Transcript

American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio

>> Alex McFarland: The Bible.

>>  : It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

Bert Harper and Alex McFarland on exploring the Word

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Bert Harper: Come to the waters and you who have no money, come buy and eat. Yes, come, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. And then another verse. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. This is Bert Harper and Alex McFarland and it's our joy to be with you today. And if you remember those verses, they're in Isaiah chapter 55. And listen, it's a good day to join us on, exploring the Word. As we go through chapter 55 of Isaiah, there is not a let up. You go from another verse to another verse and you say, wow, look at that, look at that. Alex, When I read Isaiah 55 afresh and anew today, and I just want to tell you, every time I read Isaiah 55 especially I know there's other chapters. It is an invitation to come and seek while he may be found.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, amen, Bert. It's great to be with you and great to start another week of exploring the Word. And I love this. Like in verse three, incline your ear and come unto me and hear, and your soul shall live. And this whosoever will may come. That's still God's invitation to people today, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It really is. And again we're glad to be back studying. Last week was a little detour of what we usually do. We had two days of pre records because of traveling. And then Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were at the nrb, the National Religious Broadcasters meeting. And we did interviews because there's just so many people there that love the Lord, love his word on mission for God. And we interviewed a few of them and we really enjoyed it. And Alex, the official number that was there was 5,700, people wanting to know more how to get the word of God into the ears and hands of people. Also there were 43 foreign countries represented. There were, that's, it was not a national, it was an international gathering of believers to share the word of God.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, you know, it's my great honor to be on the board of NRB now as of last year. And that's one of the things they talked about. it's for decades been called the national religious broadcasters and now they're thinking about maybe how to get international into the name. And the reason, Bert, I'm so glad about sharing that is because the Great Commission is happening. I know there's a lot of bad news, but Bert, I sat down and we talked with people, from Ireland, blanketing Ireland in Christian radio. And even right now, as we're doing exploring the Word, I happen to know by emails we have listeners in Romania, in Germany, throughout the United Kingdomnomics, Canada. We even have had some listeners in Saudi Arabia listening [email protected] and Bert, what an. Don't you think the Apostle Paul would have just been overjoyed to know, in spite of all the challenges, how much the Gospel message is going to the whole globe at this point in history?

>> Bert Harper: I believe it, Alex, and we need to keep it up. There's no time to let up. There's no time to be satisfied. And here on, at AFR on exploring the Word, we're going to continue to share the, the good news of Christ and encourage others to do so. Those that are here in America, but those that are all over the world because of the Internet. The accessibility is great.

Alex: Bert, chapter 55 is a great example of Old and New Testament connections

Well, Alex, chapter 55, as we started out, we've already read some verses that are just phenomenal, but it starts out with ho. I mean, listen to me, everyone who thirsts. Now, I just want to tell you, guess what? Who that everyone really does include. I think it does include everyone. Not everyone wants. Every human, not everyone wants to quench their thirst with that which works. But they want to quench their thirst. And if they come to the waters, the real waters that Jesus Christ has provided, what a difference. And you cannot help but think about the Samaritan woman coming to the well and Jesus telling her, listen, you can draw this water, but I want to tell you, if you'll draw from my well the water, you'll never thirst again. don't you love the connections in the Old and NewSong Testament when they, I mean, it's so obvious? You, you, you think of one, you think of the other.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, you do. In Isaiah 55, I've preached on this. This is a very evangelistic passage that lends itself to good gospel preaching. come to the waters, he who has no money. Come ye buy and eat. And what's interesting, Bert, it says the person with no money coming by. Let me just say this. The gospel is free. Put your faith in Jesus, be saved. But if you become a true follower of Christ, yes, there is a cost, isn't there?

