JUST THINKING – WHY CHRISTIANITY?

The following six lessons concentrate on whether, and if so, how, the argument for Christianity is historically, logically and spiritually more logical and practical than any other religion. Though this series is surely not all inclusive of the points in which Christianity is peculiarly exclusive, it should serve as a starting point for civil discussion with adherents to other religions or with one who leans toward agnosticism.

The introductory photo is by Prexels from Freerange Stock.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson 1… The Case For God’s Existence

Lesson 2… The Case For God’s Care

Lesson 3… Why Sin Is A Big Deal

Lesson 4… Why ‘Good’ Isn’t Good Enough

Lesson 5… What’s So Different About Jesus?

Lesson 6… Why Is The Christian Life Better?

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The Case For God’s Existence

Lesson 1 of 6

September 12, 2010

By: Travis W. Lewis

[CLASS TURN TO PSALMS 19: 1-6.]

1) INTRODUCTION

a) This is the first of a six-lesson series which focuses on the art of defending and propagating what one believes – in this case, the Christian religion. In more of a theological term, the subject is called, “apologetics.”

b) The term derives from a Greek word “apologia”, originally meaning a speech of defense.

c) But, without going into further detail about the term “apologetics” and its meaning, suffice it to say that “apologetics” in this series can take on one of four functions…

i) The first is vindication, or proof: Drawing out the logical implications of the Christian worldview so they can be seen and contrasted with alternate views.

ii) The second function is defense: Being able to clarify misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the Christian position and honing the ability to answer the objections and criticisms and questions from non-Christians.

iii) The third function is being able to refute opposing beliefs: Being capable of finding the fatal flaws in the beliefs of non-Christians. Most apologists agree that just to be able to pick apart a false belief doesn’t necessarily prove Christianity; or, just to be able to prove another to be wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that you are right. Both may be equally in error.

iv) The fourth function is persuasion: the capability of not only convincing people that Christianity is truer and sounder and more logical than any alternative, but to convince them to apply it to their lives, and that, of course, requires the help of the Holy Spirit.

d) So, the focus of this entire series is to better equip each of us to make the case not only for the existence of God and the refutation of opposing beliefs, but to develop the persuading argument that the Biblical Christian worldview is the only worldview that conforms to reality.

e) In my opinion, no greater need exists among the children of God today than to be training apologists – folks who not only can draw out logical conclusions of the Christian worldview, but also who can convince the non-believer that it is the best avenue to true happiness in this life and the only hope for the one to come.

f) Unfortunately, the popular and dreadfully skewed view of “we must not judge, now” is only a smokescreen for not making a case for the truth at all; albeit, in reality, a failure to correctly judge between the many avenues taught by the world’s religions regarding salvation of the soul will literally make the difference between spending eternity in Hell or Heaven – and that is a big deal!

g) Our opening lesson revolves around the case for God’s existence, or the point of argument in support of God’s existence.

h) For instance, if you should be asked the question, “What has convinced you that God, as you know Him, exists at all?”, how would you answer?

i) Or, how would you make your case that God exists with someone who doubts His very existence?

j) This lesson discusses three of the many points that contend for the existence of God….

i) Nature points to God.

ii) The Word reveals God.

iii) The human spirit, something deep within, craves God.

k) So, let’s begin with the point that David makes in Psalms 19 that even nature itself points to the existence of God.

[CLASS READ PSALMS 19: 1-6.]

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. ²Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. ³There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. ⁴Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, ⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. ⁶His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. [1]

2) NATURE POINTS TO GOD

a) There could be several lessons developed on this point alone, that nature itself points to God, but we’ll reduce that very large argument into only a few short points.

b) King David was more than just a casual observer of nature, and he was also a discerner of its beauty, meaning, origin, and symmetry, i.e.. David’s psalm declares that nature itself almost yells out to us that it was intelligently designed, and, if there is design, there must be a Designer.

c) David probably never saw nor heard of a telescope, yet he was wise enough to discern, even by what he could see with his naked eye, that intelligent design cries out from the heavens.

d) Following is a simple, yet logical, analogy for intelligent design:

For centuries, mankind has crafted instruments to measure and monitor the passage of time. Though from early on in mankind’s existence, he had taken note of the rhythmic change in the heavens and on earth itself, it would be the early 1500s A.D. before the first mechanical timepieces were crafted, which would occur in Germany. Even as rudimentary as those first German instruments might appear to us today, even then, its parts were several in number and meshed in an intricate relationship, the exactness of which could not be compromised. Yet, in its simplest design, it was plain that this revolutionary piece had a designer – or a master designer who understood its every piece and how each complimented the exclusive function of the others. And so it is with the human body itself, to say nothing of other parts of creation which work with such precision in conjunction with one another.

Yet, to argue that humanity is a product of chance which evolved over millions of years without a master designer is infinitely more unreasonable than to contend that eventually a correct combination of metals could have coincidentally come together by sheer chance, forming a timepiece similar in function to the one crafted by the German watchmaker more than eight-hundred years ago.

e) Several weeks ago, I emailed to you (class members at the time) a variety of photos being taken by the Hubbell Space Telescope as it floated in outer space, revealing literally countless galaxies that we’ve never seen before and in an array of colors and hues that were literally breathtaking.

f) And, as with most revelations, more questions arose. At the time of the photos being made public, our son, John, and I were discussing what these pictures reveal and the questions they may spawn, such as follow:

i) Why do we stand in such awe at the beauty and incalculable size of only what we can see, even with our most powerful telescope, all the while knowing that we’re seeing only an infinitely small fraction of it all?

ii) Is there life similar to what we know out there somewhere?

iii) And, if so, what is their life like? Were they created similarly to us earthlings? Or, if their creation was similar to ours, what if sin never entered into their lives? What would that civilization be like?

g) Other than humankind, no other creature on earth has the capacity to stand in awe of what their eye sees in nature – either on the surface of the earth or in the heavens above.

h) Unless there is a relationship between us as part of a creation and the existence of God as Creator, how can we explain such phenomena as:

i) The colors of the fall season or the blossoming of spring even attracting our attention, much less the feelings we experience as the seasons come and go?

ii) The sight of a newborn baby and the emotions it stirs in our hearts.

iii) The precise movement of the stars and the moon (our moon) and the seasons and the ocean tides, etc..

i) QUESTION: If what we see in the heavens and on the earth alike declare the existence and even the glory of God, why do so many seem to not hear or see and regard?

j) Many would argue, “Well, science teaches otherwise.” POINT: Good science and good theology never contradict one another.

k) QUESTION: Based on our appreciation of nature, is acknowledging the existence of God enough for a person to be rightly related to Him? No; but being convinced that God exists is the foundation belief that must be present before that relationship can be established. …..for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.[2] Hebrews 11:6

l) QUESTION: What is our responsibility for increasing the knowledge of God among those who know in their hearts that there is a God? My own responsibility is to stress and teach to others the importance of being able to give valid reasons for God and the Christian worldview.

m) Many folks we meet every day are “agnostics”, not atheists; The agnostic is one who still harbors doubt that an almighty God really does exist.

n) And it is both duty and privilege to be able to give valid reasons and to provide a logic for believing what we believe.

o) So, in a general sense, God is surely revealed in nature itself, and, through the ages, He also has revealed His existence in His Word.

