Reasons to Believe in Jesus (Part 1 of 2)

John has got the word Christ in it. If you remove the word Christ from the was a Christian I and isn't it help you is yes on Focus on the Family is evangelist J John with a compelling message about why he believes Christianity is true.

And as you may have noticed, there will be some humor in the mix as well. I'm John Fuller and your hostess focus president and author Jim got our make sure people heard that Ian isn't going to help Christ. Well I love that you know in times of national crisis like Brennan people tend to consider questions of faith much more seriously it's because it's right in front of us. What are we here for what is is about will I die, and those are good things to consider actually changes the course of many people's lives and they live differently.

We saw that after the events of 9/11 were seeing it now as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect families and businesses in both the areas of health and finances and let me just say if you have lost someone to the coronavirus. We at focus are very sorry and our hearts are heavy for you, but in spite of these losses it is encouraging to see how God can work during these times of trial and when people suddenly become more interested in their eternal destination. In fact, our friends at Tyndale House publishers tell us that they've seen a 50% jump in the sales of their two major editions of the Bible some more people are reading that's really encouraging. I hope people know that were here to help with any faith related questions they might have always today were providing a unique look at why the Christian faith is something you can have confidence in, and I'm sure you can enjoy the message as well, as we say J John is an evangelist and he's in great demand around the world is travel to 69 different countries and has authored several books that J. John lives near London with his wife Kelly. They have three sons, one daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. He is a great speaker. And here now is J John as he was addressing an Easter service in Australia on today's episode of Focus on the Family. Whenever I get off J it's always very difficult to know what to say because if I say to the right friends which I stop sign images in people's minds like to be creative in telling people what I do think that is woman on an airplane at Heathrow Apple in London.

I think where you going to syncopal.

She sits me where you going Australia to you to. She told me that she said what do you do and I said well I will for global supply cc I think we that's in the country of the well. She said we thought hospitals. We got hospices. We got Michelle since we put we do not reach what programs we do justice well basically we the people from the area of behavioral alteration people to keep cool. This is the child's what you will.

Seeing and feeling hate tonight the way you explain it to you tonight is you why I am a Christian, you fool reasons why a Christian if I could give you more reasons kind of with reasons why a Christian school, reasons why you should be a Christian is a very famous person.

The Bible in John's Gospel chapter 3 verse 16 it says that God so loved the world that he gave his only son so believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

One sentence kind of captures the essence of Christianity is all about people's understanding of Christianity is a nice understanding. Someone said to me, believing anything I don't understand. I said yes what you do as well. Me involved in agriculture will tell me this possible for a black cow to eat green grass which is white male easy things we don't fully understand people think Christians don't think Christians don't think because Christians don't think like they think they think we don't think. But we so the beginning of the dog. All what is that mean did you know that when the first single return from space first interview question.

Did you see God. He said no I did not the Soviet Union. This is proof that God did not exist when the first American snow return from space first interview question.

Did you see God he said I would've seen God and I stepped out of my spacesuit to completely different understandings.

All the wood called it was a little girl to money money is going in the house.

The mother thought about it.

He is in the kitchen the money so please go to be in the kitchen money the house and is in the kitchen. You know the mom arrange without top 20 in the Monterey job you record what you think. You think anything that even having sewn up. Not just good to know he's in the house is in the kit going to see a lot of people do that and a lot of people feel that they want to say this is going on is on book simple Econ box called a measly, Billy goat that we can begin to fathom and understand who God is. If you and I could fully fathom and understand God, he would be the same sound mind. Therefore, he wouldn't be worth believing in easy to many people today all the wrong questions the wrong questions you can get the right offices. The first reason why I'm a Christian is because Christianity is true is a good question to off, called revealed himself as gold spoken see well the Bible in the Bible account of how God is revealed himself spoken creation. There is nothing creation for us to encounter the creator, but most people who like creation on interested in the crates going spoken through history but God's greatest revelation of himself all people. All coaches all times walls in Jesus Christ.

Now she's a really good question. We know Jesus walls one. Good question.

I agree the Bible to Testaments in the Bible, the Old Testament, the new test.

The Old Testament begins with the book of Genesis ends with a Malachi. The New Testament begins with the book of Matthew ends with the book of Revelation between the law spoke of the Old Testament Malachi on the first book of the New Testament and you.

There are over 500 years of silence when God does not speak.