>> Bert Harper: There really is. And, again, this. Without money, without price, it is saying that the money of this world cannot purchase that which is everlasting. It can purchase that which is temporary, but that which is everlasting, that continually cannot be bought with money. It is that Jesus has paid that price already. And then if you can have, faith in him, and you place your faith in him, that transaction of faith purchases this satisfaction that only comes through Christ Jesus. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. Well, come ye buy and eat. Come by wine and milk without money and without price. in the ancient world, these were expensive commodities. You know, the, the milk of the word is referenced in the NewSong Testament. So there, there's just so many, harmonizations, if you will, between old and NewSong Testament concepts. But verse two asks a question. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? And why do you labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently unto me and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness or goodness. Bert, this is a question people ought to ask themselves. Why am I investing my life in that which doesn't matter? Why am I trusting in the things that can't save me? This is a wake up call to really evaluate and make sure where your soul is with God.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Alex. And you know, what good does it, do a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? In other words, the bread that the world offers. No, God offers the bread, the bread of life, who is Jesus Christ. And then that word delight. Let your soul delight itself in obey. my translation says abundance, and it is abundant, the abundant life. Also delight goes back to Psalm 37:4. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Now, what's going to happen when you delight yourself in the Lord? Guess what happens to your desires, Alex? They change, don't they?

>> Alex McFarland: They really do. I mean, God will give you a new set of priorities. and there may be somebody listening right now. And you are addicted to things that you know are destructive and ungodly. And it's time to let your desires be not only God honoring, but that which will contribute to life. Not death, blessing, not, not destruction. Verse 3, we mentioned incline your ear, come unto me, hear, and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you. Even the sure mercies of David. Bert, this really has a dual meaning, because obviously, David and, the Messiah would sit on the throne of David. And of course, the Abrahamic covenant is part of the promise of salvation. But let me say this, the everlasting, the new covenant, which is the new birth. Salvation. A heart of flesh, not stone. Being alive, not giving oneself to dead. Religious, empty rituals. Bert, we NewSong Testament believers are part of that everlasting covenant as well, aren't we?

>> Bert Harper: We really are, Alex. And it is an everlasting covenant that he makes.

Alex: The only way to live in real life is in relationship

Now, I could not help but look at the words incline and come. And again, what we're doing here, a lot is referring to other scriptures. When Jesus says, come near to me and I'll come near to you. And here incline your ear. He's calling my sheep, hear my voice. God's call. God's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Would you incline your ear to him? And when you do that, he will draw you to himself and. And notice what it says. And here your soul shall live. Alex, the only way, real life. Real life that God intended for humans to live is in relationship. First, the relationship with God through Jesus Christ that we can have right now. Then relationship with others. And there are those graded relationships with your wife, what? A relationship with your children, with what? A relationship with one another. What a relationship. listen, without relationships, that would be, unsatisfactory. But God has provided the greatest relationship with him. And he says, incline your ear and come to me. This is where you find what real life. that was true then, 750 years before Christ came. It was true when Christ came, and he would say, come unto me, all you who are weak and heavy laden. And it's true today. Come unto him. Alex. that's what I mean. Honestly, isn't that the main reason Exploring the Word is aired on this network?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, amen. Amen. You know, I love God's word. Okay, there are 13 verses in Isaiah 55. And there. And I've counted, there are 12 verbs, right? And these are called imperative verbs. So this is a command, like verse three, come, live. you know, verse six, seek, call. Verse seven, forsake, which speaks of repentance. But there's three verbs in verse three. Incline your ear, come to me, and your soul will live. So I think about this, listening to the gospel, understanding, responding to Christ's open arms. And what will he do? He will save you. And we are to verse six, seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways. See, Bert, when we realize that we need salvation, and we realize Jesus is the risen Savior and we have an opportunity, the Spirit of God is drawing us and we could turn to the Lord and be saved. That's, one of. That is life's most important decision moment. Verse 6 says, Call on him while he is near. Seek him while he may be found. Because listeners, there might come a day where he can't be found. I mean, heaven forbid, a call, car wreck, brain aneurysm. I mean, there are 10,000 ways people leave this world every day. But right this moment, you're alive, you're thinking about where you stand with God. You can call on the Lord Jesus and you can be saved. You have an opportunity. Please don't miss it.

>> Bert Harper: I want to go back to verse five and show you a principle that God uses even today. Notice these. And I want to. I'll call, call it out to you. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to run to you. It turns from a nation to nations, Alex. That is the Great Commission. In other words, the nation of Israel, they're going to run to him. But again today in our day as a believer, to witness and witness and bring others fruits for your labor. The church, a local church reaching out, being a church planter to start other churches, other. Other groups of Bible study, believers. And then the church all over the. The church whole as it reaches out to all the nations. And like you said as we was Talking about the NRB, not nation, but 44 nations, counting America and the 43 others who were there. Nation bringing in nations. That is what God expects us to do even today as followers of Christ. Thank you for listening to exploring the Word. And we're going to be back and continue in Isaiah 55. You don't want to miss it.

