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SERIES BIG IDEAEven when facing big questions that don’t have easy answers, we can find solid

reasons to move forward in faith, believing that the message of Christianity is

true.

SERIES OVERVIEWBig questions. No easy answers.

Yet we believe that we can still find reasons to move forward in faith believing in

a loving, miracle-working God who saves us through the suffering, death, and

resurrection of his Son. This God still speaks to us today through his Spirit and

his Word.

During this 4-week series we’ll tackle four tough questions looking for those

reasons. We hope to strengthen those with faith to understand they are not

stupid for believing the things they believe. And we also hope to encourage the

skeptics that they aren’t stupid if they decide to think more about the claims of

Christianity.

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WEEK 1  |  JULY 23 | IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY?Scripture: John 14:6, Acts 4:11-12, Matthew 7:13-14, 1 John 4:1-10

MESSAGE BIG IDEASalvation can only be found in the grace offered to us through Jesus; and that

truth should make Christ-followers the most inclusive, reconciling, agents of

peace the world has ever seen.

MESSAGE DESCRIPTIONOne of the most common objections to Christianity is the idea that Jesus is the

only way. In our western context of religious pluralism, the exclusivity of this

claim is offensive and viewed as intolerant.

So many people see this claim and the exclusive claims of other religions as the

reason our world is so full of conflict, war, and the oppression of various people

groups. Sadly, they are right. No one can deny that throughout history there have

been many injustices done by Christians in the name of Christ. Religion,

generally speaking, has led those who hold its beliefs to feel superior to those

with differing beliefs. The result has been at best the formation of stereotypes

and dividing walls and at worst the active oppression, abuse, or violence against

those of other groups.

It’s no wonder that so many people are offended by the suggestion that Jesus is

the only way. In fact, based in their sincere desire to love and accept others and

live in peace, some professing Christians refuse to hold that view (a stat in an old

Community message says that as many as 70% of self-identified Christians don’t

believe Jesus is the only way).

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However, there is no way around the fact that Jesus and the Apostles were not religious pluralists. For anyone who accepts the authority of the Bible, an

orthodox Christian worldview clearly emerges (Adapted from “Jesus the Only

Way: 100 Verses” by Gregory Koukl with a sampling of those verses):

1. Jesus is the Savior, the only source of salvation for the world (John 14:6,

Acts 4:11-12).

2. Jesus is the Father’s Choice, the Father himself chose Jesus for this

purpose (1 John 4:14, Hebrews 1:1-3).

3. Rejection of Jesus is a rejection of the Father himself (John 5:23b, 1 John

2:23).

4. Rejection of Jesus brings judgment and wrath, while belief in Jesus

rescues from wrath (John 3:18, John 3:36, John 5:24, 2 Thessalonians

1:7-9).

5. Jesus is the one who provides forgiveness from sin (Mark 2:10-12,

Romans 8:1, 1 John 2:1-2).

6. Many imposters will claim to provide other ways of salvation (Mark 13:5-6,

1 John 4:1-6).

7. There are no other alternatives for salvation (Matthew 26:39, Galatians

2:21).

8. That’s why the church’s mission is to tell every person the good news

about Jesus (Matthew 28:18-19, Luke 24:47).

9. Jesus will be people’s judge on the final day (Mark 8:38, John 5:22-23a,

Romans 2:16).

While it is possible to be mistaken over a handful of verses, when a hundred

passages argue the same point from a variety of different angles, it cannot be

mistaken, only ignored. At some point, every person has to stop ignoring

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Jesus’ own claim that he is the only way and ask themselves: “Do you believe this?” (Jesus poses this question himself to Martha in John 11:25-26.)

When we say “Jesus is the way” we are talking about both the way to the afterlife

and also the model for how we are to live now. The first Christ-followers believed

this and were called people who belonged to “The Way” (Acts 9:2). Jesus being

the only source of salvation for the world and the one we are to follow is at the

heart of the Christian faith. And, yes, it is an exclusive claim.

Yet, the very truth that we are saved through the sacrificial death of Jesus means

that there is no room for followers of Jesus to feel superior to anyone else. At the

cross, we come face to face with the truth that left to our ourselves, we stand

condemned. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We are saved by

grace and grace alone (a truth unique to Christianity). This should radically

change the way we interact in the world.

