Developing a Spending Plan

Psalms 1:1-3
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
 1 Blessed is the man
         Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
         Nor stands in the path of sinners,
         Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
         And in His law he meditates day and night.
 3 He shall be like a tree
         Planted by the rivers of water,
         That brings forth its fruit in its season,
         Whose leaf also shall not wither;
         And whatever he does shall prosper.
        
God’s prosperity is having what you need when you need it. God’s prosperity does not mean you will be wealthy. Some Christians are wealthy and some are not.

Today’s youth have ipods, iphones and xboxes. Debt caused by credit cards, student loans, wage stagnation, rising cost of health care and housing is causing many young people to struggle. Suzie Orman is a well known author that states people need to live below your means. We should save for our future as Social Security is not expected to be solvent. Few people today have discipline. People are spending more than they earn.

How can we plan for the future? Start with a Budget Process and stick with your budget and you will be ahead of most people.

Matthew 6:31-33
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God has some responsibility for us. We need to also be responsible. Don’t be lazy. The main purposes of a budget are the following principles:

1. Live within your income
2. Spend your money wisely
3. Reach your financial goals ( make sure you have goals on paper or in a digital file )
4. Have a budget to prepare for financial emergencies
5. Develop wise financial management habits

How to Create a Budget:

A. Figure Your Income – Whenever you have extra income, set that money aside and put it in a savings account.
B. Expenses – Tithe should be listed first as it is a deduction from your income. Tithe is Holy and belongs to God. This demonstrates that we trust God and He will take care of us. If for some reason we give too much, He will return it back to us in some way. God doesn’t need our money. Tithe and offerings are an expression of our gratitude to God.
C. Monthly Expenses – Mortgage, rent, utilities, insurance, food, medical. Clothes are not included in this category. If you are in financial trouble and need clothes, go to a thrift store.
D. Income and Social Security Taxes – Pay all taxes that are due. Don’t get drawn into the falsehood that you should not pay taxes to the government.

Romans 13:7
Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

The government has the right to tax people. Al Capone served many years in Alcatraz prison for tax evasion. Take advantage of all the legal tax deductions you are allowed and contribute to 401K plans but never avoid paying taxes.

Matthew 22:21
They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Enter the amount of taxes that are withheld and put that amount into your budget.

E. Savings – Lack of savings is causing financial ruin for many people. Budget for savings as an expense item. Put $20 into a savings account to get into the habit of saving. How much should a family have in family savings? It is best to keep 3 months of living expenses in a savings account.

Many people get on unemployment and then do not find work. To not go and look for work is being dishonest. During the depression of 1929-1933, unemployment affected 27 % of the workforce. There was no unemployment insurance or social security from 1776 until 1934. President Roosevelt signed into law the federal programs in 1934 that provided social security for the elderly and disabled. In 1935, unemployment insurance began to assist workers that lost their jobs.

F. Vacations – There is no virtue to brag that you have not had a vacation. Save all year long and pay off your vacation and enjoy the time and rest. People need vacations. Jesus took time away from His Healing Ministry and went up to be in prayer to God many times in the New Testament.

G. Clear Your Debts – Invest any income that you can to get free money by using retirement accounts. Some employers offer matches on money that the employee sets aside for retirement. Best retirement account available today is the Roth IRA.

H. Fixed Housing Expenses – Property taxes are a big expense. Spread the expense over an entire year and set aside 1/12 of your total tax bill in a savings account.

I. Auto Loans – Try to pay cash for vehicles. If you are making payments now, keep paying and once your car is paid off, keep making payments into a savings account so you can pay cash for the next vehicle you buy. Maintain your vehicles and drive them as long as possible.

J. Insurance – Carry insurance to prevent getting wiped out financially. Use money wisely. God does not honor presumption. Risk management covers your loss or accident. Cost to settle a lawsuit can wipe you out if you don’t have insurance. Auto liability is required in all states.

If a natural disaster strikes your property and you don’t have home owners insurance, you lose your life savings. Carry medical insurance and life insurance to protect your family should there be a death. You can also carry catastrophe insurance for just a few dollars a month and set a $5,000 deductible. This will protect you from ruin and paying off $5,000 is easier than losing your life savings.

K. Set Up a Will – The Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has a Will and Trust Service. The conference will set up a will for all members for free. Include God’s work in your will. You can chose a percentage to tithe in your will.

Debt Free Living

This Bible Study is from Pastor Korter’s Wednesday night meeting on 1 June 2011.

Looking at Giving

Deuteronomy 16:16-17
Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

Tithe is not an option for a Christian. We don’t give tithe after paying our bills-tithe comes First! Both the Old and New Testament give Biblical instructions about how to tithe. No faithful family has ever said that they should not have tithed what they gave to the Lord’s work.

Most significant financial factor for life management is tithe. God sustains us when we first give our tithe. Non-Christian financial planners say pay yourself first. This philosophy puts God second.

Giving tithe and offerings mean different things to different people. Giving for a Christian is an act of worship. Recognize that God is the Creator and integrate God into your life and have a partnership with God. We give in Thanksgiving for our blessings and to make contributions to advance His Cause. All we have and are belong to God.

Numbers 18:21
Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

Some people get upset about the tithe going to the storehouse. When people get upset they tend to keep or hold back tithe. God cannot bless you when you hold back on giving what belongs to Him.

The reason churches have to share pastors is there is not enough money in the storehouse ( Conference ) to pay for a pastor at every church.

Our offerings come from the 90% that we have after giving the 10% tithe to the Lord. Here are some of the types of offerings mentioned in the Old Testament. We also need to consider giving offerings for:

Blessing
Build a Church
Church Maintenance
Poor
Thanks

In many cases the offering would exceed the tithe. Failure to bring an offering along with tithe was considered as not honoring God.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:

      He has dispersed abroad,
      He has given to the poor;
      His righteousness endures forever.

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2
Collection for the Saints
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

It is irresponsible to give everything that God blesses you with. You have to take care of your needs. Returning tithe is not sacrificial giving.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5
Excel in Giving
1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

Genesis 14:17-20
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Abram and Melchizedek
  
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said:

      “ Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
      Possessor of heaven and earth;

 20 And blessed be God Most High,
      Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

   And he gave him a tithe of all.
  
Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob’s Vow at Bethel
  
10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.

God’s secret to financial success is the tithe. God will bless you.

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the LORD with your possessions,
      And with the first fruits of all your increase;
       10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
      And your vats will overflow with new wine.
     
We should give 10% of our gross income as tithe. Who should get paid first, Jesus or the government?

Acts 20:35
35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Here We Stand!

According to a group of people, today is going to be the end of the world. Newscasts covered the story. News anchors are making fun of the prediction of the end of the world. We as Christians need to share where we stand.

