Questions to Answer

 

Every so often I ponder two questions from Jesus found in the Gospels. When these questions come to mind I often reflect on how I would respond to them. To be honest, at different times in my life, I find myself with different answers.

The first question is the same one that Jesus posed to Peter after His resurrection. As you may recall, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before the crucifixion, and after the resurrection, Jesus approached Peter to restore him. The restoration process involved asking Peter the same question three times: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15; ESV).

It's easy to say that we love Jesus more than anything else, but our actions often betray our words. We may love our families, recognition, jobs, alcohol, or hobbies more than Jesus. Personally, I know that I often place Jesus in the backseat, even when it comes to ministry.

Since we tend to relegate Jesus to the back corners of our lives, it's crucial for us to answer this important question. Every day, we must affirm our love for Jesus through prayer and commitment. It's essential that we take the time to hear Jesus' question and respond to it. We must tell Jesus that we love Him and demonstrate that love through the way we live our lives.

The second question is the one that Jesus asked of blind Bartimaeus. As Jesus was passing through Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was walking by where he was begging. Bartimaeus cried out to get Jesus' attention: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47; ESV). Despite everyone else telling him to be quiet, Bartimaeus continued to yell, and eventually, Jesus called for him to come. When Bartimaeus reached Jesus, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Mark 10:51; ESV).

What do I want Jesus to do for me? 

I believe that we often expect too little from Jesus. We come to Jesus and ask Him to forgive our sins, bless us with good health, or take care of our families. Don't misunderstand me; these are good things, and in some ways, they are essential things. However, I believe that these requests are similar to Bartimaeus asking for an endless supply of money so he could stop begging. It would be wonderful for Bartimaeus to quit begging, but it misses the point. He got it right when he said, "I want to see."

What do I want from Jesus? I want life. I want to be free from fear and sin. I want to obey God and follow Jesus with my whole heart. I want to make a difference in this world for the Kingdom. I don't want to settle for a life of my own making; I want to live the life God created me to live. The only way I know this can happen is by asking Jesus to give it to me.

Certain questions require us to take the time to reflect and respond because our answers will determine the direction of our lives. This is especially true when Jesus poses the questions. So, what is Jesus asking you?

Asking for a Friend: If God is Good, Why does He Allow Evil to Exist?

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

One of the fundamental beliefs in Christianity is that God is good. Most of the time, when we are experiencing the good things of life, this is easy to believe, but it becomes harder to accept when we consider the reality of evil. We imagine that if we were loving and good and all-powerful we wouldn’t let bad things happen. This leads us to the conclusion that God is not good, all-powerful, or even real. This question is a crucial one to answer.

Text: Job 38:1-7
Big Idea: God addresses the problem of evil through Jesus and His faithful people.
Challenge: Resist evil by doing good.

Asking for a Friend: How Much Influence Should the Bible Have on Morality?

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

We are created in the image of God. One of the implications of that reality is that our standard for right and wrong comes from God and His character. To find out about God’s character we need to turn to the Bible, which is God’s revelation to His people. The Bible is essential in forming our morality to help us become the people God created us to be.

Text: Romans 2:13-16

Big Idea: The Bible shapes the beliefs and behaviors of God’s people as we influence the world.

Challenge: Read Ephesians 5:1-21 and (1) Confess sin (2) Think of a way to show love. 

Asking for a Friend: Do I Need to Choose Between Faith and Science?

 

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

Too often our culture makes us believe that science and faith are at odds with one another, and therefore we need to choose between them as we pursue what is true. The reality is that science and faith are not in conflict, rather, they should be viewed as tools we use to arrive at an accurate and true view of our world. 

Text: Psalm 19

Big Idea: Science and religion are tools that we use to gain a better understanding of God and the world we live in. 

Challenge: Read through Psalm 19 each day this week and ask God to reveal Himself to you through nature and the Bible.

Asking for a Friend: Can I Trust the Bible?

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

In the first sermon we answer the question, “Can I Trust the Bible?” 

This is the foundational question that must be answered before looking at any of the other questions. As Christians we want our beliefs to be rooted in Scripture, and if we can’t trust what the Bible has to say then it will be impossible to have a Christian answer to the questions that we have.

Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Big Idea: We can trust the Bible to give us the truth we need to live as God’s people.

Challenge: Study Philippians with me at www.paulsponderings.com

Be the Evidence

Questions are an important part of having a conversation.

They help us find out more about the other person and they provide us with information that we didn’t have before.

If I am going to have a conversation about God, then certain questions are going to come up. 

Truth be told, while I am a pastor, I am not a “Bible Answer Man.” There are many things about Christianity, the Bible, and God I have questions about.

The process of answering questions helps us think through what we believe and provides us the opportunity to look at the world from a new perspective.

This particular question is a common one. It would be reasonable to assume that if God wanted everyone to know Him that He would make it easy for people to find Him. 

I think at the heart of this question is this statement: "God if You would just reveal Yourself to me then I would believe in You." They justify their lack of faith because God, if He even exists, hasn’t made it obvious to them.  

I can understand why this is a difficulty to believing in God. There are times in my life that I wished God would just prove His existence. Yet, I suspect that wouldn't impact my long term faith very much.

Think about two Biblical examples of people who experienced God in a miraculous way: 

• The nation of Israel in Exodus. These people had experience slavery at the hands of the Egyptians. They witnessed God deliver them from slavery through the use of ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miraculous provision of guidance and food through the wilderness. They saw how God revealed Himself to the entire nation at Mount Sinai. Moses went up the mountain, and when he doesn't return (forty days and forty nights) the people got antsy. They gather some gold together and made a golden calf to worship. In their worship they proclaimed this is the god who led them out of Egypt (Exodus 19 -32).
• Jesus' disciples. These men heard Jesus teach, witnessed his miracles, and saw him over a 40 day stretch after his resurrection. As Jesus prepared to ascend into heaven he took these followers to a mountain in Galilee. Matthew 28:17 saws; "When they saw him, they worshiped him--but some of them still doubted!" (NLT)  

It is amazing that Israel doubted God and disciples doubted Jesus after all they experienced. We tend to think if we were in their place and were able to witness miracles and see the risen Lord face to face that we would not doubt. I am not certain that would be the case.

These examples show us that a faith built on the evidence miracles is not a sustainable faith. Time has a way of eroding our experiences. Given enough time even the most awesome miracles would loose their impressiveness.

Aside from what theologians call general revelation (the evidence of God discovered in nature), God doesn't make Himself known to everyone. It might be impressive for God to reveal Himself in all His Holy splendor, but how long would that make an impression on people? At the very least it would be something He had to do every generation.

There is nothing God can do, except what He will do when Jesus returns, that will convince everyone that He is real.

That doesn't mean God keeps Himself hidden from people.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27; NLT)

God created human beings in His image. To be created in God's image means that we are designed to be His representatives in this world, to demonstrate His character. In other words we are to be walking, talking, and breathing revelations of God. The world should know God because of His people.

This is why Jesus told his disciples: 

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35; NLT)

The world will know that God exists through the lives of His people. May we be the evidence people need.