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  • S12 · E333
    Yesterday · 18 min

    S3E333 – Acts 19-20: Big Business

    Transcript Distinguished Producer Lifespring Family member Berean Brother Paul of Seattle Podcast Introduction Today is Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Acts 19-20. I’m calling today’s episode “Big Business.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Niels Steeman on Unsplash Comments on Acts 19-20 Thoughts on Acts 19 So Paul sort of stirred things up in Ephesus, didn’t he? There was a whole industry built around the worship of Artemis. The silversmith, Demetrius, had a financial interest in keeping people devoted to this false god, didn’t he? It was big business. What really caught my attention about this scene was when, during the confusion at the big assembly, it said in verse 32 that “Most of the people did not even know why they were there.” That even happens now at big demonstrations. There’s mass confusion, shouting and even violence, and many of the demonstrators don’t know why they’re even there. And some are there for their own vested interests. As it says in Ecclesiastes, “there’s nothing new under the sun”. Beloved, people don’t change. Circumstances change, but men and women are still the same. They needed Jesus in Paul’s time, and we need Jesus now. Thoughts on Acts 20 For me, the thing that stands out here in Acts 20 is where Paul says, “I want to finish the race that I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus; the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.” Paul had already been on the receiving end of quite a lot of persecution, and the Holy Spirit told him that in every city imprisonment and suffering was waiting for him. Yet he was determined to run…and finish…the race. I want to have that kind of determination, too. Don’t you? When your race is over and you stand before God, don’t you want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To me, that will be a glorious day, and I will do whatever it takes, go through any trial, to hear those words. What about you? As time winds down, and I believe we are in the final days, living for Jesus is not going to get any easier. We look at the news today and we see how persecution against believers around the world is growing. One of the most important things we can do is to decide, before persecution comes to us, what we will do when we look it in the face. That’s one of the reasons we’re told in scripture that we will face trials. God wants us to know that things aren’t going wrong when those times come. He wants us to know that it’s part of His plan. And He wants us to prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Have you given any thought to what you will do if and when this kind of persecution comes your way? I pray it never does, but it is good to be prepared. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 19 CEB; Ch. 20 GWT Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 Paul was determined to run and to finish the race. INTRO S12E332 – 0:11 Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we were reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Acts 19 and 20. And I’m calling today’s episode, “Big Business”. Today’s show notes page is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e332. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Monday is August 1, and on that show, I’m going to be making an announcement, so you’re not going to want to miss that episode. Just a heads up for you. Let’s get started. ACTS 19 (NIV) – 0:50 Acts, chapter 19. (1) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples (2) and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (3) So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. (4) Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” (5) On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (6) When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (7) There were about twelve men in all. (8) Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. (9) But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. (10) This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (11) God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, (12) so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. (13) Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” (14) Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (15) One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” (16) Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. (17) When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. (18) Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. (19) A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. (20) In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (21) After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” (22) He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. (23) About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. (24) A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. (25) He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. (26) And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. (27) There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” (28) When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (29) Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. (30) Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. (31) Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. (32) The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. (33) The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. (34) But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (35) The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? (36) Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. (37) You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. (38) If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. (39) If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. (40) As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” (41) After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. ACTS 20 (GWT) – 5:51 Acts, chapter 20. (1) When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, said goodbye, and left for Macedonia. (2) He went through that region and spoke many words of encouragement to the people. Then he went to Greece (3) and stayed there for three months. When Paul was going to board a ship for Syria, he found out that the Jews were plotting to kill him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. (4) Sopater (son of Pyrrhus) from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia accompanied Paul. (5) All these men went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas. (6) After the Festival of Unleavened Bread, we boarded a ship at Philippi. Five days later we joined them in Troas and stayed there for seven days. (7) On Sunday we met to break bread. Paul was discussing Scripture with the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he kept talking until midnight. (8) (Many lamps were lit in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) (9) A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up. (10) Paul went to him, took him into his arms, and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive!” (11) Then Eutychus went upstairs again, broke the bread, and ate. Paul talked with the people for a long time, until sunrise, and then left. (12) The people took the boy home. They were greatly relieved that he was alive. (13) We went ahead to the ship and sailed for the city of Assos. At Assos, we were going to pick up Paul. He had made these arrangements, since he had planned to walk overland to Assos. (14) When Paul met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to the city of Mitylene. (15) We sailed from there. On the following day we approached the island of Chios. The next day we went by the island of Samos, and on the next day we arrived at the city of Miletus. (16) Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if that was possible. (17) From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders of the church to meet with him in Miletus. (18) When they were with him, he said to them, “You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. (19) I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. (20) I didn’t avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn’t avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. (21) I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus. (22) “I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don’t know what will happen to me there. (23) However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me. (24) But I don’t place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus—the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness. (25) “Now I know that none of you whom I told about God’s kingdom will see me again. (26) Therefore, I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the spiritual death of any of you. (27) I didn’t avoid telling you the whole plan of God. (28) Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops to be shepherds for God’s church which he acquired with his own blood. (29) I know that fierce wolves will come to you after I leave, and they won’t spare the flock. (30) Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them. (31) So be alert! Remember that I instructed each of you for three years, day and night, at times with tears in my eyes. (32) “I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God’s holy people. (33) “I never wanted anyone’s silver, gold, or clothes. (34) You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me. (35) I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, ‘Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.’” (36) When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. (37) Everyone cried a lot as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him. (38) The thought of not seeing Paul again hurt them most of all. Then they took Paul to the ship. COMMENTS – 10:27 So in Acts 19, Paul sort of stirred things up in Ephesus, didn’t he? There was a whole industry built around the worship of Artemis and the silversmith, Demetrius even had a financial interest in keeping people devoted to this false god didn’t he? It was big business. What really caught my attention about this scene was when during the confusion at the big assembly, it said in verse 32 that “Most of the people did not even know why they were there.” Well, that even happens now with big demonstrations, doesn’t it? There’s mass confusion, shouting and even violence. And many of the demonstrators don’t even know why they’re there. And some are there for their own vested interests as Demetrius was. Well as it says in Ecclesiastes, “there’s nothing new under the sun”. Beloved, people don’t change. Circumstances change, but men and women are still the same. They needed Jesus in Paul’s time, and we need him now. And then in Acts 20, the thing that stands out to me is where Paul says, “I want to finish the race that I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus; the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.” Paul had already been on the receiving end of quite a lot of persecution. And the Holy Spirit told him that in every city imprisonment and suffering was waiting for him. Yet Paul was determined to run and to finish the race. Beloved, I want to have that kind of determination, too, don’t you? When your race is over, and you stand before God, don’t you want to hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.” To me, that’ll be a glorious day, and I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll go through any trial to hear those words. I hope you feel the same way. And as time runs down, and I believe we are in the final days, living for Jesus is not going to get any easier. We look at the news today and we see how persecution against believers around the world is growing. And one of the most important things we can do is to decide before persecution comes to us what we will do when we look it in the face. That’s one of the reasons we’re told in scripture that we will face trials. God wants us to know that things aren’t going wrong when these times come. He wants us to know that it’s part of his plan, and he wants us to prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Have you given any thought to what you’ll do when this kind of persecution comes your way? I pray it never does. But it is good to be prepared. What do you think? You have a comment? Let me know, lifespringmedia.com/s12e332. Tomorrow is Epistles Sunday and our reading will be 1 John 1 through 3. Boost. DISTINGUISHED PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 13:20 Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle sent in his weekly row-‘o-ducks donation of 22.22. Thank you, Brother Paul. You are today’s Distinguished Producer. Thank you, Brother Paul. And God bless you. BRYAN DUNCAN’S NEW PODCAST – 13:40 Interspersed in all my other activities, I’ve been working on my friend Bryan Duncan’s website for his new podcast Nutshell Sermons. It’s almost completely dialed in for this first iteration. It looks pretty good, I think. Stop on by and take a look at nutshellsermons.com. Right now he’s got eleven episodes up and he’s got over thirty more in the wings already. Here’s his first episode. It’s called Not Really A Preacher. EPISODE 1 OF NUTSHELL SERMONS – 14:04 Hi, it’s Bryan, your lunatic friend. Welcome to Nutshell Sermons. I’m not really a preacher. I don’t even play one on TV. But I have sat under a lot of sermons. Most of them are like three hours long, or at least they feel that way. And then I think to myself, “Wow, this could have been said in about two minutes.” I’m just a pragmatic guy sitting in the back row, trying to figure things out. Hey, I don’t claim to be an authority on biblical teaching or spiritual matters, but I like a song that Bonnie Raitt sings that says, “I ain’t no icon carved out a soap sent here to clean up your reputation.” I am, however, a believer in Jesus, that He has a plan for my life. But I’ve discovered there’s a lot of mental ping-pong going on every day trying to separate fact from fiction in following him. So I thought I would share my nutshell sermons with you. Take them with a grain of salt. SUBSCRIBE TO NUTSHELL SERMONS – 15:03 You can subscribe to Nutshell Sermons on your favorite podcast app and his is a value-for-value podcast. Take a look at nutshellsermons.com/support. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 15:23 On this date in church history, July 30, 1718, William Penn died. He was the English Quaker statesman and colonial leader. His frame of government for the American colony of Pennsylvania in 1682 established the structure for religious and political freedom in the colony. Penn’s best known writing is the ethically challenging “No Cross, No Crown” which he wrote in 1669. And on this date in church history, July 30, 1822, African-American clergyman James Varick was consecrated as the first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. PRAYER REQUESTS – 16:10 For prayer requests, I do have an update on Kathi. She’s still at Loma Linda University Medical Center, and she’s doing well. After her blood transfusions, her hemoglobin count went up to 10. It’s been as low as four and normally is 10 and a half to 15. So she’s doing pretty well there. The doc has moved her from a liquid diet to soft foods, so that’s good. They just want to be sure that she can handle food without throwing up or losing blood again. They’re trying to be sure there is no more bleeding going on in her esophagus. Also, she’s supposed to have a physical therapy session today with the goal of walking around the nurse’s station. Thank you so much for your prayers for Kathi and Del. I really appreciate it, and they do, too. CLOSING PRAYER – 16:52 All right, let’s pray. Our heavenly Father thank You for Your word and for letting us know that we should be prepared for difficulties, And that when they come it isn’t because things have gone sideways. They’re expected. Strengthen us, Lord, when those times come and help us to remain faithful and focused on you. I thank you for having your hand on Kathi and Del, and for the Loma Linda medical staff. Please continue to strengthen her lord and bring healing to her body. And thank you, Lord for the Lifespring family. They have been a blessing to me and I pray God that you would really bless each one of them. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise go to – what is it? prayer.lifespringmedia.com. OUTRO S12E332 – 17:43 Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e332. Send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team: Kirsty. Sean of San Pedro and Denise. Thank you to Brother Paul of Seattle for his weekly row-of-ducks donation. And thank you for letting me spend some time with you today. Support the show please at lifespringmedia.com/support. And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E332
    Friday · 20 min

    S3E332 – Malachi 1-4: In the Valley

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday and our reading is the book of Malachi. I’m calling today’s episode “In the Valley.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ana Filipa Neves on Unsplash Comments on Malachi Chapter 1 Malachi is another Old Testament prophet about whom we know very little. Here’s what we do know. His name means “my angel”. That’s about it. Judaic tradition holds that Malachi was from the tribe of Zebulun and that he did not live a long life. The message of the book of Malachi contains God’s charges against the people for the neglect of the rebuilt temple. You’ll remember that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah brought reproof for their neglecting to build the temple. In Malachi’s time, the temple had been rebuilt, but now it is neglected. In addition, God charges them with profaning the temple by their behavior while there. There was a period of 400 years between Malachi and the birth of Jesus. Before beginning this period of silence, God used Malachi to speak more about the coming Messiah, and He told the people that His coming was close. Four hundred years might sound like a long time, but in the scheme of things, it’s not. Chapter 2 The second chapter of Malachi ends with this: 17You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, “How have we tired him?” By saying, “The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God who is supposed to be just?” Chapter 3 And God’s answer is in the first verse of chapter three: 1The Lord Almighty answers, “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.” Who was the messenger the Lord Almighty sent to prepare the way? John the Baptist. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all quoted this passage in pointing out that John’s coming was prophesied, and that it was to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah. Notice again the words of the verse: I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Who was speaking? The Lord Almighty. Not another prophet. God Himself would come *to the Temple*, fulfilling the old covenant and establishing a new covenant. A New Covenant. That covenant was what we call the Good News, And then verses two through five speaks of the second Messenger judging and refining. This is referring to the second coming of Jesus. Most of the Old Testament prophets did not see the separation of the two advents, or comings of Jesus. I have used this analogy before. In looking at a mountain range from a distance, you can’t see the valleys between the peaks. The peaks are easy to see, and from a distance, they look as if they are the same distance away from you. But there could be, and actually usually is, miles between them, with a valley separating them. This is how the ancient prophets saw the coming of the Messiah. We live in the valley, beloved. The first peak, that of Jesus’ first coming, is behind us, and his second coming is still ahead. Also in chapter three is a very unique verse. God tells the people that they are guilty of cheating (or robbing from) Him. 8b ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 9A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. 10Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. 11I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. What was unique? God said, “Put me to the test…” And it was a *command*. Test me. Give as I command, and I will pour out my blessings in abundance. Go ahead, try me. There is no other place in Scripture that compares to this. Chapter 4 And finally, the people are reminded to keep the Mosaic law as they watch for the Messiah. F.B. Meyer wrote the following in his commentary on Malachi. (Before I read it, I need to tell you that his use of the word “type” means “a foreshadowing”. “The ‘Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings’, verse two. At the end of the Old Testament, it is meet (or appropriate) that the sun should break out. The morning that broke on Paradise was clear enough. It was without clouds. But the sky soon became dark, and at last veiled, with only here and there a chink of blue sky left. All through the dark succeeding centuries there have been gleams of sunshine to let men know that the sun was shining still. Every precious promise, every solemn type, every holy life, that was bathed in supernatural beauty, was like a shining forth of the sun through the bars of human darkness and sin. But evidently more was in store than Old Testament saints had dreamed; and the time was coming when the reign of type, symbol, and parable would be succeeded by the clear vision of the face of God. “We live in the days of open vision. Let us go forth and exalt. We are to rejoice in every good thing He gives us. As the young calves of the early spring manifest their exuberant life in their caperings and gambols in the pastures, so let us give expression to our joy. Exult because of the clear shining of God’s love: exult because the darkness is past, and the true light now shines: exult because He is coming again, as surely as he came once. Wake up, my soul, take psaltry and harp and sing. The Bridegroom is at hand. Hark! Are those his chariot wheels reverberating through the air? Even so! Lord Jesus, come quickly!” Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-4 GNT Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 Go ahead and try me. INTRO S12E331 – 0:09 Like a bad penny, I’m back! Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s Prophecy Friday and our reading is the book of Malachi. I’m calling today’s episode, “In the Valley”. Thank you so much for your patience yesterday and letting me take the day off. And I’ll have an update on Kathi’s condition later in the show. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e331. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get started. MALACHI 1 (GNT) – 0:51 Malachi, chapter 1. (1) This is the message that the Lord gave Malachi to tell the people of Israel. (2) The Lord says to his people, “I have always loved you.” But they reply, “How have you shown your love for us?” The Lord answers, “Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants, (3) and have hated Esau and his descendants. I have devastated Esau’s hill country and abandoned the land to jackals.” (4) If Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, say, “Our towns have been destroyed, but we will rebuild them,” then the Lord will reply, “Let them rebuild—I will tear them down again. People will call them ‘The evil country’ and ‘The nation with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” (5) The people of Israel are going to see this with their own eyes, and they will say, “The Lord is mighty even outside the land of Israel!” (6) The Lord Almighty says to the priests, “Children honor their parents, and servants honor their masters. I am your father—why don’t you honor me? I am your master—why don’t you respect me? You despise me, and yet you ask, ‘How have we despised you?’ (7) This is how—by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, ‘How have we failed to respect you?’ I will tell you—by showing contempt for my altar. (8) When you bring a blind or sick or lame animal to sacrifice to me, do you think there’s nothing wrong with that? Try giving an animal like that to the governor! Would he be pleased with you or grant you any favors?” (9) Now, you priests, try asking God to be good to us. He will not answer your prayer, and it will be your fault. (10) The Lord Almighty says, “I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so as to prevent you from lighting useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you; I will not accept the offerings you bring me. (11) People from one end of the world to the other honor me. Everywhere they burn incense to me and offer acceptable sacrifices. All of them honor me! (12) But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. (13) You say, ‘How tired we are of all this!’ and you turn up your nose at me. As your offering to me you bring a stolen animal or one that is lame or sick. Do you think I will accept that from you? (14) A curse on the cheater who sacrifices a worthless animal to me, when he has in his flock a good animal that he promised to give me! For I am a great king, and people of all nations fear me.” MALACHI 2 (GNT) – 3:21 Malachi, chapter 2. (1) The Lord Almighty says to the priests, “This command is for you: (2) You must honor me by what you do. If you will not listen to what I say, then I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. In fact, I have already put a curse on them, because you do not take my command seriously. (3) I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice—and you will be taken out to the dung heap. (4) Then you will know that I have given you this command, so that my covenant with the priests, the descendants of Levi, will not be broken. (5) “In my covenant I promised them life and well-being, and this is what I gave them, so that they might respect me. In those days they did respect and fear me. (6) They taught what was right, not what was wrong. They lived in harmony with me; they not only did what was right themselves, but they also helped many others to stop doing evil. (7) It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them and learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty. (8) “But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you. (9) So I, in turn, will make the people of Israel despise you because you do not obey my will, and when you teach my people, you do not treat everyone alike.” (10) Don’t we all have the same father? Didn’t the same God create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? (11) The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the Lord loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods. (12) May the Lord remove from the community of Israel those who did this, and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the Lord Almighty. (13) This is another thing you do. You drown the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. (14) You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. (15) Didn’t God make you one body and spirit with her? What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly God’s people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife. (16) “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel. “I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife.” (17) You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, “How have we tired him?” By saying, “The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them.” Or by saying, “Where is the God who is supposed to be just?” MALACHI 3 (GNT) – 6:23 Malachi, chapter 3. (1) The Lord Almighty answers, “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.” (2) But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. (3) He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the Lord’s messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings. (4) Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the Lord will be pleasing to him, as they used to be in the past. (5) The Lord Almighty says, “I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners—against all who do not respect me. (6) “I am the Lord, and I do not change. And so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not yet completely lost. (7) You, like your ancestors before you, have turned away from my laws and have not kept them. Turn back to me, and I will turn to you. But you ask, ‘What must we do to turn back to you?’ (8) I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. (9) A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. (10) Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. (11) I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes. (12) Then the people of all nations will call you happy, because your land will be a good place to live. (13) “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’ (14) You have said, ‘It’s useless to serve God. What’s the use of doing what he says or of trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for what we have done? (15) As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. Evil people not only prosper, but they test God’s patience with their evil deeds and get away with it.’” (16) Then the people who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard what they said. In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him. (17) “They will be my people,” says the Lord Almighty. “On the day when I act, they will be my very own. I will be merciful to them as parents are merciful to the children who serve them. (18) Once again my people will see the difference between what happens to the righteous and to the wicked, to the person who serves me and the one who does not.” MALACHI 4 (GNT) – 9:19 Malachi, chapter 4. (1) The Lord Almighty says, “The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them. (2) But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun’s rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall. (3) On the day when I act, you will overcome the wicked, and they will be like dust under your feet. (4) “Remember the teachings of my servant Moses, the laws and commands which I gave him at Mount Sinai for all the people of Israel to obey. (5) “But before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, I will send you the prophet Elijah. (6) He will bring fathers and children together again; otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country.” COMMENTS – 10:11 Malachi is another Old Testament prophet about whom we know very little. Here’s what we do know. His name means “my angel”, and that’s about it. Judaic tradition holds that Malachi was from the tribe of Zebulun, and that he did not live a very long life. The message of the book of Malachi contains God’s charges against the people for the neglect of the rebuilt temple. You’ll remember that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah brought reproof for the neglecting to build a temple and in Malachi’s time the temple had been rebuilt, but now it’s neglected. Also, in this book, God charges them with profaning the temple by their behavior while they were there. Now, there was a period of 400 years between Malachi and the birth of Jesus. And before beginning this period of silence, God used Malachi to speak more about the coming Messiah. And he told the people that his coming was close. Four hundred years might sound like a long time, but really in the scheme of things it’s not, is it? Now the second chapter of Malachi ends with this verse. (17) “You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, ‘How have we tired him?’ By saying, ‘The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them.’ Or by asking, ‘Where is the God who is supposed to be just?’” God’s answers to these questions is in the first verse of chapter 3. Here’s what it says: “The Lord Almighty answers, ‘I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.’” Who was the messenger of the Lord Almighty sent to prepare the way? You got it. John the Baptist. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all quoted this passage in pointing out that John’s coming was prophesied, and that it was to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah. And notice again, the words of the verse “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me.” Who was speaking? The Lord Almighty. I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me, not another prophet. God Himself would come to the temple, fulfilling the Old Covenant and establishing a New Covenant. A New Covenant. That covenant was what we call the Good News. And then right after that, verses 2 through 5 speaks of the second messenger, judging and refining. This is referring to the Second Coming of Jesus. You see, most of the Old Testament prophets didn’t see the separation of the two Advents, or Comings of Jesus. I’ve used this analogy before. In looking at a mountain range from a distance, you can’t see the valleys between the peaks, the peaks are easy to see. And from a distance, they look as if they’re the same distance away from you. You can’t see the difference between them. Oftentimes, usually, as a matter of fact, there are miles between peaks with a valley separating them. And this is how the ancient prophets saw the coming of the Messiah. They just looked at the whole picture and didn’t see that there was a separation between His first coming and his second coming. We, Beloved, we live in the valley. The first peek, that of Jesus’ First Coming is behind us. And his Second Coming is still ahead. Also, in chapter 3 is a very unique verse. God tells the people that they’re guilty of cheating or robbing from him. That’s in verse 8. And then in the second part of verse 8, God says, (8b) “‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. (9) A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. (10) Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things. (11) I will not let insects destroy your crops, and your grapevines will be loaded with grapes.” So what was unique about that? God said, “Put me to the test.” And not only that, the way he said it, it was a command. He said, “Test me. Bring your ties to the temple. Give as I command, and I will pour out my blessings in abundance. Go ahead and try me.” Beloved, there is no other place in Scripture that compares to this. Now moving on to chapter 4. Finally, in this chapter, the people are reminded to keep the Mosaic law as they watch for the Messiah. F. B. Meyer wrote the following couple of paragraphs in his commentary on Malachi. “In verse two it said, The ‘Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings’. At the end of the Old Testament, it is appropriate that the sun should break out. The morning that broke on Paradise was clear enough. It was without clouds. But the sky soon became dark, and at last veiled, with only here and there a chink of blue sky left. All through the dark succeeding centuries there have been gleams of sunshine to let men know that the sun was shining still. Every precious promise, every solemn type [or foreshadowing], every holy life, that was bathed in supernatural beauty, was like a shining forth of the sun through the bars of human darkness and sin. But evidently more was in store than the Old Testament saints had dreamed; and the time was coming when the reign of type, symbol, and parable would be succeeded by the clear vision of the face of God. “We live in the days of open vision. Let us go forth and exalt. We are to rejoice in every good thing He gives us. As the young calves of the early spring manifest their exuberant life in their caperings and gambols in the pastures, so let us give expression to our joy. Exult because of the clear shining of God’s love: exult because the darkness is past, and the true light now shines: exult because He is coming again, as surely as he came once. Wake up, my soul, take psaltry and harp and sing. The Bridegroom is at hand. Hark! Are those his chariot wheels reverberating through the air? Even so! Lord Jesus, come quickly!” So, yes, in Malachi, God gave a vision of the coming Messiah. In his first coming, he established the good news. And he’s given all these years between then and he is Second Coming to bring all the people into the Kingdom who will come. What do you think? Do you have a comment? Let me know go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e331. Tomorrow is gospel Saturday we’ll read Acts 19 through 20. Boost. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 17:12 Kirsty is our Associate Producer today she came in with her monthly $20 donation. Kirsty, thank you. God bless you. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 17:30 On this date in church history, July 29, 1912, Clarence Jordan, the founder of Koinonia Farms in Americus, Georgia, was born. His Cotton Patch Gospel, published in four volumes from 1968 to ’73 paraphrases the New Testament except for the Book of Revelation, in the Southern vernacular and setting. It really is quite unique. PRAYER REQUESTS AND UPDATE – 18:02 All right, prayer requests and an update. Here’s the latest on Kathi. She is resting comfortably at Loma Linda University Medical Center, as I record this on Thursday evening. The bleeding that she had, and that caused the rush to the ER was in her esophagus. As of right now, they’re not sure what caused it, but it might be from acid reflux. Obviously, because of her cancer, she takes a lot of different medications and she can’t eat much. So that might be it. There’s not a lot of food in her stomach to kind of help absorb the medicine. Today, she was given two units of blood, and at last word, her red blood cell count was up. So that’s a good thing. It might even be possible for her to go home tomorrow. If not tomorrow, probably the next day. Now because she missed her first appointment to start the new cancer meds, they will probably need to do several retests before they can schedule a new start date. So thank you very much for your prayers and please keep them coming. CLOSING PRAYER – 19:01 Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for causing us to be born when we were, in the valley between the two comings of Jesus, to look back at the cross and know that it happened, and to look forward to the Second Coming when you come back to right all the wrongs and to reign on Earth for a thousand years, well, Lord that gives us an assurance and an anticipation of that day. Lord, I thank you for the doctors who helped Kathi with the latest episode and I ask again for her healing. Help her to regain her strength before she starts the new medications. I pray, Lord, that You would bless Kathi and Del and, also, – their daughters have been so helpful in everything and I just pray that You would bless them and their husbands. And Lord, I thank you for the Lifespring family. I pray that You would bless them. Keep them healthy, Lord, and keep them strong and hold them close to you. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com I’ll pray for you in my private prayer time and we’ll pray together on the show. OUTRO S12E331 – 20:12 Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e331. Send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. And another thanks to Kirsty for her donation today. I thank you, Beloved, for having me in your life today. And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E331
    Thursday · 9 min

