03/20/2020 DAB Transcript

Numbers 30:1-31:54, Luke 4:1-30, Psalms 63:1-11, Proverbs 11:20-21

Today’s the 20th day of March, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you. It’s an honor it’s a joy. What it joy that we get together like this for a few minutes and focus our hearts attention on the Scriptures, focus our hearts affection on God and just allow the word to speak to us. What a joy. So, we’re continuing to move through the book of Numbers and the book of Luke in the New Testament. Today we will read Numbers chapter 30 and 31.

Commentary:

Okay. So, there’s a really, really huge, huge lesson for us to learn from the gospel of Luke today and it really encompasses the…the entire reading, even though it seems like we encountered a couple of stories of like Jesus being tempted in the wilderness and then Jesus being way back up in the Galilee in Nazareth announcing His ministry. They connect because of the way Jesus conducts Himself, the way that He operates, the way that He sees and does. He’s teaching us a lesson. So, for starters we find Jesus in the wilderness, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed. It’s been like right in front of his from the beginning, but have you noticed how much time we have spent in the wilderness in the Bible so far? It’s an irreplaceable backdrop to the stories that the Scriptures are telling us. And what the Scriptures are showing us in those stories is that the wilderness brings utter dependence on God, which brings transformation and it also brings a lot of thrashing around and complaining and moaning and groaning. I suppose we could just stop right there because that’s the story of our lives. We spend more time in wilderness seasons than we want to, or that we think that we deserve. Even though, as we look back in retrospect, we see just how much transformation and formation happens in those seasons. But usually when we’re in those seasons all we want is out of the season. So, like anything that will show us the clear path out of the wilderness, the quickest, we just pretty much fall for it. Jesus is in the wilderness outside of Jericho. It is the desert. He is making His way eventually back to Nazareth. He’s a long way from Nazareth, like 70 miles. And he’ll have to climb out of the desert and into the transition and up into the lush Galilee. And the devil comes and tempts Jesus. It’s obviously a super famous Bible story. But as we’ve mentioned before when we’ve passed this territory, he’s coming to Jesus with an easy way out of the wilderness, an easy way to get what he seems to want, the fastest way, the pain…the most painless way to get what he wants. That’s kind of our default and we’ve probably learned a number of times that we can get into a deeper wilderness trying to find…take the fast way out of the one where in. The fastest way out of the wilderness, friends, at least in my experience is to learn the lesson the wilderness is teaching you. That changes the entire dynamic of the experience. And Jesus rejected this easier path. And, so, He walked back to Nazareth and the Bible says, that the evil one retreated and waited for another opportunity. That opportunity would come in Nazareth. Jesus entered the synagogue and announced Himself. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Now, of course, everybody’s around the synagogue, the famous Rabbi, the hometown boy who’s made it…making it big is back in town. And, so, Jesus announces that prophecy is being fulfilled but what they really want isn’t any of that. They want Him to perform a magic show. Like, they want Him to do some miracles and signs. They want to see a show. They don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear what Jesus is announcing. Like He’s announcing something huge in their Hebrew faith, the fulfillment of a prophecy and they just want Him to perform tricks. And eventually their provoked. Like, they’re provoked against Jesus, who has just had a showdown with the evil one in the desert and the evil one is waiting for an opportune time. And, so, Jesus comes and announces that He’s fulfilling prophecy and the people decide they should probably throw Him off a cliff in response. And that’s how the story goes. This kind of mob mentality escorts Jesus to this cliff and then He passes right through them and goes on His way. You see how Jesus deals with things? If you’re in the wilderness, and the easy way out is before you and you follow that path without discerning at all, without at least inviting God to show you whether or not the lesson of this wilderness has been learned. And not all wilderness journeys are sent to us by God. We navigate ourselves there quite readily. It seems to be like the one place that we know how to get to in our lives is the wilderness. But once we are there it is not purposeless. And sometimes the easy way out is not the easy way out. And it takes courage to stay one foot in front of the other marching through the wilderness toward the promise. That takes a whole lot more courage than taking the detour that promises an exit. If we keep going, we’ll get out of the wilderness. It will be lush and fertile, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to face the voices of rejection, the voices of ridicule, the voice of contempt and scorn, even the voice of hatred. What if we could just let that pass right through us? What if we could pass right through that and go on our way? We can if we accept things as they are and continue moving forward day by day step-by-step. And, so, let’s take these things to heart today, meditate upon them today, consider them in our lives today.

Prayer:

Jesus, we thank You. Thank You for the opportunity to do just that. We invite Your Holy Spirit to plant these words from the Scriptures into the soil of our lives today and help us to live into them. Help us to continue to watch. As we’re walking through the Scriptures, we’re walking with You. May we not miss anything that we need to see. Come Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth we pray. In Your precious and holy name, we ask. Amen.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. First Peter 2:9. Please pray with me. Lord, my precious Savior it is your bronze slave, Treasured Possession speaking before you thanking you for my courageous sisters and brother who are saying it’s time to face the truth. They did not blame anyone. They did not make excuses for their sin. They just confessed and have repented and desire to be made whole. To have the root of pain removed so that they can operate in the fruit of the Spirit of love and self-control. Lord, you have said those who are forgiven much love much and you are looking for sisters and brothers who worship you in Spirit and truth. I lift these sisters up to you today Lord, the one who desires to be free of jealousy, the one who desires to be free of self-pity, and my brother also of courage who wants to get self-control over his eating and my sister who wants to be fray…free of binge eating. Father, I know you will never love us more today than you will in eternity. The work we have been asked to do is believe in your son Jesus Christ. And Lord relay all our burdens down today as we are called out of the darkness of rejection, self-pity, fear, abandonment and crimes perpetrated against our will. All curses spoken over us are made null and void in the cross of Christ. We receive the love of Jesus for us, the healing of our minds, will, and emotions, the healing of our bodies and say yes to be made a new creation in Christ. And it is in Jesus’ name we ask these things.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family today is March 14th. Michaela from Gloucester, I heard your prayer. It was yesterday or possibly on today’s podcast you said you were struggling. I just want you to know that I love it…I love your prayers. They always touch me on such a deep level and I’m always finding myself agreeing to them in the Spirit. So, Michaela I just want…I’m just asking God on your behalf today to lift you up. And I want you to know that you mean something to this community, if that helps. So, thank you Lord for Michaela. Thank you, Lord for the gift that you’ve given her of prayer. May that gift increase. May her hard times be made less and may she grow stronger through them with your help and by your grace. And then there was God’s Girl, all your anxiety. Lord I just lift up God’s Girl to You. My God, may her…may she find strength to push through that anxiety, strength in You Lord and may she also become stronger as she works through this latest attack or this latest whatever that’s gripping her. May she also become stronger as she works through it with You Lord. May she have eyes to see and ears to hear what You are showing her Lord, the truth of what You are showing her. May Your truth shine through. Hey…and His little Cherry, that description of that pink sunrise and how it made you think of Pink Paint was beautiful. Pink Paint you are loved. His little Cherry you are loved. Be blessed family. Amen.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family my name is Julian Miller and I am from Atlanta Georgia and I’m calling in today because I heard from a podcast a couple days ago from Veronica from Oklahoma or Oklahoma City. And I just want to say that my heart went out to you after hearing your voice and hearing your call for help. And I just want you to know that I feel for you and I’m praying for you. I’m praying that these impulses and these binges and this…this feeling that you feel like you can’t control or like you’re trapped, I just…I just ask that the Lord would continue to release you of that and that you would not fall into despair or feel like there’s no way out. I am a fitness coach here in Atlanta Georgia and I meet people all the time that are…feel like there over weight or in a situation where they can’t get back from it and it’s part of my job to reignite encouragement and life in them, to know that there is more life for them, that there is a future, there is a way to lose weight and to become more healthy. And I just hope that you’re not ashamed for calling in. I heard that in your voice, “like, I can’t believe that I’m saying this.” And I just want to say that we…you…you have a family here. It doesn’t matter what the problem in your life is, that you can always call in and ask for prayer. I love you sister. I’m continuing to pray…pray for you and lift you up. Please do not despair. Hope is on its way. God has so much for you. Release that to Him.

Hi Candace, this is Dorothy out in California. I just wanted to call and let you know that I’m so glad you’re calling in and I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s passing. You are very loved, and you are not alone. We are here for you, your Daily Audio Bible family. Keep calling in. We love you.

Hey guys this is Val from Vegas. I’m calling in because I…I made a promise that I was gonna call in on the 15th of every month. I’m in the hospital. I just got out of isolation. I have double pneumonia and I need your prayers. __ to ask it makes me feel so selfish when there’s so many other needs in the world but I could really use your prayers that the doctors will figure out how to treat me and that I can get out of here and that it can be a testimony and that God can get the glory. Honestly, I feel so defeated and I’m trying to understand and recognize that God loves me, but have you ever felt like he’s mad at you? Please pray that I can get out of the hospital soon.

Good morning. Blessings Flow here again. I also wanted to say, God’s girl in Canada, God bless you sister. I’m praying for you. Thank you so much for calling in. And I’m in agreement with you that anxiety and depression will not prevail in your life in the name Jesus. And that God will have God’s way in your life. I’m praying for you this morning and I just wanted to say, may the Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you God’s girl and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon and give you peace. I’m praying for you also my sister called and with PCOS and was requesting prayer about losing 100 pounds. I’m so proud of you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We’re in agreement with you. Nobody is looking down at you. No one is saying, “how could you call in with that. That’s so silly.” Yes, and amen. We are in agreement. We are proud of you. We’re cheering on. And I just thank you for your boldness to call in about that. This is Blessings Flow in Pennsylvania and I don’t know why I’m up at six something a.m. but many of you are on my heart and I know it’s…it’s not about me. It’s about the Lord and you and God’s love for us DAB family. And I’m so humbled just even in these last couple months to be a part of this family. God bless you. Blessings Flow in Pennsylvania.

Good morning DAB this is Judy I’m from Delaware. I just want to express my love and appreciation for all you who pray every day for everyone. I’d just like to see some extra special prayers for my family, that we are able to keep our love for one another together, that we are able to maintain our prayer life in the midst of all this turmoil. I’d just like to also see some special prayers to everyone who listens to DAB and brings forth prayers for the world every day. Brian thank you so much. Thank you to you and your family for all that you bring to the table for us every morning in spite of…I know there must be days where your heart is heavy as ours. But you still and enlighten us with the Bible, with the words. And I’m just so thankful to have you and to have a place where I can come and listen and know that there’s so many others listening with me. Thank you again. And everyone be blessed and be safe.