Have you ever lost your wallet? People will ask you “where did you last remember having it or where did you last use your wallet”? When something precious is lost, it gets our full attention. Jesus told stories of a lost coin, lost sheep and a lost son.

No matter what you feel like, Jesus loves you. The truth is very valuable and precious. Truth should be cherished. How much do we value the truth? Please hear me this morning-the Truth is Jesus Christ!

What do you consider is treasure? What is the greatest treasure? Turn in your Bible to:

Revelation 12:1-4
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
 1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

The devil understands this truth very well. The greatest truth is Jesus Christ and the truth that comes from Him. There is so much confusion in our culture about truth. Our society doesn’t want to hear about absolute truth. God is calling on us to take a stand for truth. Is it something we are really willing to do and value?

There is a well known saying that “the truth hurts”. In reality, the truth saves us and brings us liberty and freedom. Are we running from the very thing we want? The devil is very subtle by trying to convince people they will lose something or miss out on something if they follow Jesus. Jesus left us a treasure-God’s truth.

Many centuries ago, the truth began to be covered by layers of error.

Truth of salvation as a free gift was replaced by false teaching of salvation by human effort.

Truth of Jesus as our only access to God was replaced by access only by human priests.

The authority of the Bible was replaced by the authority of the Pope and of human tradition.

Forgiveness was no longer a free gift to be received but was a payment to be earned.

The Sabbath day, a holy and sanctified day and a memorial of Creation was replaced by Sunday, a day of human choosing.

Confession only to God was replaced by confession to priests.

The Bible is God’s gift to everyone was forbidden to be read or even possessed by any except church leaders.

Ten commandment Law of God was changed to suit a church that had lost its way. ( Removed the third commandment-you shall not make for yourself any carved image ).

God is calling for us to take a stand. Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has done his best to hide the truth of God. The Waldenses in Italy stood for truth even at the cost of their lives.

All through time God has had a people on earth that were faithful and followed Him. On 31. October 1517 Martin Luther wrote and submitted 95 Theses that directly confronted error that had begun centuries before. He grew up in the Catholic church and was a priest. Luther was asked on 16. April 1521 in Germany if he would recant his statement. He replied to the council that he was standing on what is in the Bible and not the teaching of the Pope and the Catholic church. Luther was cast out of the Catholic church  and declared a heretic.

If we forget where we have come from, we won’t know where we are headed. If we forget all that God has done throughout history, the reformation, and in the recent past, we will lose our purpose and reason we are who we are today!

The devil is a master at deception. People that don’t stand for truth will be deceived. There are 2 ways to be deceived:

1. Hang on and cherish sin in your life.
2. Do not read and study the Word of God in the Bible.

There are confused Seventh-day Adventist Protestant Christians who say is there really something to all this? Is this something that is unique, special and Biblical? Or is it something where we can just make our own choice? The devil is very clever at confusing us. He doesn’t want us to look back at where we have come from. We are no better than anyone else. It is easy to look at what everyone else is doing. We may say that is so attractive! Why can’t we be like them? What’s wrong with us? We are not like them!

There is a reason why. What is it that compels people to live like these incredible people? The following people loved Jesus and had a deep understanding of what Jesus did on the cross.

The Early Christian Church
The Waldenses
The Albigenses
Martin Luther

Do you think these people had a fancy church? Did they judge their church or what services the church could give? Or was it their love of truth and their preaching from the Bible?

God has brought us here for a reason. God loves people that love the truth. There will be no power in our lives if we aren’t looking for truth. Truth won’t move you or change you unless you are sincerely looking for truth.

Truth is more than just what is in the Bible. Every area of our life needs to be based on Truth. The Bible will change your life when the heart is sincere. The truth in the Bible will become a part of you.

In Revelation 12:4, who is the woman? The Church is the woman. Who is the Church? You and I are the church. The devil wants to devour Jesus in our hearts. As soon as Jesus is born in our hearts, the devil seeks to destroy our connection to Christ.

The following men stood up for truth and found a friend in Jesus:

Ulrich Zwingli
John Calvin
John Huss
John Tyler
Martin Luther
William Miller

Have you found Jesus? Everything is centered in Jesus. Don’t be concerned about mega churches. The devil knows he cannot attack the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist ( SDA ) Protestant Christian church because he knows the theology is right. The pastor says he preaches this in the utmost humility and not in arrogance.

The devil is deceptive and clever. He attacks the SDA church through people in the church. Here is how the devil thinks: If I can get people in the church to be unkind, unloving and bitter, I can destroy that church.

Like William Miller, if you have found a friend in Jesus, you will be a loving, compassionate person for Jesus Christ. To stand for Jesus will invite anger by those that oppose Jesus. Are we building a will to save ourselves? There is a time coming when we won’t have the freedom to worship and share the truth. We must humble ourselves before the cross so the shed blood of Jesus can be victorious in our lives.

Many people are making fun of those that say the end of the world is coming today on 21. May 2011. We also are a movement that teaches and preaches that the end of the world is coming. Apocalyptic truth is Jesus is coming again. Are you willing to say: “Jesus, here I stand”!

This sermon was preached on Sabbath, 21 May 2011 at Bellingham, Washington Seventh-day Adventist Protestant Christian Church by Pastor Brandon Korter.

Planning for the Cycle of Life

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the LORD with your possessions,
      And with the first fruits of all your increase;
       10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
      And your vats will overflow with new wine.

The area of money is where we will see a blessing in our lives. This does not necessarily mean more money. The principle is that God will take care of our needs. An old adage states there is nothing certain except for death and taxes.

As Christians, we also know of our salvation in Christ. Jesus wants us to work until His Coming.

Luke 19:13
So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’

We need to plan for 4 sections of about 20 years each in our lives. The sections are:

Learning Years
Earning Years
Conserving Years
Retiring Years

A financial planner calls these sections of life:

Accumulation, Conservation, and Distribution.

There are seven Biblical principles as you plan in the cycles of life.

1. God owns Everything.

1 Chronicles 29:13-14
 13 “Now therefore, our God,
      We thank You
      And praise Your glorious name.

 14 But who am I, and who are my people,
      That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
      For all things come from You,
      And of Your own we have given You.
     
No one will take anything out of this world. While we live on this earth, we are but managers. Faithfulness is what is important. Here is an example of faithfulness and the blessing that comes to the faithful.

Garwin McNeilus built garbage and cement trucks in Michigan. The man is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian and he prayed and committed 30 % of the profits of his business to the Lord’s work. Mr. McNeilus became the largest garbage truck manufacturer in the world. He sold the company for $250 million and bought banks in Minnesota.