    S3E331 – Ecclesiastes 11-12: A Repeat

    Transcript Introduction Today is Poetry Thursday, and we’ll finish the book of Ecclesiastes by reading chapters 11-12. And I hope you’ll forgive me, but today I am just going to run a repeat of last year’s episode for this reading. As I record this, it’s about 8:30 at night, which means there is only 90 minutes before the show is due to publish, and this is the first chance I’ve had to be in the studio all day, which is highly unusual. So there is no time to produce a new episode for you today. The first thing this morning, I got a call from Del that Kathi was on the way to the Emergency Room. I won’t go into all the details, but suffice to say that she has been checked into Loma Linda University Medical Center with internal bleeding. We’ll know tomorrow. And then the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I had to go out today to do our weekly rounds for the family business. Long story short, this is one of just a very small number of episodes this season that will be a repeat. Pray for Kathi, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for your understanding. Wrapping Up Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 began with a message that would not come from an old, jaded, cynical Scrooge-type man. He started with the advice that you should be generous with those in need, because your giving is like a farmer sowing grain. It will yield a return. And if you have the ability now, you never know when your fortunes may change and you may need someone else’s generosity. And then Solomon advised that the young should enjoy their youth, keeping in mind that God will be the judge of all that we do. So we should avoid evil. Chapter 12 says the young should keep the Creator in mind, because in our old age life becomes difficult. Our senses dull and our bodies become weak. And ultimately, we die. And at the very end of the chapter and the book, Solomon refers to himself in the third person and calls himself the Preacher. And he says that after observing all that he could, he wrote down the best words that he could; words of truth. Words that could hold you steady in the storms of life. Words that were given by God. Solomon’s Conclusion And his conclusion was this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Because God will judge every work, every act, whether good or evil. The Key to Lasting Happiness and Peace Beloved, the only true and lasting happiness and peace is found in knowing God and pleasing Him. Anything apart from that will only bring emptiness, heartbreak, spiritual bankruptcy and ultimately eternal separation from God. And as Christians, we know that the only way to truly know God is when we have a personal relationship with Jesus. Solomon didn’t know Jesus by name, but he came to know that God was his only hope, and I am sure that God credited his account in the same way as He did with Abraham because of that faith. My Discovery I’ll be 67 years old in a few weeks, and even though I have not lived my life with the same privileges as Solomon did, my experiences have taught me the same lessons. When I have gone my own way, veering from the path that I knew God would want me to travel, I have always found nothing but emptiness and sadness. It is only when I cling tightly to Him that I find that unshakeable peace, that joy which is independent of my circumstances, that *knowing* that everything will be alright. Abundant Life I hope you have found that marvelous truth in your own life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” That is what God wants for you. And so do I. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 11-12 NKJV Support Please remember that this is a listener supported show. Your support of any amount is needed and very much appreciated. Find out how by clicking here. Transcript Download .txt INTRO S12E330 – 0:00 Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Poetry Thursday. And we’ll finish the book of Ecclesiastes by reading chapters 11 and 12. And I hope you’ll forgive me, but today I’m going to run a repeat of last year’s episode for this reading. As I record this, it’s about 8:30 at night, which means there’s only about 90 minutes before the show was due to publish, and this is the first chance I’ve had to be in the studio all day long, which is very unusual. So the bottom line is, there’s no time to produce a new episode for you today. You’re saying, Steve, why what happened? Well, the first thing this morning, I got a call from Del that Kathi was on the way to the emergency room. I’m not going to go into details. But suffice to say that she has been checked into Loma Linda University Medical Center, which is closer to their home than City of Hope is and she has internal bleeding. We’ll know tomorrow, what exactly is going on. And then the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I had to go out today and do our weekly rounds for the family business. Long story short, this is just one of a very small number of episodes this season that will be a repeat. Pray for Kathi, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding. And now here’s the episode. God bless you. Thank you for being here. TEASER – 1:24 Knowing that everything will be all right. INTRO S11E330 – 1:38 Lifespring Family Audio Bible episode number 330. This is the daily podcast where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. I’m Steve Webb. I’m your host. How are you? Are you doing well today? I hope so. We’re going to finish the book of Ecclesiastes today by reading chapters 11 and 12. OPENING PRAYER – 1:58 Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for the senses you gave us to experience the world around us. We thank you for loving us and for giving us your word that we might know you. Above all, we thank you for your son, and the salvation he offers to all that will accept. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. All right, let’s go. ECCLESIASTER 11 (NKJV) – 2:23 Ecclesiastes, chapter 11. (1) Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. (2) Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. (3) If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. (4) He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. (5) As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. (6) In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good. (7) Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; (8) But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity. (9) Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. (10) Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity. ECCLESIASTES 12 (NKJV) – 3:54 Ecclesiastes, chapter 12. (1) Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”: (2) While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain; (3) In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; (4) When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low. (5) Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets. (6) Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. (7) Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (8) “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.” (9) And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. (10) The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. (11) The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. (12) And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. (13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. (14) For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. COMMENTS – 6:04 Chapter 11 began with a message that would not come from an old, jaded, cynical Scrooge-type fella that Solomon has sounded like during much of this book. He started chapter 11, with the advice that you should be generous with those in need, because you’re giving is like a farmer sowing grain, it will yield a return. And if you have the ability, now, you never know when your fortunes may change, and you may need someone else’s generosity. And then Solomon advised that the young should enjoy their youth, keeping in mind that God will be the judge of all that we do so we should avoid evil. Chapter 12 says that the young should keep the creator in mind, because in our old age, life becomes difficult. Our senses dull, and our bodies become weak. And ultimately, we die. And at the very end of the chapter in the book, Solomon refers to himself in the third person and calls himself The Preacher. And he says that after observing all that he could, he wrote down the best words that he could, words of truth, words that could hold you steady in the storms of life, words that were given by God. And his conclusion was this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Because God will judge every work, every act, whether good or evil. Beloved, the only true and lasting happiness in peace is found in knowing God and pleasing Him. Anything apart from that will only bring emptiness, heartbreak, spiritual bankruptcy, and ultimately, eternal separation from God. And as Christians, we know that the only way to truly know God is when we have a personal relationship with Jesus. Solomon didn’t know Jesus by name, but he came to know that God was his only hope. And I’m sure that God credited his account in the same way as he did with Abraham because of that faith. In a few weeks, I’m going to be 67 years old. And even though I’ve not lived my life with the same privileges as Solomon did, my experiences have taught me the same lessons. When I’ve gone my own way, veering from the path that I knew God would want me to travel. I’ve always found nothing but emptiness and sadness. It’s only when I cling tightly to him, that I find that unshakable peace, that joy, which is independent of my circumstances, that knowing that everything will be alright. I hope you found that marvelous truth in your own life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” That is what God wants for you, Beloved, and so do I. I invite your comments. Write to me at st***@*************ia.com. OUTRO S12E330 – 8:58 Our reading tomorrow will be the book of Malachi. Until then, may God bless you richly. I’m Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Aaron Burden on Unsplash Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents By Rod Dreher / Sentinel Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn once noted that people often assume that their democratic government would never submit to totalitarianism—but Dreher says it’s happening. Sounding the alarm about the insidious effects of identity politics, surveillance technology, psychological manipulation, and more, he equips contemporary Christian dissidents to see, judge, and act as they fight to resist the erosion of our freedoms. 304 pages, hardcover from Sentinel.

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  • Wednesday · length unknown

    2 Kings 2:23-24-A Bald Prophet, 2 Bears, and 42 “Boys”

    Did God really send two bears to kill 42 little children because they made fun of a bald prophet? That’s how the story in 2 Kings 2:23-24 is often told. But is that what the Bible actually says? In this episode of Verses We Missed, we look at who these “boys” really were, why the Hebrew matters, what was significant about their coming out of Bethel, and what “Get out of here, baldy!” may have meant in light of what had just happened to Elijah. A Bald Prophet, 2 Bears and 42 “Boys” Before Elisha ever meets this group on the road, 2 Kings 2 has been establishing something important about him. Elijah is gone. His mantle has fallen to Elisha. The Jordan has parted. And God has demonstrated that Elisha is His prophet. Then Elisha heads toward Bethel. What happens next has become one of the strangest—and perhaps most misunderstood—stories in the Old Testament. Read and compare translations of 2 Kings 2:23 and 2 Kings 2:24 at BibleHub. Why Does Bethel Matter? This confrontation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Elisha has just left Jericho and is traveling toward Bethel—a place with an important history in Israel’s rebellion against God. After the kingdom divided, Jeroboam established an alternative center of worship at Bethel and placed a golden calf there. For that background, read 1 Kings 12:25-33 at Bible Gateway. So why does a large group come out of Bethel to confront God’s newly established prophet? Were They Really Little Children? The NIV calls them “boys.” Other translations use words such as “youths,” “young lads,” and “little children.” But the Hebrew expression is ne’arim qetannim, and its meaning isn’t quite as simple as the familiar retelling suggests. You can examine the Hebrew wording in BibleHub’s interlinear of 2 Kings 2. Who were these people? How old were they? And what can the same Hebrew terminology elsewhere in the Old Testament tell us? What Does “Go Up, Baldy!” Mean? The NIV renders their taunt, “Get out of here, baldy!” But the Hebrew uses a command meaning go up. That’s particularly interesting because someone else had just “gone up” earlier in the same chapter: Elijah. Coincidence? A command for Elisha to leave? Or something more pointed? And What About the 42? Two bears come out of the woods, and 42 are mauled. But does the passage actually say that 42 people were killed? This is a sobering account of God’s judgment. But it’s also a good example of why we need to read difficult Bible passages carefully rather than relying on the version of the story we’ve heard repeated over the years. Related Scriptures 1 Kings 12:26-33 – Jeroboam establishes worship centers at Bethel and Dan. 1 Kings 18 – Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 19:15-21 – Elisha is called to follow Elijah. 2 Kings 2:1-22 – Elijah’s departure, Elisha’s mantle, and the healing of Jericho’s water. Genesis 14:14-24 – An important comparison for the Hebrew word ne’arim. Podcast Chapters 00:00 A Bald Prophet, 2 Bears and 42 “Boys” 00:54 Welcome to Verses We Missed 01:45 Who Were Elijah and Elisha? 02:55 Elijah’s Mantle 04:32 Jericho 05:02 Bethel 06:05 Were They Little Children? 08:28 “Go Up, Baldy!” 10:08 The Curse 11:24 Jericho and Bethel 12:34 What Did We Miss? 13:39 Application 14:55 Prayer 15:55 Value for Value 17:44 Closing Thoughts Support the Show Verses We Missed is a value-for-value podcast. If this episode gave you something of value, consider returning value with your Time, Talent, or Treasure. Pray for the ministry, share this episode with someone who might need to hear it, contribute your skills or creativity, or support Lifespring! Media financially. Learn more at https://lifespringmedia.com/support/. More from Lifespring! Media If you enjoy digging deeper into God’s Word, you might also enjoy these other podcasts from Steve Webb: Lifespring! One Year Bible Rewind Lifespring! In Touch With God’s Character Lifespring!

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  • S12 · E330
    Wednesday · 16 min

    S3E330 – Psalms 137-139: The God Who Knows Me

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 137-139. I’m calling today’s episode “The God Who Knows Me.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ben White on Unsplash Comments on Psalm 139 I love the fact that God knows me intimately. To understand that He knows my desire to know and serve Him makes me feel good, as when a little boy is happy when his daddy is pleased with him. But to also understand that God knows my ugly, dark, sinful parts causes me to feel utterly amazed that He still loves me. He knows my heart, and He knows the weakness of my flesh. But as Psalm 136 said in it’s refrain: His steadfast love endures forever! 1 John 4:8 puts it this way: “God is love.” Knowing this, my heart swells with love and gratitude. And it makes me want to continue to try to please Him, to continue to persevere in my efforts to live a life more devoted to Him today than I did yesterday. Not because I’m trying to earn His favor…I already have it. There is nothing I can do to make Him love me more, or love me less. I just want to love Him because He loves me. And on those dark days when I fail Him to the point where I know I must have certainly brought Him grief, as the last verse in this chapter mentions, the shame I feel motivates me to humbly go to Him and ask forgiveness. And that is when I am most grateful for the promise we have in 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Every verse in this chapter is a jewel. Every verse confirms how good God is. How about this one: 5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. “God is there behind me and in front of me, protecting me, surrounding me. And the most beautiful part of the verse, He lays his hand on me. When my boys were small, many were the times that when we were sitting next to each other, or when we were walking next to each other, I would lay my hand on their head or their shoulder. Just a loving touch to let them know that I was there and I love them. That’s what God does with us. Our loving daddy, or Abba in the Greek language. How can one read chapter 139 and not love God more? Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 137-139 ESV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 Every verse in this chapter is a jewel. INTRO S12E329 – 0:10 From Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. And how are you today? It really is great to see you. I mean that! I look forward to our time together every day. It’s Psalms Wednesday, and we’ll read chapters 137 through 139. And has been our custom, I’ll have a brief introduction to each chapter before reading them. I’m calling today’s episode, “The God Who Knows Me”. And I also have a personal prayer request to share with you today. Show Notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e329. And I’d love to hear from you via email. You can send it to st***@*************ia.com. You ready? Let’s get going. INTRO TO PSALM 137 – 0:57 In Psalm 137, because of their turning from God and worshipping false gods, God has brought judgment on those who lived in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Babylon has come in and utterly destroyed Jerusalem, killing many men, women and children, and taken captive those who were not murdered. This Psalm is a lament. We don’t know when it was written exactly. And some people think that it was written after the return from Babylon and some think that it’s some years into the exile while still in captivity in Babylon. What we are certain of is that in the midst of the exile, the writer remembered how good it was in Jerusalem, and what the reason was for their exile. They missed Jerusalem and they were sorrowful that they had sinned in such a way that God had allowed them to be in this place. And they asked God to judge Babylon for the terribly cruel treatment that they had received. PSALM 137 (ESV) – 1:55 Psalms, chapter 137. (1) By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. (2) On the willows there we hung up our lyres. (3) For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” (4) How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? (5) If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! (6) Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! (7) Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!” (8) O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! (9) Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock! INTRO TO PSALM 138 – 2:54 The title of Psalm 138 is “A Psalm of David”. And many commentators write that having Psalms 137 and 138 next to one another is fitting. Psalm 137 mentioned how the psalmist was unable to sing in front of the heathen. But David says in 138, that even the kings of the nations will praise God. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “This psalm was wisely placed. Whoever edited and arranged the sacred poems, he had an eye to apposition or the placement next to each other, and contrast for if in Psalm 137 we see the need of silence before revilers, here we see the excellence of a brave confession. There is a time to be silent, lest we cast pearls before swine. And there’s a time to speak openly, lest we be found guilty of cowardly non-confession.” PSALM 138 (ESV) – 3:46 Psalms, chapter 138. (1) I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; (2) I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (3) On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. (4) All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, (5) and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. (6) For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. (7) Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. (8) The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. INTRO TO PSALM 139 – 4:47 The title of Psalm 139 is “For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.” And as I’ve mentioned before, “For the Chief Musician” is thought to mean that it is written to God while others believe that it’s written to the temple music leader perhaps Asaph or Heman. This truly is a beautiful psalm. 2 Samuel 23:1 is right when it calls David, the sweet psalmist of Israel. PSALM 139 (ESV) – 5:13 Psalms, chapter 139. (1) O Lord, you have searched me and known me! (2) You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. (3) You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. (4) Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. (5) You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (7) Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? (8) If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! (9) If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, (10) even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. (11) If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” (12) even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. (13) For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. (14) I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (17) How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (18) If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. (19) Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! (20) They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. (21) Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? (22) I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. (23) Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! (24) And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! COMMENTS – 7:34 Commenting on Psalm 139, I love the fact that God knows me intimately. To understand that he knows my desire to know and serve him makes me feel good as when a little boy is happy when his daddy is pleased with him. But to also understand that God knows my ugly, dark, sinful parts causes me to feel utterly amazed that he still loves me. He knows my heart and he knows the weakness of my flesh. But as Psalm 136 said in its refrain: His steadfast love endures forever! Hallelujah. 1 John 4:8 puts it this way: “God is love.” Knowing this, my heart swells with love and gratitude. And it makes me want to continue to try to please him to continue to persevere in my efforts to live a life more devoted to him today than I did yesterday. Not because I’m trying to earn his favor. I already have it. There’s nothing I can do to make him love me more or love me less. I just want to love Him because He loves me. And on those dark days when I fail him to the point where I know I must have certainly brought him grief. As the last verse in this chapter mentions, the shame I feel motivates me to humbly go to him and ask for forgiveness. And that’s when I’m most grateful for the promise we have in I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Every verse in this chapter is a jewel. Every verse confirms how good God is. How about this one: verse 5 says, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” Beloved, God is there behind us, and in front of us, protecting us, surrounding us. And the most beautiful part of the verse for me is he lays his hand on me. When my boys were small, many were the times when we were sitting next to each other, or when we were walking next to each other, I would just lay my hand on their head or on their shoulder, just a loving touch to let them know that I was there, and I love them. That’s what God does with us. He is our loving daddy or Abba in the Greek. How could anybody read this chapter and not love God more? What do you think? Do you have a comment? Let me know at lifespringmedia.com/s12e329. And tomorrow was Poetry Thursday we’ll finish the book of Ecclesiastes by reading chapters 11 and 12. Boost. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 10:17 We have an anonymous Associate Producer today who sent a $100 donation in this morning, and Anonymous I thank you so very much, and may God bless you richly. I just wanted to give a shout out to Matt Bogart who followed me on the Fountain app. Matt is a longtime Lifespring family member. We broke bread together a few years ago, and Matt, I just want to say it’s so good to know that you’re still there. Say Hi to the family for me. God bless you. And, Beloved, if you are using the Fountain app, you can feel free to follow me too. I’ll follow you right back. And by the way, the Fountain app has a new feature that will stream sats to you while you listen to podcasts. I don’t know of any other app that pays you to listen to podcasts. And I think that’s pretty cool. Check it out at fountain.fm. And no, this is not a commercial. They didn’t ask me to talk about them. I just think that they’re a cool app. And they’re doing a lot to help move value-for-value into the mainstream. Go to fountain.fm and find out more. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 11:24 This is kind of a big day in church history. On July 27, 1516, future reformer Martin Luther preached for the first time against indulgences. As you probably know it was Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses against indulgences and other church abuses on the Wittenberg door that ultimately precipitated the Protestant Reformation. Yeah, big day, July 27, 1516. If you don’t know about the significance of Martin Luther and his 95 Theses, do some research. It’s an important part of church history. PRAYER REQUESTS – 12:05 Prayer requests. As I record this, it’s Tuesday afternoon. And I have to say I have a heavy heart today. I told you this past Thursday that Kathi’s oncologist had some bad news for them and asked her if she had her affairs in order. They are going to try a new treatment, as I said, but if it doesn’t work, well… Del and Kathi were supposed to be here right now. We were going to have a barbecue for them and spend some time together before she starts her new cancer treatments. Once they start, she’s going to have to be isolated from people for months, I guess, and I’m not really sure why. But we wanted to have a meal with them. Well, this morning, Del called to tell me that she’d had a really rough night last night and she didn’t feel up to driving down the hill. They live up in the Lake Arrowhead area in the Southern California mountains here. So, Beloved, please do continue to pray for Kathi and Del. Pray that the cancer will again go into remission or better yet that God would heal her. And after 50 years of marriage, Del relies on her for so very much. I think I’ve told you that he was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment several years ago, and that’s not something that just goes away. It gets worse. So pray for them both, please. For those that don’t know, Del and I have known each other since we were in the seventh grade. And he’s the one who invited me to the church where I gave my heart to the Lord when I was a teenager. I love him like a brother, and it just hurts to see what they’re going through. I know that they’re in God’s hands, and both of them love the Lord. But it’s still hard to watch and not be able to fix it. I’m a fixer. It’s who I am. And so not being able to bring some kind of relief to them is just – it’s hard for me. But we can pray, and that’s not nothing. And James 5:16 tells us that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Kathi’s healing is not beyond the power of God. Perhaps her healing is not in God’s perfect plan. But until he reveals that to us, I am believing for a miracle. I hope you’ll join me in that. CLOSING PRAYER – 14:08 Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father it is nearly inconceivable, for me anyway, that you should know everything about me and yet love me. But you do. And Father knowing that makes me fall to my knees in worship. You are so patient and you are so kind. Thank you for your servant, David, and the words you led him to write in the Psalms so that we can learn how to praise you and honor you. And no matter what I will praise and honor You, Lord, because you deserve it. But Lord, I’m asking you to hear me now. Jesus said that we have not because we ask not, or we ask amiss, not according to your will. Lord, if my request is not in line with your will or your plan, please forgive me. But I’m asking you to heal both Kathi and Del. Heal Kathi, the cancer that’s been a part of her life for so, so long and bring clarity of thought to Del. You can do it with just a word from your mouth. I know that from my deepest being. And I’m asking you for that right now in Jesus precious name. Touch them, heal them. Bring a miracle into their lives, Lord, and everyone will know that it is you that did it. There will be no denying the fact that you are real, and you will be glorified. There is none like You Lord. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. We’ll pray together on the show and I’ll pray for you in my private prayer time, prayer.lifespringmedia.com. OUTRO S12E329 – 15:45 Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e329. Or send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. You guys are truly a blessing in my life. Thank you again to those of you who are streaming sats. Thanks to Anonymous for their donation today and for helping to bring this episode to you. And thank you for giving me the honor of being with you today. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support, please. And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E329
    Tuesday · 27 min

