Vision Series 2023
Series: Is it Reasonable to be a Christian?
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 5th February 2023
Passage: Luke 1:1-4
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 Good morning, everyone.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:08 There's probably no God, so now stop worrying and enjoy your life.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:15 That's a statement that was a slogan that was put across as an advertising.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:21 A number of years ago now, on the side of buses all through London,
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 mostly funded by the atheist Richard Dawkins.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:31 Not to be outdone, German atheists did a similar thing,
00:00:32 --> 00:00:38 where they put a similar statement, except they went one step further and said,
00:00:38 --> 00:00:42 there is no God, therefore stop worrying and enjoy your life.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 They rented their own bus, toured the country with it.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 They also had a statement there of fulfilled life.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:55 And as that bus toured throughout Germany,
00:00:55 --> 00:01:02 German Christians got their own bus and put on the side of it,
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 what if he does exist?
00:01:06 --> 00:01:12 The thing was that they toured together throughout Germany,
00:01:12 --> 00:01:17 and often these buses were parked up overnight beside one another.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:21 And so it was a great delight to the media in Germany to be able to take photos of this.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:22 It went throughout social media.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:29 The two opposing buses living side by side.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:39 But from that moment, our culture has been fed the message that Christianity,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:46 it's irrational and in some cases it's even immoral.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:53 They're the underlying currents of a secular society that we are in at the moment.
00:01:53 --> 00:02:04 Things we watch on TV, read online, even hear about over coffee at work or university
00:02:04 --> 00:02:08 or those sorts of things, cause us to reject the faith,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:12 or cause many people in fact to reject the faith that they've never understood in the first place.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 They pick up little statements that are plausible.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:19 And so then they reject what they don't even know in the first place.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:25 That such is the power of the new atheist movement and its popularity
00:02:25 --> 00:02:29 with little statements that are implausible in and of themselves,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 but have a significant influence.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 In fact, these messages are so strong and frequent
00:02:38 --> 00:02:43 that many Christians, people who declare themselves to be Christian,
00:02:43 --> 00:02:47 but who have not actually thought deeply about the faith that they have,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:53 the Christian faith that they held is becoming less and less real for them
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 in their life, in their minds, their hearts,
00:02:55 --> 00:03:01 as it appears that what they once held to is implausible.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:02 It's not acceptable.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 It's not even good in our day and age.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 The prominent atheist Richard Dawkins,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:16 his own view is that faith is an evil precisely because
00:03:16 --> 00:03:20 it requires no justification and Brooks'
00:03:21 --> 00:03:25 words, to be a person of faith means that you don't think.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 That's his view.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 Now, our vision series this year is about helping us see
00:03:32 --> 00:03:38 that Christianity, that faith in Jesus Christ is...
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 It is good and it is, in fact, desirable.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 And so, if you are a sceptic sitting here amongst us
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 or you're a sceptic tuning online in this series,
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 I welcome you in this series.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 If you have not...
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 ...the atheistic bus,
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 you might want to actually ask,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 what kind of God is it
00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 whose existence is deemed improbable?
00:04:10 --> 00:04:11 That is, what kind of...
00:04:11 --> 00:04:15 Have you thought deep enough about that?
00:04:15 --> 00:04:22 The British bus campaign proudly informed us
00:04:22 --> 00:04:26 that the Christian God, particularly,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 is a God who's...
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 ...associated with worry
00:04:31 --> 00:04:35 and a lack of enjoyment in life.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 What is ironic about that
00:04:38 --> 00:04:42 is that one of Dawkins' own pin-up boys himself,
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 the atheist...
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 ...probably the most prominent atheist of all time,
00:04:48 --> 00:04:55 once said that atheism is a long, hard, cruel business.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 Whereas the God of the Bible is about life.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 Joy in life.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 See, this vision series that we're doing this year,
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 it flows out of who we are as a church
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 and what we seek to achieve as a church here at St. Paul's.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:18 We treasure Jesus together for the joy of all people.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 That is, joy in Christ
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 is what we want for our neighbourhood
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 and that is to grow in God confidence.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 That is totally reasonable to be a person of faith,
00:05:31 --> 00:05:32 even in this day and age.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 And so today I want to...
00:05:35 --> 00:05:42 ...that issue of whether it is reasonable to be Christian in this day and age,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:46 whether it's reasonable to be a person of faith in this day and age.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:51 And I'm going to tackle that by first addressing whether it's faith is reasonable,
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 God is reasonable,
00:05:54 --> 00:05:59 and finally, is it reasonable to have faith in Jesus Christ?
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 So if you've got the St. Paul's app,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 you can take some notes on there if you like
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 and follow along.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:07 So is faith reasonable?
00:06:07 --> 00:06:37 The St. Paul's app,
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 discovered that there was in fact a God.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:46 You know, you die, you discover that God exists,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 and you're fronted with God, what would you do?
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 And Dr. Russell's reply was very fast,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:53 quite hubris.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:54 He said,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:55 God,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 not enough evidence for you.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:03 And at the other end of the spectrum,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 you've got people like Elizabeth Anscombe,
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 possibly the greatest female philosopher ever,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:14 and the greatest female philosopher that no one's ever heard of.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 She looked at the...
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 ...from atheism to Christianity.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 And frankly,
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 you can come up with your own list of people,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:24 you know,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 the deconversion stories,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 and all that sort of...
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 You can come up with your own list of people
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 who have gone in two different directions
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 by looking at the same information.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 How do you account for the difference?
00:07:36 --> 00:07:41 The common argument that's used in our society at the moment,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 amongst our culture,
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 you solve that problem by saying
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 that religious people...
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 ...on faith,
00:07:53 --> 00:07:57 but secular people ground their life in fact,
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 logic, rationality, science.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 Religious people have faith,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 they have a bias towards...
