Sermon Notes & Slides 6.15.2014 – Doubting God

Click the date for a PDF: 6.15.2014

Sermon Notes

Doubting God
Genesis 15
Pastor John Sloan

Introduction: Longtime professor and erstwhile preaching guru, Haddon Robinson, once wrote: “Everybody doubts. Christians doubt. Atheists doubt. Scholars doubt; students doubt. Your pastor doubts and you doubt.” It’s pretty hard to argue with that, isn’t it? Even Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, doubted. Repeatedly. The real question is: can faith and doubt co-exist? And, furthermore, what should we do in those moments when our faith waivers?
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Questions for Discussions & Discovery

1. What are three things that presumably prompted Abram’s doubts?
2. What doubt troubles you the most? Why is this doubt so upsetting? How will you deal with it?
3. How would you characterize God’s response to Abram’s struggles (see vv. 1, 5,7)?
4. What is the difference between unbelief and doubt?
5. How do we know—from this story alone—that God can handle our openness and honesty? What are some other biblical examples of faithful men and women speaking frankly with God?
6. Read v. 6. Abram doesn’t become righteous, he is counted as righteous. Why is that distinction important? How does that relate to us and our salvation?

Sermon Slides

1. “Everybody doubts. Christians doubt. Atheists doubt. Scholars doubt; students doubt. Your pastor doubts and you doubt.” – Haddon Robinson
2. 01. Every significant discovery begins with doubt, and the largest doubts often lead to the biggest breakthroughs.
3. 02. Behind every great person of faith is a person who has learned to wrestle with doubt.

4. “Doubt is not the fixed stand of unbelief, but the stumbling pursuit of faith.” – Michael Wittmer
5. “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” – Hebrews 3:12
6. “Be merciful to those who doubt.” – Jude 22
7. 03. Far from being “put off” by our doubts, God delights in reassuring his people in response to their honest struggles.
8. “God does not act so strictly with his children so as not to suffer himself to be questioned. Let us, therefore, learn meekly to embrace those helps which God offers for the confirmation of our faith.” – John Calvin