Q & A Forum: Evangelistic Insights

In 2022 - The Power of His Resurrection, Lectureship by Dewayne Bryant

Automated Transcript

Bryant, could you see? And that’s why we’re going to start off with this first. Cause he was one of our speakers is directed right to him. Okay. Can you see a specific time and place where an unexplained exit word may be appropriate if, no, why not? And so yeah, come up and answer that and if, oh wait,

All the question is could you see a specific time and place for an explicit word where that may be appropriate? If no one not I struggled with this one because I understand that, you know, and, and especially with things like the, the, the writings of other authors plays and things like that, there’s a push to not alter the original words of the author.

And so, you know, recently I heard a member of our congregation went up to visit their niece at a Christian university. And they said they put on a production of, and I forget what it was something dealing with Roe V, Wade or, or Darwin or something, but a, a fairly famous play dealing with that subject matter. And he said the language was pretty rough.

And knowing this fellow, I think the language probably was, was pretty bad. And these were Christian students at a Christian university saying, saying this language now I do have, I do have personally issues with that. You know, because in my life I’ve had a number of other good influences who have said, you know, as Christians, we, we draw the line somewhere and we’re going to draw the line,

that kind of language. And so you had an English teacher in high school who we read. I think, I want to say it was the adventures of Tom Sawyer and, or huckleberry Finn. And throughout mark Twain’s work, he would use the N word and I’ll never forget she got up in class. And she wrote that word very neatly on the board.

And she said, I will never say this word. I will substitute the word slave because she was not going to utter that word. And, you know, I had another English professor in college who early in his career would do the same that he would, he would, he would use the same language that was used by the author of the play or whatever it was that he was performing.

But later on, he refused to use it. And so he would edit it himself and not say that language. I think I agree with that. I think we, and when Paul talks about not letting any unwholesome speech come out of your mouth, I think that’s a prime candidate for that. Now I think I could see maybe an occasion where an explicit word might have maybe an anatomical reference.

And so maybe if you’re talking about a marriage seminar or something, dealing with sexual intimacy, maybe that might be a place where you could use one of those words. If it were like an anatomical reference, I could see that being appropriate for that very particular or specific setting. But as far as, you know, most swear words or anything like that,

I would really prefer to say expletive or, you know, even, you know, we often say the whatever word and we abbreviate it by the first letter of that word. I would rather stick with that than then actually use the term because you know, there is a way that is right, that cannot be wrong. It can not be wrong to not use that language.

Right. But could it be wrong to use that language? I don’t know, for me, that’s a bit of a gray area, but I would fall under Paul’s commands and Ephesians four to not let any unwholesome speech come out of her mouth. Okay. All right. And of course, it’s, you know what, what’s an ex what’s, what’s a bad word.

One culture may not be a bad word to know the coach culture. And sometimes, you know, we, I got some good stories on that, but I don’t want to get to the fun stuff about the resurrection here anyway. Okay. All right. The next one here is Matthew 1240 in Matthew 1240 Jesus states that he would be in the grave three days and three nights.

If Jesus died on Friday in a row Sunday, where is the third night? Okay. And so I did mention something about this earlier, I think Monday or Tuesday or something Monday, maybe it was that of course, the way, the way they reckoned days, you know, any part of a day was considered the whole day. And so the three days and three nights,

I left it over there again But anyway, three days and three nights does fulfill the prophecy because again, like I said, they, they did not, you know, if it was part of the day, it counted as a day. And of course, the way we reckoned days, you know, if I were to say three days from now,

and this is what Wednesday, the way we reckon days, it would be Thursday, Friday, Saturday, three days from now, it’d be Saturday the way we reckoned days. But the way they reckoned days right now is Wednesday that’s day one, Thursdays, day two, and then Friday is day three. And so for them, it would be Friday.

And the passage in Luke 13 illustrates that Luke 13 in verse 32, Luke 1332. And he said to them, and go tell that Fox. And he’s referring to Herod behold. I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow. And the third day I shall be perfected. And so today and tomorrow and the third day. And so that would be,

you know, if he said that today, then that be Wednesday is today. Thursday is the second day. And then Friday is the third day. And so for them, it did not have to be a 24 hour periods, but any part of the day was considered part of the day. But if someone wants to add to that, feel free.

Okay. Just one more note on that. It does seem like on the third day or three days is maybe just a, an idiom similar to, oh, I’ll be there in just a minute. Well, we don’t mean just a minute. Sometimes my wife will say, I’ll be there in a second. I’ll be like one, or are you right?

So we, we mean it idiomatically, not literally. And the reason for this is the new Testament authors actually use a couple of different phrases to refer to this. So for example, mark says after three days, three times, Matthew says after three days, three days and three nights on the third day, Luke says on the third day, on the third day,

after three days. So you get the idea, the new Testament authors will use different phrases that if taken literally would be contradictory. So if we say after three days and on the third day, well, which one is it? It’s an idiom. So it’s probably not a literal. So that’s just another thing to keep in mind is this is probably more idiomatic than it is intended to refer to 3 24 hour periods of time.

Well, the brother who just spoke, I think he mentioned it quite well, but you see the same thing in the book of Esther, Esther, chapter four, verses 16 and 17, where it is told Esther that after three days that they should fast, but Esther chapter five verse number one says owned the third day. So part of the day being considered in Jewish time,

a full day, then that next day, and then the third day will be three days. What also you can even think about it like this, how we even recognize me the times think about sports, or we think about television shows something may say two or three seasons. That doesn’t mean two or three years. This part of that year, then the next time it come.

