Doubt and Assurance

From the No Compromise Radio Ministry. My name's Mike Avendroth.

Good to have you.

Episode 4100, who knows how many we have. As I say next, what do I say next? You can write me, mike at nocompromiseradio .com, especially if you want to get some bulk order discounts, 40 off on Cancer's Not Your Shepherd, Jesus and Cancer, Gospel Assurance, and the new book, Lar and Gospel, another NoCo Media production.

Well, today I am going to talk a little bit about doubt, about doubt. Now, if I say to you, who doubted in the Bible? Your first reaction, your knee-jerk reaction is probably going to be doubting, yes, doubting Thomas.

But there are other people in the Bible who doubted. Elijah doubted, hey, kill me, Jezebel's after me. And by the way, he never even died. The disciples, some of the disciples doubted after the resurrection, Matthew 28.

But there's someone who doubted that you'd never think would doubt. Matter of fact, the greatest man ever born of a woman, not talking about the Lord Jesus, but outside of Lord Jesus, who's the greatest, the second greatest, the one that Jesus said was the greatest, born of a woman, John the Baptist.

What in the world, you mean John the Baptist doubted? Yes, John the doubting Baptist. Now, he didn't doubt all the time, but when he was in prison, he doubted. So today on the show, I'd like to talk to you about doubt.

Do you ever struggle with doubt? Doubtless you do. Have you ever met someone that struggles with doubt? Okay, now those last two questions, be honest. Now there's different kinds of doubt. There's intellectual doubt about, is Jesus really the Messiah?

Is there eternal life? Is faith the means or the instruments of salvation? And there's circumstantial doubt going through extreme trials and asking yourself and asking God, is he still good? Is he still faithful?

So today we're going to talk about doubt. Side note, I did go to the hospital yesterday, Dana-Farber Cancer Hospital in Boston, and it's about 55 miles away or so. And so if there's no traffic, about an hour, people hate to drive into Boston, all these hospitals just kind of in one little spot.

Anyway, I was in a clinical study, clinical trial with two known drugs put together. So it wasn't kind of just hoping it deals with the CLL, chronic leukemia. And many of you have prayed for me, thank you for that.

And it was supposed to be a two-year program. They said, you know, everybody in this study, the magic study, M-A-J-I-C, I think 500 people or something, they all have to do two years. And I was on venetoclax and alicobrutinib.

And after 14 months, they do a bone biopsy and a full body CAT scan, the blood panel, et cetera. And they found, even though I used to have a mutated form of CLL, which is worse than non-mutated, seems right, and they said, I don't have any cancer left, zero, none.

So when I went in yesterday for a one-month checkup and to do some blood numbers, they said, you are the unicorn. It is the unicorn here on No Compromise Radio. What do you think of that? That was kind of fun being called the unicorn.

I said, a lot of people praying for me and I'd given them all my books. I said, no, I've given them my book on cancer is not your shepherd. So anyway, that was kind of fun. I didn't say, maybe it was the Ivermectin, the methyl blue.

I haven't taken that.

I kind of want to, fen-ben, haven't taken that,.

Kind of want to.

Today, we're talking about doubts. On the day of your death, will you go to heaven? When you're in the middle of a trial and like, I wonder if all this is true. Is Jesus who he says he is? I mean, for me, is he my personal Messiah and savior and deliverer?

What do I do with doubt? How do we deal with doubt? Doubting Thomas, doubting John the Baptist, doubting Elijah. Today, on No Compromise Radio, we're discussing doubt in the context of Luke chapter seven, where the disciples of John reported all these things to him.

That's chapter seven, verse 18. And John calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord saying, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you saying, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?

So John, as we know from Luke chapter three and elsewhere in the Bible is in prison. He has confronted Herod for his sinful sexual lifestyle. And into the prison he goes. Josephus talks about this prison that John the Baptist, he said, was in near the Dead Sea and underneath the palace that Herod the Great had made.

And he, John the Baptist, sends the disciples and asks Jesus a question. Of course, Jesus has been healing and he has been raising people from the dead and he has been doing all kinds of good things. And John is locked up in prison.

Gloomy prison, sad prison, not kind of like our prisons. He does have access to people and so he sends the disciples. What is happening? John the Baptist, I think realizes that Jesus is the Messiah. He has said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

But it's pretty hard when you're in a dungeon. And remember back in the day, he had said, I baptize you with water, this is Luke three. But he who is mightier than I is coming. The strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the weed into his barn. But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

And while the ministry of mercy and while the ministry of preaching were both excellent, what about this side to the Messiah's coming? The expected one. Aren't we expecting something more? Remember John had said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Easy for us to see, but when you're in a dungeon and you're thinking, wait a second, why is Jesus not overthrowing the Roman government? Why is he not punishing evildoers? Why is he not judging sinners?

I mean, he, John has been preaching. He's been faithful. He's preaching repentance. He's calling people to holy living. He's calling people to abandon any types of works righteousness system that the Pharisees had contrived and distorted from the Old Testament.

