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“Joy in Trials” (James 1:1-12) – Audio recording of my Sunday morning sermon at Kingwood Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN on October 7, 2012.

I delivered this same sermon at Bellevue Church of Christ on October 28, 2012, though that sermon was not recorded.

This sermon looks at the reasons why James says that followers of Christ should find joy in trials (or suffering) of life.

James 1:1–12 (ESV)
¹ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. ² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. ⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. ¹² Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

If you look at the main page of my Tumblr blog, you will see the first thing I mention about myself is that I’m a Christian. This is THE thing that defines my life. As a matter of fact my priorities could be summed up this way:

1. My Christianity
2. My Family
3. Everything else (including running)

I am not ashamed of it, and I will not hide it from the world. However, I also understand that not everyone agrees with my beliefs. 

From the very beginning this blog has been about many things, including my Christianity, my family, and my journey as runner. While I thoroughly enjoy interacting with my followers, gaining followers has never been my motivation for starting this blog.

That being said, I do hope you will continue to follow. I also hope you will take a moment to read the article that prompted your anonymous message. Maybe you’ll read it and completely disagree. Maybe you’ll read it and could care less. Or just maybe it will give you something to think about.

Introduction

This essay was written in response to a challenge for our Wednesday night ladies Bible class at Bellevue Church of Christ.  We are studying 1 Peter and I was teaching on chapter 3.  Verse 15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (NIV-1984)  I challenged the class to spend the week examining the reasons why they believe the Bible to be true and then write a short speech or essay in response to Peter’s challenge to be prepared to give an answer.  I should probably note that my reasons are certainly not the only reasons for religious belief.  There are many other problems with Darwinism and evidences for the existence of God that I don’t touch on here.  This essay simply covers the evidence I personally find most convincing.

I. Problems with Darwinian Evolution

I do not find the evidence for a natural origin of life compelling.  Darwinian evolutionary theory is full of gaping holes, the most notable being the complete lack of evidence for abiogenesis (life originating from non-life), the lack of evidence for macroevolution (species evolving into other species), and the existence of irreducibly complex systems (systems that could not emerge gradually by natural selection) within the human body —Darwin’s own criteria for the failure of his theory.

I have read some of Darwin’s writings and materials from the opposing point of view, but their evidence doesn’t add up.  Slapping the label  ‘the big bang’ on the beginning of the universe doesn’t explain what caused it or how anything could happen without a cause.  If life emerged from some primordial soup, where did the ingredients for the soup come from?

Additionally the fossil record does not support macroevolution; it does support microevolution (change within species) but no one disputes this.  Finches’ beaks can change, but those finches are still finches, not alligators.  Peppered moths can change color to blend in with their environment but they don’t turn into owls.  They are still moths.

Darwin himself said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely fall apart.” (i)  Biochemist Michael Behe, author of Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, provides an excellent case for the existence of such irreducibly complex systems. Behe describes an irreducibly complex system as being “composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning.” (ii) He explains, “An everyday example of irreducible complexity is a mousetrap, built of several pieces (platform, hammer, spring and so on). Such a system probably cannot be put together in a Darwinian manner, gradually improving its function. You can’t catch a mouse with just the platform and then catch a few more by adding the spring. All the pieces have to be in place before you catch any mice.” (iii)  He gives multiple examples in his book including bacterial flagellum and blood clotting.

II. Evidence for the existence of God

On the other hand, I do find the evidence for the existence of God quite compelling, especially the moral argument for God’s existence.  The moral argument states:  1. If God does not exist, then objective moral values do not exist.  2.  Objective moral values do exist.  3. Therefore, God exists.

This seems logical.  If all we are is a cosmological accident then there are no objective moral laws.  Where would they come from?  If there is no moral lawgiver, there can be no moral law.  All morality would be subjective.

Let’s think for a moment about the difference between objective and subjective.  I hate mushrooms.  I hate the way they taste, I hate the way they smell, and I hate the way they squish in my mouth if one gets mixed in on my pizza.  I say mushrooms are disgusting.  You might like mushrooms.  You might think they taste good and smell wonderful.  You say mushrooms are delicious.  Neither of us is wrong.  The statement ‘mushrooms are disgusting’ is true when I say it because mushrooms are disgusting to me.  The statement ‘mushrooms are delicious’ is true when you say it because mushrooms are delicious to you.  So the truth of the statement is dependent on the person making the statement, it is a subjective truth.

However, Hitler’s ethnic cleansing when he ordered millions of Jews to be brutally murdered was wrong.  Not mushroom wrong, objectively wrong.  Even if Hitler had succeeded in winning the war and killing or brainwashing everyone in the world who disagreed with him so that all people thought what he did was wonderful, he’d still be wrong.

