Three Great Proofs of God's Existence and Goodness

I'll begin with a preface which Enrique mentioned about the importance of the shadows and it brought back a memory that studying about the biography of Walt Disney, one of the things he insisted even with the simplest cartoons that were drawn and of course how Disney has developed now into this major movie and resorts and everything but he told his painters or artists, he said I want you to draw these cartoons always projecting shadows. They said well Walt we don't have any money for that it's going to cost us thousands of dollars to do that. He said no I want to be as realistic in my drawings as possible and from the point of the beginning if you notice the cartoons they always have the shadow as Enrique mentioned about the light projecting that way so that's an important point to remember and as we look around us with these beautiful canopy of trees and most of them are oak trees that we have around these large trees big thick trunks and we even have one where the kids play in and we call that the alligator tree because it looks like a big alligator with its jaws and then the feet and how it goes horizontal.

That's a tree that never gave up he was going sideways but you know what he finally got up and was able to become a beautiful oak tree as well and so I'd like to share with you three great proofs of God's existence and goodness not just about that God exists it's he is good he is perfectly good and so that's the God we worship it's not some type of an evil mythological type God with a bad temper and things no he always does things for our good and so just as Psalm 34 verse 8 says oh taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the person who trusts in him and so it's something you can taste that you can see the results of following him and the goodness that comes out just time and time again so what are these three great proofs of God's existence and goodness the first one we can call nature what is around us here do you think all this just came by accident do you think all of these trees that are around us that are so beautiful and give us this shade in Romans 1 18 through 21 and really the ones who should believe moron in God should be the scientists every time they look in a microscope and or a telescope they should see the harmony the beauty the complexity the design of everything but they fall into this condemnation found in Romans 1 18 through 21 it says for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness in other words they're not doing it sincerely it's because they've got a dog in the hunt they've got some agenda that doesn't go along with God it says because what may be known of God is manifest in them for God has shown it to them now how has he done it for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made all these created things even his eternal power and godhood is revealed in this somebody very powerful has with all of mankind's money and laboratories has anybody been able to make a tree even a cell they haven't been able to duplicate a human cell it says so that they are without excuse because although they knew God they did not glorify him as God nor were thankful but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened and we see what kind of society it has been built how much more foolish it has become so as we look around what is it that impresses you the most many would say the trees that are around us now these trees as Enrique mentioned provide shade they also provide coolness you know why is it nobody's sitting here in the middle no tree covering right one tree can provide this according to the U.S.

