“DON’T CHECK YOUR BRAIN AT THE DOOR!”
Acts 17:11
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE CHECKER (I was told this by a friend)
1. I went shopping at Walmart earlier today and got a sack of chicken legs. Right before the young lady rang them up, I asked her if they were front or back legs.
2. She paused for a moment, then read everything she could on the package. Not finding the answer, she said, “I don’t know; let me go ask my manager.”
3. So I let her go. She came back a couple of minutes later, looked at me and said, “Not funny.” I said, “Well for me it was.” The guy behind me said, “I thought so too. That was a good one!”
B. TEXT
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character [“open-minded” GW] than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11, NIV
C. THESIS
1. I want to use this verse to highlight the fact that we have a reasoned, rational faith. It’s a faith that is open to examination. It’s one you can check out to see if it’s true.
2. We live in a country where some media personalities or educators view having ‘faith in God’ as being ignorant, as if you have to abandon your reason to believe in God. [Karl Marx called religion the “opium of the people.”]
3. Nothing could be further from the truth: our faith is built on facts, solid history, and is confirmed by science when it’s not biased.
4. So today’s message is entitled, “Don’t Check Your Brain at the Door!” (either at the church or the college class!)
I. IT’S INSANE TO THINK YOU “KNOW IT ALL”
A. BY ASKING FOR FAITH, IS GOD ANTI-BRAIN?
1. Not hardly. God gave us our brains and entire books of the Bible are devoted to helping us think better! God many times tells us to use our brains! [Prov. 2:11; 3:13; 15:14; 16:16;
23:23]
2. Your 3 pound brain is a marvelous instrument. It has a 100 billion neurons intricately linked to each other. It uses your retina cells to perform up to 10 billion calculations per second in determining the nature of the image transmitted to the eye by light photons.
3. No supercomputer on earth is capable of matching these virtually instantaneous calculations. Do you really believe such a marvelous super computer was an accident of unguided chance? Whose really naïve here?
4. According to Harvard biologist Stephen Jay Gould, for evolution to go from one cell to a full human would require 60 trillion contingent events -- 36 necessary events per day, each day for 4.55 billion years, in the right place at the right time in the right sequence.
5. No wonder that Norman Geisler wrote the book, “I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist,” because IT TAKES MORE FAITH TO BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION THAN GEN. 1:1; “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth!”
B. DID GOD EVER TELL US NOT TO USE OUR BRAINS?
1. Usually Christians tremble when they hear this question and say “Of course not!” But I think the reverse. YES, He did say that! Prov. 3:5; “Lean not upon your own understanding.” Why would God say such a thing?
2. Because “own understanding” is so incredibly limited. For instance, how many people on Earth have actually been to all 7 continents? Have many have visited Venus, the closest planet? How many have read one tenth of all that’s been written? How many of you have ever counted from to one to a billion? Probably nobody!
3. So what makes us think we know so much? The truth is, our knowledge is not only partial, but infinitesimal! A speck in the universe of knowledge. It’s really a form of insanity to trust in your own understanding.
4. When we don’t rely on the Creator for His wisdom, it’s like we’re saying; “I’m smarter than you. I am more authoritative than you. I think I can care for myself better than you care for me. You’re not a good-enough Father. And so, I’m rejecting your leadership.”
5. Really? We ALL have to trust other people who are specialists. We trust doctors for our health, lawyers for our legal matters, power companies for our electricity, car companies for our cars, restaurants for our dinner – so why is it thought strange to “trust” God about your soul & eternity?
6. You don’t even know what will happen to you tomorrow, but God does, because He’s outside the realm of time and possesses all knowledge.
7. So it’s really NOT the one who trusts in the Lord who is irrational, but the one who leans on his or her own understanding!
8. “In exercising faith — we’re not setting aside our intellect, we’re resting our intellect upon the intellect of God.” Nothing could be wiser! [Jon Bloom]
II. SCIENCE AND FAITH AREN’T IN CONFLICT
A. MANY BRILLIANT PEOPLE TRUST IN GOD
1. Many scientists are in the pews of churches on any given Sunday; researchers, chemists, physicists, engineers, teachers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians -- scientists all!
