The Narrow Path 9/9

Welcome to the narrow path radio broadcast. My name is Steve Greg and were live for an hour each weekday afternoon, always open for lunch for you to call if you wish to call with questions about the Bible of the Christian faith or anything related. There unto or whether you have a difference of opinion with the host would like to bring that up. You can call this number. The number is 844-484-5737 SH 444-8457 37 first color today is Damien from Boise, Idaho. Damien, welcome to the narrow path is for calling your meat yes like you to question the question is amenable good. You and I think in verse 20 talks about praying in the spirit.

My first question is how do you pray in the spirit. If you have the gift of speaking in tongue and in my second question is on the idealist view of Revelation. I'm gonna have an odd time.

I guess rub my head around it and I just want to keep him on on the right track. The ideal if you basically says it's not speaking about like a specific timeframe received in a just basically something that can repeat in different time frames of history that kind of kind of the idealist view of Revelation is that physicians are symbolic of larger principles or ideals or truths which should do not apply to one particular time in history that might apply to many different types of history they are like the truth of God's sovereignty over the nations. The raising up of kingdoms and bring it down of kingdoms, the bringing of wars of conquest as judgments on nations and things like that that these things happen throughout history and that God is the one behind them is kind of what the idealist view holds the book of Revelation be telling us, and so you know almost anyone who make some kind of spiritual lesson from the book of Revelation for any of its vision very would in some sense the following. The idealist view though it's entirely possible to take idealist approach to certain parts of Revelation as you see the whole book and him largely different way maybe like I see the whole book largely in a prejudiced way. But I see the middle parts in the last parts of the book and idealist way. I have reasons for that. Of course my lectures, I give those reasons, but the idea of the idealist view is that it is symbolic for ideas and transcendent principles that are always true and manifest in different historical situations throughout history repeatedly so that would be a duplicate idealist view generally refers to as far as Jude verse 20 you said is that is that a reference to speaking in tongues and how do you how do you pray in the spirit. If you if you don't speak in tongues. While it is true that Paul uses the expression, praying in the spirit to me and speaking in tongues because he says in first Perkins 1414 for I pray if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, and my understanding is unfruitful. What is it that I will pray with the spirit and I will pray also with the understanding I will sing with the spirit and I will pray and sing.

With the understanding otherwise. If you bless with the spirit and here you'll see.

He clearly meets with tongue in tongues.

How will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say miniature giving of thanks. Since he does not understand what you're saying. So Paul does in first convince 14, when he is talking about tongues. He does refer to it as praying and singing in blessing God in the spirit now, Jude says that we should pray in the Holy Spirit is in fact is we should build ourselves up in the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit's. Interestingly, when Paul's target tongues. He says that he that speaks an unknown tongue edifies himself and his bills himself up so we do know that from first convince 14 policies speaking in tongues to be speaking in praying in the spirit and also building oneself up so in Jude was a different author and might use the terms different than Paul Jude says, but, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit it would connect very well with Paul's discussion of speaking in tongues is that which builds you up and that which is in the spirit. However, I don't know that that's enough for us to assume that praying in the spirit necessarily must only mean in tongues. I would assume that if were praying under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and empowered by the Holy Spirit, enabled her Holy Spirit and I would consider were praying in the spirit.

In that sense because we walk in the spirit that sets were in the spirit. When the buses walk in the spirit you will not fulfill the lust of flesh to walk in the spirit, I believe, is to be guided by the spirit and to be empowered by the spirit and soul praying in the spirit could mean the same thing as certainly that would apply to speaking in tongues, but it might not apply only to speaking in tongues in first Kurt Ephesians chapter 6 Paul says in verse 18, that we should be praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this and with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints now he says we should specifically be praying in the spirit with all prayer and supplication and praying for all the saints. I don't win if you're speaking in tongues don't really know what you're praying for so I don't know if he's saying pray in tongues you know, for all the saints because I don't I don't know how you'd know to do that because speaking in tongues you aren't determining what you're praying for the Holy Spirit's sole, I think probably Paul uses the term praying in the spirit there more broadly and probably does not refer to speaking in tongues in Ephesians 618 and therefore it's entirely possible to Jude is not referred speaking in tongues.

