GENESIS
Why does Genesis seem to have two accounts of creation? Or is chapter 2 an expansion on Day 6? Gen. 2:4 seems to start the account again.
If "death" in Romans 5 is taken as spiritual death as it is in other places in the New Testament (eg John 3:16), what is preventing us from taking the creation account of Genesis 1 - 2 as non-literal? In other words, is there any way God could have created the world not in one week ~6000 years ago?
Who are the Giants of Genesis 6 and will they be back? "As in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the coming of the Son of Man."
REVELATION
What does the Scriptures say about the timing of the rapture of the church? Will it occur before, or at the start of, the end times?
Does the Bible indicate if the antichrist actually knows he is the antichrist?
Satan and ⅓ of the angels fell from God's grace because of sin (him wanting to be God). How can I be sure it won't happen to ME in eternity (I certainly know I'm no angel)? Revelation 7:4 and 14:1,3. Is the number of 144,000 a literal number of those who will be marked with the seal of God? What does this mean? Will only 144,000 people (believers) make it into Heaven?
HEAVEN and HELL
How will we relate/react to our earthly spouse when we are in Heaven?
If God loves all people as His children and is all powerful, how can He allow ANY of His children to be eternally separated from Him in hell?
Is there a purgatory?
I recently heard a message on the radio that said "sheol" is not the same as "hell". It was said that "sheol" is a holding place. Is this where the Catholic religion gets their model for "purgatory"? Also, IS "sheol" different from "hell"?
When someone dies who is not saved and their loved ones say "he/she is in heaven/in a better place", I don't feel that it's the proper time to explain that is just not so (meaning at the time of the funeral/death). What do I say, then, in response to this at this time?
In 1978, Pope Paul (VI) said, "One day we will see our pets in the eternity of Christ" and a few weeks ago, Pope Francis said, "Paradise is open to all God's creatures." Is there any Biblical basis for either of these statements?
DOCTRINAL ISSUES
What is the deal with the apocrypha? Why is it not included in the protestant canon?
If Jesus forgave us for all of our sins on the cross, why does 1 John 1:9 say that we need to confess our sins and then we will be forgiven? What happens if we don't confess? Are we not forgiven? Signed: Confused!
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
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Pastor Jeff:
00:00-00:24
All right, you're going to have to be a fast page turner because instead of a traditional sermon, you know, usually at Harvest Bible Chapter, if you're visiting with us today, we usually go through a book of the Bible, a chapter at a time, verse at a time, and expository preaching, but today we're doing something a little bit different.
Pastor Jeff:
00:25-00:34
Today is questions and answer day, a Q&A day, and what we're doing is answering the questions that you asked.
Pastor Jeff:
00:35-00:46
Over the past, what, five or six weeks, we gave opportunity for people to ask Bible questions, and we were going to take today to answer the questions that you asked.
Pastor Jeff:
00:46-00:52
So I just wanted to say that up front for any visitors that are here, if you're like, "Is this what you guys do every week?" No.
Pastor Jeff:
00:53-01:27
before like what was that a couple years ago and decided today we're going to take another run at it. So I would like to first of all introduce the person he is a man of the people and he is going to be representing the people. This is Darren Miller. He is going to be representing you by asking your questions. So let's get to know our host a little bit. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Pastor Jeff:
01:27-01:28
Where are you from?
Darren:
01:28-01:31
I'm originally from Chicora. Does anyone here not know me?
Pastor Jeff:
01:33-01:40
Now that is so weird because I grew up in Chicora too. Okay, two rules for Q&A day.
Pastor Jeff:
01:42-01:58
Two rules. First of all, I'm going to answer the questions according to what I think is What I mean by that is sometimes things get lost in translation from written text to reading it, trying to figure out what exactly is being asked.
Pastor Jeff:
01:58-02:03
So I am going to answer them according to how I understand the question.
Pastor Jeff:
02:03-02:10
And my second rule is I'm going to give the short answer because every one of these things could be a 45-minute sermon.
Pastor Jeff:
02:11-02:13
So I'm going to give the short answer with some Bible references.
Pastor Jeff:
02:14-02:37
And if there's anybody here that's like, "Man, I'd like some more information on that," emails in the bulletin so just email me and say hey can we talk more about this we certainly can do that I'm going to actually set a timer so when the alarm goes off we're going to jump to the last question because I want to end on that one so everybody ready okay go ahead
Darren:
02:37-02:48
Genesis so why does Genesis seem to have two accounts of creation whereas chapter 2 an expansion on day six, Genesis 2.4 seems to start to come again.
Pastor Jeff:
02:49-03:24
Yeah, Genesis 2 is an expansion on Genesis 1. To use the modern hipster terminology, I've heard a lot of people say this recently, "Let me unpack that for you." Have you heard somebody say that? "Let me unpack that for you." And I think Moses was the original unpacker here. He was, you know, Genesis 1, "In the beginning God created the heavens in the earth and he kind of runs through creation and when he gets to Genesis 2, he says, "Well, let me unpack that for you," and he goes into more detail specifically about the creation of man and woman and marriage and those kinds of things.
Darren:
03:25-03:26
I have the same question in Genesis.
Darren:
03:27-03:39
If death in Roman spies taken as spiritual death as it is in other places in the New Testament, for example, John 3.16, what's preventing us from taking the creation account of Genesis 1 and 2 as non-literal?
Darren:
03:39-03:45
In other words, is there any way God could have created the world not in one week approximately 6,000 years ago?
Pastor Jeff:
03:47-03:50
That is a really good question and that's a question that I get asked a lot.
Pastor Jeff:
03:51-03:59
First of all, the second part of that first question, what is preventing us from taking the creation account of Genesis 1 and 2 as non-literal?
Pastor Jeff:
03:59-04:02
What's preventing us is the way that it's written.
