Answering Your Questions - Part 1 - October 4th 2020

How do you witness to someone who's grown up in church their whole life? How do you witness to someone who thinks they're saved and they are not?

In a short, it's not that much different. The number one thing that we as people have to understand before we can accept fully the grace and the mercy of God is the hopelessness that we as humans have.

The doctrine is called total depravity. Total meaning a hundred percent.

The word depravity, the root word is depraved. It means lacking of. What are we lacking of is the next question you should ask and it's holiness and righteousness.

We are completely a hundred percent total lacking of God's righteousness and holiness and that's a hundred percent of man is a hundred percent depraved.

Now what's the problem? How does that apply to this pseudo Christian? The man who thinks he's a

Christian is that he doesn't understand that. He or she has grown up in church their whole lives and Pastor Jeff preaches this every week and due to you growing up in church you think that somehow that gives you an upper foot or an upper hold on the person who does not.

In reality Jesus gave a parable and he says Ada knows me ten dollars and Mercedes knows me a million.

I forgive both of them their debts. Who's more grateful? Mercedes. Jesus says you've answered correctly and he didn't say anything else because the point is understand your debt to God.

Your debt to God. You are in debt and you thinking well just because I haven't done those sins

I'm better off. No no no absolutely not and in fact they will understand the redemption of God and the mercy of God in a way that you might not be able to.

That's one of the greatest blessings we as humans have. It actually says that angels are jealous of us because they are not redeemed.

We are God's redeemed. Angels are not. That's a different study for another time.

But if you have never thought about that, think about that for a second. To answer the question directly

I'm going to tell you how I do this. I try and at the end of the week I ask myself if I have or my accountability group will ask me as well have you evangelized to anybody this week?

Have you evangelized? Have you witnessed to someone? We actually distinguish between the two because I think they're not exactly the same.

And here's how I typically do it. You walk up to someone. This is the Bible Belt of the world right now.

Maybe not forever but right now this is the Bible Belt of the world. It is not inappropriate. It is not wrong to go to walk up to someone and say hey do you go to church?

And you either get a yes or a no. Oh what church you go to? That's great. Oh well cool.

So hey are you saved? Oh yeah. How do you know that? Right? And that part right there is the hardest part because all it takes is you to get over your shame and pride to ask the question how do you know?

That's it. But we are so ashamed and so prideful and so well

I don't want to be inappropriate. I don't want to make them feel uncomfortable. Well that part you've got to get rid of and that's on you.

That's not a strategy. That's not a technique. It's not a way. Look are you a Christian?

Yes. How do you know? And based on their answer will tell you where the rest of that conversation goes.

If they say I had this one two weeks ago. If they said oh I was baptized when I was eight. Okay. So you think your baptism saved you?

Oh well no. So how do you get saved? Oh well I go to church. Okay so you think your church attendance saved you?

Well Pastor Jeff says it's not a joke. People really get those responses. You don't believe him.

You don't believe me. Go out there and start asking people yourself. Oh well I go to church.

So you think your church attendance saved you? No. Then how do you know? Well I guess I don't.

Well sir that's probably something you want to figure out. Or how about this one? This will be my last one

I'll be done with you. Well I think I'm saved. And here's my response to this.

You think? I said dude you're gambling with your eternal security on a thing?

I said dude you are shooting dice with your soul and hoping you come out on the other side. I said do not start gambling with your eternal security.

That is not something to think about. That is not something to wonder about. Scripture says for I know in whom

I believe. It doesn't have to be a thing. You can know of your salvation. In short that is how you witness to someone who thinks they are saved and has grown up in church.

Understanding that they need to understand the hopelessness that they have. And according to that verse right there you're delivering the same message.

The Pharisee was a teacher of the law. Well you've grown up in church from your home? You've grown up in church your whole life and you can't answer the question?

And you're not coming with any arrogance in it. You're being humble about it. Hey well so how do you get saved?

Oh okay well is it not a baptism? So you're very humble about it. But you're delivering the same message.

But you're letting the Holy Spirit do the convicting and not you. So in Matthew 10 34 it says do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I've not come to bring peace but a sword. And then John 14 27 says peace

I leave with you. My peace I give to you. That as the world not as the world gives to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid.

