Podcast appearances and mentions of jesus because

Ephesians, the book of the Bible is an ancient letter written by a man in jail. And chapter 4 is the turning point in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul has just finished three chapters of deep truth and in those chapters he talks over and over again about all that has been given to the follower of Jesus: “Because you follow Jesus...You have adoption, redemption, inheritance, power, life, grace, citizenship, and the love of Christ.”

As December gets underway, I am sure that you have so many things on your mind. Shopping, gifts, travel planning, and how you're going to afford it all. And maybe amid everything else, there are bittersweet memories of Christmases past weighing on your heart. I think there's something God wants to give you this Christmas: peace. Leading up to the first Christmas, this is what Zechariah prophesied about Jesus… “Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” Jesus came to shine His light on us, and to guide us—even you—to the path of peace. I want to invite you to let God hold you still. Give yourself permission to slow down and behold the wondrous love God has shown us in Jesus Christ. radio.hopewithgod.com

Worship Changes the Atmosphere John 12:1-11 (NIV) 12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” 9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.  I. In Jesus' honor   II. Martha's Worship -Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” -Saved People Serve People!   -Titus 2:14 says, “Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.    III. Lazarus' Worship -Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” -Are People Coming to Jesus Because of Your Life?     IV. Mary's Worship -Expensive -Extravagant -Personal -Worship is a Function of Your Will   -Worship Changes the Atmosphere

S3 Ep16 - Sarah Speaks' life was riddled with trauma: abduction, sexual abuse, human trafficking, drugs, alcohol, men's clubs and prison. But in prison she met Jesus BECAUSE someone prayed for her. This life transforming, powerful interview proves that no matter how dark the situation, God still can change it.

There are so many messages about how to gain traction spiritually in life, how do you know what to listen to?  Join us as we continue in Galatians and look at what message matters most. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom!  GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give . ------------------- Sermon Notes Slide Key: Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise notedBold = Slide textBold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slideBold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to OPENING: Years ago, I was getting ready to go to sleep when my phone rang - this was before “do not disturb” on phones and before “spam” alerts.  So, I answered my phone.  On the other end was this guy who said, “is this Pastor Kent?”  I thought, “oh no, someone's in trouble,”  I said, “it is, how can I help you?”  he told me his name and then immediately began to go into a tirade about how Christians are dumb for not believing in science and how he was an atheist who randomly calls Pastors to debate them and tell them how dumb they are.   I had two choices at this point, hang up or engage…  I of course decided to engage :) I think we talked for an hour.  What I found out is this guy had grown up in a conservative Christian household and he had been confronted with a lot of other ideas when he went to school and college and eventually completely flipped on his faith and now sees it as his goal to stop pastors from filling peoples heads with nonsense… He's not alone, right? We live in a world that is full of competing messages about what to put your faith in. On top of that, there are even more messages telling you what living out that faith should look like. I just spent a little time the other thinking about the different versions of spirituality you can find in our world with about a 3-second search on google or turning on the radio station… -It's a popular thing to meditate now - I'm reading a business leadership book and one of the major points was for people to “meditate” - although he was wouldn't to tell them what to meditate on-jump on tic tock and get advice about anything spiritual-people who only want a church that will say what they want to hear -some people think good people get into heaven, some people say no one's good enough to get into heaven-Even country music has a version of faith that has you in church on Sunday, in the bar on Friday How do you know what to believe in a world of competing messages? We live in a world with so many messages about spirituality what do you believe? Here's where I come back to every time, and it's what I came back to with that science guy on the phone… The only thing that matters is what you believe about Jesus… Because if Jesus is really real and did what He said He did, then that changes everything, if He didn't, then you can believe whatever you want. I think so many of us aren't settled, really settled, on Jesus, and because of that, we can quickly get sucked into other things Paul saw this with the Galatian church… Listen to what he said to them… Galatians 1:6-7 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  Paul normally starts out his letters by saying nice things to the people he's writing to - “I thank God every time I think of you…” Not the Galatian churches - this is the only letter he writes where he actually doesn't say anything nice to them at the beginning… Instead, he starts with “I am astonished” I am bamboozled at you, I have utterly no words… is the sentiment…  I am flabbergasted  Paul is taken aback… ILLUSTRATION: years ago, my son had his tonsils removed…  We didn't know it, but after you get your tonsils removed, you can at times have TERRIBLE breath. Have you ever walked into a room and had a smell hit you?  I mean, this thing went up into my brain and was attempting to remove my brain through my nose.  It was terrible.   Paul, is looking at the Galatians and what's going on and he's saying, “something stinks here” He is astonished…What's he astonished about?   They have deserted the one who called them to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel We need to real quick stop and define our terms-you may have heard the word gospel before   Gospel simply means “Good News”bSo, these people are turning to a good news that's different than living in the grace of Jesus Do you know what the spirituality was they were turning to? There were people who had come into the church and said, “you can't be a Christian without first being Jewish…”  Do you know how someone becomes Jewish? You get circumcised…  not just that, but that you would obey all the Jewish laws…Yup, circumcised - that's why when Paul said in vs. 7 “[you] are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all.” All the men shook their heads “yes” [make your eyes real big] This wasn't good news… It's because this good news was predicated on the same thing all other religious systems are predicated upon… “You be good, and you get in!” Every other religious system is about you being good enough - even some of the ways people have talked about Christianity - but that's not the gospel… The good news isn't that you can be good enough, the good news is that God was good enough to come after you! The Christ-follower doesn't do good things because it “gets us into heaven” we do good things because we've already gotten in and want to bring heaven down into the hell that exists in our world! That's why Paul says… Galatians 1:8-9 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse! There is only one way, one truth…  Jesus is  Paul is so passionate about this, that he tells them anything else is a shot in the dark - and the person should be cursed… CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: years ago Jen and I lived in this trailer out in the country.  I heard these dogs on the porch and almost opened the door to try and scare them away, but my wife was smarter than me and looked out the window to see a skunk that had trapped the dogs.  I immediately went into action and grabbed our bow (no arrows of course)… In my mind, I was gonna wave it around and scare off the dog - cause of course a skunk would be afraid of me with a bow in my hand waving around like a crazy when a giant german shepherd didn't phase it at all…  I went around the house and saw just how fast a skunk was…  Pepe le pew fast.  I realized the tool I had wasn't going to work.  finally, I saw some lawn chairs sitting around a fire pit we had.  I started lobbing lawn chairs at this skunk to get rid of it.  The dogs jumped off and ran away and the skunk stayed under the house.  I had just driven it deeper… Our neighbors came over, who owned the house.  Barb was her name.  Barb's son had a little 36 special revolver, Barb was telling him to shoot it.  He shot several times and missed the skunk.  Finally, this old woman, Barb, grabbed the gun out of his hand, got down on one knee, and like Annie Oakley, shot the skunk - it just fell over dead. Look, you can listen to all the different voices in this world trying to tell you how to fix yourself and what you should do better…  But most of the time, you will just drive the problem deeper inside you… What you need is not to be better, you need someone who knows how to deal with the problem.   There are a lot of ideas out there trying to tell you what to believe. I'm telling you, Jesus came to die for you - He took aim at sin and death and He took care of it once and for all.   When are you going to make a decision to stop trying to be better, and start making a concerted effort to be His?  to live squarely in the good news! ---------------