[CLASS TURN TO HEBREWS 1.]

p) So, we move from the general revelation of nature to the special revelation of His Word that God does exist.

q) After one is convinced, maybe just by the evidence in nature alone, that God exists, God has provided an additional means by which He specifically draws us to Him – that being through His Word.

[CLASS READ HEBREWS 1: 1-2.]

¹God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ²Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; [3]

3) THE WORD REVEALS GOD

a) The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God has spoken through His prophets over a period of several hundred years and through men who never knew one another concerning who He is and His concern with men and women knowing they could find their highest form of happiness in this life only by conforming to His ways.

b) QUESTION: And how did the writer state that God ultimately revealed Himself to us? By sending His only Son, not one among other equals, but unique. (See Lesson 5 of this series for a deeper explanation of the uniqueness of Jesus.)

c) This was the One who claimed to be God, not just one among others who claimed to represent Deity; and His appearance and subsequent life, death, and resurrection were the lynchpins of all history.

d) And who can argue that the appearance of Jesus Christ changed the entire human narrative like that of no other individual or group of individuals in all the past or the future to come?

e) This lesson concludes with a discussion about how the most innate spirit of humankind craves God.

[CLASS READ ACTS 17: 22-29.]

²²Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. ²³For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. ²⁴God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; ²⁵Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; ²⁶And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; ²⁷That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: ²⁸For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. ²⁹Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. [4]

4) THE HUMAN SPIRIT CRAVES GOD

a) Is Paul not contending that deep within the heart of every man and woman, boy and girl, there is a longing to know the true God?

b) My contention is that many of the strongest instincts of our nature have clear reference to a desire to know God and to be forever with Him after this life is over.

c) I contend also that seldom does either man or woman leave this world without some fears or hopes (maybe both) concerning the next – some anticipations or presages of what hereafter is to befall them.

CONCLUSION

(1) The design and beauty of nature reveal God.

(2) The Bible is an accurate witness to God’s acts.

(3) Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God Himself.

(4) God is the Creator of our very design, and He has placed within us a craving to know and to connect with Him.

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Hope – The Case For God’s Care

Lesson 2 of 6

September 19, 2010

By: Travis W. Lewis

[CLASS TURN TO JOB 40: 1-9.]

1. INTRODUCTION

a) Thus far in this series of lessons on the foundation stones for our hope in Christ, we have discussed the importance of becoming more capable and mature in being able to make our case for our hope in Christ – which is the study of apologetics.

b) Last lesson, we discussed three separate points in making our case for the existence of God…

i) Nature reveals God.

ii) God is revealed by His Word.

iii) The human spirit craves God; some of our strongest human instincts crave to know more about a living, feeling, in-touch-with-my-life God.

c) Today, we discuss how to best respond when questioned about how a loving God can allow evil and suffering and tormenting conditions to continue existing.

d) It’s the same question that every doubter, every cynic, every agnostic invariably asks of every generation of believers.

e) Keep in mind, as we discussed last week, that, after one becomes a follower of Christ, the best Satan can do is to keep the spiritually newborn in doubt, to keep him or her questioning either God’s power and control, or God’s knowledge or His concern with the suffering in our lives.

f) Yet, to accomplish that, he (Satan) must keep the new believer in darkness due to lack of knowledge, or in doubt because of lack of faith; and, to succeed, he has to maintain our disinterest in topics such as apologetics and Scriptures such as we study in this lesson.

g) Possibly the two questions most posed by skeptics are:

i) Why does God let painful things happen to me and to people I care about?

ii) If God is a loving God, how can He allow suffering and evil to exist?

h)Rest assured that, in his own way, Satan is very happy when one who professes to be a child of God is asked either of these questions, and if the believer has no answer to provide.

i) This lesson supplies three main points that should be touched upon when the question of God’s care is posed by someone we know, or when it floats across our own minds:

i) We don’t have the full picture.

ii) Evaluate present suffering in light of eternity.

iii) Discover God from our suffering.

j) To shed light on those questions, let’s begin with a passage of one of the final discourses between Job and God and see that we can neither comprehend nor see the full picture.

[CLASS READ JOB 40: 1-9.]

¹Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, ²Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. ³Then Job answered the LORD, and said, ⁴Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. ⁵Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

⁶Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, ⁷Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. ⁸Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? ⁹Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? [5]

2) WE DON’T HAVE THE FULL PICTURE

a) Each of us knows the basic story of Job:

i) How, through no fault of his own, he had lost all his children, all his cattle, and all his other livestock.

ii) Through no fault of his own, he had lost the respect of those who he thought to be his friends.

iii) Through no fault of his own, he had gone from being:

(1) A tremendously wealthy man with a large family for whom he was well able to provide and that he would have thought to be in control of life.

(2) From high prosperity to a lowly pauper – no livestock, no barns filled with harvest, all his servants having perished in a fire,

(3) From enjoying good health to being covered with deep, nagging sores oozing with corruption, for which the only hint of relief was to sit in a pile of ashes and scrape the scabs with a piece of broken pottery.

iv) Through no fault of his own, he was left with three lone “friends” who were convinced that Job has some deep, hidden sin in his life that had brought all this on.

v) And, as if this wasn’t enough, he was left with a nagging wife that urged him to just curse the god he had thought so much of, then die and get out of it all.

b) QUESTION: Have either of you been as deeply troubled as you can only imagine Job to have been – and plainly through no fault of your own?

c) To Job, God had gone through a long discourse of questions asking if he understood this list of simple happenings that occurred all around him in everyday life, and, in his humility, Job had to answer…

[CLASS READ VS. 3-5 AGAIN]

³Then Job answered the LORD, and said, ⁴Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. ⁵Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

Paraphrase:

i) No, Lord, I don’t understand; I can’t get my mind around the full picture.

ii) No, Lord, I don’t comprehend, I can’t comprehend what you have just described.

iii) When my understanding and comprehension of life’s details are compared to yours, Lord, I am so incapable and insignificant.

d) So, Job concluded that he did not, and could not, comprehend the whole scenario of his own situation.

e) And so it is with us; at best, we comprehend only this one small bump in the road of life, and often fail to accept, by faith, that we simply do not, or cannot, or, it’s best that we not, understand all the reasons for having to bear the pressures in life that presently exist.

f) QUESTION: If God protected us from all suffering, protected us from all the consequences of our choices and made life continuously comfortable and totally safe, would there be any need for faith? No

g) The book of Job never gives an answer to the question of evil and suffering; yet it does contain a summons to trust God that, though we seldom understand the full picture, we are promised that we are included in the invitation.

h) So, one response to the question of why God allows suffering and evil is that we simply cannot comprehend all the details, but God knows, and He understands – that is the first principle.

i) The second principle is that we must evaluate present sufferings in the light of eternity.