When he speaks of praying in the spirit, but it's possible that he is of course speaking in tongues is very commonplace activity in the early church and any of the writers of the New Testament could've alluded to it by that phrase, but I think though, when Paul Dr. praying in the spirit in first convince 14 it's in a context where it's obvious he's term praying in tongues in these other places. It's not obvious these target praying in tongues and I think possibly that praying in the spirit can you be in tongues are not in tongues. And if that's true then than I suspect that these guys would've in these other places that don't mention tongues, they probably would have specifically mentioned tongues if that's what they're talking unless and this is a big unless unless it was generally understood in the early church that the term praying in the spirit means praying in tongues.

I don't know if that is I don't know if the early church thought that were not. Which leaves that open to question. But I how would you do it if you don't speak in tongues why we just asked of the Holy Spirit would would guide me in my prayers and innovate the Christ would pray his prayers to the father through me and and just pray I would begin by praying the way Jesus taught us to pray, I usually begin that way with the Lord's prayer and then I usually fill in any of the phrases I fill in the specific request that are related to those phrases but not ever.

Praise the same way. The main thing I think a brain is heard is that you are being guided by the spirit which range would be guided by me and I'm not to be able to give you guidance about how to pray how the spirit will lead you to pray. I can only say follow his leading.

Now the question how do we know what is leading is well. It's that's the big issue is that I mean Christians are always one how do we know if's. If something is the Spirit's guidance or something else and that's a larger subject, I would say if your prayers are offered in submission to God, trusting his spirit to guide them and they are prayed, motivated by love for others and not by selfish desires. Then I would just go separate proceed leave it up to God to do the guiding because there's nothing more would know to do right. I already think equipment and thank you for your call – K a rich from Everett Washington is next.

Welcome to the narrow path rich hey thanks for taking my call. I really appreciate your show. Thank you. Perfect timing to I'm just going to the driveway so good? I wanted to run by you and get your opinion on. It's about related to dispensational premillennialism and appoint its often brought up and I discussed this with friends or members of my church, and maybe I could back into it a little bit by explaining what I'm thinking but it has to do with you know one point upbringing to say look Israel's nomination against his 1941 study. Explain how the 840 848 Sheila yeah it's the end items you know the typical explanation is you know this is a mystery blessing. It's fulfillment of the Abraham covenant Israel.

This is a good thing this is this is God's throne is promised to them and I'm wondering if maybe at least I'm thinking you know there might be another explanation for why probably several but least one of their lease biblically that I might be in the .2 and I guess I would start by, maybe even backing up in the Old Testament we been taking a city that was even Jewish Nineveh night Jonah went to Nineveh. Non-Jews are pretty pretty evil wicked city with all kinds of wickedness.

Jonah went there he preached the word of God and they repented and in Matthew 12 Jesus points out that hey you know matter speaking, he could be said that those men of minimal, even wicked or righteous, and displayed better judgment then this generation of unbelieving Jews in writing on Israel.

We have a generation of unbelieving Jews effective her and I don't how accurate is burning people to Christianity in Israel is a technical legal or several barriers that are put up there by the community that are in control and I know people I know people who were kicked out of the country of Israel because they gave somebody New Testament while exactly okay so you have it, a current generation. This generation is user unbelieving and resistance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Compared to that generation that was a Nineveh a thousand years ago. The other example he gives is you know the kingdom of Sheba, which was a pagan kingdom to the south and the Queen of Sheba came in no great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon and write an essay and the Jews were not doing it right. We need to get to your customer okay so it goes on and he says when an unclean spirit leaves a man it goes around into hot hostile dry places, but it seems to return from where it left and when it comes back he finds the place occupied better bring seven more spirits in the case in the situation that man is worse than when the spirit left and then he says. And so it is with this generation.

The whole publisher that teaching in context of spiritual warfare deliverance, but you really talking about this generation of unbelieving Jews right is a reason for telling that story so could it be that alternative reason for the current nationstate of Israel is not because of a glass of promised Abraham, but because you have an unbelieving group of people who want to return to their homeland because of the sin of unbelief they have made it happen. You know, because of maybe choosing racial identity over repentance and choosing nationalism over faithfulness. A lot of reasons and it seems to me that's kind of what Jesus is alluding to in Matthew chapter 12 is a possibility. Does that make sense well let me let me give you my own thoughts about that statement about the demons and sociality for this generation. Jesus spoke about his generation. On many occasions remember electors five different times in Matthew, that he is the expression this generation, and to what shall I liken this generation that I children playing in the marketplace and so forth under the wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign he said and when he gave the all of the discourses these things will happen in this generation. And he said the same thing in Matthew 23 and so we see that Jesus is the target his own generation and raises his generation is like a man who had a demon cast out of it, but because the man didn't close the door or it wasn't occupied enough to keep other the demons from coming back.

