Faith, Intellect, Doubt, and Reality

 
Faith, Intellect, Doubt, and Reality How Do You Recognize what is Reality and Truth? By Pastor Dan Kennedy © January 4, 2015 www.pastorkennedy.com Many people today proclaim that there is no God. King David had specific words for atheists and skeptical agnostics: The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. Psalm 14:1 (ESV) We can learn and know a huge amount of information about God and the Bible…from our childhood; but, because of other experiences, emotions, trials, tragedies, sexuality, and/or so-called philosophies; we can still decide: “There is no God”; or, “The God of the Bible is not my god.” Today, I would like to explore with you, aspects of reason, why God is there, but simply convincing parts of your intellect that it may be reasonable to believe that there is a God will not convince your spirit to put your faith in His Salvation. Each of us works through our foundational beliefs in a series of affirming and re-confirming dynamics – through things which we experience, both positive and negative. • Hearing, • Experiencing, • Confirming, • Going through Trials, • Re-confirming, • Testing, • Reading and Studying • Believing, • Re-testing, • Watching, • Experiencing, • Feeling, • Confirming, • Believing, • Growing and Maturing in our Faith It isn’t just one special event that propels us to mature faith, but a gentle growth and sometime rough jostling in faith from a series of experiences, that give depth to our faith in God and in Salvation through Christ. Paul writes about the series of events that brings the presentation of the Gospel of Christ to those in the world: Romans 10:13–17 o 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” o 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? o And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? o And how are they to hear without someone preaching? o 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” o 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. …These verses show us a progression of sending, going, preaching, hearing, knowing, and receiving the gospel of Christ. In Christian Maturity, there is also a process of confirmation and growing in the understanding and deepening of one’s faith. Is there a God? Let’s go back to the basics. In establishing a few confirmations of God’s Presence during the time we have for this message, let’s begin with a non-traditional apologetic revealing God’s Presence. The Confirming Presence of God’s Love There is a God and this God who created our universe is Love. The Love of God is the Personal, Intellectual, Emotional and Inter-relational Evidence of His Existence and the Existence of His Eternal Kingdom. God and His Kingdom are not built on fear, domination, intimidation, blackmail, bribes, kickbacks, backbiting, gossip, good-old-boy networks, subservience, political correctness, deceit, graft and murder. God’s Kingdom is unique. It is built on Love. This reveals the Nature of God’s Presence and the Genuine Care of His Person. It reveals God’s Care for You and me! What a difference from the kingdom of darkness, which rules this world! When those who are born into God’s Kingdom perceive His principles of Love, we are warmed, blessed and challenged by these foundational principles of His Kingdom – and we rejoice that God is there and His Kingdom is established on that which lasts Forever. A short time ago I was reviewing well-known verses from 1 Corinthians 13: 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NIV) 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. Parallel this with what is consistent with norms in the world around us…with many who do not believe in an Almighty, Creator God. Love (How does the world normally define “love”?) God’s Love is Patient. The world is Impatience (We want whatever “it” is, and we want “it” now!) God’s Love is Kind. Worldly kindness is often relative to how we feel or how we want to treat others. God’s Love does not Envy. Envy is commonplace in the world. God’s Love does not Boast. We often promote ourselves and our agendas through boasting. God’s Love is not proud and arrogant. The world proudly flaunts its accomplishments. God’s Love is not rude. The world doesn’t treat or talk nice about those they do not like. God’s Love is not self-seeking and insistent on its own way. The world runs over anyone who gets in his or her way. God’s Love is not irritable and angry. If we don’t like something, our default is often irritableness or anger. God’s Love does not resentfully remember the wrongs done against us. It is normal in the world, to be resentful toward those who disrespect us or treat us wrongly…waiting for the time to “get even”. God’s Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing. The world glamorizes and promotes wrongdoing, profaneness, immorality, godlessness, irreverence and revenge, etc., etc… God’s Love rejoices with the truth. The world hedges on truth if it does not promote one’s own image, success or wellbeing. God’s Love bears all things. The world’s love is fickle. “If it doesn’t feel good don’t do it.” God’s Love believes all things. The world’s love is skeptical…about almost everything, but its self! God’s Love hopes all things. The world’s love has lost hope in everything but “self”. God’s Love endures all things. In the context of the world’s love, it