So let's address verse John 14 first.

It's very important to know this because we all want to have peace in the world. We really want to have peace in the world.

It's kind of understandable that we struggle with peace in the world because we live in a world that is amongst people who are totally afraid.

Who are struggling with the troubles in the world like you know murder, death, calamity, worry, you know all kinds of things like that.

Depression, things like that. We really want to have peace in the world. So Jesus says in 14 27 to his disciples mind you.

He says peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid. Now note that Jesus says this before he leaves.

Before he goes to the cross. He's talking to believers.

He's talking to believers and he is saying that I'm leaving you with peace.

This is to believers and this is referring to peace in their hearts. Peace with one another.

So this is what he's talking about. He's saying you're gonna have peace in your hearts. You're gonna have peace with one another.

Now go to John 10 10 34.

Now this is different. Matthew 10 34 says do not think that I have come to bring the peace to the earth.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Now this is different because this is referring to persecution.

Okay now previously he talked about have no fear and in the previous passages he referred to in verses 16 through 25 he talked about persecution and then in verses 26 through 33 he talked about have no fear during persecution.

Okay so he's talking about persecution during this. He's talking about people being divided against non -believers.

People having peace against non -believers. I did not come to bring peace amongst non -believers because you will have war and bitterness and strife between non -believers who are divided against you.

Non -believers and believers will not I mean they won't necessarily get along because there's two different world meetings.

Okay there's two different world meetings. So he says I did not come to bring peace to the earth but I've come to bring a sword.

There is going to be a dividing line between believers and non -believers. Make sense?

So that's what he's talking about. There was a

Muslim girl that just for instance Muslims are coming to faith in Christ all over the place in the

Middle East. So there was a Muslim girl named Dina okay weird name

I know but that's the Middle East. They moved to the US. They moved to the

US. They start going to they're in Brooklyn and she goes to school and she learns about Jesus from from her classmate.

Well she gets saved and she tells her parents about her faith in Christ.

What happens? Well her parents find out about it and they keep her out on the street right because of her faith in Christ.

Muslims take it pretty serious. Okay so that's what Christ is talking about.

There will be a dividing line right. He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Okay so there are there are families.

It happens in Buddhist homes as well. A lot of very traditional Buddhist homes they divide their kids when they come to Christ.

How much is all that? Okay well but that's what I'm talking about.

So one is talking about peace within their hearts.

Another one is talking about he's coming to divide relationships. Those coming to Christ.

Make sense? All right

I am the only pastor in the city of Memphis that has to answer this question. Some of you are listening intently now.

For those of you who may be slightly even offended this question would be asked.

Look around. Keep in mind that this church which has the positives and negatives of having a majority of first -generation believers okay and in a genuine desire to live in holiness sometimes questions like this has to be asked.

Remember Nicodemus when Jesus said you must be born again Nicodemus thought he had to be reborn in his mother's womb again.

Okay it's okay with asking a question. It's not going to hurt anyone's feelings. Okay so long as you're looking for a genuine answer and not a way out.

Okay so some general things to remember. Okay so if we were to try to answer this directly it would depend on a lot.

For example is smoking and drinking in moderation a sin? That depends on what you mean by in moderation. Is using drugs in moderation a sin?

That depends on what you mean by drugs. Are we talking about aspirin or meth? All right and I think the third question and I don't know who wrote this but I think the third question is the best.

Is that based on secular legality? Guys the

Lord ordained that government have authority in the realm in which he ordained for them to operate and we are to obey that authority until there is an overreach into a realm

God did not ordain for them to have authority in. For example if the government ever lakes a law that prohibits me from being the priest provider and protector of my home

I must obey God rather than man. If government ever makes a law where it says

I cannot sing or fellowship or say the name of Jesus and like Peter and John I must obey

God rather than man. In the realm of things that do not fit that criteria I'm to obey.

I do not think that the speed limit on farm road over here should be 35 miles an hour. That is not my authority to dictate.

God chose government to do that. So I must obey. Right Shane? But apart from that so when marijuana is legal for recreational or medical use in the next five minutes like it's going to be headlines right?