>>  : The AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device or Roku. Just go to your app store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app.

>> Alex McFarland: Isaiah chapter 55. You know, it's been said that Isaiah is the evangelist of the old Testament. Verse 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God. For he will abundantly pardon.

Bert and I want to hear your Bible questions in a few minutes

Well, welcome back to the show. Bert and I will resume Isaiah 55. I want to give the phone number because we want to hear your Bible questions. In a few minutes, we'll pick up the telephone. And, hey, maybe if you've never called in, don't be shy. We'd, love to hear from you. And if you've got a Bible question, we will do our best to give you a good, solid answer. The number is 888-589-8840. That's triple 858-98840. And in not too many minutes, we'll, get the Bible questions and hear from you. But, Bert, you know, over the break you were talking about. Go back just a little bit to verse five about calling on a nation that you do not know. And the nations that knew not the Lord will run to thee. yes, I agree. It speaks to the Great Commission. And, you remember the old song, give the winds a mighty voice. Jesus saves. Jesus saves.

Alex: When you become a believer in Jesus, you become part of family

But I'll tell you another great aspect of salvation, folks, that, when you become a believer in Jesus, you become a part of a family that you may not have known too much about. The family of God. And isn't that just one of the great blessings of it all, Burt?

>> Bert Harper: It really is. When you look at the church, Paul referred to it as a body, family. It is that. And it's called an assembly. A group of people gathered together to carry out a mission. It was about mainly a group of people, mainly in a town that would come together to consider different things. And then you have community. They had things in common. A community strengthening one another. When you look at the aspects of the church and what it is, it is so dynamic that one word just doesn't illustrate all that. We are in Christ Jesus. And that is the truth. Alex. Great word. But notice what happens when we seek the Lord. We let the wicked. We the wicked forsake his way. we've talked about repentance. Is that necessary for salvation? We. Well, turning to Christ, it's automatic that you do. You turn your back on what that which was before. You turn your back and you turn to Christ. And here we forsake his way. Alex, there's a way that seems right to a m man, but the ends of there are the ways of death, aren't they?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, that's very true. And there are a lot of people that, they say, well, Bert, I've talked about people. And they'll. They'll say, well, the Way I see it, if there is a, you know, listen, we've all got our opinions. 8 billion souls in the world and 10 times that many opinions. Salvation and getting to heaven is the way God spells it out. And, and one must have a relationship with Jesus that's throughout the Bible, in John, chapter three especially. So Isaiah 55 is just one of these things. That there's the warning about the things which cannot save and do not satisfy. Then there's the invitation to the things that do. And verse seven, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Bert, thoughts give birth to actions. beliefs manifest themselves in behaviors. And not only are we to repent. That means turn. Turn our life from sin to Christ, but we are supposed to, trust God's word and get ourselves a new set of thoughts, aren't we?

>> Bert Harper: We really are. And that return has two thoughts. Turn to God. In other words, what you have not. Not your way, not your thoughts, but turn to the Lord. His way. His thoughts. They are the ones that matter. And then in the latter part of verse seven, I could not help but see two awesome, awesome words. Mercy. And the other one is pardon. But on pardon, he says abundantly, alex, how severe does a person have to get into sin, where God cannot pardon them? have you heard that thought about my sin is deep, but his grace is deeper.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Well, that's true. That is very true. And how far does a person have to get into sin where God couldn't reach them? I mean, God will reach and save and forgive anyone who turns to him. I think the danger of sin is not that we out sin God's grace. but I will say this, that, I think people can get to a place where they can no longer hear the Holy Spirit.

>> Bert Harper: I'm afraid you're right.

>> Alex McFarland: And. And that is. That is what's so dangerous.

Bertrand Russell says our thoughts are not the same as God's

Hey, I. I gotta share a quote by our dear friend Erwin Lutzer that we. We often bring up. Dr. Lutzer. He said this. I love this quote. He said, there's more grace in God's heart than there is sin in your past.