It's EASTER!  Today, we look at whether Jesus was just crazy or if His claims are worth taking seriously...  Invite someone to watch with you! When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom!  GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give . ------------------- Sermon Notes Slide Key: Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise notedBold = Slide textBold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slideBold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to OPENING ILLUSTRATION:Man, one of my favorite things to do in this life is go to an escape room… I had some friends come into town a while back and we went to Countdown games. They lock you in this room with a giant concrete castle and tell you if you don't escape in an hour you will die. I of course start immediately messing around and making jokes. That is until it starts to get serious, about 45 minutes into it I start freaking out, running around like a chicken with my head cut off because all of the sudden “it counts” TAKE THE TURNIn the past two years, we've all gone through a pandemicthat NO one wants to talk about anymore We have sat on the edge of WWIII watching from afar, reading news stories - seeing atrocities in real-time over Twitter-I told some friends when Russia first invaded Ukraine how weird it was to see the war through the eyes of Twitter We've lived through crazy price hikes, working from home, wearing masks changing jobs, moving, and a million other things It has felt like, if ever, now was the time it countsbAnd everyone I know is trying to find ways to escape - we take trips (experiences) we put our kids in crazy amounts of sportshours spent reading news, swiping through tender, watching TikToksome of us have even gone to some dark places, trying to escape The problem is the things we run to for escape are only short-term fixes.  They all still leave us in a locked room. How do you find the real fix for what your soul longs for? Jesus found himself in front of a group of people who are looking for a fix - looking to escape-they are financially in a bind - just trying to make it day-to-day-they are oppressed, feel like they are constantly under someone else's thumb-they are in need… Jesus has just done something incredible - this crowd of 5,000 men - he has miraculously provided food for them - bread and fish they see this as free Chic Filet - they follow him and ask him to give them more bread They want quick solutions but it won't fix their souls -giving them food is like just dumping yourself into entertainment or your phone or more stuff to do - it fulfills for a little while but leaves you empty This is where Jesus takes a weird graphic turn - listen to His response to their request for Him to give them bread - because He has said He is the bread of life He says this… John 6:53-54 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.  ILLUSTRATION: When I was a kid, I can remember watching Dracula, I was sitting on a 1970's couch.  freaked out as Dracula was sucking people's blood.  What I didn't know was my dad was sneaking up behind me right when it was at its scariest, you're super worried about some woman about to be taken by Dracula, my dad jumps out and is like, “Ah…”  I pretty much soiled myself… Jesus turns ghoulish here - I need you to stop hearing this like someone who's heard it before Picture a real man standing in front of you saying you have to eat my flesh and drink my blood if you want eternal life. He's making the point that the only eternal fix for your soul is found in Him… That's a crazy statement…bIt's crazy to think someone would be audacious enough to say He could fix that hole in your heart, that deep part of you that knows there has to be something more That He has the key to escaping the human condition and giving eternal life… Unless…He can prove it You may not know this, but Easter is specifically the day Christians celebrate not the death of Jesus, but the resurrection of Jesus… Because someone dying, even dying an unjust death is nothing special… The reason we celebrate is Jesus made claims that He would die and then He would raise Himself from the deadbAnd He did it! I know that sounds crazy, but did you know there is eyewitness testimony that Jesus was seen alive after His death and at the time of that testimony there were over 500 people who had seen him that you could have asked about Him? Even secular atheist scholars don't deny this testimony - they think it's crazy, but they believe the person thought they saw it… There are so many reasons to believe Jesus rose from the dead… -Not to mention the fact that the eyewitnesses are all clear that women were the first ones to discover Jesus had risen from the dead (which would be unheard of)-or the fact that the men don't believe it and look like idiots - again if you're making up a religion, don't paint yourself as an idiot-or that all the disciples went to their deaths believing that they saw Jesus raised from the dead and they died BECAUSE of that belief… Here's the deal, what this means is Jesus is only crazy if He's lying - but if He's telling the truth - then He is the one who is our escape. He is the one with the keys to death - that thing that holds you locked in fear Listen to what He says about himself in Rev. Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: I've never not made it out of an escape room.  But I've also never made it out of one without asking for help.  There's always the person watching you struggle in that room and any time you want you can say, “Hey clue person, give us a clue…”  Man, so many of you have been trying to find life in this world and it's just not working out.  You can't drink enough, you can't make enough money, no amount of success, no physical interaction.  None of it satisfies.  None of it has allowed you to escape - as a matter of fact, it's left you feeling like a slave to it.  Jesus offers true escape, true hope.  He can forgive you of your sins and set you free TODAY!   -maybe you're not ready to take that step - I get it, I'm a critic at my core-what if you just gave church a try for the next 3 weeks?  Could you try it and see what God can do with you? -----------------

In this podcast we talk about why we follow Jesus. We share that there are two simple reasons to follow Jesus: Because he gives us the best life now and he gives us the best life forever. Jesus is life-giving and he gives us hope and that makes him worth following.   This is a simple podcast but super important.  If you can put the two concepts we are going to talk about today into your child’s heart, you will win as a parent and your kid will follow Jesus.  www.crazycoolfamily.com www.instagram.com/crazycoolfamily  

Amy Olson Placed Her Faith in Jesus Because the Bible Says All Liars Will be in the Lake of Fire by Daniel Whyte III

Paul summarizes it this way—a church characterized by faith, hope, and love. These three terms, properly understood, describe a radical, THE RADICAL!!! the revolutionary movement of God's Spirit in and through his people. We are asked to do “unto the least of these, as doing unto Jesus” Because that is where Jesus lives! That is where we find him, we don’t bring him, he is already there!! That is how the kingdom comes to earth, how we walk toward the reign of God. If LBCF is ever to truly learn to live and love like Jesus, we must always be open to the surprises of history, to as Nestor O. Miquez says, “the unthinkable that bursts into reality from what has been excluded, to see what is not that undoes what is.”

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1170/29 Paul is trying to argue, when he responds to this stupid hypothetical question; "Since I'm forgiven because of grace, can I just sin every now and then?" He says, "well I guess you could, but don't you realize that when you do that you are setting yourself up to become a slave of whatever it is that you commit yourself to? And since you've been freed from since and become a slave of righteousness, why don't you present yourself to righteousness. Why don't you offer yourself fully, unconditionally to Jesus Christ? Why don't you go for all the gusto that you have in Jesus? Because the more you surrender to Christ, the more you become like Christ.

Over the next few days, we’ll be continuing our study of John chapter 14. Today we are looking closely at verses 14-17. You’re welcome to start with me here but I would encourage you to check the May 6-8 posts on the sermons page of our website as well as yesterday’s post for the first portion of John 14.Thanks for participating in our daily posts from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. Before we dive back into John 14, I hope that you all are staying healthy, both physically, emotionally and spiritually. My hope is that these posts can help a little in all those areas and can be a place of oasis, but also a place that can challenge you to act upon your faith. Scripture can indeed both be comfort and prod, and there are many things we all could be doing that better represent Jesus during this time.One of the ways we can understand that challenge is to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In this long speech at the Last Supper, with the disciples listening to Jesus and trying to understand his sometimes enigmatic way of speaking, Jesus introduces the idea of the Spirit. The concept of God’s Spirit certainly wasn’t new to the disciples, but Jesus describes the Spirit in two distinct ways: as an advocate and as truth. These two descriptions are important because of what Jesus had just said prior in verse 14: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Unfortunately, many Chrisitians down through the centuries have taken verse 14 and plucked it out of the Bible without the verses that come before and especially without the verses that come after. Without an understanding of a relationship with God by faith in Christ and without an understanding of the Spirit, we are not asking in Christ’s name but in our own. In other words, we are not representing Jesus when we ask, we are just representing ourselves.Jesus says ‘ask anything and I’ll do it,’ but prior to the ask in the previous verses, belief comes first - that Jesus perfectly represents God. And not only that, but the things his disciples would ask would be things Jesus himself had done and would do. Then in verse 15 Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” So if the meat is ‘ask anything,’ it is sandwiched by belief and obedience.When we ask something of Jesus, the framework for the asking is a submissive relationship with Jesus. Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is the way, truth and life, and we are not. But when we submit to the law of Christ, and put our faith in him, Jesus will do anything we ask in his name, because only his name exists within us. We belong to Jesus and Jesus has taken residence in us by faith. Our identity begins to be transformed into looking like Jesus.So what are the commands of Jesus? We look to scriptures. We read the story of the gospel, the good news of a King who died for us and was resurrected so that we can have life beyond life and who ascended to God but asked God to give us another advocate, like Jesus, to help us to stay true to his commands here on earth until he comes again. And why do we keep the commands of Jesus? Because we love him, we accept him, we entrust ourselves fully to him. When we have those things even a little bit figured out, we start to know what it means to ask anything of him in his name. But there’s one more key to making any of it possible, and that’s the Spirit. Tomorrow we’ll look more closely at the way Jesus describes the Spirit and how important the role of the Spirit is in knowing Jesus and representing God’s work in the world. I hope you’ll join us. https://stushieart.com/

