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Scripture Reading: Psa. 14:1; Heb. 11:6; Rom. 3:19-20
This afternoon we will speak on a difficult subject. In fact it may be quite hard to speak on such a subject. I must admit that this is the second time in my life that I have spoken of this subject. What is the subject? It is what Hebrews 11:6 says: "He who comes forward to God must believe that He is." It is also what Psalms 14:1 says: "The fool has said in his heart,/There is no God." Actually, there is no need to speak about the subject of the existence of God. The Bible does not debate this subject; it assumes that man believes there is a God. There is no reason for man to say that there is no God. It is as though this matter is settled. Yet there are some in the world who consider themselves atheists. They say that there is no God, and they do not acknowledge the existence of a God who rules over everything. This philosophy appears to be quite fashionable and appealing to men. Those who hold such a philosophy appear to be more progressive than others in their mentality and more capable than others. Therefore, they dare to speak in this way. But before I point out their errors, I would like first to show you that there are different kinds of atheists. How many kinds of atheists are there? Some kinds are not worthy of our debate; they are not even worthy of our greetings. Others are more noble, and it is worthwhile to debate with them. There may be some among us who are atheists. I must tell you that it is only worthwhile to speak to certain kinds of atheists. Let me ask you, "What kind of atheist are you?" Although atheists do not admit that there are different kinds, we outsiders are more objective and can classify them according to their kind.
There is no need to speak with this kind of atheist or engage in any arguments with them. All we have to do is look at their conduct. Although many people will not admit that they are atheists, their conduct tells us that they are atheists. There is no need for them to say anything; in fact, they do not have the ground to say anything, because their immorality speaks louder and clearer than their words. They have become atheists because their conduct requires that they be atheists, not because they have ample reasons to support their views. Their immorality prevents them from admitting that there is a God in the universe. A robber would like to believe that there is no policeman, a bad student that there is no teacher, a difficult employee that there is no employer, and an evil person that there is no law. This does not mean that they really believe that these do not exist. It only means that their conduct forces them to say that these things do not exist. If a person says, "I do not believe in God; there is no such thing as God in my mind," you can hold his hand and ask him, "Friend, are you moral?" You do not need to say anything else; you only need to ask if he is moral. A man can believe that there is no God, but he cannot believe that there is no morality. Although I am not an old man, ninety-nine percent of all the atheists that I have met throughout the years have had doubtful moral character. I have never seen an atheist whose moral character is trustworthy. Some of you sitting here are older than I am. I do not know if you have met an atheist whose moral character is trustworthy. The atheists among our classmates, colleagues, and friends do not believe in God because they are very evil morally. I must tell you a fact: whenever God goes out of a man's life, immorality comes in.
In America there was a famous preacher by the name of Mr. R.A. Torrey. Once he was preaching in a place, and a college student came and said to him, "I used to believe that there is a God. But I do not believe anymore." When Mr. Torrey asked him for the reason, he said, "When I started college, I acquired more knowledge and did not want to believe in God anymore. After I read this book and that book, God was nowhere to be found." Mr. Torrey said, "No. Don't deceive me. I also graduated from college and have read many books. I have even received a doctorate degree. But I have not put God away through my studying. There must be some other reason. Otherwise, it would be impossible to put God away through your studying. Let me ask you a question. Since your denial of the existence of God, what has become of your moral character?" The student answered honestly, "I can only admit that I am not as morally good as I was before." Mr. Torrey then gave a wonderful answer: "There is no need for me to argue with you anymore, and there is no need for me to give you the reasons for God's existence. If you stop your evil works and if your moral character becomes more noble, God will immediately come back to you." This is a fact. Many people do not believe in God because they have thousands of sins which hinder them from believing, not because they have many reasons. They are forced to become atheists.
What is the emotion? It is the part of man's psychological makeup which controls his wants, likes, and dislikes, his preferences and aversions, and his pleasures and displeasures. Some people do not want God; they dislike God. Since they prefer not to have God, they say that there is no God. Let me relate a story. There is a bird called the ostrich. It has a big body, and it is tall. A man can even ride on it. But it is very dumb. In order to catch it, a few dozen men will surround it and chase it around until it becomes tired. The ostrich has a big body, but its head is very small. When it sees many people chasing it and men all around, it will dig a small hole in the ground with its feet and bury its small head in the hole. The ostrich thinks that it will be safe if it does not see anyone anymore. It does not realize that even though its head is in the hole, the men are still present. Its big body is still exposed and not hidden. There are some people who wish that there were no God. They wish that there were no such thing as God. Can their wish mean anything? Does God not exist just because they wish to have no God?
