1/11/26 “A Rational Faith”
“A Rational Faith”
1 Peter 3:13-16
I’ve always been fascinated by Radar....
Not Corporal Radar O’Reilly from the tv series M.A.S.H.
Radar - as in the technology that uses radio waves to detect distant objects...
Radar is actually an acronym....it stands for Radio Detection and Ranging...
It works by sending out pulses of radio waves and listening for the echoes...
Echoes that bounce back from objects such as airplanes...or thunderstorms...
...distance is then calculated by the time it takes for these radio pulse echoes to return....
...this information is then used to determine the speed and direction of an object...
It’s really a fascinating technology....and to think it's been around for almost 100 years now!
But radar has one significant limitation...
It can only detect objects that are above a certain altitude – usually over 500 feet...
...so aircraft – or other objects in the sky – can remain undetected if they are below 4 or 5 hundred feet above the surface...
...If you saw the recent movie “Top Gun – Maverick”....you know all about how planes can fly “Under the radar”
Well...it’s a new year...and with it, I feel led to begin a new sermon series today...a sermon series I’d like to call “Under the Radar”
In this series of sermons....We’re going to cover some topics mentioned in scripture that tend to fly “Under the Radar” in many churches....
....topics that are discussed in in God’s Word but - for one reason or another – they tend to get relegated to the backwaters of spiritual instruction...the back burner of our spiritual stoves...
...but many of these subjects are still very relevant to our lives...
They are still vital to living out our faith on a day-to-day basis...
In fact, sometimes it’s the less-frequently mentioned topics in the church that can be the most important subjects to consider as believers in Jesus Christ...
Throughout this series, my prayer is that we will not only develop a better understanding of these topics....
...but that we will also apply these scriptural teachings to our lives...
That we will grow in our faith as we look at everything from.....................Fasting to Finances.
From Church Discipline to Demonic Oppression...
From Free Will to Cheap Grace...
From Angels to Addictions...
From Political Zealotry to Spiritual Apathy
...and from Hospitality to Rationality...
...And It’s that last topic that we’re going to look at today.
Rationality.
Specifically, rationality when it comes to the Christian faith.
What do we mean by this?....How does rationality fit into our system of belief?
For something to be rational, it means that it is based on reason...and logic.
If something is rational, it aligns with the truth...it has supporting evidence...
...It makes sense within the scope of one’s experiential existence.
...If something is rational...it stands its ground against ideas and accusations that are raised against it.
Our passage for today is – I beleive - one of the most important passages in the entire Bible...
It reminds us that our faith...our worldview that is shaped through the lens of following Jesus....is Rational. It is Logical. It is Reasonable.
Verse 15 (1 Peter 3:15) is the key verse in the passage. It reads, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Peter is telling his listeners – and by extension, us today - that believers not only need to defend our faith when called to do so....
....but that there are solid, rational, logical reasons why we believe what we do.
In fact, the Christian worldview rests upon mountains of evidence...drawing from a variety of disciplines...
....evidence that comes from both within - and outside of - the Bible.
There’s actually an entire discipline of study within Christianity specifically devoted to defending the faith...
It’s called Apologetics....
It’s derived from the ancient Greek word ‘Apologia’.... meaning to give a legal defense against an accusation...
It doesn’t mean that we are “apologizing” for anything...
Rather....It is the articulation of rational, logical, and evidential reasons in support of the Christian worldview.
Essentially...apologetics is putting 1 Peter 3:15 into real-world practice.
For the past year, our Teen Connection group here at LACC has been going through an apologetic workbook called “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” (I absolutely love that title)
It’s co-written by the late Norm Geisler, and my friend Frank Turek
(Well, I’ve only met Frank one time...does that qualify for calling someone a friend?....I don’t know...😊)
The book brings forth numerous arguments for the existence of God, evidence of an intelligent designer who created the cosmos, as well as the reliability of scripture...
...All very persuasive ‘apologia’ from various scientific disciplines, philosophy, astronomy, cosmology, morality, archaeology, history, and ontology.
In order to accomplish Peter’s admonition for us to provide reasons for why we align ourselves with Christianity...and not Hinduism...or Buddhism...or Islam...or agnosticism....or atheism....
....we need to be familiar with the major arguments that support the Christian worldview.
At this point, some of you may be thinking...but Pastor Andy, isn’t Christianity based on faith alone?....
....and isn’t faith – in its essence – a belief in spiritual things that cannot be scientifically or philosophically proven?
Well....it is true that our faith primarily rests upon the contents of scripture...and what it teaches us about the spiritual realm – a realm that is far beyond our 5 senses....
