However when I arrived at this conclusion, I then ran into another popular problem. Not everyone believes the Bible because they don't think they can trust it. In light of this obstacle, I made the decision to combine what was originally two sermon ideas/topics, into one. I took some of the information I received from my conversations with non-Christians in Bentley to pull together some of the biggest reasons as to why they don't think they can trust the Bible. While I could go on for hours and hours about how we can know the Bible is true, and how we can trust it, I decided to focus in on the main two reasons that I heard from these students. The two biggest reasons I heard surprised me a little. They were that the Big Bang Theory explains where everything came from better than everything coming from God, and there are lists in the Gospels that don't have the same names in them, so they can't be accurate. I quickly explained the Big Bang Theory doesn't answer the question of where EVERYTHING came from, because it doesn't explain where the two particles that reacted together came from. Additionally, I asked the question that if it was what happened, then why hasn't happened again? It doesn't make sense. If the earth really is billions of years old, there has been PLENTY of time for it to happen again, and the conditions are even more favorable, because there are even more particles around!!! If something always existed, it would have to be very powerful, and exhibit the exact characteristics that the Bible describes God as having. I then brought up the fact that it really doesn't matter how old the earth is, only because the Bible never specifically said. If you look at Jesus' teachings in the New Testament, he NEVER talked about the age of the earth. The only thing that was important for Him to talk about regarding the beginning of everything, was the very fact that He (God) created it!!! I shared with them what God said to Job in Job 38, basically pointing out the fact the we speak so much about things that we don't know and can't know for 100% sure (regarding the age of the earth). God himself asked Job, "Why do you talk without knowing what you're talking about?...Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much!" The fact of the matter is, God created it, and that's all that really matters!
In regard to the differences in names, I gave an example of Emily and I going to a CSF party and being asked by a student who wasn't able to make it how it was and who was there. I tell him a bunch of people whom he knows, while Emily tells him the names of those he knows, but also even names of two new people whom he doesn't know. This example isn't completely transferable 'as is', but the principle is still there. Just because Emily and I gave different names, DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T BE TRUSTED!!! Neither one of us was lying! After talking through these two topics, I told the students that I only had time to graze the tip of the iceberg, so if they had questions or doubts that they wanted to research, they could come talk to me and I'd help them with it!
Finally, after establishing that foundation, I was able to proceed. I pointed them in the direction, first of Paul's words in Romans 5. Paul explains that sin entered the world through Adam, bringing death. There was sin in the world BEFORE the Law was given. During this time, people's sin wasn't counted as such, because they didn't know about it, yet they were still dying and had no idea why. So in His grace, God had to do something to help us. He gave us the Law, so that we could see and identify the sin that we were infected with. I then pointed them to Jesus' words in his first major public sermon, that's recorded in Matthew 5. Jesus said he didn't come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill/complete it. He also noted that those who trivialize even the smallest of the Laws, only trivializes himself (The laws are there to help us see how sinful we are and how much we need Jesus. If we begin thinking that one Law is less than another and is thus in comparison 'acceptable', we begin to limit Jesus' cleansing power in our life! We essentially say, 'This infraction is less than the others, so it doesn't matter. I don't really need Jesus to cleanse me of that area, just the major ones.'). I used the medical analogy of an infection to bring the point home. Whenever a person is infected with a new infection that has never before been seen, the doctors have to develop a symptoms list and diagnosis chart. This is what God did. The Law is our symptoms/diagnosis chart/list! In the Old Testament, there are 613 laws that God gave to help us see what we were doing that was killing us (sin). In his graciousness, God also gave us ways to manage/treat the infection. The sacrifice system is representative of God's grace more than we realize. Yet these weren't enough to CURE us, only to manage the infection. The only way for a doctor to make the cure, is to make it from using the infection/disease (ex: flu shot). More than not, there are times when they take untainted specimen samples and try to duplicate them in order to discover what about it makes it immune. Then from that, they can derive a cure. God did just this. He sent Jesus (untainted) and put him right in the middle of the contamination zone, surrounding Him with the infection. Yet Jesus remained untainted, and never contracted the infection. Through his death, his blood became the cure, and now it is made available to us all, we are cleanse of our infection of sin by the blood of Jesus. I ended by saying, "Simply put, we need Jesus to live!"
Needless to say, I had fun preaching last night. I know that God taught me a lot and helped me to develop an even better understanding of Jesus' work on the cross, bringing salvation to me and to all who believe in him. My hope and prayer is that God shoved me aside as I was preaching, and revealed the same to the students last night, and that they will get this medical analogy in their heads, so that they will take evangelism even more seriously, and pass along the cure to the hundreds and thousands of infected people all around us who are dying with the hope of the cure. I would appreciate any prayers you guys could give for Emily, the students here in CSF-LHU, and myself in following God's leading and growing closer to Him each and every day! Well, I guess that's all I have for now! Until next time! =)
Pat
Here's some pictures from last night. (I didn't know my president was taking pictures during the sermon... tisk tisk... jk ;)...)
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