Call-ins Radio Broadcast Thursday 07/15/2021

Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P651 (07-15-21)

Synopsis

Have you ever had someone tell you that you need to eat certain foods or worship on a certain day of the week? What do you say in response? Does not scripture say to not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or in regard to a religious holiday or even a Sabbath? Yes. As you read scripture, you will be able to understand that you live under grace today. That Jesus set aside the Old Covenant to establish a New Covenant so that we can rest from our works just as He did from His.

What does that mean? If you are still trying to keep the law, then you are not resting from your works. He has put the law aside so that we can walk in the newness of life. There is no rest under the law. You are constantly being demanded to do what you cannot accomplish in the energy of your own flesh. So the Sabbath is a place of rest. It is not a day of the week. Would you hate to think that the only day of the week you can worship God is on one day of the week, on a Saturday or a Sunday? God wants us to rest every day. It is an everyday rest.

There are so many things we hear in the world or are taught from various denominations that are simply just not true, and burden us down. We have people that tell you that Jesus is here or there, and about signs and wonders, and about holy laughter, and all sorts of strange things, none of which is true in the scriptures. Those things are just not biblical and only cause you to get trapped in error, to be double-minded and unstable in all ways. Relying not on Christ but on manifestations can only ultimately cause harm to your soul, keeping you in darkness. Jesus told us that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

So many believers think psychology can help you. But can psychologists help you? First of all, why are you going to the ungodly for advice? Most of them are agnostics or atheists. How would you know if what they even told you is true? By saying you are manic depressive, is that true? No, that is putting a label on you so you can keep going to him to get medicine to alter your mind. God does not want to alter your mind but renew your mind with truth. Who is the one who created our bodies? Jesus Christ is the Creator and who created all there is. So let us go to the manufacturer for help.

What did the apostle Paul discover concerning himself? Paul said he did not even understand himself. “The things I want to do I do not do and the things I do not want to do, I do anyhow.” They would put a syndrome on that. That is not a syndrome. It is clear where the problem is, sin lives in me. Then he came to understand something about himself.

Romans 7:24-25
²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So do we consult Christ Jesus on how our minds are designed to function? Does God tell us that being anxious is unusual? Nothing unusual at all in the human experience. So it is not a syndrome or a disease. If it was, why would he tell us not to be anxious but to put our trust in Him for our provision? He knows our fallen nature and our tendencies and He knows the solution to our problem. He came to restore mankind to Himself. Our mind is made in such a way that our feelings automatically respond to what we are thinking about. If we are anxious about the future, then we are thinking anxious thoughts. God tells us to cast all our cares on Him for He cares for us, and He holds our future. As we do, what does He promise us? That we will experience peace that surpasses all understanding.

It did not say the desires of the flesh will go away. They won’t. It did not say clean up your flesh and you will be spiritual. You won’t. It says walk by the Spirit in faith, and the result of that is you will not be fulfilling desires of flesh. So just rest. You cannot rest while you are working at it. If you are working at it, you are not resting. I am resting in the fact that Jesus Christ has done everything for me that He is going to do. Jesus has given me everything I need for life and godliness. He lives in me. I have the ability to participate in the divine nature that lives in me but I also have the ability to participate in my flesh.

We are made in such a way that God in the man is indispensable to the proper functioning of the man. That is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is a very practical message. It tells man how to live in a new way, by the Spirit He gives to live in us. Jesus really is to be our life. He produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control as we rest in Him, allowing Him to produce that through us. We cannot generate that in the energy of our flesh. We are like a branch on a vine. Jesus gave this illustration of a vine and a branch in John 15 as a visual picture of how man is designed to function. Jesus told us that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.

Transcript

Laurie from Eugene, OR

Laurie: I have a question about the Sabbath. God established the commandment to honor the Sabbath. Then it talks about keeping the Sabbath in the book of Revelation. After Jesus comes back in the millenium, there will be keeping the Sabbath.

Bob: Let us deal with that issue real easy. In scripture, it talks about the fact to let no one judge you by different things, including the Sabbath day.

Colossians 2:16-17
¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Bob: So, the Sabbath day is a foreshadowing. It is a shadow. It is not reality. Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath and the Sabbath is no longer a day of the week. The Sabbath is every day of the week.