What about now? Guys there is a sin of omission and a sin of commission.

It's not just about doing something wrong it's about not doing something right. Let me explain. I discipline my body and keep it under control.

That word control there is doulos. It means slave. It means you are the master of your body. Your body is not the master of you.

Do I need to say that again? You are the master of your body and it's desires and impulses. It is not the master of you.

I think this next one answers our question directly for us. 2nd

Corinthians 10 5. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

Christ. Now when the Bible says every what do you think it means? Every.

Every thought captive to obey Christ. If you put yourself in a state for non -medical reason where you cannot take every thought captive to obey

Christ you cannot obey that command. Copy? Every thought means every thought guys.

Every thought means every thought. But this applies way more to just we. If your nightstand has 20 of those orange pill bottles in them and none of them came from a doctor and you don't have any of the symptoms they treat that's no different.

Guys, anytime you put yourself anytime you put yourself in a position where you cannot obey that verse for a non -medical reason you are committing a sin of omission.

It's not always just about doing something wrong. You cannot now obey the command. Continuing on Romans 12 1 and 2.

I beseech you. I beg you brothers by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship your reasonable service and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Over and over in scripture we see the command to be in total control of your body and mind.

Total control of your body and your mind. If you put yourself in any position where you are not in total control of your mind and your body how can you obey that command?

Lastly on this. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Time. Okay. Very good on that. Ask me more about that later.

Three people come up and ask me about that personally in the past two weeks. If you need help with that let me know. This is a fun question.

It's also a long answer and it's a difficult answer. For one part of it, they don't have a temple.

One reason the Jews stopped sacrificing because they didn't the temple got destroyed. After that some still tried to remake a tabernacle and continue sacrifices but the temple got destroyed and after it got destroyed they quit sacrificing and then they got rebuilt and so forth and so on.

The other main reason is that they have no one from the tribe of Levi. All the Hebrews got destroyed.

How today in 2020 can you trace someone from the line of Aaron? I've had some people say well you know with genetics and DNA it's you know possible to go back that far.

It may be in the future not now but the gene pool is so it's probably possible.

They have no line of Aaron. They have no temple. Now with that being said

Revelation does speak and Ezekiel and Daniel do speak of a time to come when sacrifices will be done again.

I think and I believe it is very clear that it speaks of towards the end times that the temple be rebuilt and sacrifices will begin to happen in Jerusalem in a temple again in a day to come.

So why do they not sacrifice? Well in my opinion once they build the temple they're going to be again.

Another reason for this is you have to understand Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Catholics.

No one you cannot put a blanket on all these people. Okay you have

Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian. You have a church of Christ. You have all these different denominations.

You have 15 different kinds of Muslims. It's not just Shiite and Sunni. There's like 15 other kinds of Muslims that believe different things.

You have different kind of Atheists and Agnostics. You cannot just make a blanket statement on all

Jews either. Every Jew does not believe the same thing. Some wear the little yarmulke. Some don't.

Some refuse to eat any pork or bottom feeder. Some don't. You have

Jews by blood, Jews by culture, and Jews by religion. Sometimes they dabble in all three.

Sometimes they don't. So this statement is a little generalized.

So understand that as a people, as a church, we do not need to be ignorant about this. Not all Jews are the same.

The last point I want to make is this. It's a little bit more gospel centered. Hebrews 10 for says this, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

I didn't want to answer this question without pointing this out. The whole

Old Testament law was nothing but a foreshadowing of what Christ was to come to do.

That's it. God was the author, not just of the

Bible, but of the world. And when he's told Moses, raise up the snake and anyone who looks upon what is raised up will be skewed.

When he, when he made the sacrifices and made the whole system, it was all to point and show that you can't do it on your own.

You're not good enough. You need someone or something else. For now, we'll call that something of lamb.

But for what's to come, we'll call him the Messiah. That understanding has to be kept.

And just because you don't say oy and you know, you go about a little wall that doesn't make the same principles and teachings, not applicable to us today.

That is not about what we do or what we can show or what we can produce that saves us.

