Isaiah 40:12-14      The God of Science

Rev. David Holwick  X

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

July 26, 2015

Isaiah 40:12-14


THE GOD OF SCIENCE



  I. SonSparks Lab.

      A. Our just-concluded Vacation Bible School had a Science theme.

          1) The kids investigated gravity, cause and effect, inertia,

                transformation and change reaction.

              a) The gravity explanation was a little off, but we have

                    Jonathan Sloane as our resident physics expert.

              b) The kids loved all the experiments.

                  1> It is amazing what you can do with leaf blowers,

                        mouse traps and a few pounds of dry ice.

          2) The VBS had a serious goal - to show the young people how

                the laws of nature point to a powerful and loving God.

              a) By the end, they knew how to shout out the correct

                    answers.

              b) Do they really understand it in their hearts?  Only

                    God knows for sure, but we did our best.


      B. Science had a big impact on my early life.

          1) Before I became a believer at age 17, I would say that

                science was my religion.

          2) I loved the marvels revealed by science, and still do.

          3) I believe that if you are a Christian, and don't appreciate

                science, then you really can't appreciate God.

              a) The God of the Bible has revealed himself in the

                    natural world.

              b) By studying nature, we expand our knowledge of God.


II. Christians have long been uneasy with science.

      A. It has often been an adversarial relationship.

          1) The Scopes Monkey Trial is a glaring example.


          2) Copernicus and Galileo were earlier examples.

              a) Both were believing Christians but had to hide

                    their scientific beliefs or face punishment from

                       the Church.

              b) A famous story - probably untrue - is that Galileo

                    recanted his scientific belief in a sun-centered

                       solar system before a court of the Inquisition.

                 He was wrong, he said - the earth does not revolve

                    around the sun.

                 Then he stepped outside and muttered: "But it DOES move."


      B. In the minds of many, science and religion can't mix.

          1) Most major scientists today are atheists.

              a) A tiny number are Bible believers like us.

              b) Things like miracles are stumbling blocks to them.

          2) Religion is related to myth.


               Movie star Bruce Willis made this comment in a magazine

                  interview in 1998:


               "Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are

                   dying forms.

                They were all very important when we didn't know why

                   the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes

                      occurred or volcanoes happened.

                Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology.

                But there are people who interpret the Bible literally.

                   Literally!

                I choose not to believe that's the way."

                                                                   #64896


          3) Scientists who are believers are caught in the middle.

              a) Biologos.org website is dedicated to the idea that

                    science and faith can be in harmony.

                  1> Its most famous member is Francis Collins, who

                        led the Human Genome project and is now the

                           director of the National Institutes of Health.

                     He is also a Bible-believing Christian.

              b) Members are torn because secular scientists mock them,

                    and fellow Christians don't trust them.

                  1> They can't win.


III. Christians should embrace science.

      A. God created it.

          1) All truth is God's truth.

          2) This doesn't mean everything science claims is true,

                but it should be considered as we study Scripture.


      B. Science has been a powerful tool.

          1) Consider the recent mission to Pluto.

              a) 4.5 billion miles and the spacecraft seems to be

                    working perfectly.

              b) It is sending back incredible pictures of this distant

                    (dwarf) planet.

              c) We played a Pluto game in VBS.

                  1> How cold is Pluto?  -369 degrees Fahrenheit.

                  2> In a variation of the "Stoplight" game, when I

                        said "Earth" the kids ran, and when I said

                           "Pluto" they had to freeze in place.

          2) Scientific discoveries in technology and medicine have been

                far-reaching, which Christians should acknowledge.

              a) We may not understand how computers or cell phones

                    or even light bulbs work.

              b) But we can appreciate that science brought them about.


      C. Like Christianity, Science is a quest for truth.

          1) Science grows out of the Judeo-Christian worldview.

              a) Nature has been created with rules.

              b) By studying nature, we can know more about God.

                  1> Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of

                        God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

                  2> Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the

                        world God's invisible qualities ... have been

                           clearly seen, being understood from what

                              has been made..."

          2) Science is self-correcting.

              a) Science is always adjusting itself to new knowledge.

                  1> Old laws may be found to be false, or to need

                        tweaking.

                  2> Even laws that have been accepted for centuries

                        can be modified or even rejected.

              b) Christianity should have the same attitude.

                  1> We have to keep studying the Bible and keep

                        asking questions.

                  2> There is more to know about God than we comprehend

                        right now.


IV. We all must face our limitations.

      A. Science has limits.

          1) It can only study the physical world.

              a) It makes no claim to be able to assess what is

                    supernatural.

              b) Many scientists may argue there is no supernatural,

                    but they cannot prove it.

          2) It can make errors about what it thinks it knows.

              a) The presuppositions of researchers are important.

