How Will Christians Be Like Jesus When He Returns?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday.

Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez hi and welcome to another episode of the entity with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez welcome to the show were so excited to be together again.

You know some interesting staff encouraging stats actually about millennial evangelicals from facts and trends for 2020 will, on average, millennial's are less likely than previous generations to believe in God and pray consider religion important to their lives and regularly attend church but don't tell that to millennial evangelicals.

A recent study found that among self identified evangelicals, 61% of millennial's attend church at least weekly. That's higher than Gen Xers and boomers 44% and 54% on additional study from Barnett found that while fewer millennial's identifies Christians those who do identify as such, remain as committed to faith practices and beliefs as older generations that was preventable or interesting or often hearing statistics and kinda beat up on my generation of values.

Let look it us millennial evangelicals were holding down the sale for your people. You go are excited about the program for today here's a Instagram message that we received from Julie how do you understand Ecclesiastes 519 through 24.

He will not much.

Remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart is not a great verse when you think about all the other kind of ouch versus yeah in the Ecclesiastes is really a wonderful a wonderful book of the Bible. Here's the passage of Ecclesiastes 519 to 20 everyone. Also, to whom God is given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil. This is the gift of God, for he will not much.

Remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Wonderful. You know a lot of people go through really rough spots in their life and then they are successful and they have much better lifestyle, but materially wanted it supposed to do that feel guilty. No treated as something they deserve no be thankful it's meant to raise her eyes to heaven. In gratitude to the Lord.

Whether were poor or rich or anything in between. We are called to be content, and the apostle Paul told the Philippians I learned to be content in all things, whether I'm rich or poor. I've lived in plenty and I've lived in poverty.

I know what it's like both ends of the spectrum, and God is still there, God is still good. God is always good wherever I am on that spectrum so we don't have jobs. We have callings and these callings give us joy their gift from God. The preacher says God has given us.

He says wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them. Isn't that nice of you worst thing is to have all the wealth and possessions and you are unable to enjoy it. You know you are in a hospital bed or you're in a convalescent home or it, but what a wonderful thing. When God gives us possessions and power to enjoy them, and God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Time flies when you're having fun. There's absolutely nothing wrong, nothing worldly, nothing unchristian about being thankful for the wealth and possessions and family and friends.

The Lord has given you, as long as you're responsible in your stewardship you don't hoard you not selfishly ambitious, you use your gifts including your wealth for the good of others as well, but also for your own enjoyment. This is the thing we don't actually enjoy anyone or anything but God. Our calling is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

That's we were made to enjoy God but we can enjoy God by properly using the gifts that he gives us just don't worship the gift worship the giver. Let the gifts raise your eyes to heaven and grateful thanks and praise. Amen. I respond to someone who says to you. Religion was just created to control others. That's what Beth wants to know.

Let's listen into her call back and having religion is just a tool to control people and getting that extra minute Christianity-the current Breitling enter election and abused and perverted at first but hardly talk to people about that in a way that patient found that even though Christianity had been twisted. It still yeah that's the first thing I would say Beth Ives.

I've heard this a lot and I get it.

Partly because there has been so much abuse of Christianity in the Scriptures and the gospel in the churches today limit. Let me say this. First of all, focus on what the gospel is the gospel is not the church. The gospel is not the church's behavior.

The gospel is what Christ did for sinners in the church is the place where sinners go to confess their sins and receive forgiveness, but I would say this religion is so powerful in people's lives that of course is going to be used and twisted and exploited by people who are cynical and aren't really religious themselves.

I won't mention any names here, but we all know people in power in various places who use religion in order to get power or votes or money or support.

That's a horrible thing, but what it shows is actually that Christian faith is very powerful and if it weren't people wouldn't bother exploiting it. But anything that is powerful is like that. Not just religion but you know the think of political causes. People will really fight each other over and yell at each other over being a Republican or Democrat white will because political views really really really really stir people and political identity is really a big thing. It's powerful, so anything that is important to a lot of people as religion certainly is will be used and abused and exploited by cynical people have Beth and I would just piggybacking off what Mike says he does go to the source. We look around us today. We see Christians acting in certain ways that a set aside for second and go to Jesus and the apostles you can say about Jesus that he was inventing this movement so that he could get rich and powerful.

Actually, on the contrary, his message was rejected. Even the people closest to him ended up abandoning him right there at the cross, anything but the apostles right. None of them are getting rich off of preaching the gospel.

