 Welcome to Hard Questions, where we gather pastors together to take on your tough questions and answer them right from the Bible. I'm Tom Hollis, the moderator, and today our panelists include Ray Hypole, Providence Presbyterian Church in Robinson Township, Pastor Mark Motor, Berean Church in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pete Jackaloney, Pastor South Hills Assembly Guy Church, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Jant and a Gilbert pastor of another level in the North Hills. You guys all need to give your zip codes next time or something. One, five, two, three, seven. All right, one, five, two, three, seven. There you go. Well, today on Hard Questions, we are talking about evil, we're talking about guidance, and we're talking about fear in our lives. Interesting. Let's start with this. One viewer wrote in to ask, should Christians put on the armor of God each morning? If so, how do pastors put on the armor of God? Pastor Jay. You got an answer for that, too? I do. I think they're going to talk, just like the rest of us, right? Yeah, yeah. And that's, I mean, really, I don't think it's like pastors are different from us. Maybe pastors may have more of a priority to make sure they need to do it because of the mantle and stuff that they carry, but everybody needs to do it. Yeah, I think it's, in my opinion, putting on the armor of God is your devotional time in the morning. It's getting your mind right. It's getting into the spirit. It's spending time with prayer, which I fear far too many Christians don't do enough of. We don't take the time. Oh, let me, let me go, let me backtrack. Far too many pastors don't pray. What is that? What's the sister class? A less than five minutes a day that pastors usually pray? Well, basically you got a sock on. That's about it. The rest of your body is naked, you know, against the enemy, that little bit of prayer. And I think we need to get back to that. I tell people every day, and I'm going to talk into the camera for this one, I would love to do a statistic of every church in Pittsburgh and see how many people truly pray. And I'm not talking about the Starbucks prayer when you hop in and you're praying on the way to work while you're driving. I'm talking about where you get up extra early to get alone with God until you're no longer alone with God and then come out with your face shining like the noonday sun knowing where you have been. Now we can be salt and we can be light, even with solar power. You know, it's all about spending that time in the, in some type of light and it draws forth the energy from that light and then it can operate accordingly. That's how we put on the armor. It's total dependency upon him. It's being in his word, getting our mind in there, getting our marching orders from God, getting filled up with his presence. And now we're decorated with his presence, with his glory, with his anointing to go out there and to make an impact. Well, it changes everything for your day, doesn't it? It changes everything. Totally, completely. It changes everything, Mark. If someone wants to put on the armor symbolically as a reminder to themselves, I think that's great. But there's really nothing that says that we should take it off once we put it on. Why do we change clothes? Well, we get dirty. We sweat whatever the case might be. We want to change our outfit. But once you put it on, I think you need to keep it on. Now, you still do your daily devotions and so forth. But the other thing, there are those times when you have a crisis or a situation where you may have to grab the sword. But as far as the rest of the armor, I think it's something we need to continue to walk on or walk in every day. Just keep that armor on. I know before going out the door, Eli and I will usually hug in the kitchen and we'll pray together. And we do exactly what we're saying. I'll say, Father, we put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness. Loins go to the truth. Feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace to shield the faith of the standard, refire the enemy. And Father, we take the sword. It's our declaration of that day. And I agree with you, Mark. It's something that we never take off, that we put on that armor. We keep it on. But I think there's nothing wrong with declaring it. I know we do that on mission strips in the morning when you have big groups, you lead them in that. We have to say, Jay, that was powerful. That was convicting. And I totally agree with everything you said that this is something that Christians need to do every day. And it's because we're in battle every day. The armor of God is put on a soldier in that day. And all of those, the whole thing is an analogy. And everybody got that. Nobody thinks that we're supposed to buy actual pieces of armor and put them on. But it's a reminder, number one, that we're in a war. And every day we wake up, we're in that war. Just as you have to get dressed every day. Every day you have to get your mind in tune with God. And what you said was so powerful, Jay, that we need to do that and that God himself provides all the armor. That's crucial. There's nothing I have. Only I can bring to the battlefield of Satan as a target and an easy one at that. But with God and the way in which we do it, as you said, Jay, in the word, in prayer, then I am able to resist him. I am able to resist the evil one who will flee if I do so. It's interesting, isn't it? Church is vitally important. We're all pastors here. But that day to day is even more important. That day to day, walk with the Lord. Great answers, guys. Well, let's go to the next one. How do you recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit versus your own will, your own voice? Pastor Mark. Great question. And if we're honest, I think we all deal with that. John 4 says that God is a spirit, or the Greek God is spirit. And the Bible says the spirit of man is the candle or the lamp of the Lord. So he enlightens us within our spirit. Now, our minds can be, God can minister, and we can hear some things, but the mind can be, listen to the world, the devil, all sorts of things. So what I like to do is spend time in the Scripture, spend time