Jesus is Real Radio with Daniel Fusco

When you’ve heard the story of the birth of Jesus, it’s easy to become detached from it. But, there is something familiar in Herod’s hostility towards Jesus, and the indifference of the priests to the Savior. That’s because we see it all around us today, and perhaps even in our own hearts. The hearts of people have struggled with the same issues for centuries. Today, Pastor Daniel examines the heart issues we face in our acceptance—or rejection—of Jesus.

God orchestrated events to get Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, just like it was prophesied. Pastor Daniel described what the conditions would have been like for Mary to birth Jesus…much dirtier than the nativity scene we imagine. A humble beginning for God’s Son.

There are so many things out of our hands…situations we believe that, if changed, would only be for the better. But, God is always in control. He can use ANY person or situation for His purpose. As Pastor Daniel begins the story of Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem, we’ll get a clear picture of just how undesirable the situation was. It would seem that there was a lot in the way for the birth of Jesus to happen…but it went God’s perfect way.

If you’ve ever tried to get an appointment with a person who was at the top level of a chain of command…you know that sometimes it’s, many times, impossible. As we listen to Pastor Daniel explain why it was such a big deal for Esther to approach the King, we’ll be asked to consider how we can approach our God. You can’t go into a meeting with the President of the United States, but you can approach the Father at any time. What a gift.

We have a value in American culture that we’re entitled to everything we want on earth….and after. But, that’s not Scriptural. Today, Pastor Daniel takes us through the experience of the Jews as they found out that there would be a sanctioned massacre of their people. They grieved. We’ll be encouraged to remember that for Christians, there may be times of grieving, but there is an ever-present hope available through Jesus.

Tabloids are entertaining to people because they tend to tell exaggerated, misinformed stories about people. Whether they’re true or not, a person will draw conclusions about what they’ve read. As we’ll find in this teaching from Pastor Daniel, receiving half-truths about a situation and never seeking to find out the truth will always end badly. Haman was a man who used deception, but the King allowed himself to be manipulated.

Wrath can drive a person to extreme actions in order to feed that rage within. Perhaps you’ve been in a situation where you were wronged, your pride was hurt…and you acted in a way that wasn’t godly. That’s an issue we’ll hear about today, as Pastor Daniel relates the story of Haman, a man who was adored by all, but could only see the person who wouldn’t bow down to him. His pride will lead him to embrace deception and violence to achieve revenge.

Each one of is being raised up by God for a reason. If your circumstances seem bleak, imagine if you could believe God’s reasoning. Today, Pastor Daniel will ask you to radically change your perspective as we consider the story of Esther. Her gifts and history may not have seemed like a recipe for greatness, but through the Lord…great things happen. Listen and consider how you look at your life through your own eyes versus God’s.

It’s likely that, when considering a friend or spouse, that you realized that one of you was the boss in the relationship. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn’t. Today, we’ll hear about a relationship that fell apart because one person forgot that the other held all the power. We do that with God, too. When we’re in our groove, accomplishing goals and enjoying life…we can tend to think it’s all our own doing. But, ultimately God has our lives in His hands.

In a television drama, there are a lot of players. The stories are interesting because of the myriad motivations, actions, and emotions between all the people involved. That’s where Pastor Daniel will take us today, as we begin this study in Esther. Listen, and try to find yourself in this historical, real drama, hearing how God uses the flaws, sins, and gifts of people to effect change. Our faithfulness to Him is always the goal.