Trending - Week 1 - The CORE - Pastor Michael Ewart
Trending
Week 1 - The CORE
Pastor Michael Ewart
So we're beginning this new series, and I'm so excited about it. I love that opening graphic that we just saw because it's really indicative of the way culture works be, we kind of think. We're all walking at a little bit of a random direction, but it ends up, we all kind of end up pointing the same way and they're these truths that every culture in the world has that we start to just think though. This is just the way things are. This must be the truth, because everybody is pointing in that same direction. We've all come together and we all believe this, so it must be true. But the truth is that every culture of the world has issues or things that are actually not true. When we compare them with What God Says in his word and that's what we're going to be unpacking in this series. A good example today of that to an extreme. I think would be would be in Russia right now. There are people in Russia. The majority of people in that culture at this particular time. Believed that the special military operation in Ukraine really is freeing that country from from Nazis.
That's what they think. That's the cultural view of what's Happening. They do think that this is a just war. Everybody has come together. They're all pointing in that same direction, but from an object of perspective, we can see the falsehood of some of what they're thinking. So now let's try to do the opposite. Let's take a look at our American culture, which is extraordinarily hard to do. Because we're in that crowd of people that are all walking in that same direction and pointing in the same direction. But we now we need to take a step back. Compare what the world says, with What God Says, and try to figure out, is it really true. So in this series, we're going to be talking about the phrase. God told me. Anybody ever said that to you. God told me and then they'll tell you what, God told them. We're going to evaluate that. Is that something that's Biblical.
You just be you or evaluate that in the view of God's word? Love Is Love. Probably heard that one. Who am I to judge? And self-care. We're evaluating each one of those and with each one of them. I think we're going to find is there is an element of Truth in there. There is something good, in each one of these, but where is the falsehood, we want, we want to shine God's bright light on it. So today we're talking about this science is real.
Science is real. Oh, hey, we can't dispute that one. Right? Should we just go on to the next topic? There's something more to talk about here, though. Some people, you've heard this before, create this false dichotomy, this opposition between faith and Science. And if you are a longtime believer in Jesus, you may be faced this before, maybe you faced it in college. Maybe you face it from Front, it from from some of your friends. You might be talking about some things that you believe and they say, oh, that's your friend. Might say, well, that's nice. I'm glad you've got your faith. You believe what you want to believe.
But science is real. I'm all about science. If science proves it, then I believe it. But yeah, you go with your faith. I'll go with science that you are opposites and never. The two shall meet is the world's perspective on science and religion. I hope today is that I can show the falsehood of that of that assumption and that in reality faith and science can perfectly coexist together. So let me tell you something about me. Some of you already know, if you know me even a little bit, already know this about me, but a lot of you don't know me very well, so you don't know. This truth about me is that I love science. I am a science geek to be perfectly honest.
I've done the strengths-finder assessment Learners in my top five. And what I love to learn is about science. I love to learn everything about this world, everything about creation. When I was in 7th grade. You know what I asked for my birthday? A chemistry set. And I'm and in hindsight now, I have no idea why my parents bought it for me, but they did and I set up the chemistry set in our shed. They didn't want it in the house because they want to blow up the house and I loved it. I performed my experiments out in the shed and had so much fun doing it. So I do, I do, I love science. And when I graduated from high school again, something you might not know about me. I was 50/50 about becoming a pastor or becoming a research scientist. Those are kind of my two options.
Well, you know where I went but my love of science has not faded at all. And I still love to read articles anything, coming across my newsfeed related to science. I'm probably going to read it just a couple days ago. I was reading this article that he just happened to bump across wasn't looking for it, just found it, but it caught my attention because it was all about the fine. Structure. Content, constant, constant, you met the constants of the universe. There was about the fine structure constant. You know, that one that's depicted by the Greek letter Alpha. You know that? One. Right? And it was all about that's the one that's about how electrons orbit the nuclei of atoms and their relationship to each other their distances. And in the constants that figure out those measurements, there was an absolute constant that dictates those things. Scientists have measured it, they discovered it. But the article was about how is that is that always true? Is it possible that at different places in the galaxy in the universe at different times over history or maybe in?
Future that that constant might fluctuate just a little bit and their proposal as possible. We haven't we haven't seen it yet, but it's possible. I mean doesn't that just staggering? What don't you wish you had read that article?
