A Charlie Brown Christmas: what's so merry about Christmas?

On their way to join the rest of the Peanuts gang all skating on a frozen pond, Charlie Brown confides in Linus that even though Christmas is approaching he still feels depressed despite all the presents and cards and tree decorating. His depression and aggravation only get exacerbated by the goings-on in the neighborhood. Though his mailbox is empty of Christmas cards, he tries sarcastically to thank Violet for the card she "sent" him, though Violet says she didn't send him a card.

Charlie Brown (shouting after Violet as she walks away): "Don't you know a sarcasm when you hear it?"

Charlie Brown visits Lucy in her psychiatric booth. On her advice, he gets involved in directing a school play about the Nativity. On the way to the auditorium, Charlie Brown is drawn to Snoopy, who is busy decorating his doghouse. After Charlie Brown demands an explanation, Snoopy hands him a flier about a neighborhood lights and display contest.

He is then accosted by Sally, who wants Charlie Brown to take dictation for a letter to Santa, in which she ultimately asks him (Santa) to "just send money", particularly tens and twenties, causing Charlie Brown to run away in exasperation.

Charlie Brown arrives at the rehearsals, but try as he might, he cannot seem to get control of the situation as the uncooperative kids are more interested in modernizing the play with dancing and lively music.

Thinking the play requires "the proper mood", Charlie Brown decides they need a Christmas tree. So Lucy takes over the crowd and dispatches Charlie Brown to get a "big, shiny aluminum tree . . . maybe painted pink". With Linus in tow, Charlie Brown sets off on his quest. But when they get to the tree market, Charlie Brown zeroes in on a small baby tree which, ironically as well as symbolically, is the only real living tree on the lot. Linus displays surprise upon seeing the tree and exclaims, "Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?”

Charlie Brown begins to wonder if he really knows what Christmas is about, loudly asking in despair. Linus quietly says he can tell him, and walks to center stage to make his point. Under a spotlight, Linus quotes Scripture, particularly the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, verses 8 through 14:

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Charlie Brown realizes he does not have to let commercialism ruin his Christmas.

In the end Linus goes up to the little tree and gently props the drooping branch back to its upright position, ornament and all. The kids then start humming "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." When Charlie Brown returns, he demands to know what's going on. When he sees what they have done with the tree, he cannot believe his eyes, and all the kids shout: "MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN!"

And so I say, along with the gang, “Merry Christmas.” Why? Because the wreck and havoc perpetrated and perpetuated by Satan is destroyed. The manger and the cross; the shepherds and the soldiers at the cross; the star and the darkness imposed by the Creator as Jesus died; the magi and the first witnesses of the resurrection are all part of the same story. If it is just about a precious child born into poverty, then no “merry” belongs in the greeting. If the story of Jesus ends with the wheels of history cruelly rolling over Him at the cross, then what use is there in celebrating anything during this season. But Christmas is about the Son of God coming into the world. Born of a virgin, He came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He came to die and be raised again; He came to set His people free! "This is a Faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . " (1 Timothy 1:15).

So I say Merry Christmas!

Problems For Evolutionists

"In 1968, 43 miles northwest of Delta, Utah, William J. Meister found apparent human shoe prints inside a 2-inch-thick slab of rock. Also in that slab were obvious trilobite [sic] fossils, one of which was squashed under the “heel.” (The 10-inch-long shoe print is at the left, and its rock mold is to its right. Notice how the back of the heel is worn, just as most of our shoes wear today. The heel was indented in the rock about an eighth of an inch deeper than the sole.)

According to evolutionists, trilobytes are among the oldest living organisms on earth. Trilobites were a Paleozoic marine animals living 600 to 280 million years ago, and have been extinct for at least 200 million years. Further validating this dating, the shale rock of the area is from the carboniferous period (290 to 355 million years ago).

This print seems to be a valid, with both stitching visible and a pronounced heel. Other imprints appearing to be human tracks have also been found in the same area, but without trilobites. Dr. Clifford Burdick investigated the area and found other prints as well as the barefoot imprint of a child's foot- complete with toes" (source: forbiddenhistory.info).

This brings up huge problems for evolutionists and their theories. First, either the earth is much younger or mankind in much older than any of their models allow. Which opens up the question of their entire system of dating. The Bible teaches that the earth is young instead of the millions of years needed for an evolutionary system.

