Church of the Nazarene
Burning Questions: Do you really believe the bible is true?
Burning Questions part 2: Do you really believe the bible is true? (the word of God?

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:15‬‬
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Do you actually believe the Bible is True?

What does the world say?
A survey from 2014 by PewResearch indicated
35% of Americans read the bible at least once a week
45% say they seldom or never read the bible.

What do Christians say?
39% say the bible is the word of God and should be taken literally.
36% say it should not be taken literally or express another opinion or no answer at all.
18% view it as a book written by men and not by God.

What does your church say?
Church of the Nazarene Article of Faith IV
“We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation, so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.”

How can we unpack this question together?
We will examine two specific aspects of this question.
1. Reliability of the text
2. The story the bible is telling

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:14-17‬‬
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

How did Jesus view the Scriptures?

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:1-4‬‬
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

“The truth is that our own longings prove the story of the bible to be true. Man cannot really live and thrive apart from God’s word, apart from God’s story.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬‬
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

So, do we believe the bible is true, that the bible is the word of God?
Yes!

The bible is confronting you with a question: What story are you living for?

How can we engage the bible?
1. Read it! As you prepare to read the bible, pray that God would open your heart and mind to hear his words.
2. Read it in Community! Life Groups are a great example of ways to engage the scriptures in community.
3.Listen to the word! There are many audio bible’s available for free on your smartphone.
4. Pray the word! Praying scripture back to God is a powerful way to get into the story.

http://bible.com/events/48733053

Burning Questions: Would a Loving God Really Send Someone to Hell?

What we believe about ETERNITY impacts how we live TODAY.1 Peter 3:15NIV

15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Why this question specifically?-There are a growing number of influential leaders who have famously argued against even the existence of Hell.-The growth of universalism – which argues that everyone goes to Heaven – states that because God is love, Hell is only make believe. It is used to scare us into being good, but no one will actually end up there.-We love the idea of grace and extravagant love, and have trouble reconciling a God who would allow anyone to suffer eternally.

There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell. Over 70 of these references were uttered by Jesus himself
It’s difficult to ignore:-Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”-Matthew 23:33: “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”-Matthew 25:41: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ “-Luke 13:28: “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.”-Luke 16:23: “In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”

Luke 16:19-31NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ’

The point of this parable of Jesus is to pay close attention to your ETERNAL status and not necessarily your EARTHLY status.

Why would a loving God SEND someone to hell?-Biblically, Hell is a choice. It’s YOUR choice and mine.-A choice that people are allowed to make.-God doesn’t WANT anyone to perish (John 3:16), but He grants people the freedom to reject him.-Biblically, Hell is a choice – a choice to reject Heaven.

Two of the scariest lies in our world right now:
LIE #1: We are all good people-Romans 3:9-12 – “there is no one righteousness”-Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fallen short of His glory”
LIE #2 God would never punish me-He is a God of truth & grace. He is a God of love AND a God of justice.-Revelation 20 – “each person was judged according to what they had done.”

There’s an equally important question we MUST answer today.
The important question as regards to the reality of Hell is: What are we doing about it? Add your private notes…• • •What we believe about ETERNITY impacts how we live TODAY.

http://bible.com/events/48733053

Burning Questions: Would a Loving God Really Send Someone to Hell?

What we believe about ETERNITY impacts how we live TODAY.1 Peter 3:15NIV

15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Why this question specifically?-There are a growing number of influential leaders who have famously argued against even the existence of Hell.-The growth of universalism – which argues that everyone goes to Heaven – states that because God is love, Hell is only make believe. It is used to scare us into being good, but no one will actually end up there.-We love the idea of grace and extravagant love, and have trouble reconciling a God who would allow anyone to suffer eternally.

There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell. Over 70 of these references were uttered by Jesus himself
It’s difficult to ignore:-Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”-Matthew 23:33: “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”-Matthew 25:41: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ “-Luke 13:28: “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.”-Luke 16:23: “In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”

Luke 16:19-31NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”Add your private notes…• • •-The point of this parable of Jesus is to pay close attention to your ETERNAL status and not necessarily your EARTHLY status.

Why would a loving God SEND someone to hell?-Biblically, Hell is a choice. It’s YOUR choice and mine.-A choice that people are allowed to make.-God doesn’t WANT anyone to perish (John 3:16), but He grants people the freedom to reject him.-Biblically, Hell is a choice – a choice to reject Heaven.