Actually, they're losing everything. Everything in the early Christians were martyred. The early Christians were martyred. And so right that the reason they proclaim. This message was not to control people the gospel doesn't spread through coercion through controlling people. It spreads as our hearts are captivated by the love of God in the work of the Holy Spirit as we hear that good news proclaimed. So that's at. As Mike said I would go straight to the gospel when you're talking to your friends a look. You can't come to the conclusion that Christianity was invented to control people by listening to the words of Jesus and by looking at the work of Jesus.

You don't get that by looking at at the apostles who follow Jesus. Yeah. Are there corruptions today.

Dr. people try to abuse it. Today sure we do see that but that is a meat is not true. So go to the source. Go to the gospel and hopefully that's helpful for you. You're listening to court Christianity were answering your questions about the fate you can reach that 1-833-843-2673.

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Why do we believe these things so is written really it in a straightforward way for new believers and nonbelievers. People who just really haven't really encountered the basic doctrines of the Christian faith or for those who are mature Christians but would like to do a refresher course. Yeah.

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Christianity, thanks so much for listening. Go get your copy of court Christianity today.

You can also reach us at 1-833-843-2673 to get a hold of that book. We know that it'll be encouraging to you as you continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let's take another call now sure the back. One cannot salvation to be something that I hear a lot and I don't think we can live our ovation we really are. And so the person God and he moved around anyway and really cranky. Certainly thank you for those very important questions will first and foremost, if God wanted to make puppets. He could have, but he didn't. He made human beings with free will, the ability to make their own decisions their own choices and at the same time, God not only knew that he had included in his plan. Everything that would happen. How does that not make him puppets.

Well, we don't know Scripture doesn't tell us the answer that it tells us were not puppets and that man was created with free will, but when human beings fell that will was enslaved to sin.

So our will is in bondage to sin. It's not because of God's sovereignty that we don't have free will.

It's because of sin, then how is it possible for us to be morally responsible agents who make our own choices and decisions and commit our own actions, and yet God knows in advance what were going to do and has even included all that in his plan.

How can both of those be true well again were just told in Scripture that they are not how and when it comes to whether we can lose our salvation ill there so many passages here. A lot of times people who think you can go to Hebrews chapter 6 there the writer to the Hebrews talks about those who have once been enlightened, that was ancient churches term for baptism of those were baptized were now enlightened those who have once been enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift the Lord's supper who have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and through the preaching of the word of God have tasted of the powers of the age to come, if they fall away.

He says it's impossible to renew them to repentance for the crucified, the son of God afresh will first of all, most people who believe you can lose your salvation. Don't believe that you can't come back in and be saved again but the right of the Hebrews is saying exactly that of these people. They can't be saved. What's he talking about here. Well, in context, he's talking to Jews were going back to Judaism. These telling them. If you go back to Judaism.

There is no sacrifice for sin you're going back to sacrifices that can't take away sins where you are right now is in a place where you're going back from the climax of the movie back to the trailer now Jesus has come, he is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices his blood is enough to atone for all of our sins and so these are people following away into apostasy and there is no salvation in Judaism there is no salvation in the temple.

There is no salvation in the priesthood. All of that now is gone.

That show is over. It did its work. It was a trailer. It pointed forward to the motion picture now that the motion picture has reached its climax. So he says, but we are convinced of better things in your case, beloved things that accompany salvation, say so there there's a group of people in the church who are tasting of the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come there tasting what's up ahead there tasting there being enlightened, but they're not regenerated and they haven't eaten.

There's a difference between tasting and eating. And that's the same point he was making throughout Hebrews especially go back to neighbors forcing our forefathers in the wilderness they heard the gospel just as we have, but they didn't respond with faith and so they never entered the promised land.

That generation never entered the promised land. So that's who these people are there people who have not really entered the promised land they been baptized. They been catechized. They've been immersed in the in the preaching of the word of God and the Lord's supper. They don't really believe they taste, but they don't eat and drink. They don't really receive Jesus Christ with all of his benefits so there are people who fall away, there are people who lose their status in the visible body of Christ, but there's no one who is born again, who is regenerated by the spirit of God, who loses that regeneration was yours spiritually alive your life. There's no one who is justified that is declared righteous in God's courtroom, who can then be declared not righteous on Judgment Day, so everyone is justified is being sanctified and will one day be glorified. That's why Paul says in Philippians 16 being confident of this, brothers, that he who began a good work in you will complete it to the day of Christ Jesus. This is not that we can't lose our salvation because somehow God stuck with us. We said yes to Jesus 20 years ago and now you know.