The demons came back only in much greater force. I think Jesus is saying that his generation, the Jews of his time were like that that he and his ministry had cast out demons a lot from the nation and in the in the figurative sense had brought light to the nation corporate records. Individuals had demons cast out, but there's a sense in which the whole nation had had the darkness dispelled because it says of Jesus that those who set darkness have seen a great light when when he preached, so the demons are, driven out of of the nation. Maybe not every last one. But the nation have been very much infested as we can see from reading the Gospels and and yet they they did not turn to Christ they did not close the door for a re-infestation. They didn't fill the house with Christ himself as a substitute for the demons ever driven out.

And so in 70 A.D. that same generation experienced an infestation of demons that was horrendous. If you read Josephus's account, especially of the time of the siege of Jerusalem when the Romans were outside before they broke through the behavior of the Jews inside were clearly the behavior of demon possessed people.

People who lost their minds. There just crazy. Amino it looked a lot like some of these anti-for riots or something like that only a large-scale of the whole, the whole city and so I think he's predicting that because he came in he gave them a chance to be free, to be delivered, but they did not seize that opportunity that they're going to be more infested by demons. Then they were previously and I think of and that happened in 70 A.D. as far as Jerusalem existed earlier Israel existing today I can go into great detail right now because the calls writing that I can say this, there is a lecture at my website is actually a lecture series called what we make of Israel and there is at least one lecture.

Their belief called the modern state of Israel and I go into the history of how the Zionist movement began in the 1800s and how it developed in such a way as through the influence largely through the influence of dispensational as Christians to influence political figures and so forth to a greeted to pressure the United Nations to let is a recommendation I give dates and times and people names and so forth and so you know whether it's a fulfillment of prophecy or the blessing of Abraham or not. There certainly are other ways to explain how Israel could become a nation, especially if the most powerful country in the world. America, which was dominated very largely by dispensational Christian thought was pressuring for that to happen so it could be me that the dispensations did predicted would happen before it happened and that is there both as a C we said this would happen way back in the 1800s. And here it did happen in the 1900s. Yeah well that's the main maybe they got it right. Or maybe it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

They they worked really hard to make it happen and who knows that it might not of happened through those efforts whether there is any interest on God's part of it or not, it was largely the United Nations which is not a godly organization that made Israel a nation that God made use but God might not abuse their music.

The question of whether Israel today exists as a fulfillment of prophecy or not would have to depend on whether there is some prophecy to be fulfilled on that subject. And as I read the Old Testament and the new army. There's zero in the New Testament is not one line in the New Testament that could possibly suggest that there is a restoration of Israel in the end times, but in the Old Testament there are references to Israel being restored, but not in the end times, but after the Babylonian exile and that did happen.

So, I once that happened, there's no other predictions about it so I don't know of any Bible prophecy unfulfilled.

2000 years ago that remained to be fulfilled about his recrimination again so I made my own my series for the remake of Israel goes into much more detail on that than I can hear and especially for your interest interested in how the nation became a nation in modern times. My my lecture on the modern state of this would probably be helpful to you. I appreciate your call Rick Kerry from hurst Texas. Welcome to the narrow path expert: yesterday, thanks for taking Michael sure knows the list of them quite often and really enjoyed it had a question about whether you are a caring and if you are why you are not why you're not. And then the second question is if the people who denied the fee dispute Christ, but they believe in a Christ other than can they say in those none of you that okay thank you okay yes I am a Trinitarian that is that means I believe in the Trinity. I don't take my view of the Trinity, though from the creeds per se. I mean I they are in their my RN, I might not of ever put the whole idea together. If the creeds hadn't done it first, but I don't follow the creeds because they are the creeds I follow things that are in the creeds if they agree with Scripture. Some of the creeds say things I'm not sure I agree with but I do believe that the creedal statement of the Trinity. At least the basic statements that God is one and substance of three in person has a pretty good scriptural case in its favor, now there might be some other things that they say like this is Jesus was begotten, not made before the foundation of the world and eternally proceeding from the father was kind of things. Those are going. Frankly into areas the Bible doesn't really say anything about very clearly in the Bible doesn't really something very clear about the Trinity, either.

