“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:1-3

When we look at the idea of what we have as far as a faith that is involved in our life. Why is it that we have that? Is there a foundation for that faith or is it just a leap in the dark? The reason for our faith in Jesus Christ is not something that is founded upon nothingness, it’s something that has firm foundation.

 

There is something unique about Christianity. Christianity and the faith in Jesus Christ and the salvation of our sins does not come from some nothingness, it is not from some vain philosophy, it is based upon history of what actually took place, it is based upon evidence that suggests not only there is a God, but the Bible is His word and Jesus is His son. It is not seen but it is reasoned, it is not something that I can bring down and put into a test tube or bottle, but I can realize that it’s evidence exists all around us.

When we talk about the idea of faith, it begins with the fundamental fact and that is “God is”, if we don’t start there we have nothing with regard to Christianity but when we start with that one fundamental fact, everything else comes from that. When we look at Psalms 14:1, the psalmist pointed out, “the fool says in his heart, there is no God…” Paul says in Romans 1:20, “ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” We need to understand those two terms which Paul used here, His “eternal power” and “divine nature”. “His power” suggests that He exist, when you look at the power that is in this world, all the things that have that great force behind them, the motion that takes place of everything that’s there, is held in order by the fine nature of that which is power put in offset with one another. Then you recognize something must be behind that, there is a necessity to find out who is behind this. So, the power that exists in this world points us to someone who is greater than those in this world. But His divinity or “divine nature” also makes the natural realm something that cannot be explained by natural explanation. We see how everything is put in the great order, we recognize the order when we see the things that are of this world, if this earth was little closer to sun- life would not be possible, if it was little farther from sun- life would not be possible. When you see the kind of things that exists in the order of that which exists all around us and the living things, the kind of a design that’s there. The design that God has put in bringing everything into this world and making it able to work.

Anytime we see any design, we recognize the fact that there is not a natural explanation for that other than somebody created this. I don’t go to my house and figure out that when and what kind of explosion took place here, I recognize that, this house was built by builders who were skilled for that. When you look at and when you see the design, it’s simple, it’s a rational process that you have to have a designer that is behind that. Hebrew 3:4 says, “…. every house is built by someone…”. If every house has a builder then what about the world, how about the universe that we see exist, there must be a builder behind that. The logical conclusion is that there is a designer and a creator, but the designer and creator of sufficient power and wisdom to bring about a world, that’s beyond anything like you and me.

Once we realize that there is a God who created all these, and He created me, then we reason that there is not only a God who created all these but God who created all these must have a purpose for me. If everything serves a purpose what’s my purpose.

The Bible is the Word of God, and that’s the fundamental source through which we find out what is my purpose here on this earth. You are not going to go there and sit outside looking on the stars and find out your purpose, it’s not going to happen that way, that’s why we have Word of God is for. But how do I know that true God is behind the message of the Bible. When you look at what the Word of God says, it claims a point of inspiration. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Bible is inspired by God, and it’s inspired by God to completely furnish us as we need to do. How do we know that Bible is inspired by God? Fulfilled prophecies of Bible are major proof. To foretell events hundreds of years before with 100% accuracy is humanly impossible. Fulfilling of prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel are the proof that the Bible is inspired by God.  Jeremiah’s prophecy of a 70-year captivity and Isaiah’s prophecy of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar were also fulfilled down to the last detail. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record the Jews’ return from exile. History of Israel also proves this.

So, yes, we can find that there is a God and yes, we know that His word is there in the Bible. This leads us to a final thing that as His creation, we are subject to God. The laws of this world in a natural sense are that which are controlled by God, He has designed, He has put them in an order and they keep that order and when we recognize that, then we need to understand that we need to follow that order. Where is His order? His order is in the Bible, we can see that because He left the evidence.

When we make the conclusion that there has to be a God and that the Bible gives evidence that it is the inspired Word of God, then it is necessary for us to listen to what that Word tells us to do and it claims absolute ability to guide us. Much of the religious world doesn’t believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, much of the denominational world has the idea that God put a thought in the mind of an individual and they wrote it down and they might or might not be correct.

Jesus says, in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We are supposed to hear all things that He has commanded, we are to fully obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In John 14:23 Word of God says, “Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’”

Do you want to be right with God? Do you want to have fellowship with God to be together in His acceptance? If so, then what’s necessary- to listen to His Word, recognize that He mean for all of it to be obeyed, and then obey it. What happens if we don’t do that, in 2 John verse 9, the statement is made, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching, has both the Father and the Son.” This is what Jesus said, that’s exactly what He intends for us to do.

If you’ve never been one who is been obedient to Jesus Christ then I ask you to understand something, I am not asking you to be obedient to something which has no solid foundation, I am asking you to look at the evidence, look at what is reasonable, God of haven has given us evidence of who He is, He has given us evidence of what His Word is and He has given us evidence of exactly what He intends for us to do. If you have never been baptized into Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, I ask you to not do that because I said so, I am asking you to do that because Jesus said, “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). If you’ve already done that and you’ve left that place, you gone back into the world, you’ve done those things which are not right with Him. You know that He exist, you know that the Bible is the Word of God and you know what you supposed to do. You need to repent, you need to pray to God for forgiveness and come back to Him. It’s only that way you will go to haven in the end. The concepts of the various doctrines that are preached, it really comes down to something that is not difficult, you don’t need a Ph.D., you don’t need to be greatly educated to figure it out. You need the Bible. And that Bible declares to you in a very clear way, exactly what it is that you’ve to do. Do you know what else it declares? It declares that there is a home waiting for us in haven if we will indeed be obedient until end. He by His grace and His mercy has given away for us who are stained by sin and separated from Him to come back into His favor and His fellowship and to be those who will come home eternally one day. Are you longing for that? More than anything in my life I am looking forward for that. The only way we gain that heavenly home is by following the message that God gave, that calls us to that road which He has given to us to follow. Are you ready to start going on that road?