WHY> Week 2
Why Should I Believe in God
in the First Place?
Today’s Service
Vertigo
U2
Worship through Song
Offering
Redeemer
Nichole Mullens
Message
Pastor Clare Loughrige
What is God
Like?
Church Family News
Prayer
Any
musical selections and/or media elements used in our services are for
illustrative purposes
only and are not an endorsement of any artist,
musical group,
film or television program.
A
Relationship with God…
“The God question is the most important
question a person could ask. More consequences follow from the way you answer
that question than any other question in life.”
--Mortimer
J. Adler
1. Offers lasting meaning.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 (NIV)
The words of the Teacher, son of
David, king in
"Meaningless!
Meaningless!" says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless." What
does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
“If you ask me, I say toss all this. We have
to find something else. The emphasis now is on success and personal gain. I'm
sitting in it, and I'm telling you that's not it. I'm the guy who has
everything, I know. I'm telling you that once you have everything then you are
just left with yourself. It doesn't help
you sleep any better and you don't wake up any better because of it.” Brad Pitt
(an interview with
Rolling Stone magazine
when asked about the American Dream)
2. Gives significance.
Ecclesiastes 1:4-8 (NIV)
Generations come and generations
go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets and hurries
back to where it rises. The wind blows
to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on
its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the
place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can
say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
“Science must be content to
describe the 'what' of human observation. Only God can describe the 'why.'”
Steven
Hawking
3. Empowers life change.
Ecclesiastes
1:9-10(NIV)
What has been will be again, what
has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say,”
Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here
before our time.
Ecclesiastes
Now all has been heard; here is the
conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandment, for this is the
whole (duty) of man.
James
You believe that there is one God.
Good! Even the demons
believe that and shudder.
“Did I ever tell you about the young zoad who
came to a sign at the fork in the road. The zoad had
to make up his mind what to do. Well the zoad
scratched his head and his chin and his pants and he said to himself, 'I'll be
taking a chance. If I go to place one, that place may be hot. So how will I
know if I like it or not? If I go to place two and I find it's too cool, in
that case I may catch a chill and turn blue. So place one may be best and not
place two. Play safe,' cried the zoad, 'I'll play
safe; I'm no dunce. I'll simply start off to both places at once.'
And that's how the zoad who would not take a
chance went no place at all with a splitin his
pants.” -- Dr. Seuss
Next
Steps
· Make a decision to invite God into your life
today. Then tell someone
· Join a Why> Life Group and join in on the
conversation (Meets 5 more times during this series. Sign up at the Information Booth.)
· Get the Why> book in the CCM Word of Life Bookstore
· Invite people to come on Sundays to experience
the Why> questions. (invitations in the Café and Bookstore)
Sources:
Judd
Wilhite, Lee Strobel,
quoted individuals
Recommended resources available in the CCM
Bookstore:
WHY>, Judd Wilhite,
Lee Strobel; The
Case for the Creator, Lee Strobel.
Today’s message is available in the bookstore on
CD or DVD. Streaming audio and videos of today’s message are also available on
our website: ccmonline.org.
Crossroads Church & Ministries
269.781.9094
ccmonline.org