10/16/2021 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 28:1-29:32, I Timothy 1:1-20, Psalm 86:1-17, Proverbs 25:17

Today is the 16th day of October, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today as we do what we do every day take another step forward in the Scriptures on the journey that we are on this year through the entire Bible, through an entire year. So, let’s pick up where we left off. We’re in the book of Jeremiah, we’ve been reading from the New Living Translation this week, which is what we’ll do today, Jeremiah chapter 28 and 29.

Introduction to I Timothy:

Okay, so we certainly have some stuff to talk about there but we’re moving into our New Testament portion of our reading today. Which brings us to some brand-new territory. Another letter, another Pauline letter, this one is known as first Timothy, this is a part of a collection of letters in the New Testament, known as the Pastoral letters or the Pastoral epistles, which is a letter and these…these pastoral the pastoral letters first and second Timothy and Titus, these are different kinds of letters because they’re not letters specifically written to a congregation, to a church in a region or a city, with the specific intention that it would be read aloud to the congregation like…like the pastor or priest or president, they called the pastors in some churches back then, they would stand in front of the congregation and read the letter as if Paul were doing the speaking, as if he were there in spirit. We even see him in spirit and some of the letters, that was the idea that these are the words from Paul there being read by another voice, but in spirit. This is what Paul has to say. These Pastoral epistles are little bit different in that their personal letters. Now, the very fact that we still have them would give us an indication that they were read and passed around the churches, but they were intended to be to two people, Timothy and Titus. And it’s also worth noting that these, among biblical scholars, are some of these letters, these pastoral epistles are debated about whether Paul wrote them himself, or whether they were written in his name, not to deceive people, but to carry on the tradition, and some of that comes from other things that we’ve talked about before, it…it seems to some biblical scholars that some of the development in the church governance policies outlined here, may have been formed later than in Paul’s life and so there’s a question about whether these letters continue on the tradition of Paul but maybe weren’t actually written by Paul. Of course, nobody knows that, we don’t have any of the originals. So, there are plenty of scholars and plenty of believers who were just hold to the tradition that these are letters from Paul, written to two of his sons in the faith who had become pastors themselves to help them in the role of a pastor or priest, a leader of the congregation, but to also give them authority, like the authority of a letter from the apostle Paul, that’s going to carry some weight in the credibility for Timothy and Titus. So, we’ll get to Titus soon enough, but we have these letters to Timothy first and so just understanding who Timothy is. I guess, for starters, we have to understand that we’ve already heard this name before, we’ve already seen Paul sending Timothy to other churches in other letters. And via the evidence that we have in the Bible. Timothy really was a son in the faith and really did grow up in the shadow of the apostle Paul’s ministry and gospel. We first met Timothy in the book of Acts, the book of Acts tells us that his mother’s name was Eunice and that he had a grandmother and her name was Lois and they were early believers in the city of Lystra which is modern-day Turkey now. Paul introduced the faith in Lystra which we read about the book of Acts, but Timothy and family were part of the hearers who became disciples of Paul and believers in Jesus. And so, Paul mentored Timothy, raised him up as a spiritual father and calls him as much. And then Timothy traveled a lot with Paul, like we were just saying a second ago, we’ve seen Timothy’s name before, we see Timothy mentioned in six of Paul’s other letters and it seems like Timothy’s kind of the first go-to person to send people in, to send somebody in when he himself, Paul, can’t travel and so we see him serving the churches. So, from reading this letter, we understand that Paul is actually coming to the end of his ministry and he’s nearing actually the end of his life. Timothy’s now pastor of the church in Ephesus, and so first Timothy was written from father to son right, spiritual father to son to give guidance and counsel and it’s full of love. It’s a personal letter and so let’s dive in I Timothy chapter 1.

