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June 1, 2022 6:30 am
Episode 979 | Adriel Sanchez and Bill Maier answer caller questions.
Questions in this Episode
1. Why are there so many denominations if we have one holy spirit?
2. Are believers saved from pain in death?
3. I have been a Christian for a long time and am now only becoming concerned with how to make sense of God’s anger. If God has ordained all things to come to pass, how can he be angry at anything?
4. What happens to children in the end times?
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ResourcesCore Question – What Are the Main Views of the End Times?
God ordains all things.
How can he be angry when we sin that's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi, I'm Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Our phone lines are open right now we taking your calls for the next 25 minutes or so to give us a call at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 were open to questions about doctrine and theology maybe doubt you have about the Christian faith. Give us a call at 833 the core.
You can also post your question on one of our social media sites and of course you can always email us with your question at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today.
Here's a voicemail from one of her listeners named Annie one will match yeah you not. I sympathize with your your concern Annie.
I think about Jesus, his high priestly prayer in John chapter 17. Praying for the unity of the church and certainly this is something that God is given to us that the reality is through baptism, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. There is one church one body. Now that body is made up of the visible church is made up of all those who call upon the name of the Lord together with their children. I believe so evenly of different denominations different local churches.
If you really think of the seven churches, and in the first two chapters are three chapters of the book of Revelation there really is one body that I think support for us understand that those are united to Jesus Christ by faith. Paul said in Ephesians chapter 4 in verse four there is one body and one spirit as you said any just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is overall and through all and in all and so that's the reality we are united through the gospel in Jesus Christ and we are called as Christians to live in that unity to embrace it. Now that the issue is when it comes to Scripture as were approaching Scripture. It's not that the Bible isn't clear, we believe that the Bible is very clear that the problem is our minds and our hearts are clouded by sin by by sometimes a lack of understanding and so I think that's one of the reasons why you have so many different expressions and interpretations of of the Bible and people you know moving off into one church or another church.
The issue is is our own hearts, our own inability to understand and to receive God's word. But the good news is that as I said from heaven's perspective, from God's perspective there's only one body, one body of Jesus Christ and again it's made up of all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with true faith in and were part of that one body. One of these would like to emphasize here core Christianity is, is that unity that we have getting right to the core of me. That's why this broadcast is called core Christianity want to talk about the, the fundamentals of the fate that unite us together as Christians, namely that you know the triune God, the gospel and and that's that's where we want to focus and so yeah and and and pray that the Lord does bring unity to his church in a deeper understanding of his word, through the grace of the Holy Spirit to the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and so thank you for your question and God bless you and oh Israel, I'm curious as a pastor and as someone who studied theology. Do you believe that the you mentioned Sam kinda being at the core amperage also talked about our understanding being clouded. So how much do you think all these different denominations has to do with pride. My way or the highway.
You know my beliefs are right versus just our limited understanding of God's word and our ability to to fully interpret it. Clearly, you know, I think.
I think both of those things can can be a relational pride, I think, is this the more significant problem. In fact, in the history of the church when when people talk about heresy in schism they would say the root of it is pride people wanting to go off and do their own thing and in no come up with their own interpretations of of the Bible separate from everybody else. And so pride can really be an issue.
Sin really can be an issue. Part of it is you know the the growing in our understanding of of the Scriptures and so somebody both of the things I think that we need to look at out for and I think as Christians we want to make sure that when we approach the Bible were doing so prayerfully with humility, asking God to give us understanding, reading Scripture in in the context of the church. Both the local church and the universal church thinking about how how Christians throughout the last 2000 years have have approached various passages and understood them. I think it's important for us to do that there's accountability there and we also learn from each other and so yeah pride lack of understanding there. There are number of things we could point to for the many divisions in in the church and that's why wouldn't we thank God for the clarity, the gospel and for the unity we have in Jesus Christ. I meant this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open. If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life doctrine theology would love to hear from you. Here's the number it's 833. The core 1-833-843-2673. Perhaps there's a Bible passage that is always confused you and you need some understanding audit Pedro would love to help you with that as right now. Let's go to Sheila calling in from Kansas City, Missouri Sheila, what's your question for Israel to call only people that have gone onto the field and other countries and you know you have suffered emailing and being tortured and even today I basically know that's going on today that for the cause of Christ and I would just pray that there's some kind of Scripture, and it gives some kind of relief in the winter and mixed and that they're not suffering those that came while they are being tortured. Is there anything in the Bible that is reference to that � you know, Hebrews 13 tells us to remember those who are in prison.