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 ...in some way,
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 have a bias towards religion,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 they have an emotional need
00:08:12 --> 00:08:16 to believe that there's something else in this world,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 whereas secular people are just...
00:08:19 --> 00:08:23 They've removed all of that tradition and culture.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 ...people are just unbiased.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:30 Secular people are just looking at the world objectively
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 and looking at life rationally,
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 and they have no need to believe.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:40 Now, the main thing I want to say about that view...
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 ...is it's so untrue.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 It's so untrue.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 In his book, A Secular Age,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Charles Taylor calls this view
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 the subtraction story.
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 This is where a person might say,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 well, you're not the supernatural,
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 but because of science and because of reason,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 I've just subtracted God.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 I don't need God.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:10 And now I just see the world as it actually is.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 Now,
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 what happens as a shock
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 to most non-believers
00:09:19 --> 00:09:23 is the fact that
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 to move from belief to unbelief
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 is simply a shift from one...
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 ...set of beliefs.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:37 It's not a move from belief to unbelief.
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 It's a move from this set of beliefs
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 to this set of beliefs.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 And one of the very first sets of beliefs
00:09:46 --> 00:09:52 is what is called exclusive rationality.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 It's the belief
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 that science is the only arbiter
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 of what is real
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 and factual
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 and that nothing should be believed
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 unless it's proven
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 with evidence and observation.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 Now, I think science is fantastic.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 I mean, I'm a type 1 diabetic.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 50 years ago, that was a death sentence.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 But because of science,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 it's not anymore.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 And so,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 you look at a statement like that
00:10:27 --> 00:10:28 and you go,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 it sounds reasonable.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 And yet it's a statement
00:10:31 --> 00:10:35 that can't meet its own standards.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 In other words,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:43 what is the observed proof
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 that science is the only arbiter
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 of what is real and factual?
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 You can only use a circular argument.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 You can only use science to prove science.
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 You can't go beyond it.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 And so, it's a circular argument.
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 There's no other proof to it,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 to that statement.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:03 So, in other words,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 it can't even stand up
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 to its own definition.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:14 It's a long and complex.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 But even reason and proof
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 must start with faith.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 It must start with faith in reason
00:11:22 --> 00:11:26 and belief in some concept of proof.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 For example,
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 for the reason,
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 rationality,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 depends on the faith
00:11:34 --> 00:11:35 that our senses,
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 our ears,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 our eyes,
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 our minds,
00:11:39 --> 00:11:39 our memories,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 are not actually tricking us.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:48 test that
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 without using
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 and assuming
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 their reliability
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 in the first place.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Observation and scientific evidence
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 can neither prove
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 that there is a God
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 or prove
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 that there is a God.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 All varieties
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 of secularism
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 are a set of beliefs.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 It's a belief system.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 It is not simply
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 the absence of faith.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 Interviewed between comedian
00:12:21 --> 00:12:21 Ricky Gervais
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 and US comedian
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 and talk show host
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 Stephen Colbert.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 Gervais is a
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 agnostic
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 atheist,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 which means he's not sure
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 whether he knows
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 he is or not.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 Colbert
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 is a confused Catholic.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 And Gervais was explaining
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 how in his life
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 he's not a person of faith,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 he has no need for religion,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 no need for faith whatsoever.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 His whole life
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 is based on science,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:51 on evidence,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 on faith,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 for the explanation
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 of all things
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 in the world.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 He made it very clear
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 that he had no faith
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 whatsoever.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:03 He then
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 made a comment
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 about how the universe,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 he was just talking about
00:13:08 --> 00:13:08 how the universe,
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 Colbert asked him,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 so where's it all from?
00:13:13 --> 00:13:13 He says,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:14 well,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:14 it's very simple.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 It all started
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 from this freakish,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 minuscule burst of light,
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 you know,
00:13:21 --> 00:13:21 what we call the Big Bang.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 It's this tiny,
00:13:23 --> 00:13:23 minuscule thing,
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 this energy
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 just boom.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 And Colbert,
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 rightly so,
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 very quickly
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 jumped in there
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 and said,
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 you can't prove that though.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 There's no proof for that.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 You are relying,
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 very rightly so,
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 you are relying
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 on the theory
00:13:44 --> 00:13:47 of Stephen Hawking.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 And
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 he then added
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 that particular view
00:13:54 --> 00:13:54 that that's where
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 it all started
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 is a step of faith.
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 And Gervais
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 beautiful moment.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 There was this
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 immediate tension.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 It was all very humorous
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 and they were all like
00:14:05 --> 00:14:05 engaging and friendly
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 and lovely with one another.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 And there was this tension
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 where he's like,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:09 yeah,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:09 but,
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 and then Colbert
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 rescued him,
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 come in and
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 changed the subject
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 and moved on.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 He had to acknowledge
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 at that point
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 he was a person of faith.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 That his whole
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 system of belief
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 was faith.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 The starting point
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 is faith
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 in something
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 that he can't
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 and then they moved
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 on to something else.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37 You see,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 theism,
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 the existence of God,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 the belief in the existence
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 of God,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 and atheism,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 the belief in the
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 non-existence of God,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 cannot be 100%
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 proven by data.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 systems of thinking
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 and believing
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 that need to be
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 compared
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 and contrasted
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 to determine
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 which makes
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 the most sense.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 And so,
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 I say again,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 if you're a skeptic
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 in the room
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 or online,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 don't go down
00:15:06 --> 00:15:06 the line
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 and be projecting
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 something that you
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 don't know.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 Compare and contrast.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 which makes
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 the most sense
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 of our experience
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 of things
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 that we know
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 and things
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 that we need
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 to explain.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 Which one makes
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 the most sense
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 of our social experience
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 of the problems
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 that we face
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 in living together
00:15:26 --> 00:15:26 and the world
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 in which we live
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 and which is
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 most cohesively,
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 logically consistent.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 So that brings me
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 to my next point.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 Is faith
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 in a God?
