Adorned Podcast

On this week’s episode of the Adorned Podcast we continue to talk about the great mystery and what it means to live in unity as the body of Christ. We dive into what true community is and unpack the “manifold wisdom of God”. Did you know it has something to do with Joseph’s coat of many colors? Join us as we dig into chapter three of Ephesians.

Quotes:

“What stands out in Ephesians are the ways in which the defeat of the evil powers and principalities it’s made manifest. To put it bluntly the multiethnic church living in unity is a cosmic middle finger to the powers have tried to force division and enmity among humanity.” -Tony Reinke

“The Christian mysteries are truths which, although beyond human discovery, have been revealed by God and so now belong openly to the whole church.” -John Stott 

“Once we are sure that the gospel is both truth from God and riches for mankind, nobody will be able to silence us.” -John Stott 

“He created the universe to be the cosmic stage for the glory of his son and he predestined the church as the leading lady. In this drama the mystery of the church is like one big ah ha moment and it reveals God’s wisdom…” -Gloria Furman 

“The Bible doesn’t call us to uniformity, it calls us to unity.” -Paul David Tripp 

“Rather than plucking us out of Christian community to show us Christ’s knowledge surpassing love, God plants us in the body of Christ. This is where we are “filled with all the fullness of God”.... in other words we grow in the garden of the local church not in a vase by ourselves.” -Gloria Furman

Resources:

The Message of Ephesians by John Stott

Alive in Him by Gloria Furman 

On episode 59 of the Adorned Podcast we discuss Ephesians chapter 2.  Paul spends the first part of this chapter reminding the church of the fact that they were dead in their sins.  Thank goodness he doesn’t stop there and quickly follows up by explaining that but God, in his love and mercy, sent Jesus so we could be made alive together in Him!  What does it mean to be God’s workmanship?  Why is it so significant that we are now one body under Christ?  Do our works really matter?  Join us as we continue to learn about the wonderful truths of the gospel!  

Quotes:

“When Jesus told Lazarus to come out of his tomb, Lazarus walked out, musty grave clothes and all. and when you were dead in your sins he called you with the gospel and he made you alive in Christ” -J.A. Medders 

“Our good works are a reaction to the good gift. They do not earn us the good gift.”

Humble Calvinism pg 130 “God doesn’t need us as his coworkers - he isn’t lacking the strength or ability to spread the fame of his name or to call his people to faith in him...Sure he could do it all himself.  Sure, he’ll call his people.  But he chooses to let you participate in the greatest business on earth - bringing people from darkness to light, from hell to heaven.” -J.A. Medders 

“We are created by the master creator and our identity is 100% in him, and if we remind ourselves of that it truly doesn’t matter what anyone else says.” 

“It’s better to be in the waves with Jesus then in the boat without him” -Sharon Miller

“Peace is not the absence of chaos, but the presence of Jesus.”

Resources:

“A Lesson in Pronouns: The Doctrine of Union with Christ” - Knowing Faith Podcast

Tiny Theologians One with Christ Cards 

The Message of Ephesians by John Stott

You Are Special by Max Lucado 

This week on the Adorned Podcast we discuss chapter one of Ephesians.  Paul begins his letter by making sure the church understands the truth of the gospel.  Through the blood of Jesus we have REDEMPTION and forgiveness of our sins.  He wants them to know that they were chosen by God before the foundation of the world because of His love and for His glory.  What does it mean that to be chosen?  What does living for God’s glory look like?  These are a few of the questions that we address in this episode.  We would love for you to join us as we continue to study God’s glorious Word together!  

