Our Prayer

Our Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Class Lesson December 15, 2019







THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

For over seventy years, China has been a communist and atheistic country. When Mao Zedong ruled, he attempted to wipe out Christianity. Religious thought was suppressed, so that today somewhere between 40 and 49 percent of the population do not believe in God. 1

Yet, as tragic as that is, China is still on pace to have the world’s largest Christian population by 2030. 2 In spite of all the government’s efforts to suppress biblical beliefs and persecute believers, more Christians than communists now live in China. 3 We might be surprised by the growth of Christianity in a deeply irreligious country, but God has a way of making Himself known. I heard one missionary in China say, “God will always reveal Himself to anyone who is seeking Him, and that has been my experience in China.”

Many of us learned about God at home; our families talked openly about God. Or they took us to church. For others, we had a friend who pointed us to Christ. But even for those who haven’t had such experiences, they still can have an awareness and knowledge of God. The Book of Psalms shows us the ways God has revealed Himself to us.






WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?



Psalm 19:1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message[b] has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming from his home; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. 6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat. 


What makes the Judeo-Christian worldview unique among its rivals is our worship of the Creator; other belief systems worship aspects of the creation: the sun, moon, stars, nature, and animals. The Old Testament law condemned anyone who had “gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded” (Deut 17:3). Such idolatry is tragic because the created universe points us to God’s presence and power.

In this psalm, David worshiped God for revealing His existence in the created, observable world. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” 

God’s declaration is not periodic or occasional; it continues non-stop. David said, “Day unto day uttereth speech.” It’s like coming late to a worship service: you enter the room and hear worship already in progress.

Nor is the declaration of God’s presence and glory limited to one corner of His universe. “Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” The prophet Isaiah expressed the same thing in his vision, as he heard the Seraphim proclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3). David continually saw the worship of God in the world around him: “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Ps. 8:1). 



God has never been hidden. God’s general or natural revelation; that is, the unveiling of Himself, has been communicated since the very beginning of creation. David’s use of the word declare is from the Hebrew word rendered to count or make a written record. The universe is a record we read that proclaims God’s existence, His power, and His glory. Centuries later, Paul stood on the shoulders of David and declared, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20).

Let’s look at just one example: the sun. What is it about a sunrise that captures our attention? At a time when our daughter was struggling with fear—a fear that made it difficult for her to sleep—we were on a weekend trip to Galveston. My wife, Audrey, took our daughter to the beach for devotions at dawn. As they observed the glorious sunrise, Audrey walked her through the truths that God is always with her and she has nothing to fear. The sunrise is a reminder of God’s presence. Our daughter was able to leave her fear on the beach, and she returned home assured of God’s abiding presence in her life.

The sun holds a central role as evidence for the creative power of God. In describing the sun, David used two emotive word pictures.

The sun is like a husband rushing out of his bedroom after his wedding night and like a powerful runner crossing the finish line at the end of a race. These are pictures of joy and purpose. And because the sun is such a prominent feature of the creation we see, it is a bold declaration of God. We cannot hide from the sun’s heat, and we cannot hide from its message about God.

Creation’s message is limited, though. We call the message the universe reveals about God “general revelation.” General revelation points us to our Creator, but only Jesus Christ and His special, written revelation in the Bible gives us a fuller understanding of the nature and character of that Creator. General revelation should be seen as a gateway—only the beginning. As the psalmist said, “The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein” (Ps. 111:2). That means God’s creation draws us in to seek Him more, and that brings us to Scripture, His revealed Word.


Psalm 111:7-9

7 The works of his hands are truth and justice; all his instructions are trustworthy. 8 They are established forever and ever, enacted in truth and in uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awe-inspiring.




The psalmist originally wrote Psalm 111 to be sung in worship to God. In its original Hebrew form it is an alphabetical acrostic: it contains twenty-two lines, and each line begins with the next successive Hebrew letter. With its focus on God’s works, it’s like saying, from A to Z, all God’s works call for praise.