And then the next time you could have three seasons in two years. And so that’s how the Jews wrecking time were a part of a day, was considered a full day. And so there’s no contradiction when it come down to after three days and three nights. Thank you. All right. The next question, and this, this may apply more to Steve’s lesson,

but we can all, but we’ll, we’ll give Steve first crack at it. All right. Helped me harmonize Romans eight 11, where it says mortal bodies. And then in print sees at the resurrection and first Corinthians 1544, where it says raised a spiritual body. And then first Corinthians 15, 40 or 53, this mortal, or first Corinthians, 1553.

This mortal must put on immortality. So we’ll let Steve that Harmonize Romans eight, 11 mortal bodies. And then they put at the end of that at the resurrection. Well, that’s the mortal body being raised. It doesn’t tell you what it’s being raised as again, first Corinthians 1544, it’s raised a spiritual body that tells you what it’s being raised as.

And then the last part, this mortal must put on immortality. Well, that’s telling you that the mortal body puts on in mortality. I’m not sure where the disharmony is there to be quite honest with you. I think it’s relatively clear that when this mortal body comes forth, that it will come forth and immortal one that that’s the, the, the picture behind it.

But I want to move just a little bit. I hope you don’t mind if I take this just a little bit further than perhaps what said, would you turn with me to second Corinthians chapter five, just for a moment. Second Corinthians chapter five. And, and, and I, I do this for a, a reason. There’s something that we need to understand about God,

every single thing having to do with whatever was necessary for both this world. And as we’ll find out later, he Hebrews to the world to come, has already been completely planned and finished that God and something that so many do not grasp. I think they think that God is like us, that he goes through history reacting rather than knowing everything that was in history all or all along and already having prepared for it.

Let me give you just a word, John five and John eight verse 58. Do you remember what Jesus says there before Abraham was? I am now that’s telling you something about God that we may not understand, and it’s hard to grasp in its totality, but Jesus is standing in about the year between 30 and 33, a D and saying before Abraham was,

it was not normally placed around the year 1900 Basey. Some even far back is as tooth that you’re talking about a 2000 year span. And he says before Abraham was, I am. So I want you to notice that that for us, the future is I live this day and this day is all there is for me. I am in this place and this place is all there is for me.

That’s not. So of God at the same time that Jesus was with them around the year 33, a D he was before, at least 2000 years before at the same place, while we would say at the same time, but for a timeless God, there is no time. That’s why, whenever you read your scriptures and Jesus tells you things that are going to happen and what we call the end of time,

he’s there at the very moment. He’s telling them then, and he’s also at the beginning now that has some serious repercussions. It has repercussions with regard to the entirety of the end of time, to the entirety of everything that’s going to happen throughout time. For an example here, I’m told about there being the worlds that Jesus created in Hebrews chapter one in Hebrews one verses 10 through 12.

I’m told that this world is going to be exchanged for another world. As we exchange one garment for another, I am then told in Hebrews two in verse 10, it is explained to me, listen carefully. There is a world this time, a concept of a habitation to come there’s one yet to come. The interesting thing is it starts at, by saying the world to come off,

which we speak, something has already been said, and it was said there. And Hebrews one 10 through 12, that there was to be an exchange of worlds. As I continue to look through that passage in Hebrews chapter two and verse five, I learned that there is a habitation that’s coming. And then it tells me that I am presently in wilderness,

wanderings headed toward that land of habitation. As Israel was headed towards its land of habitation. You say, what’s the importance of that? We’ll hear this carefully in Hebrews four in verse 13, he says whatever that land of rest, that habitation to which I’m coming, all the works were finished from the foundation of the world. When you’re looking at this world,

it was finished at the foundation. Of course it is the foundation of the world. At the same time, the world to come, our habitation to come was also finished. God is not going through history, figuring out how to react to what’s going on. He has already in its totality acted. Now, let me show you this. I want you to watch this carefully.

Now turn to second Corinthians chapter five. I want you to see some words that are there. I want you to catch this. You see, it’s not just our habitation and that’s already fixed and already ready. They’re already prepared it. Okay. If I finished this app, second Corinthians chapter five, I want you to listen to him. We know that if our earthly house,

and then he talks about this tent, and it’s the idea of the habitation. We presently hold as a tabernacle. That is a temporary building is destroyed. We listen carefully. We have Eckelman was that night. It’s a present tense verb. It means right now, what do we have right now? We have a building from God, a house not made with hands.

Where is it eternal in the heavens? Now, I don’t know brethren. Whenever we start looking at things that are going on here, do we think that God somehow going to happen at the end of time to figure out a good way to get us out of the grave and give us something that is so foreign to the concept of the omniscience and the omnipresence of God and the omnipotence of God.

Listen. Every single thing that we are presently in right now, going to the end of time from the beginning of time has already been planned out in its totality, the world, to which we’re going and the bodies that we will inherit. But now look back at the text. Again, we have, and that’s present tense, a building from God,

a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. We look at verse two, four in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven right now. I’m in a body and I’m closed with this one. I can tell y’all something. I used to never understand what they meant when they said growing old ain’t for wimps.

