OceanSide church of Christ

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (10)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.               Jesus was never asked a question that He could not answer.

 

B.               On the other hand, there were many questions that He chose not to answer (Luke 23:9).

 

Then he questioned him in many words; but he answered him nothing.

 

C.              Every question that Jesus asked had an answer.

 

D.              Sometimes, though, man chose not to answer Jesus’ questions (Matt. 21:27).

 

And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell.

 

E.               We have attempted to answer all questions that have been given to us for our Q & A lessons.  In tonight’s lesson, we hope to answer three questions.

 

I.          IT IS A SIN FOR SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING A SOCIETY OR A NATION TO LIE IN ORDER TO PERFORM HIS JOB OR ACHIEVE A LAWFUL GOAL?  (i.e., police officers working undercover, etc.)

 

A.               When initially asked this question, it seemed to pose a real problem to me.

1.               The response that you want to give is:  “No, there is nothing wrong with that.”

2.               In seeking a Bible answer, I tried to see if there is some distinction between deceit and lying in the Bible.

3.               To answer, “No,” one must also enter into a study of situation ethics.  In this realm of ethics, it is said that the situation determines whether one is right or wrong instead of a moral standard making the determination.

4.               In addition, one must accept the doctrine of pragmaticism, or, the end justifies the means.

 

B.               After considering these things, it occurred to me that the best thing to do is to examine what the Bible teaches about lying.

1.               One of the Ten Commandments addresses the concept of lying (Exo. 20:16).

 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

 

2.               Lying lips are one of the seven things that God hates (Prov. 6:16-19).

 

These six things doth the Lord hate:  yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren.

 

3.               A righteous man hateth lying… (Prov. 13:5).

4.               Ephesians 4:25

 

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor:  for we are members one of another.

 

 

 

 

5.               I John 2:21

 

I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

 

6.               The fate of liars is also revealed in the Good Book.

a.         Liars will not be in heaven (Rev. 21:27).

 

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:  but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

 

                                    b.         Liars will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8).

 

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abmoninable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:  which is the second death.

 

7.               With these thoughts in mind, we should be as the psalmist, and say:  Remove from me the way of lying:  and grant me thy law graciously (Ps. 119:29).

 

C.              Some may still believe that there is a distinction when one is lying in a professional way in order to serve the public.

1.               Could a Christian dress and act as a prostitute just because it is done in the line of duty?

2.               Could a Christian buy and sell drugs in the line of duty?

3.               Could a Christian have a mistress in the line of duty?

 

D.              The reality is this:  There are some jobs that a Christian cannot have if the job causes him to violate divine laws and commandments.

 

II.         IS THERE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE DEVIL, SATAN, AND LUCIFER?

 

A.               The words “the devil,” and “Satan” refer to the same individual (Rev. 12:9).

 

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:  he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

 

B.               These two names identify different aspects of the character of the evil one.

1.               Satan (4567):

a.         Strong:  the accuser

b.         Thayer:  adversary (one who opposes another in purpose or act)

c.         I Peter 5:9

 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.

 

2.               Devil (1228):

a.         Greek:  diabolos

b.         Strong:  traducer, false accuser, slanderer

c.         Thayer:  prone to slander, accusing falsely

d.         Two examples:

                                                1)         The devil slandered God in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4-5).

 

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil.

 

                                                2)         He falsely accused Job before God (Job. 1:9-11).

 

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for naught?  Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and his house, and all that he hath on every side?  Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.  But put forth thine hand, now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

 

C.              The question, however, also makes mention of the name “Lucifer.”

1.               This name is only found one time in the entire Bible (Isa. 14:12).

 

How thou art fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How thou art cast down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations.

 

2.               The name literally means:  “light-bearer,” shining one, morning star.

3.               The question is:  “Does this name apply to Satan?”

a.         In the immediate context, the application of the name “Lucifer” applies to the king of Babylon.

            1)         Isaiah 14:4

 

That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon

 

2)         In the text, the king who used to shine as a beacon in the world is brought low.

                                                3)         In Isaiah 14:16, he is referred to as a man.

