THE MOST DAMAGING AND DESTRUCTIVE LIE IN OUR CULTURE
IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST COMMON.
HAVE YOU BOUGHT INTO THAT LIE? FIND OUT,
AND LEARN HOW THE TRUTH CAN REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE,
ON TODAY’S TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM.
WELCOME TO TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM,
A PRODUCTION OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES, WHERE WE ARE
I’M PASTOR ROB PACIENZA.
A STRUCTURE IS ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS FOUNDATION.
AND WE SEE ALL AROUND US A CULTURE THAT’S CRUMBLING,
BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN BUILT ON A FAULTY FOUNDATION.
THAT SHODDY FOUNDATION SAYS THAT YOU AND I ARE ACCIDENTS
NOTHING MORE THAN THE PRODUCT OF SOME LUCKY CHEMICALS
THAT GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
THE REALITY IS MUCH MORE PLAUSIBLE,
NOT TO MENTION HOPEFUL.
ON TODAY’S PROGRAM, YOU’LL DISCOVER THE TRUTH
ABOUT WHERE WE CAME FROM,
AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR HOW YOU LIVE TODAY.
THAT CENTRAL TRUTH HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A KEY PART OF THIS MINISTRY,
AND I’M PLEASED TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY THAT
CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE IS JOINING CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES.
CSI’S FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IS MY FRIEND
AND FORMER TEACHER, TOM DEROSA, WHO CAME TO CHRIST
UNDER THE MINISTRY OF DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY.
WE’RE THRILLED TO JOIN TOGETHER
TO REFUTE THE FALSEHOODS OF EVOLUTION AND
PROCLAIM THE WONDERFUL DESIGN OF GOD FOR ALL OF CREATION.
HERE’S DR. JERRY NEWCOMBE WITH MORE.
TOM DEROSA OF THE CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE, CSI
HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO TEACHING GOD’S TRUTHS.
HE AND HIS TEAM ARE WORKING HARD TO COUNTER THE
PREVAILING ATHEISTIC IDEOLOGY THAT FLOWS OUT OF EVOLUTION.
CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE IS AN ORGANIZATION
THAT AFFIRMS THE WORD OF GOD.
WE WANT TO REACH THE WORLD WITH THE TRUTH OF CREATION
AND THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
IN OUR SCHOOLS TODAY, KIDS ARE BEING TAUGHT EVOLUTION,
BEING TAUGHT THINGS THAT ARE HYPOTHETICAL,
THE THINGS ARE JUST, WE KIND OF HAVE THE EVIDENCE,
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE,
THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT AND SAYING, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.
SO THEY START QUESTIONING THE RATIONALITY BEHIND THIS,
THERE IS PART OF US THAT’S SAYING,
HOW CAN WE COME FROM CHANCE,
HOW CAN WE COME FROM RANDOM HAPPENINGS.
GOD IS A GOD OF ORDER, HE CREATED ORDERLY UNIVERSE,
SCIENCE SUPPORTS THIS KIND OF UNIVERSE.
A UNIVERSE OF LAW, ONCE WE DISMANTLE THAT, WE TAKE IT AWAY,
THEN WE HAVE CHAOS AND EVERYTHING GOES.
THE CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE CSI, HOLDS VARIOUS EVENTS
TO TEACH LITTLE CHILDREN AND COLLEGE STUDENTS AND OTHERS
ABOUT GOD AND THE IDEA OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN.
WE HAVE STUDENTS HERE LEARNING ABOUT GODS CREATION.
WE WANT TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION UPON THEM.
THEY HAVE TO SEE THAT GOD AND CREATION IS CONNECTED.
THAT SCIENCE IS GOD’S.
SCIENCE AND GOD COME TOGETHER,
AND THAT’S WHAT THIS CAMP IS ALL ABOUT.
