Answers to tough questions:Applied Apologetics – Wk 2

Review from last week?

• Open in prayer

• What was the point of my sword skit?

• Does anyone know the memory verse? – reward

• What does apologetics mean?

• Using scripture, quoting versus paraphrasing

• Are you in the word daily?

Mentioning the bible …

So is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11

The bus ad’

• Ad by atheists, trying to sow doubt with an agnostic position

• What verses should we respond with?

• The fool says in his heart there is no God Psalm 14:1

• Pascal’s wager

• The Met gas leak example

What are they really saying?

• I hope there is no God, because I want to do what I want and not follow His rules

• Who is worrying?

• Can you “procrastinate” your decision about God?

• Enjoy life? a Christian has forgiveness, hope, help and comfort along the way, lots of God’s work to do, etc.

The bible is full of mistakes…

• Does God make mistakes – no!

• The law of the Lord is perfect Psalm 19:7a

• Tell them to show you the mistakes – this will often close the issue

• The testimony of history, archaelogy, science, prophecy,

• Use your research/others to respond to the supposed mistakes

Analysis

• The Hittites example

• The solution often provides even more confidence in God’s word

• Nelson Gueck, Jewish archaelogist: It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference

Our next statement

“The stories in the bible aren’t literally true”

Literally true

• Must assume everything is literal, unless clearly figurative, examples

• Archaeology

• The way the Lord Jesus talked about the Old Testament

• The first Adam

• Loss of faith for many young people

Other thoughts

• Prophecy and being literal

• A virgin shall be with child and other examples

• The bible and numbers – are they believable

• Some evidence

Another statement

“There is no absolute truth”

Other ways this is said

• You have your truth, I have mine

• That’s true for you, but not for me

• To each his own

• There is no right or wrong

• You live your way and I will live mine

Absolute truth

• Absolute truth means _____________

• The bible is full of absolute truths, can you name a few….

Biblical response

• What verse should we give? Hundreds

• John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

• Romans 3:23For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Lecrae on truth

Some responses

• Are you _____ sure about that?

• Is 2+2=4 an absolute truth?

• My truth says…

• What is the difference between

• A Pastor Reed illustration

• I am going to take your ______

Some thoughts

• If there is no such thing as absolute truth, the only answer to anybody's belief is "If it makes you happy”.

• Only one absolute truth can exist. Our understanding of it may be relative and mistaken in any number of particulars, but none of that affects it

Our environment

• People find it offensive when you claim to follow/know the truth

• We are not the truth, but the bible is

• A story from my life

Science & scripture

• New section of this course

• Will cover creation/evolution a little bit

• Critical to have a high level understanding of the topic

The cake example

• Mum bakes a chocolate cake

• We are going to send a team of scientists to find out everything about the cake

• Mathematicians

• Chemists

• Engineers

• Dieticians

What do they find out?

• Mathematicians

• Chemists

• Engineers

• Dieticians

The limitations of science

• Everything there is to know about the cake except: Why did Mum make the cake?

• Can science answer this question?

• What does this tell us about the limitations of science?