that what you're dealing with now is by exercising faith. How text steps of trusting in the promises of God take risk in faith and trust God by looking back at the times when you exercise faith in God fulfilled his promises to you by looking back in history and seeing some of the men and women of God who experience doubt that how God delivered them from that doubt and most importantly, by studying enclosed fellowship with other believers not been filling in this three series of of the enemies of success. God's way that isolation is the worst thing you can do.

Whether you're going to discouragement detour or doubt stay in close fellowship with other believers. This is the last in the series of messages we looked at the three enemies of success.

God's way and then we been unpacking them first one was discouragement second was detour in today on there without in the most famous Delta in the Bible, turned a great evangelist. As the apostle Thomas, we joke about Thomas who got people doubting Thomas and really there's more to it than this I am thankful for Thomas because there's been a source of encouragement to me and to so many others.

Even the notorious atheist, the Oxford professor Richard Dawkins. He said that Thomas should be the patron saint of scientists because he demanded evidence and all the evidence in the world is not helping Richard Dawkins in his atheist friends Thomas was one of the 12 disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. But like Job promises doubt stemmed from a faulty view of who Jesus is. Many people through the years viewed Thomas. Just as a pessimist. No doubt he was. But I'm not here to psychoanalyze Thomas. His personality. I am here to look at the biblical evidence of how doubt can be defeated and can be overcome, and a person can go from a downtown tort evangelist to go from a downtown to a preacher of the gospel to a unique legacy in the whole world and I wanted to look at this biblical evidence easy.

Thomas is doubt stemmed as I said from his faulty view of who Jesus is and will Chavez and use it. I want to show it to you through the Scripture because that is the overarching cause for doubt and Jesus so patiently worked with Thomas until he took him from death to victory transformed him from a doubter to our faith filled preacher and a disciple, but the process continued throughout Jesus's ministry all the way to the resurrection and after the resurrection, tradition is not in the Scripture, but tradition tells us that he asked the Lord he said Lord, send me to the most difficult mission field that nobody else would want to go to the Lord. Send them to India and there he founded the church. The church of Mark, and to this day it's a strong church. I have known so many of its leaders in India. Great legacy of faith. While the process that were going to look at right now. It was kind of stop and go throughout the process.

There was always a progression, there was a stop and go but this also progression toward faith in overcoming down faulty view of who Jesus is, is going to cause you doubt every time, but the moment you get the ride view of who Jesus is.

You will be able to sing with Thomas Lord, send me anywhere, even the most difficult mission field, and I know because I can do it because you are my Lord and my God bless look at the first step. The fast-paced build within Thomas's life was Jesus called him by name.

Look, there were hundreds and thousands of people, but Jesus chose 12 Jesus called him and made him one of his apostles.

That in itself was an enormous faith builder. That in itself wasn't uplifting and encouraging to Thomas that in itself was a powerful first step for defeating down in Thomas's life and beloved, listen to me. I've said this before, I want to keep saying it, whenever you are discouraged. Whatever you going through God, whatever you on the detour.

The most important thing to remind yourself is this that of all the people of the world. Jesus called you. Jesus love you Jesus chose you. Jesus died for you. Jesus redeemed you, Jesus knew you by name before the foundation of the earth that will lift you up.

That in itself would live. It does not do something wrong with your face, but the second step is a very important step is of vital importance to the Lord brought into Thomas's life to help him overcome doubt the Lord wanted to show him that he is in control not just of some things I know there are many Christians who say God will you take care of this and I'll take care of the rest that this is a difficult area in my life. I need supernatural intervention. I'll do the rest. Now, until he began to learn that Jesus is either the Lord of all or not Lawrence all Thomas could not get over his death. I know experientially that in the times when you going through doubt.

It's very hard to comprehend. It's very hard to see how can God be working things. How can Jesus be working things around your circumstances, the dark and the tough ones in order to bring the good out. It's hard to see it at the time, but he really is working so all things for the ultimate good of those who love him. The sad part is a sad part that many churchgoing folks who not only have a full review of Jesus. There are some who actually have a pagan view of Jesus; what are you talking about. How can anybody go to church and has a pagan view of God. When somebody asked you a question about your life, your business, your finances, your family and you say what knock on wood right here that before that person is not only a doubter but he has a pagan view of who God is really last, let me tell you at the outset. I know because I asked people when they what I surmises not to dinner with a come from.

