Worship Service for April 11, 2021
WELCOME
Good morning and welcome to CrossPointe Community Church’s online worship presentation. I thank God for all of you and for the opportunity to spend this time with you. My name is Jim and I am filling in for Randy this week. If you’d like to reach out to Randy, you can contact him via email at randykmeyer@hotmail.com.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Randy and Gail will return from Florida on Tuesday, April 13th.
CALL TO WORSHIP
And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”
Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
Mark 9:14-27
OPENING WORSHIP SONGS
He Lives
Ackley, Rev. Alfred H.
I serve a risen Savior;
He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy.
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him,
He’s always near.
He lives. He lives.
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me, and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives. He lives.
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.In all the world around me,
I see His loving care;
And tho’ my heart grows weary,
I never will despair.
I know that He is leading
Thro’ all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing
Will come at last.He lives. He lives.
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me, and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives. He lives.
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian.
Lift up your voice and sing.
Eternal hallelujahs
To Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him.
The Help of all who find.
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.He lives. He lives.
©1933 Homer A. Rodeheaver. Renewed 1961. Word Music, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group,Inc.)
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me, and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives. He lives.
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
CCLI License No. 1843349
Because He Lives
Gaither, Bill
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives.Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!And then one day, I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
© 1971 William J. Gaither, Inc
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
CCLI License No. 1843349
OPENING PRAYER
My Lord and My God,
As we enter into this time of worship and study, may we open ourselves to the truth which is in the scriptures. May we gaze deeply within the pages of our bibles with amazement of how you organized everything, inspired everything, and created everything. We thirst, Lord. We hunger, Lord. Our human frailty causes us to fear and doubt. Help us today to see and believe. May we be filled with the Holy Spirit and may our lives be changed for your glory.
Through Jesus we pray, Amen.
THE GIVING OF THE LORD’S OFFERING
It’s now time for the Lord’s offering.
As we consider once again, the call upon our lives as Christ followers to give as Christ has given to us, here’s a verse to think about from Luke Chapter 21:1-4.
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.
As we approach the throne, we bow and pray…
Lord, as we bring our offerings to you, may our tithe be acceptable in your sight. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, and power and strength, be unto you O God forever and ever. As we pray, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
I will be at the church today until 12 noon if you would like to bring your offering. Or you may send it in to:
CrossPointe Community Church
PO Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215
PRAYER SONG
Lead Me to the Cross
Kendrick, Graham/Thompson, Steve
How can I be free from sin?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
From the guilt, the pow’r, the pain
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
There’s no other way
No price that I could pay
Simply to the cross I cling.
This is all I need,
This is all I plead
That His blood was shed for me.How can I know peace within?
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
Sing a song of joy again
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.Flowing from above, all-forgiving love
From the Father’s heart to me.
What a gift of grace,
His own righteousness
Clothing me in purity.How can I live day by day?
©1991 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services)
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
Following His narrow way
Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
CCLI License No. 1843349
MORNING PRAYER
Nancy Carr
Will you please join me in prayer.
Gracious Father, at the foot of the Cross, we stand on uncommon ground.
Holy, ground.
Nothing that preceded the Cross could wash away our sin. No offering. No sacrifice. No bloodshed. No cleansing. Not even the flood. Time and again we have rejected you and turned our faces away.
In filthy rags, we bow before you….guilty. Now we ask ourselves, “How can One be rejected repeatedly, yet still be so forgiving?”
Only You Lord and only by your Cross!
You have freed us. We have been washed by your blood and we are whiter than snow.
You have given us a gift beyond compare, your gift of grace. There is no higher name than Jesus. There is no higher place than by your side.
We thirst for you and cling to your Cross.
Your forgiveness is sweeter then honey and warmer than the brightest sunshine.
So at the foot of the Cross, we stand. And sing a song of joy and deliverance.
Isaiah’s song of praise to you Lord is our reminder that “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
Help us Lord to stand firm in our faith and guard our hearts and minds from the enemy.
May our prayers rise to your throne like fragrant perfume.
