What If It's True

What if it’s true that there is an all-powerful Creator God who actually cares about peon humans like you and me? The Bible

(in Deuteronomy 23:5) says that "the LORD your God loves you." Isaiah 40:11 says "He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." Isaiah 43:1-4 tells us that the One who created you

says, "you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ... you are precious and honored in my sight, and

... I love you." Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and

not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The Bible is clear in its message that God does care for you.

What if it’s true that hell is a real place of burning fire that lasts forever? In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, Do not be afraid of

those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. In

Luke 16:23, Jesus tells a true story about a man who was in hell, where he was in torment. So, Jesus obviously taught hell is

real.

What if it’s true that there is only one God and only one way to God? 1 Timothy 2:5 says there is one God and one mediator

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Isaiah 45:14 assures us, there is no other god. In John 14:6, Jesus says, I am

the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. The apostle Peter taught in Acts 4:12,

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. The

Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.

What if it’s true that Jesus Christ really did work miracles, walk on water, die for our sins and rise from the dead? In 1

Corinthians 15:3-6, the apostle Paul boils down the essence of the Christian faith by saying, what I received I passed on to

you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on

the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more

than five hundred of the brothers at the same time. In Acts 1:3, Doctor Luke, after doing first-hand investigative reporting,

concludes that after Christ died, he showed himself to ... men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. The Bible

affirms that the stories about Jesus are historically accurate and true.

What if it’s true that the timeless truths of the Bible, even though they’ve been around for thousands of years, will still work in

your family life today? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting

and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In John 17:17,

Jesus affirmed that God’s "word is truth." Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will

never pass away. The Bible is clear that its truths still do work today.

This morning I want to talk specifically to those of you who are still having doubts about whether it’s true. I invite you to

think about this logically and critically. Fire up your brain on all cylinders. There are only four logical possibilities.

Option One is that it’s not true and you live as though it’s not true.

Option Two is that it’s true but you live as though it’s not true.

Option Three is that it’s not true but you live as though it is true.

Option Four is that it’s true and you live as though it’s true.

Lets’s think through each option very carefully.

Option One: it’s not true and you live as though it’s not true. Let’s suppose Christianity is a hoax and that Jesus Christ never

rose from the dead. Let’s assume it’s just one of many man-made religions that was developed as a way to control people’s

lives. So, you live you life as a self-indulging materialist and pleasure seeker. Life is short, and death is final, so your goal in

life is to accumulate all the money and possessions you can, have all the fun you can, and climb as high as you can get on the

power ladder of life, and then you die and turn into nothing but ashes and water vapor. When the game’s over, your life is