Is Heaven Our Happy Home Or a Temporary Hotel?

When Christians die, do we remain asleep until the return of Jesus. We go to heaven to be with him immediately. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with pastor Pedro Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 if you want to email us.

Here's the email address its questions at core, Christianity.com first step today we have a good news story to share with you. Giuseppe Paterno is 96 years old and he has faced many tests in life, childhood poverty, war, and most recently the coronavirus pandemic.

Now he is Italy's oldest university graduate this week. The former railway workers stepped forward to receive his diploma and the traditional laurel wreath awarded to Italian students when they graduate. He was applauded by his family, his teachers and his fellow students. Giuseppe was already in his 90s when he enrolled for a degree in history and philosophy at the University of Palermo. He grew up loving books, but he never had the chance to study because of his work last week.

He graduated first in his class with top honors receiving congratulations from the University's Chancellor medical story that is awesome. It's never too late and it's one of those things is like were always learning and we should always have that attitude of their still more for me to learn that I think about it, just in terms of studying the Scriptures, you know, God forbid that we should ever get to a place where we think I've arrived. I already know it all the spirit is continually working our lives as Christians, giving us a deeper understanding of God's word and we should be humble and say hey we want to be lifelong learners and men and you know there's this whole idea of retirement, which is really a more recent invention in our culture.

The fact is fierce. Giuseppe at 96 going back to college that is so cool will schedule our first question of the day Lyle posted this on our Instagram account and she says can a Christian get their faith back after losing it. I was just watching. Not too long ago, the old Disney Peter Pan cartoon movie with my kids, and that you know there's that scene but I don't know if you remember it where Peter Pan loses his shadow early on in the movie and he's looking for his shadow.

He started what is the start of the silly thing right like he's lost a shadow and he's trying to find a shot of in the shadow is inseparable from you just barely Lose your shadow and I wonder if we think about faith. If there's a little bit of confusion. You know, faith is not something that we sort of have and then lose and then get a gander that we gotta go looking for is a gift given to us by the Lord.

Faith is a gifted me Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. In one of the things that Paul is referring to. There is faith. You see this throughout the Scriptures as the faith is not something that we conjure up in ourselves, nor is it something that we discover like us to stumble upon it. It's something that God creates in us and here's how we created in us through the word of the gospel and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The word the Scriptures create faith in our hearts by the power of the spirit. And that's precisely what the apostle Paul says in another passage in Romans chapter 10 what he said.

Beginning in verse 14 talk about missionaries being sent out to preach the gospel. He says, how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed it was her people that call on Jesus if they haven't believed in him and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard and how are they to hear without someone preaching and how are they to preach unless they are sent. As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news, but they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says Lord, who is believed what he has heard from us so faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Where does faith come from Leah.

It comes from through the word of Jesus Christ and so I think that when when the word and spirit together create faith in our hearts.

That's not something that we can lose now.

Our faith can be hindered, challenged, we can have doubts even as genuine believers and I think that's really important to because there are some people who know they go through a season of questioning, or doubts, and I think maybe I just don't have my faith anymore. Something like that. But the reality is, I believe, according to the Scriptures at the fire of faith always burns within those who are truly born again and now it could at times feel like it's been extinguished like it's a little coal, no burning at the bottom of a pile of ash. But the reality is the faith that God gives us. He doesn't ever take away from us. And while there are times of difficulty times of questioning. I believe that God continues to nourish and strengthen our faith.

How by that same word that created the faith and through these ordinances that Jesus gave to the church. Baptism and the Lord's supper. This is by the way, one of the reasons why God gave us these things there gifts that help to nourish and strengthen our faith.

Every time I take the Lord's supper every time I take communion every time you take communion. It should be a reminder of God's love and goodwill toward you of the objective promise of the gospel, the forgiveness of all of your sins through the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ for you to lay hold of for you to sink your teeth into to nourish and strengthen your faith is a look if Leah you're wondering, I feel like I've lost my faith.