Let our hope bloom like flowers in spring.
Dissolve all our fears like melting snow, as our new life in Christ has begun for all eternity.
Amen
SCRIPTURE
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed.
John 20:1-8
That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), who was called Didymus, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:19-29
THE MESSAGE
We Believe
Jim Brandenburg
From as far back as I remember, I have been the type of person who likes to ask questions. I like to know how things work. I like to understand. I enjoy learning new things. All of you, at one time or another, have experienced, maybe in a classroom or bible study, that person that seems to have questions. Sometimes A LOT of questions. What’s interesting is, usually, these questions can lead to a deeper understanding for you. Questions maybe you were reluctant to ask. A blessing in disguise. I want to make things absolutely clear to you today right from the get-go. Asking questions helps us grow. Asking questions is a good thing.
My wife and I used to attend a Methodist Church. We used to go to the bible study they held for adults that happened just before service. This was early on in Lindsay’s walk. She is a voracious reader. She can absolutely devour a few hundred page book in a matter of hours. She was just the same with the bible. I can remember looking for her at the old house in Lodi. We had a finished basement, a main floor and a bonus room upstairs which was our bedroom. That’s where I would eventually find her in her favorite reading place. She would be sitting in her little nook behind the steps with her little gooseneck reading light, her mug of tea, her blankie, and a mound of books.
She enjoyed going to bible study because she could listen to others’ points of view on the scriptures. She wanted to learn as much about Jesus as she could. One Sunday, we were about halfway through the study when my wife raised her hand. This was many years ago so the details are a little fuzzy. It went something like this: She said, “I have a question.” The leader said “go ahead, Lindsay.” “Is it okay to have a question?” Stunned by this, I looked at her probably a bit confused. She said, “What I mean is, is it okay to have questions about the bible? Some of this is hard to believe and some is hard to understand.” As I was writing this sermon, I read this to her. When I read this part to her, she commented to me that one thing she remembered about that instance was wondering about faith and doubt. Are you supposed to check your brain at the door when you go into bible study? Do you just read and accept and memorize? Does having doubt mean you do not have faith and does having doubt make you a bad Christian?
What about doubt? Is it okay to doubt? The word Doubt, defined by Merriam-Webster as a transitive verb, means to call into question the truth of; to be uncertain; to lack confidence in.1
Oswald Chambers was a Scottish teacher and Christian author who wrote “My Utmost For His Highest.” He is also known for many meaningful quotes. One I really like and pertains to the material we are discussing today is this:
Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking.
I don’t think that doubt is the opposite of faith. Doubt may be a lack of faith, but I believe both can coexist. Doubt will eventually resolve to understanding and belief. Just as we have seen in the story of Jesus and Thomas.
Most everyone knows that Thomas the disciple is most commonly known as “Doubting Thomas”. Not a nickname from scripture but from us. We gave him that name.
Heading back to the scripture we just read, Thomas is doubting that the others were telling the truth. That Jesus was alive. They tried to tell him that Jesus came to them but he didn’t believe them. Then Thomas announces three demands or stipulations that would have to occur in order for him to believe Jesus is alive. Thomas says “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
Let’s give the guy a fair shake here. He has been with Jesus for the last three years. Seeing miracles and learning scripture, asking questions, studying… You get where I am going. He loved Jesus. He was heartbroken and trying to pick up the pieces. It’s hard to see someone you love die. This didn’t make any sense to him. And now he’s supposed to believe these guys when they tell him they saw Jesus.
Let’s look here in John 11:1-16 at another side of Thomas.
Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.”
The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Did you hear that? Does that sound like a man that is all wishy-washy in his faith? A “doubting” Thomas? He sounds pretty confident about rousing the gang and heading into Judea. It’s the others that try to stop Jesus and possibly persuade Him not to go. They look at this journey as being the last for all of them. Including Jesus.. Not Thomas. He says, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
You want my opinion? I say Thomas got a bum rap. Thomas was bold. Not a “Doubting Thomas” but a “Courageous Thomas”. It takes courage to head into situations where death may be the result.
