Sermon #B616 - Why God? 00:00:03.43\00:00:11.21 (Breath of Life Theme Music) 00:00:11.24\00:00:19.65 PB: Our text of Scripture is very easy today; 00:00:19.68\00:00:22.72 very easy. It's Genesis 1:1. Heh heh heh. 00:00:22.75\00:00:29.42 Genesis 1:1, let's say it together. 00:00:29.46\00:00:31.19 "In the"--what, everybody? 00:00:31.23\00:00:32.36 Aud.: Beginning.PB: Come on, talk to me. 00:00:32.39\00:00:33.96 In the what, everybody? Aud.: Beginning. 00:00:34.00\00:00:36.03 PB: "God created the heavens and the"--what? 00:00:36.06\00:00:38.30 Aud.: Earth. PB: "In the beginning, 00:00:38.33\00:00:40.64 God created the heavens and the earth." 00:00:40.67\00:00:47.18 "In the beginning, God." Now, this Sabbath 00:00:47.21\00:00:52.11 and next Sabbath, I'm gonna preach a two-part series on 00:00:52.15\00:00:55.12 "Why." Everybody say "why." 00:00:55.15\00:00:57.75 Aud.: Why. PB: Come on, say it like you mean it. Say "why." 00:00:57.79\00:01:01.22 Aud.: Why. PB: All right, now. Today, 00:01:01.26\00:01:02.72 my question I ask you is why God? 00:01:02.76\00:01:09.63 Why God? Now, we're living in a post-Christian society. 00:01:09.66\00:01:17.37 Which means, we're living in a world where the 00:01:17.41\00:01:21.24 influence of Christianity is declining by the minute. 00:01:21.28\00:01:26.55 "Post-Christian" means we're living in a world 00:01:26.58\00:01:30.35 where people say there are no moral absolutes. 00:01:30.39\00:01:35.66 There are no ethical givens. 00:01:35.69\00:01:38.59 No absolute truth; no outright truth. 00:01:38.63\00:01:41.56 Your truth is your truth; my truth is my truth. 00:01:41.60\00:01:44.43 It used to be that if even people didn't practice 00:01:44.47\00:01:48.30 Christianity or practice the things of God, 00:01:48.34\00:01:52.01 they did still believe there was a God. 00:01:52.04\00:01:55.94 But friends of mine, in this world, 00:01:55.98\00:01:57.78 it is not automatic anymore that people believe in God, 00:01:57.81\00:02:02.58 the existence of God, or the things of God. 00:02:02.62\00:02:08.96 So while we're discussing what kind of music 00:02:08.99\00:02:12.39 we should sing at church; 00:02:12.43\00:02:15.23 while we're having vote after vote and debate after debate 00:02:15.26\00:02:19.10 on women's ordination; while we're discussing 00:02:19.13\00:02:23.07 and trying to figureout whether or not the angels 00:02:23.10\00:02:26.14 left the front doors at the movie theater; 00:02:26.17\00:02:30.21 while we're debating the relevancy of Ellen White. 00:02:30.25\00:02:34.78 While we're talking about hair color, 00:02:34.82\00:02:38.69 jewelry, tattoos, wedding bands, 00:02:38.72\00:02:44.63 and veganism or not, the world is asking, "Why God?" 00:02:44.66\00:02:51.10 Is there a God? Does God even exist? 00:02:51.13\00:03:00.14 Let me tell you something. And some may get mad-- 00:03:00.18\00:03:02.88 that's all right. 00:03:02.91\00:03:04.25 I love you anyhow. We've got bigger issues than gospel music; 00:03:04.28\00:03:10.69 bigger issues than should drums be played; 00:03:10.72\00:03:15.26 bigger issues that women's ordinations, going to the 00:03:15.29\00:03:20.23 movies, wedding bands, or whether or not you eat cheese or 00:03:20.26\00:03:25.23 not. Y'all don't misunderstand me. 00:03:25.27\00:03:26.63 I'm not disparaging this study or the discussion of these 00:03:26.67\00:03:29.77 subjects. We need to study them. But what I am saying is, 00:03:29.80\00:03:32.04 if people don't even believe in God, 00:03:32.07\00:03:35.18 then we can't even begin to talk about these other things. 00:03:35.21\00:03:38.95 You can't get to second base if you don't first get to first 00:03:38.98\00:03:43.79 base. [Aud. reaction] 00:03:43.82\00:03:45.62 PB: Now, according to ABC News and the Washington Post, 00:03:45.65\00:03:49.99 between the years 2003 and 2017, 00:03:50.03\00:03:53.40 the percentage of adult Americans professing no religion 00:03:53.43\00:03:57.67 has grown from 12 to 21 percent. 