Introduction to God and His Story

OVERVIEW OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

How do we know God is real?

Arguments for God

Intelligent design If you see a beautiful building we know it has an architect. When we look around at the world, and how perfectly every

Our Moral Conscience’s We agree on what is definitively right and certainly wrong Then we know that there is an invisible law. This points to a lawgiver and a Judge.

Even Science Requires that there must be; The law of Cause and effect requires that there must be An uncaused cause, behind the origin of the universe Evolution theory, or an atheist position requires that something, must come from nothing. It is a natural law that matter cannot be created or destroyed. So where did it all come from?

Doesn’t it take just as much faith, if not more faith to Believe that there is no God? To believe that this perfectly ordered universe, Human consciousness The soul of a person All these things are just randomly assembled particles that have mashed together to make intelligent life?

Intelligent Design.

Romans 1:18–20 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:21 ESV

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Moral Conscience -

Romans 2:15 ESV

They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

How do we know Jesus is God

1. Historically verified that he lived

2. Historically verified that he died

3. Empty tomb

4. 500 eyewitnesses that claim to see him Risen at one time 1 Corinthians 15:6

1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

5. Radical Conversion of his enemies Even those who put him to death, changed their minds about Jesus

6. Martyrs who die for the what they believed they saw. “What do they Gain for this supposed lie?”

7. The Testimony of the 12 Disciples The scriptures describe thatll of his disciples were Jewish men, who whilst originally found cowering

How do I know I can trust the bible?

Explain why the bible is reliable

How many authors?

what were their professions?

Over how many years?

Inerrancy of the bible:

40 Authors

1600 years (Who did not know one another)

3 Languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)

3 Continents

Jesus from the beginning (Isaiah) and yet Jesus holds it up and says, this was all pointing to me

Dead sea scrolls.

No contradiction.

Reliable collection of Historical documents

Testimony of the 12 men who witnesses to everything. + 2 brothers + Paul who claimed same divine encounter Written by Eyewitnesses

Luke 1:4 - A collection of Eye witness’s

During the Lifetime of other eye witnesses

1 Corinthians 15:6 (appeared to 500)

That report supernatural events Primary Sources: His followers. Resurrection, miracles, etc

Secondary Sources Tibesius (Roman Scholar), Josephus (Jewish Scholar) admit he did miracles

That took place in fulfillment of specific prophecy

Isaiah 53 (800 years before) easy example.

Psalms 22

(all the prophets)

And claim that their writing is divine rather than human in origin

2 Timothy 3:16-17

They claim that this is from God

With the spirit in them, they are aligned to be seen as to be given the authority equivalent to that of the Prophets. As Jesus with His own words John 14:26, 16:13 claimed that his Holy Spirit would aid them in writing down His word

Jesus verifies the OT Scriptures

(Luke 24:44-48) - Everything written by Moses (first 5) + Prophets + Poetry about me must be fulfilled. He also constantly called upon the History (Jonah, Hosea, etc)

It all hangs upon him. Corinthians 15 - “If Christ did not rise from the dead, our faith in in vain”

Canon

Written by Moses

The Prophets Writing of the Apostles (Acts 5:3-5) Seen as like prophets

Story of the Bible

Have you read the bible?

Do you find it tricky?

Opening passage

Isaiah 46:8–10 ESV

“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Jesus wasn’t plan B. JEsus was Plan A

In the beginning God made everything, and said that it was good

he made a Garden, and then he placed Man in it

He filled the Garden with an abundance of trees bearing wonderful fruits of all kinds

He filled it with animals, and he put man in charge to rule of the Garden, There was 2 particular trees God put in the Garden that were distinct from all the other trees

Tree of Life

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil

What was missing in the Garden?

We were with God, but we did not know him

Fall

In Adam, we went our own way.

We turned from our trust in God, and put that trust in other things “This is the heart of idolatry”

Our heart is a factory of idols

John Calvin said the human heart is “a perpetual factory of idols.”5 Rather than worshiping God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24), we reshape and remake him until he is safely under our control.

Philip Graham Ryken

We brought the Curse of Sin upon ourselves

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

and from here, death reigns..

The human heart becomes corrupt. Sick from the very inside. Contaminated with sin

We become unable to fix things. we have become fallen. All our desires are messed up

Have you noticed this in your own life? That you are unable to act the way you wanna act, or Think the way you wanna think All your desires on the inside are a bit messed up and when you look around, nothing is quite the way it should be?

If we have a perfect God, we should have a perfect world right?

Yet we live in a fallen world because of the problem of “Sin”

Law

The Law is reflection of Gods Holiness. His Holy Standard

The Jews were given Gods commandments They reflect the very law God has written on our hearts (conscience)

The purpose of the law was to crush us under its weight

to show us that we are nothing like God

Redemption

God becomes Man

FORGIVENESS

Jesus carries out perfect humanity

Becomes perfect sacrifice

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:9–10 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

Do you believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The jugular of the Christian faith

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Lee Strobel. “Case for Christ”

The Church

Those who accept the Holy life and sacrificial death of Jesus, and believe upon his Resurrection.

Adopted

God brings His people together

Spread the Good news

We are the Spiritual continuation of Israel

Are you part of this Spiritual family, called Gods people?

Judgement

God deals with sin

Lion & the Lamb Righteousness and Mercy Judges the wicked + Delivers all those who believe in the mercy he has promised freely

Romans 2:5–6 ESV

But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works:

Righteous (those who put their faith in Christs works)

Wicked (those who face God on the basis of their own works, insufficent for Salvation)

Restoration

God

+

His People

+

New Heaven & New Earth

Revelation 21:1 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Reflection Questions

Does the story make sense to you?

> Which part do you struggle to understand the most?

> Do you believe this story?