KHCB’s Q & A – 11-16-2023

Announcer: [00:00:10] Good evening. We welcome you to another weekly Question and Answers program, a program where you can call us with your questions about the Bible, a Scripture, or the Christian way of life. And our guests will answer that question for you. Live on the air. Tonight’s guests are Dr. Andy Woods, senior pastor at the Sugarland Bible Church.

He’s also president of the Chafer Theological Seminary and has authored and contributed to many Christian books and theological journals. He speaks on a variety of topics at Christian conferences and churches. Also we have Dr. Jim McGowan, Associate Pastor at Sugar Land Bible Church. The church website is SLBC.org.  The church is located at 401 Matlage Way in Sugar Land, Texas. You can find them online at Pastors Point of View on YouTube and Rumble, where you can find many of his articles and conference seminars or  Andy Woods ministries.org. We’d like to announce the 2024 Prophecy Conference at The Sugar Land Bible Church coming up February 23rd and 24th in 2024.  Spots are filling up quickly, so you may want to go to the church website SLBC for more information. Featured speakers will be Olivier Melnick from Chosen People Ministries, Russ Miller, Christ Prophecy with the Lion Lamb and Lion Ministries, and Dr. David Reagan, also with the Lamb and Lion Ministries. And of course, Dr. Andy Woods will be speaking. There’ll be a full day of teaching by the featured speakers with a question and answers to close out the conference.

If you’re calling for the Question and Answers program, if you’re calling from inside the Houston listening area, you can dial 832-922-4444. That’s 832-922-4444.  If you’re calling from around the KHCB network outside of the Houston area, you can dial 877-999-5422. That’s 877-999-5422. Or if you’d rather email your question to us, you can send that to questions that’s plural – questions with an S at Questions@KHCB.org. And it will appear on our computer screen here in the studio. And we’ll forward it to our guests. We also ask that you not mention any denominations or personal names, because our aim tonight is to answer questions relating to the Bible. And now here are our guests.

Pastor Jim: [00:03:21] Well, welcome again, listening friends. Dr. Woods and I want to let you know that we want to wish you all a very, very early Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas, because due to the holiday schedule, we will not be back with you until after the first of the year. So I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas and that God blesses you mightily. And that, in fact, is our prayer that you’ll be blessed and fulfilled during the holiday season with your loved ones. And with that done, let me also thank you for joining us this evening for KHCB’s Question and Answer program. And, you know, we recognize that these programs are so very special to you. You have questions and God’s precious holy word, the Bible, which is the only inspired, authoritative revelation of everlasting truth and the one and only divine source for all things pertaining to godly living, has the answers you’re seeking. So for the next hour, you have the opportunity to call the station, and together we will trust God for the answers only He can provide. Now please remember these three little housecleaning duties we have to go over.

 

Pastor Jim: [00:04:48] That is, first of all, when you do call before we bring you on the air, you’ll be on hold for a little bit perhaps. But while you’re waiting, please remember to turn the volume down on your listening device so that we don’t get feedback over the air. And also, please remember to keep your time to one question only. We realize sometimes that seems restrictive, but keep in mind that there are other people who are also trying to get on the program and get their questions answered. So with that in mind, also, we’d like to request that once you share your question on the air, that you just go ahead and hang up and then listen for the answer. And again, that helps us out a lot by freeing up lines for the next caller. So speaking of the callers, I see we have two callers waiting. So pastor, let’s go to the phones. Thank you so much for calling the program this evening. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:05:39] Yes. Earlier this week, a man asked about the Holy Spirit and very little information was mentioned, and I just thought it really needed to be much more expanded upon for him.

Pastor Jim: [00:05:53] Okay. Well, we were not the ones, I don’t believe, that took that question. But if you could give us some insight into what was said, maybe we could add to that.

Caller: [00:06:06] Well, the bad part is, I don’t remember, but just 1 or 2 things was mentioned in the Holy Spirit does so many things, so many different kinds of things for us.

Pastor Jim: [00:06:18] Well, I think we could give you a kind of a quick overview, if that would help.

Caller: [00:06:23] Sure.

Pastor Jim: [00:06:24] Okay. Thank you so much for calling the program. Pastor, what are some of the ministries of the Holy Spirit?