Those were persecuted for the faith. And so I love your question because it's a reminder for all of us as believers that we have brothers and sisters throughout the world who are suffering immensely for the name of Jesus Christ. Some of them are going to lose their lives today even and so before I answer your question, I do think that there is a passage that we can go to.
Let's just stop and do with the word of God says and remember our brothers and sisters were persecuted and pray for them. Father God in heaven. We come before you right now is your people and we remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering right now for the cause of Christ for the cause of the gospel, and we ask that you would cause the light of your love, your countenance to shine upon them. God we remember them as those who are in the body as our bazaar brothers and sisters and we pray that you would hear their cries that you would draw them near to yourself that you would use their service to you to advance your gospel. The gospel of your son, Jesus Christ, that you would give them fruitful ministries that you would strengthen their faith in the midst of adversity in the midst of trial you would give them a sense of your presence and comfort and that you would use them again Lord to bring many to your son Jesus in whose name we pray. Amen Sheila. I meant that the that question as you were asking it. My mind went immediately to acts chapter 7 and the stoning of Stephen and this passage in particular has has I think me know what the text we oftentimes overlook, but I think it speaks directly to your question to comfort that believers were suffering in this way can receive them is start reading in verse 54 it says when they heard these things is Stephen is just preached a sermon when they heard you think they were enraged and they ground their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of the father.
Now I just want you to know that Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts chapter 7 verse 55 text continues and he said, behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, but they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed together at him and they cast them out of the city, and stoned him and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul and as they were stoning Stephen he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them and when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now what's significant about this. You know throughout the Scriptures throughout the New Testament.
Often we have the language of Jesus at the right hand of God at the right hand of the father. He is seated at the right hand of the father. This is, I think the only place where Jesus is described as standing Stephen as he's being martyred as he's being killed has a vision of heaven, if you will, and he sees Jesus at the right hand of God and he's not seated. Jesus is not sitting down key standing. Now why is that significant what what because to stand ready. He's he's attentive he's watching. It's as if Stephen gets a picture of Jesus, concerned for him for his suffering church, Jesus, the eternal son of God who doesn't have to move a finger for anyone who doesn't need to stand for anyone is aroused is standing because of the suffering of his people. He sees them he takes note of them and and I think that's an immense comfort. Jesus doesn't have to move for anybody stands there and and standing it you know in in the engineer Reese was also that the position of prayer as you get the idea. Maybe that Jesus is here praying for Stephen in the moment of his trial in the moment of his suffering and that the crowds writing other than the people there who were stoning Stephen there there angry. But here's the other comfort that I think that we can receive is who's there as Stephen is praying for their repentance. Saul is there and we know Saul, you know, because he wrote a lot of the New Testament he was converted by Jesus and became the apostle Paul said two things. One, Jesus notices, sees, stands, when his children suffer if you're suffering right now in the Christian life. Let me just let me just say this to you. Jesus knows he sees he stands pray for his suffering children. And as Stephen is praying for his persecutors and Saul is there. God answered Stephen's prayers and Saul came to faith and so God uses got got discomforts.