00:15:39 --> 00:15:43 If all people
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 exercise faith
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 to some degree,
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 the Ricky Gervaises
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 and the Stephen Hawkins
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 and everyone
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 in this world
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 and myself,
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 if we all exercise
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 faith in this degree,
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 is it therefore
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 reasonable to believe
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 in God?
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 To have faith
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 in God?
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 Believers in God
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 have argued,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 this is not just
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 Christians,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 this is believers
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 in God
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 have argued
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 that God's existence
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 cannot be proven
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 empirically
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 as if he
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 as if this God
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 were a physical object
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 within the world
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 that you can
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 investigate.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 Most religious
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 philosophers
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 have argued
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 that God's existence
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 can be logically
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 inferred.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 Logically inferred.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 Which is exactly
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 what
00:16:30 --> 00:16:34 he's logically
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 inferring
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 that this is
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 most likely
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 the start
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 of the universe.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 It's an inference,
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 that's all it is.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 Many scientific theories,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 especially those
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 have to do with
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 established
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 on inference,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 not fact,
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 inference.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 Theory X
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 is more reasonable
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 than theory Y
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 if it explains
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 the data
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 better than theory Y.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 It's that kind
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 of an idea.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 This is not
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 proof
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 of the kind
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 that can be
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 concluded
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 in a laboratory.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 But believers
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 suggest
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 that there are
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 very significant
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 clues
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 that point
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 to the existence
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 of God.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 In fact,
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 the Bible
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 tells us
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 that God
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 has put his
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 fingerprints
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 right through
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 the universe.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 The heavens
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 declare the glory
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 of God,
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 the skies
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 proclaim
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 the work
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 of his
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 hands.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 Day after
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 day,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 they pour
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 forth speech.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 Night after
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 night,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 they reveal
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 knowledge.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 They use
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 no words,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 no sound
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 is heard
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 from these
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 fingerprints.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 And yet,
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 their voice
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 goes out
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 to all the
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 earth,
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 their words
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 to the ends
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 of the world.
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 right
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 throughout
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 creation,
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 revealing
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 something of
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 who God
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 is or
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 that there
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 is a
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 God.
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 And the
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 clues are
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 many.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 I'm going
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 to mention
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 just a
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 couple.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 And again,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 really
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 shortened
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 version of
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 these.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 There's
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 the cosmic
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 wonder
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 clue.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 There is
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 agreement
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 that modern
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 science is
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 completely
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 insufficient
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 to explain
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 the existence
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 of the
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 world.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 Whatever
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 brought it
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 about,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 whatever
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 brought it
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 about,
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 must have
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 been
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 something
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 extra
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 natural,
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 outside of
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 nature,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 supernatural.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 The
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 existence of
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 God is
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 inferred
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 from
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 existence
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 itself.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 Nothing
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 is
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 something.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 Everything
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 must come
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 from something
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 that already
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 has a
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 being.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 This
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 means that
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 there must
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 be some
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 unique
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 being that
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 exists
00:19:01 --> 00:19:05 and is
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 the source
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 of everything
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 else.
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 In his
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 book,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 The Language
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 of God,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:10 scientist
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 Richard Collins
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 puts it
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 like this.
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 We have
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 this very
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 solid
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 conclusion
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 that the
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 universe
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 had an
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 origin,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 the Big
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 Bang.
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 15
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 bits
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 began
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 with an
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 unimaginably
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 bright flash
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 of energy
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 from an
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 infinitely
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 small
00:19:25 --> 00:19:25 point.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 That
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 implies
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 that before
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 that,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 there was
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 nothing.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 I cannot
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 imagine
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 how in
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 this case
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 the universe
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 could have
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 created
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 itself.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 and the
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 very fact
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 that the
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 universe
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 had a
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 beginning
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 implies
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 that someone
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 was able
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 to begin
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 it.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 It seems
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 to me
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 that had
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 to be
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 a
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 beginning.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 Now,
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 that particular
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 argument,
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 the cosmic
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 wonder
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 argument,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 the beginning
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 of everything,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 is an
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 argument that
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 has drawn
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 atheists in
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 to try
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 and explain
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 it.
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 People like
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 Stephen Hawkins,
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 you're left
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 with people
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 like Richard
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 Dawkins
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 and others
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 who have
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 come up
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 with this
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 concept
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 of the
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 multiple
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 universes.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 In other
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 words,
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 to explain
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 God
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 away,
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 they've
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 come up
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 with a
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 theory that
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 has got
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 no evidence
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 or proof
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 to it
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 at all.
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 massive
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 step of
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 faith.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 And they
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 think they're
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 not biased
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 in it.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 Of course,
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 the cosmic
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 wonder
00:20:50 --> 00:20:50 argument is
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 not conclusive
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 proof for
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 God,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 but it is
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 a strong
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 case that
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 something
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 beyond the
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 natural
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 world
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 has brought
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 this world
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 into existence
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 and which
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 even now
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 upholds
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 that
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 existence.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 Another
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 clue for
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 God's
00:21:09 --> 00:21:09 existence
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 has to
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 do with
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 the design,
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 the fine
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 tuned
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 design
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 of the
00:21:14 --> 00:21:14 world.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 You can
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 think of
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 this,
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 imagine a
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 bunch of
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 dials that
00:21:20 --> 00:21:20 are all
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 set at
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 exactly the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 point it
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 needs to
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 be,
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 all randomly,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 not connected
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 to one
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 another at
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 all.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 This is
00:21:27 --> 00:21:27 not all
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 on a
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 big long
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 dial
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 platform,
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 they're
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 all
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 randomly,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 not
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 connected
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 to one
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 another,
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 but all
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 the
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 right
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 point in
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 order for
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 life to
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 exist.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 One of
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 those
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 dials is
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 gravitational
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 pull,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 not related
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 to any
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 of the
00:21:42 --> 00:21:42 other
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 dials,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 but they're
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 all at
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 exactly the
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 right point.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 And the
00:21:47 --> 00:21:47 possibility
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 of those
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 dials
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 set at
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 exactly the
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 right spot
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 without a
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 purpose or
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 without a
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 cause is a
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 massive leap
00:22:00 --> 00:22:00 of faith,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 massive leap
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 of faith.
