Pastor Frank DeFusco
1 Peter 3:15, instructs the believer to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” And in Isaiah 1:18, God gives an invitation for all mankind to “Come now and let us reason together.” But far too many refuse to come to Him because they don’t believe that He has given them enough reasons to. Even the late atheistic astronomer, Carl Sagan had the idea that when he dies, and if God truly exists, he will ask Him why He didn’t reveal more proof of his existence. The problem is, God does reveal Himself to mankind in several ways.
First, He revealed His invisible attributes are seen in creation. Next, God sent out prophets and inspired men to inscribe his “Word.” The invisible God then revealed Himself through his Son, “when the Word was made flesh.” There are over 300 prophecies concerning our Lord and Savior, with just a handful of “end times” prophesies yet to be fulfilled. The odds of one man fulfilling even 8 of the over 300 messianic prophecies are calculated to be extremely low, with estimates reaching 1 in 1,017 (1 in 100 quadrillion). The same probability as one finding that day’s winning lottery ticket on their driveway 10,000 years straight. Jesus has already fulfilled over 200 of these prophesies, whose odds are incalculable.
In the Book of John, chapter 17, Jesus calls God, “His Father,” and asks to be glorified by him (vs 1, 5). Jesus is claiming to be equal to God, without outright saying that he is God. In verse 2, Jesus says that God gave him power over all flesh, thus, he’s empowered to give mankind eternal life, another attribute that only God possesses. Then in verse 5, we have the clincher, where Jesus states, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Jesus is claiming that He shared God’s glory before the world began, again claiming equality with the Father, who exists outside of time, and space. In Revelation 21:6, and 22:13, Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” the same title that God the Father claims for Himself in Isaiah 44:6. Therefore, it’s reasonable to believe Jesus is Lord!
Pastor Frank teaches two Bible Studies a week, Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m. in Pima/Toltec Rooms, Sports Club. Call Ellen at 610-428-7244 for any questions.