ALL OF THE EXHIBITS HERE AT THE CREATION DISCOVERY MUSEUM
CENTER ON EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS GOD AS OUR CREATOR
OVER HERE WE HAVE A DISPLAY OF AN ICE AGE HERD OF MAMMOTHS,
NOW THE ICE AGE OCCURRED WE BELIEVE
FROM THE WORLDWIDE FLOOD,
WE BELIEVE THE WORLDWIDE FLOOD GAVE US
CONDITIONS TO HAVE AN ICE AGE.
THESE ARE FOSSILS THAT COME FROM
THE NORTHERN PART OF BRAZIL NEAR THE AMAZON.
THAT’S A FISH, PERFECTLY PRESERVED.
IT SPEAKS OF A WORLDWIDE CATASTROPHE
WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO SHOW THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD,
THE TRAITS OF GOD,
THAT GOD IS ALL POWERFUL, HE'S ALL KNOWLEDGEABLE,
THEY'RE DEALING WITH THESE THINGS AND SAYING WOW,
LOOK THAT COMES FROM GOD,
THEY GET EXCITED ABOUT GOD, THEY EXPERIENCE GOD.
THE IDEA OF ALL OUR ACTIVITIES, IS THAT WE WANT PEOPLE, KIDS,
ESPECIALLY KIDS, TO BE ABLE TO GET EXCITED ABOUT GOD,
SO THEY CAN EXPERIENCE HIM,
ONCE THEY EXPERIENCE HIM,
THEY'LL REMEMBER IT FOREVER
TODAY, EVOLUTION IS WIDELY ACCEPTED AS
INDISPUTABLE SCIENTIFIC FACT,
AND IS EVEN TAUGHT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
WHEN IN TRUTH, IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN UNPROVEN THEORY
WHAT CHANGED IN THE LATE 1850’S,
DARWIN’S ORIGIN OF SPECIES THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
NO NEW EVIDENCE
JUST A WHOLE NEW THEORY TO WHICH EVERYTHING HAD TO CONFORM
EVOLUTION IS AN IDEA AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TAUGHT THAT
IT’S SCIENCE AND IT'S PART OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD,
BUT IT'S AN IDEA,
IT'S AN IDEOLOGY, AND THOSE WHO EMBRACE THIS IDEOLOGY,
UNDER THE GUISE OF SCIENCE, IS FALSE, IT'S A MYTH.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT AN IDEA OF ONE KIND OF ANIMAL
CHANGING INTO ANOTHER,
IT’S NOT JUST AN IDEA OF APE-LIKE CREATURES
SUPPOSEDLY CHANGING INTO PEOPLE, IT’S MUCH MORE THAN THAT.
IT’S REALLY A WHOLE WAY OF THINKING,
IT’S REALLY A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE, ACTUALLY,
I WOULD SAY IT’S REALLY A RELIGION
TO EXPLAIN LIFE WITHOUT GOD.
PROPONENTS OF EVOLUTION CLAIM THAT SCIENCE AND
THE BIBLE ARE INCOMPATIBLE, HOWEVER, MOST OF
THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF MODERN SCIENCE WERE MEN OF FAITH.
THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE TRACES BACK TO THIS CHRISTIAN
MOTIVATION TO LEARN ABOUT GOD’S CREATION.
SCIENTISTS WERE BIRTHED OUT OF CHRISTIANITY.
WE ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH ISAAC NEWTON AND SIR ISAAC NEWTON
SPENT MORE TIME WRITING ABOUT THE BIBLE
AND THE PROPHESIES OF DANIEL THAN HE DID ON SCIENCE
THESE SCIENTISTS DIDN’T BELIEVE
THAT NATURE WAS JUST A COSMIC ACCIDENT.
INSTEAD, THEY BELIEVED IT WAS DESIGNED BY A CREATOR.
