will be the last week Lord Willen will be in apologetics and so my goal is to this evening to kind of quickly but but just review where we are how far we've gotten if you guys have any questions feel free to ask because I don't want to go too fast it's we've been building for 10 weeks now. I wasn't here last week, but the prior 10 weeks we've been building, and most of it has been kind of abstract. And so, Lord willing, today we're going to shift, and then next week we're going to deal with the final, the practical, and what this looks like on the streets, per se. OK? And so, again, there's going to be a lot. But if you have any questions or whatever, feel free to ask. But remember, what is apologetics? The word mean, actually I just showed you up there, but who can tell me? Means to make a defense, make a verbal defense specifically, okay? And so it's not so much about being sorry, that's how we use it in our day. And why are we sorry? Why do we apologize? And the English word apology is we apologize cuz we're guilty of something, right? It's just interesting, the Greek word is exactly the opposite. Apology is to show your innocence, okay? So Socrates' apology was in dealing with that. But it's used eight times in the New Testament. Specifically, or the one that I've been emphasizing the most is 1 Peter 3, 15. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness. and reverence. And so a couple things, I emphasize this every time, number one, we need to do it with gentleness and reverence. And that's important because when we engage with people who we're needing to defend the faith against, there's going to be attacks against our most cherished and fundamental and ultimate beliefs, right? So how do we tend to respond when people attack our most ultimate fundamental beliefs? Do we tend to respond gentle, respectful, We don't. So again, my point is this is really important, especially with today's lesson. I'm not going to focus on that. But if we get to as far as I want to get to, it's imperative that we understand that we need to do so with gentleness and respect for the people. But the first part is to do what? To set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. And that is absolutely fundamental, that we need to set Christ apart as Lord in how we go about defending the faith. It's absolutely imperative. really kind of get into some of the nitty-gritty in that. And then lastly, who is this commanded to, to make a defense? Is it just to apologists? To pastors? See, it's to all Christians, okay? And so again, can that be intimidating? Because it says always being ready to make a defense to everyone. So some of you, especially you younger ones, I suspect, but probably adults as well, we might be able to think, well, maybe there's a person here or a person there that we might feel like, well, maybe we could do that. But especially you younger ones, I know some of you guys may not go to college, may go straight into the workforce, whatever. Many of you are considering college. When you guys think of going to a college, and if you go to a state university, and you encounter a college professor hostile, is that something that you think, oh yeah, I can't wait? Or is that something that would be intimidating? There are both, but I think one response is more common. What would you guys say? Not saying you've ever, some of you maybe have encountered it, but how would you respond? Would it be intimidating, or would it be like, bring it on? Intimidating, yeah. I was going to say the opposite. I was like, oh, I can do this. And then once I did encounter it, I was like, ooh, whatever. Sure. OK, sure. And I think most of us, I think, especially for you guys, because a lot of you guys are potentially going to be in areas like that, that's very much. You're going to have a lot of opportunities. And my hope is, this week and next week especially, building on the last 10 weeks of things that I'm going to go through super fast this morning, or this evening. My hope is, is that it'll give you confidence. Because you can. I mean, when the bio, again, it doesn't mean everybody has the same abilities. Are some people gifted in ways? in defending the faith that go beyond probably all of us in here? I mean, there are. Maybe one of you guys will be one of those. So I don't want to throw that out. But the point is, certainly. But all of us can. And I think if we understand these principles, it can help us in engaging and not being intimidated. Today's lesson, if I can get the main thrust of it, is going to be why. Why you shouldn't be. And so that's what we want to get to. But the point is, if you understand that this is all of us are called to, that can be an intimidating thing. But I think if we understand God's word, God's perspective, it's not. It really helps us to kind of bring it down to a level that we can all live, engage with. Let's see here. So again, I just wanted to point, we're to sanctify, set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. It's important to realize hearts is not, a lot of times nowadays we think, well, our hearts is where we have our feelings. I've not really spent a lot of time on this, but the heart in the scripture is where we do our thinking, our will, but you kind of see that in Proverbs 15, 28, the heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, okay? See, we don't typically talk that way now, right? What is it that would ponder how to answer? We would say our minds, typically, or our brains, or whatever. But it's important to recognize, then, that we need to set apart Christ as Lord in our thinking. That's the point I'm trying to help us to see. That's really important. The heart of man plans his way. You see the will, the volition. And so apologetics is defending the faith. Going to kind of skip over those pretty quickly. Three stages, then. We've really laid this groundwork about looking at how does God's word see mankind, okay, and specifically in regards to creation fall and the world. And I could give lots