Pastor Andy: [00:06:30] Well, this is a great area of theology called Pneumatology – Pneuma is Spirit,  Ology is the study of and you know, you don’t have to get far into the Bible to see the Holy Spirit. There He is in Genesis one verse two. He was hovering over the waters in anticipation of what was going to happen with the rest of creation. And you move into the book of Exodus, and there He is, coming upon the Tabernacle workers to help them in constructing the temple at the Tabernacle. Excuse me. Giving them certain abilities of carpentry and things like that. In fact, there was a man named Charles Lee Feinberg, a famous Bible commentator. He was asked at a Bible conference is the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Old Testament, and he started with those two passages I just gave. And he went from there by memory, through every reference to the Holy Spirit and the whole Old Testament. And he was talking for hours. And the longer he talked, the more the crowd was just in awe, because, number one, they didn’t realize how much the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament. Number two, they were amazed that this man had committed all those scriptures to memory. But the Holy Spirit, you know, Jesus says in the upper room concerning the Holy Spirit to the disciples. He says, you know Him. So even though his ministry would change on the day of Pentecost, where he would not just come upon people, but he would be inside people forever, which wasn’t the case in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the spirit came upon David not in him, and the Holy Spirit left Saul. You see those verses in 1st Samuel 16-13 and 14. Jesus said, it’s going to be different in the upper room. He says, The Holy Spirit is going to be in you forever. John 14:16 through 18. And so even though the ministry would change, he still says, but you know Him. So the Holy Spirit is very active in the Old Testament, although he would take on it looks like a different, you know, we might even say greater ministry in the New Testament. But the Holy Spirit is the eternally existent third member of the Trinity. He’s called God. Peter says to Ananias in Acts 5:3 and 4, “you’ve lied to the Holy Spirit and you’ve lied to God”. So He is deity. He has ministries that he does in the believer. He indwells us. He convicts us of sin. He has ministries that he does in the world. He’s the restrainer. He’s holding back the Antichrist as we speak through the church. 2nd Thessalonians 2, verses 6 and 7. He has ministries that he does in the church. He’s the one that gives to every believer at least one spiritual gift, a special capacity to serve God in a supernatural, you know, effective, special way. You’ll see the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1st Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1st Peter 4, and Ephesians 4. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is kind of interesting as Jesus describes Him. He doesn’t like to attract attention to himself.

Pastor Jim: [00:09:59] Isn’t that interesting?

Pastor Andy: [00:10:01] He draws always. He always puts the spotlight on Jesus. You’ll find that teaching in the upper room. John 14, John 16. So that always bothers me when I’m in groups where they want to magnify the Holy Spirit constantly. Well, the Holy Spirit wants to put attention back on the son. So those are just a few things that come to mind. He’s got a ministry in the world. He was striving with the people in Noah’s day because God said in Genesis 6 verse 3, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever”. So he was trying to get them to repent. He John 16 verses 7 through 11 he convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. So he’s got a ministry in the world. He’s got a ministry in the believer. He’s got a ministry in the church. He is the eternally existent 3rd member of the Trinity who always likes to put the spotlight on Jesus. I’m probably leaving out a bunch of stuff, but those are some….those are some wonderful topics that you’ll discover when you get into Pneumatology. If you really want to do yourself a favor, get a book by the late Charles Ryrie on the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Andy: [00:11:17] He will explain all of this and there are actually certain sins we can commit. Against the spirit, we can resist the spirit. Act 7, verse 51. We can grieve the spirit. Ephesians 4 verse 30. And the Jews in the time of Christ blaspheme the Holy Spirit, which I think is a one-time non producible sin. Matthew chapter 12. There’s images of the Holy Spirit, sometimes these analogized to a dove. Matthew chapter 3. Sometimes he’s analogized to fire. Remember the tongues of fire that came upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost? So it’s just a beautiful and wonderful study, and I would encourage you to get into it. When I taught it, I called it “The Forgotten Member of the Trinity” because we for some reason, don’t know much about him. By the way, he’s a Him.  Don’t grieve the spirit. Meaning it’s like He’s not some kind of impersonal force like, you know, the “light side” is in Star Wars. You know, he’s an actual being. He’s an actual being with feelings. He’s a person. So how’s that for a starter?

 

Pastor Jim: [00:12:30] I think that’s great. And I wanted to add there that if that isn’t enough, then by all means go to our website SLBC.org. And you can select the sermon archives and you will find Dr. Woods teaching. He has actually has a teaching on this that runs multiple messages that I think would do an even more thorough job. So thank you so much for calling the program. We sincerely appreciate that. All right, back to the – back to the phones. We go. I see someone’s waiting. Thanks for being so patient. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening? There you are. I’m sorry we couldn’t hear you. Could you start over?

Caller: [00:13:19] All right. It coming from Hebrews chapter 2, verse 3, and it talks about a so great salvation. I just heard somebody say that a book was written “Saved from What?”.  Well, what about a book written “Saved to What?”   And in chapter 6 of Hebrews it says, leave behind the beginning principles of your Christian faith. And one of the beginning principles is being saved from hell. And once we and I’m telling you what I understand, and my question is, do you how do you understand it? So, once you get saved from hell as a Christian, you don’t have to worry about hell anymore. Now you can talk to other people about being saved from hell, which they need to be if they want to be saved from hell. But after we get saved from hell, what are we saved for? What, to what are we saved for? Hebrews. And the point being Hebrews 2:3 says that so great a salvation, and I’ve never heard in all my life an altar call where the preacher said, come down to enjoy being saved to so great. My question is, what is this so great salvation? Is it merely being saved from hell? Hey. Thank you.

Pastor Jim: [00:14:48] All right. Thanks for calling the program. That’s a great question. Pastor?

