understanding the scriptures

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above. For more listening options, please see our Radio Page

            Gary:

If you have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay with us, we’ll provide our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to a special presentation of Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now, our final segment: 

 

UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

and we return once again to 2000 with Dave and Tom.

            Tom:

Dave, in this part of our program, what I would like to talk about today, in the segment’s called, Understanding the Scriptures, and the issue that we are addressing is the gospel of salvation.  Well, salvation why?  What went wrong?  I mean, God created, we know from Genesis that what he created was good.  And the last thing he says on the sixth day is that it was very good—things were good.  What happened?

            Dave:

Well, man disobeyed God.  You learn a lot from the story of Adam and Eve in the garden.  This is not mythology—

            Tom:

History, history.

            Dave:

It’s history.  Some people want to make it out to be mythology but, I mean, we can prove that it’s history.  You see the fruits of it today and these were the very lies that came out, you know, from Satan, under drugs, and yoga and hypnosis and so forth—but we learn a lot.  One of the things we learn is how easy it is to fall into sin, how gracious God is, how He bent over backwards to make it as easy as possible for Adam and Eve not to sin.

One commandment He gave them—he only gave them one commandment.  By the way, this is why there aren’t any extra-terrestrials out there.  Because any created beings, being less than God, would make a less than perfect choice and therefore, would fall into sin and Christ would have to redeem them like He redeemed us.  The Bible very clearly says:  By one sacrifice he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.  Okay, I’m getting us off the track here, but in the garden of Eden what command did He give?

            Tom:

Genesis 2:17, is that where you are going?

            Dave:

It wasn’t difficult—just don’t—look, there’s one tree in the garden, there probably were thousands of trees.  I can remember as a boy I could eat my way through an apricot tree or a peach tree, you know, just climb right up in there and go for it and I think this could have been any kind of a tree and there may have been hundreds just like it.  I don’t think it was some special tree with magical powers, by any means, but God just designated it.  Look, you can eat of all the other trees in the garden—this one right here, just don’t eat it, okay?  He couldn’t have given them an easier command to keep and yet they didn’t keep it.  Which shows how, well it shows how what a small thing, seemingly a small thing sin is.  This is why James says, you offend in one point of the law you are guilty of all.  You say, well, I’m not a murderer—I’m not an adulterer—I never stole anything.  Well, but did you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your might?  If you didn’t do that, you’re a murderer, you’re an adulterer, you’re a thief, and so forth because you are a rebel against God. 

            Tom:

So the issue is really obedience.

            Dave:

Right.  Exactly.  So we see how simple sin can be, seemingly a small thing and yet the huge consequences.  God can’t tolerate it.  He can’t have a bunch of little gods running around all wanting to get their own way, and yet unfortunately, that’s the idea you get even from some of the Christian leaders that you can command God, that you can tell Him what to do.  So we learn how simple sin is, we learn how serious the consequences.

            Tom:

Well, let me talk about the consequences.  I mean, Genesis 2:17, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die?  Now what does that mean?

            Dave:

Well, it doesn’t mean that they would die instantly, physically, but  they began to die.  I believe that man—the Bible says is body, soul, spirit, and I believe the spirit is the real life that came from God and in the spirit of man the Spirit of God dwelt and when God left a man he was just a physical creature and he began to die, he began to age.  Prior to that time Adam didn’t age.  But he died in his spirit instantly, so that immediately Adam and Eve realized they were naked.  They never realized that before, they never had that moral comprehension.  They tried to clothe themselves with fig leaves, they have a sense of guilt, they hide from God and God when He comes walking in the cool of the evening as He did, walking being a figurative term because God is not a man, but He came moving through the garden and He said:  Adam, where are you?  Well, I hid myself.  So, there was a separation that Adam knew, something had happened inside of him, he had died inside and he was no longer in communion with God, he was no longer comfortable in God’s presence.  Which is why something has to happen to us or we couldn’t be in heaven.  “God dwells in a light that no man can approach unto, no man hath seen nor can see.”  God can’t just force everybody to go to heaven, that would turn heaven into hell because they would be miserably frightened, terrified by the awesome purity and holiness of God.

            Tom:

So, this condition that God laid out for Adam and Eve, as you said, it wasn’t a big item but it really affected, I mean, it had to do with obedience and it really was something of the heart, wasn’t it?  It was God testing them to see if they truly had a heart for Him.

            Dave:

Yes, of course He knew what the consequences would be.  The Bible tells us that Christ was a Lamb slain from before the foundation of the earth.  That’s not off the topic, Tom, I think it’s on the topic.  That is one of the reasons why the doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary and her sinless life and bodily assumption to heaven simply isn’t true, it’s not biblical.  Because the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  And if God could make Mary sinless—talk about immaculate conception, I mean, Adam and Eve weren’t even conceived, they were created fresh from the hand of God in the perfect environment of the garden—then if it’s just a matter of God being able to keep people from sin, surely He could have kept Adam and Eve from sin and we wouldn’t have all the evil that we have in the world today.  If He could keep Mary, He could keep Adam and Eve, but Mary rejoiced in God, her Savior.

            So, it’s not possible for any human being, apart from the grace of God, to be kept from sin.  Now again, we have to understand—well, sin, I’m not a big sinner—I haven’t done any big things—Pride is a horrible sin, self will, the desire to have your own way, the desire to use God for your own purposes, you know.  Like prayer, for most people is a religious technique to get their own way.  We set our sights on what we want, we spend the “sweet hour of prayer” trying to talk God into working it out for us.  Somebody comes along and offers his technique, you know, like Kenneth Hagin and his booklet, How to Write Your Own Ticket With God.  Amazing!  Who would want to write their own ticket with God?  Again, it’s an indication that, I don’t think God is as smart as I am and I can write a better ticket than He can.  The very thought that man would disobey God, that’s horrible.  And the consequences are, they have to be severe and now God has a problem.  His justice says, the wages of sin is death, man is separated from me forever.  But He loves us and he wants to save us.  How is He going to do it?  That’s the problem.

            Tom:

Well, in Genesis we are going to get to that later in Genesis.  But let’s go back to the sin.  “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise,” there’s self, isn’t it?  “she took of it’s fruit and ate, she also gave to her husband and he ate.”  That’s what sent man into eternal separation from God.

            Dave:

Now Tom, you have to be careful.  Let’s not be too hard on Eve.  You understand, she was raised in a dysfunctional home and her parents abused her, Adam as well, you know—he didn’t get the toys that he should have had and his daddy made him go to Sunday school—  See, these are some of the delusions that are formulated today and anybody that has an explanation for aberrant behavior, if you want to call it that, that doesn’t fit Adam and Eve,  it doesn’t work.  Here, sin began in the heart of the most perfect—they were perfect, they were beautiful, they were freshly created by God, living in the pristine environment of the garden, no pollution— and yet that’s where sin began.  It’s like in heaven, it began in Lucifer’s heart.

            Tom:

I was going to say we could back it up to an even more perfect environment.

            Dave:

Right.  In the very presence of God, in Lucifer’s heart...pride.  So, sin is powerful, it is innate, it’s one of the—well, I believe God gave us the power of choice and it’s inevitable that man will make the wrong choice.  Now, what is God going to do?  How is He going to redeem man?  That is the big problem that He faces because He really loves us.

            Tom:

Well, next time we’re going to talk about Genesis 3:15, which is the first gospel, first time the gospel is offered.