Remember, if evolution is true and humans are an accident of the universe then they can have no inherent value.  Some would simply define morality or good as whatever causes humanity to flourish.  However, given evolution, why would this be the case?  If evolution were true why would human flourishing be any more important than mice flourishing or bacteria or cancer cells flourishing?  If there is no external standard of right and wrong then my dislike of rape is no different than my dislike of mushrooms.

This way of thinking makes no sense in real life scenarios. Certain things are simply wrong.  Rape is wrong.  Torturing someone for fun is wrong.  Though I can’t test it scientifically, it is self evident to me that human beings do have inherent value and that objective right and wrong does exist.  Therefore, God’s existence makes more sense than His non-existence.

III. Biblical reliability

The more I study about the Bible the more I find it to be a reliable historical document.  Once you study textual transmission you discover that the Bible has been meticulously preserved.  The Bible has, by far, the most copies and the earliest manuscripts of any document of antiquity.

We have roughly 15.000 handwritten manuscripts, some fragments and some entire books.  Of books from antiquity the next highest number of manuscripts is the Iliad of which we have about 600.  We only have 7 copies of Plato’s writings.  Most accepted ancient manuscripts have only about a dozen surviving copies.

We also have the earliest manuscripts of antiquity with undisputed fragments going back to within 150 years of the originals (there are disputed fragments dated around 25 years from the originals.  Compared to other ancient documents, the average age of surviving documents is about a thousand years removed from their original writings.  Aside from biblical texts, the Iliad has the oldest surviving documents and those were copied about 500 years after the original was written.

You may have heard about errors in the manuscripts.  However, it might surprise you to discover that the variants are statistically insignificant.  The vast majority of these copy errors are spelling or punctuation errors.  In fact there is not a single variant that affects any doctrine of the church that cannot be clarified by other passages.

Historical facts in the Bible turn out to be quite credible.  For example, facts about Jesus are noted not just in the Bible but in non-Christian historical texts as well.  In fact Jesus is mentioned in at least 10 different non-biblical sources within 150 years of his death.  By way of comparison, that is more surviving sources than we have for Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor of that time.

Many people have set out to disprove the Bible and Christianity only to be converted in the process.  Author C.S. Lewis and the reporter Lee Strobel come to mind but one of the most interesting to my mind is Sir William Ramsay.  He was a famous archaeologist who set out to prove the book of Acts was historically inaccurate and the Bible was false.  After 30 years of digging and studying he concluded that Luke should be placed along-side the greatest historians.  It makes sense to me that if the Biblical writers were so meticulous with their facts it lends credibility to their story.

Many people who reject the Bible do so because of the supernatural elements, claiming that miracles are impossible, therefore the Bible must be false.  However, it makes sense to me that if there is a God who created the universe and all the natural rules within, it should not be impossible for that Creator to suspend those rules if He has reason to do so.

IV. Evidence for the resurrection

Another reason I believe the Bible to be true is the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.  His crucifixion (and later His empty tomb) is one of the best attested to facts of ancient history.  Virtually every expert on the time period agrees on three basic facts: 1. Jesus was crucified 2. His tomb was found empty 3. His disciples at least believed they saw Him alive after His death.

So if Jesus’ tomb was empty, where did the body go?  Contemporaries of His disciples claimed they stole the body, but if this were true, why were they willing to go to horrific deaths claiming Jesus was resurrected?  They had no motive.  They did not achieve the money and fame of modern day televangelists.  They received beatings, ridicule, and brutal martyr’s deaths.  Why would they go to their deaths, and send their loved ones to their deaths, for something they knew was a lie?   This is why virtually no scholar today, including non-Christian scholars, believes that Jesus’ disciples stole his body.  It just doesn’t make any sense when you consider how they lived and died.

By far the most prevailing theory to explain Jesus’ disciples’ belief in the resurrection is that they all hallucinated His appearances.  I don’t think this theory fits the evidence.  For one thing, many of Jesus appearances were to groups.  By definition a hallucination is something only one person can see. This theory also doesn’t even address what happened to Jesus’ body.

Further it does not adequately explain why those who previously didn’t believe in Jesus’ divinity such as Saul (a persecutor of the church turned apostle) or James (Jesus’ skeptic brother) would have a hallucination and suddenly be willing to give their lives for their belief in the risen Jesus.

Jesus predicted both His death and His resurrection.  Upon studying the evidence I came to the conclusion that God did raise Him from the dead.  While I accept that for you or me resurrection from the dead would be impossible, I see no such restriction if God is involved.  After all, you or I could not create a universe either.  But if there is a God who can create life from non-life, and I have already given my reasons why I believe there is such a being, then why would it be any trouble for Him to put life back into a non-living body?