In verses 7-9, the psalmist zeroed in on the works of God as seen in His truth, justice, instruction, and redemption. We know of these things because He has revealed them through Scripture, the divinely inspired Word of God. And that Word is trustworthy! The psalmist’s statement — “all his commandments are sure” — is a confession of trust and respect for God’s Word and its application to his life.

This passage reflects a divine agreement. The psalmist acknowledged both the covenant and the redemption established by God, but it was more than a mental acknowledgement. The psalmist wrote with absolute faith in the works and words of God. We also live in divine agreement when we are one with God on the same issue. We choose to see things from God’s perspective. We can entrust the difficult decisions in our lives to God because His Word — His instructions to us — are trustworthy.







The Word of God stands forever, and it empowers my walk with Christ. Therefore, it is not enough to know the Bible intellectually; in fact, we don’t really know the Bible until we encounter it experientially. We truly learn God’s truth as we apply it to our lives.

To that end, adopt one of these principles:

The K-D Principle: Know what the Word says, then Do what the Word says.
The M-A Principle: Discover the Meaning of the Scripture, then Apply that meaning to your life. Only when you understand the meaning of Scripture do you have the confidence to apply that meaning to your life.

It is not enough to know about God’s redemption; we must experience it for ourselves! God’s Word is clear: we can never come into a right relationship with God on our own (Rom. 3:10-12).

Thankfully, God has “sent redemption unto his people” through Jesus Christ. The Scripture—God’s trustworthy instruction—points us to Jesus, our Redeemer. Only God can redeem us; He has paid the price to set us free.

It gets even better! The redemption God lavished on His people cannot fail; it is confirmed by His covenant—a covenant “he hath commanded … forever.” Moses connected this covenant with God’s love, or more specifically, His “covenant and mercy” (Deut. 7:9). God’s love is faithful, even when we are unfaithful, because His covenant of love cannot fail. He brings us into His family in a covenant to protect, provide, and commune with us. This covenant is not based on our performance but on His redemption accomplished in Jesus Christ.

The psalmist’s response to the redemption and covenant was worship: “holy and reverend is his name.” The universe around us reveals a God who is both awe-inspiring and holy—set apart from His creation; Scripture reveals the salvation and covenant of God—aspects of His nature and character that are equally holy and awe-inspiring. Like the psalmist, we should be drawn to worship Him who loves us so.



Psalm 111:10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.


The Hebrew word for fear in this passage is yirah; it means reverence and profound respect motivated by love. When we consider the extreme power and greatness of God and couple that with His unfailing love for us, we’re moved to this type of fear. David showed us how to fear the Lord: “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple” (Ps. 5:7). I express this fear by beginning each day with these words, “God, what do you have for me today?” I am sensitive to His leadership in my life because I stand in worshipful awe of His plan and goodness in my life.

Living before our loving God with fear puts us on the path to wisdom. Ultimately, the greatest Source of wisdom is in Christ, who is Himself the truth (John 14:6). When I fear God, I see His plan for my life—and I see it is better than my plan! His plan includes living under the lordship of Christ, so I entrust my life to Him.




Doubting the wisdom of God is a clear picture of what happens when we don’t fear the Lord. We pivot to wisdom or wickedness according to our fear of God. Just as “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” so also a lack of godly fear is the beginning of wickedness. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Ps. 14:1). In his indictment against sinful humanity, Paul quoted Psalm 36:1: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).

Three men in Scripture found the wisdom that comes from fearing the Lord:

Job. Before Job was restored by God, he expressed his reverential truth in the Lord. “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

David. David saw the restorative power of fearing the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever” (Ps. 19:9).

Solomon. Solomon, the Bible’s wisest man and author of the Book of Proverbs made some foolish mistakes, which he chronicled in the Book of Ecclesiastes. At last he arrived at this conclusion: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13).

God-fearing wisdom shows us that right living is defined by a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We not only can know God exists, but we can know God, walk with Him, and live our lives grounded in His wisdom.





LIVE IT OUT

Helen Keller famously said to Phillips Brooks about God, “I always knew He was there, but I didn’t know His name.” 5 God is in all places at all times, and He has revealed Himself through creation—but most importantly, in His Word.

