BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES PRESENTS: 00:00:01.46\00:00:06.90 SERMOMN B585 - IS JESUS REAL? 00:00:06.94\00:00:11.54 BREATH OF LIFE THEME MUSIC 00:00:11.57\00:00:20.18 PB: The Word of God is clear. Matthew chapter 11, 00:00:20.22\00:00:22.98 verse 1. If you have it, let me hear you say amen. 00:00:23.02\00:00:25.35 Aud.: Amen. PB: "And it came to pass, 00:00:25.39\00:00:27.39 when Jesus had made an end of commanding his 00:00:27.42\00:00:30.73 twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach 00:00:30.76\00:00:33.13 and to preach in their"--what, everybody? 00:00:33.16\00:00:35.30 Aud.: Cities. PB: "Now when John had heard in 00:00:35.33\00:00:37.63 the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his"--what? 00:00:37.67\00:00:41.50 Aud.: Disciples. PB: "And said unto him, Art thou 00:00:41.54\00:00:44.81 he that should come, or do we look for another? 00:00:44.84\00:00:50.15 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John 00:00:50.18\00:00:53.58 again those things which ye do hear and see: 00:00:53.62\00:00:56.55 The blind receive their sight, the lame, they do walk, 00:00:56.58\00:01:03.69 the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, 00:01:03.73\00:01:08.96 the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel 00:01:09.00\00:01:11.43 preached to them. Then Jesus says, "And blessed is he, 00:01:11.47\00:01:16.14 whosoever shall not be offended in me." 00:01:16.17\00:01:22.18 Is Jesus real? God bless this Word, bless this preacher, 00:01:22.21\00:01:30.85 bless this congregation. May Your Holy Ghost permeate 00:01:30.89\00:01:35.96 through this place. Speak through me, I pray, and may 00:01:35.99\00:01:39.59 Your people hear You and may they give their lives to 00:01:39.63\00:01:42.36 You today. It's in the name of Jesus we pray, amen. 00:01:42.40\00:01:47.60 Aud.: Amen. PB: Jesus has been the centerpiece of 00:01:47.64\00:01:52.91 Western history for over 2,000 years. Now, Jesus never 00:01:52.94\00:01:59.71 wrote a book, yet all the libraries in this country 00:01:59.75\00:02:04.55 could not hold the books that have been written about Him. 00:02:04.59\00:02:07.42 Jesus never wrote a song, but he spurs the theme of 00:02:07.46\00:02:14.10 more songs than all songwriters combined. Jesus never 00:02:14.13\00:02:20.04 founded a college, never founded Oakwood, never founded 00:02:20.07\00:02:22.40 Southern or Andrews, but yet all the schools together 00:02:22.44\00:02:25.51 cannot boast of how many students He has. Jesus never 00:02:25.54\00:02:31.31 practiced psychiatry, but my Bible says He's healed 00:02:31.35\00:02:35.38 more broken hearts than doctors have healed broken bodies. 00:02:35.42\00:02:40.22 Jesus never marshaled an army, never drafted a soldier, 00:02:40.26\00:02:45.89 never fired a gun, but no leader has made more volunteers 00:02:45.93\00:02:50.97 who have under His orders made rebels stack arms of 00:02:51.00\00:02:55.34 surrender without a shot being fired. Jesus, for Christians, 00:02:55.37\00:03:01.21 He's the central figure of the Bible. The Old Testament talks 00:03:01.24\00:03:05.78 about the Jesus that is to come, and the New Testament 00:03:05.81\00:03:08.92 talks about the Jesus that has come and is coming back. 00:03:08.95\00:03:12.52 Aud.: PB: Now, while His followers have numbered 00:03:12.55\00:03:15.96 in the millions, His detractors are increasing by the minute. 00:03:15.99\00:03:21.23 You see, everybody doesn't believe Jesus is real. 00:03:21.26\00:03:26.10 Everybody does not believe He is the Messiah. 00:03:26.13\00:03:30.21 There are many who question the authority of Jesus. 00:03:30.24\00:03:34.58 They doubt the legitimacy of Jesus. They distrust the 00:03:34.61\00:03:39.81 validity of Jesus. Did He really turn water into wine? 00:03:39.85\00:03:44.69 Did He really heal the woman with the issue of blood? 00:03:44.72\00:03:48.99 Did He really spit on the ground, make mud, put it on a 00:03:49.02\00:03:52.86 man's eyes and the man was able to see? Did Jesus really 00:03:52.89\00:03:56.50 walk on water? Did He really feed 5,000 with two fish and 00:03:56.53\00:04:02.17 five loaves of bread. Was Jesus really God? Was He really 00:04:02.20\00:04:04.94 the Messiah who came to this earth to save His people. 