I understand. Now, let me tell you right now, there’s a lot of groaning that I do. I have problems I don’t before was talking with another beloved preacher. And he said, we don’t heal as fast. When we get older, he knows who he is. We don’t heal as fast. Just things are changing all the time. It’s a corruptible body in first Corinthians 15 we’ll point that out this end,

this corruptible must put on in crutch, but Reno and this week grown earnestly, desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven. If this earthly body is all there. And what is that? What’s that once the art watched the heavenly body, he says, it’s there. Now we had it. Now, how can I have that?

Which isn’t there, but that’s not the totality. The Bible also says, and you can check this that when Peter speaks, we are, we have a, an inheritance incorruptible on the file that fight, if not away now, listen reserved in heaven. How do you reserve to what’s not there. This thing was all planned out for somebody to come along and say,

well, you know, going always won’t this world last forever. He didn’t know what was going to happen. He didn’t know how to go to that. Absolute. And I just have to tell you this fantasy, the most ungodly concept I’ve ever heard in my life about look what you’re saying about God, but it didn’t end there. If indeed having been clothed,

we shall not be found naked. I’m going to have something I already have. Now, where is it? Internal in the heavens. I won’t be naked. When I get that new spiritual house that he’s going to give me for. We who are in this tent, groan being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed that mortality may be swallowed up of a life.

What happens whenever I’m mortal body is raised from the dead it’s swallowed up in life and that marvelous house that’s waiting for me right now. Resurrection morning is mine and it’s yours. And it’s every other Christians. Now he, who has prepared us for this very thing is God has also given us the spirit as a guarantee, which we discussed this morning folks.

There are a lot of things happening right now that stem from the minds of men who want to evidently think they know everything God knows and want and think that they want to, or do know the, the, the limits in extent of God’s power, who honestly look at, at, at all, that’s happening in this world as being a, a series of action reaction by God action,

reaction, action reaction, listen carefully. There’s nothing, nothing about our eternal redemption that God has not already completed for our eternity, with him. Even starting. When the Bible says about the blood of the lamb, his blood was shed from the foundation of the world. Everything about God is he already knows he’s already been there. He’s already prepared. Even the home to which I’m going.

He prepared it from the foundation of the world. This body that I ha I have I have right now. Let me just be real clear. He’s already got the other one waiting and it’s not here. It’s in the heavens above. Now. I can’t have that be a mortal body in the heavens above it won’t work. It’s a heavenly body made for an immortal knee and an immortal you,

If you don’t mind Steve, while you’re still there and know you’re gonna come back and I can explain it as good as you Explain how John 14, I’m going to prepare a place for you. How’d that fits into all that. I’m going to rate that verse the way it’s sometimes read. And let me tell you going, going through school and you know what I’m talking about,

brother, Dwayne, whenever you got to go through all these different concepts and ideas, John chapter 12, just look there. I’m sorry, John. Chapter six. I’ll get it there in just a moment. No, John chapter 14 in verse six says I’ll get them all out in just a second. I want you to look at that because a lot of new things have come along saying last night,

Tom, about heaven. That’s talking about, you know, the church that Jesus getting ready to take people to I’ve listened to. I’ve read I’ve I’ve, I’ve done most of the, the thoughts, but let me read this with you. Let not your heart be troubled because, and by the way, this is one of the questions that’s often asked.

Whenever I talk about the idea and when the scriptures talk about the idea that that place to which we’re going was created from the foundation, all the works were finished from the foundation of the world. And so Jesus comes along and he says, in verse three, I go and prepare a place for you. You know how this read, and I’m going to ask you to never read it this way.

Again. As long as you live folks prepare doesn’t mean create. It never has meant create, prepare, doesn’t mean create. It means to make ready. What is Jesus doing at this exact moment? What’s he doing at the exact moment? When this statement is made, watch again, listen to it. I am going away. I go, I’m leaving.

I’m doing something with regard to something else I’m going to prepare. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. If I make ready, I have to make plans. I have to make preparations. Are you Cain ever go? My brother and Jesus is going to Calvary to die for us. And then so doing,

making the preparations necessary for you and me to go and be with him through all eternity. This is not, I go to create a place at word does not mean, and never has met, create a place. Jesus did not go through this world thinking, well, I got to get something there, but you know, sooner or later I got to go try and make it.

He made it at the same time. He made this world. Everything made was made by him and for him. And all of those works. It is crystal clear. We’re finished from the foundation of the world. Anything else on that that you wanted me to mention? Yeah, of course it’s too late now. Cause he’s already packed up his books and left,

but Steve has a chapter in that. And that book that we mentioned with Johnny Skaggs had the new heaven, new earth, that lectureship on that Hebrews passage, that Hebrews passage that he referred to, but he made the worlds. And that would be a very good chapter that goes into what he just talked. He wrote that and just goes into that.

And it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s fascinating, but it’s, it’s the book, you know, I mean, it’s the book. I mean, this book, it is okay. Just really good stuff, really good stuff. But again, as he mentioned, the mortal bodies of eight 11, the raised a spiritual body, if first Corinthians 1544 and this mortal must put on immortality are,

you know, definitely talking about this body’s mortal that we have now, the one that we’re going to get is not, I mean, it’s immortal and this mortal to be fit for that place, this flesh and blood is not fit for that place. And if you go to first Corinthians 15, for example, and I’m just, well, we have another question over there.