Over the next few days, we’ll be continuing our study of John chapter 14. Today we are looking closely at verses 14-17. You’re welcome to start with me here but I would encourage you to check the May 6-8 posts on the sermons page of our website as well as yesterday’s post for the first portion of John 14.Thanks for participating in our daily posts from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor. Before we dive back into John 14, I hope that you all are staying healthy, both physically, emotionally and spiritually. My hope is that these posts can help a little in all those areas and can be a place of oasis, but also a place that can challenge you to act upon your faith. Scripture can indeed both be comfort and prod, and there are many things we all could be doing that better represent Jesus during this time.One of the ways we can understand that challenge is to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In this long speech at the Last Supper, with the disciples listening to Jesus and trying to understand his sometimes enigmatic way of speaking, Jesus introduces the idea of the Spirit. The concept of God’s Spirit certainly wasn’t new to the disciples, but Jesus describes the Spirit in two distinct ways: as an advocate and as truth. These two descriptions are important because of what Jesus had just said prior in verse 14: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Unfortunately, many Chrisitians down through the centuries have taken verse 14 and plucked it out of the Bible without the verses that come before and especially without the verses that come after. Without an understanding of a relationship with God by faith in Christ and without an understanding of the Spirit, we are not asking in Christ’s name but in our own. In other words, we are not representing Jesus when we ask, we are just representing ourselves.Jesus says ‘ask anything and I’ll do it,’ but prior to the ask in the previous verses, belief comes first - that Jesus perfectly represents God. And not only that, but the things his disciples would ask would be things Jesus himself had done and would do. Then in verse 15 Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” So if the meat is ‘ask anything,’ it is sandwiched by belief and obedience.When we ask something of Jesus, the framework for the asking is a submissive relationship with Jesus. Jesus is King. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is the way, truth and life, and we are not. But when we submit to the law of Christ, and put our faith in him, Jesus will do anything we ask in his name, because only his name exists within us. We belong to Jesus and Jesus has taken residence in us by faith. Our identity begins to be transformed into looking like Jesus.So what are the commands of Jesus? We look to scriptures. We read the story of the gospel, the good news of a King who died for us and was resurrected so that we can have life beyond life and who ascended to God but asked God to give us another advocate, like Jesus, to help us to stay true to his commands here on earth until he comes again. And why do we keep the commands of Jesus? Because we love him, we accept him, we entrust ourselves fully to him. When we have those things even a little bit figured out, we start to know what it means to ask anything of him in his name. But there’s one more key to making any of it possible, and that’s the Spirit. Tomorrow we’ll look more closely at the way Jesus describes the Spirit and how important the role of the Spirit is in knowing Jesus and representing God’s work in the world. I hope you’ll join us. https://stushieart.com/

Hello everybody, and happy Tuesday to you! I am at day 32 or 33 of my partial Nazarite vow - no beer and no wine is going okay, and I have the haircut part is down pat - I have an unruly mop on my head that will begin to look cavemanesque in about 3 days. Unfortunately, I'm not doing so well on the rest of the fruit of the vine part, as I eat a bowl of Raisin Bran with banana slices nearly every day, and raisins are verboten for a Nazarite. I suppose I'll just remain an Alabama/California hybrid with shaggy hair. Anyway...today's Bible readings include Leviticus 25, Ecclesiastes 8, Psalms 32 and 2nd Timothy 4. A shout out to my wonderful sun John Caedmon who told me earlier today that he agreed with my decision to stop ending the podcast readings with Ecclesiastes, because, and I quote, "Ecclesiastes is kind of depressing." Yes, my son - yes it is. The good news is that it gets better at the end, and that is sort of the point of the book, and sometimes it is the point of our lives as well. For those who are in Christ - no matter how bad things are now - it gets better at the end. I know that is not an original or insightful sentiment, but what it lacks in freshness it makes up for in hope and bedrock truth. Our focus passage today is in Psalms 32, though I admit that there were several things in 2nd Timothy 4 that drew my attention - maybe we will catch them on the second read through. Our Big Bible question of the day is all about forgiveness. How is forgiveness joyful? Let's read Psalms 32, and then return and discuss the joy of forgiveness: How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! 3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat.Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.Selah Psalms 32:1-5 There is a very simple but profound couplet of truths in the first part of Psalms 31. First: There is GREAT joy from the Lord for that person who realizes their sin, knows the danger and damage of that sin, knows the holiness of the Lord, and yet finds that God has - in mercy - forgiven their sin. Twice the Psalmist here acknowledges the utter joy of forgiveness. That is truth #1, and it is an important truth for us in pandemic times. The call of the Father is echoing all across the world right now - repent and follow Jesus! For those that hear the call and do repent and follow Jesus, HOW JOYFUL for them that their sins will be forgiven and not held against them! How joyful that they are NOT disqualified from eternal Heaven - made only for the perfect - because their sin no longer counts against them! There is amazing joy in forgiveness. But don' t miss the second great truth here: There is GROANING and HEAVINESS and WEAKNESS and ILL HEALTH for those who HIDE their sins. Brothers and sisters - if you are hiding your sin right now - whatever it might be - pornography, alcoholism, abuse, outbursts of anger, gossip, slander, criticism, complaining and grumbling, cheating, lying, stealing - whatever....HOW HEAVY that is on your soul! It makes your bones brittle, and your heart weary, and your whole body and soul are impacted. What is the answer - CONFESS TO GOD - and FIND JOY FROM HIS FORGIVENESS! There is a major choice facing all those who are concealing sin: Keep hiding it and nurturing it until it eats away every drop of strength and joy you have, or kill it by confessing it to God and walk in the joy that comes from forgiveness. Easy choice, right?! I say this as a man who struggled with pornography for over a decade in my youth. Sin may be delightful for a moment, but concealed sin weakens you and eats at you and kills you slowly. Confessed sin brings forgiveness and joy and depth of relationship with God the Father! Mary Magdalene is one of the most interesting people in the Bible. She was a devoted follower of Jesus, and her love for Him is so pronounced and so obvious in the Bible that it has produced lots of speculation - even speculation that she loved Him in a romantic way. I believe the truth is much more profound and deep than a simple crush, however. Though the Bible does not explicitly say it, there has been a tradition in the church for almost 2000 years that Mary Magdalene was a saved and redeemed prostitute. That tradition is so old that there might well be some truth to it, but we just can't know. We do know, however, that Mary was delivered of SEVEN demons by Jesus - which must have meant that she spent a significant portion of her life tortured by those same demons, and her reputation undoubtedly suffered from that trauma as well. We also know that Mary was the first person that Jesus revealed Himself to after the resurrection - the first person that He talked to, post-resurrection. This is an incredible honor, and it could be said without too much exaggeration that Mary Magdalene was the first member of the church of Jesus - the first witness to His resurrection, and the first evangelist - bringing the good news to the disciples. What does she have to do with forgiveness, I hear you asking? Excellent question - let's turn to New York pastor Tim Keller to give us the remarkable answer: When you read the commentaries, an awful lot of the commentaries say, “The reason Mary was there and she wouldn’t go home and she stayed there was because she was hysterical. She was so emotional she couldn’t see the angels through her tears. She was so hysterical she couldn’t see Jesus was who he was. She was hysterical.” That’s not true. The more I’ve been looking at this, it’s not true at all. Absolutely not. By the way, in today’s New York Times there’s an interesting article in the entertainment section, of all places, by the New York Times religion writer, in which I guess somebody asked him, “How do the angels depicted on TV sitcoms and TV shows compare with biblical angels?” Gustav Niebuhr says, “Not a lot.” He says, “When most people see angels they fall down. They’re overwhelmed.” By the way, in Luke 24 and in Mark 16 when the other women see these angels dressed bright (and Mary saw they were bright), it says they were dressed in white. How do we know this? The only source of any of this information is from Mary. Mary remembers it. But when the other women saw these very same angels, we’re told they fell to the ground. They were in alarm. The angels always had to say, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.” Mary looks at them. They ask a question and Mary says, “I’m looking for Jesus.” This is not hysteria. Hysterical people freak when they see things like this. This is not hysteria. Then she talks to Jesus. Why doesn’t she recognize Jesus? Because she’s hysterical? No. We will see as we go on through the resurrection accounts that nobody recognizes Jesus at first. His resurrection self means that he has been changed, though he’s still himself, and people have to look, like if you look at somebody you haven’t seen in 25 years. “Oh, it is you.” She didn’t recognize him, but here’s what’s interesting. She’s not hysterical. She deduces, “If this is the gardener, if this is the supervisor of the grounds, then nobody could have done a body snatching without his help or at least his okay. He will know it.” That’s deduction. She’s not enraged, and she’s not hysterical. She says, “Sir.” Very steely. She doesn’t say, “Where is he?” She says, “Sir, if I personally have to go find the swollen, stinking, decayed body of my Lord, if I have to go find him and pick him up myself, I’m going to do that. Where is he? Do you know where he is?” This is not a hysterical woman. This is a woman who is iron. This is a woman who is relentless. This is a woman who is a laser beam. She’s a drill. She’s going to get through anything. “Angels, schmangels. Where’s my Lord? Gardeners, I don’t care.” How did this happen? I’ll tell you. Jesus says it’s simple arithmetic. Jesus Christ says in Luke 7, “The one who is forgiven much, loves much.” I want to press you on this. It’s simple arithmetic. She loved him more than anybody else. That’s why she’s still there. Everybody else is gone. It’s the reason she came. It’s the reason she hasn’t left. It’s simple arithmetic. She knew she was a sinner. She knew she was broken. She knew how big her debt was. She knew it, and Jesus had said, “You can be a child of God.” This is the reason Marys are chosen. This is the reason Marys are used. It’s people who know they’re sinners, it’s people who know the depth of their sin, who love like this. Let me apply this to you. For some of you, there’s no joy or tears. There’s no incredible confidence like Mary has, and there’s no weeping either. Your religion is sort of a matter of duty. You’ve always been religious. You were raised in a church. You come to church now. This is not hysteria. Don’t you dare look at this like that. This is love. This is relentlessness. This is doggedness. This is commitment born of grace. I’ll tell you the reason you don’t have the joy of Mary, and I’ll tell you the reason you’re not used by God like Mary. I’ll tell you why you’re not changing people’s lives like Mary. I’ll tell you why you don’t have this greatness of heart like Mary. This might sound very strange to modern New Yorkers. You don’t know you’re a sinner. You are superficial in your understanding of your brokenness. Very often the Marys of the world who were addicted to sex and inner demons, they know. Do you know what a slave you are? Do you know what a slave you are to achievement, to position, to status, maybe in some cases to moral superiority? Do you realize you have hijacked your life just as much as Mary did? You’re avoiding Jesus as Savior and Lord, even if you’re using him as an example. Until you see yourself as sinful as Mary saw herself, you’re not going to be used. Isn’t it amazing? It’s the Marys of the world God uses, and nobody else. “Well,” you say, “but I’m not a prostitute. I’ve never been. I’ve not been a mental patient.” I’m trying to say it’s the Marys of the world or the people who know they’re no different than the Marys of the world, and only those people, who will ever be used. By the way, there’s one other little tangential footnote. This second point is the divine priority of grace, and there’s one other thing we’d better get through our heads by looking at Mary here. Jesus chose her first. What does this mean? It means Christians ought to every day try to get their snobbery out, throw it on the ground, and stamp on it, try to kill it. The Bible says because of this dynamic, the people who know the least about God, in ages past and today and in ages to come, will always be the people who are running things. This is a terrible thing for New Yorkers to hear. If you look down your nose at brothers and sisters who are beneath you in achievement, beneath you in education, beneath you in social status, beneath you in economic status, you’re just not reading the Bible. Get your snobbery out. Throw it on the ground every day and trample it and think of Mary. Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