00:04:04.97\00:04:09.38 It's Jesus, the only way to find salvation in this life. 00:04:09.41\00:04:11.61 Or was Jesus just a good person who walked this earth and 00:04:11.65\00:04:16.65 performed good deeds? In case you didn't know, I preach 00:04:16.69\00:04:20.92 this sermon today because Jesus is under fire in the public eye. 00:04:20.96\00:04:26.13 We're living in a world of what I call Jesus naysayers, 00:04:26.16\00:04:30.87 Jesus doubters, and modern-day Jesus haters who are confusing 00:04:30.90\00:04:37.17 Christianity, dividing churches, and deceiving our young people. 00:04:37.21\00:04:42.91 The number of atheists, persons who don't believe in the 00:04:42.94\00:04:46.55 existence of God, is on the rise. In fact, according to 00:04:46.58\00:04:49.02 the Pew Research Center, the number of atheists in the 00:04:49.05\00:04:51.75 United States has roughly doubled in the past seven years. 00:04:51.79\00:04:55.56 In 2007, 5 million Americans called themselves atheists; 00:04:55.59\00:05:01.06 but just seven years later, in 2014, nearly 10 million 00:05:01.10\00:05:04.70 Americans identified themselves as atheists. But the 00:05:04.73\00:05:08.60 astounding fact is that the median age for atheists 00:05:08.64\00:05:11.84 in the United States is 34, which means most people 00:05:11.87\00:05:15.38 who don't believe in God are young people. 00:05:15.41\00:05:18.15 Stay with me here. If the median age of atheists 00:05:18.18\00:05:22.08 is 34, most young people, many of them, 00:05:22.12\00:05:26.82 don't believe in Jesus. In fact, 25 percent 00:05:26.86\00:05:30.69 of Americans born after 1980, the group we 00:05:30.73\00:05:33.56 call Millennials--everybody say "Millennials." 00:05:33.60\00:05:36.13 Aud.: Millennials. PB: Twenty-five percent 00:05:36.16\00:05:37.70 of Americans born after 1980 are not religious, 00:05:37.73\00:05:40.60 compared with 11 percent of Baby Boomers and 7 00:05:40.64\00:05:43.44 percent of the generation born between 1928 and 1945. 00:05:43.47\00:05:47.68 The Pew Research Center also reports that 32 percent 00:05:47.71\00:05:50.75 of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 consider 00:05:50.78\00:05:54.15 themselves as being unaffiliated with any religious faith, 00:05:54.18\00:05:58.52 which further substantiates that younger Americans 00:05:58.55\00:06:03.19 seem to be increasingly moving away from religion, 00:06:03.22\00:06:07.23 preferring a more secular approach to life. 00:06:07.23\00:06:11.40 So, while we're saying, sing certain songs in the 00:06:11.43\00:06:16.00 church, many young people don't even believe in Jesus. 00:06:16.04\00:06:20.01 While we're saying, be on time for church, we're 00:06:20.04\00:06:24.51 living in a world where many young people don't even 00:06:24.55\00:06:26.45 see the need for church. While we're scratching our 00:06:26.48\00:06:30.99 heads at their music, scratching our heads at their dress, 00:06:31.02\00:06:35.56 their hair color and their punctuality at church, 00:06:35.59\00:06:38.99 many American youth are questioning, is the church 00:06:39.03\00:06:42.73 even necessary and is Jesus even real. But despite 00:06:42.76\00:06:49.57 all of this, we've still got a soul beside still waters. 00:06:49.60\00:06:55.54 Besides all of this, the church is still called upon to 00:06:55.58\00:07:00.12 preach that there's power in the name of Jesus. 00:07:00.15\00:07:04.72 The church is still called upon to make disciples of 00:07:04.75\00:07:07.92 Christ in a society where so many people and a growing 00:07:07.96\00:07:11.89 number of young people question the authenticity and 00:07:11.93\00:07:14.73 authority of God. Now, let me throw this is. That's why, 00:07:14.73\00:07:19.50 in Adventist Christian education, it's so important. 