Thank you for sending in your anonymous questions during this months sermon series. We love to hear what is going on inside your head as it pertains to your daily walk,  or anything that might be weighing down on you.

 

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Are Catholic people saved? Will they be in Heaven? Or any other denomination? What about Homosexual churches?

 

After Jesus spoke to the very religious rich young ruler, he had this encounter with his disciples.

 

Luke 18:26Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

27Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

 

For me personally, it won’t be amazing that a catholic, a baptist, a presbyterian, or a homosexual will be saved. It will be amazing that I am saved.

 

I know Chris Fluitt better than I know anyone else and I feel qualified to tell you that Chris Fluitt does not deserve salvation.

 

But with God the impossible becomes possible.

 

I know charismatic spirit-filled Catholics that I have a great amount of trust in their prayer life and love of Christ.

 

There are doctrinal differences between my Catholic friends and me… but it would be foolish to stand in the judgment seat of Christ and declare someone saved or unsaved.

 

Romans 14:1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.

 

-KJV ONLY… Message bible

 

 

Homosexual Churches  – Scripture is clear about lifestyles we should repent of…

Hypocrite Churches

Greedy Churches

Unforgiving Churches

Unloving Churches

 

Judgment begins at the house of God… 1 Peter 4:17

 

 

Exodus 21:22 would appear to suggest that if a mother with child is hurt and the child is lost there would be a severe fine, but if the mother dies it’s life for life. which is where choice points to in the bible for their argument. would it be fair to say the church should show more love in tough situations than be fully committed to changing laws to outlaw abortions making a hard situation easier on us?

 

First the scripture

Exodus 21:22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

 

The word for prematurely actually means “depart.” The insinuation is that the strike causes labor to come early – thus prematurely.  Prematurely does not always mean MISCARRIAGE/DEAD BABY.

 

The wording is a little ambiguous and I can think of more than 1 way to interpret this verse.

 

V22 “but there is no serious injury.”  What does this mean?  Does this apply to the woman, her baby, or both? What is “serious injury?”

 

Abortion argument – Pro-choice or Pro-life argument?

USE ALL OF THE SCRIPTURE – Don’t cherry-pick a few verses that support your belief.

 

In this one verse, there is enough ambiguity to make an argument towards a bias.

 

The pro-choice will argue that the life of the woman is worth more than the bundle of cells within her.

The pro-life will argue that the fine still shows the wrongdoing of a terminated pregnancy and that the striking of the woman was accidental whereas abortions are deliberate.

 

I personally have an absolute bias in this area.

Careful not to read your bias onto the text – eisegesis

 

Beyond bias – this scripture should show us that our actions carry consequence. We should hold ourselves accountable even to the unattended consequences of our actions.

 

Our actions carry consequences and we are responsible.

 

NEXT the question about “should the church show more love.”

We should always love. We should eliminate everything that is not done from a motivation of love.

Love for the pregnant woman…

Love for the unborn…

Love for the woman who had an abortion…

Love for the woman who had the child…

 

A love that goes beyond words but carries action.

 

Moms should not have to worry that their children will starve – because Christians Love…

 

Women who had an abortion should not feel ostracized – because Christians love…

 

Democrats and Republicans… pro-choice and pro-life… even when we disagree we MUST LOVE.

 

“Fully committed to changing abortion laws…”

 

Is it wrong for Christians to be politically minded?

 

As long as they operate from love I see no problem with political activity.

 

It does not have to be either or…

 

When I stand here, I stand on the word of God and not a political platform. I do my best to avoid all political bias and deliver God’s truth.

 

I personally have been attacked by both sides of the political aisle for remaining politically silent. People don’t really want me to address the politics… they just want to shame me into agreement and “pick the right team.”

 

So I am going to endorse a candidate…

Vote Jesus. Not every 4 years but every day.

 

 

In Galatians 3:7 it says they which are of faith are sons of Abraham, are Christian believers also considered sons of Jacob through the line of Jesus?

 

Sons of Jacob/Israel = 12 tribes of physical Israel.

Children of Abraham = Spiritual children of the promise THRU faith

 

Galatians 3:7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

 

Through faith… we are not blessed through Abraham but through faith according to the promise Abraham received.

 

Verse 9 We are blessed along with… alongside Abraham. 

 

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

 

Abraham’s physical lineage is complex… Not only israel, but Edomites and all Arab nations.

The promise is not SEEDS but a singular SEED – The birth of Christ. This is preaching the gospel in advance.

