IS IT OKAY TO DOUBT GOD?

Oct 18

Primary texts: Matthew 11:2–11; Mark 9:14–24; Hebrews 3:7–19; Jude 22

Big idea: You cannot always control the doubts that come to you, but you can choose where you take them.

Central invitation: Bring your questions to Jesus instead of allowing them to harden into unbelief.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Have you ever wondered whether God was listening? Whether He cared? Whether His promises were really true? Maybe you have questioned what God is doing—or whether Christianity itself is true. Many Christians feel ashamed of these questions. Yet the Bible is remarkably candid about the struggles of people who trusted God.

A quick tour of biblical strugglers

Abraham

How will the promised heir come?

Genesis 15:2–3; 17:17

Sarah

Laughed at the promise of a son in old age

Genesis 18:10–15

Moses

Questioned his adequacy and calling

Exodus 3–4

Gideon

Asked where God was and sought reassurance

Judges 6:13–17, 36–40

Israel

Feared God could not bring them into the land

Numbers 13–14

Elijah

Despaired and felt alone

1 Kings 19

David

Asked why God seemed absent

Psalm 13

Asaph

Struggled with the prosperity of the wicked

Psalm 73

Job

Questioned God amid profound suffering

Job 3; 23

Habakkuk

Asked why God tolerated injustice

Habakkuk 1

John the Baptist

Asked if Jesus was truly the Coming One

Matthew 11:2–6

Peter

Wavered when he saw the wind

Matthew 14:28–31

Thomas

Demanded evidence of the resurrection

John 20:24–29

Some disciples

Hesitated even at the resurrection appearance

Matthew 28:16–17

A desperate father

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24

Preaching note: Not every example is explicit disbelief. Some involve honest questions, fear, lament, or hesitation. The point is that faithful people have real struggles.

“If you have questions, you are not alone. The question is not whether doubts ever come, but where you take them.”

Matthew 11:2–11 (ESV)

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

· His birth and mission were foretold (Luke 1:13–17).

· He prepared the way for the Lord and called Israel to repentance (Matthew 3:1–3).

· He baptized Jesus and bore witness to His identity (John 1:29–34).

· Jesus Himself later honored John as an extraordinary prophet (Matthew 11:7–11).

John was not a casual spectator. He had dedicated his life to preparing people for Jesus. Yet now he was imprisoned, and his story was not unfolding as he might have expected.

"Think about that. The man who had pointed everyone else to Jesus was now struggling with questions about Jesus himself."

"And what I love about this story is that John took his questions to Jesus—and Jesus didn't reject him."

HEAR JOHN’S QUESTION

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” — Matthew 11:3

John had announced the coming kingdom and judgment (Matthew 3:10–12). Now he hears of Jesus’ works while he remains in prison. The text does not explicitly tell us John’s inner motives, but his question certainly raises the issue of uncertainty when reality does not fit expectation.

Illustration: A person may know God has power to heal and still ask why a loved one remains sick. Someone may believe God provides and still wonder why the bills are unpaid. Disappointment can tempt us to question what we once knew.

Notice where John took his question

John did not merely rehearse suspicions in isolation. He sent his disciples directly to Jesus. This is the turning point of the story: John brought the question to the right Person.

“The safest place for your questions is in the presence of Jesus.”

Matthew 11:4-6 (ESV)

4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Jesus did not simply demand that John stop asking. He directed John’s messengers to what they were hearing and seeing: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor (Matthew 11:4–5). His answer evokes the promises of Isaiah 35:5–6 and 61:1.

JESUS POINTED TO THE WORD OF GOD AND THE WORKS OF GOD

Isaiah 35:5–6 (ESV)

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

Jesus supplied evidence and a scriptural framework. He also gave a gentle challenge: “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:6). His response is gracious, but not an endorsement of remaining in doubt.

Matthew 11:6

6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

DON’T STAY IN DOUBT, DON’T GO TO UNBELIEF

MATTHEW 11:7-11

11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

After the messengers departed, Jesus spoke to the crowd about John’s greatness (Matthew 11:7–11). He did not publicly discard John or erase his ministry because of his question. He affirmed John’s prophetic calling.

Main takeaway: John’s question did not make Jesus reject John. Jesus met the question with truth, evidence, a call to trust, and an affirmation of John’s calling.

“John brought his questions to Jesus, and Jesus did not turn him away.”

Transition: Why does doubt arise in the first place? John’s experience gives us our first answer.

WHY WE DOUBT

1. Our circumstances contradict our expectations

John the Baptist — Matthew 11:2–6. John’s imprisonment could have made the Messiah’s mission difficult to understand. We sometimes judge God’s character by the circumstances we expected Him to change.

2. We focus on the problem more than the Savior

Matthew 14:25–33 (ESV)

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

“Our circumstances are real, but they are not the final authority on God’s faithfulness.”

3. God’s timing does not match ours

Abraham and Sarah — Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1–5. God promised a child, but the years passed. Sarah laughed at the announcement. She was approximately 89 when told she would bear Isaac the following year and 90 at his birth (compare Genesis 17:17 and 21:5).

“Delay is not proof that God has forgotten His promise.”

4. We forget God’s past faithfulness

The disciples — Mark 8:14–21. After two miraculous feedings, they worried about bread. Jesus reminded them of the baskets left over. We can remember our present shortage more vividly than God’s past provision.

“When we forget what God has done, we struggle to trust what He can do.”

5. Suffering challenges our understanding of God’s goodness

Asaph — Psalm 73. He almost stumbled as he saw the wicked prosper. In the sanctuary he regained perspective on their end and on God’s enduring presence.