Another example of faithfulness is the owners of the Little Debbie snack cake company. McKee Foods Corporation was founded in Chattanooga, TN in 1934 when a young couple with a big dream pawned their new truck and bought Jack’s Cookie Company with a down payment of $288 and a lot of hope. The couple was O.D. and Ruth McKee, and their small bakery is now McKee Foods Corporation, the manufacturer of America’s number-one snack cake, the Little Debbie® brand. How this bakery grew from five employees and a few thousand dollars in yearly sales to more than 6,000 employees and more than $930 million in annual sales, is an inspirational story of determination, focus, confidence, faith and family.

When the sun begins to set on Friday evening, all of Little Debbie employees stop working so they can have the Sabbath day to rest. Seventh-day Adventists believe in the Bible Sabbath that begins at Friday sunset and lasts until Saturday evening sunset.

2. God is first in Everything in Your Life!

Proverbs 3:5-9
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
      And lean not on your own understanding;
       6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
      And He shall direct your paths.
       7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
      Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
       8 It will be health to your flesh,
      And strength to your bones.
       9 Honor the LORD with your possessions,
      And with the first fruits of all your increase.
     
Job understood this principle. Job suffered severe setbacks but his wealth was restored. There is nothing wrong with wealth or being wealthy. Abraham, Job, and Solomon and many other of our ancestors were wealthy. God sees our lives from the beginning to the end. God wants us to prosper.

3. Your purpose in life is to Glorify God!

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

If you are serious about God you should bring glory to God! Pray, seek and live to the glory of God!

4. Prosperity is Having What You Need When You Need It!

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Often times we think our wants are needs. If you live for God-He will take care of you. Our society has become an instant gratification environment. God is with you everywhere you go and puts peace in your heart.

5. Debt is BAD.

Never buy a home with a variable interest rate. Take one house payment and make your regular mortgage payment and also make a principal only payment and you can pay off a home loan fast. Pay off a house first then work on saving for your retirement is sound financial advice.

Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor,
      And the borrower is servant to the lender.
     
By paying off debts, you are honoring God. If you recognize this principle and get out of debt, you will bring peace to yourself and your family and bring honor to God.

6. Tithe is the Minimum Testimony of Our Christian Commitment

Leviticus 27:30
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD.

The Tithe is holy to the Lord. It does not belong to us. We are not sacrificially giving when we return tithe. People get mad about this principle. Many churches have tithe staying within the local church and this can breed contempt amongst the people. Pastor Korter’s salary comes from the Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventist. He makes the same salary as elder Ted Wilson who is the president of the World Seventh-day Adventist church.

The Seventh-day Adventist church is the only church that operates this way. The tithe is holy as the Sabbath is Holy. When we refuse to return 10% as we are called to do we are cutting off ourselves from God’s wisdom and blessing in our lives. The devil doesn’t want people to know about this principle.

7. Everyone Must Give An Account to God for His Money Management

Matthew 25:19
After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

We are held accountable for what we do with our money.

There are several reasons for Financial Problems.

1. Ignorance is when someone is financially illiterate and has never been introduced to money management.
2. Greed is living beyond our means. When someone says they are just too poor to tithe, they are living without God’s promise and blessing. The gift of contentment is the best blessing from God
3. Unfortunate tragedy is a serious illness, or being abandoned or having a natural disaster wipe out your home.

There is hope for all by turning to God. There will be a time when we don’t have earthly things.

What did God do for Elijah? One time an angel woke him up and fed him. Another time ravens brought him food.

Faith and Finances Bible Study

Why Money Management Is Important to the Christian

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Righteousness is obedience. Humans have a strange sense of security when they have enough money. This security often causes you to think if only I had a little more money, all would be well.

Let us focus on how our society is driven to acquire more money. Our society equates having money as being successful and powerful. A lack of money produces a sense of failure and weakness. What if you had to chose between money or God?

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Money competes with us for our time, energy and focus. Love is the most used word in the Bible. Money is the second. Two-thirds of Jesus parables are about money. Jesus wants us to understand financial principles.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Remember when the earth came into view on the lunar horizon and the Apollo mission astronauts quoted this verse about God creating?

Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

The first text of the Bible tells us that God is in charge! If God creates, does He have the ability to supply? The second verse shows us man is dependent on God. God’s role is to sustain man. We are to be productive-to multiply and be fruitful.

God wants us to also produce in our occupations. We are called to not be lazy. In the fourth commandment, we are told to work six days a week. Lazy Christians bring dishonor to God. Shine as a light for God!

Psalms 24:1-2
The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
         The world and those who dwell therein.
 2 For He has founded it upon the seas,
         And established it upon the waters.
        
God owns everything-including you!

Deuteronomy 10:14
Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it.

Materialism is wreaking havoc on our society! People have an “I want it now” mentality. Popular teaching going around Christian churches is the Prosperity Gospel. This teaching is not biblical. The Bible does not teach being wealthy is a goal. God does want us to prosper and reach other people for Christ.

Mark 12:30
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.

God wants us to be free, not in bondage. Borrower is servant to the lender. Debt is killing our society. God wants us to plan for the future. Put God first, above money and everything else. What does it mean to offer ourselves to God? We should surrender our will and abandon our selfish desires.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Are my actions God Honoring? What lessons can we learn from the parable in Matthew 25:14-30?

The Parable of the Talents
  
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Use the money He has given us wisely! True wisdom comes from God. Gambling is not pleasing to the Lord. Casinos are not built on winners. Gambling induces organized crime, deaths, corruption and ruins people.

Matthew 6:19-24
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
  
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Lamp of the Body

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
You Cannot Serve God and Riches

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

What are ways money becomes your Master? Many people refuse to keep Sabbath because of money. Money keeps people from following God’s commandments. Money will keep people out of God’s Kingdom. Money affects every aspect of our lives. Everything revolves around money.

Knowledge is Power. How do we chose to serve God over Money? It’s all about worship-putting God first everyday. Everyone experiences financial problems. It is not God’s will for His Children to suffer. God wants us to put our priorities in order. We should have balance in our lives. What areas of your life has God made new, and how do you see Him working in those around you?

Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

God will take a hard heart and make it right. We just need to surrender our will in our finances and God will lead us.

Romans 13:8
Love Your Neighbor
  
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

History is valuable for us today especially as we get closer to Jesus second coming. All signs are around us with tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, wars and rumors of wars.

When a fire storm swept Rome in 64 AD, Roman Emperor Nero wanted to find a scapegoat. He accused Christians with starting the fire. Jesus told his followers this would happen.

Matthew 24:4-9
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.  9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

Jesus is wanting and getting ready to come. Look around at the events that are happening right now.

Satan turned his furor on Christ’s followers. Keeping Sabbath was mocked. Christians were persecuted and viewed as enemies of humanity. Paganism saw that should Christianity succeed, paganism would cease. Matthew 24:9 tells us the time to stand for Jesus is now. Is it wonderful to be persecuted for Jesus?

