QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (102)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Can you imagine life without the ability to ask any questions?

1.    Many would just remain ignorant.

2.    Some would seek long and hard for answers.

3.    Some would never find answers because they could not even ask where to look for them.

 

B.   Our Lord was asked many questions during His ministry.  Seldom did He ever refuse to answer a question presented to him by anyone, including His enemies.

 

C.   Today is our Q&A Lesson.  We are going to be looking at three questions in this sermon.

 

I.             QUESTION #1:  Seeking First the Kingdom of God

 

A.   Stated:  What does it mean to seek ye first the kingdom of God?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    This question comes from a statement made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:33).

 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

2.    The context of the question involves worry and anxiety over the basic aspect of life (Matt. 6:25).

 

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet what ye shall put on…

 

a.    Take no thought

1)    Strong (3309):  to be anxious about

2)    Thayer:  to be anxious, to be troubled with cares, to look out for, to seek to promote one’s best interest

3)    Vine:  to be anxious about, to have a distracting care

b.    The things we are to take no thought for are what we shall eat, what we shall drink, and what we shall put on.

1)    These are the basics of life.

2)    These are the things that sustain life.

c.    Jesus sets forth powerful arguments regarding these things.

1)    If God gives life, He can cloth us.

2)    If God feeds the birds, He will feed us.

3)    If God clothes the grass of the field, He will cloth us.

4)    “..for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (v. 32)

d.    He then sets forth a condition upon which all of these things will be provided for us (Matt. 6:33).

 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

1)    The kingdom of God and His righteousness

a)    The kingdom is the church (Matt. 16:18-19; Col. 1:13; Heb. 12:28).

b)    The righteousness of God involves the commands of God (Ps. 119:172).

2)    These things are to be sought out first.

a)    Definitions:

-      Strong (4412):  firstly (in time, place, order, importance)

-      Thayer:  first in time and place, first in rank

-      Vine:  first, firstly

-      Dictionary.com:  being before all others

b)    Comments:

-      How would God define the phrase:  “seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first”?  However, God would define it is precisely how each of us should define it.

-      The kingdom of God and His righteousness takes preference.

+   The word “preference” has as its root, the term “prefer.”

+   Prefer:  to set above others, to choose rather than

     something else

-      First…

+   In love

+   In desire

+   In concern

+   In importance

+   In choice

+   In time

+   In attention

+  In effort

+   In giving

-      Chart

 

Things that Make Up Our Lives

 

Spiritual       People          Work            Education        Self          Rest             Recreation

 

SPIRITUAL

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

 

People          Work            Education              Self              Rest             Recreation

 

 

We will not say, “No” to the lesser things,

but,

We will say, “No” to God.

 

II.           QUESTION #2:  Satan as a serpent and his punishment

 

A.   Stated:  Why is Satan referred to as a serpent?  What is the meaning of the phrase, “upon thy belly shalt thou go”?  Was Satan originally in the form of an animal with legs?

 

B.   Answer: 

 

1.    Genesis 3:1 reveals that the devil took the form of a serpent.

 

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman…

 

2.    Satan is an angelic being. 

a.    As an angel, he was a spirit.

b.    Spirits can manifest themselves in almost any form they desire.

c.    When Satan manifested himself to Eve, he chose to be a serpent.

d.    It seems that Satan chose an animal that manifested his quality of being subtle, that is, cunning and crafty.

1)    Genesis 3:1 reveals that the serpent God created was subtil.

2)    This, too, is the nature of Satan (2 Cor. 11:3).

 

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

 

C.   God held Satan, the woman, and Adam accountable after the sin in the Garden of Eden.  Satan’s punishment is under consideration in our question (Gen. 3:14).

 

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

 

1.    Three things are said to the serpent.

a.    Thou art cursed above all cattle.

b.    Upon thy belly shalt thou go.

c.    Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

2.    Some believe that prior to this punishment, snakes may have been animals with legs or with wings.  His punishment removed that form of movement from him, and he was forced to crawl on his belly from that day forward.

3.    The Bible does not describe the serpent unto us.  Thus, it is conjecture on our part to attempt to describe him prior to the fall.  Henry M. Morris:  “Whatever may have been its beauty and posture before, it would henceforth glide on its belly and be an object of dread and loathing by all” (The Genesis Record, pp. 118-119).

4.    Other points:

a.    The serpent becomes the permanent object lesson and reminder of the fall of man and the punishment given by God.

b.    As a member of the animal kingdom, the serpent is no more capable of resentment than a mole or a minnow would be.

c.    All the world was cursed.  The serpent was cursed above the others.  Most individuals do not want to be a friend of snakes.

 

III.         QUESTION #3:  Raintree Village Children’s Home

 

A.   Stated:  Can you provide some information to us about the mission work we will be supporting during the month of September.

 

B.   Answer:

1.    The work we will supporting is one that we support on a regular basis each year, the Raintree Village Children’s Home.

 

 

 

2.    Background: 

a.    Founded:  1967

b.    Campus:  20 acres

c.    Cottages:  4 for children

d.    President:  Kenny Holton

3.    Types of children served:

a.    Children without parents

b.    Children with behavioral problems.

c.    Children with mental health issues springing from multiple causes

d.    Children who have been in the court system

e.    Children who are not doing well in school

4.    Services that are offered

a.    Housing in a licensed home

b.    Loving, Christian houseparents

c.    Basic needs:  clothes, warm bed, home-cooked meals

d.    Georgia Christian Academy

e.    Tutoring

f.     Professional Counseling as needed

g.    Assistance in assessing health-related needs (medical, dental, and vision)

h.    Transportation to church services, doctor visits, and other errands

i.     Career and vocational exploration

j.     Participation in recreational, cultural, and spiritual enrichment activities

5.    NOTE:  All of the services offered to needy children cost a lot of money.  That money comes primarily from donations to the Home, whether from individuals or congregations. 

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   We have looked at a question dealing with the work of the church, Raintree Village.

 

B.   We have looked at the subject of Satan and the consequences he received for tempting Adam and Eve.

 

C.   We have looked a verse that involves Christian living, that is, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.