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https://www.podbean.com/lsw/X0V2CaNu5K?lsid=3pd0GhMoSJx A walk through the Scriptures proving that Jesus Christ is the God of Adam and Eve, of Abraham, of Moses, of Isaiah and more. This is really an introduction to the idea that Jesus Christ is NOT a ”nice guy” that the modernist Judeo-Christian church has invented. Hell is not a nice place. Neither was Sodom. Same God, same results. Part 1 1 John 4:12. No one has seen God at any time. John 6;46. No that anyone has seen the father except the One who is from God, He has seen the Father. John 1:18. No one has seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known. John 10:30. I and the Father are One. Colossians 1:15. He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (or source) of Creation. John 14:9. He who has seen Me has seen the father. Part 2: Exodus 33:11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend. Adam and Eve walked and talked with God, the Lord [Jesus]. Abraham God mean, bread and water. He washed their feet and prepared a physical meal. He was standing under the tree as they ate. Isaiah 6:1 I saw the Lord sitting on a throne lofting and exalted with the train of his robe filling the temple. Isaiah 6:5 for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Part 3: Genesis 7:23. He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the earth, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. Genesis 12:29. The Lord struck the first born in the land of Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoah who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon and the firstborn of the cattle. Job: (Job was a righteous man and still he suffered extensively by the will of God - he went through his tribulation) Genesis 19: the men of the city, the men of Sodom, sorrounded the house both young and old (the perversion of the youth) Genesis 19: 24 The Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. He overthrew the cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground Genesis 19:26 But [Lots] wife . . . looked back and became a pillar of salt. Deuteronomy 28: For the entire nation 1 Samuel 15:33. Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal. Samuel was not an effete man of letters -- he could wield a sword and seemed to have some experience with it. Jeremiah 13:7. The story of the waistband ruined and rotted, totally worthless. " . . . and the waistband was totally worthless." Jeremiah 26:66 and I will make this house like Shiloh and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth. Nahum 1:2. A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; the Lord is avenging and wrathful. THe Lord takes vengeance on HIs adversaries and He reserves his wrath for His enemies. Nahum 1:3 and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Psalm 137:9. How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones agains the rock. Fritz Berggren, PhD bloodandfaith.com
In this episode we start a new series on the Passover in Exodus and the New Testament. This is a major part of Israel's story as well as the over all story of the Bible, and becomes a major point of reference for not only the prophets, but also Jesus and the writers of the New Testament. A major goal for us in this series will be to help us understand the Passover as the Israelites themselves would have understood it. And the best way to do that is by looking at the Passover in it's Biblical and historical context. Then, after we get a good picture of what Passover meant for them, we can look at the ways New Testament writers use the events and symbolism of Passover to talk about Jesus and the Atonement. In short, we want to "read forwards" from the Old Testament into the New Testament before we "read backwards" from the New Testament into the Old Testament. Biblically, and the point we will explore in this episode, is that one of the goals of Passover was for God to make a distinction between Israel and the Egyptians. Pharoah saw Israel as belonging to him and his Egyptian empire, but God was showing Pharoah through the plagues that Israel was his firstborn and belonged to him, and that it was time for Israel to advance to another stage along God's developmental path. As long as Pharaoah refused to recognize this truth, and the right God had to his own firstborn son, Pharoah would essentially be an enslaving kidnapper. God had been making a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel starting with the fourth plague, and continued to make that distinction all they way up through the 10th plague of killing the firstborn of Egypt. However, after the 10th plague Pharoah finally acknowledged the distinction God had been making when he called for Moses and said "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also." (Exo. 12:31-32) Once Pharaoh acknowledged this fact, and acted accordingly, the plagues ceased. God retains this same interest to make a distinction between his people and the people under the power of evil in both the Old and New Testaments. Key Passages: Exodus 11:1-10 Plagues 4-10 working to make a distinction between Egyptians and Israelites #4 - FLies - 8:22-23 #5 - Livestock - 9:4 #6 - Boils - 9:11 #7 - Hail - 9:26-27 #8 - Locusts - 10:1-6 #9 - Darkness - 10:23 #10 - Firstborn - 11:7 Numers 9:13-14 - Failure to observe Passover entailed a decision to no longer identify as member of Israel be excommunicated from Israel. And a decision to keep Passover required one to be circumcised. Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.org Leave us a question or comment at our website podcast page. * Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/onelifenash/support
Fuego Flames Artist, Cultural innovator, vampire from the Darkside and Masta Pharaoah Mc /Producer Stops by the Smoking with JoeThunder podcast with Co Host Elvis Freshleee Bgood dispensary We talk music, vampire's, sex , shows and cult like following Big Grit and RalphySway Join us !!!