Second, it appears that evidence of mankind's existence does coincide with the existence of the earliest creatures. This shows that instead of mankind coming along late in the history of the earth, mankind existed from the beginning. This lines up with the account in Genesis.

Also, if clear evidence of homo sapiens appears in such an old layer, perhaps the layer is not as old as scientists believe. It could just be that the surface of the earth is subject to much more dramatic and rapid change (a.k.a. the Flood) than they led us to think.

No fact of science contradicts the teachings of the Bible. The theories of science often do conflict, but not the known facts.

Thanksgiving is my Favorite Holiday!

Thanksgiving is the best of all holidays!

Have you noticed how Halloween and Christmas seem to crowd out the holiday between them. Its sort of like the little sapling growing in between to towering oaks in the forest.

The stores take down the skulls and witches and immediately replace them with Santas and Christmas trees. Don’t misunderstand. I hold no ill will toward Halloween or Christmas. But what about my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving!

I want to take just a moment and tell you why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

I have three basic reasons why I think Thanksgiving is the greatest of all the holidays: historical reasons; scriptural reasons; and personal reasons.

Historical Reasons

Thanksgiving has a rich history. The 1st winter in the New World was brutal(1620-21) on the Pilgrims. The beaver and the Bible were their mainstays. Of the original 102 only 44 survived. After the first harvest Governor Bradford and the pilgrim fathers decided to have a feast of Thanksgiving. Ninety Indians joined in. For three days they enjoyed preaching, featsing, talking and games.

That was 378 years ago and marked the beginning of the holiday we celebrate today.
President George Washington and the newly formed government continued the tradition of the Pilgrims by proclaiming November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving.
In 1863 of nation raged with the noised of civil war. Brother fought against brother over the issue of state’s rights. As fresh blood soaked the earth of a hundred battle fields, Abraham Lincoln set aside the fourth Thursday in November as a national day of thankfulness to God.

Personal Reasons

I’m not against any holiday, but I am partial to Thanksgiving. Let me give a few negative reasons: it's not compromised w/ paganism; it's not complicated; it's not commercialized.

There are positive ones as well: family oriented; and faith affirming.

When I was boy my folks loaded us kids in the car every thanksgiving to go to Mama and Papa Hartley’s house. All the Hartley clan would be there and I always looked forward to it. With the passing years I don’t go as much, but I wouldn’t take a million dollars for the memories.

Many of you could tell similar stories. And what a wonderful opportunity to start a new tradition with my children. And you have the same opportunity.

Scriptural Reasons

This reason alone would be enough. And of all the reasons, this is the greatest.
1 Chr. 16:8 “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”
Ps. 30:4 “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
Ps. 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his holy name.”
Ep. 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Lord God who is seated upon the throne of all the universe commands His people to be thankful. Thankfulness doesn’t mean that we are laughing and giggling like some twit. You can be thankful with tears of sorrow coursing down your cheeks. You can be thankful in the midst of disappointment. You can be thankful in the face of personal crisis.

When you are thankful you are in the will of God; When you are unthankful you are out of the will of God. 1 Thess 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Don’t tell me you can’t because God has said you can. He never give a command that he doesn’t also give the ability to carry out the command.

The story is told of John Gray, a preacher who never failed to thank God, no matter how bad things got. One Sunday he battled through wind and sleet to preach at a little village. The congregation was small. The people wonder what the preacher would could find to be thankful for. When it came time to pray, the preacher lifted his eyes toward heaven and said, “This is a wretched day, dear Lord, no doubt about it; but we thank Thee, Lord, that ever day isn’t as bad as this one!”

When we are thankful it shows we are filled with the spirit. When we are unthankful it shows that we are not filled with the spirit (see Ep. 5:18-20).

We are never more like Christ than when we are giving thanks to God. And we are never more like the lost world when we are unthankful.

Thankfulness rises from an obedient heart, while unthankfulness rises from a disobedient heart. The word “thank” in the Bible comes from the word eucharistew. The root word is charis. This is the word for grace. We’ve heard people at the supper table asking someone to say “grace.” This is Scriptural. When you say thank you to God, you are saying I don’t deserve what I’m getting. People today think they deserve something and they demand their part.

There was a man at the second church I pastored who was dying of Emphysema. He contracted the disease as a result of chemicals he was exposed to at his work site. He died a slow death by suffocation. I preached his funeral. At Thomas’ request they sang “Why Me Lord.”
Why me Lord what have I ever done
to deserve even one the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth lovin’ you or the kindness
you’ve shown?

