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Joe White Drive Time Podcast
Joe White Drive Time Podcast episodes
- Beauty is Only Skin Deep - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Men, you hear it all over school and you know out there in the malls. Man, she's hot. Every magazine, it seems like, specially for women. If I could only lose 10 pounds. You know, where I hear the statement by girls. You know, my daddy always reminds me of how fat I am. You know, your husband and wife, honey, you know, you ought to shape up a little. You know, or somebody would say in a family, if only we had a car that was just a little bit shiny or just a little bit, you know, newer. "
Family Discussions:- If you allow or if we allow in our office family the focus of Hollywood to make us focus our eyes on the external?
- Describe the insecurities and stress that focusing on the flesh brings out in our life.
- How can we limit the impact of that Hollywood way of thinking?
- What can we do to change that?
Transcription:00:14 I hope our Bible study together brings you a whole lot of comfort and a whole lot of peace. If you feel like that you're trying to, somebody is trying to squeeze you into a mold of perfection or you feel like just society in general and the expectations that around you are trying to squeeze you and trying to make you perfect and you're weary of that. I hope this devotion will help you a lot. It's in 2 Corinthians chapter four verse 16 through 18 and it says this, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away. Yet inwardly we're being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on that which is unseen for what is seen as temporary. But what is unseen is eternal."01:09 The title is devotional is 'Beauty is Only Skin Deep." Men, you hear it all over school and you know out there in the malls. Man, she's hot. Every magazine, it seems like, specially for women. If I could only lose 10 pounds. You know, where I hear the statement by girls. You know, my daddy always reminds me of how fat I am. You know, your husband and wife, honey, you know, you ought to shape up a little. You know, or somebody would say in a family, if only we had a car that was just a little bit shiny or just a little bit, you know, newer. Man, lusty TV show size two dresses, Playboy centerfolds, low cut blouse, a 17 inch biceps, flat stomach, fat-free thighs. Men, do you feel like we're driving ourselves nuts with our obsession to be perfect? Whatever that is.01:58 You know, on the surface perfection while the, you know, the morals of our country and the morals of people who have slipped to a state unthinkable to true believers only a generation ago. Folks, the Psalmist takes us back to the starch reality. Psalms 103 says this for man, his days are like, grass. "As the flowery fields. So he flourishes, but when the wind passes over it, it is no more. And its place acknowledges it no longer." You know, can you imagine the freedom we would find in our lives? Instead of a size two dress, we concentrated on a Jesus size heart. Instead of 17 inch biceps, we focused on Jesus size biceps. You know, if we encourage spiritual growth in each other, as much as we stretch the growth of our muscles. Just think how enormous our love for God would be. You know, if our comments to each other, especially in our families, were focused on encouraging and purifying our hearts is instead of purifying our bodies. Imagine how congenial our homes would be and are pleasant, you know, our thoughts would be. You know, there's no doubt man. Beauty's only skin deep. And the sooner we abandoned our speciation with the kind of the outer shell and concentrate on the beauty of our hearts. The more harmonious our lives would be and the lives of those around us in our family.03:24 So my question is this today. You know, if you allow or if we allow in our office family the focus of Hollywood to make us focus our eyes on the external? and then describe the insecurities and stress that focusing on the flesh brings out in our life. And then wrapping it up today. How can we, in this home, how can we limit the impact of that Hollywood way of thinking and what can we do to change that?5 min - A 'Jesus Lives Here' Billboard - 2 Corinthians 3:2-4
"Can you imagine living in a place where the heroes are a famous comedian from Russia, a famous fiddle player from Japan, a famous group of acrobats from China, and a great famous group of singers from Ireland or on billboards all over town? This is Branson, Missouri. This is where I live. And man, we got more billboards and brochures and pamphlets than any place in the world."
Family Discussions:- What kind of love will attract your friends to Jesus?
- What kind of motivation does the reality of this devotional today give to you?
- Describe someone you know who displays a 'Jesus lives here' billboard that you will be attracted to.