In The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Chapter 1), author Tim

Keller explains:

“One of the paradoxes of history is the relationship between the beliefs and the

practices of the early Christians as compared to those of the culture around

them. The Greco-Roman world’s religious views were open and seemingly

tolerant—everyone had his or her own God. The practices of the culture were

quite brutal, however. The Greco-Roman world was highly stratified

economically, with a huge distance between the rich and poor. By contrast,

Christians insisted that there was only one true God, the dying Savior Jesus

Christ. Their lives and practices were, however, remarkably welcoming to those

that the culture marginalized. The early Christians mixed people from different

races and classes in ways that seemed scandalous to those around them. The

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Greco-Roman world tended to despise the poor, but Christians gave generously

not only to their own poor but to those of other faiths. In broader society, women

had very low status, being subjected to high levels of female infanticide, forced

marriages, and lack of economic equality. Christianity afforded women much

greater security and equality than had previously existed in the ancient classical

world. During the terrible urban plagues of the first two centuries, Christians

cared for all the sick and dying in the city, often at the cost of their lives.

Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to behavior that was so open to

others? It was because Christians had within their belief system the strongest

possible resource for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making.

At the very heart of their view of reality was a man who died for his enemies,

praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only lead to a radically

different way of dealing with those who were different from them. It meant they

could not act in violence and oppression toward their opponents.”

Reflecting on the love, forgiveness, and grace we have received, Christ-followers should be the most inclusive, reconciling, agents of peace the world has ever seen.

Note: Somewhere in this message we’ll have to acknowledge that the question

“Is Jesus the only way?” raises a host of other difficult questions such as “What

about the person born in a Hindu or Buddhist society that has never heard of

Jesus?” or even more personal, “What about my relative who died but didn’t

know Jesus?” We’re not going to be able to address all of these questions in this

25 minute talk, but we need to acknowledge them and their sensitivity.

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Quote:“Everybody has a take on spiritual reality which is based on a set of religious

assumptions, based on faith. And everybody thinks that their take on spiritual

reality is better and other people should adopt it and the world will be a better

place. And, therefore, everyone has a set of exclusive beliefs. Let me say that

again...everybody’s got a set of exclusive beliefs. Therefore, what really matters

is not who has exclusive beliefs, no, but which set of exclusive beliefs can

produce loving, inclusive, reconciling, peaceful behavior.” -Tim Keller:

“Exclusivity: How Can There Be Just One True Religion?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75qetP4dRAA

“I have to believe that Jesus believed that Jesus was the way to salvation. You

don't suffer crucifixion's death to be one of many options.” -Louie Giglio

Research Requests:

Commentary on the Biblical passages.

Apologetic arguments/quotes about Jesus being the only way.

Statistics on % of Christians who don’t believe Jesus is the only way (in a

2011 message we have a stat from Pew Research Center that says 70%

of self-identified Christians don’t believe Jesus is the only way).

Brief synopsis of what makes Christianity unique from all other religions.

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WEEK 2  |  JULY 30 | CAN I TRUST THE BIBLE?Scripture: John 10:35, Matthew 5:17, 2 Timothy 3:16, Psalm 119:160, John 17:17, Benevolence Offering Weekend

MESSAGE BIG IDEA The Bible can be shown to be a reliable document, accurately recorded and

transmitted through history, which means we can trust the Bible as a solid

foundation upon which to build our lives.

MESSAGE DESCRIPTIONCan I trust the Bible? Answering this question requires that we understand what

the Bible is. It's not a book that arrived in complete form at one point in history.

Instead, the Bible was written over a period of some 1,500 years by a number of

authors. Although it is viewed as one book, it's actually a collection of many

books. God worked through everyday people, inspired by Him, to record what we

know as the Bible. The Old Testament is primarily a record of God's dealings with

His chosen people – the Hebrews. The New Testament continues the record with

first century accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus and the struggles faced by

new Christians in a hostile culture.

Sometimes Christians quote the Bible to prove the Bible. Most skeptics are

rightly cautious of this approach. Quoting the Bible to prove the Bible is viewed

as being circular reasoning or illogical. After all, quoting the Bible to prove the

Bible assumes the Bible is true, which is really the point of contention or

discussion.

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But if the Bible can be shown to be a reliable document, accurately recorded and transmitted through history, from God to us, then we can build a strong case that the Bible is indeed true.Evidence for the Bible can take many forms. There is, for instance, physical

evidence. We have copies of the manuscripts and throughout history these

copies show that the Bible has been transmitted accurately. Despite common

skeptical claims that the Bible has often been changed through the centuries, the

physical evidence tells another story. The New Testament records are incredibly

accurate. There are minor differences in manuscripts, called variants, but none of

these variants impact or change key Christian beliefs or claims.

Other physical evidence includes archeological finds. The Archaeological Study

Bible presents many notes and articles documenting how archeology has again

and again proven that the Bible does correspond to historical reality.

There are other kinds of evidence that the Bible is true. These have to do with

internal consistency and coherence. Although the Bible was written over many

centuries by different writers, the messages it contains are coherent and

consistent. The Bible presents a coherent theology and worldview and presents

this material consistently. Moreover, the Christian worldview is robust,

reasonable and grounded in history.