Quotes:

“The glory of God is the beauty and excellence of his manifold perfections. It is an attempt to put into words what God is like in his magnificence and purity. It refers to his infinite and overflowing fullness of all that is good….God’s glory is the perfect harmony of all his attributes into one infinitely beautiful and personal being.” -John Piper 

“Predestination is not about God collecting humans because he thinks they make nice robots to fill his heavenly warehouses. Far from it! The biblical picture of predestination describes the intentions of a loving Father who predestined us for adoption as sons because he wanted to (“according to the purpose of His will”) so that grace would be enjoyed and magnified.” -Gloria Furman 

Resources: 

Inductive Study Guide 

God Created Us For His Glory by John Piper 

Alive in Him by Gloria Furman 

His Eternal Election by Sinclair Ferguson 

The Message of Ephesians by John Stott

Humble Calvinism by J.A. Medders 

ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: Ephesians

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem 

Systematic Theology Podcast 

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul 

Enjoying the Triune God by J.T. English 

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

We are so excited to dive into a new series on the book of Ephesians. This week’s episode of the Adorned Podcast is an introduction to the letter that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus.  We discuss when it was written, why it was written, what the city of Ephesus was like at that time, and some of the most prevalent themes seen throughout the book.  The first three chapters focus on reminding the church of the gospel and the work that Jesus did on the cross, while the last three chapters discuss how to live in light of that truth.  We are looking forward to learning and growing alongside you as we study this book together over the next 7 weeks! 

Quotes:

“A statement about unity in the form of an epistle” - Hans Bayer

“Peace through grace would be a concise summary of the book.” -John Stott 

“Ephesians articulates general instruction in the truths of cosmic redemptive work of God in Christ, the unity of the church among diverse peoples, and proper conduct in the church, in the home, and in the world. It’s about unity and love in the bond of peace marking the work of the Savior as well as Christian’s grateful response to his free grace in their lives.” -ESV Study Bible Notes 

Resources:

Life and Letters of Paul Course by Hans Bayer 

The Message of Ephesians by John Stott

Inductive Study Guide 

ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: Ephesians

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

On this week’s episode Katie Cobbs is with us again as we answer more listener questions.  How do you study the Bible? Does God rank sin?  How do you approach the tougher topics of the Bible with Children?  These are just a few of the questions that we discuss on this episode.  We hope that you enjoy this conversation and that you will join us next week as we begin our series on the book of Ephesians.  

Quotes:

“The best news is that all sins are equal in that Jesus’ blood is enough to cover all of them. Whether it is abortion, lying, stealing, cursing, adultery, pride, pornography or gluttony, Christ’s blood is stronger than both the weakest and strongest of sins.” -Zach Lee 

“Don’t allow the phrase “all sins are equal” to blind you from the damaging and damning effects of sin.” -Zach Lee 

Resources:

Mere Christianity CS Lewis by C.S. Lewis 

None Like Him by Jen Wilkin 

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin

The Gospel Centered Life by Bob Thune 

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith 

God of Creation by Jen Wilkin

God of Covenant by Jen Wilkin 

1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ by Jen Wilkin  

James - Bible Study Book: Faith Works by Matt Chandler 

The Bible Project 

Are All Sins Equal Before God? By John Piper

Are All Sins Equal by Zach Lee 

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

On episode 55 of the Adorned Podcast we invite our good friend, Katie Cobbs, onto the show to help us make a special announcement and to answer some listener questions.  We love our Q&A episodes because interacting with our listeners is one of our favorite parts of having a podcast!  Tune in to hear us discuss what TV shows and movies make us think more deeply about God, why we believe it’s important that we have historically accurate proof of the Bible, and more! 

Quotes:

“God is good - not because he causes things that seem or feel “good” to happen in our lives, but because in the midst of the storm, God comes closer to us than the storm could ever be.” -Charles Spurgeon 

“The goodness of God is difficult to see in the midst of trials, but oh, I could fill a volume with instances of his goodness after trials in my own life were through. I have lost a child. I have had cancer. I am living through the heartache of a prodigal. Not once, even before I knew God, have I ever received anything less than goodness from him. That is why I experience inexpressible joy in Christ. It is why my faith does not waiver, nor does my trust in his good intentions for my life. It is the all sufficiency of Christ, obtained at the cross, that leads me to see that my “light and momentary afflictions are preparing me for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).” -Leslie Schmucker 

“I am expectantly asking God to bring me out of this suffering, but if not He is still good.”  

