Dealing with DOUBT: Questioning God

In the midst of living life we can ask many questions... our lives can be shaken by surrounding circumstances that greatly impact us. It can cause us to question "WHY?"
"Why is this happening to me?"

Something I've learned over the years (the hard way) is not to question why, but ask the Lord "WHAT?"
"What is it Lord I can learn from this?" What is it Lord You are wanting to get ME to open my eyes to?"
I have found that the sooner I can get WHAT You Lord are wanting me to see, the sooner I can get out of this mess that surrounds me.
So I ask, "What do I need to get out of this, so I can get out of this?"

We can turn to God's Word for answers and comfort.

How to UNCOVER God's Word: 
ASK - God to connect with you here. In prayer, start by slowing down, inviting God to be present. Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you.

READ - the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of the words and phrases that intrigue you, reading them a second time if necessary.

REFLECT - on what grabs you. What connections do you see at this point in your life? How might God be speaking to you through these words? Stop long enough to let this take root and thank God for engaging you.

RESPOND - to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what's on your mind and heart. Look for ways to live out what you've uncovered - individually and with your church. And look for ways to bring what you have discovered to others.

"Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?
Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love."  Psalm 6:2-4

You Have Unfinished Business..... so how do you Finish Strong?

Can you think of something you recently finished?

And youre happy that its done, whatever it is, maybe a project around the house, or maybe its something to do with schoolwork or heck maybe youre happy you finished the laundry, whatever it is, it's a wonderful feeling right?

You did it! It's done and you can check it off the list.... aahhhhhhh....

- Well that is exactly what we’re talking about today...

Let me give you some context before we dive into this… 

Shortly before the cross Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Bible says that He was in such agony that literally, drops of blood was coming from His brow, as He thought ahead to what He would experience on the cross. Sure enough, it was worse than any of us could ever imagine. If you know much about what would have happened, the Roman soldiers beat Him senseless, after whipping him 39 times across His back, to where very likely His internal organs would be exposed. They beat Him again and again in the face. They mocked Him, they spit on Him, the creation abusing the Creator. They took a crown of the sharpest thorns you could ever imagine. Thorns, really long pushing it down across His brow, so that blood streamed across His bruised face that barely even looked human at all. The soldiers then took long stakes and drove them through His wrists and through His ankles and suspended Him midair on a cross. As man did his worst, God was at His best. When Jesus spoke the very first words and prayed, "Father, forgive them for they don't even know what they are doing." 

We pick up the story in John 19:28, and here's what the Bible says:

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." John 19:28

Now, why did He say that? Well, it's interesting that in the Old Testament, there were all of these different prophesies about what would take place in His life and there was one that was yet to be fulfilled. That was, that they would give Him vinegar to drink. And so by faith, or maybe even with the knowledge of God, we are not sure. Jesus just said, "I am thirsty." And then, here's what they did, they fulfilled this prophecy, verse 29:

A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. John 19:29

So, they are going to give Him vinegar again to torture Him while He is thirsty on the cross, but verse 30 says something so intriguing. The Bible says:

When He had received the drink, Jesus said, (the three most amazing words that we could ever imagine) "It is finished." John 19:30

 "It is finished!" 

Imagine the moment when they finally fulfilled that very last, unfulfilled prophecy, and Jesus, maybe in a triumphant cry, or maybe in a private whisper, declared before Father God, 'It's done! We did it! It's finished! Everything that you sent me to do,Father; it's done!' Jesus said, "It is finished." The Bible goes on to say:

With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit. John 19:30

He did what Father God sent Him to do. The words, "It is finished", it actually comes from one Greek word, it's the word, tetelestai (te-tel-les'-ty). this word means: To end, to complete, to execute, or to discharge a debt.

Jesus said, "tetelestai." I did it, I paid the debt, I finished it. I discharged, I did precisely what you sent me to do. This one little word has so much rich meaning. In fact, there’s 3 different ways this word can be used. Tetelestai; it can mean when a servant returns to His master and says, tetelestai, tetelestai, I finished, I have finished what you sent me to do, there is nothing left for me to be done, I did everything you asked me to do. It can be used as a merchant declares that the debt is paid in full, you owe nothing. The debt is cleared, it's totally paid. It can be used when a priest examines a lamb for the sacrifice and the priest says, "Tetelestai". It is perfect, this lamb has no blemish at all, it's perfect. Jesus said, on the cross before Father God, "Tetelestai". I did it. History has been changed. Your mission, your work Father, it is complete. 

You may say, 'Well, what did He finish?' So many things. I mean, one thing is, so many of the prophesies had been fulfilled. In fact, in the Old Testament, I will just list a few of the prophesies that were uttered literally hundreds of years before this event that were fulfilled. Amos prophesied that darkness will befall the land and it was fulfilled. Isaiah said Jesus would one day be rejected, and He was. Psalms said He would be betrayed. Isaiah also said He would be beaten, He was. Spit upon, He was. Wounded and bruised for our transgressions, He was. Psalms said He would be mocked, and He was. Zachariah said He would be forsaken by His friends, and He was. Isaiah said He would pray for His persecutors and He did, and He would be crucified by thieves and He was. Psalms said they would cast lots for His clothing and they did. It also said none of His bones broken and they weren't. It also said, He would cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And He did. It was prophesied that He would be pierced, and He was. It was also prophesied that they would give Him vinegar to drink and He said, "I am thirsty" and they did. 