I'm convinced that 99.9999% of people do not know they really don't. I just heard it from their parents or grandparents.

They just repeated, I want to tell you where it came from. It comes from pre-Christian pagan Europe is working from.

That's your original in pre-Christian pagan Europe. They believed that the gods do not want them to have good things that the gods do not want them to be happy that the gods delight in seeing them miserable and joyless. That's what exactly they believe and also believed that these gods lived inside trees.

Why do you think the New Age folks hug trees there hugging their gods and so for example, two men in the forest one yells out to the others in her hunts, he said, I have just got the horse that I've been wanting for so long and I got it for a good price to at that very moment they both take a gun in the run to the nearest tree and start pounding on it while they do they are trying to drive those gods out of the tree so they don't hear the good news that something good happening to them because if the gods who lived in these trees heard of human happiness they would be angrily jealous and they cause makeshift to happen to that person but one pound on the tree to drive away those gods and that's where knock on wood came from the next time you hear someone who says how warriors should knock on wood.

Stop the my God is the God of power, not my. God wants the best for me. My God works all things together for the good of those who love him.

My God, according to Paul, created all things for our enjoyment and set Thomas had a full review of who the Lord Jesus Christ is, I want you not to turn with me to John chapter 11 verse eight. But before I get to it. I want to give you the background to the story. Jesus get the word that his friend Lazarus is ill.

Jesus said Lazarus is sick. All of them not just Thomas. All of them from when she can go on healing coming. Lazarus need to be healed and he kept waiting a day to 320. Jesus ministry serving teaching medicals is not going to heal Lazarus days of gone by then, Jesus gets word says Lazarus is dead left on see him now. I wanted to be on the start.

Put yourself in Thomas's place or even the disciples does not just with yourself that Lazarus died were immigrants seeking when he was sick. We did not go to see him but now that he's dead. We can see what does that tell you I but that's not all.

Lazarus lived in Bethany's only a stones throw away from Jerusalem, Jerusalem is where the religious leaders live witness and heater where all the founders were that high priest. These are the people want to kill Jesus. So Jesus said let's go and see this dead man going to Jerusalem, whether want to kill him until the disciples is the first thing you think about.

It's a very logical type of thinking right there really is it's all over for that moment that began to group all Thomas like a vice. Why because Thomas has a faulty view of who Jesus is and why he came from heaven, and that he must die on the cross to redeem everyone will believe in him. He did not have an accurate picture of who Jesus is. So in verse 16 of chapter 11 what does Thomas say let's go and die with Lazarus. The me ask you how many times do you jump to conclusions like that.

I know I have because of our full review of who God is.

We allow doubt to group us. How many times have we looked at the circumstances and Mr. fix-it did not fix it. At this point in our lives and reality become so clouded with doubt. How many times have we failed to see God working even in the worst of circumstances, to turn them around and bring good out of them and then we allow ourselves to get into depression how many times when we did not get the answers that we wanted let down paint a bleak picture for us. Thomas probably at this point began to wonder, is Jesus really the Messiah did I follow the right one of our voices all this time following Jesus you know now well gonna die. This is just too good to be true.

I knew it was too good to be true. Not only that, but when Thomas probably saw Jesus weeping outside Lazarus to. He said it's over fencing driver often without is crying, it means it's over described for us but then, wonder of wonders, the Lord Jesus Christ. With every power of his omnipotence. He calls after last been dead for four days in the tomb loud voice not because Lazarus couldn't hear him on the other side of eternity, but he wanted the crowd to hearing imaginal Thomas is less come out with the closing of the grave cloths coming out of the to walk. His face began to build again and doubting Thomas took another giant step toward faith. But Thomas had not yet gone through tomorrow's important steps until he comes to the point of complete victory over his doubt in John 14. There, Jesus was preparing the disciples for the cross that often gets me choked up. He's the one who's going to the cross right but he was concerned for the disciples in the beginning that magnificent chapter John 14 do not let your hearts be troubled you believe in God believe also in me. In my father's house are many mentions several not so I would've told Eddie goes in there that he was trying to give them encouragement about his death and resurrection and dear all, Thomas is valid begin to run is again, and he interrupts the Lord Jesus interrupts his sermon verse five. We don't know where you're going, how do we know the way but Jesus takes this opportunity not only to help Thomas overcome his doubt. But he Texas opportunity to correct his and all of the disciples. Faulty views faulty believe of who Jesus is magnificent. Verse verse six. I am the way the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father except through me.