Commentary:

Okay, so I know we already talked about I Timothy and kinda moving into that territory and so not to like have so much talking today but there’s, it’s just hard to pass by this particular passage in Jeremiah because it’s one of the most famous passages in the Scriptures, and is probably one of the most memorized and quoted verses in all of the Bible throughout the world and it’s one of the places since it’s such a popular verse that we all know it. It’s one of the places that we really get an up close and personal look at why context is important as we move our way through the Bible. So, like altogether, let’s quote Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” And that is very good news, those are good words, they’re comforting and so super easy to understand why we would say them to ourselves or why we would say them to a friend who is discouraged or why they would be preached from a pulpit. It’s a verse in the Bible, it’s important, but it brings an enormous amount of comfort and encouragement. But out of its context, it’s a very promising verse but it’s an even bigger deal than maybe we ever realize when we’re just passing it around as words of encouragement. So, we…we have to understand that Jerusalem has been conquered but the Babylonians have defeated and conquered Jerusalem. They have been in the process of deporting people to the different territories in Babylon. The Hebrews have essentially watched their homeland and the lives that they knew deteriorate and vanish before their very eyes. Some families have been broken apart and sent to different regions, people have died and are no longer a part of the story. Family members are gone and nobody knows where they’ve gone and so will they ever be found; will they ever be seen again. And those people who have been displaced from their families have to find a whole new life. Things are pretty upside down. Jeremiah is in Jerusalem. He’s witnessing the deportation, he’s witnessing the tumult right, the disruption of it all. Meanwhile, there are people in exile in Babylon who are trying to find some kind of new normal and there are prophets in Babylon who are telling everybody just endure, this is going to be over within a couple of years and we’ll all be going home. Which is a super, super-duper encouraging prophecy that happened to be a false prophecy not from God at all. So, Jeremiah is in Jerusalem, and he writes a letter to the exiles in Babylon and it’s in that letter that the famous verse, Jeremiah 29:11 happens. It’s a sentence in a letter. It’s not a stand-alone thought, it can be a standalone thought, but it’s out of context with…with the letter that it is included in. And so, let’s go back to the letter because that will give us context for the verse. In the letter, Jeremiah, and he’s speaking to people who have been deported from their homeland right, we…that’s context. The people receiving this letter have been deported from their homeland and are trying, in whatever way to figure out what the new normal, and what life can be, while they grieve and lament and long and yearn to go home where they lived, where they were raised, where they were raising their families. Jeremiah says and I quote, “build homes and plan to stay, plant gardens and eat the food they produce, marry and have children, then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply, do not dwindle away and work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” Right, so if you receive this letter, then it doesn’t sound like this is going to be over in a couple of years, like the prophets were saying. In fact, quoting from the letter, “This is what the Lord says, you will be in Babylon for 70 years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again, for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Okay in context, it’s a different story and it flies in the face of what the exiled prophets are saying about this being over quick. What the Lord was saying is you’re going to be there for a generation right, you’re going to be there for a while. So, if you’re trying to hunker down thinking this is gonna be over in two years and you’re just gonna do whatever it takes to survive, that would be a mistake. You need to plant roots. And this is a hard message for these people. This is not the message they want to receive, in fact they are trying to do everything they can to reject it and to reject Jeremiah for giving it, but in fact it is exactly what did happen. So, what the real message in this letter and the real message in context around this verse is a little different than the way that we quote it because we quote it to be comforting as if this is going to be like the prophets in exile. This is going to be a quick fix. When what God was saying is, I have sent you somewhere for a reason, you were warned for decades. You’re going to be there for a while. It’s not going to be a quick fix. It wasn’t a quick thing that got you into the mess that would allow the Babylonians to destroy you. It’s going to take a minute, it’s gonna take a generation, so you need to settle down and you need to settle in and you need to multiply. You need to try to thrive. You need to expand and not disintegrate. You need to plan on getting married and then you need to plan on finding spouses for the children that you have, this going to take a minute and you need to thrive. You need to grow, you need to increase and not decrease and so you’re gonna have to get on board with the program, you’re going to have to pray for the city that you’re in because that cities welfare is very, very much going to be tied to your own welfare. You’re gonna have to get with the program and you have permission to do well. You have permission to excel, you have permission to thrive. You may not want to be where you are. It’s going to take some time but you have permission to do well where you are while you’re waiting for the plans that I have for you to come to fruition. That is different and perhaps even more deeply comforting to our souls for those of us who are enduring and waiting for change that doesn’t seem like it will ever come. We can rest in the fact that it will because there are plans, but we can also have permission to do well right now, we can thrive as best as we can, right here right now where we are, while we’re waiting. And so, that gives us a little bit of a picture of context and why it’s often really, really important surrounding very, very quoted passages of Scripture because the message is even deeper than we thought and the hope is even greater. Certainly, we all want a quick fix. Who doesn’t want the quick fix? We all, just, what if we could just snap our fingers and make all of the things that we want to be moved out of our lives, out of our lives and just insert all of the good things. We’d do it, we want, but life doesn’t work that way and we know it. Everything moves in seasons. Everything takes time to develop. It’s a gift, actually, because we always have the chance to look at where were going and decide to repent to change our minds, to move in another direction before we hit the brick wall. And if anything, Jeremiah shows us this. There was plenty of time to change course, they didn’t change course, they were conquered and taken into exile. God has not forgotten or abandoned them, but they’re going to have to live out what they made for themselves, but rather than just feeling defeated and completely destroyed, they have been given permission to do well and so have we.

