Let the Word Do Its Work
Posted by Chris on March 10, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Sermon for March 10, 2013 – Chris Benjamin
Text: Isaiah 55
Noah’s Ark – Truth or Myth?
Posted by Debbie on March 8, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
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Presented by Dr. Michael Cole on Sunday evening, February 17, 2013.
The text of this lesson comes from www.westark.org/2010/01/01/noahs-ark-truth-or-myth/
Creation and Flood Scriptures Outside Genesis
Posted by Debbie on March 6, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
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Presented by Dr. Michael Cole on Sunday evening, February 24, 2013.
Ex 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and ALL that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
Ex 31:17 ‘It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’
Job 38-42:6 . . . answer thou me . . .
Psm 8:3 When I consider {“with stars”} Your heavens, the work of YOUR fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained
Psm 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And ALL the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
Psm 104:5-9 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which You did appoint for them. You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.
Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Ecc 3:20 All are from the dust, and all return to dust.
Isa 45:12, 18 I have made the earth, and created man on it. It was I — My hands that stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded. . . . For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isa 48:13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together.
Isa 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Jer 31:35-37 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (the LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart from before Me,” says the LORD, “Then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” says the LORD.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Mt 19:4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at THE BEGINNING ‘made them male and female,'”
Mk 10:6 But FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION, God “made them male and female.”
Lk 17:26-27 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them ALL.
Acts 14:15 [Barnabas & Paul said] “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and ALL things that are in them
Acts 17:24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Acts 17:26 And He has made FROM ONE BLOOD every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation
Rom 1:19-22 Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the CREATION OF THE WORLD His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools
I Cor 11:8-9 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.
Heb 1:10 You, Lord, IN THE BEGINNING laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of YOUR hands;
Heb 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built ALL THINGS is God.
Heb 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 9:26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. [The verse indicates men have sinned “since the foundation of the world.”]
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
I Pet 3:20 Who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
II Pet 2:5 And did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly
II Pet 3:3-8 Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, And saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were FROM THE BEGINNING OF CREATION.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, By which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Rev 4:11 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created ALL THINGS, and by Your will they exist and were created.
Rev 10:6 And swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it
Consistencies Between Science and the Bible
Posted by Debbie on under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
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Presented by Dr. Michael Cole on Sunday night, February 10, 2013.
I grew up with the idea that science can answer ANY question.
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The SCIENTIFIC METHOD:
1. Observe some aspect/phenomena of the universe.
2. Invent a theory/hypothesis that is consistent with what you have observed.
3. Use the theory to make predictions.
4. Test those predictions by experiments or further observations.
5. Modify the theory in the light of your results.
6. Go to step 3.
LIMITATIONS of the Scientific Method:
1. Limited to what can be observed by the 5 senses — i.e., 1st step is
OBSERVATION
2. Limited, therefore, to the present (by definition)
3. Limited to describing HOW a process works, but not WHY — science does
not deal with “why?” (example of tree grows from seed)
4. Limited by amoral issues (ignorant of values) (no good or bad)
5. Limited in that it cannot deal with the unique
— events on earth that occur only ONCE are outside the realm of science
— deals with events that are timeless, universal, repeatable at will;
dependable, predictable
If these criteria are not met, then it can’t be a FACT of science.
Evolution of man from lower life forms which evolved from non-living material cannot be considered a FACT of science because of the SCIENTIFIC METHOD. Can NEVER be more than a theory. Speculation.
However, CREATION (as recorded by Moses) is NOT a fact of science, either — it was not observed (by man), it happened in the past, occurred only once, & not repeatable.
Origin of Species by Charles Darwin — largely way of explaining living things apart from God’s creating them.
Which are we to believe? Evolution or Creation? “Faith” that spontaneous generation occurred.
SCIENCE cannot tell you which to believe. Point of view.
Faith — Hebrews 11:1 & 11:3
We need to prepare ourselves to deal with evidences which support both sides so we may come to our own conclusions about: “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?”
Let’s consider whether the Bible and FACTS OF SCIENCE are in harmony or in contradiction.
The Bible is a very unique book — there are very few books that claim to be inspired by a higher being. (less than 5)
In Old Testament alone >2,700 times phrases that indicate inspiration
Bible composed of (1) revelation & (2) known facts at the time (i.e., known by the author from experience/observation/study/education)
since this Book is here, let us consider the only 3 choices that we can make about it
#1 – the men who wrote it were deluded, tricked — (sincerely wrong)
#2 – the men who wrote it were deceitful
#3 – the men wrote the truth (therefore: the Word of God)
only way to choose is to check it out
geography, history, prophecy, Resurrection, archaeology, etc.
Is the Bible consistent with Scientific Knowledge?
SCIENTIFIC:
• Job 26:7 — earth hangs from nothing (?)
how did the writer know this?? — this is a correct concept
but it is inconsistent with beliefs of that day (e.g., Atlas in mythology)
Lucky guess, perhaps
• Isaiah 40:22 — circle of the earth (round) (like vault or arch)
CORRECT concept (not flat) — was it a lucky guess?
