Spoken Word
16 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. (Matt. 16:1-4 ESV)
Signs of God
Our text begins by introducing the Pharisees and Sadducees. In the ancient world, the Pharisees and Sadducees were like ACU basketball fans and Kentucky basketball fans–they did not like each other.[1]But these days, they have a common enemy–Jesus. And you know what they say: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” So, the Pharisees and Sadducees have teamed up against Jesus.
To test Jesus, they ask him to produce a “sign from heaven.” Just what isa “sign from heaven”? Interpreters say the Pharisees and Sadducees are asking Jesus to do 1 of 2 things. First, they may be, in general, asking Jesus to do anything supernatural that is “heavenly” and that would prove his claims to be divine. Second, they may be, more specifically, asking Jesus do something supernatural in the sky or heavens, like producing lightning or thunder. This would be a sign, evidence, that Jesus is who he says he is.[2]Jesus’ enemies want a signthat proves that he is divine.[3]
In and of itself, this isn’t bad. Throughout the Bible, faithful people ask for signs. They seek evidence for God.
- For example, Gideon asked for a “sign” to prove that it wasGod speaking to him–and in response fire sprang up from a rock. (Judges 6:17-21)
- And, Hezekiah asked for a “sign” to indicate that God’s healing hand wouldbe upon him–and the Lord caused a shadow to move backward. (2 Kings 20:8-11)
Gideon and Hezekiah had faith, but they also needed a sign to confirm their faith.
Today, we begin a series on apologetics. The idea of “signs” in our text and the idea of apologetics is the same. Both involve evidence or proof that might confirm our faith.
And it’s important to recognize that it’s OK to seek signs or desire evidence for God. Faithful people in Scripture asked for signs or proof. Thomas, after all, asked to see the wounds in the hands and side of Jesus so that he might believe Jesus hadbeen raised (Jn. 20:25). In fact, a recent study found that when non-Christians are asked what would lead them to be more interested in Christianity, one of the top answers they give is having evidence that supports Christianity.[4]
But, there’s also a caution about signs or evidence. The Pharisees and Sadducees are skeptics. Jesus calls them an evil generation. They were really just testing Jesus. They wanted to see if Jesus could provide such a huge sign, such overwhelming evidence, that they were guaranteed to come to faith.[5]But no matter what Jesus does, they are not going to have faith in him. In Matt. 11, Jesus does some of his “mightiest works,” some of his greatest signs, yet no one who witnesses them comes to faith (Matt. 11:20ff). Like these Pharisees and Sadducees, you might hear the best apologetic arguments, and still not have faith, because of the posture of your heart.
No amount of signs or evidence will fully persuade you or another person to have faith. It will always be necessary to take a step or leap of faith. But signs or evidence or reason can aid that step of faith. Two authors use this image:
“Arguments can bring you closer to faith in the same sense that a car can bring you to the sea. The car can’t swim; you have to jump in to do that. But you can’t jump in from a hundred miles inland. You need a car to bring you to the point where you can make a leap of faith into the sea.”[6]
Arguments or signs or evidence canlead a person closer to faith, like a car getting you closer to the sea. But those signs or evidence won’t get you into faith, just as the car won’t get you into the sea. Eventually, you still have to take a step or leap of faith and jump into the water.
Jesus’ enemies wanted a sign so big, it wouldn’t require any faith at all. Yet, they had already overlooked the signs or arguments pointing to the fact that Jesus was indeed from God.
Jesus criticizes them for this. Having heard their request for a “sign from heaven,” Jesus points out how adept they are at interpreting things in the sky. He repeats an ancient saying or proverb that went something like this: “Red sky at night, farmers’ / sailors’ delight; red sky at morning, farmers/ sailors take warning.”[7]Jesus acknowledges how good the Pharisees and Sadducees are at interpreting the sky. Jesus’ enemies excel at recognizing how “signs” in naturepoint to something else.
But what they’ve missed, Jesus says, are the “signs of the times.” Just what arethe “signs of the times.” These are what we see one chapter earlier, in Matt. 15. The signs are that Jesus freed a daughter from demon possession; healed the lame, blind and crippled; and fed more than four thousand people. Each of these miracles were signs of the times–proof that Jesus was from God. Jesus’ enemies are asking for a sign in the heavens, but they’ve missed all these signs on earth.[8]While Jesus’ enemies excel at recognizing how “signs” in nature point to something else, they’ve failed at recognizing how the “signs” around them point to the presence and activity of God.
Modern Signs
And one of the great tragedies is that we experience what Jesus’ enemies experienced: We are often blindto the “signs” God has filled with world with to point to his presence. We miss the proof that is all around us, pointing to God and Jesus.
This is Paul’s argument in his letter to the Romans:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom. 1:18-20 ESV)
Creation, Paul writes, is filled with signspointing to–proving–the presence and activity of God.The world around us is filled with evidence that God is present–evidence that can move us closer to faith.
Signs from Creation
There are many pieces of this evidence and many ways to talk about them. I’m going to share just three of them. There are at least three arguments for God’s existence from the natural world: It’s here! (cosmological), It works! (teleological), and It’s wonderful! (aesthetic).
First, It’s here!This is called the “cosmological” argument.[9]The existence of the cosmos, humans, of mountains and rivers, of stars and planets demand a reason for its existence. In other words–where did all this come from? Something or Someone had to produce all of this. We live in a universe in which something cannot come from nothing. At some point, as we look back into our universe’s origin, we reasonably conclude that there must be something, Someone, behind it all. Thomas Aquinas argued this famously in the 1200’s.[10]He called God the “first cause,” the One from which the whole cosmos was caused. The fact that all this stuff is here is a sign pointing to a God who made it.
