Prayer, Holiness and Meditation

I Timothy 2

Most of Paul's letters were written to churches in Greece and Asia Minor, churches in places like Corinth, Philippi and Ephesus. It's easy to accept these letters as being intended for all churches in all times, and seek to live our lives according to the instructions given. On the other hand, when it comes to the books called "Timothy" and "Titus," we identify them as personal letters and call them "Pastoral Epistles."

This particular letter, I Timothy, has a lot of significance for me because it was used to confirm my own call into the ministry when I was a very young teenager. It happened during a Sunday evening service when my Pastor, Harold Hanson, was giving a Bible teaching, and asking volunteers to look up and read Scripture verses. The verse I was assigned was II Timothy 1:12, but I mistakenly read I Timothy 1:12, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry." (KJV) The Pastor paused a moment, and then said, "Actually Neil has read the wrong verse, but perhaps we should understand that this is to be prophetic." Indeed it was.

Due to the fact that these letters are called "Pastoral Epistles," the tendency of some Christians is to skip over them because, obviously, they are written for church leaders. However, that's really not true because, although these letters were written to Pastors Timothy and Titus, they were intended to help those leaders know how to instruct the members of their churches, as we clearly see in I Timothy 3:14+15, "Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

So while these letters from the Apostle represent a kind of leadership manual for pastors, "here's what to do and how to do it," they are also intended to provide instructions for all Christians.

In this short chapter, I Timothy 2, Paul relates to Timothy what are the responsibilities of both men and women in the church worship services.

Notice how Paul priorities these instructions, "first" for the men, they are to lead in prayer. Why is it, that in a culture which insists that men take the leadership in almost every sector, we let them off the hook when it comes to prayer? Men want to be in charge, men want to make the decisions, men want to be king of their castle and tell the servants (otherwise known as wife and children) what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. No where does the Bible support the idea of a top-down hierarchy for the family - the military model is not at all appropriate for the Christian family. What is called for is leadership in spiritual matters - the husband/father is to be the priest of the home. Then those men who demonstrate their fulfillment of this role in the home are candidates to become spiritual leaders in the church, and a spiritual leader always leads in prayer.

It should be noted that in the Greek language two different words are used for our word "man". The first, "anthropos," is found several times in this passage, and is usually referring to "mankind":

requests should be made for all mankind (v.1);
God wants all mankind to be saved (v.4);
there's one mediator between God and mankind (v.5);
the word is also used of Jesus who came to be the Savior for all mankind (v.6).

The other word is "aner" and specifically refers to the male gender. By the way, there is no gender confusion with God. When He created mankind, He created them male and female with a clear distinction between them, readily observed. We laugh at the silliness of the man who was asked if his wife had a boy or girl. He had just come out of the delivery room, and he responded, "How should I know, the baby didn't have any clothes on." Never has any man been born who was destined to be a mother, or woman to be a husband. In this chapter, the word for husband is used twice - males are to pray, and wives are not to usurp authority over their husbands.

That brings up a thorny subject, women in leadership. Too often this scripture has been used to bar women from positions of teaching and leadership. Is that what "keep silent" means? If we put this teaching in the context of Paul's other teachings, as well as his obvious practice, that cannot be the case.

In New Testament churches, women were allowed to prophesy (Acts 21:9; I Corinthians 11:5), and held leadership positions (Philippians 4:2,3; Romans 16:1; Junia is even called an "Apostle" - Romans 16:7).

Obviously, here, as he often does elsewhere, Paul is giving a directive which is particular to the church situation in Ephesus, not a general directive which should be applied to all churches everywhere. To argue that no women anywhere, any time, should lead or teach will not stand up in the light of the rest of Scripture.

In addition, I'm sure Paul would agree with Peter that men shouldn't "usurp" authority either (I Peter 5:3 and Ephesus 5:21 - "submit to one another"). In fact this is very consistently clear from Jesus on, leadership is always nothing more than servanthood.

Also, no where in Scripture can there be found a mandate to divide the Spiritual gifts along gender lines (teaching and leadership are both on the gift-list), and;

To say only men were disciples and apostles is to ignore the fact that there were women disciples (Luke 8:2) and women were sent ("apostello") to broadcast to the other disciples the most important news of the Gospel, Jesus was alive as He had predicted.

Why then did Paul say, "I do not allow a woman to teach. . . ."? First, notice he didn't say, "The Lord does not allow. . . ." Here was a case of Paul offering his own judgment on the issue, much as he did in I Corinthians 7:6, "I say this as a concession, not as a command." (Also note vs. 12). This is also a directive which was compatible with the law of the land of which he was a citizen, the Roman law (Romans 13:1).

Too often we have fallen into the trap of spending a lot of time arguing about what should not be done, rather than spending our energy on what should be done. This is the Old Testament thinking of "Thou shalt not" rather than following what Jesus taught, "Love your neighbor as yourself." In this case, the positive instruction of Paul has to do with how a woman should conduct herself in the church, and we would say, also in the world, because how one lives in church should also be how one lives outside. According to this instruction, attending church should not be a fashion parade or a way to stir up unholy passions in men. Christian women should dress well and attractively, in a way that draws attention to their natural God-given beauty.