of examples. I was reading this on vacation last week, and my point is just to show, you know, we've looked at theology proper, okay, I've not used these words, okay, but we've looked at theology proper, we've looked at anthropology, and we've looked at cosmology. Okay, in regards to creation, fall, and redemption, not theology proper so much in those regards. But we have looked at theology proper, and we're laying a groundwork that the implications of those things has huge implications for education, but we're focusing on apologetics, okay? And see, if we just go into it with those big words, we don't see it. But I was reading in this book, and he says this, just listen to this. And my point is just to say, here's another example of a different book, different topic, different thing, but This one specifically is bad anthropology leads to liberalism. He says this, this modernistic conception recognizes that man is not what he ought to be. There is something wrong with him and with the whole world he is making, especially in our own times. Now the whole imposing structure of human culture and civilization threatens to collapse. This is deeply felt. Now here's the key right here. He says, however, it is maintained that man is not inherently corrupt. He is fundamentally good, but he is in need of reform. So that's anthropology, that's an understanding of mankind. That mankind isn't corrupt, but he's basically good, but he needs to be reformed. And so what does that lead to? So we must apply ourselves to man's reformation, to the building of his character, as well as to the improvement of his environment. And in this noble effort, we must take Jesus as our example, and turn to his teachings, especially to the Sermon on the Mount for our program of reformation. If man only learns to follow in his steps and to apply his teachings to all his life and relationships, he will be saved. He will then learn to acknowledge that, like Jesus, so he too is the Son of God, that God is the Father of all, that all men are brethren, and thus he will become a good, peace-loving creature. And the point is, guys, is I don't know how much you know about liberalism, but that's what liberalism is. It takes away the substitutionary atonement and says Jesus is our example. Well, that only makes sense if you have a bad anthropology that says man isn't corrupt, he just needs a little bit of reformation and Jesus can be that example that leads him. I mean, my point is you have a whole system of denominations in our day. Denominations that say they're Christian, that aren't. They follow a false religion and it's based on a bad anthropology. My point in all that is just to say, do you see how these topics that seem, you know, dry, you know, theology proper, anthropology, they have huge ramifications. I've been using the big words, epistemology and morality or ethics, okay? Again, those are big words, but everybody has them. It's just most people don't think about them. So it's really, really important that we've started here. And so when we look at mankind and the world, we've looked at creation. And again, how you understand these things is going to have huge implications. If you think the world today is like it's always been, OK? You're going to have a hard time, and you're going to misunderstand a lot of things about this world. Because this world isn't how it's always been, right? At creation, what was different about the world? There was no sin, so there was no evil. There was no death. There was huge differences, OK? And so the point is the people who don't recognize that, they look at the world and say, well, this is how it's always been. Well, it's not. And so those have huge implications. Hopefully, we'll see that as we go. So specifically, we've been focusing on epistemology, which what is epistemology again? How do you know what you know? And everybody has an epistemology. Your epistemology is why you watch Fox News instead of CNN or whatever. But hopefully, it's that way. Nah, I'm just teasing. That was a joke. But the point is, your epistemology determines what can you trust and what can't you. How do you know what you know? The news thing is just a joke. Please don't let that be a hang up. But really, it affects it. You have to decide, this is something I can trust. This is something I is not. How do you know? Is it just whatever you see? Is it whatever it may be? And then specifically, also, we looked at morality. And we saw that Adam and Eve, OK, In their knowledge, they didn't know all things, but all true knowledge came from God. Everything they knew, they were dependent upon God for. They looked to God for knowledge and understanding, and as they did that, they had true knowledge and understanding. Doesn't mean they knew everything, but what they had was true, because it came from God. Same thing with their morality. How did they know what was good and evil? How did they know what was right and wrong? They look to God, okay? See, that's the point, you had no sin. And so at creation, or at the fall then, that's the thing I've really tried to emphasize, is what? It's not just eating an apple, okay? But it's what? You'll be like God, okay? Specifically what? Knowing good and evil. And see, it's this creator-creature distinction that they had in creation, where Adam and Eve recognized we need God, we look to him. for true knowledge. We look to Him to know right from wrong. The temptation is you don't need God. You can know good and evil yourself. You don't need somebody else to tell you. You can determine it for yourself. It's really important. So Eve, God had said, the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. The snake, the serpent said what? You shall surely not die. And so what she did then is she took God's word versus Satan's word and said, okay, I'll be the one to determine, to interpret my world and see what's right and what's wrong, okay? And of course, we know what happened, okay? And this is where Jesus shows us what they should have done. When