03/11/2017 DAB Transcript

Numbers 15:17-16:40 ~ Mark 15:1-47 ~ Psalm 54:1-7 ~ Proverbs 11:5-6

Today is March 11h.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I’m Brian. It is a pleasure and a joy to be here with you today as we conclude another one of our weeks together this year. So we’ll go back out into the wilderness where a people who were destined for the land of promise realize that they are not going to be able to do it because of what they did, not because of what God did.  We’ve seen some of the repercussions of that, but an entire generation cut themselves off from entering into the promised land and we’ll see what happens next.  Numbers chapter 15, verse 17 through 16:40 today and we’ve been reading from the Good News Translation this week.  

Commentary

So for the second time this year we’ve come through the passion narrative. This is the season where we’re moving toward Easter and so this is the time that we have in this season to witness this.  And it’s hard.  I mean, it’s hard for me to think of Jesus nailed up like that.  That bothers me.  It’s supposed to, but it does.  You hear him crying out from the cross something that is so human and so heartfelt and so true of all of us:  My God, why have you forsaken me?  Why did you abandon me?  

I think what is poignant in this is not a theological statement that is being made, but that this happened.  Because what we see is that Jesus is actually experiencing these things as a person. This can draw us so near if we’ll let it, if we’ll look at the life of Jesus and realize that he went through every issue that we go through in life and more, far more as a person.  

So he understands when we’re crying these things out.  Yet Jesus changes all of that.  When we enter the book of Matthew, his words were I will never leave you nor forsake you.  That is no less true today than when he spoke it. So what we have is a very, very present God who also deeply and intimately understands the struggle that it is to live in the hardships that we face.  We don’t have an aloof God that has no idea what it is like to be us.  We have a God who knows exactly what it is like to be us.  So rather than estranging ourselves by blaming and making accusation, if we would invite him near, to be in it with us, it could change the paradigm for us. It would turn us away from doubt and accusation and toward intimacy because Jesus is obviously not afraid to go through human things because he did.  

So that loneliness that you’ve been feeling, Jesus understands that. He’s felt that.  That betrayal that you went through that you can’t seem to get past, it’s just too raw even after all this time, Jesus understands that. The black kiss of betrayal was upon his cheek, betrayed unto death.  He understands that.  In fact, there is really nothing that we could say that Jesus hasn’t experienced, that he hasn’t been willing to be involved in.  

And so here in this season of Lent, as we invite the Holy Spirit to rearrange our lives, to dismantle things that don’t need to be there, to reprioritize, and the chance for us to contemplate the depth and weight and cost of sin to give us this intimacy with the Holy Spirit, may we understand that we can trust him.  Really. We really actually can trust him.

I know that is a cliché.  I know we say that all the time, but hang on a second.  We really can trust him.  He really is interested in our lives, interested enough to hang from a cross and experience everything that he experienced.  We really can trust him.  And we’re far enough into the Bible to see the threads of redemption all throughout, that this story is a long story and we’re a part of that story. God wasn’t different then than he is now, we’re just living the story forward.  We really can trust him.  So may we.

Prayer

Jesus, that is our heart cry today.  Of course we trust you until we don’t.  We want that to change in this season.  We invite your Holy Spirit into that.  That there isn’t a time that we feel like we’re not sure whether we trust you or not or that you’re just the nearest one to blame for whatever it is that ails us.  We’re sorry that we can be that way.  It’s lame. It’s childish.  You’re inviting us to grow up and trust you and see what a stable platform faith actually is.  You’re continuing to draw us deeper and invite us further because every step that we take in that direction is a step toward wholeness.  And every step that we take in that direction is a step toward who we were created to be.  So we thank you once again for coming for us and we honor this moment as we move through the gospels.  We honor this moment of your sacrifice because this is all possible because of this. So we embrace it and invite you to come, Holy Spirit.  In the name of Jesus we ask.  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.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hey family.  It’s Jordan from Michigan.  Day 36 of my 60-day challenge.  I want to say today that I’m thankful that God got me out of depression and brought my joy back.  Let’s pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I want to pray for the spirit of depression that is plaguing our family.  Heavenly Father, I want to pray for Rachel whose friend’s son literally took a bullet for his mother.  Father, show this mother that you are there, that you are with her. Comfort her and heal her, Father. In the name of Yeshuah, show her that his laying down his life for his mother is a reflection of your love that you had for us when you died on the cross literally.  Father, I want to pray for Derrick and I want to pray for Matt in Madison.  Heavenly Father, these men are depressed, Father.  Father, they are going through so much turmoil in their lives.  Their minds are filled with sorrow and anguish. Father, please heal them.  Please take away their depression and give them new life in you.  Give them new life in you.  Give them your word.  Give them prayer.  Give them meditation.  Give them healing, true healing, Father.  Give them therapy.  And lastly, Father, I just want to thank you for Byron in Florida, for being so transparent about his suicide attempt, Father.  Father, I attempted suicide as well and I want to thank you for getting me through it, Father, because you are a good, good Father.  That is who you are and you love us and you will never forsake us, amen.  

