Is Reaping What We Sow the Same as Karma?

Is reaping what we sow the same as karma.

That is one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity will hi, I'm Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez. 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 here is our number is 833 the core, you can call this for the next 25 minutes or so. 1-833-843-2673 course you can always post your question on one of our social media sites you can always email us at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today let's go to a voicemail received from one of our callers couple days ago. So much about our 2425 pay attention to what one more will the one what what I have.

By I don't want the Bible.

I love to talk about this great question. So this comes in the context of Jesus's parables often times feel he'll say, as he is giving these parables. Verse 23 there more chapter 4. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Now that language is actually taken from the Old Testament, particularly from the prophets when the prophets were were speaking to the people of God. The people of Israel calling them to repentance because of impending judgment really is a good that that language through signals a warning if you will, from God eventually come from the prophet Isaiah chapter 6 verse nine God says to Isaac go and say to this people keep on hearing but do not understand. Keep on seeing, but do not perceive make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy and blind their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and turn and be healed and then also you have similar language in Ezekiel chapter 3 and in verse 27, but when I speak with you. I will open.

I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, thus says the Lord God. He who will here let him here and he who he who will will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house is a business language comes.

Typically when when you have warning them to think of the parables.

As you know is just Jesus trying to help people understand that there really is a judgment that was being spoken there as well and so he sang look some of you are going to hear this and receive it to you.

It has been given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Jesus says to his disciples, but for some people, these parables lead to a hardening date they don't receive the word of God, but they turn away from the Lord and as a result there judged as that text continues there in Mark chapter 4 where Jesus says pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you for to the one who has, more will be given from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away right there is this idea of stewardship. Those who receive the word of God are given understanding continue to grow in grace and knowledge in the truth, but those who harden their hearts to close their ears that understanding is taken away their blinded in and that was what was happening with the religious leaders in the days of our Lord Jesus as he was preaching the gospel as he was giving these parables instead of receiving the truth. Their hearts were further hardened and they turned away from the Lord and they came under God's judgment and so that's what that text is all about and appreciate your question.

Thank you for the for the voicemail. The score Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Christie calling in from Missouri. Christie has question for us and what was like asking I Christie Danielle reading Daniel and I don't mind.

Chapter 9 verse four I prayed to the Lord my God, he confessed, and hear the Lord in my Bible. It CONTINUING Lord, the great and awesome God that Lord only is the first letter capitalized, I was wondering why is that different great question yes is the reason that's different. There is because when you see Lord and IN your Bible. That's translating the Hebrew divine name Yahweh when you just see the. The word Lord there. You know L lowercase ORD as as Dino continues and in verse four that's translating the Hebrew word oftentimes Adonai master or Lord. And so when it's all THAT'S a reference to the divine name Yahweh as God revealed himself to his covenant people. He is the self existent one the one who is I am that I am and then the board Adonai in the Hebrew Bible means master Lord.

This kingly title and so that's why there's a difference there is two different Hebrew words and the way that the way that they communicate that is not by transliterate in the divine name and and just putting Yahweh in there, but by using the capitals there and so the context of Daniel nine really is quite amazing. Daniel is is praying this prayer of repentance calling on the name of the Lord because of the sin of the people in an easement by the angel Gabriel and Gabriel gives him this amazing prophecy of the Messiah and so really wonderful text to dig into, that's the answer your question Christie, thank you for giving us a call. I Christie thanks so much and thanks for listening to core Christianity by the way, we have produced some great Bible studies here at the core and we have a new one to tell you about today.

Yes, we are excited about this Bible study. It's on the book of Ruth. Ruth is oftentimes a book. I think that we overlook and it's easily overlooked for many people because there's there's so many, you know, more dramatic, at least in our minds no longer Old Testament books with all of these prophecies that what's the point with the book of Ruth. Why should we study the book of Ruth.

Well, without the book of Ruth. There would be no line of David. There would be no gospel and there would be no Savior.

This Bible study will help you to understand Ruth as a part of a larger story of Scripture by providing tools for studying the Old Testament while opening our eyes to God's redemptive workings throughout history. While many are focused on the love story between Ruth and Boaz.

The book of Ruth also provides us with the larger love story showing us how God intends to bring beauty out of ashes and so we really hope you get a hold of this study. A great resource to go through on your own.

If you're wanting to dig into the book of Ruth or with a group of people in your church and it's yours for donation of $20 or more. You know all of our studies are set up to work well for personal use, but also in a group format and are available in bulk quantities to be great to consider as you plan for your Bible studies or Sunday school classes maybe for the fall receive a copy of our Ruth Bible study for donation of $20 or more@corechristianity.com and you go to core Christianity.com/studies to find our Bible studies core Christianity.com/studies. You can also call us at 833-843-2673 for help getting any one of our offers, that number 833 core let's go to a voicemail from one of our listeners. This is Patricia. I have always always find things I always always return I my way. Don't give up till I find the owner or someone related to the owner. Recently I lost my cell phone and had a lot of important information on it and I needed. I was expecting it to be returned because I have never kept anything that I find when God says you report so I believe we reap what we still so I would have expected God moves with his angels. I'm devastated.

