"The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands" (Psalm 19:1).
Because the heavens declare God's glory, He must certainly exist. It has been said by the many that you can't prove that God exists. For the carnal mind that is certainly true, but for those who God has called and have excepted Jesus Christ as their Savior it is a matter of faith. As the apostle Paul wrote, "We live by faith not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
In the Scriptures God reveals Himself through nature we learn about His power and our finiteness. As God reveals Himself through the scriptures we learn about His holiness and our sinfulness. When God reveals himself through our daily experiences we learn about His gracious forgiveness and our salvation. Every twenty four hours we are surrounded by fantastic displays of God's craftsmanship and the heavens certainly give dramatic evidence of His existence.
The fourth commandment is difficult for most, for it states, "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Exodus 20:11). It is hard for the human mind to except that God could create the universe and all that is in it in six days. Yet that is what true Christians must believe by faith. Not to do so is to side with worldly science and reject God's word. Therefore, let us look at some evidence that proves that God indeed does exist!
Proof One: A Cause Demands A Causer: We must remember the fact that it is impossible to prove that God does not exist. Science itself will admit to this truth.
First of all let's begin with ourselves. We are the product of a cause. A man and woman came together and when the information from the man joined with the information from the woman we were conceived immediately. Our parents are the cause of our existence. We can't deny that! Given that we exist by causality, it can also be demonstrated that even the Universe must have had a great "Causer."
Everything that comes to be has a cause. Using this statement of the principle of causality, the existence of a "First Cause" can be demonstrated as follows. "Everything that comes to be is caused by another." The Universe came to be. Therefore, "the universe was caused by another." This principle of causality asserts that everything that has a beginning (and so is finite) needs a cause. God, of course has no beginning, He is Eternal. If the Universe had no beginning, then it does not need a cause of its beginning. Science itself proves by the laws of thermodynamics that the Universe had a beginning. Ultimately the universe needs a "Causer" that does not have a beginning, for the Universe cannot spring into being out of nothing! "In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). This obviously refers, not to the functioning of the universe but to its Genesis.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Christ The Life
CHRIST THE LIFE!
There is a great difference between telling someone about life and actually living life. Jesus, the one who lives is the one who possesses life, and the more perfect one lives, the more life one possesses. Jesus Christ lived perfectly; therefore, He possesses life perfectly. He is the Life: the very embodiment, energy, force, and source of life itself.
In biblical perspective, life flows from the living Father through the Son (His agent in creation and redemption) into a world thirsting for “real” life (John 6:57).
The overflowing vibrant quality of life made available in Christ was evident in the authority of His speech and the power of His touch (Matthew 9:18; Mark 1:27, 41, 42; 5:27—29).
He is the “author of life” (Acts 3:15 “Him who has led the way to life”, constantly advising how to enter into life (Matthew 7:14; 25:46; Mark 8:35—37; 9:43—47). And He raised the dead.
His own resurrection made Him “ a life-giving spirit,” with the power of “an indestructible life” (Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews 7:16), so infinitely extending human life’s horizons (1 Peter 1:3—5).
Jesus is “Christ our life” (Colossians 3:4), in union with whom we find “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) and are newly created, living hence forth not for ourselves but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15, 17).
John especially dwells on Christ as the source of this new quality of life (John 3:14—16; 5:21), that of the children of God.
Thus the life within the Father flows into the world through the Son, who also “has life in Himself” and gives it to whom He will (John 5:26). He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25; 14:6), and demonstrates it by restoring life to paralyzed limbs, raising the dead and conquering death (John 5:5—9; 11:43). Men remain in death only because they will not “come and have life” (John 5:40; 1 John 3:14).
There is a great difference between telling someone about life and actually living life. Jesus, the one who lives is the one who possesses life, and the more perfect one lives, the more life one possesses. Jesus Christ lived perfectly; therefore, He possesses life perfectly. He is the Life: the very embodiment, energy, force, and source of life itself.
