Grace 809

Transcript

John

Today is History Tuesday, and we will read 2 Chronicles 21-24. We’ll read about the murderous queen Athaliah, and how the line of king David was nearly snuffed out. I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “The Evil Queen.”

In these chapters, we read about Joash, and how he was saved from the evil Queen Athaliah, who killed every child of King Ahaziah, who was killed by Jehu. Every child but one. Jehosheba was the sister of King Ahaziah, and when she heard that Athaliah wanted to kill all of his children, she hid one-year-old Joash with the priests in the Temple for six years.

That’s quite a story in itself, but this next part is what I find most interesting. At this point, Joash is the only living descendant of King David. Remember God’s promise to David? That there would always be one of his descendants on the throne? Yep. So God made sure that Joash was not killed. 

And who else was from the house of David? Of course. None other than Jesus of Nazareth. 

It would be nice if we could say that Joash grew to be a good and godly king, but such is not the case. Yes, he did right before the Lord while Jehoiada the priest was alive, but once Jehoiada died, Joash took a left turn. He turned away from God, and he and the leaders and the people of Judah began to worship false gods. God then allowed Judah to be defeated by the smaller army of the Arameans, and Joash was wounded. And then his own servants killed him on his own bed. And when he was buried, it was not in the place where the other kings were buried.

A sad ending to a life that was miraculously spared by God, wouldn’t you say?

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Would that Joash had kept his eyes on God. Coming from a believing family is no guarantee. He was literally raised in the Temple, with a godly role model in Jehoiada the priest. Parents, grandparents, anyone with influence over children…it is eternally important that you impress upon your children the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 21-22 ERV; Ch. 23 NET; Ch. 24 NKJV

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Ashley Holleman reminds listeners to not be afraid to share your faith with non-Christians, because God will do the heavy lifting.
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“Ahab was king over Israel for twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did even more open evil before God than anyone yet—a new champion in evil!” (1 Kings 16:29-30 MSG).

There’s a reason parents don’t name their kids Ahab or Jezebel. Ahab not only neglected the faith of his fathers, but he also embraced the false gods of his enemies. Yet this evil king did more—he married Jezebel.  She was vile, she endorsed a religion that promoted temple prostitution and child sacrifice, she and her husband systematically killed the Lord’s prophets. The Ten Commandments were treated as ten suggestions, and the temple of worship was a relic of history.

God, however, will not sit idly while his covenants are trashed. He will not stay silent while his will is mocked. But he will act.

Read more Unbreakable Courage

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

As believers in Christ, we’re called to share our faith—but many of us struggle with how to do that. And yet, sharing what the Lord has done in your life should be as natural as breathing. Ashley and Heather Holleman equip you to stand strong in your faith and help others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. They take on that “scary” word—evangelism—and offer practical, encouraging tips for sharing your faith with confidence and grace.
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Transcript

Cindy Gardner

Today is Epistles Sunday, and we’re going to complete the book of Hebrews  with chapters 11-13. You’ve heard of the Baseball Hall of Fame? Today we’ll read about Old Testament people who are in a sort of Faith Hall of Fame, or Hall of Faith.  I do have an on this date in church history for you. I’m calling today’s episode “What Is Faith?”  

Chapter 11 is sometimes called the Faith Hall of Fame, or the Hall of Faith. 

Why do you suppose the author of this book found it necessary to write this chapter? Of course, we know that the author wrote it because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so, but beyond that I think the reason God gave this message for the Hebrews was because they were used to relying on the ongoing sacrifices to make them right with God. They were relying on their efforts to conform to the Mosaic Law. In the previous chapters, the Jews were told that Jesus offered Himself as the One sacrifice for all time, and that it was faith in Him that cleanses a person from sin. This notion of faith was a bit of a new concept for many of them. Thus they, and we, are given this chapter.

I like the way this translation of the Bible explains what faith is. It “is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see.”

Now, the word “hope” as it is used here is not the kind of hope a child has when he says, “I hope I get a new bicycle for Christmas.” That kind of hope is a sort of childlike wish. The hope spoken about here in Hebrews is the sort of hope that carries with it an assured anticipation of what will be in the future. I don’t wish that Jesus will someday return. I know He will, and it is that hope that allows me to have an unshakeable peace when I think about the future. I have no doubt that it will happen. 

Why don’t I doubt? Because I have the kind of faith spoken about in this chapter. 

Some people have little faith, some have great faith. Those who have little faith, if they ask for more, will receive it. I know this because at one time I had very little faith. But the faith I had told me that the One in whom my faith rested was real. So God, in His matchless grace, brought events into my life that made me see that whatever faith I had put in Him was well-placed. 