• Genesis 15:5, Jeremiah 33:22 — stars too numerous to count
how did Moses and Jeremiah know that?
Lucky guess?
Only 6,000 stars are visible to the naked eye over the course of a year — 2,000 at any one time on the clearest night (before the telescope was invented)
compare with millions of Israelites during exodus from Egypt
There are 100-200 billion stars in our own galaxy (the Milky Way).
There are estimated to be about 100 billion to 1 trillion galaxies.
With our present technology in astronomy we can “see” more that 1 x 1023 stars in the universe that we know of. (23 zeros)
Let’s explore how big 1023 is:
If 5 billion people in the world spent 24 hours a day counting stars at a
rate of about 5 per second, it would take us 127,000 years to count them all
(that we know of now).
That is a lot of stars! Too numerous to count!
How did the writers of the Bible know that there were more stars than man could count? A lucky guess?
• Luke 17:31, 34 — “on that day,” “on that night”
How could Jesus come back during daytime & nighttime at the same time? — How did He know that? — It wasn’t discovered till many centuries later that while people sleep on one side of the globe that it is daylight on the other.
A lucky guess? NO, we’ve run out of lucky guesses.
Christ knew because He was THERE. (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:2)
OCEANOGRAPHY (U.S. Navy) —
• Ecclesiastes 1:7 — sea is not filled
Why doesn’t the ocean fill up? — Water (or Hydrologic) Cycle — discovered in the 16th century but described in Job 36:27-28
• The classical oceanography story is that of Matthew Fontaine Maury, the father of modern day oceanography (“Pathfinder of the Seas”). (1806-1873)
Psalm 8:8 — “… whatever passes along the PATHS of the sea”
If God says they are there, they must be — take God at His word.
Maury charted the currents in the oceans — greatly beneficial for shipping lanes & fuel conservation to this day
Before 5,000 people at the founding of the University of the South in 1860, Maury proclaimed the following:
“I have been blamed by men of science, both in this country and in England, for quoting the Bible in confirmation of the doctrines of physical geography. The Bible, they say, was not written for scientific purposes, and is therefore no authority in matters of science. I beg pardon! The Bible is authority for everything it touches.”
Faith is NOT a blind leap into the dark. Biblical faith is always evidence-based, knowledge-based. (Heb. 11:1)
• Job 38:16 — recesses of the deep (RSV) — trenches in the ocean not known until 1870’s — Maury studied Atlantic sea floor; telegraph cable.
One trench in the Pacific is 6½ miles deep.
In 2012 James Cameron (director, writer, & co-producer of 1997 “Titanic” movie) was the first man to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench at 6.8 miles below sea level.
• Gen. 6:15
It was discovered in the mid-1800’s that the perfect sea-going ratio is 30:5:3 — not for speed, but for stability (somewhat similar to an oil tanker)
300 x 50 x 30 cubits was the dimensions of the ark that Noah built. This is identical to perfect ratio of 30:5:3. Noah got these measurements from God (not from generations of shipbuilding knowledge) — (Genesis 6) only way he could have known the perfect measurements. (Noah’s ark remained the largest sea-going vessel ever built until 1844.)
MEDICINE:
• Leviticus 17:11 — “the life of the flesh is in the blood …”
Today, we know about RBC’s, WBC’s, platelets, albumin, immunoglobulins, etc.
The doctors 200 years ago thought the blood was bad. They didn’t comprehend “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” When George Washington was sick they used leaches to suck out that imagined “bad” blood. (Actually, they sucked out the good blood and its components that aid in recuperation.)
• Genesis 17:12 — circumcise when EIGHT days old — didn’t discover the reason for this until the 1970’s.
Vitamin K is necessary to clot blood (every American baby since 1980 gets a shot of this immediately after birth) — Vitamin K is not formed in sufficient amounts till 5 – 7 days after birth
Prothrombin (another factor necessary for clotting) is >100% normal on day 8.
? lucky guess ? (8th day)
• Genesis 3:15 — seed of life in a woman
for 1000’s of years it was thought that only MAN had the seed; the woman was only the incubator
The Bible was not meant to be a book of science.
However, if this Book is from God (who cannot lie or be mistaken) then it neither contradicts itself nor contradicts FACTS which have been discovered by man.
If Evolution is a FACT, perhaps the Bible is only partially inspired.
The Book itself, however, says in II Timothy 3:16 that “ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God …”
Let us also heed the warning given by Paul to Timothy in I Timothy 6:20-21.
Evolution — science fiction. There is scientific evidence that supports creation by God.
Perhaps you think that since you don’t believe in Evolution or Humanism anyway, you can just ignore it. — It would be nice if this were so. — Children are being exposed to Evolution in the lowest grades. — Are you prepared to give them a logical alternative to the explanations they get about origins?
First, we had better be convinced ourselves that God exists.
And 2nd we had better be prepared to give our children an answer for WHY we believe in God and why we believe He is the Creator of all things.