Transcription:00:13 Can you imagine living in a place where the heroes are a famous comedian from Russia, a famous fiddle player from Japan, a famous group of acrobats from China, and a great famous group of singers from Ireland or on billboards all over town? This is Branson, Missouri. This is where I live. And man, we got more billboards and brochures and pamphlets than any place in the world. Well, guess what? You're a brochure too. In fact, you're a billboard. Listen to this. 2 Corinthians chapter three verses two through four. As people watch you as they drive by down the highway of life, it says this, "You yourselves are our letter written on our hearts known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ. The result of our ministry written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence is this is ours through Christ before God."01:18 Isn't that great? You're a letter of Christ. You know, these huge lighted billboards that line both sides of the highways that lead into our highly traveled tourist town here in Branson, Missouri, number in the thousands. The billboards, literally thousands, the country music stars and they're elegant two to 4,000 seat theaters. Woo country music fans who travel here by the millions into their theaters with billboards, large enough to see from the moon. You know, marketing experts call it intercept marketing. As you drive down the road to try to make a last minute change in some travelers' schedule. They don't know which theater they're going to, but the billboards are going to get them to go to their theater on their country music, Branson vacation.02:02 You know, the billboards are flashy. The billboards are glitzy. The billboards are attractive. The billboards are gaudy. They're catchy. They're nauseas. Believe it or not, you and I wear huge neon billboards around our necks on the front of our cars, on the backs of our cars, on the front doors of our houses and on the doorway to our own rooms in our house. Because as true believers, our billboards all displayed the same very simple but profound. Three word statement. Jesus lives here. Jesus lives here. Jesus lives here. You surprised? You know what? It's true. In the high school that you go to, in the university campus that your on, in the associates, in your place of business or ministry, in your family that surround you. Each and every day. Man, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you act, and the way you treat other people makes you a billboard. Either a repulsive sign that will cause your associates to reject the message with disgust, or you'll be the most attractive piece of artwork your friends will ever see. So you're a billboard of Christ.03:17 And let me ask you these questions. You know what? The song says "They'll know we're Christians by our love." What kind of love will attract your friends to Jesus? And second, what kind of motivation does the reality of this devotional today give to you? And then the last question is, describe someone you know who displays a 'Jesus lives here' billboard that you will be attracted to. Be sure and hug somebody today.4 min - The Aroma of Life - 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
"walking into the ancient wall city of Rome, Italy alone, that 2000 plus year old original stone Laden Appian way is without a doubt, one of the most memorable walks of my life. It was on these very stones that the feet of Paul and the feet of Peter walked as they entered their final places of historical gospel spreading ministry. Before the crushing hand of Rome."
Family Discussions:- Why is your witness on aroma of life to the believer?
- Why is that same aroma, the aroma of death to an unbeliever or to a scoffer?
- Compare the relative severity of the ridicule you might receive as your life bears the witness of your faith in Christ to the martyring that Peter and Paul and the other martyrs of Rome received in their triumphal march into Rome?
- How can you make your aroma stronger?
Transcription:00:13 You know, I don't know that there's a candle in our whole office building or in our Kamp, but I feel like the most fortunate guy alive because there's a fragrant aroma everywhere I go. I get to work with the neatest people in the world. My little office. These people that I get to work with have this fragrant aroma and it's a fragrant aroma of Christ around them. And all over the sports Kamps. These guys and these women of faith that I get to work with, there's just this fragrant aroma of Christ that follows them every where they go. 2 Corinthians chapter 2:14-16 says this about that. It says, "But thanks be to God who always leads us in the triumphal precession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere. The fragrance of the knowledge of him, for we are of God, the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved. And among those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death, but to the other, the fragrance of life."01:22 You know, walking into the ancient wall city of Rome, Italy alone, that 2000 plus year old original stone Laden Appian way is without a doubt, one of the most memorable walks of my life. It was on these very stones that the feet of Paul and the feet of Peter walked as they entered their final places of historical gospel spreading ministry. Before the crushing hand of Rome. The hedonistic Roman government rendered their relentless testimony of their risen savior. It became a national political problem and brought capital punishment upon them and their untimely final judgment. The Appian way also, if you've ever got a chance or we'll get a chance to walk it, was the main artery and it was the most powerful city in the world which the Roman armies would return in their infamous, they call it the parade of triumph.02:15 Here, the proud Roman generals would display their troops and their captured throngs of slaves and condemned prisoners to the wildly cheering crowd that land the great walled thoroughfare into the heart of the city. You know, tradition held that burning aeromedical incense would accompany the chariots and officers that govern the parade. To the Roman conquerors, it was an aroma of life. To the prisoners, it was an aroma of death because like Peter and Paul, this would be the last walk upon which their feet would ever take them. In a matter of weeks, a cruel Roman death awaited them by Roman's favorite form of punishment, the same fate that was given to Jesus in the neighboring Jerusalem, crucifixion upon the Roman cross. So to some, the fragrant of life. To some, the fragrance of death.03:06 And I think that tell-tale questions that hopefully will make sense in your life today is this, when you carry your Bible to school, or when you carry your Bible to work or you've live out and you speak out for the true trueness of the gospel of Christ, you know, while a scoffer will jeer you, why is your witness on aroma of life to the believer? And why is that same aroma, the aroma of death to an unbeliever or to a scoffer? And then secondly, compare the relative severity of the ridicule you might receive as your life bears the witness of your faith in Christ to the martyring that Peter and Paul and the other martyrs of Rome received in their triumphal march into Rome? And how can you make your aroma stronger? To some your the aroma of life and you know what? To some you are the aroma of death. But hopefully to those that will see the spirit of Christ in you and some of those that are dying would come to life because of the aroma of Christ was too much for them to ignore.5 min - Put on Jesus Today - Romans 13:12-14
"This Labrador Retriever seldom leaves my side. His pure black shiny coat glistens in the sunlight as he gallantly retrieves the doves and ducks and pheasants and anything else that we're hunting together. But you know, try to take a chicken bone away from this dog and you might as well lose your hand. But if you lay a freshly cooked juicy sirloin steak on the sidewalk beside him, he'll drop that little nod chicken bone in a split second."