But the call is for "modesty," "decency," propriety" - that clearly means proper covering of body parts which should only be seen by a husband. Butt cracks, pubic hair, breast cleavages and nipples, belly buttons - these are off limits for men's eyes. Why would a godly woman want to display such views in front of men who have gathered in the church to worship the Lord? On the other hand, do we need to go the extreme of the Islamic women who are totally clothed in black? No, and we don't major on taboo lists like we find in some churches such as one in Philadelphia which published this list: "There will be no hair straightening, no glitter in the hair, no hair dying, no hair plaiting, no hair pride of any form! No eye brow arching, or eye brawl pencil. No false eyelashes, no make-up, no powder puff, no lip stick, no earrings, no bracelets, no ankle chains, no necklaces, no finger nail hardener or polish. No toe nail polish, no pants on the girls, no shorts on the boys, no short dresses, no deep cut clothing, and no straight tight dresses. No tight pants on the boys, no TV’s, no smoking allowed or drinking, no nothing, but all Jesus! The Bible is against all these things."

However, it seems we have gone way too far in the other direction, and we too easily follow the lead of the world where modesty has all but disappeared. Paul even goes further to say that the best and most beautiful clothing is not made of fabric, but "good deeds." What godly man would not be attracted to a woman who is busy helping the poor, alleviating the suffering, feeding the hungry, and empathizing with the emotionally hurting?

But lets go back to the men.

It is our conviction that if a man will accept his role as the spiritual (prayer) leader, and seek to express the very character qualities of Christ, sacrificing himself for the benefit of his wife and children, "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25), there will be little hesitation on the part of godly women to follow that leadership. Unfortunately, too many men have viewed their roles to be that of "bread winners" - once they have "brought home the bacon," and "provide a roof over our heads" they think their job is complete. It's time that men stop merely complaining about the "feminist movement" and do something about it, that is, set the pace for faithfulness in prayer, reading Scripture, faithful attendance in worship services, and take on the servant leadership role and wash the feet of family members.

Quickly also notice the focus of prayer for the man - to pray for leaders, and care for the lost.

If I were living and leading a church in California, I would be saying to Christians there, "Instead of spending so much time and money trying to fire your Governor, pray for him - that's the most politically responsible thing you can do." When it comes to the church, let me boldly say that one of the greatest problems in the American church is that the men of the church, instead of being on their knees praying for their Pastor, are acting more like male elk, butting heads. In Paul's day it was the women, led astray into false teaching due to their previously not having been taught the Scriptures, who caused problems and were told to keep silent. In our day it's the men who have not taken on their duly ordained prayer role.

Of course the reason for prayer to be lifted up on behalf of leaders is not to see one political party win over the other, or to get a reduction in taxes, but to provide a context for the successful preaching of the Gospel both at home and throughout the world.

The form of the prayer is with upraised hands. What is the problem here? Men will go to the sports arena, they will yell and wildly wave their hands in support of their overpaid sports idols, but in church, when asked to lift hands in praise and petition, men sit with arms folded or stand with hands in their pockets, incapable of raising their hands above their shoulders. But it's not just about lifting hands, it's lifting "holy" hands. Hands represent our actions and work in the world. We always approach God, like the Priests of old who paused at the laver outside the sanctuary - we come to worship having been cleansed by the "washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26).

Just as prayer has a physical posture, it also has an emotional and spiritual form. The prayer is to be without "anger" and full of humility (without disputing). Most everyone becomes angry when things don't go their way, but please notice that "anger management" classes are mostly populated by men, not women. It's very easy for proactive, "take charge" men to become angry even at God, and forget that He is not our servant to be ordered around and argued with when He doesn't do what we expect Him to do.

Finally, tucked away in the midst of these instructions about how men and women should conduct themselves in church is a very important theological statement in verses 5 and 6, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in its proper time." Too often we get hung up on the unending discussions and debates about how people should behave themselves, or dress themselves, in church. While behavior is important, belief is much more important. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? What comes first, belief or behavior? We clearly answer, belief informs behavior.

Of the entire passage, the theological point about Jesus being the only mediator is the most important statement, and one which sets true Christianity apart. The Jewish religion which preceded the coming of Jesus, and the Roman Catholic religion which was established after the first century both insisted on having human intermediaries. Of course it is excusable for the Jewish religion, for theirs was ordained of God to foreshadow that which was to come - the priestly office of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the Great High Priest. But there is no excuse for Christianity to fall back into this mode of having a human mediator between God and man. It is nothing short of arrogance for some of us to appoint ourselves to stand between the rest of us and God - there is "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Notice that Jesus is here identified as "the man," but He alone can fill this place, for He, the Son of Man is also the Son of God.