00:07:19.53\00:07:22.40 Because a foundation in Jesus is critical. I mean really, 00:07:22.44\00:07:28.14 y'all didn't think I was gonna have all this today and 00:07:28.18\00:07:30.15 not talk about Adventist education. Come on, say amen. 00:07:30.18\00:07:33.31 [Aud. reaction] PB: That's why, in Adventist Christian 00:07:33.35\00:07:36.32 education it's so important, because it matters what your 00:07:36.35\00:07:40.19 child's teacher believes. That's why Adventist education 00:07:40.22\00:07:44.93 is so important, because we're trying to raise G-rated 00:07:44.96\00:07:47.73 kids in an X-rated world. [Aud. reaction] 00:07:47.76\00:07:50.17 PB: That's why, in Adventist Christian education, 00:07:50.20\00:07:52.97 it's so important, because for a minimum of seven hours 00:07:53.00\00:07:56.24 per day I need my children--I don't know about yours, 00:07:56.27\00:07:59.71 but I need mine--in an environment that is conducive to 00:07:59.74\00:08:03.21 their spiritual growth, where Adventist Christian values 00:08:03.24\00:08:07.35 are promoted, they are fostered, and the authority 00:08:07.38\00:08:10.42 and authenticity of Jesus is not questioned. 00:08:10.45\00:08:15.32 Now, you may be living in a bubble but let me 00:08:15.36\00:08:17.63 tell you what's going on the real world. 00:08:17.66\00:08:19.53 Too many of our kids are asking, is Jesus real? 00:08:19.56\00:08:24.23 Is God real? Does God even exist? 00:08:24.27\00:08:30.81 There was a man who went to a barber shop to 00:08:30.84\00:08:34.34 have his hair cut and beard trimmed one day. 00:08:34.38\00:08:36.48 The barber was a young guy and he began to cut 00:08:36.51\00:08:39.98 the man's hair. They began to have a good conversation. 00:08:40.02\00:08:44.19 Let me throw this in: If you want a good conversation, 00:08:44.22\00:08:46.72 go to the barber shop. The barber knows everything 00:08:46.76\00:08:51.56 about everything and everybody. That's why I go to 00:08:51.59\00:08:54.36 Jeff Johnson. Do I have a witness in this place? 00:08:54.36\00:08:57.53 [Aud. reaction] PB: And so, this man and the barber 00:08:57.57\00:09:02.64 talked about many things and various subjects. 00:09:02.67\00:09:06.01 When they eventually touched on the subject of God, 00:09:06.04\00:09:09.14 the barber said, "I don't believe that God exists." 00:09:09.18\00:09:14.95 The older man said, "Why do you believe that, Son?" 00:09:14.98\00:09:18.02 The barber said, "Well, you just have to go out in 00:09:18.05\00:09:20.49 the street to realize that God doesn't exist. 00:09:20.52\00:09:24.39 Tell me, if God exists, why are there so many sick people? 00:09:24.43\00:09:28.60 If God exists, why are there so many abandoned children? 00:09:28.63\00:09:33.10 If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. 00:09:33.13\00:09:37.04 I can't imagine how a loving God would allow all of this." 00:09:37.07\00:09:42.91 The man, the customer, wanted to respond to the young barber, 00:09:42.94\00:09:47.18 but he didn't want to respond right away because he didn't 00:09:47.22\00:09:50.19 want to start an argument. After all, the barber had the 00:09:50.22\00:09:53.09 clipper in his hands. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:09:53.12\00:09:55.32 [Aud. reaction] PB: The man didn't want to end up 00:09:55.36\00:09:56.83 with a Ouija-board haircut. I wish somebody knew what 00:09:56.86\00:09:58.89 I was talking about. [Aud. reaction] 00:09:58.93\00:10:00.50 PB: Let me give you some advice: Don't run your 00:10:00.53\00:10:02.60 mouth and disagree with your barber until after your haircut. 00:10:02.63\00:10:06.94 Do I have a witness in this place? [Aud. reaction] 00:10:06.97\00:10:08.80 PB: I tell people, when you go to a restaurant, 00:10:08.84\00:10:11.11 don't you be mean to your server. Don't you be mean 00:10:11.14\00:10:14.14 to your waiter or your waitress until after you get your food. 00:10:14.18\00:10:17.71 [Aud. reaction] PB: People go, "Do this, do that, 00:10:17.75\00:10:20.15 now get me some water." "Do you really want some water?" 00:10:20.18\00:10:22.72 [Aud. reaction] PB: They will give you flavored water. 00:10:22.75\00:10:25.29 Somebody knows what I'm talking about. Back to the man. 00:10:25.32\00:10:28.92 So the barber finishes cutting his hair. The man left 00:10:28.96\00:10:32.86 the shop, and the man saw another man in the street, 00:10:32.89\00:10:35.10 with long, stringy, dirty hair. He sees this man and 00:10:35.13\00:10:40.54 he sees he has an untrimmed beard. The man looked dirty 00:10:40.57\00:10:43.91 and unkempt. So the customer said, "Mm, I got it." 00:10:43.94\00:10:47.54 He turns around, and he goes back to the barber shop 00:10:47.58\00:10:50.35 and he says to the barber, "You know what, Mr. barber? 