OceanSide church of Christ

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EVIDENCES FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD (2)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    “There is a God in heaven” was part of the declaration of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:28).

 

B.      There are many today who deny the existence of God.

1.      The Bible refers to them as “fools” (Ps. 24:1).

2.      They are fools because they have not honestly examined all the evidence for the existence of God.

 

C.     In last week’s lesson, we looked at three evidences for the existence of God.

1.      Life

2.      Consciousness

3.      Design

4.      NOTE:  I find it interesting that when a person speaks with an atheist, he simply refuses to deal with the arguments.

a.      We might produce life one day.  NOTE:  Even if we do, it took intelligence to make it, and, it was made of things already present.  Let’s see if man can create life from nothing.

b.      Who says the animals are not conscious?  NOTE:  If they were conscious, they would have destroyed man who has killed so many of them.

c.       There is no design in nature.  (See Hebrews 13:4)

 

D.    In this lesson, we want to examine four more evidences of the existence of God.

 

I.                   THE EVIDENCE OF MORALITY

 

A.    Morality involves the difference between right and wrong.

 

B.      Man has the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

 

C.     Example:  Abimelech (Gen. 20:9)

1.      Abraham had told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister.

2.      Abimelech took Sarah into his custody.

3.      God warned Abimelech not to touch her for she was Abraham’s wife.

4.      Abimelech had strong words for Abraham.

 

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us?  and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?  Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

 

5.      Application:

a.      If there is no God, why was it wrong for Abraham to lie?

b.      If there is no God, why would it have been wrong for Abimelech to take Sarah to wife as well?

c.       NOTE:  These are judgments based upon a standard or morality. 

1)      Animals do not have this standard of morality.  The males in the animal kingdom fight for the right to mate with the females.  There is no such thing as the sin of adultery among them. 

2)      NOTE:  Abimelech believed that it was sin.  Where did that standard come from?

D.    Two more interesting examples:

1.      What law did Hitler violate when he slaughtered millions and millions of Jews? 

a.      He did not violate German law.  He was the law.

b.      His officials were tried in military courts for war crimes.  Why was his execution of what he believed to be inferior people wrong?  What law did he violate?  He violated a higher law, a divine law.

2.      When I was discussing creation and evolution with an atheist once, she told me that if I quoted her I should not take her out of context, but quote her correctly. 

a.      Why?  Does she think that I would be wrong to misquote her?  Where does that standard of morality come from?

b.      Some will say that it come from the “law of love.” 

1)      Where did that law come from?

2)      Who is it that set the parameters on what love is and what love is not?

 

E.      The existence of morality proves that there is something higher than man. 

1.      It is God who gave man the laws of right and wrong.

2.      “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” (Ps. 19:8).

 

II.                THE EVIDENCE OF A CONSCIENCE

 

A.    Defined:  a feeling that originates in the mind that approves or condemns our behavior based upon the training we have received

1.      If we help a person on the side of the road, we experience a good feeling for assisting them.

2.      If we lie to our employer about being sick, we feel guilt for the lie we told.

3.      David experienced severe pains of his conscience when his sins were exposed.  Psalm 51 is said to be his psalm of repentance (See v. 17).

 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:  a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

 

B.      Not one animal on the planet has a conscience.  I was bit by a dog and the dog did not experience guilt and never apologized to me.

 

C.     Question:  Where did man get his conscience?  It did not evolve.  Not one animal presently living has a conscience.

 

III.             THE EVIDENCE OF ETERNITY

 

A.    When we refer to eternity, we are referring to the belief that man has that some form of afterlife exists. 

 

B.      Belief in an afterlife is not just a belief held by Christians and Jews.  Many other religions believe in some form of afterlife: 

1.      Greco-Roman religion, Bahai, Jainism, Shinto, Hinduism, Chinese Traditional religion, Sikhism, Juche, Zorastrianism, Islam, Aztecs, Rastafarianism, and Buddhism

2.      The native Americans (500= tribes totaling 22 million people) and also believed in such things as “the Great Spirit, spirits, reincarnation, an unseen realm of the dead, and a place of eternal reward.

 

C.     Where did this universal concept of an eternal God and an afterlife that goes on and on forever come from? 

1.      NOTE:  It did not evolve.  The animal kingdom has no believe in God and the afterlife. 

2.      “Eternity in our hearts” has been implanted there by a God who is eternal in nature (Eccl. 3:11)

 

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:  also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

 

a.      The word “world” is defined as “time out of mind” (Strong) and “forever, everlasting, eternity” (BDB). 

b.      Solomon tells us that God is the one who has set this in man’s heart.

c.       It can be ignored, pushed deep into the recesses of the mind, but it never goes away.  On their deathbeds, the concept of eternity often rises to the front of the mind of the most hardened atheist.

 

IV.             THE EVIDENCE OF TRANSFORMATION

 

A.    Remember, the atheist says:  “There is no God.”  He also affirms:  “The Bible is not the Word of God.” 

 

B.      Where unbelief and atheism exist all by themselves, mankind digresses and sinks into immorality and violence and corruption.

1.      The world in the days of Noah (Gen. 6:5, 11-12).

2.      The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 13:13; 18:20).

3.      The Roman and Gentile world in Paul’s day (Rom. 1:18-32).

4.      Liberal, MO

5.      Hitler’s Germany

6.      Our college and university campuses

7.      Our media and entertainment outlets

 

C.     Yet, wherever God and His Word go, there is a radical transformation of people and society for the better.  Question:  “How can an illusion produce such a transformation?”  How can something that really does not exist change the lives of so many people?

1.      Saul of Tarsus was changed (Gal. 1:23).

2.      The Corinthians were changed (I Cor. 6:9-11).

3.      The Ephesians were changed (Eph. 2:1-3).

4.      The Colossians were changed (Col. 3?5-7)

5.      Those of the dispersion (I Pet. 4:2-3).

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    It is interesting that atheism thrives only in cultures where God and His Word operate among the atheists. 

 

B.      Such is not surprising because Christians are the “salt of the earth,” (Matt. 5:13), helping to preserve it from the evil influences of ideologies like atheism.

 

C.     God exists!  There is proof.  One day all of humanity will stand before this God and give an account of their lives before Him (Matt. 25:31-33).