Prayer:

And so, Father, we invite You into that, those of us who are waiting. Lots of us are waiting for something to change, something in us, something in somebody we love, something in a situation that we have to deal with constantly, whether in community or at work. There’s always opportunity for us to endure, which is, much as we hate it, a good thing. But as we cry out to you and wait, we grow weary in our well doing and You’re giving us permission to strengthen ourselves, to smile again. Maybe we’re not right where we want to be and things aren’t how we would like them to be but this is a process and we are given permission to smile in it, to thrive in it, to follow you through it because you have plans. And so, come Holy Spirit and help us to do just that. We begin by relaxing not on a couch. We just, in our spirit, exhale all of the anxiety and stress that we’re just carrying around, looking for something to change. We can exhale and open our hands to You. Understanding that we’re following you, not the other way around. We’ve been impatient with You because You’re not moving quick enough, as if You’re following us. Instead, we open our hands and smile again in our souls, knowing that You have plans, it’s gonna be fine. We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And we have permission to do well at it. Holy Spirit come into this we pray because we need it so bad. We need this to sink in so badly. So, help us we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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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.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Good morning, it’s the morning of October 12th. This is Lawrence from California. I want to leave this message for Kathy from Kentucky. Kathy, you called in on October 8th and I’m praying for you. Your message was so straightforward, so open, so honest, it went right to my heart. So, I’m asking the Lord that you get that job, that your money worries will be eased, that you’ll be able to get out of the house and not be lonely at times. And I hope very much that the Lord gives you the comfort of knowing that he lives in your house with you. And also, for myself, I want to wish you all the best, this is Lawrence from California, thank you everybody.

Good morning DAB family, God Bless you all. It’s been such a long time since I’ve called in. It’s just been a really rough few weeks for me. And, you know, it’s just been really rough. And, the weariness of my soul, but I’m hanging in there, hanging in there, I’m still listening. And I’m just trusting in God. You know, certain things still has not changed but God has given me the strength to just, just stay close to Him, clinging to Him and trusting in Him. And so, with that being said I’m calling in for Trent from Rockville, yes, you know, I thank God that the Lord put this person in your path, you know, as you were working in construction supervisor years ago. And how you asked him, what do you have to lose by going to church with your wife, praise You Jesus. Amen. You know, and now you believe he is still going to church today as a result of him going then. Thank You Lord, thank You. Victorious Soldier, I’m so sorry for your loss of your brother and know that you are being prayed for and the rest of my family. You know, life hits us and sometimes it knocks us down and the problem is not that we get knocked down, the problem is when we don’t get back up. So, I got knocked down really, really bad and my children are you know, separated from each other and from me. God, I am trusting God and as much as that has hurt me I am trusting in Him. And I want to ask everyone of us to trust in Him in our darkest moments because He’s there, He doesn’t leave us. I love you, Esther.