>> Bert Harper: Hallelujah.

>> Alex McFarland: Isn't that good?

>> Bert Harper: It is good, Alex. And that is so true about God's love and his deep, deep love for you who are listening today. And notice it turns to verse nine, verse eight and nine, after he's talked about this about an unrighteous man. His thoughts. Okay. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways, my ways, says the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Now, you can look at this any way you can, and you don't get past these thoughts. In other words, your thought of your own self. God knows who you are. The thing that it is, whatever, it is that you think. Want to go away, keep away from God. You can't. He knows everything. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Alex. I can't help but think about come and seek and tying it into these thoughts. And then when he says, hear about returning in verse, seven, or return or turn to the Lord, listen, where were our thoughts and where were our ways get us on our own.

>> Alex McFarland: not very far.

>> Bert Harper: So why would we not turn to him?

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. You know, C.S. lewis, he was great defender of the faith. He lived 1898 to 1963. really one, of the great, not only Christian writers of the 20th century, but frankly, one of the great thinkers. Very insightful. And he said this one time about, this verse, that our thoughts are not the same as God. Thoughts. God's thoughts. Lewis said, how boringly similar are all the religions of the world. They all boil down to good works. Do this. Bathe in the river Ganges, face east five times a day, make a pilgrimage, give alms, try to do some meritorious work that will tip the scales of justice in your favor. They're all the same. Lewis said, the gospel is unique. We, could not save ourselves. We could not in and of ourselves atone for our sin. So God took on a human body, came down here to earth, Jesus perfectly sinless. And so on the cross, all of the guilt, the appropriate measure of God's wrath that we deserved. Christ suffered, paid the sin debt, and by putting our faith in him, we're saved, not only forgiven. The beautiful thing about the gospel is if you put your trust in Christ, you're not made innocent. No. You are declared positively righteous. It's not only past guilt is washed away, but you're more than at square one. Innocence. No, you're in the column of right righteous. And Lewis said it, and I think it's very true. This is unique. No human could have or would have thought this up. You know, man's. Man's whole idea about religion is performance. Somehow I'll earn it. And God will owe me forgiveness for all the stuff I've done. That is not how it works, is it, Bert?

>> Bert Harper: It is not. Why? Because God's perspective is. Is better note, consider the ways. You know, if. If you didn't. If you were lost in the woods and you had no idea which way to go, and then. But you could have a drone, and you could put that drone up in the sky so it could see the surroundings and the breaks and the rivers, the valleys, all of a sudden, the perspective of the way to go to where your destination needs to be changes completely. Consider that in the last part of verse nine, my ways are higher than your ways. Put God's perspective. God perspective knows the way. He knows the way. You should go follow him. But my thoughts than your thoughts. Our. Our thoughts are the earth. verse nine is the heavens are higher than the earth. In other words, we have an earthy. And that's why you were talking about what C.S. lewis said, and you described it greatly. That's why the earth perspective on a relationship with God. All of the others, he say were extremely boring. They would be. Jesus Christ is the way it is through him. And so, Alex, when I read this, verses 8, 9, there's so many perspectives that I can get on that his word is greater than our words. His way is better than our way. Everything that is compared to the heavens and the earth, his ways are better, knowledgeable, worth knowing, aren't they?

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen.

Rain gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater

There's an analogy here in verses 10 and 11 of the Rain that sows, well, that makes the seed germinate, and there's a bud that comes forth, and there's a crop. For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and, and returns not thither or there but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that which goes forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please. It shall prosper in the thing. Where to I, send it the word of God. it's truth and then the spirit of God. just as rain helps the seeds to germinate and grow, the spirit of God moves in the heart of the one who hears God's word. And what is the fruit of it? Well, salvation and a life that bears fruit. Bert, I've got to draw a distinction between verse 10 and verse 1. seed to the sower, bread to the eater. And over here in verses 1 and 2, it had talked about bread that doesn't satisfy. Well, here is the real, the bread of life. This is the real bread. Not merely physical nutrition, but spiritual salvation.

