Curiosity in a City of Certainty

Most of us were introduced to faith through the language of certainty. Do you know, without a doubt, that if you died tonight, you'd be with Jesus? It's a question asked with good intentions — but it may have done more damage than we realize.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: certainty isn't the goal of faith. According to Jesus, it's often the obstacle.

Think about three people who came to Jesus with certainty already in hand. A rich young man whose moral track record gave him so much confidence, he wasn't looking to be taught — just validated. An older brother whose years of loyal service led him to believe he was owed something. A religious scholar who opened with "we know." In each case, Jesus didn't celebrate their surety. He dismantled it. Because certainty — whether it comes from obedience, faithfulness, or knowledge — quietly builds a wall between God and us.

Psalm 22 shows us a better way. David doesn't armor up against his uncertainty. He doesn't perform, numb out, or force his pain into a tidy narrative. He just tells the truth. About his grief. About God's character. About how small and mocked and alone he feels. He makes a home in the uncertainty rather than trying to escape it.

And here's what's remarkable: he's not trying to close the gap between his expectations and his experience. He's drawing near. My God, my God — even in anguish, he's practicing intimacy.

That's the freedom Jesus came to give us. Not freedom from uncertainty, but freedom from the need to be certain. Because when we come to God honestly — just as we are, unsettled and unresolved — we find that proximity to God is the only safety that actually holds.

Christ hasn't locked the doors. By grace, he's opened them wide.

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*This is an AI-generated summary of Sunday’s sermon. We invite you to listen to or read the full sermon and learn more about Church in the Square’s discipleship values.