How Can I Get My Thoughts to Match What I Believe in My Heart?

If God predestines people for heaven. Does that mean he also predestines people for hell. 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 Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day and you can call us right now with your question. At 833.core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also email us with your questions.

Here's the email address questions at core, Christianity.com. First up, today we got a fun good news story to share with you six-year-old Callaghan McLaughlin lives in British Columbia, Canada, and he had been looking forward to starting his own lemonade stand. Once the weather warmed up. But since the coronavirus outbreak is force the world into quarantine. He had to improvise rather than spending his time indoors every day. Callaghan decided to spread joy in his community by setting up a drive-by joke stand so he could make his neighbors laugh while obeying the social distancing guidelines. Callaghan's mom says that he's been using one-liners from a kids joke book that she bought them six months ago. The youngster has been setting up shop every morning at the end of his driveway for at least one hour before taking a lunch break and then returning in the afternoon for another joke telling, shift, elegant has been offering his jokes for free because he says people need to save their money for more important things like groceries that so cool.

Boy I mean and he knows exactly what we need right now is a good laugh this the net did did they share any of Callaghan's jokes is what I want to know they did not. I will have to see if there's any on that website and tomorrow maybe we can share what, let's get to our first question of the day. This one comes from Anna and she says hey guys I believe with all my heart that God is sovereign over salvation. The problem is I have a difficult time applying that to my children. I spend a lot of time worrying obsessively about whether I'm doing something that will exasperate them and make them leave the faith. It is left me either paralyzed over making parenting decisions for fear of being too legalistic or to free this anxiety makes me panic and I'm probably expecting maturity that is unreasonable for their ages. I'm currently in the throes of the teen years. I also find my mood alters according to how they are acting in a single moment, rather than my joy being in Christ how to live practically get my head to match what my heart knows so I can actually enjoy these years. Anna I think every single one of us who has children can sympathize with you I felt that same thing. My kids are teenagers yet but every day you know, my wife and I are asking ourselves the question okay are we doing this the right way. I think looking back there time so we say torsos a whole man I would've done that differently, we really have to rest in the fact, as you say that God is the one who is sovereign in salvation and that God loves our children more than we ever can or will. He's good, there's this promise that we see throughout the Scriptures that God promises to be a guide to us and to our children. God's intention is for his salvation to visit the whole family.

He loves your kids in, and I think we need to know that, and rest in that prayer is so important here years ago and I was in a church where the pastor made a very powerful confession before the entire congregation during the service in the middle of the sermon. He said I need to confess something to you all and ask for your forgiveness and imagine the room got really quiet.

He said I focus so much on trying to solve all the problems in the church. Your problems by doing counseling, teaching, etc., but I have not been praying for you any confess that in a strange way he had come to rely on himself and not on God to leave the church, will we can do that as parents Anna prayer to the Lord is key because you understand the Lord is the one who opens the heart.

I can't bring about that the new birth and my kids but I can look in faith to the God who does prayer.

So often reveals to us where our confidence is it too often. I think that we treat prayer as a last resort. I'll do that once I've given it my all prayer is where we have to begin as parents. So when your sensing anxiety and the temptation to to fruit and Specht were to try to fix something. Go first to the Lord in prayer.

Paul said in Philippians chapter 4 verses six and seven do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So I think you know. And in those moments where we say I know cognitively that God you are sovereign and that you're the one who opens the heart that gives new life, but in my heart. I'm trying to bring that about my children. We have to take a step back and say Lord help help me to trust in you and to trust God that through my love for you through sharing the word of my children. You're going to do the work that only you can do. Thank you so much for your question at God bless you and I thank you so much for your question.

I pray that that's helpful to help Bill. I know that you're in the throes of the teenagers to get in there more and more how do you feel about this? Do you wrestle with the same thing. You know I don't wrestle with my kids salvation, but I do Russell sometimes with are they really understanding what it means to live for Christ and be Christlike and we talk about that on a regular basis. My wife says, you know, just cut them slack their teenagers but so often the culture is influencing but what they say and how they act, and I have to keep bringing them back and saying is this how God wants us to respond.

Is this how God wants us to treat our brothers and sisters were called to a very different standard by our Lord and Savior. So that's I think the issue that were dealing with, most often in our family.

Yeah, you know, II can imagine any I'm getting the questions already now from my eight-year-old and my five-year-old, but as children get older you know the questions that come up in the questions that are being posed by our society and this is why it's so important for us as parents and just as Christians to know why we believe the things that we believe why is it that God's law is better and it's good and what society offers to us is so important for us to grasp those things and to be able to share those truths with our children in a way that's compelling and beautiful and faithful to the Scriptures. That's one of our goals are core Christianity is to help parents and grandparents as they raise their kids or grandkids to be able to share the faith and impractical tangible ways so that her kids grow up with a clear understanding of God's word. Let's go to our first call of the day a drill in this one came in from Jason question regarding estimation. I heard some males ask a question about Artie really predestined so want to ask you a little more depth about that. You're like oh here we go with this again. No, but subject good question right. My son Keith asked me this I don't have a good answer for any it is a very valid question 11 but his question as well. If God predestined people for heaven that many also predestined people for help Jason that is a really good question know it's so funny, I love when my kids ask questions. I found that a lot of times it's right before bedtime because they just don't want to go to sleep so that's what I'll get the deep theological questions like your son, your 11-year-old is really thinking through this and how cool that he is ill let me first say that were talking about things related to God's eternal decree Ebenezer deep theological waters and Christians, sincere believers of all different kinds of wrestle with these questions and come to various conclusions. Here's my position. God did not by a mere arbitrary act of his will predestined a large portion of people to hell or create them specifically for that purpose election predestination unto eternal life that results in faith and good works, but reprobation. That's a big word but it's the opposite of predestination in some sense the opposite of election is not the cause of unbelief and sin. One thing that we always have to hold to in these kinds of discussions is that God is not the author of evil. God doesn't make us sin.