            Gary:

We hope you have enjoyed this special edition of Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call. The Berean Call invites you to make your plans now for our 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, coming up this November 14th through the 16^th here in Bend, Oregon.  This year’s event will be held at the beautiful new Riverhouse Convention Center.  The theme for 2008, is Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny, the title of Dave Hunt’s soon to be released new book.  Our featured speaker will be Roger Oakland, author of the controversial exposé on The Emerging Church, Faith Undone, from Lighthouse Trails Publishing.  TBC also welcomes Dr. Donald Chittick, an authority on the topic of origins and earth history, with a special interest in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.  Of course TBC’s Tom McMahon and Dave Hunt will both be there addressing their hotly debated Creation/Evolution issues.  Tickets are just $75 for adults, and children under 18 are free with an accompanying adult.  For more information, go to our website at www.thebereancall.org, or call 1-800-937-6638.  We hope to see you here this November here in Bend at the 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny.

            We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3708, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station. Get a pen or a pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we’ll continue our revisit to our 2000 series of programs based on Dave’s book, Occult Invasion, and, “Is the Dali Lama really God?  In Religion in the News, “Sacramental Psychedelics in the Military.”  We’ll take a look at that story, and address the question:  “Just Who is the Bride of Christ?  We hope you can join us.  If you have questions or comments about this program we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for tuning in and invite you to join us again next week.  In the meantime, if you desire to know God's truth, search the scriptures daily.  For more information about The Berean Call contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org. 

 

 

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above. For more listening options, please see our Radio Page.

            Gary:

If you have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay tuned, we’ll provide our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now our final segment:

            UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We continue our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom:  This is our Understanding the Scripture segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew chapter 5, and we’re going to pick up with verse 8:  “Blessed are the pure in heart:  for they shall see God.” Dave, who would qualify for that?

            Dave:

Well, we don’t have pure hearts, we’re sinners.  Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts adulteries, fornication, and so forth.  Jesus says this defiles us.  But the Bible talks about a perfect heart also, and what do I really want?  We’ve given many illustrations.  You can go to Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”  We’re  not seeking things, we’re seeking God.  We’re not seeking His gifts, we’re seeking God, and God said to Abraham, must have been a shocking statement: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward.  So, I think when it talks about David, “walked before me with a perfect heart’ but he wasn’t perfect, he sinned.  But at least he repented, and in his  heart he really wanted to know God and to please God.  So, I would say the pure in heart, they have a pure motive.

            Tom:

So, it’s more an attitude of the heart than it is the condition.

            Dave:

I think so.  They shall see God.

            Tom:

Dave, do you remember, and help me with this, Wasn’t there a story about the Soviet cosmonauts? Do you know that story?

            Dave:

Yes.  Well, this is a true story, and this little girl must have had a lot of courage because the teacher—I think she was 8 years old, something like that, the teacher was ridiculing the idea of God and saying, O God, we sent—I think then they called the cosmonauts, Yuri Gagarin,  I think was the first one, who got very out of the earth’s atmosphere— well, we sent Yuri up there and  he looked around and didn’t see God.  And a little girl raised her hand and said, But was he pure in heart?  That was probably lost on the teacher and the class, they didn’t even know the verse probably.  But anyway, this is a little girl who was obviously getting some Bible study and understanding of the Scriptures, who obviously had become a Christian.

            Tom:

Verse 9:  “Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called the children of God.”  Dave, one of the things that we see with regard to the interpretation application of the Beatitudes is all of a sudden for some people, works.  Well, as long as you are out there keeping the peace and doing certain things, these can be channeled into works salvation, can’t they?

            Dave:

Well, if you misunderstood it, Blessed are the peace makers:  for they shall be called the children of God, and yet the Scripture says, we are the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 

            Tom:

And you can’t really bring peace unless you bring the gospel of peace.

            Dave:

Right.  Peace with God, there will never be peace among men unless we have peace in our hearts with God.  And we should then be peace makers.  We should not bring strife, but we should bring peace among—well, in our family, among our friends, and so forth, the best way we can.  And that is pleasing to God, it doesn’t get us to heaven, but it is pleasing to Him.

            Tom:

Verse 10:  “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:  for theirs is the kingdom of  heaven.”

            Dave:

Yeah, so it doesn’t say, Blessed are they that are persecuted.  Aw, they’re persecuting me, I just can’t get along with anybody, they are just all against me.  Well, that’s not what it’s talking about.  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and Peter deals with that in 1 Peter 4.  He says, What thank have you, what’s the good of it, what would earn you if  you are persecuted for what you have done wrong, and you are disciplined for what you have done wrong.  But if  you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for the sake of Christ, Christ says there’s a blessing that will come to you.

            Tom:

Verse 11:  “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”  I guess the “for my sake” Dave, is just as  you mentioned in the last verse, that’s the qualifier.

            Dave:

Well, if it’s  not for Christ’s sake, if they are saying all manner of evil against you for your sake because you have done it, it says “falsely” for my sake.  I like the next verse:  “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:  for great is your reward in heaven:  for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”  I remember the story of the preacher and someone came to him and said, Do you know the things that people are saying about you, the lies they are telling?  And he said, Well, why are you telling me this?  You want to see how  high I can leap?  Be exceeding glad, great is your reward in heaven.  And another gospel that says:  Leap for joy!  So, Great is your reward in heaven—it’s easy for us to forget that.  God is going to reward us and it will be a reward, but we are not working for a reward, in fact, I tell the Lord, I don’t deserve any reward at all, it would only be by your mercy and your grace.

            Tom:

Dave, you know what we see today that, you know, leaders in the church, they want to be popular.  This is so contrary to what we see going on that they want to be on the cover of Time Magazine, or they want to be so impressed the world.  As one individual said, To restore the credibility to Christianity.  What does that mean?

            Dave:

Well, we’re not seeking credibility, and the gospel is foolishness to the natural man.  So we are going to restore credibility to the world, thanks for doing well?  Then we are not doing well.

            Tom:

Well it’s certainly contrary to these verses we’ve been reading, Dave.

            Dave:

It certainly is.

            Tom:

Verse 13:  Ye are the salt of the earth:  but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

            Dave:

This is very simple, these are simple statements, the salt has lost its savor.  I don’t know how that happens, but I guess it can, then it’s  not good for anything.  What can you do with it?  Now, we are the salt of the earth.  I guess that means we should be like seasoning, we should be something that is needed to give a proper taste, a proper flavor.

            Tom:

It also has preserving qualities, doesn’t it, Dave?

            Dave:

Right, right, yeah.  So, are we going to preserve the world?  Well, if they are willing to be preserved.  We have the message of salvation, the only way that anyone can be preserved.

            Gary:

Dave and Tom will resume their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can tune in.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  The Berean Call invites you to make your plans now for our 3^rd annual TBC Conference, coming up this November 14^th through the 16^th here in Bend, Oregon.  This year’s event will be held at the beautiful new Riverhouse Convention Center.  The theme for 2008 is Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny, the title of Dave Hunt’s soon to be released new book.  A feature speaker will be Roger Oakland, author of  the controversial exposé on the emerging church, Faith Undone, from Lighthouse Trails Publishing.  TBC also welcomes Dr. Donald Chittick, an authority on the topic of origins and earth history, with a special interest in the 1^st eleven chapters of Genesis.  Of course, TBC’s Tom McMahon and Dave Hunt will both be there addressing the hotly debated creation/evolution issues.   Tickets are just $75 for adults, and children under 18 are free with accompanying adult.  For more information go to our website  at www.thebereancall.org, or call 1-800-937-6638.  We hope to see you this November here in Bend at the 3^rd Annual TBC Conference: Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny.  We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will help  you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3608, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us.  You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website.  Get a pen or pencil ready we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we will launch a multi-part revisit to our 2000 series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Occult Invasion, and What is Occultism?  In Religion in the News, The Kabalah in Tinsel town.  We’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  How much education do you need to understand the Bible?  We hope you can join us.  If you have questions or comments about this program, we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for tuning in, and invite you to join us again next week.  Until then, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the Scriptures daily.  For more information about The Berean Call, contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.        