You cannot ignore the influence of the book of Exodus in our understanding of God or our understanding of oppression. This book introduces us to the concept of redemption and salvation plus is sets an understanding of worship in a central place and an ideal of a prophet. We think of Exodus and we think of Moses and Pharaoah but it is a God-centric book.
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## IntroductionI love survival stories. One of my absolute favorites is entitled “The Endurance,” and is about Earnest Shackleton’s attempt to cross the Antarctic Continent from 1914-1917. And what makes it so gripping is the cycles of hope and despair. You’re reading along and they are enduring unbelievable catastrophes. They are getting stuck in ice, their ship sinks, they are in open seas on an iceberg. They run out of key supplies. And you think to yourself, “Wow, I can’t imagine this getting any worse.” And then you look at your book and your only a quarter of the way through. And sure enough, it gets way worse. But then they get this incredible stroke of luck and you think, “Oh, man they are going to make it!” And you’re on this adrenaline high of hope. And you think, “This has got to almost be over.” And you look at your book and you haven’t even reached the halfway marker. And then you find out why. Tragedy strikes. And then you are just crying in sympathy for these guys. It can’t get worse. And it gets way worse. It just keeps cycling through these incredible highs where they celebrate a stroke of fortune only to be rewarded with an unforeseen tragedy of monstrous proportions.And this is kind of the way the Joseph narrative reads. He goes from mountain to valley to mountain to valley. You could illustrate it like this.Joseph starts out on this mountain top, this incredible position of privilege of an especially gifted, favorite, handsome son. But tragedy strikes! His brothers act on their raging jealousy and strip his identity from him like skin from an animal. His family, privilege, language, culture, values, and even his name are stripped away. His naked body and soul is sold into slavery.It’s a tragic valley low. But then with the Lord’s help, he rises to a position of incredible influence and privilege in Potiphar’s house. And now we are standing on a mountain high. Who wouldn’t love the view from where he stands? That is, until strategy strikes in the form of a seductress.Today we watch Joseph go from being in charge to being charged with rape. We watch him descend back into the valley and reach a low watermark, beneath his previous bottom. So let’s watch how this happens in the text. You will remember that this woman is bad news. On the outside, she looks extremely attractive and is always put together. Her hair is always so effortlessly perfect, the clothes are tailored to the perfect length, very physically gifted, very beautiful to behold.But she’s bad news. Why is she such bad news? From the text alone we can tell she has an adulterous heart, she’s a skilled liar, and she is very manipulative. Let’s re-read part of the text from last week and see the seductress work her angle.He’s getting slaughtered by temptation. But he’s trusting God. If you were to summarize from Joseph’s response his chief reason for resisting this woman, what would it be? “How could I do this great evil and sin against God.” That’s his core reason. That reason has both a positive and a negative built into it. There is a consequence of sexual sin and there is a reward for righteousness. And both are intended to keep us in the place of blessing. But I want to illustrate how important it is to correctly identify the consequence and the reward. Because the incorrect identification of reward and consequence might psychologically destroy you.ConsequenceLast week, we mostly talked about consequences. Sexual sin has consequences that we need to take really seriously. We used the analogy of temptation as bait. Every temptation hides a sharp hook that leads to death. And the reason temptation works is because it deceives. Satan is a deceiver. He’s always making bad things look good and good things look bad.Joseph was able to resist temptation because he was able to uncover the deception. This was not life. This was death. It may be pleasurable now but it will be miserable later. The Bible always tries to help us see the deceptions woven into sexual experience. There are always consequences.This woman was hunting down Joseph. Here was a married woman trying to hunt down a precious life. There are always consequences of sexual sin. Yes. We’ve identified those. But God gives us more than just deterrents. There is also a reward for righteousness.Reward.I’ll say it one more time. It is so important to identify the correct consequences and the correct reward. Because the incorrect identification of reward might psychologically destroy you. So what is the reward of righteousness? Let’s begin with what it is not.Let me