[CLASS TURN TO ROMANS 8: 18.]

j) As we read these verses, let’s focus for a moment on that second principle – evaluate present suffering in light of eternity.

[CLASS READ ROMANS 8: 18-21.]

¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.[6]

3) EVALUATE PRESENT SUFFERINGS IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY

a) No character in all the Bible about whom we know any detail lived a stress-free life.

b) The greatest forefathers, all the prophets and apostles (especially Paul), had ample experience with suffering.

c) Especially Paul’s suffering should dispel once and for all the notion that somehow if we’re good enough or faithful enough, then we will live a pain-free life.

d) So, if Paul would be a good example of living with pain and suffering and disappointment, then maybe we should look at how he saw these parts of life.

e) We hear or make or feel such statements as:

i) An innocent child didn’t deserve to be treated like that.

ii) After living such a dedicated life, why must such a saint have to suffer so?

f) Suffering and pain and evil are parts of mortal life, and oftentimes neither the sufferer nor his generation are the only ones who are the victims, or possibly not even the ones who seem to suffer most.

g) QUESTION: In verse 21, Paul mentions the fact that we will be set free, or delivered, from something – the “bondage of corruption.” What is this “bondage of corruption”?

i) It’s the earth itself, cursed from the fall, upon which our mortal lives must be spent.

ii) It’s mankind as a whole, with not one excluded, sentenced and subject to disease and chance and to eventual death of the body, even as the rank unbeliever.

h) QUESTION: Who is subject to this curse and to this sentence? All of mankind; it’s a broken world, and it will remain so until at some future point known only to God.

i) Yet, at that future point, of which we know not when, it all will be made right – truly right! ¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. [7]

j) So, regardless of how deeply the pain or the heartbreak or the loss pierces, compared to eternity, it lasts for only a little while, and then we will be free – truly free – from this “bondage of corruption.”

k) This is the second principle to remember – to evaluate present sufferings in the light of eternity.

l) Then comes the verse that we all probably have stored in our memory, and try to believe with all our heart when trouble and pain and suffering shows up at the front door of our life.

[CLASS READ ROMANS 8: 28.]

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [8]

4) DISCOVER GOOD FROM SUFFERING

a) QUESTION: Does the phrase, “all things work together for good”, mean that all things are good?

b) QUESTION: What does that phrase mean?

i) It means that God can take evil, painful situations that come in our lives and work good things from those.

ii) It means that oftentimes it takes either pain, heartbreaking loss, or even suffering in disease to cause us to appreciate peace or comfort or health.

c) The temptation is often strong to fly away from God when life’s road gets rocky and rough, but does that really make sense?

d) Points to consider – look at Job and Joseph and David and Daniel:

i) Did they relish the hardships they suffered? Not at all.

ii) Yet in all their trials, were each not made wiser to God’s way and will for their lives because of their suffering?

e) Now, any wise apologist will be careful to help a suffering person understand that there is nothing pleasant or attractive about a tragic situation. We do not reach that point in life when we can say at the moment that these physical or emotional tragedies are “good.”

f) But what is good is what God can bring out of tragedy, and only He can do that; only God is capable of seeing and working a good end from horrifying heartbreak.

CONCLUSION

(1) God has a perspective on evil and suffering that our finite capacity for knowledge simply cannot comprehend.

(2) So, we’re not offered an invariably pat answer and explanation for suffering and evil; yet He does reveal Himself and urges us to trust Him that He is good and loving.

(3) We can be assured that God’s providence is more powerful than any trouble we may face.

(4) He loves us; He is fully aware of our pain; and He cares for us, even as we struggle with situations we cannot understand, and yet, in the end, it will all be for His glory and our good.

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WHY SIN IS A BIG DEAL

Lesson 3 of 6

October 3, 2010

By: Travis W. Lewis

[CLASS TURN TO GENESIS 3.]

1. INTRODUCTION

a) This lesson continues our focus on topics which are very basic to Christian apologetics, and to the reasons we believe what we believe relative to our worldview.

b) The entire series focuses on the validity of our faith in Jesus Christ, and each lesson helps to build the case for Jesus being the one who was once, and remains, the long-awaited Messiah.

c) We examine why every human needs a savior, why Jesus is that Savior, and how He expects us to respond to Him.

d) This lesson focuses on the reality and consequences of sin; it makes the case for Jesus by building an argument for our dire need of a savior.

e) QUESTION: If you were to be asked to define the word “savior”, how would you respond?

i) One who saves another from being destroyed

ii) One who rescues the helpless

iii) One who sacrifices his or her life to save the life of another

f) The Christian faith is founded upon the beliefs that:

i) Mankind was the prize creation of a Supreme Being and that creation (mankind), in the beginning, was in perfect harmony with the Creator, having the Creator’s promise to live in permanent peace with Him – if he or she operated within the guidelines set forth by the Creator.

ii) That creation (mankind) was set free – free to make their own choices to either operate within the confines of God’s zone of promised safety and fellowship with Him, OR to step outside those bounds and forfeit both the safety and fellowship of the Creator.

iii) And something truly bad happened – man voluntarily made the choice to step beyond the bounds plainly defined by the Creator, thus falling out of fellowship with Him; consequently, the father and mother of us all were cast from the promised safety of God’s protection, thus forfeiting title to everlasting life and relegating themselves to the penalty of death.

iv) Not only did that choice cost him and her, but the curse was placed on all their descendants, and, additionally, the curse was placed upon all the earth on which we were to dwell.

g) So, this choice to disobey God was truly a BIG DEAL at the time, and it still is.

h) That is the focus of this lesson – what this disobedience really is, how it occurs and even becomes commonplace in each of our lives, along with its consequences.

i) So, let’s go right to Genesis 3 where hopefully we can get a clear picture of how sin originated in humanity and, hopefully, more clearly understand that sin exists, and that sin is still a big deal.

j) Since this describes such a momentous time in human history, I ask you to be especially watchful for what is happening:

[CLASS READ GENESIS 3: 1-6.]

¹Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ²And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ⁴And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ⁵For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

⁶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [9]

2) SIN DEFINED

a) QUESTION: What would you think would be the most crucial, far-reaching choice ever made by one man? It is described here, and we know it as the Fall of Man.

b) We call it “original sin”, but what was the basic mistake made by the woman? She started to believe someone other than God, and her conclusion was, “Maybe I’ve just been misunderstanding God’s Word all along.”

c) Her first mistake was accepting another “slant” on what God called “sin”; it’s the same mistake we continue making even today.

d) QUESTION: How are we to define the term “sin”, or what, according to the Word of God, distinguishes an act as sin? Answer: To accept a skew or distortion, of God’s word, which may at first appear minor, yet in the end, it is a truly a “big deal.”

e) Endless examples can be cited, but some of the most common public examples of skewing and distortion might be:

i) Homosexuality, or the more contemporary term, LGBT

(1) By skewing God’s Word with the contention that when a man sexually desires another man or a woman another woman, it is just as natural as the order that was established in the beginning by the Creator.