Bob: People who are hung up on Sabbath are also hung up on what you eat and drink, and in regard to religious festivals, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. So, Christ is our Sabbath. The purpose of the Sabbath is to rest from our works just as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:9-10
⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

What does that mean? If you are still trying to keep the law, then you are not resting from your works. He has put the law aside so that we can walk in the newness of life. Instead of walking in the Spirit, as it talks about in the scripture, we decide to keep walking under the law, then we are not resting. There is no rest under the law. You are constantly being demanded to do what you cannot accomplish in the energy of your own flesh. So the Sabbath is a place of rest. It is not a day of the week. Would you hate to think that the only day of the week you can worship God is on one day of the week, on a Saturday or a Sunday? God wants us to rest every day. It is an everyday rest.

Hebrews 4:1
¹ Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it

Hebrews 4:9-11
⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.

Bob: That is an attitude of resting in the grace of God, the love of God, and in the mercy and kindness of God. Resting in that truth that you have been made into a perfect, complete, holy, sanctified human being. If you are in Christ, all of those things are a part of your inheritance and you rest in that. Not on a Saturday but every day.

Laurie: So all I have to do is walk in Spirit and do not sin.

Bob: If you are walking in the Spirit, while you are walking in the Spirit, you will not sin, but if you are not walking in the Spirit you will. You might as well forget about not sinning. You are talking about an unrealistic expectation. If you realize what sin is, that anything that does not come from faith is sin, how many times a day do you not exercise faith? Do not even try to keep up with that one. The issue is as you are learning how to walk resting and entering into that Sabbath rest, and walking by faith in the grace of God, there is a by-product of that, and that you will not be fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16
¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Bob: It did not say the desires of the flesh will go away. They won’t. It did not say clean up your flesh and you will be spiritual. You won’t. It says walk by the Spirit in faith, and the result of that is you will not be fulfilling desires of flesh. So just rest. You cannot rest while you are working at it. If you are working at it you are not resting. I am resting in the fact that Jesus Christ has done everything for me that He is going to do. Jesus has given me everything I need for life and godliness. He lives in me. I have the ability to participate in the divine nature that lives in me but I also have the ability to participate in my flesh.

2 Peter 1:3-4
³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Bob: That is the conflict all Christians are going to have, the conflict between the desires of your flesh and the desires of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is always working with us, teaching us who we are and then asking the question, “Is what you are thinking and doing consistent with who you are as a child of God”? That is where we say either yes or no. Not that I had nothing to do. I went out and got drunk. “Lord, that has nothing to do with being a child of God. That is the very opposite.” “Yes, it is.” So He says, “Get up and sin no more. You cannot change what you have done. That sin was placed on my back 2000 years ago, and taken away from the eyes of God. But you are a child of God so now go live soberly.” That is how God deals with us.

Laurie: Okay. I have a struggle with clinical depression. I have a hard time understanding scriptures.

Bob: I do not believe that, Laurie. I believe you believed the gobly-gook from the psychological profession instead of listening to what Christ says. Christ will never say you have clinical or manic depression. Depression is not unusual at all. All you have to do is start thinking depressing thoughts and you will be depressed. You are made that way by God. We are made in a manner that whatever I am thinking that is how I will feel. That is just plain life itself.

Bob: Laurie, if you ever felt sad, what were you thinking? Sad thoughts, weren’t you?

Lauri: Well, I ..

Bob: Laurie, you are already starting to defend what the psychologists have told you. There is not a guru of psychological thought who is not either an atheist or an agnostic. The bible tells us to not seek the counsel of the ungodly. If you are indeed in Christ Jesus, you need to quit listening to the ungodly and start listening to godly counsel.

Psalm 1:1-2
¹ Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
² But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Bob: Now, let us talk about how God made you. If you ever felt sad it is because you are thinking sad thoughts. If you ever felt depressed it is because you are thinking depressing thoughts. If you ever felt the emotion of anxiety, it is because you are thinking anxious thoughts about the future. You are made that way. God made you that way. There is nothing unusual about that. If there was anything unusual about being anxious or having anxiety, why would the bible instruct us to not be anxious about anything?

