Monday, July 23, 2012
Questions from Sunday, July 22, 2012
I have served on 2 juries. The Bible says to not judge others, have I committed a sin by serving on a jury? Absolutely not. The legal system in the United States was set up primarily by Christians using the Bible as their basis. Romans 13:1-3 says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you." Throughout Scripture, we see the evidence of fair trials before someone is convicted of a crime. As a citizen of the United States and as a Christian who submits to governing authorities, it is right for you to serve on the jury and be a part of a system that allows for people to be innocent until proven guilty. We have a fair legal system because it was set up by Christians, not tyrants as in other countries around the world.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Catching Up!
I sincerely apologize. I have not kept up on answering questions on my blog and I'm now catching up. I love this opportunity for you to ask questions and have dialog about the sermons. Because we haven't specifically mentioned it in our Sunday morning services, other than in the bulletin, it has slipped my mind to check for submitted questions and update my blog. I want this to be a beneficial forum for all of you, so I will do my best to keep this as updated as possible in the future. Thanks for cutting me some slack as I get used to all the different online forums in which to communicate. So let's do some housekeeping and answer some questions...
Where in the Bible does it discuss Satan being a fallen angel? As I said in my sermon, no one is 100% sure Satan was a fallen angel. Two passage that seem to point in that direction are Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. These passages talk about an angel wanting to ascend to the highest throne in heaven and being at the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, etc. Some think these passages are speaking of earthly kings, while others think this is referring to Satan, while still others think it is referring to both. There's another passage in Revelation 12 that talks about the Red Dragon being thrown to earth from heaven. Some think this too points to Satan once being in heaven, but others believe this illustrates that he has no power over the church. So bottom line, unfortunately, there is no black and white evidence of Satan once being a fallen angel. Actually, it really doesn't make or break our faith either way.
What does the Bible say about mediums? There is one familiar story when King Saul consults a medium in 1 Samuel 28. However, if you look closely, he does so because God is not answering him. Saul was living in sin. He also disguises himself before consulting the medium. The medium tells him (not knowing he is King Saul) that King Saul has banished the mediums and spiritist from the land. This indicates that when Saul was trying to be a good king, he knew using mediums was against God's commands. Nowhere in this chapter do we see that using a medium is a good thing. In fact, if you read throughout the Bible, sorcery, witchcraft, evil magic, etc. are condemned. For instance, look up Deuteronomy 18:10, which would have been written well before King Saul. Also see Leviticus 19 which condemns the use of sorcery and mediums.
Why would the Spirit of God leave us and allow a demon to posses us? This comes from the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 16. Something we have to remember while reading Scripture is that one story does not make a blanket truth for all time. For instance, after King David sinned with Bathsheba, God took away their son by death. Does this mean that everyone who sins will have their babies killed by God? Of course not. God often times throughout the Bible punishes someone uniquely in order to send a message to all mankind. In the event with Saul, God was allowing an evil spirit to torment Saul and then David would play his harp and the spirit would leave Saul. So to officially say, "Saul was demon possessed," may or may not be accurate. But whatever the case, we do not see evidence in Scripture that God does this on a regular basis. In fact, we see quite the opposite. Check out Matthew 12:29, 1 John 4:4, and John 8:49. There is no example in Scripture where a Christian became demon possessed.
Are demons present at death? While there is evidence angels are present at death, like in the case of Lazarus, we don't have much evidence of demons being present. However, that is not to say they couldn't be. Perhaps for the unbeliever there may be demonic presence.
Are all angels allowed in the presence of God or just certain ones? It appears throughout Scripture that angels are certainly in the presence of God in heaven. However, it appears the angel, Gabriel may have the highest standing with God. In Luke 1, Gabriel appears to Zechariah to tell him his wife will give birth to John the Baptist. When Zechariah questions Gabriel as to his true identity, Gabriel answers, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God."
Why is it my family hates me and then acts like its my fault? This may be difficult to answer since I don't know the details of your situation. Sometimes we misread our family and think they are against us, when in actuality, we are living in rebellion and simply deny it. At other times, we can be legitimately trying to live a Christ-honoring life and our family reacts negatively toward that. Family dynamics can be very difficult. If you are an adult, I would say, take a break from being around your family and let the situation die down a bit so cooler heads can prevail. Always approach these situations with a soft heart and humility. Always seek reconciliation. As long as you are seeking reconciliation, you can rest easy knowing you are doing the right thing no matter how your family reacts. But give yourself an honest assessment and see if there is a rebellious spirit within you. I would also suggest talking with a trusted Christian mentor or counselor.