The word "mediator" is easy to understand, it's the go-between, the one who stands between two parties, representing each to the other. In this case, Jesus both represents God to men, as well as He represents man to God. And He's the only one qualified. People within the Protestant tradition find it easy to criticize their Catholic counterparts because they allow for many mediators: Mary the mother of Jesus, the Pope whom they claim is God's representative on earth, the Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and Priests, all who take up the role of the mediator. But I fear that Protestants do little better. Why is it that people flock to certain "men of God" - Evangelists, Pastors, Prophets, hoping to be prayed for by the man who obviously is so much closer to God than they? No, the statement applies to us all, there is "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Apart form the obvious, two main ideas are conveyed by this word "mediator."

The first idea connected with "mediator" is "reconciler." Jesus is constantly at work trying to bring warring parties back together. These are people who once had a good relationship, perhaps a parent and child, siblings, or coworkers. But then something went wrong, and one or both parties became angry with the other, and they stopped talking with each other, and perhaps even complained to other people how badly the other had treated them. The anger festers, and grudges are carried for years until someone, perhaps a relative or friend comes along and initiates a reconciliation. This person goes to each party and appeals to them to forgive the other and be restored in their relationship - both parties agree, forgiveness is sought and given. Of course in our relationship with God there is a difference, because God can never be charged with an offense, because He is holy and righteous. However, there are times when people may feel that God has wronged them in some way and needs to be forgiven. In this case, Jesus, the Son reminds the offended party that the Father really is a God of love and ready to forgive, and through Jesus reconciliation is achieved.

Second, Jesus is our advocate, our defense attorney; He's the one who stands before the Judge of all the earth to seek clemency for his clients. Guilt has already been established, and the sentence is about to be passed down when Jesus steps up and makes the claim that the death penalty has already been paid, and it would be a travesty of justice if two deaths were to be required for one crime. And the Judge proclaims to the defendant, "You are free to go, your punishment has already been borne by someone who offered to die in your place." "Who is this?" you want to know. "The One who now stands in your defense, my only Son, who died and rose again. He has taken your punishment, your guilt has been removed and the sentence of death will not be pronounced."

Yes, men should pray, and women should adorn themselves with modesty and good works. But even more importantly, it is necessary for both men and women to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. That's the beginning point, and if there is any religious duty at all, it must be based on simple devotion to Jesus in response to what He has done. By allowing Himself to be stretched out between heaven and earth to die on a cruel Roman cross, Jesus became the bridge between God and man. Whatever attempts we may make to please God through prayer or holy behavior will all be in vain unless we come to God expressing simple faith in Jesus as the Son of God, the "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Plugged In

John 15:5

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing"
To make it plain…nothing works unless it’s plugged in. I know, I know what about batteries you swiftly say back? They will soon let you down friend and you’ll need more. When something is unplugged, it doesn’t work. It doesn’t do what it is intended to do. Batteries are temporary (you need everlasting instead of ever ready). I compare that to doing things our own way, using our own methods and in our own power. Not utilizing the power plant that is connected to the wire. I’ve seen radios come with cords, which are seldom if never used. They are already paid for, but we would rather go out and spend $6.00 on temporary power over and over again…unbelievable, but oh so true. My original title for this our next message was to be: “Life Support System”, but the Lord had me change it to “Plugged In”. And by now I think you know were we are going with this message.
The first man Adam’s sin unplugged us from our life giving source…God. The first man and then his mate were so plugged in. So much so that the Father came down in the cool of the day to fellowship. The first couple was given the most awesome paradise on the globe with all its pleasures. Plugged into presence, power, and provision…not to hateful wouldn’t you say? God breathed life into Adam with the power source if you will, His Spirit.
My how sin messed up and messes up lives. But you know what…man chose to disobey God. Through his choice, the human race has suffered. Since then man has for the most part been Godless. Meaning we have done most on our own, coming to the 21st century with the idea that we don’t need Him or even believing there is a God. Just like a light that is plugged in. We have unplugged it and decided to walk in the dark. And they don’t even realize that they are…wow.
God didn’t create us as robots but as free moral agents. Free to choose, make our own decisions. We can plug the light in or not…our choice. I would rather be plugged into God…how about you? In our main verse we read that He is the vine. So to say… He is God we are not. He is the source of life. Jesus calls Himself the vine, because as a vine imparts/provides sap (life) to its branches. So Jesus gives us His own divine strength and provision. The branches come from the vine. They are not of themselves. Jesus makes us…we don’t or can’t make ourselves. We are not… to repeat God or capable of being divine. We need Him to literally survive. We might think we are getting by without His help, but the fact is He is helping and we don’t realize it, even the atheist…because He loves them so…amen.
How do we get plugged back in you may ask? Repenting is the cord that plugs us back in…praying provides the current that flows through the cord that keeps us connected. John the Baptist knew that repenting plugged us back in: (Matt. 3:1, 2) In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus, God in the flesh brought the message of repenting: (Matt. 4:17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. The disciples got the message from their Master: (Mark 6:12) And they went out, and preached that men should repent. The Apostle Peter: (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 3:19) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And the Apostle Paul knew the key: (Acts 17:30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent. We, all of us who are members of the human race, must, have to repent to attain that great reunion with our Heavenly Father. He created mankind for one purpose, to fellowship with Him. We thinking we don’t need Him is so absurd. I so need Him…did I tell you that yet???
Charles Spurgeon said that fellowship with God is the richest privilege fallen man can have. I am always in awe when I think that Almighty God loves me and that He has a plan for my life. He is not out to get me because I’m a sinner, but He is out to get me so I’ll be His again. Is that amazing or what??? What grace and mercy, my what a Friend we have in Jesus.
Trying to live life without the Lord is like living on a life support system. I grabbed an explanation and definition of such: Artificial life support systems that use medical technology to aid, support, or replace a vital function of the body that has been seriously damaged. Such techniques include artificial pacemakers, dialysis machines, and respirators. The use of life-support systems to prolong the life of a patient who has suffered apparently irreversible damage to a vital organ.
Our support system of the heavenlies was taken away when sin entered the human race. Few throughout history have sought to get “plugged back in”. They would rather live on artificial life support. Thinking that they can get by just fine. Excuses surface like: There is no God. God is not concerned about me. And the old familiar “I’m just fine…I don’t need God. Here is one of many scriptures that fits that type of individual, (Jeremiah 2:13) - For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. You need to do this: (Prov. 3:5-10) Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Friend, you need light so you plug it in. You need heat, you pay you’re bill. You need gas, you fill up. Many of you for some reason think you don’t need “plugged in” to God. Don’t you want the best that heaven can provide? Plug into His healing. Plug into His delivering power. Plug into His life changing Gospel. Plug into His free gift of salvation, the greatest miracle of all.
Rely, depend, put all of you trust in Him…now. As I said before, He so desires your fellowship. Get connected/plugged into the Lord today friend. And you who have drifted from shore, you know what to do…so do it…now, don’t wait one second.