Pastor Andy: [00:14:51] Well, the first question from the caller dealt with Pneumatology. This is dealing with Soteriology. Soterio – “salvation in Greek”.  Ology – the study of.  And I completely agree with what the caller is saying. We’re saved from something, but that’s not it completely. We’re saved unto something also.  You know, we’re bought with a price. We’re no longer our own. We learn in Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9 that we’re not saved by our works, but we’re saved unto good works – for the works that he in advance preordained for us to walk therein. You’ll find that in Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9. So, you know, save from something hell. But that’s if that’s all your knowledge of soteriology is. It’s an insufficient kind of weak understanding. We’re saved to do something. We’re, you know, it’s like God took Israel out of Egypt. He saved them from Egypt, but He saved them unto something also. He gave them the law. He gave them the Mosaic Covenant. He gave them the land. He gave them the tabernacle. He ultimately gave them the temple. He gave them kings. So I guess I’m on the same page with the caller that we need to emphasize both.

Pastor Jim: [00:16:20] Yes. And I think probably part of what we’re saved to is rewards, isn’t it? So that’s part of the package. So praise. Yeah, I love it. You use that term all the time grace package. And I wish more people talked about that. All right. Thank you so much for calling the program. What a great way to start the program. Off and back to the phones we go. Thank you for waiting patiently. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:16:43] Yes. Hi. I wanted to know the meaning behind when they say the Son of the living God in the Bible.

Pastor Jim: [00:16:53] All right. The son of the living God. What does that mean? All right. That’s a great question. Thanks for calling the program.

Pastor Andy: [00:17:00] Well, living God, you know, is the idea that we don’t worship a dead Messiah. He resurrected. He ascended back to the right hand of the father, and he is alive at the father’s right hand, and he lives, Hebrews 7, to make intercession for us. And the problem with us when we become idolaters is we worship something that is not alive. I’m reminded of the book of Revelation, chapter 9, verses 20 and 21. It says the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold and silver, and brass, and stone and wood, which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk. And I think it’s in Isaiah 46, where the children of Israel are carrying around these idols, these kind of metal statues and objects, and it’s there the prophet Isaiah asks them, are you getting tired of carrying these things around?

Pastor Jim: [00:18:12] Yes.

Pastor Andy: [00:18:12] Because one of these days you’re going to get old and you’re not going to be carrying these things around anymore. You’re going to need someone that’s going to carry you.  And God, God says, I can do that, you know, because I’m the living God.  And you’ll see a description of that in the 46th chapter of Isaiah. So I think that’s what the living God, you know, means the God who is alive, the God who wrote the handwriting on the wall in Daniel five, he’s very much a living God.  We don’t worship just a dead savior. He was killed on the cross for our sins, but he rose from the dead, and he’s alive at the Father’s right hand.

Pastor Jim: [00:18:51] Yeah, and I think that goes against the teaching of different groups that want to say that when we die, you know that we’re annihilated. We cease to exist. And I love what Jesus said when he was dealing with the Sadducees about this issue of Resurrection. And he said to them, you know, God, first of all, he said, you do greatly err by not knowing the scriptures. So that’s an important statement. And then he goes on to correct their bad theology by telling them that he says that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You know, God was. He IS the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, isn’t he? It is.

Pastor Andy: [00:19:24] Present tense. IS.

Pastor Jim: [00:19:25] Present tense. All right. Amen. Thank you so much for calling in the program. We do appreciate that. All right, I see that we have our phones. Phone lines are vacant. So if you’d like to call in to the program, let me give those numbers again quickly. If you’d like to call locally, you can call 832-922-4444. Again that’s 832-922-4444. If you’re outside the local area, you can call toll free at 877-999-5422. That’s 877-999-5422. And if you’d prefer, you can also email your question and it will get to us at questions with an S that’s plural – Questions@KHCB.org. And that makes for an excellent segue into an email question that came in. So let’s take one here. This individual writes in and says, how do Christians flee fornication?

Pastor Andy: [00:20:24] Well, I think you have a great example of that in the person of Joseph. And I want to say it’s in Genesis chapter 39. And he was a young man in his teens. He was about 17 years old, roughly, and he was probably at the height of his, you know, sex drive, as we would put it, libido. And he was basically being tempted by Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar was, you know, a high ranking person in Egypt. And so there’s no doubt that he probably could have any woman that he wanted. And so I have a tendency to think that Potiphar’s wife was physically very, very attractive and she was attracted to Joseph. And, you know, the story from the Bible, come lie with me. And he left so quick, he left his cloak behind. And she actually used that, you know, to try to use that as false evidence. To say, well, he, he, you know, he raped me. So that’s how you handle sexual temptation. All of us have feet of clay. We see visuals around us all of the time in American society. There’s things that we can click on, on the on our computers that are of apparent interest. There’s. You can’t even Brother Jim get through the Super Bowl anymore without getting to the halftime show. And there’s some kind of prurient thing going on there appealing to the sexual interests. There’s soap operas, and so it’s around us constantly. But as the old saying goes, I can’t stop the birds from flying over my head, but I can certainly prevent them from building a nest in my hair.