Family Discussions:- How does Jesus' love actually replace your desire for sin?
- Describe the deceitfulness of sin.
- How can Jesus truly become your friend in your sense of fulfillment?
Transcription:00:13 Well, today is going to be fun. We're gonna be with Chief. My best buddy here. And we're in Romans chapter 13, verses 12 through 14, and it says this, "The night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality not in strife and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust. Put on Jesus today. This Labrador Retriever seldom leaves my side. His pure black shiny coat glistens in the sunlight as he gallantly retrieves the doves and ducks and pheasants and anything else that we're hunting together. But you know, try to take a chicken bone away from this dog and you might as well lose your hand. But if you lay a freshly cooked juicy sirloin steak on the sidewalk beside him, he'll drop that little nod chicken bone in a split second.01:22 You know, sin is a lot like a chewed up chicken bone. It may satisfy your craving for a season, but in the end it will choke you like a hangman's noose. Listen to these quotes from letters I've received from some high school friends of mine. One said, you know what? I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. Another one said, I never knew anything could hurt so bad as the one late night and the things we did there. Another letter said, I felt like I had 600 knives go through me. I was crushed. Another letter said, my friend told me his girlfriend had been raped and now she thinks she's pregnant. Another one says, I feel so used and ashamed.02:07 Wow. It seems so meaningless, doesn't it? Why do we keep sinning like that? And you know what? The only difference between adults and students that write me so much is our sins are so much bigger and sometimes so much more disguised. But you know, drinking looks fun and sex looks fun. Satan looks cool. You know what? God knows that. So he doesn't only say he knows. He says, I'm going to give you something about a zillion times better than all of that. I'm going to give you my son, Jesus. If you'll take his companionship that I give you, if you'll take his friendship that I give you, if you'll take his unconditional love that I'll give you.02:50 Now I want you to listen to some other quotes from some of my other friends. Check this out. I have fallen in love with Jesus this year. God has blessed me with the strength to stay free from drugs, alcohol, and sex. God has given me peace in my life. Another one said this, I have acquired the sense of peace that only he could bring. Do you get it today y'all? Another one says, while doing my Bible study this year, my relationship with the Lord has grown greatly. I've made new friends. My focus in life is not as much on me, but on the Lord and I become great friends with him. I used to lead a life that had no purpose. But now I've realized that my goal in life should be to love him and to spread his word. I used to rely on drugs and sex and fun, but now God has forgiven me and loves me like I've never been loved before. One man came up to me at a recent conference, he said, I've been addicted to alcohol for 20 years, but today at the cross, I've fallen in love with Jesus. And now I am free.03:54 Here's the questions for today. How does Jesus' love actually replace your desire for sin? And then second question is this, describe the deceitfulness of sin. And then the big one is this. How can Jesus truly become your friend in your sense of fulfillment? And here's the lifeline for today. When something that you love is removed from your life and you feel a void, you can successfully replace it with something you love even more.5 min - The Ultimate Sacrifice - Romans 5:6-10
"It was no ordinary Christmas day in the cold damp foxhole on the American German battlefield of world war one. You know the details of this story that I read a long time ago are a little foggy, but it seems like on this unusual Christmas day in the honor of the Christ child's birth, both sides of the bloody skirmish acknowledge our ultimate savior for a few historical moments and the cannon fire and mortar fire in the rival fire ceased."
Family Discussions:- How does this story remind you of Jesus and his historic death on the cross?
