THE SOLUTION TO MY DOUBTS

This morning we’re going to conclude our series from the Book of First John.  Our text is found in 1 John 5:13-21 and the title of the message is, “The Solution To My Doubts.”

How many of you have ever had doubts about something?  Maybe you’ve had doubts about your marriage.  Maybe you’ve had doubts about your career.  Maybe you’ve even had doubts about your salvation, God or the Bible.  Don’t feel alone.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9  We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair;  9 there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed.  (TEV)

Everybody has doubts, even the Apostle Paul.  We all have a tendency to second guess ourselves and say, "Did I do the right thing?  Did I make the right decision?”

There are many different kinds of doubt.  When we doubt the future, we call it worry.  When we doubt other people we call it suspicion.  When we doubt ourselves we call it inferiority.  When we doubt everything we call it cynicism or skepticism.  When we doubt God it’s called unbelief.  When we doubt what we hear on television or read in the paper we call it intelligence!  Men typically go through a period of doubt that we call mid-life crisis.  We doubt our virility, our ability and our senility.  Mid-life crisis is the age of the 3 B's -- Bifocals, Baldness and Bulges.  I’ve got two out of the three!

I’d like you to WATCH A VIDEO of some young people who candidly talk about the questions and doubts they have in their life.  “QUESTIONS AND DOUBTS” (SERMON SPICE)

There are several reasons why people have doubt in their life.  Sometimes it’s because we’re constantly being criticized by others.  Sometimes we have doubts because of our conscience and the guilt we have.  Then there are times we have doubts because of some terrible circumstance we’ve gone through in life.

So, how do you keep your doubts from defeating you?  How do you stay confident in spite of your doubts?  Here in these final verses John gives us three keys to staying confident.  I Can Stay Confident if I...