Los Alamos Church of Christ
Why
I Believe in God
Review and Conclusion
This year we are doing apologetics. Apologetics is studying why we believe what we believe. Apologetics is digging around in the evidence to be able to obey 1 Peter 3:15
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.
We have been working on this verse all year. We began by looking at ten reasons why we believe in Jesus; his teachings, prayers, miracles, his claims, his compassion, his names; Christ, Messiah, Lord and God, Psalm 22, Fire and Smoke of the Temple, The amazing spread of the Gospel.
In the middle of that series, we spent ten sermons looking at why we believe in the resurrection of Jesus. The one reason which stands out to me is how did his name become Jesus Christ? He was not the Christ. He failed in every way a Messiah could fail. He did not restore the Temple. He did not bring justice to the world. He did not defeat the Romans. He was crucified. He died at the hands of the Romans! But in the resurrection he accomplished all the Messiah was supposed to accomplish. This is a marvelous thought? The name Jesus Christ alone proves he was resurrected and thus who he claimed to be! Those ten sermons are some of my favorite.
For the last 10 sermons we have explored why we believe in God. We have gone all over the place looking for evidence to prove that there is a God.
Let's
spend a few minutes reviewing what we have discovered in these ten sermons. Let's put them on the Tree List, so we
can memorize them. Perhaps there
will be a test at the end.
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Ten
Reasons I Believe in God
1)
Beauty
Argument #1 begins with a Tree. The "one" of the trunk reminds us that the beauty of a tree is evidence. This first argument is not that the world is beautiful therefore God must exist. The point is that our hearts connect to beauty. When we see a magnificent sunset or look at the fresh fallen snow on an unblemished ski run or smell the gorgeous flower our hearts are moved in beauty. That connection to beauty is difficult to explain by a random/chance generator view of our creation. Beauty connects us to the God of beauty.
So, visualize a Tree with a one on the trunk. Reason #1 is Beauty.
2)
Ought
Our second argument is the on and off of a light switch. There is right and wrong; on and off. If we pick up most any newspaper or watch the evening news, we more times than not, are upset with what is going on in the world. Our sense of righteous indignation is engaged when we see people doing what they ought not do. That should not happen. The people who do such things ought to be punished. When we use the word "ought" we point to God. If there is no God, where does ought come from? If there is no God then I can do whatever I want to do. Sure, I may be punished by society, but you cannot say ought without saying God. Our innate sense of right and wrong is a reflection of being made in the image of a just God.
So, think of a light switch. It has two positions; on and off, right and wrong. Reason #2 is ought.
3)
Existence
Reason #3 is the Cosmological Argument:
1) Everything that begins to exist has a cause.
2) The universe began to exist.
3) Therefore, the universe must have a cause.
Either a powerful mind brought everything into existence, or a random/chance generator created mind. This is one of the foundational arguments of God. If the Big Bang was the beginning of our universe, there must have been a… Big Banger. The Big Bang sounds a lot like…
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Visualize a three-legged stool for Reason #3 and visualize it being created; popping into existence.
-One: Tree trunk - Beauty
-Two: On/off - Ought
-Three: legged stool popping into existence.
4)
Design
Reason #4 is one of my favorites; the peacock feather. The eyes on the peacock feather are formed by an intricate design of hair like strains called barbs which grow together to form the "eye". Each of these barbs is covered with barbules which are mathematically arranged to create the symmetry of the feather. Each barbule when light passes through the thin film covering them is changed into different colors. The iridescence is created as the light breaks up into different colors as it passes through these layers.
To me this is a show stopper for any random/chance generator to make something this complex. The point is if there is design in this world, there must be a designer. There is design. There is a designer.
You have to see a 4 door Honda in your mind's eye and think that car was designed just as our world was designed.
5)
Creativity
We humans are a creative bunch. Think about the wide ranges of creativity we exhibit. Our creativity comes out all over the place; painting, sports, art, music… This leads to a number of hard questions for Joe A. Scientist.
1) Why are we all creative?
2) Where does creativity come from?
3) What kind of random/chance generator could have created all the different kinds of creativity?
4) Why do all cultures have music, art and sport?
5) What kind of evolutionary advantage do all these desires have?
6) Don't you feel different/connected/alive/real when you are being creative?
We are more than clever animals. We are all made in the image of God. This image comes out in our desire to be creative. When we paint and sing and play games and quilt we feel like God. In these creative feelings we are reflecting the image of the God who made us.
The glove on your visualized hand is a reminder that by your hand you are creative. Five fingers - Reason #5 - Creativity.
6)
Sacrifice
We are involved in relationship. We experience love. We know that flutter of love in our hearts. But where does love come from? To make it even more poignant, we are willing to offer our lives for those we love. How could we? Love is hard to explain by the random/chance generator. The only satisfactory explanation for the love we experience is… God is love.
The six-shooter shoots those willing to make loving sacrifices. See the six-shooter and think about love and sacrifice as evidence of God.
-One: Tree trunk - Beauty
-Two: On/off - Ought
-Three: legged stool popping into existence.
-Four: Cars are designed. We are designed.
