Has God Spoken? Series

“Anchor Points”

“Has God Spoken?”

Genesis 1:1; John 1:1

January 30, 2000

Anchor Point #1:

“God is here, and He has spoken!”

Introduction

3 questions to which every person wants to know the answer:

1. Who Am I?

2. Why Am I Here?

3. Where Am I Going?

“There is no man who is not a philosopher.” Francis Schaeffer

I. As opposed to an empty universe, God is here!

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

A. God’s existence gives us the only acceptable answer for epistemology, the theory of knowledge. In other words, the existence of God is the only rational way to explain what we know to be true about the universe and all that is in it.

Problem # 1 for the post-modernist:

The Cause/Effect Problem

“And before THAT was…?”

B. God’s existence gives us the only basis for civilization.

Problem # 2 for the post-modernist:

The Problem of Meaning

“So what’s the point?”

C. God’s existence gives us the only basis for morality.

Problem # 3 for the post-modernist:

The Moral Base Problem

“Who’s gonna MAKE me?”

II. As opposed to the silence of nothingness and the meaninglessness of words, God has spoken and His word is truth!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Problem #4 for the post-modernist:

The Liar’s Paradox

“This message will self-destruct…”

A. God’s written Word

5 Truths about God’s written Word, the Bible (D.A. Carson)

1. Much good scholarship stands back of the truth of the inerrancy and trustworthiness of Scripture.

2. The Bible contains propositional truth—things are said to be, and are understood as, truth.

3. Both orthodoxy and heresy are possible.

4. Postmodernism raises questions regarding the truth and authority of the Bible; the same questions are fair game to pose to the postmodernist!

5. We are not permitted to pick and choose what we want to believe/obey.

B. God’s Prophets

C. God’s Incarnate Word – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14