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 especially
00:22:05 --> 00:22:05 for a
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 scientist
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 who works
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 on the
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 principle,
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 foundational
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 principle of
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 a scientist
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 is the
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 world is
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 orderly.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 It can
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 be observed
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 and yet
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 their starting
00:22:19 --> 00:22:19 principle is
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 randomness.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 The secular
00:22:23 --> 00:22:23 science.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 So here's a
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 way to maybe
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 illustrate that.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:31 imagine that
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 a man is
00:22:32 --> 00:22:32 before a
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 firing squad,
00:22:34 --> 00:22:34 poor person,
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 10 crack
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 marksmen,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 brilliant
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 marksmen,
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 to doom
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 this poor
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 prisoner,
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 and they're
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 all standing
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 10 metres
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 away.
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 These guys
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 are that
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 good,
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 they can
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 shoot
00:22:48 --> 00:22:48 something
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 a kilometre
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 away,
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 but they're
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 all standing
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 10 metres
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 away.
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 And
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 countdown
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 happens,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:54 bang,
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 every single
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 one of
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 the misses.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 He's still
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 alive,
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 he's like,
00:22:59 --> 00:22:59 wow.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 Could that
00:23:05 --> 00:23:05 have been an
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 accident?
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 Well, I
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 mean, on one
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 level, you can
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 take each one
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 of the guys
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 and you
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 separate them
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 and you go,
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 well, this
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 guy coughed
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 at the wrong
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 time,
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 all at
00:23:16 --> 00:23:16 exactly the
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 same time,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 this guy
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 was completely
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 drunk,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 this guy
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 momentarily
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 blind,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:20 you know,
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 blah,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 blah,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 blah,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 you know,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 like you
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 could get
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 all 10 of
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 them and
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 go,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:24 well,
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 there's a
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 logical
00:23:25 --> 00:23:25 explanation
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 for all
00:23:26 --> 00:23:26 10,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 or you
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 could sit
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 back and
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 you could
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 look at
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 that and
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 go,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:29 hang on
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 a bit,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:30 something's
00:23:30 --> 00:23:33 there is
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 someone back
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 here behind
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 these 10
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 people influencing
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 this decision
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 because they
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 don't want
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 that guy
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 shot.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 There's a
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 conspiracy.
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 Believers
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 in God
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 suggest that
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 the fine
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 tuning of
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 physics makes
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 much more
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 sense in
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 a universe
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 in which
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 there is a
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 creator and
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 designer
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 standing behind
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 it all.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 It's
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 improbable that
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 all the
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 physical
00:24:07 --> 00:24:09 constants of
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 the universe
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 just happen
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 to be
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 perfectly
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 tuned for
00:24:14 --> 00:24:14 life on
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 their own.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 To quote
00:24:16 --> 00:24:16 the scientist
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 Collins again,
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 if any one
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 of these
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 constants was
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 off by even
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 one part in
00:24:21 --> 00:24:24 a million
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 million,
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 the universe
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 could not
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 have come to
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 the point
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 where we
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 see it.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 Matter would
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 not have been
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 able to
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 coalesce,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 there would
00:24:32 --> 00:24:33 have been no
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 galaxy,
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 stars,
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 planets,
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 or people.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:40 to conclude
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 it was
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 something
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 intended and
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 something
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 designed.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 Is that
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 conclusive
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 proof?
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 No, it's
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 not.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 Because it
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 suggests
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 that it's
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 more likely
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 that a
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 God,
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 then there
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 is not
00:24:54 --> 00:24:54 a God,
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 it can't
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 be dismissed.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 Because there's
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 not just
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 ten guys
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 lining up
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 here.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 The
00:25:03 --> 00:25:06 philosopher
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 Alvin
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 Plantinga
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 says that
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 there are
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 at least
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 thirty
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 very strong
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 similar
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 arguments
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 for the
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 existence
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 of God.
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 The
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 distinguished
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 physician
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 Lewis Thomas
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 wrote,
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 I cannot
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 make peace
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 with the
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 randomness
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 doctrine.
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 This is
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 an atheist.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:29 I cannot
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 abide the
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 notion of
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 purposelessness
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 and blind
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 chance in
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 nature.
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 And yet,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 I do not
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 know what
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 to put in
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 its place
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 for the
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 quieting of
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 my mind.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 Now,
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 none of
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 these are
00:25:45 --> 00:25:47 so strong
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 as to
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 force
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 belief.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 But they
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 do make
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 it completely
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 rational to
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 believe
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 in the
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 existence
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 of God.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 Completely
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 rational.
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 In fact,
00:26:00 --> 00:26:00 these arguments
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 suggest
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 it's
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 rational
00:26:03 --> 00:26:07 and takes
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 less of a
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 leap of faith
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 to believe
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 in God
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 than to
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 not believe
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 in God.