in prayer. And as things come to the Lord, is this just my mind or is this you speaking in my spirit? And I will say this, some people think if it's in your mind, it's wrong. But you know, God gives us common sense for a reason. We don't throw out common sense unless something goes against the Scripture. And there are those times where our mind says one thing, but we know in our heart, or according to the Word, we need to go in a different direction. But to me, the big key is get quiet. Say, Lord, show me, is this just mental thinking or are you speaking in my heart? And he'll show us that as we wait on him. And you know, when you said get quiet, Mark, my immediate thought is, in the Scripture says you're here within you, a still small voice saying this is the way you walk in it. And when you hear that still small voice, I also believe that God will always back that up with Scripture. So I think those two key components are very important. His voice is in stillness. And he's not going to be yelling and screaming at you. And then again, he'll confirm it with his word. So Ray? Yeah, I think, you know, I like the phrase guidance of the Holy Spirit. I don't believe in an ongoing revelation. I know we're going to go there. But I do believe the Holy Spirit is alive and well. Every believer has him. And he does convict us of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. And he uses the word to do that. And so we do test all things by the word. We do judge by the fruit. Jesus says, you know, many false prophets have gone into the world and I can deceive myself and I need to recognize that. So there's wisdom in many counselors. But a lot of this, I think, I mean, there's sort of reading between the lines. But I think some of this gets to how do I know God's will? People do that all the time. How do I know what God's will is? And I think God's will is that you be holy and that you obey him. And apart from that, I don't think, you know, that it is somehow your duty to figure out what city to live in or what car to drive. Or, you know, I've heard people say, well, if I feel like I'm supposed to take this exit, how do I know that it's God? You know, that's kind of madness in my opinion. You are free to live the Christian life. God gives you His commandments. Live the Christian life. Whether you're a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, if you're serving Christ, you can glorify Him. This getting caught up and I'm going to miss God's will, you're not going to miss God's will because He's sovereign. And therefore, do what He's told you to do in His law and His commandments. And then you know you're obeying Him. I'd rather be in the wrong city doing the right thing than be in the right city doing the wrong thing. How's your day? Any final thoughts on this? No, I just think it... I like some of the stuff that you're saying. I think we have to be careful that we don't start looking for life. Should I get Cocoa Puffs or Rice Krispies, you know? I mean, we've got to be careful of those types of things. But I also believe too that, you know, I was at a restaurant one time and I'm ordering food and somebody else might have said, I know that voice and they knew me from television. And so obviously they had spent enough time watching me on television to identify my voice. Even if they didn't know who I was, I was facing this track and they were behind me. They said that they picked out my voice because they had spent enough time. When you spend time in God's presence, you will pick up on who He is. You'll pick up on His character. But the key, you said something at the end of your said, wait. You have to wait long enough in prayer to identify Him. And I like what you said about Elijah. You know, there was the earthquake, there was the fire, then there was the wind. So a lot of times people try to decipher that and say, is that the Lord? Is that what He said? But the Lord wasn't in any of that. But then there's still small voice. That's so good. All this is so good. Obviously, stay in the Word of God and when you hear that voice, recognize that it's usually different sound than your own voice. Don't be telling yourself to do things in your own voice. But trust and rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit. Well, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be back in 60 seconds and then we'll ask how does God define evil? Welcome back to Hard Questions. We have a really great question coming up next. Does God and the world define evil differently? Is this not the easiest question ever that we've ever had? Right, take us home with us. Yes, we're done. You know what I like about this question is we all recognize that the world and much of it the atheistic world that doesn't even acknowledge God and therefore really can't confirm that there is such a thing as good or evil. Everybody does believe in it. Everybody operates that way. All the climate change people out there protesting. I mean, they think it's evil that you're driving your gas-powered car or any of the causes. You know, the P to people, it's evil that if you drink milk or something because you're making the animal slaves and they do it because it's evil. I mean, everybody, no matter who they are, because we're moral beings, because we're made in the image of God and we cannot eradicate that, we operate on a good and evil basis. We're made in the image of God. And so the idea that there is this idea of good and evil in everybody and it's driving them and it's absolutely true. But you know what God says and what God shows us is His law and His law is righteousness. Jesus boiled it down to just two. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbors yourself. This is all the law and the prophet. So that's the great summary. And then under that is the Ten Commandments. I mean, all of the moral law is righteousness. We have a confession in our Reform Presbyterian Church, the Westminster Confession and our shorter catechism question number 14 is what is sin? And the answer is sin is any want or lack of conformity to or transgression of the law of God. God's law is righteousness and any transgression of God's moral law is evil. And that's what God tells us is righteousness. And that's His character. Again, law isn't something God just makes up. God is saying this is who I am. I am the God who hates murder. I am the God who hates stealing and coveting. So when He reveals righteousness to us, He's revealing who He is. And when we judge as He judges, we are saying we love Him to love God is to keep His commandments. And therefore the world when it does what it wants it's keeping its commandments grievous for us to do when it's not grievous. His commandments are not burdensome because that's what we say. This is the love of God that you keep His commandments. First John. I also think too, by far, it's a distinct yes because we look at evil with degrees. Jeffrey Dahmer. We look at different people that are rapists or a pedophile or something like that. Many of us can honestly sit here. If someone said right now if you went into giant eagle and ate a bite from an apple, it would send somebody to hell for that. In essence, that's what brought us all into sin. It was just disobeying a direct order that wasn't in quote-unquote what we look at. I thought you said giant eagle brought us all into sin. Sorry about that. No, no, no. If you went in there and just took a bite, that's all he did. He ate from a tree. I mean this wasn't like, it didn't hurt his wife. He just disobeyed a direct order which goes back to what you said. And that was enough. Think about it. That was enough that Christ had to die for that. That would have been the only sin. That was enough that Christ would have had to die that horrific death because he ate the wrong produce. So I mean, if you're looking at it from that, does God look at evil differently from the world? Of course. Because nobody would probably put somebody in prison because they ate giant eagle apple. But God said it's worthy of hell. So we have to, when we look at it from that standpoint it's completely different in the world. Just completely, Mark. What I see as people today, they want to conform God into their image rather than the other way around. But the Scripture says his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways. And so rather than trying to get God to believe what we believe we need to say you are truth. Your word is reality so we're going to conform our lives to what this book says. And that's exactly what we're finding. Like I worked with a guy years ago and I said to him, we were talking about sin and he goes, oh yeah, I know I've done things wrong. I brought children into this world into this horrible world. I know that's a sin. And see, that's not a sin. I had to say, well, that's not really a sin. Because again, we're falling away from the Word of God, Pete. In Isaiah chapter 5 and this is the world we live in today in Isaiah chapter 5, 20 through 21 it says, woe to those who call evil good. And we're in that day today. Evil is good and good is evil who put darkness for light and light for darkness who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise, there we go, in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. So man is, again, man becomes the center of his world when God, Christ, must become the center of our world. When Christ is no longer a center of our world then we are calling evil good. That's good. That's really good. Well, good answers, everyone. Let's go to our next question. It's from the hotline. We love our hotline questions. Let's listen. If you remember your earthly life when you're in heaven how will that be heaven? You will not have remembrance of your earthly life in heaven. You will no longer have it, correct? All right. Well, that's an interesting take. Pete, I want you to define this for us a little bit. Ray, months and months ago you commented on this. But I really believe according to Revelation 21 in verse 4 I think there will come a time that God, once we're there once we're entering into can I use the word eternity Revelation 21 and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there should be no more death no sorrow, no crying. There should be no more pain for the former things, here we go the former things have passed away and the Bible also says in the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy and God knew that if we had a continual remembrance of earth, of loved ones to take heaven he knew that heaven would no longer be heaven there would be no joy because we would be in constant remorse and sorrowfulness. So I believe that some way somehow like only an amazing infinite God can once he wipes all those tears from our eyes I don't think we'll remember our sin I don't think we'll remember everything we did wrong we'll remember the ones who aren't there in heaven with us because I think we'll be so caught up with the fullness of God certainly we'll be caught up into the glory and glory means weightiness I think we will remember Pete I understand what you're saying I agree with what you're saying that we'll be so caught up in the glory but we don't think God wipes our minds I don't think that's true with God I will remember their sins no more the Bible uses that word to mean that I'm not going to treat you in accordance with your sin it doesn't mean that God who knows all and he's omniscient can forget anything God can't technically forget anything he chooses not to treat us that way and I think that's what you meant anyway I think the judgment is dependent upon our remembering it will reward us for our good works that's dependent upon our remembering and I think this person must have had a hard life must have gone through some difficulties if I remember this life in heaven somehow heaven's not going to be heaven in my heart really goes out to you whoever you are the fact of the matter is maybe you've had a very difficult life and you've suffered many things but what you're going to see in heaven is you're going to see how all of that worked out you've used all of the pain and all of the injustice and all of the actual evil that he too hates for his glory and even for your good and you're going to be able to rejoice I think when we're in heaven I think if I would see my mom in hell I will rejoice at that because I will have the mind of Christ I will know that's exactly where she deserves to