How can I get it back will one even the fact that you're asking this question in my mind, makes me think it sounds to me like there still this element of faith and and sometimes it might feel like we don't have very much faith. But here's what you need to do dig into the Scriptures open up God's word. Make sure you're in a good church were that word is being preached because that's how faith is created and nourished and strengthened in our lives, we can expect to have a strong faith for not hearing God's word and a part of the community of faith that Jesus has created someone encourage you to dig into the Scriptures. Make sure you're in a good church and let God continue to nourish and build up your faith through his people.

Thank you for your question. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez and your question force. Feel free to call at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on her Facebook account or Instagram account and Micco posted this on Facebook. Truthfulness is an important matter. No one wants to believe in something that's not true. How can we defend and proclaim the truthfulness of our Christian faith and the Bible. That's a really good question and I think that there are some particular challenges that we face, especially in pluralistic societies societies that have embraced religious pluralism in particular and what I mean by that is what you often hear today, especially in places like the United States, right. Like all truth is relative, or religious truth, at least is relative. You have your beliefs, I have my beliefs and what you believe is great for you what I believe is great for me, me, you might think that Jesus is a great way to God and spirituality for me. You know, really works. What helps me to be a better person is Buddhism, or maybe Islam or maybe the sort of I'm spiritual but not religious kind of a thing that you're single all over the place.

The rise of the nuns.

There's been a lot of writing on this, the nuns, not noncitizen like Roman Catholic nuns but the nuns those people who don't identify with any particular organized religion but they're still very religious. You know they have these sort of spiritual beliefs about the world and karma and any number of other things. They just want to identify with the church or with the institutionalized, they might say religious system of the problem is so often we treat truth especially when it comes to spiritual things like we treat you know picking a certain kind of food you know I really like pizza you really like Mexican food. How dare you tell me that pizza is better than Mexican food. It's a matter of personal preference. What I feel like is what's most true for me as a legal I think one of the things that we really have to do is help people to understand that the Bible is not it's not asking to be judged on that basis.

If you will, is not saying hey try me out.

And if you kind of like me if you kind of think this is good for you and it helps you to be a better person then great.

This is something you can adopt no there is a historical claim, God sent his son into the world to save sinners he died and rose again, this is an objective historical claim and there is no name given under heaven by which people men and women must be saved except for the name of Jesus.

That's either true or it's false is why Paul in first Corinthians chapter 15 says if in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people. The most to be pitied. It's either true or it's not. If the resurrection isn't true. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. It's not about this helps me to be a better person or this makes me feel better about myself when this is a good way for me to cope with the stress of life. No, not at all.

It's here is the one way you can have your sins forgiven you need Jesus because he's the only one who came and died and rose again for your justification. That's the claim of the Christian faith as though we have to really be firm and I think Micco today were focusing on the importance of truthfulness and and how we need to believe that which is true. We need to help people to understand that Christianity isn't offering us kind of a coping mechanism with life away to make you a better person to be more moral know it's offering us the forgiveness of sins, and we can't get that anywhere else in it comes to the work of Jesus in the history God's working in history for us that how do we defend that as we proclaim it. I think we do it the same way that the disciples didn't in the book of acts and throughout the New Testament. We point to the reality of things like the resurrection, and there are some really helpful resources on this AMI. One of the books I often refer to him. It's a real simple book talks a little bit about worldview and evidences for the resurrection is great.

Koegel's book the story of reality.

That's a great resource. There are there are so many the wonderful resources that are on our website. Core, Christianity.com.

If you just go there and type in resurrection search. We have all sorts of pieces that we've put together there also to of articles that have been written talking about defending the truthfulness of the Christian faith is not a matter of preference is not a matter of feeling it's a matter of truth in the same way that Abraham Lincoln either lived or did not live in. This is a historical claim were saying Christianity is its Jesus Christ came for us for our sins to save us.

And so I think that's one of the things were up against. Because as we try to share the truthfulness of the matter is you say and I think that the way that we do that is by sticking to what the word of God has said and defending what the apostles of our Lord defend the resurrection of Jesus and by pointing out why it is that it is true and how it is that we can believe it. So thank you for that question. Great question and obviously a challenge for all of us living in the United States and other Western countries with all the pluralism that you mentioned them.