Hi, DAB family. This is Aussie Bear from Australia. I discovered this app two weeks ago today. And, it has been a life-changing. I love it, I tune in every day. Because I’m in Australia, we’re a day ahead so, I listen to Brian’s talk in the morning the day after he uploads it. And I listen to Jill and the Chronological Bible on the evening of the day it’s uploaded. So, that’s become my routine. And so, like it’s currently October 13th and it’s just after 6am. And, I’ve just finished listening to yesterday’s podcast and I just am blown away, I’m blown away by the reading each day. And I’m blown away by Brian and Jill’s messages that follow each reading. And then I’m blown away by the prayer. We all know that there is such power in prayer and it just hugs my heart to hear the love that comes out through all these voices around the world. And, already just after two weeks I feel apart of it. And I’m running out of time but quickly I just wanted to say I love, at the end of Brian’s messages each day, the I love you. I don’t hear I love you very often so that means everything. Cya.

Hi, everyone it’s Kristy from Kentucky. I wanted to call and let our sister Victorious Solider know how much that we love you and we are asking the Lord to wrap His arms around you and to comfort you in a way that only He can do. You are such a woman of excellence, such an example, we love you so much sister. Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your faith, thank you for the strength that you show in Christ, it blesses each of us. Also, I wanted to let Byron know that I’m praying. Byron for your wife. There’s so many of you, just want you to know that I’m praying for you as I listen along. I’m praying with every request I hear. And also, I wanted to ask if you would please pray for our precious Annette from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I was so privileged to get a voice chat with her today and she scared. And Father, please, Father please, just touch and heal our Annette. Lord, Your beautiful daughter. Father, we just ask in Your precious name, heal her we pray in Your name. We love You, we love You Lord. Alright everyone, I just wanted to call because my heart was just saddened when I saw her. You know, it’s just hard and she’s just very sad. Please pray for that joy to be quickly infused back into our friend, along with God’s healing. I love you guys; I pray each of you are having a most blessed and lovely day today.

Hi guys, hey family, this is Janice calling from Phoenix area, Arizona. And I just wanted to say that I listen every day, I write you down in my book and I pray, pray, pray for you. Now, I’m asking you if you would help me pray for my best friend, I call her Smitty. We’ve known each other for 50 years and I brought her to the Lord. Smitty’s son Michael is in the grip of drugs. Michael has a family. Michael is trying to get cleaned. Michael is angry and he’s running from the Lord but, let’s just pray that God’s hand from heaven will follow him and eventually soften the man’s heart. So, Smitty and Michael are in California. Thank you all so very much. I love you so much, I can’t even stand it. If you don’t have it, The God of Your Story, that book is so fun to keep on track.

I’m calling with a prayer of encouragement. I just want to say, to whoever needs it, just stay strong in the Lord. And rejoice in your suffering and find that joy. The Lord is there with you and He will lift you up. Surrender yourself to the will of God. The only way that you can save your life is by losing it. So, whatever you’re going through, just fall into the Lord. Now, is the time to lean in. Now, is the time to acknowledge that you do not have the answers, that you cannot mark your steps but just give it up to God and let Him help you and let Him work for you. He wants to help you but He wants to be invited in. So, please, whoever needs to hear this, if anyone needs to hear this, I just would, you know, pray over you, the courage to find joy in your suffering and to lean into the Lord, that you would let the Lord your God, help you. I call upon Jesus and I pray in His name. Amen.