Jesus is tempted by the serpent, okay, by Satan, as God said, If you're really the Son of Man, turn these rocks into bread. Did Jesus sit and evaluate? He didn't. He said no. He was dependent upon God's Word as a perfect man. He said, it is written, man shall live by bread alone. And so, or not by bread alone, but by the very words of God. And so the point is, guys, is we see this, this is really, really important to see. Because what happened is, is Adam and Eve then began to measure, figure out their world by the carnal, how does he say it? This is Calvin's quote, but he calls it what? Gotta find it here. The yardstick of their own carnal stupidity. I don't even know who was that Gracie. Good job Yes, okay, and see the point is the eyes is we need to understand that that that Seeking to erase the creator creature distinction and thinking I can just determine myself. That's carnal stupidity Okay, now that it's not used that word isn't specifically in the Bible, but that's pretty good assessment of it. Okay? And so then lastly we see man redeemed and so when man is redeemed Okay? We need to recognize that Eve's basic failure was that she assumed independence from God in refusing to submit herself to God's word. And so she sought to just determine on her own. And so part of redemption is going back to being dependent upon God. And think about, this is how salvation even happens. How does salvation happen? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing of the word of God. Okay, and see, so the point is salvation, okay, faith comes through hearing, hearing the word of God. So we recognize God's word is trustworthy, and so the believer then confesses it and trusts Jesus as his Savior and Lord, okay? When you understand this authority in redemption, this is why what I've said before is like rainbow churches, okay, aren't really churches because they're saying we know better than God's word. We know better than what God's Word says, we can tell you what's right and what's wrong, what marriage really is. The Bible says marriage is between one man and one woman for life. But no, it's not really. It can be two men, two women, and there's no end to that then. It can be a man and six women, vice versa. I mean, there's just, you can't, they have no standard. And so when a church does that, guys, the point is, is there now, no longer being dependent upon God's word, submissive to him, and looking to him for morality, for knowledge. And so that's a fundamental issue, okay? And so the attitude that we have as believers, this is what Paul was worried about in 2 Corinthians 11. He says, I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. And then look what he says, but I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. See, the point is, is Eve, prior to the fall, was singularly focused, devoted to God and his word. Okay? And so what, as believers, the point is, is as redeemed people, we now are Back to where we're dependent upon God. We're looking to God. We're devoted to him, to his word, recognizing that creator-creature distinction. Now, do we have that perfectly as redeemed people? Do we perfectly? We don't, okay? We still have the noetic effects of sin. We still oftentimes reject aspects of God's word, various things come in. But the point is, And that's where Christians can still get it wrong. But fundamentally, that's what we are. We're brought back to where we were. And so, as the Christian, it's not us determining what's right and wrong, or determining how to interpret the world, it's the Word of God. The Word of God determines it, and we submit to what the Word of God says. Does that make sense? This is imperative, okay? And that's why, again, we see that Proverbs 1-7, it's the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It's not the end. It's the beginning, okay? Fools despise wisdom and instruction because they reject the one who gives true wisdom. They reject God. And so that's really imperative. So wisdom begins with an acknowledgment of our dependence upon God. If we reject God, all we have is falsehoods. Now does that mean unbelievers only believe what's false, or can they get some things right? They can get some things right. Why? Because they're inconsistent. And because, I would say, they're creating the image of God. But it's inconsistent with their fundamental thinking. Now, this passage in Ephesians shows the positive and negative sides of it really well. It says, Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must walk no longer as the Gentiles, that's unbelievers do, in the futility of their minds. This is one of the passages I've used over and over again because we really need to be familiar with it. That is the emptiness of our minds. How does Paul describe these unbelievers, the Gentiles? They're darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. And so, again, when we reject God, the unbeliever who rejects God is what? He's walking in the futility of his mind. He's darkened in his understanding. Psalm 36 verse 9 says what? In God's light, we have light. And that's a really good imagery to understand that if you don't have God's light, if you're not in God's light, you're in the dark. It's very, very important. alienated from the life of God. Why? Because of the ignorance that is in them, but that ignorance is due to the hardness of heart. They become callous, they've given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Colossians says that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom. I mean, these passages, we've gone over many, many of them, but the point is we find this again and again and again and again, okay? And so if we reject Christ, we're rejecting wisdom. You reject the fear of the Lord, bowing in submission to God, you're rejecting wisdom and knowledge, okay? That's why 1 Corinthians 3 says what? The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that's the wise of this world, and what are they? They're futile, they're empty. And so the book that we've been going through