Pastor Andy: [00:22:20] So I think we get into trouble with sexual temptation when we kind of ruminate on it and meditate on it beyond what we should when we give it. Not that first look, but that second look. The second look is the one that usually gets you into trouble in the area of lust and those kinds of things. And so, you know, what did Job say? Is it in chapter 31, verse 1, he says, I’ve made a covenant with my eyes that I would not look with lust upon a maiden. And so we have to have that mindset where, you know, I’m just going to turn the other way. I’m going to turn the channel, I’m going to walk out of the room and I’m going to do it quickly. I think it’s first I want to say, is it 1st Corinthians 10 or 2nd Corinthians 10? One of the two. It says, no temptation has seized you, except that which is common to man. And with every temptation God has provided a way of escape. And so the problem with us, though, is we linger more than we should. God says, leave. Get out, get out, get out like Joseph. And we kind of stick around, you know? And that’s where we get ourselves into trouble. That’s the best advice I can give anyone in this sexually charged period culture where we’re bombarded with sexual images constantly. Guard your thought life.

Pastor Jim: [00:23:46] I’m so glad you added that at the end. That’s so very important. Put on the helmet of salvation. Right guard your thought life. Amen. All right. I see that we do have some folks waiting on the phone. So let’s go back and thank you so much for waiting and for calling the program this evening. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods?

Caller: [00:24:03] Yes. And first of all, I do appreciate what you gentlemen are doing.  I’m listening to you up in Arkansas. So, great show, and I’m learning a lot. I’ve been a Christian, you know, for many decades. But of recently, I don’t know if it’s Satan trying to challenge me, but I could sure use some biblical, you know, scripture to help me. For whatever reason, my mind wanders beyond, you know, the earth and looking at all the universe and what have you. And I’m wrestling with, you know, God, essentially, and Jesus, you know, just being the Lord over, you know, the earth. Because when I’ve always thought about Christ in the past and look up, you know, I think of Him being, you know, in the spiritual realm, of course, but heaven around earth. So how do I get wondering what’s going on? For instance, you know, in Pluto or beyond, you know, our solar system? Out of my out of my mind because I just want to concentrate on, you know, the Lord that I’ve known all of my life since I was an eight years old, when I confessed my belief and was baptized. So is there anything you gentlemen could help me with on that?

Pastor Jim: [00:25:18] Well let’s see. Thank you so much for calling the program. What a great question. Pastor?

Pastor Andy: [00:25:23] Yeah. And what I referred to with the prior call. No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man. God provides the way of escape. That’s in 1st Corinthians. I think I may have misspoken, said 2nd Corinthians, 1st Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 13. Well, as far as outer space and things like that are concerned, it’s very interesting to look at all that. I mean, certainly God is the creator of that as well. But, you know, evolution, I think, draws our attention out into those things because the idea is if life started accidentally, naturally without God here, maybe it happened somewhere else.  And maybe the people out there are more advanced than us. They’re more evolved. Maybe they’re trying to help us. So when people get a little overly focused on outer space, you have to understand that it’s really an evolutionary paradigm which pushes them in that direction. I believe that Earth man, according to the Scripture, is the centerpiece of divine activity. And when you look at Romans 8 around verses 22 through 24. This is where we learn that the whole creation is in a state of travail. The whole creation is in a state of groaning because of what Adam did. So Adam’s sin here, affected all of creation. So that’s why what’s happening here on planet Earth is really the centerpiece of everything. Jesus decided to become a man, okay? He didn’t become something from outer space. God entered into his covenants with Abraham here on this earth. The millennial kingdom, the direct reign of Christ is going to be on this earth. The new heavens and new earth, although a different earth that will still be Earth, you know, the center of everything. So when you understand theologically that we’re the centerpiece of divine activity, it kind of leads you away from devoting too much time to studying Mars, Pluto, Neptune, you know, etcetera. Because what’s happening here is the centerpiece of everything that God is doing, its evolution that forces us to give too much thought elsewhere.

Pastor Jim: [00:27:57] That’s right. I’m also reminded of Deuteronomy 29:29, which says that the secret things belong to the Lord, but the things that are revealed, belong to us and to our children. And I think a lot of times people have this idea that when they get to heaven, they’re going to be really bored, you know, because, gee, my goodness, we’re going to sit around, you know, on a cloud with a harp or something. And I don’t take that perspective at all because I think we’re going to be for all eternity. We never cease to be God’s creation. He will always be the creator. We will always be the creation, and we will be for all eternity learning more and more and more about our Heavenly Father. And I think that if you think about things that way, it helps change your perspective on being so concerned with his creation. I think we need to be more concerned with the Creator, and that’s where our focus should be. At least that’s my opinion. But what a great question. We sure appreciate that. And back to the phones we go. Thank you for calling the program. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:29:02] Hi, praise the Lord. Trying to sit there. Focus on my question here. I believe in election of free will. And I believe in lordship salvation and stuff here. But there is here, there, taking up your cross daily and following Jesus as a condition for salvation. You know we can’t will ourselves. We can’t make ourselves do that. It takes the grace of God to do that. And that was a part of concern me and also compassion for the lost and everything in a previous broadcast here. Having a broken heart for the lost and then seeing Jesus’s love for us and all the stuff of election. Was it crocodile tears that Jesus is crying over Jerusalem or is he really crying out for lost people that are dying and going to hell? And where it says in John that he was hardening their hearts in that direction and not to slander a God. But what’s his position on that? And how to have a heart that is burdened for the lost and reach out more, just out of out of obedience, but out of love for God, out of his great love for those that are perishing for their salvation. So that’s kind of a convoluted question, but that’s what I was kind of wanting to pray about a little bit and, and asking for a prayer for me just to have a revelation of God’s love, his grace and mercy, and to have a burden for the lost to share Christ with them.