Pastor Jeff:
04:03-04:06
In the Hebrew language, the word for day is yom.
Pastor Jeff:
04:06-04:15
And when the word yom is used with a numerical qualifier, meaning first, second, third, fourth, it's always a 24 hour day.
Pastor Jeff:
04:16-04:22
And when the word yom is used with the phrase morning and evening, it's always a 24 hour day.
Pastor Jeff:
04:22-04:23
That's consistent.
Pastor Jeff:
04:23-04:36
So, if you're reading it straightforwardly according to the language as it presents itself, you can't come up with any other conclusion than the days of Genesis are literal 24 hour days.
Pastor Jeff:
04:36-04:45
to Exodus chapter 20, the 10 commandments, remember the fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Pastor Jeff:
04:46-04:56
Well, as God was giving the law to Israel, he was reminding them, I worked for six days and rested on the seventh day, you do the same thing.
Pastor Jeff:
04:56-05:03
Now, if those days in Genesis are periods of millions of years, then none of us can do that.
Pastor Jeff:
05:03-05:08
You can't work for six periods of millions of years and then rest for a period of millions of years.
Pastor Jeff:
05:08-05:10
God says, "I want you to do what I did.
Pastor Jeff:
05:10-05:17
"You work six, you rest the seventh." So you can't really understand Genesis any other way than literally as it presents itself.
Pastor Jeff:
05:17-05:26
But the other thing, speaking of language and death, Genesis two, the language is very specific in the Hebrew.
Pastor Jeff:
05:27-05:37
Remember when the Lord says, "When you eat off of that tree, you will die." When the original Hebrew, the Lord said to Adam, It's an interesting phrase.
Pastor Jeff:
05:37-05:42
He said, "Dying, you will die." If you eat off that tree, dying, you will die.
Pastor Jeff:
05:43-05:49
Meaning, it's going to start a process that is going to end with something.
Pastor Jeff:
05:50-06:01
In other words, if you looked in the mirror at all, you notice, older people, we are in a process of dying.
Pastor Jeff:
06:01-06:02
Physically.
Pastor Jeff:
06:02-06:03
Physically.
Pastor Jeff:
06:03-06:03
Right?
Pastor Jeff:
06:04-06:07
Look at some pictures of yourself from when you were a kid.
Pastor Jeff:
06:07-06:11
You are on this process, dying, you will die, physically.
Pastor Jeff:
06:12-06:14
And death really just means separation.
Pastor Jeff:
06:15-06:23
We think of death as separation of the body and the spirit, and death spiritually, obviously, separation from the Lord.
Pastor Jeff:
06:23-06:29
But Genesis 1 and 2 absolutely have to be taken literally.
Pastor Jeff:
06:30-06:44
And I could go into all the science for young earth and all the science against an old earth, but really the biggest reason that you have to take Genesis 1 and 2 literally is because the Bible says that Jesus is the second Adam.
Pastor Jeff:
06:45-06:55
And if there wasn't literally a first Adam who literally brought sin into the world, then how do we make sense of what Jesus accomplished as the second Adam?
Pastor Jeff:
06:56-07:08
So you can't, if you believe the Bible is the word of God, you can't believe in evolution at the same time and insert millions of years into the creation account.
Pastor Jeff:
07:09-07:14
Reason being, is because you have to put death somewhere.
Pastor Jeff:
07:14-07:24
Meaning this, people that believe in millions of years of evolution believe that over millions of years, things have been growing, evolving, dying, growing, evolving, dying.
Pastor Jeff:
07:24-07:29
Because for millions of years, things have been evolving and dying, and then you get to man.
Pastor Jeff:
07:30-07:32
So you have death before man.
Pastor Jeff:
07:34-07:35
But the Bible says death came when?
Pastor Jeff:
07:36-07:37
Death came after man.
Pastor Jeff:
07:39-07:47
So if you're a Christian believing that the Bible is the Word of God, you have a real problem inserting the evolutionary mindset into Genesis.
Pastor Jeff:
07:48-07:53
Because Genesis is very clear that death came after man, not before man.
Pastor Jeff:
07:54-08:01
So I would say no, there is no other way that you can make sense of Genesis other than as it's literally written.
Darren:
08:01-08:07
I think one of these questions by the way would make an amazing sermon series let alone you know,
Pastor Jeff:
08:07-08:07
stand up
Darren:
08:07-08:08
and be a preacher.
Pastor Jeff:
08:08-08:09
Oh for sure.
Pastor Jeff:
08:09-08:12
I'm just trying to reign it in because I could go off on all these things.
Pastor Jeff:
08:12-08:13
Really good questions.
Darren:
08:14-08:17
Who are the giants of Genesis 6 and will they be back?
Darren:
08:18-08:21
As in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the coming of the Son of Man.
Pastor Jeff:
08:22-08:28
The giants of Genesis 6, or the Nephilim, they are also mentioned in Numbers chapter 13.
Pastor Jeff:
08:28-08:32
The Israelites said that compared to them they looked like grasshoppers.
Pastor Jeff:
08:33-08:38
They were this group of people that were just physically large.
Pastor Jeff:
08:38-08:43
The word actually literally means "fall on," meaning to conquer.
Pastor Jeff:
08:43-08:46
Like somebody would fall on someone to crush them and conquer them.
Pastor Jeff:
08:47-08:56
I didn't really understand how that phrase meant to conquer until I had kids because now when Cade wants to wrestle, my big go-to move is I just lay on him.
Pastor Jeff:
08:56-08:58
I just fall on him and lay on him.
Pastor Jeff:
08:58-09:02
And he, you know, he thinks we're wrestling and I'm just like relaxing.
Pastor Jeff:
09:04-09:06
But that's literally what that means.