here, Every Thought Captive, which is a good book. I've picked and choose a lot to emphasize this and done some things outside the book. But the point is, what he does really well is the whole non-Christian way of thinking is built on that, it's resting on that one thing, the commitment to independence. are the standard. They are the ones who can determine what's right, how to interpret the world, what's good, what's evil. Every unbelieving philosophy, whether it's religious or not, Muslim, secular, doesn't matter. All of them hinge on that right there. They're committed to their own independence. And so turning from God, the unbeliever asserts His own, and we're not going to spend a lot of time on this, but for those of you who've been here, I think you guys got this part. But they have absolute certainty, but they also then have total uncertainty. They have absolute certainty because they're making claims in that regard. But they have total uncertainty because they've forsaken the one who has all wisdom and knowledge. And so the examples I've given, just to make it practical, is there is no God. Does that sound certain? It is. In fact, many atheists won't say that anymore. Because you can't make that claim unless you have all knowledge. Most atheists, I've never even heard of an atheist that says they have all knowledge. And so you can't really make a claim that certain. Okay, there could be the evidence for God on the backside of the moon. Okay, whatever. And so they have this dilemma where they're absolutely certain but totally uncertain. Same thing with God's existence is uncertain. Is that a statement of certainty or uncertainty? Statement of certainty. They're saying they know God, God's, He's not revealed Himself in a way that people would know. It's uncertain. That's a certain statement, even though the word uncertain is in it. One of those trick ones, okay? But again, the point is, is you'd have to have all knowledge. So it's incompatible, okay? There's no such thing as absolute truth. Is that a statement of certainty? It is. And that's a statement that's also obviously Problematic, right? Because is that true? Is all true knowledge comes from our sensory experience, empirical evidence, okay? In other words, the only things we know are the things we can see, feel, touch, all those sorts of things, see? That's a statement of certainty, okay? But you can't come to that by sensory experience or empirical evidence, okay? So it's inconsistent. And that's the point I'm trying to get at, is to understand that the unbelieving way of thinking, when you reject the foundation of God's word, all you have is sinking sand. I mean, literally, that's the example Jesus gave. The wise man built his house upon the rock. His thinking, it was all built on the word of God. The fool builds his house on what? Sinking sand. It automatically, it always leads to absurdity. That's why Bonson says it this way, the strongest evidence and argument for the existence of God is that without a belief in God, you can't prove anything. He was a very smart guy, really philosophical and stuff. But the point is, I think the point we need to get is that if you don't have a Christian worldview, you can't make sense of this world. And part of apologetics is seeking to help the unbeliever see that. And you don't have to be deeply philosophical to get it. Now people can go, you can go deep in it in any philosophy you want. Bonson, listen to some of his lectures and stuff, he goes deep in it if you want to get, he was a, I think he had a PhD, he had like two masters at Westminster and like a PhD from UCLA in philosophy, okay? So he knew that kind of stuff and he went in it very deeply. But now the believer then, we turn to God, look to God, and so as we look to our Creator, we have dependent certainty, but we also have dependent uncertainty. And all that's saying is because we go to God's word for truth, can we have certainty? Yes, we can have absolute certainty. Why? Because God has said it, and it's truth, okay? He doesn't lie, and he can't be wrong. We can be absolutely certain of things, okay? And we can know it, okay? But there's also, we can be uncertain of truths, but still be, because we're dependent upon God, be just as confident, okay? And so again, the point is, as many truths in the scripture go beyond our reason. But we can know they're true because the Bible teaches them. Trinity being probably the best example. That their God is one being in three persons. Can any of us understand that? No. There's no example in the world that's not heretical. That's why you shouldn't use an example for the Trinity in this world. There's not one. You'll be a heretic. I mean, I say that tongue-in-cheek, okay? But the point is, is there isn't one. Not egg, water, ice, I mean, none of those, all of those, if you really break them down, they're heretical, okay? But we know it's true, why? Because the Bible is very, very clear, okay? That there is one God, and he is in three persons, okay? And so by faith, then, we understand. See, the point is, is look at the order. How do we understand? By faith. And is that different than the way we tend to think? See, the way we tend to think is what? We need to understand things so that we can have faith, right? And it's really important to understand the Bible teaches is by faith, we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, okay? By faith, we understand anything. Augustine said, I believe in order to understand, okay? And he was writing in 300 AD. So a long time ago, Anselm, I do not seek to understand an order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. So it's really important to understand that order. So the Christian philosophy, the Christian way of thinking rests on, at the one point, a commitment to dependence, that we look to God for knowledge. We look to God to know what's good and evil, right and wrong. And so we have that standard, okay? And that's what everything rests on. Now, I had shared, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time