 

 

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above. For more listening options, please see our Radio Page.

UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We continue our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom:  This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew chapter 5, and we’re going to pick up with verse 6:  “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:  for they shall be filled.”  That’s not a popular one today, Dave.  You know, I wish in my own life my hunger and thirst was hungrier and more thirsty for it, but I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.  I’ve been on my back for a while and trying to recover, but I can see that’s what my heart desires, that’s what we need, I need.

            Dave:

Tom, to hunger and thirst after righteousness—wow!  That means there’s not much righteousness around to satisfy the thirsty heart who longs for God and His righteousness.  If we are hungering and thirsting after righteousness we are hungering and thirsting after God.  It’s the only place where we will find righteousness, but also hunger and thirst?  It doesn’t say blessed are those who would vote for righteousness if this thing came up to a vote.  Well, I’ll vote for righteousness instead of sin.  I’m on the side of righteousness.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.  David, and of course the Psalms, many of the psalmists hungered and thirsted for God.  My soul thirsteth for the living God….  I long to be in His courts….  David, in Psalm 27, well he said that the passion of his heart was that “I might dwell in the house of the Lord forever; to behold His holiness, His righteousness.”  I want to be with God, so if we’re really hungering and thirsting after righteousness, there’s no place where you’re really going to find it except in the presence of God.  So that means, the things of this world, forget it, I want you Lord, I love you with all of my heart, I want to know you, I want to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, to inquire in His temple, as David said, and many of the psalmists said it.  I tell you, Tom, it speaks to my heart.  Do I hunger and thirst after righteousness?  It’s a challenge!

            Tom:

Dave, I think about Lot sitting there in Sodom, and the Scripture says, as I remember it, what he saw vexed his very soul.  When we see so much going on that is so anti-God, that’s evil, that’s depraved, distorted, corrupted, all of those things, you would think that would drive us to seek after righteousness and the things of God.

            Dave:

Well, that’s the new nature that we have, as we’ve talked about earlier.  I’m crucified with Christ, I’m born again, I have new desires, and I should be hungering and thirsting after righteousness.  If I’m not, God help me to have this hunger and thirst for You.  We could talk a long time just about each verse, but I guess you want to move on here.

            Tom:

No, we could.  Verse 7:  “Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy.”

            Dave:

You think of a parable that the Lord gave, not a parable, He told a story and maybe it really happened, maybe He’s talking about real men.  And there was a man, you remember, who owed a huge sum, I would say ten million dollars to put it into monetary terms of our day, and when he had nothing to pay Jesus said, well, his creditor just forgave him.  Then he found one of his fellow servants, who owed him ten dollars, and the guy was very poor and he was in a bad situation.  Couldn’t you give  me a little time?  He took him by the throat and said, Pay me what thou owest!  Oooh, that didn’t go well with God.  Blessed are the merciful, they will obtain mercy.  That man did  not obtain mercy from God.  As you judge in your heart—well, with what sort of judgment you judge it will be meted out to you again.  And Tom, I’ve often thought of it—Jesus said, When you stand praying (this is Mark 11) if you have anything against anyone you had better forgive him.  Because if you do  not forgive those who have trespassed against you, why would you expect your heavenly Father to forgive you?  You want God to forgive your sins, but you will not forgive your brother who has sinned against you?  It doesn’t make sense.  So you can have it in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  Woops!  I haven’t been forgiving those who have trespassed against me, then I can’t—Jesus explains:  “…For if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you.”  Why should He?

            Tom:

Dave, are there any conditions involved in that?  Because, you know, we hear some say that it doesn’t make any difference whether this person is repentant or—you just forgive, you just forgive everything.

            Dave:

Well, that’s a little bit different situation.  I mean, you’re raising a good point there, Tom.  But we have it in Mark 11:25, “If you stand praying if you have anything against another,…” and now you’re saying—well, if I’m supposed to forgive those who transgress against me, the prayer that the Lord has us pray, well, what are the conditions?  I think there are some conditions.

            Tom:

Well, let me just interject this; you quoted earlier, in the earlier segment, Jesus saying, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.  Now wouldn’t that just clear the slate?

            Dave:

Well, you could say that—He has already forgiven everyone, but I think the Bible indicates that—well, I come to Him confessing my sin.  In other words, I could never experience God’s forgiveness if I don’t know I’ve done something that needs to be forgiven.  So, although I am supposed to forgive everyone, in my heart, as Christ said, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do, but when it comes to the judgment that is not going to cover everyone’s sin.  And a person who—it is one thing for me to say, I forgive you; Lord, I forgive this person; I should forgive them in my heart if I am in prayer, you know.  I believe that’s what the Bible is talking about.  It doesn’t mean that I should then overlook their sin, that I should just whitewash it, because we have—well, let’s take Paul, in prison in Philippi.  They were falsely accused, they said, these were the magistrates and they sent a message saying, Let these men go.  And of course then, according to some interpretations which you are alluding to, Tom, okay—Paul says yeah, forgive, forgive those who trespass against you.  No, actually Paul said, You tell those rascals to come themselves, and admit that they were wrong.  They don’t just say, Okay guys, be gone.  No, they’ve done something that isn’t right.  So, we’re not supposed to become partners in sin by encouraging people and offer forgiveness in a way that would encourage them to sin.

            Tom:

Dave, I agree, you know, there are some things that need to be addressed, and I think this verse also deals with, in my heart.  If they try to reconcile, and I won’t forgive them, I’m holding bitterness in my heart—that’s the thing that God was going to deal with.

            Dave:

Right, if you do not forgive those who trespass against you, Jesus said, Neither will  your heavenly Father forgive you, and that’s only justice.  Why should I—I’m holding something against someone, I’m going to hold them to it, but yet I expect God to forgive me?  I’ve accepted the forgiveness in Christ?

No, that will not go!

            Gary:

Dave and Tom will resume their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can join us.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  The Berean Call invites you to make your plans now for our 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, coming up this November 14^th through the 16^th here in Bend, Oregon.  This year’s event will be held at the beautiful new Riverhouse Convention Center.  The theme for 2008 is Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny, the title of Dave Hunt’s soon to be released new book.  A featured speaker will be Roger Oakland, author of the controversial expose on The Emerging Church, Faith Undone, from Lighthouse Trails Publishing.  TBC also welcomes Dr. Donald Chittick, a authority on the topic of Origins and Earth History, with a special interest in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.  Of course, TBC’s Tom McMahon and Dave Hunt will both be there addressing the hotly debated creation/evolution issues.  Tickets are just $75 for adults, and children under 18 are free with accompanying adult.  For more information go to our website at thebereancall.org or call 1-800-937-6638, we  hope to see you this November here in Bend at the 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny.  We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials or for a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3508, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  Get a pen or pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we wrap up our series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Seeking and Finding God, and “What must We Do To Be Saved?”  In Religion in the News: “Dividing God’s Land,” we’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  Should Christian help restore the earth?  We hope you can tune in.  If you have questions or comments about this program, we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for joining us and invite you to tune in again next week.  In the meantime, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily.  For more information about The Berean Call, contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.

 

 

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above.  For more listening options, please see our Radio Page.