 

29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 

We do not belong to Abraham, but Christ.  Abraham also belongs to Christ through faith as do all the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11) that preceded the coming of Christ.

 

Romans 9:8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

 

 

Genesis chapter 1 explains creation and the animals of the earth were created before man, but in Genesis 2 after Adam was created, God creates animals and brings them to Adam.  Adam names all the animals.  Is there a contradiction here?

 

Genesis 1 focuses on creative day order and gives a broader creation story.

Uses the most generic name for God – Elohim

 

Genesis 2 gives us specifics – like the names of Adam and Eve.

We are told how Eve is made from Adam’s rib

Uses the more specific covenantal name Yahweh (YHWH).

 

The 1st 2 chapters have different literary styles. There is a lot of argument over the difference of style in the 1st 2 chapters… but regardless of what “the experts” say, when you read Chapter 1 and 2 they do “feel” different.

 

We should note that neither chapter feels like a scientific journal. Much of the criticism of the Bible is comparing the creation account to scientific theory. I would argue that the creation account was not to be a scientific method, but a simple ancient story telling method.

 

 

Now specifically to the question…

There is a little overlap and re-telling of the story that takes place in chapter 2. This includes the animals…

 

Genesis 1 land animals created on the 6th day along with man.

Genesis 2 Man is place in the garden… Eve is created from Adam’s rib… but before this moment…

 

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

 

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found.

 

So from the text in v9 we don’t actually see God making the animals here… but God brings the animals He had already created before Adam.

 

The KJV wrongly translates this Hebrew from the wrong tense (perfect from) and reads…

19 And out of the ground the Lord God [HAD] formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

 

When translated correctly it answers all the chronological criticism between chapter 1 & 2.

 

Will we really know our loved ones in heaven?

 

I am 100% that you will not only recognize your loved ones… but recognize everyone and be recognized by everyone.

 

What does the Bible say about whether we will be able to recognize people in the afterlife?

-King Saul recognized Samuel when the witch of Endor summoned Samuel from the realm of the dead (1 Samuel 28:8-17).

-When David’s infant son died, David declared, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23). David assumed that he would be able to recognize his son in heaven, despite the fact that he died as a baby.

-In Luke 16:19-31, Abraham, Lazarus, and the rich man were all recognizable after death.

-At the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were instantly recognizable by people who had never seen them (Matthew 17:3-4).

In these examples, the Bible does seem to indicate that we will be recognizable after death.

 

Heaven is so much more than mansions and streets of gold…

-Heaven is the liberation & redemption OF ALL THINGS. Everything that has been lost will be restored. (Romans 8:20-22)

-The Bible declares that when we arrive in heaven, we will “be like him [Jesus]; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Just as our earthly bodies were of the first man Adam, so will our resurrection bodies be just like Christ’s (1 Corinthians 15:47).

 

“And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:49, 53).

 

Many people recognized Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:16, 20; 21:12; 1 Corinthians 15:4-7).

 

If Jesus was recognizable in His glorified body, we also will be recognizable in our glorified bodies.

 

We will see our loved ones… Even though they are changed (better) we will see and know them.

 

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 

Face to face with Jesus…

Fully known… and fully know

To the level you are fully known by Jesus… you will fully know at that same level.

 

Heaven will not be starting over… Heaven will be a full restoration.

 

 

Who was the young man in a linen garment in Mark 14 : 51-52? Why is he mentioned?

 

We do not know for sure. No other gospel tells of this young man… only Mark.

 

It could be a very young Mark.

 

While unprovable, it is believed by some that the house where the last supper took place was owned by Mark’s family and as a young child he personally witnessed this part of the story.

 

It is not scripturally unusual to put yourself in the story but leave yourself un-named. John wrote about “the disciple that Christ loved.” It is assumed that John is speaking of himself without naming himself and shifting the story towards his own glory.  THIS COULD BE THE CASE WITH A YOUNG MARK’S INCLUSION IN HIS GOSPEL.  

 

Who Wrote the Bible? (Kid Question)

 

Does God have a pen?

 

God used people to write down His prophetic Word.

 

1 Peter 1:20-21 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

It did not originate with man, but with God.  God’s Spirit moved on men to have the Word.

 

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

God uses people like you and me, and that is exciting.

God used shepherds, kings, farmers, fishermen, doctors, and servants to write His Word.

 

“How do you know the Word is true” is usually the follow up.

You try it.  Taste and see…