Hello everybody, and happy Tuesday to you! I am at day 32 or 33 of my partial Nazarite vow - no beer and no wine is going okay, and I have the haircut part is down pat - I have an unruly mop on my head that will begin to look cavemanesque in about 3 days. Unfortunately, I'm not doing so well on the rest of the fruit of the vine part, as I eat a bowl of Raisin Bran with banana slices nearly every day, and raisins are verboten for a Nazarite. I suppose I'll just remain an Alabama/California hybrid with shaggy hair. Anyway...today's Bible readings include Leviticus 25, Ecclesiastes 8, Psalms 32 and 2nd Timothy 4. A shout out to my wonderful sun John Caedmon who told me earlier today that he agreed with my decision to stop ending the podcast readings with Ecclesiastes, because, and I quote, "Ecclesiastes is kind of depressing." Yes, my son - yes it is. The good news is that it gets better at the end, and that is sort of the point of the book, and sometimes it is the point of our lives as well. For those who are in Christ - no matter how bad things are now - it gets better at the end. I know that is not an original or insightful sentiment, but what it lacks in freshness it makes up for in hope and bedrock truth. Our focus passage today is in Psalms 32, though I admit that there were several things in 2nd Timothy 4 that drew my attention - maybe we will catch them on the second read through. Our Big Bible question of the day is all about forgiveness. How is forgiveness joyful? Let's read Psalms 32, and then return and discuss the joy of forgiveness: How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! 3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat.Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.Selah Psalms 32:1-5 There is a very simple but profound couplet of truths in the first part of Psalms 31. First: There is GREAT joy from the Lord for that person who realizes their sin, knows the danger and damage of that sin, knows the holiness of the Lord, and yet finds that God has - in mercy - forgiven their sin. Twice the Psalmist here acknowledges the utter joy of forgiveness. That is truth #1, and it is an important truth for us in pandemic times. The call of the Father is echoing all across the world right now - repent and follow Jesus! For those that hear the call and do repent and follow Jesus, HOW JOYFUL for them that their sins will be forgiven and not held against them! How joyful that they are NOT disqualified from eternal Heaven - made only for the perfect - because their sin no longer counts against them! There is amazing joy in forgiveness. But don' t miss the second great truth here: There is GROANING and HEAVINESS and WEAKNESS and ILL HEALTH for those who HIDE their sins. Brothers and sisters - if you are hiding your sin right now - whatever it might be - pornography, alcoholism, abuse, outbursts of anger, gossip, slander, criticism, complaining and grumbling, cheating, lying, stealing - whatever....HOW HEAVY that is on your soul! It makes your bones brittle, and your heart weary, and your whole body and soul are impacted. What is the answer - CONFESS TO GOD - and FIND JOY FROM HIS FORGIVENESS! There is a major choice facing all those who are concealing sin: Keep hiding it and nurturing it until it eats away every drop of strength and joy you have, or kill it by confessing it to God and walk in the joy that comes from forgiveness. Easy choice, right?! I say this as a man who struggled with pornography for over a decade in my youth. Sin may be delightful for a moment, but concealed sin weakens you and eats at you and kills you slowly. Confessed sin brings forgiveness and joy and depth of relationship with God the Father! Mary Magdalene is one of the most interesting people in the Bible. She was a devoted follower of Jesus, and her love for Him is so pronounced and so obvious in the Bible that it has produced lots of speculation - even speculation that she loved Him in a romantic way. I believe the truth is much more profound and deep than a simple crush, however. Though the Bible does not explicitly say it, there has been a tradition in the church for almost 2000 years that Mary Magdalene was a saved and redeemed prostitute. That tradition is so old that there might well be some truth to it, but we just can't know. We do know, however, that Mary was delivered of SEVEN demons by Jesus - which must have meant that she spent a significant portion of her life tortured by those same demons, and her reputation undoubtedly suffered from that trauma as well. We also know that Mary was the first person that Jesus revealed Himself to after the resurrection - the first person that He talked to, post-resurrection. This is an incredible honor, and it could be said without too much exaggeration that Mary Magdalene was the first member of the church of Jesus - the first witness to His resurrection, and the first evangelist - bringing the good news to the disciples. What does she have to do with forgiveness, I hear you asking? Excellent question - let's turn to New York pastor Tim Keller to give us the remarkable answer: When you read the commentaries, an awful lot of the commentaries say, “The reason Mary was there and she wouldn’t go home and she stayed there was because she was hysterical. She was so emotional she couldn’t see the angels through her tears. She was so hysterical she couldn’t see Jesus was who he was. She was hysterical.” That’s not true. The more I’ve been looking at this, it’s not true at all. Absolutely not. By the way, in today’s New York Times there’s an interesting article in the entertainment section, of all places, by the New York Times religion writer, in which I guess somebody asked him, “How do the angels depicted on TV sitcoms and TV shows compare with biblical angels?” Gustav Niebuhr says, “Not a lot.” He says, “When most people see angels they fall down. They’re overwhelmed.” By the way, in Luke 24 and in Mark 16 when the other women see these angels dressed bright (and Mary saw they were bright), it says they were dressed in white. How do we know this? The only source of any of this information is from Mary. Mary remembers it. But when the other women saw these very same angels, we’re told they fell to the ground. They were in alarm. The angels always had to say, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.” Mary looks at them. They ask a question and Mary says, “I’m looking for Jesus.” This is not hysteria. Hysterical people freak when they see things like this. This is not hysteria. Then she talks to Jesus. Why doesn’t she recognize Jesus? Because she’s hysterical? No. We will see as we go on through the resurrection accounts that nobody recognizes Jesus at first. His resurrection self means that he has been changed, though he’s still himself, and people have to look, like if you look at somebody you haven’t seen in 25 years. “Oh, it is you.” She didn’t recognize him, but here’s what’s interesting. She’s not hysterical. She deduces, “If this is the gardener, if this is the supervisor of the grounds, then nobody could have done a body snatching without his help or at least his okay. He will know it.” That’s deduction. She’s not enraged, and she’s not hysterical. She says, “Sir.” Very steely. She doesn’t say, “Where is he?” She says, “Sir, if I personally have to go find the swollen, stinking, decayed body of my Lord, if I have to go find him and pick him up myself, I’m going to do that. Where is he? Do you know where he is?” This is not a hysterical woman. This is a woman who is iron. This is a woman who is relentless. This is a woman who is a laser beam. She’s a drill. She’s going to get through anything. “Angels, schmangels. Where’s my Lord? Gardeners, I don’t care.” How did this happen? I’ll tell you. Jesus says it’s simple arithmetic. Jesus Christ says in Luke 7, “The one who is forgiven much, loves much.” I want to press you on this. It’s simple arithmetic. She loved him more than anybody else. That’s why she’s still there. Everybody else is gone. It’s the reason she came. It’s the reason she hasn’t left. It’s simple arithmetic. She knew she was a sinner. She knew she was broken. She knew how big her debt was. She knew it, and Jesus had said, “You can be a child of God.” This is the reason Marys are chosen. This is the reason Marys are used. It’s people who know they’re sinners, it’s people who know the depth of their sin, who love like this. Let me apply this to you. For some of you, there’s no joy or tears. There’s no incredible confidence like Mary has, and there’s no weeping either. Your religion is sort of a matter of duty. You’ve always been religious. You were raised in a church. You come to church now. This is not hysteria. Don’t you dare look at this like that. This is love. This is relentlessness. This is doggedness. This is commitment born of grace. I’ll tell you the reason you don’t have the joy of Mary, and I’ll tell you the reason you’re not used by God like Mary. I’ll tell you why you’re not changing people’s lives like Mary. I’ll tell you why you don’t have this greatness of heart like Mary. This might sound very strange to modern New Yorkers. You don’t know you’re a sinner. You are superficial in your understanding of your brokenness. Very often the Marys of the world who were addicted to sex and inner demons, they know. Do you know what a slave you are? Do you know what a slave you are to achievement, to position, to status, maybe in some cases to moral superiority? Do you realize you have hijacked your life just as much as Mary did? You’re avoiding Jesus as Savior and Lord, even if you’re using him as an example. Until you see yourself as sinful as Mary saw herself, you’re not going to be used. Isn’t it amazing? It’s the Marys of the world God uses, and nobody else. “Well,” you say, “but I’m not a prostitute. I’ve never been. I’ve not been a mental patient.” I’m trying to say it’s the Marys of the world or the people who know they’re no different than the Marys of the world, and only those people, who will ever be used. By the way, there’s one other little tangential footnote. This second point is the divine priority of grace, and there’s one other thing we’d better get through our heads by looking at Mary here. Jesus chose her first. What does this mean? It means Christians ought to every day try to get their snobbery out, throw it on the ground, and stamp on it, try to kill it. The Bible says because of this dynamic, the people who know the least about God, in ages past and today and in ages to come, will always be the people who are running things. This is a terrible thing for New Yorkers to hear. If you look down your nose at brothers and sisters who are beneath you in achievement, beneath you in education, beneath you in social status, beneath you in economic status, you’re just not reading the Bible. Get your snobbery out. Throw it on the ground every day and trample it and think of Mary. Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