Building God's House God's Way

Ezra 2:59-70

Ezra had his hands full with the awesome task of being the minister to a congregation of 42,360 people who returned from 70 years of bondage in Babylon. It was his task to rebuild the temple and restore the spiritual and moral values of the people. Ezra’s approach to this awesome task provides us with insight for building our physical and spiritual temples. Afflictions and trials have a way of refining us and helping us to be sensitive and obedient to God. After 70 years of exile, the people were willing to do things God’s way - the lesson had been learned.
Hardship is often experienced when we try to do things the way we perceive it without consulting God. When we leave God out of the plan, he does not allow it to go much further than when it started.

The people realized that they must freely give for the house of God to be restored. The Bible says, they gave according to their ability as God had blessed them. When Moses was erecting the tabernacle for God, the people brought so many gifts to the temple that they had to restrain them from bringing more. Those who truly love God will love His house, and freely give
to maintain it. The people came together to worship, pray, praise God and hear his word on a continuous basis. Many gave free will offerings to say, thank you, Lord, before the foundation of the temple was laid. If the spiritual temple does not have a solid foundation the physical temple will be in vain - the spiritual glorifies the physical.

The King of Persia had given them a grant that provided them with trees as well as gifts of silver, gold, goods and beasts for their return. The community also gave towards their efforts.

When God gives a vision or sends you on a mission, he will make provisions and others will rise
to help you. I am reminded of Moses when God spoke to him in the burning bush. He called Moses’ name, and said, Moses, take of your shoes for the place on which you stand is Holy ground. Moses, I got a mission for you; I need you to go down to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let my people go. I have seen their afflictions and the inhumane cruelty of my people. Moses began to find excuses not to go because of limited abilities and low self confidence. The Bible also tells me that God says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. You may think you are in this all by yourself, but I stop by to tell you that when God sends you, rest assure, he is with you.

After two years of spiritual preparation and giving towards the work for masons, carpenters and other needs, the men among them began to lay the foundation of the temple. A great work takes time and reparation. When the first phase was done, they wept, praised God
and shouted for joy. Small beginnings have great endings when we follow God’s building plan. Whether its an infrastructure, or building our lives we need to do it God’s way. Even in the face of opposition, the people kept the faith because they had a mind to work on their spiritual and physical temple.

When we come to the fuller knowledge of who we are in relationship to Kingdom building, we begin to realize that as well as tools, we need specialized skills.

When we come to the knowledge of who we are in relationship to Kingdom Building, we begin to understand that all the workers are not committed to the task; all the workers have not sign to praise God through their work and service.

When we come into the fuller knowledge of who we really are in relationship to Kingdom Building, we come to know that enemies, discussed as workers, will often infiltrate our ranks, for the express purpose of weakening our determination and seeking to make inferior the work we do. But God, in his infinite wisdom, grants His anointed and appointed the Divine skill of discernment enabling them to recognize the enemy and or the plot to undermine.

In times like these, we need skilled workers, those who can separate the righteous from the unrighteous.

In times like these we need skilled workers, those who can separate the real from the impostors.

In times likes these, we need skilled workers, those who can separate the contractors from the detractors.

In times like these, we need skilled workers, those who can separate the builders from the backstabbers.

In times like these, we need skilled workers, those who can separate the construction crew from the destruction crew.

Today, the call goes forth! We need those Christians who can identify with and relate to making the difference God’s way. We need those Christians who no longer need the approval of the world to feel validated in the service. We need those Christians, who own the tools of prayer, perseverance, faith, belief, compassion and commitment. We need Kingdom Builders whose only mission is service to the Master.