What do we value in our life? Jesus says we will not be popular. Now is the time to stand for Jesus. Right now we live in a time of relative ease to live for Jesus. Jesus gives us the opportunity to shine the light of Jesus. Are we taking Jesus seriously? The door is closing quickly.

When Paul was killed in 63 AD, Christians were persecuted like the world had ever seen. Persecution that took place was the seed for the church. The seed grows. You put it in the ground and it germinates, pops up, produces more seed. In Paul’s time, Christians were persecuted and killed but Christianity grew rapidly.

Compromise crept into the church. The book Great Controversy says that compromise began between paganism and Christianity. The Bible Sabbath was compromised to Sunday worship by order of Constantine. We are living in Laodicea.

Revelation 3:14
And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.

Because you are lukewarm, Jesus is looking for something in His Church. Jesus has something for us. The church does not sense the need of Jesus. Jesus says He will spew out of His mouth. Compromise is on a personal level. Jesus is pleading with His Church. He is passionate about Laodicea.

As Seventh-day Adventist, we know the latter rain is coming. We know it will be seen. Do you know what will come? Persecution-a time of trouble will begin. Pastor Korter says this is a message of doom and gloom-a message of fear. Will we have the strength to stand firm? God will give us grace when we are in that moment of persecution.

How faithful are we today? It is preparation for the time that is coming. Jesus is looking for a people that are on fire for Him. Are you not on fire for Jesus now? Do you have much going on in your life?

We have to want the latter rain and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We under estimate the power of the Holy Spirit. We need power to withstand attacks from Satan. Jesus wants to refine us.

In the book of Daniel, Jesus didn’t rescue Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Jesus walked through the fire with them and protected them. You may be wrestling with compromise, you may be down or depressed.

Inside or outside of the church, the devil tries to cause problems. The devil tried to kill the church. Jesus says: ” I stand at the door and knock.” Jesus doesn’t force anyone to accept Him. Jesus says in heaven we are going to dine with Him.

Is there anything on earth worth compromising or giving up? When are you going to get ready? Jesus said today is the day of salvation. Jesus is saying come and sit with me on my Throne. To him that overcomes, I will grant that he will come and sit with me. Latter rain is going to fall on God’s people. We should repent and turn from our compromise and be right with God. I am thirsty Lord, bring on the Latter Rain in my life.

Looking for the Wrong King

Imagine you are on your way to work. You go to work and have a good day and then return home in the evening. When you get home, your family does not recognize you.

John 1:10-12

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

How many of you want to have power in your life today? The way to have power is to accept God and be baptized just like the Jones family today. Many people reject church because they don’t want to be with perfect people. If the church was filled with perfect people, you and I would not need to be baptized.

If you come to Jesus and repent and be baptized and follow in the footsteps of Christ, you will be saved. We are to come together in unity and fellowship with other believers. In John 1:11, Jesus own people did not receive Him. Jesus came to give salvation to all. His own people rejected Him even though there are over 300 prophecies predicting that Jesus would come. Prophecy can be trusted.

Human nature is the same now in 2011 as it was during Jesus time. Jesus has a custom way to reach even you. Everyone is invited to accept the Cross. Some people reject Him the same way He was rejected before.

The Devil puts questioning and doubt in your life to keep you away from Jesus. Even though most rejected Jesus, there were a few that accepted Jesus. These believers were in the minority then and still are today.

Your life is not going to be a bed of roses when you come to Christ. Jesus does have a plan for your life and you can be victorious in Christ. It is a choice. The majority of people are looking for a King. Is it true that those saved are in the minority? Yes!

1) Saving Life of Jesus provides salvation for all. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Jesus lets us make free choice.
2) End of the Great Controversy is not yet over. Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
3) Isaiah 53:11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.  When the Great Controversy is over, Jesus will look and be satisfied.

Our culture today is totally against what is in the word of God. Jesus says there are two masters. You have to make a choice-Yes to Jesus or No to Jesus. If you chose not to follow or surrender to Jesus, you have chosen to say no to His Life transforming power. If you say Yes, God will change you and fill you with Joy, Peace and Love.

Sin’s purpose is to separate us from Jesus. Reflect back again on John 1:11. His own did not receive Him. The question is how could they not receive Him after all the prophecies? They had eyes to read but could not see. They had ears to hear prophets but could not hear.

Lucifer wanted to be King. We want to be the King of our own lives. We don’t want to let go of pride. The big ‘i’ is in the middle of the word pride. We don’t want Jesus to be the center of our lives.

The humble shepherds were waiting and went to see Jesus. A select few heard and saw Jesus and opened themselves to the Holy Spirit just like the faithful few did.

When you open your heart to Christ your life will be changed and your life will be different. If you are looking to be served and self-serving, you are looking for the wrong King. If you are looking to serve and share Christ, you are looking for the right King! Praise the Lord!

Pastor Korter is here to help us work for Jesus and to serve the church, not the other way around.

Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

We cannot serve two masters.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

It’s not about us. It’s all about Jesus. Put His work first and the rest will take care of itself. You can have it all. You will have His Power in your life. To have the power of God in your life-nothing shall separate us from the Love of Christ Jesus.

Will you do that today like those that chose to receive Him? Which King are you looking for today? If you want Jesus to be your King, will you stand with me as we close. Jesus knows your struggles and unhappiness. When you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have real happiness in your life.

When God Got Robbed

Malachi 3:8-10
Will a man rob God?
      Yet you have robbed Me!
      But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’
      In tithes and offerings.
       9 You are cursed with a curse,
      For you have robbed Me,
      Even this whole nation.
       10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
      That there may be food in My house,
      And try Me now in this,”
      Says the LORD of hosts,

      “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it.
     
People need money to survive. The first most talked about subject in the Bible is Love. The second most talked about subject is Money. There are over 2500 verses that deal with money. Money belongs to the Lord Jesus.

Our body, brains, ability to work was given to us by God. Jesus owns us, bought us and paid for us. On paper your house or vehicle belongs to you. God owns all.

The word steward means to manage so stewards are managers. We are all stewards. God says in His Word the Bible to keep 90 percent and give Him 10 percent. God says you have robbed me.

When you steal something with a person not present, you are guilty of a minor crime. When you rob someone you are guilty of a much more serious crime. So when God says you have robbed me, you have taken by force.
 
The issue God wants us to see is we all need to have faith. When we put God first, money will come for all your needs. Jesus said seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be added to you. Jesus said be faithful to me in this area and I will take care of all your needs.

Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

The word tenth is an old word for tithe. God’s math is not your math. It is a mystery. You sit down and write out all your bills ( housing, insurance, utilities, etc ). When it is all said and done many people set God on the back burner.