Hello everybody, and welcome into the Bible Reading podcast - a welcome respite from all of the coronavirus news going around, and filled with enough good Scripture to encourage and edify our souls! Today's passages include Exodus 21, Job 39, Luke 24, and 2nd Corinthians 9. I honestly went back and forth over the topic for today's show. I strongly considered and even began writing about Jesus' command to the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were, "clothed with power from on high," and almost talked about Paul's blessed command to give in 2nd Corinthians 9, but ultimately, I couldn't get away from the allure of talking about the resurrection again, so that is today's focus. It is honestly just hard not to focus on the greatest event in history every time you encounter it in the Bible. With lots of fear going around because of this pandemic scare, I am grateful that - no matter how bad this or any situation gets - those who are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross have the wonderful promise of eternal life in Him. Because He lives - we who follow Him will live and not perish. Praise His name! The resurrection is the antidote for all of our fears! By the way, today's episode is a two parter, because I couldn't drop two straight 40 minute episodes on you. Selections from today's show are from my book: Easter Fact or Fiction - Twenty Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead, which is available on Amazon. Every time you buy a copy of that book on Amazon, I make a little over two dollars - which is enough to buy my precious children about two rolls of toilet paper. Or, it would be if every store in Salinas wasn't sold out of toilet paper!! I'm tempted to do an episode that attempts to castigate toilet paper hoarders, but I can't really find a Scripture on that, for some reason. Here is a good question from Willem Dykstra about my choice of the CSB for the primary BRP podcast Bible. Hi Chase, I am just curious, why is it that you use the CSB, Christian Standard Bible version? Or at least, why do you use it in your Bible Reading Podcast?Up until your podcast, I had never heard of this version I did just a little googling and only remembered from my googling that it seems to be an updated version of the HCSB. Anyway, when I was just a wee lad growing up in Southern Ontario and attending one of the two Christian Reformed Churches in Bowmanville, Ontario, I think the various Christian Reformed Churches in that area used the RSV. I believe some were also still using the good old KJV (Linus’s speech in the Peanuts Christmas special would not be the same without it). Around the time I started college, or shortly after that (or maybe just before), all the Christian Reformed Churches almost immediately went to the NIV. Every good Dutch, Christian Reformed person will tell you the NIV published by Zondervan (Another great Dutch name) is the Christian Reformed Church’s gift to the rest of Christiandom (I mean, our denomination is even mentioned in the preface and everything) I remember my theology professor when I went to college at Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA, (then it was called Dordt College) although he was a faithful Christian Reformed member did not like that they did the “LORD” in uppercase when they should have used the actual name Yahweh or something like that. I can’t seem to recall if I got his umbrage correct (that was a long time ago). Anyway, fast forward to the time I am now married and living in Minnesota attending Dr. John Piper’s church, Bethlehem Baptist. I remember that he felt very strongly about the ESV and said this would be the last and best version he would ever use. And our church, both campuses at that time, only used the ESV from then on, and I have been using it ever since.Anyways, sorry if I just wrote too much info here. I did not even go into the fact that several years ago (or maybe decades), it seemed Zondervan Publishing and the NIV had fallen from grace when many people took umbrage (myself included) when Zondervan decided to publish a gender-neutral version of the NIV. I don’t remember what this new version is even called (NIrV I think or something like that, but I digress again), but anyways if you have read this far, I really am wondering why is it that you use the CSB? Great question, Willem! I've been a Christian for almost 40 years now, and here is a list of the translations I have favored over the years: 1970s (as a child) The King James Version Plus the Living Bible. (I was a child!) 1980s-early 2000s: The NIV 1984 1998/99-2002ish: The Updated NASB 2002-2008 The 1984 NIV + The Updated NASB 2008-2013 The ESV 2013-2020 The Holman Christian Standard + The ESV + The CSB. My primary preaching translation for the past 7 years has been the HCSB. The reason I chose the CSB for the Bible Reading podcast, is because I thought that more readers would have it than the HCSB, which remains my favorite translation. The biggest difference I see between the CSB and the HCSB is the translation of the Tetragrammaton - the personal name of God. the CSB prefers LORD and the HCSB prefers Yahweh: Comparison of Psalm 83:18 HCSB: May they know that You alone— whose name is Yahweh— are the Most High over all the earth. CSB: May they know that you alone— whose name is the LORD are the Most High over the whole earth. I believe the best way to translate the name of God is indeed to use 'Yahweh,' but I do not believe that LORD is wrong. Today's Big Bible Question is all about the women who were the first witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. This is a big deal, because the testimony of women was not viewed favorably in the first century, and the fact that all FOUR Gospels feature women as the first witnesses of the resurrection is very significant historically. I believe it offers solid corroaboration to the authenticity of the Gospel accounts. Why have women as the first witnesses of Jesus if you are fabricating a story, or legendizing a story? The only sensible reason to feature women prominently as the first witnesses of the biggest event in history is if they were really the first witnesses. One thing I noticed in yesterday's reading of Luke 23 - that I had glossed over in the past - is that the women were not only witnesses of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, but also very close and careful eyewitnesses of the burial of Jesus: 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Luke 23:55-56 It should be noted that for one to argue that the early church fabricated the resurrection of Jesus, one has to commit to the very same sexism that many of the men of the first century were quite guilty of - they must disparage the testimony of women! Consider the words of Josephus and Strabo - one a well known Jewish/Roman historian and the other a notable Roman first century sexist philosopher: A. “But let not a single witness be credited; but three, or two at the least, and those such whose testimony is confirmed by their good lives. But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth” - Jewish/Roman historian Josephus, pointing out the belief that women of his day should not testify in court B: “In dealing with a crowd of women at least, or with any promiscuous mob, a philosopher cannot influence them by reason or exhort them to reverence, piety and faith; nay, there is need of religious fear also, and this cannot be aroused without myths and marvels” - Strabo, a first century philosopher sharing a quite common view of women at the time: that they were immune to reason and comparable to a “promiscuous mob.” A. Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 117. B. Richard Bauckham, Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, ©2002), 270 They weren't the only ones, either! Consider the Mishnah a compilation of the Jewish oral law that was actively used by the Scribes and Pharisees during the first century. (and not the Word of God.) One of the Rabbis found within testifies that, due to their menstrual issues, “women are not competent witnesses to be relied on…they are not halakhically admissible as reliable witnesses.” There are many more examples than just those, and I imagine some of you are mad right now, so let me just sneak in one other somewhat infuriating quote written by our backwards ‘friends’ from antiquity. Celsus was a Greek philosopher and an adamant opponent of Christianity who lived in the second century. Of the resurrection, and the fact that a woman was the first witness of the risen Jesus, Celsus opined: “But we must examine this question whether anyone who really died ever rose again with the same body. Or do you think that the stories of these others really are the legends which they appear to be, and yet that the ending of your tragedy is to be regarded as noble and convincing—his cry from the cross when he expired, and the earthquake and the darkness? While he was alive he did not help himself, but after death he rose again and showed the marks of his punishment and how his hands had been pierced. But who saw this? A hysterical female, as you say, and perhaps some other one of those who were deluded by the same sorcery, who either dreamt in a certain state of mind and through wishful thinking had a hallucination due to some mistaken notion, or, which is more likely, wanted to impress the others by telling this fantastic tale, and so by this cock-and-bull story to provide a chance for other beggars.” James Stevenson, A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337 (London: SPCK, 1987), 133. As you can see here, Celsus’ major attack on the validity of the resurrection account is that it was first witnessed and propagated by a hysterical woman (Mary Magdalene) and, another “one of those,” who was “deluded by the same sorcery.” On behalf of women everywhere, I am offended for you! Be reminded that, though this backwards attitude towards women was staggeringly rampant in the first century, that was not the case with Jesus, the apostles, nor the early church. Perhaps you’ve imagined that the “Jesus Team” consisted of Jesus and the twelve disciples, and those thirteen went around from city to city healing the sick and sharing the good news. You’d be partly right, but the Jesus team was actually quite a bit larger than that, as there were a number (the Bible says “many) of women that also travelled with Jesus and had a critical role on the team, paying for lodging and expenses, etc. Jesus Himself was radical in the way He treated women, having multiple deep individual encounters with them at a time when it would be scandalously inappropriate for a Rabbi to have a one on one conversation with a female. Compare the New Testament to any other document of antiquity, and you will find that it was radically forward thinking in its ethos of women. To be sure, in many cases, women were treated quite poorly in the earliest centuries, and were viewed in a way that does not comport with modern reality. I could add many other quotes to demonstrate this historical fact, but that is not necessary to make the primary and pertinent point here: having a female witness to something monumental in the first century might be a little bit…inconvenient, to say the least. As Josephus notes above, there were many cultures in antiquity where a woman was not allowed to testify in court. In other ancient cultures, they might have been allowed to testify, but their testimony would not have carried as much weight as the testimony of a man. In some of those situations, where women were actually allowed to testify, it would take the testimony of two women to override the testimony of one man. Why is such a cultural issue critical in discussing the resurrection of Jesus? Because, according to Matthew 28, the first two witnesses to the risen Jesus were women, Mary Magdalene and “The other Mary.” Luke adds that Joanna was there, as well as “other women,” and seems to indicate that “the other” Mary, was Mary the mother of James. All four gospels, written down by different men, in different places and at different time periods ALL feature a female (Mary Magdalene) as the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus. Stay Tuned for part two tomorrow!

