The Gospel, Evolution, and Climate Change (04/07/24)
Pastor Joseph Campbell
Truth in Love (2024) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 53:16
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Scripture Reading: Acts 14:8-15.
Title: The Gospel, Evolution and Climate Change
Saul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13)
Saul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13)
Missionary Party: Saul, Barnabas, & John Mark
Antioch to Seleucia where they departed. (vs. 4)
Island of Cyprus
Salamis (vs. 5)
Salamis (vs. 5)
And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
We have no record of any converts.
Acts 13:6 (KJV 1900)
And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos…
Paphos (vv. 6-13)
Paphos (vv. 6-13)
Turn to and read Acts 13:6-12.
Here in Paphos we have the spiritual, unseen battle erupting in the physical realm.
What was at stake?
The soul of one individual, Sergius Paulus. (vs. 7)
The truth (vs. 8)
The combatants?
Saul - full of the Holy Ghost (vs. 9)
Note: Saul’s name is changed to Paul in vs. 9.
Bar-jesus/Elymas - full of the devil (vs. 10)
The results?
Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
What was used to accomplish this victory?
The Word of God (vs. 7)
The Holy Spirit (vs. 9)
Turn to and read Ephesians 6:12-19.
Paul’s First Missionary Journey
Paul’s First Missionary Journey
Sailed from Paphos to Asia Minor.
Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
Note: John Mark returned to Jerusalem.
Antioch in Pisidia (vv. 14-51)
Antioch in Pisidia (vv. 14-51)
Acts chapter 13 ends with…
But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Acts chapter 14 begins with…
And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
This led to opposition and physical persecution of Paul and Barnabas.
From Iconium, Paul and Barnabas go to Lystra and Derbe.
Lystra (14:6-19)
Lystra (14:6-19)
Luke records for us this fact…
And there they preached the gospel.
Paul and Barnabas remained focused on and committed to the proclamation of the Gospel message.
After all of the opposition that they had faced, it would have been easy to give up, call it quits, and head home.
Paul heals a certain man. (14:8-10)
Paul heals a certain man. (14:8-10)
He was impotent in his feet. (vs. 8)
He had no power. He couldn’t do it; he couldn’t fix himself!
Nor can any of us. We cannot fix ourselves.
He was a cripple from birth. (vs. 8)
We are all cripples from birth. We are born sinners.
He had faith to be healed. (9)
This man already had faith. He did not need to be given faith. He simply needed to exercise that faith.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Calvinists point to vs. 8 and say that the IT of the gift of God is faith so that the individual can be saved.
The Dark Side of Calvinism:
Perhaps no passage of Scripture is more heavily relied upon by Calvinists to teach their peculiar doctrine that faith is the a gift of God versus a responsibility of man than Ephesians 2:8-9.
The obvious point of Ephesians 2:8-9 is that salvation is by grace and not something worked for or earned. Salvation is, however, through faith.
This man, in Lystra, had faith. It was now a matter of whether he would put that faith in Jesus Christ or not!
The gods are come down to us. (14:11-14)
The gods are come down to us. (14:11-14)
Paul and Barnabas find themselves in the midst of a thoroughly Gentile crowd.
When they hear of what Paul, did, they incorrectly assume that Paul and Barnabas were gods come down in the likeness of men. As a result, they begin the process of worshipping Paul and Barnabas.
Note: I find the extremes to be interesting. The Jews, when they would see the apostles perform a miracle were not impressed and would simply discount or ignore them.
Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
The Gentiles, on the other hand, went to the opposite extreme. They wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas as if they were Gods.
Instead, these miracles were designed to authenticate the apostle’s message and, in conjunction with the declared Word of God, to point the hearers to THE Word of God - Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind!
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Paul’s message. (14: 15-17)
Paul’s message. (14: 15-17)
And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
Note: Paul’s method of evangelism, when he was speaking to Jews, was to begin with the God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
However, with a Gentile crowd, who did not have any knowledge of or affinity to the God of Israel, his approach was different.
Turn from vanities unto the living God.
Turn from vanities unto the living God.
Vanity: empty, useless, fruitless, worthless
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they speak not: Eyes have they, but they see not:
They have ears, but they hear not: Noses have they, but they smell not:
They have hands, but they handle not: Feet have they, but they walk not: Neither speak they through their throat.
They that make them are like unto them; So is every one that trusteth in them.
Who is this living God? It was the God which had made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Paul was in a similar situation when we find him in Athens in Acts chapter 17:
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 found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Who is this living God? He is very patient.
Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
Who is this living God?
Want to know this living God? Just ask creation around us!
Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.
Since creation itself bears witness to the living God, should it come as any surprise that Satan has attempted to oppose and silence that witness?
Satan’s method of opposition? Evolution. Satan’s method of completely silencing the opposition? Climate change.
Senator Bernie Sanders (from Vermont), a proponent of climate change, wrote on his website:
It is true that the Earth’s temperature does change a lot over millions of years. In fact, scientists believe that about 125,000 years ago it may have been even warmer than it is right now.
Scientists look at a lot of things – gas trapped in ice, tree rings, glaciers, pollen remains, even changes in the Earth’s orbit – to study the natural changes in our climate going back millions of years.
Turn to and read Romans 1:19-25.
Satan has done a masterful job of turning the truth of God into a lie and persuading mankind to worship that which has been created instead of worshipping the Creator!
So, what is the truth?
God created the heavens and the earth. Evolution had nothing to do with creation nor does it have anything to do with the sustaining of the heavens and the earth.
God created the heavens and the earth. Evolution had nothing to do with creation nor does it have anything to do with the sustaining of the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
God gave mankind the responsibility to steward creation.
God gave mankind the responsibility to steward creation.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God’s creation was cursed as a result of mankind’s sin.
God’s creation was cursed as a result of mankind’s sin.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Death and destruction are a result of sin!
Climate change will not destroy the earth; God will!
Climate change will not destroy the earth; God will!
And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
From the Answers in Genesis website:
The climate alarmism narrative is a religious one that is rooted in worship of the creature rather than the Creator.
The media’s panic-driven claims of man-made climate change is antithetical to God’s Word.
A biblical worldview of climate change and environmental issues gives people confidence to stand on the authority of God’s Word, knowing that he is both author and sustainer of his creation (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1).
Turn to and read 2 Peter 3:3-15.
Even Christians, at times, become anxious about the state and condition of the world that we live in.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
We must be careful to allow our minds to dwell upon the eternal truths of God’s Word.
Back to Acts chapter 14…
Paul challenges the inhabitants of Lystra as to the folly of their idolatry and he would have on proclaiming the story of the Lord Jesus Christ but they would not listen.
And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
The “religionists” from Antioch and Iconium came to Lystra and further stirred up the people to the point where they stoned Paul and deposited his lifeless body outside of the city.
Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
What a surprise that must have been!
What does Paul do?
Derbe
Derbe
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
Will we continue to stand upon God’s Truth or the philosophies of mankind - evolution and climate change?
Will we allow the philosophies of mankind to cause us to fear and become anxious or will we determine to trust God?
Will we continue to proclaim the Gospel message or allow the opposition to silence us?