Nothing is communicated, Old Testament of the Bible. They all know what all code may seek prophecies. These prophecies tell you about the arrival of the kingdom of heaven on the friends in the Middle East because I've done a lot of what they are in the Middle East on the loss of Rabbi friends of one of my rabbi friends is now for a morning in a coffee shop and I said listen, what will read the messianic prophecies about how many all that he said 390, 322 courses of goals, so I said you want read one you read one already one you read one army from when we were 322 on to say to you rabbi does that remind you of anyone.

The 322 prophecies tell you where to be born to be born.

How is going to grow up what he's going to say how he's going to die. You've even got a number of coins that will be used to betray him. Do you know what the mathematical compound probability is 322 prophecies being fulfilled in 191. In time it is 1/18 with one hundred zeros.

In other words, it doesn't happen every day listening to British evangelist John on today's episode of Focus on the Family and a quick reminder, you can get a CD of this entire presentation for a gift of any amount to the ministry when you call 800 K and the word family 800-232-6459 or donate and request thatcd@focusonthefamily.com/broadcast, let's go ahead and hear more now from JJ but it's not just based on Jesus fulfilling these prophecies is not just based on his teaching is not just based on his life is not just based on his death.

It is based on his resurrection. His resurrection in 18 entry.

There was a man called Gilbert West who he didn't like it. A lot of his friends were becoming Christians to he decided that he would write a book to disprove the resurrection, because if you can't disprove the resurrection. You can disprove Christianity based on researching he's writing the book. Half way through the book he met Jesus.

He wrote his book the other way around.

One of the original copies that he wrote in the 18th century. In the 19th century there was a very famous atheists in America court angle so like the Christianity was growing a great friend who was a very famous general co-Gen. Lew Wallace essentially is Frank Lu.

You could help me out damage Christianity damage the church wanting to write a book to disprove the resurrection. So Lew Wallace began to write his book Lew Wallace actually had a wife. He was a Christian so she was praying while he was wanting to go to chapter full he met Jesus so he wrote his book the other way round. His book is called Ben in the 20th century there was a lawyer and a journalist called Frank Morrison he decided that he was shocked to Christianity and he was right in any way you can do that to disprove the resurrection. He suggested that if he knows how to research but he's also a lawyer. He knows how to play around with the material he's gone.

So not everything.

Half way through the book she met Jesus so he wrote his book the other way round. His book is called moved the stone. So if you're in a hurry to meet Jesus trying write a book to disprove the resurrection you get to the end of the street on the street plunges into to you know which way to go right. I know there are two men lying that one day ones alive which one would you want for directions. Reason I am a Christian is because Jesus Christ is the line is resurrection since he takes everything that he said everything that he did the dead 40 days before his ascension into heaven. During the 40 day period that he schools he neither withdrew, nor anything that he told the previous three years. That is why we can believe Jesus about the possible about the present and about the future. I am a Christian because Christianity is true.

That's why you should be a Christian, you know, about three more reasons why a Christian, but that is so good, you should become a Christian now way why I'm a Christian is because I need forgiveness I need forgiveness among the husband donning me for me that Toyota to the father said I take what he thought.

What can he do to occupy his daughter is flicking through a magazine he sees a map of the world you want to. I'm going to do he compliment the world into small squares on the floor.

I want you to put the squares together again to make the map of the world when you've done that, find me to the father thought good thou keep a busy couple minutes later she said I've done it. He so she could have done it went to have a little older squares were put in exactly the right place went to pull the square. She said well when you accounting the map how I looked on the other sign needs and I saw a picture of a man and a woman and I thought if I could put the man and the woman back together again. I could put the world back together again the hearts of the human problem is the problem of the human heart repeats the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. You should say that to somebody tomorrow teaching the human problem is the problem of the human experience in a slightly different way. Just imagine you pause this life now this is just an analogy you one company gigantic fits in front of you is a huge screen door was open and Angel slicing comes up to you, says welcome to the theater of judgment.

Relax, watch the screen there on the screen you see your life everything you ever did hear Rhonda everything you ever said here on everything you ever so those are what are called the sins of nation but then you proceed to watch the sin of omission. All the things we should have done, but we do at the end of the film is still recovering. The angel comes back and says really is going to be a second showing all the people who were featured in the film with your life role waiting outside, which is the man to come and view your life a second time. How would you feel if your life would charged on the basis that is exactly how God judges us in the distant.

I do know that you may not want a private viewing, let alone a public viewing of my life. I do not need convincing that I thought said and done things that I shouldn't have. And there are things I should've done but I didn't do what a lot of people don't realize is all that stuff on the film as the consequence of disconnecting us from God and it works a bit like an overdraft in a bank account. If you have an overdraft, I have an overdraft you can't help me.