Pastor Jim: [00:30:36] Well, Amen. Brother. Thank you for calling the program. Pastor, any comments?

Pastor Andy: [00:30:40] Well, you know, the whole conversation, election versus free will is interesting to get into. But the truth of the matter is people are accountable for their own unbelief. It’s not like they have some kind of inability to come to Christ, you know, contrary to what different theological systems say, right? Jesus in John 5 verse 40 of those unsaved, he says, you were unwilling to come to me, that you might receive life. And over in John chapter 3, I believe it’s verse 18, he says, he who believes in him is not judged, but he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Now I understand depravity, and I understand the Spirit is at work in all people’s lives, you know, to to bring people to Christ. But the Spirit of God is not going to believe for somebody, The Spirit of God, as he convicts the world, will bring you to the point of decision and convict you of your need to believe. But if a person hasn’t believed, you know what? At the end of the day, it’s their fault. Otherwise, how could God be just, you know, and sending them into separation from him for all eternity if they ever, ever had an ability to believe at all?  So I enjoy the election free will discussion, but let’s not get lopsided on it where we take away accountability from the unbeliever. And let’s remember that our evangelism matters because it’s giving people an opportunity to believe.

Pastor Jim: [00:32:33] Amen. What a great question. And I see that we’ve reached the top of the hour, so please stay tuned. We’ll be back in just a few moments for our prayer for the nation. See you on the around the corner.

Announcer: [00:32:47] With a dedicated emphasis on the exclusive teaching of God’s Word, the Keeping Him Close by Network brings you continuous programing on KHCB-FM Houston at 105.7 FM throughout the day. You can also hear it in Lockhart, San Marcos, Austin, Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Natchitoches, Louisiana. Keeping Him Close By.

Pastor Jim: [00:33:44] All right. Welcome back listening friends. We appreciate you hanging with us here after the station break. And we just want to pause for a moment and pray for our nation and just like to encourage you, if you’re in a safe place and can do so, just pause with us as we go to the Lord in prayer. Abba, father, this evening we humbly yet boldly come before you with our petitions, knowing that we have free access to your throne of grace. And because James 5:16 tells us that “the effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much”, and we are indeed righteous, because positionally, we are identified with and in Christ. Our focus in this moment, therefore, is our federal government. And we’re reminded of 1st Timothy 2:1 and 2, which states, therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. Thus you’ve instructed us. And so we pray with joyful hearts, knowing that we’re praying according to your will. So we do pray first for our executive branch of government, that they might make decisions based upon your wisdom and understanding, and that they might cooperate with your divine plan and will for themselves and for all the people they serve.

Pastor Jim: [00:35:21] We similarly pray for our legislative branch of government. Please help them as they formulate new laws and make legal decisions that will impact our everyday lives, move on them, and motivate them to make decisions for the good and betterment of all the people. We pray also for our judicial branch of government. Abba father, please guide their rulings and place within them the conviction to make wise and godly choices. We also beseech you, Abba Father, for a spiritual revival of truth and integrity among all levels of government. We therefore pray also for our state and city officials that they will be inspired to lead in such a way that benefits all the people they serve. And Abba, father, please also protect all of our law enforcement officers, the men and women faithfully serving in our military and all of the first responders who put their own lives in jeopardy to save and rescue others. Please bless them and bring them home safe to their families. And Abba, father, we enter this time of thanksgiving and as we do so, I ask that you would remind your children that this earth is not our home and help us moment by moment, to be light and salt to those within our sphere of influence who are lost and dying those without hope all around us, so that they too might come to place their faith and confidence in Jesus, your one and only beloved son and the Savior of their souls.

Pastor Jim: [00:37:06] Please also continue to protect your chosen people and Israel, the land you have bequeathed to them. Minister to them in this their time of need, and use the believers there as the hands and feet of Jesus, so that He might be lifted up and draw many to himself. Please also work similarly among the Palestinians, and open their eyes to the satanic influences within their midst, and cause them to rise up against Hamas and all that it stands for, and help them to see and believe in the Jesus of the Bible, the God-Man, and their one and only hope for eternal life. And finally, help your children to remember to be thankful. Thankful for the precious gift of salvation which cost us nothing but cost Jesus his very life, and thankful for the great and precious promises you have given us in Your Word, which enable us to have a deep and abiding joy as we occupy here as your ambassadors, until you come again for us. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Maranatha and Amen. Thank you so much for joining us in prayer. And I see we have folks waiting online. So let’s go back to the phones. Thank you for your patience. What? Is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:38:47] Okay. You softened up. I’ve been listening to the program. Good evening. Thank you for taking my call. I appreciate you gentlemen participating in this program. God bless you. My question is rather, I guess, simplistic compared to some of the others. Anyway, a few weeks ago, somebody said that Paul had been in the third heaven. I understand the third heaven is the throne of God. If this is true, what is the Bible passage that tells about this?