SCIENCE ARISES OUT OF CHRISTIANS WHO BELIEVE
THE UNIVERSE IS UNDERSTANDABLE,
BECAUSE IT’S CREATED BY A GOD WHO LOVES ORDER AND BEAUTY
AND WHO MADE IT THE WAY IT IS
AND MADE IT IN A WAY THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND IT
ALL THE EARLY RENAISSANCE SCIENTISTS
THAT YOU READ ABOUT IN YOUR TEXTBOOKS
TEXTBOOKS IN ASTRONOMY WERE STRONG BELIEVERS IN DESIGN,
SUCH AS COPERNICUS AND KEPLER AND GALILEO
AND ISAAC NEWTON AND BOYLE AND MAXWELL.
ALL THESE WERE STRONG BELIEVERS IN A DESIGN UNIVERSE AND
IT’S ONLY RECENTLY THAT THAT TREND HAS CHANGED.
THESE FOREFATHERS OF MODERN SCIENCE NOTED THAT MUCH OF
THE EVIDENCE FOR CREATION CAN BE FOUND ALL AROUND US.
WHEN WE LOOK IN TERMS OF THE EARTH,
WE SEE THAT THERE IS ORDER,
WE SEE THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ROCKS
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EARTH'S CRUST,
MOST OF IT IS SEDIMENTARY ROCK,
HOW DID THAT SEDIMENTARY ROCK GET THERE,
THAT SEDIMENTARY ROCK, WE BELIEVE,
WAS CAUSED BY A WORLDWIDE FLOOD.
THE BIBLE POINTS TO THAT VERY CLEARLY.
WHEN WE LOOK IN TERMS OF THE IDEA OF MAN HIMSELF,
MAN IS EXTREMELY WELL ENDOWED, GIFTED BY GOD,
HE LITERALLY CAN THINK, HE HAS EMOTIONS.
HE HAS A MORAL CONSCIENCE, HE'S ABLE TO BE CREATIVE
WE LOOK IN TERMS OF THE IDEA OF THE UNIVERSE,
THE IDEA OF PLANETS AND THE IDEA OF STARS AND THE IDEA,
ISAAC NEWTON SAID, HEY HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN,
THERE HAD TO BE AN INTELLIGENT DESIGNER,
WELL WHEN WE LOOK IN TERMS OF THE LAWS,
THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE ARE CARRIED OUT HERE ON EARTH,
THEY'RE THE SAME.
SO, AS WE STUDY THE UNIVERSE, AS WE LOOK AT THE HEAVENS,
WE SEE THE ORDER,
WE SEE A GOD THAT CREATED THINGS,
AS WE STUDIED THE EARTH,
WE SEE THAT GOD HAS BEEN THERE.
WHILE EVIDENCE FOR CREATION ABOUNDS,
MANY POINT OUT THE GAPING HOLES IN DARWIN’S THEORY
LIKE THE FACT THAT THE MISSING LINKS ARE STILL MISSING
OR THAT THE CHANCE OF LIFE JUST SPONTANEOUSLY ARISING
OUT OF NON-LIFE IS VIRTUALLY NIL.
DR. DEROSA IS A REALLY GOOD TEACHER.
HE’S WAY SMARTER THAN I EVER THOUGHT ANYBODY COULD BE.
TOM DEROSA AND THE CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE CONTINUE TO DO
THE IMPORTANT WORK OF RESCUING THESE YOUNGER GENERATIONS FROM
THE GRIPS OF DARWIN’S DANGEROUS IDEOLOGY.
HOW DID THIS FISH MEET ITS DEMISE?
I’VE BEEN LEARNING ABOUT CREATION AND
ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL GOD IS.
DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY, THE FOUNDER OF THIS MINISTRY,
BELIEVED SO STRONGLY IN WHAT TOM HAS BEEN DOING
THAT HE DECIDED TO ADOPT CSI AS PART OF OUR MISSION.
TOM DEROSA’S WORK IS ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES OF OUR TIME.
I BELIEVE SO STRONGLY IN WHAT HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES ARE DOING
THAT I HAVE MADE AN IMPORTANT DECISION TO ANNOUNCE
THE NATIONAL LAUNCHING OF THE CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE,
SPEAR-HEADED BY CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES.