V. The power of the Gospel to change lives

Finally, I have seen that following the Bible and seeking to build a relationship with God has the power to change lives. I have experienced it personally and I have seen this power in the lives of others.  I do not base my belief on experience alone but the reasons I have given provide me the confidence to trust my experience.  I believe that God created the universe, reveals Himself and His plan in the Bible, and sent his Son to offer salvation to those who would choose to accept it.

Recommended reading

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek

On Guard: Defending Your Faith With Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig

The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask: (With Answers) by Mark Mittelberg

The Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

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Endnotes

i Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (New York: Penguin, 1958), 171.

ii Michael Behe, Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution (New York: Touchstone, 1996), 39.

iii Michael Behe, Darwin Under the Microscope, The New York Times, October 29, 1996, Tuesday Final Section A; Page 25; Column 2; Editorial Desk

Romans Chapter 5 Handouts and Notes are Now Online

davidsgoals replied to your photo: Princess Merida & Minnie Mouse at Bellevue Church…

What’s “trunk or treat”?

David….it is something a lot of churches around here do at Halloween. The idea is that the members all park their cars in a line, decorate their trunks, and then hand out candy as the kids move from car to car. Every year we get about 1,000 parents and kids from the community, so it has turned into quite an event.

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Romans Chapter 4 Handouts and Notes are Now Online

Romans Chapter 3 Handouts and Notes are Now Online

Bible Study Class Handouts and Notes

 

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“Choosing the Right Foundation” (Luke 6:46-49) – Audio recording of my Sunday morning sermon at Kingwood Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN on December 31, 2006.

This sermon looks at one of Jesus’ most famous parables and focuses on examining the foundation upon which we have chosen to build our lives.

Luke 6:46–49 (ESV)
⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Tomorrow morning I will be preaching at Kingwood Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN. The title of my sermon is “Joy in Trials,” and is taken from James 1:1-12.

If you are in the Middle Tennessee area, we would love to have you join us tomorrow morning at 9am for worship.

Bible Class Handouts and Notes

 

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“A Simple Faith” (Acts 2:42) – Audio recording of my Sunday morning sermon at Kingwood Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN on September 27, 2009.

This sermon looks at the critical elements of implementing a simple faith as exemplified by the first converts to Christianity.

Acts 2:42 (ESV) – And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

 

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“Give Me A Heart That Seeks God’s Will” (James 1:19-27) – Audio recording of my Wednesday evening sermon at Maple Hill Church of Christ in Lebanon, TN on June 25, 2008.

This sermon looks at four characteristics of a man who will, as James describes, be “blessed in his doing.”  A lesson in receiving God’s Word and putting it into practice.

Handout referenced in the sermon

James 1:19–27 (ESV)

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. 

 

“King of Generosity” (Matthew 26:1-13) – Audio recording of my Wednesday evening sermon at Bellevue Church of Christ in Nashville, TN on August 8, 2012.

This sermon looks at the details of an unusual story and three things it can teach us about our own generosity as we work in the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 26:6–13 (ESV)

⁶ Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. ⁸ And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” ¹⁰ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

 

What Does It Really Mean to Have Faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:19-26) – Audio recording of my Sunday evening sermon at Maple Hill Church of Christ in Lebanon, TN on July 15, 2012.

This sermon looks at two of the must fundamental questions in Christianity:

(1) Why did Jesus have to die?

(2) What does it REALLY mean to have faith in Jesus?

Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)

²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  

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The Equation of Life (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12) – Audio recording of my Wednesday evening sermon at Kingwood Church of Christ in Murfreesboro, TN on July 18, 2007.

Life doesn’t fit into an equation, and is full of injustices and things that just don’t seem to make sense. This study looks at ways in which we can be ready to deal with the unexpected and unfair things that are a part of life under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 (ESV)

¹¹ Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. ¹² For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

On Wednesday evening I will be preaching at Bellevue Church of Christ in Nashville, TN. This will be part of our “Summer Series” where different preachers from around the area are invited to speak each week. Since this is our family’s home congregation, it will be particularly exciting to be able to participate. Our theme this summer is “King Jesus:  Glimpses of His Majesty,” and my assigned topic is…

• King of Generosity (Matthew 26:2-13) – We will be looking at the details of this unusual story and three things it can teach us about our own generosity as we work in the Kingdom of God.

If you are in the Middle Tennessee area, we would love to have you join us on Wednesday evening at 7pm for our mid-week study!

 

“Lessons From the Prayer of Hannah” (I Samuel 1:1-20) – Audio recording of my Wednesday evening sermon at Bellevue Church of Christ in Nashville, TN on July 27, 2007.

Three characteristics of Hannah’s prayer that anyone can apply to their own prayer life.

Copy of the Handout referenced in the sermon