Ken Davis, in his book called, “How to Speak to Youth– and Keep Them Awake at the Same Time,” tells a story about his college days. He says…
In college I was asked to prepare a lesson to teach my speech class. We were to be graded on our creativity and ability to drive home a point in a memorable way. The title of my talk was, “The Law of the Pendulum.” I spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The law of the pendulum is: A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it was released. Because of friction and gravity, when the pendulum returns, it will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes less and less of an arc, until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is called the state of equilibrium, where all forces acting on the pendulum are equal.
I attached a 3-foot string to a child’s toy top and secured it to the top of the blackboard with a thumbtack. I pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the blackboard where I let it go. Each time it swung back I made a new mark. It took less than a minute for the top to complete its swinging and come to rest. When I finished the demonstration, the markings on the blackboard proved my thesis.
I then asked how many people in the room BELIEVED the law of the pendulum was true. All of my classmates raised their hands, so did the teacher. He started to walk to the front of the room thinking the class was over. In reality, it had just begun.
Hanging from the steel ceiling beams in the middle of the room was a large, crude but functional pendulum (250 pounds of metal weights tied to four strands of 500-pound test parachute cord.). I invited the instructor to climb up on a table and sit in a chair with the back of his head against a cement wall. Then I brought the 250 pounds of metal up to his nose. Holding the huge pendulum just a fraction of an inch from his face, I once again explained the law of the pendulum he had applauded only moments before, “If the law of the pendulum is true, then when I release this mass of metal, it will swing across the room and return short of the release point. Your nose will be in no danger.”
After that final restatement of this law, I looked him in the eye and asked, “Sir, do you believe this law is true?” There was a long pause. Huge beads of sweat formed on his upper lip and then weakly he nodded and whispered, “Yes.” I released the pendulum. It made a swishing sound as it arced across the room. At the far end of its swing, it paused momentarily and started back. I never saw a man move so fast in my life. He literally dived from the table. Deftly stepping around the still-swinging pendulum, I asked the class, “Does he believe in the law of the pendulum?” The students unanimously answered, “NO!” 2
Belief and faith do not come easily. Jesus knew that he would have to show, time and time again, how He deserves the complete trust and confidence of his disciples.
Remember the opening story where the boy is possessed. What does Jesus tell the father? Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” So what does the father say?
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
I Believe, Lord help my unbelief…
Jesus says, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
Jesus is about to show the disciples the awesome power that is within Him. And also, do you see a little foreshadowing going on here? He has the power to resurrect Lazarus days after he has been dead. The disciples are going to see, eyewitness, that death cannot win over Jesus.
I Believe, Lord help my unbelief…
Shortly after the Lazarus’ resurrection account, there is this in John 14.
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.
Here he is again. Our favorite disciple…
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
See, Thomas isn’t the only one who is a little confused. Philip wants to see the Father.
Learning to trust in Jesus is a huge step for us. It’s not something we accomplish but something we refine. It’s a lifestyle change. Understanding.. Trust.. Belief..
I Believe, Lord help my unbelief…
So, we now return to John chapter 20. Jesus appears to the disciples. He says “Peace Be With You” then says look at my hands and my side. Jesus says “Peace Be With You” again. Then he commissions them. “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Thomas is nowhere to be found. Where is Thomas?
The disciples are cowering behind locked doors, for fear of the Jews coming for them. Where is Thomas? Well, I wish I had an answer. No one seems to know. Maybe Courageous Tom was out preaching the gospel, knocking on doors and handing out those little Gideon bibles? Maybe Thomas was wallowing in pity or depressed? No one really knows why he missed the appearance of Jesus. What we do know is that he didn’t give up on Jesus or the disciples because eight days later he was back with the disciples behind locked doors and Jesus appears again. Just like before he says “Peace Be With You” Then he turns to Thomas and says, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
WOW! Jesus gives proof. He knows exactly what Thomas needed to believe.
