How Do You Know?

How Do You Know?

Introduction

A. How do you know? -- is a question that often causes anxiety among the children of God who must defend their faith.

1. Paul was "set for the defense of the gospel" -- Philippians 1:17 and urged the brethren to "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" v. 27

2. Peter wrote "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:..." (1 Peter 3:15) Always in the context of suffering or enduring for your faith; sacrificing and denying yourself ... why do you do these things? is it worth it?

B. Well consider the common ones and some available answers.

1. How do you know that Bible is the Word our Creator God?

2. How do you know there is only One Way to please God?

3. How do you know that a Single-Parent household is not just as good as the Father-Mother household?

I. Bible is the Word of God

A. Modern scientists are Dirty Old Men and Pathological Liars.

1. They lie about God and Creation in order to talk young women into giving up their virtue. After all, we are just Neanderthal Men, little different from the other animals.

2. They lie about the age of the rocks and the dinosaurs giving them ages that would seem to contradict the Bible account of Creation. If there was no creation, then there might not be any God to judge us for our selfish and fleshly behavior.

3. The lie about their research to guarantee their funding. They exaggerate their findings for economic and political and moral reasons. Beware!

4. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits ...

B. There is no other conclusion you can honestly reach when you intelligently consider the evidence that God has left us to consider. As He says in Romans 1:18-20, we are without excuse.

1. The Bible written over a period of 1500 years by at least 40 different prophets.

2. The writers were from three different continents, three different languages, and numerous cultures and prejudices.

3. Even so -- there is ONE THEME from start to finish, Genesis to Revelation, 1400 BC to 100 AD, Egypt, Sinai, Caanan, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.

-- ONE STANDARD of MORALS throughout, although there is development, revolution, slaves, masters, conquerors, vanquished ...

-- ONE PROMISED HOPE, from Genesis 12:1-3: the blessing all nations through the seed of Abraham (nearly 2000 BC) to the first century beginning of world evangelism and the fulfillment of transforming warring savages into loving, self-sacrificing Christians all over the world.

C. Want more? -- The Prophecies concerning nations and peoples both short term and long term.

1. Remarkable prophecies in the new nation of Israel in Deuteronomy.

2. Detailed prophecies about the young developing nation of Babylonia in Isaiah.

-- include also details about Tyre, Sidon, Egypt, Assyria, and even Greece and Rome.

3. Ultimately the Messianic prophecies concerning the birth, life and death of the Christ Jesus in Isaiah, Micah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Add to that, Malachi's prophecies about the predecessor Elijah who would prepare the way and bear witness to the Messiah.

D. Want more? -- The Resurrection of Jesus and the witnesses the God provided to convince us that it really happened is all conclusive and cannot be explained away.

1. The testimonies of the eye-witnesses: Acts 2:32; 1:21-22; 22:3-15

-- notice especially the character of the witnesses as displayed by their writings

-- notice the consistency of their teachings even as they are scattered by severe persecution, and their willingness to die both for their testimony as well as for their hope and the Lord Jesus that they believed in.

2. The living testimonies of five living monuments to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

a. the Living Word which advocates the resurrection

b. the Living Baptism practiced the world over for 2,000 years as a physical action reflecting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus

c. the Living Lord's Supper taken by churches the world over to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus.

d. the Living First Day of the Week assembly on the day that Jesus was raised from the dead.

e. the Living Church and her Faith that exists solely because she believes that Jesus was raised from the dead.

II. How do you know there is only ONE WAY to please God and go to heaven?

A. God is one and does not change.

1. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

2. Hebrews 6:16-18 God swore with an oath to show the immutability of His counsel.

3. John 17:17-23 God has His Truth, His Glory, and Oneness of agreement

4. John 14:6 Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and The Life, No one cometh unto the Father but by Him.... He is the only true and living way. Acts 4:12 there is salvation in no other name, there is no other name given under heaven whereby we must be saved.