In biblical perspective, life flows from the living Father through the Son (His agent in creation and redemption) into a world thirsting for “real” life (John 6:57).
The overflowing vibrant quality of life made available in Christ was evident in the authority of His speech and the power of His touch (Matthew 9:18; Mark 1:27, 41, 42; 5:27—29).
He is the “author of life” (Acts 3:15 “Him who has led the way to life”, constantly advising how to enter into life (Matthew 7:14; 25:46; Mark 8:35—37; 9:43—47). And He raised the dead.
His own resurrection made Him “ a life-giving spirit,” with the power of “an indestructible life” (Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews 7:16), so infinitely extending human life’s horizons (1 Peter 1:3—5).
Jesus is “Christ our life” (Colossians 3:4), in union with whom we find “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) and are newly created, living hence forth not for ourselves but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15, 17).
John especially dwells on Christ as the source of this new quality of life (John 3:14—16; 5:21), that of the children of God.
Thus the life within the Father flows into the world through the Son, who also “has life in Himself” and gives it to whom He will (John 5:26). He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25; 14:6), and demonstrates it by restoring life to paralyzed limbs, raising the dead and conquering death (John 5:5—9; 11:43). Men remain in death only because they will not “come and have life” (John 5:40; 1 John 3:14).
Saturday, January 16, 2010
JESUS THE TRUTH!
Jesus said, “I am the Way the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). Truth never changes and is always timely; it applies today and in the future. The Scriptures we read today we can be sure are true because they are connected with God’s changeless character. We must consider the centuries that have passed since the words of the Bible were penned. Hours upon hours have been spent in careful study of every sentence of Scripture. The Bible has withstood the test of time. Because God is truth, you can trust Jesus Christ, the Word of God to be true and a perfect guide for all people.
There is a difference between telling someone about the truth and living the truth before them. The one who lives the truth literally becomes the truth therefore Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth. Through the person of Jesus Christ God shows man what He is like. To see a perfect picture of the truth of God look at Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Great communicator of truth. He Himself, His Person and His Life makes things perfectly clear. Jesus is the one who reveals the ultimate source and meaning and end of all things. By Jesus the truth of man himself and the world surrounding man is revealed, showing man the way to truth and enabling him to choose the right way to the truth.
Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Jesus Christ is our great liberator of truth. There is a great gulf of (estrangement) which exists between man and God. He sets men free from the frustrations, fears, weaknesses, and defects that plague him.
When Jesus spoke of “knowing the truth” He was speaking of knowing God’s revelation to people. This revelation is embodied in Jesus Himself, the Word; therefore, to know the truth is to know Jesus. The truth is not political freedom or intellectual knowledge. Knowing the truth means accepting it, obeying it, and regarding it above all earthly opinion. By doing so, we have true spiritual freedom from sin and death. As believers in Jesus Christ our savior we have the Holy Spirit living with in us and guiding us on our journey through life.
to be continued
There is a difference between telling someone about the truth and living the truth before them. The one who lives the truth literally becomes the truth therefore Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth. Through the person of Jesus Christ God shows man what He is like. To see a perfect picture of the truth of God look at Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Great communicator of truth. He Himself, His Person and His Life makes things perfectly clear. Jesus is the one who reveals the ultimate source and meaning and end of all things. By Jesus the truth of man himself and the world surrounding man is revealed, showing man the way to truth and enabling him to choose the right way to the truth.
Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Jesus Christ is our great liberator of truth. There is a great gulf of (estrangement) which exists between man and God. He sets men free from the frustrations, fears, weaknesses, and defects that plague him.
When Jesus spoke of “knowing the truth” He was speaking of knowing God’s revelation to people. This revelation is embodied in Jesus Himself, the Word; therefore, to know the truth is to know Jesus. The truth is not political freedom or intellectual knowledge. Knowing the truth means accepting it, obeying it, and regarding it above all earthly opinion. By doing so, we have true spiritual freedom from sin and death. As believers in Jesus Christ our savior we have the Holy Spirit living with in us and guiding us on our journey through life.
to be continued
THE WAY!