on this, but I had shared. To the world, they may say, well, your whole philosophy rests on an independent decision to look to God's word as God's word. Does that make sense? And to the world, that looks like an independent decision. But is it an independent decision? Not according to the Bible, okay? Not according to the Bible, okay? Well, let me just go on. So, well, I skipped out a lot of this stuff, okay? But let me quick share that. And the point is, is we just need to recognize that if you have come to understand Christ as Lord, if you've come to understand that the Bible is God's word, Then where does that come from? Does that come from a decision you make independently? Where does it come from? It comes from God, okay? You were dead in your trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2 verse 1. Verse 4, but God made you alive. Romans 9, it's not the man who wills. It's God who has mercy. It can't get any clearer. So there's all these passages that show very, very, very clearly the reason you believe, the reason you depend upon God is why? It's because God has turned the light on in your heart. So it's not an independent decision. And that's a really important thing to recognize in regards to that. And so all it is, is we've come to see the truth because God has opened our eyes to it, okay? Now, that means all thinking is either Christian or non-Christian, okay? Christian thinking is characterized by dependence on God and his revelation, okay? We're dependently certain and dependently uncertain. So it doesn't mean we're certain about everything. There are some things we don't know, okay? But we're dependent upon God for all that we do know. Non-Christian thinking is characterized by allegiance to independence from God, self-sufficiency. I can determine what's right and wrong. I can determine how to interpret the world. And so that's why you have Ephesians 4.8, the unbeliever is what? Darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God. The believer is, Jesus says, sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth. So the believer is set apart by their dependence upon the word of God. That's what it means to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, is God's word sets us apart in the way we think. Does that make sense? It's super, super important. Whereas the unbeliever rejects that. rejects the word of God, they're darkened in their understanding because they forsake the one who has all understanding. And so you have these two, these are just both those illustrations, but the only difference is what? It's that fundamental, what their worldview is resting on. And so the point is this, guys, what all that is doing is seeking to help us understand that every unbeliever you come in contact with, as you engage with them, It's two worldviews coming into collision. That's what it is, two worldviews. But at the fundamental basis is the ultimate commitment. That the believer is committed to the word of God, to understanding the world, right and wrong, everything. And the unbeliever is committed to themselves. And this is true about everything. This is true about interpreting evidence. This is really crucial when you talk about apologetics. Evidence doesn't prove anything. It all depends on what your commitments are when you look at evidence. Does that make sense? In other words, we can look at the same... How many of you guys have gone up to maybe Huckleberry Knob or, you know, every time I go home it seems there's a beautiful sunrise with Ted Jordan Bridge and you just stop and you just look. How many of you have ever had the thought, how can anyone look at the world around us and not believe there's a God. I mean, how many of us have thought that? Probably almost every one of us, if not every one of us, okay? But then the video, you know, back in the day, Carl Sagan would look at the whole world, same world, same things, and what did it point him to? What did that evidence lead him to? That there clearly had to be a Big Bang. He had a video about it, a very popular video back in the 80s about it, okay? So the point, and the same thing today with modern scientists who reject God. So my point is evidence isn't the issue, okay? This is why Peter, when he's preaching at Pentecost, okay, and he talks about the resurrection, he doesn't sit and try to prove the resurrection, okay? He doesn't try to correct false narratives that we know from the book of Matthew were already going around, okay? Remember the Jewish high priests, the Pharisees, they paid off the guards and said, well, don't tell them about the angels and the resurrection, we'll pay you off, okay? We'll come back to that in a little bit. But the point is, is what did Peter do when he preached at Pentecost? Quoted from the Old Testament and said this is how you ought to understand the resurrection Okay, I mean my point is is I've been reading through the book of Acts just for my Regular Bible reading and when you start to look at how they engage with the unbelievers all the time It's going to the Word of God to say this is how you need to understand it guys That's what sets us apart as Chris as Christians is we go to the Word of God to understand the world Let me ask you a question if somebody said to you How can, if God is good and all-powerful, how can there be child molestation that happens in this world? Awful stuff. Okay. But if God was good and all-powerful, if God was all-powerful, could he stop it? If he was good, would he stop it? Say again? If God is all-powerful, could He stop it? If He can't, He's not all-powerful. So if He's good, would He not want to stop it? It seems to me it would be good to stop child molesting. Is that not a good thing to stop it? If it's in your power to stop it? Okay, so what's the response to that? I mean, I think you're going, but I'm trying to get a more specific. What do you think? Not necessarily, let me ask you this and I'll follow up with you since you dared to say something friendly, okay? But