(2) Popular response to the Word as has been understood from the beginning is essentially, “Ah, we’ve just misunderstood it in the past.”

(3) The contemporary argument is, “Our law ought to license a man to marry a man or a woman to marry a woman; our law ought to allow them to adopt children; our government ought to force all of its employees, even in such close proximities as the military, to use the same bathing and restroom facilities.”, etc…

(4) QUESTION: Do those contentions not replicate the same mistake made by Eve in the garden? Basically, did she not essentially say, “You know, maybe I’ve just been misunderstanding this all along.”?

ii) Abortion

(1) Basically, the same arguments are used with the abortion issue…. “I know that murder is a serious thing, but, really, an unborn child isn’t yet a real person, so, abortion can’t be murder.”

(2) “And we really shouldn’t be interfering in a woman’s rights; so, as long as it is part of her body, then I won’t hold it against a guy I vote for if he or she thinks it’s okay for the government to endorse it as being ‘okay’.”

(3) All these alibis for abortion, or the more popular, sanitary sounding term “ProChoice”, must redefine these age-old contentions:

(a) That life begins, not at the end of either of the three “trimesters”, nor at actual birth.

(b) That life begins not at the point when the unborn child begins to “sense pain.” (If at the point of sensing pain is when “life” is triggered, then unless one senses pain, life doesn’t exist. Does logic not follow that, with the many means of inducing an inability to sense pain, any person, once rendered painless, is no longer a “living” person, thus subject to being terminated at the will of the one in charge of his or her welfare – just as the mother who carries her unborn child and has free choice to decide to end the life of her “pain-free” infant?)

(c) That, in reality, human life begins at the moment of conception and must be guarded and preserved thereafter.

f) Sadly, such subjects have been relegated to be discussed mostly by politicians and “para-church” organizations and are seldom mentioned from conventional pulpits – obviously due to fear of losing political and financial support from the congregations.

g) QUESTION: Even so, are the likes of such choices not the same as the one made by Eve in the garden, by essentially saying, “You know, I reckon I’ve been misunderstanding this all along.”?

h) A list of sins could go on and on and possibly grow to be much more personal, but the definition is always the same – sin is the distortion of God’s Word; it’s the “missing the mark” that it defines.

i) Now, if that one choice made by our original progenitors was the most momentous ever made by humankind, then what were its results?

j) The following verses explain the basic consequences of this original sin and once we comprehend the penalties it initiated, we can more easily provide answers to some of the questions posed to our faith.

[CLASS READ GENESIS 3: 16-19, 24.]

¹⁶Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; ¹⁸Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; ¹⁹In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.[10]

²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. [11]

3) SIN’S CONSEQUENCES

a) I am convinced that the underlying motives for all the attempts to discredit divine creation include such as follow:

i) If divine creation can be discredited, then there was no “fall”.

ii) If divine creation is not a fact, then there are no “absolutes” and, if there be no absolutes, then we’re all free to define our own “right” and “wrong”.

iii) If divine creation is not a fact, then there is no stationary, empirical bounds for human behavior that extend across the ages, thus we are set free from any boundaries at all.

b) This is a philosophy called Moral Relativism, and it is being shamelessly endorsed by our public education system as well as the major communications networks of our day.

c) According to Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Moral Relativism is defined as such:

Moral relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (for instance, that of a culture or a historical period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others. [12]

d) Basically, Moral Relativism clings to the following arguments:

i) That morality is simply a matter of social, cultural, or personal choice, thus absolute truth does not exist.

ii) That no one person has a right to condemn another person’s beliefs or actions, i.e, one person’s bounds may be another person’s liberty.

iii) That every person should be free to do as they please without fear of punishment.

e) Obviously, these arguments fly in the face of the Christian faith by rejecting the moral absolutes set forth by God as He identified certain bounds of behavior, beyond which those who violate can expect painful consequences.

f) QUESTION: What were some consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin?

i) Woman: [Paraphrase]

(1) Childbirth will not come easy.

(2) The conditions with which you must contend for being a woman will bring you misery.

(3) You will be very much dependent upon a husband, and he will rule over you.

(4) And it won’t work at its best when you try it another way.

ii) Man: [Paraphrase]

(1) Since you knew better, but you listened to your wife instead of to Me, provision for wife and family won’t be easy; resistance will face you at every turn as you try to provide for those who depend on you for their necessities of life.

(2) You will work and labor and plan as best you can, then often lose it all.

(3) You will sweat and labor and plant, but the rain won’t always come.

(4) Only to at last experience the same body that was once young and energetic and vibrant growing old and weak, then laying down to die.

(5) The mind that once was sharp and the spirit that was filled with excitement will come to a point where there’s little left that you enjoy and to which you look forward.

(6) And, finally, you die, you leave it all behind, and return to the earth whence you came.

iii) In paraphrase, All because of, or as a result of, a sequel to the choice you made to skew my Word and decide that it REALLY wasn’t as you understood Me to say that it was.

[CLASS TURN TO ROMANS 5.]

g) This choice made in the long ago that estranged Adam and Eve from God – how far has it reached?

[CLASS READ ROMANS 5: 12-14.]

¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ¹³For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.[13]

4) EVERYONE SINS

a) Question to Ponder: Why does the designation “sinner” stir up so much antagonism?

b) Question to Ponder: Why would people more readily agree that nobody’s perfect instead of agreeing that all people are sinners?

c) If one espouses a belief that “nobody is perfect”, then does that not imply that “imperfect” exists?

d) And, in turn, does not “imperfect” imply that “perfect” also exists?

e) So, if “imperfection” exists, and if “perfection” likewise is real, then surely both terms can be defined and distinguished; and, that is the reason the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit exists to make that distinction for us.

f) Question to Ponder: Then, why would some folks approach the end of life and see death as a grim tyrant and others see it as a kind messenger sent from God?

CONCLUSION

(1) Can we conclude that sin, or a rebellion against God’s Word as He gave it, exists, and that it is the core problem in the human race?

(2) And, can we conclude that any sin, any rebellion against His Word, ALWAYS has devastating consequences?

(3) Can we also conclude that sin has personal consequences not only for the guilty party, but also for others who are innocent of the costly trespass?

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WHY ‘GOOD’ ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH

Lesson 4 of 6

October 10, 2010

By: Travis W. Lewis

[CLASS TURN TO ISAIAH 5: 20-23.]

