Truth That Transforms: The Evidence We Cannot Ignore - DJ Dickerson - 6/14/26

Last week, we began our new series of

lessons, truth that transforms,

discovering God, his word, and your

purpose, my purpose.

And we started by asking very important

foundational questions. The one that we

started out with was why am I here?

Uh we discovered in that study that life

is not an accident. Uh we discovered

that God created us in his image. We

discovered from Ecclesiastes 3 and verse

11 that God has placed eternity in our

hearts.

And we discovered that true purpose is

found in knowing him.

But before we can move further in our

series of lessons,

another question demands our attention.

It's a question that's asked by

skeptics. Uh it's a question that's

asked by college students, asked by

children,

by honest seekers.

And if we're honest, it it may even be a

qu a question that some Christians have

quietly

wrestled with from time to time.

The question is, does God really exist?

Does God really exist?

I want you to notice that the question

that we are posing this morning in this

study

is not do most people believe in God.

It's not does religion make people feel

better.

It's not was God important to previous

generations. That's not the questions

before us. The question is there

actually a God?

That's the question. Does God really

exist? Can we know? Can we be for

certain? Can faith

be based upon evidence?

Now, I can give you a quick answer to

that. You're like, "Well, what's the

preacher's answer?" The preacher answer

is yes. And be like, "Okay, we're

dismissed."

Well, y'all know better than that.

Why? Why do we have to answer these

questions without just simply saying

yes? I started this series out not not

just simply saying, "Well, you know,

if someone here may be wrestling with

this topic,

we're studying it together.

We're learning together." But what also

the other part that I mentioned was if

you're asked this question in a Bible

study with someone, can you answer it?

Can you explain it? Now, last Sunday I

mentioned if I point to at least one of

one person in the room and I say,

"Answer this question for me." You know,

some people's eyes were like, "Don't

pick me." You know, but not because, you

know, you don't know the answer, but

because well, I don't do that from the

pull pit. Just point on people, you

know, put them on the spot. But the

thing is,

are we prepared to have Bible study with

folks who have questions just like

these? Are we ready for them? Because

you'll be in a you no matter where

you're at, somebody your neighbor or

somebody, you might have a conversation

and some question, well, does God really

exist? And saying yes, that's the right

answer. All right,

but now

explain it to me.

Where do we go? What do we do?

Friends, the Bible never

asks us to believe without evidence. I

want us to be clear about that

because biblical faith is not a blind

leap into darkness. That's not, you

know, and we're going to talk about

that. But biblical faith is is

confidence that's built on some things.

It's built on words like testimony.

Okay? It's built on words like evidence.

It's built on words like truth.

And as many of you know, a significant

part of of my career choices in life is

involved in criminal investigations.

And when investigators arrive at a crime

scene, we rarely possess direct

evidence, y'all know,

because we were not there when the crime

occurred.

We did not witness the event. We did not

personally observe what happened yet.

What's interesting, if y'all watch, you

know, I'm sure y'all watch some crime

shows, right? Everybody's done that at

least once or twice in their life.

examining fingerprints,

DNA, blood evidence, timelines, witness

testimony, or statements, and physical

facts.

We often

reconstruct events with remarkable

certainty.

Why is that?

Because, friends, evidence speaks.

Evidence tells a story. The evidence

points to conclusions. And when enough

evidence points in one direction, you

know what an honest investigator does?

An honest investigator follows where the

evidence leads.

And this morning, I want us to examine

the evidence that God has left behind.

Because the question is not whether

evidence exists. The question is whether

we are willing to honestly examine it.

Let me start with this point.

We believe many things we have never

seen. Do you agree with that statement?

Because one of the most common

objections that's raised against belief

in God is this. I've never seen God.

Have you ever heard that? I've heard it

a lot of times. I've never seen God.

Now, at first when someone says that,

that sounds reasonable, doesn't it? It

sounds reasonable.

But let's think carefully through this.

Let's reason together this morning. Have

any of you met Abraham Lincoln?

No hands. Okay. All right.

And you say, "No, I I I've never met

Abraham Lincoln."

Yet, you believe he existed,

don't you? Well, yeah, I believe that.

Why do you believe that? The answer to

that is because the evidence supports

the conclusion. Okay?

I don't think anyone here has ever

witnessed personally

the signing of the the Declaration of

Independence.

Not a single one of us. Right?

Yet historical evidence

convinced you it happened.