 

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms…?

 

b.         With this being said, it seems that the author of these words is taking a historical event that happened in the long ago and applying the term-inology to the events of his day (Isa. 14:12-14).

            1)         Fallen from heaven

            2)         I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven

            3)         I will be like the most high

            4)         Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell

5)         Some believe that this terminology applied first to the original fall of Satan.  Thus, they often refer to Satan as Lucifer.

 

D.              Regardless of the name by which he is called, we know that he is evil.  He seeks to destroy.  Our mission is to resist him totally and completely (I Pet. 5:9; James 4:7).

 

Whom resist stedfast in the faith…

 

III.        HOW DOES ONE RESPOND TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY TELL YOU THEIR RELATIVE, WHO DIED, IS IN A BETTER PLACE, WHEN YOU KNOW THEY WERE NOT A MEMBER OF THE LORD’S CHURCH?

 

A.               First, it is true that the only place the saved are found is in the church of Christ (Acts 2:47).

 

Praising God, and having favour with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

 

 

 

B.               If the comment comes in the form of a statement, the time and place must be considered before saying something.

1.               The hospital, the funeral home, and the day of the funeral are not the times to try to correct the person’s theology.

2.               If someone is in your home and makes this comment several times, you will want to respond.

 

C.              If the comment comes in the form of a question, you can answer with a soft response as the wisdom writer advises in Proverbs 15;1

 

A soft answer turneth away wrath:  but grievous words stir up anger.

 

1.               I believe that this person’s soul is now in the hands of God (Eccl. 12:7).

 

Then shall the dust return unto the earth as it was:  and the spirit unto God who gave it.

 

2.               I believe that God is the Judge of all the earth and that He will do right (Gen. 18:25).

3.               I believe that if the person is lost, he does not want me coming to the place of torments (Luke 16:27-28).

4.               I believe that the important thing now is that when I die I am right in the sight of God.  I can only do this by following God’s will (Matt. 7:21).

 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.               When we ask questions that are spiritual in nature, the place to go to get answers is the Word of God.

 

B.               Man’s views, opinions, think-so’s, and maybe’s are not divinely authoritative.

 

C.              The psalmist said it best:  It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Ps. 118:8).

 

 


 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (10)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

A.                Jesus was never asked a question that He could not answer.

B.                On the other hand, there were many questions that He chose not to answer (Luke 23:9).

C.                Every question that Jesus asked had an answer.

D.                Sometimes, though, man chose not to answer Jesus’ questions (Matt. 21:27).

E.                We have attempted to answer all questions that have been given to us.  In tonight’s lesson, we hope to answer three questions.

I.                 IT IS A SIN FOR SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING A SOCIETY OR A NATION TO LIE IN ORDER TO PERFORM HIS JOB OR ACHIEVE A LAWFUL GOAL?  (i.e., police officers working undercover, etc.)

A.                When initially asked this question, it seemed to pose a real problem to me.

1.                The response that you want to give is:  “No, there is nothing wrong with that.”

2.                In seeking a Bible answer, I tried to see if there is some distinction between deceit and lying in the Bible.

3.                To answer, “No,” one must also enter into a study of situation ethics.  In this realm of ethics, it is said that the situation determines whether one is right or wrong instead of a moral standard making the determination.

4.                In addition, one must accept the doctrine of pragmaticism, or, the end justifies the means.

B.                It then occurred to me that the best thing to do is to examine what the Bible teaches about lying.

1.                Many verses:  Exodus 20:16; Prov. 6:16-19; Prov. 13:5; Eph. 4:25; I John 2:21

2.                The fate of liars is also revealed in the Good Book (Rev. 21:27; Rev. 21:8)

3.                With these thoughts in mind, we should be as the psalmist, and say:  Remove from me the way of lying:  and grant me thy law graciously (Ps. 119:29).

C.                Some may still believe that there is a distinction when one is lying in a professional way in order to serve the public.