1. INTRODUCTION

a) This is our fourth lesson on Christian apologetics, which we have defined as the art of providing reasoning which supports what we believe; what we believe being what we believe about our origin, what went wrong, and how it can be fixed – all which revolve around the person of Jesus Christ.

b) We have discussed the reasoning in our belief that….

i) God exists.

ii) As Creator of mankind, our relationship with God at the point of creation was perfect in harmony.

iii) Being created as free agents to either remain within the bounds of our Creator’s promised safety or to step outside those bounds and lose our relationship, we freely chose to violate those boundaries.

iv) And, having freely chosen to breach those bounds, our primal parents, whom the Bible calls Adam and Eve, fell from the perfect relationship with God and were cursed with eventual death.

v) And that curse heaped upon their very nature would be passed to all who would follow them.

vi) That choice, and its ensuing curse, we know as the “Fall”.

c) Now, the orthodox Christian worldview is that the only remedy for restoration of that relationship with the God of Heaven is found in the remedial death of Jesus for us all on the cross at Calvary.

d) All orthodox Christians acknowledge that the soul must be saved through trusting in the shed blood of Jesus – but the similarities often end with that simple statement.

e) Because, all through the ages, the same spiritual tempter that convinced Adam and Eve to err still tries to lead us to believe that we can actually live righteously enough (“good” enough) to gain the favor of God, or that we can actually be “good” enough to retain His favor after we are saved.

f) This lesson in apologetics, if it’s well-learned, should dispel whatever temptations we face to believe that our “best” is good enough to either gain, regain, or retain our relationship with God.

g) So, let’s begin by contemplating how God, through Isaiah, explains the way in which we rationalize what is good and what is evil, and, to that end, attempt to justify ourselves.

[CLASS READ ISAIAH 5: 20-23.]

²⁰Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ²¹Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! ²²Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: ²³Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! [14]

2) EVIL RATIONALIZED

a) Let’s think for a moment about the term “good”, which each of us use often.

b) Remember some advertisements that use the term “good”:

i) Maxwell House coffee: “Good to the last drop!”

ii) Campbell’s soup: “M’m! M’m! Good!”

c) I’m sure that most of us have been told by our parents to “be good”.

d) QUESTION: In the above phrases describing the coffee or the soup, what does the word “good” denote?

i) That the foremost trait, the taste, of the coffee or the soup is pleasing, better than most, if not all, that you have tasted.

ii) QUESTION: But, does it necessarily mean that there is not another brand anywhere that could possibly be better? No

iii) When my mother instructed me to be “good”, what did she mean?

(1) To conduct myself in a manner that would please her.

(2) Did she realistically expect me to not err at all, to never make a wrong judgment, or to be perfect? No

e) QUESTION: Each of us has described another person as a “good man”, or a “good woman”. What meaning do we really confer with that thought? That, compared to all the other people that we know, that person, in his or her virtue and integrity, stands above most others.

f) QUESTION: But, would it not be possible, or probable, that Bob might describe a person as a “good man”, and Travis may say, “I don’t think that he’s a good man at all.”.

g) The point is that when left alone to forge our own vision of “good” or “evil”, and when there is no standard or model which we all agree is wholly unassailable, things go awry, and really quickly.

h) Whether in a private, family, church, or community life, or in the guiding principles of a nation, when we lose our common definition of “good” and “evil”, then anarchy begins to take hold; and, once its grip reaches a certain point of power and control, it is at best very costly, if possible, at all, to replace with order.

i) QUESTION: In verse 20-21, who is speaking and defining “good” and “evil”? God, through Isaiah.

j) QUESTION: And what was the basic mistake God’s people were making? Forging their own definitions of “good” and “evil”, which were in opposition to God’s view of the same.

k) QUESTION: What is God telling us to expect when we choose such a course and way of life? Woe

i) Trouble, confusion

ii) Pain — mental, physical, and/or spiritual

iii) Heartaches, misery, uneasiness

iv) Conflict within our own mind and between ourselves and others

l) QUESTION: Is God not warning us that fashioning our own definitions of good and evil is a path that we do not want to choose?

m) QUESTION: But is that not the mistake that we often make – as individuals, even as church members and as a church body, as a society, as a nation?

i) We take down this little section of morality fence here.

ii) We remove this little section of the modesty fence over there.

iii) We disregard certain boundaries in the way we respect places, words, terms, etc., which had long been considered abhorrent by the Almighty. (Examples: euphemisms, boundaries of modesty in speech and dress, music lyrics, comedial quips, ministerial boundaries of conduct, respect for the Christian Sabbath, legitimization of morality [drugs, alcohol, gambling – the lottery], etc.)

iv) We relocate or remove altogether the boundaries that once existed around what we allow to entertain us.

v) Here and there, piece by piece, we allow those little sections of long-respected boundaries to be removed, and one day, we look around and there are few, if any, limits left at all.

vi) The cows are soon far gone from the pasture with the cool, running stream through the grassy flatland; far gone from the abundance on which their master always made sure they had on which to graze and be content.

vii) They are far gone from the help and comfort and safety that each of them formerly enjoyed.

n) Can there really be any wonder how we got to where we are? By taking down too many fences; by removing too many boundaries and saying, “We don’t need these anymore; they’re outdated; let’s set this boundary further out, or maybe consider removing it altogether; we have to make the tent bigger and more welcoming so we can attract more people (along with whom will come more funds and greater “success”).

o) And, Scripture says (paraphrasing), You can do that if you choose; but when you do, when you foolishly define and unwisely reset or remove altogether those boundaries that were placed for your safety and protection and nourishment and happiness, be assured that trouble, worry, confusion, and uneasiness are not far behind.

p) So, as long as we define good and evil, right and wrong, ignorance and wisdom by our own standard, then anything looks good, and anyone can be his or her own god.

q) But Isaiah was soon allowed a unique glimpse of what perfect, unspoiled “good” is, and in Isaiah 6: 1-5, we can see the term used by the seraphim in Heaven to describe God as best they could.

[CLASS READ ISAIAH 6: 1-5.]

¹In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. ²Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. ³And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. ⁴And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. [15]

3) HOLINESS RECOGNIZED

a) Isaiah was afforded a vision of Heaven and of angels singing praise to God around the throne in much the same fashion as was John the Apostle as he described his own vision, over seven-hundred years later in the Revelations.

b) QUESTION: As the angels sang around the throne of God, what term was prominent in their song of praise? HOLY

c) HOLY: Just what does the term mean? (See Isaiah 6:3.)

Various forms of the Hebrew word for “holy’ occur hundreds of times in the Old Testament. The word is actually an adjective derived from a verb which is translated, “sanctify”, or, “set apart”, making its object distinct or unique as compared to others. The term is used most often to describe God Himself, who is absolutely and exclusively “holy.” When used in reference to God, it describes not just one, but the entirety of His attributes – omnipotence (all powerful); omniscience (all-knowing); omniscient (all wise); His eternality, infinitude, love, mercy, wrath, righteousness, sovereignty — in other words, everything about Him.

d) QUESTION: As Isaiah’s vision of God, the Almighty, ended, what was his conclusion? Woe is me! for I am undone.”; Paraphrased: I am ruined; I’m doomed; I cannot reach the height of holiness that would deserve the favor of such a perfectly righteous God; … because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

[CLASS TURN TO ROMANS 3: 21-26.]