That's not what Christians have ever believe throughout the history of the church so God doesn't predestined people to damnation in the same way he predestines people to salvation. As far as I can tell him reprobation. God gives people up to their own desires. He lets them do it their way. Now let me just give you a resource that you might find helpful as I give you this answer option of echoing the words of an old document that I want to recommend to you as you wrestle with this question. It's called the canons of Dort the 17th century document that tries to be as biblical as possible in unpacking these important questions. You can find it online and the reality is that we want to do here on this program is to be as biblical as best we can in answering these questions and so let's go to the text of Scripture in Romans chapter 1 verses 21 through 24 I think you get this picture of reprobation and know what Paul says that Romans chapter 1 beginning in verse 21 he said, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened claiming to be wise, they became fools that exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore, God did. God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. You know what Paul is saying there is not like God is causing them to do this. This is what they're doing. They knew they know all. People knows what Paul is saying here. Romans one just on the basis of creation that God is the sovereign Lord and Creator of all things, we reject that truth, we reject the light of nature because we want to go our own way and what God does is passes over these people. He says okay you want that fine now in predestination. Here's what God does.

He takes people who are going their own way. People like Saul of Tarsus as he was on his way to to persecute and imprison Christians and he lifts them up out of the darkness Paul later in Romans chapter 8 verses 29, 30, says this for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified.

And so the heart of your question brother is no God does not predestined people to damnation in the same way he predestines people to salvation. He lets people go their own way out. Why we don't know the answer to that. We don't know God's sovereign decree. We do know is that God is just nobody who goes to hell is there and doesn't deserve to be there. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and it's God's mercy is graciousness and he saves any of us and he has, through his son Jesus Christ. Thank you Jason for your question makes you think your son for that question two. By the way, if you like to call us with your question. Here's the phone number it's 1-833-843-2673 or you can spell it out on your phone, 833 the poor in our country is going through such a difficult time right now and having a short confidence in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross on our behalf is critical and he record Christianity. One of our goals is to answer the hard unsettling questions of our times and do that with both skeptics and committed Christians in mind, we want to give answers that not only show why Christianity is true but also why it's good why it's beautiful in your support alongside the work of our team here is making a huge difference. A difference in helping other people live with hope and joy and confidence and you know that difference is eternal, so would you consider sending a gift to help us continue with that work as a thank you for a gift of $20 or more, we will send you our new core Christianity Bible study on Paul's letter to the Romans, something that Israel was just quoting from to make a donation and to receive the study on Romans just head over to core Christianity.com that's core Christianity.com and on behalf of the entire team at core radio. We thank you so much for your support and I really do hope that you'll take advantage of that resource you know lives truly are being changed. I want to share with you a message that I just received this last week from Amanda lives in Manchester, England. He said around Easter. I picked up a Bible. I have had for 10 years and began reading it. Matthew one and didn't stop reading and listening to spoken versions of the Bible until I got to Revelation 21 that the end I had questions questions and more questions.

I try to find answers to various platforms and eventually stumbled across your core Christianity podcast on spot a fight around a week ago and I just wanted you to know how much it is benefited me listening to you.

You provide answers and explanations beautifully and I have only scratched the surface he goes on to say, I could never just accept the words of a priest or take it from the words of the prayer or song in church until recently, I felt the need to pick the Bible back up and really understand the gospel of Jesus have a long way to go but the more I study and listen and pray for understanding the more I feel enlightened. I plan to be baptized.

When the lockdown restrictions lift here in the UK. I wish to be born again and be filled with the word piercing my heart and soul again. I just want to convey how much your podcast is benefited me so far in picking apart the message and interpreting certain passages isn't that just so beautiful in the word of God is going out and hearts are being touched so we do want to ask for your support as we seek to bring this message. The rest of core Christianity people throughout the world. Consider joining us in the effort laboring side-by-side with us through your prayers and gifts. We really appreciate it while you're reading that Israel my my goosebumps got goosebumps on just so beautiful that that's truly what it's all about. Let's go to another one of our emails that came in. You can email us at questions at core, Christianity.com. This one came in from Glenn and he said some believe that one can lose their salvation. That is, even if they are truly a believer. What sin or sins must they commit in order for that to happen. That's not a difficult one is that the know I predestination in this. You know how we had a boy yet they do not take it easy on me today.