Many appointments today either throw this verse.

Out altogether all the charter do gymnastics with it and I said well this is really the definite article is there is that you really mean to say I am a way. Look at verse seven is a correction of all corrections. A faulty view of Jesus that fills many appropriate today. Jesus said if you really knew me you would know my Father as well. From now on you do know him and have seen him beloved a faulty view of Jesus will cause doubt, every time, but when you see him as the sovereign God, the maker of heaven and earth that one who is the only way to the father in heaven and without him.

Everybody else has had it is the only one who is the Almighty, and the all-powerful he is the only one was also manpower is the only one who's in control of everything including life and death, then you'll be able to look doubt, every time it hits you. Amen, amen. But there was 1/4 and final step that took Thomas from deadly doubt two living face. It took Thomas from sibling to triumph.

It took Thomas from unbelief to confidence. It took Thomas from uncertainty to unconditional surrender in this final step, turn the tide for Thomas once and for all. She, Thomas, like all the disciples saw the crucifixion of Jesus as the end, this is it. They went back in the grieving is over and Thomas is butting faith took a nosedive at the cross.

Those glimpses of facing Thomas's past.

Now, have been shattered. This was football the disciples not just Thomas but there is one important distinction about Thomas from the rest of I'm not including Judas, of course, one exception about Thomas. That's why he's so important to me is so important. All of us there were all together in the upper room in fear.

Yes grieving yes but they were together, except for Thomas except for Thomas isolating yourself and not belonging to a small group of believers is the worst thing you can do in the times of discouragement detour in doubt anytime Thomas isolated himself from the other disciples they probably allowed his doubt recapture his mind to recapture his heart to recapture his life in the temporary last fell back into death. He probably went home, shut the door pull the shades down into bed for the bedcovers over his head and wished he was dead. He was all alone all alone and so when the resurrected Jesus showed up at the upper room. Thomas missed out on the joy of seeing the resurrected Jesus and even when the disciples found in finally in certain Thomas the Lord is risen, the Lord is risen. He didn't believe him, because doubt always would lead to mistrust here what I wanted to see again. I don't want you to miss Mr. Gloria alter Jesus conducts his attitude toward Thomas's death. When I showed up Thomas was doubting what are you going alone. There was feeling sorry for yourself that what he said he so lovingly and patiently appeared to them once again. This time he made sure Thomas is there.

He patiently took Thomas's hand as it feel my parents for my side.

At that point Thomas cried out, my Lord and my God done this this don't gloss over it as it is not wonderful. It's beyond wonderful to be sure, Thomas. All of the medicals in the word faith builders him him until his faulty view of who Jesus is. His death and resurrection.

Until that happened he could not overcome doubts once and for all the just Lord he is God of very God. Beloved. This was a cry of confession. This was a cry of deliverance. This was a cry of victory. This was a cry of liberation. This is a cry of permanently departing from doubt face later on as I told you when Thomas went to India and founded the church of Maktoum. He died a martyr's death, but not until he left a legacy that is now continuing for 2000 years. Far from knocking on wood. The Lord Jesus Christ.

If he is the Savior of your soul and the Lord of your life.

He wants you to have life and have it abundantly. But you can't experience that when you spend a few minutes a day with him and his word when you talk to mom around. How do you know him healthy and his precious character. How do you not his marvelous love in his compassion and his patience and his mercy until you spend time with his word. There may be someone here today, but never really surrender their life to Christ today, you can say Lord Jesus come into my life. I surrender to you, for you know the Lord and walking with him and the people look at you and they said what difference between you and us is really not much different. Are you living by faith are you walking by faith are you exercising faith for the people might come to know Christ by our words but they want to see him in our lives. Jesus you are the most awesome, most marvelous, most wonderful new the God of very God become man of 39. Even the psalmist with cry out what is man that you care for him and he said I cared enough to leave the glories of heaven and come and die and rise again so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life. Father I pray that in these difficult days in which we live that the world will see that we don't only talk the talk but we walk the walk in Jesus name, amen. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way.

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