OceanSide church of Christ

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (66)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    There are all kinds of questions that deal with periods of our week.

1.      There are morning questions.

2.      There are lunch questions.

3.      There are evening questions.

4.      There are weekend questions.

5.      There are kids and program and sports questions.

 

B.      The interesting thing about Bible questions is that they can be asked and answered at any time of the day or week.

1.      Each first Sunday of the month, we take your questions and answers.

2.      In this Question & Answers lesson, we will look at three questions.

 

I.                   QUESTION #1:  Honor father and mother

 

A.    Stated:  Do you still have to honor your mother and father when you become an adult?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      The Bible is clear in both the Old Testament and New Testament that one’s parents are to be honored.

a.      Exodus 20:12

 

Honor thy father and thy mother:  that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

 

1)      This is one of the Ten Commandments.

2)      The first four commandments speak about our obligations to God.  This is the fifth commandment.  It is the first one that follows one’s obligations to God.

b.      Ephesians 6:1-3

 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord:  for this is right.  Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

 

1)      We usually teach children the first verse of Ephesians 6.

2)      We need to teach them the entire passage.

2.      Question:  When a child grows up do his/her parents cease being father and mother?  If not, then the parent must still be honored even when the children are grown.

3.      Two examples:

a.      A negative example:  The Jewish leaders and their tradition (Matt. 15:3-6)

1)      The charge made (v. 3)

 

But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

 

2)      A command violated (vs. 4-6a)

 

For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother:  and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.  But ye say, Whososever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightiest be profited by me; and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free.

 

a)      Jesus is dealing with the fifth commandment:  “Honor thy father and mother.”

b)      The Jews, however, developed a plan to get around this when their parents became old and feeble. 

-          They could loan the money to the temple.

-          Thus, they could tell their parents they did not have the funds necessary to care for them.

-          After the death of their parents, they could collect on the loan and get their money.

3)      A crime committed (v. 6b)

 

Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

 

a)      Caring for one’s parents in old age is one application of the command to honor them.

b)      The Jews negated the command of God by their tradition. 

c)      In essence, they violated the law. 

b.      A positive example:  Jesus cared for Mary before He died (John 19:26-27).

 

When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  Then said he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!  And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

 

1)      Jesus was about 33 years of age at His death.

2)      Prior to giving up the ghost, He made sure that His mother was taken care of.  He entrusted her can into the hands of one of His disciples, John.

4.      There are many parents today who do not feel their children honor them the way they should.

a.      They are not called.

b.      They are not visited.

c.       They like to blame them for their “bad” lives growing up.

d.      They are often used for their money.

e.       They get a little upset with them and they cut them off.

f.        They do not heed the advice of their parents.

g.      They put their parents in nursing homes to be forgotten.

5.      Proverbs 19:26

 

He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

 

II.                QUESTION:  A discussion of sin and iniquity

 

A.    Stated:  Is there a difference between sins and iniquities?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      The words “sins and iniquities” are often used together in the Bible.

a.      Psalm 51:9

 

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

 

b.      Hebrews 10:17

 

And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

 

2.      When I read this question, I typed in this question on Google:  “How many words are there for sin in the Bible.”  On the opening page of results, I read:

1.      “Seven Words for Sin in the New Testament” at biblefood.com

2.      “22 Biblical Words for Sin and What They Teach Us” at catholicexchange.com

3.      “Thirty-three Words for Sin in the New Testament, Part 1” at bible.org.

4.      NOTE:  I was glad I was only asked about two:  sin and iniquity.

3.      Let’s look at the answer just from the two verses we presented initially.

1.      Psalm 51:9

a.      Sins

1)      Strong (2399):  a crime          :- fault, offence, sins

2)      BDB:  sin

b.      Iniquities

1)      Strong (5771):  perversity, that is, (moral) evil        :-  fault, iniquity, mischief, sin

2)      BDB:  perversity, iniquity, depravity

2.      Hebrews 10:17

a.      Sins

1)      Strong (266):  sin        :-  offence

2)      Thayer:  to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of unrighteousness, to go wrong, to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, an offence, a violation of divine law in thought or act

3)      Vine:  lit., missing the mark

b.      Iniquities

1)      Strong (458):  illegality, a violation of the law, wickedness

2)      Thayer:  contempt and violation of the law, iniquity, wickedness

3)      Vine:  lit., lawlessness

3.      Each of the words for sin gives man a better picture of what sin really is.  We have learned a lot just from two words.

a.      A crime or offence

b.      Perversity

c.       Moral evil

d.      A fault

e.       Depravity

f.        To miss the mark

g.      To wander from the path of righteousness

h.      Contempt and violation of divine law

i.        Wickedness

j.        Lawlessness

4.      Other words, like “transgressions,” would describe sin even more.  That word means “to cross the line.”  It also involves “revolt” and “rebellion.”

 

III.             QUESTION #3:  The old age of the patriarchs

 

A.    Stated:  How did the characters of the Old Testament live so long and have kids as such an old age compared to people of today?

 

B.      Answer:

1.      Genesis 5 gives us a genealogy from Adam to Noah.  When we read how long these individuals lived, we are impressed with their ages.

a.      Adam (930 years old)

b.      The youngest:  Lamech (777 years old)

c.       The oldest:  Methuselah (969 years old)

2.      Today, we do not begin to come close to those ages (www.medicaldaily.com)

a.      Average lifespan for a man:  76 years

b.      Average lifespan for a woman: 81 years

3.      There have been several answer that have been given to this question.

a.      God created man to live, and not die.

Man was created perfect.

Man was placed into a perfect environment. 

After the fall of man, it took time for the effects of the initial creation to begin to wear off.

b.      After the fall of man, the world was cursed (Gen. 3:17).  The effects of this curse over time caused the age of man to decrease.

c.       After the flood, the environment of man drastically changed.  Prior to the flood, it was a perfect creation in which man could live.  The flood, however, caused drastic changes to the environment that decreased the lifespan of men.  This can be seen by comparing the ages found in Genesis 5 from Adam to Noah and the ages of man found in Genesis 11 from Noah to Abraham.

d.      Another impact that many believed occurred involved a lower quality of the gene pool that developed over time.  The span of life could be drastically changed in a short period of time if a person with a good gene pool married someone with an inferior gene pool.

4.      Psalm 90:10

 

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

 

a.      The time that we should be concerned with is the time of our life.

b.      Bell curve

 


206040800An Introduction to the Bell Curve

 

c.       Where are you on this curve?

d.      Life will come to an end (Heb. 9:27). 

e.       Question:  Will we be prepared for life after death?

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    We have looked at three unique questions.

1.      Honoring one’s father and mother

2.      The difference between sin and iniquity

3.      The lifespan of man

 

B.      All of these things are applicable to us.

1.      We have parents or we are parents.

2.      For all have sinned (Rom. 3:23)

3.      Our life is but a vapor that appears for a little time, then vanishes away (Jms. 4:14).