Knowing God pat 2
What We Believe, and Why We Believe It! • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Tonight we look into some proof for the existence of God.
What a loaded question this is! The word proof, many would say, implies that we can present sufficient evidence that God exists. Many claim this is impossible, but those same people believe that we sprang from nothing into what we are today.
Tonight we will examine first...
What the Bible Says
What the Bible Says
The Scriptures assume the existence of God
Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Hebrews 11:6 “6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
The Bible writers testify to the Words of God
Exodus 20:1 “1 And God spake all these words, saying,”
Jonah 1:1 “1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,”
Matthew 3:17 “17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Bible records appearances of God
Genesis 3:8 “8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”
Genesis 12:7 “7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.”
Exodus 33:20 “20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
Yet no man has seen God’s true essence
Jesus testified of God
John 6:46 “46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.”
John 8:42 “42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”
John 16:27–28 “27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”
The Bible takes the existence of God almost for granted. We will come back to that, but next let’s look at...
What Man Says About God
What Man Says About God
Atheism -
Denies the existence of God
Are you familiar with the term, “circular reasoning”?
“I don’t believe in God, therefore God doesn’t exist.”
Atheism doesn’t acknowledge that there is a personal God to whom we are accountable
There are some Christians who live like atheists!
The Bible says “God exists” Genesis 1:1, and those who deny Him are “fools”
Psalm 14:1 “1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good.”
The word “fool” has three meanings (I am not making these up):
Insane person
Stupid person
Wicked person
If you deny the existence of God, the Bible says you are an insane, stupid, wicked person.
Agnosticism -
This view states that the existence of God is “unknowable”
There are far more agnostics than atheists.
Many who claim to be atheists, when under the pressure of considering eternity reveal that deep down they are not as convinced as they claim to be about the non-existence of God.
This view refuses to examine evidence in plain view, as the Bible declares that God is knowable:
2 Timothy 1:12 “12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
1 John 3:14 “14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
1 John 5:13 “13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Polytheism -
This view holds there are many gods and goddesses
Hinduism has 330 million gods and goddesses to choose from
Islam is born out of polytheism
Muhamed, the founder of Islam was of a nomadic tribe that worshiped the moon god, Allah.
He essentially rose up and declared that his family’s god of choice was the only true god.
The Bible declares there is only ONE true God!
Deuteronomy 6:4 “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:”
Isaiah 43:10–11 “10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, And my servant whom I have chosen: That ye may know and believe me, And understand that I am he: Before me there was no God formed, Neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord; And beside me there is no saviour.”
1 Timothy 2:5 “5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
There are many other examples and various excuses man has made to deny or explain God’s existence
Pantheism -
The idea that “God is everything, and everything is god”.
God is everywhere, but He is not everything! This leads to self-worship.
Deism -
God created the universe as a machine, but then abandoned it and left it to run on its own.
If God was not interested in us, why would He send Jesus to die for us?
Evolution -
Rejects God’s creation and existence.
Claims matter is eternal, yet fails to prove where matter came from.
Claim that life emerged spontaneously from dead matter.
Claims that life not only sprung from dead matter, but that intelligence and conscience developed form it as well
What we Conclude:
What we Conclude:
The Bible does not explain God’s existence, rather it takes it for granted.
Common sense and science tell us that there cannot be an effect without a cause.
The Bible assumes that any thinking person will reach the conclusion that God does exist.
Science proves that order never arises from disorder - therefore we can reject the “Big bang”
Mankind all over the world has a “God-shaped” void in their heart
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
God is on our heart, whether we want to admit it or not.