Devotional
The Coming Messiah Foretold
Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV

"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen"

The coming Messiah, who we call Jesus was foretold, a Jew of the tribe of Judah, came and was rejected by firsly the Jews and then the Gentiles, being crucified on a cross. He was a prophet like no other, being the Son of God; God in carnate, which means in the flesh, born of a virgin (Mary). Israel is yet to listen to this Prophet - they act in unbelief and even though appear strong, this will not always be the case; yet a remnant will believe (e.g. Micah 7:8; Romans 9:27).

We find reference to this verse in the New Testament: Acts 3:22-23 refers us to this prophecy, while Act7:37 also confirms the fulfilment of Moses’ prediction in the person of Christ

2025-02-09
Devotional
Sermon
Who is God (Part 1) - Evidence of His existence
Three irrevocable facts

Introduction[1]

I have been asked to speak on the incarnation, that is the fact God took on the form of a man in the person of Jesus Christ; but first a verse from the Bible:

I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:5-6)

Christmas is traditionally a celebration of Christ the child. While this is important, the most important aspect of Christmas, and indeed, every Sunday Day when we take the bread and the wine in communion, is God the Man. This is what incarnation is.  In fact, the word incarnate does not appear in our Bible. The word incarnate is the Greek equivalent of the Latin in carne, which means ‘in flesh’. Jesus, the Son of God came “in flesh”.

Incarnation just means “in the flesh”. It means that God became man.

If we accept that God became man, it raises a number of questions. These pertain to God Himself, His character and His purpose. But mostly, it must raise a number of questions in your mind – for if God became flesh, then we can ask, for what reason would God do this?

Indeed, there is a range of questions you might be pondering: You might ask “who is God, if there is indeed a God”?

  • And anyway “which god are you referring to”? The world refers to so many gods – “which one am I referring to”? And, “if there is more than one god which one is the most important for me”?
  • And if there is a god, “what has God to do with me”, you might like to ask?
  • And on the other hand, even if there is a god, “why should I bother with God”?
    I am here aren’t I, and I have got along fine without God up to now, so why is it important to consider God, let alone the baby Jesus?

If one who thinks a bit more deeply you may ask:

  • “Who is God that he is mindful enough of man to become man himself”?

There is of course no question that Jesus was in fact a man on the earth, born to Mary and Joseph – all of history speaks of this, even his most ardent enemies.

  • Or you might be even more theological and ask, “How could God the creator become one of his own creatures?” That is, how could a potter become a pot?

Over the next two sessions, God willing, I want to explore two principal questions:

  1. Who is God?
  2. Why did God become man (named Jesus)?

This time together I want to answer the following questions:

  1. Who is God?
  2. And how do I know He exists?

You need to know the answer to these to understand that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and Jesus Christ is God himself, who came into the world, to save sinners, as Paul told his young friend Timothy:

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Tim 1:15)

There is concrete evidence for the existence of God, of which I will speak of three. There are thousands of others, for which I do not have time to consider here. But these three are as convicting as any of the others.

1. Evidence from all of creation

Christians know and cherish Psalm 19, because it speaks of one of the principal pieces of evidence or God, the creator. I do not intend to spend much time on this topic, although to the contrary one of the greatest lies perpetrated these days, is that you are random event, a flash in time, with no beginning and no purpose: that you are not the object of any ones affections of any repute.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
heir line has gone out through all the earth (Psalm 19)

I observe men (and I speak generally here without prejudice, of people, but it is usually men) have proposed they will reconstruct the smallpox virus. The virus is the most simple organism in the hierarchy of organisms – man being the most complex. This is a very clever activity [whether right or wrong]. However, even in all of man’s cleverness he has absolutely no idea how we reason. That is, he cannot answer the question of why can you reason? For example, why are you God conscious, and not your pet dog?