Once I was preaching the gospel in one place, and a very evil person purposely came and said to me, "Do not say anything to me about Jesus, the Bible, or the gospel. You do not have to speak about these things, because a basic problem has not been solved. How can you talk about the gospel when the most crucial question of whether or not there is a God is not settled?" I then asked him, "Friend, do you not believe that there is a God?" He said, "I have told you already that there is no God. What makes you say that God exists? Please explain it to me." I said, "Of course, you do not believe that there is a God." He asked, "Why do you insist that there is a God when I say that there is no God?" I said, "You know the answer yourself." He seemed bewildered and said, "How do I know?" I said, "You know within." He was a little frustrated and said, "What does it mean that I know within?" I said, "You wish that there was no God. There is no need for me to say anything more. You know within." He seemed to understand a little and walked away embarrassed. There is no need to say anything to these ones or argue with them. Actually, they cannot be considered atheists; they are only trying to reject God in their feelings.
These people do not argue from reason; they merely assert with their mouth that there is no God. They are very stubborn, and there is no way to argue with them. If you ask why they do not believe in God, they cannot give you any reason. They merely tell you that they do not believe. You can give them a hundred reasons why there is a God, and they will come back a hundred and one times to tell you that there is no God. Even if you can give a thousand reasons, they will oppose you with a thousand and one reasons. You can do nothing about these people. They are merely being stubborn. They will not change what they have said. Even if you argue with them for three days and three nights, and even if they know they are wrong, they will still insist and argue with you. Although they may give many reasons, their reasons are all prejudiced and presumptuous. They are very insistent about what they say, and no one can do anything about them. Their minds are empty and void of reason. Yet their mouths are full of atheistic jargon. This is why I call them "verbal" atheists.
It is impossible to reason with the above three groups of people. But there is another group of atheists. There is more hope for this group, yet its number is very small. What kind of atheists are these?
Who are the intellectual atheists? These are ones who want to reason. If you can give them proper reasons, they will accept your word. There is some justification and value in debating with this kind of atheist. But how many atheists in this world are like this? I am afraid there are very few. I am not saying that there are none altogether. I am saying that there are very few; the number is not great. Today I will not debate with these ones or give many reasons to prove that there is a God in the universe. The Bible has not addressed the question of the existence of God; it only mentions Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, etc. This means that the question of the existence of God is not essential, because everyone already knows the answer. The existence of God is an unshakable fact; therefore, it is implicitly assumed.
If an atheistic friend (whom we encounter often in our preaching of the gospel) comes today and talks about the existence of God, he will surely say that there is no God. You can ask him why he thinks that there is no God, and he may give you one or two reasons. Every time I encounter such people, I will not give them the opportunity to finish their words. Instead I say, "How dare a person like you say that there is no God?" They may have more reasons, but I interrupt again, saying, "How dare a person like you say that there is no God?" He may have one or two more reasons, but I will say the same thing to him: "How dare a person like you say that there is no God?" He may wonder why I do this again and again. Then I tell him that we must first settle the issue of his qualification before we can discuss what he is saying. "How dare a person like you say that there is no God?" Some may think that it is presumptuous to answer this way. Truly, such a word may offend people. But the matter of importance is what kind of a person you are. You are not qualified to discuss the existence of God. Putting it more bluntly, what do you know that gives you the boldness to say that there is no God? There are 1,900,000,000 creatures like you on this earth. Who are you? You cannot even know your body or the things that are happening around you every day. How can you say that there is no God? Do you know how your nails grow and how your heart beats? You do not know if it will rain tomorrow or if you will still be eating tomorrow. You cannot know even such a small thing. How dare you say that there is no God? I have only studied chemistry for two years. This is why I dare not say too much about chemistry; otherwise, those who know more about the subject will laugh at me. You are but one of 1,900,000,000 people in this world, yet you dare to say that there is no God! This is why I say that a person or creature, as little as you, is not qualified to say that there is no God. Do you know how small you are? There are now 1,900,000,000 "things" like you on this earth today. Do you know how large the earth is? You may be smart and say that the earth is not that large. Then how large is the solar system? You still may think that it is not very big. Can you bring the sun and measure how big it is? If it were possible for you to empty the interior of the sun, how many earths could you put inside it? One earth would not fill it. Two would not fill it. You could keep on putting more earths into it, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even a million, and the sun would still be quite empty. How many earths can the sun hold? At least one and a half million! There are countless numbers of solar systems in the heavens that are as big as our solar system. One astronomer said that in the universe there were five hundred million stars as large as our sun. How big are you? How can you say that there is no God?