    S3E329 – Nehemiah 1-4: A Man of Action

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is History Tuesday and we’ll begin the book of Nehemiah. Our reading will be chapters 1-4. Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash Comments on Nehemiah 1-4 See if you agree with this statement: What matters to God should matter to us. When the book of Nehemiah was written, about a thousand years had passed since God had used Moses to lead the people out of their Egyptian captivity. A lot had happened in the passing years. There had been the time of the judges, but then the people begged to have a king, like the surrounding lands were, so God appointed Saul as their first king. To say the least, he turned out to be a disappointment, just as God had warned the people he would be. Then there was David, who certainly had his share of failures, but God called him a man after His own heart. After David was his son, Solomon, who built a Temple for the people to have a place to worship God. Then a long succession of David’s descendants followed Solomon, some of whom were godly men, some of whom were evil men who did not follow God. Eventually, because the people had turned their backs on God to worship false gods, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob allowed Jerusalem to be conquered by Babylon. The Temple was completely destroyed, as was most of the city and its walls. The people of Jerusalem and the surrounding area were taken captive to Babylon, where they remained for 70 years. After these 70 years, the people were given the chance to go home. But most had never been to Jerusalem. Babylon was their home, and only a small number of them chose to go to their homeland, about 50,000 out of about two or three million. We read in the book of Ezra how they rebuilt the temple. Nehemiah wrote his book about fifteen years after the period spoken of by Ezra. So in doing the math, it had been nearly 100 years since the return to the Promised Land by those who had been captive in Babylon. And the destruction of Jerusalem had taken place about 150 years earlier. But the walls of Jerusalem had still not been rebuilt. Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem. He lived in the capital city of the Persians, Shushan, in what is now Iran. But he loved God, and he knew that Jerusalem was important to God. When he learned that Jerusalem’s walls had not been rebuilt, and that the people were struggling, Nehemiah was heartbroken. And He didn’t just feel bad about the situation, he did what he could do. He fasted and he prayed. And when he prayed, he came with an attitude of humility. He confessed the sins of himself, his family and the people. And he reminded God of His promise that if His people would return to Him, He would restore them. And one more thing. He asked God to bless him, that he might have favor with the king, because he was the king’s cupbearer. The bottom line is that Nehemiah was not satisfied just to feel bad about the situation in Jerusalem. No. He humbly wanted to be used by God to do something about it. What a marvelous example for us, beloved. Shouldn’t we have hearts that are tender to what God cares about? We need to be willing for God to move us to action, as Nehemiah was. God found in him someone who was deeply moved and altogether willing to do what was necessary. Oh, beloved, that we would be that kind of people. Look around you. Chances are very good that if you ask, God will show you where He can use you to make a difference. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-2 NASB; Ch. 3-4 CEB Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 He knew that Jerusalem was important to God. INTRO S12E335 – 0:10 Coming to you from Riverside, California, one-time home of racecar-driving great, Dan Gurney and one of the great blues singers, Etta James and birthplace of future Baseball Hall of Famer, Dusty Baker, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. And today’s History Tuesday, and we’ll begin the book of Nehemiah. We’ll read chapters 1 through 4. If you didn’t hear yesterday’s show, then you missed the Big Announcement. You might want to go back and listen to it. And for those of you who did hear it, please do send that email to me that I asked you about. It is really important that I hear from every single Lifespring family member. And if you’ve listened to the show more than once, you are a member of the Lifespring family. So please take just a moment and tell me your thoughts. Send that email to st***@*************ia.com and put “THE NEXT STEP” in your subject line. I’m calling today’s episode, “A Man of Action”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e335. Are you ready? Let’s get started. NEHEMIAH 1 (NIV) – 1:21 Nehemiah, chapter 1. (1) The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, (2) Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. (3) They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (4) When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. (5) Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, (6) let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. (7) We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses. (8) “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, (9) but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ (10) “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. (11) Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king. NEHEMIAH 2 (NASB) – 3:12 Nehemiah, chapter 2. (1) And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. (2) So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid. (3) I said to the king, “Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?” (4) Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. (5) I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” (6) Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, “How long will your journey be, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. (7) And I said to the king, “If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, (8) and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.” And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. (9) Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. (10) When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel. (11) So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. (12) And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding. (13) So I went out at night by the Valley Gate in the direction of the Dragon’s Well and on to the Refuse Gate, inspecting the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were consumed by fire. (14) Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no place for my mount to pass. (15) So I went up at night by the ravine and inspected the wall. Then I entered the Valley Gate again and returned. (16) The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work. (17) Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” (18) I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. (19) But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” (20) So I answered them and said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.” NEHEMIAH 3 (CEB) – 6:38 Nehemiah, chapter 3. (1) Then Eliashib the high priest set to work with his fellow priests and built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors, then dedicated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred and as far as the Tower of Hananel. (2) The people of Jericho built next to them, and Zaccur, Imri’s son, built next to them. (3) The children of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, bolts, and bars. (4) Next to them Meremoth, Uriah’s son and Hakkoz’s grandson, made repairs. Meshullam, Berechiah’s son and Meshezabel’s grandson, made repairs next to them, and Zadok, Baana’s son, made repairs next to them. (5) Next to them the people from Tekoa made repairs, but their officials wouldn’t help with the work of their supervisors. (6) Joiada, Paseah’s son, and Meshullam, Besodeiah’s son, repaired the Mishneh Gate; they laid its beams and set up its doors, bolts, and bars. (7) Next to them repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the people of Gibeon and of Mizpah, who were ruled by the governor of the province Beyond the River. (8) Uzziel, Harhaiah’s son, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs next to them; and Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs next to him. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. (9) Next to them Rephaiah, Hur’s son, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. (10) Next to them Jedaiah, Harumaph’s son, made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush, Hashabneiah’s son, made repairs next to him. (11) Malchijah, Harim’s son, and Hasshub, Pahath-moab’s son, repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. (12) Next to them Shallum, Hallohesh’s son, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, along with his daughters. (13) Hanun and the people of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate; they built it and set up its doors, bolts, and bars. They also repaired fifteen hundred feet of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate. (14) Malchiah, Rechab’s son, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set up its doors, bolts, and bars. (15) And Shallum, Col-hozeh’s son, ruler of the Mizpah district, repaired the Spring Gate. He rebuilt and covered it, and set up its doors, bolts, and bars. He also built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from David’s City. (16) After him, Nehemiah, Azbuk’s son, ruler of half the Beth-zur district, repaired from the point opposite David’s tombs as far as the artificial pool and the Warriors’ House. (17) After him, the Levites made repairs: Rehum, Bani’s son, and next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. (18) After him, their relatives made repairs: Binnui, Henadad’s son, ruler of half the district of Keilah. (19) Next to him, Ezer, Jeshua’s son, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the Angle. (20) After him, Baruch, Zabbai’s son, thoroughly repaired another section from the Angle to the door of the house of the high priest Eliashib. (21) After him, Meremoth, Uriah’s son and Hakkoz’s grandson, repaired another section from the door to the back of Eliashib’s house. (22) After him, the priests from the surrounding area made repairs. (23) After them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. After them, Azariah, Maaseiah’s son and Ananiah’s grandson, repaired beside his house. (24) After him, Binnui, Henadad’s son, repaired another section from the house of Azariah to the Angle and to the corner. (25) Palal, Uzai’s son, repaired from the point opposite the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him, Pedaiah, Parosh’s son, (26) and the temple servants living on Ophel made repairs up to the point opposite the Water Gate to the east and the projecting tower. (27) After them, the people of Tekoa repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel. (28) From the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each one opposite his own house. (29) After them, Zadok, Immer’s son, made repairs opposite his own house. After him, Shemaiah, Shecaniah’s son, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. (30) After him, Hananiah, Shelemiah’s son, and Hanun, Zalaph’s sixth son, repaired another section. After them, Meshullam, Berechiah’s son, made repairs opposite his own room. (31) After him, Malchiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Parade Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. (32) And between the upper room of the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs. NEHEMIAH 4 (CEB) – 11:47 Nehemiah, chapter 4. (1) When Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he became angry and raged. He mocked the Jews, (2) saying in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria: “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the piles of rubble, even though they are burned?” (3) Tobiah the Ammonite, who was beside him, added: “If even a fox climbs on whatever they build, their wall of stones will crumble.” (4) Listen, God; we are despised! Turn their insults to us back on their heads and make them like plunder in a captive land. (5) Don’t forgive their iniquity or blot out their sins from your sight. They have thrown insults at the builders! (6) We continued to build the wall. All of it was joined together, and it reached half of its intended height because the people were eager to work. (7) But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard that the work on the walls was progressing and the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. (8) They plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it. (9) So we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and night. (10) But in Judah it was said, “The carrier’s strength is failing, for there is too much rubble. We are unable to rebuild the wall!” (11) Meanwhile, our enemies were saying: “Before they know or see anything, we can be in their midst and start to kill them. We’ll stop the work!” (12) Now the Jews who were living near them came and said to us again and again, “You must return to us!” (13) So I took up a position in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall in an open area. Then I stationed the people by families, and they had their swords, spears, and bows. (14) After reviewing this, I stood up and said to the officials, the officers, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember that the LORD is great and awesome! Fight for your families, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses!” (15) Then our enemies heard that we had found out and that God had spoiled their plans. So we all returned to doing our own work on the wall. (16) But from that day on, only half of my workers continued in the construction, while the other half held the spears, shields, bows, and body armor. Meanwhile, the leaders positioned themselves behind the whole house of Judah, (17) who were building the wall. The carriers did their work with a load in one hand and a weapon in the other. (18) The builders built with swords fastened in their belts, and the trumpeter stayed by my side. (19) Then I said to the officials, the officers, and the rest of the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are far apart from each other along the wall. (20) When you hear the trumpet sound, come and gather where we are. Our God will fight for us!” (21) So we continued the work, with half of them holding spears from dawn until dusk. (22) I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant spend the night in Jerusalem so that we can guard during the night and work during the day.” (23) Neither I nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor my bodyguards took off our clothes, even when they sent for water. COMMENTS – 15:00 See if you agree with this statement: “What matters to God should matter to us.” When the book of Nehemiah was written about a thousand years had passed since God had used Moses to lead the people out of their Egyptian captivity. And of course, a lot happened in the ensuing years. There had been the time of the judges, but then the people begged to have a king like the surrounding lands had. So God appointed Saul as their first king. To say the least he turned out to be a disappointment, just as God had warned the people that he would be. Then there was David who certainly had his share of failures, but God called him a man after his own heart. After David was his son, Solomon, who built a temple for the people to have a place to worship God. And then a long succession of David’s descendants following Solomon, some of whom were godly men, some of whom were evil men who did not follow God. And eventually, because the people had turned their back on God to worship false gods, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob allowed Jerusalem to be conquered by Babylon, and the temple was completely destroyed, as was most of the city and its walls. The people of Jerusalem and the surrounding area were taken captive to Babylon, where they remained for seventy years. Well, after these seventy years the people were given the chance to go home, but most had never been to Jerusalem. Babylon was their home, and only a small number of them chose to go to their homeland, about 50,000 out of two or three million. We read in the book of Ezra how they rebuilt the temple. And here Nehemiah wrote his book about fifteen years after the period spoken of by Ezra. So if we do the math, it had been nearly 100 years since the return to the promised land by those who had been captive in Babylon. And the actual destruction of Jerusalem had taken place about 150 years earlier. But here in Nehemiah’s time the walls of Jerusalem still had not been rebuilt. Well, Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem. He lived in the capital city of the Persians, Shu Shan in what is now Iran, but he loved God. And he knew that Jerusalem was important to God. When he learned that Jerusalem’s walls had not been rebuilt, and that the people were struggling. Nehemiah was heartbroken. And he didn’t just feel bad about the situation. He did what he could do. He fasted and he prayed. And when he prayed, he came with an attitude of humility. He confessed the sins of himself, his family and the people. And he reminded God of his promise that if his people would return to him, he would restore them. And one more thing, he asked God to bless him, that he might have favor with the king because he was the king’s cup bearer, so he had access to the king. Well, the bottom line is that Nehemiah was not satisfied just to feel bad about the situation in Jerusalem. No, he humbly wanted to be used by God to do something about it. What a marvelous example for us, Beloved, shouldn’t we have hearts that are tender to what God cares about? We need to be willing for God to move us to action as Nehemiah was. God found in him someone who was deeply moved and all together willing to do what was necessary. Oh, Beloved, that we would be that kind of people. Look around you. Chances are very good that if you ask, God will show you where he can use you to make a difference. What are your thoughts? Have a comment? Let me know. Go to the show notes page at lifespringmedia.com/s12e335, and put your thoughts in there. Tomorrow is Psalms Wednesday, and we’re going to read chapters 140 through 142. And now, as the French say, it is time for le boost. SUPPORTER SHOUT-OUTS – 18:58 There are some people to thank today. Andy Baker came in today with a second row-of-ducks donation of $22.22 through Zelle. That’s two Mondays in a row. And Andy, you put a note on the donation today to see the email. Well, I looked high and low for it, and I couldn’t find it. So please resend it. And if you’d be so kind put donation in the subject line. And God bless you. Thank you so much. Boostagram. And then a couple of boostagrams came in this morning via the Fountain app from a guy who is practically in my backyard. Yucaipa is about 20 miles from the Lifespring Media Studios as the crow flies. And last I heard that’s where Wayne Henderson lives. Wayne has been a Lifespring family member almost from day one, and he’s created several podcasts of his own including perhaps his most popular one, the Packers Fan Podcast. Plus like me, he does voiceover work. His website is mediavoiceovers.com, if you’re interested. And if you’re a Green Bay Packers fan, check out packersfanpodcast.com. So this morning Wayne sent in two boostagrams, both of them a short row-of-ducks 222. On the first one, he said, “Keep up the great work Steve. Blessings.” And the second one says, “Steve, I just heard your big announcement. Thanks again for everything.” So I think he sent the first one at the beginning of the episode yesterday before he heard the announcement. And then he sent the second one. Wayne, thank you for everything. I appreciate your friendship over the years. And I thank you for the rows-of-ducks. God bless you, brother. And then Sir Jeremy of the Crooked Eye sent in two 1000 sat boosts using the Breeze app. He didn’t send a note with either one of his boosts. But I did want to say thank you, Sir Jeremy. God bless you. And then this came in. @walnutridge, sent in a baller boost of 33,333 sats through the Fountain app. And he said, “Thanks for your courage. I appreciate your daily episodes.” Well, thank you Walnut Ridge, I appreciate your boostagram. And thank you for your courage. God bless you. Really thanks to everyone who sent in donations and boostagrams today. They are very much appreciated. And I pray that God’s blessing will be on each one of you. Thank you so very much. STATUS OF THE LIFESPRING WEBSITE – 21:18 I got an email from Sean of San Pedro asking if I was going to keep the website up after the end of season 12. And I figured that since he asked, perhaps others are wondering about the same thing. The answer is: I have no plans to take lifespringmedia.com offline. At this point, of course, I’m not even sure if I’m through with podcasting. As I said in my announcement yesterday, that really is up to the response I get from the Lifespring family and your emails. You listening right now will have an enormous influence on that. I have asked every individual who listens to the show to weigh in on what they would like for me to do. If there’s a podcast that you’d like me to create. If you have an idea for a show, email me at st***@*************ia.com and let me know. As I said yesterday, I would be willing and happy to continue podcasting. But I just can’t do a daily show after this season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. But if there is something that you’d like to hear me do, let me know. And listen, I need to hear like I said, from every one of you, I’m– I’m really emphasizing this because there’s so many times where people hear these things and they say, “Yeah, I’ll get around to it.” And then they never do or they think well my– I’m just one voice I don’t really matter. Really your voice honestly, truly does matter. And even if you don’t have an idea for a show and just say, “Steve, you’ve had a good run, but go ahead and turn off the mic” or, “Steve, I don’t have a specific idea, but I just don’t want you to quit podcasting,” or whatever. Your voice matters. I need to know how much interest there is or isn’t. If the interest isn’t there, if I don’t hear from you, then I’ll just think, “Okay, well, it’s okay. It’s time to hang it up.” I am going to be taking your email all month long. But please don’t wait until the end of the month. I don’t want to have to be sifting through hundreds and hundreds of dozens or hundreds of thousands or whatever. I don’t want to do that. So please send it in while you’re thinking about it, like, right now. And please in your subject line put “THE NEXT STEP”, so it doesn’t get put into my spam folder. Now back to whether or not Lifespring Media will be taken down. If the interest isn’t there for me to do another show, I will watch what kind of activity I see at lifespringmedia.com in terms of downloads, so I’ve got the stats, of course. And if I see that people are still downloading the shows, I’ll keep the website up. But if it becomes a ghost town, I’ll have to take it down. And speaking to that, having a website up even when I’m not producing content is going to be an expense. Security software has to be maintained so that I can keep the constant barrage of hackers out. Then, yeah, it’s a WordPress website, so hackers are, are pounding on it all the time. They just do. They send bots out, and if you don’t keep your security software up-to-date, they’ll get in and then cause havoc and I don’t want that. So there’s that expense. Backup software licenses have to be maintained as do plugins and themes. And hosting for the website itself is an annual renewal. And there are monthly hosting fees for the nearly 3000 podcast episodes at lifespringmedia.com, not just for the hosting, but then for the download, for the bandwidth. All those things have charges. Just maintaining the website will be a constant part time job and a constant financial drain. I’m telling you all this just to say that donations will always be welcome. And as long as lifespringmedia.com sees traffic, I do hope to keep it going. So I hope that answered your question. CLOSING PRAYER – 24:45 We’re going to forego the On This Date in Church History, and I don’t have any prayer requests today. So let’s just have some prayer and we’ll get out of here. Our heavenly Father, Nehemiah saw that Jerusalem’s wall was something you cared about, and he asked you to help him build it. Father, if there is something in our sphere of influence, I pray that you would make us aware of it. And then Lord will seek your guidance in addressing the need. Make us like Nehemiah, Lord, for Your glory. I pray God that you would bless the family and as I seek Your will about whether to continue podcasting, if there’s something you want me to do, I ask you to make it clear as day speak to my heart and the hearts of the Lifespring family. And I pray that the emails will come in and be a firm confirmation of what you want for Lifespring Media and for me. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you have a prayer request or praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and fill out the form there. I’ll pray for you in my private prayer time and we’ll pray together here on the show, prayer.lifespringmedia.com. OUTRO S12E335 – 26:05 Comment on the show please at lifespringmedia.com/s12e335. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. And please, if you’re anything like me, you need to be reminded like over and over. So please remember to give some thought and prayer to the question of what you’d like to see me do this season and use the subject line, “THE NEXT STEP”. Thanks to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. Thanks to those of you who are streaming sats and sending boostagrams and boosting. Thanks specifically to Wayne Henderson, Sir Jeremy of the Crooked Eye and Walnut Ridge for the boostagrams and Andy Baker for his donation. God bless you guys. And thank you, Beloved, for inviting me into your life today. It’s an honor and it’s a privilege and it’s a joy. If you’re thankful for the show. If you’re thankful for what the Lifespring Family Audio Bible has meant in your life this year. Please go to lifespringmedia.com/support and send a donation. And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. SIGN-OFF – 27:04 Now available as a digital download. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E328
    Monday · 34 min