Alex: Preach the word of God, not the ideas of man

>> Bert Harper: Considering verse 11, I want to ask You a question, Alex, considering what it says? My word goes forth from my mouth. It shall return to. To me. It shall not return to me void. But it will accomplish and it will prosper. What should a pastor preach? What should a Sunday school teacher teach? And what should a small group leader to understand their thoughts, popular opinion, what's going on in the world, or the word of God?

>> Alex McFarland: Preach the word of God, not the ideas of man. Now, obviously, we comment and we do our best with the help of the Holy Spirit to amplify and unpack. But it is the word of God that is powerful. And, you know, we always say God's word does not return void. Well, here's where it comes from there in Isaiah 55, verse 11. And. And I believe it, Bert, as much as we, you know, we try to do our best to, Well, as the NewSong Testament says, adorn the gospel. In other words, share it. Well, as Rebecca Manley Pippert says, just one of the great evangelism books, tell it often. Tell it well. But it is not our vocabulary that does anything. It is the holy word of God that the Spirit uses to draw people to Jesus.

>> Bert Harper: Even if we don't see it. We preach the word, we teach the word, we share the word, and we do not see an immediate response. God says it will prosper, it will accomplish. Know that. That's regardless of who you're talking with. That is the power of the word of God, Alex.

Steve Crampton: Biblical verses conclude chapter with peace and joy

We conclude here in verses 12 and 13 of this chapter. It's hard to do this chapter in one setting. We've tried to do that. The two words that come out to me strong is in verse 12. And then I want you to comment. For you shall go out with joy. That's ah, the first word. And be led out with peace. Those two, I'm not sure you can have one without the other. Have you thought that through? Do you m. See what I'm saying?

>> Alex McFarland: Yes, absolutely. For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing. And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree. And it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. You know, Bert, when I lived in Colorado, there are these trees out there called the Aspen trees. Beautiful trees, Very beautiful. And the one side of the leaves is one color. And the backside is another color. And they call them the quaking aspens because if the wind blows a certain way, it literally looks like the branches and the leaves are clapping. And I remember the first time that I ever. This is 22 years ago. I was out there and I saw the quaking aspens and I thought about this verse about the trees clapping their hands. now we know all of creation gives glory to God. It really does. But the believer who has responded to God's overtures, yes, we go forth with joy. Yes, we go to, with peace and joy. And as creation does its job, which is to bear witness to the creator, so we do our job, which is to rejoice in the Lord, give glory to his name until the ends of the earth about his salvation.

>> Bert Harper: Oh, clap your hands, all ye saints. Give glory to the Lord. Hey, give us a phone call. We haven't had a phone call all last week because of the NRD. That number 8885-8988-4088-8589-8840. We would love your question today. PreBorn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year, PreBorn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com afr hello,

>> Steve Crampton: I'm Steve Crampton, Assistant General Counsel for the American Family Association. The mission of AFA is to inform, equip and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission. Our vision is to be a leading organization in biblical worldview training in the interest of cultural transformation.

>>  : thank you for standing with the American Family Association.

>> Bert Harper: We don't have to be like the 10. That said it can't be done. It's too big. The giants are too big. We need to be like Joshua and Caleb and say, you know what? There are giants. This is a massive problem when you have a, nation that is ignorant of the principles that produce a free society.

>> Alex McFarland: Start where you can.

>> Bert Harper: It's the only way I know it's a little bit at a time.

>>  : Join Walker Wildmon and Rick Greene as they tackle today's issues from a biblical and a constitutional perspective. At the core. 1pm Central, weekdays on AFR.

The following is a real life story from Trinity Debt Management

>> Bert Harper: The following is a real life story from Trinity Debt Management.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: I had a lot of credit card debt and it stressed me out. But what I thought was a solution turned out to be A problem. I kept hearing ads about debt settlement that seemed too good to be true. And actually it was. When I called, they told me to stop paying my bills. That didn't sound right to me at all. So I hung up. Later I found out that debt settlement is bad. Real bad. Then I learned that there is a right way to pay off your credit cards. It's called a debt management program. Program from the great team at Trinity. Trinity had a plan. In the end, I paid off my bills, I saved thousands, and I even improved my credit score.

