Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. This question, creation or evolution, is not just for scientists, it's one of the most fundamental, one of the most important questions that any of us can consider. The complexity Our universe points surely. That there is a God. who's infinitely brilliant and powerful.
and creative. Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Today on the verdict, we're continuing our new series called What Would You Ask God by asking the question: creation or evolution? We're told by many scientists and teachers that the origin of life is a stunning series of random events. But what does the evidence tell us?
Listen and decide for yourself. Let's go to Pastor John Monroe as he introduces today's lesson. One of the most important questions any of us can consider is how we as human beings arrived on planet Earth. Did we evolve over billions of years or Is there an eternal Creator God? who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth.
In our series on God, we're presently considering the very important question of creation or evolution. This question. goes to the very heart of our identity and purpose. Last time I made it clear that I'm not a scientist. but I am presenting some evidence for your consideration.
Today we will focus on the evidence for direct creation. by an all-powerful God. Listen carefully. and you decide where the evidence points. Remember, the verdict is yours.
Our question is creation or evolution? The scriptures say that the evidence for a creator God is seen in the very universe. The creation of God is evidence. that there is a God. Here's The writer says, Paul, the invisible attributes, God's eternal power, His divine nature are clearly seen in what God has made.
So consider, first of all, the size. Of our universe. Genesis 1, verse 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains one hundred million stars.
That's quite a galaxy, isn't it? What is the size? Not to speak of the order of a universe pointer. What do you think? Creation?
or evolution. Consider the size of our universe. Secondly, consider the beauty of our universe. I've never been up in space, but listen to two U.S. astronauts.
First of all, John Glenn. I don't think you can be up here and look out the window as I did the first day and see the Earth from this vantage point. To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God, to me it's impossible. It just strengthens my faith. I wish there were words to describe what it's like.
Truly Awesome. Then James Irwin. The earth reminded us of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in the blackness of space. As we got further and further away, it diminished in size. Finally, it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine.
That beautiful, warm, living object looks so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger, it would crumble and fall apart. Seeing this has to change a man, has to make a man appreciate the creation of God and the love of God. What a beautiful Beautiful. world. Universe.
we have. Good night, last month, had the privilege. of ministering to missionaries in Switzerland. We're there staying in the Swiss Alps. We're halfway up this mountain.
Staying in this place, and as we got up in the morning, we opened our drapes. There's a little balcony, and we looked out. Over the one of the lakes of Interlaken.
Some of you have been there. The West Lake. Looking a little further up, We see some of the beautiful Alps. The Eiger. Jong fro, Mont Blanc.
with the snow. Absolutely. Awesome. The beauty of gods. Creation.
We've all had such experiences in life. the beauty of the sea, of the stars, of a flower. Of a sunrise. Our world, even though it's fallen, is spectacularly beautiful. Did all of this beauty just happen by random chance?
Did it just happen to. Come Over millions of years or Could it be that it's created? By an awesome Creator, beautiful God. The size of the universe. The beauty of the universe.
Thirdly, consider the complexity of our universe. Turn to Psalm 139. Here is King David. writing three thousand years ago. Psalm 139.
Verse thirteen Listen to what he says. He's praying to God. You did farm my inward parts. You did weave me. In my mother's womb.
Psalm 139 verse 13. You did form my inward parts. You did weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you. for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are thy works, and my soul knows it very well. Wherever we look, the vastness of the sky The vastness of the ocean, we see the beauty, we see the complexity, and now we marvel, don't we, at the beauty and the complexity of these little babies we dedicate to the Lord. They are Fearfully and wonderfully made. You think of the complexity of a little baby, of a newborn baby. Is it possible?
That a one-celled organism over millions of years through random chance could evolve to the complexity of these babies? Is that really possible? Doctor. See Everett Koop. Pediatrician, surgeon, former Surgeon General of the US.
Writes, quote, I never operate without having a subconscious feeling that there is no way this extraordinary, complicated mechanism known as the human body, just happened to come up. from slime and ooze. When I make an incision with my scalpel I see organs of such intricacy that there simply hasn't been enough time. for natural evolutionary processes to have developed them. The complexity of our universe points surely To the evidence.
That there is A god. who's infinitely awesome. and brilliant and powerful. and creative. Consider the complexity of our DNA structure that we are learning more and more about.
Complex, specific information implies intelligence. If you receive something by code You realize that there was an intelligence behind the code. Codes don't just happen. If there is a code, there is a code maker.