The Substitute

Leviticus 1:1-9
Many people begin to read about the Old Testament sacrificial system and think something like: "Why all the blood? Why all this slaughtering of animals? It seems so gruesome and disgusting. Why did God require all of that? What was the purpose?"

Confusing as it is, the Old Testament sacrificial system was pointing to some very important truths. The first is that: The sacrificial system was pointing to God’s plan to save his people. To understand this we have to go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. Adam and Eve enjoyed a perfect paradise. Their relationship with God was intimate and real. God would walk and talk with them. There was no barrier between them. But something happened to spoil that relationship. God had said to them, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" (Genesis 2:15-17). God was not keeping something good from them, he simply did not want them to know what evil was like through personal experience. He was sparing them from evil, for he knew it would bring suffering and death into the world. As a consequence of disobeying this important command, God told them they would die if they disobeyed. But every day that passed made the fruit of the tree look better and better. Add to that the satanic suggestion that God did not really love them because he was keeping something from them. Satan promised that if they ate from the tree that they would have special knowledge and power, and better still, they would become like God. So they ate from the tree and their world did become drastically different, but not for the better. The world around them changed. Their bodies looked different. They felt shame. They were afraid of God — something that had never occurred to them before.

But one thing did not happen — they did not die. Yes, the process of death had begun in them, but they did not die immediately as God had told them they would. Why was that? Did God make a mistake or lie to them? The secret to answering that question can be found in what God did next. Because they felt intense shame, Adam and Eve had covered themselves with leaves. But God gave them another kind of covering. The Bible says, "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21). Was God just wanting to give them better clothing, or was something else happening here? The point to the story is that God told them they would die when they sinned against him and they did not. If they did not die, something had to die in their place. There was a substitute. God took the life of two animals in their place, and then he covered them with the skins of those animals. They deserved to die, but another life had taken their place.

The sacrificial system is based on this spiritual principle, that the people of that day deserved to die for their sins, but God in his mercy accepted a substitute to die in their stead. Max Lucado, in his book Six Hours One Friday, tells the story of Franciszek Gajowniczek: "It’s difficult to find beauty in death. It’s even more difficult to find beauty in a death camp. Especially Auschwitz. Four million Jews died there in World War II. A half-ton of human hair is still preserved. The showers that sprayed poison gas still stand. But for all the ugly memories of Auschwitz there is one of beauty. It’s the memory Gajowniczek has of Maximilian Kolbe. In February 1941, Kolbe was incarcerated at Auschwitz. He was a Franciscan priest. In the harshness of the slaughterhouse he maintained the gentleness of Christ. He shared his food. He gave up his bunk. He prayed for his captors. He was soon given the nickname ‘Saint of Auschwitz.’ In July of that same year there was an escape from the prison. It was the custom at Auschwitz to kill ten prisoners for every one who escaped. All the prisoners would be gathered in the courtyard, and the commandant would randomly select ten names from the roll book. These victims would be immediately taken to a cell where they would receive no food or water until they died. The commandant begins calling the names. At each selection another prisoner steps forward to fill the sinister quota. The tenth name he calls is Gajowniczek. As the SS officers check the numbers of the condemned, this last one begins to sob. ‘My wife and my children,’ he weeps. The officers turn as they hear movement among the prisoners. The guards raise their rifles. The dogs tense, anticipating a command to attack. A prisoner has left his row and is pushing his way to the front. It is Kolbe. No fear on his face. No hesitancy in his step. The capo shouts at him to stop or be shot. ‘I want to talk to the commander,’ he says calmly. For some reason the officer doesn’t club him or kill him. Kolbe stops a few paces from the commandant, removes his hat, and looks the German officer in the eye. ‘Herr Kommandant, I wish to make a request, please.’ That no one is shot is a miracle. ‘I want to die in the place of this prisoner.’ He points at the sobbing Gajonwniczek. The audacious request is presented without stammer. ‘I have no wife or children. Besides, I am old and not good for anything. He’s in better condition.’ Kolbe knew well the Nazi mentality. ‘Who are you?’ the officer asks. ‘A Catholic priest.’ The block is stunned, the commandant uncharacteristically speechless. After a moment, he barks, ‘Request granted.’ Prisoners were never allowed to speak. Gajowniczek says, ‘I could only thank him with my eyes. I was stunned and could hardly grasp what was going on. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me — a stranger. Is this some dream?’ The Saint of Auschwitz outlived the other nine. In fact, he didn’t die of thirst or starvation. He died only after the camp doctor injected phenol into his heart on August 14, 1941. Gajowniczek survived the Holocaust. He made his way back to his hometown, but every year he goes back to Auschwitz. Every August 14 he goes back to say thank you to the man who died in his place."

The people of the Old Testament lived because another living thing died in their place. Wee see this throughout the Old Testament. Noah was the most righteous man of his time and God spared him from death by the flood. But Noah knew that he was not perfect, and that he deserved to die just as the others had. So the first thing he did when he got off the ark was to offer a sacrifice to God — a substitute which would take his place.