                  1> Researchers often find what they want to find.

                  2> It is not uncommon for them to falsify their data

                        so it fits their theory.

              b) This is especially true of medical research.


                   You've most likely heard of medical reports touting

                      the effectiveness of a diet plan, a new drug,

                         a supplement, or medical procedure.

                   A month later, some new study will refute it.


                   In the April 15, 2015, edition of Lancet, one of

                      the world's leading medical journals, the

                         editor-in-chief made a dramatic claim.

                   Richard Horton said: "The case against science is

                      straightforward: much of the scientific literature,

                         perhaps half, may simply be untrue."

                                                                      [1]

          3) A purely scientific/materialistic worldview is depressing.

              a) Human morality is something that is just made up by us.

              b) There is no future hope, no ultimate meaning in life.

              c) Science can tell us what is, but not what should be.


      B. Religion can have limits as well.

          1) What believers think they know, might be wrong.

              a) The long history of wrong Bible interpretations.

              b) We should be humble in what we claim to know, and

                    diligent in seeking to learn more.

          2) This was Job's problem.

              a) We all know Job as the guy who suffered a lot.

                  1> He lost all his possessions and family and health.

                  2> It was a spiritual test, and not punishment for

                        some sin.

              b) The human explanations fell short.

                  1> Each side looked at the situation and thought they

                        could figure it out.

                  2> His friends figured that since he was suffering,

                        he must have done something wrong.

                  3> Job felt it was because God was unfair.

              c) It turns out, both groups were wrong.

                  1> Job didn't deserve punishment, and God isn't unfair.

                  2> The answer didn't come with a statement, but an

                        experience.

                      A> God came in a storm.

                      B> He explained the wonders of the universe.

                      C> All Job could do was repent and worship God.


  V. God knows more than you do.

      A. Science is exploding but will never know everything.

          1) The more we learn, the more we find there is to know.

          2) And this is just for the natural world.

              a) Supernatural truth expands beyond that.

              b) As Isaiah says in chapter 40, we can't measure the

                    natural world so how can we figure out God's mind?

              c) God doesn't need us, but we need him.


      B. Only One can bring order out of the chaos.

          1) Pastor Rodney Buchanan shares this insight from Philip

                Yancey's book SOUL SURVIVOR:


             Religion, and not science, at least proposes an answer to

                two questions:


             (1) Why is there something rather than nothing?  (Or, as

                 Stephen Hawking put it, Why does the universe 'bother

                    to exist'?)


             (2) Why is that something so beautiful and orderly?


             The burden of proof is on those who see order and try to

                explain how it came from chaos.


             They see intricacy and say there is no Artist.

             They see design but refuse to admit even the possibility

                of a Designer.

             They see beauty and intelligent life forms and say it all

                came from randomness.

             They see a world packed with pleasure, goodness and joy

                and say it was all an accident.

             They see a tree but do not see the hand of God.

                                                            Sermon #16294


          2) Do you see the hand of God in the universe around you?

          3) And not just in the universe, but a design for your life?


             Pastor David Hoke challenges his people to do this:

                put the scientific method into action concerning God.

             The best way you can verify the existence of God is to

                allow Him to come into your life.

             You can experience Him for yourself by coming to Jesus

                Christ and surrendering your life to Him.


             The Bible teaches that we have all sinned and that is

                the reason we have such a hard time with God.

             We are blinded to the truth and need the blindfold removed.

             Only as we surrender to Christ can the blindfold come off.


             We stand condemned by our sinful life, but Jesus came to

                this earth to make a way for us to return to God.

             He died on the cross, taking the penalty for your sin

                and mine, so that we could be made right with God.

             If you will allow him to come into your life, he will

                reveal Himself to you in ways that you can personally

                   experience.

             You can know him for yourself.

                Ask him to come into your life right now.

                                                             Sermon #2672



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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:


[1] Flawed Medical Research May Be Ruining Your Health & Your Life

           (Important!), Robert Oliva, May 6, 2015. <http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/05/06/flawed-medical-research-may-be-

ruining-your-health-your-life-important/>.


Sermon  #2672  Are Science And Christianity Compatible? Rev. J. David

           Hoke, New Horizons Community Church of Voorhees, New Jersey,

           June 26, 1994.  Paul Apple Collection.


Sermon #16294  Is There A Conflict Between Faith And Science?

           Rev. Rodney J. Buchanan, Mulberry Street United Methodist Church

           of Mount Vernon, Ohio, April 28, 2002; <www.SermonCentral.com>.


#64896  Bruce Willis Has No Use For Religion, David Holwick, adapted

           from "The Religious and Political Views of Bruce Willis," by

           Tom Kershaw, last updated April 11, 2012; <https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091010214028AAkg8r3>.


These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be

downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html

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