How Do I Share the Gospel with My Dying Friend?

How do I share the gospel with a friend who is dying best is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is a 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.

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You can watch us right now were on YouTube live in. You can messages that way and you can also email us your question at questions@corechristianity.com first up today let's go to a voicemail received from one of our listers named Kristin and Mike and Mark 815 and annexation was given that Jesus's disciples not to ask signs America's I is not signed at Rams Pharisees is so crazy how disciples don't ask for varicose just feel that there is a deeper meaning to hear your extension to a Kristin God bless you as well so the text you're referring to Mark chapter 8 Jesus says or will the Pharisees came and began to argue with him. We read in verse 11 seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him and he sighed deeply in his spirit. Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit and said why does this generation seek a sign, truly, I said, you know, sign will be given to this generation, and he left them got into the boat again and went to the other side and then he goes on to say after this now.

They had forgotten to bring bread and that only one loaf with them in the boat and he cautioned them saying watch out beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and sometimes in the Bible.

Kristin Levin is a picture. Since this is the substance it spreads very quickly and and permeates everything that's good how sane is it just sort of grows and Jesus is your watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and in the context here. What's the issue of the Pharisees and other asking Jesus for assigned there there telling them to do these things almost as if the suggestion of you do these things will believe and you will follow you. And of course they had witnessed sign after sign after sign. It didn't do anything that there got it end up recognizing her or seeing the evidence for the resurrection. Many of them, and yet they're still not going to believe, and so their request as they were coming to the Lord was really detest God, but not even not even the judge genuine question or request, and in terms of asking for assigned boat but really just looking for excuses for why they didn't have to follow Jesus, and of course went when Jesus says there watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees that the leaven that he's referring to is hypocrisy. This is something that becomes clear and in other places in the Gospels in Luke chapter 12, for example, verses one through three.

Jesus is it very clearly the leaven of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. And so it's the way in which the Pharisees are approaching Christ here. They're not sincerely coming to him saying help. II believe, but help my unbelief. That kind of thing. There are many, many believers Kristin are people who are who are coming to Christ to have those kinds of honest questions are coming to the Lord and and they're looking for answers and that's not how the Pharisees were they were hypocrites they were pretenders and so Jesus don't be like that. Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees.

Don't be like someone who says I will believe and got a meal.

We've all heard people who do this right of site probably forgot you to show himself to me. That kind of thing. But the reality is that you probably wouldn't we have the the inspired word of God. The prophets, the apostles, Christ, God really does testify of his glory of his existence even in the created world around us are so many will save guy would just do this I would believe, but the fact of the matter is, God is already done enough to show us that he exists to extend his grace to us were called to lay hold of that truth. And yet many people don't want to.

And so they make excuses and that's precisely what the Pharisees were doing and that's why Jesus says don't be like them. Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees that you for reaching out to us. Kristin God bless you. Thanks much, Kristin. Thanks for being a regular core Christianity listener.

If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. You can call us right now. Our phone lines will be open for the next 20 minutes or so, here's the number to call its 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 let's go to Joanne in Fresno California.

Joanne what is your question for pastor a drill hi morning. I love your show and it really lends a really personal touch that I know affects a lot of people.

My question is. The Bible states something to the effect that at a point when Christ come back every every knee shall bow, and after every knee shall you know what I'm saying and I'm just wondering about people I know that arm are believers and I know that you know they heard about that at about Jesus and God and I'm just wondering when they're on the other side, however, that is what where they can have a recollection that they heard it, and they didn't they didn't choose to go any further with it or rejected it.

I guess that's the word on the other side when they knelt when they found out the truth will Joanne a very serious question and let me say also to thank you for your encouragement to us were grateful that you blessed by this broadcast in the passage of Scripture that you were referring to its found in the book of Philippians chapter 2 in a section quotation from the Old Testament as well, but beginning in verse eight.

