Facts & Faith

Evidence

Surely by now we’ve all been to the Grand Canyon. 90 minutes up the road. The south rim is spectacular. It’s awe-inspiring to stand on the edge looking at this vast canyon.

One of my favorite little tidbits is this. There was a guy who wanted to live completely anonymously and off-grid. So, he moved to the Grand Canyon, built himself a little house and lived there in complete anonymity for years.

Then, they decided to make his home a stop on the bus line for tourists. So now, thousands of tourists know about and have stopped at Hermit’s Rest. He’s the most famous resident of the Grand Canyon. He is internationally famous now.

For years we were told the Grand Canyon was formed over billions of years as the Colorado River carved its way downstream. Growing up in school in the 60s and 70s that was the standard lesson.

For those of us who are Christians and Creationists, we always had trouble w/ this. It did not fit our paradigm of an instantaneous creation event. To believe that God created everything would mean there have not been billions of years to form these natural wonders. So, what happened?

We had to explain it away. Either we had to change our belief system or adapt it somehow. Like, yes, God created everything, but he took billions of years to do it.

Neither of these options were good options for Christians.

Then, 2 things happened. Continuing excavation and scientific study discovered no evidence of any sediment downstream.

Now, you’ve seen the canyon. It is vast. Think about how much sediment the river would have carried downstream if this were the truth about its creation. There should be volumes and volumes of rock and mineral sediment scattered for miles downstream. There is none.

Second, Mt. St. Helen’s erupted on the west coast. And w/ that eruption, a canyon was formed instantaneously. Not near as big as the Grand Canyon, but a canyon none the less.

So, we look at the evidence. We see what we see and we see what we don’t see. We see a canyon created quickly. We don’t see a river cutting the canyon over billions of years. We see the canyon, but we don’t see any sediment downstream.

These recent things that occured both support the creationist position that God created these things in a short amount of time w/ just a word. Then, all of creation changed w/ a world-wide flood event and as the water receded the landscape changed from its original form. Also, almost instantaneously.

So, now secular atheistic scientists are left to explain these things by either changing what they believe, or adapting it somehow to the evidence. Assumptions are made that maybe all the evidence hasn’t been discovered, yet. So they may hang on to an adapted belief system that attempts to explain away the existence of a Creator God who can create the earth w/ a word then rearrange it w/ a flood.

BTW, Peter warned us that we’d get to this point as a post-Christian culture that denies God as the Creator and denies the occurence of a world-wide flood that took the lives of every unbelieving person on earth and only left 8 alive to start over and repopulate the planet. All this in their attempt to deny that Jesus is going to return.

(2 Peter 3)

Today, we see what we see and we see what we don’t see. I’m here to tell you I’m a different guy that I was before I surrendered my life to Jesus. I changed what I believe when I encountered my Savior and He changed me from the inside out.

I was that shy kid who would not say 2 words in a group setting or classroom. There was no way I could stand in front of a group and put sentences together that made any sense.

God changed me. I felt it. I knew it. Then I lived it and others saw it too.

For those who come to our Wed night study we all hear similar stories of changed lives of the ppl who surrendered their life to Jesus. Then, the deeper they let Jesus into their new life, the greater the changes He makes in them. And the better their lives are. We see what we see and we see what we don’t see anymore.

We see it. We see the changes, the fruit, the strength, and courage to do things and avoid things they we couldn’t before.

There is no halfway w/ Jesus. Just like there is no sort of pregnant. Either you are, or you aren’t.

Either you’re all in w/ Jesus, or all out. He demands it and requires it. It may be a process w/ us. We’ve got to get to where we surrender everything to Him to get everything from Him.

When the Light comes on and you see Jesus as your Savior for the first time, He demands a response. And when we respond in faith He changes us from the inside out for the better.

He’s given us everything we need to make the right choice. There are enough facts on which to base our faith.

You read it, study it, see it, believe it, and it will change you. Thus, confirming you made the right choice when it came to Jesus. He calls our hand. He forces a decision. He gives us everything we need to make the right one.

In Luke 11, Jesus casts a demon out of a man it’s barely an afterthought. But it forces the ppl there to make a decision about Jesus. Either, they must change what they believe about Him. Or, they must adapt and try to explain away whey they don’t believe.

What Does it Mean?

Luke 11:14–23 NIV

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Here’s the miracle. Jesus cast a demon out of a man and the demon had kept the man mute. In Matthew’s account of this, he says the man was blind, too. Okay. This is not important to the point of the exorcism. It happened. The man who could not speak, then could.

This situ was used by Jesus as a spark to light a fire that would provoke a decision by those who saw it.

They all saw what they saw, and heard what the heard. It was different from what they had seen and heard from the man previous to Jesus’ healing.

The ppl were amazed. Being amazed by Jesus may be a step on the way to belief. But amazement is not faith in, or belief in Jesus to saved and changed by Him.

Some tried to explain this miracle away. They did not want to believe in Jesus, so they denied what they heard from Him about being from God and adapted what they saw to what they wanted to believe.

Like atheistic scientists who don’t want to believe in a Creator God.

