2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34 ~ Romans 9:25-10:13 ~ Psalm 20:1-9 ~ Proverbs 20:2-3
Today is the 26th day of July. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s good to be here with you today, taking the next step forward in the adventure through the bible this year. This week we’ve been reading from the Gods Word translation, which is what we will continue with. And we will also continue with the book of second Chronicles today chapter 17 verse 1 through 18 verse 34.
Commentary:
OK. In the book of Romans we reach a crescendo. Since we began the book of Romans Paul’s been laying out this case. Right? Going through Abraham, going through Moses, the law, faith, righteousness, and making a distinction - the distinction between having faith and simply falling on mercy and trying to be good enough for God to approve you. And, although his letter was certainly read by Gentiles and has a Gentile audience, he is coming at this from a Jewish perspective. Because, for Paul, this is a continuation of that story. And, so, he flat out says, those of my people who are devout, who are truly devoted to God, who are thinking that if they can perfect themselves by utilizing the law, if they could just obey it perfectly, they would find their way to God. Those people, their misguided. Or to quote from Romans, I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God but they are misguided. They don’t understand how to receive God’s approval. So, they try to set up their own way to get it. And they have not accepted God’s way for receiving his approval. Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses teachings so that everyone who has faith may receive God’s approval. That’s basically the argument that he’s been making all along, which brings us to the how. And this is huge. Because it’s ok, ok, how do I get in? I want this. How does this work? And, so, for those of us who are facing outward right now and looking at the serendipity of everything that’s happening around us because we’re paying attention to what’s going on around us now, this is important. And for those of you who are checking in and listening every day, trying to figure out what the bible says, but you don’t know what you believe, this is important. Paul says this. And let these be words to you. This message is near you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we spread. If you declare that Jesus is Lord and believe that God brought him back to life, you will be saved. By believing you receive God’s approval. And by declaring your faith, you are saved. Scripture says, whoever believes in him will not be ashamed. So, there is no difference between Jews and Greeks. Right? Everybody can get in on this. They all have the same Lord, Who gives His riches to everyone calls on Him. So then, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Paul has been building this case since the beginning of his letter to the Romans. You won’t find a way to earn yourself into God’s favor. You won’t be able to stand before God at some point and say I deserve to be here because I have perfected myself and there’s nothing you can say into about it. I deserve to be here. I have been righteous in my own strength. I have rid myself of sin and its nature on my own. Nobody can do that. And as a devout Pharisee, as a person who’s trained in this and who was actually trying to achieve that, Paul knew. It is unachievable. But Jesus revealed God’s heart in a human way that was so compelling and understandable that it took Paul all the way back to the beginning of his own faith at Abraham and realized, this whole thing is built on reaching and hoping beyond hope and leaping in faith and trusting. Because there is more going on than what we can simply perceive with our physical senses. There is a spiritual reality. There is more to this. And the way we get there, the way we reconnect soul and body, spirit and body - integrated together with God’s Spirit within us - the only way to get there, the bridge that crosses that chasm, is faith. We simply believe and walk across that bridge. And when we walk across that bridge, the Spirit of God comes within us and we are no longer who we were. A line of demarcation has been drawn in the sand. There was a time that we were subhuman, as animals, without God. And then there was a time that we walked across that bridge and we were who we were made to be – integrated – spirit, mind, strength, will, everything. Because the Spirit of the risen Christ is now within us we really aren’t who we used to be. That is the story of our faith. That is what brings us here together every day.
Prayer:
So, Father, we confess, You are Lord. We believe. And we realize by looking back at our own life, we have been trying to make life work. We’ve tried to use You as an add-on to make life work. We’ve turned completely away from You trying to make life work. We’ve tried everything imaginable to be full and flourishing. And we realize, just as the apostle Paul realized for his own people, that these pursuits, no matter what kind of ritual or system we try to get ourselves into that tells us it’s going to work, that it doesn’t work. And, so, we’ve come to this precipice and it’s like, it’s too easy. All I have to do is believe? And yet, that’s the invitation. And, so, we declare. We believe. And we also declare, Lord, help our unbelief. We believe. Because, although we walk across that bridge and walk into faith and there is nothing that can separate us from Your love, we can also choose not to believe at any given moment. We can regress at any given moment and go back to old patterns and old ways. And we do. So, this belief thing isn’t a one-time thing. This is an always-on thing. It’s always turned on. It must always be turned on. And, so, forgive us Lord, for the times that we go back to that bridge and start walking across to the other side of it, trying to return to some place that tells us we can make life work on our own. Forgive us for that. Because we’ve done it. We believe and we declare there is no going back. And we invite Your Holy Spirit to come and catch us when we’re beginning to shift in that direction. Awaken us. We choose to pay attention when that’s happening, when we get into certain circumstances that bring overwhelming doubt and we begin to turn, we begin to back away, we begin to ask the questions about whether or not we’re really on our own. We believe against that. We will live into what You have offered us - that death cannot separate us, that life cannot separate, us that angels cannot separate us, that demons cannot, that nothing can separate us from You. We can simply walk away. But nothing can separate us from You. So, we choose to make our own line in the sand. We’re not going back to those places anymore. We are going to believe and believe and believe and hope against hope, no matter how long it takes, until it settles in. There is no going back. We are not who we were. We are intertwined with You. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Be sure to check in and check it out. Check out the prayer wall. People are always praying for each other there. Check out the resources in the shop. Check out the different ways to stay connected. It’s all there.