5. John 4:23 True Worship is in spirit and truth.

B. Jesus the way is narrow

1. Matthew 7:13-14 broad way leads to destruction. What does not narrow imply?

2. Matthew 7:21-23 must DO the Will of God. What is the Will of God?

3. How do we know WHAT is the Will of God? Herein lies the principle of authority. We must ask, "It is written" Where does the Bible say that? Matthew 4

C. All questions about RIGHT and WRONG are about WHAT GOD THINKS!

-- What is written in His Book?

-- Not what is the "consensus?'

-- Not what do the majority of the scientists think?

-- Not what do the majority of the school teachers think?

-- Not what do the majority of the citizens of the U. S. A. -- nor the United Nations -- nor the Nation of Islam or its mullahs -- nor the majority of the Cardinals of Rome? nor the majority of the dictators of the world?

-- Who shall define what majority we accept as authority?

1. Questions about Salvation from SIN -- Pattern of Worship -- Pattern of Family morality....

2. Revelation 20:11-12 judged by the books of God, v. 15 those not found in the Book of Life are cast out.

3. Revelation 21:27 excluded: those who work "abomination"

-- Says who? or who makes it a "lie" (who says it is a lie?)

-- Answer is that our Creator God shall judge.

III. How do you know that Marriage is the Only Way or the Best Way?

A. Matthew 19:1-9 God made them male and female and brought them together, joined them and made them one flesh.

B. Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable in all -- but otherwise (whoremongers -- men who have sex with prostitutes or loose women) and adulterers God will judge.

1. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 sin against the body

2. Ephesians 5:3-12 because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience

3. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 Sanctification demands that we abstain from fornication. The Lord is the avenger of this "fraud" against your brother. God has called us to holiness and not to "uncleanness."

F. Idylic Family Scene: Proverbs 31

1. v. 1 The prophecy that his mother taught him

2. v. 2 My son, son of my womb, son of my vows (marriage vows are the foundation of the ideal family)

3. v. 3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. (notably King David, King Ahab)

4. v. 4-9 Don't drink and forget the law, and pervert justice.

5. v. 10 A virtuous woman, who can find? for her price is far above rubies.

a. There is no particular virtue in procreation, giving birth, or fathering children. Scoundrels do every day without the slightest consideration for the future of their offspring.

b. There is no virtue in giving your strength to women.

c. There is no virtue in the seduction of otherwise good men or women.

d. There is no virtue in getting drunk and forgetting the law or perverting justice.

6. v. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, ...

a. Loyalty to the marriage vows made before God creates trust,

b. Loyalty to the marriage vows made before God creates integrity, strength of character, a firm of alliance dedicated to bringing up well trained children, well prepared children who likewise will make good marriage material.

c. "so that he shall have no need of spoil (lack of gain)" The husband will be successful because he has a peaceful, solid bedrock home, marriage, and family to struggle for and support him through the difficult economic times.

-- They will succeed where others fail because they are a team; they are no longer his and hers but ours. They two are one flesh.

-- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one. Stronger that the two individually. Add the sons and daughters and witness the great strength of a united family.

7. v. 12 "She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."

-- The virtuous woman will do her husband good, that is, the effect of her presence in his life, the effect of her work at his side and under his authority, bound to him by love and loyalty both to him and to God, the effect of her presence in his life will be good.

-- That is the reason why marriage and a godly home is the best choice.

8. v. 13 "She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."

a. Wool and flax are used to make clothing for the family: wool for the warm winter clothing and flax for making fine linen, comfortable clothing for the well-clothed.

b. "Willingly with her hands" -- she gives herself to this work because she is married and has a family to clothe, whom she takes pride in adorning as elegantly as is possible. She has time to do that because her husband is making a living and she is not a single mom charged with playing the role of both provider and care-giver for the children.

9. v. 14-22 She is like a merchant, working as hard as any man in order to feed and clothe her family. There is no unmarried mother or father that can do these things.

a. She bringeth her food from afar.

b. She riseth up while it is still night (just like the industrious merchants) to give meat to her household, and to her maidens (perhaps servants)

c. She buys a field to plant a vineyard, loins girded for the hard work that requires strong arms.

d. She not only rises in the night but she continues working into the night with candle burning, hands to the spindle, spinning wool into thread holding the distaff from which she spins the tow of flaxen fiber. Distaff is now a term referring to the woman's side of the family.

