Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / 7 Wonders

Is There A God? 01/30/05

Title: Is there a God’                                                                                                                                          Main Texts: Genesis 1:1; Romans 1:18-20
 
PP #1 ‘Is there a God?’

Introduction: Is there a God? Just once, wouldn’t you like someone to simply show you evidence for God’s existence?
•    No Bible thumping,
•    No ‘you just gotta believe’
Just the simple, straightforward evidence that after examining it, you could conclude that there is a God.  It may surprise you that when many people believe in God, it’s not out of desperation, but as an honest response to the compelling evidence for his existence. That’s the hope for this morning’s message.

Background: Is there a God? is perhaps, the most fundamental of all life’s questions. How we answer it, is absolutely significant to how we live our lives.
•    If you are a seeker, I pray this message will help you to draw the conclusion that there is a God.
•    If you are a young Christian, I pray this message will help strengthen your faith in God.
•    If you are a mature Christian, I pray this message will help you share your faith in God with others.

Transition: This morning, I want to present you with a small sample of the evidence for God’s existence so that you can study it for yourself and make an informed decision.

PP #2 ‘Proof for the Existence of God’
 
Proofs for the Existence of God
 

There are five categories of evidence that help prove the existence of God.

PP#3 ‘The Cosmological Argument’

1. The Cosmological Argument

Def: Greek word ‘Cosmo’ means world or universe.

The cosmological argument has its basis in the origin of the universe. By universe I am not just talking about planets, but space and time as well. The principal element in the cosmological argument is the

PP # 4 ‘The Law of Causality’

Law of Causality (first principals) which states that every finite (physical) thing is caused (created/made) by something other than itself.
•    A Tree can’t create itself, neither can a rock, table or any thing else.

To go to the big picture this means to bring the physical realm into existence, that which ‘created’ it had to be outside the physical realm…make sense? This is called the ‘uncaused first cause’.

Most scientists today believe that the universe did not always exist, they believe it had a definite beginning. Some scientists claim the beginning, the First Cause of the universe was

PP # 5 ‘The Big Bang’

the ‘Big Bang’. According to the big bang theory, the universe was created sometime between 10 and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion in space hurled matter in all directions. From that point, evolution took over the creation process.

But, since the big bang theory starts with a single atom exploding somewhere in space, the questions are obvious…
•    where did the atom come from,
•    where did space come from and
•    who started the explosion?

ILL: Scientist Robert Jastrow wrote: ‘Astronomers now find that they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly, in an act of creation.’ 

Most scientists today question the Big Bang Theory and are reticent to claim it is the First Cause. And I agree. I believe there is another explanation.
•    There was a creator who brought everything into existence.

PP # 6 ‘Gen. 1:1; Heb. 3:4’
Read: Gen. 1:1; Heb. 3:4

The Christian Bible states that it was God who created the heavens and the earth. To support this point in the New Testament, the author of Hebrews uses the analogy of house. It goes like this…

•    since the presence of a house proves the existence of a builder,
•    so the presence of the universe proves the existence of a creator.
 
Christians, and many scientists, believe this creator is God. But does God fit the description.

PP # 7 ‘Titus 1:2’
Read: Titus 1:2

This text, among many in the Bible, indicate that God exists outside time, he exists eternally..he had no beginning. God then fits the description of the ‘uncaused, first cause’. Therefore, the evidence declares that God exists!

Transition: The second category of evidence for the existence of God is the Teleological Argument.

PP # 8 ‘Teleological Argument’

2. Teleological Argument

Def: Greek word ‘Teleos’ means purpose or intentionality.

PP #9 ‘Three Presuppositions’

The Teleological Argument has three main presuppositions:

PP #10  ‘Complexity, Order and Purpose’

•    First, there is complexity, order and purpose from the smallest cell to the largest solar system in the universe.
   