AND TODAY WE’RE ALL EXCITED TO WELCOME BACK
INTO THE CRM FAMILY OF MINISTRIES,
CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS MERGER WITH CSI AND CRM.
WHEN WE FIND THESE BONES, WE CLASSIFY THEM,
WE ASSOCIATE THEM.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE PARENTS THAT RAISE YOU WITH THE IDEA OF GOD,
YOU'RE GOING TO FALL INTO THIS ATHEISTIC PARADIGM.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE
LOOKING AT A WORLD THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT
I’M THRILLED AND GRATEFUL THAT TOM DEROSA,
WHO’S HAD A DIRECT IMPACT ON MY OWN LIFE
AS WELL AS THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS,
IS BRINGING CREATION STUDIES INSTITUTE
BACK UNDER THE BANNER OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES
AS WE CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR REACH,
THESE TRUTHS ARE WORTH DEFENDING
NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY’RE CORRECT,
BUT BECAUSE THEY MAKE SUCH A TANGIBLE
DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
THE BIBLICAL TEACHING ON CREATION HAS GIVEN BIRTH
TO SCIENCE, EDUCATION, THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE,
THE DIGNITY OF LABOR,
THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERATURE, AND MUCH MORE.
I RECENTLY SHARED WITH OUR CONGREGATION HERE
AT CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ON
“WHY THE BIBLICAL TEACHING ON CREATION MATTERS.”
WE'LL BE LOOKING AT GENESIS CHAPTER ONE
VERSUS ONE THROUGH FIVE.
AND THEN JOHN ONE, ONE THROUGH FIVE,
THE PASSAGE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT,
AND THEN A PASSAGE FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT.
AND THE GRASS WITHERS AND THE FLOWER FADES,
BUT NO, NOT THE WORD OF GOD.
THE WORD OF GOD STANDS FOREVER. AMEN.
THERE IS NO MORE PRESSING QUESTION THAN WHO MADE YOU?
NO MORE PRESSING QUESTION THAN WHERE DID WE COME FROM?
DON'T BELIEVE ME, LOOK TO THE 1 BILLION INDUSTRY CALLED
ANCESTRY.COM $1 BILLION DOLLARS IN ANNUAL REVENUE,
PEOPLE SEARCHING.
WHERE DID I COME FROM?
WHERE DID I ORIGINATE FROM?
WANTING TO UNDERSTAND THESE IMPORTANT PIECES IN OUR STORY
TO HELP MAKE SENSE OF WHO I AM AND WHERE I'M FROM,
BUT NO MORE PRESSING QUESTION THAN THIS.
THE QUESTION OF ORIGIN, THE QUESTION OF BEGINNING.
WELL, THE FIRST THING I WANT TO POINT OUT
IN THE CREATION STORY IS NUMBER ONE,
THE ORIGIN OF CREATION, WHERE DID ALL THIS COME FROM?
EVERYTHING I SEE EVERYTHING I EXPERIENCE,
WHERE DID IT ALL ORIGINATE FROM?
AND RIGHT THERE IN THE OPENING LINE OF SCRIPTURE,
IT'S LIKE A SLAM DUNK WHERE GOD SAYS THROUGH HIS SERVANT, MOSES,
“IN THE BEGINNING, GOD...”
LISTEN TO ME, THIS IS THE MOST FOUNDATIONAL WORLDVIEW,
BECAUSE IF IT WAS TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE,
IT THROWS ALL OTHER BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW TRUTHS OUT THE WINDOW.
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD...” THE MOST FOUNDATIONAL WORLDVIEW,
SOME THEOLOGIANS HAVE SAID THAT THE FIRST 10 WORDS OF SCRIPTURE
ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS OF SCRIPTURE.
BECAUSE IF YOU CAN BELIEVE,
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH....”
YOU CAN BELIEVE EVERYTHING ELSE IN SCRIPTURE.
IF “IN THE BEGINNING GOD,”
EVERYTHING ELSE BEGINS TO FALL INTO PLACE.
YOU CAN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE SUPERNATURAL.