²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.[16]

4) RIGHTEOUSNESS REALIZED

a) QUESTION: So, what uncompromising level of righteousness has God set for us? Perfection? No offense in speech, in manner of life, in train of thought

b) QUESTION: If Isaiah couldn’t reach the mark that God would accept; if Paul couldn’t reach the mark that God has set, then what remedy is there for any of us? (Read verses 23-24) ²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

c) Not only do we all sin, but, in the flesh as did Paul and Isaiah, we fall short even after experiencing the “new birth”.

d) Even so, Paul tells us that we are “justified” – rendered just; made righteous; the debt has been paid upon our new birth in Jesus Christ. Thanks be unto God!

CONCLUSION

(1)Ultimate destruction and disappointment are inevitable when I forge my own framework of righteousness and deter from guidelines received from God in Scriptures.

(2) To define and redefine my own “good” and “bad, or evil”, then proclaim myself righteous is as if I shoot first, then draw the target around the arrow, judge myself as having hit the target, and declare myself to be an expert marksman.

(3) Though we may struggle to reach the rung of perfection on the ladder of righteousness, or even build a castle of air where we imagine our lives to have become clean as newly fallen snow; still, even in our finest hour, our own righteousness is as filthy rags, and we live in a body cursed to die.

(4) Yet, once the new nature is manifested in the new birth, there lies harbored within our breast an immortal part which we are promised to be accepted in Heaven.

(5) Calling out to God with a heart broken by our conviction of sin and, finding ourselves helpless to save ourselves, the lone way to bridge the gap between even our best and what God accepts is to trust in the penalty Jesus paid at Calvary which we could never have paid. And, only that is “good enough.”

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WHAT’S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT JESUS?

Lesson 5 of 6

October 17, 2010

By: Travis W. Lewis

1. INTRODUCTION

[CLASS TURN TO JOHN 6.]

a) I begin this lesson by asking you to articulate some unique things that you know about Jesus, or, to you, why is He so unique ?

b) Or, why are you convinced that Jesus is so infinitely superior to others such as Mohammed or Buddha or Krishna or Confucius, or are you convinced at all?

(i) Virgin birth

(ii) Miracles

(iii) Sinless life

(iv) Sacrificial death and resurrection, etc.

c) All are unique to Jesus, and Jesus alone, who was much more than just a teacher, more than just another prophet, more than just another religious leader.

d) Well, we would never exhaust the part of Christian apologetics that could focus solely on His uniqueness, but today, in this approximately thirty-five-minute lesson, we consider three of the many unique topics that set Jesus Christ totally apart…

i) His teachings

ii) His miracles

iii) His resurrection

e) Jesus had been in the synagogue, debating with the Jews about who He was – that He, who had come from Heaven, was here to provide spiritual nourishment and sustenance that would be superior to physical manna provided during the Israelites’ return to Canaan.

f) And just before the Jews were to depart in frustration and doubt, He stressed that, as the manna had had to be taken within to sustain physical life, so must He, Jesus, be taken within to become the strength and refreshment of man’s spiritual life, which would be eternal.

g) So, let’s begin reading in John 6:60 and read through verse 66.

[CLASS READ JOHN 6: 60-66.]

⁶⁰Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? ⁶¹When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? ⁶²What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? ⁶³It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. ⁶⁵And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. ⁶⁶From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. ⁶⁷Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? ⁶⁸Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.[17]

2) CONSIDER JESUS’ TEACHINGS

a) This sixth chapter of John’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand, after which He had crossed the Sea of Galilee, which is the scenario which these scriptures describe.

b) Though they had watched Him take the five loaves of bread and feed the five-thousand people, they simply could not understand how He could provide bread greater than that which Moses provided in the wilderness.

c) In verse 35, He proclaimed, I am the bread of life…., which was something they just could not comprehend, and from this conversation forward, many of those who had been following Him would turn away for various reasons:

i) Many had followed for the food alone.

ii) Many had followed in hope that Jesus was the king who would defeat the Romans and set them free from Roman rule.

iii) Many had followed just out of curiosity, for, in the man, Jesus, even they could see something much different. John 7:46…. Never man spake like this man.[18]

d) So, many of those who had been following Him turned away as they saw that He was something different from what they had expected.

e) And, as Jesus turned to the twelve apostles, recorded in verse 67, He asked the profound question, Will you also go away?

f) (Paraphrased) What is your choice? If you wish, you can go as they have gone; you don’t have to believe Me. Will you, or will you not, follow Me?

g) And Peter’s answer was likewise profound: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.[19]

h) Paraphrased:

i) Lord, to whom shall we go, but to One who performs miracles like no other has ever performed before?

ii) Lord, to whom shall we turn, but to One who sends away even the wisest with no countering argument left?

iii) You, and You alone, must be the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God.

i) And He still asks that question of us today, Will you also turn away?

j) And, to you, I ask, as Peter did of Jesus, If not Jesus, to whom will you turn – to whom or to what? If not the path of Jesus, then whom will you follow?

k) So, the teachings of Jesus, being so different yet explaining so many parts of life that we had never understood before, surely makes Him unique.

l) Yet not only was what He taught unique, but also were the many things He did which were inimitable and lent great credibility to what He taught; so, let’s focus for a moment on the uniqueness of His miracles.

[CLASS TURN TO JOHN 9.]

m) Again, keep in mind that scriptures teach that the reason behind miracles was to lend credibility to who He proclaimed and exemplified Himself to be.

n) And to a certain blind adult man in that day, that certainly was true.

[CLASS READ JOHN 9: 1-41.]

¹And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. ²And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? ³Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ⁴I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. ⁶When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, ⁷And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

⁸The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? ⁹Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. ¹⁰Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? ¹¹He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. ¹²Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.

¹³They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. ¹⁴And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. ¹⁵Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. ¹⁶Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.[i] ¹⁷They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. ¹⁸But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. ¹⁹And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? ²⁰His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: ²¹But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. ²²These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. ²³Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. ²⁴Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. ²⁵ He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. ²⁶Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? ²⁷He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? ²⁸Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. ²⁹We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. ³⁰The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. ³¹Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. ³²Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. ³³If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. ³⁴They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? ³⁶He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? ³⁷And Jesus said unto him, thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. ³⁸And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

³⁹And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. ⁴⁰And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? ⁴¹Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. [20]

3) CONSIDER JESUS’ MIRACLES

a) QUESTION: How would you describe a miracle? (In jest – if Travis starts his day wanting to do housework or interior decorating.) A miracle is a positive occurrence that cannot be explained except that it originated by divine power.

b) EXCERCISE: How many of Jesus’ miracles can you name in 30 seconds?

i) Water turned into wine

ii) Blind receives sight

iii) Woman with issue of blood – healed

iv) Lame made to walk

v) Healing the sick on various occasions

vi) Raising the dead man, Lazarus

vii) Fed five-thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish

[CLASS TURN TO JOHN 21.]

c) Note that every miracle performed by Jesus exemplified a restoration of the fallen state of man and to how God intended for things to be in the beginning.

d) Being without time for an explanation of all the miracles, let’s turn to the final chapter in John’s Gospel and consider his conclusion of all that he had seen and recorded.

e) John had been with Jesus from the very beginning, followed Him closely every day, saw all that He had done, heard all He had said, listened to all His responses to the whole socio-economic spectrum alike, witnessed Him teach and debate with the famous and the not so famous, witnessed Him be apprehended and taken to the cross, pondered what was said and what happened all during the day of the crucifixion, and watched His burial followed by the sealing of the tomb, then found it empty.

f) So, John had seen it all, and his summarizing statement of all the miracles and other acts of Jesus is found in the final verse of his Gospel.