Philippians 4:6-7
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Bob: If there was anything unusual about being angry, why would it say, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” That is not unusual. What the psychological profession has done is to make everybody think that everything you go through is unusual while they are sitting there with none of those things as a part of their lives when they are plagued with it. But if I can call your stinking thinking a disease, then I can prescribe some drugs for you. That is what people are all about. How can I get you to believe you are so messed up that you need drugs or some hospitalization or for you to see me the rest of your life in order to be normal. That is a ploy from Satan. That is not from God at all. What we have to do Laurie, is to learn to quit altering our minds and to begin to learn to renew our minds. On what? Truth that will set us free.

John 8:32
³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Bob: If I buy these lies that I am a schizophrenic, manic depressive, that is a lie. If I believe that, then I have said to God, “You do not have anything to say to me because I have already determined who I am from my psychologist.” If I am not going to agree with God concerning my problem, why would I ever agree with Him concerning His solution. The issue is we don’t. We do not go to Him for a solution because we have not bought what He said about our problem. God says that is double-minded. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Can a man get unstable? Yes, by being double-minded.

James 1:5-8
⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Bob: What is being double-minded? Having one foot in the law and one foot in grace. Some of the most confused people on the face of this earth are people who grew up in legalistic churches. We spent 25 years trying to pull people out of that confusion, telling people God has freed you from the law so you can be walking in the newness of life in Christ Jesus under grace. When I am under grace, and I put the law where it belongs, behind me, I am single-minded. I am not double-minded. I am not saying God forgave me but He did not forgive me. I am not saying I am in fellowship but then I sin and so now I am out of fellowship.

Bob: Those are things you have to get straight in your head. You cannot buy this gobble-gook from the world and ever be free from this error they are perpetuating. What you have to do is very simple. Paul said, “The things I want to do I do not do and the things I do not want to do, I do anyhow” (Romans 7). They would put a syndrome on that. That is not a syndrome. It is clear where the problem is, sin lives in me. Then he came to understand something about himself.

Romans 7:24-25
²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 8:1-2
¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Bob: He came to understand something about himself, Laurie. That is what you have to do and what we all have to do. Quit listening to the garbage that is bombarding us in this world. Start listening to God. God made you. If you were a Chevrolet and you were not working very well. You would not go to another Chevrolet, saying “Help me.” You go to the manufacturer. We do not go to the manufacturer. We go to each other. I have told people for years that I cannot help you but I can lead you to the one who can, who is Christ Jesus. I cannot even help myself. But I can lead you to the one who will help you, and He is Christ Jesus. How is He going to do that? By teaching you truth, and letting truth set you free. If truth is what sets you free then it is error that binds you. So when you are believing error, you are going to be bound, bound up in error, confusion, double-minded, and all these things people love to put labels on so they can medicate you.

Bob: Laurie, if you could, I recommend you get the tape series, How to Experience Victory over Depression. If you are open, and I think you are, to wanting to get well, and wanting to get rid of these labels that puts you in a situation of being a victim of some kind, I would like to send you that tape series if you will listen to it.

Laurie: I lost all sanity and was hospitalized.

Bob: We had people like that as well. If we send this tape series to you, will you listen to it?

Laurie: Yes, definitely.

Bob: I will put you on hold, get your address and send this to you as our compliments. Listen to those and do not try to argue with them. Say, “Lord, if this is of you, then I want you to teach me. If it isn’t, then I will cast those things out.” I want you to open your heart to listen to what Jesus says is your problem instead of what some shrink has something to say. I think Jesus knows more about you than some shrink, don’t you?

Laurie: Yes.

Bob: If that is true, and you believe that, then who do you go to when you have problems? Christ Jesus. That is who I am going to lead you to through these tape series. I will send the tapes series to you and after you do then call us back.

Julia from Victoria, British Columbia

Julia: Thank you, staff and volunteers and conferees for your warm hospitality. How you provide knowledge and wisdom to the body of Christ, glorifying Jesus Christ for His death, burial and resurrection. You step out in faith. I can imagine what comes against you but you are faithful. I joined up with the Metro-bible link. I am thanking you for everything. I appreciate it so much. I know I am not the only person in Victoria listening to you online.

Bob: Thank you so much. The conference was wonderful. It is great having people all over the country, especially our Canadian visitors. Thanks for coming down and to realize we are all a part of the body of Christ. As you well know, in Big Bear, north of San Bernardino, there is a conference this year in California. It is a little closer to you. Try to get some people down there to join us. We would love to have them and I know their lives would benefit by it.

Julia: With God all things are possible.

Bob: That is for sure.