That last testimony has always stuck with me. I cannot remember for the life of me what text I read or what I said, but I remember the hymn of thankfulness that Thomas requested.

Another aspect of being unthankful is the fact that People think they don’t deserve things. They don’t think they deserve detention hall; they don’t think they deserve a ticket from the police; They don’t think they deserve prison time. They don’t think they deserve judgement; They don’t think they deserve hell. Part of thankfulness is thanking God for the good and the bad. Everything isn’t good, but everything works for good.

Maybe your guilty of having an unthankful heart, God will forgive you if you’ll come to His son Jesus.

Maybe your saved but you’ve lost the attitude of gratitude you ought to have. Tell God that your struggling and ask Him to help you.

I think everyone needs to be encouraged in the area of thankfulness. When you publically say, “I’m struggling and need help” God does something special in our lives.

Capital Baptist Fellowship Capital Christian Institute
Great Divide Chaplain Services


Dear Partners in the Gospel:

Thank you all for your monthly support and prayers. May our Father smile on you all for your generosity toward His work in Helena, Montana!

Our Father works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. An expression is cliché only if it is not true -- the before used expression is altogether true! I see our Father working in unusual ways every week. He orchestrates and maneuvers events and people. He causes my path to cross the paths of others at providential moments and allows coalescence to occur at unexpected times. Divine serendipity always surrounds me and I never know what or who may lay around the next turn. I want to share an example of our Father’s constant working to redeem to Himself a people.

About a year ago I met “J” while doing a Bible study at an apartment building downtown. He has been a tremendous blessing and I see how our Father uses “J” to move the kingdom and the church forward each week. Well, through “J” I was introduced to another person named “J2” while doing street ministry downtown. At the time the new person’s girlfriend was being visited by Mormon missionaries. “J2” and his girlfriend visited the Mormon temple and she was very interested in Mormonism. “J” was told by “J2” that his girlfriend wanted me to come to her home and do a Bible study. Though busy beyond belief, I found a night we could go and we did. The Bible study was very personal and a God-thing to be sure. During that Bible I briefly met the girlfriend’s elderly dad. He did not sit in on the Bible study. Instead, he sat about eight feet away in the living room watching television (or so I thought). A week later the girlfriend’s dad fell. My friend “J” called to tell me about the dad's fall and said the dad asked for me. I dropped everything and drove to the emergency room to visit and pray with him. While at the emergency room I met another of his daughters named “A”. Over the next few weeks I visited the dad in the hospital and eventually the nursing home. So, I kept seeing the family and praying with them. This past week the dad’s daughter “A” that I met in the emergency room came to the Bible study at the apartments with my friend “J”. She already knows much of the gospel, but has been neither discipled nor baptized. When I spoke with her about this she said she wants to be baptized and I hope she follows through soon! Our Father neither slumbers nor sleeps -- He always and in every circumstance works His perfect will. Pray for all our Father’s divine appointments and that we faithfully act and speak up for Him.

Daily we are putting together the puzzle of Father’s plan for our ministry and for Capital Baptist Fellowship! Thank you for being a piece in that wonderful puzzle!


Happy Thanksgiving!


Parish and Jeanne Ann Hartley
church planter missionaries
Helena, Montana

TEXT: Genesis 29:1-31
TITLE: The Day Jacob Met His Match
THEME: What a person plants, he will harvest.
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: We reap what we sow, but this does not thwart our Father’s eternal plan.
OUTLINE:
I. Jacob Finds Laban (29:1-13)
A. Jacob’s Arrival 29:1-8
B. Jacob’s Appraisal 29:4-10
C. Jacob’s Approval 29:11-13
II. Laban Fools Jacob (29:14-30)
A. Laban’s Daughters (29:14-19)
1. Leah the elder
2. Rachel the younger
B. Jacob’s Delight (29:20)
C. Laban’s Deceit (29:21-30)
1. A Spiritual Principle: Galatians 6:7-10
III. God Fulfils His Promise (29:31,35; see 28:14)
A. God’s ways are not our ways:
1. The Younger Preferred Over the Older: Our Father does not follow man’s order (ex. Esua and Jacob).
2. The Inward Preferred Over the Outward: Our Father looks on the heart not the outward appearance (ex. David).
3. The Despised Preferred Over the Honored: Our Father lifts up the downtrodden and (ex. Leah and Rachel).
B. This follows a spiritual principle laid out in
1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
C. The lineage of Jesus comes through Leah not Rachel.
CONCLUSION:
Our Father is always using unconventional means and overlooked people to fulfill His purposes. Just because someone is smart, talented, and attractive does not mean God will use them. He wants a willing heart surrendered to do His will. Are you that kind of person?

