|
What If
We're Wrong?
INTRODUCTION
1. New
Testament Christians operate on some basic presuppositions.
a. God exists.
b. Jesus is His Son.
c. The Bible is His inspired word.
d. There will be a Judgment Day followed by eternity in heaven for
those who are faithful in Christ.
2. None of these beliefs can be proven absolutely. In other
words, we are operating on faith [2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) "for
we walk by faith, not by sight--"]
a. I'm not suggesting that it is an unreasoned "leap into the
dark."
b. Christian faith is based upon evidence. The study known
as apologetics ("Christian evidences") is able to
present a very strong case for every thing Christians believe.
c. However, most of us do have times when niggling doubts do sneak
into our minds. We can identify with the father of the
spirit-possessed boy, who cried out to Jesus, "Lord,
I believe; help thou mine unbelief."
[Mark 9:24 (KJV)]. What if? What if we're wrong?
What if there is no God? What if Jesus is not the Son of
God? What if the Bible is not truly God's Word? What
if there is no life beyond this one?
3. Christianity has always had its quota of opponents and
skeptics. There have been legions of destructive critics in
seminaries, atheistic philosophers in universities, and ordinary
people too caught up in worldly business to care about God and the
Bible. Some have considered the evidence and rejected
it. Others haven't taken the time to even think seriously
about matters of the soul. All of them are betting their
souls that Christians are wrong in what we believe.
4. Let's consider two questions:
I. WHAT IF
WE'RE WRONG?
If Christians
are wrong, then we will live this life and die. When we die,
we'll pass into oblivion. Nothing on the other side.
If that should happen, we have still lived the best possible
lives.
A. We've lived by the greatest law -- the law of Christ.
1. Romans 8:2 (NASB) "For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of
sin and of death."
2. Law of liberty - "But one who
looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides
by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer,
this man shall be blessed in what he does." [James
1:25 (NASB)] Freedom from the control of SIN and DEATH is
available to those who live under this law.
3. Law of faith - "Where then is
boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but
by a law of faith." [Romans 3:27
(NASB)] The law of faith gives us something to believe in .
. . an anchor to steady us during the stormy turmoils of life
[Hebrews 6:19 (NASB) "This hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and
one which enters within the veil,"]
4. Law of love - [Matthew 22:37-39 (NASB) "And
He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL
YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' {38}
"This is the great and foremost commandment. {39} "The
second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF.'"]
B. We've lived with the best standards of behavior.
1. Our code of conduct was stated by Jesus in Matthew 7:12
(NASB): "Therefore, however you
want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and
the Prophets." This has been
called universally The Golden Rule.
2. We can't deny that some professing Christians fall far short of
the ideal in their behavior. Skeptics love to criticize
Christianity because of the hypocrites. But let them
acknowledge that not all are hypocrites. There are
Christians who "walk in a manner worthy
of the calling with which [they] have
been called" [Ephesians 4:1].
3. No one can reasonably deny that one is a better person if he or
she lives as a Christian. Whenever a people move away from
biblical standards of behavior, that nation deteriorates.
C. We've been motivated by the best hope.
1. As we read a few moments ago, Christians are anchored by a sure
and steadfast hope [Hebrews 6:19].
2. As believers in the Bible, we are encouraged by the care God
gave to His people through the centuries. [Romans 15:4
(NASB), "For whatever was written in
earlier times was written for our instruction, that through
perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope."] If God did such wonderful
things for His people in the Old Testament, what will He do for
us, who are His beloved in Christ? Ours is a better hope
[Hebrews 7:19].
3. Unbelievers have no source of hope to compare with that which
we have in Christ. The materialist and the atheist can hope
for nothing more than to grow old and die. The greatest
accomplishments of this life are likely to fade away. As
such a one grows old, what does he have to hope for?
D. We've been guided by the best attitude.
1. Christianity teaches us to think of ourselves as
servants. Jesus taught the way to true greatness when He
said, "If anyone desires to be first, he
shall be last of all and servant of all." Mark
9:35 (NKJV) Jesus was willing to wash the feet of His
disciples to teach this great truth [John 13:13-17 (NASB) "You
call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. {14}
"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you
also ought to wash one another's feet. {15} "For I gave you
an example that you also should do as I did to you. {16}
"Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his
master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent
him. {17} "If you know these things, you are blessed if you
do them."]
2. So many people in our world are caught up in a hopeless cycle
of greed, ambition, and ego. The inevitable end of such
values is frustration and unhappiness. Only those who learn
the secret of being a servant can enjoy permanent happiness . . .
a possibility described by Paul as the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" [Philippians
4:7 (NKJV)].
If the Christian is wrong and there is nothing the other side of
death, what have we lost by living as faithful Christians?
Oh, some pleasurable sins have been forsaken [cf. Hebrews
11:25]. But the headaches and heartaches of sin have also
been avoided. On the whole, Christians are happier,
healthier,
II. WHAT IF
THEY'RE WRONG?
A. Unbelievers
stand to lose a great deal more if they are wrong. They are
risking their souls for eternity.
1. Unbelievers must also deal with their doubts. They are
also operating on faith . . . faith that there is no God and that
the Bible is not true. How can they be sure?
2. Someone has said, "No man dies an atheist." I
don't know if that's true, but I do see the point. An
atheist says, "I know there is not a God." On his
deathbed, it takes a great degree of faith in his beliefs to hold
firmly to that conviction. Voltaire, the French philosopher,
lived his life as an avowed enemy of faith in Christ. He
ridiculed the idea of believing in the God of the Bible.1
Yet, on his deathbed, he is reported to have said, "God, if
there be a God, forgive me!" I wonder if such secret
thoughts don't creep into the mind of most unbelievers at one time
or another.
B. Unbelievers will perish in their sins.
1. John 8:24 (NASB) "I said
therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you
believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."
2. Those who die in sins will have eternity in a lake of fire and
brimstone [Revelation 21:8 (NASB) "But
for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and
immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their
part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which
is the second death."]
CONCLUSION
1. What does
this mean to us?
a. I doubt that we have many avowed atheists hearing my voice
today.
b. However, it is possible that some of us are wrestling with
doubts about the truthfulness of Christianity. That is
nothing to be ashamed of. The apostle Thomas doubted the
resurrection and demanded proof. Jesus provided the
first-hand evidence for him, then offered this benediction: "Thomas,
because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have believed."
[John 20:29 (NKJV)]. Our purpose today has not been to
ANSWER all the doubts you might have. They can
be answered but you must do the study for
yourself.
c. Instead, our aim today has been to reassure us about the worth
of our Christian faith. I believe in every one of the tenets
of Christianity as it is taught in the New Testament.
However, if it should turn out that they are not true, those who
have followed the teachings of the NT still are winners because we
have lived a better life in every way than we otherwise would
have. Christians have everything to gain
and nothing of value to lose
through our practice of our faith. Unbelievers have everything
to lose and nothing of
value to gain.
2. Invitation
_____________
1Voltaire,
technically, was a "deist" rather than an
"atheist" since he professed to believe in some kind of
creator who made the world, then went away. He was adamantly
hostile, however, to the Bible's teachings about God and Christ.
PREACHED
BY JOHN GAINES
LEONARD STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
|