The most dramatic story in the Old Testament is the story of Abraham. Abraham has been told by God to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. But just as he is about to take the life of his son, God shouts for him to stop, and Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket. Abraham called the place "The Lord Will Provide," because God provided a substitute to die in the place of his son.

This was God’s plan from the beginning. The righteous demands of God’s laws had to be met, and death was the penalty for failure to meet God’s laws, but God had put in place a plan to spare the human race. God in his mercy allowed a sacrifice to be offered in the place of the one who had sinned. But, secondly, this was not only pointing to God’s plan to save his people, The sacrificial system was pointing to the seriousness of our sin. To many in our culture this all seems so unnecessary. We don’t understand the seriousness of sin and we expect God to excuse it. Psychology has become the new religion of the day. It explains our behavior and gives us reasons for the things we do. Our behavior has ceased to be a moral failure and has instead become the natural result of some damage that we experienced in our past. It is not sin, it is a psychological condition or illness. As soon as someone commits some horrible crime, the media goes into a frenzy checking their background for an explanation for why they did what they did. What psychology fails to address is that we often feel guilty because we are guilty.

We react to our moral conscience much like a man I recently read about. The author of the article said: "A good friend in North Carolina bought a new car with a voice-warning system.... At first Edwin was amused to hear the soft female voice gently remind him that his seat belt wasn’t fastened.... Edwin affectionately called this voice the ‘little woman.’ He soon discovered his little woman was programmed to warn him about his gasoline. ‘Your fuel level is low,’ she said one time in her sweet voice. Edwin nodded his head and thanked her. He figured he still had enough gas to go another 50 miles, so he kept on driving. But a few minutes later, her voice interrupted again with the same warning. And so it went over and over. Although he knew it was the same recording, Edwin thought her voice sounded harsher each time. Finally, he stopped his car and crawled under the dashboard. After a quick search, he found the appropriate wires and gave them a good yank. So much for the little woman. He was still smiling to himself a few miles later when his car began sputtering and coughing. He ran out of gas!" Like Edwin, we are getting better and better at shutting out God’s voice to our conscience. But hearing God’s voice and understanding the seriousness of our condition is one of the most important things we learn in this life.

The Bible helps us to understand that people are not so much sick as they are sinful. They do these things not because they have an psychological illness, but because they are evil. Their actions are the result of sin which lives in their hearts. The Bible says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Our problem is not that we have been damaged psychologically, our problem is that we have lived our lives away from God and sinned against him. We deserve death, and we need to be forgiven. We have to stop justifying our behavior, explaining it away, and pretending that we cannot help what we do. We need to abandon the idea of redefining sin so that almost nothing qualifies as sin and almost no one qualifies as a sinner. The Bible says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20, KJV). Isaiah the prophet wrote: But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2). Sin is serious because it separates us from God both now and in eternity. Sin ruins our relationship with God and destroys our lives. No amount of excuses will make it go away.

But the third point that we dare not miss is that: The sacrificial system was pointing to God’s desire to forgive. God has made a way out for us. His moral laws never change, and their consequences cannot be ignored. But he has provided a way that we might be forgiven. The whole point of the sacrificial system was that God wants to forgive us and has made it possible for us to live. The Bible says, "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him" (Romans 4:7-8). When Moses asked the Lord to show himself to him, the Lord and passed by him saying, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7). When we confess our sins, we confess them to a God who cares for us and is more than willing to forgive.

When we psychologize our sin we merely cover over it and excuse ourselves. When we confess our sins our sin is taken away and we are forgiven by God. God loves us and wants to forgive our sins, but if we are not honest about our sins they cannot be forgiven. The Bible says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives" (1 John 1:8-10).

But the most important lesson of all is the fourth and final point: The sacrificial system was pointing to God’s perfect sacrifice. As we read in the Scripture today, the person presenting the sacrifice would confess their sins and place their hands on the head of the animal which would die in their place. Their sins would be transferred to their substitute. Then they would watch as the animal’s life was taken. The seriousness of their sin was shown to them vividly. The lamb would then be placed on the altar and offered to God as a sacrifice. Life for life. The blood of the animal for their blood. The blood of the animal, far from being gory, was sacred because the life of the animal was in the blood. The life in that blood was passed to the one whose sins were being atoned for. The animal was then taken off the altar, and the one who had offered the sacrifice would take the roasted lamb home and eat it, along with his family, as a sacrificial meal.

But there was a problem. Because people kept on sinning, there was no end to the sacrificing of these animals. It was not a perfect system. What could be done? God knew there was only one thing that could be done, and he had planned it from the beginning. There needed to be one sacrifice for all people and all time. This perfect sacrifice is hinted at as the New Testament opens and we hear John the Baptist saying, as he points to Jesus, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The Bible teaches that Jesus was not just another good man or moral teacher. He was not just a prophet or religious leader. Jesus Christ was God who came in the flesh as one of us. As the perfect man he came to undo the sin of Adam. He died to identify with the sins of the entire human race. As God he came to take our place and atone for our sin. The entire sacrificial system was temporary and pointed to the future. It was meant to give Israel a living picture of what it would mean for the Messiah, the Savior, to come and die in their place. Isaiah had prophesied about him: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:4-6).