Pastor Jim: [00:39:27] What a great question. Thank you so much for calling the program. We’re going to have that scripture address for you here momentarily. And as we look for that, do you.

Caller: [00:39:39] Want me to hang up?

Pastor Jim: [00:39:39] Up? Yeah. Why don’t you do that? If that’s all right. And we’ll have an answer for you here momentarily.

Pastor Jim: [00:39:45] Yes, ma’am. Thank you so much for your gracious call. All right, Pastor Paul, in the third heaven.

Pastor Andy: [00:39:52] Yeah, well, that that comes from 2nd Corinthians chapter 12, verses 1 through 10, which is the famous or infamous thorn in the flesh passage. And this is where Paul says, I know a man, whether in the body or out of the body. I don’t, I don’t know. He was caught up to Paradise. And this is where he talks about how he was caught up, verse 2,  2nd Corinthians 12, verse 2, to the third heaven, and in the third heaven he heard things that people don’t normally hear. And he was given insight. And this happened to him 14 years earlier. And he uses this to explain the superiority of his apostles compared to his detractors in Corinth who were calling themselves apostles. Don’t listen to Paul were the true apostles. And he said, well, let me tell you about being a true apostle. I mean, I was actually caught up to the 3^rd Heaven 14 years earlier, and what I received by way of communication from God was so specialized. And other people don’t get this, that I was tempted to become exalted. And to keep me humble, dependent and usable, God introduced a thorn in the flesh in my life. Whatever that thorn was, we don’t know. But it emptied Paul of his arrogance so that he could be continued to use by God. And he was tempted to move into arrogance, because he was caught up to the 3^rd Heaven. So probably the best understanding I know of about this 3^rd  Heaven is the 1^st Heaven would be the distance between the ground of the earth and the clouds. This is how the Greeks typically divided it up. And you know, this was written to Corinth and that Greek area. The 2^nd Heaven would be from the clouds to the stars, and then the 3^rd Heaven would be beyond the stars, where God lives. And Paul indicates that that’s where he was caught up in, and that’s where he heard these divine revelations. And so that’s your passage that talks about it – 3^rd  heaven, Second Corinthians 12, verse 2.

Pastor Jim: [00:42:14] All right, again, thank you for calling the program. We hope that was helpful to you. And back to the phones. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:42:22] Yeah the question I’m coming from. The verse is Hebrews 2:9, 2:9. And the first, and he and the King James Version. The first four words says, but we see Jesus. Uh, the context of that is just a few verses before the writer is saying, hey, the coming earth is has not been is not going to be turned over to angels, it’s going to be turned over to man. And then it starts quoting Psalms 8, what is man? And then it goes and he has dominion over everything, and everything is under him and everything is under his feet. And it says, but we do not yet see everything under his feet, but we see Jesus. My question is, what is this seeing of Jesus that could help us really get pumped up about what’s happening with the Lord doing on the earth and in our lives, whatever he might be doing. But we see Jesus. What is this? What is what understanding should we have of that? What is the writer trying to get us to understand when he says? Thank you for taking the call.

Pastor Jim: [00:43:51] All right. Thank you again for calling the program pastor.

Pastor Andy: [00:43:54] Well, he’s right in the sense that the audience was being tempted. The Hebrew Christians, believers from leaving Christ and going back to an inferior Revelation in the institutions of Judaism and in Judaism, they held angels in high esteem. Because angels, as you go through the Old Testament, were typically messengers. So the author is saying, why would you go back to that system when you have Jesus who’s higher than an angel? Or any angel. And if he’s higher than any angel, his message is higher than the message of the Old Testament. And one of the ways he proves that is he says, let me tell you something Jesus has done and will do that no angel did. He came into the world to restore what was lost by the first Adam. You know, and that’s where he quotes there. Psalm 8, verses 4 through 6. You know the first Adam, God desired to reign over the first Adam, who along with his wife would govern creation for God. And the first Adam gave it all away by coming to the serpent – Satan. So Jesus came into the world not as the second Adam, because if there’s a second Adam, there could be a third one. He came into the world as the last Adam to restore what the first Adam lost. And so, in the Millennial Kingdom, God the Father will reign over the last Adam who will govern the earth. What angel is going to do that? And in the interim, we do see Jesus, although he hasn’t brought this mission to complete fulfillment yet, we’re still waiting for the Millennial Kingdom. We do see him in his incarnation. He broke into human history and he’s laid the foundation for this ultimate victory. So I think that’s what the author of Hebrews is getting at here.

Pastor Jim: [00:45:52] Amen. All right. Thank you, pastor. Great question, great answer. And back to the phones. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening? Hello, caller.

Speaker3: [00:46:10] So, my question is regarding to the Great Commission in relation to also the saying of Jesus in John 17, I believe, where he says, no one comes to me except the father draws him, or no one comes to the father except through me. But yet he’s given the command for the Great Commission. So when we tell the good news, ultimately it’s told to Jesus to accomplish the work. Right? I’m just going to hang up and listen.