I told you I'm a little bit of a geek, but if something, if something comes across about dinosaur fossils, you better believe. I'm going to read it. If something comes, they discovered something in the universe through their telescopes. I'm going to read about that, for sure. If it's about Quantum Computing. I'm going to read about that, for sure, as well. And when it, when, you know, maybe solid-state Lithium-ion batteries the next generation of what could possibly be in our cars. And in our devices, have you read about that yet? It's fascinating. Lots of people are working on it.
Read all about it. Let me know if you want to know more information. I'll be happy to tell you. So I love science by proving that yet. Now as I have gotten into science. Here's something that you just have to know that I don't think is made very clear in our schools or in our media and the truth is simply, this science is good. But it's limited. Okay, so you sensed my passion and excitement and joy about science. That's because it is good. But you also have to know that science is limited in what it can address, what it can discover what it can say is real. It occupies a certain area here is here's what science can can deal with here is all of reality in all that can be true science only can deal with. Can can only deal with a portion of it.
Why you remember what the scientific method is all about? I know we're getting a little intellectual today. I'm sorry, the scientific method is simply this. I have an idea about how things work. Whatever that thing is. It's called a hypothesis. You have this idea of how things work. Okay, do they really work that way? Science requires you to find out. So you have to do some experiments, you have to do some observations. You have to collect some data and once you've done that, you can reach some conclusions based on the data from observation and experimenting. And
For you can buy on that basis. Say this confirms my hypothesis or it disproves my hypothesis and then you communicate that to other scientists so that they can test your experiments with your experiment really sound. They repeat it. They try to disprove it. Lots of other people join in and at the end of the day, after all those experiments are done, we can either prove it or disprove it. That's what science is all about, what is required for science to take place? The ability to observe.
The ability to experiment the ability to test in spheres are areas where you cannot observe or experiment or test science cannot apply.
And if you really want to be scientific, then you need to only believe things that have been observed, experimented on. There's a collection of data, and it's been proven.
So, it's true in a sense, science is real. What we observed repeatedly in different ways with different experiments. Of course, that is true and that is real, but there are just some areas where science will not be helpful. Let me just give you a few of the field of metaphysics who bit spurious. But the very nature of reality and space and time. Some people said this recently as well. Some people say, you know what? I think we're living in a computer simulation like The Matrix. You're not real. You're a computer simulation. I'm a computer simulation. This universe is a computer simulation. If that's true, it cannot be observed or tested its all part of the simulation, right? So metaphysics, that whole realm actually and not just that area and we're not in a computer simulation, but that particular area of metaphysics cannot be scientific by Nature because it can't be observed or tested when it comes to philosophy. Philosophy is not really all that scientific. It's more about logical arguments, but much less about observing experiments and testing.
And yet it's a legitimate science is or illegitimate study history. By its very nature, is not strictly speaking scientific. You cannot observe our test. What happened in the past because it happened in the past. Yes, you can look at some remnants that have been preserved from the past and make some assumptions and conclusions based on that evidence. But history itself is a little bit beyond the realm of science as well. And yet history is valuable to know and study isn't.
Get into some other very important areas when it comes to moral, judgments and value. Judgments. Do you need to make those? Should you have those? Yes, science will not help you in the slightest bit. That's beyond the realm of science. Are you looking for? Meaning and purpose in life, do not turn to science? It will not help you. It will not even offer to help you. When we do, when it comes to anything spiritual or theological, that's beyond the realm of science. It has to do with things that are divine beyond time and space that are eternal science. Cannot apply to those areas.
Now, the truth is this, that no one lives as though science is the only thing that's real. Yes. There are people that say, oh, I only believe science. I always follow the science. But in reality, nobody lives that way, you live, your daily life and so do scientists live their daily life with knowledge and truth that is outside of the realm of science. Some of the ways that we live. Our lives are by simply based on our experiences, which isn't always overly scientific. But you make decisions and judgments based on your experience, you do.
So based on common sense, have you ever tried to prove common sense to something to somebody? It is frustrating. Something that is self evident to everybody on the planet, except that guy. And he wants you to prove it. It's going to drive you nuts. But you live your life based on things that are common sense. Authority authority determines truth. Doesn't it? For a lot of us for it? A lot of times, a lot of places if a fully garbed fireman came through the doors and said “There's a fire in the building, I need everybody to exit the building in an orderly fashion. The exits are here and here, please begin now.”