May I have information on the summer Bible study? What will they be studying and who is leading it? Is there a local online Bible study? For answers to these questions, please see our website at www.countylincehurch.org or call Jen Harris in our home office at 260-627-2482.
Where in the Bible does it discuss Satan being a fallen angel? As I said in my sermon, no one is 100% sure Satan was a fallen angel. Two passage that seem to point in that direction are Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. These passages talk about an angel wanting to ascend to the highest throne in heaven and being at the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, etc. Some think these passages are speaking of earthly kings, while others think this is referring to Satan, while still others think it is referring to both. There's another passage in Revelation 12 that talks about the Red Dragon being thrown to earth from heaven. Some think this too points to Satan once being in heaven, but others believe this illustrates that he has no power over the church. So bottom line, unfortunately, there is no black and white evidence of Satan once being a fallen angel. Actually, it really doesn't make or break our faith either way.
What does the Bible say about mediums? There is one familiar story when King Saul consults a medium in 1 Samuel 28. However, if you look closely, he does so because God is not answering him. Saul was living in sin. He also disguises himself before consulting the medium. The medium tells him (not knowing he is King Saul) that King Saul has banished the mediums and spiritist from the land. This indicates that when Saul was trying to be a good king, he knew using mediums was against God's commands. Nowhere in this chapter do we see that using a medium is a good thing. In fact, if you read throughout the Bible, sorcery, witchcraft, evil magic, etc. are condemned. For instance, look up Deuteronomy 18:10, which would have been written well before King Saul. Also see Leviticus 19 which condemns the use of sorcery and mediums.
Why would the Spirit of God leave us and allow a demon to posses us? This comes from the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 16. Something we have to remember while reading Scripture is that one story does not make a blanket truth for all time. For instance, after King David sinned with Bathsheba, God took away their son by death. Does this mean that everyone who sins will have their babies killed by God? Of course not. God often times throughout the Bible punishes someone uniquely in order to send a message to all mankind. In the event with Saul, God was allowing an evil spirit to torment Saul and then David would play his harp and the spirit would leave Saul. So to officially say, "Saul was demon possessed," may or may not be accurate. But whatever the case, we do not see evidence in Scripture that God does this on a regular basis. In fact, we see quite the opposite. Check out Matthew 12:29, 1 John 4:4, and John 8:49. There is no example in Scripture where a Christian became demon possessed.
Are demons present at death? While there is evidence angels are present at death, like in the case of Lazarus, we don't have much evidence of demons being present. However, that is not to say they couldn't be. Perhaps for the unbeliever there may be demonic presence.
Are all angels allowed in the presence of God or just certain ones? It appears throughout Scripture that angels are certainly in the presence of God in heaven. However, it appears the angel, Gabriel may have the highest standing with God. In Luke 1, Gabriel appears to Zechariah to tell him his wife will give birth to John the Baptist. When Zechariah questions Gabriel as to his true identity, Gabriel answers, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God."
Why is it my family hates me and then acts like its my fault? This may be difficult to answer since I don't know the details of your situation. Sometimes we misread our family and think they are against us, when in actuality, we are living in rebellion and simply deny it. At other times, we can be legitimately trying to live a Christ-honoring life and our family reacts negatively toward that. Family dynamics can be very difficult. If you are an adult, I would say, take a break from being around your family and let the situation die down a bit so cooler heads can prevail. Always approach these situations with a soft heart and humility. Always seek reconciliation. As long as you are seeking reconciliation, you can rest easy knowing you are doing the right thing no matter how your family reacts. But give yourself an honest assessment and see if there is a rebellious spirit within you. I would also suggest talking with a trusted Christian mentor or counselor.
May I have information on the summer Bible study? What will they be studying and who is leading it? Is there a local online Bible study? For answers to these questions, please see our website at www.countylincehurch.org or call Jen Harris in our home office at 260-627-2482.
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