Homecoming

Hello this is Matt slick from the Matt Slick Live! podcast right defend the Christian faith and lay out our foundation of the truth of God's word.

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Your host might switch if not for God today with Mike Zwick and Mike.

I guess we talked about marriage yeah I mean it. Matter fact there's a well-known part of Genesis 2 that I think people know about it says this is to versus 21 and the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place in the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and he brought her to the man and Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed and Robbie were studying that I read actually yesterday I was teaching my special needs class of Ascot, where were going and I just I just got through microbe experience.

I watched a whole bunch of Christmas movies and I was really found it fascinating how many Christmas Eve movies have to do with coming home for Christmas how important the home was and when these people came home from the big city.

Whatever it look like the other was a father than a mother and this sense of connection in the sense of home and I started asking God about that will happen. I teach on that Nichols will go back and take a look at Genesis 2, and so as I looked at that passage, I thought in the new light reading it in Hebrew is actually beautiful and inspired me in all sorts of levels but the immediate thing that came to mind is, wait a minute, God did not say a man shall leave his father and mother.

This was something "Mdm., and so Adam institutes family here and dignity of God giving him this is his huge course Jesus quotes it in a later in the Gospels of you know when they try to trap them on what is marriage mean but there's some letters in the Hebrew that really don't translate into English that I think are significant in one of those letters is called of love and so when you see that this man is going to be united to his wife and in the word for man and wife are really cool and Hebrew. Okay they just it really shows that the man is the head of the house and it really shows that the woman is the head of the life it's something the UNC taught but not only are those words like that but they have evolved to them, meaning that the father's connection to God is passed on to the wise connection to God which takes part in this, becoming one flesh, which is obviously the fruit and since this was adamant he had such a beautiful relationship with God part of the fall think that he walked and talked and before Eve ever came onto the scene. You know, Eve was connected to God through Adam and so we are connected to God not only through our parents that were connected to God through our grandparents and great-grandparents in a way that is essentially the heritage that Adam passed on at this point in time when he spoke this over the whole concept of marriage and so I started to think man wait a minute like this means that my kids not saying that they get salvation for free because her dad was a Christian, but they do get a certain part of the heritage of my relationship with God. And when the when you see that in that Christmas movie and locate the coming home and I get to spend time with his dad. This dad is in and out so many different ways a connection to God.

That is awesome and in I was told you earlier that I think I may have a story for this as well work on a connects because when you started talking about the size of the second sounds familiar but ever since my two young children who are almost 3 and almost for now. I been young. We been praying with them prayed with them before they were born.

While they were in the womb on prayed right with them, talk to them every night. Tell them that Jesus loves them and this and that and sometimes you wonder you said is this really getting through to these kids.

About a month or so ago little bit longer. I was upstairs one day was maybe a Saturday afternoon and Michael was taking a nap is in there talking said something told me to go talk to.

I thought I knew what he was doing. Michael will be doing. He said I'm talking to God as a three-year-old possible. Would you would you ask and he's he said why was asking to listen. I was thanking them for this and and the other night he said I was asking God for a trampoline for Joe and in and the other and then the other day I think was.

Maybe this morning or yesterday morning. Michael was downstairs and he he said when it to my wife, and he said mommy. He said will you pray for me because I have the hiccups and she she she prayed for him and then he hiccups with and so you know it's funny it's it's that you know the prayers of our grandparents and the prayers of our great-grandparents. I was actually had on the CBN this morning with Pat Robertson, the 700 club and decimate actually asked and they said if some if if the St. if there prayers. They pray that after they die in their prayer still be answered after they passed away and Pat Robertson actually said yes they can. He said if you look at the wife of George Muller.

He had prayed for the salvation of many many people. They said they tracked all of his prayers and his prayers were answered while he lived. But even after he had passed away. The people that he prayed for to be safe and God saved so MMS more than beautiful. And if you think about it in the book of Revelation right they talk about that these visors or whatever you want to call him you know that those are the prayers of the saints in their coming up is is incense well those were the prayers in past tense and ends comical to think that these are prayers you know of generations and and you know is your talk about your your son.

