11/28/2016 DAB Transcript

Daniel 5:1-31 ~ 2 Peter 2:1-22 ~ Psalm 119:113-128 ~ Proverbs 28:19-20

Today is the 28th day of November.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I am Brian and it is great to be here with you today and once again coming to you from the Sea of Galilee and all of the rolling hills that surround it.  We had a really, really good day yesterday all around this area and a really, really good today planned.  We’re heading north, all the way north, as far as we can go north in Israel up on the Golan Heights and we’ll talk about that stuff later, but for now let’s just center ourselves, take a deep breath, exhale, step away from all of the cares of life, all of the things that continually come and go, and center ourselves in the scriptures.  

So we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week and picking up in the drama and intrigue of the book of Daniel.  We’ll read chapter 5 verses 1:31 today before moving into 2 Peter. First, the book of Daniel.  

Prayer

Father, we thank you for the gift of your word.  Oh, the gift, the rescue, constantly speaking into our lives, we welcome it.  Father, even as we continue to travel about the land where you revealed this word, both virtually all over the world and for those of us who are here, we ask that you plant it deep within our lives.  It is sharper than any 2-edged sword, piercing to where soul and spirit divide.  This is the very essence of our identity.  We ask you to plant your word there, speaking truth and crowding out lies at the very place of our identity.  Come Holy Spirit, we pray.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Announcements

So yesterday we spent the day here in the Galilee, all around the Sea of Galilee, really just focusing on the places that Jesus did most of his ministry in. You know, it’s a very, very small area that had global impact for thousands of years and has caused waves around the world that continue until today obviously.  That is why we are here.  But we got to visit these places, kind of stand in these places, consider some of the things that happened there, but also give ourselves some space to process this because it is not really just enough to see ancient ruins and think it is really cool and then connect it to our spirituality, it has to be something that we bring back with us inside of our hearts in a way that really does cause change because that is the point of a spiritual pilgrimage.  But it is also our duty of love because God going into all of the world isn’t just all around the world, it is the world inside of our hearts, inside of our heads, inside of our families, inside of our communities and churches and workplaces and cities and states and zip codes and everything we would consider our sphere of influence.

So we began our morning yesterday at the Mount of Beatitudes which is serene, beautiful, peaceful, really amazing, and it is where Jesus gave a message that astonished those who heard it that has become known as the Sermon on the Mount now.  Rather than really trying to do commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, we just immersed ourselves in it fully and sat where those who heard it heard it and listened to the words from the gospels that Jesus spoke in its entirety and then gave ourselves the chance to process that a little bit as if we were there.  To just hear the whole Sermon on the Mount where the Sermon on the Mount was spoken is a powerful thing.

Then we began visiting the cities where Jesus did so much of his ministry in. There are three in particular.  Corazon, Capernaum, and Bethsaida and we approached them from different perspectives.  Historically, what does this mean to us?  What is it that we are to do with this Jesus and this Jesus message and how is it supposed to change things all around us?  And then how do we really get ourselves in the landscape? How do we get ourselves immersed in the things that Jesus saw?

So we went to Corazon and looked at what is there.  What is there are ruins.  Jesus said it would be this way.  And then we moved down back toward the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum which I guess is the epicenter, the last zone, the place where everything went off. This is where Jesus had his ministry base.  This is where he lived as an adult and that is quite a thing to behold.  Quite an emotional and mental overload for a second. I’m standing here.  This is it.  Jesus lived here.  The village knew him and the synagogue is where he gave messages.  It’s riveting really.  

Then we moved from there into lunch, took a little time to relax, fellowship, eat, do a little shopping.  At the place we go to have that lunch there is an ancient boat, the frame of an ancient boat that was found from the first century so we were able to see the size and scale of what the disciples fished in.  And that’s cool.  

Then from there to a place that is now known as Peter’s Primacy.  This is the place Jesus cooked breakfast for his friends after his resurrection and really went after Peter’s heart by asking him three different times “do you love me?”  And “feed my sheep.”  It’s truly a beautiful location because you can get right down to the water.  There is a nice chapel there.

