Originally Aired On: Tuesday, November 15, 2005
THE BIBLE HELPS US ANSWER WHAT IT MEANS TO "LIVE BY FAITH"
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OUTLINE
IDEA: The Bible gives us enough for a basis of faith, but not enough to satisfy curiosity.
TEXT: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Hebrews 11:3).
PURPOSE: To help listeners see the implications of believing that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen is not made out of what was visible.
Children are often curious about sex and ask questions about where they came from. Why?
Why do people sometimes make up answers like "The stork brought you"?
Is it a good idea to give children answers like that?
I. The Bible gives us few detailed answers to the kind of questions we're prone to ask about the past and the future.
When you were growing up, did you ever press the question about where everything came from back in the distant past—back to "Who made God?" Why does this fascinate us?
People are fascinated by the future. They want to study the book of Revelation. Why?
The Bible gives us only enough information to satisfy our faith but not our curiosity.
II. The Bible declares that God "created" the heavens and the earth.
The Hebrew word means "to create from nothing." It is never used to denote any human endeavor. It is reserved only for the work of God.
When we think of a sculptor or an artist or an architect, how do they work?
Could you say that they are like God because they create things?
Does an artist have complete freedom to create anything she wants?
God was not bound by the materials he used. He had no limitations.
The universe and the people He made were His design completely. In fact, we were made in His image.
Something dreadful has gone on that we cannot set right by ourselves. We are glorious, but fallen. The creator must do something else to remake us. Why are we so important to Him?