illustrate it this way. If you were to listen in on Joseph’s prayer life in the heat of his temptation, what do you think he would be praying? “God help me live a life of complete integrity. Everyone knows I’m a follower of YHWH. God, reward me for my righteousness. I want to live completely above reproach. I want to be like a sheet of Teflon so that no accusation has even the slightest chance of sticking. Reward my integrity!”If you overheard that prayer, what’s reward do you think he’d be referring to? Here’s the mistake most of us make. Most of us assume that with enough diligence, obedience, and righteousness, our life will turn out pain-free, struggle-free, and we will have relational harmony throughout. We think God ought to reward our righteousness with wonderful circumstances.Let me show you how dangerous this can be. Let’s imagine for a moment that Joseph incorrectly believes that the reward for righteousness is favorable circumstances.Motives for ObedienceLet’s keep reading the narrative through the lens of this incorrect expectation:Now, this has got to have a wearing effect on a guy. Let’s suppose for a moment that in the heat of these temptations, what was motivating Joseph was the belief that his righteousness was going to be rewarded. And he had a very specific understanding of what that reward was. Let’s imagine Joseph with the yet-to-be-written book of Proverbs in his hands. He reads chapter 1:And he’s thinking, “Okay God, I’m counting on you take out this adulterous woman. I’m going to obey you. This is tough but I trust this is going to get better. After all, you told me:”“So God, I’m praying that you would fix this situation. That’s what I really want.”And we could imagine a Joseph whose motive for obedience was the reward for his righteousness in the form of vindication, justice, relational harmony, and comfortable situation. Well, look at what happens next.Now Joseph is freaking out at this moment. But he’s got his book of Proverbs and it just so happened that it was September 11 so he had just read Proverbs 11 that morning.“Okay, God, you’ve said that my reward for righteousness is deliverance. Time for you to do that, right now.”And he was so consumed with chapter 11, he read clean through to chapter 12:“Cause my house to stand! The reason I obeyed you, Lord, was that you promised to reward my righteousness. Time for some help here.”Now if Joseph thought in his mind that the reason he is obeying the Lord is that he will be rewarded for his righteousness in the form of comfortable circumstances, he would be very, very, very disappointed. He would feel very betrayed and very confused at this point.Think about Joseph in heavy chains around his neck and manacles around his wrists and ankles. And he would have said something like this, “The whole reason I obeyed you, Lord, is that you promised to reward my righteousness and now I’m in prison. What kind of reward is that?”Many people turn from God for exactly this reason. They are confused by suffering and ask, “God, why did you take my son or daughter? Why did you let that terrible accident happen? God, why did that financial tragedy destroy us? Why are we suffering from this physical illness?” And they walk away from God.Prosperity Preaching in Conservative ChurchesNow most of us realize that suffering plays a role in the Christian life. Now not one of us in the room buys into prosperity theology which basically says, “God wants you to be materially, circumstantially prosperous and so if you are not materially prosperous you are out of step with God’s will. You either don’t have enough faith, you haven’t prayed, you have some sin in your life, or some combination of these factors.” We ought to know, just from a cursory reading of the Bible that this is bogus theology. There are dozens of heroes of the faith that honored God and were rewarded with suffering - including Joseph and even Jesus himself. That can’t be right and it isn’t. We realize that suffering is part of the Christian life.But what I want you to understand is that prosperity theology did not originate with greedy preachers. It originates in your own greedy heart. At a very subconscious level, we believe that we deserve ease. We expect comfort. We expect a physical reward for righteousness. We expect comfort and relational harmony ought to be our reward for righteousness. And here’s how I can prove it. I’m going to trick you so watch for it. See if you can relate to this train of thought: “Man, I have really got myself into a mess. I’ve totally been a terrible parent and now my kids are acting up in this way. I’ve been neglectful. I feel guilty about that. I’ve been totally mean to my spouse and now they are all mad at me and I deserve it. I’ve been really lazy and procrastinated. So now I’m reaping the rewards for that. I didn’t save for retirement and now I’m paying the price. What was I to expect? I made this bed and now God is making me lay in it.”There it is. That