When in Doubt... Go to Jesus
Grace and peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
The first few years of his ministry
had been wonderful. The members had
eagerly welcomed him and his family.
Weekly worship attendance rose dramatically. Long-term delinquents were returning. New members were joining almost monthly. Leaders were stepping forward. Projects and programs that had been on hold
for years were moving ahead. Bible study
participation was increasing. From all
outward indicators, it appeared to be the perfect match of pastor and parish.
But now it seemed like everything
was unraveling. Families were bickering
over the most trivial things. Some were
talking about transferring to the church on the other side of town. Others had fallen away from the faith
completely. No one ever came to him
personally with their concerns; but gossip has a way of making its rounds, and
he knew there was talk about his own shortcomings. No doubt, some of the concerns had
merit. None of us are perfect. But how could he address those problems if no
one ever had the courage to face him directly.
To make matters worse, it was affecting
his family life. To try to turn things
around, he was pouring himself into his work more and more. There were always more things to do than time
to do them. Now, with Christmas coming,
he was really overwhelmed. His wife and
children were feeling neglected and getting resentful. He’d never been so lonely in his life, and in
that isolation, the doubts flooded over him.
Was there something more that he could do? Was this really the place God wanted him to
serve? Did he even belong in the ministry? What before had seemed so certain, was by no
means clear now. He was tossed about with
many conflicts, many doubts.
Doubts. We all have them. Doubts about our loved ones. Doubts about ourselves. Doubts about our vocation. Doubts about our faith. Doubts about God. Even the most mature Christians have times in
their life where they struggle with uncertainty, when doubts plague them.
It might seem strange that John the
Baptist could have doubts. He is the one
who was moved by the Spirit to recognize Jesus as the Savior even while in the
womb. He was the one who’d proclaimed
Jesus to be the Lamb of God. He was the
one who’d received a special tip from God that Jesus was His beloved Son. Throughout
his how life, he’d been so clear in announcing Christ; was it possible that
John really was unsure about Jesus at this time?
Bible commentators disagree on the
answer to this question. For many of
them, the possibility of doubt on the part of any believer—especially a heroic
figure like John the Baptist—is just too hard to imagine. Maybe it just hits too close to home. Maybe they’re afraid such an admission will
crack the thin veneer of certainty and their own hidden doubts will be exposed.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t
find it so hard to believe that John may have been troubled and unsure at this
point. Put yourself in his place. You’re in prison for boldly preaching God’s
Word. You’ve just denounced the
dangerous king and his devious wife for their adulterous marriage. And Jesus’ kingdom is not coming in the way
or as quickly as you had envisioned. How
would you feel? What would you
think? What would you do?
John sent two of his disciples to
Jesus with a question: “Are You the One who is to come, or shall we look for
another?” John, in effect, asked Jesus:
“Have I misunderstood God’s will? Are
You the One? You know… the One whose axe
is at the roots, whose winnowing fork is in His hand? If You are the One, why aren’t You taking
control of the situation and powerfully establishing Your kingdom? Why are the wicked prospering while the
faithful sit in prison?”
Certainly, Satan fanned the flames
and threw fuel on the fire of John’s doubt.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that the devil uses a similar strategy still
today, particularly when we are tired or when things do not seem to be going as
well as we expect. He raises questions,
causes confusion, doubt, and disillusionment.
He uses any means necessary to separate us from God and His Word.
As I’ve already mentioned, some
people cannot accept that a man “filled with the Holy Spirit from birth” could
ever doubt. That’s why they suggest that
John asked this question not for himself but for his disciples. There is a large segment of conservative
Protestants who hold that no true believer will ever lose his faith; he will
never doubt. They claim that those who
lose their faith never really had faith in the first place. “Once saved, always saved,” is their mantra.
They’re wrong! For us Christians, there is never a time when
faith is very far from the edge of unbelief.
Satan never leaves us alone, but each day he works harder to take us
away from Christ. John was no
exception. The sad reality is that
neither preachers nor hearers are immune to doubt and disillusionment.
John was a courageous man of God,
but he had his human weaknesses. Like
each of us, John struggled with his Old Adam, his sinful flesh. The prophet Elijah, to whom the Scriptures
compare John, had his weak moments, too.
At one time he was convinced that his faithful ministry had been a
failure and he wanted to die. Many years
later, Martin Luther felt the same doubts and misgivings about himself and the
Reformation he was leading as he saw the carnage of the Peasant’s War.
Do you suppose that there has ever
been a man of God who hasn’t had a moment of doubt about himself and what he
was teaching; and about at least some of his Lord’s promises? Would that not be expecting the impossible of
anyone with a sinful human nature? To
say, then, that John had his doubts about Jesus as the Messiah is not to say he
rejected Jesus. Doubts may threaten
faith, but they do not automatically rule it out or destroy it. Doubts test the genuineness of faith.
It is significant to note what John
did about his doubts. He took them to the
Lamb of God. He took them to Jesus! When doubts of any kind assail us we must not
ignore them or try to cover them up. We,
too, need to go to Jesus for reassurance.
Jesus is the One who is the antidote to doubt and disillusionment.