We never watched the formation of the

Rocky Mountains, did we? Nope.

Yet, geological evidence allows

scientists to reach conclusions.

The point that I'm making is the truth

is that every day we accept things we

have never personally observed because

the evidence supports the conclusion.

Friends, our our scripture reading this

morning from Romans chapter 1, this is

Romans 1 · chapter mention

the same principle that I'm talking

about this morning as it relates and

applies to God. I want you to notice

again that reading of Romans chapter 1

Romans 1 · chapter mention

18-20. For the wrath of God is revealed

from heaven against all ungodliness and

unrighteousness of men who suppress the

truth in unrighteousness. Because what

may be known of God is manifest in them.

For God has shown it to them. For since

the creation of the world, his invisible

attributes are clearly seen, being

understood by the things that are made,

even his eternal power and godhead, so

that they are without excuse.

Paul writes in Romans 1 here that God's

invisible attributes are clearly seen.

Y'all notice that?

Think about that statement.

How can something invisible

be seen?

Paul is speaking of indirect evidence.

We may not see God physically in that

sense, but we see what God has done. And

I want to use this example.

We see his fingerprints.

We see his fingerprints. We see his

handiwork. Psalmist uses that kind of

language as well. Handyworkiwork. We see

the evidence that God has left behind.

The Bible does not argue that God's

existence is proven by one single

solitary

isolated fact. Bible doesn't do that.

Rather, the evidence accumulates from

every direction until the conclusion

becomes absolutely unavoidable.

Let's talk about creation

fingerprints of God.

Creation bears the fingerprints of God.

Friends, in Psalm 19 and verse one,

that's what I was mentioning, the

handiwork, that word that's used there

in Psalm chapter 19 and verse one. Make

Psalms 19 · chapter mention

sure to prove all things according to

God's word, not DJs. Look what Look what

the Bible says. The heavens declare the

glory of God and affirmament shows his

handiwork. I want you to notice that the

psalmist does not say the heavens

suggest God.

Nope. It's not what it says. He does not

say, "Well, they hint that there is a

higher being."

No, the passage says, the psalmist says

they declare the glory of God.

Creation is constantly preaching a

sermon,

constantly.

Every sunrise, every sunset, every

mountain range, every ocean wave, every

star-filled sky, every living creature,

creation is continually pointing beyond

itself.

In the book of Isaiah, there's a

challenge that was given to God's people

in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 26. Look

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

at that. Isaiah 40 and verse 26.

Lift up your eyes on high and see

who has created these things. Who brings

out their hosts by number? He calls them

all by name. By the greatness of his

might and the strength of his power, not

one is missing.

I love this. He's saying, "Look up. Look

around.

Observe what God has made. The heavens

are not silent, friends. Creation is not

silent. They testify

mentioning fingerprints.

There's a lot of different directions

that I was thinking about this, but

again, fingerprints is one that just

kind of stands out to me a lot of times

because one of one of the most powerful

forms of evidence in investigations is

the fingerprint. Billions of people have

lived throughout society.

Yet no two fingerprints have ever been

found to be identical. Does that not

amaze you? And it does me.

And so when one discovers a fingerprint,

they immedately know something. You know

what that is? Someone was there.

One case that always sticks out in my

mind. It was many, many moons ago. I was

investigating a burglary case and uh the

house was completely ransacked. Just it

was tore up. I spent all day at this

house and I dusted for fingerprints and

one of the many that I pulled identified

a suspect.

I got him in and I talked to him about

that residence. He said, "I've never

been there."

And I'm like, "Really?"

H

Now, he was very adamant about it. He

told me very clearly I was never been

there and so forth. So when I showed him

the fingerprint that I pulled and how it

contained what we call sufficient

corresponding

ridge detail, ridge flow, ridge

characteristics, spatial relationship,

all that, you know, jargon that you use,

right, and all that.

It was identified as his fingerprint.

His eyes got real big and he said, "I'm

not going down alone." And I'm like, I

like this.

We got something.

He gave up his accompllices along with

complete confession and recovered, you

know, lots of stuff. But the point that

I'm making about that, again, I wasn't

there when the crime occurred.

I didn't directly see those guys go into

that house. I didn't see them burglarize

and carry stuff out. But what I did know

is someone did go in. Someone did

burglarize. And in addition to those

facts, the fingerprints pointed to a

source.

My point in all of that,

creation bears fingerprints.