            If you  have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay tuned, we’ll have our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  We turn now to our final segment:

            UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We resume our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom:  This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew Chapter 5, and we’re going to pick up with Verse 4:  “Blessed are they that mourn:  for they shall be comforted.”  Dave, do you want to take one at a time or do you want to—

            Dave:

Let’s take them one at a time.

            Tom:

Okay, well, that sounds like a downer, mourn and, there’s much to be grieved over, Dave.  I didn’t mean to be a little flippant about this, but there is a great deal to mourn over, because we see what’s going on in the world, just things that we have articulated, yet we will be comforted.

            Dave:

Tom, I have to confess in my own life, how much do I feel of the pain of other people.  How much do I empathize with them?  Everything is going okay for me.  Yeah, okay, and to have real compassion—it’s better to go to a funeral, the Bible says, it’s the end of all life, and the living will lay it to heart.  But I need to have some sympathy, some empathy with those who are in— Oh Tom, I mean, we get so many prayer requests, and how can we deal with all of them?  How can we pray sincerely from the heart?  How can we feel with these people, their distress, their anguish, their problems that they are enduring?  It speaks to my heart, Blessed are they that mourn.  Do I really mourn with those who mourn?

            Tom:

Dave, based on some of the things—the last couple of segments we refer to Rick Warren, and I’ve been chided myself for being critical of him, his Global PEACE Plan, what he’s trying to do, solve the problems of the world, poverty, sickness, AIDS, I mean, all of these things.  Now, we are to show compassion, we are to reach out to other people, but Dave, does the Bible give a program, a model for solving these issues of the world?

            Dave:

No, it does not, there is not way that we can solve them, and they will never be solved until the new heavens and the new earth. 

            Tom:

But what can you do?  What can I do?  You know, we talked about compassion, you’re going through some physical problems, okay.  You just had a recent surgery on your back, along with some other issues.  The same with  me, I can tell you this, I’m more compassionate right now than I’ve ever been in my life as I see what I’m going through, and then I’m thinking, Wait a minute!  I mean, this has got my attention, but I see people that are my heroes with regard to how they are putting up with the suffering that they are having to go through.  But how can we help them, how can we aid them?  Is there a peace plan, is there some kind of a global plan to eradicate these problems?

            Dave:

The best thing we can do, and it’s not the  hospice program, the hospice program, you know, that’s where you go when you are going to die.  That’s the final end, trying to comfort you, oh you put your mind on something else. Never about salvation, never about the Truth, never about the reality of judgment, the day of judgment awaits.  And Tom, I think I can do it very quickly.  I remember, I may have mentioned it before, but here is a young man, it says, this is William Law, he’s dying in his 40^th year, and his friends come to commiserate with him.  And he says, What are you trying to do?  My thoughts are no more like your thoughts than my condition is like your condition, you can’t even imagine.  You come here to comfort me because I’m dying so young that I won’t be able to—he was a merchant—I won’t be able to make any more deals.  Our good friend Lepidus died on his way to a feast, do you think it is any trouble of his now that he didn’t live long enough to eat of those dainties?  He said, The things of this life are vanity, they are nothing.  And then he says:  What really troubles me the most is that I didn’t always think this way.  That I was so deceived by so much else and I forgot eternity.  That’s one of the things we should be mourning about, Tom, that people are going to hell.  But what can we do?  Well, all we can do, Tom, I mean the best thing we can do, we can comfort them, we can give them medication and whatever, which was all that Mother Theresa ever did, but she gave them inadequate medication.  They need the gospel, Tom.

            Tom:

Of course, the other is addressing symptoms.  Dave, I know what has comforted me going through—you know, the physical issues that I have had.  Reading the Word of God, the truth!  This is reality, this isn’t just some positive mental attitude thing.  And one verse, a number of verses, but what I’m thinking about right now is 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 16, 17, 18.  You know these well, but let me read them:  “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

            Dave:

Tom, sometimes you don’t think it’s a light affliction.

            Tom:

No, but we know, in contrast to eternity, it really is light.

            Dave:

You know, my father-in-law, a very godly man, never read anything but the Bible, served the Lord all of his life.  And as a traveling, itinerant preacher, never got a salary, and no promise of anything except from the Lord.  I remember sitting with him by a lemon tree, not under a lemon tree, pretty hard to get under a lemon tree, most lemon tree, and here’s the way he would say it:  It worketh for us glory.  No, it worketh for us a weight of glory.  No, it worketh for us at eternal weight of glory.  No, an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory.  Wow! 

            Tom:

Yeah. That’s comforting, and again, it’s from the Lord, and  he works through His saints, believers, to minister and He uses us when we are going through these things.  “All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”  So, we have the comfort of the Word of God, and we’re to minister.

            Dave:

There is  no other comfort.

            Tom:

So, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”  Going on, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”

            Dave:

That’s  not the way the world thinks of it, Tom.  I’m going to bull my way through this world—I’m going to take control of my life.  This is one of the things people want.

            Tom:

Take a course in self-assertion.

            Dave:

Right.  I want to have control of my life.

            Tom:

The captain of your ship, the master of your fate.

            Dave:

“Blessed are the meek:  for they shall inherit the earth.”  Moses, we are told, was the meekest man on the face of the earth, and God used the meekest man on the face of the earth to confront the mightiest emperor in his palace to deliver his people.  So no man would get the glory, only God would get the glory.  And Tom, It’s not easy.  I’ve been in situations where to be  meek just gall you, they are so wrong.  We’ve got a whole movement of people making false accusations against me.  What am I going to do?  Well, I’m not going to defend myself, they have already made up their minds, but to be meek—wow!  That is not easy.  And I often think of Christ and being led as a lamb to the slaughter.  And I think one of the most triumphant things Christ did was, He answered not a word!  To hear false accusations, and okay, I’m not going to defend myself, I’m going to let the Lord defend me.  That is not easy!  Blessed are the meek, they will inherit the earth.

            Gary:

Dave and Tom will continue their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can tune in.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will  help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3408, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us. You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website.  Get a pen or pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we continue our series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Seeking and Finding God, and Why must we obey God?  In Religion in the News, A victory for home schooling, we’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  Is suffering good for Christians?  We hope you can tune in.  If you have questions or comments about this program we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for tuning in, and invite you to join us again next week.  Until then, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily.  For more information about The Berean Call, contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  

 

 

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above.For more listening options, please see our Radio Page.

            If you have a question for Dave and Tom to respond to in a future Contending for the Faith, stay with us, we’ll provide our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now our final segment.

            UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We continue our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom. 

            Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew.  We are going to start chapter 5, Dave, and I want to go back and read the last verse in chapter 4, because it just seems to lead into what we are going to do.  So, this is Matthewc 4, verse 25, and then we will pick up with Matthew chapter 5.  “And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.”  Matthew 5, verse 1:  “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.  And He opened His mouth, and taught them saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit:  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Now Dave, these are obviously, the Beatitudes, let’s take a look at them one by one.

            Dave:

Well, before we get there—“seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain.”  I don’t know what you can make of that, but you had to put some effort into it if you are going to follow Jesus, if you are going to hear what He is going to say.  And I don’t want to make too much of this, but you have to put a little effort into it, and is that one reason why He went up there?  I don’t know.  Or to find out who was really serious?  I don’t know if that would be a good way of finding out either.  Some people are out for a nice walk, but apparently it was quite a little ways, because there is no way to get food that far away.  But it says, “His disciples came unto him.”  Now that gives me the idea that possibly He was separating himself from the multitudes.  And He went up to the Sermon on the Mount so that only his disciples and he told his disciples where he was going.  I think everybody understood this is for those on the inside, the true disciples, and so they remained down below, which could be interesting, Tom.  Before we get into what He says, if you go to Luke 6—If I can find it in this Bible of mine that is falling apart—this is terrible--I am so reluctant to give up this Bible, because I’ve got all the—

            Tom:

When the pages fly away, Dave that might be a motivation.