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 Ultimately,
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 non-belief in
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 God is an
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 act of
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 faith because
00:26:18 --> 00:26:18 there is
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 reason for
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 the world
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 and all
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 that's
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 within it
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 with all
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 its deep
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 mathematical
00:26:25 --> 00:26:27 orderliness
00:26:27 --> 00:26:29 and matter
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 itself
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 all simply
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 exist on
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 its own
00:26:34 --> 00:26:37 with no
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 source behind
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 it at all.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:42 So,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 yes,
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 it's
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 reasonable
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 to be
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 a person
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 of faith
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 because
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 everyone
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 is.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 Yes,
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 it's
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 reasonable
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 to believe
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 in God
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 and lastly,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 is it
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 reasonable
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 therefore to
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 believe in
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 Jesus Christ
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 which is
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 what we
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 want to
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 do as
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 a
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 Jesus.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 Now,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 the clues
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 for God,
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 all those
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 arguments
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 lined up,
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 not only
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 do not
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 prove
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 God's
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 existence
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 but at
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 best
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 they would,
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 you could
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 conclude
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 that
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 this is
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 just some
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 abstract
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 God,
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 nothing more
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 than the
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 Greek
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 philosopher
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 Aristotle's
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 unmoved
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 mover
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 who created
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 the world,
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 got it
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 moving but
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 completely
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 unaware that's
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 what he
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 did.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 Christians
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 believe that
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 the main
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 way that
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 we know
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 specifics
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 about this
00:27:34 --> 00:27:36 God is
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 through
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 self-revelation.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:40 that is,
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 we don't
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 know God
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 first and
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 foremost
00:27:42 --> 00:27:46 because he
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 has spoken.
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 He's
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 revealed
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 himself.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 And
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 Christians
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 believe that
00:27:53 --> 00:27:53 he has
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 done that
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 decisively
00:27:55 --> 00:27:56 in the
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 person of
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 Jesus
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 Christ.
00:27:58 --> 00:28:01 one is
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 referring to
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 Jesus
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 when it
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 makes that
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 claim that
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 Jesus
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 himself is
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 the final
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 and decisive
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 communication
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 of God
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 to his
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 universe.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 In the
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 past,
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 God
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 could
00:28:16 --> 00:28:18 through the
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 prophets
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 at many times
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 in various
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 ways,
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 but in
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 these last
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 days,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:23 he has
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 spoken to
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 us by
00:28:24 --> 00:28:24 his
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 son,
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 whom he
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 appointed
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 heir of
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 all things
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 and through
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 whom he
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 made the
00:28:32 --> 00:28:32 universe.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:34 It's the
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 radiance of
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 God's glory
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 and the
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 exact
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 representation
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 of his
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 being.
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 Hebrews
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 1,
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 what we see
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 in Hebrews
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 is very
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 clear,
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 it's talking
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 about Jesus,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 that this
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 Jesus is
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 God the
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 son,
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 the exact
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 representation
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 of God
00:28:49 --> 00:28:52 and he
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 has now
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 come to
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 dwell.
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 And so
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 therefore,
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 it's not
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 surprising
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 that the
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 man that
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 Christians
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 call Jesus
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 Christ is
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 the single
00:29:03 --> 00:29:05 most influential
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 person in
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 their life.
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 And his
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 influence
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 continues to
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 grow today.
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 A greater
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 percentage of
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 the world's
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 population than
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 ever before is
00:29:20 --> 00:29:20 Christian.
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 And
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 Christianity
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 adds to
00:29:23 --> 00:29:25 50
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 people a
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 day or
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 just under
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 19 million
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 new
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 Christians a
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 year.
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 And
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 Christianity
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 is the
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 most
00:29:34 --> 00:29:36 equally
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 distributed
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 of any
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 of the
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 major
00:29:39 --> 00:29:39 religions.
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 Christian
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 faith.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 That is,
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 the Christian
00:29:44 --> 00:29:46 faith has
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 crossed the
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 cultural divisions
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 of humanity
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 and found a
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 place in
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 all kinds,
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 rich and
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 poor,
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 east and
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 west,
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 all kinds
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 across the
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 world.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 Why has
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 Jesus had
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 such an
00:30:00 --> 00:30:02 impact on
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 humanity in
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 the last
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 20
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 centuries?
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 Jesus,
00:30:04 --> 00:30:06 the answer
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 is by
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 looking at
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 his life,
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 his words,
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 his actions.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 Jesus,
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 you see the
00:30:13 --> 00:30:15 quality we
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 would ordinarily
00:30:16 --> 00:30:18 consider
00:30:18 --> 00:30:20 incompatible in
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 the same
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 person.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 Jesus combines
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 high majesty
00:30:24 --> 00:30:24 with the
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 greatest humility.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 He joins the
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 strongest commitment
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 to justice and
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 astonishing mercy
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 and grace.
00:30:29 --> 00:30:32 movements of
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 justice in
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 this world,
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 very few of
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 them,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 in fact,
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 all of them
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 have got
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 enemies in
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 some description,
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 people that
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 they want to
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 have justice
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 towards and
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 those who
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 they want to
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 tear down.
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 Very rarely
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 do you see
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 justice
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 working together
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 at the same
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 time.
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 He reveals a
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 transcendent
00:30:52 --> 00:30:54 self-sufficiency
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 and yet an
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 entire trust in
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 and a reliance
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 upon his
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 heavenly father.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 We are
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 surprised to
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 see tenderness
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 without any
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 weakness,
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 boldness,
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 humility,
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 without
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 uncertainty,
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 indeed
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 accompanied by
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 a towering
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 confidence.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 His unbending
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 conviction,
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 but he's
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 completely
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 approachable.
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 His insistence
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 on truth,
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 but he's
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 always bathed
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 in love,
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 without
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 insensitivity,
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 his integrity,
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 without rigidity,
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 his passion,
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 without prejudice.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:31 people who
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 have pondered
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 and read
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 Jesus'
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 words,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 his deeds,
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 his life,
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 have groped
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 for good
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 ways
00:31:37 --> 00:31:39 to explain
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 what it is
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 that they
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 see.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 And many
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 have come
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 to realise
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 that the
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 remarkable
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 claims of
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 Jesus
00:31:46 --> 00:31:48 may in
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 fact be
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 the only
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 way forward.