10. v. 20 She is compassionate toward the poor. She can afford to be generous because she works hard enough to have more than she and her family needs, Ephesians 4:28. She is not afraid of the snow because the woolen garments are already made. Her clothing is silk and purple. She has dignity and respect for herself precisely because she knows that her family is well cared for and she has done her part.

11. v. 23-31 Her husband is respected because of her. Enough of this war of the sexes. None of her work diminishes the dignity and respect of her husband. There is no competition of the sexes, nor envy and insults, nor shameful of scramble for credit as to who is more worthy.

12. v. 26 "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." She is wise enough to be kind with her words.

a. She has that meek and quiet spirit of 1 Peter 3:1-4.

b. She is unlike the loud and boisterous worldly woman of Proverbs 9:13 "clamour, simple, knowing nothing" 7:11 "loud and stubborn, her feet do not remain in her house"

13. v. 28-31 Praised by her children, by her husband, by her own works in the gates of the city where the elders and judges sit and impart counsel.

-- She is what she is and does what she does because she "feareth the Lord" as in Ephesians 5:22 "as unto the Lord"

-- Proverbs 31:2, my son, the son of my womb, the son of my vows ... The beauty and greatness of the virtuous woman is that she is virtuous, and loyal to her promises to God even in marriage and family.

C. Abraham and Sarah

1. Genesis 12:1-5 Abram took Sarai his wife ...and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan ...

2. Genesis 16:1-2 Sarai gave Abram her maid to bear him children when she could not

-- 17:15-19 Sarai shall be called Sarah (Princess) mother of nations, will bear Isaac

-- 18:1-15 Sarah quickly prepared bread, while the servants prepared the calf to feed the angel-strangers. Sarah laughed when she overheard them announce the conception and birth of Isaac.

-- 21:1-7 Isaac is born. Sarah says, "Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age."

-- 23:1-20 Death of Sarah and purchase of the cave of Macpelah from Ephron the Hittite near Hebron (Kirjatharba). Burial of Sarah.

3. 1 Peter 3:1--6 Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and arenot afraid with any amazement."

a. Sarah obeyed Abraham in Genesis 18:5 when the angels visited them and Abraham told her to make and bake some bread to entertain them.

b. Sarah overheard the angels tell Abraham that she would bear a son and she laughed within herself, v. 12, calling Abraham her "lord" in her own heart!.

-- "lord"(kurios) differs from "master" (despotes) in that master is used of the slave-master relationship in which the master does not have to consider the well-being of the slave when he commands, whereas the "lord" of the family is restrained by the responsibility to care for his wife and children.

-- Sarah trusted in her husband to know and to do the best he could for the family and for her and thus she followed his orders obediently.

-- But Sarah lied about her laughter out of fear and was rebuked by God. God on the otherhand wants the daughters of Sarah to be serene, quiet, and trusting in God in the face of the possible fear of an unbelieving husband.

-- Thus trusting in her husband-lord, God gave her two ornaments: the title, Sarah "Princess" and the son Isaac whose name means "laughter."

c. Hebrews 11:11 Sarah is further honored as a heroine of faith who "received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." Precisely for that reason Abraham , as good as dead, also fathered innumerable progeny.

D. Contrast with the immoral women of the Proverbs 2:16-19.

1. She is aggressive. Flatters with her words. Forgets her covenant with God.

2. Her way leads down to death for the men who responde to her, v. 18-19

3. Repeated counsel: 5:1-14; 6:24-35 (jealousy, rage, vengeance that cannot be ransomed); 7:5-27 (drama detailed); 9:13-18 (foolish woman). 22:14; 23:27-28; 29:3; 30:18-19; 31:3

E. Famous adulteries

1. David and Bathsheba, adultery, murder, corruption, children scandalized raping and killing each other.

2. Jephtah, Judges 11:1-11 illegitimate son cast out, gathers a band of vain men

3. Samson and Delilah, Judges 16:4-21

4. Sons of Eli, 1 Samuel 2:22

5. Herod Antipas and Herodias, Matthew 14:3-10

6. Samaritan woman, John 4:17, 18

7. 1 Peter 4:1-6 the will of the Gentiles