Let me just go get that other question. And you see, he has, you know, verse 35, but some will say, how are the dead raised and with what body do they come? And that’s almost, it’s almost in the context of sounds as if it’s kinda, I don’t know, sarcastic or whatever, you know, some will say,

and of course he already said back in verse 12. Now, if Christ be preached that he’s been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead, but when he goes onto the preceding verses, he’ll talk about, you know, well verse 35 and with what body do they come foolish? One, what you saw was not made alive unless it dies.

And he goes into a very familiar imagery that they would be familiar with about seeds, you know, planting seeds and new life coming forth and all that, what you, so you do not. So that body that shall be, but mere grain, perhaps wheat or some other grain, but God gives it a body. As he pleases to each seed,

its own body. All flesh is not the same. There is a kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals and other fish and other birds. And so, you know, God gives bodies for the environment we live in. That’s just part of his creation. Birds have a different body than us because they live in the air and they fly.

They got light bones and all that. And if you’ve ever grilled meat, you know, you know, there’s a difference between grilling chicken versus that wild boar or whatever, you know, but they’re different bodies. This body is made for this world. It can’t live in that world. And that body is not for this world either. There is also celestial bodies.

We see this in the stars and all that. There’s one glory, verse 44 of another. So bodies, glories, et cetera. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption. It is raised in incorruption. And so this body is corruptible, but it will be raised and it will be incorruptible, et cetera. So there’ll be a change taking place.

And so again, you know, this body is for this life. You’re down in verse 51, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither does corruption inherit. And so this body has to be changed to live with God in that place. And so that’s something we have to keep in mind at all times, I think. And like the resurrections we talked about in the old Testament,

the resurrections in the new Testament and you know, Lazarus, all of these guys, what body were they raised in? Was it some spiritual body? Was it some new body? No, it was that same old body. Jesus, you know, here’s the print, here’s a sign I made. It was that same body that would die again by the way.

But you see it’s so, so G that’s the body Jesus was in. I mean he ate right. He ate food at least twice. He ate on the beach with the seven apostles gone fishing. Tommy talked about that on last night he ate, I think brother Hiram will have that lesson. Thursday night, the two disciples on the mass road. He ate,

broke bread with them at night. What like Casper the ghost, you know, that’ll move what ghost busters or whatever it was the guy he used to go steal food and falls out on the floor. No, he had a real bond. The same body that was put in that grave was joined with that rejoined with the spirit and acts one, three says 40 days,

he was on the earth showing himself alive by many infallible proofs. And so that, that was about it. He was with, and of course, that kind of touched on the next question here, but I’ll read it and have the other guys come up as well. But yeah, well now for you want us to bring you the micro, you want to come up here.

Okay. Psalm 24, look at Psalm 24 in verse seven. This is one of those passages that used to be almost universally understood of the coming Messiah to his kingdom coming of Messiah. As he comes into take reign over his kingdom in it, the picture is given of the great city of Zion. And one of the statements that is made there is lift up your heads.

Oh, you gates lift up your heads. Why? So that the cane can come in? You say, no one has been able to enter that great Zion kingdom, no one was able to enter it until Jesus Christ himself died at Calvary and opened its gates. It had to be prepared. A second thing though, is look at first John chapter two and verse three.

There’s a statement. I’m sorry. It’s first John three. And I believe it’s verse two. I’m going to get my wife to open to bring this up because it’s very important beloved. Now are we the sons of God? And it does not yet appear what we shall the, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for,

we shall see him as he now I’ve got a present tense verb is now. So now look at that passage. Very, very carefully. Number one, we are the sons of God, but it does not yet appear what we shall be. What do you mean doesn’t appear? You saw Jesus when he came back from the grave you AE did appear in that body to you.

But the body he has right now is crystal clear that it is not the body that appeared before, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him for, we shall see him as he is. Well, which body is that? It’s not the one that had not yet appeared. Then John was an apostle who had seen Jesus.

He had seen that body, but the body that we’re going to receive when he comes in and comes back to for, for us, we shall be like him as he is now. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So in other words, in that verse two, John saw Jesus and the resurrected state, he saw him, but that’s not the body that Jesus is in now because John would know that body,

but he doesn’t know what we shall be when he appeared, but we’re going to be like he is now. And so whatever body Jesus had, which again was the flesh, I’m going to contend with the flesh, flesh and bone body that he had before, the resurrection, whatever that body was, then it’s not what he is now. We don’t know what he is now,

but we’re going to see him like he is. And that, that time comes and that be consistent. The reason why I bring up eating is because, you know, if you go back, I know it’s in a different context, but I think the thing is still, the truth is still the same in first Corinthians six. And right before he’s going to talk about fornication and he’ll talk about,

you know, meat for the belly and all that stuff. Yeah. All things are, yeah. Verse 13, first Corinthians six, third foods are for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it. And then, and them, in other words, you know, food is for this life, this body, this body handles food.

We eat food with this body, but that’s not going to be needed up there. Okay. So anyway, that’s just my feeble way of making the connection that Jesus, his body was his real body. Just like those other people, resurrected Dorcas, uterus and all that. They weren’t some spiritual body. Then that was just their same old body that they went there and lived the rest of their life.