2. Stephen Barr is a professor of physics at the University of Delaware, and writes that “My religious beliefs do not directly guide or influence my scientific research; but my faith and my interest in science have some roots in common: a sense of wonder at the world, a desire to understand, and a conviction that ultimately the world makes sense.”
3. Ian Hutchinson is a professor of nuclear science and engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He writes, “There is no different “Christian way” to conduct an experiment or solve a differential equation. However, when I consider the subtle, elegant coherence, and the majestic grandeur of the natural world, I do feel enormously privileged to be able to see and understand some of the wisdom and plan of the Creator.”
4. Richard Lindroth is a distinguished evolutionary ecologist at the University of Wisconsin. “I’ve long held the opinion that I am a better scientist because I am a Christian, but equally that I’m a better Christian because I am a scientist. The reasons are many, but two are prominent: truth and humility…Humility enables me to embrace, rather than reject, mystery. Humility reminds me that I don’t have all the answers, and that some I do have are probably wrong. [Quoted by Patrick W. T. Johnson, 4/11/18]
B. MOST GREAT SCIENTISTS ARE CHRISTIANS
1. According to “100 Years of Nobel Prizes” (2005) by David Ould (2005), a review of Nobel prizes awarded between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of Nobel Prizes Laureates have identified Christianity as their religious preference (423 prizes).
2. Overall, Christians have won a total of 78% of all the Nobel Prizes in Peace, 72% in Chemistry, 65% in Physics, 62% in Medicine, 54% in Economics and 49.5% of all Literature awards.
3. This tells us that the majority of the people “acclaimed” to be the smartest people on the planet in the last 100 years have been Christian believers. Obviously Science and Christianity DO MIX!
4. HUMOR: Just For Kids
a. An astronomer and a pastor sat next to each other on a coast-to-coast flight. The astronomer asked, “What do you do for a living?” The Pastor said, "I’m a pastor of a church."
b. "Oh," said the astronomer. "I don't believe in that religious stuff. It's for kids, you know, like the song 'Jesus Loves Me This I know, for the Bible tells me so...."
c. The pastor politely laughed and asked the other man what he did for a living. "I am an astronomer," he said.
d. "Oh, that stuff," said the Pastor. “That’s just for kids, you know - 'Twinkle, twinkle little star....'"
III. GOD’S WORD CAN BE TRUSTED
A. THE BIBLE’S SUPERIORITY CAN BE PROVEN
1. Today in schools, people will deride the Bible as primitive, full of contradictions and errors, etc. The truth is the Bible is most the reliable ancient document in history.
How do we know?
2. The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in 1947, verified the accuracy of transmission of the Old Testament. These manuscripts dated as far back as 400 BC, and were virtually identical to the Masoretic Text dating to around 1000 AD.
3. For the New Testament, we have more than 25,000 ancient manuscripts, some written during the lifetimes of the authors! The accuracy & integrity of the N.T. is unparalleled.
B. THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD
1. WRITTEN FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF THE CREATOR
a. When the book of Genesis was written, the Greeks believed the sun was Apollos’ flaming chariot crossing the sky; the pre-Islamic Arabians & Egyptians worshipped the sun, moon, and the thunderstorm.
b. The Hindu Scriptures taught that the earth is balanced on the backs of four elephants, who stand on a giant sea-turtle swimming in a milky sea.
c. The people of India believed the sun was carried in the hand of a woman, riding on the back of a lion!
d. The Chinese taught the world was made from a hairy giant, Pangu, who’s facial hair made the Milky Way Galaxy & stars!
e. How refreshing when we read in the Bible “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Gen:1:1. God sits “above the circle of the earth” (Isa. 40:22);” “He stretches out the North over empty space, and hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7)”
2. THE BIBLE IS ARCHEOLOGICALLY ACCURATE. Sir Wm. Ramsey, an atheist archeologist, of atheist parents, went to Asia minor to disprove the Book of Acts. He discovered and verified the names and locations of 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands, exactly as the Bible stated. Convinced of the Bible’s truthfulness, he became an outstanding Christian.