00:10:50.38\00:10:52.98 Barbers don't exist." The surprised barber said, 00:10:53.01\00:10:57.49 "How can you say barbers don't exist? I'm here, I'm a barber, 00:10:57.52\00:11:01.09 and I just cut your hair." "No," the customer said, 00:11:01.12\00:11:04.36 "barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be 00:11:04.39\00:11:07.83 no people with dirty, long, stringy hair, and untrimmed 00:11:07.86\00:11:15.54 beards like the man outside. But "Ah, barbers do exist," 00:11:15.57\00:11:21.51 the barber said. "What happens is, people don't come to me." 00:11:21.54\00:11:26.25 [Aud. reaction] PB: "Exactly!" Somebody knows where I'm going. 00:11:26.28\00:11:33.15 "Exactly," said the customer. "That's my point. God exists 00:11:33.19\00:11:39.23 too, but people don't go to Him." I wish I had a witness in 00:11:39.26\00:11:45.13 this place. [Aud. reaction] PB: In the text, the authority of 00:11:45.17\00:11:49.90 Jesus is questioned by John the Baptist, His own cousin. 00:11:49.94\00:11:53.04 Suspicious of the authenticity of Jesus, John, because 00:11:53.07\00:11:56.54 he's in prison, sends some of his disciples to Jesus 00:11:56.58\00:11:59.21 and has them ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, 00:11:59.25\00:12:03.02 or shall we look for another?" In other words, are you for 00:12:03.05\00:12:10.76 real? Here we have John the Baptist--first cousin to Jesus 00:12:10.79\00:12:14.86 now- -asking Jesus whether He's the one who was prophesied to 00:12:14.93\00:12:19.53 come. Forgotten is the day when John baptized Jesus. Forgotten 00:12:19.57\00:12:23.54 is the day when John himself saw the Holy Spirit descending 00:12:23.57\00:12:26.98 on Jesus in the form of a dove. Forgotten are the words 00:12:27.01\00:12:29.91 from heaven that John heard. "This is my beloved Son in 00:12:29.94\00:12:33.25 whom I am well pleased." But John asked, "Are you the one, 00:12:33.28\00:12:38.05 or shall we look for another?" Oh, but I love me some Jesus. 00:12:38.09\00:12:43.79 Jesus doesn't try to avoid the question. Jesus doesn't 00:12:43.83\00:12:47.93 try to skirt around the question. Jesus knows it's a 00:12:47.96\00:12:51.30 legitimate question, so He responds to John's followers 00:12:51.33\00:12:54.50 straight up. "You go tell John what you've seen and what 00:12:54.54\00:13:01.44 you've heard. Tell him the blind receive their sight. 00:13:01.48\00:13:05.88 Tell him the lame are made to walk. Tell him the dumb 00:13:05.91\00:13:10.62 are made to talk. Tell him the lepers are cleansed, 00:13:10.65\00:13:14.92 the deaf hear, the dead are raised up. ___ the poor 00:13:14.96\00:13:17.29 had the gospel preached to them, and blessed is anyone 00:13:17.33\00:13:20.80 who is not offended by Me. Yes, I'm Jesus. Yes, I'm real. 00:13:20.83\00:13:27.60 And when people have trouble believing that, tell them the 00:13:27.64\00:13:31.47 heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmaments showeth 00:13:31.51\00:13:38.11 his handiwork. In other words, look around you. The universe 00:13:38.15\00:13:41.95 is evidence to the existence of God. When people doubt 00:13:41.98\00:13:46.15 that God is real, when people doubt that God is authentic, 00:13:46.19\00:13:51.16 I want you to give them these three reasons for God's 00:13:51.19\00:13:54.93 existence. Evidence number one. The existence of things. 00:13:54.93\00:13:58.37 The existence of what, everybody? Aud.: Things. 00:13:58.40\00:14:00.60 PB: All right, things not only happen, but things exist, 00:14:00.64\00:14:04.34 which creates a huge problem for an atheist. 00:14:04.37\00:14:07.48 Because if nothing exists, then we don't have to explain it; 00:14:07.51\00:14:12.45 but when we acknowledge that something is real, 00:14:12.48\00:14:14.78 then we have to come up with an explanation for it. 00:14:14.82\00:14:17.89 The universe exists. It's real. We live in it, 00:14:17.92\00:14:22.12 we see it, we hear it, we feel it, we breathe its air. 00:14:22.16\00:14:25.69 Where did all this stuff come from, that we see, feel, 00:14:25.73\00:14:28.73 breathe, hear, come from? It had to come from somewhere. 