Notice how Jesus reassured
John. He did not just say, “Yes, I am
the One.” Jesus directed John and his
disciples to God’s Word, the divine promises spoken first by the ancient
prophets and written down in sacred Scriptures.
For believers, the Bible testifies to Jesus. He is One who comes, the Messiah. His ministry, suffering, death, and
resurrection all fulfill God’s plan revealed in the Scriptures.
Now the main question for you this
day is this: do you look at Christ in the same way John taught his disciples—as
the One who comes as our Savior?
“What a terrible question to ask,”
you might be thinking. “Why would we be
here today if we weren’t Christians?
Don’t we recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? Don’t we believe that He is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world? Don’t
we believe that He is the One who comes with forgiveness, life, and salvation?”
Yes, by God’s grace. But do you not also recognize your Old
Adam? Your sinful nature will not
believe. Your Old Adam will doubt. Your sinful nature will be offended and fall
away. He will remain contrary to the
Gospel. He will always lift up his
wretched reason over his knowledge of Christ.
He will always look to his own works of righteousness rather than the
merit of Christ, which alone saves.
Do not underestimate your Old
Adam. Your sinful nature is not
something that can be ignored, for it is always with you and continually works
against the baptized believer. That’s
why it is oh, so vital, that we follow the example of John and his disciples
and go where we may see and hear Jesus.
But it’s been a long time since
Jesus walked this world with His disciples.
How can we hear Jesus today and witness His works ourselves?
In His Word! In the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit reveals
Jesus to us. He reveals Christ to us in
the Old Testament, where the prophets foretold of the One who was to come. He is revealed in the Gospels, where we have
His actual words uttered and deeds rendered while He was in the flesh and dwelt
among us. He is revealed in the epistles
and the Revelation, where the Holy Spirit, by means of the apostles, tells us
about the One who will come again to judge the living and the dead. And it is the Holy Spirit Himself who grants
you the faith and trust to believe the Word of Scripture and receive it as the
truth of God.
This seems too basic and
primitive. The sinful flesh asks, “Isn’t
there something more spectacular to look for?
Shouldn’t we be looking for a sign, a burning in our bosom, an emotional
connection, a more successful life, or maybe even a miracle, to show us that
this is the truth?”
Once again, beware of your Old Adam,
who, with the world around you, considers the Gospel foolishness and rather
seeks signs and wonders. For the sinful,
unbelieving heart rejects the simple, yet all-important message of the
cross. Yes, Jesus performed
miracles. He restored sight and hearing
to the blind and deaf; He healed the lame and raised the dead. But this was not His primary ministry. He did these things to show the people that
He was the One who came into the world to live, die, and rise again. Jesus’ miracles are not what put to death the
Old Adam in the sinner and raise the believer to newness of life; it is His
sacrificial death and His victorious resurrection that do.
In just ten day we will reflect on
the Nativity of our Lord—how the eternal Son of God took on our flesh and blood
and in the fullness of time was born of a humble virgin. It’s a beautiful story of peace on earth,
good will to men. Yet the little Child
wrapped in swaddling clothes is the One who would eventually be nailed naked to
the cross. The little Lord Jesus asleep
in the hay that the shepherds come to see is the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world.
Jesus was the coming One. He is the coming One. He will be the coming One, and we should be
expecting no other. But remember, Jesus
seldom comes in exactly the way that we might expect. Our Savior came to His people through the Old
Testament Scriptures, in the promise of the One who would crush the head of the
serpent. He would be called Immanuel—God
with us. He would be named Jesus, for He
would save His people from their sins.
And when the fullness of time had come, He came in the flesh, born of
Mary at Bethlehem. He walked the earth as one of us, He
performed miracles to fulfill what had been foretold, and He went to the cross
to die for the sins of the world.
But this was not the end. He rose again on the third day and ascended
into heaven with the promise that He would be with His people to the end of the
age. He has come to His people for
twenty centuries now, through His Word and in His Sacraments, to bring sinners
to faith, to wash them from their sins, and to keep them steadfast in the one
true faith until He returns.
But even this is not the end. Christ will come again in glory to judge both
the quick and the dead. The graves will
be opened and the living and the dead will stand before Him. And how do you know these things? We know and wholeheartedly believe it because
of the way Christ continues to come to us—through His precious Word of
Scripture that makes us wise unto salvation.
Be comforted to know that your
Savior comes to you through His Word, for His Word does not change any more
than He does. Jesus is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. He is the
Lord when you receive Him with enthusiasm and zeal, as did the witnesses to His
miracles. But He is also the Lord when
you face hardship and doubt, as John the Baptist did while he languished in
prison and awaited death. Regardless of
your fluctuating feelings or circumstances, the same truth is proclaimed every
day: Christ Jesus died to save sinners like you and me.
We celebrate the coming of our
Savior in the manger at Bethlehem
because it is through Him that your sins are forgiven and the gates of heaven
are opened. Through His atoning death He
conquered your death, and raises you to a new life. By faith granted through the Holy Spirit, you
now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to His people, He now comes to you,
who are His people by faith, and He will come again to bring you home. Don’t doubt it!
But when in doubt… go to Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world, your sin, including that sin of doubt. Indeed, for His sake you are forgiven of all
of your sins.
In the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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