Pastor Korter writes out his first check each month to pay His Tithe and Offering. This is symbolic of Pastor’s faith in the Lord. The Korters step out in faith and return their tithe first. The Korters somehow pay all their bills every month showing how God’s math works.

Leviticus 27:30
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD.

God is showing us how important tithe is by saying it is holy to the Lord. Where else in the Bible does God say “Holy”? The Sabbath Day is Holy.
Sabbath=Holy
Tithe=Holy

We are forcing ourselves on God by not giving His 10 percent.

Deuteronomy 14:22-23
You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

It is all about showing we love God. Obedience to God is reflected by our tithing. God doesn’t need our money. The tithe is meant to bless us.

Numbers 18:20-26
Then the LORD said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

Tithes for Support of the Levites

21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”
The Tithe of the Levites
25 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe.

The Levites were in the sanctuary ministering. The Levites did not get an inheritance. All other tribes did. The tribes brought tithe to the temple and the Levites lived off tithes. By returning tithes, ministers are able to pay their bills.

The Seventh-day Adventist church operates as a Sisterhood of Churches. There is a General Conference located in Silver Springs, Maryland. This is the headquarters of the worldwide church and where the appointed leaders offices are located. There are 16 world wide Divisions of the church. The North American Division contains all of the churches in the United States and Canada. There is the North Pacific Union which consists of all the churches in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Then there is the Washington Conference which is made up of all the churches in Western Washington. The Bellingham Church is part of the Washington Conference.

Every member of the Washington Conference comes to church on Sabbath throughout the conference and gives their tithe to the offering plate. All of the money is sent to the conference headquarters in Federal Way, Washington. The conference staff takes the money and pays all of the pastors in the Washington Conference. Every pastor is paid the same salary. This way the pastor can preach the truth and not worry about a member not paying tithes if there is an upset member. The second thing this principle brings about is it keeps pastors from being greedy and keeps them focused on ministry. God did not design pastors to have multi million dollar salaries.

The tithe also goes to advance the Gospel so more people can learn about Jesus. So when we hold back on tithe, we are saying: “God, I don’t want any of my money to go towards someone else learning about you”.

Nehemiah 10:37-38
To bring the first fruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. 38 And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.

In Bible times, people brought offerings to the tabernacle. When we return tithe, God will bless. What would happen if every church member returned back tithe the way it is laid out in the Bible? There would be so much money in the conference, the leaders would not know how to spend it all.

Deuteronomy 12:11-12
Then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD. 12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

It is a partnership in ministry to spread the Gospel. We do this out of Love for God so others can learn about Jesus.

Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The ability for the gospel to be preached works best with pastors, bible workers, teachers and elders. A sure course for financial ruin is to steal from God.

1 Corinthians 9:13-14
Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

Sunday churches operates as congregational churches. This means that if the church is small and there is not enough money, the pastors have to go out and get a job to provide for their families.

The ten percent tithe is not optional. Offerings are different. When we refuse to give tithe and offerings we are robbing God. Do we pay on net or gross? Who do we pay first, Jesus or Uncle Sam?

We pay taxes on our increase to Uncle Sam. Jesus should come first. Return tithe on our increase.

Romans 13:1-7
Submit to Government
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
 
Obey authority. Do not cause Christianity to be blemished or stained. We should pay our taxes.

This sermon was preached at Bellingham, Washington Seventh-day Adventist Church on Sabbath, 2 April 2011 by Pastor Brandon Korter.

Most of the world no longer looks at things as God does. Put yourself in God’s place. You just created the world and then created perfect angels and people. God took a big risk and gave people free will. By giving us free will, God gives us the greatest act of Love.

The great controversy began when Lucifer wanted to be as high as God was. One third of the angels and Lucifer were expelled from heaven and sent down to earth. Now the great majority of the world is in rebellion. Adam and Eve were perfect and then sin entered the world.

In early Bible times, people lived for 900 or more years and then they died. Then God brought the flood to cleanse the earth. The cycle of life started over from Noah and the 8 people who were on the Ark. People started to multiply and spread around the world. Once again, most of the people rebelled. Most people do not like being told what to do.

God grew impatient again and this time sent Jesus to the earth.

Hebrews 11:8-10
Faithful Abraham
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Jesus has chosen us to share in the same promise Abraham was given-the privilege of obeying God. Abraham obeyed God without complaining or questioning. How would you like to be Abraham and take off and leave your home and go where God sent him? He didn’t know what was going to happen.

Is Jesus coming soon? Yes! Jesus is coming for all. He wants no one to perish. He cannot save rebellious people.

We have strife, upset, guilt and other unhealthy emotions in our life. We feel shame and are down and embarrassed about how our life has gone. Do you know how people deal with guilt, depression or shame?

There is something going on in their life that they know is wrong. At the core of every human being, we are unwilling to obey God.

The church is not made up of buildings. The church is made up of people. The church will not be blessed by God if the people are rebellious. We live in a culture that doesn’t respect authority or other people because of our culture. We don’t like the idea of obeying anyone.

God has placed his Church on this earth so there is a people here that praise and love God and are willing to serve and obey Him.

Abraham was a wealthy man. He gave up his friends, family and wealth because he loved God. He chose to be in a dirty and wind blown tent. Abraham chose a hard life out in a wind blown desert because he loved God. He left a beautiful home, family and friends to be out in the desert.

Abraham had peace that comes with following and obeying God. This peace from God is a Priceless gift. Jesus loved us, went to the cross for us and just wants us to love God and His Word.

Do  you think Abraham’s family thought that Abraham was a little crazy? Are we willing to be like Abraham? That peace only comes from Jesus. Do you realize why we have problems? We can have peace in all of our problems.

Paul was in prison. He had peace. He was alone, cold and hungry. He had a genuine peace in his life. How important is peace to you?

Abraham was called out to serve God and be an example to the people.

Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

God is calling us to come out. Does it really work? In Hebrews 11:9, Abraham stepped out in faith. He had no idea where he was going. God had been so good to him and he stepped out. The word ‘sojourn’ means to wander. What answers does God have for us? Abraham was always dependent on God.

God has put this church here so His people can obey by faith. This principle of obedience goes against our culture. Obeying rubs people wrong. The Bellingham Seventh-day Adventist church will go on till the end. It is for this reason that we should obey by faith and step out by faith.

God, you have been so good to us. Some people say that to be obedient to God is legalistic. This concept is being taught today. People will say it doesn’t matter whether we follow God or the Bible.

Our hope is waiting with eager anticipation of the builder of the new Jerusalem. Our church is to be a light that shines in a dark place. If we are not obedient everything becomes lackadaisical. We should obey and love Jesus and shine in the darkness.

Many Christians condemn people’s sins. That is not what we are here for. God has called us to show people something better. We are to share His goodness, character and love. How do you show people God’s love, character, and grace?