1.                Could a Christian dress and act as a prostitute just because it is done in the line of duty?

2.                Could a Christian buy and sell drugs in the line of duty?

3.                 Could a Christian have a mistress in the line of duty?

D.               The reality is this:  There are some jobs that a Christian cannot have if the job causes him to violate divine laws and commandments.

II.               IS THERE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE DEVIL, SATAN, AND LUCIFER?

A.                The words “the devil,” and “Satan” refer to the same individual (Rev. 12:9).

B.                These two names identify different aspects of the character of the evil one.

1.                Satan (4567):

a.                 Strong:  the accuser

b.                Thayer:  adversary (one who opposes another in purpose or act)

c.                 I Peter 5:9

2.                Devil (1228):

a.                 Greek:  diabolos

b.                Strong:  traducer, false accuser, slanderer

c.                 Thayer:  prone to slander, accusing falsely

d.                Two examples:

                                                                                1)                The devil slandered God in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4-5).

                                                                                2)                He falsely accused Job before God (Job. 1:9-11).

C.                The question, however, also makes mention of the name “Lucifer.”

1.                This name is only found one time in the entire Bible (Isa. 14:12).

2.                The name literally means:  “light-bearer,” shining one, morning star.

3.                 The question is:  “Does this name apply to Satan?”

a.                 In the immediate context, the application of the name “Lucifer” applies to the king of Babylon.

                    1)                Isaiah 14:4

2)                The king who used to shine as a beacon in the world is brought low.

                                                                                3)                In Isaiah 14:16, he is referred to as a man.

b.                With this being said, it seems that the author of these words is taking a historical event that happened in the long ago and applying the terminology to the events of his day (Isa. 14:12-14).

Some believe that this terminology applied first to the original fall of Satan.  Thus, they often refer to Satan as Lucifer.

D.               Regardless of the name by which he is called, we know that he is evil.  He seeks to destroy.  Our mission is to resist him totally and completely (I Pet. 5:9; James 4:7).

III.             HOW DOES ONE RESPOND TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY TELL YOU THEIR RELATIVE, WHO DIED, IS IN A BETTER PLACE, WHEN YOU KNOW THEY WERE NOT A MEMBER OF THE LORD’S CHURCH?

A.                First, it is true that the only place the saved are found is in the church of Christ (Acts 2:47).

B.                If the comment comes in the form of a statement, the time and place must be considered before saying something.

C.                If the comment comes in the form of a question, you can answer with a soft response as the wisdom writer advises in Proverbs 15:1.

1.                I believe that this person’s soul is now in the hands of God (Eccl. 12:7).

2.                I believe that God is the Judge of all the earth and that He will do right (Gen. 18:25).

3.                I believe that if the person is lost, he does not want me coming to the place of torments (Luke 16:27-28).

4.                I believe that the important thing now is that when I die I am right in the sight of God.  I can only do this by following God’s will (Matt. 7:21).

CONCLUSION

A.                When we ask questions that are spiritual in nature, the place to go to get answers is the Word of God.

B.                Man’s views, opinions, think-so’s, and maybe’s are not divinely authoritative.

C.                The psalmist said it best:  It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Ps. 118:8).

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (10)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

A.                Jesus was never asked a question that He could __________ answer.

B.                On the other hand, there were many questions that He chose not to answer (Luke 23:9).

C.                Every question that Jesus asked had an answer.

D.                Sometimes, though, man chose not to answer Jesus’ questions (Matt. 21:27).

E.                We have attempted to answer all questions that have been given to us.  In tonight’s lesson, we hope to answer three questions.

I.                 IT IS A SIN FOR SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING A SOCIETY OR A NATION TO LIE IN ORDER TO PERFORM HIS JOB OR ACHIEVE A LAWFUL GOAL?  (i.e., police officers working undercover, etc.)

A.                When initially asked this question, it seemed to pose a real problem to me.

1.                The response that you want to give is:  “No, there is nothing wrong with that.”

2.                In seeking a Bible answer, I tried to see if there is some ______________ between deceit and lying in the Bible.

3.                To answer, “No,” one must also enter into a study of ____________ ethics.  In this realm of ethics, it is said that the situation determines whether one is right or wrong instead of a moral standard making the determination.