And we could talk about the complexity

of DNA, talk about the law of physics.

We could talk about the precision of the

solar system, the human brain. Wow.

Heart. Okay.

the entire human body of what the

scriptures even says that we are

wonderfully and fearfully made.

You go and you study the very structure

of a single living cell.

Those are fingerprints, friends. their

fingerprints

because what they're doing is pointing

beyond themselves to an intelligent

designer

creator.

Acts 14 and verse 17. Look at that. Acts

Acts 14:17

14 verse 17. I love it. We were studying

this just recently, weren't we, in our

Bible class.

Nevertheless, he did not leave himself

without oh, look at the word witness.

and that he did good, gave us rain from

heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our

hearts with good with food and gladness.

He did not leave himself without

witness.

What's that saying? God has left

witnesses everywhere.

The evidence is abundant, friends.

Oh, that means that design demands a

designer, doesn't it?

That's our next point.

Don't you suppose you're walking through

a field and found a watch lying in the

grass?

What's your conclusion?

Would you say given enough time, metal

somehow arranged itself into gears and

springs? would you do that? And you're

like, no, that that don't sound right,

does it?

So, what did that watch do that you come

upon in that field?

Reveals intelligence,

reveals organization, reveals purpose.

Friends, the watch reveals a watch

maker.

And we compare that

watch to the human body.

Watches contain dozens of moving parts.

The human body contains trillions of

living cells.

A watch keeps time.

The human brain stores memories, learns

languages, solves problems,

all sorts of things. A watch contains

information. DNA contains more

informations than entire libraries.

And if a watch demands a watch maker, my

question is, what does creation demand?

Well, I'm glad you asked. Hebrews

Hebrews 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 and verse 4. Hebrews 3 and

verse4. Look at it. For every house is

built by someone, but he who built all

things is God.

use this example in times past about you

know studying with someone in regards to

this very topic here because again this

is a topic that a lot of people ask a

lot of people ask this

if you have just a bunch of 2x4s are

laying out there and then all of a

sudden it became a house

if that be the case I'm going to be

laying some 2x4s out somewhere

because that I've worked with my my

daddy and my grandfather working houses.

And you know what? We laid a lot of

lumber out there. But you know what we

had to do? We actually had to go out

there and we had to put those things

together.

What's the scripture saying is every

house

points to a builder.

Every painting that you see points to an

artist. Every book points to an author.

Every design points to a designer. Isn't

that what we're seeing in Romans chapter

Romans 1 · chapter mention

1 18-20?

Creation again pointing to God.

Design demands a designer.

What about this one? Every effect

demands inadequate cause. Now this is a

basic principle uh recognized throughout

science. We all learned this when we

were in school. Uh everyday life. This

is this is every effect requires an

adequate cause. If you go out there on

the beach and you see that that there's

footprints on the sand, what do you

conclude from that? Well, someone made

them. If you see smoke, well, something

caused that. If you see a building,

someone built it.

Here's the point. Effects do not create

themselves.

That raises an important question that

we have to ask. Where did the universe

come from?

Well, we go to Genesis 1 and verse one,

don't we? Genesis 1 and verse one. In

the beginning, God

created the heavens and the earth.

Let me tell you something about Genesis

1 and verse one. The Bible begins where

human reasoning eventually arrives.

The universe had a beginning. And even

modern science acknowledges this.

Time had a beginning. Space had a

beginning. Matter had a beginning. And

if the universe began to exist,

what's our conclusion?

There's got to be a cause. It's the

cause and effect principle. And whatever

calls the universe must be greater than

the universe itself. You agree with

that?

Because the Bible identifies the first

calls as God. Psalm 90 and verse 1 and

two. Look at that. Psalm 90:es 1 and

two. Lord, you have been our dwelling

place in all generations. Before the

mountains were brought forth or ever you

had formed the earth and the world even

from everlasting to everlasting you are

God.

We have to make we have to make a

distinction and understand the universe

is not eternal.

The universe is not eternal.

God is.

Now, that leads us to the next question,

right? Because you can work through this

and see all this

makes sense. We we reason this. Oh, but

here's the next question. What caused

God?

Are y'all ready for that one?

That question is going to come up. It

might be a question you might be having

yourself because at at this point when

we've worked through all of these

scriptures and all of these things and

we're reasoning all this together,

this is the next question. If everything

needs a cause,

what caused God? That is a really good

question. I think it is good question.