Hi everybody.  It’s Lisa the Encourager.  Hope everybody is doing good tonight.  I just wanted to let you guys know or actually I want to let Brian know, thank you so much, March the 6th, for the blessing because I accept it.  I accept it with open arms.  Also decided to pay it forward to my family as a servant, not a saint, but I basically sat around this dinner table and asked us all to hold hands, which we don’t normally do that, and I spoke that same blessing on my family, on each one of us, so I thank you so much, Brian, for that. It meant a lot to me.  And also I wanted to pray tonight for Mike from Maryland, his 19-year-old son.  He went through a breakup with his girlfriend and so I’m sure we can all relate to that at some point in our lives, so I am definitely praying for your 19-year-old son, Mike, and his broken heart.  And also I’m praying for Matthew.  Matthew, I’m praying for your friend or coworker Rodney which has a daughter that is going to jail.  He’s a good Christian man and he just needs to receive God’s comfort, so I’m praying for Rodney tonight, Matthew.  And just a quick shout-out to Joelle for being two months sober from alcohol.  I’m so happy for you, Joelle.  So let’s go to the Lord in prayer.  Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you, God, so much for forgiving me of my sins and helping me to forgive others.  And I pray, God, that you will bless Mike’s son that is dealing with a broken heart right now.  Lord, only you can mend broken hearts and can make us truly full inside, so I pray that for his dear 19-year-old.  

Good morning DAB family.  This is Jocelyn in Atlanta.  God just really put it on my heart to call in and ask for prayer for pastor’s wives and particularly the pastor’s wives at my church.  I know one of them had a baby a couple months ago and I kind of talked briefly with her husband and he mentioned that she was having a hard time. I know that there is probably a whole lot more of the story than I could ever imagine, but I just really would like to, as a family, lift up all the pastor’s wives.  I feel like they make such huge sacrifices and they don’t always get acknowledged.  They are given a lot of criticism and sometimes unnecessary expectations, so if we could just come against the enemy and bind him in the name of Jesus and allow these women to feel God’s purpose and to feel loved and cared for and that as the body of Christ we would show them love and caring and that we wouldn’t always expect them to be the ones that are supporting us.  Lord, we love you and we praise you for all things. Amen.  I’ve been really touched by a lot of the people calling in.  Also, for those of you that are new that don’t know, there are some really awesome and amazing prayer resources on the Media tab of the app.  I also want to make sure that we’re lifting up the women who are going to the More Conference.  I know that the enemy is going to want to try to keep them from going and find ways to make them think that they shouldn’t sign up and just ask that we pray against these things and that we pray for support for the women who are going to the More Conference.  Alright, love you guys.  Bye.  

Good morning Daily Audio Bible.  This is Nathan, Gift of God from Bloomington, IL.  Hey, I was listening today, today being March 7th, how God had commanded that the people of Israel in the desert follow the cloud and when the cloud moves, that they move.  And it might be two days.  It might be two weeks.  It might be one year, like Brian said, but they followed the cloud because that is what God commanded.  That is what God wanted.  He wanted those people to be under his wings and to be obedient.  I was thinking about that and I’m thinking well, that’s still the same.  Maybe we may not see a visible cloud, but God still wants us to follow him.  When he says move, we need to follow that.  When God moves that so to speak cloud, it might be a week.  It might be a day.  It might be a year.  And it might be forever.  But we need to be under God’s command, under God’s wings, under God’s protection, under God’s will.  I just wanted to share that so hopefully it puts a little smile on someone’s face today. Have a great day.  Make it a great day.  

Hey family.  This is Douglas and I’ve got a story for you.  I recently made a pretty big life change and everything seems to be working pretty good, but I got kind of __________.  I kind of camp on certain ideas and certain things that seem to work well for me and it goes pretty good, but after a while things start to not necessarily fall apart but not be as __________ as they once were.  Today is the 7th and I was reminded of that when we went through the Old Testament talking about how the Israelites would camp every day and look for the cloud by day and the fire by night and be ready at any moment to break camp and follow the moving of God.  That just reminded me that God is still moving today in the Holy Spirit.  Even in the scriptures it says that he reveals himself in tongues of fire.  It just reminded me that I’ve got to not be so eager to camp in one place but wake up every morning and just see where the Holy Spirit is moving.  If he is lifting and moving, I’ve got to be ready to break camp and follow.  So Brian, thanks for reading that today.  That just brought it home.  It’s a lot easier to follow a list of things that work and things that don’t than it is to follow the Spirit of God.  That just reminded me sometimes I make lists that I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do this and sometimes lists are okay, but it’s a lot better to follow the Spirit of God. So thanks again.  Also, a big praise.  I just celebrated two years of being cancer free.  I know you guys prayed for me during that time and thank you guys for always being there.  Take care.

Good morning Dabbers.  My name is Allison.  I’m calling from Texas and I just want to say I’ve been listening to the Daily Audio Bible for some time now.  __________ and I love you guys.  My prayer request today is I’ve been dealing with skin cancer that’s called mycosis fungoides for some time and it has just been a journey.  I’m up and I’m down on days and I know God can completely heal me, but I need the Dabbers to come into agreement with me.  It’s called mycosis fungoides.  It’s a form of skin cancer and it has just been really, really, really more frustrating than anything.  I know God is a healer and I believe he is a healer and if you guys could touch and agree with me that God will heal me completely from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, it will be such a blessing.  I thank you guys.  I love you. Brian, keep doing what you’re doing. You’re such an anointed man of God. Thank you so much and be blessed.