So many people does having a relativistic view of truth and morality and something that we need to all be praying about and I think studying sewer prepare to have that answer is this Peter would say this is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez and we have a great offer to tell you about today. Yeah, Bill. We created this 100 page softcover workbook for the gospel of John. We designed this Bible study with Sunday school classes, Bible study groups and even individual students of the Bible in mind. Each weekly lesson includes selected passages from John's Gospel reflection questions and explanations of the key lessons every Christian should know about John's Gospel.

Here's the bottom line. This study is going to help you gain a deeper understanding of the trauma of Scripture.

The relevant historic Christian doctrines and the key themes of John's Gospel over the core, Christianity.com/Gospel of John to get your copy of our new Bible study today. By the way, one of our long-time supporters received this study and was so encouraged by it that he said we've got to get this out to more people and he actually gave us a special gift to do just that. So we are giving this study away as a special gift from all of us. Your core Christianity for free. Just go to get your copy today@corechristianity.com/Gospel of John ever help getting any of our offers.

Just give us a call at 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core let's get back to another question. This is a call that came in from Grayson in Texas will verse 34 and 35 to 12 woman should remain problem or not allowed to speak, but mostly in submission and loss of one who inquired about something they should ask their own husband graceful of a woman to speak in the church versus really bothered me when I know all the contours, but if you can clear this up and explain the content. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much Douglas.

Hey, I really good question. Your right and we really have to focus on on the context here in order to gain a proper understanding of what the apostle Paul is getting at, and I think he's referring to specifically in the context of corporate worship.

The authoritative office of proclaiming preaching the word of God.

I think postings that that office is reserved for men. First Timothy three Titus chapter 1 refers specifically to this thing like the ordained elders called to teach in the church being the husband of one wife, and so I think Paul in the context of first Corinthians 11 through 14 is speaking specifically about what takes place in the context of corporate worship now is sort of interesting because they're in first grade is 14. The apostle Paul also talks about women praying and prophesying and so were trying to earn all of these things together instead of harmonized them. I don't think that he saying you like a woman can't speak it all or state anything in the church, but certainly we pray we sing together. I think as far as the authoritative office of the teacher. The pastor is concerned, I think Paul is saying that should be a man and II think that he refers to this and in different places in the New Testament as well. So you're referring to the authoritative function of the ministry of the word out that that raises other questions as well and I know this is one of those things that there are differences of opinion on and that there are there are Christians, people who love Jesus who who disagree on this issue. I think that's okay.

I don't think this is one of those issues that the determines whether or not you're truly a follower, a believer of Jesus Christ. Maybe we often talk about core Christianity on this program, we might say that this is not at the core of the Christian faith in the sense of the cardinal doctrines of the faith that determine whether or not we actually believe in Jesus that are saved but there is this structure that God has given to his church that I think that's one of the things that Paul is getting a specifically in first printings 14 as he talks about all things being done decently and in order. There are some people you look at these passages referring to women teaching and and so on and so forth. And they'll extend those prohibitions outside of the church of the say things like what we think that all women are always supposed to be submitted to all manner that kind of thing. But that's not.

I think it all with the apostle Paul is saying here. He's referring to something very specific in the context of corporate worship and in particular the teaching office within the church.

Grayson thanks so much for your calls. Always great to hear from you got some excellent questions. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and our website is core Christianity.com for the radio show. You go to core Christianity.com/radio and there you can record your question force. If you like there's a little microphone icon on the right-hand side of the pages. Click on that and you can record your question right there. Linda submitted a question on her website.

She says when Christians die, do we remain as leap until the glorious return of our Savior Jesus or do we go to heaven to be with him immediately upon our death. It seems to me like the Bible teaches both Linda this is a really good question.

I know it's a good questions because we get past it all the time. A lot of people have this question. And of course in the New Testament.