00:03:57.70\00:04:01.60 Among younger people the trends are even more pronounced. 00:04:01.64\00:04:04.64 In 2003, 19 percent of people under 00:04:04.67\00:04:08.01 the age of 30 professed no religion. 00:04:08.04\00:04:10.38 But by 2017, this group had grown to 35 percent. 00:04:10.41\00:04:15.98 But not only do we see decline in those who profess no 00:04:16.02\00:04:18.99 religion, but the number of atheists, 00:04:19.02\00:04:21.62 those people who don't even believe in the existence of God, 00:04:21.66\00:04:26.33 they're on the rise. According to the Pew Research Center, 00:04:26.36\00:04:29.86 the number of atheists in the United States doubled 00:04:29.90\00:04:31.80 from 2007 to 2014 and the median age for atheists 00:04:31.83\00:04:36.91 in the United States is 34, which means most people 00:04:36.94\00:04:40.61 who don't believe God are young people. 00:04:40.64\00:04:44.01 In fact, 25 percent of Americans born after 2000, 00:04:44.05\00:04:49.62 that's this group we call "Millennials," 00:04:49.65\00:04:52.19 they aren't even religious and they're asking Why God? 00:04:52.22\00:04:59.43 Post-Christians, they aren't into organized religion anymore. 00:04:59.46\00:05:05.03 Post-Christians are people who have never seen Christianity, 00:05:05.07\00:05:08.87 who have seen Christianity rather, in some way in their 00:05:08.90\00:05:11.74 life, and they've decided they're not interested anymore. 00:05:11.77\00:05:14.91 A Post-Christian is somebody who attended church 00:05:14.94\00:05:17.65 but witnessed hypocritical Christians 00:05:17.68\00:05:19.98 who said one thing but did another. Aud.: Amen. 00:05:20.02\00:05:22.72 PB: A Post-Christian considers Christians legalistic 00:05:22.75\00:05:26.25 or untrustworthy, and they ask Why God? 00:05:26.29\00:05:31.36 Somebody's still not getting it, 00:05:31.39\00:05:32.66 so let me try it this way. 00:05:32.69\00:05:34.66 When 1,000 children in the state of Pennsylvania 00:05:34.73\00:05:38.53 alone are molested by priests, 00:05:38.57\00:05:43.20 supposedly men of God, somebody's asking Why God? 00:05:43.24\00:05:48.31 When 72 people are shot in one weekend 00:05:48.34\00:05:52.15 two weeks ago in Chicago, Illinois, 00:05:52.18\00:05:54.32 with 13 of these people being killed, 00:05:54.35\00:05:56.42 somebody's asking Why God? 00:05:56.45\00:05:59.49 When 1620 people die from cancer every day 00:05:59.52\00:06:03.43 right here in the U.S., the most advanced nation 00:06:03.46\00:06:06.80 in the world with the best resources 00:06:06.83\00:06:08.50 and technology on the planet, 00:06:08.53\00:06:09.90 people are asking Why God? When the devil keeps 00:06:09.93\00:06:13.90 messing with you, keeps beating you up, 00:06:13.94\00:06:18.67 when you feel in life you can't win for losing, 00:06:18.71\00:06:23.24 you're asking Why God? Is there a God? 00:06:23.28\00:06:29.78 Does God even exist? Why God? 00:06:29.82\00:06:36.49 But today my job is to let somebody know 00:06:36.52\00:06:40.00 that the devil is alive. 00:06:40.03\00:06:43.97 MY job today is to tell somebody, 00:06:44.00\00:06:47.17 don't you let the devil get your mind. There is a God! 00:06:47.20\00:06:53.34 [Aud. reaction] 00:06:53.38\00:06:54.51 PB: If you're having questions; if you're having doubts; 00:06:54.54\00:06:58.75 if you're wondering in your mind, know this: There IS a God! 00:06:58.78\00:07:06.12 He still sits high, but He still looks low. 00:07:06.15\00:07:12.06 He that watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. 00:07:12.09\00:07:16.77 He can still do things I can't do; 00:07:16.80\00:07:19.53 reach things I can't reach; see things I can't see. 00:07:19.57\00:07:25.01 There IS a God! [Aud. reaction] 00:07:25.04\00:07:28.58 PB: Now, the existence of God is the most 00:07:28.61\00:07:32.45 important concept of our faith. 