And now the wicked man Herod imprisons him. This is his reward. Do you doubt his doubt? Would you doubt if you were in that situation? Even for a moment fleeing doubt, though it may be. I mean, the expected one, that's it.

That's the one who has to come. That's a technical title. The Messiah is going to come. Moses talked about the prophet that God is going to raise up from among you Israelites, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen.

Is this that prophet? Or maybe somehow I didn't figure this out rightly. I mean, the expected one, the one who is to come. To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people's nations and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away in his kingdom. One that shall not be destroyed. Still waiting for this. Glad for the ministry of mercy. Glad for the preaching ministry.

But there's gotta be a culmination to everything. And we go back to the garden in Genesis 3 .15, where God has promised to have a seed and that seed's going to crush Satan. And you just look at the Old Testament and you see pictures of God and his great work, but we're still expecting this Messiah.

Is he the Messiah? Now for Luke, he had no question. He's the Messiah. In this bigger passage of Luke, he, Luke, is wanting you, the reader, to say, yes, in fact, Jesus is the Messiah. So now we have John doubting.

Now there's quite a few other people that have doubted in the Bible. Matthew 8, he said to them, "'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?'. He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm.

Matthew 14, Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying, "'O you of little faith, why do you doubt?'. Matthew 16, Jesus, whereof this said, "'O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?''.

It's not unusual for people in the Bible to doubt. You thought I was going to do Tom Jones, didn't you? I don't have that cute up here. Sorry about that. You say, well, the centurion, he didn't seem to be doubting.

I have no idea why the centurion earlier in chapter seven didn't doubt. It could in fact be that he, the centurion, didn't know the Bible that well and that he recognized Jesus as Messiah, but didn't know about the Messiah's rule and reign.

Some people have talked along those lines. It doesn't really matter. Here in the Macarus Palace Complex prison, home of Herod Anipas, here John the Baptist is doubting. So now let's talk a little bit about doubting.

I think some of you doubt more than others, but every person I think has struggled with doubt. Doubt is very common. So I looked online and tried to find some resources on how to deal with doubt, and then I kind of made on my own, I'm just telling you that just so you don't think I made these up or I'm smart enough to figure everything out, but just coallating, grabbing things from here and there.

How do you deal with doubt? So here's the Ebendroth coallation. Number one, don't fixate on your doubts. Don't fixate on your doubt. Alistair McGrath said, doubt is like an attention-seeking child. The more attention you pay to it, the more attention it demands.

By worrying about your doubts, you get locked into a vicious cycle of uncertainty. And so don't fixate on your doubts. Number two, own your doubts, own your doubts. In other words, just be real about it and don't try to sneak around.

Does God know you're doubting? I think he does. Well, I'm just gonna pretend before God that I'm not doubting. No, we're going to own them. We're gonna admit. And number three, we're going to confess them.

We're going to confess them. Lord, I'm doubting and I don't want to doubt. I wanna have a stronger faith and certainty. Please forgive me. I remember the story about Martin Luther and he was getting very discouraged and he was on the run and he could have had the Pope kill him, of course.

His friends turning their backs on him and his wife, Katharina, came downstairs dressed in black funeral attire. Woman, where are you going, Martin asked, to a funeral husband. Oh, who died?

God did.

It is said that he got really mad. I mean, the Pope's trying to kill you and now your wife is committing blasphemy. Woman, who told you such a thing? She said, looking at him square in the eye, you did Martin, the way you've been acting the past few weeks.

I was sure you had somehow found out that God was dead. So just confess it. Number four, if you struggle with doubts or know someone who does, preach scripture to yourself. Preach to yourself. Now you could just preach to yourself, but even preaching scripture yourself is better than preaching to yourself.

Why are you cast down, oh my soul, Psalm 42, 11, and why are you in turmoil within me? Here's the preaching part. Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. You need some preaching, right?

God uses his word to help. Psalm 77, very, very insightful. In the day of trouble, I seek the Lord is what the ESV says about it. I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble, I seek the Lord.

In the night, my hand is stretched out without wearing. My soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan. When I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open. I'm so troubled that I cannot speak.

I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, let me remember my song in the night. Let me meditate in my heart. Then my spirit made a diligent search. So this is what this psalmist is saying.

And he's saying to himself, will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? How can his steadfast love ever cease? Are his promises at an end for all time?

Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion? I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds.

So he begins to preach to himself. And then he tries to remember who God is. Number five, what do you do when you deal with doubt? Well, this should not surprise you.

Pray. Pray.

The best illustration of this, I think, in the Bible is found in Mark chapter nine. And it is, I believe, help my unbelief. Mark chapter nine, verse 17. And someone from the crowd answered him, teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.

And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down. And he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able. And this is an only son. And he, the son, is getting tortured and tormented.

And he is getting seized, thrown down, dashes down. One translation says foaming at the mouth, pining away. And he's screaming, confulsions, mauling him, Luke chapter nine says. And Jesus answered them, oh, faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?