            Dave:

All the high lighting and the notes and things that I’ve written in here—it’s really dangerous to turn the pages now.  Okay, by comparison, because some people say this is also the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes.  And, in fact, I learn these things from atheists.  They criticize the Bible, You’ve got a contradiction, I mean, you’ve got two different Sermons on the Mount; you’ve got one in Matthew and one in Luke.  And I said, Well, I really never noticed there were some big differences, but maybe there are, so then I would get it, and I would say, These guys are right.  So then we look at it a little closer, and notice verse 17, “He came down.” He’s just named His disciples.  So I think that’s what it’s talking about, his disciples came to Him, that must be where He named them, and the Sermon on the Mount is what He said to them.

            Tom:

It indicates that in Matthew.

            Dave:

Now He comes down with them, verse 17, in Luke 17, He came down with them and stood in the plain.  So this is not the sermon on the mount, this is the sermon on the plain, and it is a bit different.  He said different things to his disciples who He expects would have more spiritual insight and understanding. —“and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judea” and so forth, and the sea coast came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases.  So, I just want to point that out.

            Tom:

That’s an important point, Dave.

            Dave:

Otherwise, knock you for a loop, you’ve got two different—it’s a contradiction in the Bible.  No it’s not.

            Tom:

Dave, that is so important, because we get e-mails all the time.  I just got one this morning where somebody was trying to explain something to some atheists and they were taking them to task.  Many of these things can be dealt with just by reading the Scripture.

            Dave:

Right.

            Tom:

Bu we get excited.  How many people, when Dan Brown’s book came out The DaVinci Code, the say, oh wait a minute, this is undermining my faith, this is pulling the rug out from under my belief.  Come on! read the Scriptures, you know, read the Word of God.  It will blow that right off the table.

            Dave:

And read that book, it’s pitiful, and I won’t go into those details.

            Tom:

Yeah, you don’t need to read it, but for Christians to get worried, because they are not into the Word of God, they are not thinking, they’re just being chased about by every wind of doctrine, every idea.

            Dave:

Thank you, Tom, because I was not contending to recommend the book, recommend that anybody read it.  I should have said, If you read the book.  It’s pitiful!

            Tom:

Sometimes we  have to read these things just to be able to respond to them and to say that we had read it, it’s  not a fun deal.  We just went through a book called The Shack.  Boy, is that bad news!  And if you have just heard this for the first time, we did a review of it in the August newsletter, The Berean Call, and get that.  Okay.  So let’s pick up with what Jesus said to his disciples.  Verse 3:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit:  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Poor in spirit, Dave?  I thought we needed to build up our self-esteem, we need to be self-confident, we need to—

            Dave:

Well, you’re not going to enter into the kingdom of heaven as a person who is building up his self-esteem, and yet that is a weakness.  We didn’t need Dr. Dobson to tell us about self-esteem, we didn’t need Carl Rogers or Abraham Maslow.

            Tom:

Eric Fromm.

            Dave:

This was already in the  heart of man, and you don’t come into the kingdom of God as a proud person.

            Tom:

God resists the proud.

            Dave:

He hates pride, yeah.

            Tom:

But He gives grace.

            Dave:

Grace to the humble.

            Tom:

To the poor in spirit.

            Dave:

Right.  So you might say that this is kind of a gateway; this is a beginning.  You want to be in this kingdom? Then you’re going to have to come humbly.  See, that was one of the problems.  I won’t name the organization but there’s an organization out there, they have thousands of staff members now around the world.  But one of their big goals is: We want to reach key people.  Let’s try to get the athletes, try to get the entertainers, and they even have a group meeting at the United Nations in New York because we want key people.  See, look at this person, wouldn’t this person make a great addition to the team, God’s team, couldn’t He really use this person?  You don’t get that idea here—blessed are the poor in spirit.

            Tom:

Dave, we referred to Rick Warren earlier, one of his goals, he stated this that he wants to restore the credibility to the evangelical believers.  Credibility?  Come on!

            Dave:

How are you going to do that?  Well, we want academic respectability, okay.  So you’re going to have to cater to the academic world.  You want credibility?  Credibility in whose eyes, Tom? a good point.

            Tom:

Yeah, so, Blessed are the poor in spirit:  for theirs is the kingdom of God.  As you said, Dave, this is the doorway.  God resists the proud, He gives grace to the humble.  And you quoted from Galatians, “I’m crucified with Christ.”  That’s emptying me, I’m crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.  That’s what Christianity is all about.  Dave, we’re going to pick up, we’re out of time right now, but we are in Matthew chapter 5.  Let’s encourage our readers to go over the Beatitudes for themselves, and we’re going to pick up next week, the Lord willing, with Matthew chapter 5, verse 4.

            Dave and Tom will resume their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we  hope you can join us.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  The Berean Call invites you to make your plans now for our 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, coming up this November 14th, through the 16^th here in Bend, Oregon.  This year’s event will be held at the beautiful new Riverhouse Convention Center.  The theme for 2008, is Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny, the title of Dave Hunt’s soon to be released new book.  Our featured speaker will be Roger Oakland, author of the controversial expose on The Emerging Church, Faith Undone, from Lighthouse Trails Publishing.  TBC also welcomes Dr. Donald Chittick, an authority on the topic of origins and earth history, with a special interest in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.  Of course TBC’s Tom McMahon and Dave Hunt will both be there addressing their hotly debated Creation/Evolution issues.  Tickets are  just $75 for adults, and children under 18 are free with accompanying adult.  For more information, go to our website at www.thebereancall.org or call 1-800-937-6638.  We hope to see you here this November here in Bend at the 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny.

            We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #3308, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us.  You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website.  Get a pen or a pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we continue our series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Seeking and Finding God and “How could one man bring death to everyone?”  In Religion in the News, “Who wrote the serenity prayer?”  We’ll take a look at that story, and address the question:  “Is Christianity really the only way?”  We hope you can tune in.  If you have questions or comments about this program we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for joining us and invite you to tune again next week.  In the meantime, if you desire to know God's truth, search the scriptures daily.  For more information about The Berean Call contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  

 

 

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily. You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above.For more listening options, please see our Radio Page.

            If you have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay tuned, we’ll have our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now our final segment:

            UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We resume our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom:  This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew chapter 4, and we are going to pick up with verse 24:  “And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them...”  Now Dave, in programs past we’ve mentioned people like Pat Robertson who, one of the reasons he came up with his approach based on laws was that he wanted to see more consistent answers to prayer, more consistent healing.  But we also  have John Wimber, who believed that Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever, and Jesus healed, there’s no reason why we can’t see all this  healing that took place when He was here, why don’t we?

            Dave:

Well, Tom, I don’t think the apostle Paul saw it.  He says: Trophimus have I left at Miletus sick, so why didn’t Paul heal him?

            Tom:

Paul had his own problems, says, “My grace is sufficient--”

            Dave:

Right, Christ was special, need I say, He is God in the flesh, and what  He did was proving that He is God, proving that He is the Messiah.  Jesus is not present on this earth like He was then, healing people here.  We pray to Him and I’ve seen a number of healings, instantaneous healings.  People think I don’t believe in that, of course I do.  But we began talking about Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis:  “In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.”