No theory can explain the reasoning power of man – we are the only organism that is God conscious. Why? Because the Bible tells us we were created in the likeness, or image of God (Genesis 22:8). We have a spirit, which is part of our soul, a component no other living organism has: it gives us the ability to be conscious of God, and to be able to reason. God does this and so do we.

 

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We are also conscious of other things – for example that species go to extinction. Indeed, a vast amount of our tax money goes to preventing extinctions. This is of course nonsense if you are an evolutionist – evolution thrives on extinctions – evolution is the process of discarding the species that cannot thrive in the given environment: unless they improve or modify themselves or their activities, else they simply die out.

The challenge of creation is its design. It is not a jumble of random sets of molecules, but sets of molecules very specifically arranged, and even more - nature can repeat the exact arrangement time after time again. The molecule in you that moves sugar from your blood in the just the right place at the right time is insulin. The insulin molecule is a very specific arrangement of atoms – it is the same in you as it is in me. How did this come about? How many millions of combinations were tried before insulin was perfected? Once – God created it right the first time!

The problem with this game is that you have a finite number of molecules which you need to line up in some very specific way. To do this you need a set of instruments to do this. In science we call these enzymes amongst other things. In evolution you pretend that the ordering of the molecules just happened. You believe this of course, because you don’t want to believe God – the ‘intelligent creator’. Furthermore, you need a plan to be able to build the molecule’s ordering instrument, so it puts exactly the right molecule into the right place in the sequence. Do you follow me? Living organisms are made up of building blocks of molecules that consist of atoms in exactly the right sequence put in place by other large molecules whose components are also in the right order.

I tell you that it was God that ordered the molecules that formed the plan that allowed organisms to be reproduced. Chance could not have possibly created a human – it has been proven that there has not been enough time in the universe for this to happen. To me our atheist friends need more faith than I to believe this. I simply believe in God.

In simplistic terms the evolutionist is saying that the ink and paper originated the information that is therein written. That is the DNA – the plan that is followed to organise the atoms that makes you - of a particular structure originated the information contained in the DNA. This is clearly not reasonable or indeed illogical.

What the evolutionist is saying, but cannot admit, is that matter is arranging itself into information. This is of course absolute nonsense. The ink cannot create the information it portrays.

Just one illustration of the majesty of creation. Take a tiny microbe – a relic of the past if you are an evolutionist – clearly stuck in a time-rut because these microbes still exist today and are supposedly to have existed millions of years ago: they create more havoc and good on this earth than just about any other organism, man excepted. I speaking of bacteria - which are part and parcel of all living creatures. They are small, simple and can be extremely dangerous. Anthrax is one of these. But the simple E. coli (strange name!) [2] causes far more deaths (due to diarrhoeal disease in 3 world countries) than any other cause.

However, these creatures are not so simple. Indeed, they are highly complex, requiring a vast literature of information if they are to be “man-made” i.e. made in the laboratory. Motorised or motile bacteria are driven forward by a whip-like cord that rotates at incredibly high speed – up to 100,000 rpm, propelling the bacteria 15 body lengths per second. Hence, if scaled up to Ian Thorpe’s size, he would swim in excess of 100 km/hr, backwards or forwards!

The fascination with these? The motor is an electric motor, made from about 40 components, of which if any is missing the entire system fails. Hence, evolutionists need to explain how 40 unique proteins were planned and produced at one instance enabling the motor to be constructed along with any other proteins needed to actually put the motor together. The latest unsatisfactory theory is that the components were actually on the shelf at the local electric motor store and they were co-opted into the motor – that is they already existed (although this is disputed). This actually explains 10 of the parts but not the other 30 or so. Furthermore, having the components is one thing, but what I find the most astounding thing about biological mechanisms is how biology constructs the final machine.  Evolutionists not only need to explain the source of the components but also the myriads of steps needed to put the components together – each step requiring a unique set of code (or instructions) to perform it.

