Wish I could do more, more than clap. But he deserves not just our clap, he deserves our lives. He deserves our faith, our heart. This message, I was thinking about it for a while, especially for the young people. There's not many young people here today. The younger people, I remember a prayer of little Alex a couple months ago. And he prayed something that, and I was listening. I was sitting there and he prayed, he said, will you please pray for me or yeah, pray for me because I'm having doubts about God and the Bible and I want to know how I can know this stuff is real and how I know it's for sure. And I started thinking about that and just the other day I was in Giant in the supermarket and I ran into a man. I was by the fruit section, and it was a younger man, probably in his 30s, and he was just, I don't know, I just sensed he was troubled about something, and I said, how are you? How you doing? And he says, well, I'm not doing good. And I said, why, what's wrong? And he stopped and told me. He said, I have S-T-E-S-E-D. He was naming all these things. And I was, well, what are they? And he was telling me about his depression and going through these things. And then I told him, well, I'm a Christian. And then he said, well, listen, to me, you'll probably think I'm a heretic. And I said, why do you say that? He goes, well, because everyone calls me a heretic. I said, well, I don't think you're a heretic. I just, maybe you just don't know some things and you need some answers questioned. You know, you have some questions that need to be answered. And then we start talking and came to find out that he believed in God. But through a trial of events, so many bad things happened in his life. I mean, he suffered a lot, according to the story. Suffered a lot in life. And he said, if there's a God, why do these bad things happen? You know what? I just don't even believe there's a God. So then I was thinking, and I was thinking, you know what? I want to preach to you, and I want to teach and just exhort you. And I just want to talk about something. How do we know we are in the truth? Like, how do we know what we believe is true? How do we know it's true what we're doing here? I mean, we're taking time out of our lives, we're sitting in church Wednesday, and I love the Bible, and the Bible says that blessed are they that believe and have not seen. Amen? We are serving a God, and we believe in a God that we've never seen. Think about that. We are giving our lives to someone that we have not seen in person with our eyes. We have not beheld, but yet we love him, we pray to him, we want to serve him. And one day we will see him face to face. But I want to come to a message. I have a message. How do we know We are in the truth. It's a very basic, simple message, and I want to encourage you. I'm glad Charity's here, Ricky, and everyone, all of you. I'm just looking at some younger people. How do we know we are in the truth? Well, in John chapter eight, verse 32, you don't have to turn there yet. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. The truth about God, truth about life, truth about why you're here, truth about our purpose, truth about yourself. A lot of people don't like the truth about themselves, right? The truth that God is real. And this will be part one. I would maybe next Wednesday or next time I preach here, maybe a night service or a Wednesday service, part two would be, how do we know that God we believe is real? There's many gods. There's many religions. There's many denominations. How do we know what we believe is the right one? There's so many out there. I want to talk about that too. I can't wait for that. But right now I want to talk about the truth that God is real. I like the one time an atheist asked me, prove to me God is real. You know, show me a God, right? And I just want to say God is a spirit. God is a spirit, and the Bible says we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. You can't see a spirit. Even, like a matter of fact, on programs of old time, whenever they had shows or movies or pictures of a ghost, they had a sheet over somebody. They had a sheet over something. In other words, you couldn't see what was in front of you, but if you throw a sheet on it, it'll lay on top of the thing, right? Okay, well, God is a spirit. He's part of the Holy Ghost, but we must worship him in spirit and truth. You can't see a spirit. So how can I believe in something I can't see? And a lot of people think that, well, I don't see God, so I don't believe God. Well, you don't see the wind, but you feel the wind. You feel the wind. So you might not be able to see God, but you could feel God. You feel his comfort when you're in the worst trials, when you're sad and down, there's a presence. When you call out on him, there is a supernatural presence that comes to you and heals you and his grace is sufficient. And that's not normal. That's God. So the wind is real. You can't see it, but you can feel it. God is real. And we can see God in creation, in creation. Look with me in Psalms 19 one. Psalms, the book of Psalms, chapter 19, Psalm 19, verse 1. Psalm 19, verse 1, the Bible says, the heavens declare the glory of God. Now there's three heavens. There's three heavens. The first heaven is where the birds fly. The second heaven is where the stars and planets are. And the third heaven is where God dwells, angels dwell, where we will dwell one day also. So there's three heavens. And the Bible says the heavens declare, show, speak, prove the glory of God. And the firmament showeth his handiwork. One person, I had a friend, I think I've told this before, I had a friend who was an atheist. We were friendly. I respected him as a human being. I showed him respect. And I wanted to say something to you because I had a friend that, you know what he told me? He said, Mike, you're very odd. And I thought maybe because I was weird or heavy set or whatever. I was like, well, what do you mean? He goes, well, when I speak to most Christians, all they do is bash me, put me down, and they don't treat me as a human being. He's right. He's right. No one cares to know what you know until they know you care. And though I had my belief and I stood firm on what I believed, but I treated him with respect as a human being. We should respect people more than anyone else in the world. We shouldn't disrespect people. Matter of fact, the Bible doesn't say, well, if someone's lost, disrespect him. Matter of fact, we should be the light of the world and show him more love so he sees Christ in us. That's true. So I had a friend and we were talking and he said, Mike, show me God. And I was like, well, I'll show you through my life. And he goes, no, no, no. Seriously. He said, without the Bible. He said, how can you prove God exists? How can you prove to me God is real? And real quick, like a Nehemiah prayer, I said, God, please quick, give me something quick. What do I wanna say? And God did. So I looked at him and I said, so, okay. I said, let me give you an example. I said, your shirt right there. I said, someone made that. He goes, yeah. I said, your pants, someone made that. He was leaning against his car. We were talking outside. Someone made that vehicle. Well, yeah, there's a maker. There's an inventor. He had a watch on. Someone made that watch. I said, matter of fact, since you were born, you were surrounded by things. Everything you've ever known, someone made. Your house, your bed, your shoes, your toys, computer, television. I mean, come on, guys. Work, the building that we're in, this floor, this pulpit. Even someone made this Bible. I mean, literally, the binding, a publisher. I said, so how is it? that everything you've ever experienced in your life, everything you've ever had in your life, everything you've ever known in your life, there has been an inventor or a maker of what you have, but you step outside, you look at the stars, and no one made that. You look at the trees and the birds and no one made them. So everything you've ever known in life, there's a maker, but yet the stars and the moon and the animals and the oceans and the beautiful sunrises, no one made that. And he looked at me and he says, you know, though I don't believe you, that was a good point. That was just logic. Just God, his truth and that God is real is spoken to us through nature. You know, everywhere you're at, you ever just look at something and say, that is absolutely beautiful. You ever drive through Pennsylvania during the fall time and the changing of the colors of leaves, and it looks like a paintbrush, doesn't it? It looks like God himself painted the trees. And we sit back without a Bible, without a church, and we go, somebody had to have made this. There's no way an explosion, which is chaos, can create order. Nothing orderly comes from chaos. I'll give you an example. If you leave your garden alone, it doesn't get better, it gets worse. It overgrows. No, you have a maker, someone outside has to come and clean it and do it. And it's the same thing with God. It's so true. So another proof that God is real is the creation of the human race. Now listen, I wish I could, and I don't have time, but scientists can't even understand the human eye. It's so intricate. The human eye, we don't really fully understand. We've actually learned by dissecting the human eye, that's why we have cameras, we know how to zoom in and out. They still can't compute how is it the brain sees waves. What we see is our reality. It's so deep that we can't explain it. What is light? You know, what is light? Now we can say it's energy and it's this and that. There are things, basic things in our life that we don't even know what it is. We try to explain it. We try. We don't even know what it is. Now the creation of the human race. Now think about this. There are about, I think, 7 billion people in the world today. 7 billion people in the world today. And world studies have shown that 14% 14% of the whole entire world. 14% of the 7 billion of the world are non-religious, secular, agnostic, and or atheist. So out of 7 billion people, 14% are either non-religious, secular, agnostic, and atheist. This group makes up only 14% of the world. So about 14% of all the people in the world don't believe in God or a God of some sort. But that's actually not even true, because that survey named agnostics. Agnostics are part of that 14%, but agnostics believe there might be a higher being, that there is a God, they just don't know which one. They don't claim Christianity, Buddha, or Muslim. They say, hey, I believe there's something, there's gotta be a creator, but I don't know which one. That's agnostic. Atheists say there's no God, it's a fairy tale. God is like the tooth fairy. That's what atheists say. God is a fairy tale, it's a joke, it's made up, it's like Santa Claus. So because agnostics believe in God, now that 14% is lower. So let's say 7%. So 7% of the world does not believe in God or does not believe in some kind of higher being. 7% out of 7 billion. So therefore, the actual number of people who believe that there is a God of some sort, a God, a creator, a maker, something spiritual, something that there's an outside source that is created, other not believe in the Big Bang or that there is no God, but yet God is responsible for that, is approximately 6 billion and 20 million people. So 6 billion and 20 million people, 6 billion and 20 million, believe that there is some kind of God out there in the year of 2018. Now, if we go back further, it's like 100%. I mean, there was a time everyone believed in God. I mean, if you're an atheist, that's kind of weird. Whoa, you don't even believe there's a God? You know, I mean, even the Romans had Theos and all these different gods. The Greeks had Zeus and all, you know, I mean, there's all types of gods, but at least they believed something. The majority of the whole world believes there is a God of some sort. Is that true? Yes, that's what, yeah. The majority of the world has believed that there is a God since the beginning of time. So since recorded history of the human race, the majority, almost 90% of all the world believes in some kind of higher power or maker from history. And still in the year 2018, after all technology, after all the schools denounce God, after all the schools and the teachers teach evolution, the Big Bang, we have scientists, we have 24 hours The news media, movies, billboards, magazines are saying, there's no God, there's no God, there's no God, your God's not true, all gods are the same, and then evolution, we're being bombarded, but yet in the year 2018, still 90% of the world believes that there is some sort of God. Now, the question is why? Why would the human race, since the beginning of time, till now, 2018, still have some type of desire or belief that there is something greater that has made us, that there's a Heavenly Father somewhere out there, why? If we just came from an explosion, and there's no real God, why would everyone from the beginning believe there's a God? I mean, if there was no God, why would the human race naturally look for a God, naturally? It's almost like it's part of our DNA. It's almost like it's part of the human race to look or to cry out to or to seek. Now I'm going to tell you why. Because God created us. God is the creator of the human race. Every maker puts his stamp. Like how do we know the phone? Apple has his little apple. How do we know IBM computers back in the day? How do we know Sony? Every creator of their product has their stamp, so you know who is the creator. Isn't that true? Well, how do we know? How do we know that God is the creator of the human race? Because over 90% of the human race looks for him, cries for him, believes in some kind of creator, whether it's a rock, a tree, a frog, whether it's the universe, they believe in something. It's because God created us, we are made in the image of God. Now, God put his light in us or his mark in us so that human race naturally looks for him to believe in him. So think about this. Someone said here that, you know, I'm just not happy. I wanna tell you something. God made it that a human being will never be satisfied, will never be happy until they find the creator. It's already that. Why are so many people have millions of dollars? They have all the wealth and riches and they're still miserable inside. Even though money and though fame and though popularity and though great material things can help in the moment, over a period of time, that emptiness is still there. Why? God put that on purpose so that His creation naturally will never be happy until they find Him. I thank God for that. Because sometimes I say that I didn't find God, God found me. God loves us so much, He wants us to find Him. But so he knew that we're so crazy and knuckleheads, like the guy said, that if he didn't put his light in us and his mark, we would never look for him. The Bible says no man seeketh after God, right? So we are created for God and to worship him, and that's why the whole human race through the beginning of a time have believed in something because God put his mark there. Now look with me in John 1.9. I wanna show you something. John chapter one. Verse 9. Amen. John chapter 1 verse 9. Talking about Jesus Christ, our Savior. John chapter 1 verse 9. Okay? That was the true light. Talking about Jesus. Watch this. Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. That's talking about the human race being born on this earth. That's not talking about a saved person or lost person. So God lights every man or woman that's born on this earth. Now what does that light mean? His stamp, his mark. He has put something in man to never be fulfilled, never be satisfied, never be truly happy until they find God. Isn't that amazing? Now look with me in Colossians 1.16. In Colossians 1.16. Amen. In Colossians 1, verse 16, the Bible says, for by Him, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, for by Him were all things created. So we were created by God. That are in heaven and that are on earth. visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, watch this, all things were created by him, and what? For him. We were created to be with God. We were created to worship God. We were created to find him. Have you found him? Have you found him? People know and believe that there is a God so much You ready for this? People believe in God so much, or let's say this, people believe in some form of God, a God, so much that people do crazy things and kill for their God. How do you explain that? that they really believe, like they really believe there's a God. And guess what? They're right, there is a God, they just have the wrong God, but there is a God. So that's why a lot, you say, well, how can they believe that? We gotta understand, they were born naturally believing that there is a creator, just so happened the devil gave them a false. God, a false creator. So with that natural inclination to believe, with that false teaching, they put their whole heart into it. To me, that's a proof that there's a God, guys. If God didn't exist, people would be like... If God did not exist, it would be hard for anyone to believe there's a God. But it's so easy for people to believe in God. All over the world, different cultures, different races, different religions. Everyone believes, or 90% of the world, believes that there is something. So you know, some people are so fanatical for their God, though they might be wrong, that they'll sacrifice their children to it. is they really believe. Now they're wrong, but they really believe. And there is a God, they just have the wrong God. Some people will worship anything, but where does that come from though? That's my point. Where does it come from to wanna worship something? God put that there. Now, they are wrong. They didn't, but they have a natural desire to know God. Now, there is a problem today. People believe in God wrongly and do not know the true and living God. Look with me in Acts chapter 17. We're almost done. Look in Acts chapter 17. Paul even saw that, the apostle Paul, in his day, in Acts chapter 17, verse 23. 22 and 23 acts chapter 17 verse 22 and 23 is everyone there Okay, then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said ye men of Athens I Perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious for as I passed by and beheld your devotions I I found an altar with this inscription, to the unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. Basically it was Paul saying, listen, you guys believe in God, you believe in a God, you don't even know his name, I'm gonna let me tell you the real God. And then he gave an opportunity to start preaching God. How do I know God exists and he is real? Number one, his creation tells us that he's real. Number two, God put light in man to seek him. 90% of the whole world seeking or wanting to believe in a God or God. Number three, and I'm gonna close on this point. Number three, how do I know God is real and God is true and God exists? You guys wanna know the best way I know? Because God saved me. See, you can deny God, but you can't deny my testimony. You can say, God doesn't exist. Well, let me tell you how he exists in me. Let me tell you how he changed my heart. God changed my mind. God changed my path. I know God personally. That's why I like when someone says, no one knows God. I know God. I like when someone says, no one knows if they're going to heaven when they die. Well, I'm someone, and I know I'm going to heaven when I die. God, the Creator, the God of the universe, actually, literally, I believe this and know it, God came inside of me. Like God, the creator, came inside of me. I cannot deny God, guys. I can't deny God. I mean, it's just as real as me touching this, or someone smacking me, or that I'm a man, or that I'm breathing. That's how real it is. And I don't just know about God, I know God, and it's big different. He transformed my life. I remember back in 1994. I remember my life before I knew God, and I know my life after I knew God. Well, how do you explain that change? You can't explain the change. As a matter of fact, when I found God and got saved, can I be honest with you? I had everything going great in my life at the time, honestly. We were living in Norwood. I was doing great in sports. My name was in the paper. I was in school. normal teenage boy. I didn't have emptiness. I found out that I did. But it wasn't like I was suffering at the time and looking for something. I really found God, or should I say God found me. He starts speaking to me and challenging me and manifesting and questioning. Thoughts and questions came to my mind. Why do I exist? Why why am I even born? Who am I? What are we? We're human, you know, why is animals different? I even thought if I was to die, where would I go? Okay, I answered you I did not know and I started getting shaken up only God the Holy Spirit can reveal that to you I cannot deny God God lives inside me. He transformed my life. He transformed my heart. Don't tell you something I naturally don't love people. I naturally love my own. I naturally love my own, my family, my friends. The Bible says sinners love other sinners like themselves. Drunks love other drunks. Murderers love other murderers. The mafia love other mobsters. But I don't just naturally love people who I don't even know. Matter of fact, I don't naturally forgive my enemies. That's not normal or natural. If you have an enemy, you want to pay them back. I want to see them suffer too. You hit me, I hit you back. That's the world. We've all grown up in that. Now I don't want to hit anyone. I want to love everyone. I want to shine their shoes. And if they hurt me, I'll hurt. But I want to pray for them. I might want to talk to them and say, what happened, brother? What's going on? We're brothers in Christ. Why do you feel this way? Let's pray. I believe there's a solution in Christ. I believe there's no problem God can't solve. Well, that's not normal. I wasn't raised believing that or even understanding that. God changed my heart. I love people of different color. I love people of different races, different countries. I love people who disagree with me. I love people who don't even believe what I believe. But that wasn't always like that. God changed me. Jesus Christ, the Savior, came into my heart and changed my heart. How do I know God exists? Because God came in me. Amen? God not only changed my heart, my mind, He changed my destiny. I know where I'm going when I die. How about you? Not only me, but billions and billions of believers in history, throughout history. How is it that I can read a book of someone in Germany of hundreds of years ago, someone in Israel thousands of years ago, that got saved the same way I got saved, and we've never met? How do you explain that? How do you explain that I can go anywhere in the world and I find another Christian? There's like this connection of love and brotherhood. I don't even know who they are. But there's something in my chest and there's something in your chest. And the Jesus in me loves the Jesus in you. And the Jesus in you loves the Jesus in me. That's not normal. To me that's a proof