He says okay I I can't back out of this is that we won't walk away from him. We would ordinarily walk away from him. Our hearts are still a mess, but he will not walk away from us. He will keep us on the path leading to final salvation until Jesus returns, or until we die. Isn't that a marvelous confidence that we have think Jesus said, John 644 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise that person up on the last day you come to Christ.

That's a promise you will be raised up on the last day or John 10 verse 27 following my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who is given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able snatch them out of the father's hand.

Can Christ intercession be thwarted, he says in John 17 nine I pray not for the world.

But for those you have given me, for they are yours and you gave them to me. Can anyone whom the father has chosen in Christ and given to Christ be plucked from his hand. No, not one. Jesus says not one and then finally Romans 830 to 39 and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified, not some of them, but those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things. If God is for us who can be against us. He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things, who shall bring any charge against God's elect. It's God who justifies.

Who is to condemn Christ Jesus as the one who died more than that, who was raised who is at the right hand of God interceding for us, who shall separate us than from the love of Christ shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword know in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, more powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Praise the Lord for that a man is speaking of that wonderful salvation that the future hope even that we have of being glorified. We got a question from Wayne on Facebook for Sean 32 says, beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared. We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. You understand this. How will we be like Jesus when he appears, Wayne, like Jesus, you and I can have glorified bodies in first Corinthian chapter 15. Paul talked about how Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection you and are the rest of the crop that to stick with the analogy and that final resurrection when all of God's people are raised incorruptible, will happen at Jesus's appearance. Now what exactly will those new bodies be like honestly were not hundred percent sure.

I think that the best place you can look to get any sort of indication is that Jesus on earth.

After he was raised again from the dead glorified body. He still eating.

Seems like he's able to appear in sort of disappeared out of nowhere. Yet he tells him he's not.

He's not a ghost.

That's right that their babies lands on flesh and flesh and bones so they can question diminish the mystery there and note that the text says that we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is, there's this theme in Scripture, beginning all the way back in the Old Testament that we become like what we worship what we fix our eyes on in adoration as we end up like Paul said in second Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from 1� of glory to another for this comes from the Lord who is the spirit of this coming a day where we will see him even more fully Wayne first Corinthian's 13 calls it.

Seeing him face-to-face. And there's something so powerful so transformative about that encounter that it's going to forever change us when is that can happen when Jesus appears you know II don't think it be helpful to define it so much. Now we just don't know. But we know that it's in a be above and beyond anything we can ever ask or think, by the power of Jesus to be the consummation if you will of our salvation that glorified body eliciting the court Christianity were answering your questions about the faith. Give us a call with your question at 1-833-843-2673.

That's 1833 the core or you can email us at questions at core, Christianity.com and Shane asked us an email. Jesus said that the world would be able to recognize us as his disciples by our love.

I don't see much of this today.

Can you explain why that might be what we failing to do as the church to attain to what Jesus thinks is supposed to be a basic mark of a true Christian, like you, Shane. The most important thing here is elsewhere is to distinguish the law from the gospel we talk about this quite a bit.

The law is everything that commands from Genesis to Revelation.

The gospel is everything work. God promises us salvation from Genesis to Revelation. So God speaks these two words throughout the Bible commands us any promises salvation in his son. This command to love the world will know where his disciples by our love for each other applies to all who follow Jesus not just of the apostles all followers of Jesus should be recognized by their love. That's just part of what being a child of God entails were part of a family and as a matter of historical fact, the early Christians were known for their love.

Even in their attacks pagan critics noted that Christian stood out for their love of each other and for those even outside the church. They really cared for each other in body and soul, and not just one-on-one spontaneously, but in it in an organized way.

In the first and second century in the Roman Empire. There was no social relief system. Every man for himself and the gods for us all, but Christians put together the first real network of social relief in the ancient world was especially important when when sickness and in particular plagues would sweep through the Roman Empire. You know Christians who are organizing to take care of the sick. Not just sick Christians, but people who were sick and dying outside of the church. Yeah, absolutely.

The office of deacon was established in the church for that very reason.

As we read in the book of acts, so it is something that we have to take very seriously. We are not to say be warm and filled as James warns, but to help our brother and sister, and others who are in need. Love is a mark of a true Christian knelt were not saved by our love. Love is a summary of the law. Love your neighbor is a command. It's not a promise. It's a command, but now in Jesus Christ, we hear that command, not as a crushing obligation and our neighbor as a distracting burden. Rather, we see the law the command to love as something we cherish something that we want to obey and we see our neighbor, not as a burden, but as a gift. All that has changed in Jesus Christ, thanks for listening to court Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at court, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33. The core 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