They ate, they rebelled, death entered.  Now why would God cast them out of the garden?  Why didn’t He just heal them there, just say, No, it’s okay, you won’t really die because—Well, that’s what the serpent said, this is the lie of the serpent.  So there are consequences of sin, and one of those consequences is death.  Now if we would believe what these people teach, men and women in this healing movement—

            Tom:

Prosperity movement.

            Dave:

Right, positive confession, just confess it…that there is healing in the atonement.  Well, I believe there is healing in the atonement, that there is healing for sin…  We talked a little bit about that last week, I think, in 1 Peter chapter 2, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should henceforth live unto righteousness.”  It’s all about healing of the disease of sin in our hearts.

            Tom:

Right, and reconciliation to God.

            Dave:

Right.  It’s not about physical healing.  If everybody, I mean, if all you had to do, Tom, was get physically healed and you could get physically healed any time you wanted to, simple common sense would say Christians would never die, or at least, Christians would live longer than other people, wouldn’t they?  No evidence that Christians live any longer than other people.

            Tom:

And Dave, wouldn’t that be an attraction to become a Christian if I was going to be healed.  So, right away the motivation would be dead wrong.  We’re not to seek after the gifts of God, we’re to seek after Him, that is as we have said over and over.

            Dave:

Right.  So, back here in verse 24, where we began in Matthew today, of chapter 4:  “His fame went throughout all Syria.”  That’s interesting, Syria, what do you mean, Syria?  I thought He only came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  What does Syria have to do with this?  Well actually, what now is called Syria was part of Israel at that time.  And we read, for example, that David, King David, he had the whole kingdom.  You go to Genesis 15, where God is promising this land to Abraham…  What is the extent of this land?  It says, from the river of Egypt unto the great river Euphrates.  Well, that takes in Damascus, that takes in Syria.  So, the land of Israel was actually much larger than, except under David, than Israel has ever possessed.  So, here we are in the days of Jesus— well Syria, wait a minute, that’s part of what Israel was supposed to be, okay.  Number one, that’s of some interest here, and why wouldn’t his fame, I mean, you’ve got someone who heals and he doesn’t fail, he doesn’t leave some of them sick, every one who comes to him is  healed.  He is raising the dead, his fame is not going to spread abroad?  That would be a strange…if that were not there we would really have something missing from this story.

            Tom:

Dave, do you know what it means here—you know, we certainly recognize that those who were possessed by devils, we know what that is, what about those which were lunatick?  What do you think that means?

            Dave:

Well, Tom, I’m what? eighteen years older than you, but I know you grew up in an insane asylum.

            Tom:

Well, we have to explain that for our audience.  My father was a psychiatrist and we lived on the grounds of a mental institution, a very large one.  So I am very familiar with those who were incarcerated in mental institutions, spent my young life on grounds there.  So I have a real empathy and a real concern for people that this happens to.  So, what does the Scripture say about it?  Are there people who are out of their minds, or as it says here, lunaticks, again what does it mean?

            Dave:

It doesn’t mean they have a psychological problem, the Bible doesn’t talk about that.  This is a real, could be an illness because—

            Tom:

Physiological?

            Dave:

It could be because you can get some wires crossed up there.  You can have a vitamin deficiency.  Now, well, we won’t get into a chemical imbalance because—

            Tom:

There’s no scales for something like that.

            Dave:

Right, there’s no such thing actually.  But anyway, these people had a serious mental problem, something wrong in their brain, that could very well be, or it could be they were possessed of devils.

            Tom:

Or even oppressed to the point that they are out of their mind.  I think about Nebuchadnezzar, for example…who his pride…he exalted himself to the point where he became delusionary, I mean, that can happen. Our thinking can go really whacko and create problems for us.

            Dave:

You have the lunatic who was dwelling in the tombs.  Now, no question that he was demon possessed.  He had not supernatural powers, but paranormal powers because you couldn’t bind him.  You would put chains around him and he breaks them.  Now you don’t get that from working out in Gold’s Gym.  This is a demonic power.  So there are two sides of this; one of them it could be a problem with the brains, the brain is not functioning properly, or it could be demonic.  But anyway, Jesus heals them.

            Tom:

Verse 25:  “And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea and from beyond Jordan.”  So, Dave, as it began in verse 24, and His fame really spread, and now He has great multitudes following Him.  Is this a good thing?

            Dave:

Well, it could be, if they following Him for the right reasons.  But I find in the last couple of words there, Tom, in the last verse:…from beyond Jordan.  Now, beyond Jordan, we hear about the West Bank today, what about the East Bank?  Because we had two and a  half who were given, this is part of Israel, Jordan today.  So again we see that there were Jews living there, so I don’t know that there would be any Gentiles in this crowd.  Because finally, we  have a Gentile woman who comes and Christ says, I am only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  So I would rather doubt that there were Gentiles among them.

            Dave and Tom continue their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can tune in.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  The Berean Call invites you to make your plans now for our third annual TBC Conference coming up this November 14^th through the 16^th here in Bend, Oregon.  This year’s event will be held at the beautiful new Riverhouse Convention Center.  The theme for 2008 is, Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny, the title of Dave Hunt’s soon to be released new book.  Our featured speaker will be Roger Oakland, author of the controversial expose on The Emerging Church, Faith Undone, from Lighthouse Trails Publishing.  TBC Also welcomes Dr. Donald Chittick, an authority on the topic of origins and earth history, with a special interest in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.  Of course, TBC’s Tom McMahon and Dave Hunt will both be there addressing the hotly debated creation/evolution issues.  Tickets are just $75 for adults and children under 18 are free, with an accompanying adult.  For more information go to our website at www.thebereancall.org, or call I-800-937-6638.  We hope to see you this November here in Bend, at the 3^rd Annual TBC Conference, Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny.

            Gary:

We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will  help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk ask for Program #3208, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us.  You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website.  Get a pen or pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we continue our series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Seeking and Finding God, and, What is Satan’s Greatest Ploy?  In Religion in the News, John McCain, Barack Obama and Rick Warren.  We’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  Can sin dwell within you?  We hope you can join us.  If you have questions or comments about this program we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily Radio Ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers, and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom, and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for tuning in, and invite you to join us again next week.  Until then, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily.  You’ve been listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  For more information about The Berean Call contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.       

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily.You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above.For more listening options, please see our Radio Page .

            If you have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay with us, we’ll have our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now our final segment.

            UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We continue our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom:  This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the gospel of Matthew.  Matthew chapter 4, and we’re going to pick up with Verse 23:  “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”  There is a lot in that verse.  I think last week you said you were going to talk about the gospel of the kingdom.