That is, you need to answer evolutionist, what or who put the components of the motor together, and who supplied both the components and mechanism to do this? I can tell you who. He was the Lord God Almighty, the God of Heaven and Earth. He is the intelligent designer who wrote the code to produce the components of which the motor was constructed:

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 1:16

The most reasonable mind would accept that this small complex, but highly efficient motor had an all-wise designer.

I can go on, but I want you to examine with me some other evidence for the existence of God.

….In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. (Psalm 19 cont.)

2. Scriptures – The Bible

Have you ever considered the Bible itself as evidence of God. It is interesting these days with so much talk about Islam, whose book was written by one man, to think about how the Holy Bible came into existence. The Bible is a collection of writings by about 40 people over some 1200 years, in about 3 languages: and one would expect should be about God and his people and how good He was to them and them to Him. Yet just a cursory glance at the Bible indicates the brutal openness and nakedness of the authors - how brutal the truth actually is. Man is presented exactly as he is: filled with evil, greed and depravity… full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice… gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful (Romans 13:29).

The Bible is truly a miracle, a miracle of God.

  • It is the only book that has authors from two millennium and is consistent in all aspects from beginning to end, with every prophecy that required fulfilling before today, being fulfilled exactly as written.
  • The Bible is the most successful text in the history of mankind – translated into more than 2000 languages, and in some cases, like English, into multiple versions of a single language – the Bible is truly ubiquitous.
  • The Bible has influenced Western culture more than any other text – it pervades art, literature, politics and religion in biblical thought-forms, narratives and quotations.
  • Wherever Western culture went the Bible went, in English, Hebrew and Greek and usually soon surfaced in the local language.
  • No person or kingdom has ever been able to remove the Bible – its indestructibility is proof enough of its divinity. There has been a relentless pursuit in every age ,since Moses took up his pen, to have it destroyed. More than three thousand years later we still have it.
  • In its infancy, the Romans over a period of 300 years tried, without success, to destroy the Bible, and along with its followers. But noting the words of an unbeliever, Gamaliel:

But if it [the gospel] is from God, you will not be able to stop these men who evangelise; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:39 

  • The Bible changes lives – this is why it is banned in Saudi Arabia, China etc. The Bible convicts us of our sin and our guilt.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God shall abide for ever (Isaiah 40:8)

  • The Bible is divinely inspired – it is God’s word. In fact Jesus could say: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

3. The Jews

Introduction

Last but no means least I want to you to consider the Jew.

We note that if there are no Jews, there is no Messiah – Satan knows this and hence presents a lie to the world, for instance many atlases, as found in schools, do not have Israel marked, and when included is called Palistine.

Jesus Christ is from the household of David, from the tribe of Judah, son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was indeed a Jew.

Chosen

Look at Genesis 12. Here we have a narrative written some 2000 years before Christ, of a real person, of real places, of real events and of a real land called Canaan. These were people of Semitic origin – that is they were descendants of Shem, the son of Noah. Abraham’s father was from the land of current Iraq and his mother Egyptian.

There was nothing special about Abram – his father actually worshiped idols

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 17:7-8

Abraham was given land, a nation and seed – the greatest of whom is Jesus Christ. The seed through Hagar and Keturah form part of the Arab people, who have opposed Israel, as God said they would, from that day forth (Genesis 16:11, 12)

Separated out

But I said to you, “You will possess their land [Canaan]; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations. Leviticus 20:24

The Jew was to be a separated people from all others.

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for a little more than 430 years (Exodus 12:40), yet they remained a unique and identifiable people. They were dispersed into Arabia for 70 years yet they remained a unique and identifiable people, and they have been dispersed since 70 AD and still they remain a unique and identifiable people. Why? Because they are God’s chosen people:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1Peter 2:9)

However, even though they are dispersed, and appear not to be God’s people, and because they rejected Messiah, has God cast them off? Certainly not – see Romans 11 - the covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham still stands today.

