God Is

Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, March 3rd. If someone were to ask you to prove the existence of God, what would you say? Today, we continue this series of messages encouraging you to get to know God better so your faith in Him can flourish for His glory and be able to answer the tough questions. Now, if somebody should ask you very seriously, why do you believe there is a God, what would you tell them? Now, some of you could probably give a very convincing answer, but some of you who have been Christians a long time, all of a sudden you'd say, well, I've always believed that, and he'd say, well, that's no good. And you'd say, well, my parents believed that, and he'd say, well, some other parents don't believe that. And you'd say, well, I just, I believe the Bible.

You say, well, why do you believe that? You see, if you really were confronted with someone who has died in their heart against spiritual things, who was completely turned off about religion, some of God's precious children would suddenly be stymied. And we are living in a humanistic society that says that man is at the center and not God.

And you see, the problem is this. Men who believe in that cannot accept this book as the Word of God, because the teaching of the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation says that God is at the center of the universe, not man. That man in the Garden of Eden fell, and when he fell, he fell out of fellowship with God.

Man is not at the center, God is at the center. And every once in a while I meet some student who says, you know, once in a while I really begin to wonder about this thing about God. And I'm going to talk about three reasons that you and I have as believers to believe there is a God. So how do you come to the conclusion there is a God? Well, number one, because of human reason. Let's look at two or three things here. Is there any human evidence, is there any reasonable rational evidence for believing in God if there were no Bible?

And I think there is. Number one, let's look at this matter of our creation. How do we explain the creation? How do we explain the universe?

How do we explain the seasons? How do we explain the origin of all of this? How do you explain the origin of man? How do you explain the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of different species of all kinds of insects and animals and fowl in the air? Is there any human explanation for that? When somebody says to me, well, I'm an evolutionist, then I want to congratulate them for their great faith because it takes more faith to believe that all this came from nothing than to believe that a holy God created all of this.

On the other hand, I want to comment on their blindness because how does a man reason this? You see, here's the problem with evolution. The problem with evolution is this. There is a point behind which there is no answer to the evolutionist.

When he gets back to the one cell, all right, let's just begin with that. But where did he come from? How did he get in the water?

Where did the water come from? There is no answer. You see, here's the problem. God said their minds are blinded.

Now, here's the problem. If you want to discover why men don't believe in God, go back to the Garden of Eden. When man fell in the Garden of Eden, what was affected? His mind was affected. That's why Paul said, by the renewing of your mind, don't be shaped into the image of the world, but be what? Transformed.

How was the man transformed? By the renewing of his mind. And many Christians are saved, but they never get a mental renewing. They just keep reading the same old books and believing the same old thing, and finally there's confusion and frustration.

They have to make a decision which one they're going to give up. There's a second reason, I think, when it comes to human reason, and that is the perfect order which we see all around us. And I think the most beautiful example of that is to look up in the sky. You and I can look out into space where we cannot measure, but others can. And we see our whole solar system, and scientists tell us that there are millions, billions of stars out there. And in our solar system, we talk about nine planets and how large they are, and we know exactly where they're going to be at a certain time of the year, and when we're going to have an eclipse of the moon and a partial eclipse. We can figure that out years and years ahead of time.

How do you explain the absolute, perfect, almost down to the second? I mean hundreds of years, scientists can predict to the minute, and they say to the second, what's going to happen at a certain time? Now you answer this, how could all of that just have happened? If you and I will be honest with ourselves and look out into space and see all the perfect order, the seasons that God has given, the tide, you see, a man can stand on the sea and say, don't come in, don't come in, and the tide just keeps coming in.

He cannot stop it, because it is God's law of the sea. And my friend, listen, you can take any facet, any area of science you choose, and you know what you'll find? You'll find perfect order. How can all of this have just, you see, listen, each insect has its own lifestyle. Each animal has its own lifestyle.

Each fish in the ocean has its own characteristics. You mean that all of that just happened? No, a supreme divine person who has vast knowledge and superpower had to put all of this in order. Now, when you go to bed tonight, you're not going to be worried about the sunshine tomorrow morning. How many of you worried last night about the sunshine this morning? You know why? Because you believe that everything is going to stay in its orbit.

Why do you believe that? Because you know that someone bigger than you and myself put it there, and there is no answer but God. You see, the real solution to the whole problem is found in Genesis chapter 1 verse 1. And what is that? In the beginning God.

And you know what? If you can accept Genesis chapter 1 verse 1, you don't have any problem with God, because listen, here is the book that God has given us as a guide to all mankind. But isn't it interesting that nowhere in this book does he ever attempt to prove himself? There is not one single inference in the Bible, not even an implication in the Scripture, that anywhere, anytime, any of God's men tried to prove that there is a God.

They talked about idolatry. But you see, God doesn't prove himself. The Bible accepts as a fact the reality of the presence of the living God. But you say, well, why is it that a lost man cannot, from human reason alone, from the creation of man, from the creation of the universe, from the order that is within the universe, out of his pure human reason, why is it that he cannot understand that this is of God?

Why can't he do it? You remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 2? The natural man receiveth not the things of God, because they are indeed foolish to him. Now listen, you know why they're foolish to him? Because if they were true and he accepted them as the truth, what would it demand of the unbeliever?

Change, a change in his lifestyle. Many people do not believe in God because if they believe in God, they would have to change their lifestyle. And so what do they do? They just begin the rationalistic approach, the rationalize the fact that there is no God. Now I say all of that to say to you, and especially you who are college students, the next time someone says to you, there is no God, you say, well, I appreciate you informing me about that. I'd like to know two or three things. I'd like to know how you explain the creation. Now listen, you ask the questions.