I don't understand why the word of God is working have a lot of faith. I believe my Bible, but when things like this go wrong, I understand. You reap what you sow. So I expect to meet on you can explain that to me. Thank you Patricia, thank you for the call. Let me just pray first that you know the Lord would intervene here and that you would find this cell phone Lord God, we come before you and just pray for Patricia pray Lord that you would comfort her that he would be with her.

Pray that this cell phone would turn up Lord that she would be able to recover those precious pictures that that are on the phone.

And Lord, that you would that you administered to her and meet meet her need here and be with her. I ask in Jesus name, amen. One of the big issues I think, is that many of us Patricia Wheatley look at Scripture. We look at these promises that we see in the Bible as I got him holding your promises.

You said this. Therefore, I should experience XYZ, we have to ask ourselves in a MMI rightly understanding the promise first and foremost because if I'm not then I might be expecting from something from the Lord that that maybe I shouldn't be expecting it that we see this issue in particular with theologies like the prosperity gospel movement were people saying after being faithful to the Lord and walking with Jesus. Well, then God promises to bless you with health and wealth and so on and so forth. And then people you know devote their lives to Jesus. They try to be faithful and then they experience sickness and poverty and they think God is not has not made good on his promise and they get upset they get angry at the Lord and some of them even turn away from the Lord and then the issue is not God you know if God been unfaithful to his promises know the issue is we've misunderstood his promises.

Yes it is true that we reap what we sow that is a true scriptural principle but that does not negate the fact that sometimes even for God's children. Even for God's faithful children we experience difficulties. Bad things happen to us, me what what is Paul getting at when he makes that statement. We reap what we sow. It's found in Galatians chapter 6 in inverse nine are actually just go a little bit earlier in verse seven he says do not be deceived, God is not mocked God is not mocked, for whatever one sows that will he also reap. And then he explains it for the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption from for the one who sows to the Spirit, he from the Spirit will reap eternal life. No sewing to the flesh and sewing to the spirit in the context here earlier in Galatians chapter 5, Paul talked about with the fruit of the flesh was in with the fruit of the spirit is that you and the fruit.

The fruits of the flesh are things like sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, Lou the works of the flesh, anything. If you do those things. You can experience judgment condemnation unit. It you're gonna reap what you sow. If however you so to the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, so on and so forth, working to reap the good fruit of that and sister you by doing the right thing.

You know when somebody else loses something in return. It meet you are going going to reap the benefit may not be what what you think it is. But honestly, at the end of the day and in obedience to the Lord and following the Lord. We are reaping the, the, the, the sense of God's presence, his blessing following after the Lord and so that there is good that you're experiencing but but again we we can't say and shouldn't say that, based on this promise.

You know, well I did this so then God owes me that that's is not how it works, at least in terms of the specific example that you gave and so while my heart breaks for you and II do pray and I think you ought to continue to pray that the Lord would would cause this to the turn up that you would be able to recover those images and just want to say to you that that the Lord loves you that he's not. He's not not keeping his promises to you know on. On the contrary, he's going to continue to keep his promises to you and to be with you and to bless you in his son Jesus, with all of those wonderful things that he's he said he gives to us the forgiveness of sins that we might not have every temporal blessing that we want the cell phone that we want to know that the things that we feel like we we really could use but that doesn't mean that God is not being faithful to his promises. And so may Christ be with you and encourage you and bless you and I do pray that that that cell phone with the images would be recovered. Blessing this core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go back to the phones. Dale is on the line from Lincoln, Nebraska Dale what your question for pastor a drill regarding my mother. She is very close to death. Hospice care thing right now. Anyway, she was raised Catholic and went to first communion and confirmation, and after raising us kids. She fell away from the church and now I asked is there going to be any mercy for her. Upon death all day. Let me just take a moment first to pray for your mother and I can just do a follow-up question with you, Dale. Are you able to communicate with her right now. Yes okay let's let's pray for her and then I'll answer your question father I want to pray for Dale's mother as she approaches the end of her life. Jesus I pray that you would be with her.

I pray that you would be with Dale. I pray Lord God that even if if she fell away from church for entire life Lord was not walking with you that now in this final hour that the light of your countenance. The light of your gospel would shine upon her and that she would understand it and receive an experience Lord, even in this moment, your grace be with her.

Lord be with Dale as well.

I pray in Jesus name, amen, were saved Dale by grace through faith. There is mercy for for all those who call upon the name of the Lord, even it at this last hour even this in these final moments when you think of that the thief on the cross, who is hanging on a cross next to Jesus and said to Jesus, remember me when you went to your kingdom. This is a criminal somebody who who was, you know, being condemned for for something made had probably done something pretty bad and yet he realizes how much he needs God's mercy and God does not withhold his mercy from him in that moment Jesus is today you will be with me in paradise. And so what I would say to you, Dale, is he is in these days while you're able to communicate with your mother talk to her about the grace and the mercy that can be hers.

In Jesus I don't know her situation.

I don't know her background. I don't know what what she believes her if she even claims to believe in Jesus Christ.