            Dave:

Well, I mentioned last week, it talks about the kingdom of heaven and then it talks about the kingdom of God.  And I grew up in a group of Christians who tried to say there was a big distinction.  Because Matthew is talking about the kingdom of heaven, and the other gospels, John’s gospel for example, “…enter the kingdom of God,” John 3:5, “…except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  So he tried to say there is a big difference.  I don’t think there is because when you study the gospels, go back and forth, it says pretty much the same thing about the kingdom of heaven as it says about kingdom of God.  But what is this gospel of the kingdom?  Now, periodically I get a letter from a dear brother out there who takes me to task about this.  He preaches the gospel of the kingdom, and he says, Why don’t you guys preach the gospel of the kingdom?  Well, we do.  Then those who say, Well, but it all changed, you see.  Well, I mean there are a lot of heretical ideas involved in this, but anyway we would have to go to Matthew.  We don’t have to turn to it, Matthew 28, and He says, Go into all the world and preach the gospel, we’ll make disciples.  Mark 16:15 He says, God into all the world, and preach the gospel.  Well, which gospel is He talking about?  The gospel of the kingdom.  Is He talking about the gospel of the kingdom?  Well, that was what He sent his disciples for, to teach and preach the gospel of the kingdom.  Well then, I guess that carries over now, I would think so.  Well, what is it?  Well, I’m sure that Christ on the one hand was offering himself to Israel as their Messiah, as the One who would take the throne of David, which He eventually will.  But they thought it was right then, (the disciples did) and that’s why the disciples, when Jesus said, I am going away, John 14, I’m going away to prepare a place for you, that’s thrilling to us.  It wasn’t thrilling to them.  Lord, how come you are going away?  So there is a lot of confusion here.  Now we have people, we call them “Kingdom Now” these would be some of the positive confession people who would say, We’ve got to establish the kingdom now, and until we have established the kingdom Christ can’t return.  But He’s not going to return to take us to heaven, He’s going to return to rule over the kingdom we’ve established on earth.  Well, that’s another obvious error.  If the Jesus you meet, or the Christ you meet when He reveals himself, if you meet Him with your feet planted on planet earth, this is the Antichrist, this is not Christ.

            Tom:

Now Dave, just let me add to that.  This isn’t just the charismatics, hyper charismatics and their theology, positive confession, we have that in Reformed Theology, they are called preterits, they are called reconstructionists, theonymusts, and so on, and we’re seeing this now in the emerging church.  It’s a very social gospel, we see this as a part of Rick Warren’s  global peace plan, and so on.  These errors, just as you’ve articulated, they are working to set up a kingdom here that wittingly or unwittingly they are going to be working for the Antichrist.

            Dave:

Yeah, so another problem with this, Tom, is it involves the physical things of this earth.  That would be one reason why I would say Rick Warren favors The Message by Eugene Peterson, because—well, we’ve been over this a few times, but let’s just take a quick example, John 3:17: “He sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”  That’s salvation, taking us out of this to a home in heaven.  Jesus says, I’m going to prepare a place for you, and so forth.

            Tom:

And you just quoted the King James Version.

            Dave:

Right.

            Tom:

Peterson has a whole other view of that same verse.

            Dave:

That verse in The Message, says:  He came to help us set the world right.  Now that sounds like political and social action.

            Tom:

Reconstruction.

            Dave:

Yeah, we’re going to do away with poverty and disease and so forth, or just one other quick example, 1 Peter 5:10.  Paul prays a prayer in Ephesians chapter l: “…That you may know the hope of His calling…” this is his prayer for the Ephesians.  Well, what is the hope of His calling?  Peter tells us what this is: what is the hope?  He has called us unto His eternal glory.  Well, I mean, Tom, that’s fantastic!  When we see Him we will be like Him.  Daniel says we’ll shine like the stars forever.  What does The Message say?  He’ll have you put back together again and standing on your feet.  That’s down here!

            Tom:

Temporal.

            Dave:

Yeah, so there’s not this kingdom here, not for Christians.  One day at the Second Coming Christ will establish that kingdom but the overall kingdom, if we ever want to talk about, well what is this kingdom?  Jesus said, The kingdom is within you.  The kingdom is Christ reigning in my heart.  When the King reigns in my heart, and that is for every Christian, which should be the case. 

            Tom:

Dave, as this verse goes on, again we are in Matthew chapter 4, Verse 23:  “And healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”  You know, this is a verse, again we were talking about the positive confession people, the prosperity teachings and so on, they would say, See, there it is in the Scripture, Jesus heals all sickness and all manner of disease, therefore if you are not healed it’s your problem.  You know, you lack the faith, and so on.  We could use a little healing for what we’re going through.

            Dave:

Yeah, both of us.  That’s  not biblical, of course.  If it were Christians would never die.  He has something far better than perpetually answer these bodies.  Tom, you and I need new ones now, these bodies of infirmity.  We’re going to have a new body, we’re leaving for heaven.  But if we went to Matthew chapter 8, you’ve got something similar to it.  Verse 16:  “When the even was come…—Well, he has just healed Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever.  And now it says:  “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils:  and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”  Now Isaiah 53:  He was  wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.  Isaiah 53:5 says:  “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Now what is that talking about?  Well, some people try to say, Healing in the atonement.  No Christian should ever get sick, you just don’t have the faith of what—No, no, if we went to 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24, it says:  Who his own self bare out sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:  by whose stripes ye were healed.”  This is a healing from sin.  Everyone who comes to Christ, that’s a promise to them, they will be delivered from their sins, but it’s not a promise of physical healing.

            Dave and Tom will take up their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we  hope you can join us.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Are you sincerely seeking the shepherd, or simply following the flock?  Can you find the Bible at the box office?  The new book from The Berean Call by T. A. McMahon, Showtime for the Sheep?  The Church and the Passion of the Christ challenges readers.  Is Mel Gibson’s blockbuster film true to the Bible?  Have cinematic  biblical ethics become the super tools of today’s evangelism?  This important new book looks at the increasing use of entertainment and amusement to teach the Word of God, and the expanding efforts to make the gospel message more seeker-sensitive.  The advancing use of ecumenism, and the resultant confusion between Catholicism and Biblical Christianity, the multiplying affect of doctrinal error through increasingly popular paraphrased Bibles, and the proliferation of visual renditions of scripture.  Executive Director of The Berean Call and co-author of, The Seduction of Christianity, T. A. McMahon:

The title of the book is a question: Showtime for the Sheep?  And I’m asking the question, and I have a great concern, having a media background myself, that maybe we are moving into something which, even though it has elements in it that seems to refer to scripture, is it entertainment, is it for amusement, and do those elements draw us away from God’s truth?  This book calls the shepherds and the sheep of Christ to reconsider their rush into media driven ways of doing church contrary to God’s ways.  Read this Berean’s response to Bible movie mania:  Showtime for the Sheep?  The Church and the Passion of the Christ, by T. A. McMahon, available now in paperback and e-book.  Information on how to order in just a moment.  We offer a variety of teaching materials that will help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk ask for Program #3108, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us.  You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website.  Get a pen or pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment. 

            Next week we continue our series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Seeking and Finding God, and, Has your love been put to the test?  In Religion in the News, Man sues church over Holy Spirit injury.  We’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  Attacks on The Shack? we hope you can tune in.  If you have questions or comment about this program we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily radio ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael and for Dave, Tom, and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for joining us, and invite you to tune in again next week.  In the meantime, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scripture daily.  You’ve been listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  For more information about The Berean Call, contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  Join us again next week for Search the Scriptures Daily featuring Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon.         

 

 

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily.You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above.For more listening options, please see our Radio Page . A transcript for this program is currently being prepared, and will be posted here in 2-4 weeks

This is a link to our weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily.You may listen to the program by clicking on the "mp3" link above.For more listening options, please see our Radio Page .

            If you have a question for Dave and Tom to address in a future Contending for the Faith, stay with us, we will provide our contact information at the end of the program.  You are listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  Now our final segment:

            UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES

We resume our excursion through the gospel of Matthew.  Here again are Dave and Tom: 

            This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in Matthew 4, and we’re going to pick up with verse 12.  “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;  And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.”  Verse 16: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

            Dave:

Well, I’m sure that the atheists have some criticism of this:  Oh, this isn’t really a fulfillment of prophecy at all.  I don’t know what they say about this one.  I know what they say about some others, but anyway, we are not concerned with them.  Well, it’s a prophecy telling about the coming of Jesus, and His preaching.  He said, in John’s gospel chapter 8: “I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  And that’s exactly what this portion is saying.  The people that sat in darkness they saw a great light, and what is the light?  Well, the light of the world, Jesus Christ came.  But it doesn’t mean that they would follow this light or that they would heed Him.  Tragically, they did not.

