-Episode 2607-

Segment 1 (00:21) We cannot barter with God. To barter with God is to misunderstand our relationship with him. God gives because he is a giver, not because he gets something in return. We should pray if there is something we desire or need, but not to demand and barter. Ezra was blessed and the hand of the Lord was on him, not because he made a deal with God, but because he obeyed God. We need to know, to grow, and to go.

Segment 2 (09:22) If you die with unforgiven sin will you go to Hell? Christians still sin. Christians are not judged for our sins, though – Jesus was judged for our sins. Unbelievers are judged for their sins. Christians will be judged by our works but we are not kept from Heaven because of that. A person’s last act is not the determiner for saving faith.

Segment 3 (17:24) A Christian can say the pledge of allegiance because of the phrase “under God.” Our allegiance is to God and the government’s authority is given to them by God. A pledge is not always sinful, but if it is to the wrong things or the wrong reasons it could be. You will know you are called to be a minister when you passionately feel that you must do it. It wouldn’t be a casual feeling. You should also see what the local church thinks about the idea. There is nothing stated about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem alone. It wouldn’t make much of a theological difference, it just wasn’t an important fact that the Bible needed to communicate.

Wretched Surprise! (25:34) Lame sermon illustration of a baby putting their head in a dog’s water dish. It is like sin. It may look like it can satisfy your needs, but it is not the better thing. Don’t let your flesh convince you that worse things are good.