And they ate, they drank and went to the bathroom, all that stuff in that body. And that, that, that was the, the body there. But anyway, appreciate that insight. Now that may be a little bit ahead of ourselves on this question. I haven’t read it lately, but I read it before the form. So I’m gonna read this question and see if we didn’t already answer it.

Did Jesus receive his transformed incorruptible, immortal body when he rose from the dead? And I would say no, he received his regular body that he had before when he rose from the dead. And we’ll invite Vince up here. Oh, okay. Hold on just a minute. Oh yeah. Hold on just a minute. Or did he receive the transformed incorruptible,

immoral body when he ascended into heaven? And I would say he sent it and that was a point. And again, I would use, and then are there any scriptures to support either these? And so the scriptures I would use to support that second one, he received the transformed incorruptible immortal body when he ascended into heaven is because this body even on Jesus is not going to work up in that realm because it’s still flesh and blood.

And if we say he had some kind of different bought flesh and blood that he could live up there where we can’t, then we’re denying that he was fully human. Like we are yet Hebrews two 14 says he just, he became like his brother and the same flesh and blood and all that with that. And so again, a form of the minimum minimal facts argument,

which I haven’t, you know, formalized formerly and all that stuff. But you know, when he ascended and acts one, as I mentioned a day earlier, the languages, he didn’t go into the cloud, but the languages, the cloud envelop him. Okay. And I would say, that’d be half to where that, that change took place to be the body that he is now,

which again, first John three, two, how he is now is not like he was then when they saw him. And that, that the statement in acts one where, you know, when he comes again, let me get the exact reading right there. Verse 11, Y standee gazing up into heaven, the same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him going into heaven.

So I see right there just from the English in like manner as an adverb describing the coming, not the fleshly state of Jesus, you know, but the coming, the going and coming of Jesus. All right. But anyway, let me li oh yeah. Now Vince had a question. Go ahead. So when the apostles see Jesus on the Mount of transfiguration,

what’s the body, they’re looking at it on that occasion. Yeah. That that’s definitely a transfiguration body. I don’t know. Some of you guys can add to that, but I don’t think that really has, I guess it has relevance in the sense of a body, but I don’t think that has anything to do with the resurrect. Well, I don’t see anything to do with,

but you know, it gets to transfigure, you know, I don’t know. I’m sure it wasn’t a flesh flesh and bone flesh and bone body. I’m sure that, well, I don’t think it was that I don’t think it was the same spiritual body. I mean, you know, there’s a lot of questions about that. How was it identifiable?

How did he know one was Moses? One was Elijah, maybe the way he dressed, maybe he hadn’t. I don’t know, but someone else can come in and give insight into that if they want. But I don’t think that that was maybe comparing apples and oranges. Correct. Transfiguration in that context is simply telling you he had a figure different from what he was when he went up there.

That’s all it’s telling you. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So there’s a lot of unknowns about all that, but anyway. Yeah. Yeah. So I don’t know. Yeah. I just, you that some more in John, Matthew 17, I noticed there, The reason why I point that out is John said we never seen what he’s going to be like when he comes to the truck to get us.

Yeah. At first John three in verse two is so important Because Pete Peter, James. Yep. Transfigured body does not tell you how it was transfigured it was the, something of, of great glory. There’ve been lots of things that happened on that Mount, but we are nowhere told that that is the body he received when he went into heaven forever more.

Yeah. So that same principle in first, John three, two would apply and that whatever that transfiguration transfigured body of Jesus was John saw that body too, because Peter, James and John were the three that saw that transfiguration. So if he saw that body too, but Jesus says, you know, or John says, we do not know what we shop up here,

but we’re going to be like him. So whatever body Jesus has, John still hadn’t seen it. Okay. Even though he saw the transfiguration, so I’m sure we could put that in a syllogism somehow or another. That would, if we had George here, we could put that in syllogism. Somehow, whether it was sound or not, we, we would put that to the test.

But if we could put that in syllogism that, you know, if John hadn’t seen Jesus’s body that he’s in now, but John saw the transfigured body, we know that the transfigured body is not the same body Jesus has now. But anyway, yeah. Yes, sir. Come on. Where are you? You’re a young man. You can probably come up.

Even if you look at Jesus body, after the resurrection, Luke 24, 39, Jesus says, you know, behold my hands and my feet and see that it, as I, you know, see, you know, that, you know, a spirit has not flesh and blood as I have. And so what was he saying in the resurrection? I’m still flesh and blood.

So that’s not the body that goes to heaven based on the principle in first Corinthians 15. So Jesus was saying even before he went back to Evan, that the body that he still had before he ascended was a body of flesh and blood. And he wanted them to be able to prove that by touching his physical body. Let me just tell you that right now,

that, that, that’s where I met earlier, before when I said something about, you know, afford, it has good respect for the resurrection, but hearing these sermons that really fired me up. And one reason why they really fire me up is he’s not the one that said it, but he reminded me of a camera and just said it. I mean,

when you, when you, I mean, and I think the lessons tell you, I mean, here’s a dead body and you know, we’ve all of us preachers, man. We’ve seen dead bodies. We’ve seen dead bodies. I was thinking when my brother was preaching earlier in the week, I was thinking of this funeral. We went to an Africa,

Jim, Hall’s not here. I don’t know if they remember that, but the body was done. They put it, they keep it in a, in a, in a tent there for a week or so. I don’t know. We go in there and there’s a, there’s a smell in there. And that body there’s a person there. His whole job is the way the flies off and it’s in there.