In our post-modern world with so-called post-modern thinkers, as Christians we MUST examine the data from science, archaeology, history, and other fields of study that relate to our basic religious beliefs.
We need to draw conclusions that can help us be CONVICTED that God does or does not exist.
If God does not exist, then nothing really matters. But, if God does exist, as I profess, then nothing else matters.
Being agnostic (or unconvinced) is little different from being atheistic.
Only the TRUTH can make you free.
If you are convinced that God exists, as I am, then you can conclude that He provided us with a guide book, the Bible.
He has told us in this Book that we are created by Him and owe Him everything while He really owes us nothing, but nevertheless He has shown love for us and blessed us beyond measure.
We can understand that if God is the Creator and we are the created, then we have a responsibility to serve Him and to please Him.
If you live your life all week as if God does not or might not exist, then remember the words of Hebrews 10:31, “It is a FEARFUL thing to fall into the hands of the LIVING God.”
Fortunately, God has provided you a way to escape His wrath. The blood of Christ has been provided for our salvation.
Hear the Word of God!
Posted by Chris on March 3, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Sermon for March 3, 2013 – Chris Benjamin
Mission and Mentoring
Posted by Chris on February 24, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Sermon for February 24, 2013 – Chris Benjamin
Genesis 10-11: Stairway to Heaven
Posted by Chris on February 17, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
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Travis Campbell, campus minister with the Lions for Christ at UAFS, preaches from Genesis 10 and 11.
Genesis 9 – Rainbow in the Dark
Posted by Chris on February 10, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Travis Campbell, campus minister for the Lions for Christ at UAFS, preaches from Genesis 9.
Ethiopia Mission Trip 2013 – Entry 1
Posted by Chris on February 7, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Missions
Our trip begins today. We are waiting for our flight out of Fort Smith. It’s delayed until 1:46 pm due to weather in Atlanta. But we are all healthy and feeling good. Our team is Jim Wilson, Don Wilson, Kelvin Kleman, Rusty Walker and me.
We were fortunate to get a special deal on two free checked bags thanks to our travel agent. Because of this, I was eligible for a carry-on that I don’t need. So I brought an empty bag and it became our community chest. Rusty put soccer balls that we are giving away into it. Jim had song books and computer cords that we will use for the showing of the Jesus film. Kelvin had some books to carry – they were thick. He must be a fast reader or he was prepared for delays like this.
I like the idea of this group bag. It is very Acts 2 and all things in common. And this bag may retire in Ethiopia. It’s has served the Benjamin family well since we lived in Abilene.
You may also follow Ethiopia Mission Team 2013 on Facebook as they travel, teach and encourage the church in Ethiopia. There are daily posts, pictures, and videos — a wonderful way to pray and participate daily in God’s mission there!
Genesis 7-8: Comfort and Covenant
Posted by Chris on February 3, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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What comes to mind when you hear about Noah’s Ark? Do you think of a children’s story? Do you think of creation science? Do you wonder how dinosaurs fit on the ark? Do you think of a bathtub toy?
Q: What is missing in this picture?
What is missing in this image of a Noah’s Ark play set? The answer is God. Noah, Mrs. Noah, nor their family are the central characters of the story in Genesis. The animals do not even play a prominent role in the unfolding of the action. God is the main actor. God calls for the construction of the ark. God commands the animals. God unleashes the big flood.
The flood in Genesis is unique. The Hebrew word used for flood in Genesis (mabbul) is only used here and in Psalm 29:10. There are other words for flood that could be used, but this word (mabbul) is reserved for this one flood. Perhaps it is because this is more than a flood. Genesis is not attempting to explain some sort of natural meteorological event. Instead, this is an actual “Act of God.”
The mechanics and details of the flood are not important to the story, rather the why of the flood is what matters for the message. Notice why this flood happens: 1) The Fountains of the Deep Erupt, and 2) The Windows of Heaven are Opened.
That doesn’t sound like a natural event. How would this get reported on the Weather Channel? Can Doppler Radar detect activity in the Windows of Heaven or the Fountains of the Deep? Remember in our introduction to Genesis, that the meaning is what we after, more so than the mechanics. The meaning of erupting fountains and windows opening is that God is pulling the pin on creation. He is taking his hand off the wheel. God is loosening the boundaries between earth, ocean, and sky that established the creation in Genesis 1. God is removing his hand that sustains those boundaries and releasing chaos. God is “un-creating” the world. Consider what this means. The world may return to its pre-creation state of formless and void and all God has to do is step away.
Blotting Out
The meaning of the biblical term “blot out” is that God is erasing creation. That term blot out may not be as familiar to us since pen and ink is an ancient art. A more contemporary expression might be that God is deleting.
The super-flood is also the kind of un-creation that will snuff out the breath of life. The spirit of God breathed life into the world. Now God is snuffing out that breath. He does this because he is grieved by the violence that is torturing the earth and the evil imagination in the human heart.
New Covenant