00:07:32.48\00:07:36.28 If you read the Bible carefully, 00:07:36.32\00:07:38.52 you'll notice that the Bible doesn't begin with 00:07:38.55\00:07:41.26 an argument for the existence of God. 00:07:41.29\00:07:44.03 Now, the Bible says, in Psalm 14:1 that 00:07:44.06\00:07:46.70 the fool in his heart knows that there is, says, 00:07:46.73\00:07:51.30 that there is no--what? God. 00:07:51.33\00:07:53.64 But the Bible doesn't begin with Psalm 14:1; 00:07:53.67\00:07:56.00 the Bible begins with Genesis 1:1. 00:07:56.04\00:07:58.11 The Bible begins with a simple yet powerful 00:07:58.14\00:08:00.28 sentence that lets us know God is. 00:08:00.31\00:08:04.35 Genesis 1:1: "In the"--what, everybody? 00:08:04.38\00:08:06.61 Aud.: Beginning. PB: Go on, in the what, everybody? 00:08:06.65\00:08:08.62 Aud.: Beginning. PB: "In the beginning, God." 00:08:08.65\00:08:10.85 This is a declaration, not an argument. "In the beginning, 00:08:10.89\00:08:17.63 God." This is a pronouncement, not a dispute. "In the 00:08:17.66\00:08:23.73 beginning, God." Somebody's still not getting this. Let me help 'em right now. 00:08:23.77\00:08:26.70 What God is saying in Genesis 1:1 is: I am the beginning. 00:08:26.74\00:08:33.98 I never had a mama. I never had a daddy. Nobody made me. 00:08:34.01\00:08:39.85 Nobody voted me in my position. 00:08:39.88\00:08:42.65 I can't show you my beginning because I am the beginning. 00:08:42.68\00:08:46.19 I am God. In the beginning, God. Before there was an angel. 00:08:46.22\00:08:51.76 Before there was an Adam. Before there was an alligator, 00:08:51.79\00:08:55.86 amphibian or ape, there was God. Before there was sun, 00:08:55.90\00:09:00.10 before there were moon and stars. In the beginning, God. 00:09:00.14\00:09:04.97 Before a man, a woman, a whale, water or wind. 00:09:05.01\00:09:08.74 In the beginning, God. Before there was a day, 00:09:08.78\00:09:12.28 a week, a month, a year. God. 00:09:12.31\00:09:14.92 Before there was anybody to sing Him a song; 00:09:14.95\00:09:17.32 say to Him a prayer; or give Him a praise, God. 00:09:17.35\00:09:20.89 God is timeless. God exists out of time. Outside of time. 00:09:20.92\00:09:27.83 God made time for you and me so we could number our days. 00:09:27.86\00:09:31.47 But God existed before the evening 00:09:31.50\00:09:33.23 and the morning were the first day. 00:09:33.27\00:09:35.17 In the beginning, God. God is the beginner of the beginning. 00:09:35.20\00:09:39.71 God is the beginner in Whom the beginning began. 00:09:39.74\00:09:42.31 God is the beginning before the beginning was begun. 00:09:42.34\00:09:44.51 God is the beginning Who did not begin to be. 00:09:44.55\00:09:47.62 God was always here; has always been here; 00:09:47.65\00:09:50.32 always will be here. In the beginning, God! 00:09:50.35\00:09:55.26 [Aud. reaction]PB: But remember now, 00:09:55.29\00:09:57.36 you can't get to second base without getting to first base. 00:09:57.39\00:10:01.73 God's Word says, "In the beginning, God." 00:10:01.76\00:10:07.57 But how can somebody believe in God's Word 00:10:07.60\00:10:10.61 if they don't first believe in God? 00:10:10.64\00:10:15.11 So Why God? How do I know God is real? 00:10:15.14\00:10:19.65 How do I know God exists? Two reasons and I'ma sit down 00:10:19.68\00:10:23.85 because we are strategic about getting you out early. 00:10:23.89\00:10:26.29 Come on, say amen. [Aud. reaction] 00:10:26.32\00:10:29.52 PB: On time is early at Oakwood. Come on, say amen. 00:10:29.56\00:10:32.16 [Aud. reaction] PB: All right. Number one, 00:10:32.19\00:10:36.60 how do I know God is God? Creation. 