But there are lots of statements in the Bible that have to be harmonized because the people who made them were not schizophrenic and they were crazy so like Jesus. We made a distinction between himself and the father frequently. He made that distinction. On other occasions he identified himself with the father. He said the father is in me, I'm in. The father keep seeing me of sin.

The father before Abram was, I am, and other things like that were Jesus actually was identifying himself with God and yet other times he he never distinguish himself from Gabi did establish himself in the father. The father is God, but so is the son, and so is the Holy Spirit.

That being so, and the fact that there's only one God needing to be retained, means that God is an essential one. In another sense is three and that's what I take. That's a Trinitarian doctrine. Now, will people who don't believe that Jesus is his God will they be lost will or will they be saved. I can't make decisions about the I don't know that Abraham or Isaac or David or some of the prophets or other righteous Jews of their time in the Old Testament.

I don't know how many of them knew the Messiah would be God. I know the rabbis and Jesus. They didn't believe he was good that the Messiah would be God. The disciples when they walked with Jesus didn't know he was God member wake when he stilled the storm. He said what kind of man is this, that he commands when the waves and they obey him money.

They didn't know he was God, but I believe they came to understand that later on in the upper room. Jesus said to them, in John 16 verses 12 and 13 is that I have many things to say to you but you not ready for them. Yet you can't bear them yet but when the spirit comes, he will guide you in all truth. It seems to me when I read their writings after the spirit came to them the things they say indicate that they did understand that Jesus was in fact God and they could see back some of the things he said that point in that direction. So I but they were saved remained of before they knew he was God.

They were still followers of his that was still his chosen disciples, and so forth. So I think I could not say that a person who does not know that Jesus is God is that you are going to hell for not knowing that, because I don't think the Old Testament saints knew that. I don't think the disciples knew that in the time Jesus walked with them.

Remember, on the in the upper room the night before he died. Philip said to him, Lord shows the father and that sufficient for us and Jesus have I been this long with you, Philip, and you don't know me. In other words, your look interesting to see the father, don't you know who I am. How long directly with you before you know who I and the implications are strongly what what when I say direction of the fathers and me and I'm in the father and if you see me of see the father so it's clear that the disciples even after three and half years of living with him. Didn't have a clear conception that Jesus was God, but he was disappointed that they didn't know it.

He was surprised they haven't figured it out but they did not later and so I would say there are people like that now there they read about Jesus.

They made their things. He says they don't fully understand they get the impression that he's not God because he talks of his father's great of him and so forth.

And they don't understand what that means, and therefore, they conclude. I guess he isn't God. But it's not because they're rejecting the Bible and its test was because they're not understanding correctly. That's like the disciples I don't think they understood correctly until a certain point when you did, and yet they were saved before they understood that, so I'll have to leave it to God to decide who is and who is not saved because that's not the decision left to me.

I to my mind, God would be capable of saving some people who never in their lives and heard of Jesus I say that because because Jesus died for everybody that does me to read is automatically saved but it means he can claim anyone who wants to be bottom, and he can collect on them and and of course anyone whose heart is right to him.

It's very hard to imagine that if Jesus died for people in your heart is right that they don't know of him because they never heard of very difficult for me to believe that the father to say sorry Jesus even though you bottom. You can't have because they never heard that doesn't strike me as God's way. But I can't really say that's the Bible doesn't really tell us whether personal beliefs that specific thing is going to to be saved or lost by I think with examples invite people who were saved prior to the time that they came to understand that Jesus is God.

In many cases, they later understood.

I need to take a break. At this point. I do appreciate your calling. When we come back from break up talk to Everett from Pablo San Pablo and we will take more calls for another half hour because were only halfway through the show. At this point I want to let you know that the narrow path is listener supported many of our stations. We do not receive enough to keep on the air. Long-term, we sometimes get surplus from substation so we can pay for the ones that don't bring in enough, your station may be in danger.

