Question 1: Why believe?

Sep 24, 2006   //   by rich   //   My Big Question  //  No Comments

OK, here are the notes from the message I’m giving today. I’ll be leaving time for discussion during the services, but if you didn’t get a chance to ask your question, or you just thought of a new one, or maybe you just want to add your two cents — go right ahead! Like I said in the comments on the Intro week, just keep it clean. And polite. And honest. 🙂


WHY BELIEVE?
September 24, 2006

Review: Questions are good!
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. – Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV)

Two traps to avoid:
1. Thinking you have all the answers.
2. Thinking there aren’t any answers.

Today’s question: Why believe?

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. – Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

Faith has two parts:

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must [1] believe that he exists and [2] that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

1. Believing that something is true (certainty, conviction)
“I believe that God exists. I’m convinced that Jesus rose from the dead.”

2. Believing in a person (confidence, trust)
“I’m confident that God loves me. I’m trusting Jesus to lead my life.”

So why do people believe in God? People have different reasons…
(from Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Faith, chapter 2)

1. God makes sense of the universe’s origin.
2. God makes sense of the universe’s complexity.
3. God makes sense of objective moral values.
4. God makes sense of the resurrection.
5. God can immediately be experienced.
6.
7.

For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. – Romans 8:16 (NLT)

But doesn’t science contradict the Bible? How can both be true?
“Two books” idea: nature & the Bible

  • Nature is God’s revelation of himself in the world.
    • Science is our interpretation of nature.
  • The Bible is God’s revelation of himself in his Word.
    • Theology is our interpretation of the Bible.

Whenever there is a conflict between science and theology, the problem is with our interpretation, not God’s revelation.

So why believe in Jesus and the Christian version of God?
1. Personal experience (the Holy Spirit)
2. The New Testament witness

  • Contain eyewitness testimony
  • Written very early, no time for legends to develop
  • Vast number of copies show no major changes over the years
  • Fit with known history and archeology

3. His resurrection

  • Empty tomb
  • Post-resurrection appearances
  • Changed lives of his followers

One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”
Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life. – John 20:24-31 (NLT)

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