When you obey, you can help God win back rebel people. They will be irresistibly drawn to Jesus. If your not willing to obey and share Jesus, we are saying we don’t love you Jesus. Abraham, Moses, and Noah loved God. It’s not about works. Its about obeying and loving God. God will win rebels back with His Holy Spirit.

Do  you want to have happiness? You will be a power house witness. You will be an evangelistic witness to bring Jesus to others. It’s about the relationship of Love. You will live like Abraham did. You will have power to do incredible things for Jesus.

In Iraq there are Christians-not many as Iraq is an Islamic society. Iraq said to the people that you have to go to school Monday-Saturday. Adventists living in Iraq said they cannot go to school on Saturday. The government threatened the Adventists. The Adventists responded once again that they are unable to go to school on Saturday.

This dilemma got the attention of other Christians living in Iraq: Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians. The Adventists did not go to school on Saturday and were threatened with death. The news of this group of Adventists traveled all the way to Saddam Hussein. Hussein reviewed the dilemma and made a statement that all the other Christians had to go to school on Saturday except the Adventists. The Adventists were excused so they could worship God on Sabbath.

The other Christian denominations complained. Hussein said that the Adventists were willing to die for their faith. So all the other Christians were required to be in school on Saturday. Will you follow Jesus like Abraham did? Ask Jesus to come into your heart now and give you faith like Abraham had.

Revelation 20:2-10
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
The Saints Reign with Christ 1000 Years
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Satanic Rebellion Crushed
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

What is God Saying about the people that are lost forever? The majority of Christians believe if you are lost you will burn forever. This false belief is the cause of more people turning to atheism than any other Christian teaching.

The reason churches grow fast is that people are scared and want to be saved from perishing so they join a church. The Roman Catholic Papacy receives a very large amount of money each year from people that die. The dead are trying to buy their way into heaven so as to not perish. Would a loving God cause you to suffer forever? What does the Bible say about this matter?

Psalms 11:5-6
The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. 6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.

The Bible teaches there will be hell fire but it does not go on forever. Fire cleanses. All sin will be removed from the earth when Jesus comes. The second death comes to the unsaved at the end of the thousand years.

Malachi 4:1-3
The Great Day of God
1 For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, Says the LORD of hosts, That will leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this, Says the LORD of hosts.
     
Burned up means they are gone. All wicked will be stubble. There is nothing left to burn. In verse 3, the wicked shall be ashes. You have ashes when the fire has gone out.

Isaiah 47:14
Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before!

Once again, as stubble means the fire goes out. This is what God wants us to understand. Let us say you are a lost soul on earth for 85 years and then you are burned forever. God is not a cruel God. This is a tricky deception of Satan to cause people to not trust God. The Bible says the wicked will be burned up, will be stubble and then ashes.

Psalms 37:20
But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.
This passage is a direct contradiction to burning forever. The Bible says the wicked shall perish. If you stick a piece of paper in a fire, the paper burns up and vanishes. Will there be hell fire at the end of the world? Yes! Will the wicked burn forever? No! People are scared into church or become atheist because of this deception of Satan.

Psalms 37:38
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
The wicked will be no more means they are gone.

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Revelation 2:11
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

There is a second death. God wants us to see that there is no such place as hell. If there is a hell the results of sin live forever and ever. That would mean that Christ sacrifice at Calvary did not work.

Nahum 1:9
What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.

Revelation 21:1
All Things Made New

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

At the end of the one thousand years, there is nothing left. The saved watch Jesus create a new earth. Imagine being present when God created the world and all that is in it the first time he created the world. This will be supernatural and most incredible event anyone has ever seen. God will say let there be light, trees, grass, water, rivers, animals and creatures. The greatest 3D show anyone will ever see.

The earth will be completely restored like it was in the time of Adam and Eve before sin entered the world. We will have immortality.

Luke 12:45-46
But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Portion means reward.

Matthew 25:41
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Destroy means totally dead.

Mark 9:43-46
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 44 where
      ‘ Their worm does not die
       And the fire is not quenched.’

 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 46 where
      ‘ Their worm does not die
      And the fire is not quenched.’
     
Outside of the walls of Jerusalem, in a deep narrow valley, a fire was kept burning. This fire was known as the Fire of Gehenna. When you quench a fire you extinguish it-the fire goes out on its own. The fire is not deliberately put out, it just goes out on its own like a campfire that goes out when no more wood is put on it.

Let us look at what the Bible means by the word forever.
1 Samuel 1:22
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever.”

Samuel is not alive now. Verse 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

The Bible uses the word forever to mean as long as he lives.

If there is an eternal burning hell, that means Jesus death at Calvary did not do enough to destroy the devil and sinners.

Jude 7
As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The effect is eternal and the results are eternal. Many Christians do not want to believe there is an eternal hell. Yes, the wicked burn, yes, there is fire, but NOT forever! Think on the character of our Loving God.

Jeremiah 17:27
“But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.”’”

Did Jerusalem burn when the Romans burned the city in 70AD? Yes! Is Jerusalem burning right now?

Luke 3:17
His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The Fire just goes out.

Luke 16:19-24
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

Six reasons that this passage of the Bible is not literal. This is a parable. Jesus is telling a story.

1. Abraham’s bosom is not the home of the saved. This is a figurative representation of heaven.
2. Those in heaven won’t be able to talk with those in hell.
3. Bible indicates the good and the bad are in their graves right now and won’t hear anyone.
4. The Bible teaches that man (both saved and wicked) receive their reward at the second coming.
5. Would make Jesus contradict himself. The Bible clearly says God’s word is constant and HE changeth not.
6. Lazarus represents the Gentiles. The end to fire is when literal Israel rejected Jesus. The bread is the Word of God. The Gentiles accepted the crumbs and as a result there are hundreds of millions of Christians today.

This was our Wednesday night Bible Study given by Pastor Korter on 30. March 2011.

Genesis 3:1-4
The Temptation and Fall of Man

1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

The Garden of Eden was the scene for the very first lie told to the human race. This is a huge issue. The Devil is trying to deceive the human race. Tonight in 2011, is the Devil still deceiving the human race?

Yes! Did Adam and Eve die? Yes! Their death did not come instantly. They died slowly. You and I will die. If we hang on to sin, we will die. If we repent and turn to Jesus for salvation, we only die the physical death.

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21
19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

Psalms 146:3-4
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
         Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
         In that very day his plans perish.
        
Breath and the spirit mean the same thing in the Bible. The Hebrew word ‘ruach’ means spirit. The day you die, your thoughts perish.

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
For the living know that they will die;
      But the dead know nothing,
      And they have no more reward,
      For the memory of them is forgotten.
       6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
      Nevermore will they have a share
      In anything done under the sun.
     