But this is an opportunity for you prayerfully to come alongside of her and to care for her and to talk with her about the mercy that is for all of those who call upon the name of Jesus that there is forgiveness no matter what we've done no matter what kind kinds of lives we've led, no matter how long we've been out of church.

When we turn to the Lord and we sing God be merciful to me a sinner. There is mercy and that that mercy is for all who call upon the name of the Lord, as I said, including your mother and so I would say and in these days be with her.

If you can be with her. If you can spend time with her read Scripture to her read those those beautiful gospel presentations that we see in places like the Gospel of John. John chapter 3 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life, and so I would say you know use this time that the Lord has given to you because God is merciful and will use yet you know your words and ultimately his word above all else, the draw people to himself and I pray that the Lord blesses you and gives you wisdom and courage to do that, my friend. Thank you for giving us a call Dale and may the Lord be with you and with your mother and Dale will continue to pray for you with most conversations with your mom, thank you so much for listing the core Christianity. Let's go back to the phones Wallace is on the line from Nashville, Tennessee.

Wallace what your question for pastor a drill doing well thank you Wallace Lauer will all ligament was okay, but they wouldn't know some people in all the blueberries and I will like to know I was okay for them that time and wounded and embodied in all of this done a great question.

I think we have to do to make a distinction here Wallace between what God permitted and what God prescribes in his word political put polygamy was never, I think God's intent for his people, and you think of the initial creation. When God made Adam and Eve one man one woman to be brought together to be made one flesh together and often times in the Old Testament is with the Kings in Israel, there were warnings associated with the taking of multiple wives mean it was it was, in part, you know Solomon's downfall.

He began to marry women foreign women. They began to draw his heart away from the Lord, and he was engaged in idolatry and so yes that there was a season in redemptive history were God was permitting these things were. He didn't just bring judgment, but this is never again been what what God I think prescribed what he called or intended for his people. I think of Jesus's words when he speaks about marriage and divorce. In Matthew chapter 19 verses came up to him and tested him, saying, is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause, and Jesus answered, have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh.

What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. And they said to him what why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away and Jesus said to them, because of your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was. Not so it's often are our hardness of heart sinfulness, human sinfulness, and God put up with certain things if you will, even though he gave warnings right of the heap be permitted in one sense the Kings in Israel to do these things that the patriarchs as well, but again from from the very beginning. This is not how it was supposed to be and so and so I think that's how how we have to look at it just distinguishing between what God permits and what God prescribes. That is what he commands in his word. Thank you for your question.

Wallace they Wallace thanks for listening to core Christianity great question. Well you if you have a question for pastor a drill about the Bible, the Christian life doctrine or theology. You can call us 24 hours a day and leave a voicemail. Here is our phone number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 let's go to Tony calling in from Nebraska. Tony what your question for a drill. My question was if there is any scriptural case of the women in leadership roles in a church specifically as a pastor of a congregation.

I think that question Tony, I do believe that there are. I do believe that women can serve in leadership roles in the church but II think that the office of pastor elders reserved for men called and qualified men in the church. I take this from places like first Timothy three and Titus one where Paul gives the qualifications for elders for for pastors for teachers. There are people who will who will make a case from Scripture for female pastors unit will appeal to different things in the Old Testament and and also in the New Testament so I wouldn't say that you know it's something where it's you know people who believe this are just sort of pulling it out of thin air and I think we want to be charitable and respectful. I just don't think it's a very strong case. Personally I think is as strong of the case, as is the one that III hold to us as a pastor and Isaac as a Christian as well and so you know sometimes people will point to the prophets in the New Testament. The fact that there were female prophets who were it in one since teaching the church bring the word from the Lord. You can read about them in places like the book of acts or in Paul's epistle to the Corinthians. And so you know, that's one place that people will point to, but but as far as I'm concerned, it seems to me that in terms the teaching office of the church and specifically for what's happening on a Sunday morning when Christians are gathering together for worship that that teaching office that that the preaching of the word must be conducted should be conducted by a called and qualified man who is serving as as a minister, and so I think that's really important me but, in part, you know it it just because it it up.

A person is male doesn't actually mean that there qualified as well. There is competency there's there's no having learned in Scripture and being learned in the Scriptures and understanding theology and being able to rightly divide the word of truth, and so just because someone is a man doesn't mean that there qualified to pastor a church or to lead a church, either, but I do think that's one of the prerequisites and so I thank you for your question and God bless and await her. We sometimes talked about calling to the ministry and if an individual feels well, God is calling me and yet there is no confirmation from the local church body. How would you respond to that yes is a really important thing right because there a lot of people today who just to call themselves into ministry.

And maybe there their charismatic maybe there there. You know, people really like them. They're good communicators and whatnot but that doesn't mean that you are called to the ministry that you should be a pastor.

We have the internal call a sense of desire, anyone desires after you know that the office of an overseer desires a good thing Paul says but there's also the church that comes alongside us, as yet, this person is qualified based on what Paul says in first Timothy three Titus chapter 1 there qualified to pastor the church of the church calls a ministry of a minister and that's how God does it as well.

Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us.

Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together