"It's finished." All of those prophesies had been finished. What else was finished? Well, Satan's plan had been thwarted since the beginning of the birth of Jesus. Satan did everything he could to take Jesus off of the track to the cross, but Jesus finished it. He completed what God sent Him to do. The sacrifice was perfect. The debt had been paid in full. Sin lost its sting and power for those who are in Christ. Jesus looked up to His Father and said, "I finished what you sent me to do." The best news for all of us is that Jesus finished the work. That's the good news. 

The bad news though, even though He finished, we haven't. That's right, none of us have. If you are alive today, you have unfinished business. There is more that God wants to do in you and through you. We all have unfinished business. 

"You have unfinished business." In Revelation, Chapter 3:1-2, I want you to let this Scripture kind of sink into your spirit, and even disturb you, if you find yourself in it just a bit. Look at what Scripture says:

I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Rev 3:1-2

We have unfinished business. 

Approx. 30 yrs ago when I was 10,11,12 yrs old God whispered to me I would be a preacher. 

I remember that moment clearly. I remember thinking to myself and basically telling God “uh I dont think so my man, you got me confused w/ the neighbor or something.” I totally ignored it and never thought about it again. Until about 20yrs ago I was 21 and it started all over… I was still resistant -  this time though God was very persistent. He was basically telling me “its time Joe, no more putting Me off, no more delays, its time to start… now!”

So I sat Cathleen down and explained everything. 
(only married a year or so, she could've totally been like “yeah I dont think so buddy, I didnt sign up for this, I’m outta here” )

But she didnt. Because God was preparing her heart as well.

So that was it. From that moment on I was all in. I started strong. Enrolled in Seminary, completed all the studies, did all the work, I was focused and knew I had to prepare. 

I began getting involved in ministry. It started small and just slowly grew over time. More responsibilities, moved into a leadership role & eventually became a licensed pastor.

It was all going well. But somewhere about 12yrs into that journey I had a new discovery. 

I was literally going through the motions. I had lost the vision God had for me and I had become this religious guy with a great facade. This look of a young and upcoming minister. But I could see it really wasnt me, it was a bit phony. I had become what I perceived a religious leader should look like. 

But was empty inside. The reality of Revelations 3:1-2 had hit home.

I had this reputation for being alive but I was dead. I was not the Joe Parks God called me to be. 

I was the Joe Parks the church folks and other leaders thought I should be. And it was empty & false.

Wake up! Wake up Joe and become what Ive called you to, you have unfinished business.

And so the these past 15yrs or so there has been this transformation back to the 11yr old and 21yr old version of being who God called me to be. 

And everyday I strive towards the vision and dreams God planted in me to complete.

 That is my unfinished business.....

May I ask, what's yours? What is it? In fact, if we could, no matter where you are, When I say unfinished business, I want you to write down the first thing that comes into your mind. It may not be a huge area of hypocrisy like me, but maybe it's something that God has burdened you, created you to do, that you have not seen through. Maybe God's called you to adopt, or to be a foster parent, how incredible is that? And that hasn't come to pass. Maybe your unfinished business is to forgive someone. Maybe your unfinished business is to get out of debt. Maybe your unfinished business is to share the love of Christ with someone you love who is far from Him. 

In the next few moments, what I want to ask you to do, as God by His Spirit reveals His Word; I want you to let Him speak to your heart in light of what you just wrote down. Why? Because every single day that God blesses us with another opportunity to live, is another opportunity to take one step closer to the purpose that He has given you. Jesus finished well. Let's be honest, we live in a culture where people start many, many things and finish few. And so, how do we, like Christ finish well, when so few finish anything? I want to give you a couple of thoughts today, and just write these down as we just seek God. God, how can I finish strong? The first thought is this,

1.) We are going to make a commitment.

Now, I know some of you are already saying, "I've done that! I've made a commitment!" 

Have you? I think we have a skewed view of what commitment really looks like. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:11; 

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 2 Corinthians 8:11

See I believe, in our culture, commitment is defined by mere eager willingness, but that isn't commitment. Like, we commit, I am going to lose weight, but friends, so often that is only an eager willingness because there is still Double-Stuf Oreos in your pantry! Too close to home, isn't it? It isn't commitment until you change and you complete what your eager willingness was about. 

