How to Respond When People Question Your Faith

Hey, carpool crew, whether you're riding in the car, stuck in traffic, or finishing up breakfast, I'm Pastor Justin and I'm so glad you're here. This month we've been listening in on some of the biggest questions people ask Jesus. Some of those questions came from kind, curious people who really wanted to learn, but not everyone was kind. Some people didn't understand Jesus and they didn't want to understand him. Some didn't believe he was who he said he was, and some just wanted to trap him with tricky questions. Today we're gonna look at John chapter eight. Jesus was teaching in the temple courts and he said something shocking. Truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am. That was in John chapter eight, verse 58, and wow, that may not sound wild to us, but to the people back then, it was a big deal. Abraham was a famous man of faith. He lived thousands of years before Jesus. So when Jesus said he existed before Abraham, they were like, wait a second, you don't look that old. What are you talking about? They fired back at Jesus with a sharp question. Who do you claim to be? That's in John chapter eight, verse 53. They weren't asking because they wanted to believe. They were asking because they were angry. Who do you claim to be? Here's the one thing I want you to remember for this ride. Jesus is God's son and we can trust him. So let's talk about this. The religious leaders who were there were basically saying, Jesus, you are just a guy, but Jesus wasn't just a guy. He's the son of God, the Savior. Imagine you're at school and someone says you really believe all that Jesus stuff, not in a kind way like they wanna know more, but in a way that tries to make you feel silly or small. That happened to me when I was in school. I will never forget being in fourth grade and I was going to church every weekend with my mom, and my pastor actually challenged us to bring our Bible to school. I took it out and I was reading it during lunch, and someone asked me, is that a Bible? And of course I said, yeah, it's mine. And then they looked at me and said, do you really believe that? For me, that was a huge real faith moment. In that moment, I got to decide if I was going to stand up and say, yes, I believe what the Bible teaches, I believe in Jesus, I'm a Christian. Or I could say, well, not really, I kind of just read it for fun, or my mom makes me read it. I could tell a lie. I didn't wanna feel embarrassed. Well, I looked right at him and I told him, yeah, I believe everything here. I'm a Christian. And I actually invited that kid to come to church and he did. The truth is I didn't wanna back down on what I believed to be true because Jesus never backed down. He always told the truth about who he was and he asks us as his followers to tell the truth too. He never pretended to be less than the son of God. He was clear with who he was. It is true. Jesus is God's son and we can trust him when he says he is, and we can trust him to be there for us when we are asked questions about who he is too. So if anyone ever asks you questions about faith or if you go to church or if you're a Christian, or they ask you questions about Jesus and you feel a little nervous, just remember this. Jesus is the real deal and he's with you wherever you go, and you can confidently say, yes, Jesus is God's son and I believe in him. Before you go, take a moment and answer this question together: what would you say if someone asked you, who is Jesus to you? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.