is conservative evangelical prosperity theology at it’s finest. Yet if our righteousness does not merit prosperity and good circumstances, then our unrighteousness does not merit poverty and bad circumstances. Why? Because God does not reward or punish primarily through circumstances. If the gospel of Jesus Christ means anything, then it means you are already righteous. You have been merited the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It means the verdict has already been delivered. And there is no judging of your works as if they are the basis upon which you receive pleasant or unpleasant circumstances. The basis of our circumstances is God’s sovereign, providential plan for our good and for his glory. There is no ying-yang. There is not karma upon which the world operates that says because you did this bad thing over here, the cosmic powers that be will ensure this bad thing will happen to you and because you did this good thing over here, the divine forces of the universe will ensure that this good thing happens to you.If you think that your circumstances are somehow divinely linked to your righteousness or unrighteousness, how would you explain what you witness in the world? Is it not the case that sometimes the unrighteous prosper and the righteous suffer? And is not the inverse true? And if you concede that this exists, how would you ever know when your good circumstances are a result of your good behavior or when your good circumstances are a result of God circumventing your bad behavior?God does not reward our righteousness with material prosperity, physical prosperity, or relational prosperity. There is a reward but that’s not it. On the other hand, God also does not punish our unrighteousness with material poverty, physical poverty, or relational poverty. There are consequences to unrighteousness but that’s not it.You want to argue with me, I know. Isn’t there cause an effect? For sure. That’s not what we are talking about. Yes, if you punch people, they are going to punch you back. Yes, if you are kind you will generally receive kind treatment. Is there a connection? Of course. Here’s the distinction I’m making. I’m trying to disconnect the reward of righteousness with circumstances. Yes, certain causes will generally have certain effects. But that effect is not a reward. The reward of righteousness is something else. What is the reward?One of the most remarkable things about Joseph is that he understood reward. The reward for righteousness is simply this: closeness with God. How could I do this great evil and sin against God?Joseph wasn’t looking to get a position of influence from God, nor riches, fame, glory, or blessings from God. He was looking for God! God was the desire of his heart. Joseph appears to have the heart described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.It is so easy to confuse the reward, isn’t it? The gift is God. The gift is being with God, closeness, the feeling of satisfaction knowing you didn’t betray him, freedom from guilt, the satisfaction of his smile. This is the reward. This is what Joseph was after.Many are after a different reward. They mistakenly believe that the reward for righteousness is the gifts of God rather than God himself. In fact, if you remember, this is the problem with the Psalmist in Psalm 73. You may recall, the Psalm begins:The Psalm begins by affirming that God rewards the righteous. Great! But what’s the reward? That’s the all-important question we have been asking. It’s easy to get it wrong. And at first, Asaph did get it wrong. Asaph, the writer of this Psalm, says, “My foot almost slipped when I looked around and I saw the wicked prospering.” Everywhere he looked he saw reversals of how things ought to be. He saw the wicked being rewarded. They were the ones who were well-fed, had luxury cars, got anything they wanted, and got away with such evil.If the righteous are rewarded, then how do you explain this? God doesn’t reward the righteous. He’s rewarding the wicked! And what’s God’s answer? You’re totally misunderstanding the reward. The reward of the righteous is nearness to God. Closeness to God is the reward and separation from God is the consequence of unrighteousness. And when the Psalmist enters the house of God, it’s all made clear to him.This was Joseph! “How could I do this great evil and lose the relational intimacy I have with God?”Do you feel distant from God? Perhaps it is because of sin. If I ever feel distant from God, this is always the first question I ask myself. Am I aware of any sin that might be distancing me from God? I might be getting away with it like the man of Psalm 73, but I have no closeness with God. Repent!The godly prize this closeness with God more than anything in the world. How could I do this great evil and sin against God!For Joseph, the reward and the consequences are one and the same. The consequence of sexual sin is that God becomes very distant. The reward of