Questions Christians Ask

Even for the most faithful, the journey of life often brings sincere doubts and difficult questions. In this 12-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll tackles a dozen crucial inquiries that believers face—ranging from the identity of Jesus and the reality of the resurrection to practical struggles like worry, leadership, and conflict. By providing biblical answers to these honest questions, this series helps move the believer from a place of uncertainty to a position of strengthened faith and clear conviction.

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1. Who Is This Jesus? (Matthew 21:1–17)

• Overview: Explores the identity of Jesus during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. While the crowds were asking “Who is this?”, Jesus was demonstrating His identity as the authoritative and compassionate Son of God.
• Key Fact: Jesus’ cleansing of the temple showed that His authority was not just political, but spiritual and absolute.
• Scripture: Matthew 21:10–11 – “When He had entered Jerusalem, the all city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.'”

2. Christ Is Raised, but What about Me? (1 Corinthians 15)

• Overview: Addresses the personal implications of the resurrection. Because Christ rose from the dead, believers have a guaranteed future of hope and a new nature for today.
• Key Fact: The resurrection is the “linchpin” of the Christian faith; without it, our preaching and our faith are in vain.
• Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:20 – “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”

3. How Can I Win Over Worry? (Matthew 6:25–34)

• Overview: A practical look at Jesus’ teaching on anxiety. It contrasts the “striving” of the world with the “trusting” of a child of God.
• Key Fact: Worry is described as “practical atheism”—acting as if God doesn’t exist or isn’t in control.
• Scripture: Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

4. What’s Necessary for Victory? (Romans 8)

• Overview: Discusses the components of a victorious Christian life, focusing on the power of the Holy Spirit and the assurance of God’s love.
• Key Fact: Victory is not the absence of struggle, but the presence of the Spirit who intercedes for us and makes us “more than conquerors.”
• Scripture: Romans 8:37 – “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

5. Is My Neighbor Really Lost? (Selected Scriptures)

• Overview: Addresses the exclusivity of the Gospel. It provides a compassionate but firm biblical answer to whether there are other ways to God.
• Key Fact: Biblical “lostness” is not a judgment on a person’s character, but a statement about their spiritual location apart from Christ.
• Scripture: John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'”

6. What Makes a Rebel Return? (Luke 15:11–32)

• Overview: A study of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, exploring the factors that lead a wanderer home and the father’s heart of grace.
• Key Fact: The “rebel’s” return begins with “coming to his senses”—realizing that the father’s house is better than the pigpen of independence.
• Scripture: Luke 15:20 – “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him.”

7. Can ‘Ordinary People’ Make a Contribution? (Selected Scriptures)

• Overview: Challenges the idea that God only uses “super-saints.” It shows how God specializes in using the “small” and “ordinary” to achieve His purposes.
• Key Fact: God often chooses the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.
• Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:27 – “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.”

8. Will You Lead or Lag? (Selected Scriptures)

• Overview: A call to spiritual leadership and initiative. This message explores what it takes to step out in faith and influence others for the Kingdom.
• Key Fact: Leadership is not a title; it is a lifestyle of influence that begins with self-discipline and obedience.
• Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example.”

9 & 10. Why Are We So Blessed? / What Is My Response? (Deuteronomy 8)

• Overview: A two-part look at the “danger of prosperity.” It warns against the amnesia that often follows God’s blessings and provides a roadmap for gratitude.
• Key Fact: The greatest threat to faith is not often poverty, but a wealth that leads us to say, “My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.”
• Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:18 – “But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.”

11. How Should We Interpret God’s Calendar? (Selected Scriptures)

• Overview: Addresses questions about the end times and God’s sovereign timing. It encourages “readiness” over “calculation.”
• Key Fact: We are called to be “watchmen” who are busy with the Master’s work, not “accountants” trying to balance a prophetic ledger.
• Scripture: Acts 1:7 – “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.'”

12. Why Do We Throw Rocks at Each Other? (Selected Scriptures)

• Overview: Confronts the problem of internal conflict and criticism within the body of Christ.
• Key Fact: “Rock-throwing” usually stems from pride or legalism; the remedy is a return to the grace that God has shown to us.
• Scripture: Galatians 5:15 – “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”