2 Chronicles 30:1-31:21 ~ Romans 15:1-22 ~ Psalm 25:1-15 ~ Proverbs 20:13-15
Today is the first day of the month of August. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here. Great to greet you within this brand-new month that we get to share together. And we kind of need to buckle up. We are going to be spending some time in 10 different books of the bible during this month. So, we’ve got some ground to cover and it’s going to be magnificent. And that will unfold as we move forward. But the next step forward takes us further into the book of Second Chronicles and further in the book of Romans, when we get to the New Testament. So, from the Names of God bible, which is what we’re reading this week, Second Chronicles chapter 30 verse 1 through 31 verse 21.
Commentary:
OK. In the letter to the Romans, Paul continues to talk about unity and that’s not an uncommon topic even today. In fact, it’s kind of a topic of discussion constantly. And, so, what Paul is saying is applicable but there are some distinctions that are different. What Paul is talking about in the church of Jesus is unity between Jewish Hebrew believers and Gentiles, that we would all become one. When we are talking about church unity today we are largely talking about, like, denominational unity or theological unity. And those things are definitely up for discussion. That’s the wrestling that we’ve been doing since…well…since the early church. But for Paul, there weren’t a bunch of stripes and flavors of the faith. You know. There weren’t a bunch of denominations with theological nuances. There was this one main issue that crops up all the time - whether a person needs to be converted to Judaism before they can become a follower of Jesus or whether this is open to all, to gentiles as they are. And, so, this is what Paul is trying to draw people together into understanding and we see some of how he’s arriving there - how it is that Paul, a Pharisee, could see the teachings of Jesus and then see how they connect with his faith and his story, moving it dramatically forward, blowing the doors off the exclusivity of the worship of Yahweh and expanding it into the whole world so that everyone is welcome through Jesus. And, so, Paul references the scriptures in order to show how it is that he came to understand this. So, Paul says, everything written long ago was written to teach us so that we would have confidence through the endurance and encouragement which the scriptures give us. So, he’s saying, I’m not denying the scriptures at all. They’re the basis for everything that I’m saying. And, so, may God, who gives you this endurance and encouragement, allow you to be in harmony with each other by simply following the example of Jesus. And then we will all have the same goal, we’re all following Jesus, and will praise God for it. So, accept each other the same way that Christ excepted you. Now, we could stop there, before we get to these scriptures that Paul is referencing and just say that is a bit of a golden rule. Like, maybe it’s not THE golden rule, like the do unto others rule, but that’s pretty much a golden rule of the Christian faith. If we would accept each other the same way that we have been accepted by Jesus, if we will simply be Christ-like in this and accept one another and accept that we are all on a journey toward the same thing in Christ, we would be cultivating a unity by default. We would remember that this isn’t about us converting somebody to our persuasion. This isn’t about making someone in our own image. This is about humbly following Jesus, understanding what he pulled us out of, and looking around and seeing that everyone else is being pulled out of something to and it’s a process. Now, if you have achieved perfect union with Christ and have risen above it all, completely, well then, this may not apply to you; however, I’m pretty sure it does because I’m pretty sure we are all in process. But anyway, to what Paul is saying, as he references the scriptures to reveal to the Jews and the Gentiles alike, that from the beginning the whole world was going to be redeemed through Jesus. Paul says - here’s one scripture - that is why I give thanks to You among the nations (which is plural) and I will sing praises to Your name. So, not just Israel but the nation’s, which would mean non-Jewish people, gentiles. And then Paul says, and the scripture says again, you nations (plural again), be happy together with His people. And then Paul says again, praise the Lord all you nations, praise Him, all you people of the world, which would, by default, include Gentiles. And then Paul quotes Isaiah, there will be a route from Jesse, He will rise to rule the nations, (plural) and He will give the nation’s hope. So, instead of nations, for our time, we could insert denominations and arrive in a similar place. We are all invited to this party. We are all invited into this kingdom. None of us has a corner on it. No one can box it up and sell it. This is the Kingdom that is in and among us and is advancing whether we participate or not. But we’re fully invited to engage with all of our heart, mind, and will. We’re fully invited to engage in becoming Christ-like and when we remember that that is the goal and not domination by theology over somebody else. It’s simply losing all of that. To become Christ-like is the goal. Then we can hear the benediction that Paul pronounces as he ends this section of the letter - may God, the source of hope fill you with joy and peace through your faith in Him, then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
So, Father, we invite You into these places that we segregate ourselves from each other, even from our brothers and sisters, because they think different, because they are different. For whatever reason, big or small, we continue to find our identity by creating groups of likeminded people. And that’s OK. But then we get ingrown in that group and think we are the right ones. And we have this subtle arrogance about everything that we do. Forgive us of this. We are reminded today that we must accept each other the same way that You accepted us. May we look at the world, everyone, through those eyes. Come, Holy Spirit, because You have come for us all. Come, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Announcements:
And that is a good way to begin the month of August friends. That is a good way to begin a month. It’s going to be amazing.
Ok. dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what’s going on around here. So, check it out.