00:10:36.63\00:10:39.20 [Aud. reaction] PB: Creation testifies to the fact, 00:10:39.23\00:10:42.84 the existence of God. Now remember, the Bible says in 00:10:42.87\00:10:47.21 Psalm 19:1 that the heavens declare the glory of God, 00:10:47.24\00:10:50.78 and the firmament showeth his handiwork, 00:10:50.81\00:10:52.88 which means that God has not left us any room to doubt. 00:10:52.91\00:10:56.75 The heavens preach a sermon about the wonders of our great 00:10:56.79\00:11:01.42 God. The sun shines, the rain falls, the wind blows, 00:11:01.46\00:11:06.83 the leaves fall, grass grows. 00:11:06.86\00:11:09.86 The heavens declare the glory of God, 00:11:09.90\00:11:12.37 and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Why God? Creation. 00:11:12.40\00:11:16.71 Let's look at creation. I'm gonna give you a few examples. 00:11:16.74\00:11:18.81 I'm not going to be exhaustive. 00:11:18.84\00:11:20.08 But let's think about the earth. Everybody say "the earth." 00:11:20.11\00:11:22.64 Aud.: The earth. 00:11:22.68\00:11:23.68 PB: Come on, say "the earth." Aud.: The earth. 00:11:23.71\00:11:24.85 PB: All right, its size is perfect. The earth's size 00:11:24.88\00:11:28.15 and its corresponding gravity holds 00:11:28.18\00:11:29.88 a thin layer of primarily nitrogen and oxygen gasses, 00:11:29.92\00:11:33.05 extending about 50 miles above the earth's surface. 00:11:33.09\00:11:36.39 Because of this, any scientist will let you know that 00:11:36.42\00:11:39.53 if the earth were just a little smaller than it is now, 00:11:39.56\00:11:42.23 then our livable, breathable atmosphere would be impossible 00:11:42.26\00:11:45.90 and earth would be like the planet Mercury. If the earth, 00:11:45.93\00:11:50.11 on the other hand, were a little larger than what it is, 00:11:50.14\00:11:52.61 it would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter, 00:11:52.64\00:11:55.71 and we would still not be able to breathe properly. 00:11:55.74\00:11:57.88 So earth, then, would be unlivable if it were just 00:11:57.91\00:12:00.82 a little little or a little smaller, 00:12:00.85\00:12:02.75 or a little larger than what it is. Only a precise, 00:12:02.78\00:12:08.02 specific Creator could ensure the right size of the earth. 00:12:08.06\00:12:13.19 [Aud. reaction] PB: But not only that, the earth's 00:12:13.23\00:12:15.86 distance to the sun is very precise. 00:12:15.90\00:12:19.03 Now, our temperatures on planet Earth fluctuate between 00:12:19.07\00:12:22.77 negative 30 degrees below zero or 120 degrees above zero. 00:12:22.80\00:12:28.14 If the earth were any further from the sun, 00:12:28.18\00:12:31.05 we would all freeze. 00:12:31.08\00:12:32.58 But if the earth were closer to the sun, we'd all burn up. 00:12:32.61\00:12:36.82 Only a precise, specific Creator could ensure this. 00:12:36.85\00:12:42.92 The earth is tilted on its axis. If this were not so, 00:12:42.96\00:12:47.50 there would be no such thing as changing of seasons. 00:12:47.56\00:12:50.83 There would be no spring, summer, winter or fall. 00:12:50.87\00:12:55.10 Only a precise, specific Creator could ensure this. 00:12:55.14\00:13:00.34 But not only the earth. Let's talk about water. 00:13:00.38\00:13:02.91 Water is colorless. Water is odorless. Water is without 00:13:02.94\00:13:08.75 taste, but yet no living thing can survive without water. 00:13:08.78\00:13:12.52 Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating 00:13:12.55\00:13:14.92 temperature change while keeping our bodies 00:13:14.96\00:13:17.03 at a steady 98.6 degrees. Water is chemically neutral, 00:13:17.06\00:13:22.30 without affecting the makeup of the sustenance it carries, 00:13:22.33\00:13:24.63 water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed 00:13:24.67\00:13:28.67 and used by our bodies. Only a precise Creator could ensure 00:13:28.70\00:13:37.88 this. But then the crowning act of creation, man. The human 00:13:37.91\00:13:45.12 body. You can't find anything more complicated than the human 00:13:45.15\00:13:48.99 body. Let's take our brains. Your brain takes in all the 00:13:49.02\00:13:53.09 colors and objects you see. It takes in the temperature around 00:13:53.13\00:13:55.80 you, the pressure of your feet against the floor. 