Pastor Jeff:
09:06-09:14
And as far as, "As in the days of Noah, "so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man." Jesus in Matthew chapter 24, that's where this phrase comes from.
Pastor Jeff:
09:15-09:16
I wanna read this real quick.
Pastor Jeff:
09:16-09:22
Matthew 24 says, "But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father only.
Pastor Jeff:
09:23-09:27
As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Pastor Jeff:
09:29-09:35
For in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day when Noah entered the ark.
Pastor Jeff:
09:36-09:39
And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away.
Pastor Jeff:
09:39-09:51
So will be the coming of the Son of Man." So Jesus making the comparison between His second coming and the days of Noah, notice what He's focusing on.
Pastor Jeff:
09:51-09:53
He's focusing on life's going on as normal.
Pastor Jeff:
09:53-09:54
Life's going on as normal.
Pastor Jeff:
09:54-09:59
People are eating and drinking and getting married and all of a sudden, unaware, judgment comes.
Pastor Jeff:
09:59-10:09
And just like in Noah's day, many people are going to perish in judgment and many people are going to be saved, just like Noah and his family were saved.
Pastor Jeff:
10:10-10:14
I really think that's the parallel that Jesus was making with Him and Noah.
Pastor Jeff:
10:14-10:19
I don't think Jesus' parallel really has anything to do with those giants that are mentioned in Genesis 6-4.
Pastor Jeff:
10:19-10:21
He doesn't mention them at all.
Darren:
10:21-10:23
We're going to skip to Revelation.
Pastor Jeff:
10:24-10:25
We went from Genesis to Revelation already?
Pastor Jeff:
10:27-10:27
Wow.
Pastor Jeff:
10:29-10:29
We're doing well.
Darren:
10:30-10:33
What does the Scripture say about the timing of the rapture of the church?
Darren:
10:33-10:38
Will it occur before, at the start of, or at the start of the end times?
Pastor Jeff:
10:38-10:40
Okay, the rapture of the church.
Pastor Jeff:
10:40-10:49
I believe that the rapture of the church, the church being taken up out of the world, I believe that it happens before the tribulation, and I have three reasons for believing that.
Pastor Jeff:
10:49-10:51
The first one is Revelation 3.10.
Pastor Jeff:
10:52-12:04
Jesus promised the church, listen to this phrase, "I will keep you from the hour of tribulation that is coming on the whole world." So, "I will keep you" means you'll be removed from, "from the hour," meaning a set period of time that is coming, yet future, on the whole world. There's never been a tribulation on the whole world. So Jesus was talking about something yet future He was going to keep His church from. Revelation 3.10. That's the first reason. The second reason is, when you read the book of Revelation, Revelation 2 and 3, are the church, the church, the church, the church, the church, the church, the church, and then the church isn't seen at all until Revelation 19. So the question is, if the church is such a focal point on what God is doing, as the whole New Testament teaches, why do we go through the entire description of the events of Revelation without one mention of the church? And my third reason is, in the book of Daniel, he talks about 70 weeks. And we talked about this when we went through Mark chapter 13, but they were weeks of years.
Pastor Jeff:
12:05-12:14
And what was it, 483 weeks from the time of the decree in Jerusalem until the anointed one is cut off, that's the death of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
12:14-12:16
That's 483 years.
Pastor Jeff:
12:16-12:18
That was a period of 69 weeks.
Pastor Jeff:
12:19-12:23
And Daniel's 70th week is yet future, that's the seven-year tribulation.
Pastor Jeff:
12:25-12:28
And the 70 weeks of Daniel really focus on Israel.
Pastor Jeff:
12:29-12:39
It's an interesting thing that the first 69 weeks were before the church came to be, and the last week, the last seven years, are going to come at the very end.
Pastor Jeff:
12:39-12:44
Again, the time of Jacob's trouble, mention of Israel, no mention of the church.
Pastor Jeff:
12:44-12:50
And Revelation talks all about Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, just like Daniel's 70th week described.
Pastor Jeff:
12:51-12:53
It's going to be a time for Israel.
Pastor Jeff:
12:53-12:55
Nothing mentioned of the church.
Pastor Jeff:
12:55-12:58
So I believe that the rapture happens before the tribulation.
Pastor Jeff:
12:59-13:00
Well, that's some
Darren:
13:00-13:00
good news.
Pastor Jeff:
13:00-13:01
Amen.
Darren:
13:01-13:06
Does the Bible indicate if the Antichrist actually knows He is the Antichrist?
Pastor Jeff:
13:06-13:08
Actually, he thinks He's God.
Pastor Jeff:
13:08-13:11
Because in Revelation 13, He demands worship.
Pastor Jeff:
13:12-13:18
So how much of what the Bible says about Him - His title, His name, His description - does He really know?
Pastor Jeff:
13:19-13:26
I would say probably not much in a biblical sense, because if He really knew what the Bible says about the Antichrist, He wouldn't want to be the Antichrist.
Pastor Jeff:
13:27-13:33
Because the Bible says, you know, "Lake of fire that's prepared for the devil and his angels." First person to go in there, the Antichrist.
Pastor Jeff:
13:34-13:36
And it is not going to end well for him.
Pastor Jeff:
13:36-13:42
But I don't see in the Bible him having any verse that says he knows he's the Antichrist.
Pastor Jeff:
13:43-13:45
But Revelation 13 says he thinks he's God.
Pastor Jeff:
13:45-13:47
He stands in the temple and demands people worship him.
Pastor Jeff:
13:49-13:51
So that's in what, Revelation 13, 12?
Darren:
13:52-13:58
Terry asks, "Satan, one third of the angels fell from God's grace because of sin and wanting to be God.
Darren:
13:59-14:04
How can I be sure that won't happen to me in eternity, because I certainly know I'm an angel?"