Department of Agriculture one tree can provide the same coolness as 10 air conditioners running for 20 hours that's how much they drop the temperature and so let's focus just on one aspect of the tree that we owe our lives to and I've always thought this is so fascinating you talk about evidence of God's existence and his goodness trees that we see around us are the lungs of the world there they provide that vital oxygen that we need to breathe every three seconds in our existence if it weren't for these trees that we many times take for granted we wouldn't have the oxygen in the air that we have it's the plant life and just like our lungs breathe in and out our lungs take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide God created this cycle to replenish that oxygen because of the trees they do the opposite we take in oxygen give out carbon dioxide plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen and so every one of these leaves that you see around us they're just one of the leaves that we have it actually is breathing and I just want to show you when you do the experiment if you put a leaf under warm water put a stone so that it's covered put it out in the sunlight come back two hours later you're going to see these little bubbles that's the oxygen coming out of the different leaves so I'll have Ray just I'll look at that and just pass it around also one of these leaves ray which shows the oxygen so what you look at you think these little humble leaves that fall on the ground but they're actually like God's solar panels just like you have solar panels in homes so trees have these solar panels but they're much better because they not only absorb the light and the heat but they're chemical factories that through a system called photosynthesis it takes in what is carbon dioxide water and light and it develops inside these little chemical factories called leaves and then it produces oxygen and glucose which is plant food so the plant feeds itself but it also as a result gives off oxygen and so this is the perfect cycle as animals breathe out carbon dioxide these plants take in the carbon dioxide and turn them back into oxygen for us to breathe in fact one of these large oak trees like the ones you see around here produces enough oxygen to keep four people living each day that's how much oxygen one tree produces so we should thank God for creating trees that do so much for us they provide wood for our homes and for heating they provide fruits for our table to eat they provide oxygen for our lungs they provide roots to prevent erosion they provide homes for the birds shade to shield us from the sun and they bring out water vapor through its roots through a system called transpiration which goes all the way up and then the leaves open and give out that water vapor as well and so for me actually coming from North Carolina there's a little part there's a forest it's called the Joyce Kilmer National Forest Joyce Kilmer was one of the finest poets we have in the United States but he was killed in world war one at the age of 32 but before he died in 1914 he composed a poem called Trees giving tribute and to me that's the best poem about trees that I've ever heard in my life in 1914 in 1917 the United States entered world war one he was already older than normal and he signed up and he was killed in Europe by a sniper's bullet and killed this man whose poem became immortalized when it was sung by the platters in 1961 and I'd like you to hear that that's his tribute to God about a tree can we have that in consideration of copyright protection this recording omitted here is available through other sources such as YouTube online that's why in Psalm 14 verse 1 it says only a fool says God does not exist because it's all around us and just evidence of one of God's creation these trees we should thank him for everything he does for us let's go to the second proof of God's existence and goodness is uh one the first one was nature the second one is scripture that's the second gift he gave to us not only this wonderful nature but also his word the Bible to guide us in Psalm 19 verses 7 through 11 and we just sang that hymn it says the law of God is perfect converting the soul you don't ever blame God's laws for our problems no it's the breaking of his laws that causes the problems in James it talks about in chapter one about God's law being like a mirror a spiritual mirror and we have to look at it and of course what most people do they say well I don't like what it looks like so they throw the mirror away well that's not the way to solve it you're gonna end up the same way this face hasn't changed no the mirror is to help us to see what we need to correct ourselves in so it says the testimony of the Lord talking about his word is sure making wise the simple we can learn using God's principles and not man's philosophy and ideas about things the statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes there's again the thing about the light how it brings forth it gives us gives us truth the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever fear means deep respect taking God's word seriously because we're going to be judged by it one day the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous all together more to be desired are they than gold yay more than much fine gold sweeter also it says about taste God's goodness sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb moreover by them your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward so we look at God's word as our great blessing yes we always are falling short we're not doing it as we should but we're always striving to improve our lives get rid of what is bad and put in what is good God's word is that guide in second timothy three verses 16 and 17 it tells us all scripture is given by inspiration of God not part of scripture now from genesis to revelation that is God's revealed truths it says and is profitable for doctrine that means for teaching scripture for reproof for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good word so this is truly our manual our instruction manual our textbook now it doesn't mean that's the only one but it is a foundation because we got hundreds and hundreds of books that we read and we can we can certainly add to it but this is the basis for it that is so important and then i'd like to give the third proof of God's existence and goodness which also was touched on in the first message because it it isn't just the witness of nature in a scientist can come and say yes i realize there has to be this intelligent being and much more greater than human beings are and i can recognize it but it's not just this vague distant God and others can say well i i'll accept scripture as instruction but also God gave us another way of instructing us and that was with a personal example of Jesus Christ so it's not this vague nature that a lot of people can believe in or a lot of people think the scripture is fine but he gave us an example a model to live by that's why it tells us that we should follow in his footsteps it's not enough to just recognize him in this way but model our lives as much as possible in it that's why he's his name is also a manual which means God with us so God sent us a concrete example of how God is and guess what mankind killed them they couldn't stand to see so much light and truth because their works were evil and it hasn't changed one bit Jesus Christ came today they would have executed him that's for sure but he does have followers that love him and follow him notice what it says in first John chapter four verses eight through eleven first John chapter four verses eight through eleven it says he who does not love does not know God and of course the word here agape it means this sacrificial love this love toward others not directed itself he who does not love does not know God for God is love that is his chief characteristic in this the love of God was manifested toward us so okay now what is the proof that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him in this is love not that we love God but that he loved us and set his son to be the propitiation or sacrifice for our sins beloved if God so loved us we also ought to love one another so there's the same type of sharing and loving and serving as Jesus Christ did while he was here on the earth let's go to one last scripture it supports what I just said Hebrews 2 verses 9 through 18 about Christ and his example says but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels he made them into a physical flesh he was a living breathing human being angels have a superior spiritual state their spirit beings he says for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor talking about Jesus that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone so he died for every person God is not a respecter persons every human being has sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and so he did this for each one of us he says for it was fitting for him talking about Jesus for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons should be children to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings and then it goes on in as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood he himself likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death that is the devil because the devil has the power of death because of our sins so he's always accusing and saying they deserve death and they got the death penalty on them but he took that upon himself and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage so the world is always threatening you yeah you follow this way of life you're gonna get persecuted you might get killed you you might lose your life over following christ and so the fear of death oh i better not i'll postpone it i'll just live my life normal i'm not gonna dedicate myself to that point and then he goes on to say for indeed he does not give aid to angels but he does give aid to the seed of abraham those are the ones that god calls through the faith of abraham therefore in all things he had to be made like his brethren in all things he had human nature he had struggles that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to god to make propitiation again sacrifice for the sins of the people for in that he himself is suffered being tempted he is able to aid those who are tempted so we don't have this distant god no we have one that was here with us he knows where all our needs are he went through all that suffering for us and he triumphed and he's there for us believe me christ is more interested in your life than he is about all the rest of the planets and universe and everything else that's going on because he wants to bring every one of us to that glory to that glorious state and so brethren every time you look at nature and you see a tree think that that life-sustaining oxygen is given to us at no charge no taxes and if we didn't have them we basically we need to take a breath every three seconds so we're so thankful that god designed this cycle of carbon dioxide and of oxygen to keep things going every time we study the bible we're witnessing what god has given to us the perfect owner's manual for our lives and thirdly when we study the life of christ the more we see god's goodness in action so these are three great proofs of how god does exist and of his goodness