And they, ain’t no doubt that person’s dead. There’s a smell. There’s a look, there’s a content, you know, flesh, texture of flesh and all that, that, that, that person is dead. Now, can you imagine that person raised in that body now with the flesh, like it ought to be light in the eyes and hair,

no smell. And that person just think of that as Jesus, who wasn’t just died of a heart attack or a stroke, something internal that we can’t see, but was beat to death, beaten, not to death, but beaten spear, Pierce, beat crown of thorns, scarred up man, who knows what that dead body coming back to life. And there’s no denying it.

And he’s not there just for a little visit on his way to the, to the, to the escalator to go up. And he’s there 40 days showing himself alive, after many infallible proofs. And I know the summary in first Corinthians among 500 brother not wants, but I mean, 40 days you can make a lot of appearances in 40 days. You can make them make a lot of proofs that this is Jesus.

Now, if he was in some other body than that real beat up body that he was in, that would take away the force of this, I would think anyway, but he it’s him. It’s him, he’s alive. That’s him. And that just is just, just blows my mind. And I’ve, I’ve said that word, my whole Christian life resurrection I’ve said that phrase,

my whole Christian life, the death, burial and resurrection. But man, it’s become more real to me during this lectureship, the speaking portion of this lectureship than it ever has. And that’s, that’s something else. And I guess that imagery of that, that funeral in Africa helped help pump that up back Monday or Tuesday. I don’t know when that was,

but anyway. All right. Anybody have anything else to add to that question? I do have some more, And this is a, this is kind of like the million dollar question. How do you get individuals to open their mind to evidence that they have predetermined to dismiss, especially as it relates to the miraculous. And that might be one that might go with,

Dwayne’s a lesson about miracles of, I mean about, you know, the miraculous science proving that these are the speakers, but perhaps Aaron has some good stuff on that or any of the other speakers today, but I’ll leave that right here. Yeah. I’ll just say a little bit about this and maybe Erin can I’ll we’ll tag team. I think one of the things too,

to help somebody with this is to get them to understand that their net view of naturalism materialism, that it has its own inconsistencies, that it has its own problems with evidence. You know, you sometimes see this in the, the world of, of scientism, you know, science promote science, and we can’t know anything unless it’s scientific. It’s kind of like,

well, you just made a philosophical argument. Is that true? Because if it’s true, you just repeated yourself. You know? And so one of the things about getting people to open up to, to evidence here is to get them to understand the, the inconsistencies and the shortcomings of naturalism and materialism. I think that’s a huge help. Sometimes you’ll hear people who will say things like,

you know, well, David Hume and miracles, he, he, he killed any idea that, that anybody could believe in miracles. And it’s true. You know, Hume was, I think what they called the graveyard of beer of British empiricism, I think is, is what his, his era was. And he was kind of the premier candidate for that.

But the thing is, if you actually read his book on miracles, he may refute them at the beginning, but he sort of leaves a back door open for them there at the end. And so he’s, he can’t really be consistent himself. So one of the things is to, is, is to get people, to understand the inconsistencies, very material minded,

worldviews, because if you look at scripture and, and I, and I say this a lot is if you want to find a worldview that has no connection to it, no contradictions or inconsistencies look at a biblical worldview. And yet when you look at materialism or naturalism, something like that, it does have those inconsistencies. And those can be exploited to help somebody to,

to, to, to, to bring them out of that. Because, because they’re investing, they’re, they’re a faith of a kind in that, and it is obviously misplaced. So So how do you get individuals to open their mind to evidence that they’ve predetermined to dismiss, especially miracles? This kind of objection is something called an a Priore objection. That is before you look at anything else,

you’ve already ruled out, okay, these are, these are out of bounds. The road closed sign, right? You don’t know what’s down that road. Maybe you do know what’s on that road one way or the other. You can’t go down that road because the road is closed a priority. Objection. The, the three most common, a priority objections that I have encountered are either miracles don’t happen.

If miracles do happen, we could never determine that historically, because they’re the least likely thing to happen. And then even if you could demonstrate that a miracle has happened, you couldn’t necessarily connect it to the God of the Bible. Maybe it was some other supernatural force. So Dwayne touched on that first one, miracles don’t happen. How do you know what that’s going to require an argument?

You cannot just assume naturalism or materialism. You’ll have to make an argument and maybe they’ll do that. And they’ll run the problem of evil. Therefore, God does not exist or divine hiddenness therefore God does not exist, but you can’t just let them assume a naturalism. Whoever makes the claim bears the burden of proof. So if they say miracles don’t happen,

they have to make an argument for that. Conversely, if you say a miracle has happened or miracles can happen, okay, well now you have to present an argument, right? So it’s even playing field. You can’t just rule miracles out a priority. You need an argument. Secondly, you can never determine that a miracle happened because it’s the least likely option.

So this is something that a new Testament scholar, Bart, Ehrman will say, he will say, I’m not saying the miracles can happen. Maybe a miracle didn’t happen, but if a miracle did happen, it’s the least likely thing to have happened. Therefore, a historian whose job it is to tell you what probably happened can never conclude that a miracle happened.