            Tom:

Now Dave, we’ve talked about this before, but it seems appropriate to address it here.  On the one hand, as you said, here we have a prophetic fulfillment, Jesus the light.  Okay, but at the same time John is cast into prison and his circumstances—maybe he’s not too sure that Jesus, who he is related to, is really the Messiah, or as he said, Or is there another one to come?

            Dave:

Well, some of the details that the Scripture gives are very interesting, and I’m sure they are all there for a reason.  We think of Jesus as growing up in Nazareth.  That’s where He was a carpenter with His father Joseph, and so forth.  And undoubtedly, He left from Nazareth to go into His ministry.  Now, suddenly, He goes to Capernaum leaving Nazareth.  He came and dwelt in Capernaum because He’s heard that John was cast in prison.  So, we’ve got a little detail filled in here.  Why did Jesus move from Nazareth to Capernaum?  But He does, eventually come back to His home town.  Now the doubts that John had in prison, we read of those, as we mentioned in Luke 7.  So, this is a fulfillment of prophecy, and it gives us an interesting insight into how this came about to be fulfilled, just as the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, how did that come about?  Well, because Joseph was from the family of David also, and there was a census.  And so the man, who in this case is not His Father, but he’s passing for that, they go back to his place of birth.  It was not Mary’s place of birth, because this was the city of David.  And now we get another little insight into why He moved from Nazareth to Capernaum.  And He has some harsh things to say about Capernaum later on.

            Tom:

Right.  Picking up with verse 17:  “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent:  for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Now Dave, this has been somewhat an issue of controversy.  Repent, do we need to repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, is that the condition for entering into the kingdom of heaven, and what is the kingdom of heaven? 

            Dave:

Well, Matthew talks about the kingdom of heaven, and I think it is—Well, John cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  I can remember the Brethren had a great distinction between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God.  But if you go back and read the verses, the Bible says exactly the same thing about the kingdom of heaven and it says about the kingdom of God.  You cannot enter into the kingdom of God unless you’re born again.  It never says that about the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a net and it gathers all kinds of fish, some of them you’ve got to throw out, and so that’s the kingdom of heaven.  I would say that the kingdom of heaven encompasses even professors, but now—

            Tom:

Professors, those who profess to be believers, but are not true believers?

            Dave:

I think you’ve got a lot of churches today, Tom, where there are a lot of people who are not Christians, but are they sort of in this broad net of the kingdom of heaven?  I think that they would be.

            Tom:

But Dave, does that mean that nevertheless they have eternal life, they are going to be in heaven.

            Dave:

Absolutely not, absolutely not.  But He began to preach and to say: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  You know, furthermore, I think, Tom, when Christ came—it’s puzzling, and I don’t claim to have the last word—some people would say, Well, supposing the Jews hadn’t rejected Him, would He then have taken the throne of David?  Well, you can’t speculate like that, it didn’t happen, it wasn’t going to happen.

            Tom:

God’s foreknowledge.

            Dave:

Nevertheless, Jesus did, I believe, present himself to  his people in that way.  This is the Messiah, this is the one you have been waiting for, supposedly.  He is the Son of David.  Sometimes, for example, a blind man cries out:  Son of David, have mercy on me!  So, there was this aspect, the Messiah, He is descended from David, He’s going to take the throne of David.  But of course, they were not familiar enough with all the Scriptures.  For example, you have two comings, you cannot escape it.  We know that there would be two comings of the Messiah, because in Isaiah 53—

            Tom:

Beyond the first and second coming, are you talking about—

            Dave:

No, I’m just talking about we know that at least the Messiah would come to this earth twice.  Now, not getting into the Rapture yet at this moment.  How do we know that?  Because you could not put into one coming what the Old Testament said about the coming of the Messiah.  For example, Isaiah 53, it says that He is going to be rejected, He is going to be crucified, He is going to die for our sins.  And yet it says, He will prolong His days, the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.  How can He be killed and yet set up a kingdom?  So, they didn’t understand that.  Jesus is presenting himself as what they are looking for, what they are believing in, and they reject Him as that as well, even though He does so many miracles, heals and feeds them the hungry, and so forth.  So Tom, I find enough, there is enough in these Scriptures to do a lot of study, a lot of thinking about, and we’re just kind of giving a quick run through or we would never get through.

            Tom:

Right.

            Dave:

But the Bible never contradicts itself and it’s amazing because of all the details it gives, it keeps them all straight.

            Tom:

Verse 18:  “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea:  for they were fishers.  And He saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

            Dave:

Again, Tom, we are getting some details here that are very interesting.  I believe that the disciples went back after following Jesus.  They began to follow Him twice, and we’ll have to come back and talk about that, it gives details.  Here in Luke, when He calls them, they are washing their nets, they are mending their nets, and so forth, they are in the boat.  Here it is an entirely different time, and that is when Peter finally leaves everything to follow Jesus.  But prior to that, he goes back to his fishing after he started to follow Jesus. 

            Dave and Tom will continue their discussion on the topic of salvation next week, we hope you can join us.  This is Search the Scriptures Daily, a radio ministry of The Berean Call.  And now, to tell you more about our ministry, here’s TBC Executive Director Tom McMahon:  The name. The Berean Call, is taken from the Book of Acts, chapter 17, verses 10 and 11, where we find the apostle Paul entering the synagogue in the Greek city of Berea after he had just come from Thessalonica.  To these Bereans, he preached that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah sent from God.  They were commended for being noble, or fair minded, not only for their willingness to hear what Paul had to say about the matter, but more specifically, because they search the scriptures daily to find out whether or not what the apostle was saying was found in God’s Word.  That’s what we hope to encourage through this ministry.  Our mission is to alert believers in Christ to unbiblical teachings and practices impacting the church.  We want to exhort believers to give greater heed to biblical discernment and truth regarding what they are accepting as spiritual.  Our prayer is that we can be used of God to stimulate Christians to look to the Bible alone as their rule of faith, authority and practice in living lives pleasing to our Lord and Savior.

            Gary:

We offer a wide variety of teaching materials that will help you expand your knowledge of God’s Word, from books and tracts to audio and video recordings, CD-ROM, our website and much more.  For a complete list of materials, or to get a copy of today’s broadcast, write to us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708.  Call us at our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638. That’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall.org.  If you would like a copy of this broadcast on compact disk, ask for Program #2908, and be sure to mention the call letters of this station.  And if you would like to watch Dave and Tom, our weekly broadcast is available on DVD, ask about a subscription when you contact us.  You can also download both audio and video podcast at our website.  Get a pen or pencil ready, we’ll repeat our contact information in just a moment.

            Next week, we continue our series of programs based on Dave Hunt’s book, Seeking and Finding God, and, What is the Law of Miracles?  In Religion in the News, Surveying our religious landscape, we’ll take a look at that story and address the question:  Should people be executed for sinning?  We hope you can tune in.  If you have questions or comments about this program, we urge you to contact our offices.  Search the Scriptures Daily radio ministry is made possible by God’s grace, your prayers, and your financial support.  I’m Gary Carmichael, and for Dave, Tom, and everyone here at The Berean Call, I would like to thank you for joining us and invite you to tune in again next week.  In the meantime, if you desire to know God’s truth, search the scriptures daily.  For more information about The Berean Call, contact us at POB 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708, call our toll free order number 1-800-937-6638, that’s 1-800-937-6638, or visit our website at www.thebereancall,org.