How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me. They brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

And Jesus asked his father, how long has this been happening to him? And he said, from childhood. Of course, Jesus knows these things, but he wants everybody else to know how desperate of a situation this is.

And it is often cast him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus repeats back to the man what he said, if you can. All things are possible for the one who believes.

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief. I believe, but there's some doubt in there. I believe, but I'm just wondering, not too sure. There's some doubt. And when Jesus saw that the crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying you deaf and mute spirit, I command you come out of him and never enter him again.

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out and the boy was like a corpse so that most of them said, he's dead. I read somewhere. The good news is the operation was a success. The bad news is the patient died.

Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose. And Luke says he gave him back to his father. How kind, how nice. Here is this man. He admits he doubts. And you're like, wait a second, he's weak, he's frail.

Yeah, he is weak and frail. He wanted to believe that Jesus could do it. Otherwise, why would he even ask? He was weak, but not quite sure. He had the power, he had the kindness, he could do it. This has been going on for a long time.

All things are possible to him who believes. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. And the Lord Jesus honored that prayer. He honored that prayer. Well, on No Compromise Radio, we're talking about doubts today, and that is number five, pray for help.

Now we're on to number six. Number six, don't feed your doubts. Don't feed your doubts. I read this somewhere and I thought it was really good. Refuse to feed your doubts by asking questions that cannot be answered here and now.

Embrace the mystery of God, become comfortable with the phrase, I don't know, but God does. So we're just gonna have to trust the Lord. I don't know, but God does. Do you have any doubts right now? You're in a situation where you can't find answers?

I don't know, but God does. Not trying to figure out all the details of what's going on for who knows what, free will and sovereignty, free agency and sovereignty. A hypostatic union. There's some things that you don't really understand.

Three in one, one in three. So I don't need to know everything. Don't you find it wonderful that when John had doubts, he went straight to Jesus? That's exactly what to do. Right back to Jesus you go.

Off to find truth in Jesus. Some say, lastly, some being the book of Jude, to be merciful to doubters. Can you believe this? Jude 20, 21 and 22. But you beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life and have mercy on those who doubt.

So you ought to be merciful to other people who doubt. How about this? Should you be merciful to yourself? Not so hard on yourself when you doubt? Can you doubt something that you don't believe? Don't you already believe that Jesus is the Messiah?

So if you doubt it, does that mean you don't believe it? You can only doubt what you believe. I was reading a Colin Smith article and I thought, he's right. Okay, I believe that God is triune and he exists.

I don't know, I'm doubting. Well, we're doubting what we believe. Don't you believe that underneath it? Questioning what you believe? You say, well, unbelief, I'm just not going to believe. I don't wanna believe, I'm blind to that.

And I am just going to be resistant to truth. There's a difference between doubt and unbelief. And I think the categories are found in the book of Job, where Job loses pretty well everything, including children.

And unbelief of the wife says, curse God and die. And I'm sure Job is doubting, but he says, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

And I think probably when we consider doubt and what it does, that easily leads us into talking about assurance. Because when you're doubting things, your assurance level decreases. If you're not perfect yet, you're not glorified yet.

Can your faith be perfect? Now the object of your faith is perfect, but can your faith be perfect? The Puritan Thomas Brooks said, our knowledge of God, of Christ, of ourselves and of the blessed scripture is imperfect in this life.

And how then can our assurance be perfect? How could our faith be perfect? I'm not saying I want you to doubt, but I'm saying, I know you do doubt. And we repent and we run to the Lord Jesus, but this is the human condition after the fall.

I remember once I was quoting Thomas Hooker and I said, the Puritan Hooker said, I mean, does it make you feel better when Spurgeon had some doubts about his salvation? John Owen had some doubts. John the Baptist had some doubts.

I get the cancer diagnosis years ago of prostate cancer, 2015, and I have some doubts. Now some struggle more than others, but when doubt creeps into your mind, is eternal life real? Is heaven real? Is Jesus real?

Is my faith real? Do I have the right object of faith? I think people that are like that, they have faith and they're doubting the faith.

That they have.

And that's why I believe help my unbelief is so crucial when it comes to all this and so crucial to say, I'm struggling with my faith and I'm doubting and I better go back like John the Baptist to Jesus.

I'm going back to Jesus and think about who he is and what he does and what do the scriptures say? Back to Jesus. And so on No Compromise Radio, if you doubt once in a while, you struggle with doubt more often than not.

I want you to know there's a complete difference between doubting what you believe, that means you do believe there's a triune God, the true sinner, Jesus is the only savior and he's lived a perfect life, died on the cross, a substitutionary death, was raised from the dead as the spirit of God vindicated him, 1 Timothy 3.

You read what's in the Bible and you go, that's true of Jesus, but then do I really have enough faith and you begin to doubt, say things like that. That is not unbelief. That is not a recalcitrant, hard-hearted, fixed unbelief that cannot be true, I don't want it to be true, it's not true, it's completely different.

Aren't you glad you tuned in today on No Compromise Radio? I bet you are. Mike Habenroth, NoCo Radio.