They pushed the narrative that Jesus’ power came from Satan, not God. He was evil and attempting to manipulate ppl and lead them away from God.

Others seemed to be open the possibilities about Jesus, they just wanted another sign. Amazed, not believing. They didn’t think they’d seen enough, yet.

But Jesus knew they had. They’d seen enough and needed to decide what they were going to do w/ Him. Basically, He forced them to decide then.

Now, there was going to be one more big sign. More on that in a minute.

For those who pushed the Satanic narrative, Jesus had a 3-part response:

First, a house divided against itself cannot stand. It is inconceivable that Satan would be casting out demons. They work for Him. He wants more possessions, not less. And Satan’s kingdom is large and powerful. If He were the One behind Jesus then His kingdom would implode. And, it is definitely, not imploding.

Second, Jesus pointed out that Israel had their own exorcists. Demonic activity was much more prevalent then and there than it is here. The obvious assumption was the Jewish leadership received their ability to cast out demons from God. Why would they view the source of Jesus’ power any differently?

Third, The stronger man. Satan is powerful and has His domain. If Jesus was going to invade Satan’s territory then He must overpower Him first. Jesus is the stronger man. He is more powerful than Satan. And, He will dominate Satan’s domain in time.

Then, it was decision time. If you’re not w/ Jesus, that is believing in Him to be saved and changed, then you’re against Him. There is no halfway w/ Jesus. He pushed them to decide, then warned them if they didn’t decide for Him.

All the Way

Luke 11:24–28 NIV

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Now, Jesus using this situ, gave a prophetic warning to those Israelites who were there to witness this and tried to explain away that God didn’t do it.

JB preached repentance. To which, many Israelites responded and confessed their sins and changed their ways. They cleaned up their Israelite house.

It wasn’t spotless, but it was much nicer than it had been.

John’s message was only the first part of what Jesus came to finish. John brought the message of repentance. Jesus brought the message of belief.

They admitted their sin, owned it, and stopped the behavior. But, that never made anyone right w/ God. Faith alone, in Jesus, makes us right w/ God. And the ppl there were rejecting Jesus.

They started down this path. But stopped short. The did not make it all the way to a saving and life-changing belief in Jesus.

B/C they rejected Jesus, they left their clean house vulnerable.

Jesus, using this situ w/ the man who was delivered from the demon, though He didn’t refer specifically to the man, made the point that Israel was like this man when they responded to JB.

The demons left, for a time. They could not find a suitable replacement host. So, they returned to Israel and brought multiple more fiends and friends w/ them. Israel’s condition ended up worse after Jesus was crux’d and resurrected than they were before He came in the first place. Israel has never occupied the space atop the world powers like the did during David and Solomon’s reign.

Currently they occupy a sliver of the land that was promised to Abraham and they are constantly at war defending their territory from those who wish to destroy them, from the River to the Sea. Still today they do not enjoy the peace they once had centuries ago.

As Jesus was warning them, a woman cried out that Mary, His mother was blessed among women. To which Jesus replied, belief over blood relation leads to blessing.

Mary was blessed t/b chosen as the Miraculous Mother of Jesus.

But, Jesus had just completed warning Israel that their bloodlines, that they were so dependent on and trusted in, would fail them to achieve God’s blessing as they hoped. Those who heard the word of God, from the prophets to Jesus right then and there, and obeyed the word of God by believing in Jesus to be saved, they are blessed over those who think they have the correct ancestry.

We who believe are saved. Our lives change for the better from the moment we come to faith. We get the whole load. The entire basket of fruit. All the power that raised Jesus from dead now resides w/ us as a resource to help us manage our lives and overcome our past.

We who believe, trust in Jesus to be saved, are blessed. Those who trust in their bloodlines, in the intelligence, in their own resources will be sadly disappointed and not experience what the rest of us enjoy.

Then, to take His point home, Jesus gave 2 examples from history as further warning to Israel for their response to Him as He invited them to believe in Him.

Signs from the Past

Luke 11:29–32 NIV

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

Calling out those who requested another sign, believing they had not seen enough, yet; Jesus chastised them for their lack of faith and not finishing the path they started.

There would be one more very obvious sign, the sign of Jonah.

Just as Jonah spent 3 days in the dark, cold belly of a fish; Jesus would spend 3 days in the dark, cold tomb of His death. Then, just as Jonah returned, so would Jesus.

At that moment, those who were paying attention would know that Jesus is from God.

Beyond that, Jesus used the message of Jonah to make another point. When Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh to preach, the Ninevites responded w/ faith and repentance. His message was if they didn’t repent, then God would destroy them.

They listened and heeded the message. Therefore, God relented and did not destroy them for years later.

And, the Queen of the South had heard of Solomon’s wealth and wisdom so she came to see for herself. She was so moved that she believed in God, too.

Jesus telling this crowd that He is greater than both Jonah and Solomon. Their audiences believed the message and lived. But these Israelites were hearing the great message from the greatest messenger and they rejected Him and it.