Let me tell you a story. I have a younger brother. When he graduated from kindergarten at the age of six, he brought back a certificate. He was very proud of himself and thought that he had accomplished a supreme achievement. He came to me proudly and said, "I graduated today!" I asked where he had graduated from. He answered, "From the kindergarten university." There are too many people who have graduated from kindergarten universities today! There are too many kindergarten doctorates!
Let us come back to astronomy. Astronomers tell us that the speed of light is one hundred eighty-six thousand miles per second. One mile is about three Chinese miles. In one second, light travels one hundred eighty-six thousand miles. How many miles does it travel in one minute? In one day? In one month? In one year? It is not easy for us to imagine this speed. Although light travels at such tremendous speed, astronomers tell us that light from some stars has traveled over two thousand years, yet their light still has not yet reached the earth. How vast is the universe! A man is only six feet tall, and he occupies only a square foot of ground. Yet he dares to say that there is no God! This must be the most presumptuous and comical thing one could ever say. Is it proper for such a tiny man to stand up and proudly announce, solemnly and assertively, that there is no God? I do not have to say anything; all of you know the answer.
I do not know if anyone can be so bold as to say that there is no God in the universe. But let us set this question aside for now. Consider the universe again. It is very big, but at the same time, it is very small. Objects that are even undetectable to the microscope have definite structures, laws, and order. This is true with whatever micro-object you consider. Men used to say that atoms were the smallest objects. Later they discovered that electrons were smaller. Recently, men have found that there are particles that are even smaller than electrons. Although these particles are small, they have definite principles, laws, and order governing them. If there is no God, who is organizing these things? How can it be a coincidence? There must be a God who rules and arranges everything. Otherwise, how can we have the wonderful order that we have today? The order of things can only speak of two possibilities. It can either be by chance, or it must be set into place by someone. It can only come by chance or arrangement. Either someone has arranged these things, or they have come about by accident. One of the two must be right.
Anything that happens by chance happens without a reason; anything that comes by arrangement speaks of someone behind the scene who is planning and executing. If no one in this universe is arranging everything, and if everything occurs by chance, then we are truly lost and bewildered. Some friends have said that the universe was formed when one object collided into another and a third object was produced. I cannot understand this logic. I have never seen one object in this world that is the result of two things randomly colliding into one another. My handkerchief did not come about by a few branches colliding with each other to produce cotton, and cotton colliding with cotton to produce threads, and threads colliding with each other to produce a handkerchief. I simply cannot understand this logic. There is nothing in this universe that has come about by chance collision.
Let me tell you a real story to illustrate this point about producing things by chance. A man was visiting a factory in America that manufactured meat grinders, and he talked with the factory manager. These meat grinders can be found everywhere in Shanghai among butchers and meat hawkers; they are small machines that shred the beef into small pieces. During the visit, the man discussed the origin of the universe with the manager. The manager said that there must be a wise and powerful God who had set everything in the universe in order. Another person who was there said, "There is no God in the universe, and everything came by chance." The manager did not argue with him; rather, he led him to where the meat grinders were being manufactured. He told the man, "My little machine is made up of only eight parts. Since you have said that the universe came about by chance, please try and put this machine together by chance. I will put the eight parts and a few screws into a box. Please shake the box and see if you can make a meat grinder out of it. I have a few hundred workers in this factory. The most capable ones can assemble two hundred machines a day. If I hired a simple girl from the countryside, who has never seen such a machine, she could do the job within a few days no matter how slow she was. But if you shook the box like I said, you would not get one machine in a month or even a year. This is impossible!" A little machine that is worth only $3.70 cannot be produced by chance. Could the vast universe have been produced by chance? Is it possible that all the objects in this world were produced by chance? A carpenter can make a chair like the one I am sitting on in half an hour. But if we waited for it to be produced by chance, I am afraid that we would not have a chair to sit on today. It is too incredible for the many things in this universe to come about by chance. There must be someone who has designed the universe, in order for it to be as orderly and logical as it is. Even the most foolish and uneducated person in this world can come to this conclusion. Unless a man is a fool, he has to believe that there is a God. If he does not believe this, there must be something wrong with his mind. At any rate, there is a God. It is illogical for man to believe that there is no God. Those who do not believe in God must have something wrong in their mind.
