"Knock knock.
Who’s there?
God.
God who?
That’s the big question, isn’t it?"
We are in a new series, “The Big Questions of faith” and today we ask, “Is there a Higher Power?”
“Let’s explore who God is, and whether He really knocks on the door of our lives.”
Introduction
Many people ask, “Does God exist?”
Some claim there is no evidence, but the Bible teaches that God’s existence is clearly revealed.
It depends on how you look for God, and
what you are looking for.
I mean, Does AIR exist?
Because, if you use sight and touch – you won’t find air – so “air doesn’t exist?”
Does love exist?
If you go looking for love with your eyes, your taste, your touch – you won’t find it right?
You could conclude that love doesn’t exist!
But air and love do exist!
Neither are physical objects to see, touch, or taste.
We have to discover love and air in other ways.
If God is really God, you aren’t going to see him on a street corner, or shake His hands.
Today, we will explore key ways our God makes Himself known: creation, conscience, and His Word.
Think for a moment about the vastness of the night sky.
Billions upon billions of stars, swirling galaxies, at distances that our minds can barely grasp.
Or consider the intricate dance of life within a single cell, the delicate balance of an ecosystem, the sheer wonder of human consciousness.
Haven't you ever felt, in moments like these, that there's more to it all?
That there's a whisper of something beyond the tangible, - a hint of a grander design?
Today, we're tackling one of the most fundamental questions of faith:
How do we know there is a higher power?
It's a question that has echoed through human history, pondered by philosophers, scientists, and everyday people alike.
So many use science to prove or disprove things.
Let’s be clear about science:
a. Science cannot prove everything. and
b. Science changes opinion over time.
What scientist “know” and prove today could well change in the next ten years.
It happens a lot.
Science can only use what it already knows.
All the rest is theory.
Let's explore some of the ways we can discover God, keeping in mind that these are not airtight arguments, but rather compelling observations and experiences:
1. The Argument from Design: The Intricacy of Creation
The universe is like a painting.
You might not see the artist, but the brushstrokes are everywhere.
But look around at the natural world.
• The complexity of the human eye,
• The mutual relationships between species,
• The precise laws of physics that govern the universe – these often evoke a sense of intentionality.
•
Think of the intricate engineering of a spider's web, perfectly designed to catch its prey.
Or the delicate balance of the Earth's atmosphere, sustaining life.
Trying to understand the universe without acknowledging a creator can leave you feeling a little lost in space.
This perspective suggests that such intricate order and functionality are unlikely to have arisen purely by random chance.
Just as a complex machine implies a designer, so too, the complexity of the universe and life on Earth can point towards an intelligent creator.
Imagine walking on a beach and finding a message written in the sand: "Welcome to the beach."
Would you assume the waves randomly formed those simple words?
No—you would recognize intelligence behind them.
Likewise, the universe carries God's signature.
2. Cause and purpose.
One of the first words a child uses, once s/he start to think/reason is . . . . “WHY?”
We crave purpose,
o What can I do?
o What can I achieve?
o Why am I here?
To find answers to their purpose, people often go to the things they can see, touch, taste — material things.
But most of us know that material things don’t fully satisfy. They don’t last.
Much of our life is seeking answers to –
Why am I here?
What is my purpose – right?
If we’re just random accidents of evolution, why do we feel that life *should* have meaning?
Everything we know has a cause.
• A book is written by an author,
• a house is built by a builder.
This chain of cause and effect seems fundamental to our understanding of reality.
If everything has a cause, what caused the very first thing?
This line of reasoning suggests that there must be an uncaused cause, a first mover that initiated everything else.
This first cause, by its very nature, would be beyond the limitations of the created world – a higher power.
Illustration: Think of a row of dominoes falling.
Each domino falls because the one before it pushed it.
But what started the chain reaction?
There had to be an initial push from something outside the line of dominoes itself.
Similarly, the universe's existence points to an initial "push" from a source beyond the universe.
(See image on a card – dominoes – “Who pushed the first one?”)
3. The Argument from Morality:
Every culture has a sense of right and wrong.
Question: Where does this universal morality come from?
If there is no Higher Power,
morality is just personal opinion.
Yet we *know* some things (like genocide) are objectively evil.
Across cultures and throughout history, humans have possessed a fundamental sense of right and wrong, a moral compass that guides our actions and judgments.
Concepts like justice, compassion, and fairness seem deeply ingrained.
We protest when we agree something is wrong.
We have “courts” in every culture that work on a moral code.
Where does this universal moral intuition come from?
If we are merely products of random evolutionary processes, why would we possess such consistent moral frameworks that often surpasses self-interest?
This suggests a higher moral lawgiver.
A source of objective truth and goodness has built this moral code into everything He has created.
Even without specific laws, there's an inherent understanding of what is right and what is wrong – right? 😉
4. The Argument from Experience:
Throughout history and in diverse cultures, individuals have reported profound experiences that they interpret as encounters with something beyond themselves –
moments of deep connection,
spiritual awakening, or
a sense of the sacred.
These experiences, while personal and subjective, are often deeply transformational.
These experiences cannot be scientifically reproduced.
The prevalence and the profound impact they have on individuals' lives suggest that they are not merely psychological illusions.
They can be seen as personal encounters with a higher reality.
• Watching a beautiful sunset,
• Seeing the millions of stars in the sky,
• experiencing the birth of a baby
invokes the feeling of awe and wonder.
Sometimes, we experience moments that make us feel part of something bigger, something deeply meaningful.
These feelings can seem like a direct connection to something divine.
Of course, not everyone agrees, and it's good to question things.
Doubt and curiosity help us learn and grow.
Science explains a lot about the world, and things like morality and consciousness are still being explored.
But the fact that we keep asking these big questions—and keep searching for meaning—shows that a purely scientific view might not fully explain what it means to be human.
In the end, faith is about looking beyond just what we can see or prove.
Conclusion
Maybe a simple, honest prayer like: "God, if You’re real, make Yourself known to me. Help me move from doubt to faith, and from knowing about You to knowing You personally." can open up a new path for you.
There was ONE time that God did something incredible to help us
“See” Him, and
touch Him, and
hear Him in a tangible/physical way.
His Son took on human form.
People experienced God within the limits of a human.
And THAT’s why we love to study Jesus’ words, and the way He lived.
God was fully with us (Emmanuel) for a while.
The Challenge
This week, read Mark’s gospel in the bible. (1 hour)
Read in the light of understanding that this Jesus is God in human form.
Read it and ask God to reveal Himself through it.
Don't just accept or reject the idea of a higher power intellectually.
Engage with it experientially.
Seek out those moments where you feel a sense of something more.
For it is in these moments,
in these echoes of the infinite,
that we may just catch a glimpse of the divine.
Closing Scripture: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).
Prayer:
Loving God,
Thank You for the moments that stir our hearts and point us to something greater.
When questions arise, help us not to fear them, but to seek You in the searching.
May we find in You the truth, the meaning, and the hope our souls long for.
Strengthen our faith, deepen our wonder, and draw us closer to You.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
