May5 ,2079 Pastor Mark Mikels *APPREHENDING ABBA" "MYABBA IS UNDENIABLE ...UTTERLY UNDENIABLE" (Ps. 53:1; Ps. 19:1; Psalm 134:14; Ro. 2:15; Gen. 3:15,12:2; I Jn. 3:5; 2 Chron. 17:16; Ro. 1:28) Intro ... In just a few moments we will gather ourselves (as it were) around 'The Lord's Table' in remembrance of the Great Sacrifice that was made on our behalf and in unique connection with our Great Savior who made it. Communion is intended to draw us into the Presence of the Great God who (to quote the Christian Apologist, Frances Schaeffer) ... •Is There: Indeed, 'God Is There: That is the underlying truth that underlies all of creation - all of life. Men forget that or deny that truth to their everlasting shame. Today, as we continue in the Great Quest that we are on - the quest "To truly 'Know our Heavenly Abba' that way Jesus knew Him," -1 would turn our attention for a few moments to the most fundamental of all the various aspects of our Infinite Father's Nature that we might seek to 'Apprehend: It's the one that we might well have started our quest with, but it seems to me perfectly placed right here in the midst of our efforts. It's expressed in ... TODAY’S KEY CONCEPT... '" OUR ABBA IS UNDENIABLE... Utterly Undeniable" - Only the FOOLS of this world DENY His EXISTENCE - Let me point out that that is not just my opinion on the subject, it's God's! Here's how our Heavenly Father's Holy Spirit expressed it in ... TODAY'S KEY SCRIPTURE... "The FOOL has said 'There is no GOD.'" Psalm 53:1 Now if you read through the Book of Proverbs, you will discover many other things that 'Fools' say and do but nothing is more central to their identity and destiny than this statement found in Psalm 53. To deny the existence of God is the most 'Foolish' thing that a human being can do and yet a great many human beings do it and many more live their lives as though it were true which is equally bad. This morning I would have us consider the scope of the ' God-Deniers' foolishness ... The incredible life realities that the Fool must discount or ignore in order to maintain his Atheism. Consider with me... SEVEN THINGS 'FOOLS' FAIL TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN DENYING THE EXISTENCE OF GOD... 7. THE IMMENSITY OF THE UNIVERSE DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE "The heavens declare the glory of God" - Psalm 19:1 When David wrote those words, he had no idea of the immensity of the universe - no idea how far 'the heavens' extended. Men today still don't though through their incredible telescopes they can see mind- boggling distances. And it's that 'mind-boggling' aspect of things that makes it incredibly difficult to believe that the universe just 'happened' somehow. The principle of 'Cause and Effect' is fundamental to man's understanding of everything ... How can that principle simply be 'set aside' when it comes to the biggest 'Effect' of all? And yet that's something the 'Foolishness of Atheism' requires men to do. Many are the ‘Fools’ who do it. 2. THE COMPLEXITY OF THE HUMAN BODY DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE "We are fearfully and wonderfully made" - Psalm 139:14 Here too the Psalmist' words extended far beyond the knowledge of his day. If he could have looked through the incredible devices available in our world today at the complexity inside even a so-called single cell... If he could have understood the complexity of the genetic code and the trillions upon trillions of possibilities and functions that code directs, he would have written those words in the largest of CAPITOL LETTERS! Such complex DESIGN - such intricacy of function - such inter¬ dependence of trillions of cells and organisms and processes - declares undeniably the existence of a most brilliant DESIGNER. How can one simply 'Ignore the Evidence ? And yet that is something that the 'Foolishness of Atheism' requires men to do. Many are the 'Fools' who do it. J. THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE MORAL LAW EMBEDDED IN EVERY HUMAN BEING DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE "(The gentiles) have the requirements of the law written on their hearts." (Romans 2:15) The 'Moral Law' predates the formulation of any societal law ... Man has embedded within himself a 'Consciousness of Right and Wrong.' He has embedded as well the 'Conviction' that he ought to do the thing that he considers right. He feels shame and loss when he violates the standards he has adopted. It's a universal reality - all societies on earth experience it. The universal presence of the 'Moral Law' declares the Existence of a Law-Giver and the presence of a Law-Giver would certainly suggest the Existence of a Life-Evaluator: One who will determine whether man has lived up to the dictates of the universal moral law or not. Mankind has incorporated laws and even created religious systems based upon it... The Eastern Religions embracing of Karma and Re-Incarnation is actually a pagan attempt to deal with this reality. This inner directive simply cannot be denied ... Man seeks ways to deal with it. And yet the 'Foolishness of Atheism' requires man to deny the reality behind this universal inner impulse. Many are the 'Fools' who do so. So, in their Denial of the Existence of God, the Atheists of the world must ignore the fact that: The Immensity of the Universe Declares His Existence (and the fact that) The Complexity of the Human Body Declares His Existence (and the fact that) The Universality of the Moral Law embedded in every human being Declares His Existence Those Three ought to be enough to show the 'Foolishness of Atheism' and the incredible irrational effort it takes to maintain it but there's more - much more. In their Denial of the Existence of God, the Atheists of the world must ignore the fact that: 4. THE IMPROBABILITY OF FULFILLED BIBLICAL PROPHECY DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE "(The seed of the woman) will crush your head” - Genesis 3:15 "I will make of you a great nation "... Genesis 12:2 Entire books have been written and entire lives devoted to the study of Biblical Prophecy and the improbability of its fulfillment. Prophecies made thousands of years before their fulfillment are recorded in the Scripture. Hundreds of them refer to the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. I remember reading some years ago that the chance of all the prophecies that were fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ being fulfilled would be same as the chance of you finding a single marked coin that was hidden in a field of coins the size of the state of Texas to a depth of three feet. Fulfilled Biblical Prophecy cries out the Existence of a 'Circumstance-Controlling' Almighty God. The 'Foolishness of Atheism' requires mankind to see such fulfillment as mere co-incidence. Many are the 'Fools' who do so. 5. THE IMPECCABILITY OF JESUS CHRIST DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE "There is no sin in him." -1 John 3:5 "I find no fault in him" ... said Pilate who interrogated him. "No one every spoke like him" ... said the temple guards sent to arrest him. "No one ever died like him." ... said the Centurion who crucified him. "Surely he was the Son of God." Jesus Christ was the perfect expression of humanity - unlike any other. Man brought into the presence of perfection is caused to confess that there is indeed a standard of perfection and that this one, Jesus, has achieved it and that he claimed that it was only by the Power of God that he had done so. Jesus' perfect life and the testimony he gave declares God's Existence. This too the 'Foolishness of Atheism' requires man to lay aside and many are the 'Fools' who do so. Here now is a Sixth Thing that Atheists fail to take into account when denying the Existence of God ... 6. THE UNLIKELIHOOD OF ONE'S PERSONAL TESTIMONY DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE. "Who am I that you have brought me this far?" - 2 Chronicles 17:16 Those words of amazement have been repeated by untold thousands of believers over the years. "Who am I and Who are we that the Almighty God has so intervened in our lives." "He has opened our eyes to our need of salvation. He has revealed to us His Plan of Salvation. He has brought us spiritual birth by His Own Life-Giving Spirit. He has taken complete control of our lives and worked out the events of our lives in such a way that we look back with amazement and delight. None of these things have been anticipated ahead of time and certainly of none of them have we felt worthy." God intervenes in the lives of human beings and that fact simply cannot be denied for those who testify to it are too many to be discounted. This week, Linda and I are returned for the first time in 50 years to the place where some of our Heavenly Abba's most significant interventions in our lives were made. Both of us arrived at Wheaton College in the most unlikely of circumstances - That we would meet and marry one another was perhaps the most unlikely of them all. I'm sure that we will be filled with fresh feelings of wonder and delight. Those who would 'Wrap themselves up in the Foolishness of Atheism' must discount thousands upon thousands of such human testimonies and yet many are the 'Fools' who do so. And now as we conclude this message this morning, allow me to draw your attention to this final most important Thing' that those who deny the existence of God fail to take into account... 7. THE INSANITY OF ANY ATHEISTIC EXPLANATION DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE "God gave them over to a reprobate mind" - Romans 1:28 The insanity - the idiocy - of the atheist's explanation of how life came to be and how the conditions of life can be explained drives one to embrace the very thing that they so emphatically deny. Here are the two most prominent. The Theory of Evolution: "Simple cells (of which we now know there are none) gradually became more and more complex due to mutation (which is almost always destructive) until the complexity of life as we know it today was achieved. The Bia Bang Theonr. "Once upon a time, the entire universe (which always proves itself to be bigger than we previously thought) was contained in a space smaller than a sand grain." Each of those Theories' requires a certain level of insanity to believe them but the mind that denies God finds 'Insanity 1 to be eminently believable. Many are the 'Fools' who do so. The atheist should simply 'Throw up his hands in surrender' but he won't because he much prefers 'Man's Foolishness' to God's Wisdom. But we will enthusiastically assert (as does our Final Thot)... _ Final Thot ... "My Abba is ... Utterly Undeniable" - I will CONFIDENTLY affirm His EXISTENCE -