Pastor Jeff:
14:04-14:07
I love this question because I've asked that question myself.
Pastor Jeff:
14:08-14:59
If the angels at one point rebelled, a third of the angels rebelled against God, what's to say that sometime eight trillion years into the future of eternity that I might not attitude. Well, the reason that that's not going to happen ultimately rests on the integrity of God's Word. It's hard for us to fathom an existence that doesn't have sin and temptation all around us. But Revelation is very clear that death itself is thrown into the lake of fire. John saw that. What does that look like? I don't know, but John said, "I saw death itself thrown into the lake of fire." So So when that happens, sin and temptation and all of those things that lead to death are going to be gone too.
Pastor Jeff:
14:59-15:05
We're going to live in an existence where temptation to sin isn't even possible.
Pastor Jeff:
15:06-15:09
And I know that's hard for us to understand because we're surrounded by it.
Pastor Jeff:
15:10-15:21
But in heaven, sin isn't even a possibility because it's been so, you know, it's been cast into hell forever that death has.
Pastor Jeff:
15:21-15:25
And there's not even the possibility of that happening.
Pastor Jeff:
15:25-15:28
And my answer to that is it's the integrity of God's Word.
Pastor Jeff:
15:28-15:40
If God's Word says that's what it's going to be like, then I can just say, "Praise the Lord, but I'm not going to be tempted to be prideful sometime down the road." Apparently, the angels had one chance and they blew it.
Pastor Jeff:
15:41-15:50
You can either choose to align yourself with the Lord or align yourself with the devil, And you don't see anything in the Bible about the angels being redeemed.
Darren:
15:51-15:54
Revelation 7, 4 and 14, 1, 3.
Darren:
15:55-16:00
Is the number of 144,000 the literal number of those who will be marked with the seal of God?
Darren:
16:01-16:02
What does this mean?
Darren:
16:03-16:07
Will only 144,000 people or believers actually make it into heaven?
Pastor Jeff:
16:08-16:10
I'm going to answer that last question first.
Pastor Jeff:
16:10-16:12
Will only 144,000 make it into heaven?
Pastor Jeff:
16:12-16:17
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that, that only 144,000 people go to heaven.
Pastor Jeff:
16:17-16:20
Everybody else stays on the newly restored earth.
Pastor Jeff:
16:21-16:25
Many years ago, Aaron and I ran into a Jehovah's Witness lady in Big Lots, remember that?
Pastor Jeff:
16:25-16:27
It was date night, we were in Big Lots.
Pastor Jeff:
16:28-16:33
We ran into this Jehovah's Witness lady and she started evangelizing us.
Pastor Jeff:
16:33-17:01
She said, "I just hope that I'm one of the 144,000." And I said, "Oh, are you Jewish?" And she said, "No, I'm a Jehovah's Witness." And I was like, "Pshh." The 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14, those are 12 ,000 people from each of the tribes of Israel that God is going to use during the tribulation to evangelize, to do His work.
Pastor Jeff:
17:02-17:03
His seal is on them.
Pastor Jeff:
17:03-17:05
What that means is He has them marked.
Pastor Jeff:
17:05-17:08
And you see them at the beginning of the tribulation, and you're going to see them at the end.
Pastor Jeff:
17:09-17:11
I believe those people are going to be indestructible.
Pastor Jeff:
17:12-17:16
Through everything else that's going on through the tribulation, you see those people making it through.
Pastor Jeff:
17:16-17:21
But those are Israelites that God redeems and uses to do His work during the tribulation.
Darren:
17:22-17:24
I read Heaven and Hell now.
Darren:
17:25-17:30
First question is, "How do we relate or react to our earthly spouse when we leave Heaven?"
Pastor Jeff:
17:30-17:33
That's a great question. It's also another very common question.
Pastor Jeff:
17:34-17:39
Because people think, "Well, I couldn't imagine being in Heaven, and you're not my wife.
Pastor Jeff:
17:40-17:41
I just don't understand that.
Pastor Jeff:
17:41-17:52
Well, heaven is a completely different set of way of living that Jesus said we'll be like the angels, that sexuality is not going to be a thing.
Pastor Jeff:
17:52-17:55
We're going to have perfect relationships with everybody in heaven.
Pastor Jeff:
17:57-18:10
So as much as I love my wife now, I'm going to love her even more in heaven because even the love I have now is coming from a person that's still living in sinful flesh, in a sinful world.
Pastor Jeff:
18:11-18:22
And when all of that's removed, I'll love her even more perfectly, but I'll love everybody in heaven perfectly because there will be no temptation to sin.
Pastor Jeff:
18:22-18:30
There will be no, no love will ever be tainted with ulterior motives or I'll love you if you do this for me or whatever.
Pastor Jeff:
18:31-18:35
Your relationship with your spouse is going to be even better than it is on the earth.
Pastor Jeff:
18:36-18:39
It's just that the whole sexuality thing doesn't exist in heaven.
Pastor Jeff:
18:40-18:48
And I know that's hard to fathom because that's stuff that we've known our whole lives on the earth, but that's what Jesus said, we'll be like the angels.
Darren:
18:49-18:56
If God loves all his people as his children and is all powerful, how can he allow any of his children to be eternally separated from him in
Pastor Jeff:
18:56-18:56
hell?
Pastor Jeff:
18:57-19:03
This is a very emotionally charged question and a lot of people really struggle with this.
Pastor Jeff:
19:05-19:11
I think the idea that people have is like, God's up in heaven going, "You won't worship me?
Pastor Jeff:
19:11-19:15
"Fine, I'll show you, I'll send you to hell." And it's not like that.
Pastor Jeff:
19:16-19:23
You know, Romans chapter nine talks about vessels of wrath fitted for destruction.
