OceanSide church of Christ

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (#65)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    Preparing for this lesson, I came across a list of 202 philosophical questions.

1.      Does a person’s name influence the person they become?

2.      What is the most important concept that you wish you could teach the world?

3.      Is there such a thing as suffering too much hardship?

4.      Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond?

5.      How conscious do you think animals are?

 

B.      There are several people living in our world who take questions like these and ponder them to the fullest extent possible.

 

C.     I am glad that we do not ask philosophical questions on our Q&A Sundays.  The questions we ask are Biblical in nature.

 

D.    We are behind this month on our Q&A Sunday.  We will use this lesson to address some of the questions you have asked.

 

I.                   QUESTION #1:  Godly Sorrow

 

A.    Stated:  What things characterize godly sorrow?  (II Cor. 7:10)

 

B.      Answer:

1.      II Corinthians 7:10

 

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:  but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

 

a.      Paul notes two different kinds of sorrow:  godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world.

b.      The questioner asks:  “What things characterize godly sorrow?”

2.      Qualities of godly sorrow:

a.      True regret for the sin committed and not regret because one has gotten caught.

1)      Judas Iscariot

a)      After Judas betrayed the Christ, he was sorrowful because it went farther than he thought it would go when he learned Jesus would be put to death (Matt. 27:3-4).

 

Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood…

 

b)      Judas was not truly sorrowful of the sins of covetousness and betrayal.  He was just sad his plans did not work out as he thought they would.

2)      Peter

a)      Peter denied the Lord three times.

b)      After the third denial, Jesus looked upon him.  Matthew 26:75 tells us:  “And he went out, and wept bitterly.” 

c)      Peter truly regretted the sin he had committed against the Son of God.

b.      Tears of sorrow and grief over the sin that was committed.

1)      Two verses:

a)      Matthew 5:4

 

Blessed are they that mourn:  for they shall be comforted.

 

b)      James 4:8-9

 

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.  Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:  let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness.

 

2)      Why do we weep?

a)      We understand the magnitude of our sin.

b)      We realize that our sins put us at odds with God.

c)      We know that our sins brought about the death of Jesus on Calvary.

3)      We saw no tears from Judas, but we are told Peter “wept bitterly.”

c.       Repentance

1)      Godly sorrow brings repentance from sin. 

2)      This means that the sin is put to death.  One no longer engages in the transgression of God’s will.  He changes his life and lives in harmony with the will of God.

3)      When we look at Judas, we see that there was no change.  Instead of changing, he took his life (Matt. 27:5).

 

And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

 

II.                QUESTION #2:  Harmony between God’s Love and Punishment

 

A.    Stated:  If God is love, how do you explain Matthew 10:28?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      Two verses:

a.      I John 4:8

 

He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.

 

1)      God’s nature is love.

2)      All that He does springs from love.

3)      He is the fountain of all love that exists.

b.      Matthew 10:28

 

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:  but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

1)      God has the ability to punish individuals in hell.

2)      To some, the fact that God will punish individuals in hell is contrary to the idea that God is love.

2.      How do we harmonize the love of God and the punishment God inflicts on the disobedient?

a.      There are two ways God could have created us.

1)      As robots who are basically forced to do His will

2)      As free moral agents who have the ability to choose to do His will

b.      God gave us the ability to choose to do His will (Josh. 24:15).  Having that ability involves other elements as well.

1)      God warned us of the consequences of not doing His will (Matt. 10:28).

2)      God treats us with respect as rational people created in His image who are responsible for our choices and not as animals to be trained (Gen. 1:26-27).

3)      If we are punished, it is not because God was unloving, but it is because we chose it as a wage for our actions (Rom. 6:23).

3.      God does not want any of us to suffer the consequence of sin.  Thus, His love was manifested in Jesus who paid the price of sin for us.  That act was love (I John 4:9-10).

 

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

4.      Instead of complaining about the punishment of God, we should give thanks for the love of God that enables us to escape the punishment of our sins (Rom. 5:9).

 

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

 

III.             QUESTION #3:  Ephesians 6:12

 

A.    Stated:  Please explain Ephesians 6:12

 

B.      Answer:

1.      Read Ephesians 6:12

 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 

2.      Paul contrasts two things in this verse: 

a.      Flesh and blood, this would be human beings

b.      Principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places, these are forces in realms that you and I cannot see with our eyes.

c.       These ae the forces used by the evil one to promote sin and iniquity.

1)      They often use human beings as mediums.

2)      But, the forces behind the actions of human beings are evil forces in the unseen realm.

3.      Five verses that are interesting:

a.      Matthew 16:21-23

1)      Jesus tells the disciples about His death and resurrection at the hands of the Jewish leaders.

2)      Peter rebuked Jesus, saying:  “Be it far from thee, Lord;  this shall not be unto thee.”

3)      Jesus spoke some very stern words to Peter.

 

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:  thou art an offence unto me:  for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

 

a)      Jesus was not calling Peter a name.

b)      Jesus acknowledged Peter’s statements originated with the devil. 

c)      Peter might as well have been Satan for he was doing Satan’s bidding.

b.      John 13:2

 

And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him.

 

c.       II Corinthians 10:3-5

 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

 

d.      II Thessalonians 2:9

 

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.

 

e.       I Timothy 4:1

 

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.

 

4.      This speaker does not know the “hows” of all of these things.  He can only attest that there are unseen, evil, spiritual forces that are at work who are fighting to have our souls condemned in the last day.

5.      These forces can only be fought with spiritual weapons and spiritual armor.

a.      They are led by “the god of this world.”

b.      There are legions of them.

c.       They are not guided by truth and morality.

d.      They are not limited by the flesh.  They are spirits.

e.       They are superhuman in strength.

f.        They have accepted their fate at the last day and work tirelessly to destroy the kingdom of God until that day.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    You and I are in the fight of our lives, wrestling against evil in heavenly realms.

 

B.      God understand the battle that we are facing. 

1.      He loves us dearly and gave Jesus to save us from this present evil world.

2.      However, we are free to choose.

3.      If we choose to become an enemy of God, He will punish us in the last day just as He will punish the devil and his angels.

 

C.     One of the commands that all men must obey to be saved is to repent (Acts 17:30).

 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.

 

            Do you deeply regret your sins?  Do you weep over them?  Are you willing to put them to

            death?