I am reading this morning from
the first epistle of John, chapter 5. I'll be reading verses 9 and
10, if you want to follow along. The title of this message is
Faith and Facts. All right, I'm reading 1 John,
chapter 5, verses 9 and 10. which reads, If we receive the
witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the
witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. Now, everyone has an opinion
or belief about God, about life and death, and life after death. And everyone bases their opinion
on something they have heard, read, seen, or perhaps an experience
that they have had. Why do you believe what you believe?
What is your source of information? That there is a God or there's
no God or there is life after death or there is not? Where
do you get your information? Why do you believe what you believe?
Well, someone may say, I believe what the Bible says. Well, why
do you believe the Bible? Where did the Bible come from?
Who wrote the Bible? How do you know that it is so?
What does it say? These are Good questions that
need to be answered really. Now the fact is that believers
believe what they do based upon the book called the Bible. That is the foundation of faith
that God did indeed write a book and that fact or the fact that
God wrote this book is not without proof because the book itself
is its greatest proof. But God first demands simple
childlike faith or belief in his word, in his promises. God
need not prove himself to anyone, to human beings, and he does
not prove himself to human beings first. He gives faith and then
he gives signs of assurance. Faith itself becomes a sign as
spoken of in Hebrews 11 verse 1. But let me say this now, faith
is not without substance or reason. It's not that there are no proofs
for the things we believe, for there are many proofs. And this
brings me to our text here in 1 John. I'll give you three reasons
why I believe, taken from this passage of Scripture here. Number
one, I believe because of the witness of God. John wrote The
witness of God is the greater witness. God's witness is threefold. Number one, it is in creation.
The psalmist writes, When I consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers,
the heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth
his handiwork. We are fearfully and wonderfully
made. Romans 1 says the invisible things
of God from the creation are clearly seen being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal Godhead. Know
that men are without excuse. The psalmist said the fool has
said in his heart there is no God. Only an absolute fool would
believe a ridiculous notion and, yes, theory called evolution,
which is an elaborate hoax made up by modern man to try to disprove
God. Well, God's creation is a clear
proof and witness of God's Word and God, his existence himself. Secondly, God's Word itself,
the Bible, is a witness of God. It dates back 3,500 years, the
Bible, written by 40 different men. Over a period of 1500 years,
the Bible was being written. Men who did not, most of them
did not know each other, save for the Apostle, nor did they
collaborate. And yet there are 66 books that
tell the same story. Yes, the same story. Jesus Christ
and him crucified. The Old Testament is Christ in
type and picture. The New Testament is Christ in
person. Most of these books were written
by uneducated men in a dead language, the Hebrew language. And powerful
men and nations have tried to destroy this book, even explain
it away and change it, yet have been unsuccessful in doing so.
And yet this Bible, this book, is more far-reaching than ever,
printed in over a thousand languages, read by more people than all
other books combined. The Word of God, the Bible, has
endured the test of time. Where are the books of men that
were written a thousand years ago? And yet the last word recorded
in this book was nearly two thousand years ago, and yet it is still
read and relevant. This book, the Bible, crosses
the barriers of custom and time, of nationality, while it's read
by Americans, Chinese, French, Africans, old and young, lawyers
and laborers, doctors and dishwashers, and yet it meets the needs of
them all. It's proof, this is proof, that
this is no mere invention of man, but is the holy, inerrant,
Spirit-inspired word of the living God. It is beyond the power of
man to destroy it, because the master copy is in heaven. Scripture
itself says, Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. And the next thing, the witness
of God, is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is God's witness
to men. Not only God's Word, not only
creation, but God's Son came to this earth. His existence
in history men cannot deny. He lived in this world. Nearly
everyone will confess that. Born in Bethlehem, he walked
this earth, died on a Roman cross, and many claim he rose from the
grave. Yet without force or bribery,
without arms or money, without an earthly kingdom or great possessions,
he left a mark on this world as no other person in all of
history. He never wrote a book, yet no
library is sufficient to hold the books written about him.
