Reality of God1

The Real Deal; nv 2/11/05 am

OS: 1Mammy, Aunt Allie Will & Bird -  Soaps.  “Gun Smoke” - Dodge City was really just a façade, It makes you wonder how real anything is any more.  “image”.

There are many today that wonder if anything is real any more, or if it matters.

***How real is God? (P) Is the reality of God, and Christianity, proven by evidence, or simply a façade or image created with our imagination? Hebrews 11:1Unless God is real to us we will end up with a life that is like that Gun smoke façade – no depth of character, no real meaning, purpose, or significance.

1 Peter 3:15, But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

PQ: What is the Evidence?

I.      2 Creation itself. (Psa 19 – Rom 1:20

A.   theory of evolution? – Patrick Mede, “Everything has to eat” / Stars (Isa 40)

TS] But, Creation is not the only evidence for God’s existence.

II.   3 The Bible (but I don’t believe it? – “based on what evidence?”)

A.   Basic facts..(Scientific – circum…8th K & prothombin- “contradictions.” DSS

TS] Creation, and this Book are evidence, but the evidence that speaks to me is…

III.           4 A Changed Life – (Evidence!) (Mk 5, the people were amazed)

A.   God becomes real to us all when we experience His presence in our lives, or in the life of another. - people business!

                      1.       Planning time: Deacons  - Small Groups – Ideas!

Ruth Graham, “The Mender.”
“He had built for himself a great house on one of the Caribbean islands. It is a thing to behold. Tall rusty iron columns, collected and resurrected with an ingenious homemade device. This Great House is a masterpiece of salvaged materials. A collector and seller of scrap metal as well as antiques, he was also fascinated with broken bits and pieces of chinaware from his front yard.
Carefully he fitted and glued the pieces together. Few ever came out whole. They remained simply a collection of one who cared. When I expressed interest, he gave me a blue-and-white plate, carefully glued together — pieces missing. ‘You remind me of God,’ I said. By the look on his face, I knew I shocked him, and I hurriedly explained. ‘God pieces back broken lives lovingly. Sometimes a piece is irretrievably lost. But still He gathers what He can and restores us.’”

We are an unusual collection of broken people. But God has taken us, collected the pieces of our lives, and lovingly glued them back together. By His grace, our brokenness has been transformed into something of purpose, of value, of beauty for His glory.

When we give our lives to Christ, (put off/on) We tend to focus more on what we have been saved from than what we are saved for. And as God lovingly puts the pieces of our lives together over our life time we become living evidence of His work, grace, and love.

Unless we get a handle on this we will end up with a life that is like that Gun smoke façade – no depth of character, no real meaning, purpose, or significance.

Yes, God is the real thing!