“What we see today is not the whole story of what God is doing.”

Transition: Doubt is common—but Scripture also warns us that distrust can harden into something dangerous.

DOUBT, TEMPTATION, AND UNBELIEF

1. Experiencing doubt is not automatically sin

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus was tempted yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Temptation and yielding to temptation are not identical. Similarly, an unwanted question or moment of uncertainty is not necessarily a deliberate rejection of God. But Scripture does sometimes rebuke doubt (Matthew 14:31; James 1:6–8); not every form of doubting is morally neutral.

Illustration — birds overhead: An old saying, often attributed to Martin Luther, observes that you cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.

A question enters your mind: “Does God care?” “Why did He allow this?” “Can His Word be trusted?” That may be the bird flying overhead. But if we continually feed accusations against God, resist His answers, and justify disobedience, we are allowing distrust to take root.

“You cannot always stop doubt from knocking at the door, but you do not have to give unbelief a place to live.”

2. Struggling faith and hardened unbelief are different responses

Struggling faith

Hardened unbelief

“Lord, help me understand.”

“I refuse to trust what You have said.”

Brings questions toward Jesus

Turns away from God

Willing to examine evidence and Scripture

Resists correction

Confesses weakness and seeks help

Nurtures distrust and disobedience

Example: Mark 9:24

Warning: Hebrews 3:12–19

These are pastoral descriptions, not airtight dictionary definitions: Scripture can use “unbelief” for a sincere person’s weakness (Mark 9:24), and it can rebuke doubt. The key distinction is the response of the heart.

Jude 22 (ESV)

22 And have mercy on those who doubt;

The church should be a safe place for sincere questions, while still calling people toward truth and trust.

3. Hardened unbelief has serious consequences

Hebrews 3:7–19 (ESV)

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. 10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” - CONTINUE

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

"Doubt becomes dangerous not when we have questions about God, but when we stop bringing those questions to God."

Israel at Kadesh — Numbers 13–14; Hebrews 3:7–19. The people had witnessed deliverance, provision, and signs, yet refused to enter the land God promised. Hebrews 3:19 says they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

· Unbelief can lead to disobedience (Numbers 14:1–4, 11).

· Repeated resistance can harden the heart (Hebrews 3:12–13).

· Persistent rejection of Christ carries eternal consequences (John 3:18).

· Moses and Aaron also faced consequences when they failed to honor God as holy at the rock (Numbers 20:7–12).

“Do not let a season of questions become a settled posture of rebellion.”

Pastoral caution: Honest questions do not inevitably progress into apostasy. Hebrews warns against persistent hardening, not against every passing fear or sincere inquiry.

HOW TO OVERCOME DOUBT

1. Run to Jesus (bring your questions directly to Jesus)

John — Matthew 11:2–6; the father — Mark 9:24. John sent messengers to Jesus; the father cried, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Pray honestly, seek wise believers, investigate the evidence, and let Scripture speak.

“Do not let your questions drive you away from Jesus. Let them drive you toward Him.”

2. Remember God’s past faithfulness/ REHEARSE GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

Jesus response to John was – look at what God has done, look at the fruit

Matthew 11:4–5 (ESV)

3. Renew your mind

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 (ESV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Jesus — Matthew 4:1–11; Romans 10:17. Jesus answered temptation with Scripture rightly understood. Let revealed truth challenge assumptions and fears. Honest study is not the enemy of faith.

4. Refocus on Jesus; His (and God’s) character and nature

Peter — Matthew 14:28–31; Hebrews 12:2. Peter sank, but Jesus caught him. Our confidence is ultimately in the faithful Savior, not in our ability to maintain flawless confidence.

Hebrews 12:1–2 (CSB)

1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

5. Respond to what God has already made clear

Abraham — Hebrews 11:8; Proverbs 3:5–6. Abraham obeyed without knowing the entire route. We can take the next faithful step without knowing every detail of the future.

Hebrews 11:8 (CSB)

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (CSB)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

HOW TO OVERCOME DOUBT

1. RUN to Jesus

2. REMEMBER God’s past faithfulness

3. RENEW your mind

4. REFOCUS on God’s character and nature

5. RESPOND to what God has already made clear

THE CROSS

When we doubt God's love, look at the cross.

When we doubt God's goodness, look at the cross.

When we doubt God's faithfulness, look at the cross.

When we doubt whether God is working for our good, remember that the darkest day in human history became the greatest demonstration of His redemptive power.

At Calvary, the disciples watched Jesus die.

Everything they had hoped for seemed to be collapsing.

But what appeared to be defeat was actually God's plan of salvation unfolding.

And three days later, the resurrection revealed what they could not see on Friday.

Just because you cannot see what God is doing doesn't mean God isn't working.

Romans 8:32 asks how the God who gave His own Son will fail to graciously give us what we need in accordance with His purposes.

The cross doesn't answer every question about suffering, but it gives us the greatest possible reason to trust God's heart.

Romans 8:31–32 (ESV)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:35–39 (CSB)

35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“The cross does not answer every question we ask, but it gives us a decisive reason to trust the heart of God.”

Two invitations

To the person who is struggling: You do not need to pretend. Bring your doubts to Jesus. Pray, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”

To the person whose heart has hardened: Do not use unanswered questions as a refuge for disobedience. Hear the warning of Hebrews 3:12–13; repent and return to Christ.

You cannot always control the doubts that come to you, but you can choose where you take them.

Tye Riter