    S3E328 – Deuteronomy 20-22: There Are Two

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Monday, so we’ll read from one of the books of the law. Deuteronomy 20-22. I’m calling today’s episode “There Are Two.” And I have an important announcement today. Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Aaron Burden on Unsplash Comments on Deuteronomy 22 Have you ever heard the phrase, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”? I don’t think I’m a fool, but if I am, so be it. Every so often, current events and/or cultural conditions can’t help but influence my commentary on the day’s reading. This is obviously not a political or a news show, and I do dislike participating in political speech on this show. As a matter of fact, I don’t think that what I’m about to say is political, because I’m only going to talk about what the word of God says. But some might want to paint today’s episode with a political label. Whatever. What I am about to talk about needs to be addressed, especially with what’s going on in our current culture. Genesis 1:27 So God created humans in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. Genesis 1:31And God saw everything that he had made and that it was very good. (GW) Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman must never wear anything men would wear, and a man must never wear women’s clothes. Whoever does this is disgusting to the Lord your God. (GW) Now listen. I’m not a transphobe. I do not hate people of either sex if they disagree with me or Scripture. And I am certainly not afraid of them. That is what “phobia” means. You know that, right? The reason I’m talking about this today, my motivation, in everything I say on this show, is to explain the Scriptures in such a way that the true nature of God is revealed. I believe that when He is properly understood, people’s hearts will be changed and eternal lives will be saved. Failing that, my hope is that there will at least be understanding, and maybe even less antipathy. When these scriptures were written, it was common for men and women to wear clothes that were similar. Both sexes wore long robes, but with distinctive styles that differentiated between the sexes. Deuteronomy 22:5 was a command not to blur the lines between the sexes or to purposely dress in the manner of the opposite sex. You see, as Genesis 1:27 says, God created only two sexes. Male and Female. There is not a spectrum. It’s one or the other. Now, before you say, “But Steve, some people are born with the organs of both.” Yes, I know that’s true. But hear me. We live in a fallen world. We live in a world that is suffering the effects of sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, all of creation has been under a curse. Romans 8:22 says, “All creation groans…” Every living thing on the planet is less than God intended it to be. Humans were not meant to die. Humans were not meant to be born with any kind of defects. There was not supposed to be any disease. Every system on the planet is not what God intended. The weather is not the way God intended. Earthquakes were not supposed to be something we worried about. Everything is broken. Sin ruined everything. Including how we think about ourselves and each other. Birth defects do happen, and when a baby is born with a defect, it is not because God made it happen. It is because of the condition of the world. Yes, God allows bad things to happen, but He is not the cause of bad things happening. Couldn’t He just step in and stop bad things from happening? Sometimes He does, but other times He doesn’t. God is sovereign, which means that He does what He does, and He answers only to Himself. But know this: His way is perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he…” One day, everyone who has ever been born will see that and acknowledge that. So, back to the subject at hand. God says that it is wrong to dress in the manner of the opposite sex. Why? Because, for one thing, it is rebellion against God’s will. If he created you as a male, He wants you to be a male. If he created you as a female, He wants you to be a female. God truly does love you, and He has a marvelous plan for your life. He wants the very best for you. To reject that plan is really cutting off your nose to spite your face. As I have said many times on this show, God’s laws are not given to take our fun away. God is not a cosmic killjoy. He is a loving Father who knows what is best for us. But there is an Enemy. He is called Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, the god of this world and many other names in the Bible. His mission from the beginning of the creation, has been to pervert God’s creation and keep people from having a relationship with God. He takes what is beautiful and perverts it. What we are seeing in our culture today, with the blurring of sexual boundaries and distinctions is nothing new, as is evident by the fact that God talks about it in Deuteronomy 22. People today think they’re being progressive by advancing this agenda. They’re not progressive. They’re puppets of Satan himself. The Good News is that their sin can be forgiven. God said in Ezekiel 18:23, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” And 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Repentance is turning away from, going in an entirely new direction. It is agreeing with God that I have sinned. That I want to begin living as He wants me to. That I acknowledge that His way is better than my way. But listen. I cannot do it on my own. It is impossible for me to live a perfect life. Only one man has ever done that. His name is Jesus. But Jesus is more than a man. He is also God. He is fully God and fully human, and He is the only way that I, or anyone else, can have a restored relationship with God. John 3:16-21 says, “16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” God loves you. And He loves you enough to give you free will. You must decide. The time is now. If you have not yet accepted the free gift of salvation that Jesus is offering you today, you can do it now. You may not have tomorrow. The Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I were reminded recently how quickly our lives could be snuffed out, with no warning. We were involved in a hit and run traffic accident, and believe me, there was absolutely no time to think about what was happening. We were driving along a street that we have been on literally thousands of times before, little more than two miles from our home. All of a sudden, there was a terrible crashing sound of metal against metal, our car shook, and I had to wrestle the steering wheel to keep control. LeeAnn screamed and I watched the car that had sideswiped us accelerate down the road in front of us. Praise the Lord, we were not hurt, but we could have been. Instead of rear ending our car, he sideswiped it. The point is, you never know how or when your life will be over. Will you make the decision now to follow Jesus? If you want to have a changed life….a changed eternity, let me lead you in a prayer where you will tell God that you want to turn from your sin, and that you want to follow Jesus. Will you pray with me? Once I publish this podcast, I don’t know who or where or when it will hear it. I still have episodes from almost 18 years ago at lifespringmedia.com. And I have no idea how many episodes are on hard drives all over the world. So whether you’re hearing this on the day I publish or days, weeks, months or years later, this invitation is for you to hear right now as you’re listening to my voice. Decide NOW that this is the day to have your eternity changed. Pray with me. “Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you now confessing my sins. I know that I have not lived the way I should, and I ask You to forgive me now. Thank you for sending Your son, Jesus, to take my sins upon Himself. Jesus, I’m asking You to be my Lord and my Savior now. Show me how I should live. Teach me. Help me to follow You. Thank you for hearing my prayer, Lord. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.” If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family. You might have felt like a weight was lifted from you, you might have felt some strong emotion, or you might have felt nothing. Whatever you felt, that’s ok. Our relationship with God is not based on emotions. Our relationship with God is based on His promise. God promised that anyone who accepts Jesus will be saved. If you accepted Jesus just now, you are saved, because God promised it, and He always keeps His promise. If you did just pray that prayer with me, I have a gift for you. It’s free. I want to send you a special edition of the New Testament called the New Believer’s Bible. All you have to do is send me a quick email with your name and address so I can mail it to you at my expense. This NT has hundreds and hundreds of notes in it by Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church, written with new believers in mind. They’re meant to help you get a good start in your walk with God. When I get your email, I’m not going to put you on a list, and I’m not going to send you any spam. I would just like to send you this NT, and I would like to pray for you. And If you have questions, I’ll answer any that I can. st***@*************ia.com. GBY, and welcome to the family of God. Not to mention the ls fam! Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. Deuteronomy 20 and 22 GWT; Ch. 21 NLV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 The time is here. Here it is. INTRO S12E334 – 0:10 From Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. And today is August 1, the first day of the last month of season 12 of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And today, they’re just thirty more episodes. More about that a little bit later. Today is Monday. So we’re going to read from one of the books of the Law. We’re currently in the book of Deuteronomy, and we’re going to read chapters 20 through 22. I’m calling today’s episode, “There Are Two”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e334. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. And I would love to hear from you. Let’s get started. DEUTERONOMY 20 (GWT) – 0:58 Deuteronomy, chapter 20. (1) When you go to war against your enemies, you may see horses, chariots, and armies larger than yours. Don’t be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you. (2) Before the battle starts, a priest must come and speak to the troops. (3) He should tell them, “Listen, Israel, today you’re going into battle against your enemies. Don’t lose your courage! Don’t be afraid or alarmed or tremble because of them. (4) The Lord your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.” (5) The officers should tell the troops, “If you have built a new house but not dedicated it, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will dedicate it. (6) If you have planted a vineyard and not enjoyed the grapes, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will enjoy the grapes. (7) If you are engaged to a woman but have not married her, you may go home. Otherwise, you might die in battle, and someone else will marry her.” (8) The officers should also tell the troops, “If you are afraid or have lost your courage, you may go home. Then you won’t ruin the morale of the other Israelites.” (9) When the officers finish speaking to the troops, they should appoint commanders to lead them. (10) When you approach a city to attack it, offer its people a peaceful way to surrender. (11) If they accept it and open their gates to you, then all the people there will be made to do forced labor and serve you. (12) If they won’t accept your offer of peace but declare war on you, set up a blockade around the city. (13) When the Lord your God hands the city over to you, kill every man in that city with your swords. (14) But take the women and children, the cattle and everything else in the city, including all its goods, as your loot. You may enjoy your enemies’ goods that the Lord your God has given you. (15) This is what you must do to all the cities that are far away which don’t belong to the nations nearby. (16) However, you must not spare anyone’s life in the cities of these nations that the Lord your God is giving you as your property. (17) You must claim the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites for the Lord and completely destroy them, as the Lord your God has commanded you. (18) Otherwise, they will teach you to do all the disgusting things they do for their gods, and you will sin against the Lord your God. (19) This is what you must do whenever you blockade a city for a long time in order to capture it in war. Don’t harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You can eat the fruit. Never cut those trees down, because the trees of the field are not people you have come to blockade. (20) You may destroy trees that you know are not fruit trees. You may cut them down and use them in blockades until you capture the city. DEUTERONOMY 21 (NLV) – 3:45 Deuteronomy, chapter 21. (1) “If a person has been killed and is found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own and it is not known who killed him, (2) then your leaders and judges will go out and see how far it is to the cities that are around the dead man. (3) The leaders of the city that is nearest to the dead man will take a young cow from the cattle. The cow must never have been worked or pulled a plow. (4) The leaders of that city will bring the young cow down to a valley with flowing water, which has not been plowed or planted. They will break the cow’s neck there in the valley. (5) Then the religious leaders, the sons of Levi, will come near for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bring good in the name of the Lord. Every question about what is right and every fight will be decided upon by them. (6) All the leaders of that city nearest to the dead man will wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley. (7) Then they will say, ‘Our hands have not killed him. Our eyes have not seen it. (8) O Lord, forgive Your people Israel whom You have set free. Do not put the guilt of killing a man who did no wrong on Your people Israel.’ And they will be forgiven from the guilt of the man’s death. (9) So you must take away the guilt of taking the life of a good man by doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. (10) “When you go to battle against those who hate you, and the Lord your God gives them to you, and you make them go with you, (11) and you see a beautiful woman and have a desire for her as a wife, (12) bring her home to your house. There she will cut off all the hair from her head and cut her nails. (13) She will change the clothes she wore when you took her away, and stay in your house. She will have sorrow for her father and mother for one month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband and she will be your wife. (14) If you are not pleased with her, you should let her go wherever she wants. And do not sell her for money or act as if she were a servant because you have put her to shame. (15) “If a man has two wives, one loved and the other not loved, and both the loved and the one not loved have borne him sons, and if the first-born son belongs to the wife who is not loved, (16) on the day when the man divides what he has for his sons, he cannot make the first-born of his loved wife the first-born before the son of the wife who is not loved, who is the first-born. (17) He must respect the first-born, the son of the wife who is not loved, by giving him twice the share of all he has. He is the beginning of his strength and the right of the first-born belongs to him. (18) “If a man has a strong-willed son who goes against him and does not obey his father or mother and when they punish him he will not even listen to them, (19) then his father and mother will take hold of him and bring him to the leaders of his city at the gate of his city. (20) They will say to the leaders of his city, ‘This son of ours is strong-willed and goes against us. He will not obey us. He eats and drinks too much.’ (21) Then all the men of his city will kill him with stones. You must get rid of the sin from among you. All Israel will hear about it and be afraid. (22) “If a man has sinned and should be put to death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree, (23) his body must not hang all night on the tree. You should be sure to bury him on the same day (for he who hangs is cursed by God). So do not make your land unclean which the Lord your God is giving you. DEUTERONOMY 22 (GWT) – 7:06 Deuteronomy, chapter 22. (1) If you see another Israelite’s ox or sheep out where it doesn’t belong, don’t pretend that you don’t see it. Make sure you take it back. (2) If the owner doesn’t live near you or you don’t know who owns it, take the animal home with you. Keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then give it back. (3) Do the same if you find a donkey, some clothes, or anything else that another Israelite may have lost. Don’t pretend that you don’t know what to do. (4) If you see another Israelite’s donkey or ox lying on the ground, don’t pretend that you don’t see it. Make sure you help him get it back on its feet. (5) A woman must never wear anything men would wear, and a man must never wear women’s clothes. Whoever does this is disgusting to the Lord your God. (6) Whenever you’re traveling and find a nest containing chicks or eggs, this is what you must do. If the mother bird is sitting on the nest, never take her with the chicks. (7) You may take the chicks, but make sure you let the mother go. Then things will go well for you, and you will live for a long time. (8) Whenever you build a new house, put a railing around the edge of the roof. Then you won’t be responsible for a death at your home if someone falls off the roof. (9) Never plant anything between the rows in your vineyard. Otherwise, you will have to give everything that grows there to the holy place. This includes the crop you planted and the grapes from the vineyard. (10) Never plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together. (11) Never wear clothes made of wool and linen woven together. (12) Make tassels on the four corners of the shawl you wear over your clothes. (13) A man might marry a woman, sleep with her, and decide he doesn’t like her. (14) Then he might make up charges against her and ruin her reputation by saying, “I married this woman. But when I slept with her, I found out she wasn’t a virgin.” (15) The girl’s father and mother must go to the city gate where the leaders of the city are and submit the evidence that their daughter was a virgin. (16) The girl’s father will tell the leaders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he doesn’t like her. (17) Now he has made up charges against her. He says he found out that my daughter wasn’t a virgin. But here’s the evidence!” Then the girl’s parents must spread out the cloth in front of the leaders of the city. (18) The leaders of that city must take the man and punish him. (19) They will fine him 2¼ pounds of silver and give it to the girl’s father. The husband ruined the reputation of an Israelite virgin. She will continue to be his wife, and he can never divorce her as long as he lives. (20) But if the charge is true, and no evidence that the girl was a virgin can be found, (21) they must take the girl to the entrance of her father’s house. The men of her city must stone her to death because she has committed such a godless act in Israel: She had sex before marriage, while she was still living in her father’s house. You must get rid of this evil. (22) If a man is caught having sexual intercourse with a married woman, both that man and the woman must die. You must get rid of this evil in Israel. (23) This is what you must do when a man has sexual intercourse with a virgin who is engaged to another man. If this happens in a city, (24) take them to the gate of the city and stone them to death. The girl must die because she was in a city and didn’t scream for help. The man must die because he had sex with another man’s wife. You must get rid of this evil. (25) But if a man rapes an engaged girl out in the country, then only the man must die. (26) Don’t do anything to the girl. She has not committed a sin for which she deserves to die. This is like the case of someone who attacks and murders another person. (27) The man found the girl out in the country. She may have screamed for help, but no one was there to rescue her. (28) This is what you must do when a man rapes a virgin who isn’t engaged. When the crime is discovered, (29) the man who had sexual intercourse with her must give the girl’s father 1¼ pounds of silver, and she will become his wife. Since he raped her, he can never divorce her as long as he lives. (30) A man must never marry his father’s wife because this would disgrace his father. COMMENTS – 11:16 I’m going to talk about Deuteronomy 22 today. Have you ever heard the phrase “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”? I don’t think I’m a fool. But if I am, so be it. You know, every so often current events and or cultural conditions can’t help but influence my commentary on the day’s reading. This is obviously not a political or a news show, and I do dislike participating in political speech on this show. And as a matter of fact, I don’t think that what I’m going to say is political because I’m only going to talk about what the Word of God says. But some might want to paint today’s episode with a political label. Whatever. What I’m about to talk about needs to be addressed, especially with what’s going on in our current culture. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created humans in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.” And dropping down just a couple of verses, Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw everything that he had made and that it was very good.” Deuteronomy 22:5, that we read today says, “A woman must never wear anything men would wear, and a man must never wear women’s clothes. Whoever does this is disgusting to the Lord your God.” Now, listen, I am not a transphobe. I do not hate people of either sex if they disagree with me or with scripture, and I’m certainly not afraid of them. That is what “phobia” means. You know that right? The reason I’m talking to you about this today, my motivation on everything that I ever say on this show is to explain the scriptures in such a way that the true nature of God is revealed. I believe that when he is properly understood, people’s hearts will be changed, and eternal lives will be saved. Failing that, my hope is that there will, at least, be an understanding and maybe even less antipathy. Now, when these scriptures were written, it was common for men and women to wear clothes that were similar. Both sexes wore long robes but with distinctive styles that differentiated between the sexes. Deuteronomy 22:5 was a command not to blur the lines between the sexes, or to purposely dress in the manner of the opposite sex. You see, as Genesis 1:27 says, God created only two sexes, male and female. There is not a spectrum. It’s either one or the other. Now before you say, “But Steve, some people are born with the organs of both.” Well, yes, I know that’s true. But listen, we live in a world that is suffering the effects of sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, all of creation has been under a curse. Romans 8:22 says, “All creation groans…” Every living thing on the planet is less than God intended it to be. Humans were not meant to die. Humans were not meant to be born with any kind of defects. And there was not supposed to be any disease. Every system on the planet is not what God originally intended. The weather isn’t even the way God intended it to be. Earthquakes weren’t supposed to be something we worried about. Everything is broken. Sin ruined everything, including how we think about ourselves and each other. Birth defects do happen. And when a baby is born with a defect, it isn’t because God made it happen. It’s because of the condition of the world. It’s because of sin, not the sin of the parents. It’s just the effect of everything on the planet. Creation groans, remember? Yes, God does allow bad things to happen, but he is not the cause of bad things happening. “Well, couldn’t he just step in and stop bad things from happening?” you ask. Well, sometimes he does. But other times he doesn’t. The thing we have to remember about God is he is sovereign, which means that he does what he does. And he answers only to himself. But know this: His way is perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he…” Beloved, one day, everyone who has ever been born will see the truth of that and acknowledge it. So back to the subject at hand. God says that it’s wrong to dress in the manner of the opposite sex. Why? Well, because for one thing, it is rebellion against his will. If he created you, as a male, he wants you to be a male. If he created you, as a female, he wants you to be a female. God truly does love you and he has a marvelous plan for your life. He wants the very best for you. And to reject that plan is really cutting off your nose to spite your face. I’ve said it many times here on this show. God’s laws are not given to take our fun away. He’s not a cosmic killjoy. He is a loving Father who knows what is best for us. But there is an Enemy. He’s called Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, the god of this world and many other names in the Bible. His mission from the beginning of the creation has been to pervert God’s creation, and keep people from having a relationship with God. He takes what is beautiful, and he perverts it. What we’re seeing in our culture today with a blurring of sexual boundaries and distinctions is really nothing new, as is evident by the fact that God talks about it here in Deuteronomy 22. People today think that they’re being progressive by advancing this agenda. They’re not progressive. They’re puppets of Satan. The Good News is that their sin can be forgiven. God said in Ezekiel 18:23, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” And 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance.” What is repentance? Repentance is turning away from or going in an entirely new direction. It is agreeing with God that I have sinned, that I want to begin living as he wants me to, that I acknowledged that his way is better than my way. But listen, I can’t do it on my own. It’s impossible for me to live a perfect life. Only one man has ever done that, and his name is Jesus. But Jesus is more than a man. He is also God. He is fully God and fully human. And he is the only way that I or anyone else can have a restored relationship with God. John 3:16-21 says, “(16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (19) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (20) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (21) But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” Listen carefully. God loves you, and He loves you enough to give you free will. You have to decide. The time is now. If you have not yet accepted the free gift of salvation that Jesus is offering you today, you can do it now. The simple fact is you may not have tomorrow. The Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I were reminded recently how quickly our lives could be snuffed out with no warning. We were involved in a hit-and-run traffic accident and believe me, there was absolutely no time to think about what was happening. We were driving along a street that we’d been on literally thousands of times before just a little more than two miles from our home. When all of a sudden there was a terrible crashing sound of metal against metal. Our car shook and I had to wrestle the steering wheel to keep control. LeeAnn screamed and I watched the car that had sideswiped us accelerate down the road in front of us. Praise the Lord, we were not hurt, but we could have been, because instead of rear-ending our car, he sideswiped us. He missed rear-ending our car by just inches. The point is, you never know how or when your life will be over. When you make the decision now to follow Jesus? If you want to have a changed life, a changed eternity, let me lead you in a prayer where you’ll tell God that you want to turn from your sin, and that you want to follow Jesus, Will you pray with me? Now once I publish this podcast, I don’t know who will hear it, where they’ll hear it or when they’ll hear it. I still have episodes from almost 18 years ago up at lifespringmedia.com. And they get listened to. And I have no idea how many episodes are on hard drives all over the world. So whether you’re hearing this on the day that I publish it, or days, weeks, months or years later, this invitation is for you to hear right now, as you’re listening to my voice. Decide now that this is the day to have your eternity changed. Would you pray with me? Dear heavenly Father, I come to you now confessing my sins. I know that I have not lived the way I should, and I asked you to forgive me now. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to take my sins upon himself. Jesus, I’m asking you to be my Lord and my Savior, now. Show me how I should live. Teach me. Help me to follow you. Thank you for hearing my prayer, Lord. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family. You might have felt like a weight was lifted from you. You might have felt some strong emotion. Or you might have felt nothing. Whatever you felt, that’s okay. Our relationship with God is not based on emotions. Our relationship with God is based on his promise. And God promised that anyone who accepts Jesus will be saved. If you accepted Jesus just now and you meant it, you are saved because God promised it and he always keeps his promise. Now, if you did just pray that prayer with me, I’ve got a gift for you. It’s free. I want to send you a special edition of the New Testament called the New Believer’s Bible. All you have to do is send me a quick email with your name and address so I can mail it to you at my expense. This New Testament has hundreds and hundreds of notes in it by Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church written with new believers in mind, this New Testament with all these notes is meant to help you get a good start in your walk with God. Now, when I get your email, I’m not going to put you on a list, and I’m not going to send you any spam. I just want to send you this New Testament. And I would like to pray for you. And if you’ve got questions, I’ll answer anything that I can for you. Send that email to st***@*************ia.com. And God bless you welcome to the family of God. Not to mention welcome to the Lifespring family. If you have a comment on today’s show, let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e334. Boost. SUPPORTER SHOUT-OUTS – 23:27 A donation just came in from a very, very long-time Lifespring family member from the UK. Robert sent in $10.42. Now I’m sure there’s a meaning with that number, but I’ve got to confess that I’m not getting it. Robert send me an email. Let me know. I think the first time Robert donated was way back in December of 2015. So Robert, thank you so much for being around for so long and for your support. God bless you. Boostagram. And I got a couple of boostagrams yesterday for episode 333. Actually, this boostagram came in from Sean of San Pedro the day before yesterday. He said in 3,333 sats and he said, “I just saw a reminder in the newsletter of the obvious episode number coming up tomorrow. Congrats on 333 shows this season and I’m on pins and needles for Monday’s announcement.” Well, Sean, you’re about to hear it. Thank you for that boostagram. And this morning, I got 3,333 sats from John and he said, “Boosting 3,333 while streaming 333 sats per minute for episode 333. God bless.” John, thank you for all those threes, and for the boostagram and the sats. God bless you. SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT – 24:50 Okay, so on the last couple of episodes I told you that I had an announcement to make today. The time is here. Here it is. As you know by now, this season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is going to be ending on August 31 of this year, just 30 days away. The announcement is this: season 12 will be the last season of the show. After that there will be no more new episodes of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And it may be, and I emphasize “may,” be the last episode of the podcast career that began when God called me to create the world’s first Christian podcast in late 2004. Let me explain, it truly has been one of my greatest joys to do as God called me to do all those years ago. If you want the details, you can find them on the About page at lifespringmedia.com. But the bottom line is that when God called me, he said just three words, “Proclaim my name.” And I’ve tried to do that on every episode that I have ever produced, whether for this show, or any of the other shows at lifespringmedia.com. But after these last two seasons of this show, producing a show a day for two years, with just a two month hiatus between the two seasons, I gotta say I’m tired, more than tired, really. I’ll be 68 this month. And sitting at this desk and behind this microphone for the many hours it takes to study, to write, to record, to edit, and to publish this show, literally every day for two years – well, it’s taken a toll on my health. I honestly cannot do a daily show anymore. Now let me hasten to say that this season, season 12, has been the best year I have ever had in podcasting. And it is you who have made it the best. We have had more back-and-forth. There has been more engagement than ever before. And it has been so exciting and so rewarding and thrilling and just heartwarming to get to know you. You’ve written notes of encouragement, and many of you have given donations to help pay the bills. There’s the Lifespring family team, Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. This has been an amazing year. And I love you for all that you’ve done. And right now I’m asking all of you – that’s all – that’s every single person, all of you, whether or not you have interacted with me ever before. I’m asking you one more thing, just one. Have you got your ears on? I said that the August 31 episode may be the last episode of my podcast career. Whether it is the last episode depends on you. And when I say you, I don’t mean the collective you. I mean, you listening to me right now in August of 2022, you in your car right now, you doing chores around the house, you doing whatever it is you’re doing right now, I need this from you. If there is a podcast that you would like me to create, or if you have an idea for a show, email me at st***@*************ia.com. And tell me what you’re thinking, I am willing to continue podcasting, but I just can’t do it every day. Most podcasts are weekly, some a couple of episodes a week, some are one or two a month. Very, very few are daily shows. But if there is something that you would like to hear me do, please let me know. And listen, as I said, I need to hear from each and every one of you, every individual listening right now. Even if you don’t have an idea for a show, just say, “Steve, you’ve had a good run, but go ahead and turn off the mic.” Or say, “Steve, I don’t have a specific idea. But I just don’t want you to quit podcasting.” Or whatever. Just tell me what you’re thinking. I was talking with my friend Ron Ploof and his wife a couple of weeks ago, telling them that I was really in a quandary about whether to hang it up at the end of the season, and that I was thinking of asking the Lifespring family for your input and Ron’s wife said, “You could take their ideas and then do one idea one week and another idea the next week and so on. Sort of an ‘Ask Steve’ thing.” Well I liked that idea. Maybe I’ll do just that. But I don’t know. So even if you don’t think that your idea would be appropriate for a whole separate podcast of an indeterminate amount of episodes, maybe it would be good for one or two episodes. I mean, if you’re interested, chances are other people would be too. And the reason I want and need all of you to participate in this exercise is because I need to know how much interest is there. If there’s a lot of interest, great. But if there’s not a lot of interest, that’s okay, too. I’m at the time of my life where there are things I do want to do. LeeAnn has several projects that she’s been patiently waiting for me to do for her. And I’ve got some hobbies that I’ve put on the backburner for too long. I’ve got grandkids. I want to spend time with them. There are things I do want to do. But – this is a big “but” – as a servant of Jesus, my life is not my own. He bought me with a price. I belong to Him, and it is him that I willingly serve. If now is not the time to turn off the Lifespring Media microphone I will willingly and happily keep right on going along. I just can’t do the daily thing anymore, then I feel completely at ease with that decision. I believe the Lord has released me from that part of my call. But listen, Christians don’t retire. As long as God keeps us here, he has a job for us. I’ll always do something for the Lord. Maybe I’ll be a podcaster until I can no longer speak. Maybe only until August 31. But please tell me what you would like to see me do. Please make it a matter of prayer. Listen to the Lord and tell me what you come away with. I’m serious. Sometimes God speaks through godly people. And I truly do want to do whatever it is he wants my next step to be. So send an email to me it st***@*************ia.com. I’m going to be taking your email all month long. But please don’t wait till the end of the month. Also in your subject line put “THE NEXT STEP” so it doesn’t get put into my spam folder. So that’s it. That’s the announcement. This is the last season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible and perhaps it’ll be the last podcast. I don’t know. I need to hear from you, st***@*************ia.com, subject line, THE NEXT STEP. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 31:37 On this date in church history, August 1, 1953, British literary scholar and Christian apologist, C. S. Lewis wrote in a letter on this date, “How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible.” PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISE REPORTS – 32:03 Prayer requests and praises. Here’s a praise for you. Kathi is at Del and Kathi’s daughter’s home and she has a strong appetite. So that’s great. It’s been a long time since she had any appetite at all. So praise God for that. CLOSING PRAYER – 32:16 Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank you for teaching us. And I pray, Lord, that what we learned from Deuteronomy today, and my comments about it, would be received in the manner that it was given, in love. Your will for us is always for our benefit. And I pray that if there is anyone listening now that have not asked Jesus to be their Lord, that they would do that now. Thank you for continuing to bring strength to Kathi and I pray that you would complete her healing, and bless Christi and her husband for opening their house for Kathi, And be with Del as he’s up the hill by himself. And bless the Lifespring family. Lord, I pray that you would meet the needs that each one has. And Father, I asked you to speak to them about what you want me to do once this season is over. Give them your thoughts. Lord, I pray. I pray this all in Jesus’ name. Amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise, please go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. OUTRO S12E334 – 33:22 Please do remember to give some thought and prayer to the question of what you’d like me to do once this season is over. And then email your thoughts to me at st***@*************ia.com with the words “THE NEXT STEP” in the subject line. Very important: THE NEXT STEP. Comment on this show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e334. And thanks to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise, that group of people that I affectionately call The Team. Thank you very much to you sat streamers. It’s cool to have the early adopters in the Lifespring family. Thanks to Robert in the UK for your donation today and for being such a longtime Lifespring family member. God bless you. And beloved thank you for the honor of being with you today. I appreciate it. It’s good to see you. Are you glad the show is here? Has it been a blessing to you this year? If so, please send some support to lifespringmedia.com/support. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E327
    September 13 · 15 min