Then we ended our day in Bethsaida where we had some time to just walk around and get the history of the place, some of us did, and others of us just kind of went on a meditative walk.  I love that place.  I love that place!  I don’t expect everyone else in the world to love that place, but I do because for me it is not a well-traveled place.  We were the only ones there so we had the whole place to ourselves.  There are a lot of us here but we had the whole place to ourselves.  For me, finally getting to be there for the first time many years ago, it was like I can see it now.  I can see what the trails look like.  I can see what the gospels are talking about when they speak of Bethsaida and these other towns. I can see how this was and I had an overwhelming spiritual experience there one time just walking around by myself, walking this trail feeling like, wow, it wouldn’t be surprising to pass other travelers including Jesus with his band of brothers moving to the city or moving away from the city.  I love it. It is so pastoral in its setting and so spread out and so, I don’t know, peaceful.  I told the group the best way I can describe it is it feels haunted with the presence of Jesus to me.  So I love it when we can visit there.  

We got there for sunset, actually saw (and I’ve never seen this before) the sun actually go down behind the Galilean hills and it was beautiful.  It was a really fitting ending to a day where we were really chasing Jesus around these places.  So it was good.  Like I said, today we’ll be heading up into the Golan Heights and we’ll talk about that tomorrow.  

Thank you for your continued prayers.  There is never going to be a time when we don’t need your intercession and your prayers.  You can continue kind of following along with the journey, both here on the Daily Audio Bible, but on the Daily Audio Bible Facebook Page where we’re Facebook Live-ing wherever we get stable enough Internet and a few extra minutes to do it. You can find that at www.Facebook.com/DailyAudioBible.  

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website.  Obviously you know that.  I say it every day.  It is where you find out what is going on around here.  I’ve been mentioning the Daily Audio Bible Christmas Box that is now available, chockful of the best of what we’ve created over the years as resources for this community.  This is no exception.  In fact, this is the best one we’ve ever had.  We continue to try to create resources for this community and they are in the Daily Audio Bible Box.  So you can check that out at www.DailyAudioBible.com in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.  There are things in there that you’ll want to keep and certainly things in there that you may want to give away as well.  So check that out.  We always sell out of them, so check it out sooner than later if it’s of interest to you.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here at the end of the year, I cannot possibly thank you enough.  The Daily Audio Bible is a family affair.  It is something that we’ve only ever done together.  Thank you for your partnership.  That is as easy as going to www.DailyAudioBible.com and there is a link on the home page that is easy to find.  It is always there.  It can be found also if you use the Daily Audio Bible App by pushing the More button in the lower right-hand corner or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.  

And being the community of prayer that we are, if you’re shouldering things that you don’t want to carry by yourself, there is a number you can call – (877) 942-4253.

And that is it for today.  I’m Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hi, this is Judy in Salt Lake.  I’m just calling because I just heard Alleah call in.  Oh Alleah, honey, oh, I wish I could just jump through the phone lines or whatever and give you a big hug and just let you know I’m praying for you and I’m so glad you’re calling back.  We missed you.  And I miss you, Treasured Possession.  Where are you? And Arjen, I just hate to hear that you’re feeling badly because you have such wisdom when you call and help and your prayers for others.  So hang in there, people.  This is a tough time of year.  I understand what you’re going through.  I’m going through some changes of my own.  But I love you all and I’m praying for traveling mercies for everybody that is traveling, for Brian and the team and everybody on the trip with him.  And my husband is on a trip as well so I just want to just say Happy Thanksgiving and let you guys know I don’t call in very often but I miss you.  So thank you and God bless you and know I’m praying for everybody.  

Happy Thanksgiving, Daily Audio Bible family.  Jill, Brian Hardin and family and for all of you traveling in Israel, I’m thanking God for your safe travels, your safe arrival, combatting jet lag, for perfect health and restoration for anything that Satan is trying to bring upon you.  I’m so blessed to be able to take this voyage virtually and I pray that one day I’ll be able to take it in the flesh.  I thank you all.  Part of this Thanksgiving Day, I’m just thinking of how blessed I am to have my husband, Matias, and my son Aiden, the Daily Audio Bible family, Munich Christian Fellowship Church where Pastor Kenneth Blake and his wife Marilyn have spoken so many things into my life.  I’m thankful so much to be part of that church.  I’m thankful for my extended family.  I’m thankful that God has just brought me through a lot of trials this year.  It has been not easy being a first time mom at 43 years old of age and working part-time and just trying to balance being a wife and a mom, a sister, daughter, an aunt, daughter-in-law, all those things.  But I’m just so thankful.  I’m thankful that the DAB is here to support me.  I love you, Annette A.  One day we’re going to share a plate of grits, girlfriend!  And Victorious Soldier, thank you so much for your prayers, for calling in.  I’m praying a hedge of protection over all of you this Thanksgiving season and just remember that we need to start thanking God when we ask our prayer requests.  I’m about to get on a plane to go to East France where I have my last event of this year.  Thanking you all for a hedge of protection for safe travels and that God will show up in ways that only he can and that I’ll be able to bless somebody. Thank you.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Cheers!  Asia from Munich.