4.                In addition, one must accept the doctrine of _____________________, or, the end justifies the means.

B.                It then occurred to me that the best thing to do is to examine what the Bible teaches about lying.

1.                Many verses:  Exodus 20:16; Prov. 6:16-19; Prov. 13:5; Eph. 4:25; I John 2:21

2.                The __________ of liars is also revealed in the Good Book (Rev. 21:27; Rev. 21:8)

3.                With these thoughts in mind, we should be as the psalmist, and say:  Remove from me the ________ of ___________:  and grant me thy law graciously (Ps. 119:29).

C.                Some may still believe that there is a distinction when one is lying in a professional way in order to serve the public.

1.                Could a Christian dress and act as a ________________ just because it is done in the line of duty?

C2.             Could a Christian buy and sell __________ in the line of duty?

3.                Could a Christian have a __________________ in the line of duty?

D.               The reality is this:  There are some jobs that a Christian cannot have if the job causes him to violate divine laws and commandments.

II.               IS THERE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE DEVIL, SATAN, AND LUCIFER?

A.                The words “the devil,” and “Satan” refer to the _______________ individual (Rev. 12:9).

B.                These two names identify different aspects of the __________________ of the evil one.

1.                Satan (4567):

a.                 Strong:  the accuser

b.                Thayer:  ______________ (one who opposes another in purpose or act)

c.                 I Peter 5:9

2.                Devil (1228):

a.                 Greek:  diabolos

b.                Strong:  traducer, false _______________, slanderer

c.                 Thayer:  prone to slander, accusing falsely

d.                Two examples:

                                                                                1)                The devil slandered ________ in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4-5).

                                                                                2)                He falsely accused ____________ before God (Job. 1:9-11).

C.                The question, however, also makes mention of the name “Lucifer.”

1.                This name is only found _____________ time in the entire Bible (Isa. 14:12).

2.                The name literally means:  “_____________-bearer,” shining one, morning star.

3.                The question is:  “Does this name apply to Satan?”

a.                 In the immediate context, the application of the name “Lucifer” applies to the ________ of ____________.

                    1)                Isaiah 14:4

2)                The king who used to shine as a beacon in the world is brought low.

                                                                                3)                In Isaiah 14:16, he is referred to as a ____________.

b.                With this being said, it seems that the author of these words is taking a historical event that happened in the long ago and applying the terminology to the events of his day (Isa. 14:12-14).  Some believe that this terminology applied first to the original ________ of _________.  Thus, they often refer to Satan as Lucifer.

D.               Regardless of the name by which he is called, we know that he is ________.  He seeks to destroy.  Our mission is to ___________ him totally and completely (I Pet. 5:9; James 4:7).

III.             HOW DOES ONE RESPOND TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY TELL YOU THEIR RELATIVE, WHO DIED, IS IN A BETTER PLACE, WHEN YOU KNOW THEY WERE NOT A MEMBER OF THE LORD’S CHURCH?

A.                First, it is true that the only place the saved are found is in the _____________ of _______________ (Acts 2:47).

B.                If the comment comes in the form of a statement, the time and place must be considered before saying something.

C.                If the comment is a question, you can answer with a ___________ response as the wisdom writer advises in Proverbs 15:1.

1.                I believe that this person’s soul is now in the hands of ___________ (Eccl. 12:7).

2.                I believe that God is the Judge of all the earth and that He will do ______________ (Gen. 18:25).

3.                I believe that if the person is lost, he does not want me coming to the place of torments (Luke 16:27-28).

4.                I believe that the important thing now is that when I die I am right in the sight of God.  I can only do this by following God’s _____________ (Matt. 7:21).

CONCLUSION

A.                When we ask questions that are spiritual in nature, the place to go to get answers is the ___________ of God.

B.                Man’s views, opinions, think-so’s, and maybe’s are not ____________ authoritative.

C.                The psalmist said it best:  It is better to ____________ in the ____________ than to put confidence in man (Ps. 118:8).