This is in the context of Paul talking about. Jesus is conned and condescension to us coming to earth, taking the form of a servant and then his exaltation. This is being found in human form, verse eight, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. When the Bible talks about the final judgment take pictures. It is even of the books are to be opened. Where were going to be exposed naked before God and in in in that situation. I think many people are going to be confronted with the way that they live their lives the opportunities that they had the gospel that was preached to them that they often turned away from her or did not accept the even even just you know the way in which we related to God's law. How we responded to right and wrong to the, the sort of moral law that's written on everyone's conscience. That kind of thing and so I think you ended that in that moment the other are going to be people who are who are filled with shame with with regret today. Right now we have breath in our lungs is the day of salvation. If your breathing if you're listening to this right now and your breathing. You have life men you can turn to Jesus by faith. You can look to him and experience his grace, his forgiveness but but there is coming at a time where that won't be an option anymore where we are going to stand before the Lord in judgment and that's why what what we do here on earth and what we believe here on earth is so important. We can't stress that enough. The gospel is going out right now in grace to the ends of the earth calling people everywhere to repent and turn to Jesus to lay hold of him and yet there are joint. As you know many people who who reject that message. Who maybe experience that the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and yet they quench that they they turn away from it continually, and there can have to give an account on the day of judgment, and that that unit Paul he says you, knowing that the fear of the Lord we persuade men because it is such a serious thing in and I can't encourage you who are listening right now, enough to take this seriously. God is gracious.

He sent his son into the world so that your sins might be forgiven so that you might know him and walk with him today is the day of salvation. Don't wait to turn to Jesus. Don't wait to look to him by faith into say Lord I want to follow you because we don't know how long we have on this earth and one day we argued to be standing before the Lord and will be too late. And so join every knee is going to bow every tongue is going to confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the father, but we haven't we can do that now over here on earth or were going to do it when were standing before God in judgment at that point for many people it will be too late. Thank you for forgiving us a call and I may the Lord bless you sister some very serious stuff. There is a drill and that yet the truth of the gospel. I think that every person has to to reckon with right yeah absolutely. And you know sometimes people think well I've been up for to live my life ever I want. And then when I'm when I'm through sort of indulging in you know how I wanted to live in the pleasures of this world, then I'll get religious then I'll get serious about going to church and believing in Jesus are thinking about those those you know the sort of spiritual things that don't don't do that is such a foolish way to live.

There's nothing better than knowing Christ and walking with him, and again that's why in the Scriptures in the book of Hebrews, you know, the other the recess today is the day if you if you hear his voice. If you hear God speaking to you through his Word by the grace of the Spirit don't stiff arm him say Lord here I am. I want to follow you. You're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez are number if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. You can call us at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673.

By the way, you can also leave a voicemail for us 24 hours a day so if you can call during the live program or live program actually errors at 11:30 AM Pacific, which is 1230 Mountain 130 Central or 230 Eastern time. Some radio stations run the program at a later time by delay. So that's the time to call live but if you can't get in during those times.

Just leave us a voicemail at 833, the court hears a voicemail we received from one of our listeners named John Jill.

I have a friend and her father had died from a heart condition in his mid-40s. She had known that it was genetic and recently she reached out to me in chair with me that it seems like she has it in her doctor told her that she has something around 3 to 6 months left to live, and I was just hoping to get some advice on how to extend the hope of eternal life to someone's loss in light of the circumstances that their dying.

I know that no one knows when will die, but for some of us it's more imminent and so I want to do in such a way that is sensitive to her circumstances and not coming off as a form of notetaking and manager. Her emotional circumstances while at the same time knowing that our only hope is Jesus. So appreciate any advice.

Thanks you John, thanks for giving us a call. Let me either pursuant to do for you just pray for your brother and pray for your friend. So let's pray dear heavenly father, I lift John up to you and I lift his friend up to you and I pray that your Holy Spirit would be at work in their lives for John.

I asked that you would give them wisdom as he wants to be a good friend to this person as he wants to share with with her.