Pastor Jeff:
19:24-19:31
It's talking about people going to hell, but in the Greek, that phrase literally means vessels of wrath that fitted themselves for destruction.
Pastor Jeff:
19:32-19:35
That hell is a choice that people make.
Pastor Jeff:
19:35-19:40
And I know that's so hard to fathom, but really hell is the choice that people make.
Pastor Jeff:
19:41-19:42
It's a it's a choice.
Pastor Jeff:
19:42-19:43
I don't want anything to do with God.
Pastor Jeff:
19:44-19:47
I don't want anything to do with God's truth, God's people, God's love.
Pastor Jeff:
19:47-19:48
I don't want anything to do.
Pastor Jeff:
19:48-19:51
Can I just live my life apart from all of that stuff?
Pastor Jeff:
19:52-19:54
Hell is God giving those people what they want.
Pastor Jeff:
19:55-19:58
You know, in the Bible talks about how it talks about people gnashing their teeth.
Pastor Jeff:
19:58-20:06
I don't believe hell is a place where people are going, "Oh, I so regret not coming to Jesus." I don't think that happens in hell at all.
Pastor Jeff:
20:07-20:09
Gnashing your teeth is anger at someone.
Pastor Jeff:
20:10-20:12
People in hell are furious with God.
Pastor Jeff:
20:13-20:17
They're spending eternity not, "Oh, I'm so sorry.
Pastor Jeff:
20:17-20:23
I wish I had another chance." They're spending their eternity in ultimate bitterness towards God.
Pastor Jeff:
20:24-20:24
Let's be honest.
Pastor Jeff:
20:25-20:33
If somebody doesn't love God's people, God's truth, God's ways, God's presence, those people are going to be miserable in heaven because that's all it is 24/7.
Pastor Jeff:
20:35-20:39
I believe that the Bible is pretty clear that people send themselves to hell.
Pastor Jeff:
20:39-20:40
It's a choice that they make.
Pastor Jeff:
20:42-20:43
What else could God have done?
Pastor Jeff:
20:43-20:46
He came to the earth himself in the form of a man.
Pastor Jeff:
20:47-20:49
He died on our behalf.
Pastor Jeff:
20:49-20:50
He rose from the dead.
Pastor Jeff:
20:51-20:56
God literally did everything He could possibly do and said, "Here's the free gift of salvation.
Pastor Jeff:
20:57-20:58
We don't have to work for it.
Pastor Jeff:
20:58-20:59
We don't earn it.
Pastor Jeff:
20:59-21:03
We don't have to buy it." God has handed us the gift of salvation.
Pastor Jeff:
21:04-21:12
So for somebody to say, "I don't want your gift," as hard as it is to come to grips with that, they're making the choice to go to hell.
Pastor Jeff:
21:13-21:15
The Bible says it's God's will that none should perish.
Pastor Jeff:
21:15-21:16
God says, "Here's a gift.
Pastor Jeff:
21:16-21:19
I want you to take it." God's not up in heaven going, "Turn or burn.
Pastor Jeff:
21:19-21:20
I don't care.
Pastor Jeff:
21:20-21:34
right or get left doesn't matter to me. God's in heaven saying, "I want you so desperately to take this gift of salvation. Will you please receive my son by faith?" If people are unwilling to do that, God's not to blame for that.
Darren:
21:35-21:36
Is there a purgatory?
Pastor Jeff:
21:37-21:52
No. Next. Just kidding. A couple of references, draw it down. 2 Corinthians 5.8, the apostle Paul says to be absent from the bodies, be present with the Lord. And Philippians 1.23, Paul says he has a desire to depart and be with Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
21:53-21:58
The Bible is very clear, when somebody dies, they are immediately in the presence of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
21:58-22:03
Okay, the Bible never talks about an intermediate state, a sleep state, a purgatory.
Pastor Jeff:
22:04-22:06
The concept itself is blasphemous.
Pastor Jeff:
22:07-22:15
Because what you are saying is, when Jesus was on the cross and he said, "It is finished," what you are saying is, "Jesus didn't do enough.
Pastor Jeff:
22:16-22:21
I have to go to a place and suffer for my own sin because Jesus didn't suffer enough for my sin.
Pastor Jeff:
22:22-22:23
That's blasphemous.
Pastor Jeff:
22:24-22:26
That's what purgatory is, by the way.
Pastor Jeff:
22:27-22:39
It's the teaching that you go to this place where the sin is burnt off of you, these fires burn sin off of you, and you're there for years and decades, and we've got to pray, and we've got to give money to the church to get you out of there.
Pastor Jeff:
22:40-22:42
That is a doctrine from hell.
Pastor Jeff:
22:44-22:48
It undermines the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
22:49-22:51
It is a way that the church has made money.
Pastor Jeff:
22:51-22:55
Not this church, but it is a way that some churches have made money.
Pastor Jeff:
22:56-22:57
You know, Grandma's burning.
Pastor Jeff:
22:58-23:00
If you give money, we'll pray to get her out of the burny place quicker.
Pastor Jeff:
23:01-23:03
No, there's no purgatory.
Pastor Jeff:
23:04-23:05
The Bible is so clear on that.
Darren:
23:06-23:12
I recently heard a message on the radio that said, "Sheol is not the same as hell." It was said that Sheol is a holding place.
Darren:
23:12-23:14
Is this where the Catholic religion gets their message?
Darren:
23:14-23:17
as a model for purgatory, also, is Sheol different?
Pastor Jeff:
23:19-23:19
Ok, Sheol.
Pastor Jeff:
23:21-23:22
Sheol is not the same thing as hell.
Pastor Jeff:
23:23-23:25
And it's not where the idea of purgatory comes from either.
Pastor Jeff:
23:28-23:32
Sheol just means "the grave." Sheol's kind of a generic term really.