Distinct from all other nations

From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations. Numbers 23:9

It is interesting to note of the 193 nations in the UN only 192 may chair, the single case being Israel who may not chair. Indeed, the UN may be chaired by the most reckless despot of nations but never Israel, as in the case of Libya. Indeed resolution 3379 states that Zionism is racism, and implied that Jews should not associate together. For 16 years this resolution stood, but Israel continued to exist against many odds. [Incidentally the UN is currently setting up the groundwork for the Antichrist – resolution 5923 – to allow the great peace maker to falsely proclaim peace amongst the religious groups of the world]. Israel cannot join the Red Cross.

[Note here I talk of Jews, being the name for Israelites: it represents ALL Israel, that is nation Israel, not just Judah. [3]

Dispersed into all nations, yet a distinct people

Jesus said Jerusalem would be destroyed and the Jews scattered – and in AD 70 it came to be as Jesus prophesied and they were scattered into every nation.

In the Bible, Israel is represented as the natural branch of the olive tree and it is said this branch would be put aside and a wild olive branch grafted in to carry the LORD’S name. The wild branch represents us – the gentiles. Israel would be restored when the time of the gentiles is fulfilled, i.e. whenever the last gentile who would be saved is saved (Rom 11, Rom 11:25, 2 Corinthians 3:16).

A nation rebirthed

Israel will go on for many days without a king, and without sacrifice. Hosea stated 2779 years ago (in 2004) that:

The Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Hosea 3:4 

[It occurred to me, while watching “Fiddler on the Roof”, some time ago now, how far Christianity has declined and Judaism moved forward (not enough to recognise the Messiah, though) in that the chief worshippers of idols in this world are the orthodox Christians, while orthodox Jews shun all form of idolatry – clearly displayed in the movie.]

This will continue until the time of the gentiles has been fulfilled. “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24.

The nation of Israel was reborn on 14 July 1948.

Jerusalem – the great burden on all the earth

Jerusalem is mentioned some 811 times in the Bible, but not in the Quran. Indeed, it is mentioned more times than “Christ”. The prophecies of God are true and accurate. A small nation of 10 million people, with about 7.4 million Jews, and an ancient city, occupy more minds than any other foreign-nation problem. Jerusalem has become a burden for all.[4]

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:2

Or written another way (NIV)

“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:2

Also note:

For Zion’s sake I [YHWH] will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. Isaiah 62:1

So, Is there is a God!

There is only one God: There can only be one potter – creation is the creation of one God. It is illogical to believe that more than one God could do this. Furthermore, the entire universe is held together by one God – the Lord God Most High. [5]

But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.  Isaiah 64:8

There is a God and we know this because:

I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other; Isaiah 45:5-6

  • It is beyond the realms of all possibility that molecules arranged themselves into information that created our reasoning powers, let alone our bodies. There is an intelligent designer. His name is Jehovah – God Saves.
  • It is clearly obvious the Bible was written with the guiding hand of one person and protected through three millennia. Only God could do this. If it had been left to man’s designs, the Lord of the Flies (Golding) syndrome would have occurred as evidenced in Germany and more recently on Pitcan Island. The Bible is the word of God. It is a true and accurate rendition of the precepts of God and tells of the dismal failure of mankind.
  • It tells us that the Holy God, the creator of all, cannot possibly look upon sinful man. He has two choices – to destroy us, or provide salvation. He chose to provide salvation because He loves us. He forces no one to take it. Salvation comes in believing Jesus Christ.
  • The most remarkable evidence of God is the Jew. What other person on the planet can tell us which tribe, indeed individual, they came from, tracing back 3000 years? Only the Jew. Which tribe has suffered so much persecution, and still do today (2025) and yet remains an identifiable people? And which city is in the media focused on every week? The city God said would be the focus of all nations – that is Jerusalem. Which nation would be the focus of all nations? God said it was Israel and it is.