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I'll be back in 30 seconds stated small is the gate and narrow is the path that leads to life, and welcome you to the near and had nothing to tell you today that everything in today's radio show is over, we invite you to visit the narrow path.com we'll find time. The audio teachings blog article verse by verse teachings and the archives of the radio shows learn and enjoy the thank you for supporting the listener supported narrow path if Greg will pass radio broadcast regular live for another half hour taking phone calls. If you have questions about the Bible or the Christian faith or you have a different view from the host you like to talk about the number to call is 844-484-5737. There are couple lines open.

If you're interested, the number is 844-484-5737 Everett from San Pablo, California. Welcome to the narrow path. Thanks for calling.

My question is John chapter 8 allowable study, six, seven, eight, a clear list talk about display about is not in the house and the son therefore shall make the student explained to the significance of missing about the syllabi is not in the house and what would that mean, with its immediate context, usually between the okay Jesus, there is talking to the Jews who were putting confidence in the fact that there are children of Abraham. Again, it was an idea that being ethnically Jewish was something that would command them to God. But Jesus said they had to become his disciples in order to be all right and he said if you continue my words in verse 31. You'll be my disciples indeed. You'll know the truth and the truth make you free will. They they they didn't like the suggestion that they needed to be made free or that they didn't know the truth and they spoke kind of rationalism over Abraham's offspring. We've never been in bondage to anyone which is a really dumb thing to say because of course much of their history had been bondage. They'd spent hundreds of years in bondage in Egypt before they were found. As a nation, but they were the same ethnic people. They had been bondage and babbling in media Persia and and even now they were occupied and not a free people because the Romans occupied himself there. It's really difficult to know why they said we never been bondage except to just kinda counteract him. Rather, without thinking, I think they did that, from time to time the officers can do stupid things because they were desperate and didn't have anything intelligent to say. To oppose what he was saying. So basically never been made in bondage, why do you say we should make freely said well, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and he said the slave does not remain in the house forever, but the sun remains in the house. Therefore, if the son makes you free your free indeed. When he says this slave does not remain in the house forever. He means he doesn't have an inheritance.

There he doesn't have you know a long-term guarantee of being in the family.

He could be in the family. All his life he could even inherit it if if it was the will of the master but that's it would be very normal and so the idea is that the son has a secure right to the household. That is, to the food to be in the family. The slave is quite in that situation as if he said he said if you are committing sin your slave of sin. Now that would mean you don't have a Secure Pl. in God's household. They thought they did. They thought because they were Abraham's children.

They were also God's children. In fact, they actually said that a little later in the in the conversation.

They said were not were not born of fornication with God's children so weak they considered being Abraham's children to be the same as being God's children and he said no you're not. If you're up if you're living in sin you're not one of the children were the slaves your slave of sin and therefore you don't have a secure place in the household. The sun does that's him and if the sun you know if you're one of his people, then you know of course you you're invited to be with him and you have a secure place in the house with him, but the slave when his slaves and doesn't have that position concretely to book your heart be mirrored in the ministry goblet. Thank you, Everett, great to hear from you again on all right. Let's talk next to his quite a few callers now looks like the next one in line is going to be Robert from Pinole, California Robert, welcome to the neuropathic for calling hard by heavy on the Robert also I his button is not there.

Okay, going once I I hear voice. Beckerman faintly yes hello can you hear me I can now I couldn't monitor go-ahead will sorry chapter 4 making a parable and no tell them that something about that, though they are not forgiving doesn't quite want everyone to repent and be forgiven, but he seldom that I don't understand it, so they won't be forgiven, although energy can break that down for me. Mark 412 for Jesus. When asked why, why do you speak in parables and and by implication or saying they don't understand these parables, why don't you speak in a way they can understand you and he said he said so that seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand lest they should turn and in their sins be forgiven them. That is a quotation from Isaiah September 6. By the way, and saying is what he saying is these people, many of them have out have outlived their opportunity to repent now this is not true that everyone the disciples had come from those crowds.

What Jesus is saying is that in Israel there were two kinds of people.

There were people who had hardened themselves against God. They had rejected God long enough that he has basically judging them now by by cutting them off but there were also some who had not done so they were softhearted Jews. People who are part of the faithful remnant, and these were the ones who became the disciples, the ones who the Jews who had a heart for God came to Jesus and it says in the same chapter and verse 34 it says without a parable Jesus did not speak to the multitudes, but when they were alone.