I couldn't help but think of my own daughter when she was three. Right. We we were traveling at that point time Rob played basketball in the country rose a and so we stopped in his big restaurant and were sitting there with the whole family and Rice's can I pray for my prayers were you eat dinner and she's 21 males was a long time and she and she prays, and after she prayed she said daddy I had my eyes open during the prayers you want to know why I thought she's going to say because you know I want to see if Robbie had his eyes open her cataract right you know she's been telling her brother sister whatever I said why categorize O'Brien. She said so I could see God on other things.

It just it there because the prayers of the child. You know they're just that there's something just magical.

You know about that when you see that faithful the same 21-year-old daughter right. She's she goes to Stanford University now and again were trying mature and elevate. It is impermanent it will type out your spiritual heritage and so it's just beautiful to watch your family grow in the same and so my daughter called me Friday.

She said that I have some questions I have some serious questions Bible questions.

Okay, what, how, what honor I mean really for your daughter and I could tell by this that these were not can be easy questions right because I'm really struggling with is that I been doing this Bible through free reading the Bible chronological Bible through, and I'm supposed to do this in the year of Leviticus and I'm I really have some serious questions while Brian sort of abutting feminist okay and so I can see these pictures please questions you know and first row. She had trouble slavery in the Bible.

I was one of her but the one that really had her upset was how come the women couldn't come into the temple and their and their menstrual cycle and the mean. This is kinda quested your daughter in a like I'm really nice of Mariah. I'm just delighted. I mean I can't even tell you what does my heart that you have that question. I can tell it was a serious question. She wanted you know, like why would God do this. Why would God do that and I like man I'm just honored my that you'd asked me that question. I can see it's really important to you, but I'm really have to pray about this because I off the top of my head I never have really I can see from your angle that you don't know this seems unfair so I prayed about it and interestingly, this is what came to me. I don't know. Okay, this is the answer, but this is special. I was able to have with my daughter which I really enjoyed having this discussion right with her was that you know God does not like for people to come into worship experience of having touched anything did I you might remember that in those Levitical laws right.

There's all sorts of places. If you touch a dead body any way shape or form urine claim for some period of time when it was not God's intention at all. I'm sure that women would even go through this death process every month right because there's a seed that was supposed to be a human and that dies and then you know to some extent, she's touched something dead and needs to be cleansed over period of time, not by any you know she was born into it and just as were talking about family right. We not only obviously have a connection to what are parents or grandparents and all did you know in the way of being connected to God, but also in their disobedience, and so was Adam and Eve had that curse so doing, yet humming it in and I've got an answer when it some time.

Yes, some of them asked me a question like that are that the last me a certain question in the its first Corinthians 1312 where it says for now we see only reflection as in a mirror.

Then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known and so there are questions that I don't have the answers to right mean that there there really aren't in is matter fact of one of my most questions I don't have you know when you look when you look at the book of Job in the Bible, Job was very specific. He was looking for reasons why all of these bad things were happening and God never really gave him the reason he is. He said you know Shirley you were there when I created the earth and Shirley you know you know more about stuff that I did but he didn't say Job. The reason I did this was because of a B and seated and so I guess you know right now were never to have all of our answers all of her questions answered. I mean it in just look at this and if you listen to enough preaching. I mean you got one guy saying one thing another chitosan another 13 or so you and that's okay and going back to what were talking about before. If we really gonna focus on Jesus really going try to get in tune with the Holy Spirit like you do every morning when you get in prayer. I think it's kind of hard to do that stuff up just focused on arguing on these little points of doctrine with other people because you can stay busy doing that stuff or you can spend time trying to get closer. The father and in love other people mean you know if if if this wasn't the case. First Corinthians 1312 he would've put it in there and it's therefore reason but I mean there there is a lot that we know and in we do know about the love of the father in each other so many times in I guess my life right II look at the things that are going on in and I have? Center like you said you did to.

