1)God speaks to us through creation.Rom: 1 v20 Gen.1v1 In the beginning God created.
Men since the enlightenment period 18th –19th century the age of reason have come up with all types of theories in regard to the origin of life. Six theories pushed forward as Science yet only one is empirical science.
1. Cosmic evolution the origin of time space matter (The Big Bang)
2. Chemical evolution The origin of higher elements from Hydrogen.
3. Stellar and planetary evolution- origin of Stars and planets
4. Organic evolution origin of life.
5. Macro evolution - origin of major kinds
6. Micro evolution -Variation within a kind.
The Founder of evolution Charles Darwin at the age of 22 fresh out of Bible College sailed on HMS Beagle in 1831 to the Galapagos Island where he studied 14 different types of finches based on their beck shape. He concluded that all the finches had a common ancestor. (He was right it was a bird!)
In his book “The origin of species” on page 170 wrote, “It is a truly wonderful fact. That all animals and all plants throughout all time and space should be related to each other.
Telling us that birds and bananas are related? He is going way beyond his observed evidence, he left his science and went into his religion. So when speculation and set biases and assumptions come into it we come out of the world of empirical science and into the world of make believe! Rom1v23 –25
A leading Biochemist. M. Dixon said “The origin of life on this planet by chance, is the most improbable event in the history of the universe.”
The Question should be not how? But who started it all? Chance or design
I believe in a intelligent designer (The Word) I look around the world we live and I see intelligent design take the human eye for instance can distinguish 6million colors it is made up of 5 sub systems. For the eye to function correctly all those sub systems have to be in place, it speaks of intelligent design. The human eye could have never evolved over a piece meal step by step random chance process.
Charles Darwin page 75 Origin of Species says,
“To suppose the eye with all it’s intimate contrivances for adjusting the focuses to different distances. For adjusting different amounts of light and for the correction of spherical chromatic abortion. Could have been formed by natural selection seems I freely confess absurd in the highest degree.”
Imagine sticking a stick of dynamite under this church building and out of it all we get a nice little chain store of Churches all identical it absolute nonsense
Information science
Take human DNA It’s information it has a specific order and a specific job to do it’s not random it speaks of intelligent design
For instance imagine walking into your kitchen and seeing a load of fridge magnets on the floor , as you look down there is a message, ‘honey I’ve gone to the shops I will see you later’ Well as soon as you see that message you infer straight away that some intelligent design has gone into.. You don’t think Oh they must have all just fallen down and landed that way. No somebody has left you a message. When we look atour DNA Gods is leaving us a message loud and clear!
Bill Gates said, “Our DNA is like a software program only much more complex than any we have been able to write.” (All Software has a programmer.)
Lets remember what the psalmist says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Did you know a baby’s brain contains 100 billion neurons roughly as many nerve cells as there are stars in the Milky Way.
2)God speaks to us through our conscience.Rom 2.:15. The word of God reveals to us that everybody has written on his or her heart Gods law. People show the requirements of the law written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness to this fact.
Freud understood conscience as a super ego developed in childhood through prohibitions put upon us as children he saw conscience as an oppressive force enabled to do great damage.
In fact Freud was way of the mark… I believe conscience is universal and is given to us by God To help us know God and his law.
What is conscience?
It is the inner aspect of life of the individual where a sense of right and wrong is developed. It enables to react to a code of morality, which has been given to us by God. Humanity has created 36 million laws and as yet has never improved on the Ten Commandments.
Sadly we can create our own morality ( for instance the laws of our land are becoming more and more immoral to the Christian world view) Many people are comfortable with these laws, but even then to many our conscience will bring a sense of guilt even when we create our own code of conduct.
Just ask yourself have I kept the Ten commandments? Could you name one? I bet you can? Do the test the mark required is not 99.9% but 100% that why the psalmist could say the law of the Lord is Perfect converting the soul psalm 19v7
Conscience has been effected by the fall
Although conscience is a gift from God, Our human nature has been corrupted hence our conscience has been corrupted for example.
Titus 1:15. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
Illustration: imagine a ruthless criminal guns down an elderly lady in cold blood… and then laughs. Is the man guilty? Of course! Does he feel guilty? No. In his own perverted way, he feels good- even glad about what he did.
So some people may not feel guilty through their conscience, Yet GUILT is more than just a feeling. In fact it is best defined as the condition of being in violation of moral or civil laws. Yes we can feel guilt and remorse, but it doesn’t have to be, a person can be guilty without feeling guilty. You see our conscience has been corrupted.
A guilty conscience the warning signal.
The worst thing we can do is to ignore our conscience when it speaks to us. And believe what we have done is perfectly acceptable…Many in society today ignore listening to their conscience when they feel guilty, but guilt is more than just a feeling
C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our conscience and he shouts to us in our suffering, it Gods megaphone to a dying world.” Have you heard him speak through your conscience?
Heb 9. 14 Tells us the work of Christ upon the cross his shed blood cleanses us from a guilty a conscience.
3) God speaks to us through circumstances.
God often uses the circumstances of our lives to speak to us through trials or even joys, suffering and pain. Through our difficult times its then when God shouts the most to us.
Its often the circumstances in life, which will draw people to Christ.
