Don't Doubt, Believe in God | Pastor Mike Frisch

Devotional

Day 1: When the Best Suffers: Reconstructing God in the Midst of Pain

Christianity began with the worst happening to the best – Jesus’ crucifixion. This dismantles the myth of a “bodyguard God” who shields good people from harm. God’s story isn’t about preventing pain but entering into it, defeating evil through sacrificial love. The cross becomes the ultimate proof that God doesn’t avoid suffering but transforms it. Trust grows not in God’s ability to stop storms, but in His presence through them. [45:55]

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. (John 19:1-3, 16-18, ESV)

Reflection: When has suffering made you question God’s goodness? How might Jesus’ crucifixion reframe your understanding of God’s presence in pain?

Day 2: Asking Without Receiving: Trusting God’s Better Yes

Prayer often feels like a vending machine – insert faith, receive blessings. But Jesus’ unanswered prayer in Gethsemane reveals a deeper truth. God’s “no” to immediate relief becomes a “yes” to eternal redemption. Like a parent withholding candy for nourishment, God prioritizes our growth over our comfort. Unanswered requests become invitations to trust His eternal perspective. [51:29]

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: What unanswered prayer still weighs on you? How might God be working beyond your current understanding through this “no”?

Day 3: Breathing Unaware: God’s Presence Beyond Feeling

Just as oxygen sustains us unnoticed, God’s presence remains constant even when undetected. Emotional highs in worship or crisis don’t validate His nearness – His promise does. Faith matures when we stop equating spiritual vitality with emotional intensity. The cross proves God’s love most powerfully when felt least. [55:40]

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:7-10, ESV)

Reflection: When have you struggled to “feel” God? How might His unseen presence be sustaining you like breath right now?

Day 4: From Shame to Name: The God Who Sees and Forgives

Guilt God chains us with “shoulds”; Jesus frees us with “I AM.” Hagar’s desert encounter reveals God as the One who sees our mess and names us beloved. Confession becomes less about groveling and more about receiving the identity Christ bought. Shame shrinks where grace expands. [58:26]

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV)

Reflection: What shame have you been carrying alone? How might speaking it to the God who sees you bring liberation?

Day 5: Beyond Sides to Sovereignty: Jesus as King of All

Political God demands tribal loyalty; Christ’s kingdom transcends earthly divisions. When we stop fighting culture wars, we’re freed to feed the hungry and protect the vulnerable – both womb and refugee. True allegiance to Jesus reshapes politics into practical love, not partisan posturing. [01:01:02]

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused political ideology with Christian mission? How could following Jesus’ example shift your focus from winning arguments to serving people?

Sermon Summary

Doubt becomes an invitation to get curious, not a reason to run. The childhood gods that many learned stayed small while life got big, and that mismatch breeds confusion. Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever; what must grow is the church’s understanding of God. The text of life and Scripture together press a hard question into the listener’s heart: who taught that early picture of God, and what exactly was taught. If that picture was partial or shaped by culture more than Christ, then the doubt is probably aimed at a god who does not exist.

Bodyguard God collapses under the weight of the cross. The gospel gets launched because “the worst possible thing happened to the best possible person.” The disciples’ own stories confirm it. God does comfort, shelter, and keep, yet the scriptural arc names a Savior who confronts evil, defeats it in the resurrection, and will finally end it when his kingdom fully comes. On-Demand God also gives way. Ask-seek-knock is real, but prayer trusts the One who gives the best thing in the best way at the best time. Job’s ending opens the curtain a crack: “oh, I had no idea what you were up to.”

Boyfriend God fades when feelings ebb, because promise, not emotion, anchors life with God. Humans are least aware of what is most constant, like breathing; the risen Jesus gives a better anchor: “I am with you always.” Guilt God gets traded for grace, because the Father does not block the way, he makes a way. Confession is not groveling before a scowling judge; it is trust before a faithful and just Redeemer who cleanses.

Political God finally runs into a King who does not take sides, he takes over. The name above every name refuses to fit into red or blue. When Jesus takes over, the unborn child is “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and the mother is seen, served, and dignified like Hagar naming God “the One who sees me.” The church that follows Jesus does not declare war on neighbors; it pours out groceries, money, time, and advocacy on those who cannot pay it back. The reconstruction lands here: anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. The Scriptures name this God as compassionate and gracious, strong and near, mighty and faithful, love given and not withheld. The question hangs in the air for every listener: is the heart willing to grow in what it thinks it knows about God, to trust the God revealed in Jesus, to confess him, step into baptism, and remember his body and blood in grateful faith.