Now what is our DNA? All of the data needed to specify the design of a human being. including such features as our hair, skin, eyes and height. And all of the data needed to determine the arrangement of over 200 bones. six hundred muscles ten auditory nerve fibres, two million optic nerve fibres, one hundred billion brain cell nerves Some have more, some have less.
400 billion feet of blood vessels and capillaries. It's packed into a unit weighing less than a few thousand millions of a gram. You believe it? It's true. That's DNA.
Richard Dawkins. The evolutionist. But Professor at Oxford, England of public understanding of science says accurately that a single cell in your body. contains a digitally coded database having more information in it than all of the volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica put together. And that's just in one cell.
In one cell in your body, There is more information. in one cell More information than all of the information in all of the volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica. Absolutely amazing. What? complex.
You say, well, how much DNA do we have? If the DNA strands from your body were stretched out in sequence, They would reach to the sun and back. How far away is the sun? Ninety-three million miles away. That's far.
We stretch out all of the DNA in your body. We go to the sun and back. Ninety-three million miles away, one direction. And we do that four hundred times. Mind-blowing.
Absolutely mind blowing. Think of all of the information then. That our DNA Contains. It is a highly complex informational system and code. The question is Where did all of this genetic information come from?
If our DNA has a chord, Mustn't someone have designed the god? Information codes point to an intelligent source and cause rather than to random forces.
Now who's the discoverer of DNA structure? The Englishman Francis Craig. And although he was an agnostic, As he examined DNA, He began to doubt that random chance could ever produce DNA. He began to consider that there must be a guiding intelligence. You say that's good.
Yeah, but there's some bad news here. Francis Craig Rather than acknowledging that that guiding intelligence is the eternal God. Came up with another explanation. What was his explanation? According to the Encyclopedia of Astrology, Astronomy, and Space Flight, Francis Crick said.
that this guiding intelligence that put all of this information In the DNA as possibly coming from aliens in outer space. Serious Point of view. Check it out. Encyclopedia of Astrology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight. confirmed this this week.
As possibly coming from aliens. from outer space who intentionally put genetic material on Earth. And these guys spectrally, that's the way they would do that. They must be very, very bright, these Martians or these little people out there, whoever they are. Put all of this together, and they have intentionally put this genetic material on earth.
For some reason that we don't know.
So he speculated. As I heard of that, it reminded me. of the Apostle Paul. what he found at Athens. Remember, when he went to Athens, there was an altar to the unknown God.
We could say to Francis Crick to an unknown guiding intelligence. What does Paul say? Exactly what we would say to Francis Crick and others. What you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you, the God who made the world and all things in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth. The DNA didn't come from aliens in outer space.
Came from someone who made the whole universe, from our great God, who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth, and who has made you and me in His image. And we are As we study DNA, And say what the psalmist said three thousand years ago. We are fearfully. and wonderfully made. Listen again to Paul, Romans one, verse twenty.
For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse For even though they knew God, they did not honour him as God. Yes, the scientists are saying, yes, there must be a guiding intelligence, but they don't honor him as God or give thanks. But they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened, professing to be wise. They became What? falls.
And exchange the glory of the incorruptible God. For an image in the form of corruptible men and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures, and we could say, and aliens from either space. Professing to be wise, they became False.
So where does the evidence point most convincingly? God or chance? Creation or evolution? Is it possible? that we are simply the result of some random atoms and molecules getting together in some primordial soup?
Or is there a God who created us in his image? What do you think? You see, I don't know if I've got enough faith to believe in God. Does it take more faith to believe that our universe, with its size, its complexity, and its beauty, just happened by random chance, or to believe that in the beginning, as the Bible says, in the beginning, God. The eternal God, the almighty God.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. As a Christian, I believe in an eternal, all-powerful God who, in the beginning, created the heavens and the earth. I also believe that this God, who is so great that He creates everything out of nothing, that this God is personal. that this God is loving and this God is caring. And this God, as David has said in Psalm 139, this God superintended my creation and your creation.
And this God, even although He's so great and so powerful, has done something amazing. He has revealed Himself to us not only in His creation, which He has done. He has revealed himself in his grace, in his Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and our Lord. And he comes to transform us, we who are made by him, with all of this intricate informational system within us, this DNA structure. and all of the wonder of human creation.