    S3E327 – 1 John 1-3: They’re Talking About You

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Epistles Sunday. Our reading will be 1 John 1-3.. Before I begin the chapters, I’ll have an introduction to John’s Epistles for you. Tomorrow is August 1st, and I will have an announcement to share with you on the show, so don’t miss it. I’m calling today’s episode “They’re Talking About You.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Thomas M. Evans on Unsplash Comments on 1 John 1-3 Chapter 1 John begins chapter one much like he did his Gospel. He refers to Jesus as the Word, and he affirms that the Word has existed from the beginning. And he says that he, John, personally saw and heard Him. He says that it is through Jesus that we can have a relationship with God, and that when we have that, we have a relationship with other believers…we truly are brothers and sisters. This is important because if we say we believe, and yet don’t love each other, we are fooling ourselves. And then at the end of chapter one we read one of the foundational truths of the Gospel. John writes in verse nine, “God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong.” Of course, God sets a high standard for us, but He knows how weak and fallible we are. But because of what Jesus did on the cross, this forgiveness is available to all who believe. Chapter 2 And in the opening verses of chapter two, John continues this thought. And this one just blows me away. Did you know that you are a topic of conversation between Jesus and the Father? You are. And I am. Listen to this. John writes: I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. Yet, if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ, who has God’s full approval. He speaks on our behalf when we come into the presence of the Father.” When you and I sin, Jesus looks at the Father and says, “Forgive him, Father. I already paid for that sin with my blood.” What better advocate could there possibly be? Such Good News! Of course, there are a lot of golden nuggets of truth in these first three chapters, but I’m going to leave you with that last one. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-3 GWT Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 This one just blows me away. INTRO S12E333 – 0:09 Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year and the year is almost over. Today’s Epistle Sunday and our reading will be 1 John chapters 1 through 3. Before I begin the chapters, I’ll have an introduction to John’s epistles for you. And tomorrow is August 1. I’ll have an announcement to share with you on that show. So you might not want to miss it. I’m calling today’s episode, “They are Talking About You”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e333. If you’d like to send me an email, I’d sure love to read it. Send it to st***@*************ia.com. And by the way, as you just heard, this is episode 333 of season 12. And I’ll have a little bit more to say about 333 a little bit later in the show. Let’s get started. INTRO TO EPISTLES OF JOHN – 1:05 1 John is one of three epistles or letters that are attributed to John the Apostle who also wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation. He’s the disciple that is often called John the Beloved, because it’s thought that he’s the one referred to six different times in the Gospel of John as the disciple whom Jesus loved. He’s also the disciple who was with Mary at the foot of the cross and into whose care Jesus gave Mary. The letters were not written to a specific church, but were intended to be circulated around to all the churches, the epistle was written to help them and encourage them in their devotion to Jesus, and to remind them that false teachers would be around and to emphasize that their love of God and people, especially other believers, was of the utmost importance. 1 JOHN 1 (GWT) – 1:53 1 John, chapter 1. (1) The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed it and touched it. (2) This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us. (3) This is the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (4) We are writing this so that we can be completely filled with joy. (5) This is the message we heard from Christ and are reporting to you: God is light, and there isn’t any darkness in him. (6) If we say, “We have a relationship with God” and yet live in the dark, we’re lying. We aren’t being truthful. (7) But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin. (8) If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. (10) If we say, “We have never sinned,” we turn God into a liar and his Word is not in us. 1 JOHN 2 (GWT) – 3:13 1 John, chapter 2. (1) My dear children, I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. Yet, if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ, who has God’s full approval. He speaks on our behalf when we come into the presence of the Father. (2) He is the payment for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world. (3) We are sure that we know Christ if we obey his commandments. (4) The person who says, “I know him,” but doesn’t obey his commandments is a liar. The truth isn’t in that person. (5) But whoever obeys what Christ says is the kind of person in whom God’s love is perfected. That’s how we know we are in Christ. (6) Those who say that they live in him must live the same way he lived. (7) Dear friends, it’s not as though I’m writing to give you a new commandment. Rather, I’m giving you an old commandment that you’ve had from the beginning. It’s the old commandment you’ve already heard. (8) On the other hand, I’m writing to give you a new commandment. It’s a truth that exists in Christ and in you: The darkness is fading, and the true light is already shining. (9) Those who say that they are in the light but hate other believers are still in the dark. (10) Those who love other believers live in the light. Nothing will destroy the faith of those who live in the light. (11) Those who hate other believers are in the dark and live in the dark. They don’t know where they’re going, because they can’t see in the dark. (12) I’m writing to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ. (13) I’m writing to you, fathers, because you know Christ who has existed from the beginning. I’m writing to you, young people, because you have won the victory over the evil one. (14) I’ve written to you, children, because you know the Father. I’ve written to you, fathers, because you know Christ, who has existed from the beginning. I’ve written to you, young people, because you are strong and God’s word lives in you. You have won the victory over the evil one. (15) Don’t love the world and what it offers. Those who love the world don’t have the Father’s love in them. (16) Not everything that the world offers—physical gratification, greed, and extravagant lifestyles—comes from the Father. It comes from the world, and (17) the world and its evil desires are passing away. But the person who does what God wants lives forever. (18) Children, it’s the end of time. You’ve heard that an antichrist is coming. Certainly, many antichrists are already here. That’s how we know it’s the end of time. (19) They left us. However, they were never really part of us. If they had been, they would have stayed with us. But by leaving they made it clear that none of them were part of us. (20) The Holy One has anointed you, so all of you have knowledge. (21) I’m writing to you because you know the truth, not because you don’t know the truth. You know that no lie ever comes from the truth. (22) Who is a liar? Who else but the person who rejects Jesus as the Messiah? The person who rejects the Father and the Son is an antichrist. (23) Everyone who rejects the Son doesn’t have the Father either. The person who acknowledges the Son also has the Father. (24) Make sure that the message you heard from the beginning lives in you. If that message lives in you, you will also live in the Son and in the Father. (25) Christ has given us the promise of eternal life. (26) I’m writing to you about those who are trying to deceive you. (27) The anointing you received from Christ lives in you. You don’t need anyone to teach you something else. Instead, Christ’s anointing teaches you about everything. His anointing is true and contains no lie. So live in Christ as he taught you to do. (28) Now, dear children, live in Christ. Then, when he appears we will have confidence, and when he comes we won’t turn from him in shame. (29) If you know that Christ has God’s approval, you also know that everyone who does what God approves of has been born from God. 1 JOHN 3 (GWT) – 7:12 1 John, chapter 3. (1) Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are. For this reason the world doesn’t recognize us, and it didn’t recognize him either. (2) Dear friends, now we are God’s children. What we will be isn’t completely clear yet. We do know that when Christ appears we will be like him because we will see him as he is. (3) So all people who have this confidence in Christ keep themselves pure, as Christ is pure. (4) Those who live sinful lives are disobeying God. Sin is disobedience. (5) You know that Christ appeared in order to take away our sins. He isn’t sinful. (6) Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ. (7) Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you. Whoever does what God approves of has God’s approval as Christ has God’s approval. (8) The person who lives a sinful life belongs to the devil, because the devil has been committing sin since the beginning. The reason that the Son of God appeared was to destroy what the devil does. (9) Those who have been born from God don’t live sinful lives. What God has said lives in them, and they can’t live sinful lives. They have been born from God. (10) This is the way God’s children are distinguished from the devil’s children. Everyone who doesn’t do what is right or love other believers isn’t God’s child. (11) The message that you have heard from the beginning is to love each other. (12) Don’t be like Cain. He was a child of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain murder his brother? Because the things Cain did were evil and the things his brother did had God’s approval. (13) Brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised if the world hates you. (14) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love other believers. The person who doesn’t grow in love remains in death. (15) Everyone who hates another believer is a murderer, and you know that a murderer doesn’t have eternal life. (16) We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. (17) Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? (18) Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. (19) This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be reassured in his presence. (20) Whenever our conscience condemns us, we will be reassured that God is greater than our conscience and knows everything. (21) Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we can boldly look to God (22) and receive from him anything we ask. We receive it because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. (23) This is his commandment: to believe in his Son, the one named Jesus Christ, and to love each other as he commanded us. (24) Those who obey Christ’s commandments live in God, and God lives in them. We know that he lives in us because he has given us the Spirit. COMMENTS – 10:30 John begins chapter 1, much like he did his Gospel. He refers to Jesus as the word and that the word existed from the beginning. And he says that he, John, personally saw and heard him. He says that it’s through Jesus, that we can have a relationship with God. And that when we have that we have a relationship with other believers. We truly are brothers and sisters. And this is important because if we say we believe and yet don’t love each other, we’re fooling ourselves. And then at the end of the chapter, we read one of the foundational truths of the Gospel. John writes in verse 9, “God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong.” If you’ve been listening to the show for very long, you’ve heard me quote that verse many times. And then in the opening verses of chapter 2, John continues this thought, and this one just blows me away. Did you know that you’re a topic of conversation between Jesus and the Father? You are! And so am I! Listen to this. John wrote, “I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. Yet, if anyone does sin, we have Jesus Christ, who has God’s full approval. He speaks on our behalf when we come into the presence of the Father.” So when you and I sin, Jesus looks at the father and says, “Forgive him, Father. Forgive her, Father. I already paid for that sin with my blood.” Isn’t that a marvelous thing to hear? What better advocate could there possibly be than Jesus himself? That is such good news. Of course, there are a lot of golden nuggets of truth in these first three chapters, but, today, I’m just going to leave you with that last one. You can’t improve on that. You have any comments? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e333. Our reading tomorrow will be Deuteronomy 20 through 22. Boost. EPISODE 333 PROMOTION – 12:34 So this is episode 333 of season 12. And what with Kathi’s health problems this week, I didn’t even think to create a special deal to mark the 333. It wasn’t until I saw the really cool newsletter that Kirsty sent out this week that I realized that I missed out. So by all means, donations of $3.33 or $33.33 or $333.33 or $3333.33 are all welcome. And I’ll announce them on the show. I can’t believe I missed it. But you know, there are priorities. Kirsty thank you for bringing it to my attention. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 13:23 On this date in church history, July 31, 1970, the complete New American Standard Version of the Bible was published on this date. The New American Standard New Testament first appeared in 1963. PRAISE REPORT – 13:44 I have a praise report about Kathi. Got some great news from Del this morning. Kathi is being released from the hospital today and I’m recording this on Saturday afternoon. Now, because of the stairs at Del and Kathi’s house, which she’s too weak to tackle right now, she’ll be going to stay with one of their daughters. And they hope to get an appointment set tomorrow, Monday, with City of Hope to start the new cancer treatments. And by the way, she started back on solid foods today, too. So good news all around. Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers. CLOSING PRAYER – Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, what a joy it is to know that Jesus intercedes for us with you father. Knowing that he is our intercessor brings a great deal of security and peace, and we thank you for that, Lord. And I thank you for your hand on Kathi. In Jesus’ name, I just ask that you would continue the healing. And I pray, Lord, that You would bless the Lifespring family today. Where there are needs. I pray that you work your perfect will in each life. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. And if you have a prayer request or to praise just go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. OUTRO S12E333 – 14:57 Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e333. Send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team. Kirsty, again, thanks for that great newsletter you just sent out. Thanks to Sean of San Pedro for being so quick and having those chapters done even before the show was published many times. And Denise, thank you for all the work you do on correcting the transcripts. Thank you for making me a part of your podcast-listening day. I am honored and I don’t take it for granted. So thank you very much. And please do support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support. Please and thank you. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Remember I have an announcement tomorrow. See you then. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E326
    September 12 · 15 min

    S3E326 – Acts 17-18: Just Do Your Job

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Gospel Saturday Acts 17-18. I’m calling today’s episode “Just Do Your Job.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Elaine Casap on Unsplash Comments on Acts 18 Something that struck me in today’s reading was in verse 5 and 6. Paul had told the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, and he was opposed and slandered. Other translations use the word “blasphemed” or “became abusive” or “insulted.” His response to this treatment was interesting. What do many of us tend to do today when people don’t accept our message? We try to change our approach. We try even harder to convince them that Jesus is who He said He is. But Paul shook the dust from his clothes in protest and said to them, “You are responsible for your own fates! I’m innocent! From now on I’ll go to the Gentiles!” He didn’t seem to fret over saving every last person he delivered the message to. Folks, we need to remember that our job is merely to deliver the message as faithfully and accurately as we can. It’s not our job to make them believe. We can’t. It’s the Holy Spirit who convinces. Yes, we must be prepared to give an answer when people ask questions, but we cannot bring about change in the human heart. Once we’ve delivered the message, our job is done. That’s not to say that we should take too casual an attitude about witnessing, however. Note that in verse 28, we’re told that Apollos “would vigorously defeat Jewish arguments in public debate,” and here is the key part of the verse, “using the scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Christ.” He defeated the Jews with the scriptures. Not his own human arguments, but with scripture. Very important. Scripture is the living Word of God. My own arguments are just the word of Steve, which isn’t worth much. But God’s Word? That’ll change someone’s eternity. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 17 NCV; Ch. 18 CEB Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 Scripture is the living word of God. INTRO S12E325 – 0:10 Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. What’s going on? Today is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts 17 and 18. I’m calling today’s episode, “Just Do Your Job”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e325. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. And I think it’s time we get started. ACTS 17 (NCV) – 0:44 Acts, chapter 17. (1) Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue. (2) Paul went into the synagogue as he always did, and on each Sabbath day for three weeks, he talked with his fellow Jews about the Scriptures. (3) He explained and proved that the Christ must die and then rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I am telling you about is the Christ.” (4) Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, along with many of the Greeks who worshiped God and many of the important women. (5) But some others became jealous. So they got some evil men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot. They ran to Jason’s house, looking for Paul and Silas, wanting to bring them out to the people. (6) But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers to the leaders of the city. The people were yelling, “These people have made trouble everywhere in the world, and now they have come here too! (7) Jason is keeping them in his house. All of them do things against the laws of Caesar, saying there is another king, called Jesus.” (8) When the people and the leaders of the city heard these things, they became very upset. (9) They made Jason and the others put up a sum of money. Then they let the believers go free. (10) That same night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea where they went to the synagogue. (11) These people were more willing to listen than the people in Thessalonica. The Bereans were eager to hear what Paul and Silas said and studied the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true. (12) So, many of them believed, as well as many important Greek women and men. (13) But the people in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, too. So they came there, upsetting the people and making trouble. (14) The believers quickly sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. (15) The people leading Paul went with him to Athens. Then they carried a message from Paul back to Silas and Timothy for them to come to him as soon as they could. (16) While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he was troubled because he saw that the city was full of idols. (17) In the synagogue, he talked with the Jews and the Greeks who worshiped God. He also talked every day with people in the marketplace. (18) Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him, saying, “This man doesn’t know what he is talking about. What is he trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be telling us about some other gods,” because Paul was telling them about Jesus and his rising from the dead. (19) They got Paul and took him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said, “Please explain to us this new idea you have been teaching. (20) The things you are saying are new to us, and we want to know what this teaching means.” (21) (All the people of Athens and those from other countries who lived there always used their time to talk about the newest ideas.) (22) Then Paul stood before the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens, I can see you are very religious in all things. (23) As I was going through your city, I saw the objects you worship. I found an altar that had these words written on it: to a god who is not known. You worship a god that you don’t know, and this is the God I am telling you about! (24) The God who made the whole world and everything in it is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples built by human hands. (25) This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to people. He does not need any help from them; he has everything he needs. (26) God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live. (27) God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us: (28) ‘By his power we live and move and exist.’ Some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are his children.’ (29) Since we are God’s children, you must not think that God is like something that people imagine or make from gold, silver, or rock. (30) In the past, people did not understand God, and he ignored this. But now, God tells all people in the world to change their hearts and lives. (31) God has set a day that he will judge all the world with fairness, by the man he chose long ago. And God has proved this to everyone by raising that man from the dead!” (32) When the people heard about Jesus being raised from the dead, some of them laughed. But others said, “We will hear more about this from you later.” (33) So Paul went away from them. (34) But some of the people believed Paul and joined him. Among those who believed was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others. ACTS 18 (CEB) – 5:31 Acts, chapter 18. (1) After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. (2) There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus. He had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul visited with them. (3) Because they practiced the same trade, he stayed and worked with them. They all worked with leather. (4) Every Sabbath he interacted with people in the synagogue, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks. (5) Once Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. (6) When they opposed and slandered him, he shook the dust from his clothes in protest and said to them, “You are responsible for your own fates! I’m innocent! From now on I’ll go to the Gentiles!” (7) He left the synagogue and went next door to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile God-worshipper. (8) Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household came to believe in the Lord. Many Corinthians believed and were baptized after listening to Paul. (9) One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Don’t be afraid. Continue speaking. Don’t be silent. (10) I’m with you and no one who attacks you will harm you, for I have many people in this city.” (11) So he stayed there for eighteen months, teaching God’s word among them. (12) Now when Gallio was the governor of the province of Achaia, the Jews united in their opposition against Paul and brought him before the court. (13) “This man is persuading others to worship God unlawfully,” they declared. (14) Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If there had been some sort of injury or criminal behavior, I would have reason to accept your complaint. (15) However, since these are squabbles about a message, names, and your own Law, deal with them yourselves. I have no desire to sit in judgment over such things.” (16) He expelled them from the court, (17) but everyone seized Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and gave him a beating in the presence of the governor. None of this mattered to Gallio. (18) After Paul stayed in Corinth for some time, he said good-bye to the brothers and sisters. At the Corinthian seaport of Cenchreae he had his head shaved, since he had made a solemn promise. Then, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, he sailed away to Syria. (19) After they arrived in Ephesus, he left Priscilla and Aquila and entered the synagogue and interacted with the Jews. (20) They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. (21) As he said farewell to them, though, he added, “God willing, I will return.” Then he sailed off from Ephesus. (22) He arrived in Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. (23) After some time there he left and traveled from place to place in the region of Galatia and the district of Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. (24) Meanwhile, a certain Jew named Apollos arrived in Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria and was well-educated and effective in his use of the scriptures. (25) He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and spoke as one stirred up by the Spirit. He taught accurately the things about Jesus, even though he was aware only of the baptism John proclaimed and practiced. (26) He began speaking with confidence in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they received him into their circle of friends and explained to him God’s way more accurately. (27) When he wanted to travel to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples so they would open their homes to him. Once he arrived, he was of great help to those who had come to believe through grace. (28) He would vigorously defeat Jewish arguments in public debate, using the scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Christ. COMMENTS – 9:18 Well, something that struck me in today’s reading was in verse 5 and 6 of chapter 18, Paul had told the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, and he was opposed and slandered. Other translations use the word “blasphemed” or they “became abusive” or “insulted” him. His response to this treatment was interesting to say the least. What do many of us tend to do today when people don’t accept our message? We try to change our approach. We try even harder to convince them that Jesus is who he said he is. But Paul did something entirely different. He shook the dust from his clothes in protest and said to them, “You are responsible for your own fates! I’m innocent! From now on I’ll go to the Gentiles!” Paul didn’t seem to fret over saving every last person he delivered the message to. Folks, we need to remember that our job is merely to deliver the message as faithfully and accurately as we can. It isn’t our job to make them believe. We can’t. It’s the Holy Spirit who convinces. Yes, we have to be prepared to give an answer when people ask questions, but we can’t bring about change in the human heart. Once we’ve delivered the message, our job is done. Now that is not to say that we should take too casually an attitude about witnessing. Note that in verse 28, we’re told that Apollos, quote, “would vigorously defeat Jewish arguments in public debate,” unquote. And then here’s the key part of that verse, quote, “using the scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Christ,” unquote. What did he do? He defeated the Jews with the Scriptures, not his own human arguments, but with scripture. That’s very important. Scripture is the living word of God. My own arguments are just the word of Steve, which aren’t worth much. But God’s word? Well, that’ll change someone’s eternity. What do you think? Have a comment? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e325. Tomorrow’s Epistle Sunday, and we’ll read the book of 2 Peter. Boost! SUPPORTER SHOUT-OUT – 11:24 I just wanted to acknowledge a donation by Anonymous who sent in a $22.22 row-o’-ducks donation. Thank you very much Anonymous, and may God bless you richly. Thank you. You can also participate in the value-for-value method by supporting the show with time, talent or treasure by making a donation to support the show that comes to you seven days a week, rain or shine. It certainly isn’t free for me to create the show for you. And if it’s something that you look forward to each day, it would be awesome if you would return a portion of that value to me to help with the cost of producing the show. What is the show worth to you? Go on over to lifespringmedia.com/support. Take a look at that page, then pray about it and then do what the Lord leads, lifespringmedia.com/support. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 12:18 On this date in church history, July 23, 1825, Samuel Ajayi Crowther who was kidnapped earlier by Muslim slave traders from his Yoruba homeland in North Central Africa, was rescued by English missionaries and baptized into the church. And in 1864, he was consecrated as a missionary Bishop of the Niger territory. Wow, that’s quite a story. PRAYER REQUESTS – 12:49 Prayer requests. Some of you might be aware of and listen to the podcast I produce here at Lifespring Media for my former pastor who’s retired. The show is “In the Word with Mel Bennett”. Well, I got this email from him this morning. He said, “Just a note to let you know I haven’t sent any further podcasts. Had another procedure yesterday on both legs. Had three stents and two balloons in my left leg to open arteries that were clogged. And they checked my right leg and found the artery 100% clogged and could do nothing. We’ll keep watching it. Appreciate your prayers.” So we need to pray for my former pastor. And by the way, for those that might not know, when God called me to podcasting all those years ago, I didn’t have any of the necessary recording gear. So I asked Pastor Bennett, if I could use the church equipment. He didn’t know what a podcast was. Podcasting was brand new at the time. But he said that if God called me to do it, then of course, I could use the church’s microphones and whatever else I needed. So Pastor B was very instrumental in me even talking to you right now. He did send an episode about a week ago that I do hope to get produced and published by this coming Monday. I haven’t gotten to it yet because of my workload, including helping another friend of mine start his own podcast. And I gotta tell you, I’m really anxious to tell you about it. But we’ve got to get our ducks in a row first. So let’s pray for Pastor Bennett. CLOSING PRAYER – 14:11 Our heavenly Father, Lord as we seek to do your will and share the good news. Help us to deliver the message faithfully. Help us to be compassionate and loving, but then step aside and let you bring the harvest as you see fit. Help us to just be faithful to what you’ve called us to do. And Lord, now we pray for Pastor Bennett, that his healing would be quick and as easy as possible. I thank you for his presence in my life for the past thirty-five or so years, and I pray that you would be with him as he recovers. Touch him, Lord, in Jesus name. And I thank you for the Lifespring family and ask you to bless them. And I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com, and give me all the information you want me to have, and if you want to remain anonymous, you can do that too, prayer.lifespringmedia.com OUTRO S12E325 – 15:10 Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e325. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. And thanks to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise for all that they do. You guys are awesome. Thanks to Anonymous for their donation today and helping to bring the show to you. And thank you for meeting me here today. Are you glad the show is here? Are you getting something out of it? Then put something back in. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E325
    September 11 · 28 min