-Five: Are five fingers are creative
-Six: shooters are about sacrifice
7)
Odds
If we went to Mars and found a biosphere with all the dials set for human existence we would assume someone had prepared a place for us. When we examine all the settings of this earth that are perfect for human life, how can we reach a different conclusion? God prepared this planet for humans. The odds of this planet happening by the random/chance generator to be exactly set for life to arise, are beyond astronomical. The odds are this planet was prepared for us by someone who knew were coming.
The memory link is dice. The most commonly rolled number on dice is seven. Reason #7 is the odds that the dice rolled for us to have a planet are too great. This earth was designed.
8)
Baby
Tiffany's baby is only about a week away. The making of a baby is such a remarkable accomplishment. I cannot even envision how it could come about by a random/chance generator. Then, as her baby learns to speak, over the next two years, the process is so amazing that most linguistic scientist have concluded that speech is pre-wired into human.
Lyla, our two-year-old granddaughter, observed the other day, "It's raining leaves." She had never heard that sentence before. She had to connect what rain is to what the leaves were doing and create that sentence. Our brains are way too complex and pre-wired for me to believe a random/chance generator created babies and enables them to speak.
Babies are Reason #8 of Why I Believe in God. Can you visualize a baby on skates? Eight - Skate - Babies.
9)
Purpose
There is a God-shaped hole in our souls. Our desire to have purpose in life; our restless searching for meaning; our stuffing all kinds of things into that hole; we can't even lie without stress; our smiles; all point to the void we have in our souls. What possible use could that serve in the survival of the fittest? No, we are made in the image of God! God left his mark on our souls which scream for meaning!
Cats have nine lives and they serve their own purposes. Reason #9 is the purpose we find in our God-shaped hole.
10)
Worship
There is a God-shaped hole in our souls which only God can fill. We are real humans with real emotions who connect to God in worship. We feel the God-shaped hole being filled when we worship. Why else is 97% of the world population drawn to worship? We are drawn to worship because we need it to connect our soul to God.
There are ten pins in bowling. When you hit the head pin you often get a split. There is a split in our souls we only fill with worship.
-One: Tree trunk - Beauty
-Two: On/off - Ought
-Three: legged stool popping into existence.
-Four: Cars are designed. We are designed.
-Five: Are five fingers are creative
-Six: shooters are about sacrifice
-Seven: Dice odds
-Eight: Skate Babies point to God
-Nine: lives of a cat; purpose
-Ten: Bowling there is a split in our soul only filled in worship.
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I want to wrap this review up by asking… Why? Why should we memorize these ten reasons? Why do we need to know why we believe in God? Isn't it good enough that we do? Let's see.
We
might have to defend our faith to Joe A.
Scientist.
In spite of only 3% of Americans being proclaimed atheists; they are a vocal lot. We may be called upon sometime to stand up to Joe A. Scientist, who knows. But we need to be able to give a defense of ourselves with confidence if it ever happens. We may need to know Reason #3… If there was a Big Bang there must be a…
Odds are unlikely that you will ever have a televised debate with Joe A. Scientist. That is not the only reason we have been doing apologetics. A more likely scenario is…
We
might have to share with Double Shot Latte Guy.
You may know Double Shot Latte Guy. He may actually be an honest seeker or curious or skeptically willing to engage. The Spirit may put Double Shot Latte Guy in your way to engage. Philip, in Acts 10, wasn't expecting the Ethiopian. Peter certainly wasn't expecting Cornelius. We, too, need to be ready. You need to know the Tree List to be ready explain your faith to Double Shot Latte Guy . You may need to know reason #8…
Even if we rarely have a chance to talk to Double Shot Latte Guy we may be called upon to help those who are closer to us.
We
might have to help a friend.
We are here for each other. One of the main reasons we do church is to help each other. Jude concludes his letter with this warning.
Jude 21-23
Keep yourselves in
God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to
eternal life. Be merciful to those
who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy,
mixed with fear-- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
We need to be merciful to those who doubt; snatching them from the fire. We may have friends who are struggling with their faith. In tragedy we all wonder about God. We may need reason #2…
Or even closer we may need to talk to our kids and grandkids. What do you say to a kid taking biology at the high school? You may need reason #4…
We
might have to strengthen our faith.
I haven't been altogether straight up with you. We have been talking about Joe A. Scientist and Double Shot Latte Guy, but really I am more concerned with building your faith. The main reason we have been doing apologetics is we all have our doubts. You need to know the Tree List when the creepy crawly worms of doubt make their way into your hearts. Sometimes, I wonder, "Hey, maybe Joe A. Scientist is right. It is hard to believe in God. He is so… invisible." When that happens, I desperately need Reason #9 & 10… I remind myself that my heart has a hole which longs to worship. When the worms come in I need to remind myself that my creativity points to a creator, which is Reason #... 5.
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The bottom line is whether; we are defending our faith against Joe A. Scientist or sharing our faith with Double Shot Latte Guy, or helping a friend in crisis or teaching our kids or sweeping the creepy crawly worms of doubt from our hearts, we all need apologetics. We all need to…
1 Peter 3:15 …be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