How will you acknowledge the existence and presence of God?

Take a walk. Get outside and observe nature around you. Gaze up at the night sky. Consider how all that you see points to God. Give God the glory for His creation.

Read the Word. Commit to regular reading of God’s Word. As you read and learn more about God and His ways, commit to live out the truths you discover.


Have a conversation. Discuss with someone why you are convinced God exists. Explain what He has revealed to you through the created order and through His Word.





Hope to see everyone this Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Teacher Notes:


Click Here to Watch

Video: For the Glory of God in Creation

God created all things, including the heavens and the earth. A brief study of space reveals God’s creative mastery:

  1. Is there noise in space? SPACE IS COMPLETELY SILENT - There is no atmosphere in space, which means that sound has no medium or way to travel to be heard. Astronauts use radios to stay in communication while in space, since radio waves can still be sent and received.
  2. The hottest planet in our solar system is 450° C – which planet is it? - Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system and has an average surface temperature of around 450° C. Interestingly, Venus is not the closest planet to the Sun – Mercury is closer but because Mercury has no atmosphere to regulate temperature it has a very large temperature fluctuation.
  3. Could there be life on another planet? THERE MAY BE LIFE ON MARS - Of all the planets in our solar system (apart from Earth), Mars is the one most likely to be hospitable to life. In 1986, NASA found what they thought may be fossils of microscopic living things in a rock recovered from Mars.
  4. How many stars are in space? NOBODY KNOWS - The sheer size of space makes it impossible to accurately predict just how many stars we have. Right now, scientists and astronomers use the number of stars only within our galaxy, The Milky Way, to estimate. That number is between 200-400 billion stars and there are estimated to be billions of galaxies so the stars in space really are completely uncountable.
  5. When will Halley’s comet orbit past the earth again? Not until 2061 - Discovered in 1705 by Edmond Halley, the famous comet was last seen in 1986 and is only seen once every 75 to 76 years.
  6. How much does a full NASA space suit cost? $12,000,000 - 70% of that cost is for the backpack and control module.
  7. Is there a planet made out of diamonds? Maybe - As space facts go, this is pretty impressive. Research by Yale University scientists suggests that a rocky planet called 55 Cancri e — which has a radius twice Earth’s, and a mass eight times greater – may have a surface made up of graphite and diamond. It’s 40 light years away but visible to the naked eye in the constellation of Cancer and still considered “a girl’s best friend.”
  8. How long will the footprints on the moon be there? FOR 100 MILLION YEARS - The Moon has no atmosphere, which means there is no wind to erode the surface and no water to wash the footprints away. This means the footprints of the Apollo astronauts, along with spacecraft prints, rover-prints and discarded material, will be there for millions of years.
  9. What happens if two pieces of the same type of metal touch in space? THEY WILL PERMANENTLY BOND - This incredible fact is also known as cold welding and it happens because the atoms of two pieces of metal have no way of knowing they are separate. This doesn’t happen on Earth because of the air and water found between the pieces.
  10. Is there water in space? THERE IS FLOATING WATER IN SPACE - Astronomers have found a massive water vapor cloud which holds 140 trillion times the mass of water in the Earth’s oceans somewhere around 10 billion light years away – making it the largest discovery of water ever found.


Physicist – Stephen Hawkins: There is no God

Click Here to Watch

Why do you believe there is a God?


THE POINT: God has given us ways to know He exists.

Psalm 19:1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming from his home; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. 6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat.

In this psalm, David worshiped God for revealing His existence in the created, observable world. He says we are surrounded by fantastic displays of God’s craftsmanship – the heavens give dramatic evidence of His existence, His power, His love, and His care.

I. Nature points to God. It’s called and considered God’s General or Natural Revelation.

How do you see nature declare the existence of God?

A.  The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life. The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day. Our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents. Water itself...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life: It has wide margin between its boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees. Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that various chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels. Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances, it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body. Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees. Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter. Ninety-seven percent of the Earth's water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water. 