Pastor Jim: [00:46:49] All right. Thank you for that excellent question. Okay, pastor?

Pastor Andy: [00:46:54] Well, I think no one comes to me unless my father draws him. I think you’ll find that in John 6. And that’s a true statement. No one does come to the father unless the father draws him. But when you factor in John 12 verse 32, which is the exact same verb “draw”.  Jesus says, there, if I be lifted up from the earth, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. So currently, Jesus is already in the process of drawing the whole world to the to the cross. He’s not going to force them to believe, but he’s bringing them to the point of decision. I believe that he does this largely through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is one of the Holy Spirit’s ministries in the world. Jesus said in John 16 verses 7 through 11, you know, when I go, the spirit will come, and when he comes, he will convict the world. That’s everybody of sin, righteousness and judgment, sin because they do not believe. So you have to understand that when you’re out fulfilling the Great Commission, which is what we should be doing, that’s our it’s one of the reasons why we’re left here on the earth to get the Gospel to all of creation, every creature, all human beings. You have to understand that when you share the gospel with someone, you’re sharing it with someone who is already being supernaturally drawn to the cross. And the Lord is already in the business of bringing them to the point of decision. And if the Lord wasn’t doing that, no one could be saved.

Pastor Jim: [00:48:45] That’s exactly right. Yeah, and that’s such an encouraging word, pastor, because many times people are timid about their testifying about Jesus or evangelizing. But when you stop to realize that if the Holy Spirit’s prompting you to evangelize someone, that He’s already at work in the process of bringing conviction in the life of that individual. So no need to be worried about the process he’s involved. Amen. All right. Thank you so much for calling the program. And back to the phones. Thanks for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:49:21] Yes. Good evening. I was so glad to hear you refer to Joseph in Genesis earlier. Have just completed a Bible study. I teach the Bible to children. We had a wonderful study of Joseph, and in Genesis 37, verse 5, it shows the dream that Joseph had, which is followed by his interpretation. Later in prison, he interprets almost immediately, you know what? What the dreams were of his fellow prisoners. And then I’m just my question is, have dreams stopped having meaning? I mean, when I have a strange dream, I think it’s maybe because I’ve eaten pizza too late at night or something.

Pastor Jim: [00:50:07] Only if you’re eating pepperoni pizza.

Caller: [00:50:10] Okay, well, I just, you know, I’m just curious. The children have not asked me, but I’m wondering myself. When did the interpretation of dreams stop? Or do we. Are we still supposed to look into dreams, some of the dreams that we have, and try to find out if God is speaking to us?

Pastor Jim: [00:50:27] All right, pastor, we’re just getting great questions tonight. Thank you for calling the program. And let’s see if pastor can give you a good answer.

Pastor Andy: [00:50:34] Well, you certainly have lots, lots of dreams and Scripture. Genesis 37 was a dream Joseph had about his future, where he saw the sun and the moon and the 11 stars that would be the patriarch, matriarch and brothers bowing down to him, speaking of how he would be, you know, put in second in command in Egypt by age 30. He had this dream at age 17. And the nation of Israel, Genesis 46, would leave Canaan in the midst of famine to find grain in Egypt, where Joseph would be second in command. So that was a dream that was fulfilled 13 years later. You got a lot of dreams going on in Matthew 2. I’m thinking of late in Matthew’s gospel, where Pilate’s wife had a dream, telling Pilate have nothing, nothing to do with this man. This man is innocent. So clearly you see dreams all over the scripture. It’s just in the time period that we’re living in. We have a completed canon. Jude, verse 3. Truth has been once and for all delivered to the saints, and it is sufficient to equip us for every good work. 2^nd Timothy 3:17.  2^nd  Peter chapter 1, verses 3 and 4 says by these precious promises we have everything we need for all matters of faith and godliness. So, you know, um, I guess I’m not denying that God can speak through dreams. Maybe he does. Maybe he can. But those dreams are really not to be our preoccupation. Our primary occupation, should be God’s completed written revelation, which is sufficient to lead us into all matters of faith and practice. That’s where our focus should be.

Pastor Jim: [00:52:30] Yeah. And if I can just add this comment, one thing that kind of concerns me about dreams is that there are they’re subjective, and there’s at least one very well known cult that got started based upon dreams and visitations. So I think we have to be very careful about that. All right. Great question. And thank you, pastor, for that excellent answer. And back to the phones we go. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:52:56] Yes, I have a passage of scripture that I’d like to read. And it starts Revelation 12 and 17 and it states, “and the dragon was wrought with a woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”. And my question is, Is it possible to keep the commandments of God and still be able to be having the testimony of Jesus. Is there a difference concerning observance of the Sabbath day in comparison to the New Covenant keeping of whatever day pleases you?

Pastor Jim: [00:53:48] All right. Thank you. That’s a great question. Appreciate the phone call. All right, pastor, what about this issue of keeping of commandments? And what’s the application to the life of the believer?