God’s word is not contradictory. God says in the Bible: “I do not change”. The Bible says the dead know nothing. Your emotions are no more. You are asleep. If you die and know Jesus, you will be in a temporary sleep.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

The Bible clearly says we have no knowledge or wisdom. You are sleeping in the grave waiting for Jesus to come. Anytime someone says they have seen their dead relative has seen an evil angel. Spiritualism is a false truth. There are programs on television that are based on spiritualism. This is the occult.

Acts 2:29
Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

David died a saved man. The Bible says he is dead and buried. Why do we think we can go to heaven when we die and David cannot?

Acts 2:34
For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand.’

When you die you go to dust.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The dead in Christ rise first before those who are alive. If you have already gone to heaven, verse 17 is impossible. As a human being we have electrical currents moving in the brain to control body movement. When you have lack of oxygen, you become some what unconscious and experience out of body experiences.

Would God be merciful if you were in heaven watching what is going on today on this earth? Starving children, murders, wars, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

John 5:28-29
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Job 14:10, 13-14
But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last-And where is he?
Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

To be a living soul, you have to have Breath + Life = Living Soul

Neshama means soul. God breathed into Adam’s nostrils.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

We know from the Hebrew word ruach that spirit means breath. Cremation is just a speeding up of the return to dust.

Job 27:3
As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils.

1 Timothy 6:15-16
Which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

If you die and go to heaven, you have been given immortality. But the Bible says only the King of Kings has immortality. Jesus is God manifested in human form.

Romans 2:6-7
Who will render to each one according to his deeds: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality.

Immortality happens when Jesus comes.

Psalms 115:17
The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor any who go down into silence.

Silence is a sleep.

Psalms 6:4-5
Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
 5 For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?
 
John 11:11-14
These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

Jesus and Lazarus were close friends. Jesus often rested there at Lazarus house.

John 11:22-23
But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

John 11:38-44
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Jesus would have been extra cruel to have caused Lazarus to come back down to earth-get in the grave-then come out of the grave and live again on this sinful earth. Jesus wants us to understand that when you die, you are asleep in the grave until Jesus comes again. Satan wants to deceive people with Spiritualism and the powers of darkness.

This was Pastor Korter’s Bible Study from 23. March 2011 at Bellingham Seventh-day Adventist church.

Answer: There is no doubt that the number of different religions in the world makes it a challenge to know which one is correct. First, let’s consider some thoughts on the overall subject and then look at how one might approach the topic in a manner that can actually get to a right conclusion about God. The challenge of different answers to a particular issue is not unique to the topic of religion. For example, you can sit 100 math students down, give them a complex problem to solve, and it is likely that many will get the answer wrong. But does this mean that a correct answer does not exist? Not at all. Those who get the answer wrong simply need to be shown their error and know the techniques necessary to arrive at the correct answer.

How do we arrive at the truth about God? We use a systematic methodology that is designed to separate truth from error by using various tests for truth, with the end result being a set of right conclusions. Can you imagine the end results a scientist would arrive at if he went into the lab and just started mixing things together with no rhyme or reason? Or if a physician just started treating a patient with random medicines in the hope of making him well? Neither the scientist nor the physician takes this approach; instead, they use systematic methods that are methodical, logical, evidential, and proven to yield the right end result.

This being the case, why think theology—the study of God—should be any different? Why believe it can be approached in a haphazard and undisciplined way and still yield right conclusions? Unfortunately, this is the approach many take, and this is one of the reasons why so many religions exist. That said, we now return to the question of how to reach truthful conclusions about God. What systematic approach should be used? First, we need to establish a framework for testing various truth claims, and then we need a roadmap to follow to reach a right conclusion. Here is a good framework to use:

1. Logical consistency—the claims of a belief system must logically cohere to each other and not contradict in any way. As an example, the end goal of Buddhism is to rid oneself of all desires. Yet, one must have a desire to rid oneself of all desires, which is a contradictory and illogical principle.

2. Empirical adequacy—is there evidence to support the belief system (whether the evidence is rational, externally evidential, etc.)? Naturally, it is only right to want proof for important claims being made so the assertions can be verified. For example, Mormons teach that Jesus lived in North America. Yet there is absolutely no proof, archaeological or otherwise, to support such a claim.

3. Existential relevancy—the belief system must conform to reality as we know it, and it must make a meaningful difference in the life of the adherent. Deism, for example, claims that God just threw the spinning world into the universe and does not interact with those who live on it. How does such a belief impact someone in a day-to-day manner? In short, it does not.

The above framework, when applied to the topic of religion, will help lead one to a right view of God and will answer the four big questions of life:

1. Origin – where did we come from?
2. Ethics – how should we live?
3. Meaning – what is the purpose for life?
4. Destiny – where is mankind heading?

But how does one go about applying this framework in the pursuit of God? A step-by-step question/answer approach is one of the best tactics to employ. Narrowing the list of possible questions down produces the following:

1. Does absolute truth exist?
2. Do reason and religion mix?
3. Does God exist?
4. Can God be known?
5. Is Jesus God?
6. Does God care about me?

First we need to know if absolute truth exists. If it does not, then we really cannot be sure of anything (spiritual or not), and we end up either an agnostic, unsure if we can really know anything, or a pluralist, accepting every position because we are not sure which, if any, is right.

Absolute truth is defined as that which matches reality, that which corresponds to its object, telling it like it is. Some say there is no such thing as absolute truth, but taking such a position becomes self-defeating. For example, the relativist says, “All truth is relative,” yet one must ask: is that statement absolutely true? If so, then absolute truth exists; if not, then why consider it? Postmodernism affirms no truth, yet it affirms at least one absolute truth: postmodernism is true. In the end, absolute truth becomes undeniable.

Further, absolute truth is naturally narrow and excludes its opposite. Two plus two equals four, with no other answer being possible. This point becomes critical as different belief systems and worldviews are compared. If one belief system has components that are proven true, then any competing belief system with contrary claims must be false. Also, we must keep in mind that absolute truth is not impacted by sincerity and desire. No matter how sincerely someone embraces a lie, it is still a lie. And no desire in the world can make something true that is false.

The answer of question one is that absolute truth exists. This being the case, agnosticism, postmodernism, relativism, and skepticism are all false positions.

This leads us to the next question of whether reason/logic can be used in matters of religion. Some say this is not possible, but—why not? The truth is, logic is vital when examining spiritual claims because it helps us understand why some claims should be excluded and others embraced. Logic is absolutely critical in dismantling pluralism (which says that all truth claims, even those that oppose each other, are equal and valid).

For example, Islam and Judaism claim that Jesus is not God, whereas Christianity claims He is. One of the core laws of logic is the law of non-contradiction, which says something cannot be both “A” and “non-A” at the same time and in the same sense. Applying this law to the claims Judaism, Islam, and Christianity means that one is right and the other two are wrong. Jesus cannot be both God and not God. Used properly, logic is a potent weapon against pluralism because it clearly demonstrates that contrary truth claims cannot both be true. This understanding topples the whole “true for you but not for me” mindset.