In Spring of 1519, Hernando Cortez received permission from the Governor of Spain to take 11 ships, and 700 men to discover a new world. They sailed all with eager willingness, to expand the territories of Spain, and to increase the treasures that they would find in this new land. When they landed in Vera Cruz, their eager willingness waned quickly. Because what they discovered, is that there was the most savage, violent natives that they hadn't prepared for. All of a sudden the crew began to rebel. They began to talk to one another, 'I want to go home! I don't like the food! I don't like somebody chasing me trying to cut off my head! I want to go home!' Their eager willingness was gone. When Cortez got wind of the descent, he gave an order to one of his crew, a simple order; 

burn the ships. And they did. And that, that is commitment. Commitment is taking your passionate desire to do something, drawing a line in the sand, stepping across that line and there is no turning back. That is how we finish strong. When we commit with that kind of resolve. And it's exactly what we see personified by our Savior, Jesus. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, He was battling over what He knew would happen. Scripture says that the stress and the agony was so intense that literally the capillaries in His skin were bursting under distress and He was literally sweating blood. You hear it, and you hear it, and you hear it in His words. In Luke 22:42, Scripture says:

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me..." Luke 22:42

Father, if there is any other way, please! And then, something changed. I believe this is the moment where our Savior stepped across the line and there was no turning back, and He says:

"...yet not my will, but yours be done." Luke 22:42

In that moment, it was on. If we are going to finish strong, we start with commitment, by making a commitment with great resolve. 
Burn the ships! You've got a ship, you have a ship waiting for you at the dock so whenever things get tough, whenever they get tight, a little too uncomfortable for you... you can run back and take off.
Burn the ships! Make a real commitment 

2.) We are going to take the next step. 

 We are going to take the next step. And after that, we are going to take the next step, and after that we are going to take the next step after that. Why? Because the chasm between where we live today and our present reality is so overwhelming to where we are and where we want to be... where God wants us. 
That's why most people don't finish, is they look at this huge chasm, that separates where we are from where wants to be, to the fulfillment of the vision. You say, "I can't do that!" Yeah, you can! With one step, after another step, after another step. Like Bill Murray, in what about Bob (video).

We are going to take what? Baby steps to the elevator, baby steps out of my addiction, baby steps to being a foster parent; we are going to take baby steps to the promise of what God has called us to do and who He has called us to be. That is why, in the Book of Psalm, Chapter 119:105, Scripture says:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

And it's in this place that the beauty of God's Word comes alive, because He doesn't give us enough revelation to go the whole way. We can't see that far, but I can see just enough to take one more step. 

What's your next step? What is it? You don't have to map out the whole thing. God won't let you even if you wanted to. What is your next step though? Literally, just take a second, just write it down. What is it? Is it to write the letter? Write it down. Is it to cut up the credit cards? Write it down. Is it to make the phone call? Is it to fill out your resume? Maybe your next step, is to forgive. If we are going to finish strong, we are going to commit with great resolve. We are going to take the next step. 

This time of year, this Easter season, it's so overwhelming to think about the journey that Christ went on, from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross. From the Garden to the Cross, that timeframe.
Jesus was crucified on a hill, and it was called Golgotha, and it literally meant, the place of the skull. That place is so terrifying. People didnt go there. Golgotha was a vacation destination... "so what are you guys doing this summer? Yeah, the wife & kids and I are headed to Golgatha, just relax & I dont know maybe throw some rocks." 
No! Nobody goes there. And thats what is ahead of Jesus Christ and He takes a step...
I often imagine what the journey up that hill looked like. He was beaten within an inch of His life, barely recognizable as a human being, and then in the place, He took a step...
up that hill to carry OUR sin to HIS cross. 
And in that agony, with the crown of thorns being put on His brow, the thorns going into His skin. He took a step... with the hope that if we would say yes to a relationship with Christ, that you would become adopted as a child of God. Then, He picked up a beam that He would be hung on and He placed it on His beaten shoulder, and He took a step.....
with the hopes that those of us who are under the suffocating weight of bondage and addiction would be set free. Then He clawed His way up to the place where nails the size of railroad spikes would pierce His wrist. He took another step, last step, to say to you, "I love you." He finished well. He finished strong. 
And for those of us who still have breath in our lungs, who have not yet finished what God has purposed us to finish, let us be encouraged by the truth of God's Word, in Philippians 1:6, Scripture says:

....being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Folks, I cannot begin to tell you how many times over the last 20yrs I have clung onto this piece of scripture. It is great encouragement to me, as I believe it is or will be to you.

I have unfinished business, so do you….

God did not send you to earth to start a race, He sent you here to finish it. Commit, take the step and finish. How do you do it? When we get to the place where you know the what? Our life is not about us. This is what Paul said in Acts 20:24:

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task...."

And for Him, it was the task of testifying to the Gospel of grace. 
Finish your race. If you are still alive, God is not through with you yet. Keep in step with the Spirit, stay close to God and follow His voice. Commit and take the next step so one day, you can stand before Christ in Heaven and say, "Tetelestai, I did what you sent me to do." And he will say to you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." 

Listen to me folks, burn the ships, take the next step & Finish the race.



Watch video of Pastor Joe Parks sharing the message "It is Finished" 

Focus Church website