>> Bert Harper: If credit card debt has you down,

>> Steve Crampton: call Trinity at AH, 1-800-788-1813.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: My name is Heather. Please forget debt settlement and remember Trinity

>> Steve Crampton: Debt Management, 1-800- um-78818.

>> Abraham Hamilton III: Salt is good. But if the salt has lost its savor, how will it be seasoned?

Abraham Hamilton III: Contemporary American Christian is most open minded

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute. Matt Walsh wrote a piece for the Daily Wire where he said the contemporary American Christian is the most open minded person to have ever existed. He's so open minded you can hardly tell he's Christian or has a mind at all. He has for a long time been open to the idea that marriage isn't permanent and sex isn't meant exclusively for marriage. He's basically open to whatever notions are popular. He is open. And where he is not open, he is silent.

>> Bert Harper: Listen.

>>  : Each weekday from 5 to 6pm Central for the Hamilton Corner with with Abraham Hamilton III, Public Policy Analyst for the American Family Association.

>> Alex McFarland: tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Jesus, just to take him at his word. Just to rest, upon his promise, just to know. Thus saith the Lord.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Who is that you're going to trust? Let me see. I believe it is Jesus. And in our day, I couldn't help but think of what Jesus said to Peter when some walked away and Jesus asked, are you also going to go away? And Peter responded, to whom would we go? You have the words of life. I hope you know that and you can trust him. That number. We've got lines wide open if you want to call. they got out of practice last week bus having interviews. But that number is 8881-5898-8408-8858-9840. If you have a Bible question, we would love to hear it today. Alex, again, you go to these. Do you get more questions from young people or adults when you have a Q and A?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, probably, young people because Bird, I'm in front of so many teenagers Every year. And I really enjoy that. But we love questions from people of all ages. I'm holding. I took a lot of notes over the last 10 days. I've been with, several school groups and I've got about three dozen questions here. And you know the thing about it that excites me? They're, they're like brand new questions I've never, to my recollection, haven't had before. And you and I have done three books of a hundred questions each. Some of these young people, we might have another book on our hands.

>> Bert Harper: Hundred new questions, huh?

>> Alex McFarland: It may be, but here's one. Let me, let me read this one question. And this is from a high schooler. If the Bible is clear, why do sincere spirit led Christians reach opposite conclusions on baptism, salvation, communion? we've got God's Word, there's one Holy Spirit. this is a well worded question from a high schooler. Why do you know sincere godly Christians reach opposite conclusions on baptism, salvation, communion and other issues?

>> Bert Harper: Alex, when I hear that, I cannot help but think about your friend. Now again, I met him and heard him, but not a friend, Chuck Colson. And Chuck Colson said, and I agree, our humanity sticks around even after salvation. And again, the truth is the truth. And so whichever way, if it's not the truth, then you're wrong. And again, is there clarity? I think there is. Is there a little bit of mystery? Yes, there is. That's the God we serve. But Alex, you know, the thing that you come together on for sure is that you're saved through Jesus Christ, by grace, through faith, not of works. Lest any man should boast. You start with that, do you not?

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. And let me say this. And folks, if you listen to this show much at all, I hope you know that Bert and I and Brent and all of the leadership of afa Tim Wildmon, we have the highest, highest regard for God's word. I mean, believe me, we do. But I think regarding where Christians land in different places we have to give love and respect. And here's the distinction. Convictions versus preferences. Convictions are things on which we all agree without argument. They're true. These are the theological hills we would die on. Christ is deity, the Son of God. The sinless, perfect, righteous son of God. He died, he paid our sin debt. the triune God, the nature of God who's revealed himself. But then, you know, there are things like, the specifics about the end times. what about things like election and free will? What about worship styles. Ah. Contemporary hymns versus traditional, you know, and we have closely held preferences and. But, Bert, I think when it comes to the things that are more, they're. They're not salvific and they're not, you know, theological, non negotiables. I think we have to show grace and love, don't we?

>> Bert Harper: We really do. And, Alex, the reason we're not getting our phone calls through is we're having some issues here. Marty has told us our lines are full, but we're not getting who it is. So we're trying to correct that. So don't give up. Hang on.

Alex: Are lukewarm believers going to be in heaven

But Brent said he got a good question. Was, it on Word, or Facebook that we got a question for him? It's the wordfa.net well, go right ahead.

