Adult Sunday School - Current Events (1/12/2024)

Current Events in Christian News

Okay, so like I said, this is a new Sunday school series and I've titled it current events. So we're going to look at some stories in Christian news. Maybe even secular news. But we're going to compare it to what the Bible says if there's a tie-in.

Like I said, if if any of you see any news stories on the internet. Send me a link send me an email. Link this story link the website and I don't guarantee that I'm gonna cover Everything people send to me if I think I can do something with it.

I will but this kind of is going to require your Cooperation and also if you have questions something came up during the week and you want to address it. You want to see it Addressed you have a question send those questions and we'll we'll go from there.

Okay, but I I have selected three stories this morning. I don't know if we're gonna get to all three, but the first one is a Very well-known high-profile Christian leader. He said that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

This is like one of like the top evangelical leaders in the country Made that statement. The second one is a clip from the Joe Rogan podcast. Normally, I mean, I don't listen to that. He's got a foul mouth.

I'm not gonna listen to his podcast, but it's the most popular podcast in the world. Millions and millions and millions of people listen to him. He actually had from what I don't know a lot about this guy.

So if he's off base, forgive me. But from what I understand they had a Bible believing Christian on the podcast and some people are saying.

Okay.

Now this guy defending Scripture. The defense of Scripture now went out to more people than ever before with the reach of this secular podcast. So everyone's been talking about this. So I wanted to maybe play a clip and see what we could learn from it.

And then the third thing at Jimmy Carter's funeral. They played John Lennon's song imagine. So this was a story in the Christian Post and of course most people know of Jimmy Carter as a You know one of the former presidents.

Most people view him as not a great president, but he has a reputation of being a born-again Christian. He's identified as a born-again Christian some of his beliefs are Not in line with Scripture we could just say that but at his funeral which generally speaking it's it's Called a Christian funeral.

It was held in a church building and yet they played For the funeral John Lennon's imagine which starts out, you know the first line. Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy. If you try no hell below us above us only sky and then you know How great the world would be without Christianity is really what he believed.

So Lennon was a well-known and maybe you like the Beatles that's up to you but Lennon was a well-known atheist and arguably even a Marxist maybe even a communist and that's really what that song was about.

No possessions. No religion. No heaven. No hell. So why would that be played at a Christian funeral? I don't know if we're gonna have time to get to that, but we'll start the first story, but I did see a hand already.

Well, do you like Charlie Kirk, I'm just gonna be asking. People and if they do have a foul mouth, no, thanks.

Sure. Yeah, Charlie Kirk is so. What a political.

Commentator I.

Don't know that much about him. But guys like him and Glenn Beck and others They they have a lot of good things to say about What's going on in the culture, so I've heard some good things there, but when they talk about the Bible Sometimes that always doesn't.

Doesn't go well. So I don't really know anything about Charlie Kirk to really say anything to his death.

Biblical separation and We just see. I'm seeing evil creeping into every Institution right. Creeping into all my banks and creeping in.

Yeah, I mean we live in a Godless world. I mean, it's nothing new in one sense. But here's the thing about someone like Charlie Kirk or whoever it is you know, we as Christians we we're gonna hear all this stuff and we need to be able to Listen to someone and recognize.

Okay, that's right. What he's saying here is right. That's true. But whoa, that's this isn't in line with the Bible. We need to learn how to do that. So that's what this is for.

Yeah.

What sort of things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just. Whatsoever things are pure whatsoever. Things are lovely. What sort of things are a good report if there be any virtue and.

Please think on these things. Well, the first thing is whatsoever things are true, right?

Okay.

Amen to that. Okay, the first story do Muslims and Christians worship the same God who says who who says yes, don't raise your hand. I Don't think anyone would raise their hand. It's pretty common belief though.

If you go outside the walls of this church and ask the average person. Yeah, they're probably gonna say yes, so former Southern Baptist Convention president JD Greer said that Muslims worship the same God as Christians.

Now JD Greer is on Christian radio. Like I said, he's the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention just out of curiosity who's heard of JD Greer. Okay, so a third of the room. So why this matters the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant evangelical Denomination in the country and if you look at whatever is going on in the SBC.

That's a it's they're considered like a bellwether. What's going on in the SBC is typically Standard for what's going on in mainstream evangelical Christianity. So if he's saying this this is probably it probably represents the views of a lot of professing evangelical.

So he's a very high-profile Individual so that's why it matters and obviously if a guy like him says this it's going to influence a lot of people. So I found this comment to be problematic. Here's the quote he wrote a book I guess he did some missionary work in the Muslim world and he wrote a book called breaking the Islam Code.