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 What he
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 says about
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 himself
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 is true.
00:31:53 --> 00:31:56 is that
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 his claims
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 were so
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 self-centred,
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 but his
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 character,
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 his actions
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 were so
00:32:02 --> 00:32:04 un-self-centred.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 We never
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 see him
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 pompous,
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 you never
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 see him
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 offended,
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 we never
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 see him
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 he's
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 approachable
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 to the
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 weakest
00:32:15 --> 00:32:15 and most
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 broken,
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 he's never
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 moody
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 or irritable.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 there is
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 an
00:32:20 --> 00:32:22 unsurpassed
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 moral
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 and
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 spiritual
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 beauty
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 about the
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 character
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 and the
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 team.
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 Houston
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 Smith in
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 his book
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 The World's
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 Religions
00:32:35 --> 00:32:37 says that
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 only Buddha
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 and Jesus
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 so
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 impressed
00:32:41 --> 00:32:41 their
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 contemporaries
00:32:42 --> 00:32:44 that the
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 contemporaries
00:32:45 --> 00:32:47 ask not
00:32:47 --> 00:32:47 just who
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 are you
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 but what
00:32:50 --> 00:32:50 are you?
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 What order
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 of being
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 do you
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 belong to?
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 What species
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 do you
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 represent?
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 Only
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 these two
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 figures in
00:33:01 --> 00:33:01 history
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03 had
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 characters
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 that
00:33:04 --> 00:33:06 transcended
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 ordinary
00:33:06 --> 00:33:08 human life
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 to the
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 degree
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 that that
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 question was
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 necessary for
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 them.
00:33:15 --> 00:33:16 And
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 Buddha
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 of the
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 two
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 Buddha
00:33:18 --> 00:33:20 asserted
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 with great
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 clarity
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 thank you
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 Rachel
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 asserted
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 with great
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 clarity
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 and
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 emphasized
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 over and
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 over again
00:33:27 --> 00:33:29 that he
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 was not
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 a god
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 that he
00:33:31 --> 00:33:31 was not
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 an angelic
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 being
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 that he
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 was not
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 a divine
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 being
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 in any
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 way.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 God
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 said
00:33:37 --> 00:33:43 to be
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 God
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 and
00:33:44 --> 00:33:46 continually
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 claimed to
00:33:47 --> 00:33:48 be the
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 God who
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 made all
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 things
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 the creator
00:33:50 --> 00:33:50 of the
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 universe.
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 This
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 creates a
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 great
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 challenge.
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 Jesus
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 is one
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 of the
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 very few
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 people in
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 history
00:34:01 --> 00:34:05 who founded
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 one of the
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 great world
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 religions.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:10 I'm
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 talking
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 Scientology
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 or something.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 I'm
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 talking the
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 big world
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 religions.
00:34:15 --> 00:34:15 Millions and
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 millions of
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 adherences.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 He belongs
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 to that
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 very,
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 very small
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 group of
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23 people who
00:34:23 --> 00:34:23 had a
00:34:23 --> 00:34:25 very significant
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 impact on
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 him.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 Because of
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 their brilliant
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 teaching but
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 also because
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 of their
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 admirable
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 lives and
00:34:31 --> 00:34:31 characters.
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 The difference
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 between Jesus
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 and every
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 other one of
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 those in
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 that category,
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 that small
00:34:38 --> 00:34:38 category,
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 he's the
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 only one who
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 claimed to
00:34:41 --> 00:34:41 be God
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 himself.
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 Buddha
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 emphatically
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 said that he
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 was not
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 God.
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 And Muhammad
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 of course
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 would never
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 have ever
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 claimed to
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 be Allah.
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 Nor did
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 Confucius
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 claim to
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 be God.
00:34:59 --> 00:35:02 Jesus is
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 also part of
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 a second
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 group of
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 people in
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 history.
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 And this
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 second group
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 of people
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 are the
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 people who
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 claim to
00:35:08 --> 00:35:08 be God.
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 And what
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 makes Jesus
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 unique in
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 this group
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 of people,
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 this group
00:35:18 --> 00:35:20 were never
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 able to
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 convince
00:35:22 --> 00:35:24 anyone but
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 a very
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 small select
00:35:26 --> 00:35:27 group of
00:35:27 --> 00:35:27 people,
00:35:27 --> 00:35:29 very small
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 group of
00:35:30 --> 00:35:30 followers,
00:35:31 --> 00:35:31 that they
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 were in
00:35:32 --> 00:35:32 fact God.
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 In the
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 whole history
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 of humanity,
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 there is
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 only one
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 person who
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 not only
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 claimed to
00:35:42 --> 00:35:42 be God
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 himself,
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 but also
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 got enormous
00:35:45 --> 00:35:46 numbers of
00:35:46 --> 00:35:46 people to
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 believe it
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 in his
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 own time.
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 And that's
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 Jesus Christ.
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 So why
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 did Jesus
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 succeed as
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 the only
00:35:57 --> 00:35:57 person who
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 ever claimed
00:35:58 --> 00:36:00 deity and
00:36:00 --> 00:36:02 founded one
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 of the great
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 world religions,
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 indeed the
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 largest
00:36:06 --> 00:36:09 faith on
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 the face
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 of the
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 earth.
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 Firstly,
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 his life
00:36:13 --> 00:36:15 was exquisitely
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 beautiful.
00:36:18 --> 00:36:18 It is
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 extraordinarily
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 difficult.
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 I'd
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 encourage you,
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 I'd
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 challenge you
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 this even
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 today.