Immediately, kind of, on the radar. The biggest blip on the radar is two days from now, August 3rd. We’ll be doing another Facebook Live in the Sneezing Jesus group. And like I’ve been saying…man…there’s been some fantastic stories there that have really inspired me and inspired each other. It’s a great conversation around Sneezing Jesus. But, we’ll be doing another Facebook Live, 7:00 p.m., Thursday night, August 3rd. And you need to be in the group to be able to see that. But it’s easy. Just go to facebook.com/groups/sneezingjesus and you’ll be in. So, we’ll talk a little bit about the book but we’ll also talk about small groups and ways to bring this message into a small group setting. So, look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible in the mission that we share as a community, which is to bring God’s spoken word to whoever will listen to it, wherever they are, whatever time it is, and to keep building community around that rhythm of daily interaction with the scriptures so that no one has to go through anything alone, so that we know we’re not alone. If that has resonated and been life and light to you, then thank you for your help in keeping the global campfire burning each day. So, there’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If your using the app you can 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:
Hi family. This is Viola from Maryland. Brian, I got the 12 books, Sneezing Jesus and in the middle of studying and doing my assignments doing my master’s program, I finished reading that book, Sneezing Jesus. What a compelling book. I’ve already downloaded the audio book from iTunes for $4.95. And I’m going to be listening to that as well. Family, I want to encourage you to go and get more of those books. We want to keep Sneezing Jesus on the top charts, so that people will wonder why it’s there and they will get it themselves and read it. God, bless you, Asia, my sister from Munich and everyone on this Podcast who is trusting in Jesus for one thing or the other. I want to say to you, He’s a miracle worker. He’s a miracle worker and He will do a miracle, a miracle today. He will do a miracle, a miracle today. Powerful healer, is our Sneezing Jesus. He will do a miracle, a miracle today. He will do a miracle, a miracle today. Asia, don’t let the devil harass you. You know the Lord says that who ___ he sets free indeed. And there is therefore no condemnation to do so in Christ. Don’t let the devil tell you otherwise sister. The Lord is not punishing you and not punishing you because of anything you’ve done in the past. Look, my prayer is that God will give you a second miracle baby but even if He doesn’t it doesn’t mean He’s punishing you. Sister, I pray in the name of Jesus that the Lord will touch your body, the Lord will heal you, inside and out, in the name of Jesus, and He will give you…if that is what He wishes…He will give you that second miracle baby very soon, in the name of Jesus. And I want to thank everyone that transcribes this Daily Audio Bible, your work has not gone unnoticed. God, bless you.
Hi Daily Audio Bible family. It’s ___ in Houston. I’m calling because tonight I’m just having a breakdown. It seems like marriages and family just escape me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted since I was a little girl - to be like my mom. And now I’m in my thirties and it seems like relationship after relationship has just not led anywhere and I know I’m supposed to surrender it to God, and surrender my dreams, but the dreams won’t die. And I want to be completely open to God taking that opportunity for me. You know, I really really do because I really do love Jesus. And I want to be with somebody who loves Him too and I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t, I really don’t. But it seems…I don’t know…they just…I don’t know…I’m just feeling unlovable. But I know God loves me. And I need people to pray for me. I really feel alone right now and I thought of you all. And I hear you all call in and pray for one another so much and pray for me before. And I thought you are a safe place to go and ask for prayer. Thank you for praying. I’m sorry to me such a mess. But I found it better than sitting here feeling alone, reaching out to the body of Christ. Alright. Love you guys. Bye.
This is Aimee from Arkansas. Brian, I just want thank you, so much, for that great book. Oh my goodness, it’s awesome. And after reading Romans 12 today, we just have to go out there and we have to be light in the darkness. We’ve got to surrender ourselves totally to His will. Someone told me that they pray for people at restaurants and so I started doing that. I would ask the waiter or waitress if they needed prayer because we are going to pray for the food and…just that little thing…you would be amazed at what people say. Some of them start crying and saying, yes. And one girl, who I would never have thought that she would even receive it, she came back and she said, I told my friend, and would you pray for her too. So, even things like that…just…we’ve got to be the light to the world - on the phone, when we’re out in public, just sneeze it forward. We’ve got to show the world what they’re missing. They’re searching for something. They just don’t know what. But it’s Jesus. We’ve got to bring that to them and just be the light. Have a great day. Bye.
Hello. My name is Amalee and I’m calling from central Florida. I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for about 3 years and I’m calling about a call I heard on the 30th…today is the 30th…from Sharon of California. Sharon, your description of yourself and your problem, it’s like you’re describing me. I also suffer from depression. But since I’ve been listening to Brian and reading the bible and placing more trust in Jesus, I am defeating that. Please, you need to trust Jesus. Trust Him. Have faith and trust Him. He doesn’t have to reveal his plan for you. He is helping you. You just don’t realize it. The little things…you just don’t realize it…that’s Jesus helping you. By the way, I have multiple myeloma, which is the cancer of the bone marrow. And if I break a bone it won’t heal. And that would give me septicemia. And I will die. So, please pray for me also, not just Sharon, which I’m praying for and will continue to pray for her. But pray for me, Amalee. Thank you all. God, bless you all, especially Brian and Jill. Good night.