[CLASS READ JOHN 21:25.]

²⁵And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. [21]

g) So, the many miracles of Jesus, none of which were ever refuted as having been fakery or trickery and having been recorded from memory and inspiration only a few years after Jesus’ death make Him unique among all the others upon whom any other religion of humankind has been founded.

h) The final distinctive focus with this lesson is Jesus’ resurrection.

i) So, let’s go to John 20 and see how Thomas, who had not yet witnessed the resurrected Lord, responded to just hearsay about the resurrection.

j) You may remember that all the apostles and several others had seen Jesus after the resurrection, eight days had passed, as the others had explained to Thomas that, of a truth, they had seen Him alive.

k) QUESTION: And what had been Thomas’ reply? [Paraphrased] Look, I’ve seen all the things He has done, but, I saw Him butchered, then hung on a cross, a sword thrust into His side, then taken down and laid in a sealed tomb; And I won’t believe that He has been resurrected alive until I feel the nail prints in His hands and see the hole made by that sword I saw shoved into His side.

l) So, eight days had passed since various disciples had begun to spread the word that they had seen Him alive; and, on this night, several believers were secretly secluded together again, and Thomas was there.

m) And suddenly, though the door was shut and sealed, there He was, standing in their midst; and, as the whole group, especially Thomas, must have stood aghast, I can visualize Jesus turning to Thomas like this:

[CLASS READ JOHN 20: 27-29.]

²⁶And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. ²⁷Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. ²⁸And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. ²⁹Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. [22]

4)CONSIDER JESUS’ RESURRECTION

a) The difference between our status and that of Thomas is that Thomas had to see before he believed Jesus had risen; we must believe He is risen before we can see that it was real.

b) According to reliable tradition and history, all twelve of the apostles, except one, went to their graves witnessing to the same account:

i) That they personally witnessed Him do all they would eventually record having seen Him do.

ii) That they witnessed Him alive after His death and burial.

iii) Furthermore, that they watched Him rise and disappear into the heavens, just after He promised that someday He would be back.

c) And though each one could have saved his own life by simply denying his prior claim of having been witness to it all, not one complied, but each went to his or her grave still contending, [paraphrased] I saw it with my own eyes.

d) As for the one who tradition claims died a natural death, the Apostle John, longstanding tradition also says he had his eyes punched out and was exiled to the island of Patmos; and, he, too, suffered all this, still witnessing to what they had all seen and heard.

e) And do not overlook the thousands of individuals who were recipients of His miracles – not one is recorded as having come forward to declare, “No, that didn’t happen like that; it was phony.”

f) That is an impressive fact, because only a comparative few will die witnessing to what they have actually seen and heard and experienced, but NO ONE – NO ONE – dies witnessing to a lie.

g) It was the biggest story in all human history – the story of the exclusive life and the unique person of Jesus, who proved to be the Christ.

h) He was unique in birth; unique in life; unique in death; unique in that He resurrected; unique in His ascension; unique in the reign within a kingdom of human spirits for over two-thousand years; and someday, His uniqueness will excel above all when He fulfills His promise to return and take His children home! That was His promise.

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WHY THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS BETTER

Lesson 6 of 6

November 7, 2010

By: Travis W. Lewis

[CLASS TURN TO JOHN 14.]

1. INTRODUCTION

a)With continuing focus on apologetics, this final lesson in the series emphasizes our belief that life lived in relationship to Jesus Christ, life focused on eternal values, and life connected to other believers affords humankind the optimum quality of life.

b) Following is a short contrast of age-old worldly aspirations, followed by countering replies that contradict its seemingly accepted paradigms.

i) Aspiration: Riches that can be held in our hands and valued in dollars? Reply: Not necessarily, actually very seldom.

ii) Aspiration: Popularity and power, as men define popularity and power? Reply: Not necessarily, actually very seldom.

iii) Aspiration: Long, joy-filled life, as measured in years and number of “toys” accumulated? Reply: Not necessarily, since “joy” and “happiness” are not always the same.

c) Yet, the life that Jesus gives and the life disciplines that He not only taught but exemplified and would have us grow into has proven time and again to be abundantly rich and full, both in the here and now as well as holding promise for our long eternity.

d) So, the goal of this final lesson is to make the case that the Christian life, though neither easy nor carefree, is truly a better way.

e) And, the skeptic may be saying, Well, the worshipper of Islam would think differently of that.

f) And we’ll touch on that argument as we go along and articulate the argument that the Christian life is truly “better”.

g) But let’s begin by looking at the concept of “better”, and let’s begin by sharing our views of what the term usually means. So, which would you describe as “better”?

i) A few days at the beach or in the mountains?

ii) Reading a book or playing a game?

iii) Eating or exercising?

iv) Going to see the grandkids, or the grandkids coming to see you, or maybe the grandkids leaving being better than both?

g) Now, obviously, those are aspects of life that are “better”, only because we have a personal preference; they are only “better” for us, and not empirically “better” for all others.

h) Yet, are there aspects of human life that are truly “better”?

i) Is life “better” when we arise on Sundays, make ourselves ready, and assemble with a group of believers where, if we so choose, we can focus on communicating with the Lord and on His admonitions and promises to us as we join in fellowship with His people?

ii) Is life not “better” when, at some point during our day, we regularly spend a few moments reading God’s Word, or by pouring our hearts out in thanksgiving, or by simply repenting for some slackness we displayed or for an unkind word or deed that left another person with less confidence in our profession or Christ?

iii) Or, is life “better” when we begin to neglect study and prayer and meditation and fellowship, and then, finally, give it up altogether?

i) What renders such a life truly and transcendentally “better”?

j) In this lesson, we’re looking at three attributes of the Christian life that are unique to Christianity altogether:

i) Direct access to God at any time from any place by any true believer, which is something to which no other religion can lay claim.

ii) An authentic peace in life that no other religion has to offer.

iii) A continually fulfilling purpose in life which is exclusive to Christianity alone.

k) Let’s refer to the Gospel of John, and listen to part of the conversation taking place between Jesus and the apostles after Judas Iscariot had left their final meal together.

l) So, they were reclining around the table and engaged in the conversation regarding Jesus’ revelation that His death was imminent; part of what He was revealing to them, they could understand, yet, part was very confusing.

m) So, let’s begin in John 14: 15-18..

[CLASS READ JOHN 14: 15-18.]

