A Monkey On Our Back

Text: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

I. Welcome

II. Introduction

This coming Thursday, February 12, 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of our 16th President – Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln holds a respected place in our nation’s history & deserves to be honored. He is a paradigm for what hard work & honesty can achieve. Our children need to learn about this man of humble beginnings. On the other hand, this Thursday also marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the most infamous men in recent world history – Charles Darwin – in Shrewsbury, England. I mention this because many in the media are falling all over themselves because these two men share the same birth date. But we need to understand that Darwin’s academic degree was in divinity & not one of the sciences. At the age of 22, he was invited on a voyage to be a dining companion of the ship’s captain on the H.M.S. Beagle. During this 5-year sea journey, Darwin assumed the role of naturalist & collected many specimens along the coast of South America. Over 20 years after this voyage, Darwin hurriedly published his book The Origin of the Species. 2009 also marks the 150th anniversary of this disastrous work. As I mentioned earlier, the media are making a big deal out of the fact that Lincoln & Darwin share the same birth date. This month’s issue of Smithsonian magazine features photos of both men on the cover with these words: Darwin and Lincoln – Born on the same day 200 years ago, they changed the world forever – Their genius – their legacies – their humanity. I wish they would have allowed me to edit this cover because I would never ascribe “genius” to Darwin. I would also say that they changed the world forever – one for the better & one for the worse. National Geographic published a 2-part Darwin Bicentennial in this month’s issue with a cover title “What Darwin Didn’t Know.” There’s a little fold out as the article begins with a picture of Darwin dated to about 1831. Let me quote from this little summary sheet: “Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution,” the geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky wrote 36 years ago. That light, which began as a glimmer aboard H.M.S. Beagle, today casts a beam so bright we can read the very text of life by it. Darwin would be overjoyed to see how much he did not know, and how much we have yet to learn. This month’s issue of Think magazine is dedicated to the refutation of Darwinism & evolution. I hope you parents subscribe to this publication edited in part by Brad Harrub. Brad even provided power point slides free of charge for folks like me to present sermons against these heresies this morning. However, I am not a scientist & would not insult your intelligence this morning by speaking on something about which I know so little. In fact, I considered getting up this morning & simply reading Gen. 1-2 & then sitting down. But I was afraid many of our teachers would be unprepared to have twice their usual amount of class time. If you pick up newspapers or magazines this week or watch any TV, you are probably going to be assaulted with an almost deification of Charles Darwin. What I am going to do this morning is mention some scriptures, challenge you not to buy into the falsity of evolution & urge our young people to maintain their faith.

III. Lesson

In the past, we have jokingly said, “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” But I now fail to find any humor in that adage since evolution is now taught as fact in our public schools & our children & grandchildren are expected to swallow this lie – hook, line & sinker! So I’ve entitled the lesson “A Monkey On Our Back” because evolution is a serious problem that we cannot forget. Evolution is the monkey on our back! Let me be clear & say that there is some truth to evolution. Charles Darwin saw examples of microevolution in the Galapagos Islands with the adaptation of the beaks of finches for eating. Even in the National Geographic article the author tried to insert a little macroevolution by showing a paleontologist sketching the skull of a supposedly 375-million year old fossil found in the Canadian Arctic. Scientists keep searching for missing links in the evolutionary process. Here the supposed missing link is “Tiktaalik”. The University of Chicago has a web site dedicated to Tiktaalik & let me give you part of 1 of the statements found here: “Tiktaalik looks like a cross between the primitive fish it lived amongst and the first four-legged animals (a group called ‘tetrapods’ from tetra- meaning four, and –pod meaning foot. Actually, all animals that descended from these pioneer amphibians, including us, can be called tetrapods.) Now, let me read you some excerpts from some school biology textbooks. “You are an animal and share a common heritage with earthworms.” Or, “We know, for example, that humans evolved from common ancestors we share with other living primates such as chimpanzees and apes” And, “Like all other forms of life, humans are products of evolution by natural selection” Finally, from the words of Charles Darwin himself: “there is no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals in their mental faculties.” You can believe what you want to believe but I did not evolve from an amphibian nor an earthworm. I did not evolve from a monkey and, although I may not be the brightest kid on the block, my mental faculties differ greatly from other mammals – if only for the fact that I have a moral sense of right & wrong. Don’t ever let anyone devalue you to the status of just another animal. I believe that’s why abortion is such an epidemic in our nation – because human life has so little value. The psalmist David wrote that you & I are fearfully & wonderfully made – Psalm 139:14. The prophet Jeremiah was told by the LORD that He had formed him in his mother’s womb – Jer. 1:4-5. When God formed the 1st man Adam out of the dust of the earth, He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life & he became a living soul. Just as God made Adam & Eve, He made each one of us – in His image – not the image of an amphibian, earthworm or chimpanzee. Notice Gen. 1:1-5 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. &, don’t be deceived by those who try to tell you these were not literal 24 hour days in the creation – but actually millions & millions of years. Ex. 20:11 reaffirms the creation: For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested (not because He was tired but because He was finished creating) the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. The Hebrew word for day – yom – always means a 24-hour day in scripture. The only exception is found in Joshua 10 when the sun stood still & the moon stopped. Notice v.14a: And there has been no day like that, before it or after it. Let me share a few more quotes from evolutionists & atheists to drive home why all of this matters. First, Sir Arthur Keith: “…The conclusion I have come to is this: the law of Christ is incompatible with the law of evolution…Nay, the two laws are at war with each other…” Now listen to another quote from Keith: “Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable.” & finally word from one of the most outspoken voices of atheists today: “It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that).” You’re welcome to call me ignorant, stupid or insane but I’ll put my trust in my Creator. You see these men make it very clear. We either believe in the God of creation & His Son or we believe we are no more than animals. While we could go to several passages, turn with me to Col. 1 & let’s read vs.13-18 together. He (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. We must understand that if God did not create the universe as He said – if His Son did not create everything as we just read, then we have no Savior. Despite what men claim, evolution is still just a theory but the Bible is God’s inspired word. Which are we going to believe? Young people, I want to leave you with the words of the wisest man who ever lived from Eccles. 12:1 – “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth.”

IV. Conclusion/Invitation

Folks, we do have a monkey on our back in the form of evolution. In fact, it’s more like a gorilla & it is destroying our society. As we look at the earth & all that is in it, there must be intelligent design behind it all, i.e., a Creator. Yesterday (I’ve always wanted to do this), I took this old watch apart. All of the pieces are in this little bag. A watchmaker somewhere built this watch & I bought it & wore it for several years. It kept time very accurately. I could take these pieces out & throw them up in the air – but it wouldn’t come down as a watch & never would. But that’s what the evolutionist would have you believe as to the origin of this universe. No, folks, “In the beginning, God.” & Heb. 11:3 makes it very plain: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. This morning we’re going to extend the Lord’s invitation. The one Who created the world loved it & us so much that He gave His only begotten Son that we would not perish but have everlasting life – Jn. 3:16. He is longsuffering & doesn’t want anyone to perish but that all should come to repentance – 2 Pet. 3:9. Jesus promises that if we’ll confess Him before men, He’ll confess us before His Father in Heaven – Matt. 10:32. If you’re willing to take these steps, we’ll be honored to baptize you into Christ (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27) this A.M. Or if you’ve wandered away from God’s service & you need the prayers of the church, our elders will be happy to assist you in that or whatever need you may have as we stand & sing.

(Walter Hill; Sunday A.M.; 2/8/2009)