Don't let them ask them. You keep asking the questions because what you're going to do, you want to drive him to this last question, what caused that? And then when he says, well, we don't know that, then I'd say, well, you know, maybe there's somebody who got this whole thing started. Secondly, divine revelation says there's a God. Genesis, the revelation, what does the Bible start with?

Genesis chapter one, verse one, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Now, if you'll turn to Romans chapter one for a moment, and Paul in Romans chapter one answers lots of questions in these verses. Well, therein is the, it's home of the gospel in verse 16, the favorite verse, I'm not ashamed, verse 17. For therein, that is in the gospel, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed. In other words, the righteousness of God is understood because God showed man how righteous he is. From faith to faith, as it is written, the just should live by faith.

Now watch this. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, listen, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. They will not face the truth. Because that which may be known of God is manifest, it's evident in them, that is in their conscience, they know there is a spot for God. For God has showed it unto them. Verse 20, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen. By the creation you can see the evidence of God. Being understood by the things that are made, the very physical creation itself speaks of God. Even his eternal power and Godhead, listen, what does he say? That the eternal power of God is evidenced in creation. That a supreme being, a knowledgeable one who has the power to design and put in order this perfect creation, this perfect order, he says, all that is evidence. Listen, so that they are without excuse. If the atheist thinks he's going to stand before God and say, well, I'll tell you, the problem is that I never believed in him.

He is inexcusable for two reasons. His conscience for him witnessed there is a God. And secondly, the whole creation shouted that there is a God.

And for that reason, that man is inexcusable, he'll die and go straight to hell justly. Verse 21, here's his problem, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in their imaginations. Their foolish heart became dark. Why did their foolish heart become dark? Because, watch this, because when they got a glimpse of God, when they got a little understanding of God, what did they do?

They became vain in their imagination. They didn't want to do what that God wanted them to do. And so what happened to them? Verse 22, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

And what did they do? Because they would not accept the law of God. They changed the glory of the uncorruptible holy God into an image made like the corruptible man.

Isn't that humanism? Going to make him like man, going to capsule God, and to birds and four footed beasts and creeping things. Listen, if you're going to have a God made with human hands, what are you going to do? You're going to make a God you can control.

You're going to shape him like you want to shape him. Listen, verse 24, wherefore God did what? When men insist on creating their own gods, then you know what God will do with them?

He will turn them over to it. Wherefore God gave them over up to uncleanness, to the lust of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. You read the rest of that passage and all kinds of perversions sexually, you'll find it, brother, right there. Listen, when men deliberately, willingly turn away from God, he says God will give them over to it.

And this is why we have a whole system today that is distorted and perverted about the truth. Listen, when you pick up this Bible, if you believe the God who penned the scriptures through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you'll have to give up sin and begin to live for God. And if you don't want to do that, what are you going to do?

I'll tell you what you're going to do. You're going to rip this book apart because every time you see it, it says accountability. Every time you see it, it says holiness. Every time you see it, it says justice.

Every time you see it, it says judgment. And a man who wants to live in sin is not going to believe in a God whom he's going to have to give an account to. And there's the explanation Romans 1. Divine revelation, that's the only way to know God. But let me tell you how men know God. They don't really learn too much about God through nature.

That's why God sent his only begotten son. Listen, do you want to find out who God is? You want to find out what God is like? Look in John chapter 15, verse 15.

The only way to know God. In chapter 14, he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. John chapter 15, verse 15. Remember that here is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to his apostles before his crucifixion the next morning. And he says, henceforth I call you not servants, for the servants knoweth not what his Lord doeth. But I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my Father. I have made them known unto you.

Listen, let me ask you something. What do you know about God that was not delivered to you through Jesus Christ and the word of God? Oh, you can look around at nature and say, boy, God must, he must love color. Look at the blue sky and the green trees and the orange and purple mountains. Only God loves color. He sure does. God must have a vast mind to be able to think thousands of feet deep in the ocean. Billions of miles out there, he's vastness in his thought. And you and I could run the gamut of all the creation and describe God. Let me tell you something you'd never discover about God. You can never discover in the creation that God is a personal warm, loving, forgiving Father.

There is no way to discover that. You see, we understand what God is like best when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. What do we get? We get a glimpse that God is our Father, that he'll forgive us just like a father will forgive his son and that he'll cleanse us and he'll help us and he'll guide us and he'll provide for us.

And one of these days, he's going to take us home to be with him. You don't get that revelation through anybody but Jesus Christ. The Hebrews had a concept of God that was only, there was only partial life. Why did the Father send the Son in order to reveal the truth about himself to humanity and at the same time to make it possible for men to be saved? You see, where do we best understand how much God loves us?

We find the greatest expression of God's love when we see his Son dying on a cross, bleeding to death for sinners like you and myself. One other way I believe that you and I know God is that he's real and that is when you by faith turns your life over to Jesus Christ, what happened? Let me ask you something. Could anybody ever convince you there's no Christ, no God? No.

You know why they couldn't? Brother, you have experienced something and a man may say to you, there's no God and he may give you scientific reasons, philosophical reasons but let me ask you, what is it about your faith in God that all the atheism in the world cannot touch? I'll tell you what it is. He cannot touch the fact that one day as a child, as a young adult, as an old man, you got on your knees and you cried and you asked Jesus Christ to come in your heart and your sins were forgiven and the peace of God filled your soul and you've been different ever since. You see, you and I know there's a God for three reasons. Human reason when it is honest says there is a God. Divine revelation from Genesis to the end of that book says there is a God. And personal experience, relationship with him says there is a God. He's God. And when somebody says, is there a God? Brother, don't whisper yes, shout it. Hallelujah. There is a personal God who lives within my heart and with whom I am going to spend an everlasting eternity. Thank you for listening to God Is. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.