22 December 2019
Two-Minute Features | 29 December 2019 | 15 December 2019

Hell is a Real, Physical Place (TMF:SE15)

Friday, December 27, 2019
Peace to Live By: Hell is a Real, Physical Place (TMF:SE15) - Daniel Litton
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       Hell is a real, physical place, though its elements be supernatural. Likewise, Heaven is a real place, and it’s a place of great joy and peace for those who go there—so much so that, really, we can’t even begin to describe what it will be like there. So it’s really important to believe that Jesus came to earth as a human child, that he grew up, and that he died on the cross for the sins of all people of all time. Because God has consigned that anyone who does not have a payment for his or her sins will be given a portion in what he calls the Lake of Fire, which was supposed to be for the devil and his angels (see Matthew 25). It is true that Hell is a real, physical place, and anyone who is not right with God upon his or her death will go to that place. It is a place of constant torment, both day and night, using earthly terms. The bottom line is that eternity is like time on pause because there really is no time.

The Eternal State for Humans is Real (TMF:SE14)

Thursday, December 26, 2019
Peace to Live By: The Eternal State for Humans is Real (TMF:SE14) - Daniel Litton
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       Well, no matter who you are, I am here to tell you today that if you will believe in this Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, you can have peace with God, which includes eternal life with him after this life is over. Indeed, this life will end for all us. None of us has the ability to live forever here on the earth, at least not in our current bodies. But interestingly enough, when Jesus comes back the second time, and fully descends to the earth, he will setup his kingdom. Anyone who has believed in him will be with him in this new kingdom, and those who are his will be with him in the new heaven and new earth, when that time period begins. The eternal state for us as humans after this life is more of a real place than our current lives. It is more real than what you experience today. It’s not some mystical fantasy or fairy tale in the future.

Matthew's Account of Jesus' Birth (TMF:SE13)

Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Peace to Live By: Matthew's Account of Jesus' Birth (TMF:SE13) - Daniel Litton
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       But now that we have a background understanding of the birth of Jesus Christ, I would like to read each account of his birth, both from Matthew's Gospel and from Luke's. Why don't you go ahead and turn to Matthew's account, which is found in Matthew chapter 1, starting in verse 18. Matthew records: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25, ESV).

When was Jesus Born into Our World? (TMF:SE12)

Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Peace to Live By: When was Jesus Born into Our World? (TMF:SE12) - Daniel Litton
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       Ultimately, though, not all believe Christ was born by God, obviously, and this was true even in Jesus' day. When Jesus was having a discussion with the Pharisees on one occasion, they accused him of being born of sexual immorality, and that this, somehow, made him a lesser person (see John 8). It is never true, even if a person is born of sexual immorality, that that person is somehow a lesser person. Anyway, the Pharisees in their belief ended up blaspheming the Holy Spirit. So let's focus in on the actual birth of Christ, and the timeline of events that took place surrounding our Lord's birth. Bear in mind that Jesus was actually born probably around 4 to 7 B.C. The birth of Jesus is recorded in two of the four Gospels, that is both Matthew and Luke record it. Mark and John did not give an account of the birth of Christ. The account of the wise men, which appears at the beginning of Matthew 2, actually did not occur at the birth of Christ, but sometime later.

Understanding the Virgin Birth of Jesus (TMF:SE11)

Monday, December 23, 2019
Peace to Live By: Understanding the Virgin Birth of Jesus (TMF:SE11) - Daniel Litton
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       So now, let’s move past the genealogies and let’s focus here more on the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, and what some of the specific evidence is of it. The virgin birth of Christ is predicted in the Old Testament, specifically Isaiah 7:14. The verse states, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV). The prophet Isaiah predicted this about 700 to 800 years before the birth of Christ, so about 700 to 800 B.C. It wasn't until the angel of the Lord physically appeared to Mary one day that this prophecy would be really fulfilled (see Luke 1). He told Mary all that God had in store for her, and she even questioned how it would be possible for her to become pregnant since she was a virgin. But that was the purpose of God, for the seed of sin comes from the man (which should be encouraging to you ladies). If Christ had been born of a human man, he would have inherited the sin nature that affects all humans. Nonetheless, God the Holy Spirit would make the birth of the child, the Christ, possible.