We are often puzzled by philosophical questions. When nonbelievers quip us with the barrage of questions, even Christians down to their hearts of hearts, begin to doubt God and His Word.
1. How can you be sure that God exists?
2. How do we know that the God of Christianity is the one true God?
3. What is He really like?
Our inability to answer the unbeliever does not mean that God is debunked, and our whole lives were a lie. It's just that we have not known our God as He is in His Word. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's why it's only by His Word where we can ultimately know His desires, His will, His ways, and His character. If we will not invest our time knowing God, how can we point others to Him?
II Chronicles 20,Jehoshapat experienced the same dilemma when he was about to go to war with the Ammonites and the Moabites. He was doubtful, uncertain, and had a lot of questions about God, yet he chose to affirm God's qualities, and held onto His knowledge of the God of his ancestors. He expressed all his doubts and honestly sought the Lord. In return, the Lord made Himself known to him.
II Chronicles 20:3
"Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:
“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,
9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Jehoshapat asked three fundamental questions about God:
Are you not?
Did you not?
Will you not?
God dealt with Him and he had a personal encounter, an experiential knowledge of what the Lord has done to Him. Thus, making him fall to his feet and worship and revere God for who He is. This transition from knowing about God to knowing God is a big turn around in his life. It made him trust God more, love Him more, and worship Him for who He is.
21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”
In our times, through the Bible, we know that God is Sovereign, Omniscient, Holy, and Immutable. The accounts in the Bible attest to this unchanging qualities of God. Yet He did not stop revealing Himself to us, God wanted us to experience that HE IS THE GREAT I AM through HIS son, YESHUA.
He is the ultimate expression of God's love. He walked on this earth to die for us, to give us life, to give us hope, brought us from darkness to light, clothed us with white, redeemed us from our sins. He made us understand who deep God's love is for us, and it is by knowing Christ, we know the Father.
In Jeremiah 9:23
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
1. How can you be sure that God exists?
2. How do we know that the God of Christianity is the one true God?
3. What is He really like?
Our inability to answer the unbeliever does not mean that God is debunked, and our whole lives were a lie. It's just that we have not known our God as He is in His Word. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's why it's only by His Word where we can ultimately know His desires, His will, His ways, and His character. If we will not invest our time knowing God, how can we point others to Him?
II Chronicles 20,Jehoshapat experienced the same dilemma when he was about to go to war with the Ammonites and the Moabites. He was doubtful, uncertain, and had a lot of questions about God, yet he chose to affirm God's qualities, and held onto His knowledge of the God of his ancestors. He expressed all his doubts and honestly sought the Lord. In return, the Lord made Himself known to him.
II Chronicles 20:3
"Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6 and said:
“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,
9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
Jehoshapat asked three fundamental questions about God:
Are you not?
Did you not?
Will you not?
God dealt with Him and he had a personal encounter, an experiential knowledge of what the Lord has done to Him. Thus, making him fall to his feet and worship and revere God for who He is. This transition from knowing about God to knowing God is a big turn around in his life. It made him trust God more, love Him more, and worship Him for who He is.
21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”
In our times, through the Bible, we know that God is Sovereign, Omniscient, Holy, and Immutable. The accounts in the Bible attest to this unchanging qualities of God. Yet He did not stop revealing Himself to us, God wanted us to experience that HE IS THE GREAT I AM through HIS son, YESHUA.
He is the ultimate expression of God's love. He walked on this earth to die for us, to give us life, to give us hope, brought us from darkness to light, clothed us with white, redeemed us from our sins. He made us understand who deep God's love is for us, and it is by knowing Christ, we know the Father.
In Jeremiah 9:23
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.