Although there are other lines of reasoning to support the claim that the Bible is

true, one of the most powerful is found in Jesus. If it can be shown that the four

Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – present an accurate record of the life

and ministry of Jesus, then Jesus Himself becomes an argument in support of

the truth of the Bible. If the Bible has been shown to be reliable, this line of

reasoning is no longer circular, but rational. In other words, what the Bible

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records about Jesus, including what He says about God, human nature, salvation

and the Old Testament record, can then be trusted.

Research Requests:

Commentary on referenced scripture passages.

The reliability of NT texts compared to other ancient texts (i.e. Homer,

Aristotle, Tacitus, etc.)

How did ancient historians understand/interact with biblical text? (Phil

Alexander)

Humorous misuses of the Bible/Bible passages

What is the Bible? (Rob Bell)

Arguments for the reliability of the Gospels from Andy Stanley’s 2016

Easter Message.

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WEEK 3  |  AUGUST 6 | HOW COULD A GOOD GOD ALLOW EVIL AND SUFFERING?

Scripture: Mark 14:33-34, Luke 22:42-44, Matthew 27:46, Romans 5:1-5, James 1:2-4, Matthew 19:28-29, Revelation 21:1-4, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Hebrews 12:1-3

MESSAGE BIG IDEAWhile God does not provide the reason for each experience of pain, through

Jesus he does provide a way to face suffering with hope and courage rather than

bitterness and despair.

MESSAGE DESCRIPTIONIn December 2004 when a massive tsunami crashed through the Indian Ocean

killing 250,000 people, one reporter wrote: “If God is God, he’s not good. If God

is good, he’s not God. You can’t have it both ways.” (Ron Rosenbaum, “Disaster

Ignites Debate: Was God in the Tsunami?” New York Observer, January 10,

2005). In the face of so much suffering in our world, and, perhaps, in our own

lives, many of us can identify with the reporter’s reasoning. Either our powerful

God is not good or else he would prevent such pointless tragedies. Or, our good

God is not powerful enough to stop it. Either God is not good or God is not really

God.

Stepping back from the emotion of this difficult question for a bit, there are

philosophical problems with this line of reasoning.

First, Just because we can’t see or imagine a good reason why God might allow

something to happen doesn’t mean there can’t be one. Tim Keller writes: “If you

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have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn’t

stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a

God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to

continue that you can’t know. Indeed, you can’t have it both ways.” (Reasons,

Chapter 2)

Second, it is a mistake, though an understandable one, to think that if you

abandon belief in God it somehow makes the problem of evil easier to handle. In

fact, evil and suffering (if anything) provide evidence for God’s existence.

Philosopher Alvin Plantinga explains: “Could there really be any such thing as

horrifying wickedness [if there were no God and we just evolved]? I don’t see

how. There can be such a thing only if there is a way that rational creatures are

supposed to live, obliged to live…. A [secular] way of looking at the world has no

place for genuine moral obligation of any sort…and thus no way to say there is

such a thing as genuine and appalling wickedness. Accordingly, if you think there

really is such a thing as horrifying wickedness (…and not just an illusion of some

sort), then you have a powerful…argument for the reality of God].” (Philosophers

Who Believe, p. 73)

Yet, all this philosophizing doesn’t really help when your heart is broken and you

are hurting. It doesn’t really answer the question “Why?” And the hard reality we

have to come to grips with is that God doesn’t give us the answer to that question

for each experience of pain. What he does give is Jesus.

Jesus came to earth to deliberately put himself on the hook of human suffering.

In Jesus, God experienced the greatest depths of evil and pain.

Jesus was profoundly shaken by evil and suffering. In the garden before his

arrest, his soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:33-

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34). He showed all the signs of being in physical shock (Luke 22:44). He begged

the Father to save him from what he was going through (Luke 22:42). On the

cross, Jesus cries out in despair that God has forsaken him experiencing the

pain of the loss of his most treasured relationship (Matthew 27:46). Jesus knows

firsthand despair, rejection, loneliness, grief, torture, pain. He didn’t numb himself

to it. He didn’t sugarcoat it. He experienced it.

While Jesus’ suffering doesn’t answer the question, “Why does God allow evil

and suffering?” it does tell us what the answer isn’t. Tim Keller writes: “It can’t be

that he doesn’t love us. It can’t be that he is indifferent or detached from our

condition. God takes our misery and suffering so seriously that he was willing to

take it on himself” (Reasons, Chapter 2). If we embrace that Jesus is God and

that he went to the cross, we can know that God is truly “God with us” even in our

worst sufferings. God understands our pain.

But not only does Jesus’ death demonstrate that he is with us in our heartbreak,

his resurrection gives us hope that our suffering is not in vain. Jesus’ resurrection

means that pain, suffering, and death do not have the last word.