How I love this question. I I've heard a pastor say before you know if I could lose my salvation. I would have a long time ago. His this is one of those things are.

Some people do believe this. I don't believe that you can lose your salvation if you're truly a child of God, born again, you won't and can't lose your salvation because Jesus never lets go of you. Now that does not mean we won't go through dark times. You times where we might even wonder if we are saved, but the life of God in us is never fully extinguished. I love the way one pastor wrote about this. He said it's like a little amber still burning, albeit barely it at the bottom of a burnt woodpile. Sometimes that's how we might feel like the warmth of God's presence is all but gone because of our sins because of our failures, but the light of God and the children of God is never extinguished. It can be fanned back in the flame by God's word. Listen to what Jesus said in John chapter 60 said all that the father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out five come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me, and this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me raise it up on the last day. This is the will of my father that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day and note this those who go to Jesus are given to Jesus by the father and none of those who go to him or cast out by him and it's the father's will.

Jesus doesn't lose 11 of who one of those who believes in him unto eternal life there raised up in glory and I just quoted a little bit ago from Romans 829 through 30. Those who he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Those same ones were predestined and called their justified and glorified God is going to finish the work he starts in his children not maybe you're thinking of right this is an objection. What about those verses that make it sound like people can lose their salvation Hebrews chapter 6 Hebrews 10 we questions about those passages all the time on this program will look you can have an external relationship with Jesus and his church, and never really be saved and if you abandon the faith, it will prove that John set a false teachers in first John chapter 2 verse 19 they went out from us, but they were not of us.

For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that it might be plain that they all are not of us.

So Glenn, the people who do say you can lose your salvation him and typically they will appeal to passages like Hebrews 6 Hebrews 10 the state gotta be a real serious sin, you may be a willful sin that's that's very bad but you know what the people of God have sinned in terrible ways throughout the history of the church you think of King David. You think of Peter denying the Lord. Yet the Lord does not abandon his people. He continues to work in us bringing us to himself, saving us the reason we can't lose our salvation is because Jesus is the one who keeps us thanks Glenn for your question. What a great message of hope for all of us later. One of the ways you can communicate with us here core Christianity is through our Facebook page or Instagram page and Richard posted this on Instagram why is having faith so difficult it's been 20 years and I still have the same thorn in the flesh Harris or Paul can sympathize and I think we all can he know because of all the spiritual insight that Paul was given.

He says in in second Corinthians that God gave him a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble in people and debated know what exactly was that thorn in the flesh. We don't know but Paul said three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me but he said to me, as the Lord said to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly pulsate of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

It will struggle with the same sin for a long period of time. Peter hi Jenny I just mentioned how he denied the Lord because he was afraid of what man would do to him and he didn't want to say that he knew Jesus while Jesus was being crucified, years and years later, Paul had to rebuke Peter for him, still struggling with the fear of man. Peter was afraid of what certain Jews would think about him when he ate with Gentiles. And so he saw a fellow shipping with the Gentiles and in the book of Galatians, Paul said that he wasn't walking in step with the gospel that Peter wasn't walking in line with what Jesus had taught him peers Peter all those years later still trying to put to death the same old sins. The fear of man.

So you're struggling with the same old thing for 20 years know what is God teaching you.

I think the same thing.

Maybe that he was teaching Paul is grace. Richard is sufficient for you. Sometimes it's through our weaknesses that God ends up doing his most powerful work, why because then God gets all of the glory, not us. Brother go to the Lord, trust in him and rely upon him when were struggling with those thorns in the flesh. That's that's what were supposed to do were supposed to realize Lord, your grace is sufficient for me. I am weak, but you are strong. Thanks Richard for your question our editor. Let's go to our final call of the day and this one came in from Robert Burton of any type of work.my wife just passed on December 15 10 date of our Christmas under. I attended quite emotional, psychomotor glory departing from this world and I think it's a matter 20 horribly visited were talks about like your flight not be on the Sabbath nor the winter it's almost excruciating working for the average firm passed through a drill site chosen and I'm waiting with great anticipation. I hope you can answer this for me since Robert your questions are never a burden and were so grateful for the times reached out to us and asked various questions. What a joy it is for us to answer your questions my condolences about your wife, but I praise God for the hope that we have that you have those with fallen asleep in the Lord are with him that your wife is with Jesus right now.

And while we sorrow I could hear the pain in your voice. We don't sorrows those who have no hope. Paul said in first Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 14 for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Jesus rose again from the dead. We have the hope you have the hope that your wife will rise because of what Jesus is done regarding your interpretation of Matthew 24 and when Jesus said to his disciples pray your flight is not in winter on the Sabbath. He's referring to the people that were present during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., a set of the Mount of olives and the disciples came to him privately, saying, tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming of the end of the ages of their two questions there. When is the destruction can happen.

And what's the sign of the" that's when Jesus starts talking about not letting your flight be in the winter. A lot of people have interpreted this text in different ways.

But what would Jesus is not saying is that the time of our death, whether it's in the spring of the summer and the winter has any bearing on our eternity. The key question is am I in Christ and if you are in Christ. And no matter when death comes to you as it will come to all of us who have a hope that stronger than the great. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us.

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