And here, I think there’s just a fundamental misunderstanding in how probability works on a couple of different levels. But let me just give you one problem here. The, in determining probabilities, you cannot just say, what is the probability that X happened? Okay. So for example, let’s say that there was a speaker that was scheduled, but he arrives late halfway through,

right? And he’s coming up to apologize to Brian. And he says, listen, Brian, I’m really sorry, but I was in a car accident. And so I was late and Brian thinks, well, hold on. It, what’s the probability that you were in a car accident versus the probability that you arrived safely or that you weren’t in a car accident.

And so he crunches some numbers and he finds out that the national American average, or maybe the Florida average is like 365 to one. Okay. Well, Brian looks at that and says, listen, the probability of you having been in a car accident was, you know, 365 to one. So I have to conclude that you’re lying. What’s what is the thing that is missing in that accounting of the probability?

The evidence we don’t just want to ask. What’s the probability that this speaker was in a car accident. We want to ask the question, what is the probability that he was in a car accident, given the evidence? So now the speaker says, here, look, here’s a picture of my car, right? And so he shows the picture and it is in fact,

his car and it’s crumpled. And he says also here’s a police report that I filed, oh, here is the email that I got from the insurance company. Okay. Well, what’s the probability that he was in a car accident, given that kind of evidence there, he high second question. What’s the probability that he would have that evidence if he had not been in a car accident extremely low,

right? What’s the probability that he would have a police report if he wasn’t in an accident extremely low. So you can’t just ask what’s the probability you have to ask. What’s the probability given the evidence and the way that you answer that question is, well, what’s, what’s the probability that you would have the evidence given that it happened. And what’s the ratio between that.

And what’s the probability that you would have this evidence given that it did not happen. And if those are significantly different than you have excellent evidence. So when it comes to miracles, you can’t just ask the question. What’s the probability a miracle happened. That’s the first question, but you answer it by saying, what’s the probability given the evidence. And so with the resurrection,

what’s the probability that Jesus’ tomb would be empty if Jesus rose from the dead a hundred percent, pretty much very high. Okay. What’s the probability that his tomb would be empty given that Jesus did not raise from the dead. Okay. Well there, you have to resort to conspiracy theory or maybe a wrong tomb theory or, you know, the bumbling Gardner theory or something like that.

Right. But there’s going to be very low and you just run those numbers. So that’s the, that’s how you answer the second one, which is if a miracle happened, then you could never determine that it happened. And then even if you can determine that it happened, you could never connect it to God there. That seems to be true. Just taken in isolation.

For example, if we are, if there was a blind person walking down the road and he suddenly recovered his sight, what’s the cause of that? I don’t know. Maybe it’s a freak accident, right? Maybe it was supernatural. It’s very difficult to see, but what if that same person was walking down the road and then, you know, maybe someone comes up to him and says,

you know what? I was, I, I just saw you walking down the street and I wanted to read you this verse. And it says, and Jesus said, recover your sight. And then he begins to see again, okay, well now what’s the cause of him recovering his sight. Now it seems more likely that there’s some kind of supernatural influence because now it’s within a context.

So again, with the resurrection, you would have to establish that there was some kind of a religious context, which is not difficult given the life that Jesus lived. So if that comes to the conclusion, if the resurrection comes at the conclusion of Jesus’ incredible personal claims to be deity, to have predicted his death and resurrection, and that, that would vindicate his claims.

And then he resurrects, well, you have pretty good evidence that God is the one behind that. So you have to place it within a religious context because a miracle, a supernatural event just by itself would tend to be fairly ambiguous. So those are the three most popular, a priori objections that I’ve encountered. And at least some ways that we can try to answer that Again.

Just real quick comment. All right. Yeah. I was just going to say that I’m considering a question. It seems to be asking a, somewhat of a contradiction. You’re asking, how do we do something where somebody is already closed minded. They’ve already been predominant predetermined on something and you’re seeking to make that person open-minded on the topic of miracles.

So it seems to be similar, some quiet of a contradiction. I was just thinking of exited chapter eight. You know, when Pharaoh had already determined to not put up with whatever Moses had wanted to bring to him and Haven, these magicians were of the same, the same concept. But when, you know, Moses did what he did with the,

and then the magicians themselves, or like, Hey, this is the finger of God. You got to do something about it. It says that Pharaoh hardened his heart even more. So it seems to be that what, a question like that. I think it would only be fair to ask, is this person thinking logically when they predetermined their conclusion or are they thinking based on our irrational thing already only saying this because they’ve been emotionally driven or logically driven.

And if they are logically driven that we can definitely take it to the route of exactly what my brother said over there. But if this person has no concept of wanting to think rationally, but they’re only saying this because of maybe I need emotional. Cause yeah. Then that’s a whole different route to take. So it doesn’t seem to be like a catch all with the,

how to, how do I change this person’s mind, but it really is going to be precise at the individual itself. Yeah. And that’s kinda, when I said, you know, this is the million dollar question. If we can figure out how to get people to change your mind. Cause you know, you can’t talk rationally with irrational people sometimes,

but some people think, think, and I think that was the spirit of the answer. Some people think that they, they had their mind made up because they think that that’s impossible or whatever. And so I think these things that these brothers said could help us determine them once further step is that guy really as closed minded as he thinks he is. Cause there’s a lot of people that have only heard one side and they never heard the other side.