It's an honest question. Don't you

agree? Honest question. But I want you

to notice something important. Something

really important here.

What does the law of cause and effect

apply to?

Now, if you paid attention in science

and all of those things, you know that

the law of cause and effect applies to

things that begin to exist.

What did I say about the universe? The

universe began, God did not.

See that? Now, that's where our minds

are really.

Wrap your mind around that.

God is eternal

and as being eternal, he's not part of

creation. He is the creator of creation.

You know, start off the service this

morning from John 4 and verse 24.

What's the first three words there? God

is spirit

and those who worship him must worship

in spirit and truth.

So now we're getting down what what

requires a cause. Matter requires a

cause,

but the eternal God does not.

So then we say, well, there was never a

time when God did not exist. Now that

truth really may stretch our minds,

but it should not surprise us

because if God is truly God,

he must be greater than the limitations

of his creation.

And again, we're talking about where's

the evidence of this God

who is spirit.

Well, again, we're talking about

humanity bears the evidence of God.

Because we're saying, well, give me the

evidence for God. It's it's not only

around us, it's within us.

I'm gonna take this a little further.

Let me pose a few questions for you.

Why do people care about justice?

Why do we admire courage?

Why why do we condemn evil?

Why do we feel guilt?

Why do we recognize right and wrong?

Well, if you go to the next chapter in

Romans, Romans chapter 2, look at verses

Romans 2 · chapter mention

12- 16.

Romans 2:es 12- 16.

For as many as have sinned without law

will also perish without law. And as

many as have sinned in the law will be

judged by the law. For not the hearers

of the law are not for the hear for not

the hearers of the law are just in the

sight of God. But the doers of the law

will be justified. For when Gentiles who

do not have the law, by nature do the

things in the law, these, although not

having the law, are a law to themselves,

who show the work of the law written in

their hearts, their conscience also

bearing witness, and between themselves,

their thoughts accusing, or else

excusing them in the day when God will

judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ

according to my gospel.

You notice what Paul is saying there?

law written upon the heart. Think about

the moral law. Moral law points to a

moral lawgiver.

Uh and we we we could take this and just

say think about consciousness. Um

why do people ask questions about

meaning like we did last last uh Sunday

morning? Why am I here? Why do we ask

questions about purpose? Uh why do we

create art? I mean, why why do we

appreciate beauty? Why do we worship?

Why why do we long for eternity? What

what what we're talking about in last

Sunday's lesson from Ecclesiastes 3 and

verse 11, he has put eternity in their

hearts.

There is something within humanity that

longs for something beyond this world.

And that longing itself points toward

the God who made us. friends.

And when you take all of this

information and again we could go on and

on time for this morning will not allow.

We'll be looking at some more things in

these future lessons and questions.

But what I'm wanting to emphasize in

this particular lesson of our series is

the evidence leaves us without excuse.

And you go back to Romans chapter 1, the

Romans 1 · chapter mention

text that we started out with, Romans

Romans 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and verses 18-20. I'm going to

underline here

talks about even his eternal power and

godhead. Paul says God's eternal power

and divine nature, those are clearly

seen

so that they are without excuse.

I believe those are sobering words to

consider because Paul does not say

mankind lacks evidence. Paul says

mankind suppresses evidence,

suppresses evidence.

So the issue is is

often not intellectual.

The issue is spiritual.

What we have noted briefly from just the

few passages that I've shared with you

this morning in our study is God has

revealed himself. The heavens testify,

creation testifies, conscience

testifies, reason testifies, scripture

testifies. And what do you conclude? The

ev the evidence is overwhelming, is it

not?

And what's Paul say that humanity?

We are without excuse.

Let's conclude the lesson with these

thoughts.

At the conclusion of every investigation

comes a verdict.

You take the time to examine all the

evidence.

The witnesses have testified. The facts

have been presented. And now a decision

must be made.

Now this morning we have examined

briefly

the testimony of creation,

the fingerprints of design,

the law of cause and effect, the reality

of morality,

the mystery of consciousness, the

witness of scripture. And all of that of

what we have briefly looked at in our

time this morning points toward one

unavoidable conclusion. And what is it?

There is a creator. There is a designer.

There is a lawgiver. And there is a God.

And because there is a God, the next

question becomes, has he truly spoken?

Has he truly spoken? Can we know his

will? Can we trust what he has revealed?

Lord's will. And we'll be looking at

looking at that in our next part of our

series.