...and - it is most certainly true that our faith is also informed by our experiences.... our personal encounters with the divine.
....but the Christian faith is not simply ‘blind faith’...void of any kind of logical evidence or modern scientific support.
Before last Sunday’s historic baptismal service, we needed to fill the baptismal pool with a few hundred gallons of water....
...and not only would the pool be holding about 2,500 pounds of water....but - if you noticed – at times there were 3 grown adults in the pool at once....raising that weight to well over 3,000 pounds.
....Now...I did not have blind faith that the pool would safely hold 3,000 pounds....
Before the first drop of water entered that pool, I went downstairs into the ‘secret catacombs’ of the basement – underneath the stage area - to personally assess the pool’s support structure...
...I wanted to make sure that my faith in the pool’s integrity was based on more than just an assumption that it would safely hold everyone.
....part of my faith in the pool’s integrity was based upon the fact that there was objective evidence (In the form of heavy-duty bracing) in support of that faith....
....and it is evidence from the world around us that can be very useful in persuading an unbeliever to further investigate the merits of the Christian worldview.
....many times, leading to faith in Christ.
Theologically, this is called God’s ‘General Revelation’....
General Revelation is God’s revealing of Himself through the created world around us...
What we can see, touch, taste, smell, hear....It’s the visible manifestation of God’s fingerprint over all of creation...
General Revelation is what the apostle Paul talks about in Romans chapter 1 when he writes: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
In other words, the evidence for God is so obvious - The verification for His general revelation is so compelling –
that if someone honestly considers the evidence for a creator....they will come away realizing that there is no other possible explanation for the intricacies of the world around us...
....other than it was created by an all-powerful being who exists outside of creation itself...beyond time, space, and matter.
This is the famous testimonial story of Lee Strobel....some of you recognize that name....
....an atheist investigative reporter for a major newspaper in Chicago who set out to prove Christianity wrong....
And – in the process - wound up realizing that the empirical evidence pointed toward the rationality of Christianity
....and – eventually – to Lee giving his life to Christ.
The General revelation of God.....then....usually drives one to investigate the Special Revelation of God – which is His Word...the Bible.
This is God’s Special Revelation to mankind....
Think of God as being the contents of a soda can.
We can’t see the contents, but we can see the can....we can feel it...weigh it...measure it...shake it....listen to it...see it form condensation....etc.
....this is like God’s general revelation through nature to mankind.
...We know that there is something in that can without actually seeing the contents of the can....
....So, this observable knowledge drives us to investigate the description on the side of the can....the statement of ‘Nutritional Value’
(And, yes, I know that when dealing with soda, ‘nutritional value’ may seem like a contradiction in terms)
....But it's the description that explains – in detail – the substance within the can....
This is what the Bible does for us....it explains – in detail – the specifics about God....and His nature....and His plan of salvation....and His attributes...and His love for His creation....
...and what we read about God in HIs special revelation – it will always harmonize with what we experience within His general revelation.
Apologetics – then – is the practice of using objective, observable data concerning the “Can” of creation....
....to point a person toward becoming more familiar with the description on the side of the can....
....In other words...get them interested in reading God’s Word.
When Peter tells us to ‘Give an answer’....and to ‘Give a reason’ to people who ask – or make accusations – about our faith...
...he’s telling us to understand enough about the ‘can’ of nature...as well as the ‘writing’ on the can...to provide coherent, logical reasons why we believe what we believe...
Personally, because I had a father who didn’t believe in God, the discipline of apologetics became very important to me at a fairly young age....
....and over the years, I’ve amassed a collection of numerous books that deal with the defense of the faith in one way or another
I’ve brought a few of them with me today....
(Show & Tell...Take a few minutes to introduce the Apologetic material)
I love being reminded how – like support beams under the baptismal pool – there are so many powerful and persuasive arguments for God’s existence....and the reliability of Scripture.
For instance....the support for Intelligent design is so strong that atheistic scientists have to continually remind themselves that – according to their godless, naturalistic worldview – nature wasn’t designed.
Popular evolutionary scientist Richard Dawkins said in his famous book The Blind Watchmaker “Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose”....he goes on to say a few pages later “...The living results of natural selection overwhelmingly impress us with the illusion of design and planning.”
It is so sad that educated people such as Richard Dawkins cannot see the folly in their own thinking....
Yes, Nature appears to be designed....because it IS designed!
Yes, Nature appears to have purpose....because it DOES have purpose!
In fact, the more we learn about the world around us, the more it reveals the fingerprint of God....the more it upholds Romans 1:20.
One of the most convincing arguments for Intelligent Design is on a grand scale: the Fine-Tuning of the Universe.