righteousness is that God becomes very near.Now here’s where you can actually see the reward given to Joseph in the text itself. Even though Joseph was unjustly thrown into prison, accused of attempted rape, and had his character drug through the mud, they could not take from him the thing he prized most. Now, look at how it is stated in the text. It’s so beautiful!Now there, my friends, is your reward for righteousness. The reward of the righteous is the awareness of the steadfast love of God, the presence of God, and communion with God. Joseph was rewarded with the awareness of the steadfast love of the Lord. What a beautiful picture. Locked in prison walls, stripped of everything, all men’s power used against you to destroy you, but you have the steadfast love of God! Joseph was richly, richly rewarded!Now, this might seem a little too neat and too tidy. Those who are currently in a difficult situation might say to me at this moment, “You sure look comfortable up there. Have you ever suffered a day in your life? I mean, in the midst of suffering it sure doesn’t feel like I’m being rewarded with intimacy with God. It actually feels more like God is about 10 billion miles away as I scream out my prayer into the night and he doesn’t answer.”You won’t always feel the reward in the midst of difficult circumstances. In fact, do you remember Job? The Bible says Job was a righteous man, blameless and upright and God allowed him to go through a period of intense suffering. Job has lost his house in a hurricane, all his family, his entire 401k has been wiped out, and he’s got some nasty sickness replete with body boils, a sickness that would make COVID-19 look like a dreamy relief. Not only that, but his friends are heckling him that he must have sinned in some horrific way.He’s suffering as a righteous man. What is our reward supposed to be for the righteous? The reward is supposed to be a relational closeness with God. We are supposed to feel close to God. Is that how Job feels?How do we square this? It sounds nice to say that God is our reward for righteous living, but is it true to our experience? As Joseph stood staring at his prison wall, how do you suppose he felt? Elation? I doubt it. How is the reward of righteousness experienced?Let me give you an example. Running is terrible. Those of you who actually enjoy running are freaks of nature. For most of us, we just hate it. You don’t feel like anything good is happening. I generally feel like throwing up, like my legs are rubber mallets, and my lungs are tiny plastic sandwich baggies flapping in a hurricane. It’s truly just torture. But then when I finish, suddenly, the magic kicks in. My body is flushed with energy, I feel loose, my muscles thank me for actually being used. After the suffering is over, I stand back and I realize that the suffering eclipsed the really wonderful things going on at a much more nuanced level.The reward was there all along, it was just being drowned out by the noise of suffering. This is much how the reward of righteousness works in the midst of suffering. James Fixx wrote a book entitled, The Complete Book of Running which sounds pretty definitive, doesn’t it. I’m guessing he’s one of these freaks. And there’s a section in the book where he addresses the psychology of running. He says the hardest thing about running a marathon is winning the mental battle. When you suffer, weird stuff happens to your mind. He says, “I would be in the middle of a marathon and the pain would wear on me to the point where I would ask myself the question, ‘Why am I doing this again?’ But the pain makes you forget.” And he would start to wrack his brain for a reason why he was punishing himself so severely and he would find he had no answer.Isn’t that sometimes how you feel in suffering? I’m sure Joseph felt this way. “God, why did I choose to obey you again? Why didn’t I just give in? God if I had slept with that woman, I would have had a really great night, and probably would have even been rewarded in some way but now I’m cursed. What’s the reward for righteousness again?” And he has no answer.Maybe you are suffering for righteousness’ sake and you find you have no answer. You thought there was an answer but you can’t remember it. So you know what James Fixx recommended? Memorize the reasons. Before every race, he would memorize the reasons he loved running. And when he was super tired, he would recite those reasons back to his own brain. That’s good advice for the Christian. If Joseph had the New Testament, for sure he would have memorized:You could imagine this being very helpful. Because prisons are not fun. Imagine being in prison and what your body would be screaming at you. How would you feel being hungry, hot, the smell of urine and human waste, dirty, sick, and coughing. What’s my reward for righteousness again? Nothing comes to mind.I’m sure in this moment, all Joseph’s dreams about sheaves of wheat bowing down and stars bowing down seemed like pipe dreams. All he can see and smell and taste is the dungeon. But there’s this verse I memorized. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.Now James Fixx had one final trick. “If things really get bad and you can’t remember what you memorized, the final trick I used to play on my brain is I used to say, ‘Well I know when I get there, I’ll remember it. I know I had a good reason to start. When I get there, I’ll remember it.’”Now there’s a lot of wisdom in this, and this is what Joseph does. Joseph says, “How can I then do this wicked thing and sin against God?” At that moment it’s all clear. But then he gets tossed into prison, and perhaps God feels a million miles away. But he can say, “I have no idea why this happening and I can’t even remember the reason I decided righteousness was worth it. But I know there was a reason and when all this is over, I’ll remember.”Imagine a marathon runner who forgets the reason he runs and just decides to quit. The reward was all around him, it was in him, it was just ahead of him in spades, but he couldn’t remember and so he just stopped. How tragic to lose a race because you forgot!Do you know the Christian’s version of this? It’s Romans 8:28, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose.” I don’t know what that good purpose is, but when I get there, I’ll remember. When I get there, I’ll know it. You see Romans 8:28 is a verse for the dungeon. It’s not what you quote when you get a stimulus check. It’s what you quote when you find out you have cancer, or when your child walks away from the faith, or when your marriage is in shambles.Nobody Can Take The RewardYou see, for a Christian, one of the greatest comforts is that nobody can take that reward away from you. Nobody has the power to take away that assurance. In Joseph’s case, everyone tried. Everyone was trying to ensure that nothing worked together for Joseph’s good. There were all sorts of power exchanges going on trying to strip Joseph of his reward for righteousness. If you inspect the narrative closely you will see the story is a story of various powers trying to destroy Joseph and strip him of his reward, but he is indestructible because of God’s righteousness in him. No power can destroy the righteousness of God.And you can see this in the text by tracing the Hebrew word “hand.” In Hebrew, the word ‘hand’ is nearly synonymous with power. In an agrarian society, power is represented by plowing, tying a rope, harvesting, building, farming, weaving, raising children - all things we do with our hands. And there are all these expressions in the Bible that associate power with the hand: - God shuts his hand. - Open your hand to me or do not relax your hand. - A mighty hand and outstretched arm or the right hand. - Deliver my enemies into my hands.The hand is synonymous with power. You can trace the word ‘hand’ through the narrative. At first, Joseph is put into the hand of the Ishmaelites. He’s under their power, under their hand. But soon the power shifts. Everything in Potiphar’s house is given into Joseph’s hand. Everything that is, except Potiphar’s wife. But then the woman uses her imperial hand, her power, to try and grab Joseph. But that grasping hand does not reach Joseph. Only his clothes are left in her hand. She is ultimately empty-handed. And all through the narrative the power shifts, from Joseph’s brothers to the Ishmaelites to Potiphar to Pharaoah to the seductress. Who has the power? Whose hand is controlling these events?As we back away, we are shocked to see, none of these hands are actually doing anything. It’s the sovereign hand of God, orchestrating, keeping, preserving, redeeming, strengthening those he wills to strengthen, and destroying those he wills to destroy. Ultimately Joseph entrusted himself to that gracious hand and when he is safe in God’s hand nothing can touch him. Nothing can hurt him. The hand of the woman could not reach him. The hand of others could not separate him from the hand of God.And this should be a lesson for us in suffering. It’s the thing we memorize. It’s the thing we recall to mind. The hands of men can never ultimately assail me. They don’t have the power to take away my reward. Their hands can’t reach that far.Even though the suffering is so terrible, know that when the suffering lets up the reward will be obvious. For Joseph that suffering lets up. And even though it’s not perfectly clear at this moment in prison, he begins to see glimpses of God’s hand working, saving, redeeming, preserving, and keeping. Listen to it.The story of Joseph is the ultimate example of Romans 8:28. God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to his purpose. What if you were Joseph with one key difference? What if you knew that the answer to your suffering is that your suffering would be written into the pages of the Bible to encourage other Christians? Wouldn’t it be easy to suffer through prison for two years if you knew