Yeah, this is Lee from Tennessee.  I just want to thank you for providing a venue for us to call in and pray and offer helpful hints to those out there that need us and need God.  Thank you so much for the Bible verses.  Thank you for providing an opportunity to hear other people’s problems and so we can provide a way, for us to pray a way for them. Lord, I would like to thank you, God, for revealing yourself to me, for if you would have not reached out to me, I don’t think I would believe in you.  It’s so hard to explain all the things that we go through in life and all the suffering we endure.  Father, thank you for allowing that suffering so we can be helpful to others in the future. I would like to reach out to Blind Tony and thank him for those awesome poems that he reads and thank you again for the Daily Audio Bible who allows us to hear scripture every day.  I would like to pray for all those that are out there that are in need, that are suffering, that have lost loved ones.  Thank you, Jesus, most of all for dying on the cross for us.  If you don’t believe in God, reach out to him and he will reveal himself to you.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.  

Hi, this is Candace from Oregon.  Greetings to all my brothers and sisters far and wide.  God bless your holiday season and may you each one grow closer and closer to him at this time.  Brian, thank you so much.  I’m praying, of course, as you all continue and will soon be coming home from your trip. Thank you so much, though, for just this whole situation that we all get to be a part of.  God, thank you for your word.  Please be especially close to our sister Alleah from Waxahachie and give her special encouragement at this time.  It’s a dark time of year.  At least here where I live.  For Alleah it’s dark for other reasons and I pray that you just come in and shine light and warmth and even joy into her life, her heart and just make her able to be a light even in such a difficult situation, Lord.  Lift her up.  Encourage her.  Thank you that we can pray for each other like this.  In Jesus’ name.  I went to the doctor finally and got a prescription that has really helped.  At least I can sleep better at night and I can breathe through my nose.  So I’m thankful for that and so many, many other things.  God bless you, each one.

Hi everybody.  This is Alicia from Kansas.  Today is Thanksgiving in the United States and I just wanted to reach out and by the time this is played, Thanksgiving will have passed.  I pray that everybody had a joy-filled Thanksgiving even if we’re alone, if we’re struggling with our children, our marriages, our jobs, whatever it is.  We have something so far greater than this world has to offer and for that I’m giving thanks today.  I lift you all up for all of your needs, all the prayer requests.  I pray that the Lord will comfort you and give you everything that you need.  Not always do we get what we desire.  I’m understanding that more and more, but the joy is found within in my relationship with Christ and in your relationship with Christ.  I pray for the holiday season over all my brothers and sisters and I pray for safety for all those who are visiting Israel at this time.  Lord Father, I just thank you and I praise you and I lift this up to you, in Jesus’ name.  Amen. Take care everybody.  I hope your day was blessed.  Bye-bye.

Hello.  This is Anthony from Florida.  And I’m calling, I want to say first I really love what you’re doing and I love the people in this community who are praying for each other.  I have seen __________ work for families and I remember that Christ said whenever two or more are gathered in my name I am there among them, as I recall it.  But the reason I’m calling is I am having a lot of difficulty with sleep.  I’m coming off a medication that one of the things is sleep disturbance.  The problem is when you become reliant on it sleep is slow to return.  So often I will jerk awake and not able to get a full night sleep.  And I’ve tried everything so far I can find among doctors and holistics, things like yoga, but it is not working and it makes it very difficult.  It is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do, to function without sleep.  So if God could please just heal me and help me to be a better man for my family and for others because I don’t think I can get through this alone.  It feels like it is getting more difficult not better. But if the Daily Audio Bible community prayed for me, I have a hope.  So I appreciate your prayers.  And thank you.  And I’ll pray for you all as well.  Again, my name is Anthony.  Thank you. Thank you.  Goodbye.