Sometimes death is referred to as sleep that I don't think that what that means is that when we die were unconscious. You know, sort of like we were sleeping and were not fully aware that kind of the thing.

I think that the reason the New Testament oftentimes refers to death as sleep for believers in particular is because we know that death is not the end-all for us. It isn't the final state for those who are in Christ effect. Jesus said in Johnny's is the one who believes in me shall not die whatever lives and so sleep is sometimes used as this metaphor. Picture of death in the New Testament book by Jesus and by the disciples, but it's very clear to me from other passages of Scripture that when we die were in the presence of the Lord immediately posted to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and I think that's a conscious state of existence. We refer to it as the intermediate state intermediate because it is referring to that time when we are awaiting the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come. So it's a we die our spirit goes into the presence of the Lord immediately with joy and adoration and worship. Our bodies are in the ground, decaying and were waiting that day that final day the final judgment where were raised incorruptible, and a lot of times people think about and I want to believe in Jesus, so that I can go to heaven when I die, that they view heaven is the sort of and all Linda, but the reality is heaven just sort of being separated from our bodies is not the hope of the Christian faith in one of the reasons Jesus rose again is to give us the hope of the resurrection in our bodies that are broken down right now and succumb to sickness and weakness in the coronavirus and things like that. One day they're going to be incorruptible, glorified, an amazing thing for us to look forward to an enemy just give you one verse. I think that absolutely confirms that when we die were in the presence of Jesus with joy even as we await the resurrection of the body. It's what the apostle Paul said in Philippians chapter 1 as he talked about his death, it seemed for him to be right around the corner.

He says I know that through your prayers and the help of the spirit of Jesus Christ. This will turn out for my deliverance as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now is always Christ will be honored in my body whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to live on in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me yet which I shall choose I cannot tell I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better. You have the hope not only in the resurrection of the day right and that that's our ultimate future hope the restoration of our bodies, but we also have the hope that it upon the moment that we die we will be in the presence of our Lord Jesus with joy and love and perfect peace. Thank you for that federal what a great thing to look forward to. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez we have time for one last question. This is an email we received from Virginia.

She says, as I was reading the book of Mark, I noticed that it says chapter 16 verses nine through 20 is not included in some of the earliest manuscripts. What do you think of this section is this an important piece of Scripture that we must read. Thank you dad this is another thing there is. There are differences of opinion on so yet. The earliest manuscripts that we have of Mark's gospel. Do not include the longer ending of marker verses nine through 20 and so other people say will. This is probably added later.

Maybe the original ending got lost. Or maybe there was this abrupt ending in and later on there.

There were scribes or people in the church who felt like what we really need to massage this out a little bit so that has a better ending because you know you just ended. Verse eight Mark chapter 16 verse eight it says and they went out and fled from the tomb for trembling in astonishment had seized them and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid and so you end on that note of fear and that's you know concerning for some people that they will. Why would Mark and his gospel in that way. Look when it comes to the end of Mark.

There's nothing there in that longer section. I think that calls into question any core Christian doctrine at all, so there's no contradiction here. Actually when you read that the longer section of Mark I mean all of the stuff that you have there is that preparing you for what you're going to see in the book of acts over and over again so it's almost like sort of setting you up for the book of acts, I think, and personally I don't treat the ending of Mark as sort of inspired canonical portion of Scripture, but there is no differences with regard to the manuscript evidence. I think we can rest in is the fact that there is so much manuscript evidence when it comes to the New Testament that we can be confident about what we do know about the New Testament God really has preserved his word for us. So even if this longer portion of Mark was not in the original manuscript of the earliest manuscripts that we have of Mark's gospel.

We know we know that there really is no core doctrine. That's called into question that really everything that it talks about. There is corroborated in other parts of the New Testament. Let me just close with this. The beautiful thing about this is you can trust God's word God has preserved his word for you and me. We spoke earlier about the importance of faith and where to get faith that comes from God's word trust God open his word study and what a beautiful thing we can give thanks to the Lord, for how he has preserved his word for us.

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