What is your response? Mine is from Scripture;

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 
Deuteronomy 6:4 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Appendix – Additional Notes

Jerusalem established

Jerusalem is from the ancient city of Salem, of which we know little, other than its king and priest at one time was Melchizedek. This city also called Zion (see Psalm 76:2). It is the city Christ will rule the nations from, in a time to come. It is a city given to the people of Israel, which David captured from the Jebusites some 3020 years ago. After this it was known, and even this day, by some, as the City of David. Note it was not captured from the Palestinians who were not recognised as a people even by the Arabs until the last decade or two ago, and certainly not in the 1950’s and 60’s.

God’s people rejected him and went after false gods, after idols, and did detestable things in Israel. After years of warning, Jerusalem was destroyed; “The house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously with me”, says the Lord, Jeremiah 5:11.

In 597 BC Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured Jerusalem, as prophesied, due to its continued deliberate wickedness. The final stage began with a revolt and in 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed much of Jerusalem and carried off its people. But as understood by Daniel, the people were allowed to return, in three stages, after 70 years in captivity, under Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. From this time onward the Jews lived under foreign rulers of one kind or another, with various degrees of autonomy. As prophesied by Daniel, firstly under the Babylonians [Remember the prophecy was first told Nebuchadnezzar] then the Persians then the Greeks and up to the time of Christ the Romans. The final destruction of Jerusalem was in AD 70 by the Romans with most of Jews scattered and the rest slaughtered after a revolt in AD 135 by Simon bar Cochba. The city then was rebuilt and renamed Aelia Capitolina by the Romans.

Jerusalem a city of God

Is the city of God – it is where God dwelt in the time of Solomon, and where he will dwell in the time to come, see Psalm 46:4

It is the city He has put His name

… God [had] said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 2 Chronicles 33:7

For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling:
Psalm 132:13

Also called His City, His holy mountain (Psalm 48)

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, Hebrews 12:22

Note that “Zionism” is not biblical because it is the gathering together of Jews without God, but the regathering of Israel in unbelief was prophesied.

Endnotes

[1] Delivered during the Christmas period of 2004/5; edited 14 October 2023

[2] The shorten form of its full name: Escherichia coli

[3] There is a lot of nonsense about ten lost tribes of Israel. One could claim the Jews represent the tribes that remained, initially, loyal to God, after the divisions caused by rebellion at the time of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, but this cannot be so – Paul himself could identify himself as a Jew, yet was proud to be of the tribe of Benjamin (e.g. Philippians 3:5, Rom 11:1 etc). Peter uses the term Jew generically to mean Israel in Acts 10 – meaning those from the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (who was renamed Israel) and who are now dispersed among the nations (see also Peter 1.1.)]. Ten tribes are not lost – read Ezekiel 37!

‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says, “I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.” Ezekiel 37:21

[4] Even today (15 October 2023), some 19 years later; I am editing this sermon a few days after the most horrific atrocities meted out on the Jewish people (outside of Russia) by Hamas since the Holocaust. As prophesied the decedents of Ishmael and Esau hate the descendants of Israel.

[5]  Note that Allah is not the Lord God Most High – it is not a generic name for God, but a very specific name of a god: Allah was the chief among the gods of the nearly 360 idols in the Kaaba (Kaba) in Mecca. The name Allah is from al-ilah, the name of the moon god of the local Quraish tribe: Mohammed’s tribe, which they had worshipped with blood sacrifices hundreds of years before Mohammed. Allah has no father (nor is he the father) or son, yet Yahweh is Father and has a son. Allah destroys sinners, Yahweh offered His only son to save sinners. Islamic tradition teaches Allah is not Yahweh who is love, an impossibility for Allah. The Lord God is three, hence Elohiym, that is the Lord God most High (note the plural here) could say “Let us make man in our own image”, an impossibility for Allah.

David Simon
24 December 2004, edited January 2008, edited 2 February 2025
\God\Who is God - Part A
Was called: The Incarnation 2004 (Part A) - Who is God

David L Simon
Posted: 02 Feb 2025