Often times my faith was tested. And when you think about it, when our faith is tested it is often God who is being tested. God says, “Do you have faith that I will do this?” And I say,”I believe, but help my unbelief.” And He

Transcript

Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle.

Today is Gospels Saturday. We’ll read Acts 5-6.  I’ve got an On This Date In Church History, and I’m calling today’s episode “The Choice.”

In chapter five, after the apostles had been locked up for preaching about Jesus, and after the angel of the Lord had released them during the night and had told them, “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life”, they went right back to the temple to again teach (or preach) to the people.

The high priest had them brought back to stand once more before the Council and he said, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

Now, does this sound at all familiar to you? Doesn’t this go on today? Aren’t we told not to speak the name of Jesus? Christians are one of the only groups today that are discriminated against, and it’s perfectly fine with most of the world.

What Peter and the other apostles said to the high priest and the Council should be an encouragement to us. They said, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Friends, they got the courage to do this from the same Holy Spirit that is in every believer today. Don’t be afraid to speak the name of Jesus and tell what He has done in your life and what He wants to do in the lives of every person alive. Be bold. Be strong. Do not obey those who would tell you to shut up. We answer to a higher authority. We answer to Almighty God!

That is not to say that we will necessarily be miraculously rescued. As a matter of fact, there is a good chance that we will not be. But is that any reason to be afraid? Is it not better to do what God wants us to do, than to do what man wants us to do? In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus said, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear

In his fine book, The Dance of Hope, Bill Frey remembers the day he tried to pull a stump out of the Georgia dirt. One of his chores as a 12 year-old was to search for stumps of pine trees that had been cut down and chop them into kindling. But there was one root system he just couldn’t pull out of the ground.

He was still struggling when his father came over to watch. “I think I see your problem,” the dad said. “What’s that?” the son asked. “You’re not using all your strength.” Bill exploded and told him how hard he’d been working. “No,” the dad said. “You’re not using all your strength.” When Bill cooled down, he asked what his father meant and the dad said, “You haven’t asked me to help you.”

You don’t have to do it alone, friend. Present the challenge to your father and ask for help. Will he solve the issue? Yes, he will.

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Roderick. Thank you!

Today is Prophecy Friday. We’ll read the book of Micah, seven chapters. Today we’re going to skip on this date in church history I’m calling today’s episode “The Greatest Miracle.“

This book, although much shorter, is as bit like the book of Isaiah. That book was about “Judah and Jerusalem” and Micah’s prophecy was about “Samaria and Jerusalem”. Micah brings God’s warning about the coming judgment of Israel, and he mourns it. 

The sins of Israel are laid out: idolatry, covetousness, oppression, rejection of God’s Word, corrupt leaders, both spiritual leaders and political leaders. Boy, I’m sure glad we don’t live back then. We’ve come so far, haven’t we?

Thankfully for Israel, the upcoming chapters do have some encouraging words. As always, it’s important to remember that God’s judgments are not vengeful towards His people. They are motivated by love.

Chapter four began with the words “In the future…” Some of the prophecies Micah wrote about have been fulfilled, some are yet to be. 

Verse one says: “In the future, the mountain with the Lord’s temple will be the highest of all. It will reach above the hills, and every nation will rush to it.” 

In a figurative sense, the mountain with the Lord’s temple could be considered the highest of all with the coming of Messiah. And there are believers in every nation. But I believe that the temple will be rebuilt during the Millennial reign of Christ, when there will be a more literal fulfillment.

Chapter five, verse two through five is a prophecy of the coming Messiah. Bethlehem is named and the fact that the Savior would come from a family with a long history. Obviously, we know that Jesus’ lineage was traced back to King David, and that was prophesied in other books of the Bible. Of course, God promised David that the Messiah would come from his line and would establish a kingdom that would last forever.

Chapter 7 verses 14 and 15 encapsulate the relationship that God really wants with his people…with you and with me. Micah prays in verse 14, “Lead your people, Lord! Come and be our shepherd.” And in verse 15, God answers, “I, the Lord, will work miracles just as I did when I led you out of Egypt.” 

What greater miracle is there than a loving, merciful, righteous and holy God choosing to leave the glories of Heaven to live as a man among the wretched and fallen creation that has been so crippled by sin, to live a per

As adults, we can navigate change pretty well, but younger kids are much more likely to struggle with it. As parents, we need to patiently listen to our children, answer their questions honestly, and shepherd them through the upheaval of change — and ultimately point them to the unchanging love and security of God.
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Darby Strickland encourages moms and dads to shepherd their kids through changes in life.
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