The hope of everlasting life, and do so in a way that would be honoring to you and loving to her Lord, would you give them wisdom would you give the grace of your Holy Spirit boldness, Lord, to know how to speak to speak clearly and would you give her an open heart, Lord, to receive your word.

We don't know you know how much time she has left on this earth would you pray for your healing in her life, but I pray above above all else. First and foremost Lord for for that inner healing that takes place through the forgiveness of sins, the hope of everlasting life Lord God that she would be able to grasp that and even that you would use John to to be able to speak those truths to her that she might receive them. Lord, by the grace of your spirit so be with our brother.

We pray in Jesus name, amen. You know, one of the things I love about the gospel is the simplicity of the gospel that you don't need to take a 10 week course in order to understand what we need to do to be saved, if you will. And it's not so much a list of things to do. Oftentimes, people are looking for that you just just give me the list day I got to be baptized. I got obey, you know these commandments, for this long. I gotta make sure that I'm in church you know so on is over, and those those are all good things. Those are all really good things. In fact, that God calls us to.

But salvation is in first and foremost about what we do, but about what God is done for us.

That's what we call it the gospel.

It's good news if if it was about me or you and what we do, that really wouldn't be good news because the fact of the matter is we struggle to obey God and we struggled to follow him and we struggled to keep his commandments, and were often convicted because of our failures. But the gospel is there is a God in heaven who is reached down to people who are struggling in the sin to have rebelled against him and in his son. He is grabbed a hold of us. He washes away our sins. And so it sounds to me like there's an open door for you here, but I think it's amazing that she reached out to you and and began this conversation I think that's an open door for you to just be able to say, look, I know we haven't we haven't spoken in a while.

But let me tell you about something that is so important, something that is been so meaningful for me but not just meaningful for me. It's meaningful for the whole world because when were facing death. We were confronted with our own mortality.

This is the hope that we can have it is in in isn't science.

First and foremost, although there all sorts of medical advancements out there that were really grateful for it in the fact that God sent his son into the world to conquer death. What you're staring at right now what's confronting you what maybe is terrifying you. There is a God in heaven who is dealt with this problem and he's for you and he loves you and he's gracious to any calls you to himself, and so I would say you notetaking the opportunity that it seems you have an in that she reached out to you and maybe following up with her and just saying look I want you to know I want you to know what gives me hope and what can give you hope as well and it's Jesus it's in the reality of his resurrection from the dead. It's in the hope that he gives to people who are suffering who are sinners and who are facing death, and so may the Lord bless you and give you wisdom as you as you reach out to your friend as you plead with her.

As you extend the grace of Jesus to her and L. Obviously it it in the midst of all this is you seek to just be a good friend as well supporting supporting her, encouraging her and and maybe sing if there aren't other ways that you can you can help her in this time of great need. And so thank you for giving us, giving us a call. We will continue to pray for you and for this conversation John. We appreciate you so much and we can just hear your voice, your tender heart for your friend and we pray that that conversation will go well and that she will indeed realize the hope of the gospel, and accept Jesus trust in him. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez summer is practically here and most kids actually guess it is here today is the officially the first day of summer April 21. Remember Hannah so badly those things Bill because I don't warrant like this either tonight or tomorrow. It of the actual summer solstice. So it's going to be officially summer time and with kids out of school and a lot of families looking for things to do with their kids. We have a great idea and that is a resource we have, that's absolutely free.

It's called 10 verses to memorize as a family this summer and as Bill said it is an absolute free resource.

It's a new resource that we created with with you in mind with your families in mind and the importance of hiding God's word away in our hearts is one thing to read the Bible and it is really good to read the Bible consistently to go through Scripture to have it assert a steady diet of reading the Bible, but it's another thing entirely that it's so important that we do we build this into our our spiritual regimen if you will, to memorize the Scripture to really meditate on individual verses and to ask God to plant them. Deep down in our hearts so that we might refer back to them so that we might be edified by them so that we might be kept by the word of God and so I just want to encourage you to do that this summer by yourself or with your family and this resources can help you cancel 10 verses to memorize as a family this summer to get the resource.