00:13:55.83\00:13:57.77 The sounds around you, even the dryness of your mouth. 00:13:57.80\00:14:01.87 Your brain holds and processes all of your emotions, 00:14:01.90\00:14:05.54 thoughts, memories, while at the same time keeping track 00:14:05.57\00:14:08.84 of the ongoing functions of your body, 00:14:08.88\00:14:10.68 like your breathing patterns, eyelid movements, 00:14:10.71\00:14:13.15 and the movement of the muscles in your hands. 00:14:13.18\00:14:16.32 [Aud. reaction] PB: There is intelligence to your brain. 00:14:16.35\00:14:19.22 The ability to reason, to produce things, to dream, to 00:14:19.25\00:14:22.39 plan, to take action, to relate to other people. Only a precise, 00:14:22.42\00:14:27.40 specific Creator could ensure this. 00:14:27.46\00:14:31.37 But not only your brain, your eyes. [Aud. reaction] 00:14:31.40\00:14:33.44 PB: The human eye can distinguish 7 million different 00:14:33.47\00:14:37.74 colors. It has automatic focusing and handles 1.5 million 00:14:37.77\00:14:41.74 messages all at the same time. Only a precise, 00:14:41.78\00:14:45.65 specific Creator could ensure that. 00:14:45.68\00:14:50.09 It's amazing how all of this: the earth, the sun, 00:14:50.12\00:14:53.86 water, the brain, your eyes. 00:14:53.89\00:14:56.22 It's amazing how all of these things work and there's 00:14:56.26\00:14:59.06 no way all of this happens by accident. 00:14:59.09\00:15:03.26 [Aud. reaction] PB: Only a precise, 00:15:03.30\00:15:06.23 specific Creator could ensure that. 00:15:06.27\00:15:11.67 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:15:11.71\00:15:19.88 Man didn't come from monkey. Man came from God. 00:15:19.91\00:15:25.22 Man didn't come from a big bang theory. Man came from God. 00:15:25.25\00:15:31.89 [Aud. reaction] PB: But then, my final response. 00:15:31.93\00:15:34.36 The second answer to the question "Why God?" "Does God 00:15:34.40\00:15:41.40 exist?" The answer is found in the Person of Jesus Christ. 00:15:41.44\00:15:46.07 Study all the world religions you want and you'll find that 00:15:46.11\00:15:50.28 Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, 00:15:50.31\00:15:54.75 all identify themselves as teachers or prophets. 00:15:54.78\00:15:59.25 But none of them ever claimed to be God. But Jesus did, 00:15:59.29\00:16:04.89 and Jesus was God. In the beginning, 00:16:04.93\00:16:11.07 God created the heavens and the earth, and God said, 00:16:11.10\00:16:17.34 "Let us make man in our own image. After our own likeness." 00:16:17.37\00:16:23.68 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 00:16:23.71\00:16:28.05 and the Word was God. 00:16:28.08\00:16:29.85 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:16:29.88\00:16:33.42 "Jesus said that anyone who has ever seen Him, 00:16:33.46\00:16:36.76 you've seen the Father. He said, anyone who's believed in Him, 00:16:36.79\00:16:39.73 you've believed the Father. 00:16:39.76\00:16:41.16 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the light. 00:16:41.20\00:16:44.17 And no one comes to the Father but by me. 00:16:44.20\00:16:46.94 This is what sets Jesus apart from everybody else. 00:16:46.97\00:16:50.14 He said, God exists and you're looking at Him. 00:16:50.17\00:16:54.68 [Aud. reaction] PB: So if you want to look at God, 00:16:54.71\00:16:57.01 look at Jesus. If you want to know God, know Jesus. 00:16:57.05\00:17:02.58 If you want to love God, love Jesus. 00:17:02.62\00:17:05.79 If you want the blessings of God, 00:17:05.82\00:17:08.02 tell Jesus. If you want the salvation of God, trust Jesus. 