What is the foundation of our Faith? Why do we believe what we do?

Transcription

1 What is the foundation of our Faith? Why do we believe what we do? The Foundation of our Faith is the Word of God. It is the Highest Authority. It is The Final Authority. Period! All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (NLT Translation) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 NLT Translation We believe based upon Faith, but also Facts, as well as shear accuracy of the Biblical Text. There are around 2,500 Prophecies found in the Holy Bible 2,000 of them have already come to pass. Exactly How they Predicted, When they Predicted, and where they Predicted. With 100% Accuracy. The remaining 500 prophecies have to do with end time events yet to take place. Science Agrees with The Holy Bible It is he who sits above the circle of the earth... Isaiah 40:22 Isaiah wrote this when men thought the earth was flat ("circle" = "a circle, sphere" -- Gesenius). Today we have pictures taken from space to show the earth's shape, but how did Isaiah know? He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. Job 26:7 How is the earth held up? By 4 huge pillars,on the back of Atlas, it is hung on nothing. Ancient men believed many errors. How did Job know the truth? The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. Psalm 8:8

2 Men knew of no paths in the sea until Matthew Maury read this verse and determined to find them. He discovered the ocean currents, and became known as the Father of Oceanography. (Impact, 9/91, pp. 3,4). The Bible has contradicted unproved theories, but properly understood it has never contradicted any proved scientific fact. Yet it has often stated scientific truths centuries before men knew them. While the Bible has been repeatedly proved accurate, those who criticize the Bible have been consistently unable to disprove it. This surely strengthens our faith in other Bible teachings. 1. The Hittite nation Archeology Agrees with The Holy Bible The Bible frequently mentions this ancient nation (2 Sam. 11:3ff; Gen. 15:19-21; Num. 13:29; Josh. 3:10), but for years skeptics said the Bible was wrong. Then in 1906, Hugo Winckler excavated Hattusa, the Hittite capital. We now know that, at its height, the Hittite civilization rivaled Egypt and Assyria in glory! (See Biblical World, pp. 290ff.) 2. Pithom and Raamses The Bible says that Israelite slaves built these Egyptian cities using bricks of clay mixed with straw, then clay and stubble, then clay alone (Ex. 1:11; 5:10-21). In 1883, Naville examined the ruins of Pithom and found all three types of brick. (See Biblical World, pp. 458,459.) 3. The Book of Acts Sir William Ramsay was a skeptic who sought to disprove Acts by tracing Paul's journeys. Instead, his examination made him a firm believer in the accuracy of the book! The turning point came when he proved that, contrary to accepted scholarship, the Bible was right when it implied Iconium was in a different region from Lystra and Derbe (Acts 14:6). (See Archaeology and Bible History, Free, p. 317.) "...it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries." -- Dr. Nelson Glueck (Rivers in the Desert, p. 31) Evolution Has No Proof, True Science Require Hard Evidence No one can deny the existence of the universe. The question is: what is the origin of the universe? One of the most firmly established laws of science is the Law of Bio-genesis, which says that life comes only from living things. There is no evidence that dead matter can spontaneously generate life.

3 The Bible agrees with scientific fact, for it says that life came from the eternal, living Creator (cf. Acts 14:15). However, evolution contradicts scientific proof, since it requires that dead matter sometime spontaneously came to life. Which view best fits the evidence? The is no Missing Link, It has never been found. Every year millions of living things reproduce, and the offspring is always the same kind as the parent. This is exactly what the Bible says. The offspring of dogs will be other dogs, not fish, birds, or people! Evolution, however, teaches that all the present kinds are the offspring of previous different kinds, all the way back to one original life-form. But there is no convincing evidence for this. Living things adapt to their environment, but where is the proof that they produce totally different kinds of living things (fish to reptile to bird, etc.)? If evolution was true, there should be many fossils of intermediate "links" between present kinds of living things. However, the "links" are still missing! Try to name one thing that has these characteristics: (1) It appeals to your intelligence -- it "makes sense" as a logical, reasonable way to accomplish some purpose. But, (2) you know it did not originate as the effort of some intelligent being -- it "just happened" by blind chance. Can you name any such thing? A car? house? bridge? Cameras are designed by intelligent beings, but no camera can match the overall performance of the human eye. Where did your eyes come from? Computers are made by intelligent beings, but the human brain can surpass computers in many ways. Where did your brain come from? Factories are made by intelligent beings to manufacture a product. But who made the human reproductive system? "For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God" (Hebrews 3:4). When you consider all the organs of the human body, then all the other plants and animals, the heavenly bodies, and all the complex laws of nature, is it reasonable to argue that all this came without intelligent planning? Every effect must have an adequate cause! Evolution says that life began by blind chance and then random mutations produced all advanced life forms. The Bible, however, says that the all-wise, all-powerful, living God intentionally planned and created the universe and all the life forms in it. As you reach your verdict, you must determine which view is more reasonable and best fits the evidence.