Because the God revealed through

creation

is the same God revealed in scripture.

The God who designed the universe is the

same God who sent his son Jesus to die

on the cross for our sins. The God whose

fingerprints are visible throughout

creation desires a relationship with

each one of us. In our text of Acts

Acts 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17 this morning in our Bible

class we were reading in verses 24- 28.

I want you to notice that again.

God who made the world and everything in

it. Look what Paul's saying. Since he is

Lord of heaven and earth does not dwell

in temples made with hands, nor is he

worship with men's hands as though he

needed anything. Since he gives to all

life, breath, and all things. And he has

made from one blood every nation of men

to dwell on all the face of the earth.

and has determined their pre-appointed

times and the boundaries of their

dwellings, so that they should seek the

Lord in the hope that they might grope

for him and find him, though he is not

far from each one of us. For in him we

live and move and have our being, as

also some of your own poets have said,

for we are also his offspring.

Paul said in verse 27, "Though he is not

far from each one of us,"

friends, he is not far, he has revealed

himself. He calls us to seek him and he

invites us to come to him through Jesus

Christ. If you go on down passages, we

were considering verses 29 through 31

even this morning in our Bible class.

Therefore, since we are the offspring of

God, we ought not to think that the

divine nature, see that those words,

divine nature is like gold or silver or

stone, something shaped by art and man's

devising. Truly, these times of

ignorance, God overlooked, but now

commands all men everywhere to repent

because he has appointed a day on which

he will judge the world in righteousness

by the man whom he has ordained. He has

given assurance of this to all by

raising him from the dead.

Friends, the greatest question is not

whether there's enough evidence

for God.

That is not the question.

The greatest question is whether we will

honestly follow the evidence to its

logical conclusion.

The heavens declare it. Creation

displays it. conscience confirms it and

friends scripture reveals it.

There is a God

and we are left without excuse and

friends

the evidence we cannot ignore. It is so

apparent.

As we bear our hearts for the song of

encouragement, I want us to remember the

title of this series. The series is

entitled truth that transforms.

And the goal of this series is not

merely to fill our minds with

information.

The goal is transformation.

Truth was never intended to stop at our

intellect. God intends for truth to do

so much as in reach our hearts, shape

our convictions, and change our lives.

And this morning we have taken time to

examine the evidence.

But now we come to a moment of decision

because here it is. Truth only

transforms when it's actually received.

The evidence we have considered today

was not merely given to prove that God

exists. It was given so that we could do

as Paul said in Acts 17 that we should

seek him.

The God revealed in creation is not a

distant force. He is not merely the

first cause. He is simply He is not

simply the designer behind the universe.

He's the God who knows you. He's the God

who loves you.

He's the God who loves you so much as

Romans 5 says that God has demonstrated

his love toward us.

What did he do?

He gave his son Jesus

to die for our sins.

The same God whose power is displayed in

the stars

displayed his love at Calvary.

The same God whose fingerprints are seen

in creation has left the imprint of his

grace upon the cross of Calvary.

And that truth changes everything.

Because if God exists,

and he does,

we're not here by accident.

If God exists,

and he does,

then my life and your life has purpose.

If God exists and he does, then eternity

is real. If God exists,

and he does,

then I must respond to him.

That's why this truth matters so much.

That's why this truth transforms

because the evidence has brought us to a

verdict and that is there is a God.

It's brought us not just simply there is

a God. It's brought us to the very

conclusion of what we're about to sing

in the imitation song. And that is our

God. He is alive.

The question now is what will you do

with this truth?

Will we suppress the evidence

or will we allow it to speak for itself,

convict us and transform us,

surrendering our life to the one who

made us? Because the God who created you

is calling you.

The God who sustained you is inviting

you right now. The God who loves you

wants you to be to come home

to be in a relationship with him through

Jesus Christ son.

Perhaps you need to obey the gospel

call.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the

son of God? If you can answer that and

say, "Yes, I do." That confession is

going to move you

to say, "I believe that he is the son of

living God." and you're going to repent

of your sins and you're going to you're

going to be baptized for the remission

of your sins to rise and walk in newness

of life as Romans 6:es 3 and 4 says

you're going to do that

and maybe you're a child of God who

needs to return or or need prayers and

encouragement.

Friends, whatever your spiritual need

may be, I'm simply saying don't leave

unchanged by the truth that you've heard

today

because the evidence points to God and

the truth about God has the power to

transform your life.