YOU CAN THEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE MIRACLES OF GOD.
YOU CAN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE STORIES
THAT MAYBE SOME OF YOU HAVE GROWN UP WITH IN CHURCH,
OR MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THE CHURCH
BUT IT ALL BEGINS WITH THIS FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH OF ORIGIN.
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH....”
EVERYTHING THAT IS WAS CREATED BY THE VERY WORD OF GOD
I LOVE THIS TRUTH PERSONALLY BECAUSE IT TELLS ME
THAT I AM NOT THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THIS STORY
AND THAT'S A GOOD THING
SOME SAY THAT IT TAKES GREAT FAITH
TO BELIEVE IN THE CREATION
TRUE, BUT IT TAKES EVEN GREATER FAITH TO BELIEVE
THAT THERE IS NO GOD AND ALL OF THIS JUST SUDDENLY APPEARED.
IT TAKES EVEN GREATER FAITH TO BELIEVE
IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS SPONTANEOUS GENERATION.
YES, IT TAKES GREAT FAITH BUT IT TAKES EVEN GREATER FAITH
TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS NO GOD IN THE BEGINNING.
THE ORIGIN OF CREATION HELPS CONFRONT
MANY LIES OF OUR CULTURE,
BUT THERE'S TWO IN PARTICULAR.
NUMBER ONE, IT CONFRONTS THE LIE OF RELATIVITY.
THE LIE OF RELATIVITY THAT SAYS
WHAT'S TRUE FOR YOU MAY NOT BE TRUE FOR ME,
BUT AS LONG AS WE CAN COEXIST WITH TWO TRUTHS,
THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE OPPOSITE TO EACH OTHER.
THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY,
ALL TRUTH IS RELATIVE.
NO, IN FACT, IF THERE IS A GOD IN THE BEGINNING,
IT MEANS THERE ARE ABSOLUTES.
IT MEANS THERE IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
IT MEANS THERE'S ABSOLUTE MORALITY.
IT MEANS THERE IS AN ABSOLUTE GOOD AND EVIL
AND ABSOLUTE RIGHT AND WRONG.
IT MEANS YOU CAN'T SAY I BELIEVE THIS,
OR DON'T BELIEVE THAT JUST BECAUSE I FEEL THAT WAY.
THE OTHER LIE THAT IT CONFRONTS AS THE LIE OF SELF-SOVEREIGNTY.
HE IS SOVEREIGN OVERALL.
HE IS KING.
OUR CULTURE WANTS US TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE KING,
THAT YOU ARE AUTONOMOUS,
THAT YOU ARE SOVEREIGN OVER YOUR LIFE.
BUT NO, IF GOD IS IN THE BEGINNING THAT HE IS THE KING.
AND WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT,
THIS IS GOOD NEWS BECAUSE IF YOU ARE SOVEREIGN,
WE'RE IN TROUBLE.
BUT IF GOD IS SOVEREIGN, “IN THE BEGINNING GOD...,”
IT MEANS THAT NOTHING IS OUTSIDE OF HIS CONTROL.
NOT YOUR HEALTH, NOT THE WEATHER, NOT YOUR MARRIAGE,
NOT YOUR CHILDREN, NOT EVEN VLADIMIR PUTIN
IS OUTSIDE THE SOVEREIGN HAND OF GOD.
NOTHING IS OUTSIDE OF HIS SOVEREIGN CONTROL
AND IF IT IS TRUE, THAT IN THE BEGINNING WAS GOD,
THEN YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
BECAUSE THIS FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH SAYS
YOU CAN HAVE REAL OBJECTIVE HOPE.
IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN HAVE REAL OBJECTIVE MEANING
AND PURPOSE IN LIFE.
IT MEANS YOU KNOW WHO THE KING IS.
IT MEANS, YOU KNOW, WHO IS IN CONTROL
OF ALL THINGS IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH,
IT MEANS YOU HAVE TRUTH AND DIRECTION.
IT MEANS YOU HAVE A LIGHT TO GUIDE YOUR WAY THROUGH LIFE.