¹⁵If ye love me, keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; ¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. [23]

2) THE PRESENCE

a) The final few moments with Jesus had arrived for the eleven apostles.

b) For over three years, they had given up everything to passionately follow Him.

c) And, being God, Jesus was sensitive to their feelings, their emotions, their uncertainties, their fears.

d) And, as they sat beside the Lord and listened to His departing words and pondered the promises He was making, they must have been weighing the conditions that accompanied each one; for with every promise of God invariably comes responsibility.

e) Note here that these were promises that no founding father of any other religion had left either before or since.

f) The apostles had repeatedly expressed how they loved Him; yet He informed them that the love they professed would be proven in only one way.

g) QUESTION: What was the lone way their love for Him would be proven? That His commandments would be met with obedience.

h) QUESTION: But, if we truly love Him, and if we make a passionate effort to learn His commandments, then what was the promise He was leaving, not just to the attending apostles, but to every believer who would follow? i.e., (Paraphrased) I’ll be physically gone, but the Father will send you another Comforter, another Counsellor.

i) QUESTION: And for how long will this Comforter, this Counsellor, remain in your presence, and to where must you go to contact this Counsellor? [Paraphrased] He will be within you; He will dwell continually within your soul.

j) QUESTION: And with whom must you first make contact to reach this Counsellor? He will be your High Priest, with whom personal contact can be made with only the ‘feeling of your infirmities’, or humility within your soul.

k) (Paraphrase) Heretofore, I have made intercession for you with the Father; but with the advent of this Counsellor, He will be your High Priest to whom you will have personal access, and He will make intercession for you.

l) Then, He makes a profound comparison…… I will not leave you comfortless… HCSB… I will not leave you as orphans.

m) QUESTION: What connotations does the term “orphan” have for you?

i) Alone – no one to guide when I have no clue to the way I should choose.

ii) Alone – no one to comfort when I have suffered loss.

iii) Alone – no one with whom I can share my heavy burdens and most dreaded fears.

iv) Alone – no one with whom I can share the deepest secrets of my heart.

v) Alone – no one to come alongside when my heart yearns for comfort, my body for strength, and my mind for guidance toward the good way.

n) So, the first reason that is totally unique to the Christian life, compared to all others, is that we are promised, and for almost 2,000 years, teeming millions have borne witness, that the Comforter has dwelt in our presence.

o) Study of other religions will reveal that none other claims the presence of God Himself in every individual heart who believes.

p) Now, let’s discuss another attribute of the Christian faith that makes it truly “better”.

[CLASS READ JOHN 14: 27-31a.]

²⁷Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

²⁸Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. ²⁹And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. ³⁰Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. ³¹But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do[24]

3) THE PEACE

a) QUESTION: What are some terms that usually come to mind when the word “peace” is used? Examples: calm; quiet; stillness; tranquility; silence; harmony; serenity

b) QUESTION: Jesus had used the term “orphans”, which denotes being lonely, listless, directionless, helpless – all connotations of disquiet, uneasiness, insecurity. What situations do you see looming ahead as we become “seniors” [25] that might fit some of those descriptions?

i) Death of a spouse: Sooner or later, one of each couple in this class will leave the other behind. And I can tell you now that if I be the one left behind, that will be the greatest test of my faith – ever! For, how could my mind, my emotions, my spirit ever be at peace again, tranquil again, enjoy direction and purpose again?

ii) Loss of health: Except for my mother for the first eighteen years of my life, and Kay’s help during the past 45 years, I’ve never experienced the absence of a loving hand to help cool my feverish brow and help with any other physical needs that I could not provide for myself. How will I manage a time when neither of those are around to help?

iii) Lonesomeness: Lonely, when every loving hand seems to have gone, and the only help possibly available is just a hireling.

iv) Lack of inner peace: Will I be able to develop a calm spirit, a heart at ease and find myself as one who still remembers these promises? Will you? Jesus promised that we can, and I strive in prayer that I may keep presence of mind to remember.

c) In this final conversation between Jesus and His apostles, not only did He promise His continual presence and an ultimate peace that could follow us and even grow throughout life, but He also promised that, like no others, we could have purpose.

[CLASS READ JOHN 15: 11-16.]

¹¹These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. ¹²This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. ¹⁵Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. ¹⁶Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. [26]

4) THE PURPOSE

a) One of the few worthwhile goals which every human being shares is to figure out their meaning in life, their purpose for living, the reason we are here.

b) Specifically, we were created and placed here to fellowship – and any other purpose that we elevate to higher priority than that ends somewhere at a coffin and a grave.

c) QUESTION: Several times during this discourse and others, Jesus used the term “fruit”, urging us to bear fruit, produce fruit – which can be done only if we remain in Him. What are some examples of “fruits” that we bear for him?

d) Only as we bear fruit in His vineyard do we have genuine, lasting purpose.

e) Should we spend our whole life chasing the dollar or position in life, for what purpose has it been spent, except to be left for others to squabble over then to eventually divide and be forgotten?

f) God alone is the bookkeeper of human life – the good and the bad, the true value, or lack thereof, of that for which we have so strenuously wrought.

g) And, in His vineyard alone do we find lasting purpose.

CONCLUSION

(1) So, what are these few among many reasons for our claim that Christianity is truly the “better” way?

(2) Among all the world’s religions, Christianity is alone in its claim to the living presence of God dwelling within the soul of each of His children.

(3) Study of history reveals that only adherence to orthodox Christianity produces societies, communities, and families who can consistently live in peace with one another.

(4) Any purpose has an intended grand result foreseen as being worth the expense of time and effort to reach. The purpose of Christianity is to glorify and exalt the Kingdom of God by exemplifying the life and love of Jesus, who was and remains the Christ.

(5) This kingdom purpose is not to expand itself by destroying those who oppose it, as do some other popular religions. It has one, and only one, living God who is sovereign over all, and to whom Christianity’s goal is to introduce by word and deed with love and truth concerning from where we came, what went wrong, and the lone way humanity’s innate bent for sin can be fixed. That lone way being by full trust in the penalty of our sins having been paid by Christ on Calvary’s cross. That is Christianity’s purpose – that all people everywhere be saved by simple faith in His name.

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This concludes our series on only six basic arguments for the Christian faith. The list and its discourse could go on, but suffice it to say that the basic tenets of Christianity have been the bedrock of humanity’s development throughout its history. Though many atrocities have been committed which wore the cloak of its name, yet, inside their ruse was something far removed from the heart of what Christianity, or Christlikeness, truly is. My hope is that these arguments have been strong enough that Christianity’s strongest critics have taken pause, yet simple enough that even a child can understand and embrace.

[1]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[2]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[3]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[4]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[5]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

6 The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[7] The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769, Romans 8:18

[8]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[9]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[10]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[11]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[12] Moral Relativism; Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

[13]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[14]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[15]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[16]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[17]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[18]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[19]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[20]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[21]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[22]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[23]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[24]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[25] The class members to whom this series was initially presented were coed couples, ages 60 years and above.

26 The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

[i]The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.