The above examples are merely objective proofs of the existence of God. Let us consider the question of God's existence from another angle: the psychological makeup of man. There is a large organization in America called the National Geographic Society. It investigates cultures and geographies of different parts of the world. It has one conclusion concerning its members' many investigations — every race on earth, no matter how cultured or wild, advanced or backward, has one thing in common — a belief in God. Everywhere one goes, even among the uncivilized Miao natives, men believe in God. A man may be unintelligent and not able to think logically; he may not be able to give many reasons. But if he searches his heart, he knows that there is a God. Many people are only stubborn in their speaking; in their conscience they know that there is a God.
In 1925, there was a preacher who passed through a jungle in South America. Suddenly he heard a cry for help, and he ran towards the sound. When he approached a river, he saw a man on a canoe going downstream. The current of the river was strong, and not far from him was a waterfall. If no one came to his rescue, the man would die by falling over the waterfall. At that time, the man cried with all his strength: "O God, O God, save me, save me!" When the preacher saw this, he tried his best and saved the man.
The next day, the preacher passed through the same jungle again and saw a few hundred people gathered around someone who was speaking, and he drew near to hear what he was saying. The man talked about God, and he gave many reasons why there was no God. After the man finished, he challenged the audience: "I have given many reasons for the nonexistence of God. If anyone is not happy with these reasons, he can bring up his arguments now." The preacher went up to the platform and said, "I do not know how to argue, and I cannot give many reasons. But I can tell you a story. Yesterday as I was walking through the jungle, I heard someone crying, `O God, O God, save me, save me!' I ran towards the sound by the river and saw a man sitting in a canoe. The water was rapid, and the boat was moving close to a waterfall. His life was in danger, and I saved him and took him home. I would like to introduce this man to you now. The one who was crying to God for help yesterday is the gentleman here today who is giving you many reasons why there is no God. You can ask him yourself if I am right or not."
Indeed, many people have their conscience covered up. Before their conscience is awakened, they can give many reasons for saying that there is no God. But when they are at the end of themselves, when they are about to die, and when they think of their future, their conscience tells them that there is a God. They can brush the matter aside now. They can say that they are young and that such things do not matter. But the day will come when they will step into eternity, and their sleeping conscience will speak out. I have often said that the conscience can sleep, but it will never die. When the time comes, it will speak out. However, it may be too late to know God by then.
There were a father and son in England who were both strong and zealous atheists. One day the father was about to die, and he was tossing about in his bed. He seemed to be very restless. When the son saw this, he was afraid that the old man would be shaken in his conviction, and he encouraged him, saying, "Father, hold tight." His father turned to him in tears and asked, "Hold tight to what?" Since they did not have God, what was there for them to hold tight to? But we have to thank the Lord because there is something that we can hold onto. There is something which we can lean back on. We know whom we believe.
Friends, please listen to the inner voice. Our mind will often give us wrong ideas; it is affected by outside influences. But the inner voice is trustworthy; it represents our true self. Please listen to the inner urge.
I have searched into the matter and concluded that no one is born an atheist; everyone becomes one through the influence of environment. This is why our conscience is the most valuable guide, and we should follow its leading all the time.
We have seen the greatness and smallness of the universe, the order of the universe, and man's psychology, and pointed out that they all prove the existence of God in the universe. We will now consider another aspect, which is the Christian experience of God. In this world, Christians know God the best. We can prove the existence of God from the experience of Christians. We know God from His answers to prayers, from the grace of forgiveness, and from God's special protection. If there is no God, there would be no believers.