IT MEANS, YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS,
AND THAT IS GOOD NEWS FOR YOU AND FOR ME THIS MORNING.
BACK IN 2016, ATHEIST SCIENTIST, GRAHAM LAWTON WROTE THIS ARTICLE
IN THE MAGAZINE, THE NEW SCIENTIST TITLED,
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
HE SAYS, THE HARSH ANSWER IS, “IT HAS NONE.”
AT LEAST HE'S HONEST.
YOUR LIFE MAY FEEL LIKE A BIG DEAL TO YOU,
BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A RANDOM BLIP OF MATTER AND ENERGY
IN AN UNCARING IMPERSONAL UNIVERSE.
WHEN IT ENDS, A FEW PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER YOU FOR A WHILE,
BUT THEY WILL DIE TOO.
EVEN IF YOU MAKE THE HISTORY BOOKS,
YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL SOON BE FORGOTTEN.
HUMANS WILL GO EXTINCT; EARTH AND THE SUN WILL BE DESTROYED.
EVENTUALLY THE UNIVERSE ITSELF WILL END.
AGAINST THIS APPALLING REALITY,
HOW CAN A HUMAN LIFE HAVE ANY REAL MEANING?”
LISTEN TO ME,
IF THERE IS NO GOD, THERE IS NO TRUTH.
THERE IS NO MORAL STANDARD.
THERE IS NOTHING SACRED, INCLUDING HUMANITY.
THERE IS NO FUTURE. AND THERE IS NO HOPE.
IF I'M WRONG, YOU MISS OUT ON NOTHING.
BUT IF YOU'RE WRONG, YOU MISS OUT ON EVERYTHING.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE THIS MORNING,
DISMISSING THIS TRUTH IN THE BEGINNING...GOD?
I THINK THE BIBLE SAYS SOMETHING,
SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF,
ONLY THE FOOL SAYS THERE IS NO GOD.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE REJECTING?
DO YOU KNOW THE TRUTH THAT YOU ARE DISMISSING?
I WANT TO SAY A WORD TO
ANYONE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE THIS MORNING,
I BELIEVE DEEP DOWN IN YOUR HEARTS
YOU KNOW YOU'RE MISSING SOMETHING
AND I WOULD PLEAD WITH YOU THIS MORNING
TO RUN TO JESUS, THE CREATOR, REDEEMER,
SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN WAKE UP IN THE MORNING
IF IT IS NOT TRUE THAT GOD WAS THERE IN THE BEGINNING,
THAT ALL THINGS ARE MADE BY HIM AND SUSTAINED BY HIM.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU COULD SURVIVE.
TO ME, THAT'S AN IMPOSSIBLE LIFE.
BUT TO KNOW WHO MADE YOU, TO KNOW WHERE YOU CAME FROM,
TO KNOW THAT THERE IS A GOD AND HE'S IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING,
WHAT A WAY TO LIVE.
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD.”
WHAT GOOD NEWS FOR YOU AND FOR ME THIS MORNING,
HI, I’M JENNIFER KENNEDY CASSIDY.
FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS LIKE DR. ROB PACIENZA JUST SHARED
ARE LIKE THE FOUNDATION OF A BUILDING.
IF YOU START WITH A FAULTY FOUNDATION,
THE WHOLE STRUCTURE WILL BE DANGEROUS.
AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE WE’RE AT IN OUR WORLD.
IF WE IGNORE THE FIRST WORDS OF THE BIBLE-
"IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED”
THEN WE’LL GET EVERYTHING ELSE WRONG,
WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES.
LIKE MY DAD, HIS SUCCESSOR, DR. PACIENZA,
IS PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING CHRISTIANS SEE THE WORLD
THROUGH A TRULY BIBLICAL LENS
AND THEN LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH IN EVERY FACET OF LIFE.
HE’S WRITTEN A BOOK THAT WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU
TO HELP YOU HAVE A VIEW OF THE WORLD
THAT’S MORE CLOSELY TIED TO GOD’S TRUTH.