3. PROPHETIC ACCURACY
a. Specific prophecies of future events are conspicuously absent from the other leading religious books that claim to be scripture, including the Muslim's Koran, the Book of Mormon, the Hindu Vedas, and Buddhist writings.
b. Of the Bible's 31,124 verses, 8,352 contains predictive material (27%). 81% of its prophecies have been documented as being fulfilled. The remaining 19% deals with the events yet future. God Almighty says, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come" Isa. 46:10.
C. ALL RELIGIONS ARE NOT THE SAME
1. Don’t be fooled by naïve statements that all religions lead to the same God. They’re really nothing alike. Of the big 5 religions, one of them has 33 million gods, & another, no god. They follow different writings, and they have different goals.
2. CHART OF WORLD RELIGIONS
3. In addition, most of the world religions disavow the other religions as not being true.
4. All the world's religions depend on works to gain heaven or its equivalent, except for one. Jesus Christ taught that, not his teaching, but his death and resurrection alone can save you.
5. Christianity is the only religion that has a historical Savior. The founders of other religions are all dead and in their tombs, but the tomb of Christ is empty! The His bodily resurrection of Jesus from the grave is one of the best proved facts of all history.
D. HISTORICAL PROOF OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION
1. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Sir Lionel Luckhoo as the world’s "Most successful lawyer” winning 245 murder trials in a row. No one else in the world has ever come close. No wonder he’s renowned as the real-life Perry Mason.
2. What skills gave him such courtroom success? He has unparalleled analytical skills to detect details missed by others and an uncanny knack for recognizing reliable and persuasive evidence.
3. This man decided to investigate the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to see if it was conclusive.
4. This man, twice knighted by the Queen, on the Supreme Court of his nation, said: "I say unequivocally that the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt."
5. This Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes…me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” John 5:24. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me!” John 14:6.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Sometimes we think we can hide things. A pastor told the true story of when he was going to visit a sick church member. As he approached where she was staying, her husband stepped out the door and lit up a cigarette. The husband then spied the pastor approaching and was trying to figure out how to hide the cigarette.
2. Still holding the lighted cigarette, he cupped his hand around it and slid it into his pants pocket. The pastor decided to act as if he hadn’t seen it and engaged the man in a lengthy conversation. It became hilarious.
3. The more they talked, the shorter the cigarette got in his hand and the more he looked like a chimney. There was smoke curling up from his pants, billowing out of his shirt, and swirling around his head like an active volcano!
4. The pastor finally asked him why he didn’t go ahead and finish his cigarette – and would you can believe it – he denied even having a cigarette! Within seconds he said he had to go and fled. That was good, because if he hadn’t, he might have internally combusted! [Chuck Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, p. 618-619] God wants us to be honest & come to Him.
B. ILLUS. # 2
1. Many years ago an atheistic French scientist was crossing the Sahara desert with an Arab guide. The Arab guide, when he became uncertain of the direction to go, would kneel and ask God for guidance.
2. This annoyed the scientist who said, “How do you even know there is a God?” The Guide responded, “Let me ask you; how do I know that a man walked by our tent last night in the dark?” The scientist guessed, “Because there were footprints in the sand?”
3. The Guide said, “Yes, and I see God’s footprints in all the things He created – the sun, moon, and stars. They are unmistakable signs of His complexity and power!” [Knight’s Treasury, p. 8].
4. Maybe you haven’t seen Him, but you can see His footprints. Maybe you haven’t bumped into Him, but certain you have felt His presence near! Let’s draw near to Him!
C. THE CALL
1. We want to pray for our college students, that God will give you discernment and not let you be swayed by false persuasions. Please stand. [Pray]
2. Are you here today and you want to take your first step toward God? You want to accept the forgiveness and peace Jesus Christ offers you? Slip your hand up. [Prayer]
3. Prayer for minds renewed after the Scriptures. “How many will commit to reading the Bible daily? Stand. [Pray]
See graphics below
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/16440/how-many-new-testament-manuscripts-do-we-really-have