>> Alex McFarland: It's actually one I haven't heard.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, that's the second one we hadn't heard Today.

>> Alex McFarland: Are lukewarm believers going to be in heaven?

>> Bert Harper: Okay, believers is the key word, isn't it, Alex? Followers of Christ. Real believers. Not just, okay, believers, but real believers, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, here's an irony. Sometimes there are those who do look saved, that inside they aren't Judas Iscariot. Yeah. And then there are those who outwardly, from our vantage point, maybe they might not look like a Christian. And yet they are so lukewarm believers, yes, they would be in heaven. Now, should we be lukewarm? Absolutely not. We need to be on fire. But here's the thing. There is Christian birth, and then there's discipleship and Christian growth. When you put your trust in Jesus. I admit that I'm a sinner. Christ died for me. Dear Lord, save me. I believe in you. Positionally. well, it's like we change lanes on the highway. Let's say you're in the exit lane. Bert, you ever see that sign? You know this lane ends in 500ft or so?

>> Bert Harper: Yes, I have.

>> Alex McFarland: I've been in it sometimes and, merge, you know? Yeah. So when you come to Jesus, you've changed lanes. You're in a new lane. You've passed from death to life. Now, sometimes Christians are walking with Christ and they're on fire for the Lord. Sometimes Christians drift away and they. They allow sin to creep up like weeds in the garden, but they're still positionally in Christ because there had to be that point when they made the decision and put their trust in Jesus. But, should we always, with God's help, be walking with Christ? Of course we should. But as I understand it. And, Bert, let me say this. I'll throw it to you, I promise. But first, John 1:9 says this, that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This thing about confessing sin, forsaking sin. First John 1:9, that was written to believers. So we need to keep, the old song says, short accounts with God, don't we?

>> Bert Harper: Perfection on this side of eternity in our lives is impossible. Maturity is possible, but not perfection. But sinlessness is impossible. He who says he has no sin is a liar in the truth. Truth is not in him. Lying is a sin, so you can't get there, but you can sin less. Draw near to God, he'll draw near to you. Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord. And touch not the unclean thing. So discipleship is growing in the Lord. And if you're not growing in the Lord and you're listening and you're, Paul said you're babes in Christ, you need to grow up. And, that way, I don't think that loop. Warmness should be a part of your life. Don't leave your first love. Follow Christ.

Alex: Does forever have a different meaning in the New Testament

Brent, do you have another question that you found, or did I mistake that?

>> Alex McFarland: No, I actually do have another one.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, go ahead.

>> Alex McFarland: Karen says, throughout the Bible, I see the phrase, it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. Does forever have a different meaning in the NewSong Testament? Or are the Jewish people and saved gentiles still supposed to be doing these commands forever?

>> Bert Harper: Okay, those, commands, Alex, if they are a moral standard that God has set up, a moral standard like you find in the Old Testament concerning, I would say murder, adultery, for any of those, they stand forever. That's God's standard on the issues of ceremonial law. a lot of that was wiped out. Jesus talked about it at the cross. It did away with them. Am I right?

>> Alex McFarland: Absolutely. like you said, the moral guardrails, you know, if we say the boundaries, they are. They are forever. there will never be a time where God will rescind the prohibition against murder or lying or stealing or adultery. Ah, but the ceremonial. Because the Bible says when that which is. This is in First Corinthians 13. When that which is in part. when that which is complete is come, that which is in part will be done away with. Now Christ has come. So the. The ceremonial rituals that look toward the Messiah that would one day come. we don't do that anymore. We don't have to sacrifice animals, because the blood of Jesus was spilled on Calvary's cross at Passover. And of course, we know Christ is coming back one day, and every eye will see, every knee will bow. But, right now, Bert, we are not slaves to the dictates of the ceremonial law. Because Christ, he paid it all. He fulfilled the law. And by believing in him, his fulfillment of the law is attributed to us. We fulfill the law on his merits.

>> Bert Harper: That's what Christ did on the cross. You remember what he prayed? He said, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me, this cup of suffering. Because, listen, the old law could not bring us into relationship. Let me ask you this, Alex. Has it always been faith?