00:14:28.76\00:14:32.27 It had to come from somebody. Remember the law of cause 00:14:32.30\00:14:36.97 and effect. For every effect there has to be a cause. 00:14:37.01\00:14:40.98 I have a Bible in my hand. How did the Bible get there? 00:14:41.01\00:14:45.98 I had to pick up this Bible. The Bible says 00:14:46.01\00:14:49.25 "Holy Bible" on it. How did those letters get 00:14:49.28\00:14:52.95 on the Bible? Somebody had to inscribe those 00:14:52.99\00:14:56.02 letters on the Bible. That's cause and effect. 00:14:56.06\00:14:58.79 For every effect there has to be something that caused it. 00:14:58.83\00:15:02.53 [Aud. reaction] PB: Evidence number two. The contingence 00:15:02.56\00:15:07.94 or dependence on things. Now, our universe is huge, 00:15:07.97\00:15:12.74 it's complex, it's well ordered. And because it exists, 00:15:12.77\00:15:15.74 you have to explain where the universe came from. 00:15:15.78\00:15:18.28 One possible explanation for how something got here 00:15:18.31\00:15:21.32 is that it was self-created. Everybody say "self-created." 00:15:21.35\00:15:23.92 Aud.: Self-created. PB: That it came from itself. 00:15:23.95\00:15:25.92 But when you say that, that doesn't follow logically, 00:15:25.95\00:15:29.59 because scientists tell us that just about everything 00:15:29.62\00:15:32.79 in the universe is contingent on something else. 00:15:32.83\00:15:35.90 Which means, everything is dependent on something else 00:15:35.93\00:15:39.10 in order for it to exist. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying. 00:15:39.13\00:15:41.97 Let me give you an example. Trees: they can't exist 00:15:42.00\00:15:46.14 by themselves. They have to depend on something else. 00:15:46.17\00:15:50.41 They need air to breathe, air to survive, air to have 00:15:50.45\00:15:55.58 been created in the first place. Take this earth: 00:15:55.62\00:15:58.69 the earth needs the sun. The sun needs the solar system, 00:15:58.72\00:16:02.09 gravity, an entire host of photo and electro chemical 00:16:02.12\00:16:05.26 reactions to be able to exist. There is nothing around 00:16:05.29\00:16:08.76 us that is absolutely self-caused or self-reliant. 00:16:08.80\00:16:12.87 So if everything we observe is dependent on something 00:16:12.90\00:16:15.87 else and not independent or self-caused, the principle of 00:16:15.90\00:16:19.31 dependency leads us to ask this question: If all that 00:16:19.34\00:16:23.71 exists is dependent, who or what is responsible for all 00:16:23.75\00:16:28.05 these dependent objects and beings? 00:16:28.08\00:16:30.52 Evidence number three. Our sense of right and wrong. 00:16:30.55\00:16:38.49 All of us carry within us a sense of right and wrong. 00:16:38.53\00:16:43.47 A sense that certain things are right and should be done, 00:16:43.50\00:16:46.57 and a certain sense that things are wrong and shouldn't be done. 00:16:46.60\00:16:50.01 Now, morals--because we're different people- 00:16:50.04\00:16:52.51 -morals differ from each and every one of us. 00:16:52.54\00:16:56.41 Each and every one of us vary in culture, 00:16:56.44\00:16:59.08 and so every person has different morals, 00:16:59.11\00:17:01.58 but the reality is, we still have morals. 00:17:01.62\00:17:04.05 Anthropologists tell us that all people admit 00:17:04.09\00:17:07.12 that they have within them a certain moral standard 00:17:07.16\00:17:10.33 and that they haven't lived up to that moral standard 00:17:10.36\00:17:12.66 because their moral standard is actually higher 00:17:12.69\00:17:14.86 than they are. But how do you explain that all of 00:17:14.93\00:17:19.57 us have within us a sense of morals that are beyond us? 00:17:19.60\00:17:24.64 Most of us can conclude that the most reasonable 00:17:24.67\00:17:27.44 explanation is that our morals were not self-invented, 00:17:27.48\00:17:31.98 but they came from a higher source. And if you need 00:17:32.01\00:17:37.19 biblical support on this, go home and read Romans 2, 00:17:37.22\00:17:39.49 14 and 15. It says, "Even when Gentiles, who do not 00:17:39.52\00:17:43.89 have God's written law, instinctively follow what 00:17:43.93\00:17:48.20 the law says, they show that in their hearts they know 00:17:48.23\00:17:51.50 right from wrong." They have to demonstrate that 00:17:51.53\00:17:54.37 God's law is written in them, for their own consciences 00:17:54.40\00:17:57.01 either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right. 