We are still hopeless and we must rely on Christ. Once again,

I'm going to be working on a paper to answer this question. And Pastor Jeff doesn't already have one.

If you want to know more about this, we can continue talking about this after, but that's the answer for this. So this one, it kind of seems contrary to some people because in a lot of religions, their

God figure has to lay aside their mercy in order to practice justice and lay aside their justice in order to practice mercy.

This is also typical in Islam. But clearly we see that God, Yahweh, is different.

He's unique. He says the King in his might loves justice. You have established equity in and you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

So we see that he is just. He is a just God. Psalm 99 .4. The Lord is good to all and his mercy is over all and that he is made.

So we see that he is a merciful God. So we see both that he is just and he is merciful.

So that's good to know. We also see that therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.

So he is both just and merciful. So he doesn't lay aside his mercy to practice his justice and lay aside his justice to practice mercy.

He doesn't contradict himself. So how does he do this? How does he show perfect justice and perfect mercy at the same time?

Well the answer is through sacrificial atonement, substitutionary atonement.

How does he do that? He does that through the cross. 1 John 2 .2 says he is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world.

So through the cross he practices or shows his both his mercy and his justice.

Makes sense? He shows both his mercy and his justice through the cross.

That's it. Excellent question.

I assume in this question that this isn't somebody who's trying to disprove something.

This is someone who's genuinely asking how can someone be the son of God and God at the same time. Firstly if you need a reference point for the divinity of Jesus, Jesus being

God, we made a video two weeks ago called Is Jesus God for something

I Bible study. Go to YouTube Witt Media Ministry. Witt Media Ministry. It's a 25 minute video and I can go way more in depth with it there.

Apart from that how can Jesus be the son of God and God at the same time is because this. Remember when we see

God in the Bible quit in your brain picturing only the Father. When we see

God that is the triune God of scripture. That's God the Father, God the Holy Spirit.

What we are saying is that Jesus has eternally existed as the son of God.

It's not in a human sense as though we had the Father and eventually down the line we have Jesus who became the son of God.

What we're saying when we confess we believe in the triune nature is that God has always one being existed in three persons in the

Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Jews of understood exactly what this meant.

If you read here in John chapter 5 it says this is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him because not only was he breaking the

Sabbath but he was even calling God his own father making himself equal with God.

They understood that the title the son of God was a divine title and you may think in your brain right now which is perfectly logical but if I'm saved

I'm a child of God. Yes when you're saved you are a child of God and you are not the son of God.

Okay when you are saved you are adopted into God's family which implies that before you were not part of God's family.

Remember guys I'm sorry the entire world is not part of the family of God. Whoever calls in the name of Lord can be saved and will be saved and be adopted into it but at this present time no the entire world is not a family of God.

When you are brought into the family of God you're adopted you become a child of God but Jesus has eternally existed as the son of God.

Read again John 19 the Jews answered him we have a law and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the son of God.

The law they're referring to is in Leviticus 24 if you want to look at it Leviticus chapter 24 and it's blasphemy blasphemy of the holy name they knew when

Jesus was calling himself the son of God that was a divine title. Additionally think about this for a minute this has always helped me

Genesis 1 -1 what does it say? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John chapter 1 says in the beginning Jesus created the world and everything in it.

How can those both be true at the same time? Because Jesus has eternally existed as the son of God and is the creator.

When we read the word God in the bible start picturing the triune God. In Genesis 1 in the beginning

God created the heavens and the earth. Verse 2 the spirit of God hovered over the waters. All things were created through him all things were created through him.

Hebrews 1 says the same thing. When we're reading Genesis all things were created through God therefore the way

Jesus can be the son of God and God at the same time is because the son of God was not something created later.

He has eternally existed as the son of God just as the father has eternally existed as the father and the spirit has eternally existed as the spirit.

Last thing on this we just reference in John 1 and Hebrews 1 that both testify that Jesus is the creator.

Psalm 90 is the oldest psalm written was written by Moses. Did you know Moses wrote a psalm?

Psalm 90 says this. Before the mountains were brought forth or you had ever formed the earth in the world.

Remember who formed the earth in the world? Jesus right? Before you had ever done that from everlasting to everlasting you are