Don't think anybody's going to say, you know, what? I'm going to wait for the scientific evidence. Not smelling it, not seeing it. I don't believe it. No, you're going to take on his authority. You're going to take action. If you're smart because a lot of our reality and truth is based not on science, but on somebody else's Authority, by the way, did you know that most of the science you believe you are just taking on Authority. Have you experimented observed and tested? Those very same experiments yourself personally to see it because that's really the only time you've experienced. You've done the science yourself. Otherwise, you're taking the authority of a scientist who says he has.
And so you see all the time. Intuition some more than others, you follow your intuition. You take action based on your intuition rather than science. Sometimes it's logic. Logic, is not strictly scientific either, but if I undo this and I know this then logically, this is what could happen next. I haven't seen it or observed or experimented on it yet, but logically speaking. This would be the course of action. I should take at this point. You work on logic and one more. I thought it was tradition.
Based on what you were handed down from your parents. You sometimes do things not because of science, but but because of tradition, So, here's the important thing. You need to know about science. There are important essential areas of your life that science cannot answer and never will. In fact, did you know that there are even areas of science itself where it's highly unlikely that we're ever going to get a scientific answer even though it is within the realm of science. Technically, speaking, for example, the
The Big Bang Theory, most people just accept it as true. Now. Did you know, there's a really big problem in The Big Bang Theory that has not been resolved and it is the expanding nature of the universe. Not just that, it's expanding, that's not a problem, but it's accelerating in its expansion. That doesn't make sense. So gravity says expansion followed by contraction… Big Bang followed by whatever the opposite of that is. That's what should be observed. Are we still in the expansion phase or are we started the contraction phrase. Let's start Big C. Evaluating the universe and what they discovered over 20 years ago was it's not just expanding, but it's expanding faster and faster and faster.
Why? Dark energy. That's why so dark energy is this thing invented by scientists, never been observed, experimented on, or tested other than the fact that the universe is expanding more quickly. Dark energy is a form of anti-gravity. I suppose, that is driving the universe apart faster, and faster and faster, but there is zero evidence. So far never been observed, never been created in a laboratory and yet it consists of about 70% of the universe, allegedly.
Hey. It's in the realm of science and it hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe it will be maybe I'll be proven wrong on this. But there's a huge gap in the theory that nobody told you about using probably heard of dark energy and yet dark energy is technically not scientific yet. When it comes to I was talking about constants, you about the constants earlier. Did you know that there are all of these different constants that are called a Razors Edge? They are pretty. The universe is precisely tuned in every way when it comes to the electromagnetic interaction. Gravity, nuclear forces, particle masses the speed of light. All of these things are precisely what they are. And if any one of them were changed in the slightest, but the universe does not exist and scientists do not say well, they are what they are because they have to be scientists will tell you they don't have to be. What is the speed of light? 186,000 miles per second and not a hundred eighty nine thousand miles per second. We don't know, it just is but if it was a hundred eighty nine thousand miles per second. This universe couldn't exist. So we have this Goldilocks Universe on a Goldilocks planet with all of the conditions perfect and in tiers. This complex life and this intelligent being asking these questions. How can this all be science? Does not have an adequate answer for those scientific questions.
And much less. So some even more important ones that are outside of the realm of Science. Why is there Beauty?
Why is there love?
Really shouldn't be? Who am I? Really? Why am I here? Why do I exist? What is my purpose? What is the meaning of life? What happens after I die? Don't let the science. You're not going to find answers.
So this hard reinforces that 1st point science is good. But it's limited and probably far more limited than you've been led to believe. And I tell you that so that you'll believe this next statement. And that you'll explore it. More deeply. God is boundless. And he reveals, what is real? Okay, so science can tell you this much but God can tell you that much.
God is boundless and he reveals what is real. I talked to talk to you. Earlier about that starting point group, that's starting. I want to subtitle that group reality 101. Because we are learning in Starting Point the way things really are and where to talk about things outside the scope of science. Why am I the way I am? Why is the world broken the way it is? Who is God? What does he think about me? What has he done for me? How do I get right with him? How do I determine my meaning and purpose in life? How can I be free of guilt? How can I have joy and peace in my heart?
Why is there love? What is love? How can I be more loving? Science isn't going to answer any of those questions but starting point will because God does. And it's in his word. And that's what we want to unpack in that in, that course. So, Isaiah 40 verse 28 tells us, do you not know, have you not heard the Lord is the Everlasting, God the creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. There is a God Beyond time and space and this universe and science. Who knows it all? Who created it. All, who is wise above all things and it is that God.