He explained all things to his disciples of the disciples were part of Israel to but they were part of they will recall the faithful remnant.

They were the ones who have a heart for God, and so they came to Jesus and he explained these parables so they could understand. He wanted his people to understand that he realized that in Israel. Just like any Gentile nation.

There were the majority the people there were not. They didn't have a heart for God, and therefore they were his people and he must share his secrets with them and if you read the parallel passage in Matthew 13 you'll see that what he's saying is that the mystery of the kingdom of God is not for the general public.

It's only for the disciples. So what Jesus was doing his he's coming to a nation whose population was mixed spiritually mixed they were Jewish but they weren't all the same spiritual condition. Some of them had hardened themselves against God and he wasn't going to do them any special favors for the but there were some that were still as they should have been all of them should have been part of it. Faithful remnant and everyone could have been, but they didn't. If you don't care about God and God's market given the special favors for the same of knowing the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

But if you do hit coming in it and I'll be glad to explain it to you but the ones who aren't interested.

He's knocking to give away his secrets them though hear him speak, though hear him talk about solar sowing seeds and women making Dolan and mustard seeds become a big trees and things like that but they won't understand what this is about because he doesn't want them to notice about there not his friends. Jesus was an invading king, establishing the kingdom of God in an occupied territory that was hostile and we see hostile was by the fact that eventually killed was hostile so Israel was by and large, hostile territory toward the Messiah, but not everyone was in the ones that were desirous Messiah.

He desired them to anyone of the let them in on all of his secrets. When you invade a country you don't let your strategies out to the public.

You only share your trusted unit vetted generals and things like that of what to do and that's with the disciples were so his son is teaching the multitude, someone might say, well if he didn't want the multitudes to know we talk about why didn't he just not address them at all. What is speak to middle will be cut out some because some potential disciples were there in the crowd, some that had not yet contacted him or him contacted them there is anyone in the crowd might potentially be a disciple but you know he called them. He called the disciples from the crowds by speaking to the multitudes.

In this way and why would the disciples then react better because they wouldn't really understand it either, but they heard him saying, the kingdom of God is like this. The kingdom of God is like that the kingdom of God is as if this and there, and these were people who are hungry for the kingdom of God. And I think that like like it would also I cried when they heard the parables without. I don't always talk about but he's talked of the kingdom of God. I don't understand what he saying and those who really cared, came to him and said, Lord, explained these parables. I want to know what you're talking is I'm interested in the kingdom of God. The rest ignored. It just walked away. Okay, yeah, and like today. In today's world. That's right, I share my faith of the gospel with somebody and they just don't get it, understand it and I guess you can kinda comparable back then, with today with those verses right. Well, it could be. I mean, we certainly need to make sure that effort sharing the gospel.

Some of them making it clear because some people are not as clear as others and explain. It's possible someone would not understand it because a given presentation is really sensible or isn't clear, and the same person might respond if the gospel is made more clear. Yet there are people who've dulled themselves. They close their eyes they close their ears like Jesus said, and up to that at this point they they are essentially deaf and blind sowing to preach the gospel.

It's like water off a ducks back, or worse, we get hostile. That's what Jesus is testing your pearls before swine and give it was holy to dogs who if you cast your pearls before swine will turn and attack you, and certainly even though it's of it yet. If I gave you a pearl. It probably really happy because that's a valuable thing but I gave it to the pig he does know that is doesn't care about just charge me. You know, a wild boar, something, and they didn't have quite the same kind of domestic pigs.

We do so that the point is that not the only gospel was not entirely for public consumption. Everyone had to hear it, but there were some who would not be allowed to understand because it already closed her heart stand God is okay I get it now I get it. Thank you for clearing that up and I want to hold up your line underlined: 20 thank you very much for breaking it down for me okay Robert God bless you. Thanks for your call Harold from Sacramento, California. Welcome to the narrow path. Thanks for calling me yes I do you know what that got you started to get Dr. me somewhat neglected to what I'm saying is that when I got saved about 10 years ago and I received the Holy Spirit in any and any work in my library change me took me out them out not admit that and in every guy got on the clinical sign that indeed the statement read.