    S3E325 – Zechariah 8-14: There Is A Fountain

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday Zechariah 8-14. I’m calling today’s episode “There Is A Fountain.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Tony Mucci on Unsplash Comments on Zechariah 8-14 The Messiah is prophesied in chapter 6. There, He is referred to as the Branch, who will build the Temple of the Lord. What temple did Jesus build? The Church. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19. And then in chapter 7, the Lord, through Zechariah, said that His people ignored Him, so He ignored them and scattered them among the nations. But in chapter 8 He once again said how much He loves them, and then makes nine more statements that demonstrate that love, so that they would not be discouraged by the punishment they had received because of their disobedience. And isn’t that how a loving Father disciplines his child? How terrible it is when a parent allows a child to lose hope, to doubt that he or she is still loved. Discipline should always be couched in love, and the child should always have that love reinforced. This is what God the Father has always done for us, His children. In verse 1 of chapter 12, we read, “The word of the Lord concerning Israel. A declaration of the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.” This verse is confirming that the God who created all that is spoke this message, just in case there was any doubt about its veracity. The Supreme Being of the Universe has a message, and all who hear should listen. The bottom line of God’s message is that any nation that comes against Jerusalem will ultimately be soundly defeated. Any nation that comes against Israel is on a fool’s errand. They may triumph for a day, but the final outcome is sure. The chapter ends, of course, with a look forward to Jesus Himself, the fact that He would be pierced, and the mourning that would take place upon His death. Chapter 13 begins with the declaration of what would be the result of the piercing. It says, “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.“ Of course, being on this side of the prophecy and having knowledge of the New Testament and the work of Jesus, we know that this promise applies to all, not just to the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, it applies to all who believe. The rest of the chapter speaks more to who this Messiah would be, and it ends with another beautiful promise, “I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: Yahweh is our God.” Imagine. This God who created all that is says, “Steve is mine. Mike is mine. Suzie is mine.” Put your own name in there. You are His, if He is your God. What a privilege! Are you feeling bad today? Do you think no one loves you? Do you get no respect? YOU ARE HIS! Hallelujah! You. Are. His. That should thrill your heart. I know it thrills mine. The final chapter of Zechariah shows us a glimpse of one of the final chapters of man’s history on Earth. It talks about a last battle with those who are against God, and the resolution of the aftermath. Peace. Why did the Lord leave this message with us? So that, even when we are still in the midst of the turmoil and pain that we all must endure, our heart can have peace in the knowledge that we belong to Him and as such, we will be included in His victory and then have lasting peace. Sure, there are difficulties in life, but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that they are temporary. Whatever situation we are in, it is only for a season. It is not permanent. God *is* permanent and unchanging. His promises never fail. And His promise is that victory is sure, and peace is secure. Rest in that, Beloved. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 8-11 NIV; Ch. 12-14 HCSB Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00 Our heart can have peace. INTRO S12E324 – 0:09 Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How’s your day going? Today’s Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Zechariah 8 through 14 which will finish that book. I’m calling today’s episode, “There is a Fountain”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e324. That means we’ve got forty more episodes in this season. If you’d like to email me, you can send it to st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin. ZECHARIAH 8 (NIV) – 0:48 Zechariah, chapter 8. (1) The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. (2) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.” (3) This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.” (4) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. (5) The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” (6) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of the people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty. (7) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. (8) I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” (9) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty. (10) Before that time there were no wages for people or hire for animals. No one could go about their business safely because of their enemies, since I had turned everyone against their neighbor. (11) But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the Lord Almighty. (12) “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. (13) Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.” (14) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty, (15) “so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. (16) These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; (17) do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. (18) The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. (19) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.” (20) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, (21) and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ (22) And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” (23) This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold by one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” ZECHARIAH 9 (NIV) – 4:04 Zechariah, chapter 9. (1) A prophecy: The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus— for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord— (2) and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful. (3) Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. (4) But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire. (5) Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither. Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted. (6) A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines. (7) I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites. (8) But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch. (9) Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (10) I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (11) As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. (12) Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. (13) I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword. (14) Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, (15) and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar. (16) The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. (17) How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women. ZECHARIAH 10 (NIV) – 6:44 Zechariah, chapter 10. (1) Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. (2) The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd. (3) “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle. (4) From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler. (5) Together they will be like warriors in battle trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame. (6) “I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. (7) The Ephraimites will become like warriors, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. (8) I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. (9) Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. (10) I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. (11) They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. (12) I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,” declares the Lord. ZECHARIAH 11 (NIV) – 8:43 Zechariah, chapter 11. (1) Open your doors, Lebanon, so that fire may devour your cedars! (2) Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen; the stately trees are ruined! Wail, oaks of Bashan; the dense forest has been cut down! (3) Listen to the wail of the shepherds; their rich pastures are destroyed! Listen to the roar of the lions; the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined! (4) This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter. (5) Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them. (6) For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.” (7) So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. (8) In one month I got rid of the three shepherds. The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them (9) and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” (10) Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. (11) It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord. (12) I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. (13) And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord. (14) Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel. (15) Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. (16) For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves. (17) “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!” ZECHARIAH 12 (HCSB) – 11:07 Zechariah, chapter 12. (1) An Oracle The word of the Lord concerning Israel. A declaration of the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. (2) “Look, I will make Jerusalem a cup that causes staggering for the peoples who surround the city. The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah. (3) On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who try to lift it will injure themselves severely when all the nations of the earth gather against her. (4) On that day”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness. I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah but strike all the horses of the nations with blindness. (5) Then each of the leaders of Judah will think to himself: The residents of Jerusalem are my strength through the Lord of Hosts, their God. (6) On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the right and the left, while Jerusalem continues to be inhabited on its site, in Jerusalem. (7) The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of David’s house and the glory of Jerusalem’s residents may not be greater than that of Judah. (8) On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that on that day the one who is weakest among them will be like David on that day, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord, before them. (9) On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (10) “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps for a firstborn. (11) On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. (12) The land will mourn, every family by itself: the family of David’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Nathan’s house by itself and their women by themselves; (13) the family of Levi’s house by itself and their women by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself and their women by themselves; (14) all the remaining families, every family by itself, and their women by themselves. ZECHARIAH 13 (HCSB) – 13:33 Zechariah, chapter 13. (1) “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity. (2) On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—“I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. (3) If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will say to him: You cannot remain alive because you have spoken falsely in the name of Yahweh. When he prophesies, his father and his mother who bore him will pierce him through. (4) On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive. (5) He will say: I am not a prophet; I work the land, for a man purchased me as a servant since my youth. (6) If someone asks him: What are these wounds on your chest? — then he will answer: I received the wounds in the house of my friends. (7) Sword, awake against My shepherd, against the man who is My associate— this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will also turn My hand against the little ones. (8) In the whole land— this is the Lord’s declaration— two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it. (9) I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will restore them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: Yahweh is our God.” ZECHARIAH 14 (HCSB) – 15:11 Zechariah, chapter 14. (1) A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence. (2) I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city. (3) Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle. (4) On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south. (5) You will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with Him. (6) On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish. (7) It will be a day known only to Yahweh, without day or night, but there will be light at evening. (8) On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike. (9) On that day Yahweh will become King over all the earth—Yahweh alone, and His name alone. (10) All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. (11) People will live there, and never again will there be a curse of complete destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security. (12) This will be the plague the Lord strikes all the peoples with, who have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. (13) On that day a great panic from the Lord will be among them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of one will rise against the other. (14) Judah will also fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected: gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance. (15) The same plague as the previous one will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals that are in those camps. (16) Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths. (17) Should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, rain will not fall on them. (18) And if the people[k] of Egypt will not go up and enter, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague the Lord inflicts on the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths. (19) This will be the punishment of Egypt and all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths. (20) On that day, the words HOLY TO THE LORD will be on the bells of the horses. The pots in the house of the Lord will be like the sprinkling basins before the altar. (21) Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of Hosts. Everyone who sacrifices will come and take some of the pots to cook in. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts. COMMENTS – 18:35 In chapter 7, the Lord through Zechariah said that his people ignored him. So he ignored them and scattered them among the nations. But in chapter 8, he once again said how much He loves them, and then makes nine more statements that demonstrate that love so that they would not be discouraged by the punishment they had received because of their disobedience. And isn’t that how a loving father disciplines his child. It’s sad when a parent allows a child to lose hope and to doubt that he or she is still loved, isn’t it? Discipline should always be couched in love, and the child should always have that love reinforced. And this is what God the Father has always done for us His children. Now in verse one of chapter 12, we read the Word of the Lord concerning Israel, a declaration of the Lord who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him. That verse is confirming that the God who created all that is, spoke this message just in case there was any doubt about its veracity. The supreme being of the universe has a message and all who here should listen. And then the bottom line of God’s message is that any nation that comes against Jerusalem will ultimately be soundly defeated. Any nation that comes against Israel is on a fool’s errand. They may triumph for a day but the final outcome is sure. Chapter 12 ends, of course, with a look forward to Jesus himself, and the fact that he would be pierced and the mourning that would take place upon his death. And then chapter 13 begins with a declaration of what would be the result of the piercing. It says, “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity.“ Now, of course, being on this side of the prophecy and having knowledge of the New Testament and the work of Jesus, we know that this promise applies to all not just to the house of David and the residence of Jerusalem. It applies to all who believe. And then the rest of the chapter speaks more of who this Messiah would be. And it ends with another beautiful promise. That promise is: “I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: Yahweh is our God.” Imagine, Beloved, this God who created all that is, says, “Steve is mine. Mike is mine. Suzie is mine.” Put your own name in there. You are his, if he is your God. What a privilege! Are you feeling bad today? Do you think no one loves you? Do you get no respect? Well, listen, you are his! Hallelujah! You are his! That should thrill your heart. I know what thrills mine. The final chapter of Zechariah shows us a glimpse of one of the final chapters of man’s history on Earth. It talks about a last battle with those who are against God in the resolution of the aftermath: peace. So why did the Lord leave this message with us? So that even when we’re still in the midst of the turmoil and pain that we all must endure, our heart can have peace in the knowledge that we belong to Him. And as such, we will be included in his victory and then have lasting peace. Yes, there are difficulties in life but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that they are temporary. Every situation we’re in, it’s only for a season. It is not permanent. But God is permanent and unchanging. His promises never fail. And his promise is that victory is sure, and peace is secure. Rest in that, Beloved. What are your thoughts? You have a comment? Let me know lifespringmedia.com/s12e324. Tomorrow is Gospel Saturday, and we’ll read Acts 17 and 18. Boost. ASSOCIATE PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 22:50 Our Associate Producer, today, is Timothy LaFontaine. He sent in his monthly $20 donation. Timothy, thank you so very much. God bless you, my brother. Thank you for supporting the show. VALUE-FOR-VALUE – 23:01 Beloved, as you know, the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is here for you every day of the week to help keep you on track to read through the entire Bible in a year. There are no advertisers, but expenses do need to be paid, and that’s where you come in. If you value the show, because it is helping you to stay in the word every day or because of the comments I bring to you on every show and the fact that I don’t compromise God’s word, then please support the show. Go to lifespringmedia.com and donate what you feel is equal to the value you receive from the show. Pray about it and do as the Lord leads, lifespringmedia.com/support. I’ll thank you and I believe God’ll bless you. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 23:49 On this date in church history, July 22, 1620, Pastor John Robinson and a band of Separatist Puritans from England who had taken refuge in the Netherlands left Holland for England on this day to emigrate to America. And this congregation afterward became known as the Pilgrims. And on this date in church history, July 22, 1849, Emma Lazarus was born. She was an American Jewish poet and essayist. In 1883, she authored the poem, “The New Colossus”, which is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. PRAYER REQUEST – 24:31 Well, I haven’t mentioned Kathi to you lately. If you’ve been around for a while, you know that Kathi is battling cancer. She’s had some surgeries – well she’s had several surgeries over the years, but recently she had a surgery, and Del took her to City of Hope today for a checkup. She’s not been doing well lately. She’s had to have a few blood transfusions over the last several weeks. And they had an appointment today with the oncologist and this is what Del told me. He said, “The oncologist told us today that he wants to stop the current hormone treatment. Her numbers have gone from 171 to 195.” And those are cancer markers, those – that’s not good for the numbers to be going up. Del continues, “He believes she’ll continue to deteriorate because the cancer is in the bone marrow.” There’s a new drug that was just approved by the FDA a few weeks ago. And it has some side effects, some hair loss, nausea, and susceptibility to infections and other things. So, Del said, “We have a choice to make. Stay on the current drug and slowly die. Or try the new drug with the hope of gaining some life back or dying sooner if it doesn’t work. The doctor said he’d take the risk with his own family.” So Del said they’re going to do the new drug. And the first infusion will be on the 28th for three hours, and then three weeks later for a one hour transfusion. And then every three weeks after, and the decisions on whether they continue or not, will be at three, six, nine and twelve months based on weekly labs. So I asked Del how she took the news. And he said, “She’s feeling very hopeful.” He said, “She’s been praying for a drug that works for her type of cancer.” And he said, “Naturally, we’re looking for her to go into remission.” And then I asked Del how he’s feeling. And he said, “Well, the doctor asked us, straight out of the box, if her affairs were in order.” He said “I’m okay, but overwhelmed by a lot of issues. And this has always been there. I’m taking it one day at a time.” So, Beloved, let’s not just pray here, but if you would remember to pray for Del and Kathi, just – throughout the next few weeks, I would certainly appreciate it. CLOSING PRAYER – 26:37 Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the redemption that you provided to us through Jesus. Thank you for being a loving Father who does not leave us doubting your love for us. Lord, I lift Kathi up to you and Del. As Kathi begins this new treatment, I ask that it’d be effective, Lord, and that the side effects will be minimal. Be with her now, Lord. I know she’s feeling discouraged. And I pray that you comfort both her and Del. And I pray that the Holy Spirit would be with him in a powerful way. May they lean on you as they have from the very beginning of this journey, ever since they learned of the cancer diagnosis all those years ago. You’ve brought them through so many trials, Lord, and I pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you have a prayer request or to praise, please go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. And let me know about it. I’ll pray for you in my private prayer time and we’ll pray together on the show. OUTRO S12E324 – 27:39 Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e324. Send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. And thank you to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. I thank God for you every day. And thanks to Tim for helping to bring the show to you today with his support. And thank you for inviting me to join your day. Let’s do it again tomorrow. Are you glad the show is here? Are you getting something out of it? Then go to lifespringmedia.com/support. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Corrected by Denise Please rate or review the show by clicking the heart!

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  • S12 · E324
    September 10 · 10 min

    S3E324 – Ecclesiastes 9-10: No White Knuckles

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Poetry Thursday. We’ll read Ecclesiastes 9-10. I’m calling today’s episode “No White Knuckles.” Design and Photo: Steve Webb Comments on Ecclesiastes 9-10 Last week when we were last in Ecclesiastes, at the end of chapter eight, Solomon had said that after setting his mind on understanding wisdom, after watching what happens here on earth, he concluded that it’s impossible for a man to understand it all. And this is coming from the wisest man that ever lived! At the beginning of our reading today began with the words, “So I considered all of this carefully, examining all of it: The righteous and the wise and their deeds are in God’s hand…” I’ve discovered that this is a good place to be. Before Jesus left this world he said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” If we try to make sense out of the world, as Solomon did, will become just like him. We will become cynical and jaded. Solomon spent many years in pursuit of the things the world tells us will bring happiness. And near the end, he threw in the towel, and he said, “It’s too much. I can’t understand.” When I was a few years, well, okay, when I was many years younger, during the Jesus Freak days…In the late 60s and early 70s, there was a popular bumper sticker around that said, “Let go and let God.” Like most bumper stickers, that’s overly simplistic, but it fits in our discussion here. When we’re willing to admit that we’re not in control, that it’s all in God’s hands, it becomes easier to let go and let God. One of the reasons Jesus came was to give us peace, which is good, since all the things that the world says will give His peace fall sadly short. It’s a good thing to remember that I’m not God, which is good because I don’t want that job. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 9-10 NKJV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00It’s too much. I can’t understand. INTRO S12E323 – 0:10Right outta Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How’re you doing? Today’s Poetry Thursday. We’ll read Ecclesiastes 9 and 10. And I’m calling the episode, “No White Knuckles”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e323. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get going. ECCLESIASTE 9 (NKJV) – 0:42Ecclesiastes, chapter 9. (1) For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. (2) All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;To the good, the clean, and the unclean;To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.As is the good, so is the sinner;He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. (3) This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (4) But for him who is joined to the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. (5) For the living know that they will die;But the dead know nothing,And they have no more reward,For the memory of them is forgotten.(6) Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;Nevermore will they have a shareIn anything done under the sun. (7) Go, eat your bread with joy,And drink your wine with a merry heart;For God has already accepted your works.(8) Let your garments always be white,And let your head lack no oil. (9) Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. (10) Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. (11) I returned and saw under the sun that— The race is not to the swift,Nor the battle to the strong,Nor bread to the wise,Nor riches to men of understanding,Nor favor to men of skill;But time and chance happen to them all.(12) For man also does not know his time:Like fish taken in a cruel net,Like birds caught in a snare,So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,When it falls suddenly upon them. (13) This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: (14) There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. (15) Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. (16) Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength.Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,And his words are not heard.(17) Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heardRather than the shout of a ruler of fools.(18) Wisdom is better than weapons of war;But one sinner destroys much good.” ECCLESIASTER 10 (NKJV) – 3:36Ecclesiastes, chapter 10. (1) Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,And cause it to give off a foul odor;So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.(2) A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,But a fool’s heart at his left.(3) Even when a fool walks along the way,He lacks wisdom,And he shows everyone that he is a fool.(4) If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,Do not leave your post;For conciliation pacifies great offenses. (5) There is an evil I have seen under the sun,As an error proceeding from the ruler:(6) Folly is set in great dignity,While the rich sit in a lowly place.(7) I have seen servants on horses,While princes walk on the ground like servants. (8) He who digs a pit will fall into it,And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.(9) He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.(10) If the ax is dull,And one does not sharpen the edge,Then he must use more strength;But wisdom brings success. (11) A serpent may bite when it is not charmed;The babbler is no different.(12) The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;(13) The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,And the end of his talk is raving madness.(14) A fool also multiplies words.No man knows what is to be;Who can tell him what will be after him?(15) The labor of fools wearies them,For they do not even know how to go to the city! (16) Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,And your princes feast in the morning!(17) Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,And your princes feast at the proper time—For strength and not for drunkenness!(18) Because of laziness the building decays,And through idleness of hands the house leaks.(19) A feast is made for laughter,And wine makes merry;But money answers everything. (20) Do not curse the king, even in your thought;Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;For a bird of the air may carry your voice,And a bird in flight may tell the matter. COMMENTS – 5:54Last week when we were last in Ecclesiastes, at the end of chapter 8, Solomon had said that after setting his mind on understanding wisdom, after watching what happens here on earth, he concluded that it’s impossible for a man to understand it all, and this is coming from the wisest man that ever lived. And the beginning of our reading today began with the words: “So I considered all of this carefully examining all of it, the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in God’s hand…” Well, beloved, I’ve discovered that this is a good place to be. Before Jesus left this world, he said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” If we try to make sense out of the world, as Solomon did, we’ll become just like him. We’ll become cynical and jaded. Solomon spent many years in pursuit of the things the world tells us will bring happiness and near the end, he threw in the towel, and he said, “It’s too much I can’t understand.” When I was a few years – well, okay, when I was many years younger, during the Jesus Freak days – we’ve talked about this before – in the late 60s and early 70s, there was a popular bumper sticker around that said, “Let go and let God”. Well of course, like most bumper stickers, that’s overly simplistic, but it fits in our discussion here. When we’re willing to admit that we’re not in control, that it’s all in God’s hands, it becomes easier to let go and let God One of the reasons Jesus came was to give us peace, which is good, since all the things that the world says will give us peace fall sadly short. It’s a good thing to remember that I’m not God, which is good because I don’t want that job. What do you think? Let me know at lifespringmedia.com/s12e323. Tomorrow is Prophecy Friday and we’ll read Zechariah 8 through 14 which will finish that book. Boost. Boost. Boost. ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 8:08On this date in church history, July 21, 1829, Priscilla Jane Owens was born and she was an American public school teacher and hymn writer. She lived her entire life in Baltimore, where she taught for 49 years. She also published a number of articles and poems during her lifetime, including the hymn texts,...

