Bible Study July 12, 2012

Hey Gang,

Two weeks ago, I introduced a man by the name of Charles Templeton. He was Billy Graham "Best Friend" early in their ministry, but their roads went in two different directions - why? Because of Apologetics, Templeton couldn't explain much less defend the questions and doubts he had about God. This week we begin with one of Templeton's basic questions: 

“The night has a thousand eyes and the day has but one; the light of the whole world dies with the setting of the sun.”

Two people look at a beautiful sunset. One sees in it the hand of God; the other sees it in only natural terms. Why do some people see God in nature and some do not? 

Creation Calls

4 Ways We Know God Exist

 

A question to think about: Does God make it difficult to believe in Him?

• Lee Strobel writes: So, if I want to avoid hell, I have to believe that a snake talked to Eve, that a virgin got pregnant from God, that a whale swallowed a prophet, that the Red Sea was parted, and all sorts of other crazy things. If God wants me so bad, why does He make believing in Him so impossible? Why doesn’t He just write in the sky, nice and big: “Here’s your proof, Lee. Believe in Me or go to hell! Sincerely, the Almighty.”

The answer to Lee Strobel’s question of why God doesn’t write a sign in the sky is given to us – this morning - He Did! - Psalm 19:1



Let’s read how creation and nature point to God’s existence…

I. NATURE POINTS TO GOD – PSALM 19:1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. 

There really are only two answers to why we are here: by chance or by design. The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Does God give us enough evidence in nature alone that He exists?

1. The Earth - its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If the Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If the Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. The Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day. And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.
2. Water - colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life: It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees. Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels. Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body. Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees. Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter. Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.
3. The human brain - simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands. The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.
4. The eye - can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages -- simultaneously. Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.
5. The universe had a start - what caused it? The universe has not always existed. It had a start, what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.
6. The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it? Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us. How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?

Theologians say that there are two basic kinds of revelation from God:


1. General revelation is the revelation of God through His created universe. The grandeur of the mountains and skies, and the minute details of the smallest creature reveal God’s power, creativity, love, and provision.



2. Special revelation is given specifically to people.



In Psalm 19 David saw it, we don’t know what he saw, but to him it was enough to declare the glory of God to him. It proved to him that such things were the work of God’s hands.



In Psalm 19, David puts into words what all of us intuitively sense: Creation points to a Creator



How could you explain that science and faith are not in conflict?

• Evolution doesn’t explain life – God does.
• Darwin’s theory eliminates the need for a Superior Creator.
• Discoveries over the past 30 years have prompted a number of scientists to conclude evidence for an Intelligent Designer behind creation and the development of life.
• Darwin couldn’t explain the beginning of life itself though the cell – intricacy.
• The watch and the watchmaker: we would infer from its intricacy that it must have had a watchmaker.

We see evidences of God as we look above us, around us, about us, and within us. 

 

Now let’s read how the Bible and Jesus reveal God’s existence…

II. JESUS REVEALS GOD – HEBREWS 1:1-2

1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.



But in the last days (the messianic age: time between Christ’s 1st and 2nd coming) God has spoken to us by His Son. So, we see clearly here how God moves from general revelation (Creation) to special revelation (People) through the next 2 evidences of His existence – the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ.



What are some of the various ways God spoke to our forefathers?

• God spoke to Balaam through a donkey and an angel (Num. 22:27-35)
• Isaiah through visions (Isa. 6)
• Jacob in dreams (Gen. 28:10-22)
• Abraham and Moses personally (Gen. 18; Ex. 31:18)

How would you explain or defend the reliability of the Bible?

• There is more evidence that the bible is a reliable source than there is for any other book from the ancient world.
• The bible’s unity: 66 books written in different literary styles by perhaps 40 different authors with diverse backgrounds over 1,500 years and yet the bible amazingly unfolds one continuous drama with one central message. This points to the existence of the divine Mind that the writers claimed inspired them.
• Look at the bible’s transforming power – from the beginning, it has renewed people; given them hope, courage, purpose, wisdom, guidance, and power and formed an anchor for their lives.
• There have been thousands of archaeological findings in the Middle East that support the picture presented in the biblical record.
• It all goes back to whether the first verse of the bible is true when it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” I believe there is overwhelming evidence that this is true – everything that has a beginning has a beginner.
• The bible is the only book in the world that has precise, specific predictions that were made hundreds of years in advance and were literally fulfilled.
• You can tie the reliability of Jesus to everything I’ve just mentioned as well – He was there from the beginning, He lived, He died and He rose again.
• Everything that was written in the bible points to who He was and what He would do – for you!

How are the two revelations important to a complete understanding of the existence of God?

• General revelation is important because it ultimately can lead to special revelation. As people see through nature that there is a God, they will begin to search for Him. As they search the Word of God, they come to know Him. The Bible reveals God’s name, character, and ways. The prophets become stepping stones to an even more special revelation through Jesus, God’s Son. This is an important illustration of God’s progressive revelation.

Why is revelation through Jesus Christ the supreme revelation?

• Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing himself to us.
• The Son reveals the Father – John 14:9 “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father”
• Consider how personal this is: God spoke to us in the most personal manner possible, by coming as a human. John referred to Jesus as the eternal Word who became flesh in Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14)
• Jesus is the clearest Word God ever spoke. Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you'll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you're looking at Him. Though He talked about His Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in Him, believed in the Father. He said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."4 He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to Himself. He did not say, "follow My words and you will find truth." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me." 

The last point our study makes this morning is that our own Spirit craves and points to God’s existence…



III. MY SPIRIT CRAVES GOD – ACTS 17:22-29
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill.




How does Paul address the Men of Athens with apologetics?

• He knew his audience.
• He engaged and connected with them.
• He spoke the message of the God of creation.
• He urged them to seek God because there is in many a Spirit that craves God.

How would you explain a Spirit that craves God?

• We know God exists because He pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him. God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know Him. He has surrounded us with evidence of Himself and He keeps the question of His existence squarely before us.
• C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England."

Do you think God makes it hard for people to believe in Him?

• The evidence is there if people are willing to see it. It’s not for lack of evidence that people turn from God; it’s from their pride or their will.
• God is not going to force anyone into the fold. Love never works coercively. It only works persuasively. And there’s plenty of persuasive evidence here.

Lee Strobel wanted desperately when he finished his manuscript of “The Case for Faith” to send it to someone – Charles Templeton. He said he had been praying that he was still healthy enough that he might read the book and reconsider his conclusions about God. He spoke to Charles’ wife, she said that the Alzheimer’s hadn’t been very kind to Charles. She said that Billy Graham came to see Charles a few months earlier. It had been years since they separated, she said when Charles recognized it was Billy, he began crying and threw his arms around Billy and hugged. She couldn’t say enough about how kind and loving Billy was to Charles and they prayed before Billy left. Charles’ wife said she was anxious to read the book and promised to read it to Charles. Lee Strobel wrote this note in the book for Charles:


“Chuck, I hope you’ll take to heart what Proverbs 2:3-5 says: “If you scream for insight and call loudly for understanding, if you pursue it like you would money, and search it out as you would hidden treasure, then the Lord will be awesome to you, and you will come into possession of the knowledge of God.”



Based on the evidence for who He was, there really aren’t any competitors.

• You can look to the one who claimed wisdom, Confucius.
• The one who claimed enlightenment, Buddha.
• The one who claimed to be a prophet, Muhammad.
• Or you can look to the only one that claimed to be God in human flesh and proved it.

This week we continue in our series on apologetics. I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July last week. Be in prayer this week as we continue in our explanation and defense of our faith.

See you on Thursday! 

In His Love,

David