Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Dealing with doubts Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA May 4, 2003 Main Scripture text: John 20:24-31. We all have doubts; don't we? I've been walking with Jesus 23 years and preaching about 19 of them. I still have doubts at times. Two of the greatest men in the Bible had doubts: John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:1-4) and Peter (see Matthew 14:22-31). They weren't cast aside because of their doubts. Indeed, Jesus said of John: "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." In Mark 9, we find the account of desperate father with a sick son. He had doubts that Jesus could heal, and he asked Jesus to help him overcome his doubts. Jesus didn't dismiss him as a doubter, but rewarded his honesty by healing his son. Having doubts is not as crippling a problem as we make it out to be. Presbyterian author Frederick Buechner writes: "Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving." It is inevitable that doubts arise from time to time. We should not castigate those who have doubts, but as Jude 1:22 says: "Be merciful to those who doubt." We shouldn't ignore our doubts or try to hide them. Instead, we need to bring them to God and to trusted friends in the community of faith and work through those doubts. When we do, when we earnestly seek the truth, crying out, "I believe -- help my unbelief!", then the Truth will come to us and say: "Put your finger here and see my hands; and reach out your hand and place it in my side. Stop doubting and believe." Jesus will give us cause to stop doubting. Supporting texts: Matthew 14:31 | Mark 11:23-24 | Luke 24:38-39 | James 1:6-8 | Matthew 11:1-4 | Matthew 14:22-31 | Mark 9:14-27 | Jude 1:22 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here. (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 030504a: Dealing with Doubts. © 2003 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us