Hello everybody, and welcome into the Bible Reading podcast - a welcome respite from all of the coronavirus news going around, and filled with enough good Scripture to encourage and edify our souls! Today's passages include Exodus 21, Job 39, Luke 24, and 2nd Corinthians 9. I honestly went back and forth over the topic for today's show. I strongly considered and even began writing about Jesus' command to the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were, "clothed with power from on high," and almost talked about Paul's blessed command to give in 2nd Corinthians 9, but ultimately, I couldn't get away from the allure of talking about the resurrection again, so that is today's focus. It is honestly just hard not to focus on the greatest event in history every time you encounter it in the Bible. With lots of fear going around because of this pandemic scare, I am grateful that - no matter how bad this or any situation gets - those who are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross have the wonderful promise of eternal life in Him. Because He lives - we who follow Him will live and not perish. Praise His name! The resurrection is the antidote for all of our fears! By the way, today's episode is a two parter, because I couldn't drop two straight 40 minute episodes on you. Selections from today's show are from my book: Easter Fact or Fiction - Twenty Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead, which is available on Amazon. Every time you buy a copy of that book on Amazon, I make a little over two dollars - which is enough to buy my precious children about two rolls of toilet paper. Or, it would be if every store in Salinas wasn't sold out of toilet paper!! I'm tempted to do an episode that attempts to castigate toilet paper hoarders, but I can't really find a Scripture on that, for some reason. Here is a good question from Willem Dykstra about my choice of the CSB for the primary BRP podcast Bible. Hi Chase, I am just curious, why is it that you use the CSB, Christian Standard Bible version? Or at least, why do you use it in your Bible Reading Podcast?Up until your podcast, I had never heard of this version I did just a little googling and only remembered from my googling that it seems to be an updated version of the HCSB. Anyway, when I was just a wee lad growing up in Southern Ontario and attending one of the two Christian Reformed Churches in Bowmanville, Ontario, I think the various Christian Reformed Churches in that area used the RSV. I believe some were also still using the good old KJV (Linus’s speech in the Peanuts Christmas special would not be the same without it). Around the time I started college, or shortly after that (or maybe just before), all the Christian Reformed Churches almost immediately went to the NIV. Every good Dutch, Christian Reformed person will tell you the NIV published by Zondervan (Another great Dutch name) is the Christian Reformed Church’s gift to the rest of Christiandom (I mean, our denomination is even mentioned in the preface and everything) I remember my theology professor when I went to college at Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA, (then it was called Dordt College) although he was a faithful Christian Reformed member did not like that they did the “LORD” in uppercase when they should have used the actual name Yahweh or something like that. I can’t seem to recall if I got his umbrage correct (that was a long time ago). Anyway, fast forward to the time I am now married and living in Minnesota attending Dr. John Piper’s church, Bethlehem Baptist. I remember that he felt very strongly about the ESV and said this would be the last and best version he would ever use. And our church, both campuses at that time, only used the ESV from then on, and I have been using it ever since.Anyways, sorry if I just wrote too much info here. I did not even go into the fact that several years ago (or maybe decades), it seemed Zondervan Publishing and the NIV had fallen from grace when many people took umbrage (myself included) when Zondervan decided to publish a gender-neutral version of the NIV. I don’t remember what this new version is even called (NIrV I think or something like that, but I digress again), but anyways if you have read this far, I really am wondering why is it that you use the CSB? Great question, Willem! I've been a Christian for almost 40 years now, and here is a list of the translations I have favored over the years: 1970s (as a child) The King James Version Plus the Living Bible. (I was a child!) 1980s-early 2000s: The NIV 1984 1998/99-2002ish: The Updated NASB 2002-2008 The 1984 NIV + The Updated NASB 2008-2013 The ESV 2013-2020 The Holman Christian Standard + The ESV + The CSB. My primary preaching translation for the past 7 years has been the HCSB. The reason I chose the CSB for the Bible Reading podcast, is because I thought that more readers would have it than the HCSB, which remains my favorite translation. The biggest difference I see between the CSB and the HCSB is the translation of the Tetragrammaton - the personal name of God. the CSB prefers LORD and the HCSB prefers Yahweh: Comparison of Psalm 83:18 HCSB: May they know that You alone— whose name is Yahweh— are the Most High over all the earth. CSB: May they know that you alone— whose name is the LORD are the Most High over the whole earth. I believe the best way to translate the name of God is indeed to use 'Yahweh,' but I do not believe that LORD is wrong. Today's Big Bible Question is all about the women who were the first witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. This is a big deal, because the testimony of women was not viewed favorably in the first century, and the fact that all FOUR Gospels feature women as the first witnesses of the resurrection is very significant historically. I believe it offers solid corroaboration to the authenticity of the Gospel accounts. Why have women as the first witnesses of Jesus if you are fabricating a story, or legendizing a story? The only sensible reason to feature women prominently as the first witnesses of the biggest event in history is if they were really the first witnesses. One thing I noticed in yesterday's reading of Luke 23 - that I had glossed over in the past - is that the women were not only witnesses of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, but also very close and careful eyewitnesses of the burial of Jesus: 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Luke 23:55-56 It should be noted that for one to argue that the early church fabricated the resurrection of Jesus, one has to commit to the very same sexism that many of the men of the first century were quite guilty of - they must disparage the testimony of women! Consider the words of Josephus and Strabo - one a well known Jewish/Roman historian and the other a notable Roman first century sexist philosopher: A. “But let not a single witness be credited; but three, or two at the least, and those such whose testimony is confirmed by their good lives. But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth” - Jewish/Roman historian Josephus, pointing out the belief that women of his day should not testify in court B: “In dealing with a crowd of women at least, or with any promiscuous mob, a philosopher cannot influence them by reason or exhort them to reverence, piety and faith; nay, there is need of religious fear also, and this cannot be aroused without myths and marvels” - Strabo, a first century philosopher sharing a quite common view of women at the time: that they were immune to reason and comparable to a “promiscuous mob.” A. Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 117. B. Richard Bauckham, Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, ©2002), 270 They weren't the only ones, either! Consider the Mishnah a compilation of the Jewish oral law that was actively used by the Scribes and Pharisees during the first century. (and not the Word of God.) One of the Rabbis found within testifies that, due to their menstrual issues, “women are not competent witnesses to be relied on…they are not halakhically admissible as reliable witnesses.” There are many more examples than just those, and I imagine some of you are mad right now, so let me just sneak in one other somewhat infuriating quote written by our backwards ‘friends’ from antiquity. Celsus was a Greek philosopher and an adamant opponent of Christianity who lived in the second century. Of the resurrection, and the fact that a woman was the first witness of the risen Jesus, Celsus opined: “But we must examine this question whether anyone who really died ever rose again with the same body. Or do you think that the stories of these others really are the legends which they appear to be, and yet that the ending of your tragedy is to be regarded as noble and convincing—his cry from the cross when he expired, and the earthquake and the darkness? While he was alive he did not help himself, but after death he rose again and showed the marks of his punishment and how his hands had been pierced. But who saw this? A hysterical female, as you say, and perhaps some other one of those who were deluded by the same sorcery, who either dreamt in a certain state of mind and through wishful thinking had a hallucination due to some mistaken notion, or, which is more likely, wanted to impress the others by telling this fantastic tale, and so by this cock-and-bull story to provide a chance for other beggars.” James Stevenson, A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337 (London: SPCK, 1987), 133. As you can see here, Celsus’ major attack on the validity of the resurrection account is that it was first witnessed and propagated by a hysterical woman (Mary Magdalene) and, another “one of those,” who was “deluded by the same sorcery.” On behalf of women everywhere, I am offended for you! Be reminded that, though this backwards attitude towards women was staggeringly rampant in the first century, that was not the case with Jesus, the apostles, nor the early church. Perhaps you’ve imagined that the “Jesus Team” consisted of Jesus and the twelve disciples, and those thirteen went around from city to city healing the sick and sharing the good news. You’d be partly right, but the Jesus team was actually quite a bit larger than that, as there were a number (the Bible says “many) of women that also travelled with Jesus and had a critical role on the team, paying for lodging and expenses, etc. Jesus Himself was radical in the way He treated women, having multiple deep individual encounters with them at a time when it would be scandalously inappropriate for a Rabbi to have a one on one conversation with a female. Compare the New Testament to any other document of antiquity, and you will find that it was radically forward thinking in its ethos of women. To be sure, in many cases, women were treated quite poorly in the earliest centuries, and were viewed in a way that does not comport with modern reality. I could add many other quotes to demonstrate this historical fact, but that is not necessary to make the primary and pertinent point here: having a female witness to something monumental in the first century might be a little bit…inconvenient, to say the least. As Josephus notes above, there were many cultures in antiquity where a woman was not allowed to testify in court. In other ancient cultures, they might have been allowed to testify, but their testimony would not have carried as much weight as the testimony of a man. In some of those situations, where women were actually allowed to testify, it would take the testimony of two women to override the testimony of one man. Why is such a cultural issue critical in discussing the resurrection of Jesus? Because, according to Matthew 28, the first two witnesses to the risen Jesus were women, Mary Magdalene and “The other Mary.” Luke adds that Joanna was there, as well as “other women,” and seems to indicate that “the other” Mary, was Mary the mother of James. All four gospels, written down by different men, in different places and at different time periods ALL feature a female (Mary Magdalene) as the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus. Stay Tuned for part two tomorrow!