IT’S ENTITLED HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION,
AND WE WILL SEND IT TO YOU AS OUR
THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATION TO HELP US
CONTINUE THE VITAL WORK OF THIS MINISTRY.
THIS BOOK IS BASED ON MESSAGES THAT PASTOR PACIENZA SHARED
WITH THE CONGREGATION AT CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
IN FORT LAUDERDALE,
AND IT WILL HELP YOU ANALYZE YOUR OWN WORLDVIEW
AND THEN CONFORM IT MORE TO GOD’S WORD.
CHRISTIANITY IS UTTERLY UNIQUE, AND
IT CUTS AGAINST THE GRAIN OF OUR UNBELIEVING CULTURE.
FIND OUT HOW AND BE ENABLED TO BETTER LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH
BY GETTING DR. ROB PACIENZA’S BOOK, HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION,
AS THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATION.
AND IF YOU’RE ABLE TO GIVE A DONATION OF $60 OR MORE,
WE WILL SEND YOU THE BOOK PLUS THE COMPANION DVD SET,
FEATURING THE NINE MESSAGES
PASTOR ROB PREACHED AT CORAL RIDGE, INCLUDING
WHICH YOU JUST HEARD A SHORT PORTION OF, AS WELL AS
AMONG MANY OTHERS.
THESE TRUTHS CUT RIGHT TO THE HEART OF
HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW?
MANY DO NOT!
FIND OUT HOW IN THIS NINE-MESSAGE DVD,
HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION.
THESE MESSAGES ARE IDEAL FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO
SERIOUSLY LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH IN THE 21ST CENTURY.
AND THEY’RE ALSO ESPECIALLY GREAT FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND
COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE UNDER IDEOLOGICAL ASSAULT
FROM THE UNBELIEVING WORLD.
WE’LL SEND YOU THE BOOK VERSION OF
HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION
AS THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUS DONATION.
AND THE BOOK PLUS THE NINE MESSAGES ON DVD
FOR A DONATION OF $60 OR MORE.
AS YOU GIVE, YOU ARE OFFERING KEY SUPPORT FOR PRODUCING AND
AIRING PROGRAMS LIKE THIS, PLUS PODCASTS, DIGITAL CONTENT,
AND PRINT RESOURCES FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE, AS WELL AS
OUR CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN STATESMANSHIP
ON CAPITOL HILL,
AMONG OTHER CULTURE-IMPACTING INITIATIVES.
SO PLEASE, CONTACT US RIGHT AWAY.
SIMPLY WRITE TO US AT CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES:
OR CALL TOLL FREE:
OR GO ONLINE TO:
IF YOU SET OUT TO GO SOMEWHERE,
THERE ARE TWO CRUCIAL PIECES OF INFORMATION
YOU NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO GET THERE.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR DESTINATION.
BUT YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU’RE COMING FROM.
WE LIVE IN A DIRECTIONLESS CULTURE FILLED WITH MILLIONS
OF LOST INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE CAME FROM
AND WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOING.
IF YOU AND I ARE JUST
THE ACCIDENTAL PRODUCT OF CHEMICALS INTERACTING,
THEN WE AROSE BY A FLUKE AND SOMEDAY WE’LL JUST DISAPPEAR.
THERE’S NO DIRECTION AND NO PURPOSE
JUST A COSMIC ACCIDENT FADING AWAY.
THAT SORT OF HOPELESSNESS IS WHY MILLIONS SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION,
DESPONDENCY, AND DISEASES OF DESPAIR,
LIKE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND SELF-HARM.
BUT OUR CULTURE’S ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD,
WHICH HAS BEEN SPOON-FED TO SCHOOLCHILDREN BY THE MILLIONS,
IS COMPLETELY FALSE.
THE REALITY IS,
YOU AND I WERE INTENTIONALLY CREATED FOR A PURPOSE.
IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.