anybody can help her out. But why would it not necessarily be good or what God would want? Okay, and why not? Okay, so he knows more than us, okay. Okay, anybody else? Okay, so God could have different purposes in it. Okay, alright, so here's my thing. Getting all into that, we'll come back to that example later. But the point is, is I think most of us, not on the fly, but we understand that what? God is all powerful, okay? But being all knowing, okay? In his goodness and kindness, he allows things, he ordains things, but all things are working together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. So he has a purpose in all, even the evil that happens. Now, he's not culpable for it, but he could stop it, and he ordains it. Now, my point is this, though. We can trust, then, as we understand who God is, we can trust in God, even though we might not know what those purposes are for these things that might happen. We can trust in his good purpose, that he has good intentions, he has a good purpose that will ultimately come out in fruition. Now, my point in all that is just to say, is the unbeliever is throwing out evidence on why they think you shouldn't believe in God. It's the most common, probably, evidence that is often used. My point is just to say that the Christian, at least the Christian who believes God is sovereign, has an answer very easily there. Now the point is, eventually that unbeliever is probably going to want to say, well what is that purpose? What's the answer biblically, specifically for that child molestation? Well, but more specifically, not so general. Do we know, let me say it this way, do we know what that purpose is? Exactly, he's not told us, but can we trust that he's good in whatever he brings to pass in this world? Yes. See, we know that because he's revealed it. Now, is that enough for the unbeliever? The unbeliever says what? That's not good enough for me. I want to know all the facts so that I can judge that it's good or not. And that's bringing us back then to what Jackson said, because that's exactly what Job thought. Job had all these horrible things happen. And Job said, hey, I'd like to ask you a few questions, God. And in the book of Job, what happened? God came to him and said, well, let me ask you a couple first, Job. Right? Where were you? That's the end of the book of Job. And Job didn't even get to his question. What did he say? I cover my mouth. I shouldn't have spoke. You're God, and you know what's good and what's bad. And Job was never given the answer for why God brought that into his life. Think about 10 kids dying. You know, lost everything, all that kind of stuff. My point in all that is just to say, the same evidence, it all matters where your commitments are and how you're going to interpret it. You see that? That's the point. And this is true on everything. Now, can't remember what I have here. Well, that's where I was talking about the, we need God to what? Open our hearts, shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. And so, I'm not going to go through the London Baptist Confession, but that goes, that ties in with it so wonderfully, okay? And so when we understand that all Christian thinking is characterized by either dependence upon God and His revelation, or allegiance to independence, That has implications and it's 730 I'm gonna go 10 minutes and I'll be done But I want I want us to get this because this won't take long But this right here then is the key for us to build on next week for the last week Okay, and so what are the implications? Well number one, there's no neutrality. There's no neutrality everything okay, so You can't teach kids, you can't do apologetics, there's no neutrality in everything. It is either Christian or non-Christian. It's the only two things, whether it's education, apologetics, anything. There's no neutrality because it's based on one of these two ways. All evidence is interpreted one of two ways. Number two, one has to make the basic choice a basic choice in one's thinking. We either need to be set apart to the Word of God in our thinking, or we're set apart against the Word of God fundamentally. We're set apart, we're alienated from the life of God. Feudal, vain philosophy, Colossians 2 calls it. Empty deceit, I think is in Ephesians. And so the point is, is those are the two choices. We're either set apart by God's word in our thinking, or we're set apart to the world which alienates us from the life of God. Those are the two options, okay? Let's see here. And that's why when we are confronted with evil in this world, the unbeliever and the believer has such different responses to it, okay? The third implication is this. What's the fundamental problem with every unbeliever you run into? Especially that's hostile, but any. Is it that they lack evidence or information? Is it that they need a change of heart? They need God to open their heart. They need to recognize that the word of God is the source of truth. that Jesus is Lord, and that the beginning of knowledge is to bow the knee to Christ. Do you see that? See, they need repentance. They don't need more information. That's my point. That's the fundamental need. Luke 16, remember the rich man and Lazarus. They both after death. There's a big chasm They're in Abraham's bosom not getting into all that and it says he the the rich man who's in Hades He says I beg you father. He's talking to father Abraham to send him Okay, send Lazarus to my father's house for I have five brothers so that they may warn them Lest they come into this place of torment so we can understand he's in hell. He says I got five brothers I don't want them to come here. All right, we can understand that so he says to Abraham send Lazarus to my brothers to warn them okay Abraham then says well they have Moses and the prophets that is they have the Word of God let him hear them he says no father Abraham if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent so is he thinking like a Christian or is he thinking like