The Black eyed peas in 2005 had a number one hit with “Where is the love?” the chorus went something like this….“People killin’, people dyin’. Children hurt and you hear then cryin’.
Can you practice what you preach. And would you turn the other cheek?
Father, Father, Father help us, Need some guidance from above. Cause people got me questioning where is the love?
Isn’t it true that everybody cries out to God ? Remember what C.S. Lewis said, God shouts out in our suffering its Gods megaphone to a dying world
Circumstances of life!
AS I look out on my life for 30 years I never knew God, I never fully denied his existence, I consider myself to be my own God master of my own destiny. Looking back I see God’s hand upon every incident good and bad, leading me to that point of relying upon him rather than myself.
A Christian knows
The Bible says Rom 8v28. That in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Who have been called according to his set purpose
This means for the Christian in whatever circumstances in life we go through. God will bring good out of it, t even the bad that we face.
Illustration: No matter what happens to a twenty pound note or a $50 bill you can screw it up, stamp on it, and even through it in water, but it has lost its worth and it’s the same with you and me no matter what get thrown at us in this life .. To God we are still of immense worth to Him never forget it!
4) God speaks to us through Christians. Rom1v8.v9 Pauls travels and witness
Bill Hybles said, “really Christians will be Good news before they share the good news.”
Have you ever meet the good news in person? That’s what real Christians are, did you know?
Maybe in your neighbour hood, maybe even you’re next door neighbour, maybe that’s why you’re here today in Church, you have been invited to hear about Jesus Christ and what he can do for you. God uses people to bring others to himself.
From 12 disciples Christianity has grown to over 1.8 billion. God is committed to using people to bring people to himself.
Ills. Frank Genner came from Sydney Australia he would simply ask people where they would spend eternity, He personally influenced 1000’s of lives he was good news, God used him in a simple yet profound way to the glory of God.
5)God speaks to us through the Bible.
We live in an age where 200 million emails criss-cross the planet every day, where the form of communication is ever changing and yet people are still willing to hear the voice of God through the Bible.
Why is the Bible so unique? Its living and active! 2Tim 3v16. All Scripture is God breathed.
The Bible is like a manual book, a life application book. Have you ever noticed most things we purchase today anything of any worth has a manual book. Why is that? So that we might get the best out of the product we have bought. Well life and eternity itself has a manual book, it’s the Bible, have you ever read it yet?
A book you can trust with 40 different authors, spanning 1600 years, covering 3 different continents written in 3 different languages it’s a most amazing library of books that humanity posses. To get these authors to concoct such a fabrication would be impossible!
Manuscripts backing the authenticity of the NT alone are over 24,633 copies no other historical document begins to approach such number.
Isaac Newton said, “the Bible is a rock which all the hammers of criticism have failed to chip.”
How can we trust the accuracy of the Bible?
In 1947Dead sea scrolls were found, 500 parchments in caves at Qumran, they dated back to 250 BC within those scrolls many older copies of OT books were found, even a complete version of Isaiah. Identical in copy. Massoretic text AD100
Theologian Augustine said; if you believe what you like in the Bible and reject what you like, it is not the Bible you believe in but yourself.
Nelson Glueck. Jewish Archaeologist in regard to the historical Memory of the Bible. said “ No archaeology discovery has ever disproved a single Biblical reference “I assert an almost credible accurate memory of the Bible.”
Jhn.20 v31 “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
6) God speaks to us through Jesus Christ.
It was Socrates who cried out “Oh that someone would show us God!”
Heb1V1,2 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,2 but in these last days God has spoken to us by His Son whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
Who is Jesus Christ? V3 The Son is the radiance of Gods glory the exact representation of His being.
Jesus was Fully man Rom 1:3who was descended from David, and yet Fully God v4 The resurrection confirmed him to be the Son of God. His Perfect life, His amazing miracles, His love and compassion, His atoning death and glorious resurrection
You want to encounter God speak to you ths evening then look at Jesus Christ He is sufficient to transform your life and 2000 years on he is still speaking … Because he lives, and he will return will you be ready for Him?
The sufficiency of Jesus illustration.
The story goes when St Paul’s cathedral was being built, some of those involved did not feel fully confident that the structure could support itself. Despite being designed by Christopher Wren England’s most respected architect.
When the plans were submitted they felt it necessary to add a further central pillar to the structure from ground level all the way up to the top of the structure. This they said would add extra support, which was lacking in the original design. Despite absolute confidence in the sufficiency of his structure Wren had to go along with their requests and the pillar was added.
Many years afterwards, in the late 19th century renovations were being carried out on the cathedral when a startling feature was found in regard to the central pillar. It actually never reached the top of the dome in fact it stopped short about a centimeter. In fact this pillar which they thought was so needed supported nothing.
Wren’s original structure was sufficient after all, yet the councilors had doubted him and in doing so insulted him.
This story illustrates what can go wrong with our thinking about God, and especially our understanding of the Christian doctrine of Salvation. God has designed the way yet we are trying to add to it this is a insult to God Christ Jesus is sufficient.
God has made it possible for you to know Him, we are all without excuse. God is speaking to us in many ways throught our creation through our conscience, through our own circumstances, through Christians and ultimately He has spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ… Can you hear Him? And will you respond to Him?