00:17:57.04\00:18:00.48 There is a God. God does exist. Why? Things exist, 00:18:00.51\00:18:11.19 things are dependent on something else, and we all 00:18:11.22\00:18:15.06 have a sense of right and wrong. God is real. 00:18:15.09\00:18:21.06 But then we also know that Jesus is real, 00:18:21.10\00:18:26.03 and Jesus is God, because the Word says "In the beginning, 00:18:26.07\00:18:32.51 God created the heavens and the earth." 00:18:32.54\00:18:36.31 And then it goes on and says, "And God said, 00:18:36.34\00:18:38.78 'Let us make man in our own image after our own likeness,' 00:18:38.81\00:18:43.12 " which means, God--the Word doesn't say "And God said, 00:18:43.15\00:18:46.65 'Let me make man,'" but the Word says, "And God said, 00:18:46.69\00:18:49.52 'Let us make man,'" pointing to the plurality in the Godhead, 00:18:49.56\00:18:53.13 the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. In the beginning, 00:18:53.16\00:18:56.53 was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, 00:18:56.56\00:19:01.20 and then the Word became flesh." Jesus is God. If God is real, 00:19:01.24\00:19:09.04 Jesus is real. But let me give you a little bit more. 00:19:09.08\00:19:12.51 If you read Acts chapter 1, verse 3, it says that the 00:19:12.55\00:19:15.38 post-resurrection appearances of Jesus are infallible 00:19:15.42\00:19:19.02 proofs that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be: 00:19:19.05\00:19:22.72 the Son of God. Matthew, Mark, John, Paul, Peter, 00:19:22.76\00:19:26.96 all wrote that they saw Jesus risen from the dead. 00:19:27.00\00:19:31.37 But it's interesting that many people believe the 00:19:31.40\00:19:34.50 written testimony concerning the events surrounding, 00:19:34.54\00:19:37.61 for example, the American Revolutionary War, 00:19:37.64\00:19:40.48 and they believed the events surrounding it without 00:19:40.51\00:19:43.11 ever seeing a photo. Without ever seeing the video, 00:19:43.14\00:19:46.72 without ever seeing a tweet, without ever seeing 00:19:46.75\00:19:49.65 a Snap, yet it baffles me that same folk don't want 00:19:49.68\00:19:53.42 to believe the written testimony of 40 authors whose 00:19:53.46\00:19:57.03 works we collectively call the Holy Bible. 00:19:57.06\00:19:59.46 But in the name of Jesus, God is real. 00:19:59.49\00:20:06.17 In the name of Jesus, Jesus is real. 00:20:06.20\00:20:12.64 In the name of Jesus, the Father, the Son, 00:20:12.67\00:20:18.01 and the Holy Ghost are real. Between the gas 00:20:18.05\00:20:23.12 pedal and the brake, Jesus is real. 00:20:23.15\00:20:27.69 Between the cancer and the chemotherapy, 00:20:27.72\00:20:34.10 Jesus is real. Between the due date and cut-off date, 00:20:34.13\00:20:38.03 Jesus is real. Between the student accounts office 00:20:38.07\00:20:43.04 and the financial clearance line, Jesus is real. 00:20:43.07\00:20:48.88 If there were no God, there would be no reason for 00:20:48.91\00:20:53.35 us to believe that there's a heaven and a hell. 00:20:53.38\00:20:55.18 If there were no God, there would be no need 00:20:55.22\00:20:57.69 for salvation. If there were no God, there would 00:20:57.72\00:21:00.76 be no need for Jesus and there would be no way 00:21:00.79\00:21:02.56 to salvation. If there were no God, Jesus would 00:21:02.59\00:21:06.39 still be dead, and there would be no return for 00:21:06.43\00:21:10.00 us to look forward to. The existence of God is 00:21:10.03\00:21:13.54 the most important concept of our faith. 00:21:13.57\00:21:17.17 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, 00:21:17.21\00:21:19.74 the evidence of things not seen. Without faith it 00:21:19.77\00:21:23.68 is impossible to please God. Over the years, 00:21:23.71\00:21:26.78 people have tried to tell our kids, they've tried 00:21:26.82\00:21:29.55 to tell us, that there is no God. They have tried 00:21:29.58\00:21:33.56 to tell us that religion is a deception, that our 00:21:33.59\00:21:37.09 theology is a lie. But you know what? The devil 00:21:37.13\00:21:41.50 is a liar. In 1859, a man by the name of Charles Darwin 00:21:41.53\00:21:48.30 published a book called "On the Origin of Species." 