And yet, because of sin, we've fallen, we've blown it, and the image of God in us is marred and is scarred and is cracked. But God has done something that we could never do ourselves. In love, He has sent His Son to redeem us, and to change us, and to reform us, and to forgive our sins, so that we can have a true relationship with God, that we can know this great God. And so that when we die as die we must. We will get into heaven.
and spend eternity with this great God. Story told of a man who dies and goes to heaven is met by Peter at the Pearly Gates. Just a story, obviously. The man explains to Peter that he's been a very good man on earth. Really says Peter, how good?
Very good, says the man. In fact, I'm so good. That although I say this myself, I deserve to get into heaven. Peter says, really? He says, well, you'll need 100%.
to get into heaven You tell me all the good things you've done, sir, and I will give you a certain number of points for each. Item, depending on how good it was. When you reach one hundred percent, You get into heaven.
Okay, says the man.
Well, first of all, you need to know I was married for fifty years. Never cheated on my life, never cheated on my life, even in my heart. Very good, says Peter. That's worth Three points. Th three points, says the man.
Well, I attended church all my life. I tithed, I gave money. To good causes, and I was always involved in ministry in my church. Excellent, says Peter. That's worth the point.
Only one point? Mine says, well, listen to this. I started a soup kitchen for the homeless. I worked with homeless veterans, poured my life into feeding them and clothing them and providing them. Very good, says Peter.
Um two points. Exasperated, the man showed it. At this rate, The only way that anyone is going to get into heaven is by the grace of God. Exactly, says Peter. Exactly.
And the only way that you're going to get into heaven And the only way I'm going to get into heaven is not by our goodness, but is by the grace of God. If there is a God. Who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. He is Awesomely. Powerful.
This God is infinite in His wisdom who can. Produce all of that DNA structure. Wouldn't you agree with her? And this God is so huge. We try to picture the size of the universe, it's mind-blowing.
When we think of the size of the universe, but this is the God who made the universe and who is greater than the universe, is outside of the universe, He's the transcendent God. And do you really think, and do I really think that anything that we can do in our tiny little world is going to merit favor with God? He's so big, he's too far away, he's too holy. He is light, in him there is no darkness. And we when we do our very best There is failure.
and we have good intentions And we want to be the best Parents and the best friends and the best people and the best citizens, but we fail and we blow it and we mess up sometimes very dramatically. But there is failure in all of our lives. And do you really think That you could do something to wipe it out? Absolutely not. And this great God who's not only infinite in his power.
not only infinite in his wisdom and brilliance, Is infinite in his love and has done something which is even more mind-blowing than creating this world. Seeing our state in this tiny little world. and seeing the mess that you've made of your life and I have made my in my life sends his son God the Son comes into this world. Lives here. Perfect life, the only one, a sinless life.
dies on the cross for our sins. The Lamb of God, bearing away the sin of the world, is buried, rises again, demonstrating the power of God and raising his Son from the dead. And so he is alive forevermore. And now he calls on you and me to repent, to turn from our sins, and to embrace Christ, and to call upon the name of the Lord, and we will be saved, and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will be saved. And then our sins are forgiven and they're transformed in our life, which have been offskew.
was brought into harmony. with his purposes. And that image of God, which in us is marred and scarred, now under the power of the Holy Spirit, becomes more and more like Jesus Christ.
So John reminds us that this great God has spoken not only in creation, but has spoken in grace in His Son, Jesus Christ. As he writes, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into him through him. And apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being.
In him was life, and the life was the light of man. And the word became flesh. The Word Jesus Christ became flesh. We celebrate that at Christmas, but we need to celebrate it every day of our life. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.
Oh, this is a far greater glory than the glory of the universe. We beheld His glory, the glories of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth. came through Jesus Christ No one has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained him. He has shown what God is really like.
Yes, a great God. with a personal God and a God who loves you. But I ask you, not only do you believe in God, But have you received this? His son Have you personally responded to the grace of God? Have you trusted in Christ?
If not, I urge you, yes, I urge you. To turn from your sin. And receive Christ. As your Savior and as your Lord. And if you are a believer here, as I know many of you are, if you really believe this.
demonstrate by the way you live and your priorities And the way you're You live in your home and at work. And all of life. Is brought under the lordship. of Jesus Christ because this God is so great. that he so loved the world That he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believes in him Should not perish, but have. Ever Lasting. Bye. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us.
From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at the verdict.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Creation or evolution? What does the evidence suggest? As a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe in an eternal, all-powerful God who in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. In Hebrews we read, By faith we understand, that the universe was created by the word of God.
so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Join me next time as we continue to think of God as Creator. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
