Download Investigate your Doubts

Sermon Discussion Guide
April 22, 2012
1. Read John 20:19-31. How did Jesus respond to Thomas’
doubts? Read John 11:16. Does this statement reflect a
man of faith or doubt?
2. Read Luke 24:11, 24:38-39, Mark 16:11-13 and Matthew
28:16-17. Who else expressed doubts about the
resurrection? Have you ever had doubts about your faith?
3. Pastor Brown presented DOUBT A.I.D. Three things that you can do with your doubt.
Admit your Doubts
1. We tend to doubt those things that we cannot explain or understand. Can anyone fully understand the
majesty of God or the mystery of the resurrection? Do you agree this quote from Lee Strobel in his
book God’s Outrageous Claims?
We could divide Christians into three groups. The first would consist of those who have doubted. The second would be
those who haven’t doubted yet but who will. The third group would be those who are brain-dead.
2. If doubt is a natural response to supernatural mysteries, why are we so hesitant to express our doubts
in the church? According to Jude 1:22, how should we respond to the doubts of others?
When we keep our doubts suppressed inside, we unwittingly give them more and more power over us. On the other
hand, when we finally let them emerge and face them squarely, it’s amazing how often their potency disappears.
Lee Strobel God’s Outrageous Claims
Investigate your Doubts
1. How could Thomas have investigated his doubts? Who could he have talked to? What evidence could
he have examined?
2. How can we investigate our doubts today? How did Lee Strobel investigate his doubts?
For much of my life I was a skeptic. In fact, I considered myself an atheist. To me, there was far too much evidence that
God was merely a product of wishful thinking, of ancient mythology, of primitive superstition. How could there be a loving
God if he consigned people to hell just for not believing in him? How could miracles contravene the basic laws of nature?
Didn't evolution satisfactorily explain how life originated? Doesn't scientific reasoning dispel belief in the supernatural?
I could point you to plenty of university professors who said so-and certainly they could be trusted, couldn't they? Let's
face it: even a cursory examination of the evidence demonstrates convincingly that Jesus had only been a human being
just like you and me, although with unusual gifts of kindness and wisdom.
But that's all I had ever really given the evidence: a cursory look. I had read just enough philosophy and history to find
support for my skepticism-a fact here, a scientific theory there, a pithy quote, a clever argument. As far as I was
concerned, the case was closed. There was enough proof for me to rest easy with the conclusion that the divinity of
Jesus was nothing more than the fanciful invention of superstitious people. Or so I thought…
I launched an all-out investigation into the facts surrounding the case for Christianity. Setting aside my self-interest and
prejudices as best I could, I read books, interviewed experts, asked questions, analyzed history, explored archaeology,
studied ancient literature, and for the first time in my life picked apart the Bible verse by verse.
I plunged into the case with more vigor than with any story I had ever pursued. I applied the training I had received at
Yale Law School as well as my experience as legal affairs editor of the Chicago Tribune. And over time the evidence of
the world-of history, of science, of philosophy, of psychology-began to point toward the unthinkable… Case For Christ
3. What is the difference between honest doubts and a refusal to believe? Do you agree with this thought
by Pascal?
In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. Blaise Pascal
4. Why would some people choose NOT to investigate the evidence for Christ? Why was Lee Strobel
hesitant to investigate his doubts?
I could see some gaps and inconsistencies, but I had a strong motivation to ignore them: a self-serving and immoral
lifestyle that I would be compelled to abandon if I were ever to change my views and become a follower of Jesus.
Lee Strobel The Case For Christ
5. Josh McDowell is another atheist who was challenged to investigate the claims of Christ. He has spent
over 700 hours investigating the resurrection. Here is his conclusion:
I took the evidence that I could gather and placed it on the scales. The scales tipped in favor of Christ as the Son of God,
resurrected from the dead. The evidence so overwhelming leans toward Christ that when I became a Christian, I was
“stepping into the light” rather than “leaping into the darkness.”
I am not saying that I proved beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is the Son of God. What I did was to investigate the
evidence and weigh the pros and cons. I confirmed through investigation what I wanted to refute. I set out to disprove
Christianity. I had biases and prejudices not for Christ but contrary to Him. The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict
6. Pastor Brown said that doubt is often the back door to faith and the deeper the doubts, the stronger the
faith. Do you agree? Comment on this thought from William Barclay.
If a man fights his way through his doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, he has attained to a certainty that
the man who unthinkingly accepts things can never reach. William Barclay
Dispel your Doubts
1. How did Thomas finally dispel his doubts? What does Jesus say to those who are not able to
physically touch his wounds? (John 20:29) See also 1 Peter 1:8-9.
2. Read Romans 10:17 and John 20:30-31. What do these tell us about how to dispel doubt?
3. What wisdom does John Ortberg give about dispelling doubt?
When people wrestle with doubt, they may tell themselves that they will try harder to have more faith. But faith is not the
sort of thing that can be acquired by trying harder. Imagine if someone were to say to you, “I find myself doubting Old
Faithful. I’m not sure it can be trusted.” What would your advice be? Not “try harder to believe.” The best advice for
such a person would be, “Just hang around Old Faithful. Get to know Old Faithful better.” And because Old Faithful is
faithful, the better you know it, the more you will trust it.”
It is the same way with God. Never try to have more faith—just get to know God better. And because God is faithful, the
better you know him, the more you will trust him. If You Want to Walk on the Water You’ve got to get out of the Boat.
Here are some websites to help you investigate your doubts.
www.leestrobel.com
www.alwaysbeready.com/
www.josh.org/resources/answers-to-skeptics-questions
www.defendingyourfaith.com/
Here are some books to help you investigate your doubts.