But then I just wrote. I'm reminded about who my father is no God the father you cut God is your father you, Jesus died on the cross for your sins got the Holy Spirit living inside of you know when we die we get to heaven. I'm sure will have a lot of these questions answered and it still good sometimes to seek and ask God and I'm not saying that's the case, but I guess I will admonish people who are listening is instead of focusing on all the things that you don't understand. Focus on the God who we do understand and praise him, But it same extent. If we don't have questions they don't wonder why that causes us to dig into the Scriptures, allowing for his ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and those kind of things. But if you know continuing on in the family you know you watch many Christmas movies you can see there's often a brother or aunt or an uncle. In other words, family is a big part of what they usually get a show in these movies, and often these people are characters. I mean just all sorts of things that are going on but when you think about Jesus and it's interesting because Jesus is so many things but when you think of Jesus as a brother and you have this connection what is actually done at the cross and and you been studying this just recently in Matthew 27. I first second I mean before go there at night. You know, when you were talking about. If you have parents who love the Lord know because my wife and I we love the Lord, we tell our children about the Lord but I'm sure there's something out there people out there listening. His parents did not look were not walking Lord and actually heard JD Greer tell a story this week about a Muslim man who was he was in Southeast Asia many years ago. He was doing mission trips, and he said this guy came home and he was a Christian. He said that he would go to the mosque and he would worship Jesus but nobody knew about it.

He took these notes in a journal, and when he took the notes in the journal. His mother actually found them when he came home his mother was at the front door and there were about 200 men outside, and his mother said these notes that took that I gave my life to Jesus she said, are these your notes.

He said yes mother I gave my life to Jesus. So his mother took took her shoe off, she slapped him in the face with it, which is basically saying you're no longer my son and then the 200 men who were outside thought that they had beaten and cracked his ribs and they beat him so bad they had left them for dead will. Five hours later he came to be found in it he found a missionary and they got them to safety and he got better but I think JD one of the things that he said was that that the hardest part for this for this young man is is when he came to JD and he said I'll never speak to my family said he started to cry. But the good news is that and I dealt with that because my dad maybe my think my godmother got saved at the last minute, but during my dad's lifetime. He was a Christian was hard know but it says and in Jesus said in Mark 333 he said, who are my mother and my brothers yes and he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother so maybe you become a Christian.

And maybe your family doesn't like it may be the only Christian in your family and you feel like an outcast.

But there is a verse I know you talk about Robbie were it says receive our chapter 10 right now. He who gives up mother's sisters brothers lands, for my sake, a mistaken gospel will not fail to receive hundred mothers, sisters, brothers, lands and persecutions both in this life, which is cool because it means you get 100 mothers in this hundred mothers are going to be made, but in life, everlasting life, and so you do an empty we do have the connection we just do we we have a connection. We know through Noah. We have a connection. We know through Adam that there are people in your family. I can assure you that had a phenomenal ship with God in every person that's on the face of the earth has this connection through their heritage to Adam.

I have a connection to Noah and then they may well have no connections you know Jewish connections or you know all these different heritages that are there but once again, one of the brothers that you get is Jesus. Yeah, I mean it in one of the things that when you were talking about this. I'm sure you've heard about this over the years, but scientists have developed have found something inside of people that they call the dodging your event and its and its its proposed that human spirituality is influenced by heredity and that a specific gene called the vest stick you hermano name transporter to predisposes humans toward spiritual or mystic experiences. The idea has been proposed by geneticist Dean Hamer in his book called the dodging how faith is hardwired into our genes.

It is not, what you're saying how it completely is it think about doing better though the God made man he made them very specifically and when you look at just the word man in Hebrew that when a man will leave his father and mother saw the beautiful things reading that particular passage is you know a lot of us you know what's the difference between a boy and a man. What's the difference between a boy and a man and a man in Hebrew is the head of the house and someone up boy.

He leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife. At this point in time he becomes a man ahead of his house and it it's beautiful. What happens because it's what it's saying is in the flesh, but you know Hebrew is a little bit different. You know syntax. What does it say he becomes one flesh. It says the flesh becomes one cod which means the Lord is one that one. This is a huge deal in it in the Bible is just gigantic and so in the flesh becomes one well both man and wife that woman's a different word but man and wife both look very similar in Hebrew. They both start with this Alice but then the man is a bet which means house and the woman is the head of the water which is a man okay which means it in and all of you notices with your wife but I'm not silly. My wife when it comes to the kids.

She has authority. I don't have and I don't really didn't necessarily understand it, but you know as well as I do that, you know, if your kid wants to jump off the roof they come running dad. I really want to jump off the roof that you and I did it.

I like I got run with mom to ask if you can jump off the roof and now after he jumped to the root of the valve never to run the bad all man I met my leg hurt and that is what happened.

Now it becoming one flesh.

Part is is very much a union of gender and an absolutely beautiful thing that obviously is hardwired right knee know it when you look at any family you want to just certain things that you can clearly see that happen through the gender but then the uniting of genders is is is truly beautiful you not yeah and you know it's interesting, you're saying that one of the things that I was thinking this is there are some people who were unmarried. And Jesus talks about that. He said that know some people become eunuchs for the kingdom of God are they dating or they want to devote their lives to Christ. And there's nothing wrong with how well you because you know as Paul said in all wish everybody was, as I am right and I'm not don't take what I said to be that Paul is not a man. Okay, I because he had a marriage right.

He had a union with Christ. But that's that's absolutely phenomenal alive and in the fruit okay because think about my children. Paul had and I happen to be one of that's how many of us are still eating from the fruit of that union between Paul and Christ and but there is definitely a union that they can happen for what you said for singles that is that is so cool and one of the things that I know what we were talking about this. One of the things that I think about is that God has a plan know he he he has a plan in and out since Tuesday night. I forgot about this and I was reading something this morning's book that's you gave me. It was about how God is very organized and he structured.

He said even when Jesus when he was feeding the thousands of people and that with all the fish he said they line them up in Rosa 50s in the hundreds and even when he was done, that he cleaned it all up and so maybe maybe if you're listening you're wondering will is there a purpose. Is there rhyme or reason to all of this that's going on whether even coded or you know with at the apparent who just passed away or you know children who were away word or no family members were not walking with Jesus, or were not saved and that that God works it all together for good to his glory, you know in in a lot of times we can't see 100 yards ahead of us but all God wants us to see is what's right in front of her face, because if we saw what was hundred yards ahead of us and we skip right over the steps that we had to take to get there so on the stuff of a thousand Christmas movies okay is similarly to music that I'm told that there are more songs about going home. Then there are about love and that it's it gigantic leap critical aspect of the human nature. So is your listing to the show today in your thinking yeah you know you just think about in a homeward bound. I wish I was okay.

Well, there is a sense of coming into the kingdom that has to do with gone home and in the good news is that your big brother Jesus. He took on your sent on the cross so that you really could go you could have that sense like I remember when my parents divorced Mike. I felt like I could go home and importance. My parents went together and and it wasn't till I actually came to Christ that I realize well I do have a home and I can go there if and you know I accept the got you know what God gave me which is his son on the cross, taking on my sin and then asking him to be Lord. Yes of my life at and in receiving that in beginning to walk in his word and and walk. You know, in his authority and his authority.

Matter fact there's a there's an old song and it says softly and tenderly Jesus is called a calling for you and for me hey shouldn't leave you way to and Jesus is watching watching for you then for him. He, all come all ye who are weary, all earnest leads to endure Lee Jesus is called laying those center all maybe you're listening to this today say God I've been wandering a knife. I've been going my own way and you want to come home just pray with us right now, Lord Jesus, on I'm sorry I've sinned against you and I I've I've Gone My Own Way, Lord, I like the prodigal Lord but II apologize and repent for my sins. I turn away from them and III look to you Jesus and I except he was my personal Savior.

Thank you Jesus for saving my sins. Jesus, this is the Truth Network