Two of the scariest lies in our world right now:
LIE #1: We are all good people-Romans 3:9-12 – “there is no one righteousness”-Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fallen short of His glory”
LIE #2 God would never punish me-He is a God of truth & grace. He is a God of love AND a God of justice.-Revelation 20 – “each person was judged according to what they had done.”

There’s an equally important question we MUST answer today.
The important question as regards to the reality of Hell is: What are we doing about it? Add your private notes…• • •What we believe about ETERNITY impacts how we live TODAY.

http://bible.com/events/48728157

The Gospel of Generosity

“It can’t be all about me and all about Him at the same time.”John 13:34-35NIV

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”Add your private notes…• • •-The Gospel calls us to a radical form of love, a love that forces us to get our eyes and focus and attention off of ourselves.Add your private notes…• • •The fundamental problem we have is this:It can’t be all about me and all about you at the same time.
or maybe worded this way:It can’t be all about me and all about HIM at the same time.

1 John 3:11NIV

11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

1 John 3:14-18NIV

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

At the end of his life, the apostle John is reflecting back on it all, and making conclusions about all he has witnessed in and through the life of Jesus.-Who is my brother or sister? Anyone who has a need. This means that since Jesus laid down his life for us, we are compelled to lay down our lives for anyone who has a need.-What John would say to you and to me? “If seeing a need causes you to freeze up, to close up, or to shrink back, then you don’t really get it! If you experienced Jesus as I did, if you saw what I saw, then there would never be a moment when seeing a need causes you to do that.”

WHAT NOW?

· There is more to the Church than just showing up on Sunday morning.

· Without Jesus, we are the living dead.

· We are God’s handiwork. We have a purpose.

· Our Church, all three campuses must be in Unity to make a difference in our communities.

Christians are to LIVE DIFFERENT. We are to live different so that we will be contagious to others.

We must LIVE IN the world but we must LIVE DIFFERENT. It is a decisive and continual action.

If we look the same as the world, we’re doing something wrong.

If we have anything in us that keeps us from being truly different; let us ask the Lord to reveal that even this morning. A prayer to pray for God to reveal His will to you is found in Psalm 139:23-24,

“Dear God search me O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Lord I desire to continue on the path of everlasting life. Please God speak to me. Help me Lord to live differently than those in the world. You are my God and I trust You with my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

The letter of Ephesians is a letter of encouragement to the church. Paul is writing to call them out of their old ways. The Christian answer to this condition is “reconciliation with God”.

Once we repent of our sin and ask Jesus to come live in our heart, we MUST turn in the opposite direction of sin. There is no neutral ground.

How are you representing Jesus? It is either “Good” or “Bad” there is no in-between.

The Evangelist, Billy Graham said “We should have a redemptive relationship with society, as Jesus did.” We are to be in the world, but not of it.

What are you putting into your mind everyday? As we listen to God, we will continue to change all the time to be more like Jesus.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world.” STOP. Quit giving in. LIVE DIFFERENT.

Be transformed by the renewal of your mind by putting good things in your mind. When you stop, you must fill the void with the right things.

· Jeremiah 15:16: When your words came, I ate them;

They were my joy and my heart’s delight,

For I bear your name,

Lord God Almighty.

· Psalm 119:9 – With your whole heart search for God. Stay in God’s word. Store up God’s word in your heart so we do not sin against God. This gives us a renewed mind.

Many believers are living in 2 worlds. Trying to honor God and also trying to live and please your friends. It will not work.

Have you ever had the desire to change and not been able to?

Galatians 5:16 “…Walk by the Sprit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Daily choices matter. Day after day we must be consistent in choosing to Live Differently than those in the world.

Becoming a Christian requires turning from your sin to God. We call this repentance. But repentance is not a one-time event. It defines the lifestyle of a believer. God changes us radically at the moment of salvation by imparting a new life to us, but this is followed by a lifetime of changing into the image of Jesus Christ.

When we turn from sin and turn to God, we are forgiven in Christ’s eyes. He grants a full pardon just like the sin never happened. We are regenerated, ‘made new in Christ’, with a heart that is capable of faith, love and obedience.

When we ask Jesus to live in our heart, we are immediately adopted into the Family of God. Jesus forgives and He instantly gives you a pure heart. Forgiveness, regeneration, and adoption happen simultaneously in the experience of a new believer in Christ.

The Lord wants you, me, and every person who call their self a Christian to encourage each other to LIVE DIFFERENT than the world.

I must die to self and live for Christ.

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Focus on you. Get to the place where you can walk with the Lord. Die to the old self and allow Christ to have full control of your life. Ask God to help you die to the old self.