Resources:

Why I Choose to Believe the Bible by Voddie Baucham 

Please Stop Saying God is Good by Leslie Schmucker 

Episode 29 Community’s Role in Suffering with Rocky Bush

Episode 14 - Who God Is - Our Good Father 

Episode 18 - Worship - A Conversation with Katie Cobbs 

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

On this week’s episode of the Adorned Podcast we recap what we learned while studying the book of Genesis.  We discuss some of the major themes, what we loved, what we found frustrating, and Kacie even tries to recap the entire book in under one minute.  Does she succeed?  You’ll have to listen to find out!  Through really digging into Genesis over the past few months, we have both learned so much about God and His character.  It’s not too late to go back and listen to any episodes that you might have missed!  Our hope and prayer is that through this series you have developed an even deeper love for God and His Word.    

Quotes:

“God is the only consistent being we can rely on.  Everyone else in our life is going to let us down over and over, but God will never let us down.  He’s the same God in the garden as He is in 2019!”

“God is always good and He is always sovereign.  There is not a second of the day, a day of the week, or a week of the month that God is not in control.  He’s always knitting everything together.”

“It’s not until we understand who God is that we adequately understand who we are.” -R.C. Sproul

“God displays with startling majesty both his ineffable grace and his righteous judgement” -R.C. Sproul 

“God is in the business of fulfilling His promises even if it’s not in the way that we think He will.”

“We don’t fully understand why we need a savior unless we read Genesis.”

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

On episode 53 we wrap up the book of Genesis with a discussion on chapters 42-50.  What a beautiful picture of reconciliation is seen when Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers and tells them not to worry because what they meant for evil, God meant for good.  Joseph is also reunited with his father, Jacob.  What an incredible moment that must have been for both of them!  It’s easy to wonder why Joseph was continually at peace when his circumstances were less than ideal.  How was he able to offer forgiveness to his brothers who caused him so much pain? These things were true of Joseph because of his solid theology.  Because he was grounded in who God is, Joseph was able to fully rest and trust in the sovereignty of God.         

Quotes:

“Jesus pays for what we can’t.  He pays for our sin and takes our place and we can spend forever in heaven because of that.”

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” -A.W. Tozer 

“It’s important to take what God has given us and use it to disciple others.”

“Even though his (Joseph’s) brothers had hurt him, had hated him, and had wanted him dead, in spite of everything he couldn’t stop loving them.” -Sally Lloyd Jones 

“No matter how many times we sin or let Him down, Jesus cannot stop loving us.” 

“They (the brothers) had a meaning in the sin (kill the dreamer) and God had a meaning in their sin and it was to save the killers.” -John Piper

“God doesn’t condone this evil but he does overrule it.” -John Mcarthur 

Resources:

The Sale of Joseph and The Son of God sermon by John Piper 

You Meant it for Evil, but God sermon by Greg Gilbert 

The Life of Joseph by R.C. Sproul

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

This week we dive into the last big story in Genesis.  Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph, but we want to encourage you to approach it with a fresh perspective and in light of everything we have learned leading up to this point. Joseph is sold by his  brothers and even thrown into prison, but the story doesn’t end there.  God has big plans for him!  As we look at Joseph’s life we want to focus once again what this story teaches us about God.  We see that God is good.  God is sovereign.  God promised to be with Joseph and as His children He promises to be with us as well!  

Quotes:

“God’s divine hand is seen through the man who directed Joseph to hardship on the one hand and to the saving of many lives in the other” ESV Study Bible Notes

Resources:

The Sale of Joseph and The Son of God sermon by John Piper 

You Meant it for Evil, but God sermon by Greg Gilbert 

The Life of Joseph by R.C. Sproul

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*

On this week’s episode of the Adorned Podcast we continue to look at Jacob’s life as we discuss chapters 32-36 of Genesis.  A big shift is seen in Jacob’s life as he focuses more on who God is.  God changes Jacob’s name to Israel after spending a whole night wrestling with him.  This is such a good a reminder to rest in the truth that God is the one that determines our identity.  In the following chapters we see a beautiful picture of reconciliation through Jacob and Esau’s restored relationship.  We are also reminded of man’s depravity in the story of Dinah, but as we have discussed before, we continue to see God’s plan at work despite their sin.  We would love for you to listen in and we pray that this conversation is encouraging to you as you pursue a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

Jacob: A New Name

*The beautiful music heard on today’s episode is by Katie Cobbs*