that you would be made ruler of the entire land?Wouldn’t that change things? Of course it would! Can you trust God if you don’t know the reason? God’s hands are large enough for that. Can you accept the fact that your reward for righteousness will not necessarily be pleasant circumstances, but in that dungeon of darkness, God will show you his steadfast love?Ultimately, this has incredible sustaining ethical power because circumstances don’t factor into the reason why you obey. It’s why Joseph was able to resist. Why are you righteous? Why do you keep God’s sexual ethic, Joseph? What is Joseph’s answer? Because the nearness of God is my good. How could I do this great evil and lose closeness with God? If the only reason you obey God is that you don’t like consequences, you will fail. It’s easy to think, “I’m righteous because it’s beneficial to my business. If I get caught it would be horrific. If I get caught, my reputation would be destroyed. Can’t have that. If I got involved in this sexual stuff, well, I can’t imagine breaking apart my family. That would be more than I could bear.”That’s all fine. What if you were totally righteous but you were falsely judged, condemned, and then destroyed as if you committed all those sins? If the only reason you obey God is for the good circumstances he brings you, then you are preaching to yourself a prosperity gospel. Could you choose righteousness if the reward was nothing else except the nearness of God?ApplicationYou see, the man or woman God uses is not necessarily a missionary or a pastor or ministry professional. Joseph wasn’t any of these. He wasn’t in ministry. The person God uses is the one who resists temptation when nobody can see. One who, in the secret watches of the night, is righteous because he loves the smile of God. A man or woman who does the right thing when nobody is watching. That’s who God uses.
Welcome to The Daily Dose!...a series of short devotions from the Bible, which are meant to encourage people who are cooped up in their homes or a bit concerned for one or more reasons related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Today, we’re excited for you to hear one of our contributors from one of The Daily Dose’s 3 partnering ministries: Our first partner is Fresh Wind Ministries at Western Home Communities where they typically host a weekly worship service at 10:30 am inside Diamond Event Center at The Jorgensen Plaza. But for now their services will be available on their YouTube channel, which is Fresh Wind Ministries, or linked to their Facebook Page, which is Fresh Wind Worship. Our second partner is Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry, where you can find weekly 30-minute worship services on various radio stations and at ChristianCrusaders.org...and where you can hear weekly interviews with Christians who have inspiring stories, right here on The CC Podcast. Our third partner is the Cedar Falls Bible Conference, whose 2019 conference messages are available in video format on their website, CedarFallsBibleConference.com...AND don’t forget to mark your calendars for this year’s conference, from July 25-August 1. The Daily Dose will be published every day through the end of April, 2020. Link to "Hold On, Help is on the Way" song by Whitney Houston from The Preacher's Wife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqjc24xkaGw&list=PL5EQrMUNlI1YMTuwXBEMWtD0C-_z0b35d&index=5 Link to the Bible School song, "My Lord's Gonna Come in the Morning," referenced in today's devotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzkQgRycws Lyrics: My Lord's gonna come in the morning My Lord's gonna stay through the night My Lord's gonna watch over me And everything's gonna be alright Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace were tossed Everybody thought their end was near But they had faith that the Lord above would come and save the day And I could swear I heard those fellows say... Moses led the children of Israel down to the Red Sea shore Pharaoh and his army close behind But the waters parted, let Moses through, and Pharaoah's army was drowned And from the shore came Moses thankful sound... Little David flung a stone and made Goliath fall Man, you should have seen his army run Then the children of Israel gave a shout (AHHH!) and followed them away And everybody heard their hero say... Contributors to The Daily Dose include: Tim Boettger - Director of Spiritual Care at Western Home Communities Pastor Steve Kramer - Radio Preacher for Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry Pastor Lee Laaveg - Associate Radio Preacher for Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry Garry Moore - Chaplain at Western Home Communities Enrique Ochoa - Worship Coordinator at Western Home Communities Matt Reisetter - Director of Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry and Director of the Cedar Falls Bible Conference Thanks to Steven Heerts, producer for The CC Podcast!
