Why do Jews not see Jesus in Isaiah 53?
It's just a matter of willful ignorance. Yes, Isaiah 53 is in their Scriptures, but the Jews did not WANT to believe in a suffering Messiah, only a REIGNING Messiah, even though the OT teaches both. Even today, when their Scriptures are read in the synagogues, they skip over Isaiah 53!
If Joseph is from the line of David, but was not the true/blood father of Jesus, how did Jesus fulfill this prophecy? Was Mary also from the house of David?
Yes. Luke 3 gives the genealogy of Jesus goes backwards in time, from Joseph (Jesus' earthly "father") to Adam (including Abraham and David). And in Matthew 1, the genealogy of Jesus goes forward in time from Abraham to Mary (including David). So David is on both sides!
I guess I could have just said "yes".
pastor jeff
-paid by the word
We ran out of time before we answered all the questions, as usual - but NOT "as usual", we covered all of the questions except ONE! (That's a record.) Here's the last one:
WHY DID JESUS (in the whole New Testament) SAY A SINGLE WORD ABOUT BEING GAY BUT HE CONDEMNED ADULTERY AND MANY OTHER THINGS. JESUS LOVED GAY PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN THIS WAY.
I believe the question was meant to say "Why didn't". There are at least 3 key points to address:
1 – Yes, Jesus loves everyone, no matter who they are. We strive to follow that example as a church. I do as an individual. Let's affirm that first, that the issue has nothing to do with "does Jesus / HBC / Jeff" love homosexual people. We do.
2 – Jesus didn't say a single word about it? Well, Jesus didn't give a list of everything that's sinful. The Bible would be ridiculously long and unreadable if that were the case. Nor did Jesus say "rape is sinful" or "sex with an animal is sinful" (but I think we naturally understand both of these are true).
Instead, Jesus cleared the whole marriage and sexuality issue up with one statement: Matthew 19:3-6 – this is God's plan for marriage – nothing else. One man, one woman, one lifetime. (Jesus was quoting Genesis 2:24).
And 1 & 2 are not incompatible. You can still love someone even if you disagree about something.
3 – One other thing to address is the point of bring "born this way". Yes, we are all born with a bent to sin – Romans 5:12, Isaiah 53:6. It may differ from person to person, but I agree that these tendencies are things that we are born with. The good news is these are things we don't have to live with. See 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
Great question!
If you missed Sunday, be sure to listen to the all of the questions and answers for this fun service HERE!
-Pastor Jeff
Is killing animals just because you want to a sin?
Just because you want to – does that mean “Just for fun”? It’s sinful. For food, protection, etc, no problem, kill the animals. But people who go kill elephants, lions, whatever – not for food or because they are being attacked by them but because they want to think of themselves as a mighty hunter – I personally just think that’s sinful. Yes, biblically, we have dominion over the earth, but we are stewards of the earth – and killing animals “for the heck of it” is being a bad steward.
I can't find any information on reuniting with a pet in heaven. But God creating everything, I find it hard to believe that there is a different heaven for people and pets. Any insight would be great. Thanks
I get asked this question... a lot. And I get why – I’m a dog lover, and it’s hard to think of heaven without Gordy! But Ecclesiastes 3:21 is the only verse that even mentions the subject, but even at that – the verse is a question, and the context is evaluating the truth that we are all going to die. So it’s hard to build such a doctrine on that one verse.
My son Cade was crying one time, asking if there are “action figures in heaven”. I told him this truth: heaven will have everything that will satisfy you. You will be totally happy and fulfilled.