00:17:08.06\00:17:13.43 And if you want to live eternally with God, live in 00:17:13.46\00:17:18.40 Jesus. [Aud. reaction] PB: Jesus existed before time and His 00:17:18.43\00:17:21.67 birth. Before the world even existed, He existed. You see, 00:17:21.70\00:17:24.81 the life of Christ did not begin in the manger 00:17:24.84\00:17:26.84 nor did it end at the cross. 00:17:26.88\00:17:29.14 Jesus has always been here. Christ spoke of His preexistence 00:17:29.18\00:17:33.11 when He prayed to His Father 00:17:33.15\00:17:34.48 and asked Him in John 17:5, "Glorify me with the glory 00:17:34.52\00:17:37.59 that I had before the world was. 00:17:37.62\00:17:40.09 "Jesus, even speaking to the Jews, 00:17:40.12\00:17:42.66 talked about His preexistence when He told them 00:17:42.69\00:17:45.03 that His preexistence and presence went further 00:17:45.06\00:17:47.60 back than Abraham's past. 00:17:47.66\00:17:50.60 For even, He says, before Abraham was, I am. 00:17:50.63\00:17:55.34 What do we have here? 00:17:55.37\00:17:57.44 Jesus, who was born 2,000 years after Abraham, 00:17:57.47\00:18:01.51 yet He said He was before Abraham. Jesus, who was David's 00:18:01.54\00:18:06.85 son, was also David's Lord. Jesus, who was Abraham's seed, 00:18:06.88\00:18:10.99 was also Abraham's Savior. 00:18:11.02\00:18:13.29 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 00:18:13.32\00:18:17.19 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish 00:18:17.23\00:18:18.99 but have everlasting life. 00:18:19.03\00:18:20.30 So then, God the Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. 00:18:20.33\00:18:27.40 The Father sent Jesus to the earth in the form of a baby, 00:18:27.44\00:18:31.91 conceived through a miracle by the Holy Ghost, born in 00:18:31.94\00:18:37.51 Bethlehem, rocked in a cow's eating trough, wrapped in 00:18:37.55\00:18:43.62 swaddling clothes, worked in His father's carpenter shop, baptized in the muddy Jordan, 00:18:43.65\00:18:50.26 preached a gospel message, healed the sick, raised the 00:18:50.29\00:18:56.33 dead, 5,000 hungry souls He fed, misunderstood by His own family, 00:18:56.36\00:19:02.70 rejected by His own people, 00:19:02.74\00:19:05.27 condemned by the government, put out of the organized church. 00:19:05.31\00:19:11.21 [Aud. reaction] PB: Crucified on trumped-up charges. 00:19:11.25\00:19:13.88 Died on a cruel cross, but on the third-- 00:19:13.92\00:19:19.92 [Aud. reaction] PB: Appointed day. [Aud. reaction] 00:19:19.95\00:19:22.36 PB: He rose from the grave. Ascended back to the Father, 00:19:22.39\00:19:31.13 and one day soon He's coming back. 00:19:31.17\00:19:35.04 I wish I had a witness in this place. 00:19:35.07\00:19:37.61 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you go to Buddha's tomb, 00:19:37.64\00:19:40.11 his remains are still there. 00:19:40.14\00:19:43.24 If you go to Muhammad's tomb, his remains are still there. 00:19:43.28\00:19:47.92 If you go to Confucius's tomb, his remains are still there. 00:19:47.95\00:19:52.49 But if you go to Jesus' tomb, He's not there! He is risen! Why 00:19:52.52\00:20:04.10 God? Because Jesus is the visible image of the invisible 00:20:04.13\00:20:10.04 God. [Aud. reaction] PB: Only God can create food out of thin 00:20:10.07\00:20:17.31 air. Only God could walk on water. Only a God could turn 00:20:17.35\00:20:23.65 water into wedding punch. 00:20:23.69\00:20:25.32 Gotta say "wedding punch" 00:20:25.35\00:20:26.52 'cause some of y'all looking for license to drink wine. 00:20:26.55\00:20:28.36 [Aud. reaction] PB: Only God could spit on the ground, 00:20:28.39\00:20:33.66 make mud, put mud on a blind man's eyes, 00:20:33.70\00:20:39.13 and then the blind man is able to see. 00:20:39.17\00:20:42.27 Only God could have more medicine in the hem of His 00:20:42.30\00:20:46.54 garment than any doctors anywhere. 