From Atheism to Belief in God

The Psalmist said long ago that “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Today, with the modern advances in the sciences and the weakening of the institutional church, atheism is less and less appealing. Here are several examples of the “fools” who came to their senses.

First, we pause to think on Clive Staples Lewis. C. S. Lewis was born 29 November 1898 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Though he never militantly warred against the idea of God, he was an atheist. In his own words, Lewis became a theist, "In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed." Under the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien (a devout Roman Catholic) and Hugo Dyson, Lewis became a Christian in 1931. He went on to become one of the twentieth centuries greatest apologists.

Second, we look at Lee Strobel. Born in 1952, Strobel earned a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale, and a journalism degree from the University of Missouri. As a journalist and an atheist, he set out to disprove the existence of God. His journey from atheism to Christianity is chronicled in his first book The Case for Christ. He has gone on to write numerous apologetics (defenses of the Christian faith) with a style and energy that people love.

Third, we want to listen to Alister McGrath’s story. McGrath was born in 1953 in Northern Ireland. In his youth, he read A. J. Ayer’s Language, Truth, and Logic, and Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian. McGrath thought of God talk as vacuous. He felt this so strongly that he attempted to start an Atheist Society on the campus of the Methodist College in Belfast. McGrath likened his conversion to theism to that of his countryman C. S. Lewis who experienced “the steady unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.” By detailed study and comparison of the two opposing worldviews of atheism and theism, McGrath became disenchanted with the former and embraced the latter.

Our last interview is with Antony Garrard Newton Flew (February 11, 1923 – April 8, 2010). Flew, a British philosophy professor who was a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century, converted to theism at age 81. He confessed to a belief in God based on scientific evidence. After decades of insisting that belief in God was a mistake, Flew concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. He was best labeled a deist like Thomas Jefferson, whose God was not actively involved in people's lives. Flew stated in an interview a few years before his death that his view of Godm was the result of his "growing empathy with the insight of Einstein and other noted scientists that there had to be an Intelligence behind the integrated complexity of the physical Universe" and "my own insight that the integrated complexity of life itself – which is far more complex than the physical Universe – can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source" (tothesource.org, 2007). Though not a Christian, his acknowledgment of a creative power outside our plane of existence was significant.

Ultimately, God wants to be known. He sent His Son to be crucified and raised again so that all who believe might be saved. Many still deny God and His Only Begotten Son. Never give up on anyone!
~Parish Hartley~

New Light From Old Lamps

“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”

- Luke 5:4

We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but he hath himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskilfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? “Without him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we can do all things. Christ’s presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church’s power-the shout of a king is in the midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

GATHERING FOR WORSHIP ON THE MOUNTAIN DURING SPRING FLING 2010


Grant getting big air at a competition at Great Divide in 2010

"He Made The Stars Also” (Genesis 1:16)

“He Made The Stars Also” Genesis 1:16.
Compiled from various sources

As children we look up into the night sky full of stars and “wonder what they are.” We are told by our parents that they are stars and God made them. Then some TV show comes along denying that God made the stars or some teacher instructs us that they came from some Big Bang and suddenly our faith is shaken! I want to reaffirm what secular, humanistic, evolutionary teachers want to steal from you -- Our Father made the stars. Does that seem childish, uninformed, or out right backwards to you? If so, this message is for you.

What are stars anyway? A star is a “massive, luminous ball of plasma that is held together by gravity.” The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth. The Sun “rules” the day and the moon “rules” the night. Our Sun is large. The Sun has a diameter of about 1,392,000 kilometers (865,000 mi) (about 109 Earths). If the sun were a bowling ball, then the earth would be a poppy seed. The Sun, if it where hollow, would hold a million earths. The Sun accounts for about 99.86% of the Solar System's mass. But in cosmic terms our Sun is by no means a giant. Other stars dwarf our Sun in size!