4 The Unity of The Holy Bible The Bible includes 66 books written by 40 different men over 1500 years. These were men of widely different generations, localities and backgrounds. There were kings, slaves, fisherman, physicians, etc. They lived in Israel, Babylon, or Rome, from 1400 BC to 100 AD But their writings, when collected, show no contradictions. Paul does not disagree with Moses, John does not argue with David, etc., though they wrote on the most controversial subjects known to man. Instead, their teachings strengthen and support one another. Some skeptics claim contradictions exist in the Bible, but ask them to produce one! Most will not even try. Usually they have never really studied the Bible, but are taking someone else's word about it. Proper study can reconcile any supposed contradictions that are suggested. Mere human wisdom could never achieve such unity. Consider religious teachers who do write by their own wisdom. Can you find even two who completely agree? Many times just one man will eventually contradict himself! How then could 40 men of such different backgrounds agree so completely? The answer must be that they were not writing by their own wisdom! The Bible cannot possibly be the product of 40 different minds. It must be the product of one supreme Mind, just as it claims. This witness testifies that: (1) God must exist, since only a Supreme Being could write such a book as the Bible, and (2) the Bible is a message from that Supreme Being. The Accuracy and the Unity of The Holy Bible Prove it's Divinity A scientist picked out 48 such prophecies and determined that the probability of one man randomly fulfilling them all is 1 in 10 to the exponent of 157. That is one followed by 157 zeros! Your chances of winning a typical lottery jackpot is about 1 in 108. (100,000,000) Yet, Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies! Concerning his birth Prophesied Fulfilled 1. Born of the seed of woman Gen 3:15 Gal 4:4

5 2. Born of a virgin Isa 7:14 Mt 1: Seed of Abraham Gen 22:18 Mt 1:1 4. Seed of Isaac Gen 21:12 Lk 3: Seed of Jacob Num 24:17 Lk 3:34 6. Seed of David Jer 23:5 Lk 3:31 7. Tribe of Judah Gen 49:10 Rev 5:5 8. Family line of Jesse Isa 11:1 Lk 3:32 9. Born in Bethlehem Mic 5:2 Mt 2: Herod kills the children Jer 31:15 Mt 2:16-18 Concerning his nature Prophesied Fulfilled 11. He pre-existed creation Mic 5:2 1 Pet 1: He shall be called Lord Ps 110:1 Acts 2: Called Immanuel (God with us) Isa 7:14 Mt 1: Prophet Deut 18:18-19 Acts 3: Priest Ps 110:4 Heb 5: Judge Isa 33:22 Jn 5: King Ps 2:6 Jn 18: Anointed by the Spirit Isa 11:2 Mt 3: His zeal for God Ps 69:9 Jn 2:15-17 Concerning his ministry Prophesied Fulfilled 20. Preceded by a messenger Isa 40:3 Mt 3: To begin in Galilee Isa 9:1-2 Mt 4: Ministry of Miracles Isa 35:5-6 Mt 9:35;11:4 23. Teacher of parables Ps 78:1-4 Mt 13: He was to enter the temple Mal 3:1 Mt 21: Enter Jerusalem on donkey Zech 9:9 Mt 21: Stone of stumbling to Jews Isa 28:16; Ps 118:22 1 Pet 2: Light to Gentiles Isa 49:6 Acts 13:46-48 The day Jesus was crucified Prophesied Fulfilled 28. Betrayed by a friend Ps 41:9 Jn 13: Sold for 30 pieces of silver Zech 11:12 Mt 26:14-15

6 pieces thrown in Temple Zech 11:13 Mt 27: pieces buys potters field Zech 11:13 Mt 27: Forsaken by His disciples Zech 13:7 Mk 14: Accused by false witnesses Ps 35: Mt 26: Silent before accusers Isa 53:7 Mt 27: Wounded and bruised Isa 53:4-6 1 Pet 2: Beaten and spit upon Isa 50:6 Mt 26: Mocked Ps 22:6-8 Mt 27: Fell under the cross Ps 109:24-25 Jn 19:17; Lk23: Hands and feet pierced Ps 22:16 Jn 20: Crucified with thieves Isa 53:12 Mt 27: Prayed for enemies Isa 53:12 Lk 23: Rejected by His own people Isa 53:3 Jn 19: Hated without cause Ps 69:4 Jn 15: Friends stood aloof Ps 38:11 Lk22:54;23: People wag their heads Ps 22:7;109:25 Mt 27: People stared at Him Ps 22:17 Lk 23: Cloths divided and gambled for Ps 22:18 Jn 19: Became very thirsty Ps 22:15 Jn 19: Gall and vinegar offered Him Ps 69:21 Mt 27: His forsaken cry Ps 22:1 Mt 27: Committed Himself to God Ps 31:5 Lk 23: Bones not broken Ps 34:20 Jn 19: Heart broken Ps 69:20;22:14 Jn 19: His side pierced Zech 12:10 Jn 19: Darkness over the land Amos 8:9 Lk 23: Buried in rich man's tomb Isa 53:9 Mt 27:57-60 His Resurrection & Ascension Prophesied Fulfilled 57. Raised from the dead Ps 16:8-11 Acts 2: Begotten as Son of God Ps 2:7 Acts 13: Ascended to God Ps 68:18 Eph 2: Seated beside God Ps 110:1 Heb 1:3+13

7 Our Foundation in which our Faith is built upon is strong. When we know these facts concerning the Bibles' Accuracy, it's agreement with Science, and it's ultimate Divinity we can believe and share our Faith with confidence.