We can’t convince people to believe in Jesus. We have to see for ourselves. Touch, feel, experience. Jesus reveals himself to us.
So how does this affect Thomas? Thomas, with boldness says, “My Lord and My God.”
That, my friends, is the first proclamation post-resurrection of Jesus’ Lordship and Divinity.
A statement from Courageous and now Believing Thomas.
I Believe, Lord help my unbelief…
With that statement, I request from all of you and the rest of the planet, please stop calling him “Doubting Thomas”. He has proven time and again that he is just human and doesn’t deserve the name of shame. In Thomas’ defense, I can show you far more infamous characters who deserve the “doubting” title.
How about Abraham and Sarah? Both followed God faithfully through a lifetime of challenges and trials. But they couldn’t quite bring themselves to believe one promise God made to them. The promise that they would give birth to a son in their old age.
In fact, they both laughed at the prospect. But once their son Isaac was born, Abraham’s trust in God had grown so great that he was willing even to sacrifice that promised son if God asked.
How about Gideon? Could God use one man to turn the tide against Israel’s oppressors? Perhaps, but Gideon doubted that God could use him to do it. He tested God twice by placing the wool out in the yard. Do you remember that story?
How about Job? Moses? Jeremiah? Peter, James and John? The list goes on.
I Believe, Lord help my unbelief…
Paul writes..
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Paul is telling the folks at Corinth, if you don’t believe me, which, by the way, I saw him myself, go and ask the survivors and eyewitnesses.
Why is it so hard to believe? The crux of the matter is that unless we see firsthand, touch, hear, smell, we refuse to believe because we have become so smart that with just those senses, we can figure out everything. WRONG! We live in a 3 dimensional world. Take away one dimension and we are a computer monitor. But.. And this is a HUGE BUT… Add God’s unlimited dimensions to ours… BOOM! That breaks my brain. We can’t begin to fathom God’s dimensions. His thoughts. Have you ever created dirt? How about a flower? Even better yet. A person? Science is discovering what God has already done. We can believe in science? Science says, “Oh, by the way, Pluto is no longer a planet.” That’s messed up! But what about God creating everything? Jesus coming back from the dead?
No wonder the disciples were confused and had questions and doubts. Just think of everything that they saw and still had a difficult time grasping the truth.
The truth is that Jesus… You are My Lord and My God.
How can I live day by day? Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
Following His narrow way. Lead me to the cross of Jesus.
I Believe, Lord help my unbelief…
SPECIAL MUSIC
I Believe, Help Thou My Unbelief
Gaither, Gloria/Gaither, William J.
I believe, help thou my unbelief
I take the finite risk of trusting like a child
I believe, help thou my unbelief
I walk into the unknown, trusting all the whileI long so much
To feel the warmth that others seem to know
But should I never feel a thing, I claim Him even so
I believe, help thou my unbelief
I walk into the unknown trusting all the whileI long so much
To feel the warmth, that others seem to know
But should I never feel a thing, I claim him even so
I believe, help thou my unbelief
I walk into the unknown trusting all the whileI walk into the unknown trusting…
©1975 William J. Gaither, Inc., Gaither Copyright Management
CCLI License No. 1843349
CLOSING SONG
We Believe
Fike, Thomas R./Collins, Thomas Ray/Hooper, Matthew James
In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s comin’ back again, we believe
So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s comin’ back againLet the lost be found and the dead be raised
©Seat Of The Pants Music, Integrity Worship Music, Integrity’s Praise Music, Word Music, Llc, Travis Ryan Music, Life Worship
In the here and now, let love invade
Let the church live loud, our God we’ll say
We believe, we believe
And the gates of hell will not prevail
For the power of God, has torn the veil
Now we know Your love will never fail
We believe, we believe
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s comin’ back
He’s comin’ back again
He’s comin’ back again
We believe
We believe
CCLI License No. 1843349
Benediction
You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?
Isaiah 43:10-13
1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doubt
2 Ken Davis, How to Speak to Youth– and Keep Them Awake at the Same Time, pp 104-106.