Stars are not spread uniformly across the universe, but are normally grouped into galaxies along with interstellar gas and dust. On a clear, moonless night about 3,000 stars are visible with the unaided eye. A small telescope will increase the number to around 100,000 stars. But this is just the beginning! The stars we can easily see are all in our corner of the Milky Way Galaxy. The entire galaxy numbers about 100 billion stars. And beyond the Milky Way are other galaxies with many shapes and sizes. Around 100 billion such galaxies are known to exist. Taking the Milky Way as an average galaxy, the total number of known stars is thus (100 billion)2=(1011)2=1022. These estimated stars number 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, when we write this number out. This figure would be pronounced as “ten billion trillion” stars. Suppose these stars were divided up among the world's total population of 6 billion people. Then each person on Earth would receive more than 1 trillion stars!(internet source)

Yet all these stars may be only one page in God's catalog of the heavens. New instruments continue to probe deeper into space, with no end in sight. What an excellent way for the Creator to show his glory! Whatever the total number of stars He has created, God “counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name” (Psalms 147:4).

“The heavens declare the glory of the Lord”(Psalm 19:1). The purpose of the creation was and is to declare the glory of the Lord. We serve a mighty God! C.S. Lewis wrote, “If the solar system was brought about by accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was an accident too and the whole evolution of Man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thought are accidents -- the accidental movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else’s. But if their thoughts are merely accidental by products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents.”

The Creator loves you and wants to be known by His creation. Equal to His great power and love is His holiness. He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross and to be raised again to save those who are lost. Trust Christ today and come to the saving knowledge of the One who made the stars. 　

Thoughts On The Evolution vs Intelligent Design Debate From A Biblical World-View‏

You must gather your courage and decide for yourself what is true or is not. The decisions to which you arrive will chart the course for the remainder of your life. Decide carefully and with your most cherished values at the foremost of you mind. I highly recommend you read Case for the Creator. I am including some thoughts on the subject addressed in the book. It presents a cogent defense of Intelligent Design from an academic perspective. Today we are witnessing the clash of two diametrically opposed world-views. Some very persuasive voices will try to convince you that we are simply the result of random cosmic accidents. They are not evil; however, the fruit from the seeds of their anti-God world-view is bitter.

Here are some thoughts based on Genesis 1:1. It addresses the subjects of Evolution, Big Bang Cosmology and the Bible. Keep reading the Word and looking unto Jesus. He will never disappoint you.

INTRODUCTION:

Who said it? “The vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.” The answer is Werner von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977). He was a German-American rocket physicist, astronautics engineer, and space architect, becoming one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. He is sometimes said to be the preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century and the he is called the father of space science (internet source).

I agree with the limerick that reads:
Once I was a tadpole beginning to begin,
Then I was a frog with my tail tucked in
Then I was a monkey in a banyan tree,
And now I am a professor with a Ph.D.
(Author Unknown)

There are some smart, very smart, people in the evolutionary camp; however, the Bible teaches that many people professing themselves to be wise became fools. Often in an effort to discredit the idea of intelligent design and a Designer they do not follow the line of evidence -- they don’t follow the evidence where it leads.

We as God’s people can have the utmost confidence in the Word of God and rest in what the Bible teaches. The flesh, the world, and Satan agitate, aggravate, and alienate God’s people with a constant bombardment of anti-creation, anti-God, and anti-Bible messages. But we have a more sure word of prophecy and we can trust our heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the sweet Holy Spirit.
　
Some Definition Work:

Creation denotes the existence of a divine Creator who has exercised His creative abilities, creating this world and the life-forms we see. Life is the product of intelligent contrivance. Thus, apparent design in biology would constitute evidence for a Designer.

Evolution stresses the naturalistic (random, undirected) descent of all living creatures from a common ancestor who originally evolved from inorganic matter. Life is the product of random chance. What we need here is a plausible mechanism, feasibility, and a history of functionality (internet source).
　
Evidence Against Evolution:

There is much evidence against biological macroevolution. Some of Darwin’s evidence used to support evolution is now refuted because of more modern scientific evidence. One fact is that body parts or entities could not have evolved gradually. Michael Behe discovered that cells were irreducibly complex. They needed every single chemical and part to function. Consequently, they could not have gradually evolved. Another evidence was the complete lack of transitional forms in the fossil record.

We have not been able to create life from non-life regardless of how hard we have tried. We have not been able to create one species from another even with human intervention. The things that have been used as examples of evolution either have supported microevolution or have been hoaxes, frauds, or have used artistic license to extrapolate conclusions without justification.