00:36:23 --> 00:36:25 difficult to
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 claim to
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 be perfect
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 and to
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 be God,
00:36:28 --> 00:36:28 to be
00:36:28 --> 00:36:28 divine,
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 and then to
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 get people
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 who live
00:36:31 --> 00:36:31 with you
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 to believe
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 that.
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 My kids
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 don't believe
00:36:35 --> 00:36:35 I'm God
00:36:35 --> 00:36:37 at all.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 They don't
00:36:38 --> 00:36:39 believe I'm
00:36:39 --> 00:36:39 perfect at
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 all.
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 The other
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 reason that
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 Jesus was
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46 worshipped by
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 Jews as
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 God,
00:36:48 --> 00:36:48 that in
00:36:48 --> 00:36:50 itself is an
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 extraordinary
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 claim.
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 no Jew
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 ever believed
00:36:53 --> 00:36:55 that God
00:36:55 --> 00:36:55 would be
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 human.
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 So
00:36:58 --> 00:37:00 sacrilegious.
00:37:02 --> 00:37:02 And yet
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 many Jews
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 worshipped him
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 in the first
00:37:05 --> 00:37:05 century.
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 How did that
00:37:06 --> 00:37:06 happen?
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 The
00:37:08 --> 00:37:08 resurrection.
00:37:10 --> 00:37:10 The
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 historical
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 evidence for
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 the resurrection
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 of Jesus
00:37:13 --> 00:37:13 is,
00:37:14 --> 00:37:16 and there
00:37:16 --> 00:37:16 are three
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 basic lines
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 of evidence
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 that converge
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 for the
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 resurrection.
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 The first
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 is the fact
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 that there
00:37:23 --> 00:37:23 was an
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 empty
00:37:24 --> 00:37:24 tomb.
00:37:26 --> 00:37:26 Historians
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 see the
00:37:27 --> 00:37:27 empty
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 tomb as
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 just a
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 given.
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 The
00:37:30 --> 00:37:35 question is
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 what happened
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 to the
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 body?
00:37:37 --> 00:37:38 The second
00:37:38 --> 00:37:38 is the
00:37:38 --> 00:37:39 testimony of
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 the hundreds
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 of eyewitnesses.
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 The Apostle
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 Paul can
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 say in a
00:37:44 --> 00:37:44 public document
00:37:44 --> 00:37:45 about 20
00:37:45 --> 00:37:46 years after
00:37:46 --> 00:37:46 the event,
00:37:46 --> 00:37:46 while people
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 are still
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 in the
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 event,
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 that
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 hundreds
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 and
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 hundreds
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 and
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 hundreds
00:37:52 --> 00:37:52 of
00:37:52 --> 00:37:53 people
00:37:53 --> 00:37:53 saw
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 Jesus
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 raised
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 from
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 the
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 dead.
00:38:03 --> 00:38:03 It's
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 one thing
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 about
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 resurrection.
00:38:08 --> 00:38:08 It's
00:38:08 --> 00:38:09 another thing
00:38:09 --> 00:38:09 to start
00:38:09 --> 00:38:09 the rumour
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 while people
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 are still
00:38:10 --> 00:38:12 living and
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 claiming that
00:38:13 --> 00:38:13 those people
00:38:13 --> 00:38:13 saw it.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 The third
00:38:17 --> 00:38:18 has to do
00:38:18 --> 00:38:18 with the
00:38:18 --> 00:38:19 impact of
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 the resurrection
00:38:19 --> 00:38:19 of Jesus
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 followers.
00:38:22 --> 00:38:24 Very few
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 marginal
00:38:25 --> 00:38:26 people that
00:38:26 --> 00:38:26 developed a
00:38:26 --> 00:38:28 confidence and
00:38:28 --> 00:38:28 a fearlessness
00:38:28 --> 00:38:30 that enabled
00:38:30 --> 00:38:30 them to
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 spread the
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 news of
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 Jesus
00:38:32 --> 00:38:33 resurrected
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 gladly
00:38:34 --> 00:38:35 throughout the
00:38:35 --> 00:38:36 Roman Empire
00:38:36 --> 00:38:36 and give
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 their lives
00:38:37 --> 00:38:37 for them.
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 Some people
00:38:41 --> 00:38:41 have claimed
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 that the
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 disciples stole
00:38:43 --> 00:38:43 the body
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 and hid it.
00:38:44 --> 00:38:46 you don't
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 die for a
00:38:46 --> 00:38:47 hoax.
00:38:51 --> 00:38:51 Something
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 extraordinary
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 must have
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 happened to
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 the
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 disciples
00:38:54 --> 00:38:56 of the
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 normal
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 course.
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 And if we
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 try to find
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 an alternative
00:39:00 --> 00:39:02 explanation for
00:39:02 --> 00:39:02 the resurrection,
00:39:02 --> 00:39:05 we may in
00:39:05 --> 00:39:05 fact find
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 ourselves
00:39:06 --> 00:39:07 making even
00:39:07 --> 00:39:08 greater leaps
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 of faith
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 than if we
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 believed in
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 the
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 resurrection.
00:39:15 --> 00:39:16 In Jesus
00:39:16 --> 00:39:17 Christ is a
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 man who
00:39:18 --> 00:39:18 claimed to
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 be God
00:39:19 --> 00:39:20 and yet who
00:39:20 --> 00:39:20 lived a
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 life so
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 great that
00:39:22 --> 00:39:23 he became
00:39:23 --> 00:39:23 the only
00:39:23 --> 00:39:25 person in
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 the history
00:39:26 --> 00:39:26 of humanity
00:39:26 --> 00:39:28 to convince
00:39:28 --> 00:39:30 people
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 that he
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 is in
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 fact God
00:39:32 --> 00:39:34 and he's
00:39:34 --> 00:39:34 still doing
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 it today.