PP# 11 Solar System Slide

    -The Earth is just the right size to sustain life. If it were 10% smaller or larger, life would not be possible
    -Your nose was designed to smell and was placed right above your mouth. Why? So you could enjoy your food better.           
    -Imagine if your nose was upside down, everytime it rained…you would drown.

PP# 12  Central Nervous System

    -Simply awesome.

PP# 13 Frozen Lake  
 
    -What do you think would happen to all the fish in a lake or a pond if ice sank.

PP #14 ‘Intelligent Design’

•    Complexity, order and purpose point to an intelligent design.

    -Some would have you believe that complexity, order and purpose on the earth is the result of evolution: natural selection and random chance.

PP# 15 Watch and Evolution

    -But, you can take all the parts of a watch, put them in a bag and shake them together for 10 million years and evolution,  natural selection and random chance will       never produce a watch.

•    The complexity of a watch,
•    The complexity of the universe,
•    The complexity of the human body point to an intelligent designer.

PP #16 ‘Intelligent Designer’

•    Therefore the universe had an intelligent designer.

    -Whenever we see a complex design, we  know by previous experience that it came  from the mind of a designer.

PP#17 Watch
    -A watch suggests a watchmaker,

PP#18 Building
    -A building suggests an architect

PP#19 Dog Painting
    -A fine painting suggests a painter.

PP#20 Mona Lisa
    -For the more sophisticated…

And, the greater the design, the greater the designer.
•    Beavers make log dams,
•    but could never make the Hoover Dam.

ILL: Dr. Vera Kistiakowski, prof. emeritus of physics at MIT said ‘The exquisite order displayed by our scientific understanding of the physical world calls for the divine.’

PP # 21 ‘Ps. 19:1-4’
Read: Ps. 19:1-4

All creation points to an intelligent designer Therefore, the evidence declares thatGod exists!

Transition: The third category of evidence for the existence of God is the Anthropological Argument.

PP #22 ‘Anthropological Argument’

3. Anthropological Argument

Def: Greek word ‘Anthros’ meaning man.

The Anthropological Argument is based on humanities innate ability to know right from wrong and has two main presuppositions.

PP #23 ‘Objective Moral Law’

•    First, there is objective moral law.
    Moral laws do not describe what is, they prescribe what ought to be, and it is universally found in every human being.
        -Murder, rape, stealing is wrong.
        -Even the thief who has his own car stolen gets upset because he knows  it’s wrong and wants it back.

PP # 24 ‘Moral Law Giver’

•    Second, therefore, there must be a moral law giver.
 
    Some say there are no object moral laws and that we just do what we like and don’t do what we don’t like. Yet, moral laws, a recognition of right and wrong, exists in every culture in the world.
    -Just as laws for math and science were written by intelligent people with, I believe, way too much time on their hands, moral laws were written by an intelligent
     being and since they are universal, the law giver had to be outside humanity.

PP #25 ‘Rom. 2:14-15’
Read: Rom. 2:14-15

It was God who placed the knowledge of right and wrong in our hearts. Therefore, evidence declares that God exists!

Transition: The fourth category of evidence for the existence of God is the Historical Argument.

PP #26 ‘Historical Argument’

4. Historical Argument

The Historical Argument is based on the fact that throughout recorded time the knowledge of and longing for God has existed. Every people group has some concept of God as being separate from themselves. The Historical Argument contains three main presuppositions.

PP #27 ‘Scripture Declares God Exists’

•    Scripture Declares God Exists

PP # 28 ‘Ps 119:160
Read: Ps. 119:160

We have already looked at Gen. 1:1. Notice that the Bible never tries to prove God, it always presupposes his existence. And all that the Bible says is true.
However, I realize that some would say you can’t use Scripture to prove God’s existence because it is biased towards God. The truth is, all     historical writing is biased.
    -If I want to know about Plato, I read a historical document about Plato…I can’t talk to Plato, I never met him, so by faith I read a document that is reported
     to be historically accurate concerning the life of Plato.