-Sung Psalm- 2-----Cities rise and cities fall. Nation rises up against nation - kngdoms come, and kingdoms go... and every time the City of Man comes crashing down, we are reminded once again of the invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb-----But just when we thought we were there - just when we thought we catch a glimpse of the Brid...--w--No, sorry. In chapter 19, we don't yet see the bride- We only see her in chapter 21-----Before we can see the Bride, we need to see the Bridegroom - We need to see Jesus- Because while it is true that the Fall of Babylon will be a sort of self-implosion, the judgment against the Beast and the False Prophet - and the judgment against the Dragon - the unholy Trinity - comes only through the triumphant Lord Jesus Christ-----I want you to see Jesus-

Luke 11:27-32 Sermon Notes1) Who’s Blessed? 27-28 2) Who’s Condemned? 29-32 Reflection questions: 1. Was Jesus’ mother blessed? Why was she blessed? Because she had a baby who turned out to be Jesus? Because she came to understand that God looks upon the humble and the lowly? (See Luke 1:37-49) Is the greatest blessing that Mary received also available to you? 2. Why did Jesus not provide a sign when the people asked for a sign? Had received other signs before? What else does Scripture say about demanding signs and rejecting the signs that God has given? See I Corinthians 1:22 and Luke 16:19-31, especially vv.30-31. 3. Was Jonah a good prophet? Did Jonah understand God’s attributes and God’s mercy? (See Jonah 1:9, 12; 2:8-9; 4:2-3.) Was Jonah’s problem a lack of knowledge? A lack of something else? 4. Why is Jesus greater than Jonah? Compare Matthew’s account: Matthew 12:38-42.