Key Takeaways

1. The cross shatters Bodyguard God. [47:48] The gospel begins with suffering, not insulation from it. A Savior crucified by human evil refuses the myth that bad things never happen to good people. Hope rests not in a bubble of safety, but in the Christ who confronted evil, rose, and will end it. Confidence grows as disciples relocate trust from outcomes to the One who holds the end. [47:48]
2. Prayer rejects On-Demand God. [52:16] Ask-seek-knock is covenant language, not a vending machine. The Father answers with wisdom that factors in the long view, unseen variables, and the cross-shaped good. Job’s surprise at the end is the ordinary posture of faith: partial sight now, fuller sight later. Peace comes when desire bows to love’s timing. [52:16]
3. Presence steadies beyond feelings. [57:34] Emotions make a poor altimeter for nearness. The most constant realities often go unnoticed, like breathing in a room full of oxygen. Jesus gives a better metric: “I am with you always,” felt or not. Maturity learns to trust the promise while feelings rise and fall. [57:34]
4. Grace silences Guilt God’s accusations. [01:00:02] Shame points at the past and predicts the future; grace names the past and writes a new future. Confession is entry into faithfulness and justice that cleanses, not into a courtroom of scolding. God does not wag a finger; he opens a door. Freedom grows where forgiveness is believed deep down. [60:02]
5. Jesus takes over political sides. [01:02:05] King Jesus refuses captivity to right or left and asserts his kingdom over both. The unborn child and the mother stand under the same verdict of sacred worth, seen and served. Hagar’s God still sees, and disciples embody that seeing with costly love in public and personal life. Allegiance to Jesus reframes every platform into an altar of mercy. [62:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:02] - Prayer and series frame
[36:20] - Doubt as curiosity
[38:42] - Grow understanding of God
[45:17] - Five growing-up gods
[47:48] - Bodyguard God vs the cross
[52:16] - On-Demand God and Job
[57:34] - Presence beyond feelings
[60:02] - From guilt to forgiveness
[62:05] - Jesus takes over politics
[63:14] - Life in the womb is sacred
[67:44] - Hagar and the God who sees
[71:52] - See the Father in Jesus
[74:26] - Willing to grow and respond
[76:27] - Communion and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Observation Questions

The sermon highlights that Christianity began because "the worst possible thing happened to the best possible person" (John 19:1-3, 16-18). What specific events in Jesus’ crucifixion challenge the idea of a "Bodyguard God"? [47:48]
How does Matthew 7:7 (“Ask, seek, knock”) differ from treating prayer like a “vending machine” for requests? [52:16]
What does the story of Hagar in Genesis 16:13 reveal about God’s character toward those who feel unseen or marginalized? [01:07:44]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the belief that “God will not let bad things happen to good people” conflict with the central message of the gospel? [47:48]
How does Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20), redefine our reliance on emotions to gauge God’s nearness? [57:34]
In what ways does political division distort the biblical truth that Jesus “takes over” rather than taking sides? [01:02:05]

Application Questions

When have you expected God to act as a “Bodyguard” in your life? How might trusting His sovereignty over suffering change your response to hardship? [47:48]
Describe a time you treated prayer like an “On-Demand” service. What practical steps could help you shift toward trusting God’s timing and wisdom? [52:16]
How can you actively serve someone who feels unseen (like Hagar) this week, reflecting God’s heart to “see” others? [01:07:44]
When emotions make God’s presence feel distant, what tangible reminders (e.g., Scripture, worship) could anchor you to His promise of faithfulness? [57:34]
In areas where culture pressures you to “take sides,” how can you prioritize Jesus’ kingdom values over political labels? [01:02:05]
What false image of God (e.g., guilt, control, political ally) have you struggled to release? How might confessing this deepen your trust in Christ’s true character?

Sermon Clips

58s

#KnowJesusBetter

“He's better than on demand God. He's on time God. He's better than guilt God. He's forgiving God. He's better than boyfriend God. He's a promise keeping kind of God. He's better than political God. He's the king of kings, and he's the lord of lords. So let me take you back to the last question I asked you. Are you willing to grow in what you think you know about God? Because I would bet that the God that you are struggling to believe in isn't at all. The God that you are invited to believe in is the God that we know in the person and in the work of Jesus. The God that we can trust.”

20s

#GodIsWithYouAlways

“Notice he doesn't say you're gonna feel me always and you're gonna have emotions for me always. He says, I am with you. That means that when you feel him, he's with you. And that means when you feel like he's distant, he's with you. He's always with you because he's the God who keeps his promises.”

38s

#FaithSurvivesSuffering

“See, what we learn from the scriptures and what we learn from history is that Christianity doesn't hold this belief. Following Jesus doesn't hold this belief that bad things don't happen to good people. In fact, we hold the belief that the worst possible thing happened to the best possible person. Because Jesus came to give his life to confront evil and eventually defeat evil through the resurrection and ultimately defeat evil when the kingdom of heaven comes to earth when Jesus comes back to get his people.”

45s

#SeeGodInJesus

“And so if you stop believing in political God or if you have doubt in political God, look at me, eyes on me. Good. Because that's not God at all. The God that we have been invited to trust and believe in is the God of the scriptures and his name is Jesus. And it was Jesus that said, anyone who sees me has seen the father. Meaning, if you wanna know what God is like, look at me. If you wanna know how God would love, look at me. If you wanna know how God would move, look at me. If you wanna know what God would do, look at me. Because Jesus is God in the flesh. That's who we've been invited to believe in. That's who we've been invited to follow.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Active Church This sermon · AI assistant

How should doubt reshape our understanding of God

What does Jesus reveal about God's true nature

How to resist making God political or conditional

Don't Doubt, Believe in God | Pastor Mike Frisch | Active Church Yucaipa