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 Friends,
00:39:40 --> 00:39:42 and particularly
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 if you're a
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 skeptic here,
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 you can't
00:39:45 --> 00:39:47 be indifferent
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 to that
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 claim.
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 You can't
00:39:52 --> 00:39:53 resolve the
00:39:53 --> 00:39:53 issue by just
00:39:53 --> 00:39:53 saying,
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 well,
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 he was just
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 a great
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 teacher.
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 He's able
00:39:56 --> 00:39:56 to convince
00:39:56 --> 00:39:56 people.
00:39:58 --> 00:39:58 His
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 declarations
00:39:59 --> 00:39:59 about
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 himself
00:40:00 --> 00:40:00 don't
00:40:00 --> 00:40:00 allow
00:40:00 --> 00:40:01 that.
00:40:03 --> 00:40:03 You can't
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 respond that
00:40:04 --> 00:40:04 he'd ever
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 made such
00:40:05 --> 00:40:05 great claims
00:40:05 --> 00:40:06 about himself
00:40:06 --> 00:40:08 because of
00:40:08 --> 00:40:08 the historical
00:40:08 --> 00:40:09 evidence for
00:40:09 --> 00:40:09 those claims.
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 We can't
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 be content
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 with the
00:40:12 --> 00:40:13 explanation
00:40:13 --> 00:40:14 that he
00:40:14 --> 00:40:15 was deranged,
00:40:15 --> 00:40:15 that he
00:40:15 --> 00:40:15 was a
00:40:15 --> 00:40:16 fraud,
00:40:17 --> 00:40:17 because of
00:40:17 --> 00:40:18 the evident
00:40:18 --> 00:40:21 of his
00:40:21 --> 00:40:22 life on
00:40:22 --> 00:40:23 his followers.
00:40:26 --> 00:40:26 And because
00:40:26 --> 00:40:26 of the
00:40:26 --> 00:40:27 case of
00:40:27 --> 00:40:27 the
00:40:27 --> 00:40:27 resurrection.
00:40:29 --> 00:40:30 This
00:40:30 --> 00:40:30 leaves us
00:40:30 --> 00:40:31 with the
00:40:31 --> 00:40:31 final
00:40:31 --> 00:40:32 possible
00:40:32 --> 00:40:32 explanation,
00:40:33 --> 00:40:33 namely
00:40:33 --> 00:40:33 is,
00:40:34 --> 00:40:34 that is,
00:40:35 --> 00:40:35 that he
00:40:35 --> 00:40:38 did what
00:40:38 --> 00:40:39 he claimed
00:40:39 --> 00:40:39 to have
00:40:39 --> 00:40:39 done.
00:40:41 --> 00:40:42 And as
00:40:42 --> 00:40:43 the creator
00:40:43 --> 00:40:43 of the
00:40:43 --> 00:40:43 universe,
00:40:44 --> 00:40:46 he still
00:40:46 --> 00:40:46 makes those
00:40:46 --> 00:40:47 claims on
00:40:47 --> 00:40:48 our life.
00:40:48 --> 00:40:54 Thomas,
00:40:54 --> 00:40:56 in John
00:40:56 --> 00:40:57 14,
00:40:57 --> 00:40:58 still stands
00:40:58 --> 00:40:59 today for
00:40:59 --> 00:41:00 your life
00:41:00 --> 00:41:01 and mine.
00:41:02 --> 00:41:03 I am
00:41:03 --> 00:41:04 the way.
00:41:05 --> 00:41:06 I am
00:41:06 --> 00:41:06 the truth.
00:41:07 --> 00:41:08 I am
00:41:08 --> 00:41:08 the life.
00:41:10 --> 00:41:10 He is
00:41:10 --> 00:41:11 it,
00:41:12 --> 00:41:13 the source
00:41:13 --> 00:41:14 of life.
00:41:14 --> 00:41:18 the truth
00:41:18 --> 00:41:19 about life,
00:41:20 --> 00:41:21 the way
00:41:21 --> 00:41:22 for life.
00:41:27 --> 00:41:27 Except
00:41:27 --> 00:41:28 through him.
00:41:29 --> 00:41:30 As hard
00:41:30 --> 00:41:30 as it is
00:41:30 --> 00:41:31 to be a
00:41:31 --> 00:41:31 person of
00:41:31 --> 00:41:32 faith and
00:41:32 --> 00:41:33 to believe
00:41:33 --> 00:41:34 that Jesus
00:41:34 --> 00:41:35 is God,
00:41:35 --> 00:41:35 come to
00:41:35 --> 00:41:36 earth,
00:41:38 --> 00:41:38 it may
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 in fact be
00:41:39 --> 00:41:39 just more
00:41:39 --> 00:41:40 difficult not
00:41:40 --> 00:41:41 to do so.
00:41:44 --> 00:41:45 I want
00:41:45 --> 00:41:45 to say
00:41:45 --> 00:41:46 that it
00:41:46 --> 00:41:46 is totally
00:41:46 --> 00:41:47 reasonable
00:41:47 --> 00:41:48 to be a
00:41:48 --> 00:41:48 person of
00:41:48 --> 00:41:49 faith,
00:41:49 --> 00:41:49 to have
00:41:49 --> 00:41:50 faith in
00:41:50 --> 00:41:50 God,
00:41:51 --> 00:41:51 to have
00:41:51 --> 00:41:51 faith in
00:41:51 --> 00:41:52 Jesus
00:41:52 --> 00:41:52 Christ.
00:41:53 --> 00:41:53 And in
00:41:53 --> 00:41:53 the coming
00:41:53 --> 00:41:54 weeks,
00:41:55 --> 00:41:55 I want
00:41:55 --> 00:41:56 us to see
00:41:56 --> 00:41:56 just how
00:41:56 --> 00:41:57 relevant that
00:41:57 --> 00:41:58 faith is.