Logic also dispels the whole “all roads lead to the top of the mountain” analogy that pluralists use. Logic shows that each belief system has its own set of signs that point to radically different locations in the end. Logic shows that the proper illustration of a search for spiritual truth is more like a maze—one path makes it through to truth, while all others arrive at dead ends. All faiths may have some surface similarities, but they differ in major ways in their core doctrines.

The conclusion is that you can use reason and logic in matters of religion. That being the case, pluralism (the belief that all truth claims are equally true and valid) is ruled out because it is illogical and contradictory to believe that diametrically opposing truth claims can both be right.

Next comes the big question: does God exist? Atheists and naturalists (who do not accept anything beyond this physical world and universe) say “no.” While volumes have been written and debates have raged throughout history on this question, it is actually not difficult to answer. To give it proper attention, you must first ask this question: Why do we have something rather than nothing at all? In other words, how did you and everything around you get here? The argument for God can be presented very simply:

Something exists.
You do not get something from nothing.
Therefore, a necessary and eternal Being exists.

You cannot deny you exist because you have to exist in order to deny your own existence (which is self-defeating), so the first premise above is true. No one believes you can get something from nothing (i.e., that ”nothing” produced the universe), so the second premise is true. Therefore, the third premise must be true—an eternal Being responsible for everything must exist.

This is a position no thinking atheist denies; they just claim that the universe is that eternal being. However, the problem with that stance is that all scientific evidence points to the fact that the universe had a beginning (the ‘big bang’). And everything that has a beginning must have a cause; therefore, the universe had a cause and is not eternal. Because the only two sources of eternality are an eternal universe (proven to be untrue) or an eternal Creator, the only logical conclusion is that God exists. Answering the question of God’s existence in the affirmative rules out atheism as a valid belief system.

Now, this conclusion says nothing about what kind of God exists, but amazingly enough, it does do one sweeping thing—it rules out all pantheistic religions. All pantheistic worldviews say that the universe is God and is eternal. And this assertion is false. So, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and all other pantheistic religions are ruled out as valid belief systems.

Further, we learn some interesting things about this God who created the universe. He is:

• Supernatural in nature (as He exists outside of His creation)
• Incredibly powerful (to have created all that is known)
• Eternal (self-existent, as He exists outside of time and space)
• Omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by it)
• Timeless and changeless (He created time)
• Immaterial (because He transcends space)
• Personal (the impersonal can’t create personality)
• Necessary (as everything else depends on Him)
• Infinite and singular (as you cannot have two infinites)
• Diverse yet has unity (as nature exhibits diversity)
• Intelligent (supremely, to create everything)
• Purposeful (as He deliberately created everything)
• Moral (no moral law can exist without a lawgiver)
• Caring (or no moral laws would have been given)

This Being exhibits characteristics very similar to the God of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, which interestingly enough, are the only core faiths left standing after atheism and pantheism have been eliminated. Note also that one of the big questions in life (origins) is now answered: we know where we came from.

This leads to the next question: can we know God? At this point, the need for religion is replaced by something more important—the need for revelation. If mankind is to know this God well, it is up to God to reveal Himself to His creation. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all claim to have a book that is God’s revelation to man, but the question is which (if any) is actually true? Pushing aside minor differences, the two core areas of dispute are 1) the New Testament of the Bible 2) the person of Jesus Christ. Islam and Judaism both claim the New Testament of the Bible is untrue in what it claims, and both deny that Jesus is God incarnate, while Christianity affirms both to be true.

There is no faith on the planet that can match the mountains of evidence that exist for Christianity. From the voluminous number of ancient manuscripts, to the very early dating of the documents written during the lifetime of the eyewitnesses (some only 15 years after Christ’s death), to the multiplicity of the accounts (nine authors in 27 books of the New Testament), to the archaeological evidence—none of which has ever contradicted a single claim the New Testament makes—to the fact that the apostles went to their deaths claiming they had seen Jesus in action and that He had come back from the dead, Christianity sets the bar in terms of providing the proof to back up its claims. The New Testament’s historical authenticity—that it conveys a truthful account of the actual events as they occurred—is the only right conclusion to reach once all the evidence has been examined.

When it comes to Jesus, one finds a very curious thing about Him—He claimed to be God in the flesh. Jesus own words (e.g., “Before Abraham was born I AM”), His actions (e.g., forgiving sins, accepting worship), His sinless and miraculous life (which He used to prove His truth claims over opposing claims), and His resurrection all support His claims to be God. The New Testament writers affirm this fact over and over again in their writings.

Now, if Jesus is God, then what He says must be true. And if Jesus said that the Bible is inerrant and true in everything it says (which He did), this must mean that the Bible is true in what it proclaims. As we have already learned, two competing truth claims cannot both be right. So anything in the Islamic Koran or writings of Judaism that contradict the Bible cannot be true. In fact, both Islam and Judaism fail since they both say that Jesus is not God incarnate, while the evidence says otherwise. And because we can indeed know God (because He has revealed Himself in His written Word and in Christ), all forms of agnosticism are refuted. Lastly, another big question of life is answered—that of ethics—as the Bible contains clear instructions on how mankind ought to live.

This same Bible proclaims that God cares deeply for mankind and wishes all to know Him intimately. In fact, He cares so much that He became a man to show His creation exactly what He is like. There are many men who have sought to be God, but only one God who sought to be man so He could save those He deeply loves from an eternity separated from Him. This fact demonstrates the existential relevancy of Christianity and also answers that last two big questions of life—meaning and destiny. Each person has been designed by God for a purpose, and each has a destiny that awaits him—one of eternal life with God or eternal separation from Him. This deduction (and the point of God’s becoming a man in Christ) also refutes Deism, which says God is not interested in the affairs of mankind.

In the end, we see that ultimate truth about God can be found and the worldview maze successfully navigated by testing various truth claims and systematically pushing aside falsehoods so that only the truth remains. Using the tests of logical consistency, empirical adequacy, and existential relevancy, coupled with asking the right questions, yields truthful and reasonable conclusions about religion and God. Everyone should agree that the only reason to believe something is that it is true—nothing more. Sadly, true belief is a matter of the will, and no matter how much logical evidence is presented, some will still choose to deny the God who is there and miss the one true path to harmony with Him.

This post came from Got Questions website. I subscribe to their weekly email.
Recommended Resource: Jesus Among Other gods by Ravi Zacharias. GotQuestions.org seeks to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by providing Biblical answers to spiritually-related questions. To continue in this mission, we need your support! For more information, please visit https://www.gotquestions.org/support.html