However, the best evidences against macroevolution and hence the very best evidence for creationism, is the unimaginable complexity and machine-like workings of a single cell including DNA, RNA, and the manufacture of proteins, etc. None of this was known during Darwin’s time. They thought the cell was a simple blob of protoplasm. The human genome contains so much information it would fill libraries if contained in books. The machine-like workings of a cell have been related to our most sophisticated factories. Nobody would ever suggest that random processes could generate libraries of information or make a manufacturing plant. This favors creationism.

Young Earth vs Old Earth

Evolutionary Theory demands billions and billions and billions of years to account for the world. The major problems with this is that Jesus believed in the truth of Genesis and He believed in a young earth. Here are some texts that teach that Jesus believed in a young earth.

Mark 10:6 tells us, "From the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’"

Mark 13:19 teaches, "In those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be."

Luke 11:50 - 51 reads, "The blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation." These verses, in particular, show us that our Lord did not believe billions of years had passed since the Creation.

We can say upon the authority of Scripture that Jesus believed the account in Genesis without equivocation. He believed in the creation account. He did not believe in a cosmos that was billions and billions of years old. Instead, the world would have been thousands of years (exactly how many no one knows). Finally, Jesus believed that the cosmos and humanity were relatively the same age. Humanity is not a late arrival on the scene.

What's at stake in the young earth vs old earth debate? If Adam is not the first man as the Bible teaches, then the account of the entrance of sin is a fallacy and the position of Jesus as our Federal head is a myth.

1 Corinthians 15:22 teaches, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive" (see also Romans 5:18-19).

Some Principles to keep in mind as we think of the first eleven chapters of Genesis:

1. In John 10:35, quoting from the Old Testament, the Bible declares that, “Scripture cannot be broken.” Building on that we can say with confidence that the Bible is authoritative in all areas in which it claims authority.

2. It is truth and defeats the lies of Satan (Matt. 4:1-10).

3. The scriptures are not of any private interpretation (1 Peter 1:20). The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion.

4. 1 Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. God’s people don’t have to rely on guesses and opinions; We don’t rely on secular books or going to school run by unbelievers; we learned it from God through the Word and the Spirit. It is personal.

If the first eleven chapters of Genesis are not reliable, then all of Scripture is wrong!

Direct Evidence for Creation:

The Big Bang theory is the current scientific explanation of our origin. It places the origin of our universe at a specific time in the past. So whether we believe in science or believe in creation or both, we believe we came from nothing at a specific time in the past. The difference is that the Big Bang states that everything was created from nothing without a cause or a purpose.

Alternatively, if we believe in creation, we believe that everything came from nothing by the will of an omnipotent, transcendent Creator that is not limited to time and space and we were created for a purpose. This completely explains how apparent design and complexity could have come into existence.

However, the very best evidence for creationism is the claim by God Himself that He created light, the universe, the Earth and all life. You might question whether that argument holds up under scientific scrutiny? We all know the creation story in Genesis, but how can we know directly through scientific rationale that it is true. We can show that it was written in the Old Testament, but how can we show direct evidence that it is true? We only need to accept the most thoroughly documented history in existence and examine the evidence for who Jesus was. Our calendar is based upon the birth of Jesus. How historical is that? In Mark 13:19 (NKJV) Jesus stated, “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be” (compiled from various sources).
　
Is Intelligent Design/Creationism Reasonable?

Is it reasonable to acknowledge a Creator? When challenged by skeptics to prove the existence of a Creator scientifically, Dr. Wernher von Braun, the Father of the American Rocket and Space Program, replied, "Must we really light a candle to see the Sun? . . . The electron is materially inconceivable, and yet it is so perfectly known through its effects that we use it to illuminate our cities, guide our airliners through the night skies and take the most accurate measurements. What strange rationale makes some physicists accept the inconceivable electron as real, while refusing to accept the reality of a Designer on the ground that they cannot conceive of Him? …The inconceivability of some ultimate issue (which always will lie outside scientific resolution) should not be allowed to rule out any theory that explains the interrelationship of observed data and is useful for prediction." To simply dismiss the concept of a Creator as being unscientific is to "violate the very objectivity of science itself." *

*Originally published in Edward F. Blick's Special Creation vs. Evolution, 1988, pp. 29-31. (taken from an internet source).