Pastor Jeff:
23:33-23:36
You see it in the Old Testament many, many, many, many times.
Pastor Jeff:
23:36-23:38
It just refers to the grave.
Pastor Jeff:
23:39-23:42
You know, when they say somebody died, it was a euphemism.
Pastor Jeff:
23:42-23:43
They went to Sheol.
Pastor Jeff:
23:43-23:45
they went to the place beyond.
Pastor Jeff:
23:45-23:49
Now, here's a fancy theological term for you.
Pastor Jeff:
23:50-23:51
Progressive revelation.
Pastor Jeff:
23:51-23:52
Do you know what that is?
Pastor Jeff:
23:52-23:53
Progressive revelation?
Pastor Jeff:
23:53-23:58
What that means is this, when Adam and Eve sinned, God wasn't like, "Oh, you sinned.
Pastor Jeff:
23:59-24:06
Here's the plan of redemption." And gave everything about Jesus Christ, the cross, the resurrection, the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Jeff:
24:07-24:10
God didn't just dump that all on Adam the moment he sinned.
Pastor Jeff:
24:11-24:14
God revealed his plan for salvation over time.
Pastor Jeff:
24:14-24:17
He killed an animal so that they would have skins to cover themselves.
Pastor Jeff:
24:17-24:21
And then, you know, there's the time of the patriarchs where God called Abraham.
Pastor Jeff:
24:21-24:23
And then we get to the Mosaic Law.
Pastor Jeff:
24:23-24:31
God was God was unfolding his plan of redemption over time, which culminated in the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
24:32-24:37
So understand in Old Testament times, they didn't have the revelation that we have about heaven and hell.
Pastor Jeff:
24:38-24:50
So a lot of times they would just when they talked about death, they talked about Sheol and one of the most important verses in the Old Testament actually talks about Sheol and that's Psalm 1610.
Pastor Jeff:
24:51-24:57
It says, For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol or let your holy one see corruption.
Pastor Jeff:
24:57-25:03
That's like the most important verse in the Old Testament, because that's the verse that prophesies the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
25:03-25:12
What that's saying is, you're not going to leave your Messiah in the grave in Sheol or seek corruption, meaning, you're not going to let your Messiah rot.
Pastor Jeff:
25:13-25:14
He's going to raise from the dead.
Pastor Jeff:
25:14-25:16
So Sheol is really just a generic term.
Pastor Jeff:
25:16-25:17
It just means the grave.
Darren:
25:18-25:24
When someone dies who's not saved, your loved ones say, he or she is in heaven or in a better place.
Darren:
25:24-25:27
I don't feel that's the proper time to explain that it's just not so.
Darren:
25:28-25:30
Meaning it's time to...
Darren:
25:30-25:33
Who do I say in response to this at that time?
Pastor Jeff:
25:34-25:35
That is a really good question.
Pastor Jeff:
25:36-25:39
Yeah, you do not want to be insensitive at a time like that.
Pastor Jeff:
25:41-25:42
So first of all, I agree.
Pastor Jeff:
25:43-25:47
It is not the proper time to say, "Oh, Grandma died.
Pastor Jeff:
25:48-25:49
Did Grandma believe in Jesus?
Pastor Jeff:
25:50-25:51
Well, no, Grandma wasn't really a church person.
Pastor Jeff:
25:51-25:56
I think Grandma's in hell." No, that's not the time for that, right?
Pastor Jeff:
25:57-26:01
What you say is, "I am so sorry for your loss.
Pastor Jeff:
26:02-26:03
I know how much she meant to you.
Pastor Jeff:
26:04-26:07
How can I pray for you?" End it, okay?
Pastor Jeff:
26:07-26:11
Not, you don't wanna do, obviously you don't wanna say grandma's in hell.
Pastor Jeff:
26:12-26:15
Also, if you don't know, you don't give the promise that she's in heaven.
Pastor Jeff:
26:16-26:19
Like, "Oh, grandma never saw the inside of a church.
Pastor Jeff:
26:19-26:20
Grandma never heard the gospel.
Pastor Jeff:
26:20-26:22
Grandma never cracked the spine on a Bible.
Pastor Jeff:
26:22-26:25
Oh, she's probably in heaven." You don't do that either.
Pastor Jeff:
26:25-26:25
Why?
Pastor Jeff:
26:26-26:31
Because if that person's not a believer, what you're telling them is, you don't gotta do anything to go to heaven.
Pastor Jeff:
26:31-26:33
Basically, all you gotta do is die and you're there.
Pastor Jeff:
26:33-26:35
Just like grandma, grandma didn't do nothing, she's in heaven.
Pastor Jeff:
26:36-26:40
No, the gospel's about receiving eternal life in Jesus Christ, amen?
Pastor Jeff:
26:40-26:46
So you don't give people a false hope, nor do you hellfire and brimstone.
Pastor Jeff:
26:46-27:00
I've preached a lot of funerals in my time, and if the person was not a believer, what I do when I get up to preach, I say, at a time like this, our hearts and minds instinctively turn to the Word of God for answers.
Pastor Jeff:
27:00-27:04
And I would like to share with you what the Bible says about God's plan for redemption.
Pastor Jeff:
27:05-27:05
And then I share the Gospel.
Pastor Jeff:
27:06-27:11
But I don't ever, you know, personalize that for that person.
Pastor Jeff:
27:11-27:11
So no.
Pastor Jeff:
27:12-27:13
I am sorry for your loss.
Pastor Jeff:
27:13-27:14
I am so sorry for your loss.
Pastor Jeff:
27:16-27:17
How can I pray for you?
Pastor Jeff:
27:17-27:18
Just leave it at that, please.