I will relate to you a little of my own experience in prayer. I do not usually tell others about my experience in prayer, but I will say a little today. During the Chinese New Year of 1926, I was working in the villages. At that time, a few brothers like Brother Wang Lien-chun, Simon Meek, and Faithful Luk were in Foochow preparing for an evangelistic meeting. They invited me to join them, but I thought that there were so many already, and that I did not need to go. I thought that I would go to preach in the countryside instead. Subsequently, I invited six brothers to come with me. Two of them are now helping Mr. ____ in Kun-shan Garden in Shanghai. One is in Pai-ya-tan in Fukien, two are learning to fly airplanes in Amoy, and one is in Lien-jiang. I mention them because they were all involved in this incident, and they can testify to this. We took a boat and went to a village called Plum Flower Village. There are many fish in that place, and the fishermen there make a great deal of money from fishing. Among the six brothers, one was only sixteen or seventeen years old. He was expelled by his school. His mother could do nothing with him, and she brought him to us. During the first month, we had practically given up hope in him. But in the second month, he was saved. After he was saved, he loved to work. In the third month, he went with us to preach in Plum Flower Village. I had made arrangements ahead of time with a teacher whom I knew in that village to stay at a school while we were there. But when we arrived, the teacher rejected us and would not allow us to stay there, because he found out that we were there to preach the gospel. We walked around back and forth until dark and still could not find a place to stay. Finally we came across a herbal shop, whose owner was willing to put us up, and we stayed in his attic.
We went out on the evening of the 7th for the first time. There was one thing that was special about the people there: they were all very courteous. But all of them were quite reserved. Before we would finish a sentence, they would walk away. After we spoke with them a little, they would ask us to stop. We asked them for the reason, but they would not say anything. We were quite bewildered. In the evening when we came home, we realized that we all felt the same way and had the same experience. We asked the owner of the herbal shop, with whom we had become more acquainted, about our experience. He told us not to be bothered by these things. The next day we went out to sell gospel literature and preach the gospel again. The young brother eventually got into trouble. He was not able to contain himself anymore on that day, and he grabbed a villager and forced him to tell him what was happening. The villager said, "You don't know how many gods we have here already. We cannot have any more gods. We have a Great King (Dah-wang-shen) here who comes out every year for the parade and carnival. You have come at the wrong time because we will have the carnival on the 11th, and everyone is too busy to hear about your Jesus. This great god has been faithful since the Ming dynasty. From the Ching dynasty until now, it has been two hundred years, and every time the carnival comes, it has always been a clear day. Not once has there been rain." The young brother became angry when he heard this and said, "This year it will rain during the carnival." Many young people were there when he said this. When they heard it, they broke into a commotion, saying, "These preachers are saying that it will rain this year when the great god comes out for his parade." In less than two hours, the whole Plum Flower Village had learned of this matter. They spread the word that the preachers claimed it would rain on the day the Great King came out for the parade. Some began a rumor, saying, "If it rains, their God works; if it does not rain, the Great King works." After we returned home, we knew that this was not a light thing for our brother to have said. I told the young brother, "No one can control the weather. How could you have said that?" He said, "We can go and pray." I said, "Yes, we can pray. But will God answer our prayer? Is this something according to His will?" However, we all went and prayed. A meal was prepared, but none of us would eat. We all went and prayed until our anxiety was gone and we were peaceful and confident. Then we went back to eat. While we were eating, we told the owner of the shop, "We all know that it will rain on the 11th when the Great King comes out for the parade." The owner said, "I do not think so. Don't try to talk such nonsense anymore. First, there are over two thousand households in Plum Flower Village, and all of the males depend on fishing for their livelihood. Do you think that they are ignorant about the weather? They can tell the weather a few days ahead of time. Second, please take care of my little shop. I depend on this shop for my living. Don't put my little shop in jeopardy." Yet we were all very peaceful and confident, and we were sure that God had heard our prayer. The next day was the 10th, and we went out again. This time, not only was the young brother telling others that it would rain on the 11th, but all of us were saying the same thing. We all said that it would rain the next day. When we tried to sell them the gospel literature, they would not buy it and would not receive the word we preached. They all said, "Let's wait and see what will happen tomorrow. If it rains, Jesus is God. If it does not rain, our Great King works."