Welcome to The Daily Dose!...a series of short devotions from the Bible, which are meant to encourage people who are cooped up in their homes or a bit concerned for one or more reasons related to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Today, we're excited for you to hear one of our contributors from one of The Daily Dose's 3 partnering ministries: Our first partner is Fresh Wind Ministries at Western Home Communities where they typically host a weekly worship service at 10:30 am inside Diamond Event Center at The Jorgensen Plaza. But for now their services will be available on their https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVlUt_4D6rxFYF7H15L73Aw (YouTube channel, which is Fresh Wind Ministries), or linked to their Facebook Page, which is Fresh Wind Worship. Our second partner is Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry, where you can find weekly 30-minute worship services on various radio stations and at ChristianCrusaders.org...and where you can hear weekly interviews with Christians who have inspiring stories, right here on The CC Podcast. Our third partner is the Cedar Falls Bible Conference, whose 2019 conference messages are available in video format on their website, CedarFallsBibleConference.com...AND don't forget to mark your calendars for this year's conference, from July 25-August 1. The Daily Dose will be published every day through the end of April, 2020. Link to "Hold On, Help is on the Way" song by Whitney Houston from The Preacher's Wife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqjc24xkaGw&list=PL5EQrMUNlI1YMTuwXBEMWtD0C-_z0b35d&index=5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqjc24xkaGw&list=PL5EQrMUNlI1YMTuwXBEMWtD0C-_z0b35d&index=5) Link to the Bible School song, "My Lord's Gonna Come in the Morning," referenced in today's devotion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzkQgRycws (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzkQgRycws) Lyrics: My Lord's gonna come in the morning My Lord's gonna stay through the night My Lord's gonna watch over me And everything's gonna be alright Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace were tossed Everybody thought their end was near But they had faith that the Lord above would come and save the day And I could swear I heard those fellows say... Moses led the children of Israel down to the Red Sea shore Pharaoh and his army close behind But the waters parted, let Moses through, and Pharaoah's army was drowned And from the shore came Moses thankful sound... Little David flung a stone and made Goliath fall Man, you should have seen his army run Then the children of Israel gave a shout (AHHH!) and followed them away And everybody heard their hero say... Contributors to The Daily Dose include: Tim Boettger - Director of Spiritual Care at Western Home Communities Pastor Steve Kramer - Radio Preacher for Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry Pastor Lee Laaveg - Associate Radio Preacher for Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry Garry Moore - Chaplain at Western Home Communities Enrique Ochoa - Worship Coordinator at Western Home Communities Matt Reisetter - Director of Christian Crusaders Radio & Internet Ministry and Director of the Cedar Falls Bible Conference Thanks to Steven Heerts, producer for The CC Podcast!
Nearly 2000 years ago, Egypt was taken over by the Roman Empire, resulting in the death of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. To this day, their final resting place is unknown. Was the couple buried together? Was Mark Antony cremated? In this episode, Skye is joined by Caity and Stephanie (Caity's Mom) to discuss the events leading up to Cleopatra's death, the records of her death, and the ongoing search for the final resting place.Support the show (http://patreon.com/hmct)
Tonight, on Proper Propaganda: new tracks from Nef the Pharaoah, Buddy, Kool G Rap & 38 Spesh, but first, new from Derek Minor, “I Have a Dream.” TRACK ARTIST “I Have a Dream” Derek Minor “Dead or Alive” Kool G Rap & 38 Spesh feat. Cormega “Victim” Nef the Pharaoh feat. OMB Peezy “Rabbits Revenge” Tom Morello feat. Bassnectar, Big Boi, Killer Mike Interlude: BG Music: “Dillatronic 27” by J Dilla “Reefer Man” Cypress Hill “Trouble on Central” Buddy “Clans & Cliks” Sean Price feat. Smif N Wessun, Rockness Monsta, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and Foul Monday “Free Myself” Crocodile Hunter “From the 718” Pete Miser “I Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto” Tupac “Hello Bonjour” Michael Franti & Spearhead Interlude: “The Office” “Living Like There Ain’t No Tomorrow” The Fugees “Stop Frontin’” KRS-ONE “Nuff of the Rough Stuff” Queen Latifah “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” Tracy Chapman “Keep it Locked” Pete Miser “Foe tha Love of Money” Bone Thugz-N-Harmony feat. Eazy-E
God prepared Joseph, but when is enough enough? Joseph was ready to get out of prison. But God wasn't quite ready yet. When God does move, he also makes it real clear.
God often uses events to paint a picture for us. The Passover is one of the most amazing pictures in the Bible of who Jesus is and what He would do.