Jesus did not leave us guessing about the way to eternal life. Jesus made it clear, though the way to eternal life is not seen, it is certain! Jesus has already prepared the way to eternal life, for He is the Way! There is only one issue left, our willingness to believe!
In the fourteenth chapter of John verse four Jesus told his disciples “you know where I am going and how to get there.” What Jesus was doing was to invite them to stand up and declare their ignorance, so that they might be willing to receive the truth.
It was Thomas in verse 5 who expressed lack of understanding by saying, “ We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way? It is obvious that the disciples just like people today are thinking in the terms of this world—time and space. So going means to move from one place to another in a physical sense. So in John 14:6 Jesus replied by saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” Jesus wanted them to understand that the destination is not a physical place but a person (the Father), and that the way to that destination is another person (the Son).
Therefore, Jesus is the Way to the Father, It is clear that Jesus is the Truth, the reality of all God’s promises; and Jesus is the Life as He joins His divine life to ours, both now and eternally. Jesus is the Way leading believers to the truth and life.
In the end, the disciples did finally get the message. But at first they were thinking very worldly, that Jesus was about to lead them to set up the Kingdom of God on earth, freeing Israel and establishing it as the greatest nation on earth at that time. Then, all of a sudden, Jesus began to talk about going away, and telling them that they could not follow Him. They were very disappointed to say the least.
There is a difference between pointing the way to a particular place and taking someone by the hand to lead him there. The person who guides someone to his destination literally becomes the way Himself. Jesus Christ not only points out how to walk through life and how to reach the Father. He personally shows the person the way. Therefore He Himself is the Way.
The disciples needed to understand that Jesus opened the way and is the way to the Father for them then and there, and not to be preoccupied with the thought of Jesus going away. They needed to discern the meaning of Jesus’ time with them and respond to Him as their Savior. Jesus is the way and the way is open for all people if they will accept Him as the Son of God the Father and accept the Sacrifice He made. The death and resurrection of Jesus had not yet occurred at that time and the Holy Spirit had not yet been made available to help the disciples understand.
to be continued
In the fourteenth chapter of John verse four Jesus told his disciples “you know where I am going and how to get there.” What Jesus was doing was to invite them to stand up and declare their ignorance, so that they might be willing to receive the truth.
It was Thomas in verse 5 who expressed lack of understanding by saying, “ We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way? It is obvious that the disciples just like people today are thinking in the terms of this world—time and space. So going means to move from one place to another in a physical sense. So in John 14:6 Jesus replied by saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” Jesus wanted them to understand that the destination is not a physical place but a person (the Father), and that the way to that destination is another person (the Son).
Therefore, Jesus is the Way to the Father, It is clear that Jesus is the Truth, the reality of all God’s promises; and Jesus is the Life as He joins His divine life to ours, both now and eternally. Jesus is the Way leading believers to the truth and life.
In the end, the disciples did finally get the message. But at first they were thinking very worldly, that Jesus was about to lead them to set up the Kingdom of God on earth, freeing Israel and establishing it as the greatest nation on earth at that time. Then, all of a sudden, Jesus began to talk about going away, and telling them that they could not follow Him. They were very disappointed to say the least.
There is a difference between pointing the way to a particular place and taking someone by the hand to lead him there. The person who guides someone to his destination literally becomes the way Himself. Jesus Christ not only points out how to walk through life and how to reach the Father. He personally shows the person the way. Therefore He Himself is the Way.
The disciples needed to understand that Jesus opened the way and is the way to the Father for them then and there, and not to be preoccupied with the thought of Jesus going away. They needed to discern the meaning of Jesus’ time with them and respond to Him as their Savior. Jesus is the way and the way is open for all people if they will accept Him as the Son of God the Father and accept the Sacrifice He made. The death and resurrection of Jesus had not yet occurred at that time and the Holy Spirit had not yet been made available to help the disciples understand.
to be continued
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