that there's a God. Amen? There is a God and He is real. How do I know? He changed my life. And not just mine, billions of other believers. We're not alone. This is not something new or made up. And you know what? We all get saved the same way too. By the cross. No one can know the Father without the cross. You came to the cross if you're saved, I came to the cross. You might have been in a different state, different country, one might be in the bathroom, one might be on the floor, one might have been in the church or your church house, but we all realize we were sinners, we realize we're wrong, we all realize he was right, we're guilty, he's the Savior, and we all gave our hearts to Jesus Christ. We've all repented of our sins toward the Father and received Christ as our Savior, isn't that true? How do you explain that? There is a God, you can explain it. Look with me in 2 Timothy chapter one, Second Timothy, chapter one, amen. There is a God. I wish more young people were here to hear this. They doubt, they're not sure, there's no confidence that there's a God. Look with me in Second Timothy, chapter one, verse 12. The apostle Paul said, for the witch cause I also suffer these things, Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. Are you ashamed of God? If God's so real and he's real to you, are you ashamed of him? I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. I personally met God, I'll be honest with you. I met him. I met him the day I got saved. It was almost like I really met him personally, eye to eye. That's how it was. It was an experience that when I heard the gospel and believed, I came to the Savior's feet and I asked Him to save me and it was like I was talking to Him and He was right there. And when I did, it wasn't like, I hope He did I guess well I guess I have to believe because I did the I did the ABC 1 2 3 so I guess I have to believe it no no something really happened to me like I really something really happened to me supernatural God himself came into me was like I knew him like my eyes were open and the scales fell off like the Apostle Paul now look with me we're gonna end with these verses we're gonna end here Acts 22 Acts chapter 22 Verses three, we'll start in verse three. Acts chapter 22, there is a God. Acts chapter 22, verse three. The apostle Paul is giving his testimony before kings. I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Sicilia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God as ye are this day." He was a Jew. He was Jewish. He did not believe in Jesus Christ. He did not only not believe that Jesus Christ was God and the Messiah, he killed, he found children who confessed Christ, killed them, and threw them in the prison. Women, pregnant, stomped their babies out. killed the women, drug him to prison, killed, he killed, like, bloodshed Christians, like people do today. There's people that kill Christians today. He was one of them. He hated Jesus. Hated Jesus. And he just didn't say, I hate Jesus. He killed people in the name of their God. and was zealous toward God as ye are all this day. Four, and I persecuted this way unto the death, he killed Christians, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness and all the estate of the elders from whom also I received letters unto the brethren and went to Damascus to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished. So he wanted to punish more Christians, throw them in prison. He got letters from his priest, the people above him. He got letters so legally in his religion amongst the Jews that he could kill these people. And it came to pass that as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And you know, this man was full of anger, hatred for Jesus. Something happened to him. He met God. He met Jesus Christ. And it was so real to him. Not only did he fall down and a light blinded his eyes, but the people who were with him, who were also not Christians, they were Jews, they did not believe in Jesus Christ, they were with him, they saw a light. They're testifying, yeah, we saw a light, we didn't hear a voice, but we saw a light too and saw the man who was killing Christians fall off his horse and he's screaming out. And then all of a sudden, saw this Jew killing Christians, hears a voice saying, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. And then Saul, trembling, saw God. He saw Jesus Christ. And he's now submitting, saying, I once was killing your people. Lord, what will thou have me to do? Guys, that's not normal. That's powerful. If that's not a proof that God exists, I don't know what else does. And I want to tell you something, like the apostle Paul met God, I met God. I might not have had a light round about me and I was blind, but the same way he talked to Jesus, I talked to Jesus. And the same way he met God and heard his voice, I met God and heard his voice. And God is so real in me, I can stand here today and tell you, God is real. And I am saved, and I know God, and every one of you can too. Now I have a quick question. Have you met God? But not just in your mind, not just praying a prayer. Have you ever met God? Do you doubt if there is a God? Do you have doubts? Do you know him personally? Maybe you have doubts, maybe you don't have strength, maybe you don't have full confidence that God is in you and you're in him, because maybe you never met him. Once you meet somebody, you'll never doubt, guys. And I know the devil sometimes makes us want to doubt, but you know if you met him or not. Did you meet God? So this first study that we're doing is, how do we know the truth that there is a God? Next week, whether Sunday night or Sunday morning or Wednesday, I'm not sure, I'm gonna go to part two. How do we know the God we believe is the right one? And we'll get into that too, let's pray.