And there’s this great Sneezing Jesus discussion group on Facebook that I want to keep reminding you, if you haven’t been there yet. There’s some, just, really good conversation that’s happening there. You can find it at facebook.com/groups/sneezingjesus. So, be sure to get in there. We’re going to do another Facebook Live and kind of dive into a little bit of the book but also talk about small groups and that kind of stuff. And that’s going to take place on the 3rd of August. So, that’s a week from tomorrow and it’ll be had 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. So, you can work that out with Google depending on where you a live in the world. And, so, that will be fun. We’ll look forward to that. So, I hope that you can be there.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. Thank you for your partnership as we’re in the thick of the summer time. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, press the More button in the lower right hand corner or if you prefer the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill TN 37174.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayers and Praise Reports:
Hello. This is John and this is my first time calling the prayer request line. I’ve been listening to Brian since 2009 and all the prayer requests since he opened up the phones to us. I guess I’m one of the many silent DAB members but today I’ve been moved to call in. In light of the suicides that have been in the news the past couple of months. I feel like ___ neighbors. I’m calling in response to Caleb from Nashville. She asked that she be delivered from depression. So, I am asking our heavenly Father to release her from the chains that hold her down. I’m asking that she have the ability to take in the joy ___. I ask that she experience the joy of helping someone. I ask that the people of Nashville and the people of DAB join me in lifting Caleb up from the depths that she is currently in. I also___ that do not know their neighbors to wave hello to them the next time you see them. And if the Lord moves you to have a conversation with them, do it. It may take some courage on your part but remember, the Lord is not going to put you some place that he doesn’t want you. The next time you watch the sun rise or set think of Caleb and pray that she and all those who suffer from depression are able to experience where you are at that moment. Let the peace of Christ be with each and every one of you.
Hello DABbers. ___ from Canada and I’ve called a few other times. But today I’m calling with a confession and I’m nervous because I’ve been arguing with myself for a while whether to do this ___. After listening to the weekend community prayer, I decided to throw caution to the wind. And I need to tell you that I think I love you guys. Is that OK? This community is just so winsome. The more I listen… The prayer Yoda’s who phone in and rock everyone’s world. The ___ who phone in and we can hardly understand your prayer requests. And everyone who calls in. This community is piercingly beautiful. And I’ve lost my heart to you. And that hasn’t happened ___. I was involved, heavily involved, in ministry in the past but all of that seems to be over now. I’m still involved with church but I haven’t had a heart community in a long time. So, what I’m trying to say is ___. I’m with you guys. I love you. I hear you. I’m praying for you. And I just want to encourage you that you are gorgeous - this community, this mosaic of beautiful ___ breathtaking. It’s a glimpse of Jesus is what it is. So, God bless you today. And thank you for letting me be a part of you. Bye for now.
Hello. Good morning Daily Audio Bible family. This is Jay calling from ___. Just rejoicing that Victoria S’s sister has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her savior. Halleluiah, halleluiah, halleluiah. What an amazing, wonderful ___ eternally saving moment in her life. And now, if your listening, if you have been listening and you feel that tugging on your heart by the Holy Spirit, just say yes, I’m a sinner. Just say yes Lord, there is something better. Yes Lord, there is an eternity that I must pick a side on. If you’re sick of suffering spirit___. If you’re sick of not having a place to turn to, a savior. If you’re sick of not knowing why we’re here and you feel that tugging on your heart ___. Pray with me now. Heavenly Father, I do recognize that I’m a sinner. I recognize that You are God. I recognize that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And I believe that He ___, that he died on the cross for our sin, and rose again to sit at the right hand of the Father. I pray, Lord, that You will forgive me from my sins and except me as Your child. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thank you Daily Audio Bible. Have a wonderful day.
Hi DAB family. I’ve literally had to re-record this message several times so I could get through it so you could understand me. So, I am going to talk quick. We have been wanting to have a second baby G and have been seeking fertility treatments over the past 3 months. It’s so personal but I want to be as open and honest as I can being of the fact that I am ___. And my doctor suggested that we could go and get checked and on our own. We probably wouldn’t be able to get pregnant because it’s just how a woman’s body changes over time. And, I have to say, I never really had a good feeling going through the whole process because I never was sure this was really from God or from me or we were being selfish. But today we got the news that I am not pregnant and for me ___ is over. I don’t want to continue to force something that I don’t feel a hundred percent God is in. And I’m struggling if God is punishing me from…just…my sins of my past ___. I know that Brian is preaching a lot about Sneezing Jesus and leaving our past in the past and living now. And I just covet all your prayers for me and my husband to make it through this trial ___ and just except everything and for the blessing that we have with our son Aiden. We so much would have loved to give to him a godly brother or sister but I have to believe that this is God’s will even though it’s not ___. And I thank all of you who have prayed for me in the past and will pray for me in the future. I don’t think I can get through this without knowing that. Cheers. Asia in Munich.
Hi. It’s Allison from Scotland here. It’s ___ July. And I’ve just listened to the podcast and the prayers afterward and a voice that just said, please God help me. I actually have nothing to say ___ but I just feel like I just want to come and set beside you so you know there is somebody there. And I don’t know you are or where you are but I just pray that the Lord is right next to you right now ___ on your own so you feel alone. And if you could call back and let us know you’re ok and how we could help, say more specifically. But please know that you aren’t on your own and we’re right there beside you instead of…we can’t be there in person. My heart reaches ____. I just needed to phone. We hear you and we’re praying for you and your not on your own. Ok. Bye.