a non-christian here he's thinking like a non-christian If somebody comes to him from the dead, surely, surely. And what does Abraham say? He said to him, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. And I think, again, Jesus is telling this parable here, or I don't know if the word is a parable, but this story here. And the point is, guys, is surely that at least has a secondary allusion to his own resurrection. Because the Pharisees were in the vicinity, at least. In a couple years we'll get there and we'll hear about it from Pastor Josh. But the point is, is the Pharisees, Jesus did rise from the dead. They knew he rose from the dead. They paid off the guards who said an angel came, rolled back the stone, and he left. They knew it. And what was their response? Did they repent? They doubled down. The greatest persecutors of the early church was the Jewish leaders before Rome. And so the point is, guys, is we need to recognize that That the biggest need that people have is is to submit to the Word of God and then the fourth implication is is this two-step process and this is what we want to get to more next week, but Proverbs 26 4 and 5 answer not a fool according to his folly lest you be like him yourself Answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own eyes Okay, and so again, this is one of those when When the youth went through, and we looked at all kinds of different contradictions, I don't know if we actually spent time on this, but there are some people who try to say that this is a contradiction. Why would they say that? Does it seem like a contradiction? Well, I mean, the fact that it's two verses in a row would make you understand it's not. But it does seem to be saying opposite things if you just look at what I have underlined, right? Answer, not a fool according to his folly. Answer, a fool according to his folly. But the point is, because the verses are right next to each other, the author is making the point of of how we engage with a fool. So what we have to do then, you guys, and this is what we really need to understand, is we need to understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, okay? The book of Proverbs has a lot to say with wisdom and how we have knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Again, talked with Casey, or Casey shared some too, Do people, specifically atheists, do people who reject God look at themselves as saying, we're just dumb? Or do they look at themselves as being very intellectual? Too intellectual for God, right? trying to jump above God. You don't need God, right? But the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. And fools despise it, not because they don't want to seem smart. They despise it because they forsake the one who gives wisdom. And if you forsake the one who gives wisdom, all you're left with is empty deception, futile thinking, and absurdity. Psalm 14, verse 1 says, the intellectual says in his heart, Huh? No? The college professor in academia says in his heart. Is that what it says? The PhD says in his heart. See, here's my point, guys. As we tend to be intimidated by people who are really intellectual, seem really smart, what's God's assessment? What's God's assessment of the smartest people in the world? Because here's the point, guys. Many of them are smart. They're intellectual. To be a fool is not to be illiterate, can't read, ignoramus or whatever. That's not what a fool is. But if a person rejects the one who gives wisdom, the Bible has no respect. for the person who does that. It's the fool who says in his heart, there is no God. It's the fool. Ponson gives a couple examples that are kind of funny. Nietzsche, philosopher, super smart guy, very intellectual. Two things he says about him. Number one is he says God is dead. He's the one that made that famous. Probably you've all heard God is dead, right? He's the one that made that famous. But here, first off, right off the bat is, well, who's dead now? He is, yeah. Second thing is we tend to think of wisdom and knowledge as more just in the academic arena, whereas the Bible tends to be more holistic in our thinking. So Nietzsche, he's the smart philosopher, I mean, very smart guy, intellectual, educated, all these sorts of things. But do you know where he spent the last few years of his life before he died? in a mental institution. You know why? Because he had syphilis. If you don't know how you get syphilis, it's from rejecting God's word and sleeping how you want to sleep around. My point is this, does that sound very smart? It's foolish. It's dumb. My point is, we need to understand. This is why I'm saying, because I don't have time to have the qualifications today. This is why I say, it's important we do it gentle and respectful. But you have to understand, when you engage with an unbeliever, you're engaging with somebody who's thinking is not to be respected. Like, is that futile and empty? The point is, because God has opened your eyes, because God has shown you the truth, because God has given you life, when you engage with the unbeliever, you know what ails them, and you know what they need better than they do. You understand that? A doctor would be a horrible doctor, if he just asked the patient what they thought was wrong and did whatever they wanted. I know we live in the day of internet. But the point is, it still stands. I think the analogy still stands. And that is, the doctor hopefully knows more. and can assess what's wrong. And hence, he needs to do what is best for the patient. Guys, the same thing. When we engage with an unbeliever, what's their fundamental issue? What's their fundamental need? They need to turn to God. And so the point is guys is just this is why the Bible doesn't Respect the thinking of the unbeliever. Okay, and and understand guys Jesus said we ought not call people fools Like name-calling like he said that's deserving of hell To be like that Matthew 5 I think okay So the Bible calls unbelievers fools all the time. So how is that a contradiction? Obviously not. So what is it? It's because it's an accurate description of the unbeliever. He's a fool. He's a fool. He's rejecting the source of wisdom. A fool despises his father's instruction. Proverbs 5. He's unteachable. And indeed, that's what you see. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advent. So there's no humility in regards to the fool. And again, I mean, you can see that, especially in academia and intellectuals and that sort of a thing. A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. What is that saying? You can't get a fool to see what's right. You beat him. 100 blows. He ain't going to get it. Why? He thinks he's right. He thinks he understands. Why? What is all his certainty based on? His own independent thinking. You understand that? A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. Why does a fool give full vent to his spirit? Because he loves his thinking, he wants to get it out there. A fool's mouth is his destruction. His lips are a snare of his soul. And indeed, as we engage people, that's what we need to recognize. The the mouth utters what's in the heart? Okay, and so we need to recognize that think about this guys the devising of folly That's foolishness is sin and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind It means it's it's it's sinful to think Like a fool. It's the devising of folly. To think foolishness is a sin. See, we often not think that way, okay? But that's why 2 Corinthians says what? We destroy arguments, every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. See, we seek to, what? Sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts. Set him apart in how we think and how we engage, okay? Romans 1, which is really interesting, Romans 1 verse 18, I meant to have that up there, but it says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because he has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that have been made, so they are without excuse." You know what that word without excuse is in the Greek? They have no apology. They have no defense. It's inexcusable, okay? And so they what? Although they knew God, they do not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they become futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. But what's their assessment of themselves? Claiming to be wise, they become fools, okay? And so this is why Paul says what? It's not the wisdom of the world, okay, that God brings salvation. It's the preaching of the word, okay? And that's indeed what we need to get to is proclamation. We'll talk about that next week. But he says what? Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? And guys, God has done that. And so my point, I'm hoping, is that you can understand, the Bible has no respect for the thinking of the unbeliever, okay? And so, guys, we need to recognize that indeed, all their thinking will lead to absurdity. So think about this, and we'll close, okay? I went a little bit long, but I'm almost done. Answer not a fool according to his folly." In other words, what? Answer a fool according to the biblical worldview set apart by the Word of God. Why? Lest you be like him. You don't want to be like the fool. So with the whole evil, combating evil, how can God, if God is good and all-knowing, How can there be child molestation in the world? What do we do? We answer them according to the Word of God. Well, the Bible says that God is sovereign, He is all-powerful, but He has a purpose for things, that all things work together for good to those who love God. And so we can understand, and as we assess the same evidence, we can sit back and say, That doesn't prove that God can't exist. It doesn't prove that God's not good or that he's not all-powerful. He does none of those things according to the Word of God. So we answer not a fool according to his folly, right? But now if he persists in it, okay, what would the second step be? Answer a fool according to his folly. Why? Lest he be wise in his own eyes. Is that what a fool is? Wise in his own eyes? And so we want to answer a fool according to his folly, lest he think he's wise. So what's the answer? How do we answer a fool according to his folly in the same regard? Well, you think child molestation is bad? Oh yeah, it's awful. Well, why do you think it's bad? Why is it wrong? Because if you reject God, you reject his word, you have no basis for morality, okay? In other words, Think of animals, guys. In the animal world, rape and incest and all that kind of stuff doesn't exist. Why? Because there's not a morality. We don't put mama rabbits in prison when they eat their babies. We just don't do that. Rabbits don't do that. Why? There's no morality. The same thing is true for us if we're just like the animals, which is what the atheists argue. And so we seek to answer a fool according to his own worldview. You can't say anything is wrong if all we are is stardust, bumping up against each other in a world of random chance. There's no reason. Do you see that? It's foolish to think there's anything wrong with it. And this is what creates the conundrum, because he knows it's wrong. How does he know it's wrong? Because he knew God. He's created in the image of God. So Lord willing, next time, we'll build off that. And if you guys have any questions, feel free to come to me afterwards. But let me pray so that you can leave if you need to. So let's pray. Dear God, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for your word, that it's trustworthy. It's true. We can depend upon it. We can stake our lives upon it. Indeed, Lord, We want to be the type of people, like in Jesus' illustration, like the wise man who builds his house upon the rock, upon your word, upon Christ and who he is, what he's done for us. So Lord, we pray that you would help us to understand these things, help us to be good witnesses for you, and we just pray that you would help us to honor you in all our thinking, our actions, and our speech. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.