This is what he wrote in the book. He said Muslims claim to worship the God of Adam Abraham and Moses. Most missionaries find it therefore helpful to use the Arabic term for God Allah. Meaning literally the deity to refer to God and to explain that the God Muslims believe in the God of the prophets was the God also present in bodily form in Jesus Christ and The one worshipped by Christians for the past two millennia.

Okay, so there it is. He's saying that the same God that Muslims worship Allah. That's the same God that was In bodily form in Jesus, that's the flat-out statement that he's saying that worship the same God and Then he says or he's posing this question.

But isn't the Islamic God so different from the Christian God that they cannot properly be called by the same name. Aren't we worshiping two different gods? Then he says believing wrong things about God in Worshiping him incorrectly does not mean one is worshiping a different God and Then he gives this argument many first century Jewish people Rejected the Trinitarian nature of God and that Christ was the messenger of God yet The Apostles did not say that those Jews were worshiping a different God.

Well, actually, I think they did say that so let's turn to first John chapter 2. But what's the problem see we need to recognize the problems with this statement. Obviously, like I said a lot of people are gonna agree with him and It's not enough.

Well, maybe it is for some people. It's enough to hear this statement and say, okay. I know that's wrong. I'm a Bible believing Christian. I know that's wrong. I'm not gonna listen to this guy anymore, which would be my if someone's that far off base.

That would be my general advice that's a serious enough of an error to not listen to this guy. Say well, you know, he's got some good things to say. Yeah, but if he's that wrong in the nature of God he's gonna be way off in other things and he is way off in a lot of other things, but Why do I say that the okay remember his statement?

He said that the Apostles did not say that Jews who rejected the Trinity the Apostles didn't say they were worshiping a different God. I Think they did look at first John 2 18 through 23. The Apostle John is speaking about false teachers.

He says little children it is the last hour and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming. Even now many Antichrist Plural have come and the Antichrist plural are the false teachers by which we know.

This is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us for if they had been of us They would have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us in other words these false teachers.

They used to be in the Christian Church. We used to consider them Christians, but now they've departed from the faith. They're teaching error and that Reveals the fact that they're not really Christian teachers after all but here's the verse that matters verses 22 and 23 John says who is a liar, but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ.

He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son Jesus Does not have the Father either. He who acknowledges the Son has the Father also, so if I can summarize That statement if you don't have the Son.

You don't have the Father. In other words if you don't worship Jesus as the Son of God you don't have the right God. Follow along it was pretty simple if you are not trusting in the triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit.

If you're worshiping a God, that's not the Trinity and Jesus isn't part of that you're worshiping a different God. That's what John is saying so when JD Greer says the Apostles. You know when Jews were denying Jesus denying the Trinity well the Apostles didn't say they were worshiping a different God.

Well, that's exactly what John's saying right here, so JD Greer is way way off base. And I'm not going to try to judge his motives of why he's saying this. But just to kind of go through this statement Muslims.

Yes, do you have a question? Why is it's pertaining to this.

Yeah.

Yeah, and a lot of pastors Have gone through deconstruction. They were brought up in the faith. They went to college they went through deconstruction. But they're still in you know Christianity, and now they're just teaching.

Error.

So they say I'm still a Christian, but they're teaching that Muslims worship the same God as Christians. I mean, it's it's. It's a pretty extreme Error, but let's just go through the statement Muslims claim to and then we'll give you the verse that he gives that's in defense of this.

Yes, oh sorry.

Okay.

But Muslims.

They.

Look at Jesus as a prophet not necessarily God. So I wonder if Greer is saying is lumping it so generally. To create a thought of you know for everybody to follow. Yes, he is so Influential. Yep, so maybe he's saying okay.

Well, they look at him like a prophet. And we have our our biblical view right. He's just making that.

All one.

And to make it even more complicated I Believe that Muslims actually do say that Jesus was the Christ. But they redefine what the Christ is or who the Christ is. So we believe as Christians we believe Jesus himself.

The Christ is the Son of God right. Well They say the Christ is the anointed one and then it's sort of a generic anointing not the Son of God so I can understand why someone would You know be duped by Their argumentation, but let's just go through the statement.

And we'll kind of work through his logic and then I do want to get to the second New story, but Muslims claim to worship the God of Adam Abraham and Moses. Is that true? Yeah, they do claim that most missionaries find it helpful therefore to use the Arabic term for God Allah meaning Literally the deity to refer to God.