00:21:48.34\00:21:51.84 In that book he stated that man had not been specifically 00:21:51.87\00:21:55.88 created by God, but was in fact the product of a 00:21:55.91\00:21:59.55 biological evolution. He said that man descended 00:21:59.58\00:22:03.72 from a hairy animal, furnished with a tail 00:22:03.75\00:22:06.62 and pointed ears. He said that man is a descendant 00:22:06.65\00:22:10.23 of an ape, which is a descendant of nothing in particular. 00:22:10.26\00:22:13.40 He tried to say that we were not created, 00:22:13.43\00:22:16.36 that we have simply evolved over millions and 00:22:16.40\00:22:18.87 billions of years. He tried to convince us that random, 00:22:18.90\00:22:22.40 accidental atomic collisions resulted in the formation 00:22:22.44\00:22:25.77 of some simple form of life, which eventually became us. 00:22:25.81\00:22:29.48 He said, there were no six days of creation. He said, 00:22:29.51\00:22:34.32 there was no creator, that we all just happened. 00:22:34.35\00:22:37.89 But none of that makes sense. How can people look 00:22:37.92\00:22:42.52 at creation, how can people look at the sun, the moon, 00:22:42.56\00:22:46.49 the stars suspended in space and say there is no creator? 00:22:46.53\00:22:51.93 People don't ever question whether or not a computer 00:22:51.97\00:22:54.44 came into being by the building of an intelligent creator. 00:22:54.47\00:22:58.71 People don't look at a car or a plane and think that it 00:22:58.74\00:23:01.28 just happened, so then how can people look at other people 00:23:01.31\00:23:04.41 and think they just came about and wondering if there 00:23:04.45\00:23:07.68 is a real creator? You see, any sciences will tell you. 00:23:07.72\00:23:11.52 If the earth were just a little bit smaller than it is now, 00:23:11.55\00:23:14.42 then our livable, breathable atmosphere would be impossible 00:23:14.46\00:23:17.76 and earth would be like Mercury or the moon. If the earth 00:23:17.79\00:23:22.36 were then the opposite, a little larger than what it is, 00:23:22.40\00:23:24.87 it would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter or Saturn, 00:23:24.90\00:23:28.24 and we would still not be able to breathe properly. 00:23:28.27\00:23:31.04 So our planet would be unlivable if it were just a little 00:23:31.07\00:23:34.14 bigger or a little smaller than what it is. Only a precise, 00:23:34.18\00:23:39.85 specific creator could create this earth right. The earth's 00:23:39.88\00:23:45.82 distance to the sun is very precise. If it were just a few 00:23:45.85\00:23:50.46 degrees closer to the sun, we would disintegrate. If it were 00:23:50.49\00:23:54.83 three degrees further from the sun, we would all freeze to 00:23:54.83\00:23:58.43 death. But only a specific, precise creator could ensure 00:23:58.47\00:24:05.01 that. Our earth is tilted on its axis. If this were not so, 00:24:05.04\00:24:09.88 there would be no such thing as spring, summer, fall, 00:24:09.91\00:24:14.82 and winter. Only a precise creator could ensure that. 00:24:14.85\00:24:19.29 Look at our human bodies. You can't find anything more 00:24:19.32\00:24:23.16 complicated than our human bodies. For example, 00:24:23.19\00:24:26.36 think about the part of the eye they call the retina. 00:24:26.39\00:24:29.06 The retina lines the back of your eye and it acts as a 00:24:29.10\00:24:32.33 sort of film. It is thinner than paper, but its circus, 00:24:32.37\00:24:35.87 which is about one-inch square, contains 137 million 00:24:35.90\00:24:39.37 light-sensitive cells. Each of these cells are separately 00:24:39.41\00:24:44.05 connected to the optic nerve, which transmits the pictures 00:24:44.08\00:24:47.48 to your brain at 300 miles per hour. Which means then, 00:24:47.52\00:24:51.29 your eyes can analyze 1 million messages per second. 00:24:51.32\00:24:55.06 Only a precise God, Creator God, could do that. 00:24:55.09\00:25:00.06 But what about the miracle of birth? 