Those who are in this situation, but he uses their faithfulness to advance his work there prayers to change the hearts of their persecutors and that's precisely what happened there in acts chapter 7 and so Sheila, thank you for that question. May the Lord bless you and and be with you today. God bless Sheila thanks so much for your question ever listing to core Christianity by the way summer vacation rolling right around for many kids out of school already. Some getting out of school here in the next couple of weeks, and for families, sometimes ordering him what can we do on our long road trips this summer. What we do to keep our kids occupied one of the great things you can do is read God's Word together and we have a free resource would like to offer you today yes don't read it while you're driving on the road trip.
Five. I just want to say well because he we gotta be careful here but you know when you take a stop at Denny's or wherever you go to get lunch on the way to where you're going. Maybe take a few moments to memorize Scripture together and we want to help you do that we created this resource 10 verses to memorize as a family this summer.
It's a free resource, and as I said before, what's what's great about this resource is it doesn't just give you verses to memorize verses that we think you should hideaway in your heart you know the psalmist. What is he say your word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against you want to treasure God's word and stored up in our hearts, but we also give you with this resource. Some explanation of the various passage that were incurred passages that were encouraging you to memorize and so get a hold of this free resource and take advantage of it. This summer you can get it at core, Christianity.com be a great thing for your family to get for this summer again. It's absolutely free. Just go to core Christianity.com/offers that's core Christianity.com/offers and look for 10 verses to memorize as a family this summer. By the way, we got off some phone lines open right now. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life.
Here's our phone number 833, the court will be taking calls for the next 10 minutes or so. So if you been kind of considering a question about the Bible or the Christian life doctrine or theology.
Maybe some doubts you have about the Christian faith were open to your calls as well.
Here's the number again 1-833-843-2673. That's 833. The core is a voicemail from one of our listeners. This is Tommy in Longview, Texas.
All long time over 30 years and recently I'm struggling with.anger I see anger as an element of surprise or a motion that expressed when things don't go as we plan yet. I also believe strongly that God addition is omnipotent is omnipresent that his inability to be supplied by anything in that all thing are under his authority and direction so the Delta of my problem is that if God truly knows everything and ordained all thing, how, and even be angry at any you help me man I sure would appreciate it.
So I think you guys a list draw on my spirit.
Well, thank you so much Tommy. Thank you for that thoughtful question member were digging in here and this is this is some some deep theology if you will one we talk about God's anger in Scripture, or quote unquote emotions. It's really important that we understand that all of God's revelation is sort of like an analogy sometimes is referred to mass as being analogical. Think of it like this, God's revelation in the Bible is like God's baby talk to us finite creatures.
God is infinite, we can even begin to to wrap our minds around God as he is in his essence if we could, we would be God. We can't he's he's not just quantitatively different than we are his qualitatively different than we are. And so when we have you know that the language of God being angry in the Bible them and that that's revealing to us something real and true about God, but we have to recognize that when Scripture says God was angry is not the exact same thing is is when you get angry you know because someone cuts you off on the road in a distorted outburst of rage that kind of thing that we can control ourselves. God's anger is not like our anger. Scripture uses this analogy to reveal this truth to us about the Lord's response to sin, but we mustn't ever think of God is flying off the handle is he sees perfectly in control he's sovereign he's righteous and as you said he's decreed all things from the very beginning. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11 says that he's he's decreed all things according to the counsel of his will, his is perfect wisdom that is to say that there is anything that happens in the world that doesn't fall under God's decree and if that's the case will then how can God get angry when it comes to sin. Well, God's decree, I would say and others would say secures our freedom. He's decreed everything in such a way that we still have responsibility that we still choose to do things good or bad to reject his truth through a debt reject his gospel, and we are culpable were were responsible for those decisions that we've made this tension, I think, is held together in various places of the Bible I think of acts chapter 2 in verse 23 where we read this, Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
This is Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. He's preaching to the Jews, and he says look this Jesus who went to the cross, according to what the definite plan, the foreknowledge of God, but God wasn't the one who was sending in Jesus going to the cross know God is not the author of sin.