He never wrote a song, yet he has been the theme of more songs
than all others combined. God bore witness of his son thousands
of years before he came. God foretold the place of his
son's birth, his lineage, his character, his life, his miracles,
foretold exacting details concerning his death, burial, and resurrection. Three times from heaven God audibly
spoke, saying, This is my Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
radically different than any man who ever lived in birth,
life, and death, because He was and is the very God of the universe
in human form. God bore witness of Himself in
the person of His Son. And then secondly, I said there
are three reasons, I believe. God, the witness of God, is the
first one. Secondly, the witness of men.
There were four evangelists and twelve apostles. These men saw
Jesus Christ and lived with him for years. They saw signs, miracles,
and wonders performed by him. They saw him walk on water. They
saw him still a raging ocean. They saw him heal lepers with
a touch, open the eyes of those who have been blind from birth,
even raise the dead. Three men, three of these men,
saw him changed into a being of light. And most of these men
now were plain, ordinary persons. men such as fishermen who were
known for their bluff honesty. Fishermen. They had nothing to
gain by saying that they saw these things. On the contrary,
they lost everything for saying what they did. And these names,
these men are famous now, but they were infamous back then.
They were despised, mistreated, and all but one of them were
brutally and cruelly murdered for saying what they said about
Jesus Christ. No, they didn't gain anything,
but lost everything for saying what they did. No part of history
has been so well documented as the life of Jesus Christ. And
beside these men, these evangelists and these apostles, there were
thousands who saw him and talked to him and heard him speak. Thousands
saw his miracles and heard his teachings. Hundreds saw him alive
after his obvious crucifixion and death and burial. Yes, we
have the witness of men as to the facts that Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, walked this earth, died, rose again, and ascended
to heaven. And thirdly, not only the witness
of God and the witness of men, but the witness within, or the
experience of those who believe. changed lives. How do you explain
the difference in the conditions, the spirit and behavior of men
and women throughout the world where the Bible is preached and
believed, where the Bible and Jesus Christ are preached and
believed, as opposed to where the Bible and Jesus Christ are
rejected? I often visit the ancient land
of Yucatan, Mexico, where the Mayan Indians have lived for
thousands of years, and you'll see a civilized culture now in
those Mayan Indians who believe God, who believe Christ, who
believe God's Word. That ancient civilization which
once sacrificed their virgin daughters to pagan gods by throwing
them bound into a pond, now they believe the God of the Bible
and the Christ of Scripture are believing people, not pagan and
idolatrous. If you look at the map of the
world and compare the countries where men and women are believers,
are Christian, as opposed to where they are infidel. In Christian
countries, for the most part, human rights are recognized,
moral laws are enforced, and governments are subject to the
people. Oh, I know there's been much ill and much wickedness
done in the name of Christianity back through the years, but those
were not truly Christian cultures. But you look at those nations
that are truly Bible-believing, God-believing, Christ-worshipping
people, and you'll find a vast difference. Compare the honesty
and integrity and concern of true believers with those who
make no profession of faith in Christ, and none so honest, none
so trustworthy or dependable as those who are called believers. And you look at the vast difference
and the definite change in an individual where faith in Christ
abides. I can tell you myself from experience,
and you're listening to a man who believes what he once denied,
who loves what he once hated, and now hates what he once loved.
And I am a man who was not seeking or wanting this religion, but
I was completely satisfied and joy in a former lifestyle that
was much to the contrary. strongly opinionated and willfully
stubborn, a free spirit who did not follow the crowd or believe
anything because others did. In fact, I went the other way
and marched to the beat of a different drummer, you might say. But now,
what I once labeled old-fashioned, foolish and ignorant religion,
the religion of my father, I believe now with all my heart, beyond
a shadow of a doubt. and when willing to die, testifying
of it. Yes, I say with Peter and John,
I cannot help but speak the thing that I have seen and I have heard.
Yes, the witness of God, the witness of men, and the witness
within. These things, these facts, and
yes, faith. And this faith is the gift of
God. The natural man receiveth not
the things of God, It's a gift of God, the faith of God's elect. If you like this message on cassette
tape, write to us and we'll send it to you free of charge until
next Sunday. Good day.