QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (95)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Most adults, and many children, are familiar with the candy called Pez?

 

B.   Let’s ask some questions about Pez candy.

1.    Where did the candy originate?  Vienna, Austria.

 

 

2.    What was their original flavor?  Peppermint

3.    Where did the word “Pez” come from?  The German word for peppermint, “pfefferminze.”

4.    When did Pez come to the United States?  1950

5.    When did Pez make fruit flavored Pez and put cartoon heads on the dispensers?  1952

6.    Who was the first Pez-head character?  Popeye

7.    How many Pez-heads have there been?  Almost 250

 

C.   Today, you will go home remembering a lot of things about Pez candy. 

 

D.   We also hope you will go home remembering the answers to some of our Bible questions since we are using this as our Q&A Sunday.  Let’s examine three questions.

 

I.             QUESTION #1:  Jesus Is Called Good, Matt. 19:17

 

A.   Stated:  Why did Jesus not want to be called “good” even though He knew that He was the perfect, sinless Son of God?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    The context of this verse begins in Matthew 19:16.

 

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

 

a.    Notice that the individual who comes to Jesus uses the word “good” to describe Jesus.

b.    Jesus takes this opportunity to highlight what is meant by the word “good.”

2.    Matthew 19:17

 

“And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?  there is none good but one, that is God:  but if thou wilt enter into life keep the commandments.

 

a.    Jesus wonders if this man understands the word he has used to address Him.  Thus, the question:  “Why callest thou me good?” 

b.    He then uses the word in its strictest sense.  “There is none good but one, that is God.”

1)    God alone is good.

2)    Man because of sin is not strictly good (Rom. 3:12b).

 

…there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

 

3)    If the man properly understands the word, and if he describes Jesus as “good,” he is affirming also that Jesus is God.

4)    The man may not have intended such an inference, but Jesus wanted him to understand the importance of his address to the Christ.

3.    NOTE:  Jesus did not deny the claim. 

1.    He only stressed what the claim really meant. 

2.    Those that were there would have understood that Jesus allowed this man to refer to Him as God.

3.    This was the absolute truth.  Jesus was what some have called a “god-man.”

a.    John 1:1, 14

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…

 

b.    1 Timothy 3:16

 

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:  God was manifest in the flesh…

 

II.           QUESTION #2:  Exodus 4:24

 

A.   Please explain in detail Exodus 4:24.

1.    Who did the Lord meet?

2.    Why was the person sought by the Lord?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Moses was born in Egypt and was reared in the house of Pharaoh as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

2.    However, at the age of 40 Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian who smote a Hebrew.

3.    Moses fled to the land of Midian. 

a.    He lived there for 40 years.

b.    Moses dwelled with a man named Reuel who had seven daughters.

c.    One of those daughters by the name of Zipporah became the wife of Moses (Exo. 3:21).

 

And Moses was content to dwell with the man:  and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

 

d.    In the very next verse, we learn that Moses had a son by Zipporah.  His name was Gershom (Exo. 3:22).

4.    At the age of 80, God called Moses to return to Egypt and set the Hebrews free from the bondage of Pharaoh.

a.    Exodus 4:20

 

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt:  and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

 

b.    The journey from Midian to Egypt was not just a one-day journey.  Thus, Moses and his family would have to stop at inns along the way.

c.    It was at one of the inns that the Lord sought to kill Moses (Exo. 4:24).

 

And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.

 

5.    Additional background:

a.    When Moses fled into Midian, he fled to a people who were not the descendants of Abraham.

b.    Abraham had been given a covenant by God.  It was the covenant of circumcision.

1)    Genesis 17:10

 

 

And this is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

 

2)    This was an extremely important covenant (Gen. 17:14).

 

And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that should shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

 

c.    Since Moses’ son was born in Midian, he did not circumcise the child.

d.    Before Moses carried out his role as the leader and law-giver of the Jewish nation, he needed to honor the covenant of circumcision.

1)    Since he had not done this, God sought to kill him.

2)    Zipporah, however, understood the necessity of the covenant and circumcised her son (Exo. 4:25).

 

Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surly a bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

 

3)    In the Exodus 4:26, we learn that God “let him go.” 

4)    The verse ends with Zipporah repeating her words to Moses:  “A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.”

6.    Two lessons:

a.    As the spiritual leader of his home, Moses should have already circumcised his child.

b.    In order for Moses to carry out his work effectively, it was needful for him to remove any obstacle that might be a hindrance to his work.

 

III.         QUESTION #3:  Luke 16:17

 

A.   Stated:  Please explain the meaning of Jesus’ words in Luke 16:17.

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Luke 16:17

 

And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

 

2.    Background:

a.    Jesus had taught that it is impossible to serve both God and money (Luke 16:13).

b.    The Pharisees were there.  Their hearts were covetous.  Thus, “they derided him” (Luke 16:14).

c.    In the next verse, Jesus read their hearts.  These men were more concerned about their rich appearances than they were spirituality (Luke 16:15).

d.    These men were the lawyers and teachers of the law.  They should have known the times.  Yet, they rejected the preaching of John, and they were rejecting the Christ himself (Luke 16:16).

e.    The Law of Moses had told of these times. 

1)    There were prophecies.

2)    There were types and shadows.

f.     Jesus affirmed that the testimony of the Law was solid and sure in Luke 16:17.

 

And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

 

1)    Heaven and earth are stable units.  They are upheld by the power of God’s word (Heb. 1:3).

2)    The Law of God is even more stable than the heavens and earth.   The heavens and the earth are completely physical in nature.

3)    Whatever was contained in the law would definitely come to pass, including the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the kingdom of God.

3.    Many of the religious leaders missed the kingdom.  Sadly, there are still individuals today who do not understand the nature of the kingdom of God.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   As we said at the outset of this lesson, we hope you have learned more than just a few facts about Pez candy.

 

B.   We looked at three interesting questions.

1.    Why callest thou me good?

2.    Who did God seek to kill when Moses was on the way to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage?

3.    What is the meaning of Luke 16:17?

 

C.   When God speaks, we can put our complete trust in what He has said. 

1.    Nothing God says will ever fail.

2.    It will come to pass.

a.    It was true of the Messiah.

b.    It was true of the kingdom.

c.    It was true of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.

d.    It is true of the plan of salvation.

e.    It is true of the Second Coming of Jesus and final Judgment.