00:25:00.10\00:25:02.83 Did you know, friends of mine, that 97 percent 00:25:02.86\00:25:06.40 of the time babies will move their way around 00:25:06.43\00:25:09.70 inside their mother's womb as birth nears, 00:25:09.74\00:25:12.57 so that their head is down. And as the time to 00:25:12.61\00:25:17.11 be born gets closer, the baby will make their way 00:25:17.15\00:25:20.15 down until their head is inside the pelvis. 00:25:20.18\00:25:23.92 When it's time for the baby to enter this world, 00:25:23.95\00:25:26.39 they begin making their way through the birth canal, 00:25:26.42\00:25:29.22 rotating the entire way to make sure that the smallest 00:25:29.26\00:25:33.16 parts of their head and shoulders are fitting 00:25:33.19\00:25:35.46 through the small opening of the pelvis. 00:25:35.50\00:25:38.00 It's amazing how all this works, and it didn't 00:25:38.03\00:25:44.74 happen by accident. What a mighty God we serve. 00:25:44.77\00:25:50.51 [Aud. reaction] PB: Angels bow before Him, 00:25:50.55\00:25:53.28 heaven and earth adore Him. What a mighty God 00:25:53.31\00:25:57.12 we serve. Knowing all we do about the human body, 00:25:57.15\00:26:00.86 knowing all we do about the universe and all creation, 00:26:00.89\00:26:03.99 how can anyone believe in anything but an intelligent, 00:26:04.03\00:26:06.96 supreme creator? How can people not believe there 00:26:07.00\00:26:13.20 is not a God. People can say whatever they want to say. 00:26:13.23\00:26:16.54 People can believe whatever they want to believe. 00:26:16.57\00:26:19.34 They can think whatever they want to think, 00:26:19.37\00:26:21.68 but my Bible says, in the beginning God created 00:26:21.71\00:26:26.82 the heaven and the earth. Man didn't come from monkey; 00:26:26.85\00:26:31.69 man came from God. Man didn't come from a Big Bang theory; 00:26:31.72\00:26:36.83 man came from God. My God is real, for I can feel, 00:26:36.86\00:26:43.50 Him in my soul. My soul is about to get happy. 00:26:43.53\00:26:48.57 He's the creator and sustainer of all things. 00:26:48.60\00:26:51.64 He alone is God. He's CEO of the universe. 00:26:51.67\00:26:55.61 You didn't vote Him in; you can't vote Him out. 00:26:55.64\00:26:58.41 He's not gonna resign, and you can't impeach Him. 00:26:58.45\00:27:01.98 There is no other. Before time began, He was. 00:27:02.02\00:27:05.62 When time as we know it stops, He will always be. 00:27:05.65\00:27:08.69 He has always been, and He will always be God. 00:27:08.72\00:27:11.33 I close with this story about the little boy. 00:27:11.36\00:27:13.46 Little boy, young man, went to Oakwood College. 00:27:13.50\00:27:16.63 Went to Oakwood University, and he went home 00:27:16.67\00:27:18.77 for the winter break. He went home for the winter 00:27:18.80\00:27:21.77 break after he had studied all the basic sciences. 00:27:21.80\00:27:24.27 He had studied all the chemistry, and he went 00:27:24.31\00:27:26.84 home from school the first semester, and the 00:27:26.88\00:27:28.91 young man thought he knew everything. Couldn't 00:27:28.94\00:27:32.71 tell him nuttin'. I know that's a double negative, 00:27:32.75\00:27:35.68 but it's emphasis. Couldn't tell him a thing. 00:27:35.72\00:27:37.82 His mother said to him on a Friday night, 00:27:37.85\00:27:42.09 "Son, what are you wearing to church tomorrow?" 00:27:42.12\00:27:46.70 "Mom, I'm not going to church tomorrow." 00:27:46.73\00:27:49.26 "What you mean, you not goin' to church tomorrow?" 00:27:49.30\00:27:54.30 "I'm not goin' to church tomorrow. I've been to school 00:27:54.34\00:28:00.34 now. "Thank you very much for tuning into this 00:28:00.38\00:28:02.74 week's Breath of Life Broadcast. 00:28:02.78\00:28:04.68 We hope and pray that you have been blessed 00:28:04.71\00:28:06.75 by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 00:28:06.78\00:28:09.35 If you would like to hear this sermon in 00:28:09.38\00:28:10.99 its entirety, please feel free to visit us at 00:28:11.02\00:28:13.56 www.breathoflife.tv or call us at 256.929.6460. 00:28:13.59\00:28:23.37 Again, thank you very much for joining us, 00:28:23.40\00:28:26.20 and please tune in next week for another 00:28:26.23\00:28:28.17 powerful message from Dr. Byrd." 00:28:28.20\00:28:43.22