"Faith to Doubt" A Sermon Illustration about Rationality & Christianity. The Faith to Doubt Christianity, The Gospel Coalition

Transcription

1 FAITH, Vol. 2

2 "Faith to Doubt" A Sermon Illustration about Rationality & Christianity Timothy Keller believes that it takes faith to doubt Christianity. He explains, First, I try to show that it takes faith to doubt Christianity, because any worldview is based on assumptions. For example, the person who says, 'I can only believe in something if it can be rationally or empirically proven' must realize that this itself is a statement of faith. This verification principle cannot actually be proven rationally or empirically, making it an assertion or a claim, not an argument. Furthermore, there are all sorts of things you can't prove rationally or empirically. You can't prove to me that you're not really a butterfly dreaming you're a person. You can't prove most of the things you believe, so at least recognize that you have faith. I normally make this point by considering an objection to Christianity, to show that at the heart is some sort of faith assumption. The Faith to Doubt Christianity, The Gospel Coalition Source: Application: Thomas fell prey to his assumptions and thus doubted Christ s resurrection. We often do the same, even with everyday thoughts and actions. We must remember that while we cannot empirically prove His resurrection, we can trust the Holy Spirit to minister to us in our times of doubt.

3 "Lord of the Rings" A Sermon Illustration about Persevering in the Faith Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring Application: We know that to choose Christ is not the easiest thing, though it is most worthwhile. We can cling to our hope in him when our circumstances are hard and seem unending.

4 "Unbroken" A Sermon Illustration About the Faith to Forgive In 2010, Laura Hillenbrand released a book entitled Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. She shared Louis Zamperini s experience as a Japanese prisoner of war, and his later release and conversion to Christianity. His story is unbelievably dark at times and yet he still forgave the most ruthless of his captors in person. Hillenbrand wrote of Zamperini, His conviction that everything happened for a reason, and would come to good, gave him laughing equanimity even in hard times. Application: Though at first his perseverance was rooted in a strong belief in himself, Zamperini later found forgiveness and freedom by placing his faith in Christ. Only then was he truly free of his POW experience and able to heal fully. The Lord is kind to us even in our unbelief but we are able to truly persevere when we place our trust in Him.

5 "Why Trust the Bible?" A Sermon Illustration About the Faith to Trust Pastor Greg Gilbert wrote a book called Why Trust the Bible? In an interview about his book, he said, If the Bible is reliable, then the logical conclusion to draw is that what the authors are saying really is true above all, that they witnessed Jesus being crucified and then raised from the dead. And once you grant that, Yes, it really is highly likely that Jesus rose from the dead not just religiously or metaphorically, but historically then everything changes. All of a sudden, you realize that the deeper question, the one that the Bible has been pointing to all along, is really Is Jesus reliable? Is he really who he said he is? Does he really do what he says he came to do? Once you arrive at a trust in the Bible, you walk into a whole new world of learning about the man who stands at its heart and center Jesus, who is called Christ. Source: Application: As Gilbert says, trusting that the Bible is true means knowing who Christ is and what that means for your life. The impact is huge.

6 "By Faith" A Sermon Illustration About the Hope of Christ Keith & Kristyn Getty s song "By Faith" is a powerful anthem for Christians to remember the story of our faith and how God calls us to be part of his story. See this excerpt: By faith we see the hand of God In the light of creation s grand design In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness Who walk by faith and not by sight" Source: Application: The story of scripture is beautifully told in these verses and chorus. Our hope is fixed on Christ alone and we can persevere through all of life s trials because of Him.