be I will not have any sympathy for evil anymore I will perfectly delight in righteousness perfectly hate evil I will rejoice in all that God has done including the damning of the wicked and I think that's what you meant Pete when you said like we'll be completely enraptured in the thoughts and in the will of God and we'll see everything as he sees it it'll all make sense that's really tough for us to get our minds around though that whole thought if we see a loved one in hell that we will rejoice in that but that is exactly how God is he knows everything and yet is still completely joyful you got to take on this real quick on that part there I believe that just says we'll be perfected everything evil will be removed out and everything that is like Christ will be there if we had loved ones that went to hell everything that could be redeemable you won't see your mom down there not the mom that held you and rocked you that person's gone they will be completely demonic nothing redeemable about them they will become the perfect fulfilled child of Satan that's what they'll be so you're not looking down saying oh wow that's mama down there and you ain't going to recognize mama everything good in them was from God and God is removed in them interesting question very good discussion we're going to take a quick break but when we're back in 60 seconds we're going to take on our hotline question of the week this week's hotline question is a confusing one for our viewer let's take a listen king of righteousness thank you well, Mark let's dive in there who is Melchizedek? well that's found in Genesis 14 Abraham comes back from a victory in battle and meets a king slash priest by the name of Melchizedek and there are two main thoughts the first one is that he is actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ or he could be a type of Jesus I personally believe he was not actually Jesus although Jesus was at times the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament I believe it was a type of Christ and Hebrews talks a lot about this in one passage in Hebrews 7.3 says that Melchizedek was without father or mother or genealogy without beginning of days or end of life and so people see that was Jesus but then the rest of that says this son of God or another translation resembling this son of God so my personal perspective is that it was a type of Jesus I do think it is interesting he offers bread and wine in that passage which could be a symbol of communion if someone sees it differently that's fine it's not a heaven or hell issue but to me it is a picture of Jesus and remember what Jesus said he said Abraham saw me and he saw me and rejoiced in my day so I think he saw a picture in this example of Jesus later on he actually saw the Lord in Genesis 18 any other thoughts on Melchizedek? I know the ancient Jewish view was that it was Shem the son of Noah because it's about that time and Shem would have been a couple of hundred years old and he would have been a believer in Jerusalem I don't subscribe to that I think Mark answered the question well many do especially in my circles believe it's the pre-incarnate Christ and he doesn't have genealogy but that could just speak to the fact that in the Scripture he doesn't have genealogy he clearly is a type a type that Christ fulfills perfectly because he is a priest after the order of Melchizedek and all that I think must mean, all that needs to mean if I could say it that way is that in the Scriptures he really appoints Melchizedek priest he just is priest and nobody gives him genealogy he just has no genealogy and literally that's true of Christ he is our eternal high priest he has no genealogy because he is the ancient of days in his divine nature and so I think that's the real picture he's the king of righteousness you know Malak Zedek king of righteousness but he's also the king of peace have kissed each other the fact that he's holy and just he's going to punish sin and yet we're not consumed because of his sacrifice he's made peace with us and God and so we have his righteousness and we get his peace and I think that's the ultimate message of Melchizedek that Christ is the one who is our righteousness who is our peace I just have a question to ask you guys you had mentioned a vision a Christophany I think it's called or a theophany what is that and where else is that is there another example I'm just dropping this on you is there another example of that in the Old Testament there are several Jacob wrestling with the angel because he calls him the Lord the angel that appears to Samson's parents why do you ask my name seeing that it is beautiful many places where the angel himself is an angel but then he's also the Lord not like a regular angel the word angel just means messenger and so that sometimes God himself in some way appears in a messenger and then he receives worship and so many theologians have said well that is a pre-incarnate Christ that's Christ before the incarnation appearing to men in the guise of a human being I mean it's certainly a legitimate understanding in my opinion that's it we're good we're just stand right there well we like to end the program with a scripture and today we go to Psalms where it says Lord you have heard the desire of the humble you will prepare their heart you will cause your ear to hear Psalm 10 17 how does that hit you in 10 seconds there Pete he will cause his ear to hear his voice someone once said when we pray they can his picture and it has to deal with the mercy of God that God is always bending over that God always has an ear to hear his people calling to me and I will answer you Amen to that well we hope you enjoyed today's program we really would love to hear from you you can email your questions look it could be about Malchizedek it could be about Christophany or you can call our hotline at 412-349-4326 and we'll put you on the hotline question you know God is listening God is hearing God's heart is for you He is toward you He is not a God that is far off He is near but you need to reach out right now and when you do that He's going to respond He is waiting to hear from you today so share your prayers with Him and wait for His incredible answer