The human brain...simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands. The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people. Then there’s the eye...it can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages -- simultaneously. Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain -- the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.

B.  The universe had a start - what caused it? 

Did God start the universe - Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself. Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, "The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion...The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen." Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, "the universe was about a hundred thousand million degrees Centigrade...and the universe was filled with light." The universe has not always existed. It had a start...what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.

C.  The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it? 

Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn't change -- on earth or in galaxies far from us. How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable? "The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn't have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant, or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence." Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, "Why nature is mathematical is a mystery...The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle."

D. The DNA code informs and programs a cell's behavior. 

DNA is like a computer program. All instruction, all teaching, all training comes with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tell the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It's made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every human cell!! Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual. There are 3 billion chemicals of DNA within each human cell. Why is this so amazing? How did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person's body should develop. Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.

What are some lasting truths from Psalm 19:1-6?
  • The Lord is to be praised as the Creator of all that is.
  • The Lord has revealed Himself through His creation; its existence, order, and beauty.
  • The skies and the heavenly bodies, like the sun, declare the glory of God that no one can miss.


Psalm 111:7-9

7 The works of his hands are truth and justice; all his instructions are trustworthy. 8 They are established forever and ever, enacted in truth and in uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awe-inspiring.

In verses 7-9, the psalmist zeroed in on the works of God as seen in His truth, justice, instruction, and redemption. We know of these things because He has revealed them through Scripture, the divinely inspired Word of God. And that Word is trustworthy!

II. Scripture reveals God.

How would you describe the value of the Scriptures to you in knowing the Lord and in having insight for living a life that pleases Him?

E. We know God exists because He pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to Him. 

For many atheists, the issue of people believing in God is bothersome. What is it about atheists that they would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that they don't even believe exists?! What causes them to do that? An atheist will do all they can to help believers realize their hope is completely ill-founded. But they have another motive to. They like to challenge those who believed in God, curious to see if they could convince the atheist otherwise. Part of their quest was to become free from the question of God. God seeks to know us – many atheists don’t realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on their mind, was because God was pressing the issue. They have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know Him. He has surrounded us with evidence of Himself and He keeps the question of His existence squarely before us. It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them. C.S. Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England." Lewis went on to write a book titled, "Surprised by Joy" as a result of knowing God. 

F.  Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing Himself to us. 

Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you'll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you're looking at Him. Though He talked about His Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in Him, believed in the Father. Jesus Christ reveals God to us - He said, "I am the light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to Himself. He did not say, "follow my words and you will find truth." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me." What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can't do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people...blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects...created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature...walked on top of a lake, commanded a raging storm to stop. People everywhere followed Jesus, because He constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I'm telling you, you should at least believe in Me based on the miracles you're seeing. Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centeredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although He views us as sinners, worthy of His punishment, His love for us ruled and He came up with a different plan. God himself took on the form of man and accepted the punishment for our sin on our behalf. Sound ludicrous? Perhaps, but many loving fathers would gladly trade places with their child in a cancer ward if they could. The Bible says that the reason we would love God is because He first loved us. Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus will you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with Him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to Himself. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, He offers us a new life today. We can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. He says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." This is God, in action.

General revelation points us to our Creator, but only Jesus Christ and His special, written revelation in the Bible gives us a fuller understanding of the nature and character of that Creator.

General revelation should be seen as a gateway—only the beginning.

God does not force us to believe in Him, though He could. Instead, He has provided sufficient proof of His existence for us to willingly respond to Him.
  • The earth's perfect distance from the sun,
  • the unique chemical properties of water,
  • the human brain, DNA,
  • the number of people who attest to knowing God,
  • the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there,
  • the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ.



LIVE IT OUT

Helen Keller famously said to Phillips Brooks about God, “I always knew He was there, but I didn’t know His name.” 5 God is in all places at all times, and He has revealed Himself through creation—but most importantly, in His Word.

Have a conversation. Discuss with someone why you are convinced God exists. Explain what He has revealed to you through the created order and through His Word.


Why I Believe There is a God





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