Every force, every law, every constant in the universe must be at the exact levels that they are...otherwise our universe....including the earth, and every living thing on the earth....would cease to exist.
Nobel laureate in Physics, Charles Townes, stated “If the laws of physics weren’t just the way they are, we couldn’t be here at all. The sun couldn’t be there, the laws of gravity and nuclear laws and magnetic theory, quantum mechanics....they all must be just the way they are for us to be here.”
This reminds me of Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
And Colossians 1:17 says “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
The universe appears to be designed....because it WAS designed.
The same holds true for the tiniest existing particles as well.
The origin of information in DNA stands as one of the most important pieces of evidence for an intelligent designer.
Dr. Stephen Meyer’s book “Signature in the Cell” was a landmark book that revealed how DNA within every living organism has been pre-coded to form an intelligent ‘language’....
....an intelligent language that can only come from an intelligent mind.
Bill Gates once said that DNA is like a computer program....and Meyer does a great job of articulating how God is the great coder of everything that has life.
It reminds me of these verses from Psalm 139
David – inspired by the Holy Spirit – writes: “ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
Yes....We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made....right down to the building blocks of information that make each of us who we are.
So...on that note.....don’t EVER think that God made a mistake when He designed you....
...you are made exactly the way He intended for you to be made....with beautiful design and purpose that is unique only to you!!
Along these lines are other evidences for God’s creative design, including the irreducible complexity of the single cell....
....how every tiny machine in the cell needs to be fully constructed in order for the cell to even function.
How the fossil record reveals fully-formed creatures rather than intermediate varieties....
How morality is dependent upon a standard of truth that transcends humanity...a standard that is outside of mankind....a standard set by an entity that is beyond our thought processes....
If there is no external, moral constant of right and wrong, then anything we do just becomes a matter of personal preference....or personal opinion.
For instance....Charlie....If I wanted to come down and take your watch – without a transcendent standard of morality - there really is no basis for you to tell me that it would be wrong for me to do that....
....it would just be the chemical processes in by brain telling me to do something...like an animal following an instinct...
....therefore, right or wrong doesn’t even enter the equation in a purely naturalistic paradigm of human behavior....
If there is no external, divinely instituted, moral standard of behavior to which we must adhere..., then we cannot definitively say that Hitler...or Stalin...or Mussolini....did anything wrong by killing millions of people....
....they were simply – as one evolutionist put it - ‘dancing to their own DNA’....
But God tells us that we are accountable for our actions.
Romans 14:12 states, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, “For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Finally, Hebrews 4:13 states, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
There is such a thing as good and evil....God’s Word reminds us of that truth over and over again....and that we have a responsibility to live in obedience to God’s moral law.
....and that the mere existence of good and evil is proof positive that God exists....and that He expects His creation to abide by these moral absolutes.
Finally, in the second half of verse 15 and in verse 16 (1 Peter 3:15-16) Peter encourages believers to defend the Christian worldview with “gentleness and respect”.....
....So that we may maintain a “Clear Conscience” when it comes to interacting with unbelievers...
It is self-defeating to yell....or engage in personal attacks....or ridicule the character of others while trying to tell them about Jesus...
It is an injustice to all genuine believers when someone who professes to be a Christian acts no differently than the unsaved world when presenting their worldview....
Those of you who go on social media....you know exactly what I’m talking about...
It is disgusting how people treat others on social media sites....
people hide behind a shield of relative anonymity in order to belittle others...demean others...personally attack others – rather than sticking to the subject matter of the debate.
Sadly, this happens on Christian based sites as well....and it absolutely breaks my heart when I see it....
If Christians act no differently than the world acts....who’s gonna even want to know more about the Jesus we profess to follow?
So....If you ever find yourself getting upset at someone’s comments online ....and you feel like posting something negative about them....
Don’t Do It!!!!
Remember who you represent every time you click on the ‘Post’ button...
People know that you profess to be a Christian....so act like a Christian when you’re online.....or anywhere else for that matter.
Like Peter says....Treat others with gentleness and respect....regardless of how they interact with you...
Don’t be condescending....don’t fill your post with sarcastic remarks about other people...don’t belittle the value of other people who are also made in the image of God....
Those people you dislike?.....God loves them.
He may not approve of their behavior, actions, or attitudes....but He made them....and He does not want to see them consigned forever in Hell.
God wants heaven crowded....
We read in 2 Peter 3:9 that “....He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
If God wants those people who we can’t stand to be in Heaven someday....we should want them there too....
....and - as the Church - our primary mission is to gently and respectfully introduce as many people as possible to Jesus Christ....the one person who can save their eternal soul
....even if they are Chicago Bears fans!
Let’s Pray.