We can see glimpses of this “resurrection” in how God redeems our pain and

suffering and works it for good in this life. Though none of us are grateful for the

tragedies and difficult things we’ve walked through, probably all of us can see

ways we’ve grown, gained perspective, or later seen good reasons for at least

some of the pain we’ve experienced (Romans 5:1-5, James 1:2-4).

Ultimately, we will experience it in full when Jesus returns and God restores

everything in this world to how he originally intended it to be (Matthew 19:28-29,

Revelation 21:1-4). In this “new heaven and new earth” every horrible thing that

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has ever happened will not only be undone and repaired, it will in some way be

more glorious and joyful than we can even imagine.

Just after the climax of the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Sam discovers that his

friend Gandalf was not dead (as he thought) but alive. He cries, “I thought you

were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself! Is everything sad going to

come untrue?” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King) The answer of

Christianity to that questions is--yes.

Our good God does not provide the reason for each experience of pain, but

through Jesus, he does provide a way to face suffering with hope and courage

rather than bitterness and despair. In this world we will have trouble. Jesus

himself told us that (John 16:33). Jesus never said that a relationship with him

would lead to a rosy, pain-free life. But, evil will not have the last word. Suffering

will come to an end. It was for the “joy set before him” that Jesus endured his

suffering, and with him we can too (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Hebrews 12:1-3).

Research Requests:

Commentary on the five underlined Biblical passages.

o Matthew 27:46 - The significance of Jesus’ statement.

o Romans 5:1-5 - What does it mean to “glory in our sufferings”?

o Revelation 21:1-4 - What is this “new heavens and new earth?”

What is this passage telling us about what God is working toward?

Insights from C.S. Lewis (The Problem with Pain), Philip Yancey (Where is

God When It Hurts?),  Peter Kreeft (Making Sense Out of Suffering),

and/or Lee Strobel (The Case for Faith) on the problem of evil and

suffering.

More current events story about a person facing tragedy questioning how

a good God could allow suffering (to replace the tsunami story).

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Possible intro: pictures of annoying bumper stickers or cliches that

everyone hates. Could lead to how the saying “Everything happens for a

reason” is one of the most annoying things to say when someone is in

pain or suffering.

For COMMUNITY: Find a story of an attender who can speak to God

redeeming something painful.

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WEEK 4  |  AUGUST 13 | HOW CAN A RATIONAL PERSON BELIEVE MIRACLES ARE TRUE? Scripture: John 20:30-31, Matthew 8:1-3, Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 12:22, John 6:16-21, John 2:1-11, John 9:1-7, Acts 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 15:13-14

MESSAGE BIG IDEAA Christ-follower does not need to abandon rational thought to believe in the

miracles described in the Bible or that miracles still happen today.

MESSAGE DESCRIPTIONA discussion on miracles is critical to the believability of the Bible in at least two

aspects. First, Christianity is based upon the belief in certain miraculous events

as fact.

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And

if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1

Corinthians 15:13-14)

Second, the idea of miracles as literal historical events is a frequent reason given

by unbelievers as to why they doubt the Bible. "They violate the laws of nature,"

and "I certainly don't see them going on today" are often the reactions.

On one hand, miracles are easy to attack because no person can produce a

miracle on command and settle the issue. But on the other hand, miracles can be

defended when they are correctly explained to be the purposeful yet irregular

actions of God.

The Bible presents miracles not only as critical elements, but presents them as

sufficient proof with which to believe in Jesus. John 14 indicates this to be true

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for Christ's immediate audience as well as for us. However, part of the reason

that some people are not convinced by the miracle accounts is that those people

may be harboring one or more of several common misconceptions.

In this message we hope to address:1. What is a miracle? 2. Can we believe in biblical accounts of miracles (i.e. resurrection)? 3. Can we reconcile miracles and science? 4. You’re not stupid for believing in miracles or thinking more about

miracles. 5. Miracles can/do still happen today.

Some thoughts to consider:

1. Miracles happen when Jesus shows up. (Mark 2:1-2)

2. Miracles happen when faith is displayed. (Matthew 8:10)

3. Miracles happen when Jesus gets the glory. (Acts 3:12-13)

4. Miracles happen so the gospel will spread. (Acts 28:8-11)

Research Requests:

Commentary on underlined scripture passages.

Humorous examples of portrayals of miracles.

Brief synopsis and quotes from the first 8 chapters of Eric Metaxas’ book:

“Miracles: What they are, why they happen, how they can change your

life.”

Modern day examples/accounts of miracles (big and small). Stories of

someone who experienced a real-life miracle? (Darren Wilson)

o Finger of God

o Furious Love

o Father of Lights

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