How Can I Believe in a God I can’t See?
If God wants us to believe in Him, He should make himself visible so we could talk one on one, touch Him, hear him verbally, see him with our own eyes.
"Why does God put us in a position where we have to try to believe in Him? Why does He toy with mankind, teasing us with evidence that’s good enough to make us uncomfortable, but never coming directly out and making himself clear? What’s so great about "faith" that He desires it above an obvious revelation of Himself...Hell, just write it across the sky, nice and big: "Here’s your proof, Ed. Believe in me or go to Hell! Sincerely, the Almighty." You wouldn’t have to spend an afternoon arguing history to me. I’d be on my knees."
Is that the thing that would convince the world that God exists? If God wrote something across the sky in a huge multicolor pen. Better yet, what if God came down and started healing people, raising the dead, doing all kinds of tricks and things. Then we would see it with our own eyes, right? Then believing in God would be a cinch...
Wait a minute....Let me ask you something. Do you believe everything you see or don’t see?
If seeing is believing, the next time you’re driving on a hot road and see shimmering water in the distance. Get out of your car and go take a drink. Sunrise, move, and set--remind self eyes lying to you. Blue sky--tell eyes not seeing right. Sky has no color--ask any astronaut.. Seeing is not always believing....
ILLUS: Mike-do a magic trick
Not only do our eyes play tricks on us, but there are many things that exist which we can’t see, taste, touch, feel, or hear. How many of you believe in Gravity? You haven’t seen it, touched it, heard it, or tasted it. You can’t even feel gravity--but you can feel it’s effects. Believe me. When I play basketball, I feel like I’ve got 2 huge bowling balls in my shoes. I believe in gravity.
Also, right below your nose, behind you, beneath you are masses of invisible television waves. Cowboys, Indians, newscasters, soap operas, athletes are all flashing before your eyes, but you can’t see them. If you denied their existence because you couldn’t see them, would that alter the reality of their existence. No way.
Say God did come out and do all kinds of tricks and things...evidence so compelling it blew your mind. What if he wrote in the sky "Jesus is my Son, believe in Him." Would all people put their faith and trust in Jesus? No way. Now some would. They’d say, "Wow. Awesome. Miracle." and believe. But you know what happens over time. The impression fades. It may be a month or a year and the force of the miracle would fade. It happens with all of us. We begin thinking it was more of a dream than a real event. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe someone spiked my Orange Juice that day, or I ate moldy Cheese. And when you tell other people, they’re going to say that you’ve lost your marbles. Then you’ll doubt whether it really happened or not. So you’ll want another miracle. If you believe in God because of miracles, you’ll need a steady diet of them, frequent and more incredible every time.
Jesus knew this. He came down, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead...It wasn’t enough for some people...
Matthew 16:1,4 "The Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus. So they asked him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven...Evil and unfaithful people look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will be given is that of Jonah." Mark 8:12 With a deep sigh Jesus asked, "Why do these people demand a sign? I guarantee this truth: If these people are given a sign, it will be far different than what they want!"
In last days Jesus said "False Christs and false prophets will appear. They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen." Mk 13:22
Rev 16:14 "These are spirits of demons which do miracles."
Rev 13:13,14 "The 2nd beast performs miraculous signs. It even makes fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people. It deceives those living on earth with the signs it is allowed to do."
Even though God does miracles and gives signs, I don’t believe he does it all the time to get his point across. He doesn’t need to. He has given plenty of evidence that he exists.
Romans 1:20 "Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature-- are clearly seen, being understood by what was made, so that people are without excuse."
Let’s look at the moon--1960’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Fantastic accomplishment. Moon is our nearest neighbor, only 240,000 miles away.
Sun--93 million miles away. Huge. Flames leap up thousands of miles at a time. If it were much further away--we’d all freeze to death. If were much closer we’d all die from heat, or the polar ice would melt and the earth would have a huge flood and we’d all drown.
Close. Closest star Alpha Centauri--24 trillion miles away. Nearest. Travel. 24,000 miles. 120,000 years.
Job 22:12 "Behold the height of the stars, how high they are."
Mt. Palomar telescope 200 inch reflector lens shows 200 billion stars. One astronomer noted that the telescope has found a million galaxies in Big Dipper alone."
All these planets, stars, galaxies--constantly moving through space. Designed with beauty and symmetry. Even our own earth-66,000 miles an hour. You and I traveled ½ million miles through space today. You have a right to feel a little tired tonight.
Space is not just randomness. They orbit. They pass one another often without colliding. There’s design.
"Everyone who is seriously interested in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe--a spirit vastly superior to man, and one in the face of which our modest powers must feel humble." Albert Einstein.
Isa 40:26 "Look up at the sky! Who created the stars that you see? The One who leads them out like an army, He knows how many there are and calls them each one by name."