Darren:
27:19-27:34
In 1978, Pope Paul said, "One day we'll see our pets in the eternity of Christ." A few weeks ago, Pope Francis said, "Paradise is open to all God's creatures." Is there any biblical basis for human status?
Pastor Jeff:
27:36-27:39
Is my pet going to be in heaven is what this boils down to.
Pastor Jeff:
27:41-27:49
You know there's really only one verse in the Bible that even remotely addresses it, Ecclesiastes 3.19 I think?
Pastor Jeff:
27:50-27:50
Right, is that right?
Pastor Jeff:
27:50-27:51
Yeah, Ecclesiastes.
Pastor Jeff:
27:52-27:53
And even that's kind of vague.
Pastor Jeff:
27:53-27:59
What it says is, Solomon says about the spirit of man going upward and the spirit of beast going downward.
Pastor Jeff:
27:59-28:09
But even that, you can't build a doctrine around that because Ecclesiastes is sort of a philosophical what would life be like if we didn't regard the Lord kind of thing.
Pastor Jeff:
28:09-28:17
So I don't think Solomon's like, in this chapter I'm going to give a doctrine about, I don't think he does that.
Pastor Jeff:
28:18-28:19
Do animals have souls like we do?
Pastor Jeff:
28:20-28:21
No, they don't.
Pastor Jeff:
28:21-28:24
Can animals receive redemption?
Pastor Jeff:
28:25-28:26
No.
Pastor Jeff:
28:26-28:27
Do animals sin?
Pastor Jeff:
28:28-28:32
Not like we do, you know, willingly making a choice to rebel against our Creator.
Pastor Jeff:
28:33-28:40
I do know for sure that heaven will be lacking nothing, nothing at all that would promote our happiness or joy in the Lord.
Pastor Jeff:
28:41-28:46
Can God have animals in heaven, create animals in the new heaven and earth?
Pastor Jeff:
28:46-28:47
God can do anything.
Pastor Jeff:
28:48-28:55
But the Bible does not explicitly say, "My dog will be waiting for me in heaven." It just doesn't say either way.
Pastor Jeff:
28:55-29:04
I'm inclined to believe that animals don't go, just because it's part of death on the earth and they're not redeemed in the sense that human beings are redeemed.
Darren:
29:06-29:14
Doctrinal issues. What's the deal with the Apocrypha? Is it not included in the Protestant King?
Pastor Jeff:
29:15-29:17
I don't know who wrote this question, but I love how it's written.
Pastor Jeff:
29:17-29:20
Can you read it again like Jerry Seinfeld?
Pastor Jeff:
29:20-29:25
"What is the deal with the Apocrypha? Your Bible's not big enough?"
Pastor Jeff:
29:26-29:27
[Laughter]
Pastor Jeff:
29:29-29:33
The Apocrypha was written about 300 BC to 100 BC.
Pastor Jeff:
29:34-29:37
They're Jewish in origin, but even the Jews don't regard them as authoritative.
Pastor Jeff:
29:38-29:47
In fact, in the Apocrypha, I think it's in 1 Maccabees, it even says that these writings were done in a time that there were no prophets in the land.
Pastor Jeff:
29:48-29:51
So even the Apocrypha itself doesn't claim to be authoritative.
Pastor Jeff:
29:52-30:03
And when Jesus, in Luke 24, I believe it is, Jesus talked about Moses and the prophets as prophesying about him, there was no mention of the Apocrypha.
Pastor Jeff:
30:03-30:06
In fact, there's nothing in the Apocrypha that's quoted in the New Testament.
Pastor Jeff:
30:07-30:08
Jesus never quoted it.
Pastor Jeff:
30:08-30:09
Paul never quoted it.
Pastor Jeff:
30:10-30:13
It's just it's not authoritative.
Pastor Jeff:
30:14-30:21
The authorship is largely unknown and even itself, the books themselves don't even claim to be authoritative.
Pastor Jeff:
30:22-30:24
So I have so much more.
Pastor Jeff:
30:24-30:28
There's even some unbiblical doctrines that are taught in the Apocrypha.
Pastor Jeff:
30:28-30:31
We can't hold them in the same regard as Scripture.
Pastor Jeff:
30:32-30:33
So let's skip to the last question.
Pastor Jeff:
30:34-30:36
We have so many questions that we don't cover.
Pastor Jeff:
30:37-30:41
I'm going to put in a blog on our website and you can go through and read there.
Pastor Jeff:
30:41-30:43
I'm so sorry if we didn't get to your question.
Pastor Jeff:
30:43-30:46
I was just trying to categorize them by type and get through as many as we can.
Pastor Jeff:
30:47-30:49
Unless you want to stay here all day, we can do all of them.
Pastor Jeff:
30:50-30:51
Let's just jump to the last one.
Darren:
30:52-31:01
All right. If Jesus forgave us for all of our sins on the cross, why does 1 John 1, 9 say that we need to confess our sins and then we'll be forgiven?
Darren:
31:01-31:03
What happens if we don't confess?
Darren:
31:03-31:04
Are we not forgiven?
Darren:
31:05-31:05
Signed confused.
Pastor Jeff:
31:06-31:10
That's like "Dear Abby." Signed confused in Cleveland.
Pastor Jeff:
31:11-31:12
Dear confused in Cleveland.
Pastor Jeff:
31:13-31:17
1 John 1:9 A lot of preachers preach that this way.
Pastor Jeff:
31:17-31:25
Like, Christian, if you sin, and you confess your sin to God, God will forgive you.
Pastor Jeff:
31:25-31:26
And that sounds good.
Pastor Jeff:
31:28-31:30
The only problem with that is what if you don't confess your sin?
Pastor Jeff:
31:31-31:31
Does it mean you're not forgiven?
Pastor Jeff:
31:32-31:36
Like hypothetically, let's say that I'm having a really good day.