I Mean, you know if a missionary wants to say Allah if Allah means God. Maybe maybe I don't take issue with that. And to explain this is where it becomes problematic and to explain that the God Muslims believe in.

The God of the Prophets was also present in bodily form in Jesus Christ. Here's the thing Muslims just flat-out reject that they don't believe that so they are rejecting the Sun. And because they reject the Sun what is the Apostle John say they don't have the Father either, so they don't have God.

They're not worshiping the true God like you can't go down the road to someone in Leverett and talk to them and say do you believe in God? Yes, I believe in God. Oh Lucy you believe in God we all believe in God.

I mean the real question is what God tell me about this God and as Jesus his only begotten Son. That's where people start separating and that's really. Yeah, yeah, and the Muslims have a completely different story.

So believing this is the other statement. Let's turn to act 17. Believing the wrong things about God and worshiping him incorrectly does not mean what is worshiping a different God. I mean that may be true to a degree.

Like you don't have to be 100 correct about every single thing to worship because I'm sure we're all wrong about something but This is radically different to say that the God of Islam is the same God that Christians are worshiping.

Whoa. It's like if somebody says oh, I know do you know Mark Fifield? Oh, yeah, I know Mark Fifield. He's uh, you know 23 and he's uh, he's a police officer in Springfield and you know, he has red hair and he's five foot to say well He was a cop and he's his name's Mark Fifield.

But you're describing a different Mark Fifield because he's not 23 and he doesn't have red hair and he's not five to but this is what you need to look at with God they say I believe in God and they and they say well, I believe he's All powerful.

I believe they have right beliefs, but then there's other things they say we're okay. Clearly. This is a different God. So That's kind of how you have to look at it. Okay act 17. Second let me pull this back up.

Neil Shen be which is he's a guy another leader who's in JD Greer's Church. He came to JD Greer's defense online and he said. As for this question do Christians and Muslims worship the same God he says I was inclined to say no however.

After looking at Acts 17 verse 23 This seems hard to square. He says if pagans worshiping at a pagan shrine to an unknown God or worshiping God in ignorance. Or if they are worshiping God in ignorance, what are the implications?

Remember in Acts 17 Paul goes to Mars Hill and they're worshiping all these pagan deities but there's this one altar with the inscription to the unknown God and What does Paul say look at verse 23? Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said men of Athens.

I perceive that in all things you are very religious. Whereas I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship I even found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God. Therefore the one whom you worship without knowing him I proclaim to you.

Now does this prove that Muslims and Christians worship the same God like I don't. I don't even know how you get from here to here. What's his argument well they were worshiping and a god in ignorance and See they were worshiping the true God they just didn't have all the right information.

That's sort of like the Muslims except the Muslims know who they're worshiping. They can tell you all about him. It's a totally different situation. And of course Paul in Acts 17. He's just using this as an opportunity.

Hey, I saw this let me tell you about this unknown God because they didn't know of Jehovah and Jesus Christ, so It's it's a real stretch to say the least so that's that's one new story that I saw. I think it's really troubling.

Someone of his stature Would would say this because he's so influential. Here's the thing I don't know if millions of people listen to this guy. But safe to say tens of thousands hundreds of thousands.

Listen to this man and follow his ministry if he says something like this. The result is going to be half the people that listen to him are going to adopt this point of view. And that's why it's so important that you listen to sound teachers again.

Not everyone has everything correct, but when someone teaches an error to this magnitude. You just know. There's there's something wrong here.

I'm just reading further beyond 23 Whatever that was a defending Rear and gone further.

Then that might have changed.

His thought as to a dream right, but if you're looking to defend him Then you're just going to stick to you know the narrow.

Right.

And in John 14 verse 6 You know Jesus says I am the way the truth the life no man comes unto the Father except through me. Muslims are not worshiping Jesus as the only begotten Son of God. They don't believe he died on the cross.

They don't believe he was an atonement for sin. They do not believe that he rose again. So if they're not trusting in Jesus and the gospel Then they're not we're not all worshiping the same The same deity.

And obviously you don't have to tell people that the religions are radically different everyone knows but in this day and age people are just Trying to blend everything together and saying, you know, hey close enough as long as you're sincere, you're good.

I mean, that's kind of the modern attitude. So let's just move on to this next story Jimmy Carter, okay. Now I am NOT. I am NOT someone who really is interested and especially after someone passes away.

Like I really don't want this to turn into a thing of just like putting down Jimmy Carter. So that's not why I'm doing this but this is the news story. Although what he said about Christianity in public, I think it's fair game to evaluate it.