The apostle Peter would write: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples: "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).

Jesus Christ was the perfect lamb of God who died in our place that we might live. He was our substitute, the perfect sacrifice. He said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). As Adam and Eve were covered with the skins of the animals which had died in their place, so we are clothed with Christ, the perfect sacrifice. As with Noah we are saved from God’s wrath against our sin. If we are in Christ, he is our ark of safety. As with Abraham and Isaac, God has provided Christ as our substitute who suffered and died in our place.

I recently read the story of a man who nominated his brother as a hero. He writes about the story which took place during their childhood: "One day Lee and I were visiting our grandparents. They lived in a desert community of California on a parcel of land. Lee and I loved to visit Grandpa and Grandma’s place since there were so many places to investigate and it was so different from our suburb home. We took every opportunity to investigate the creatures on our grandparent’s land. The only exception to our curiosity was Grandpa’s dog. I don’t remember his name, just that he was always angry and could not be trusted outside of his cage. I was terrified of that dog and never went close to his cage if I could avoid it. One day when I was about 5 and Lee was about 8, the dog got out of his cage and saw me walking in his path. That monster came at me with teeth bared and nothing but hatred for me. I took off running for the house as fast as I could, screaming for help. But I was no match for the dog’s speed and he was fast gaining on me. When Lee heard my cries for help he came running to help me. He got between the dog and me to allow me to run on ahead. But this meant the dog was after him now, and there was no one to help him. The dog bit him once on the thigh and twice on the shoulder before grandpa got there to pull the dog off. Lee still has the scars of that horrifying experience to this day. I’m 48 now and I still have a vivid memory of running scared with the dog very close, but then it not being close as I made it to the house. I never saw the dog bite him but I can just imagine the horror on his face as he took the bites meant for me."

What better picture could we have of what Jesus Christ has done for us? He threw himself in harm’s way and took our punishment on himself. He took the wounds meant for you. He bled and died for you and me. And it was all symbolized thousands of years ago as God had his people place their hands on the head of the one who would die for them. As we take communion, we feast on the sacrifice of our Substitute — Jesus, the perfect lamb of God.

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-33).

Healing

In the OLD TESTAMENT, the Hebrew word is "rapha"

In the NEW TESTAMENT, the Greek words are "therapeuo" and "iaomai"

1. The Lord Is The Healer.

Exodus 15:26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

Deuteronomy 32:39 "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.

Psalm 103:1-5 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

2. The Lord Promises to Heal

Jeremiah 30:17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, `because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

I Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Malachi 4:1,2 "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

3. Healing Comes as the Result of Prayer

Psalms 6:2 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.

Psalm 30:1-3 I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.

Psalm 107:17-20 Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Psalm 41:1-4 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you."

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

Mark 5:22, 23 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." ("sodzo")

Acts 4:29, 30 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

James 5:14-16 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

4. There are many Examples of Healing

II Kings 2:21,22 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, "This is what the LORD says: `I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'" And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

II Chronicles 30:18-20 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heard on seeking God--the LORD, the God of his fathers--even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Acts 14:9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ("sodzo" - related to "salvation")

Luke 8:36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. ("sodzo" - related to "salvation")

5. Jesus Healed

Matthew 8:16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

Matthew 12:14-16 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was.

Luke 4:40 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.

Luke 5:17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.

Luke 6:17-19 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Luke 7:3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.

John 4:46, 47 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

Acts 10:37, 38 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

6. Healing Was A Sign Of Jesus Being The Messiah

Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

These Signs Were Acknowledged By John Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

7. The Apostles were given Power to Heal

Mark 3:14,15 He appointed twelve--designating them apostles --that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

(KJV) - And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

Luke 9:1,2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

8. The Apostles Healed

Acts 3:6,7 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.

9. Healing is Included in the Gifts

I Corinthians 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

10. There's Healing for the Emotional

Luke 4:18 (KJV) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearded, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

11. There's Healing for Backsliding

Jeremiah 3:22 "Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding." "Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God.