00:20:46.57\00:20:48.98 Only God could command a raging storm to stop. 00:20:49.01\00:20:53.75 Only God could hurl demons into the sea. Why God? 00:20:53.78\00:20:59.72 Because of His miracles. There is a God because nothing 00:20:59.75\00:21:04.66 in the universe makes sense without Him. 00:21:04.69\00:21:08.30 [Aud. reaction] PB: There is a God because 00:21:08.33\00:21:10.60 He revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. 00:21:10.63\00:21:12.77 There is a God because Jesus died and rose again. 00:21:12.80\00:21:17.57 Only God could do that. 00:21:17.61\00:21:20.51 Scientists can't explain that. Atheists can't explain that. 00:21:20.54\00:21:25.61 Agnostics can't explain that. 00:21:25.65\00:21:28.78 Post-Christians can't explain that. 00:21:28.82\00:21:31.89 There is a God! [Aud. reaction] 00:21:31.92\00:21:37.93 PB: Let's be real. How will something made out of nothing; 00:21:37.96\00:21:45.17 how do you explain a worldwide flood? How does a donkey talk? 00:21:45.20\00:21:52.14 How does a sun stand still? 00:21:52.17\00:21:55.58 How do you make an axe head float? 00:21:55.61\00:21:59.05 How does a Red Sea become a dry highway? 00:21:59.08\00:22:02.75 How do lions lie down like house dogs? 00:22:02.78\00:22:06.39 How do three men stand in fire and they don't get burned? 00:22:06.42\00:22:09.82 [Aud. reaction] PB: How does a man lay down his life 00:22:09.86\00:22:12.59 but then take it up again? [Aud. reaction] 00:22:12.63\00:22:15.53 PB: How do you and I go to bed every night 00:22:15.56\00:22:18.30 at different times and we wake up every morning? 00:22:18.33\00:22:21.67 There is a God! 00:22:21.70\00:22:25.97 [Aud. reaction] PB: Over the years, 00:22:26.01\00:22:29.04 people have tried to say that there is no God. 00:22:29.08\00:22:33.01 They've tried to tell us that religion is a deception, 00:22:33.05\00:22:36.69 that our theology is a lie. In the year 1859, 00:22:36.72\00:22:41.56 a man by the name of Charles Darwin 00:22:41.59\00:22:44.06 published a book on the origin of species. 00:22:44.09\00:22:46.46 In that book, Darwin said that man 00:22:46.49\00:22:49.96 had not been specifically created by God 00:22:50.00\00:22:52.77 but was in fact the product of biological evolution. 00:22:52.80\00:22:56.60 He said that man descended from a hairy animal, 00:22:56.64\00:23:01.34 furnished with a tail and with pointed ears. 00:23:01.38\00:23:04.68 He said that man was the descendant of an ape, 00:23:04.71\00:23:07.68 which was a descendant of nothing in particular. 00:23:07.72\00:23:10.29 He tried to say that we weren't created; 00:23:10.32\00:23:13.76 that we simply evolved over billions of years. 00:23:13.79\00:23:17.36 He tried to convince us that random, 00:23:17.39\00:23:20.03 accidental atomic collisions resulted in the 00:23:20.06\00:23:22.86 formation of some simple form of life, 00:23:22.90\00:23:24.97 which eventually became us. 00:23:25.00\00:23:27.20 He said there were no six days of creation. 00:23:27.24\00:23:31.11 He said there was no Creator. 00:23:31.14\00:23:34.21 That all of this just happened. 00:23:34.24\00:23:37.88 But none of that makes sense. 00:23:37.91\00:23:42.18 How can people look at creation 00:23:42.22\00:23:45.19 and claim there was no Creator? 00:23:45.22\00:23:48.26 Now, it's interesting, because people don't 00:23:48.29\00:23:52.59 ever question whether or not a computer came 00:23:52.63\00:23:55.76 into being by the design of an intelligent programmer. 00:23:55.80\00:24:00.17 People don't look at a car or a jet 00:24:00.20\00:24:02.27 and think it just happened. 00:24:02.30\00:24:04.34 So how can people look at other people 00:24:04.37\00:24:07.81 and think about wondering if there were a creator or not? 00:24:07.84\00:24:12.68 God is the Creator and sustainer of all things. 00:24:12.71\00:24:18.19 He alone is God. There is none other. 