Will God Give a Sign?

Will God Give a Sign?
Leaving Room For Doubt ~ Part 3

Gideon – 5th Judge of Israel
Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the wine-press, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” - Judges 6:11-12

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." - John 2:18-19

"For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." - I Corinthians 1:22-25

Sermon in a sentence
Faith is not the absence of doubt, it is the overcoming of doubt.

People of Faith!

• Sometimes people of faith are a lot like Mr. Magoo.
• In a comical form of lunacy we walk not by sight, but by faith!
• We are totally dependent on God in His story for His grace and favor.
• We should not take ourselves so seriously!

The Reality of Faith & Doubt

• "There lives more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds." - Alfred Lloyd Tennyson
• Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 12:1
• "You can believe in your heart while you doubt in your head."
• We must break through the three barriers of faith
  Cynicism – Ignorance – Empiricism

We are people of the Word, we live by revelation.
But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
- Matthew 4:4

Doubt sees the obstacles,
faith sees the way.
Doubt see the darksome night,
faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take the step,
faith soars on high.
Doubt whispers, "Who believes?“
faith answers --- "I."

Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving. - Frederick Buechner

Risk more than others think is safe. 
Care more than others think is wise.
Dream more than others think is practical. 
Expect more than others think is possible. 
--- Cadet Maxim - West Point

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
I Thessalonians 5:24