It was so strange that on the night of the 9th, we received a promise, which was "Where is the God of Elijah?" This was related to God's glory. On the eve of the 11th, that is, the night of the 10th, we prayed again. If it did not rain the next day, it would be impossible for us to preach the gospel to the ten thousand or more people in Plum Flower Village again, and the door of the gospel would be closed there. No one would get in again. One or two among us who were weaker in faith thought that they should ask God to send rain right then. To them, it was better for it to rain that very night. We went to bed and did not get up until very late the next morning. I slept beside a window, and when I woke up, the sun was shining in my eyes. I thought, "Too bad! The sun has come out. What shall we do?" I did not bother to even put on my clothes, and I knelt down to pray. Later all the brothers woke up one by one, and everyone knelt down to pray, saying, "O God, today is the day for You to manifest Your glory. Please send the rain and prove that You are God." We all prayed earnestly. Later we all rebuked ourselves for praying so desperately, knowing that God had already heard our prayer. We went down to take our breakfast. I was the leader among them, and in order to boost their morale, I told the brother who took care of the food, "There is no need to prepare any sack lunch today; we will not be able to go out because it will rain." We blessed the food. After we blessed our food, one brother went on and prayed, "Lord, may You keep our faith and prove that You are God." Of course this was a spontaneous prayer. After this, we went to fill our bowls with porridge. I sat facing the window. Shortly after we finished our first bowl, the sound of dripping was heard on the roof. We looked at each other and began to understand what was going on. We went ahead for our second bowl. I asked, "Should we pray?" One brother said, "Why not? This rain looks too small. It has to rain very hard before others will see that this is a clear act of God and not an accident." We then proceeded to pray again. After our prayer, the sky turned dark and the rain increased. The sound of the rain on the roof became louder. The rain was pouring down harder and harder. After breakfast, we stood outside the shop to watch the Great King come out for its parade. The Great King was scheduled to come out at 9 a.m. But the rain did not stop from nine o'clock until eleven o'clock. Since the parade could not take place beyond a certain hour, the villagers reluctantly carried the great god out. The rain was truly a torrent that day, and two- or three-foot deep puddles of water were everywhere along the way. When the Great King came out of the temple, it only managed to move a few steps. One of the bearers slipped and fell into the water, and the great god fell with him also. Three of its fingers and an arm were broken, and its head was twisted. The villagers lifted up the Great King again, turned the head back to its original position, and tried to press on. By then many young people were shouting at the back: "The Great King is in trouble this year. It is in trouble this year." They shouted as they marched on. The rain became heavier and heavier, and it was obvious that they could not go on anymore. They moved the Great King into an ancestral hall that belonged to a Chan clan. Some elders of the village went in and asked the Great King why it had rained this year. What a trick they came up with eventually! They managed to tell everyone, "The Great King did not intend in the first place to come out for the parade on this day. You people have made a mistake. The Great King said that he had intended to come out at 8 p.m. on the 14th. Today is only the 11th." The elders proposed that the parade be changed to the 14th. But the young people asked, "Why then did the Great King trip, and why were his arm and fingers broken?"
At lunchtime we prayed that God would give us a clear day so that we could go out to work again. We became strong in our faith and prayed also that the Lord would send another rain on the 14th. After we ate, we went out to preach again. That afternoon, the sky was clear, and the quantity of books we took with us was not enough to meet the need. In a minute they were all sold out.
We had to leave the village and return home on the 15th. Therefore, we prayed for a clear sky on the 12th, 13th, and 14th so that we could work. We also prayed that it would rain on the evening of the 14th so that everyone would know that the Great King was not God. The 12th, 13th, and 14th were all clear days. We decided to hold a gospel meeting in the herbal shop on the evening of the 14th. By then the owner believed. Today he is still a good brother. On the evening of the 14th it began to rain, and many people were waiting outside the shop. We went up to the attic and prayed that God would send more rain. Praise the Lord, the rain became heavier and heavier. When the villagers moved the Great King out of the temple, seventeen or eighteen men were following it. But they tripped five or six times. Many young people were behind it, shouting, "There is God. There is no Great King." We were able to finish a fine work there. On the morning of the 15th, we left before the day broke. Praise the Lord.
We have received many answers to prayers. These answers prove that there is a God. Our spiritual experiences prove to us that our God is living.