And I and and I was onto that and I got to know the guys next thing I know I'm right now I have no problem with dented people out there. They've dictated a clever bay window data when it is a glowing horn get upset about site net equipment become fattening God, but had to bother me. I'm still doing it because I'm drawn to God to do that is not calling you now is best learned change inside of me and my life. We we alcohol and drug but I'm still going on is cigarettes sign up a God and and and unspoken. Well, my advice would to be not not to be smoking a cigarette while you hold the sign because now I'm not doing that. Yeah there's many medical who would many people would think that's a sin in the Bible does not identify smoking as a sin, but it certainly is culturally regarded as well. It's is regarded badly, culturally, and Christians ought to do all they can to not stumble people and not offend people unnecessarily. Now I if you're smoking a cigarette. I wouldn't stumble me, though I would wonder why you don't give it up, but I know that people who smoke often have a very great difficulty doing so. I have friends very, very godly friends who serve God now for probably I guess about 40 years. It would be going on who, when they got saved as adults they they had smoked all their lives and they really wanted to quit.

They gave up their sinful license but they really couldn't quit smoking.

Just something that had a hold on. Eventually the yeah well I'm sure does, but I will say this, they they kept wanting to quit. And they kept trying to quit and he kept praying about it and so forth and over time they did quit so it took a couple years but you know if if you say what I want to quit but it's been hard to quit so I won't quit.

I mean you can go to hell for smoke a cigarette, but there are reasons not to do it. I mean it's it's a very poor use of your money. For one thing, it's a poor use of your body, your health in another case, and its support testimonies and many of those are reasons enough to want to quit and indicate design and praying about it you know it's a funny thing.

I know people who were handling heroin addicts and when they got say they they can (cold turkey but some of them still have problems cigarettes and or something else that God doesn't deliver Nestlé of everything at once that comes with walking with him in waging a good warfare in the Christian life is a battle against the flesh and against the world. The devil and and therefore some things are hard. One some things God just gives you like deliverance from this or that other things he makes you fight for anything because it builds your spiritual muscles and it builds your standard teaches you to pray and things like that you know this. That's what I think but I think you should continue.

I think you know there's not really great thing smoke so though I don't condemn you for it. I just if if I were you actually be trying to do all he could to quit.

And if you're hold up signs. I would be smoking at the same time not doing it today but it will Bible that I Don't know exactly where, but I heard it and I've seen it before in the Bible, but those new blog daily. Preaching the word of God and denying its power. You know you don't have that right. You look at myself I will have that right, God, my God and break Jane trust in G and and and I'm still smoking cigarette lock and I can't use that methane God.

Now that you know much about Liberia. I can see why you feel that lambing I would not want to preach something that I'm not living yeah on the other hand, I don't claim to live a perfect life and yet I preach that Jesus can deliver people from sin. In other words the gospel I preach is true it's it's even true for me. But in many cases I haven't really appropriated all of it yet. I mean, if I am not a sinless person yet. I will eventually be delivered from all sin and and and in the course of living for God. I feel that I've been delivered from many past sins that I don't do anymore, but I'm not.

I'm not perfect, which means there are still sins that I that I will stumble into and so usually, oh yeah oh yeah he was fusion he wants to delivery tube.

It he just wants you to be faithful in your continuing to learn to walk in the spirit and resist temptation and if you fall if you fall into smoke a cigarette when you try to quit is not it's not like I was going to disown your earnings where he knows our frame, he remembers the dust. He knows how weak we are, but I would say smoking a cigarette is a little different than some of the kindest sensor there are others like it because members are not many sins are secret. Many sins take place only in a person's head and no one else knows their city. They can pretend to be very holy and very righteous and very humble and be none of those things secretly, but smoking cigarettes as well as things is harder to hide.

For one thing, where there's fire their smoke.

I say that I gathered saying is the opposite. But but when there smoke coming up. People can see there's a there's a cigarette there. They can also smell it on your clothes and you nominates us. I'm not saying it's not saying it's the ultimate sin.

I'm just saying something that's deathly something that you'd probably want to get over as soon as you can and just learn to walk in the spirit. Pray for deliverance. I try to go longer without falling and just make it your goal to be smoke free.

Eventually, and God will help. Just don't give up the goal. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and he'll draw you out of bondage is that you're still in the okay. God bless you, Harold. It's good to talk to. By now okay Dave from Shoreline, Washington.

Welcome to the narrow path things for calling.