All you have to do is go to our website. Core, Christianity.com/offers. That's again core Christianity.com/offers look for 10 verses to memorize as a family this summer you can call us for that resource or any one of our resources at 833. The core go to Nathan in Tacoma, Washington Nathan, thanks so much for calling what your question for Pastor Israel. You create bear fruit in keeping him. He's just calling them to genuine repentance.

There is a sort of false repentance. Nathan that this is all yeah you know why I repent. But there's there's actually no change and now mentally speaking. Repentance is a change of minus the Greek word meant. Matt Inouye means but that has an effect on an individual.

Repentance is never perfect this side of heaven, but he's calling them essentially to depart from their sins. John the Baptist is preparing the way and in particular we talked about this little bit earlier on the broadcast that the Pharisees even though they look good externally. Jesus, as you know you're full of dead men's bones, your hypocrites, you, you look really nice on the outside but God sees your hearts.

John chapter 3 virtue meet Matthew chapter 3 verse seven, but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come up. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not presume to save yourselves. We have Abraham as our father for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire as a single judgment is coming on you religious leaders have it.

It's going to ask is laid at the tree you're about to be chopped down. Therefore repent and bearing fruit in keeping with repentance is just when we repent when we turn to the Lord by faith we we are, by the grace of the Holy Spirit transform little by little we begin to grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to walk in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord and in this case he saying look let go of your hypocrisy. Let go of trusting in the fact that you're the quote unquote children of Abraham knows a thing that me that these wicked hearts but is it what we are where the children of Abraham and God's all right do that and so he says repent and bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Thank you for your question or question. Thanks Nathan.

Let's go to Sally in Lenexa, Kansas Sally, what's your question for Pastor Israel hello I Sally what's your question sister I will boy our I know that he was clearly on fire for God and he went to collect any losses they and we had many conversations.

One thing that I cannot answer why were a loving God create knowing areas and eternity in hell on how to answer that.

I know God's character and I trust that I was hoping Nadine had better Sally will and I think it's good that you are able to even just say look, here's how God reveals himself in Scripture. He is loving when John tells her God is loving in first John we read this and one of the ways he demonstrates his love to us. This is also very clear in first John is through his son that the fact he sent his son into the world for sinners. In other words, God is calling sinners to himself. We in our wickedness choose to turn from him choose to rebel against him, as it's happened ever since the very beginning, Adam and Eve and we are born in Adam in sin and we continually reject the Lord God is perfectly just what we deserve the judgment it's coming to us. It's his mercy, his grace, his love. They sent his son into the world for people who did not deserve it, and what one thinks this highlights always got a sexy, more loving than we could ever imagine Bob Paul in Romans chapter 5, he says, is it was when we are pious and walking with the Lord that God demonstrated his love for us, but the while we were still sinners, God sent his son into the world for rebels. It's there were.

He showed us his love. Now why would God create a world where people were to rebel against him where he would where he would allow the we don't know all of the mystery mysteries behind what God has decreed and why God has allowed certain things we do know that at the end. In the end are everything that God does is just this work goes back to why it's important that we understand how God has revealed himself as nobody's an essay God you're not fair that kind of a thing on the day of judgment. We know that God is just.

We know that God is loving, we know that God gave man especially there in the garden free choice to follow him and in the Lord calls us to follow him still and yet we are the ones who turn our backs to him. So the God is not unjust. He's actually extremely merciful and loving and calling sinners to himself and in its his sovereign prerogative to be able to sit with him and to create a world even a world where people are going to be free to reject me or to love me and and so that's God's that Scott's probably know a lot of times I think we we from our perspective, we think, oh, if I was going to do it. I would do it this way that we think we know better than God, but the reality is we don't so we submit to his word and to his will and we fall back on those promises in Scripture that God is just the Lord bless you Sally and were to say a prayer after this program is over for your son that God would his life.

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