I can't help you on who can help us is someone credit but a lot of people what in the knowledge that so what do a lot of people do in the world think they kind of deflected with my full well among Fulton full. The parents is that you know the teachers not not made all made the kind of effect on somebody else denying it. Other people feel so uncomfortable with it a try and drown it. Listen if you are guilty in the science of God, you cannot deny it. You cannot dyslexic you cannot drown. The only way to get rid of it is the dissolving in the blood of Jesus Christian because I need give. I need forgiveness I get a whole series of lectures at Oxford University, and often my final lectures like I must've given about 16 lectures on the student comes up to make ice not listen to all your lectures. I've enjoyed the yeah yeah yeah and then he goes. This is what he said. Personally, I believe Christianity is a crutch and I look to them and I feel I hope you break your legs random so random, so random, so then I sit and listen if you broke both of your legs would you appreciate the use of a wheelchair to get around tickets.

I would like it if you broke one leg, would you appreciate the use of crutches to get around is it yes I would. I said I'm a broken possum so you I've never met a person who isn't broken so please like Jesus while he's putting it back together again.

Chris this great message from British evangelist Jay John will have his conclusion. Joe, what a powerful presentation and what a great message for these challenging times that I love hearing the stories Jay John shared about people who didn't believe in God, who actually set out to disprove Christianity and ended up becoming believers. How awesome.

And isn't it incredible to see that God seems to reveal himself to at least one atheist leader for each generation as Jay John pointed out with the lives of Gilbert West Ballou Wallace and Frank Morrison.

God cares that much about us to inspire one of our peers to carry his message to our own generation and just recently. Of course our listeners heard stories from John Burke. He was a skeptic about Christianity, but ended up becoming a believer in Christ. After researching near-death experiences in ultimately wrote the book. Imagine heaven and there was Lee Strobel good friend of this ministries author of the case for Christ to admit she was an adamant atheist and journalist before he began researching the claims of Jesus as Messiah.

It really is fascinating to see how a true faith can come out of that kind of a really intense study yeah and it makes their message. Probably the most powerful witness of the most powerful example that we have in here you've got somebody who is dead set against God, and then they start digging into it to do damage or harm. Who does that sound like it sounds like the apostle Paul and you know he was determined to stop the Jesus followers to rid the world of the sect called Christianity that was doing damage to the Jewish orthodoxy in Jesus Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, and Paul heard a voice saying why are you persecuting me and he became an evangelist to the entire non-Jewish world, and boy, John. Evangelism is our main purpose here Focus on the Family to be able to provide the channels the conduit for the gospel message to go out around the world literally many of our listeners don't realize that Focus on the Family programs are heard on almost 600 radio stations and 55 countries around the world and we also have podcast listeners of people who access our YouTube channel. From all around the globe basically were having a big impact, and you know every day we get letters like this one from Mark where he said thank you Focus on the Family for bringing me back to Christ.

I grew up in a Christian home, but as I got older I fell away from the faith, but I felt guilty about how I was living one day I was fed up with my usual music station and change the channel, stumbling upon Focus on the Family you how many times Jim if we heard somebody say I accidentally tuned into your broadcast all the time and Mark went on to say I started listening faithfully and really appreciated Jim's caring heart and I hope that's the Lord you're hearing it doesn't matter what Jim Daly says that I want you to hear what God has to say and I think that's what he was saying that your program that brought me back to the Lord and I'm so grateful for those opportunities we have to see God using what we do here in the studios to impact somebody for eternity. That's the response we love to see so let me remind you to support Focus on the Family. If you can. Your part of this and I know times are hard right now. For many families.

But if you're in a position to help us and really help others. That's the key. We'd appreciate it and when you make a donation of any amount will send you a CD of this great message from Jay John so that you can listen to it again or share with a friend or family member who might be ready to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ. We made a special version of the CD that will include all these extra comments so call us or request that CD online today. Just give us a call at 800 the letter a and word family. That's 800-232-6459 or follow the link in the episode notes to donate to the work Focus on the Family and request that CD if you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian. We have a very informative booklet called coming home. How to know God. Ask for a free copy when you get in touch or downloaded from our website.

Again the link is in the episode notes next time will have more from Jay John as he continues to explain why he's a Christian, you and I toss that we can bring the pasta to the golf we set free. I'm a Christian because Jesus John Knight on the cross for me it's for me forgiveness from the Palm on behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team. Thanks for listening to this Focus on the Family podcast if you can please take a moment and make referral let somebody else know about this or if you can leave a rating at your podcast source.

I'm John Fuller inviting you back next time when we once more help you and your family thrive in Christ