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  • #29
    September 9 · length unknown

    Proverbs 16:3 – Roll It Over to God

    What does it mean to “commit” your work to God? Proverbs 16:3 gives us a vivid Hebrew picture that may change how you think about your plans, desires, and trusting God with what comes next.

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  • S12 · E323
    September 9 · 18 min

    S3E323 – Psalms 134-136: Forever Is A Long Time

    Transcript Executive Producer John. Podcast Introduction Today is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 134-136. I’ll have a brief introduction to the chapter before we begin reading. I’m calling today’s episode “Forever Is A Long Time” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Gerhard Kupfer on Unsplash Comments on Psalm 136 You might remember that I’ve said more than once, “When the Bible repeats something, it’s usually because God wants us to remember it,” or words to that effect. See if you can pick up the important thought in this psalm. I have no doubt that it didn’t take long for you to figure out the important thought in Psalm 136. “…his steadfast love endures forever.” Our translation today was the ESV. Here’s how the NASB says it, “…His lovingkindness is everlasting.” The NIV says, “His love endures forever.” Many other translations say, “His mercy endures forever. That’s my favorite one. But however you say it, the phrase is repeated 26 times in this psalm. Twenty-six times! Do you think God has a message for us? God’s mercy is eternal. It will never cease. Forever is a long time, beloved. The original Hebrew word used here is “hesed”. It’s a beautiful word. Listen to what Michael Card said about it. Oh, to think that this God of hesed would take notice of you and me. How sad it is that some people reject this kind of love. I can’t help but believe that they just don’t know. Oh beloved, that we would be the kind of people who would be motivated to tell them. Michael Card is, among other things a singer and songwriter, with 19 number 1 singles. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 134-136 ESV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00It’s a beautiful word. INTRO S12E322 – 0:09Is it that time again? Well, then, let’s go! Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. What’s new? Thanks for being here. Today is Psalms Wednesday, and we’ll read chapters 134 through 136. I think you’re gonna like this episode. I’ll have a brief introduction to each book before we begin reading, and of course, I have some comments. But I’m calling today’s episode “Forever is a Long Time”. Today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e322. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin. INTRO TO PSALM 134 – 0:50Psalm 134 is very short. As a matter of fact, this introduction will probably take longer than reading the psalm itself. It’s the last in the series of fifteen Songs of Ascent. Charles Spurgeon’s interpretation of the song is that it’s early morning still dark, and the pilgrims who have journeyed to the temple to observe one of the festivals are now beginning their trek back home. They call to the temple priests and the Levites as they leave, and then they’re answered by the priests and the Levites, who call back to them with blessings. PSALM 134 (ESV) – 1:19Psalms, chapter 134. (1) Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,who stand by night in the house of the Lord!(2) Lift up your hands to the holy placeand bless the Lord! (3) May the Lord bless you from Zion,he who made heaven and earth! INTRO TO PSALM 135 – 1:38Psalm 135 has no title nor is there an author credited. In nearly every verse in Psalm 135 either quotes either the words or idea of another Old Testament verse or passage. Included are parts of four different Psalms, two passages each from Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Exodus. PSALM 135 (ESV) – 1:58Psalms chapter 135. (1) Praise the Lord!Praise the name of the Lord,give praise, O servants of the Lord,(2) who stand in the house of the Lord,in the courts of the house of our God!(3) Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;sing to his name, for it is pleasant!(4) For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,Israel as his own possession. (5) For I know that the Lord is great,and that our Lord is above all gods.(6) Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,in heaven and on earth,in the seas and all deeps.(7) He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,who makes lightnings for the rainand brings forth the wind from his storehouses. (8) He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,both of man and of beast;(9) who in your midst, O Egypt,sent signs and wondersagainst Pharaoh and all his servants;(10) who struck down many nationsand killed mighty kings,(11) Sihon, king of the Amorites,and Og, king of Bashan,and all the kingdoms of Canaan,(12) and gave their land as a heritage,a heritage to his people Israel. (13) Your name, O Lord, endures forever,your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.(14) For the Lord will vindicate his peopleand have compassion on his servants. (15) The idols of the nations are silver and gold,the work of human hands.(16) They have mouths, but do not speak;they have eyes, but do not see;(17) they have ears, but do not hear,nor is there any breath in their mouths.(18) Those who make them become like them,so do all who trust in them. (19) O house of Israel, bless the Lord!O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!(20) O house of Levi, bless the Lord!You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!(21) Blessed be the Lord from Zion,he who dwells in Jerusalem!Praise the Lord! INTRO TO PSALM 136 – 3:56You might remember that I’ve said many more times than once, when the Bible repeats something, it’s usually because God wants us to remember it or words to that effect. See if you can pick up the important thought in this psalm. PSALM 136 (ESV) – 4:10Psalms, chapter 136. (1) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,for his steadfast love endures forever.(2) Give thanks to the God of gods,for his steadfast love endures forever.(3) Give thanks to the Lord of lords,for his steadfast love endures forever; (4) to him who alone does great wonders,for his steadfast love endures forever;(5) to him who by understanding made the heavens,for his steadfast love endures forever;(6) to him who spread out the earth above the waters,for his steadfast love endures forever;(7) to him who made the great lights,for his steadfast love endures forever;(8) the sun to rule over the day,for his steadfast love endures forever;(9) the moon and stars to rule over the night,for his steadfast love endures forever; (10) to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,for his steadfast love endures forever;(11) and brought Israel out from among them,for his steadfast love endures forever;(12) with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,for his steadfast love endures forever;(13) to him who divided the Red Sea in two,for his steadfast love endures forever;(14) and made Israel pass through the midst of it,for his steadfast love endures forever;(15) but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,for his steadfast love endures forever;(16) to him who led his people through the wilderness,for his steadfast love endures forever; (17) to him who struck down great kings,for his steadfast love endures forever;(18) and killed mighty kings,for his steadfast love endures forever;(19) Sihon, king of the Amorites,for his steadfast love endures forever;(20) and Og, king of Bashan,for his steadfast love endures forever;(21) and gave their land as a heritage,for his steadfast love endures forever;(22) a heritage to Israel his servant,for his steadfast love endures forever. (23) It is he who remembered us in our low estate,for his steadfast love endures forever;(24) and rescued us from our foes,for his steadfast love endures forever;(25) he who gives food to all flesh,for his steadfast love endures forever. (26) Give thanks to the God of heaven,for his steadfast love endures forever. COMMENTS – 6:26I have no doubt that it didn’t take long for you to figure out that the important thought in Psalm 136 is “His steadfast love endures forever”. And that’s how it reads in the ESV or the English Standard Version. Here’s how the New American Standard says it: “His loving-kindness is everlasting”. And the NIV says, “His love endures forever”. Many other translations say, “His mercy endures forever”. That’s my favorite one. But however you say it, the phrase is repeated 26 times in this psalm. Twenty-six times. Do you think God has a message for us? God’s mercy is eternal. It will never cease. Forever is a longtime, Beloved. The original Hebrew word used here is “hesed”. It’s a beautiful word. Listen to what Michael Card said about it. MICHAEL CARD – 7:15One of the newest Biblical Imagination Conferences we’re doing is on the Hebrew word “hesed”, which is an untranslatable word. It’s translated 169 different ways in six different English translations. So you can tell right away it’s a special word that nobody knows – ultimately knows what to do with. But it’s fundamentally “kindness”, “unexpected kindness”, “undeserved kindness”, “love”, “loyalty”, translated lots of other ways. But the word “loving-kindness” was invented in 1535 by Myles Coverdale to translate this one word, “hesed”, this untranslatable word. So the “Hesed” conference is a special one for me, because you have a chance to see people’s lights come on, in ways that I think the other conferences don’t, don’t do. And that is it strikes people on a personal level. Because when you start talking about this unique revelation of God – because it’s the word that God uses to define himself to Moses in Exodus 34 – God says, I am full of “hesed”, and I show “hesed” to 1000 generations. And when you see people, you see the lights come on,...

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  • S12 · E322
    September 8 · 33 min

    S3E322 – Ezra 6-10: It’s Not As Bad As It Sounds

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is History Tuesday, and we’ll read Ezra 6-10. I’m calling today’s episode “It’s Not As Bad As It Sounds.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Xan Griffin on Unsplash Comments on Ezra 10 In this chapter we find Ezra kneeling in front of the temple, tearfully confessing the sins of the people of Israel. And he is joined by a large crowd of men, women and children who also begin weeping bitterly. Why are they crying? Because they have disobeyed God by marrying foreign, or as some translations say, pagan women from the local area. Do you remember that God told them not to do this when they came into the Promised Land? Now they are truly remorseful for their sin. So what happens? Does Ezra suggest what they should do? No, one of the people, Shechaniah steps up and says, “Ezra, we have disobeyed God by marrying these foreign women. But there is still hope for the people of Israel, 3if we follow your advice and the advice of others who truly respect the laws of God. We must promise God that we will divorce our foreign wives and send them away, together with their children.” What do you think about that? Divorce their pagan wives and send them away? And the children? How could that be the right thing to do? Let’s explore this together. 1) Divorce was permitted in Israel, according to Deuteronomy 24:1. And Malachi 2:10-16 tells us that there were many who divorced their Jewish wives for pagan women. 2) God does hate divorce, according to Malachi 2:16, but it was allowed because the the hardness of people’s hearts, according to Jesus in Mark 10:5. 3) Some marriages were not allowed. Marriages between relatives were not permitted, for example. Any marriage of this type would be cancelled. So a marriage to a pagan woman, which was expressly forbidden by God, could also be dissolved. 4) The children were always allowed to stay with their mothers in this culture. 5) The husband almost certainly would be responsible for giving the woman and child adequate resources for their support. 6) It took many weeks for the process of talking to the affected families. Why? Because there were so many men who had married pagan wives, and they questioned them to see which wives had honestly and genuinely became believers in the God of Israel, and were willing to denounce their native beliefs. If the wife refused to accept the true God, they could not remain, and must be divorced. 7) A great many of the women *did* accept the God of Israel, because only about 114 of the men had to divorce their pagan wives. The men who divorced are listed from verses 18-44. One commentator calculated that only about one-half of one percent had to divorce. 8) Note that the divorces were based on the beliefs of the foreign wives, not their race. They would not forsake their native religions. God forbade the marriages in the beginning, not because of race, but because He knew that the children of Israel would be influenced to worship false Gods. As always happens, if the people had listened to God in the first place, when He told them not to marry these people, all of this heartbreak would have been avoided. He *always* has our best in mind when He gives His laws. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 6 NLT; Ch. 7-8 WEB; Ch. 9-10 CEV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00How could that be the right thing to do? INTRO S12E328 – 0:10Coming to you from the Lifespring Family Studios in Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. What’s new with you? Today is History Tuesday, and we’re going to complete the book of Ezra by reading chapters 6 through 10. I’m calling today’s episode, “It’s Not As Bad As It Sounds”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e328. I’d love to hear from you send an email to st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin. EZRA 6 (NLT) – 0:48Ezra, chapter 6. (1) So King Darius issued orders that a search be made in the Babylonian archives, which were stored in the treasury. (2) But it was at the fortress at Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found. This is what it said: “Memorandum: (3) “In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem. “Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet, and its width will be ninety feet. (4) Every three layers of specially prepared stones will be topped by a layer of timber. All expenses will be paid by the royal treasury. (5) Furthermore, the gold and silver cups, which were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of God in Jerusalem, must be returned to Jerusalem and put back where they belong. Let them be taken back to the Temple of God.” (6) So King Darius sent this message: “Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues and other officials west of the Euphrates River—stay away from there! (7) Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be rebuilt on its original site, and do not hinder the governor of Judah and the elders of the Jews in their work. (8) “Moreover, I hereby decree that you are to help these elders of the Jews as they rebuild this Temple of God. You must pay the full construction costs, without delay, from my taxes collected in the province west of the Euphrates River so that the work will not be interrupted.(9) “Give the priests in Jerusalem whatever is needed in the way of young bulls, rams, and male lambs for the burnt offerings presented to the God of heaven. And without fail, provide them with as much wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil as they need each day. (10) Then they will be able to offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the welfare of the king and his sons.(11) “Those who violate this decree in any way will have a beam pulled from their house. Then they will be lifted up and impaled on it, and their house will be reduced to a pile of rubble. (12) May the God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem as the place to honor his name destroy any king or nation that violates this command and destroys this Temple.“I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed with all diligence.” (13) Tattenai, governor of the province west of the Euphrates River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues complied at once with the command of King Darius. (14) So the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. (15) The Temple was completed on March 12, during the sixth year of King Darius’s reign. (16) The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile. (17) During the dedication ceremony for the Temple of God, 100 young bulls, 200 rams, and 400 male lambs were sacrificed. And 12 male goats were presented as a sin offering for the twelve tribes of Israel. (18) Then the priests and Levites were divided into their various divisions to serve at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as prescribed in the Book of Moses. (19) On April 21 the returned exiles celebrated Passover. (20) The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. (21) The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their corrupt practices to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. (22) Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild the Temple of God, the God of Israel. EZRA 7 (WEB) – 5:07Ezra, chapter 7. (1) Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, (2) the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, (3) the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, (4) the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, (5) the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— (6) this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to Yahweh his God’s hand on him. (7) Some of the children of Israel, including some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the porters, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. (8) He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. (9) For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him. (10) For Ezra had set his heart to seek Yahweh’s law, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. (11) Now this is the copy of the letter that the King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest,...

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  • S12 · E321
    September 7 · 18 min

    S3E321 – Deuteronomy 16-19: You Consulted A What?

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Monday. We’ll read Deuteronomy 16-19. I’m calling today’s episode “You Consulted A What?” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Drew Beamer on Unsplash Comments on Deuteronomy 18 One thing that comes through very clearly in this chapter of Deuteronomy is that dabbling in the occult is something that God will hates. That means playing with horoscopes, Tarot cards, numerology, Ouiji boards, or trying to contact the dead through seances or anything else. Some people consider this type of thing “just having fun”. But when you read this chapter of Deuteronomy, you see that God does not see it that way. There is a world that we do not see. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians 6:12 that “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Beloved, the enemy of our souls and his demons really are out to destroy us. There is a spiritual battle, and the occult is one method they use to gain footholds in people’s lives. So the further you can stay away from these things, the better. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 16 NIRV; Ch. 17 HCSB; Ch. 18 NASB; Ch. 19 ERV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Just having fun. INTRO S12E327 – 0:09This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How’s your day going? Today’s Monday and we’re going to read Deuteronomy 16 through 19. I’m calling today’s episode, “You Consulted A What?” The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e327. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get started. DEUTERONOMY 16 (NIRV) – 0:41Deuteronomy, chapter 16. (1) Celebrate the Passover Feast of the Lord your God in the month of Aviv. In that month he brought you out of Egypt at night. (2) Sacrifice an animal from your flock or herd. It is the Passover sacrifice in honor of the Lord your God. Sacrifice it at the special place the Lord will choose. He will put his Name there. (3) Don’t eat the animal along with bread that is made with yeast. Instead, for seven days eat bread that is made without yeast. It’s the bread that reminds you of how much you suffered. Remember that you left Egypt in a hurry. Remember it all the days of your life. Don’t forget the day you left Egypt. (4) Don’t keep any yeast anywhere in your land for seven days. Don’t let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day be left over until the next morning. (5) You must not sacrifice the Passover animal in any town the Lord your God is giving you. (6) Sacrifice it only in the special place he will choose for his Name. Sacrifice it there in the evening when the sun goes down. Do it on the same day every year. Be sure it’s the day you left Egypt. (7) Cook it and eat it. Do it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. (8) For six days eat bread that is made without yeast. On the seventh day come together for a service in honor of the Lord your God. Don’t do any work. (9) Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to cut your grain in the field. (10) Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks in honor of the Lord your God. Give anything you choose to give as an offering. Do it in keeping with the blessings the Lord has given you. (11) Be filled with joy in the sight of the Lord your God. Be joyful at the special place he will choose for his Name. You, your children, and your male and female servants should be joyful. So should the Levites who are living in your towns. So should the outsiders and widows who are living among you. And so should the children whose fathers have died. (12) Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. Be careful to obey the rules I’m giving you. (13) Gather the grain from your threshing floors. Take the fresh wine from your winepresses. Then celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days. (14) Be filled with joy at your feast. You, your children, and your male and female servants should be joyful. So should the Levites, the outsiders, and the widows who are living in your towns. And so should the children whose fathers have died. (15) For seven days celebrate the feast in honor of the Lord your God. Do it at the place he will choose. The Lord will bless you when you gather all of your crops. He’ll bless you in everything you do. And you will be full of joy. (16) All your men must appear in front of the Lord your God at the holy tent. They must go to the place he will choose. They must do it three times a year. They must go there to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. No man should appear in front of the Lord without bringing something with him. (17) Each of you must bring a gift. Do it in keeping with the way the Lord your God has blessed you. (18) Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes. Do it in every town the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly. (19) Do what is right. Treat everyone the same. Don’t take money from people who want special favors. It makes those who are wise close their eyes to the truth. It twists the words of those who do what is right. (20) Follow only what is right. If you do, you will live. You will take over the land the Lord your God is giving you. (21) Don’t set up a wooden pole that is used to worship the goddess Asherah. Don’t set it up beside the altar you build to worship the Lord your God. (22) Don’t set up a sacred stone to honor another god. The Lord your God hates Asherah poles and sacred stones. DEUTERONOMY 17 (HCSB) – 4:33Deuteronomy, chapter 17. (1) “You must not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or sheep with a defect or any serious flaw, for that is detestable to the Lord your God. (2) “If a man or woman among you in one of your towns that the Lord your God will give you is discovered doing evil in the sight of the Lord your God and violating His covenant (3) and has gone to worship other gods by bowing down to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky — which I have forbidden — (4) and if you are told or hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable thing has happened in Israel, (5) you must bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing and stone them to death. (6) The one condemned to die is to be executed on the testimony of two or three witnesses. No one is to be executed on the testimony of a single witness. (7) The witnesses’ hands are to be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from you. (8) “If a case is too difficult for you — concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults — cases disputed at your gates, you must go up to the place the Lord your God chooses. (9) You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Ask, and they will give you a verdict in the case. (10) You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the Lord chooses. Be careful to do exactly as they instruct you. (11) You must abide by the instruction they give you and the verdict they announce to you. Do not turn to the right or the left from the decision they declare to you. (12) The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the Lord your God or to the judge, must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. (13) Then all the people will hear about it, be afraid, and no longer behave arrogantly. (14) “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, take possession of it, live in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations around me,’ (15) you are to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. Appoint a king from your brothers. You are not to set a foreigner over you, or one who is not of your people. (16) However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ (17) He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself. (18) When he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. (19) It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of this instruction, and to do these statutes. (20) Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue ruling many years over Israel. DEUTERONOMY 18 (NASB) – 7:35Deuteronomy, chapter 18. (1) “The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the Lord’s offerings by fire and His portion. (2) They shall have no inheritance among their countrymen; the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them. (3) “Now this shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, either an ox or a sheep, of which they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. (4) You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil,...

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  • S12 · E320
    September 6 · 15 min

    S3E320 – 2 Peter 1-3: How To Identify A Counterfeit

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read the book of 2 Peter. I’m calling today’s episode “How To Identify A Counterfeit.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Marten Newhall on Unsplash Comments on 2 Peter 1-3 I’d like to just briefly touch on a couple of points made by Peter. First, the topic of false teachers. They were a problem in Old Testament times, they were a problem in the early church, and they are a problem today. False teachers are usually students of the human mind and human weaknesses, and they know what people like to hear. Their motivation is often for money, sometimes for power, and never for the benefit of the listener. Some false teachers have small followings, some have millions. How do you know if someone is a false teacher? A counterfeit? It’s not really that hard. You need to know what Scripture says. When you know the real thing well, counterfeits are easy to detect. This podcast is a good start in knowing the Bible, but it is no substitute for your actually applying yourself to deep, disciplined study on your own. Having a Bible teaching pastor is important, being a part of a good Bible study group is important, having trusted and godly friends is important. But nothing is more important that you actually getting to know the Word of God intimately yourself. As you study, pray and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. That is a prayer that is always answered. And the more you study, the more you will begin to understand, and the easier it will be to identify false teachers. And then the next point I’d like to discuss is the second coming of Jesus. I recently had a discussion with someone who said, “Yeah, right. Christians have been saying Jesus was coming back since the church began. They say, ‘Look at the signs,’ but nothing is any different today than it was then.” Doesn’t that sound just like chapter 3, verse 4 from our reading today? Here it is again: They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.” Peter was talking about what it would be like in the last days. He said they would laugh at you, and they would make that statement. But Peter reminds us that the world is different. It hasn’t always been the way it is now. He says, “But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. 6Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. 7And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire.” Beloved, Jesus is coming. I don’t know when, but I personally think it will be very, very soon. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-3 NCV Lifespring! HymnStories The episode on Amazing Grace Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Never for the benefit of the listener. INTRO S123326 – 0:10Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. How are you? Today’s Epistle Sunday, and we’re going to read the book of 2 Peter. I’m calling today’s episode, “How to Identify a Counterfeit”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e326. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Are you ready? Let’s go. 2 PETER 1 (NCV) – 0:452 Peter, chapter 1. (1) From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To you who have received a faith as valuable as ours, because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right. (2) Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because you truly know God and Jesus our Lord. (3) Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness. (4) Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God’s nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires. (5) Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; (6) and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; (7) and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love. (8) If all these things are in you and are growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) But anyone who does not have these things cannot see clearly. He is blind and has forgotten that he was made clean from these past sins. (10) My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall. (11) And you will be given a very great welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (12) You know these things, and you are very strong in the truth, but I will always help you remember them. (13) I think it is right for me to help you remember as long as I am in this body. (14) I know I must soon leave this body, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me. (15) I will try my best so that you may be able to remember these things even after I am gone. (16) When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. (17) Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory, when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.” (18) We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain. (19) This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave. It is good for you to follow closely what they said as you would follow a light shining in a dark place, until the day begins and the morning star rises in your hearts. (20) Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. (21) No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. 2 PETER 2 (NCV) – 3:382 Peter, chapter 2. (1) There used to be false prophets among God’s people, just as you will have some false teachers in your group. They will secretly teach things that are wrong—teachings that will cause people to be lost. They will even refuse to accept the Master, Jesus, who bought their freedom. So they will bring quick ruin on themselves. (2) Many will follow their evil ways and say evil things about the way of truth. (3) Those false teachers only want your money, so they will use you by telling you lies. Their judgment spoken against them long ago is still coming, and their ruin is certain. (4) When angels sinned, God did not let them go free without punishment. He sent them to hell and put them in caves of darkness where they are being held for judgment. (5) And God punished the world long ago when he brought a flood to the world that was full of people who were against him. But God saved Noah, who preached about being right with God, and seven other people with him. (6) And God also destroyed the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them until they were ashes. He made those cities an example of what will happen to those who are against God. (7) But he saved Lot from those cities. Lot, a good man, was troubled because of the filthy lives of evil people. (8) (Lot was a good man, but because he lived with evil people every day, his good heart was hurt by the evil things he saw and heard.) (9) So the Lord knows how to save those who serve him when troubles come. He will hold evil people and punish them, while waiting for the Judgment Day. (10) That punishment is especially for those who live by doing the evil things their sinful selves want and who hate authority. These false teachers are bold and do anything they want. They are not afraid to speak against the angels. (11) But even the angels, who are much stronger and more powerful than false teachers, do not accuse them with insults before the Lord. (12) But these people speak against things they do not understand. They are like animals that act without thinking, animals born to be caught and killed. And, like animals, these false teachers will be destroyed. (13) They have caused many people to suffer, so they themselves will suffer. That is their pay for what they have done. They take pleasure in openly doing evil, so they are like dirty spots and stains among you. They delight in deceiving you while eating meals with you. (14) Every time they look at a woman they want her, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into the trap of sin, and they have taught their hearts to be greedy. God will punish them! (15) These false teachers left the right road and lost their way, following the way Balaam went. Balaam was the son of Beor, who loved being paid for doing wrong. (16) But a donkey, which cannot talk, told Balaam he was sinning. It spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the prophet’s crazy thinking. (17) Those false teachers are like springs without water and clouds blown by a storm. A place in the blackest darkness has been kept for them. (18) They brag with words that mean nothing. By their evil desires they lead people into the