Julia: Thank you very much for everything. I do not want to tie up the line because people have questions.

Bob: Thank you for being with us. I hope you had a nice trip back. You keep growing in grace.

Julia: Send my love to Amy also.

Bob: God bless you. Good to hear from you.

Dianne from Byron Center, MI

Dianne: I was wondering what the bible has to say about women in the ministry.

Bob: It does not say about women in ministry. Women are teachers and women certainly have roles and responsibility in the ministry especially as it relates to teaching. There are many wonderful women teachers. It just says a woman should not have authority over a man, which eliminates the idea of a woman being a pastor. So there are not supposed to be women pastors in Christianity. But women teachers in other roles and that is where they are supposed to be. Those who are there and understand their role do a wonderful job in perpetuating the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:11-14
¹¹ A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

Bob: It is just the position of leadership, Dianne. I think God is more interested in our families than He is in so-called gatherings of church. Strong families will build strong churches. So the emphasis should be on strong families. You cannot have a strong family when you have a man dominated in the family by his wife. If she is in the position in the church of dominating people she will come home dominating him and then you will be producing weak families and, therefore, a weak church. I am sure that is part of the reason God was saying that. Women should not be in a position of leadership but they should be used mightily as God gives them gifts to do so.

Dianne: Okay. I just read a lot in the paper lately about it. I was just wondering what you thought about that.

Bob: Well, Dianne, that is what the bible says. You find a lot of people today trying to discredit what the bible says. People are saying that is not what it means and that it was old-fashioned. There was nothing old-fashioned. If the bible is true then what is true 2000 years ago, and is universal in scope, it is still true today. It is not that God will zap us if we violate those deals but you will weaken the church if you violate them. It is kind of our decision.

Dianne: Thank you very much for your time.

Bob: You are definitely welcome. Thanks for your call, Dianne. Keep listening.

Sonnie from San Francisco, CA

Sonnie: The Lord prompted me to call you. I have a question about signs and wonders. I came from a ministry, such as Bennie Hinn, that gets into the blessings and the Ronnie Howard, with this holy laughter and all kinds of manifestations. Even now they have this …

Bob: I know what they do. I do not even want to talk about it. It makes me sick.

Sonnie: Is this of God?

Bob: Of course not. How can something be of God when there is nothing biblical about what they are doing? Did not Jesus address signs and wonders?

Luke 11:29-30
²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.

Bob: What do you need signs and wonders for? If you cannot believe Jesus because of His resurrection, why do you think you will believe Him because of signs and wonders. But this draws in money. The sign and wonder of it all is that people are stupid enough to give to those people. People give by the millions of dollars. If you knew what was going on behind the scenes, you would be appalled.

Bob: No. You need to stay away from those kinds of things. That is not Christianity. Christianity is not being silly. Holy laughter! Come on. What is holy laughter? I see them, and quite frankly, it makes me sick at my stomach, when I see what is going on in the name of Christ Jesus.

Sonnie: Does that apply to Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:23-27
²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.
²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Bob: People were claiming they have seen Jesus. They claim they went out and visited Jesus. Those are false prophets. No one will see Jesus until he comes again, and that coming will be as obvious as lightning in the sky for all to see.

Sonnie: My special concern is my friend, who has a friend from an Ontario revival. They had this manifestation. He is so into it that he is bringing a book. What should I tell her?

Bob: Sonnie, these people many times, I do not know, I believe the Spirit of God lives in you so you cannot continue to live in error and promote error. I have to assume these people are lost and do not know the Lord from an apple tree but have built up a false religion around signs and wonders. There were people like that in the early Christian church. You just have to realize I would never deal with a person like that with the assumption they are saved. I would have to deal with them on the basis they are not saved but as lost as can be and would tell them how to be saved. I would never assume they are saved.

Sonnie: I have a friend who is getting involved with this. How would I explain this to her?

Bob: I would just tell her she is on very dangerous ground. You are fooling around with cultic activity.

Sonnie: Should I tell her that?

Bob: Absolutely. If you love her.

Sonnie: I do love her but I do not want to upset her.

Bob: If you love someone you have to tell her truth.

Sonnie: I appreciate that. That is what I am going to say. I definitely do not have any question about that. There is no such thing of the Holy Spirit doing those things. I appreciate your response.

Bob: I wish we had more time but we have to go off the air.