Pastor Jeff:
31:37-31:43
And I lose my temper and I yell at my wife, which is sinful, on my way out the door.
Pastor Jeff:
31:43-31:46
And I get in a car and I die in a car accident.
Pastor Jeff:
31:46-31:48
But I didn't have time to confess that sin.
Pastor Jeff:
31:48-31:50
Does that mean I'm going to hell?
Pastor Jeff:
31:50-31:51
Because that sin's not forgiven?
Pastor Jeff:
31:52-31:54
Because I didn't confess it?
Pastor Jeff:
31:55-31:57
I don't think that that's what that means at all.
Pastor Jeff:
31:59-32:03
1 John 1:9 I believe is primarily an evangelistic verse.
Pastor Jeff:
32:04-32:11
You know, when Paul and John and Peter, when they wrote their epistles, they would have been read to a church in a setting like this, right?
Pastor Jeff:
32:14-32:16
The elder of the church would have got up and said, "Hey, we have a letter from Paul.
Pastor Jeff:
32:16-32:17
Let me read it to you.
Pastor Jeff:
32:17-32:18
We have a letter from John.
Pastor Jeff:
32:18-32:37
Let me read it." And in any church, you're going to be addressing Christians and non-Christians, and I believe the first John 1.9 is an address to non-Christians to say, he goes on to talk about the blessings that we have in Christ, and he addresses his little children in the faith, and talks about loving one another.
Pastor Jeff:
32:38-32:49
But I think he's starting off this writing by saying, "Listen, none of this is possible without Jesus Christ." So if you're hearing this, and you don't know him, I got some good news for you.
Pastor Jeff:
32:49-32:54
If you confess your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive.
Pastor Jeff:
32:55-32:58
So I believe that's primarily an evangelistic verse.
Pastor Jeff:
32:58-33:08
And I wanted to close on that question, actually, because there might be some people here today that are like, you know what, I hear what you're saying about heaven and hell and salvation.
Pastor Jeff:
33:08-33:13
And I don't know where I stand with the Lord.
Pastor Jeff:
33:14-33:29
I have some great news for you because the Bible says, no matter what you've done, no matter who you are, no matter how badly you've blown it, no matter how badly you've messed things up in your life, God is the God of second chances.
Pastor Jeff:
33:30-33:33
And that promise in 1 John 1, 9 is for you.
Pastor Jeff:
33:34-33:38
And if you've never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that promise is for you.
Pastor Jeff:
33:39-33:40
Christian, what about me?
Pastor Jeff:
33:40-33:42
Like what if I sin tomorrow?
Pastor Jeff:
33:42-33:43
How do I know I'm forgiven?
Pastor Jeff:
33:45-33:48
When Jesus died on the cross, how many of your sins were in the future?
Pastor Jeff:
33:49-33:50
All of them, right?
Pastor Jeff:
33:51-33:52
So guess what?
Pastor Jeff:
33:52-33:55
The sin that you commit this afternoon has already been forgiven.
Pastor Jeff:
33:56-33:59
The sin that you commit tomorrow is already forgiven.
Pastor Jeff:
34:00-34:05
The sin that you commit next week, next month, 10 years from now, Christian has already been forgiven.
Pastor Jeff:
34:06-34:10
That's why the Bible calls us to live in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff:
34:11-34:18
We should be resting in him to say, "I'm a child of God, and I know that I'm forgiven." And do Christians confess their sin?
Pastor Jeff:
34:18-34:18
Yeah.
Pastor Jeff:
34:20-34:27
You know, the Bible says we should confess our sins to one another, and certainly we should confess our sins to God, but that's not so that God forgives us again.
Pastor Jeff:
34:28-34:34
It's just saying, "God, I'm sorry I messed up, and God, can you help me to avoid that temptation in the future?
Pastor Jeff:
34:34-35:00
God I want to be a better representative of you but sin does not for the Christian sin does not mean suddenly you're disqualified you need forgiven again and sadly I know people that believe that it's this umbrella theology that if you confess your sin you're forgiven then when you sin you're out from under God's protective umbrella and I've heard preachers say this if you If you die in that state, you're going to hell.
Pastor Jeff:
35:01-35:02
Is that God?
Pastor Jeff:
35:02-35:02
Really?
Pastor Jeff:
35:03-35:04
Really?
Pastor Jeff:
35:04-35:11
God's going to send me to hell because I had a bad day and I said something mean to my wife I shouldn't have.
Pastor Jeff:
35:11-35:12
Is that God?
Pastor Jeff:
35:12-35:14
No, God says you are not guilty.
Pastor Jeff:
35:14-35:25
He, Romans 8, 1, "There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ." When you give your life to Jesus Christ, when you receive Him as your Lord and Savior, God says you are forgiven.
Pastor Jeff:
35:26-35:33
You are my child and according to Jesus nothing, John chapter 10, nothing can take you from his hand.
Pastor Jeff:
35:33-35:33
Nothing.
Pastor Jeff:
35:34-35:37
Not even your own sin because you've already been forgiven.
Pastor Jeff:
35:39-35:43
If you're sitting here today going, "Wow, that sounds like an awesome promise." That promise is for you too.
Pastor Jeff:
35:45-35:46
It is God's will that none should perish.
Pastor Jeff:
35:48-35:51
Act 17 says God commands all men everywhere to repent.
Pastor Jeff:
35:51-35:54
So that promise is for you.
Pastor Jeff:
35:55-35:58
And like I said, we're going to cover the rest of the questions online.
Pastor Jeff:
35:59-36:06
But you know, we're working our way through another holiday season, and a new year is going to be upon us.
Pastor Jeff:
36:09-36:12
And if you're sitting here today, and you don't know where you're at with Jesus Christ, today's the day.
Pastor Jeff:
36:14-36:14
Today's the day.