ILLUS: One night Napoleon Bonaparte was sailing down the Mediterranean toward Egypt with his military force. His officers, most of them skeptics, were standing under the glittering stars on the ship’s deck talking about their atheist theories. After a while Napoleon grew tired of it all and said, "Your arguments are all very clever, gentlemen, but who made all those stars?" A heavy silence followed as Napoleon walked his way to his sleeping quarters and left the men gazing up to the dazzling stars in the sky. Billions of them.
And if God knows the names of 200 billion stars, he hasn’t forgotten your name. What matters to you, matters to him. What concerns you, concerns him. What troubles you, troubles him. The Creator of the Universe is not too big, too removed, too powerful to know your name, to care for you, and to guide your life. The stars shout out "God cares. He’s interested in people. He knows our names."
He has written it across the sky. He has made himself visible.
II. Bring it closer to home. Perhaps the greatest visible evidence of God is when you gaze into the mirror. Of course, many people are born with handicaps and impediments, but there are still many signs of order, design, and pointers to a creator.
Look at your heart--it’s not an accidental organ by chance evolution. It has been perfectly designed to pump 2,000 gallons of blood a day. Look at the kidneys and lungs. Your lungs are more than air sacs--they’re designed to filter oxygen out of the air you breathe. These organs contain 300 billion tiny blood vessels called capillaries. Your entire blood supply washes through your lungs once every minute. Your kidneys filter out 1700 liters of impurities a day.
The average brain has about 100 billion brain cells, far more advanced than any computer system in the world. Your tongue has 8,000 taste buds. Boring without it. Eye is most amazing Your eyes have focusing muscles that move the eyes about 100,000 time a day. That same eye with it’s small retina contains over 130 million light sensitive cells. God even gave your eyes windshield wipers that move at the incredible speed of 1/500th of a second. . It cannot be created. If you lose one, the best modern science can do is give you a glorified marble to slap in the empty socket.
Even evolutionist Charles Darwin said, "To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree."
Grab ears--accident they were designed to capture sound. The grooves, bumps, and ridges were created to catch passing sound waves and channel them into the eardrum. Your hands were made to grip and feel; the nose to smell. Someone said, "I was born upside down--my nose runs and my feet smell." But the nose was put right above our mouth so we could enjoy the flavor of food better.
Imagine if you were made differently. IF the ears were inside out, or if the nose was upside down--you’d drown every time it rained. Or if your mouth had 2 tongues?
There is visible evidence of a Great designer. A God.
George Gallup who is founder of Gallup poll and famous statistician said, "I could prove God statistically; take the human body alone; the chance of all the functions of the individual would just happen is a statistical monstrosity."
Look at animals. Look at the cow. How can a brown cow eat green grass, which turns it to white milk, then yellow butter, which is eaten by a man who grows red hair and has blue eyes. Scientists are still baffled at the laying of eggs. Explain to me how sparrows know to stay with other sparrows. Or how a baby develops ribs and bones. Or how snowflakes are formed. Or how strawberries can grow next to garlic, and yet both derive their unique tastes from the same soil and water.
Even the most secular people have to wonder at natures beauty.
Job 12:7-9 "Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you."
III. The universe, nature, and the human body all testify to the existence of God, but the greatest evidence was through the life of a famous person in history--Jesus. And I can give evidence of Jesus Christ without even going to the bible--that’s another night’s teaching.
"In the past God spoke to us many times and in various ways through prophets, but in these last days he has spoke to us through his Son." Heb 1:1-2
If you want evidence of God--it’s out there. If you want the clearest revelation of who God is--It’s in the bible--especially in the life of Jesus. That’s why Jesus came--to reveal God clearly and to show once and for all that we really matter to God.
God did come to earth. He walked among us. We saw him, touched him, listened to him, watched his miracles. And while some believed--many didn’t. I think that we’d be in the same boat today if Jesus came in the flesh today. Some would believe. Many wouldn’t--they’d still doubt and ask for more sensational signs.
That’s why I believe God reveals himself very clearly to people who are looking for Him, but doesn’t force himself on others who don’t want to see the evidence. He doesn’t overwhelm people who aren’t interested. In fact, Jesus gives a special compliment to people who believe in him without demanding for extra signs and wonders.
Jn:20:29: Jesus said to Thomas, "You believe because you’ve seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me but believe."
For those of you here tonight who want to know God and experience God in a real way--you can.
Jer 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
If that’s what you want, then let us know by filling out the card in tonight’s program and turning that card in the basket on your way out. We’ll talk about any questions--we’ll give you some great resources to get on your way to knowing and loving God. And you’ll discover more and more that God has revealed himself in many many ways, it just depends on our focus in life. I hope your focus is to look for and seek after God.