But the the new story from the Christian Post, let me just read you the headline Chris Christians torch dark performance of John Lennon's imagine at Jimmy Carter's funeral. So Christians are upset about this dark song being played.

At.

What many people are calling a Christian funeral? Okay, so let me just start out and read the article. It says many Christians on X or Twitter were offended by the song choice and pointed out that its lyrics are Antithetical to the message of a Christian funeral.

Did anyone watch the funeral by any chance on television?

Okay.

So here's how John Lennon's song goes and I Realize like there are yes, there are people who like the Beatles. They like John Lennon's music. I I used to like the song but The lyrics I reached the point in my life where certain music the lyrics.

I just I Just can't do it anymore. But this is how the song goes. Imagine. There's no heaven. It's easy if you try no hell below us above us only sky. Imagine there's no countries. It's not hard to do nothing to kill or die for and no religion, too.

So what I found funny is it's supposed to be a Christian funeral, but then they're singing about hey. It would be great if there was no heaven like it's. It's it's bizarre.

Right.

John Lennon it again if you like him and his music that's up to you. I know how people are with music and they feel passionately about it, but It's it's a pretty well-known fact John Lennon Despised Christianity a matter of fact on the Beatles album.

Let it be. Who's heard the song let it be. Paul McCartney, you know mother Mary comes to me. I think he said it was about his mother, but it sounded like the Virgin Mary. It sounds very religious. John Lennon was so Against that song he did not want that song on the album.

So he demanded that the next song after let it be be a song about a Prostitute in Liverpool named Maggie Mae so he made sure that. Okay Paul if you're gonna put this religious Christian sounding Song on the album.

I'm gonna put this song about a prostitute on right after it. I mean that just tells you how much he was against Christianity that's not a secret. So why would you then choose a song? That's a head that has an anti-christian message.

Why would you choose that song to play at a Christian funeral? Right. That's the question.

You have read somewhere. I'm not sure where. Just Glancing through things that that song was requested by Jimmy Carter to be played at his funeral.

I mean, of course that is the answer. I mean they played it because it was Jimmy Carter's favorite song and he requested it. So yes that that is. Is the song true or is this. Well for his wife's funeral and again, I don't want to make this all about Jimmy Carter.

But for his wife's funeral a few years ago while he was still alive that song was played. Garth Garth Brooks played it for his wife's funeral. So I think it is pretty well established. Jimmy Carter Did ask for this?

Okay, so that is.

Right.

Yeah, so.

So.

One one other line one other thing that struck me as funny. This is the National Cathedral. Like it is the Church that the federal government uses that the nation. You know National Cathedral and they're also singing about hey, it'd be so amazing if there were no countries.

No boy, isn't that part of the song. No borders some covers there's something. Something about that and then there's another line. Imagine no possessions. It's easy if you try. Yeah, and you know Carter's beliefs about God about the Bible he denied Adam and Eve.

He did he believed in evolution. He denied a literal Adam Adam and Eve. He denied the flood. He denied that Jesus is the only way of salvation. He supported so-called gay marriage. He denied the inerrancy of Scripture.

You.

Know there's a lot of things obviously we could talk about. That is more important than what his favorite song was. But still, you know, this is this these are all opportunities to maybe talk to someone else and to learn how to think Biblically last two minutes.

I was gonna talk about the wildfires because that's like the big story in Christian news now not Christian news just the news but. Well, I don't know how to tie this in except that there is there are some people.

What's what are some people wondering about it? Is this is this the judgment of God upon, California? I mean, I think there are weren't there policies things that they did or didn't do that may have actually made this worse.

So that were that whole worldview of caring more about caring less about people and caring more about diversity equity and inclusion and in Spotted owls or whatever, you know that worldview may have actually made it worse.

I'm not gonna say that it's the judgment of God because I don't know it could be. I wouldn't rule that out, but I'm not one to say it is because I. There's no way I can say that definitively, but yes.

And why but why don't they cut the brush. Okay, so they care more about animals than people.

It that way is the point. They literally think that they're protecting everything. It's it's the whole arrogance of thinking.

Here.

I do remember the reason that it was so bad because a lot especially in Congress. They wouldn't allow them to cut the trees away from the power lines. Yeah. We got to protect the ecosystems we got to protect the ecosystems and they created such a bad result because they didn't care for.

And.

Husband nature, which is what God has called us to do to husband. So that's a worldview issue and if people in government had a.

Biblical worldview. Maybe things like this wouldn't maybe they'd still happen, but they wouldn't be as bad as catastrophic.