We want to know and love but before we move on let me just give you four quick ways. That I think science is really valuable. I do love science and I think you should too and there's four. Good reasons why I think you should first one. Is this science proves the wisdom and power of God. Science proves the wisdom and power of God. Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens declare, the glory of God, the skies Proclaim, The Works of his hand. We look at a Starry Sky when you imagine the vastness of the universe. When you look at the complexity of a human hand, when you think about what goes into eyesight, something you take for granted every single day, when you think about how life is not only complex. But all of life on Earth is interdependent.
You just? Wow. God is Amazing. God is so smart. He is incredibly powerful. If you study science more, you're going to appreciate that more and more and more. I think that's a good thing. Second thing, studying science, sharpens our logic and our reason it makes you a more thinking person and I think that's a very good thing to be. There are some Christian churches out there that say that I don't examine these things. Don't question, these things stay away from science. All you got to do is believe We're not one of those churches. We think that science is awesome. We think that you should be an intelligent questioning person and that you need to grow your brain capacity and science will absolutely help you do that third thing: It helps science, it helps us manage the earth. Science helps us manage the Earth. Did you know that when God created the first human beings? He gave them a task. He said this, God blessed Adam and Eve the first humans and he said to them. Be fruitful and increase in number. Fill the Earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the Sea and the birds in the sky and over everything. All the living creatures, that move along the ground, rule it. So do it in other words. God says, I'm putting you here to be managers of all this stuff. You see this material world is under your management. Don't mess it up. Well, if I'm not going to mess it up, I better get busy on some science. I better start observing and testing and figuring out how this world, really mess it up for the cows where the chickens were the birds. So they don't mess it up for us and future generations. God made managers stewards of this creation science. Helps us manage it better. And then the last one. Why science because it helps us better love others. A Jesus follower knows his love and wants to show that love to everybody in ever increasing measure. Did you know that science helps? You love people better? One Way science has helped. This church is that this message is broadcast, not just to the people in the room, but on the internet and technically across the whole planet made possible by science and more people experience the love of God because of that Scientific Technology science helps us create homes that don't collapse. When earthquakes happen, isn't that showing love to people, science, helps us produce more food to feed more people on our planet so people won't starve. Doesn't that show love to people science can help us, give people better health better quality of life? Isn't that loving Embrace science so you can love others so we can love others better. So I love this this quote from a physicist named William Bragg. He kind of pulls it all together. With this statement from religion comes a man's purpose. Science will never give you purpose or meaning from religion comes a man's purpose from science, his power to achieve it. I'm talking about in the material realm, not in our relationship with God, but in the material realm, your ability to manage the Earth and subdue. It comes from science. God gives you that purpose. Science gives you the ability to achieve it.
Sometimes people ask if religion and science are not opposed to one another, they are in the sense that the thumb and fingers of my hand are opposed to each other. It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped site. Your thumb is opposed to your fingers, but it's why you can grab stuff science, and religion deal in different Realms, and in a sense are opposed. But only in the sense that it helps us to grasp things better.
So what is surprise you to know that one of Jesus own disciples? Was a scientist.
In a sense. So, I want you to share with you. A portion of scripture about a, about a disciple of Jesus. We have an example, in the Bible of him, employing, this scientific method. We see that this side. This disciple had had a hypothesis. He insisted on observing and testing that hypothesis and then analyzing the data himself for him to be able to reach a conclusion, that is called the scientific method in this this disciple. Absolutely did it.
And the name of this disciple is Thomas. We sometimes called him doubting Thomas. Now, whatever better name would be scientific Thomas as we're going to see in this reading that we're about to look at Thomas of all things applies the scientific method to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Listen. Now, Thomas also called didymus. One of the twelve was not with the disciples when Jesus came. Okay, so it's after Jesus death his burial. He rose from the dead. He appeared to his disciples, it but Thomas wasn't there. So, that's this. That's the setting. So the other disciples told him we have seen the Lord.
But Thomas said to them, unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were and put my hand into his side. I will not believe. Okay? See his desire to employ the scientific method. That's an interesting hypothesis. You have that Jesus rose from the dead. That's interesting that you have observed. I have not. I am insisting that. I perform my own experiments to verify your results from the data that you collected. That's doubting Thomas.