doesn’t take much for one to give up at a hint of adversity, pain, or fear. God’s Love never fails… Other things end, but God’s Love never ends! The world’s love is transient, fickle, changeable, and is most often terminal…on a whim. Doesn’t this passage stir your heart (if you are God’s Child) to act upon and portray more of God’s Love? • To be more patient and kind. • To not be envious or boastful. • To not be arrogant or rude. • To not be insistent on your own way. • To not be irritable or resentful. • To not rejoice at wrongdoing, but to rejoice with the truth. • To bear all things, believe all things, hope in all things, • And to endure all things. • To be blessed with a quality that is eternal! • To personally enjoy, right now, God’s holy and precious dynamic of Love that will never end! What causes us to believe something is true? 1. An assumed statement of Truth 2. Supporting Elements 3. Accrued Belief, with continuing supporting elements 4. A Spiritual work by the Holy Spirit. What are supporting elements in the belief of an All Powerful, Creator God? 1. Love. We have spent most of our time today looking at the dynamic of Love to support the existence of a unique loving God and His Kingdom. 2. Nature’s Laws. There are laws throughout our universe that are consistently obeyed by all of nature, which allow us to live abundantly in a finely tuned and extremely complex world. Many of nature’s laws (or principles) that have been discovered, scientists have catalogued under the titles such as “the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy, etc.” No human being has had anything to do with the creation of these universal laws, only their cataloguing. Without the complete functionality of these laws, nothing would exist, as we know it, or nothing would exist at all. Who created these laws? 3. The Human Body and Consciousness. The human body is profoundly designed, crafted and birthed to be a home for our spirit’s consciousness – a consciousness that is intelligent, organized, creative, thoughtful, moral, for purpose-driven beings. 4. Nature. The Nature all around us is abundant and delightful in its diversity and profound regeneration of life. Nature, though, has ironclad restrictions for each of its species. At latest count, there are some 8.74 million species on earth. Species are restricted to only regenerate continuing life within the boundaries of their own specie. Only an All-Powerful God could create such a planet filled with prolific, abundant and exquisitely diverse forms of land, winged and aquatic life – living things and beings! 5. The Universe. The Universe is profoundly filled with billions and billions of brilliant and beautiful galaxies, displaying trillions and trillions of stars, which only in our recent generations, astronomers have been able to observe. And, our human observations are limited to only a fraction of the vastness of space. As mentioned earlier, we can learn and know a huge amount of information about God and the Bible…even from our childhood, but because of other experiences, emotions, trials, tragedies, sexuality, and/or so-called philosophies; we can still decide: “There is no God”; or, “The Creator God of the Bible is not my god.” To seek to provide reasonable avenues for your intellect to explore regarding belief that there is a God, will not convince your spirit and transform you to put your faith in His Salvation. That is His Gift of Salvation, by His Spirit, given to those who believe in His Name. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) I, like the preachers for thousands of years gone by, have been sent to teach you from the Scripture, God’s Holy Word, the Bible. Now it is up to you to receive as Truth, the Gospel of Salvation. o Jesus Christ, God’s sinless Son, died for our sins – (to cleanse us from our guilt before a Holy God). o Christ was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the Scripture – (there is a resurrection from the dead). 1 Corinthians 15:3–6 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. The Resurrection of the Dead 1 Corinthians 15:12–14; 20; 22-25 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep…. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. o Those who receive Jesus Christ, as their personal sacrifice for sin, being born again by His Holy Spirit (John 3), will become Children of the Most High God and be taken to live with Him in His Eternal Kingdom. John 1:11–12 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…. God’s Love Challenges us, as Believers in Jesus Christ, to live a life of Love: • To be more patient and kind. • To not be envious or boastful. • To not be arrogant or rude. • To not be insistent on your own way. • To not be irritable or resentful. • To not rejoice at wrongdoing, but to rejoice with the truth. • To bear all things, believe all things, hope in all things, • And, to endure all things. • To be blessed with a quality that is eternal! • To personally enjoy, right now, God’s holy and precious dynamic of Love that will never end! May we, who are God’s Children, build into our lives those things that are true, those things that are honorable to God, and those things that are right; and, may we be led by God’s Holy Spirit, to live a life pleasing to Him, reaching out to others for His Kingdom’s sake! http://www.pastorkennedy.comshapeimage_1_link_0