>> Alex McFarland: Oh, yes, absolutely. and folks, listen to this. I think this is just really important. People have asked, how did the people in the Old Testament get saved? by works. No, by faith. Habakkuk, chapter two. We're justified by faith. Now they. In faith, they looked to the Messiah that would come. We look back at the Messiah that did come. Same Messiah, Jesus, same faith. We just live on two different sides of the cross.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. And we're saved by grace, through faith. And listen, the question was forever. That is forever.

Alex: Is there a difference between receiving Christ or accepting Christ

Hey, Brent, did you find another one?

>> Alex McFarland: This one came from Facebook as well, from Jim in Minnesota. He writes, is there a difference between receiving Christ or accepting Christ? He heard Adrian Rogers say they are not same, that they have different meanings.

>> Bert Harper: I can understand that. That's a good question. Words, you know, play on. Words are difficult. But receiving Christ means you not only just look at it and say, that's acceptable to me, but I want it. It's offered to me. I receive it. Alex, acceptance has the idea of mentality. It has the idea of, you know, yeah, that makes sense. And accept that. And I think you accept things as fact, and then the possibility of going further for salvation is reception. Does Dr. Rogers, is that what you understand?

>> Alex McFarland: I would agree. you know, accepting that is not the same as relationship with. I mean, you could believe that a jet airplane can transport people. You could say, you know, I'm aware jet airplanes are capable of doing that, but you couldn't pay me to get on one of those things. I mean, and there are people I've shared, you know, in fact, there's a man right now, he's in his 80s, and I'm trying and praying to see this man come to Christ. He's in. In the Greensboro area. And he has said to me, Bert, he said, jesus is the son of God. There's no other way. He died. He rose again. I said, are you saved? No. I'm like, why don't you believe that? I don't know. I just. He has accepted that Christ is who he claimed to be, but he's not yet received the gift of eternal life. And I'm serious. This is. I'm desperately praying for this man because. Because the clock is ticking, if you know. So to everybody listening, it's not enough to, know some facts about Jesus. Even the devil knows Christ is the son of God. Have you received and are you in that relationship with. And it can begin today by a simple prayer, can't it?

>> Bert Harper: It really can. That scripture that you referred to in James talks about. It says even the demons believe and tremble. In other words, they have an emotional response to it. It is.

>> Alex McFarland: And an intellectual response.

>> Bert Harper: Intellectual response, yes. But ours is a will. Lord, I want you. I desire you into my life. My will is changed toward you. And come into my life as you are.

Brent: Could you perhaps explore what an apostle is

Well, Brent, we got time for one more quick one. Go ahead, man.

>> Alex McFarland: Okay. Dan writes, on Facebook. I recently heard a pastor refer to himself as an apostle. Could you perhaps explore what an apostle is, considering Ephesians 4:11, 16.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, Alex, you had apostles and disciples, but the apostles came out of the disciples. The disciples were followers. And you. I would say learned and followers. It wasn't enough duff just to sit in class. No, you had to follow them around. But they. And the word apostle means sent ones.

>> Alex McFarland: Doesn't really does. let me say this, and I. I want to say it in love. I. I disagree that there are apostles, today. Now, people love Jesus. They want to serve Jesus. Hallelujah. I don't want to stand in the way, but to be clear, the Ephesians 4:11, he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry. Bert, as I look at God's word and church history, the apostles, the true apostles, saw the risen Jesus.

>> Bert Harper: Yes.

>> Alex McFarland: Now we are all disciples. But the office and the position of apostleship. I haven't physically seen the risen Jesus yet.

>> Bert Harper: I have not either.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah.

>> Bert Harper: Now let me say sent ones. We're all on mission for God. But there are a few who were sent ones to unreached people groups, you know, Alex, and praise God for them, but they haven't seen the risen Lord. But guess what? They've experienced the calling of the risen Lord. That's what we want to do. Be. Be followers of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. And we pray that that's been your experience. We're going to try to have the phone ready for tomorrow. We're sorry about that, but we are going to work on it. Matter of fact, they're working on it now. So get your questions ready for tomorrow and your day of prayer.

>> Alex McFarland: The views and opinions expressed in this

>> Bert Harper: broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.