It's a simple question but an important one. What does it mean to follow Jesus? Because who you are connected to is directly related to who you will become in life. Pastor Marty Dunbar takes us through the scriptures to understand this more fully. To find out more about our church please visit www.jwumc.rog

Speak up “We love [Him] because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 Everyone has a Voice; it’s how they use it that makes a difference. The Voice of the Holy Spirit The Non-Believers The Believers The Passionate Believers 1. If you ask: Why do I need to speak up and announce my Love for Jesus? BECAUSE he first loved you Some reasons people give for not talking more about their Love for Christ Afraid of being laughed at Afraid of being criticized They do not want any trouble “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”? John 15:19 2. Jesus deserve to be acknowledged He was not ashamed of his love for us. “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels” Mark 8:38 3. Because it puts you among the most blessed company. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying,“This is My beloved (LOVED) Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 If you look through History you will see some of the Bravest Men and Women all who publicly and loudly proclaimed “I LOVE HIM” 4. Your Public declaration of Jesus has the power to influence others around you. By your example you lead others to Jesus. 5. Speaking up and out loud about your Love for Jesus will be of benefit to yourself. When we speak of Jesus others might listen, But for sure YOU WILL LISTEN, Because you are with you all the time.

A couple of weeks ago we considered in Philippians 1 how life is defined by Christ and how death is gain because it brings us into Christ's eternal presence. This week, over in chapter 3, Paul returns to this same theme of gain (or profit) and how knowing Jesus is everything we could ever hope for. Anything else we seek to profit from will come to nothing – to a loss – but in knowing Christ, we gain life and resurrection. Are you putting your hope in material rubbish or wallowing in the dung heap of religion? Or are you striving for a deeper relationship with Jesus? Because the latter will profit us for eternity.

At Easter time we Christians love to come together and worship God and celebrate Jesus victory over death. And rightly so! We are blessed to have a right relationship with God because of Jesus great sacrifice. But is Sunday morning worship enough? Is a few songs and a prayer enough when it comes to my worship of God? My praise? Listen to this week's message as Pastor Kamron talks about the people who shouted "Hosanna" on the original Palm Sunday. The praise stopped before the first palm branch on the road wilted. Does that describe MY praise to Jesus? Because it should be SO much more!

How do we know the disciples weren’t lying about the resurrection of Jesus? “Because they were willing to die for it.” Well, that’s what Christians will say anyway.   Follow Drew and Cory on twitter or the Hinge facebook group to join the conversation and catch future announcements.

Sermon #18 from the Series The Gospel of Mark (Mark 5:21-43): Title: A Desperate Father, a Desperate Woman, and Faith in Jesus - Because sin leaves us spiritually unclean and hopelessly desperate, we must exercise faith in Jesus who promises to pour out His mercy and grace, remove our uncleanness, and give us new life.

Why the blood of Jesus? Because in His blood, there is power to redeem, transform, to deliver and set free and to heal and protect you! Experience the Power of His Blood in your daily life!

Oh my goodness. So much I could say about what we read today. Where to begin? In chapter 4, after Peter and John were arrested for talking about Jesus after the lame beggar was healed, and they were standing before the religious leaders, they were asked, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”, what does scripture say happened? It says, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit! Do you remember how often Peter would put his foot in his mouth when He was with Jesus? Sure, he got a few things right, but he often said exactly the wrong things, didn’t he? And now that he is filled with the Holy Spirit, God speaks just the right words through him. Earlier in this chapter, we are told that after he preached, the number of the men added to the church was now about five thousand. The day before it was three thousand. So the Holy Spirit’s filling has made him a powerful and convincing speaker, wouldn’t you say? What happened on the night that Jesus was crucified? Peter wouldn't even admit to knowing Jesus. He was afraid and perhaps even ashamed to acknowledge Jesus. And now, the words he speaks have brought about five thousand men to believe in Jesus. And we don’t know how many more women there were. So many of us are afraid to stand up and speak the name of Jesus. Here in Acts chapter four, Peter says to the religious leaders, “…if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead-by this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. 12And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." How is that for boldness? Now get this: “13Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” Why did they recognize them as having been with Jesus? Because of the Holy Spirit’s speaking through them! They spoke in the same way as Jesus did! Well of course they did! God is One. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have the same message because they are One. The point to take away from this is that if you will let the Holy Spirit speak through you, you will have the right words to say…words that are from God and words that will change the hearts of people. And my friend, we need this kind of filling of the Holy Spirit as much today as they needed that day, because there are those who tell us, like the religious leaders told them, “Do not speak of Jesus!” You know it’s true, and it is only getting worse. If you are a believer, be ready to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit. You will be amazed at what He will do through you. Your thoughts?

So, why, on the Sunday before Christmas, does the Church call us to read this lineage of Jesus? Because there's an irreplaceable power to community memory. And more so for we moderns who have sacrificed our attention span for entertainment!

Speaker or Performer: Pr. Mark D. Lovett Scripture Passage(s): Hebrews 9:11-15; John 8:46-59 Date of Delivery: March 17, 2013 In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.The blood of Christ purifies your conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Heb. 9:11-15).The book of Leviticus, the book of the Law, is nearly all about how a person becomes unclean and clean. Some of uncleanliness is caused by sickness or natural functions of the body. Other uncleanliness is caused by touching an unclean thing, like a leper or dead body. But whether the uncleanliness was of inescapable natural reasons or was the result of outward events, the unclean person was still unclean. They needed to be cleansed. Why did they need to be cleansed? Because an unclean person could not, was forbidden from entering the temple and participating in the service of God. An unclean person was cut off from God and from the people of God.So an unclean person must be made clean. And there is only one way to be cleansed in the book of the Law: blood and priests. Sacrifice must be made and a priest must declare you clean. Nothing else will do. There’s no other way. The only way to God is to be sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice and to be declared clean by the priest.That is still the only way to God. You must be sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice and declared clean by the priest. Only the sacrificial blood with which you are sprinkled is not the blood of goats or bulls, but of Jesus, the Son of God. And the priest that declares you clean is not a descendant of Levi and neither is he priest according to the making of men. The Priest that declares you clean is the High Priest, Jesus, ordained and anointed by God the Father to be the High Priest forever.How do you know you have been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus? Because the gospel is preached to you and because you have been baptized. The apostles directly link baptism to the blood of Jesus in several places and in several ways so that just as the bread and wine are the very body and blood of Jesus for you, so the water is the blood of the sacrifice that cleanses not merely your body, but your conscience. As the apostle John writes, “Jesus Christ came by water and the blood, not by water only but by water and the blood” (1 Jn. 5:6), and the apostle Peter writes, “Baptism – corresponding to Noah’s flood – now saves you; not by the removal of dirt, but by an appeal to a clean conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pt. 3:21). So here we read in Hebrews that we are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus to purify our conscience.And why do we need a pure conscience? Because a defiled conscience cannot enter the presence of God. It is unclean. A sacrifice is needed. Blood is needed. A priest is needed. They are needed so that you can enter the presence of God and service Him in His temple. So Jesus is the sacrifice and He is Himself the Priest. He sprinkles you with His own blood to purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.But what does that mean, to purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Well just as under the old testament a person became unclean by both what was inside and what they came into contact with, so we are unclean by both what is inside and what we come in contact with. Dead works are those works we do by which we cannot enter eternal life. Dead works are those works done in sin and sinfulness. Dead works are what we by our sinful nature do. From these dead works we must be cleansed.+ In Nomine Iesu +

Do we love people? Or do we just tolerate or maybe even avoid them? Why do we love things more than Jesus? Because we have not discovered how much he loves us - there is not a moment where he doesn't love us.