So, at the time in the future when this generation of Israelites will be judged and punished for their disbelief and disobedience; both the Ninevites and the Queen of the South will be present as examples who did it right and were blessed w/ life.

While Jesus did speak in parables that were not always that clear, He was being crystal clear w/ His message this day. Only the most stubborn who refuse to believe would miss the significance of Jesus walking out of His tomb.

The message was clear. As clear as a lamp that is lit and placed on a pedestal to light ppl’s way to God.

It was as clear as a blinking beacon like a light house.

Blinking Beacon

Luke 11:33–36 NIV

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Once again, Jesus implies He is the Light and His message shows the way to God.

There is nothing subtle about what He has said here. It’s not coded and does not need much in the way of education or expertise to figure it out.

He finished here what He started. Remember, according to Matthew the demon blinded the man as well as muted him. Jesus opened his eyes and loosened his tongue.

When Jesus fixes your eyes, they are healthy and can recognize truth when the see it. But for those who refuse to believe, He leaves them in the dark and no amount of evidence will convince them otherwise.

For 3 years Jesus put himself and His word out there for all to see and respond. In fact, no one could stay neutral based on what they saw and heard.

He taught many messages about Who He is and what he came to do and why each one of us needs Him to do it for us.

He performed many powerful miracles. 35 are written about by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Even John wrote this;

John 20:30–31 NIV

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John and Matthew were eyewitnesses to all of it.

Mark and Luke interviewed the eyewitnesses, including Peter and Paul.

They saw it, wrote it down, and have given us the chance to read and believe.

We see the changed lives around us. We must choose what to believe about Jesus.

Here’s part of the equation. If you don’t believe in Jesus, if you don’t believe the historical evidence points to Who Jesus is and what He did, then you can’t believe in Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, or Homer.

You cannot believe that Alexander the Great conquered the region for Greece. Or, that He died in his 40 around 345 BC. You cannot believe the territory was fractured and the Ptolemies and Seleucids fought constantly to control it.

Or, that after about 300 years, 3 men rose to power and the land was divided 3 ways between Octavian, Marc Anthony, and a general in their army. Shortly after, Octavian conquered the general and his territory. Then conquered Marc Anthony and his, uniting the land for Rome and Octavian became the first Caesar; Julius Ceaser.

There is far more evidence for the historical facts of what Jesus did and said, including his death and resurrection than any of these others; and in some cases combined.

There is general consensus among historians that a good Rabbi named Jesus was crux’d. The same evidence points to His resurrection. But then, those who refuse to believe, but either change what they believe or explain it away. But the evidence just doesn’t allow for that.

Why would anyone want to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him? Why would anyone want to pray like Jesus just taught? B/C, the only logical conclusion from His messages and miracles is that God is working thru Him, He is God, bringing His kingdom to earth, victory and the ability to overcome all the baggage of our past as believers, and judgment to those who don’t believe.

You read it, study it, see it, believe it, and it will change you. Thus, confirming you made the right choice when it came to Jesus. He calls our hand. He forces a decision. He gives us everything we need to make the right one.

We have enough facts to support our faith that Jesus is the One who will save us and change us.

Applications

Look for yourself

If you need to, don’t take my word for it. Look for the evidence yourself. People we were taught about and the events that surrounded their lives we were taught not to question but accept as historically accurate facts.

If my telling you is not enough, you look up the evidence yourself. I am 100% confident you will come to the same conclusion I did and be changed by it.

Grand Canyon

Next time you visit the Grand Canyon, stop and consider Jesus spoke the word to create everything then changed everything in a short amount of time w/ a worldwide flood.

God did that. The might and majesty of the Grand Canyon pales in comparison the might and majesty of God.

Take a moment at the rim, even at Hermit’s Rest, and take it all in and praise God for His creativity and power.

Finish

If you’re here this morning and you are considering Jesus. Even if you’ve been in this place for a long time, let me encourage you to finish.

If you’ve cleaned up your house. If you’ve dropped you bad habits and bad relationships, but haven’t completed the process by picking up Jesus; then take today to choose to finish.

Jesus will fill you with the Holy Spirit so nothing demonic can ever enter your life. You can be messed w/, but you’ll never be controlled by it.

Otherwise, you may well end up worse than you ever were.

Finish by surrendering your life to Jesus so you can get His. Faith.

There’s no sediment downstream the Colorado River from the Grand Canyon. There’s no body in Jesus’ tomb. The Canyon was created in a flash by a flood. Jesus was resurrected in a flash by God.

There is no halfway w/ Jesus. Just like there is no sort of pregnant. Either you are, or you aren’t.

Either you’re all in w/ Jesus, or all out. He demands it and requires it. It may be a process w/ us. We’ve got to get to where we surrender everything to Him to get everything from Him.

When the Light comes on and you see Jesus as your Savior for the first time, He demands a response. And when we respond in faith He changes us from the inside out for the better.

He’s given us everything we need to make the right choice. There are enough facts on which to base our faith.

You read it, study it, see it, believe it, and it will change you. Thus, confirming you made the right choice when it came to Jesus. He calls our hand. He forces a decision. He gives us everything we need to make the right one.