Well, the Bible is a historical document that Christians report to be accurate.

Transition: This leads me to the second historical presupposition.

PP #29 ‘Archeology Declares God Exists’

•    Archeology Declares God Exists
    The Bible has been subject to more scrutiny about it’s authenticity than any book ever written, this has changed in the last 50 years or so.
    This is largely due to the overwhelming evidence archeological discoveries have brought to the table showing that the Bible is historically accurate. 

Transition: Nothing in history, however, has proven the existence of God more authoritatively than Jesus Christ.

PP #30 ‘Jesus Christ Declares God Exists’

•    Jesus Christ Declares God Exists
    There are very few people who would say that Jesus was not a historical figure, that he never lived. But the Bible tells us even more about him.

PP #31 ‘Jn. 1:1, 14’
Read: Jn. 1:1, 14;

PP #32 ‘Jn. 14:9-10’
Read: Jn. 14:9-10
    Jesus existed with God from all eternity. Jesus claimed to be God. That means those who saw Jesus, saw God.

PP # 33 ‘Jn. 1:18;
Read: Jn 1:18;

PP: #34  Heb. 1:1-2’
Read: Heb. 1:1-2
   
    I could spend a few Sundays here but I won’t. I just want to say that it’s the historical Jesus who makes God known to us. And since there is evidence that Jesus existed, the evidence declares that God exists.

Transition: The final category of evidence for the existence of God is the Experiential Argument.

PP #35 ‘Experiential Argument’

5. Experiential Argument

PP # 36 ‘2 Cor. 5:17’
Read: 2 Cor. 5:17

Changed lives! Time and time again people all over the world, rational, intellectual, very normal people, believe in God and claim he answers their prayers, guides, and comforts them in times of need. They claim God has changed their lives, given them hope, made a difference in their values
and radically altered their behaviors. While this is perhaps the weakest argument because you can’t empirically prove someone’s personal experience, it is still compelling evidence of the existence of God.
 
•    You see believing God exists really doesn’t do anything unless you experience him for yourself.

That’s why the Psalmist encourages you to

PP #37 ‘Ps. 34:8’
‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ (Ps. 34:8)

Conclusion
PP #38 ‘Is There a God?’

With evidence that God exists, why do we still question his existence?

PP #39 ‘Rom. 1:18-20’
Read: Rom. 1:18-20

God has given us the ability to know that he exists but we suppress that knowledge, we put it in a box, we lock it up and place it where we won’t go near it. We don’t want to acknowledge that God exists because that means we have to
    •    acknowledgeGod created us,
    •    that God has ownership of us and
    •    that we are responsible to God

PP #40 ‘Jer. 29:13’
Read: Jer. 29:13

God exists and he wants to make himself known to you so that you can begin a wonderful journey of faith.

PP# 41 Faith

Yes, I did have to mention the need for faith. Because the Bible says

PP #42 ‘Heb. 11:6’
Read: Heb. 11:6

But, as you have seen this morning, this faith is based on solid evidence that God exists. However, since you can’t see or touch God, like you can’t see or touch Plato or any other historical figure, ultimately it is a matter of faith.

Think about it. Faith…the great thing about faith is that anyone can have it…anyone can believe in God: Child, Adult, President or homeless person.

Faith that God exists is just the beginning of your journey because once you believe that God exists, you will want to know more about him. And you will be drawn to the Bible, the book written to tell you about God.

    •    What you will find in the Bible is that God loves you and that he has provided the way to renew your relationship with him that has been broken by sin.

    •    What you will find in the Bible is that God gave his only son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and that God raised him from the
         dead so that you can be forgiven and receive eternal life in heaven.

    •    What you will find in the Bible is that God did this… for you. He asks one thing...faith. Faith that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
         Rewards with what? Forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. How do we seek him? By seeking Jesus. 

Is there a God?
 
PP # 43  YES
Yes, the evidence is compelling…and he wants you to get to know him.