12. There's Healing for a People

II Chronicles 7:13, 14 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

In The Beginning

The existence of God has been a subject of debate by philosophers and theologians for thousands of years. Most of the time their arguments and debates take place in rarified air that is far above the thinking of the average person and certainly above my head. It’s like the philosophy student who came home for the holidays and was asked by his father, “How did your philosophy class go?” To which the student replied, “We did not get much accomplished because every day when the teacher tried to call the roll, the students kept arguing about whether or not they existed.”
Most of us who live in the real world, do not concern ourselves with such deep thoughts. If I ask you to prove to me that you have $2.00, you would take $2.00 out of your wallet and show it to me. And if I ask you whether or not a person was honest, you would not reply with a long dissertation on the nature of honesty. You would simply provide me with evidence concerning this person’s honesty.
What I am going to do today is to provide a few pieces of evidence that support my belief that God exists. I will not and cannot PROVE the existence of God. That cannot be done any more than someone else can prove that God does not exist. Both positions are based on belief derived from an interpretation of the evidence. In both cases, faith is a decision to believe or disbelieve in the existence of God. I find it interesting that the Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God but every where in the Bible, the existence of God is taken for granted. Someone has said that “A God capable of proof would be no God at all.”
We need to realize the importance of the issue. This is not just some academic exercise to twist our brains into pretzels. Our belief or disbelief concerning the existence of God will affect all the answers to all our other questions about life.
If God does not exist, then: 1. There is no supreme being to which we must give an account. We then are answerable to no one but ourselves. 2. If God does not exist there is no judgment day and no heaven or hell. We will then live according to the philosophy, “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” 3. There is no such thing as right or wrong, good or evil. We become our own gods determining that good is what pleases or benefits us and evil is that which displeases or does not benefit us.
If God does exist, then: 1. There is a Supreme Being who determines what is right and what is wrong and to which someday I must give an account.
There are several “arguments” that support a belief in God. Those who do not believe in God have counter arguments for all these arguments but this morning I am not trying to convince a non believer, I am only seeking to support our faith. I am going to look at five arguments starting with the weakest and ending with the strongest. The first three arguments are philosophical in nature while the last two are more technical.
The first argument is known as the “ontological” argument. It is the weakest of the arguments. It is based on the premise that everything man can know or think is based on some reality. It argues that if man can have the concept of a perfect God, then He must exist. In other words, if we can conceive of God then he must exist. For a person to say, “I do not believe in God,” is self contradictory for if God does not exist then the person would not even be able to conceive of God.
The second argument is called the “general” argument. It is based on the fact that there has been and continues to be a universal belief in God or a supreme being in all societies throughout all history. It argues that since there is in the universe those things that satisfy man’s deepest longing, there must be a reality (God) that meets this universal craving for a supreme being. Every society has worshiped some kind of God or gods. The apostle Paul refers to this religious instinct in his sermon to the Greeks in Acts 17:27 when he says that men “grope” for the God who created them
The third argument is the “anthropological” or “moral” argument. It is based on the reality that all people everywhere have a “sense of ought.” There is an innate understanding that in certain circumstances, there are things that should and should not be done. Even children cry out, “It’s not fair.” Even atheists have a “sense of justice,” and are angered when it is violated (as in the case of rape or murder). The moral nature in man demands a moral being as the originator of that moral nature.


The fourth argument is the “cosmological” argument. It is based upon the premise that “every effect must have a cause.” The universe is an effect that must have had a cause. The believer in God believes that God is that cause. Gen. 1:1 states emphatically, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell God that they were done with him. The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you; we’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go and get lost. God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well, how about this? Let’s say we have a man-making contest. To which the scientist replied, “Okay, great!” But, God added, “Now we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam. The scientist said, “Sure, no problem,” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt. God stopped him and said, “No, no, no, you go get your own dirt.” The cosmological argument is the kind of argument the writer of Hebrews uses in Heb. 3:4, “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.” Paul in Rom. 1:19-20 gives the implication of recognizing God as the builder or creator of all things. As we look around us, we see hundreds of things that have been built by someone. It is illogical to say that these things just happened.
A common objection is raised, “Who created God?” It is important to understand that the law which states that every effect has a cause applies to things that are physical. God by definition is not physical, and therefore not bound by laws which would apply to physical things. John 4:24 tells us that God is spirit and because God is spirit he is not bound by the law of cause and effect. As someone has said, God is the great uncaused Cause.
The fifth argument is the “teleological argument.” This argument is based on the evidence of design in the universe. Evidence of design suggests a “designer.”

Just as the intricate design of a toy logically demands that someone designed it, the intricacy of the universe demands that someone designed it. The Psalmist in Ps. 19:1 makes this argument when he says that the “heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands.” Even the intricate design of our world screams of the existence of a grand designer. For life to exist on the earth, a complex set of elements have to come into play. The earth must be just the right size, its rotation must be within certain limits, its tilt must be correct to cause the seasons, its land/water ratio must be in a delicate balance. Human life exists within very narrow parameters. A little too much heat or cold and we die. We need light, but no too much ultraviolet. We need heat, but not too much infrared. We live just beneath an atmosphere that shields us from millions destructive meteors and meteorites every day. We live just ten miles above a rock screen that shields us from the terrible heat beneath our feet. The philosopher Voltaire said it this way, “If a watch proves the existence of a watchmaker but the universe does not prove the existence of a great Architect, then I consent to be called a fool.” The Bible put it this way in Ps. 14:1 and 53:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
These are only five arguments that support my belief that God exists and that he is the creator of all things, including me. There are other arguments such as fulfilled prophecies in the Scriptures and scientific foreknowledge of the Scriptures. If you are interested in exploring this subject further I would recommend a book that is in our library by Josh McDowell called “Evidence that demands a verdict.”
Now what is the implication for me if God exists? If God exists and is our creator then he is the one who should control our lives. We live because God created us. Therefore, as our Creator, God also has the right to be our Director. We must look to God for meaning and direction in our lives.
We need to realize that the God who created the world has not abdicated his throne. He is still in charge. He is our Father and we are his children. He loves us and will take care of us.