Pastor Andy: [00:53:58] Well, you know, not every time you see a reference to commandments, it’s talking about the law of Moses. There’s New Testament principles, you know, the commandments or the church, the commands for the New Testament believer. And so Revelation 12 verse 17, you know, could be a reference to that. It is true, the Mosaic law under the Mosaic Law, which was given only to Israel. Psalm 147, verses 19 and 20, says the statutes, the Mosaic Law was given only to Jacob, only to Israel. It was a legal code. God said in Exodus 20 verses 8 through 11, just as I worked six days and rested on the seventh, you Israelites do the exact same thing. So the Israelites had their Sabbath the last day of the week. Well, Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week on Sunday, not Saturday. And ever since that point in time, his followers in the church worshiped on the first day of the week, not the last day of the week. And you’ll see a reference to that in acts 20, verse 7. 1st Corinthians 16, verse two. They’re meeting very clearly in those passages on the first day of the week. So there was a dispensational change brought in via the resurrection of Jesus. And so if somebody is not worshiping on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, we shouldn’t say, well, they’re not keeping the commandments of God. They’re keeping the New Testament revelation. They’re just not keeping the Old Testament law, which is okay, because that was only given to the nation of Israel.

Pastor Jim: [00:55:47] Yeah. Amen. Amen. All right. Well, we hope that was helpful to you. Thank you again for calling the program. And back to the phones we go. Thank you for waiting. What is your Bible question for Dr. Woods this evening?

Caller: [00:55:58] Hey, how are y’all doing? I would – I want to ask about interceding, but first of all, I want to understand the first lady’s question about the Holy Spirit and what all he does is amazing. But I wanted to ask you. God draws everyone in. God does the saving in John 3. But in Ezekiel 36:25, God said, I’ll wash you and I’ll give you a new spirit. God does the regeneration right? And then we’re a gift to Jesus the Son, right? And then we go to him and Jesus imputes his righteousness. Well, first the Holy Spirit sanctify, mean justifies us. And then Jesus imputes his righteousness into us. Right? I mean, that’s what I heard from John MacArthur. I’ve been listening to him for years. And is that right or wrong? But anyway, and also on the interceding, the Holy Spirit also intercedes with moans that we don’t even, can we ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for us?

Pastor Jim: [00:56:59] All right, that’s a good question. So let’s see what pastor has to say for you. Thank you.

Pastor Andy: [00:57:04] Yeah, this kind of question is something that we call the Ordo – Ordo Salutis. In other words, the ordo – it’s Latin for “order of salvation”. And here’s basically the way I see it the spirit convicts, convicts the world. John 12:32.  John 16, verses 7 through 11. He’ll bring people to the point of decision, but they have to make a choice through volition as they come under that conviction. Are they going to believe or not? If they believe, they have life? John 3 verse 16. So regeneration does not come before faith. Conviction does, but regeneration, the new birth impartation of divine life comes subsequent to faith. It is a result of faith, not the cause of faith. And as you look at the order of salvation, other benefits come as well. Your Christ transfers his righteousness to you at the point of faith. These things don’t precede faith. They come after faith. What comes before faith is conviction. So I think that’s what the question is really getting at. Then he says, can we ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for us? Well, you can, but he’s already doing it, so I guess there’s not. I mean, I don’t know the point in asking him to do something he’s already doing. It’s like me asking for the Lord to, you know, allow the Sun to come up tomorrow. I mean, I think the Lord has already organized things or that’s going to happen. So I guess that would be my answer to that. Yeah.

Pastor Jim: [00:58:48] And I’ll just add this quickly is I think what might be more appropriate is to thank him for interceding, you know, because he takes our prayers and he translates them and makes them appropriate and brings them before the father. And so we should be thankful for that. All right. Well, I see that we have our limited time here. Let’s see if we can get one email question in for the end of the program. This individual writes “Will Jesus condemn some of his people to the lake of fire at the judgment of Christ because they would not repent? And then they quote second Corinthians 510 through 11”.

Pastor Andy: [00:59:23] All right. Well, 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, verses 10 and 11 is not dealing with the Great White Throne judgment for unbelievers. It’s dealing with the Bema Seat judgment of rewards. This is where Paul says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Paul says “we”. So that’s something he’s going to experience. You know, there’s a judgment yet future where our salvation is not an issue, but we’re either given rewards or denied rewards based on how we allow the Lord to express his life through us. Post-conversion. And that’s not to be confused with the Great White Throne Judgment, which is only for unbelievers, which is described in Revelation 20:11 through 15 as their names are not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they’re cast into the lake of fire. So, a lot of people take judgments in the Bible and they just combine them. But these are two totally different judgments. One is a judgment under reward, another is a judgment unto damnation. So no, the Christian will not be thrown into the Lake of Fire in 2nd Corinthians 5:10 and 11.

Pastor Jim: [01:00:42] Amen well, what a great way to end the program. Pastor, thank you so much for that excellent answer. Thank you folks for calling this the program this evening. You make this program possible. So we just pray for you, pray for us, and we’ll see you next time on KHCB’s Question and Answer program. God bless and good night.