CONCLUSION:

What does a naturalistic, humanistic, evolutionary world-view give us?
A fatherless universe made-up up of mindless, heartless matter;
A building without a blueprint and a house without a home;
A body without a soul and a religion without hope;
A day without light, a night without end, and a fog that never lifts;
A philosophy without logic, a science without freedom, a theory flaunted as fact;
A system without meaning or purpose;
A future with no God and no hope.

Evolutionary Theory is degrading to humanity, hostile to reason, and antithetical to the revealed Truth of God. “And thus in that very first verse of Scripture, each reader is faced with a simple choice: Either you believe God did create the heavens and earth, or you believe He did not. If He did not, He does not exist at all, nothing has any purpose and nothing makes any sense. Or on the other hand there is a creative intelligence -- if there is a God -- then creation is understandable. It is possible. It is plausible. It is rational” (John MacArthur, The Battle For the Beginning, 41).

“Genesis 15:6: The John-Three-Sixteen of the Old Testament”

TEXT: Genesis 15:6
TITLE: “Genesis 15:6: The John-Three-Sixteen of the Old Testament”
KEY VERSE: “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Like Abram, we believe our Father and He imputes righteousness to our account.
INTRODUCTION:

The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. This axiom is very true as we look at Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6 and the surrounding verses.

How can a person be right with God? How can sinful creatures stand before holy God who must eternally judge even the smallest sin? Some say it is faith and the ordinances of the church. Others say it is by obeying the Ten Commandments. Another group believes your good works must out weigh your bad works as though God holds a balance and judges on the basis of your works. Some churches advocate a mourners bench and praying through to be saved. This is all an attempt to get God in the notion to save sinners as though He must be cajoled or coercer. He is ready and able to save. We don’t need to be like the pagan who thinks God is distracted or disinterested.

Salvation is God’s business and His way is the only way. We don’t have the right or privilege to interject our ideas or feelings into the salvation of the Lord. Jonah hit the nail on the head when he declared “Salvation is of the Lord.”

Before the Moses ever received the Ten Commandments, without praying a prayer or bowing at a mourners bench, without following a ritual or confessing his sin to a man, Abram was declared to be right with God. The way Father Abraham is made right with God is the same way we are right with our heavenly Father.

TRANSITION:

Let’s see what the Word says to us this afternoon. Our Father doesn’t mind our questions. In the Bible people with honest faith questions are always accepted. When we pray “Lord I believe, help my unbelief,” our Savior’s heart is moved to help us.

OUTLINE:

I. I am childless, but You promised an heir?
A. Yahweh’s Declaration:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
B. Abram’s Question:
Genesis 15:2 - 3 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
C. Yahweh’s Explanation:
Genesis 15:4 - 5 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
II. I am landless, but You promised me Canaan?
A. Yahweh’s Declaration
Genesis 15:7 7Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
B. Abram’s Question
Genesis 15:8 8And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?”
C. Yahweh’s Explanation:
1. Covenant Established: Genesis 15:9-11 reads, "So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."
2. Covenant Expounded: Genesis 15:12 -19 reads, "Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
III We are undone, but You promised us heaven.
A. God said, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Abram continued to put his trust and confidence in the Lord and believed He would fulfill ever promise although he did not understand how. “This foundational truth [Gen. 15:6] is repeated three times in the New Testament (Romans 4:3,16-25; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23) to show that righteousness is reckoned in return for faith” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament).
B. We stand in the same place as Abram. Knowing the promises of God, but not seeing or understanding. Faith is not illogical nor is it opposed to reason. Instead, it means we take God at His Word. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Romans 10:16 - 17 declares 6But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1. Romans 3:21 - 24 declares "21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
C. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by ME." Do you believe in such a way that you are willing to follow Him?
Without the Way, there is no going;
Without the Truth, there is no knowing;
Without the Life, there is no living.

Jesus is the Way, follow Him;
Jesus is the Truth, believe on Him;
Jesus is the Life, grow in Him.

Romans 4:16-25 reads, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 23Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification (italics added for emphasis).”

CONCLUSION:

Do you have questions? We all do. Our Father doesn’t mind our faith questions. But some allow fleshly questions to keep them from Jesus. Questions like, What about all the different denominations? Why are there so many Bible translations? How could a loving God consign someone to hell? And so on. These are questions that bar people from heaven. The number one thing is whether or not you are born again. Jesus died for you and rose again. He will save you if you receive Him as your Master and Rescuer.