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  • S12 · E319
    September 5 · 17 min

    S3E319 – Acts 15-16: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

    Transcript Distinguished Producer Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle Podcast Introduction Today is Gospel Saturday Acts 15-16. I’m calling today’s episode “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash Comments on Acts 15 I’m always struck by the last scene in chapter 15. It’s in verses 36 through 41. Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go and see how well the followers were doing in the cities they had visited and preached in. Barnabas said, “Hey, let’s take my cousin, John Mark along with us.” Paul said, “Yeah, no. When things got tough in Pamphylia, he wimped out on us and took off. I don’t trust him.” This caused an argument between Barnabas and Paul. And according to the language in the original language, this wasn’t a calm disagreement. Have you ever seen a baseball team manager arguing nose-to-nose with an umpire? Red faced, voice raised, hands on hips? Maybe you’ve even seen a manager kick dirt on the ump? That seems to be the kind of argument Barnabas and Paul had. The word used for argument in our text can be literally translated as paroxysm. I had to look that one up. The definition of paroxysm is: a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity. Some synonyms are spasm, attack, fit, burst, outburst, eruption, explosion. These guys really got into it! And they split up. Barnabas took Mark and went to Cyprus. Paul and Silas went to Syria and Cilicia. What do we learn from this? Is it a good thing to have knock down, drag out fights with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Of course not. Jesus said, “(The world) will know you are mine by your love for one another.” In this instance, Paul and Barnabas struck out. They blew it. And I’ll bet that they both regretted it. And there is some evidence that I’m right on this, because we read in Colossians that Paul referred to Mark as “my fellow worker” and he vouched for him to the Colossian church. And then near the end of his life he asked Timothy to bring Mark with him. Barnabas, who’s name means “Son of encouragement”, and who is referred to as a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith”, spent time with Mark discipling him. How effective was Barnabas’ time with Mark? Sounds to me like it was very effective. Mark wrote what we know today as the Gospel According to Mark. The Bible does not sugar coat the humanity of the men and women we find it its pages. We see how God powerfully uses them despite their failings. What do we learn from the violent argument between Barnabas and Paul? That God’s grace is sufficient. If our heart is right, if we truly desire to follow God, when our flesh gets in the way, He will take a disaster and turn it around for His glory. That doesn’t mean that the next time you have a disagreement with a brother or sister you have license to punch them in the nose, though. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 15 CEV; Ch. 16 ERV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Yeah, no, I don’t think so. INTRO S12E318 – 0:09Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Acts 15 and 16. And I’m calling today’s episode “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do”. Gotta have some fun, right? The show notes page for today’s episode, is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e318. If you’d like to send me an email, I’d love to get it. Send it to st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin. ACTS 15 (CEV) – 0:45Acts. chapter 15. (1) Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord’s followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught. (2) This caused trouble, and Paul and Barnabas argued with them about this teaching. So it was decided to send Paul and Barnabas and a few others to Jerusalem to discuss this problem with the apostles and the church leaders. (3) The men who were sent by the church went through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling how the Gentiles had turned to God. This news made the Lord’s followers very happy. (4) When the men arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, including the apostles and the leaders. They told them everything God had helped them do. (5) But some Pharisees had become followers of the Lord. They stood up and said, “Gentiles who have faith in the Lord must be circumcised and told to obey the Law of Moses.” (6) The apostles and church leaders met to discuss this problem about Gentiles. (7) They had talked it over for a long time, when Peter got up and said: My friends, you know that God decided long ago to let me be the one from your group to preach the good news to the Gentiles. God did this so they would hear and obey him. (8) He knows what is in everyone’s heart. And he showed he had chosen the Gentiles, when he gave them the Holy Spirit, just as he had given his Spirit to us. (9) God treated them in the same way that he treated us. They put their faith in him, and he made their hearts pure. (10) Now why are you trying to make God angry by placing a heavy burden on these followers? This burden was too heavy for us or our ancestors. (11) But we believe that we will be saved by the gift of undeserved grace from our Lord Jesus Christ, just as the Gentiles are. (12) Everyone kept quiet and listened as Barnabas and Paul told how God had given them the power to work a lot of miracles and wonders for the Gentiles. (13) After they had finished speaking, James said: My friends, listen to me! (14) Simon Peter has told how God first came to the Gentiles and made some of them his own people. (15) This agrees with what the prophets wrote, (16) “I, the Lord, will returnand rebuildDavid’s fallen house.I will build it from its ruinsand set it up again.(17) Then other nationswill turn to meand be my chosen ones.I, the Lord, say this.(18) I promised it long ago.” (19) And so, my friends, I don’t think we should place burdens on the Gentiles who are turning to God. (20) We should simply write and tell them not to eat anything that has been offered to idols. They should be told not to eat the meat of any animal that has been strangled or that still has blood in it. They must also not commit any terrible sexual sins. (21) We must remember that the Law of Moses has been preached in city after city for many years, and every Sabbath it is read in our synagogues. (22) The apostles, the leaders, and all the church members decided to send some men to Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Silas and Judas Barsabbas, who were two leaders of the Lord’s followers. (23) They wrote a letter that said: We apostles and leaders send friendly greetings to all of you Gentiles who are followers of the Lord in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. (24) We have heard that some people from here have terribly upset you by what they said. But we did not send them! (25) So we met together and decided to choose some men and to send them to you along with our good friends Barnabas and Paul. (26) These men have risked their lives for our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) We are also sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you in person the same things that we are writing. (28) The Holy Spirit has shown us that we should not place any extra burden on you. (29) But you should not eat anything offered to idols. You should not eat any meat that still has the blood in it or any meat of any animal that has been strangled. You must also not commit any terrible sexual sins. If you follow these instructions, you will do well. We send our best wishes. (30) The four men left Jerusalem and went to Antioch. Then they called the church members together and gave them the letter. (31) When the letter was read, everyone was pleased and greatly encouraged. (32) Judas and Silas were prophets, and they spoke a long time, encouraging and helping the Lord’s followers. (33) The men from Jerusalem stayed on in Antioch for a while. And when they left to return to the ones who had sent them, the followers wished them well. (34-35) But Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached about the Lord. (36) Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the Lord’s followers in the cities where we preached his message. Then we will know how they are doing.” (37) Barnabas wanted to take along John, whose other name was Mark. (38) But Paul did not want to, because Mark had left them in Pamphylia and had stopped working with them. (39) Paul and Barnabas argued, then each of them went his own way. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, (40) but Paul took Silas and left after the followers had placed them in God’s care. (41) They traveled through Syria and Cilicia, encouraging the churches. ACTS 16 (ERV) – 5:45Acts, chapter 16. (1) Paul went to the city of Derbe and then to Lystra, where a follower of Jesus named Timothy lived. Timothy’s mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. (2) The believers in the cities of Lystra and Iconium had only good things to say about him. (3) Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him, but all the Jews living in that area knew that his father was a Greek. So Paul circumcised Timothy to please the Jews. (4) Then Paul and those with him traveled through other cities. They gave the believers the rules and decisions from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. They told them to obey these rules....

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  • S12 · E318
    September 4 · 27 min

    S3E318 – Zechariah 1-7:The Lord Remembers

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read the first seven chapters of Zechariah. I’m calling today’s episode “The Lord Remembers.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash Comments on Zechariah 1-7 Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries. Both were called by God after the 70 year exile. Zechariah’s prophecy came two months after Haggai’s first prophecy. Where the prophecies of Haggai had primarily to do with the Temple, Zechariah’s were about the people. The language of Zechariah’s messages were very similar to that of the book of Revelation, with symbolism, types, and visions. Zechariah, which means “The Lord Remembers”, is a common name in the Old Testament, and we do not know much about the author of this prophetic book. We do know from the book of Ezra that he was the son of Iddo. In chapter one, God’s message to the people is, “Return to me, and I will return to you.” Were you able to see Zechariah’s reference to Jesus in these chapters? 1) In chapter 1, verse 11, He is the man who stood among the myrtle trees. 2) In chapter two, he is the man with a measuring line in his hand. Here, Jesus is going to measure the physical size of Jerusalem, because many are going to be added to the city because those who have been spread abroad like the four winds of heaven are being called back. Because of this, Jerusalem will increase. Then a second angel comes to Jesus and tells Him to tell Zechariah that Jerusalem will be like a city without walls because of the multitude of the population of people and livestock. But the people are not to be afraid of having no walls, because God will be their protector, like a wall of fire around them, and His glory will be in their midst. Beloved, this is a vision of what is to be. God is not just calling the Jews, but anyone who will put their trust in His Son. In verse 11 of chapter two, the Lord says, “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.” This chapter is a call to all of us to rejoice in God’s plan and His promises. 3) In chapter 3, Jesus is referred to as the Branch. 4) We read again of the Branch in chapter 6. There, He is referred to as the Branch, who will build the Temple of the Lord. What temple did Jesus build? The Church. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19. And then in chapter 7, the Lord, through Zechariah, said that His people ignored Him, so He ignored them and scattered them among the nations. There are several times in these chapters we read references to the Messiah. Remember, Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. He is the I AM. He has always been, and He will always be. He was at the creation, and He has always been active in the affairs of man. For Zechariah, or any of the prophets to have seen Him in visions is not surprising. I am looking forward to the day when I will see Him face to face. How about you? Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-5 NKJV; Ch. 6-7 NIV Family Pic From Our Visit L-R: Valarie, Penelope, the Lovely Lady LeeAnn, Steve, Tim Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Return to me and I will return to you. INTRO S12E317 – 0:10Well, hey there, hi there, ho there. Welcome! Coming to you from Riverside, California. This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. And yes, I’m back in the studios of Lifespring Media HQ. I’ll tell you a little bit about the trip later in the show. Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read the first seven chapters of Zechariah. I do have an On This Date in Church History for you and I’m calling today’s episode, “The Lord Remembers”. Today’s show notes page is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e317. Take note of that, you might need it later. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. I think it’s time we get started. Let’s go. ZECHARIAH 1 (NKJV) – 0:58Zechariah, chapter 1. (1) In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, (2) “The Lord has been very angry with your fathers. (3) Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. (4) “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord. (5) “Your fathers, where are they?And the prophets, do they live forever?(6) Yet surely My words and My statutes,Which I commanded My servants the prophets,Did they not overtake your fathers?“So they returned and said: ‘Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us,According to our ways and according to our deeds,So He has dealt with us.’”’” (7) On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: (8) I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. (9) Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” (10) And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” (11) So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” (12) Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?”(13) And the Lord answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words. (14) So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I am zealous for JerusalemAnd for Zion with great zeal.(15) I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease;For I was a little angry,And they helped—but with evil intent.” (16) ‘Therefore thus says the Lord: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy;My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts,“And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’ (17) “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:“My cities shall again spread out through prosperity;The Lord will again comfort Zion,And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ” (18) Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were four horns. (19) And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” So he answered me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” (20) Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. (21) And I said, “What are these coming to do?” So he said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.” ZECHARIAH 2 (NKJV) – 4:10Zechariah, chapter 2. (1) Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. (2) So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” (3) And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, (4) who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. (5) For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” (6) “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. (7) “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.” (8) For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. (9) For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me. (10) “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. (11) “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. (12) And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. (13) Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!” ZECHARIAH 3 (NKJV) – 5:49Zechariah, chapter 3. (1) Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. (2) And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” (3) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. (4) Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying,...

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  • S12 · E317
    September 3 · 9 min

    S3E317 – Ecclesiastes 7-8: Trust

    Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Poetry Thursday. Ecclesiastes 7-8. I’m calling today’s episode “Trust.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash Comments on Ecclesiastes 7-8 I think that what we can take from Solomon’s teaching here in Ecclesiastes is that wisdom, money, power and everything else that man strives for does not bring happiness or understanding or peace. Solomon had it all. But at the end of his life he realized that what God does is far beyond man’s understanding. Notice that not once has he accused God of being unjust or unfair. He has said that some of the things he has seen are unfair, but he chalks that up to just what happens in this life. And he admits in the last two verses of today’s reading that we just cannot understand it. Some things we just need to leave in the hands of God. Our human heart doesn’t easily find that conclusion to be very satisfying, but if you don’t want to drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what is impossible for our puny, finite minds to grasp, then you really do have to come to grips with that reality. We need to trust that God truly does love us. And He does. We need to trust that God truly is holy. And He is. We need to trust that God is just. And He is. We need to trust that on the last day, God will set everything right. And He will. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 7-8 CEV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Not once has he accused God of being unjust or unfair. INTRO S12E316 – 0:11Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. This episode is pre-recorded. I don’t know what I was thinking yesterday when I said I’d be back in time to produce this show for you at the regular time, but I should be back to do tomorrow’s show, Lord willing. Today is Poetry Thursday. We’ll read Ecclesiastes 7 and 8. I’m calling today’s episode, “Trust”. The show notes page for today is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e316. And my email address has not changed. It’s st***@*************ia.com. Send me an email. Let’s get started. ECCLESIASTES 7 (CEV) – 0:54Ecclesiastes, chapter 7. (1) A good reputationat the time of deathis better than loving careat the time of birth.(2) It’s better to go to a funeralthan to attend a feast;funerals remind usthat we all must die.(3) Choose sorrow over laughterbecause a sad facemay hide a happy heart.(4) A sensible person mourns,but fools always laugh.(5) Correction from someone wiseis better by farthan praise from fools.(6) Foolish laughter is stupid.It sounds like thornscrackling in a fire.(7) Corruption makes foolsof sensible people,and bribes can ruin you.(8) Something completed is betterthan something just begun;patience is betterthan too much pride.(9) Only fools get angry quicklyand hold a grudge.(10) It isn’t wise to ask,“Why is everything worsethan it used to be?”(11) Having wisdom is betterthan an inheritance.(12) Wisdom will protect youjust like money;knowledge with good sensewill lead you to life.(13) Think of what God has done!If God makes something crooked,can you make it straight?(14) When times are good,you should be cheerful;when times are bad,think about what it means.God makes them bothto keep us from knowingwhat will happen next. (15) I have seen everything during this senseless life of mine. I have seen good citizens die for doing the right thing, while criminals live and prosper. (16) So don’t destroy yourself by being too good or acting too smart! (17) Don’t die before your time by being too evil or acting like a fool. (18) Keep to the middle of the road. You can do this if you truly respect God. (19) Wisdom will make you stronger than the ten most powerful leaders in your city. (20) No one in this world always does right. (21) Don’t listen to everything that everyone says, or you might hear your servant cursing you. (22) Haven’t you cursed many others? (23) I told myself that I would be smart and try to understand all this, but it was too much for me. (24) The truth is beyond us. It’s far too deep. (25) So I decided to learn everything I could and become wise enough to discover what life is all about. At the same time, I wanted to understand why it’s stupid and senseless to be an evil fool. (26) Here is what I discovered: A bad woman is worse than death. She is a trap, reaching out with body and soul to catch you. But if you obey God, you can escape. If you don’t obey, you are done for. (27) With all my wisdom I have tried to find out how everything fits together, (28) but so far I have not been able to. I do know there is one good man in a thousand, but never have I found a good woman. (29) I did learn one thing: We were completely honest when God created us, but now we have twisted minds. ECCLESIASTER 8 (CEV) – 3:49Ecclesiastes, chapter 8. (1) Who is smart enoughto explain everything?Wisdom makes you cheerfuland gives you a smile. (2) If you promised God that you would be loyal to the king, I advise you to keep that promise. (3) Don’t quickly oppose the king or argue when he has already made up his mind. (4) The king’s word is law. No one can ask him, “Why are you doing this?” (5) If you obey the king, you will stay out of trouble. So be wise and learn what to do and when to do it. (6) Life is hard, but there is a time and a place for everything, (7) though no one can tell the future. (8) We cannot control the wind or determine the day of our death. There is no escape in time of war, and no one can hide behind evil. (9) I noticed all this and thought seriously about what goes on in the world. Why does one person have the power to hurt another? (10) I saw the wicked buried with honor, but God’s people had to leave the holy city and were forgotten. None of this makes sense. (11) When we see criminals commit crime after crime without being punished, it makes us want to start a life of crime. (12) They commit hundreds of crimes and live a long time, in spite of the saying: Everyone who lives rightand respects Godwill prosper,(13) but no one who sinsand rejects Godwill prosper or live very long. (14) There is something else that doesn’t make sense to me. Good citizens are treated as criminals, while criminals are honored as though they were good citizens. (15) So I think we should get as much out of life as we possibly can. There is nothing better than to enjoy our food and drink and have a good time. Then we can make it through this troublesome life that God has given us here on earth. (16) Day and night I went without sleep, trying to understand what goes on in this world. (17) I saw everything God does, and I realized no one can really understand what happens. We may be very wise, but no matter how much we try or how much we claim to know, we cannot understand it all. COMMENTS – 5:53Well, Beloved, I think that what we can take from Solomon’s teaching here in Ecclesiastes is that wisdom, money, power, and everything else that man strives for does not bring happiness or understanding or peace. Solomon had it all. But at the end of his life, he realized that what God does is far beyond man’s understanding. Notice that not once has he accused God of being unjust or unfair. He has said that some of the things he has seen are unfair, but he chalks that up to just what happens in this life. And he admits in the last two verses of today’s reading, that we just cannot understand it. Some things we just need to leave in the hands of God. Now, our human heart doesn’t easily find that conclusion to be very satisfying. But if you don’t want to drive yourself crazy, trying to figure out what is impossible for our puny finite minds to grasp, then you really do have to just come to grips with that reality. We can’t understand the things that God does. We need to trust that God truly does love us, and he does. We need to trust that God truly is holy, and he is. We need to trust that God is just, and he is. We need to trust that on the last day, God will set everything right, and he will. What are your thoughts? Is it hard for you to just “Let go and let God”, as they say. Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e316. And tell me what you think. Tomorrow is Prophecy Friday. We will read the first seven chapters of Zechariah. Boost! ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 7:46On this date in church history, July 14, 1768, Scottish evangelist James A. Haldane, who founded the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel at Home in 1797, was born. Happy birthday, James. And on this date in church history, July 14, 1892, the Baptist Young People’s Union holds its first annual National Convention in Detroit, Michigan. CLOSING PRAYER – 8:19Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, help us to trust in You. Help us to rest in you. Hold us close to you, Lord, You are our shelter, our rock, our provider. We need you more than we need life itself. And we praise You and we worship You. Lord, I ask that You would bless the Lifespring family today and I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise, please go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. And I said this yesterday, but today I mean it. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be back in time to produce tomorrow’s show. So go ahead and send in your prayer request or praise if you want me to share it on the show, prayer.lifespringmedia.com. OUTRO S12E316 – 9:09Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e316....

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  • September 2 · length unknown

    Colossians 1:11 – When You Can’t See the Wall

    What does Colossians 1:11 mean? Paul talks about being strengthened with God's power and glorious might—but what he says that power is for might surprise us. In this episode of Verses We Missed, we explore why God's power doesn't always look like immediate healing, deliverance, or victory. Sometimes the race keeps going, the prayer remains unanswered, and we can't see the wall. What does God's strength look like then? Browse more episodes at Recent Episodes. When You Can't See the Wall Colossians 1:11 (ESV) Colossians 1:11 (ESV) "being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;" Those are big words: all power and his glorious might. We might expect Paul to be talking about miracles, dramatic victories, or obstacles disappearing. Instead, he talks about endurance and patience. Why would God's glorious power be needed for something as ordinary-sounding as endurance? And why does Paul add those especially challenging words, "with joy"? You can read Colossians 1:11 in context at ESV.org. When God's Power Doesn't Look Powerful We love victory stories. We love answered prayers, healing, provision, and deliverance—and we should celebrate when God does those things. But what about the story that isn't finished yet? What about the prayer you've prayed for years? What about the difficulty that is still there when you wake up tomorrow morning? Colossians 1:11 points us toward a kind of divine strength we can easily overlook. When You Can't See the Wall When I was younger, I was a competitive swimmer, and my best event was the 400-yard freestyle. It was an endurance race, and endurance didn't magically appear on race day. But there was one advantage I had in the pool that we often don't have in life's hardest circumstances: I knew exactly where the finish line was. Sometimes in life, you can't see the wall. In this episode, I share why that old swimming experience has given me a new way to think about Colossians 1:11—and about friends of mine who have been praying for healing for years without receiving the answer they've hoped for. Should We Pray for Deliverance or Endurance? Of course we should pray for healing and deliverance. But Paul's prayer in Colossians gives us another way to pray when the answer hasn't come. Maybe we've become so focused on asking God to demonstrate His power by removing the trial that we've overlooked another way His power can be at work while we're still in it. That's the part of Colossians 1:11 I don't want us to miss. For more background on the setting, themes, and structure of Paul's letter, see BibleProject's guide to the book of Colossians. Related Scriptures Colossians 1:9-14 — The larger context of Paul's prayer and the source of the believer's joy and thanksgiving. James 1:2-4 — The testing of faith and the development of steadfastness. Romans 5:3-5 — Suffering, endurance, character, and hope. Podcast Chapters 00:00 When the Victory Hasn't Come 00:56 Welcome to Verses We Missed 01:33 Strengthened for Endurance 03:39 What Swimming Taught Me About Endurance 05:14 When You Can't See the Wall 06:58 Another Way to Pray 08:54 Endurance, Patience, and Joy 11:53 Strength for One More Stroke 13:48 Prayer 15:38 Value for Value 16:44 Keep Swimming Support the Show Verses We Missed is a value-for-value podcast. If this episode encouraged you, consider returning value in whatever way God puts on your heart—by praying for the ministry, sharing this episode with someone who needs encouragement, contributing your time or talent, or supporting Lifespring! Media financially. Learn more at https://lifespringmedia.com/support/. More from Lifespring! Media If you enjoy digging deeper into God's Word, you might also enjoy these other podcasts from Steve Webb: Lifespring! One Year Bible Rewind — Journey through the Bible with readings, commentary, and practical application. Lifespring! In Touch With God’s Character — Explore the names and character of God revealed in Scripture. Lifespring! — Bible teaching, Christian encouragement, interviews, and conversations about following Christ.

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