Instead you had people murderers you killed him by the hands of lawless men. So you have here the sovereign will of God. The decree of God and the responsibility of people, men and women you know, held side-by-side. You see this also. In acts chapter 4, the disciples prayer for boldness in verse 27, four truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and all the people of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. Now Herod and Pontius Pilate and in many of the people of Israel and in the crucifixion of Christ were sitting were were committing great acts of of wickedness of evil of sin, and yet somehow this all fit within God's decree.
Not that God was sending her God was immediately causing them to do that, but he gave them freedom within the decree to do these things and God is using all things to work together for the good of his purposes, his sovereign purposes.
I think about you know the discussion that Joseph has with his brothers who would send terribly against him. We left him for dead. And then you remember what he says in Genesis chapter 50s is what you meant for evil.
You're sending your responsible but what you meant for evil God meant for good and so a brother one adjusted to summarize, God is in complete control. You know he's the he's decreed all things according to the counsel of his will and yet were still responsible and he hasn't decreed things in such a way that he is the immediate cause of sin arson word that were the one to sin not God, and were responsible for that, but he's able to use all things, even the simple acts of people, men and women for his sovereign purposes for the redemption of humanity in Jesus Christ. And so that's a great comfort that we have as we look to the Scripture to score Christianity with pastor Gabriel Sanchez. Let's go to Marshall calling in from Worcester, Oklahoma, Marshall, what your question for a drill with her but have a question about the rapture we were discussed at our Sunday school class and what happens to when everyone is called up and you have kids that are so classic age of accountability and not saved. All that is going to be left alone to fend for themselves or what school you know how to let go to work hey Marshall thank you for that question them. And there's there's a few things here right that that your that you're bringing up one this this idea of the rapture you know and what we talked about the rapture on the broadcast before right there some people to believe that Christians are to be rapture taken out of the world prior to the second coming of Jesus and that that rapture is going to kick off a great time of tribulation and suffering, and so that would be terrifying right if you're thinking that I've confessed faith in Christ. I believe in Jesus, but might my 10-year-old. My 12-year-old. I'm not quite sure about where they're at, what if I get rapture in their left behind know what can happen there others and in I'm in this camp who believe that that the passages that oftentimes people will point to when they're talking about the rapture are probably referring to the second coming, the second coming. One second coming of Jesus Christ, so that there some differences there with how we understand this, but let me just say with regard to our children.
We should always be calling them to faith in Christ. Me Paul in first Corinthians chapter 7 says that the children of of even one believing parent are considered holy.
That doesn't mean that they're saved, but it does mean that there are part of the worshiping community that the promises of God extended to them that we should be no exhibit thus promises to them continually to taking them to church through what we sometimes call the means of grace. You know the ordinances that Jesus talked about the preaching of the word, and so I would say you know for us as parents we work together with our kids and training them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord so that they can and will profess faith in Christ not know of course you know I got was just talking about the responsibility that that all of us have and an art. Our kids rather than not saved by our faith. They need to believe in Jesus as well and so I think we do.
Marshall what you should do as a father is pray.
You know it you do give the Scriptures to your children because we know that faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of Christ, and we pray that God would use those Scriptures to light a fire in in our own hearts and in the hearts of those who we love mostly note in this case are our children and so right now it's eight don't don't stress about what can happen when winter. If I get rapture focus on with what God is giving you using your time to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to expose them to the word of Jesus to the gospel of Jesus and pray pray every day that the Lord would take that word and use it to do a mighty work in the lives of your children and I think that's what God calls us to do it so easy to be afraid about you know what, what if this or what if that are you know what's going to happen tomorrow but right now, today, God calls us to raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is. Let me just pray for you right now quickly brother father be with Marshall and with his family and I pray that you would give them wisdom in your word to teach his children to walk with them and encourage them and I pray that you would open their hearts to your son Jesus by faith in Christ name we pray.
Amen. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers and the menu or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together