It's too bad the cost of just a second seven class at Chad. I'm sure will absolutely. I mean it in a sense, it be easier for me to endure torture and death, which wouldn't be easy for me.

By the way, I'm not a hero but it be easier for me to do that than to put my son or daughter through that. I mean any any parent whose worthy of that name would rather suffer personally, then and have a child suffer the interesting thing is that Jesus was both God's son but in a sense, he was God in the flesh to so God was suffering in both senses. The Bible. The Bible says it, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. This is second Corinthians chapter 5 and I you know I don't know exactly how that works. I don't know exactly God's subjective experience in all of that or Jesus is either for that matter week we could guess but we can't claim that is been explained to us somewhere.

All I can say is that God certainly suffered by Christ suffered both in the sense that he was in Christ suffering in human form and he was also suffering the sense that we would suffer if our own children because the sink was also outside of Christ that right. That is a common is a common preaching point. The Bible doesn't specifically say that they were separated but it says things that might lead us to conclude that it said it says also in second Corinthians chapter 5 that he who knew no sin. Many Christ became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now he became sin for us when he took on our sins. Usually it is understood that God therefore saw him as head and had to deal with him in our place, as if he was as if he was all of our sins, combined, and many people think that that would mean that God would have to turn away from him and you know they they mentioned that Jesus quoted Psalm 22, one from the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and so they say that he said they say. He said that because God actually had turned his back on them and they were separated and that may be true, it's not. It certainly not the only way to interpret those passages but it's it's reasonable, so I don't take a stand, one where the other on what the Bible doesn't say unambiguously, because after all, David.

Before Jesus. David said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me of Psalm 22, one, and God really hadn't forsaken him he was feeling forsaken of God and expressing his anguish. But he wasn't really forsaken God. In fact he he later on he actually says that he says in verse. For example, verse 24 of the same Psalm. God has not despised or poured the affliction of the afflicted, nor has he hidden his face from him and he himself, but when he cried to him he heard so this the same Psalm was it wife you forsaken me.

Now he says now God hasn't abhorred or hidden his face from him and he does hear the cries so I think that the cry of David in Psalm 22, one is simply a cry of anguish not initially a theological statement that God had in fact left and, therefore, in Jesus made the same cry. He certainly felt godforsaken, but whether God really had forsaken him or not is not affirmed in and that necessarily in my opinion, somebody might have. I know Hank Hannah graph, who has about life in Charlotte years ago I heard him deny that God and Jesus were separated at that time and I've never heard anyone even denied.

I just thought all Christians thought the same things back in the 90s I heard this and I decided to research and find out what you know is right in the sense not so much to deny it, but to at least raise questions about it because the Bible doesn't clearly say it.

Thank you Dave, good talking to you Kathy from Yorba Linda, California.

Welcome to the narrow path. Things are going there already there. Yes, I'm here had you you can't hear me okay.

I mean first of all, I am so grateful to have found your ministry and I wrote down my questions. I will get lost and gyrating and I have a question cited me for a long time it came to me again recently when you had a caller who is discussing free will versus God knowing who was going to choose the man who would not.

In your response was along the lines that although he knew when an individual is going to choose. It didn't mean that person did not have a choice that that person didn't or couldn't exercise free will and that's true, but it begs another question. So now is which individuals will not choose to Christ. Why would he go ahead and create them anyway.

When by doing so she's creating people he knows will end up in hell I am asking because that discussion is found out of what I thought God's character is well God is not obligated to save anybody because he wants to save everyone he just knows that there will be people who will not meet the terms of salvation I greets him but he can't have them not exist because some of the regular parents and grandparents and great-grandparents of saints God can't save these two can't say will God because I'm to reject you.

You shouldn't make me a huge essay will listen. I gave you every opportunity to follow me, I didn't. I didn't make you not do that. But just because you would be a rebel and hate your Creator. I can't. I can't accommodate you by not making you because your children, your grandchildren people to be my children in heaven.

So I me God just let's people do what they want to do but no one is an island. No one just kinda exists to go to heaven or hell, and or or doesn't they once connected to everyone else and if you take one person out of that out of that brick wall. Other bricks in the fall. So God doesn't it's not so much that God chooses to make people who won't accept him.

It said he allows everyone to exist, he allows everyone an opportunity and an ever exist for a reason