AND ON THE SIXTH DAY HE CREATED HUMAN BEINGS IN HIS IMAGE.
YOU ARE NOT THE RESULT OF MINDLESS ATOMS
THAT TOOK A LUCKY BOUNCE.
YOU HAVE BEEN CREATED AND PLACED ON THIS EARTH BY A LOVING,
ALL-POWERFUL GOD WHO MADE YOU IN HIS VERY OWN IMAGE.
WHY IS THAT HARD FOR US TO BELIEVE?
WHY DO SO MANY MISS THAT MESSAGE?
CERTAINLY NOT BECAUSE OF THE EVIDENCE.
THE EVIDENCE IN EVERYTHING FROM THE MOVEMENT OF THE PLANETS
TO THE COMPLEX SYSTEMS IN OUR OWN BODIES SCREAM OUT “DESIGN!”
NO, WE REJECT IT BECAUSE WE’RE SINNERS.
THE FIRST HUMANS, ADAM AND EVE, REBELLED AGAINST GOD
IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN,
THROWING ALL OF THEIR POSTERITY INCLUDING YOU AND ME INTO SIN.
WE’RE NOW SINNERS BY NATURE WHO COME INTO THE WORLD
AT ENMITY WITH OUR CREATOR.
HE’S A RIGHTEOUS GOD WHOSE OWN CHARACTER DEMANDS
THAT SIN AND EVIL BE FULLY PUNISHED.
BUT BECAUSE HE’S ALSO LOVING,
HE OFFERS YOU A CHANCE TO BE RESCUED.
THE BIBLE TELLS US,
HIS ONLY SON IS JESUS,
AND BY TURNING AWAY FROM YOUR SINS
AND PLACING YOUR FAITH IN JESUS,
YOU CAN BE SAVED AND HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
HAVE YOU EVER DONE THAT?
IF NOT, NOW IS THE TIME
TO TURN YOUR BACK ON SIN AND HOPELESSNESS.
NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH
AND TO COME TO CHRIST.
YOU CAN EVEN DO IT RIGHT NOW.
WHY NOT PRAY WITH ME, FROM YOUR HEART?
“LORD, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU IN THOUGHT AND WORD AND DEED.
I’VE TURNED MY BACK ON YOU AND GONE MY OWN WAY.
BUT I REALIZE NOW, LORD, THAT THAT’S THE WAY OF DESTRUCTION.
FATHER, I BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS YOUR SON,
AND THAT HE CAME TO EARTH AS A HUMAN BEING,
DIED IN MY PLACE ON THE CROSS FOR MY SINS,
AND ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY.
I WANT TO TURN FROM MY SINS AND LIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU, LORD.
I PRAY THIS IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.”
IF YOU SINCERELY PRAYED THAT PRAYER WITH ME JUST NOW,
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU AND SEND YOU A FREE GIFT
TO HELP YOU GROW IN YOUR NEW FAITH.
IT’S BEGINNING AGAIN, DR. KENNEDY’S BOOK
FOR NEW BELIEVERS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED
IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.
CONTACT US TODAY TO RECEIVE YOUR COPY.
AND MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU.
CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES IS
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
ANY TIME YOU’RE IN FORT LAUDERDALE,
WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
AT CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
AND YOU CAN ALWAYS JOIN VIA LIVESTREAM AT:
AND TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OUR NEWS, COMMENTARIES, AND
OTHER PROJECTS, CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AT:
AND FIND A WHOLE LIBRARY OF OUR BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
CONTENT AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING AT:
AND NOW, HERE’S A LOOK AT THE NEXT TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM.
THERE'S CONFUSION WHEN YOU NEGLECT GOD,
WHEN YOU TAKE GOD OUT OF THE EQUATION,
THEN THERE'S NO LONGER ANY STANDARD FOR TRUTH.
AND THEN PEOPLE ARE WHIMSICAL ABOUT
WHATEVER THEIR IDEA OF TRUTH IS.
THAT'S NEXT WEEK
THIS HAS BEEN A PRODUCTION OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES