Transcript

American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio

>> Jeff Chamblee: The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

Bing Crosby explores the Book of Numbers today on Exploring the Word

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Bert Harper: In the Book of Numbers. You'll find one generation of people fearful, unable to go in and claim God's promises. So God says to them. And this is in Numbers, chapter 14, verse 31. I found it just turning the tide. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in and they shall know the land which you have despised. Well, this is the promise to Those that were 20 year olds and younger as they would go into the land flowing with milk and honey. But, but before that there's got to be a lot of traveling around what they called it wandering. And we're going to talk about that today on Exploring the Word. Bert Harper, Alex McFarland M with you. And we're in the Book of numbers, chapter 14. We invite you to go along with us. we've been kind of going slow this week because you're in one of the most pivotal times that ever occurred in the history of the Israeli, our Israel people's history. So Alex, chapter 14, 13. It was a turning point, wasn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it really was. And in numbers 1411, which we talked about yesterday, God asked the question, how long will these people refuse to believe in me after all the miracles that I've done and 3,500 years ago. And we're going to get to it there. And like verse 33, God says, you children shall wander in the wilderness 40 years and bear their sin. We'll talk about all this, but I thought it was interesting. I believe it was on Monday you and I came across the reality that while the spies spied out the land, 40 days. And then of course the people would not believe God's promises and go possess the land. after a 40 day reassurance that the people rejected, they ended up wandering, lost in the wilderness. 40 years. Sin and unbelief has a price tag, doesn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It really does. And we see this in verse 34. According to the number of the days in which you spout out the land, 40 days. For each day you shall bear your guilt. One year. And Notice what they did, Alex. I found this interesting. See if you follow along. See if you think I'm stretching or. Alright, this. They pronounced Their own judgment, in a way. they were fearful to go in. And they, said, you want to kill our children? No, the children get to go in, but you won't. And then fearful of 40 days and then wandering for 40 years, they kind of determine their own punishment. you know, in the New Testament, sometimes Jesus would say, let it be according to your faith.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Faith.

>> Bert Harper: So sometimes. Now, listen, I, want to make this plain. trying to separate faith from obedience is no way. Faith leads to obedience, doesn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, an unbelief or lack of faith leads to disability.

>> Bert Harper: It really does.

>> Alex McFarland: And, you know, the word faith really means trust. And we are to trust God. And if we can trust God for our eternal salvation, we can trust him for provision day by day down here. And individuals are called to walk by faith. Couples, families, certainly churches and ministries. And you get down here, and the people, like in verse 37, even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land died by the plague before the Lord the people. But Joshua the son of nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, live still. And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. verse 39. That's a sad verse, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It is. Notice they go from murmuring to mourning, from murmuring to mourning. hard to learn their lesson about murmuring and how bad it is. And you're going to find it in the next chapter. You're going to find it in chapter 16, murmuring, doing all those things. But it leads to mourning. And I, I think we need to take that for granted in 2025. complaining, complaining, complaining. listen, it, it is difficult always, but I, I just want to tell you, constantly doing it when God has told you to do certain things and you murmur against God's plan and against God's people. you're, you're going to have a period of morning following that, aren't you?

>> Alex McFarland: Do you remember that? Bing Crosby. I think it was Bing Crosby. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.

>> Bert Harper: And something about in between us with. Mr. Yeah. Mr. In between. That's it.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, there's always so much to be positive about, really. And, you know, when it comes time, if you're a part of a local church, invariably there's going to be some new programs or a renovation of the building or, you know, a relocation. when God is at work, and God is blessing, don't fight it. You know, and, you know, there's this old saying, we know what we like, and we like what we know. Ah, none of us really likes change. But in this transient world down here, change is going to come along. And, you know, let's be on, the team with Joshua and Caleb. That kind of faith.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. They're heroes, and I love them. They're. They're two of my favorite heroes in the Bible. Now, what they're doing, when you come to verse 39, all of a sudden some people change their mind. And they said, you know, we were afraid to go up, but now we're ready. with God, it's not only doing what he wants us to do, it's also when he wants us to do.

There are people that want to rewrite how Christianity operates

Now, before we read this, I want to contrast something, Alex. So that way, when we get to it, we already know it. And I thought this was just amazing. Look at numbers. Turn back. Look at numbers 14, 9. And notice it says, the Lord is with us. Do not fear. Okay.

>> Alex McFarland: Right. Okay.

>> Bert Harper: Now look, if you would. Same chapter, but verse 43. And it says, because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.

>> Alex McFarland: Wow.

>> Bert Harper: Now, what a contrast that is. And I just. I listen. Obedience to the Lord. And it's. I heard this a long time ago from, it was a ministry, ah, Life Action Ministries out of Michigan. Just a great ministry. And, AFR and us, we've done some things together, but I remember them saying, obeying the Lord and is doing what God says, all that God says. And when God says it, this is really, I would say, an example of that. Now let's go back to what I was saying. And, I, did that first. It says, Moses, told these words and the people mourned. Verse 40. And they rose up early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, here we are. And we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned. Then Moses said, now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies. For the Lord is not among you. For the Amalekites, the Canaanites, and there before you, and you shall fall by the sword, because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you. Now look at verse 44. And I want to turn it over to Alex just to comment on this. But they presumed. And those of you, you need to underline that. You need to highlight that the sin of presumption will get you killed. Here it is. But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them and drove them back as far as Hormah. Alex, what's the difference? What's the difference between when they could have gone up and won and when they went up and was defeated?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, you know, God's timing, God's assignment, God's promises. And that's why we have to do it God's way. I mean, God laid down parameters about the handling of the Ark of the Covenant and the, operations of the Tabernacle. And yes, God had laid down parameters and assignments about taking the land, how to do it and when to do it. And, you know, I think about church as well. And I'm not trying to make Israel the church. Israel is Israel and the church is the church. you know, I was interviewed earlier today by, Steve Jordahl in the news department, and there are people that are, you know, woke, people that want to rewrite how Christianity operates. Church and just what even the gospel is and religion is not the same thing as God's revelation and ritual is not the same thing as the reality of the gospel. And just like, the people here did not really have the right to rewrite God's prescription for taking the land, and therefore they did not have God's protection there. In verse 45, the Amalekites came down, the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill and smote them and discomfited them. In other words, they attacked them and drove them back. we don't have the right to redefine, to deconstruct and reinvent how church works. I mean, that's in the New Testament. It's Christ's church. He purchased it with his own blood. And, Bert, I guess this human desire to, make our own truth and do things our own way, that's nothing new, is it?

>> Bert Harper: It really is not. It's been around many, many years. But these. He was talking about Israel being Israel, church being. It is true. But we can learn from their example because they were God's people and we're God's people. So that that is the truth and God is faithful. He is just. And if he was just, then he's just and right today, so we can learn from them. I think it was Paul, somewhere in Corinthians said, these are for our examples. They were written and recorded so we can learn from them, and we need to learn from them. But chapter 15 kind of makes, I wouldn't say a U turn, but it's like, okay, we've got this done.

Alex: Ephesians chapter 5 talks about offering to the Lord

I got to share some other things with you now. And it's about the offerings. And, you know, I'm going to find repeated phrases or words in chapter 15 through verses, I'd say 1, 21. When it's talking about one offering, you have this comment over a sweet aroma, to the Lord. And it's repeated five times, Alex. But I said, man, I've heard that elsewhere. So I turned over to Ephesians chapter 5, and, and guess what it says. Basically the same thing it says about your offering to the Lord. A, sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: Now, the sacrifice then was looking toward the forgiveness of Christ. I would say, no wonder it was a sweet aroma unto the Lord, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Well, in the book of Revelation, the aroma before God in heaven are the prayers of the saints.

>> Bert Harper: Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: And isn't that something? And so our life is to be a worship offering. Now, God gives a lot here about the, sacrifice of a lamb to be accompanied with grain and wine offering. There's dictates about how to prepare a, bullock. And it says a drink offering or the grape juice or the wine that is part of this. And in verse 13, there's the, implication of passing it on. All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner in an offering made by fire, a sweet savor unto the Lord. Bert. the biblical worldview we are to pass on to our children. Now, Israel had their time. This was pre incarnation. the Savior had not been born yet. And we've said it many times in faith, they look toward the Savior that would come. In faith, we look back at the Savior that did come. But by obeying these rituals, I want to be clear, it wasn't works that made people right with God, but by doing these works, they were showing that they trusted what God said. And yes, in their heart, they believed about the Messiah that would one day come.

>> Bert Harper: They did. I can't get over the sacrifice of the blood of the animal, the wine and the bread sounds a little bit like the Lord's Supper. I think it's all wrapped up in Jesus Christ. Hey, we're going to come back in just a moment and we'll continue in the book of numbers.

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Alex McFarland: God has to deal with sin of the people

>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to exploring the word. Alex McFarland here along with and you are listening to the American Family Radio Network. And we're in numbers, chapter 15. And Bert. they're in the wilderness. And even though they're wandering, God is with them. You know, God has to reprimand. He's holy. Sin must be dealt with. But even in some of the times of chastisement, even in the wandering, and there's going to be an uprising against Moses and Erin. And God has to, to deal with the sin of the people. But don't you see his mercy over.

>> Bert Harper: And over again and again and again. Listen, he is a good God. He is a loving God. And if you've heard those of you that are listening, if you've heard anything differently, you're wrong. It's amazing that all of us are not already destroyed. there's nothing good in us. And that's the whole idea. It is Christ and Christ alone. I guess that's the reason I love that song so much. In Christ alone and because there's no other way.

Alex: We covered the first 21 verses quickly, an overview

Alex, one more thing before we go any further. We covered the first, I'd say 21 verses quickly, an overview. But notice what this the five different offerings that they're talking about. The first, the burnt offering of the sacrifice of the animal, the meal offering, the peace offering.

>> Caroline: The.

>> Bert Harper: They're a sweet aroma, smell of Aroma. But when it comes to the next sin, the next offering, a sin offering and what is called the trespass offering, they're, not a sweet smell aroma, you know. And because of the guilt of sin, dealing with guilt and sin. God, listen, we need to understand that sin is serious. And that's why Jesus had to go to the cross, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it is. And there's so much to talk about here, over the break. Bert and I and Brent Austin, we were kind of talking amongst ourselves during the break. And you know, the sacrificing of the lamb and then the bread and the wine, it really, really sounds like the Lord's supper, you know, where Jesus said, take, eat. This bread is broken, representing my body, which is broken for you. this, juice represents the new covenant of my blood shed for you. And it's just a beautiful thing. And later on, you know, all these different types of offerings that they were to do. 1. It's interesting, it's called. And I want to know what translation you've got, like in verse, 19 and 20, a heave, h, e A V E. To basically get some portion, could, be some grain, could be, some bread and kind of throw it in the air.

>> Bert Harper: Yeah, it's the same thing. Heave offering in the new King James. And I did not check it in a more modern. But anyway, got the same thing, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, so that sounds kind of strange to us, I'm sure, but what did it mean, Bert? I was looking up in several commentaries. Well, if you throw something up in the air, it's going to come down. That's called gravity. the heave offering was to acknowledge that God is our provider. So imagine, and I know from having, ah, well, we, had a meal that we would, you know, beat out the grain. It was this big thing. We could, this machinery when we were making food for cattle. And you could get two big handfuls of this grain and throw it in the air and it would come back down. If the wind was blowing the wrong way, it would come back down in your face. But here's the thing. The heave offering showed that God is the provider. That our food comes from the hand of God, not from our hard work alone, although we have to get up and work. But God is our provider, our health, our sustenance. God, provides. And that offering is very illustrative of that. And then there's some revelation, about unintentional sin and intentional sins. And I want to talk about That a little bit. But is there anything more you want to say about these offerings?

>> Bert Harper: I would, again, I would say this. Each one of them is teaching them of their sin and God's relationship with them, but also I would say looking toward Christ, just like we were talking about earlier and you mentioned it this time about the Lord's Supper, remember the Lord's death, as they were doing that, it was again now, you know, hindsight's 20 20. Oh, that's what it was all about, man. All those offerings, they were looking forward to Jesus Christ. And so Jesus is the centerpiece, you know, right now they want to call it Common Era. And before Common era, bce. And so here's what I've asked one or two people use that. I said, well, what, what is the dividing point of the Common era? And before the common era, it's still Jesus Christ, isn't it, brother? Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it is. By the way, I was pleasantly surprised. About a year ago I bought a two volume world history from a professor at the University of Virginia. Much to my pleasant surprise, this lady, and I wish I had the title in front of me, but it was a two volume history of the world. And she said that contrary to many of her peers, she still used BC and AD Before Christ and Anno Domini, that's Latin for in the year of our Lord, we measure time. It's 20, 25 years, 20, 25 since the birth of the one called Christ. And like you said, and this historian had it in the foreword of this history book I bought that hey, even if you try to gloss over it and say CE or bce well, what is the point that you're measuring from the birth of Jesus Christ the Lord?

Bert Weeks: The burnt offering demonstrates how serious sin is

but Bert, before we get into Ah, verse 27 and the unintentional sin, let's for a moment talk about 24 through 26 and the burnt offering. Because this is really, this goes back. A burnt offering is maybe the oldest type of altar and offering ever. I mean even in the book of Job, he made burnt offerings where, you know, they take a valuable livestock and they kill it. And the Bible says that, you know, the soul, that sins will die. Hebrews 9 tells us without the shedding of BL, no remission of sin. And this, you know, I've, I've had people say why was, why were the, the rituals and the sacrifices so bloody? Killing a lamb, you know, burning the flesh, sprinkling the blood. So much death. Well, that's just how serious sin is, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: That's the whole idea. And you remember, I mean, the Passion of the Christ. And, it was rated R. Why? Because of so much violence. What was the violence? What they did to the Lord Jesus Christ. And, Mel Gibson, you know, displayed that as much as he possibly could, I think. And, so, Alex. Yes. Sin is so serious. And when we start taking it lightly and we, you know, we start categorizing sin, well, that's a little white lie. That was a dark lie. You know, listen, sin is serious and we need to turn away. And so what you hear have here is that burnt offering demonstrating the significance of sin, but also the importance of getting right with God. And that is in obedience to him. I know the sacrifices that we've talked about it earlier when we talked about how, they were to treat the ark and how they were to go into the sacrifices and offer them. Detailed, very detailed. And, so listen, I think it demonstrates how serious sin is in every detail.

>> Alex McFarland: let me read something here. And this is in numbers 15, 24 through 26. Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering. B U R N T for a sweet savor unto the Lord with his meat offering and drink offering according to the manner. And one kid of the goats for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them for it is ignorance. And they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord and their sin offering before the Lord for their ignorance. And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger that sojourns among them, seeing all the people were in ignorance. Here's the thing. we are sinners. And sometimes we are aware that we've done wrong. And then other times we do things that are sinful that we just don't know about. Of course, the Bible is very clear. In both Isaiah and Romans, it says that all have sinned. Bert, one of the things about a burnt offering I was reading today, a burnt offering could be offered at any time. And the word burnt interestingly refers to the smoke. And it means ascend. So it's like an ascent offering going up to God. Now, here's the thing. I was a boy scout, and maybe you were too. Seems like we would always build a fire and the smoke would just follow us. And you're breathing Smoke. But ideally, the smoke goes straight up. And this burnt offering was a general acknowledgment of sin. I want to give you some scriptures. Exodus 29 and Numbers 28 say that they could, if they wanted to, do a burnt offering every morning and evening, Numbers 28 every Sabbath, Numbers 28 11. Every month at the beginning of the month, Numbers 28 19, they could do a burnt offering at Passover. they could do it with the first fruits, not only when your harvest was gotten in, but during the Feast of Weeks. You could do it during the Feast of Trumpets, which is called Rosh Hashanah, by the way. A lot of scholars believe that the rapture is going to happen during the fall, Rosh Hashanah. And then you could do it, whenever there was a new moon. Here's my point. Just like 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to cleanse us and to forgive us of all unrighteousness. The people could make a burnt offering at any time. And it was an acknowledgement that we need the cleansing of the Lord. Now, a beautiful thing, and I'm not going to get into it too much here, but with Christ having paid our sin on the cross and risen from the dead, when you put your faith in Jesus, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you, imparted to you. And your position before God is righteousness. And we don't need to worry tomorrow when we wake up. Am I still saved? Now, our fellowship needs to be restored. But I think that the, the continual offering of the burnt offerings was acknowledgement of how we need the cleansing that only the Savior and Almighty God can give.

>> Bert Harper: Great, great work, Alex. That is tremendous. It has to do with our walk. You know, we walk in a fallen world, and again, forgive me. Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: You ever heard the old saying, keep short accounts with God?

>> Bert Harper: Guess what I just wrote down. Keep a short account. I just wrote that down because I have to write it down or I forget it. Well, what you do, you don't want sin to build up in your life. When God convicts you of a sin, you need to deal with it immediately. The immediacy of that forgiveness is real. I want to tell you, if you keep it, I want to tell you, you will get used to it. And all of a sudden, it becomes the way you live rather than the way you should live. But if you can learn to give an account, have a short list, a short account. I want to tell you, it'll make you very sensitive to Sin. Oh, man, I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have. But if you keep that long, you're just adding two, and it keeps you down. And again, this is so important. And that's why Jesus Christ came, that our sins could be forgiven and only through Christ. There was no other way besides Christ. nobody, Hebrews makes it plain, Alex, that the blood of the goats and the bulls, they will not take away sin. They were a covering.

The word atonement means covering Jesus. It takes away sin

The word atonement means covering Jesus. Sin is not a, covering. It is a washing. Hallelujah. It takes away sin. And so what we have in Christ Jesus, it deserves us following him all the way.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. Yes, these things were temporary. And Christ would come and be the permanent payment and atonement for our sins. but, you know, up through, like verse 29, you shall have one law for him that sins through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children and the stranger that sojourns. Verse 30. But the soul that doth sin presumptuously. And by the way, I got the King James here. And the word is aught, A U, G H T, like I've got ought against somebody or sin. And by the way, sin is a wedge. Sin is a lot of things. The wages of sin is death. sin separates us from m God. Sin separates us from each other. Sin even can cause us to be in turmoil within ourselves. But the soul who sins presumptuously either way, look at 31. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord. This is frankly frightening stuff.

>> Bert Harper: Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: Hebrews talks about there's no more sacrifice for the one that denies Christ or sins willfully. Folks, be careful. Be careful and be sensitive and always willing to hear and heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

>> Bert Harper: The illustration he gives is a man going out gathering sticks on a Sabbath day. And they know about it. And they said, they bring him before. And Moses said, lord, what do I do about this? The Lord said, you shall put him away. What does that mean? It means that he would be stoned by verse 35. The man surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp. That is how serious it was. Listen, if you're walking with the Lord, be intentional in following him, in obeying Him. Do not turn to the left or to the right, but put your face as a flint toward Jesus Christ and walk with him. We're going to take phone calls. That number, 885-898-9840. We'd love to hear from you today.

>> Jeff Chamblee: AFA action takes attacks, on the family seriously. The enemies of the family constantly employ new tactics to try to sneak past our radar. They know if we stand together, their evil plans will fail. Your gift to AFA Action allows us to stay vigilant against their onslaught. And if you give this month, you'll receive access to the Cultural Institute video When youn Faith is Illegal by Frank harbor on AFA Stream as our thanks. You can make your gift today@afaaction.net In.

>> Alex McFarland: Christ alone my hope is found. He is my guide, my strength, my soul this cornerstone, this solid ground firm through the fiercest drought in storm.

>> Bert Harper: The hardest thing for me to do is cut that song off. I take. Brent, I gotta ask you, get. Get the microphone. Did you have that one already picked out or did you do it after I said I did it after you mentioned. Well, thank you, man. Listen, Alex, I. I don't know of a better song that's been written in the last years. I'll put it that way. I love that song. And, man, that's a great one. It really is. Hey, listen, they. You heard the promotion about Fishbowl. I'm going to do it one more time this week, and this is it. If you would love to send your pastor and his wife to a retreat where they'll be blessed and strengthened and, and helped. And, you can send them to the Fishbowl retreat. Jan and I are the host. J.J. jasper is going to be there, and we're going to have a great time. It's at Pequik Landon State Park. Beautiful Park Park Lodge there on the Tennessee River. It's a beautiful time of the year. October 28th, 29th and 30th. You can go to repairing the foundations.net and you can register, find out all the details. We would love for you to be there. There's plenty of room now. But if you want your pastor and his wife to go, or if a pastor and wife want to go, go ahead and register and we'll be ready for that. Alex, you've been there. You know, we really try to encourage the pastor and their wife because in 2025, there's a lot of them are stopping, dropping out. It's difficult, hard. And we're trying to help pastors to stay with the stuff and stay in it.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, the Fishbowl retreats are fantastic. I've been to two, and, they're great and the facilities are wonderful. And Bert, you and Jan are doing such A great job encouraging ministers and couples in the ministry. And, let me also announce, if I may, that tomorrow morning I'll be co hosting today's Issues. And I believe Fred Jackson will be on there. But, I've got the great privilege of being on today's Issues tomorrow. And so if you want to tune in, that'll be 10 to 11:30 Central Time. 11:00 clock to 12:30 Eastern Time.

>> Bert Harper: Alex, that means exploring the word man. The host, one will be Thursday and the other will be Friday. We'll be covering today's issues.

>> Alex McFarland: We will.

>> Bert Harper: Yeah, that's right. That's exciting to hear.

Bert: Thank you for calling. What you guys do for the flock is amazing

>> Alex McFarland: Well, amen. let me ask if y' all could pot up, Jamie in Indiana.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. I'd take care of that.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, hit that.

>> Bert Harper: Jamie, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.

>> Caroline: brother, is a couple quick things. God bless. What you guys do for the flock is amazing. hopefully God gives you a couple more days on this, planet to continue to do his wonderful work. Thank you very much. Also, a quick one for you, Bert.

>> Bert Harper: Yeah.

>> Caroline: How much you like stuff when it comes to, Noah's Ark.

>> Bert Harper: Yeah.

>> Caroline: We should not, entertain this thought, but it's kind of an entertaining thought. what about Noah gathering eggs? God couldn't decide male or female. He didn't speak for the Holy Spirit, as far as I see in the Word. So, yeah, okay.

Alex: Jamie says we are made in God's image

Why I called, you guys mentioned the Trinity once again yesterday, and I've just always had this thought. I know some of it is not biblically correct, at least not the way I believe you guys have spoke about it, but Genesis 1, let us create them in our image. we have an eternal soul. God is eternal. We have a spirit through which God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. And we have a physical body. The physical Jesus was the embodiment of God physically on the earth. This is the best I can, come up with to explain to people the Trinity myself.

>> Bert Harper: Jamie, let me just tell you, made in his image, Alex. He is a spirit. And Jesus had to take on the form of human. Okay? So when it talks about his image, I think Jamie hit it out of the park.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: Good word. Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: And of course, first, Thessalonians 5, 23 and 24 says that. That we are spirit, soul and body.

>> Bert Harper: That's it.

>> Alex McFarland: the spirit is that part of you that lives everlastingly. And that's why, when you come to Christ, your spirit is regenerated, made alive, converted. And then your soul is really your mind, your Knowledge, your personality, and then your body is your physical body. One day you'll get a glorified body. But you know, we're made in God's image. God is Trinity and we are the technical word. Here's the 85 cent word. Tripartite. We are a, a three part being, spirit, soul and body. Very reflective of our creator, aren't we?

>> Bert Harper: We are. By the way, since it's talking about image, I just want to promote American Family Studios in his image because we have people this week's called in concerned about their daughters, their sons turning into an alternate lifestyle, transgenderism, homosexuality. And listen, watch in his image. even today I was able to recommend it to someone. And listen, we are in the image of God, body, soul and spirit. And I praise God. Jamie. One more thing, Alex. God took this guy from northeast Mississippi, this guy from I would say the western part of North Carolina, put them together on a program called Exploring the Word. And I don't know, I had no idea what God was having us to do. But it's been quite a blessing, hasn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Talk about the sovereignty of God. Amazing. God is good and he is.

>> Bert Harper: Thank you, James.

>> Alex McFarland: All right, we're going to go to Texas. Barry in Texas. Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Caroline: Hi. Thank you.

Someone asked you to comment on two modern translations of the Bible

Thank you for taking my question once again. Basically, I grew up with the RSV and the NIV and the monument by Bible of choice is the ESV Study Bible. But recently somebody has asked me to comment on two interpretations or translations. The one is the Net Bible Net. And the other one is the the everyday study Bible by the new century, new century version of that Bible. Can you comment on those and whether they are sound in your opinion?

>> Bert Harper: Alex, Are you familiar with them?

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, you know, we haven't heard of this in a couple of years. The Net Bible came out a few years ago. that was completely free. I mean that was one of the things about it that it's at a middle school reading level, very easy to read. Completely free. I really don't think it ever took on or caught on that much. one thing about it though, that it had going for it, Bert, the Net Bible. A lot of the translators were from Dallas Theological Synod.

>> Bert Harper: They did, yes, I remember that one.

>> Alex McFarland: Dallas has been just this paragon of conservative, very solid theology. In fact, you know, when I was at Liberty University, the seminary, virtually all the people in the seminary were graduates of dts. We call it Dallas Theological Seminary. Great school. And you know, here's the thing. The net Bible has not really caught on as far as I'm aware. It's pretty accurate. But you know, Bert, I like. And there are many good translations. I like the King James, the new King James, which I know came out 40 years ago, but still I think is pretty, pretty good. I like the new American Standard Bible because it's very literal. And without getting into too much about the, philosophy behind translations, Bert, do you have a translation that is your go to modern language translation these days?

>> Bert Harper: The one I go to. Okay. and Jim Stanley would be so proud of me if you want to get an overall view of any of it. The amplified version that's really not readable when it comes to like preaching from it or teaching from it, because it's going to give you all these words, but it covers so much of the avenue. But I do like the ESV English Standard. I do like the English, the new Live in translation that we've used here.

>> Bert Harper: Alex, it's good as well.

>> Alex McFarland: Now the reason, well, that was Josh McDowell, the NLT New Living Translation published by Tyndale. And I mentioned Josh McDowell because my goodness, what a great thinker and scholar he has been.

>> Bert Harper: And the reason I still like New King James. I'm old enough, plenty old to have had just about the King James is what we had, back where I was from. And I memorized all my verses, but always had trouble with the floweth and the, the vows. And I do, I still have trouble. And when the new King James came along and it, it used the more modern you and my, you know, and not vows and the, I said, man, this is. And it doesn't use runneth and followeth. and that's the reason I do, because when I'm a verse that I've memorized and I'm reading it in a different version than what I memorized, I, shows you, shows you my brain power. I guess I have a battle. so the new King James works good for me, but I love the ESV and the NLT to look at along with the amplified Barry.

>> Alex McFarland: Thanks for the call.

Bert: What you feed your brain does affect you, doesn't it

let's go to Philip in Texas if somebody, could hit that button for us.

>> Bert Harper: Go ahead, Philip.

>> Chris: You got me.

>> Bert Harper: Got you, man.

>> Chris: Hey, Bert, this is Philip Watson down in Goliad. I was a fishbowl last year.

>> Bert Harper: Oh yeah, brother. Hey, would you get a fishbowl? A plus or what?

>> Chris: A plus. I traveled 800 miles to get there. And your wife was so transparent, that I just. It just blew me away. And you gave good to. So I recommend. Yeah, go.

>> Bert Harper: Well, you got it, though, Jan, my wife, is the secret sauce of fishbowl. Yeah, go ahead, Philip.

>> Chris: And then I have a statement about this. this. The sins. you know, we have dreams from war, from trauma and different things. But there's also a sin that people do, when they start thinking about iniquities and start thinking about lust so that they can have some, dreams in the night. I'm not sure if it's real accurate, but that's a sin that you need to wake up in the morning time and say, forgive me, Lord, for those sins, because I've been harboring lust in my mind, and I'm trying to sleep with that on my mind. And then you wake up the next day and you go, wow, I had some bad dreams. And so I'm gonna hang up and leave it to you.

>> Bert Harper: No, Phil, that's a good point. What you feed your mind on, Alex, is a dangerous thing. yeah. Again, your dreams. And, every once in a while, I wonder where in the world did that dream come from? And I don't know. But sometimes it's directly because of, you know, something that I was thinking of before I went to bed. Whether, you know, whatever it was an attitude or something, that got it done. So it does. What you feed your brain does affect you, doesn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Really does. And, you know, let me just say that if you've had a bad dream and you feel horrified, we have no conscious control over what we dream at night. And so I don't think we can sin in a dream. However, I do agree with what you say, that if we're thinking about things or filling our mind with, things that are ungodly, I think a bad dream like that could serve as a warning, wouldn't you think?

>> Bert Harper: I think that's what Philip said. Get up and get right. Get it. Say, lord, listen, I don't need that in my life. I think it is asking God to help you. Thank you, Philip. Is Chris from Texas next? Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Yes. Let's do it.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, Chris, go right ahead.

>> Caroline: Yes, sir.

Ted Ryan: Christians can fall into sin and generally feel bad about it

I just had a question about, Hebrews 6. I was just wondering if you could, go in a little more in depth with that. And also King, David. When he. Since he willingly sinned with Bathsheba and, well, her husband had her husband killed, would that be the same for him? Or was it. But since he. It was before the sacrifice, Would that, does that make it any different?

>> Bert Harper: There was no sacrifice. In other words, what God said there, there's no blood sacrifice, no male sacrifice for that. But he recognized his sin when Nathan shared that. Alex, go to Hebrews 6.

>> Alex McFarland: Yes, and of course, let me read beginning at verse 4. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame. You know, I want to say this, and I'll say it very carefully regarding our salvation. I think the Bible is clear enough to give us assurance, but vague enough to keep us on our toes. let me just say that, Christians can fall into sin and generally one of the reasons, you know, somebody's a born again Christian is they feel really, really, really bad about it. The, the biblical words are conviction and contrition. Bert, I've counseled men who fell into sin and they've sat in my office and wept like a baby. Ah, pained, remorseful. But I really think the Hebrews six, is talking about somebody that outwardly was going through church. They once with their mouth affirmed Christ and then later denied, rejected, disavowed, repudiated Jesus. I don't think they were ever born again in the first place.

>> Bert Harper: I agree if they had been with us, they would have continued with us. But I love what you said. listen, being saved and the security of the believer, you know, is not a license to sin. That's it. You need to look at it and what is you need to do it. God is the ultimate judge of whether that person was saved or not. I cannot know. I know this. All the other 11 apostles, had they thought about Judas, they would have all said, oh, he's an alright guy, man, he's concerned about the poor. he helps us in the ministry because when they were looking for him to replace, they said we need to find somebody to take up the slack. Judas did this. But I just want to tell you, you cannot fool God. Those of you who are listening. And I'm taking up the rest of the time doing this. I'm sorry, Ted Ryan and Dukes, but this is important. Those of you who are listening. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father, but through him, it is by grace through faith. That word faith means, as Alex said earlier, trust. Put your faith in and it follows up with lord, I am yours. Alex, far as I know, it is a surrender of my life right now and my life forever, isn't it? It's. It really is. I've been bought with a price. I'm to glorify him, aren't I?

>> Alex McFarland: absolutely. Absolutely. Hey, I want to give a birthday shout to a listener and colleague, Linda Kiger in South Carolina. I think Linda called in yesterday. Today's her birthday. Happy birthday. But thank you one and all for listening. We're going to continue again tomorrow in numbers. Hey, tell somebody about exploring the word and the American Family Radio Network. But most of all, tell everybody about Jesus. The views and opinions expressed in this.

>> Bert Harper: Broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.