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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for November 18, 2009
“What Can You Say to a Skeptic?”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
God reveals Himself through creation.
Through creation He reveals Himself to everyone, Christian or not. Romans 1 says that “what may be known about God” is plain to us because God made it plain to us through creation.
Verse 20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
So when someone says, “I don’t believe in God because I can’t see Him;” we can say, “Look around. God revealed Himself to us through His creation.”
Now let me tell you another way that God reveals Himself to everyone: through His joy.
Joy is a beautiful thing, a good thing, and James 1 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…”
So joy is from God, a gift from God that He has given to everyone.
“Now wait a minute, Doug. I thought real joy was only for believers. After all, it’s a fruit of the Spirit.”
Well everyone experiences moments of joy. Watch a young couple in love. Watch a young mother with her new baby. Watch a child with his favorite toy. Watch baseball players rush the mound when they win the World Series.
Proverbs 27:9 even says that “perfume and incense bring joy to the heart…”
There’s a long list of things that bring joy to everyone, saint and sinner alike. This joy is from God, and it’s a testimony to the existence of God, just like creation.
Let’s go back to Acts chapter 14, to Lystra, where Paul and Barnabas were missionaries. Starting in verse 15, Paul delivered an impromptu sermon. Here is what he said.
“We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless (idols) to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, He let all nations go their own way. Yet He has not left Himself without testimony…”
Okay, this is where it gets good. Paul is about ready to tell us how God has left Himself a testimony to all people of every nation. Back to his sermon.
“Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Now these people were heathens. They worshipped ancient idols, and yet God blessed them.
What? Yes, you heard right. God blessed the idol-worshipping heathens.
Look what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter five. He said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
That’s just the way God does it. He provides certain things for everyone on the planet, and according to Paul’s sermon one of those things is joy. He said that God filled those heathen hearts with joy.
That doesn’t sound right, does it?
But that is one way God reveals Himself. Joy is a great feeling. It’s a natural high. It’s wonderful! And it’s a gift from God – a testimony of His existence.
However, that joy is short-lived. Job 20 verse five says, “the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.”
See, joy is from God, but sin suffocates joy. If joy is like a fire, then sin is like dirt that is shoveled onto it. It smothers it.
That is why there is so much joy when people get saved. God forgives their sins and lifts that suffocating lid from their joy.
A great example of that is the Philippian jailer in Acts 16. Verse 34 says, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.”
First Peter 1:8 says, “…even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”
For non-Christians, joy tends to be very situational and fleeting. But as we mentioned earlier, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We Christians have the Holy Spirit inside of us, and one thing He does is give us joy in all situations.
James 1 talks about joy when we face trials.
Hebrews 10 talks about Christians who were joyful, even when their property was confiscated.
Second Corinthians talks about Christians going through the “most severe trial” and in “extreme poverty,” yet they experienced “overflowing joy.”
Paul said in Second Corinthians 7:4, “I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.”
And we’ve barely scratched the surface. The Bible is full of references to joy.
Joy is a gift from God, and He gives it to everyone.
So the next time you’re talking to a skeptic, and you bring up the point that God reveals Himself through creation, try throwing this one in there as well.
God has revealed Himself to us through the joy that He has placed in our hearts.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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