00:24:18.22\00:24:25.06 Before time began, He was. When time, 00:24:25.09\00:24:30.23 as we know it stops, He will still be. 00:24:30.27\00:24:34.64 He has always been, and He will always be God. 00:24:34.67\00:24:40.84 And so I'm getting ready to take my seat, 00:24:40.88\00:24:43.58 but may I remind you of that little story 00:24:43.61\00:24:45.68 where the little boy went off to college. 00:24:45.71\00:24:49.08 And he studied all the basic sciences of life, 00:24:49.12\00:24:52.15 and he came home from school the first semester, 00:24:52.19\00:24:55.22 and that little boy, that young man, knew everything. 00:24:55.26\00:24:58.89 It's Friday night, preparation day. 00:24:58.93\00:25:02.06 Time to go to church on the Sabbath, the next day. 00:25:02.10\00:25:05.20 Mama says, "Son, what are you wearing to church tomorrow?" 00:25:05.23\00:25:09.80 "I'm not going, Mama." "What do you mean, you're not going? 00:25:09.84\00:25:13.54 You're in my house! And when I leave my house, 00:25:13.58\00:25:16.01 everybody goes to church." "Mama, I'm not going." 00:25:16.04\00:25:20.18 "Mama, I've been to school now. I study the sciences. 00:25:20.22\00:25:26.62 I don't believe, Mama, all that God stuff. 00:25:26.65\00:25:30.86 I don't believe all that Jesus stuff." 00:25:30.89\00:25:34.03 The mama left her son alone and started going to her room, 00:25:34.10\00:25:37.10 singing "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. 00:25:37.13\00:25:40.40 "Later on that night, 00:25:40.44\00:25:41.80 Mama heard a moan coming from her son's room. 00:25:41.84\00:25:45.24 Mama got up and she went to her son's room 00:25:45.27\00:25:48.68 and said, "Son, what's the problem?" 00:25:48.71\00:25:51.55 The young man was holding his jaw, said, "Mama, 00:25:51.58\00:25:54.42 I've got a terrible toothache. 00:25:54.45\00:25:56.69 "Mama used this as a time to witness to her son. 00:25:56.72\00:25:59.62 Mama said, "Son, you've been studying all that science. 00:25:59.65\00:26:04.19 You've been studying all that biology. 00:26:04.23\00:26:06.49 You've been studying all that chemistry. 00:26:06.53\00:26:08.76 And you said that if God defiles your five senses. 00:26:08.80\00:26:12.93 You can't see Him. You can't smell Him. 00:26:12.97\00:26:15.74 You can't hear Him. You can't touch Hm. 00:26:15.77\00:26:18.41 And you can't sure can't taste Him. 00:26:18.44\00:26:20.08 But now, this toothache. Can you see it?" "No." 00:26:20.11\00:26:29.85 "Can you smell it?" "No." 00:26:29.88\00:26:34.12 "Can you taste it?" "No, but I can feel it all over me." 00:26:34.16\00:26:43.16 The mama said, "Son, that's what I've been 00:26:43.20\00:26:46.57 trying to tell you about my Jesus. 00:26:46.60\00:26:49.34 I can't see Him; I can't touch Him; I can't taste Him. 00:26:49.37\00:26:56.14 I can't smell Him, But every now and then, 00:26:56.18\00:27:00.82 I can feel Him all over me." 00:27:00.85\00:27:05.62 And that's what I came to tell somebody. 00:27:05.65\00:27:08.62 I can't feel Him; I can't touch Him; 00:27:08.66\00:27:12.69 I can't taste Him; I can't smell Him, 00:27:12.73\00:27:16.73 but I can feel Him all over me! 00:27:16.77\00:27:23.54 Bless the Lord, O my soul, 00:27:23.57\00:27:27.04 and all that is within me bless His holy name. 00:27:27.08\00:27:31.98 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. 00:27:32.01\00:27:36.65 Serve the Lord with gladness! 00:27:36.69\00:27:42.32 >: Thank you very much for tuning into 00:27:42.36\00:27:44.36 this week's Breath of Life broadcast. 00:27:44.39\00:27:46.49 We hope and pray that you've been blessed 00:27:46.53\00:27:48.43 by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 00:27:48.46\00:27:51.20 If you would like to hear this sermon in its entirety, 00:27:51.23\00:27:53.47 bless feel free to visit us at www.breathoflife.tv. 00:27:53.50\00:27:59.44 Or call us at 256-929-6460. 00:27:59.47\00:28:05.95 [END] 00:28:05.98\00:28:20.96