Second, It works!This is called the “teleological” argument.[11]Not only is everything here, but it works. It enables life to thrive. Now, sure, there are times when this world feels broken, and my sermon next Sunday will address that. But broadly speaking, this thing we call nature works. It allows life to thrive.
And there are million things that could have happened differently so that life did not thrive. Paul Davies puts it this way:
“Among the many prerequisites for life–at least, for life as we know it–is a good supply of the various chemical elements needed to make biomass. Carbon is the key life-giving element, but oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus are crucial too. Liquid water is another essential ingredient. Life also requires an energy source and a stable environment, which in our case are provided by the sun … On a larger scale, the universe must be sufficiently old and cool to permit complex chemistry. It has to be orderly enough to allow the untrammeled formation of galaxies and stars. There have to be the right sorts of forces acting between particles of matter to make stable atoms, complex molecules, planets and stars. If almost any of the basic features of the universe, from the properties of atoms to the distribution of the galaxies, were different, life would probably be impossible.”[12][Paul Davies]
If anything–from the force of gravity, to the distance of earth from the sun, to the exact chemicals present, had been off slightly, life would never made it. You can think of each of these ingredients as a dial that must be set. Some estimate that the chances that all of the dials are turned so that life can thrive is about 10 to the 100th power.[13]This seems to be a sign indicating there was a creator behind it all.
Third, It’s beautiful!Not only does it work in sustaining life, but it’s also beautiful. It’s wondrous! This if often called the aesthetic argument. Augustine preached a sermon in 411 which explored this idea:
“Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, amply spread around everywhere, question the beauty of the sky, question the serried ranks of the stars, question the sun making the day glorious with its bright beams, question the moon tempering the darkness of the following night with its shining rays, question the animals that move in the waters, that amble about on dry land, that fly in the air; … They all answer you, ‘Here we are, look ; we’re beautiful.’ Their beauty is their confession. Who made these beautiful changeable things, if not one who is beautiful and unchangeable?”[14] [Augustine, 411]
Beauty is a signpost pointing to an Artist.[15]It’s not just that we have this cosmos, or just that it works. It’s also that it’s so beautiful, and that beauty demands an Artist.
There are many other arguments for God’s existence. I’m only touching the hem of a large garment. If you visit my website you’ll find additional resources. [“Apologetics Resources” www.chrisaltrock.com] I’ve got articles, videos and other resources. Scroll to the bottom of the front page and you’ll find “Apologetics Resources.”
My Story
The three arguments I’ve shared today are part of what led me to faith. I grew up in an unchurched household in Sunspot, then later, Cloudcroft, NM. I was never taught about God as a child. We had no Bibles in our home. There was never a meal when we paused to give thanks to God. There was never a Sunday when we piled into the station wagon and drove to a church.
Yet I remember an afternoon when I walked into our living room. Mom and Dad were seated on the couch. And I asked, “Do you believe in God?” I was relieved when they said, “Yes,” because I too had come to believe in God. Without cracking a Bible. Without sitting in a pew. Without saying grace.
How? There were many reasons. But one of the most significant had to do with the signs around me. I lived on a mountain 9,000 feet above sea level in the Lincoln National Forest. Black bears roamed our streets each night looking for leftovers in our trash cans. Wild raspberries grew in a patch about half a mile from our backyard. The wind rustled the leaves of Aspen trees each morning. Snow fell in feet each winter, leaves turned vibrant each fall, wildflowers bloomed each spring, and gentle rain fell each summer. Kneeling on the couch in the living room each evening, I looked out over the Tularosa Basin, with White Sands National Monument in the distance, and its dunes of pure white sand, another mountain range beyond that, and the sun setting in blinding reds and oranges. I could hike for miles and never encounter a paved road, house, a store, or a parking lot. It was unbroken wilderness filled with deer and elk and pine needles blanketing the ground and tall trees standing sentry and breathtaking overlooks.
Even as a young child, taught nothing of God, those signs pointed me to God. It was here! It worked! It was beautiful! And there had to be, I believed, there had to be Someone behind it all.
Living Like God Exists
You may be here this morning as someone who does not yet have faith in God. If so, I urge you, to consider what I’ve shared this morning and what’s shared on the front page of my website. This is too important to shrug off. There are signs all around pointing to God.
For the many here who do have faith, I want you to complete two statements:
- I believe because _____________________.
- Because I believe _____________________.
First, why do you believe what you believe about God? What signs point you to faith that there is indeed a God? Share your answer to that statement with someone this week.Second, what are the implications of your belief? What impact does your belief in God have on your life? Many of us, author Craig Groeschel writes in his book The Christian Atheist, are Christian atheists–we say we believe in God, but we live like we don’t.[16]What would it mean to live everyday this week deeply convicted that there isa God? What would it mean to
[1]Craig Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, 420.
[2]Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 413
[3]Morris, 413.
[4]Reviving Evangelism, Barna, 13, 23.
[5]Keener, 420.
[6]Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics, 9.
[7]Ben Witherington III, Matthew, 307.
[8]Witherington, 306.
[9]Ronald Nash, Faith and Reason, 121ff.
[10]http://www.ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.FP_Q2_A3.html
[11]Nash, 134ff.
[12]Paul Davies The Goldilocks Enigma, 2-3.
[13]Timothy Keller, Making Sense of God, 219.
[14]https://books.google.com/books?id=A2GyOPOqp-4C&pg=PA70&dq=%22question+the+beauty+of+the+earth%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwitkom8l93gAhUDKKwKHeiACh8Q6AEIRzAF#v=onepage&q=%22question%20the%20beauty%20of%20the%20earth%22&f=false
[15]N. T. Wright Simply Christian.
[16]Craig Groeschel, The Christian Atheist, 43.