But anyway, good thoughts. All right. This last question won’t take long. And it’s a me question, so, but it’ll help us to understand some things. Why do you not have one speaker for all four days of lectures? All right. Why not apply to local pulpit? Alright, well it’s a judgment call obviously to have different speakers. One reason why is because it’s encouraging to get to know different speakers and all that.

And the lectureship, I think way back in the day was started mainly for the students. Well, 47 years ago, let’s say I’m in 1975. I think, I think I’m not good at math, but 1975. I think anyone FSAP graduates around 1975 in here today. I don’t think so. Keith, what year were you? 83. Glenn will cut left.

I think he was 78. Anyway. I don’t know. But the, the lectureship, yeah, it’s just a, it’s a matter of judgment. I know some, some lecture shifts have the same speaker all the time. Ours is not that way. We do like a variety of speakers and all. And so it’s just a judgment call. Of course it would be a lot cheaper to put on if we only had one speaker and only had to pay for one airfare and all that,

but, but we want to kinda serve the brotherhood at large and let people know that there’s brethren all over the nation that are good speakers, trustworthy, know the book can encourage us one way of networking, I suppose. But anyway, it’s, you know, we do have some speakers or more, you know, like some guys had two or three lessons,

some years they’ve had three or four. And so we do use, you know, speakers over and over again. And it’s kind of like a gospel meeting. You know, I know some congregations that have gospel meetings with their own preacher and that’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s always good to bring someone else in just a little boost and all that.

And it’s a good way for preachers to get around and all. And it’s just a good thing. I think overall to have different brethren from all over and to come into one place and to speak and to fellowship and to meet friends and all that. And then the other one, why not apply to local pulpit, which I guess they mean by that use the local preacher.

And I don’t know if you’ve been in lectureship here, but we use the local preacher all the time and you know, Josh was speaking twice. And so, and he’s led prayers and all that. So, but again, all those are judgment calls and we just think the floor, school of preaching, we’re going to try to keep continuing to do the lectureship Lord willing as we have for as long as we can until the Lord comes again.

Hopefully that, that long, but either way, it’s a good, good, good thing. But it does, you know, illustrate, it does take money to put this on. It does take planning. We’re thankful that the speakers are, are, are able to come to encourage us and to give us good messages from God’s word. We are very thankful that we’re able to put a book together and you know,

we’ve agreed to try to do that as much as we can Lord willing to help serve the brotherhood and our books are different, unique in many respects to other lectureship books. We cover topics in ways that, you know, I think a good example of that would be our 2010 lectureship book was on expediency man. A lot of people in the brotherhood don’t even know what expediency is,

but can you imagine a whole lectureship on it? And, and so a lot, lots of good stuff. And this one here is good. Yeah, we, yeah, we don’t compare lectureship books with other schools or whatever to see what they covered, what we just covered our way. And I guarantee you, you’re going to see some stuff in there and our lectureship book that you won’t see covered in the other lectureships books on the same subject.

And that’s just part of it. But anyway, we appreciate the questions. Appreciate the brothers hanging out to answer. We’re going to break now till about 6 25. We’re going to have the young, young children, young men lead us in singing to warm up for the six 30 singing. And so if you’re a faithful male member of the church of Christ and you would like to lead a song tonight,

please come sit on the front pew and we’ll get to that at six 30. This is the first night of the lectureship where there’s not a, some kind of dinner being provided for us. So we’re all on our own tonight for, for this meal, but we can enjoy the fellowship and have a great time. Tonight. We have two speakers coming up tonight,

brother Ben Radford over there is going to speak on and you see that series at seven, seven o’clock is for graduates to the floor, school of preaching, or sometimes current students as well. And in that lesson, we have the risen Lord’s words with, excuse me. And so tonight we’re going to Ben is going to give us a lesson on the risen Lord’s words with Peter,

as it concerns, love and God’s will. And that’s the love of style me more than these section right there. And so Ben we’ll deal with that. You may have a brochure that has a brother, Stephen Lloyd preaching at seven 40, but he was not able to come due to the COVID. And so a Hiram camp will be taking that lesson. And at that hour,

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we’ve taken first Corinthians 15 and we’ve analyzed it in three sections. And so the first section was the resurrection of Christ brother, Jeff Clark dealt with that on Monday, and then the resurrection of the dead, Jimmy Clark dealt with that last night, first Corinthians 15, 12 through 34. And then tonight where the Hiram camp we’ll deal with the resurrection body and its victory.

And that’d be first Corinthians 1535 through 58. And thankfully he’s the last speaker of the day. So he can preach as long as he wants. Okay. No, but don’t let that get out outside these walls until then. Okay. But you won’t see me coming up here and we will ask him to extend the invitation also. So we’re in for a good treat with that tonight.

But I do remember us in your financial planning and I forgot the number. We had some good donations between last time I talked to you. And so I’ll get a more definite number tonight. And, and of course, you know, when I mentioned what we needed yesterday, that was before today and tomorrow, obviously. And I forget we have speakers coming in all week long.

So, so, but I’ll have more precise number of that tonight, but thanks if you’ve donated already. And if it’s yet to come, we’d appreciate it. If you could help us defray the expenses. All right, let’s go to God in prayer. And then we’ll see you back here for the singing at 6 25.

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Speaker:
Dewayne Bryant
Title:
Q & A Forum: Evangelistic Insights
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