(All sermon notes are provided entirely from the outline provided by Rice Broocks for the God's Not Dead preaching series. If churches or ministries are interested in using these materials as a resource, visit godsnotdead.org to download content. God's Not Dead books and evangelistic materials are also made available on godsnotdead.org.)
Without question, the biggest stumbling block to many people believing in God is the existence of evil and suffering. Even those who believe in God have turned their back on Him because of negative, tragic circumstances in their life or in those they love.
WHY? (Why do bad things happen?) This is the most frequently asked question of God.
Skeptics claim that God is either not loving because He allows evil, or not all–powerful because He can’t stop it. (But God is also all–wise, which means that in His wisdom, a world like ours, with all it’s suffering, is also a world with great joy and happiness, and we are created in such a way that we can understand this.)
Evil is not just an issue to debate — it is the central struggle of the human race.
Evolution has no answer for the problem of evil. That’s because (looking through the eyes of Darwin) the struggle for survival is what pushes all of life forward. Therefore how could you curse the process that actually caused humanity to exist? No two world-views could be as opposite: Darwin says the law of life is “the strong survive and eliminate the weak.” Jesus said, “Let you who are strong bear the burden of the weak and the helpless.”
Which is really true?
Richard Dawkins: The world’s most famous atheist says we are simply here to propagate our DNA. DNA just is...and we dance to its music. He also says that we shouldn’t look to Darwinian evolution as a model as to how to set up our values.
But if that’s the way we are then how can we go against our DNA?
Shouldn’t we just accept our fate as merely evolutionary beings with no real right and wrong?
This is the kind of world where a good God can make Himself known as far as His nature and character.
1) IF GOD IS AN ILLUSION, THEN GOOD AND EVIL BECOME ILLUSIONS TOO. (simply things we imagine or invent)
But we know good and evil are no illusions; therefore, there must be a transcendent Lawgiver behind this very real moral law.
QUOTE FROM C.S. LEWIS (Page 48 of GND)
“These, then, are the two points I want to make. First, that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave in that way. They know the Law of Nature; they break it. These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in.”
2) “WITHOUT GOD, ALL THINGS ARE PERMISSIBLE.” (Famous quote from the Russian writer Dostoyevsky, pg 53 GND).
The quote was written amidst the backdrop of the Russian culture being in upheaval and reflection of the implications of throwing God out.
Legendary atheists such as Nietzsche acknowledged the connection between the existence of God and the reality of evil. They would admit that in reality, good and evil were not real.
Note: The phrase “God is dead” was coined by Nietzsche. He wasn’t saying that God had actually died, but that the concept of Christian morality had been killed by the hypocrisy of those that claimed to believe in God.
3) IF THERE IS NO GOD, THEN THERE IS NO EVIL. (pg. 42 GND)
If there is no God, then there is no such thing as evil. You can’t describe the world we live in without borrowing the Bible’s descriptions of reality.
4) AS THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD DECREASES IN A PERSON OR A CULTURE, EVIL RISES. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD ACTS LIKE AN IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT HELPS A SOCIETY RESIST EVIL. (Romans 1:28-29)
5) THEREFORE, THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL DOESN’T INDICATE THE ABSENCE OF GOD FROM THE WORLD, BUT THE ABSENCE OF HIM FROM OUR LIVES.
6) BELIEVING IN GOD WON’T GUARANTEE THAT PEOPLE WILL DO RIGHT THINGS.
People who don’t acknowledge God can do good things, just like people who do acknowledge God can do bad things.
EXAMPLE: Just because you believe in the existence of the police as well as the speed limit doesn’t mean you won’t break the law.
7) ATHEISM DOESN’T TAKE AWAY THE PAIN, IT JUST TAKES AWAY THE HOPE. People turn away from God because of pain and suffering in the world. It’s more of an emotional decision versus a logical or rational one.
8) THE GOSPEL IS THE CURE FOR EVIL. (pg. 60-61)
•God defines evil…He tells us what it is.
•God denounces evil…He tells us to stay away from it (while allowing us the chance to choose).
•He defeated evil at the Cross.
1 Peter 2:24 “He bore our sins in His own body at the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”
He will destroy evil totally from the world in the near future.
The story of the Bible is, from start to finish, the beginning and end of evil from Genesis to Revelation.
The choice is still set before us...
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ they are new creations, the old is gone and the new has come.”
Second City Church- God's Not Dead Sermon Series 2015