A week later, his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them though. The doors were locked. Jesus came and stood among them and said peace be with you. Then. He said to Thomas, put your finger here. See my hands reach out, your hand, put it into my side. Stop doubting. And believe. So I think that's fascinating. Jesus didn't say to Thomas. You doubt her. He said, science time. I heard what you said. Go for it.
Put your hand in there, if you want. And what was the result of this science experiment? Thomas said to him, my Lord and my God.
Then Jesus told him because you have seen me. You have believed blessed are those who have not seen? And yet have believed. So Jesus statement here is fascinating. Thomas had the opportunity to see and observe. He did have the opportunity to employ the scientific method as did hundreds of others who witnessed the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. But Jesus does acknowledge that that time of seeing with our own eyes that time passes that has passed and now we take the eyewitness, testimony of those scientists who did explore the resurrection of Jesus and they found it to be true.
It goes on and says Jesus performed. Many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not recorded in this book. If you read through John's gospel, you're trying to find seven distinct Miracles or signs that were the evidence. The proof, the scientific proof that Jesus was who he said he was and he could do what he said he would do. He said, you seen these signs. I laid them out here for you and they says, but these are written that he said there's a lot more. Wait wait.
Than the seven I told you about in this book, but this is enough, this will, this will give you the idea. He said, but these are written. I put these seven in here anyway, of the hundreds. There were that, you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. Okay, so John could have written a hundred more chapters. He could have put 70 more miracles. But hey sevens enough you get the idea these Miracles happened people witness them. Jesus proved his identity. He proved who he was, he verified that he was God's own son, broke into our human existence went to a cross bled and died and rose again to prove that you are forgiven of all your sins, all of your guilt and that you are God's child.
So, here's the truth. Based on what we just read, Faith doesn't float. But it is fixed on facts. Faith doesn't float on nothing. It's just out there. All you got to do is believe on what basis? Just trust me. No, it is based on facts and in a sense. Our faith is based on the scientific method because people saw with their own eyes and reported it to us so that we could believe faith is based on facts. Faith, doesn't float. Have you ever heard of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? So in opposition to when Kansas was trying to get Evolution out of the schools and teach intelligent design in the school's, somebody came up with this brilliant idea of comparing the Christian faith or the, the idea of intelligent design to the Flying, Spaghetti Monster. And, invented this religion, where everybody all of our followers believed in this Flying Spaghetti Monster, there were called pastafarians and adherence to this religion. They were, of course, mocking Christians by saying there's no basis for the Flying Spaghetti Monster, obviously. And there's no basis for your religion either. Can we just throw them both out, please?
But that's just not true. Our faith doesn't float like the flying Spike the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who has no eyewitnesses. No history. No track record. Our faith rests on the eyewitness testimony of people who lived, 2,000 years ago, who saw Jesus, saw his miracles, saw his death, saw him risen. Hundreds of them and testified to the fact and were put to death saying it's true. So the thing here isn't isn't like modern-day religious Fanatics that die for something. They hope is true. These are people that died for something that they knew for a fact was true or they knew for a fact. It was a lie. Yeah, we made up that whole Jesus rising from the dead thing. Put me to Death In His name. Anyway. No, they died for what they knew to be true because they had seen Jesus with their own eyes.
So God has given you not through science, but through his word meaning and purpose in life. What's real is this? All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have eternal life. He is the real savior of all sin. He is God, in human flesh, lived in Palestine, 2,000 years ago. He lived, he died. He rose again. He reunites you with the heavenly father, your sin and guilt are gone. The father looks at you and he smiles, you are his children. This is what is true.
And for God's sake, literally Embrace science. So you can honor and worship God even more. And so that you can love people to his glory, even better. That's okay.
Dear heavenly father.
Thank you for the amazing world you created and thank you for giving us the intellect to be able to explore it and understand it to unpack what's behind it. All that you invented so that we can understand the world, we live in so that we can manage it better. And so that we can give even more glory to you. The one who made it all, Lord help us to understand the role the proper role of Science and to embrace that and celebrate it and engage in it even more but
Not to think of Science in in terms that it was not intended. Science is not our God, if it were, it would be an ignorant one. A limited one, one that doesn't reveal so many important things in life. So the help us to understand it and use it for what it was intended for. But to understand that you are The God Who made it. You are the God who is over it .You are the God who is beyond time and space and science. And you made us you love us and you redeemed ss in Jesus public to know and celebrate this every day in Jesus name. Amen.