We cannot go away from this subject in a light way. We have to ask, "If there is a God, what should we do?" It is not enough to believe that there is a God. Please read Amos 4:12: "Prepare to meet your God." Friends, are you prepared to meet your God? If you know that there is a God, you cannot live foolishly or sit idly. First, you must be prepared to meet your God. Friends, are you prepared to meet God? I hope that no one among us will be deceived by the atheists anymore.
If there is a God, what must we do before we can meet Him? There is only one thing: believe in the Lord Jesus. This is the only way to meet God because He bestows grace to us through Christ. Apart from Christ, everyone is condemned.
Ephesians 2:16 through 18 says, "And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it. And coming, He announced peace as the gospel to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near, for through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father." Please pay special attention to 3:12: "In whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in Him." How can we meet God? The Bible tells us that only by believing in Jesus will we have the boldness to come to Him.
There is one thing that frustrates us from meeting God — sin. Once sin exists, we cannot see God's face. Sin turns us away from God. God has prepared a way for us to deal with our sins, which is the Lord's crucifixion on the cross. Through the cross, He took away our sins. He died for our sins, and He was beaten for us. He was hung on the cross for our sins. The Lord Jesus has died and resurrected. Now everyone who believes in Him can come boldly to God because the middle wall of partition has been removed. The problem of sin is solved, and we can come to God without any fear. One day we all will see God. We will either be accepted as God's people or rejected as God's enemies. The Lord has died, and all the problems of sin have been solved. Let us come to God and receive Him. No one can come to God with any hindrance. Who are those who cannot come to God? Friends, are you a Christian? Are you an atheist? I beg you to believe in the Lord Jesus. Is there anyone here today who will receive Jesus Christ as his Savior?
Friends, remember that one day you will see God. There is no way for you to hide; you will eventually have to come face to face with God. The only way to hide is to hide in the Lord; there is no other way. One day when you see God's face and want to hide, it may be too late. Therefore, all those who desire to receive the Lord should receive Him now. Do not delay.
Some may say that they do not quite understand the Lord's redemption. They seem to have a problem understanding how the Lord's blood could bring us to God. All we have to do is to check with our conscience. There is a case before us — our sins. There is also a witness inside us — our conscience. The precious conscience is testifying against our sins. Many people are afraid to think about God; they try to avoid God because they have such a case in their conscience. They try to reject God. Friends, there is no need for you to fear, because the Lord Jesus is our Mediator.
Our Lord left the splendid and glorious heavens in order to bring us there. He suffered punishment in order that we may have peace. He died for us that we may have life. He was rejected in order that we may be accepted. We can lay down our burden of sin because God has judged the Lord. All we have to do is believe in Him and draw near to God. If we do not believe that the Lord has taken away our sins, our future is indeed bleak. I hope that we will all open our hearts to receive the Lord. If we do this, we will see that God is no longer our Judge, but our loving Father.
Many of us know that there are frequent earthquakes in Italy. Once there was a great earthquake, and many houses and trees were damaged or leveled. Many people took their belongings and ran with their children in their arms. They were all very frightened. But one old lady did not run around frantically like others; she leaned against a doorpost and laughed. She did not take anything with her and did not try to look for a safe place to hide. All she did was laugh at the ones who were running for their lives. Some curious ones said to her, "Old lady, are you mad? Has the earthquake driven you crazy? Dear old lady, pack your belongings quickly and run." The old lady just kept on laughing and said, "I have talked to you about the things to come and exhorted you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have said that unless you believe in Jesus, you would go to hell and suffer the fire of brimstone. But you have ignored me and not listened to me, regarding my speaking as a joke. Today God is only moving a little finger, and all of you are so frightened. You do not know what to do, and you run back and forth helplessly. This is a very funny sight to me." Friends, have you ever thought of your future? When that day comes, will you be like the men who were running for their lives and who were so helpless? All those who have believed in the Lord Jesus will not be shaken; they will be at peace. Are you afraid of earthquakes? If you are, how much worse is hell? Are you afraid of hell? An earthquake is terrible and frightening, but it is nothing compared with hell. Friends, there is no comparison between hell and earthquakes. Consider hell when you think of an earthquake. Do you want to suffer the pain of hell? Friends, please come and believe in the Lord Jesus so that you can escape the pain of hell and enjoy the blessing of heaven.