- Why were we his enemy before we surrendered our entire life to his leadership?
- If he would die for us as his enemy, how much more will love us as his friends?
Transcription:00:14 Hey, today I've got an awesome story to tell you. But I want to read the scripture first and it's in Romans chapter five verses six through 10. And it says this, "For while we were still helpless at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly." Isn't that great? "For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Though perhaps for the good man, someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than this is awesome. "Having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."01:05 It was no ordinary Christmas day in the cold damp foxhole on the American German battlefield of world war one. You know the details of this story that I read a long time ago are a little foggy, but it seems like on this unusual Christmas day in the honor of the Christ child's birth, both sides of the bloody skirmish acknowledge our ultimate savior for a few historical moments and the cannon fire and mortar fire in the rival fire ceased. The battlefield was quiet. The killing ground turned into a sanctuary of brief worship. Then as if Christmas never happened, the deadly rain of bullets and cannon fire resumed without concern for life or limb. A platoon of Germans feudally made a run across the tangled barbwire barrier to ambush the American enemy. But their raid was foiled when heavy gun fire stopped and it stopped them in their tracks. You see, several Germans died immediately, but one soldier took a hit in the shoulder and he lay screaming, tangled unmercifully in the barbwire jungle.02:16 The screaming persisted until one young brave American soldier actually risked his life and ran to the Germans rescue as they removed him from the entanglement, again the gunfire ceased. The comrades held their fire in grateful astonishment. The heroic American freed the wounded Nazi and carried him to his friends without fear. He walked gallantly back to his foxhole. Man, although the details of this historic account are a little unclear, the certain truth remains. Only a true to the core, absolute hero would give his life for one who is innovate. The questions for today is this. Isn't this awesome, you guys? How does this story remind you of Jesus and his historic death on the cross? And then this one. Why were we his enemy before we surrendered our entire life to his leadership? And then this one wraps it up. If he would die for us as his enemy, how much more will love us as his friends? And the lifeline for today is this and it's a quote from Jesus. No greater love is this. That a man would lay down his life for his friends.4 min - Bitter or Better - Romans 5:3-5
"My first girlfriend left me for my best junior high guy friend. You know, that was puppy love, but the puppy sure thought it was love. It also was a pain in my gut. I'll never forget that day. A whole lot more painful than that was when my first wife, my college bride, left me from my best friend. She had fallen in love with him."
Family Discussions:- How do trials build character when God is in charge?
- What has been the greatest time of brokenness for you?
- What are you going through now and how has God building character in you through that experience of pain?
- Describe how he gave you hope and how he gave you hope through the pain.
Transcription:00:14 Today's Bible study is a painful for me to give, but it's a good one and we all need it. It's in Romans chapter five verses three through five and it says this, "And not only this, but we also exalt in our tribulations knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance brings about proven character and proven character hope. And hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts, through the Holy spirit who was given to us." Pain and promise.00:48 You know what? My first girlfriend left me for my best junior high guy friend. You know, that was puppy love, but the puppy sure thought it was love. It also was a pain in my gut. I'll never forget that day. A whole lot more painful than that was when my first wife, my college bride, left me from my best friend. She had fallen in love with him. And you know what? That was true love back then and it was a pain in my heart that lasted for months. I felt months. I felt like I was going to die. It almost killed me. You know what my first wife was and is a wonderful person. As was my friend. They became infatuated with. You know what? There's no doubt that initiating divorce is wrong. It's wrong. It's wrong. But I've never blamed her. And I've never been bitter. I'm sure if I would've been the man that she needed, that would've never happened. I just bet. But I just cried my eyes out for months.01:46 But in that valley, I fell completely in love with God. From that valley, you know, I've given my, today's. I'll give him my tomorrows. Because somewhere in that valley, God accepted my broken heart. And not only did he heal it but somehow in his miraculous care, he brought Debbie Jo to me. She's the greatest woman alive. And she's the mom of my four kids. And I've been married to her for almost four decades. But she has given me love and more importantly, God has given me a passion. Down in that passion, I mean that Valley of pain, God's given me a passion for people who like me, find themselves at the bottom of the Canyon with no apparent way to get out. You know what, man? I have learned a lot in my brokenness before God and I'm sure that there's more ahead, but God is at his best when we are at our worst. He'll never be closer than the day you fall on your face.02:56 You know what? Pain gives us a choice. When we run to God, we get better. When we run to ourselves, we get bitter. Pain is like a golf tee to me. It could cause you to be teed up or teed off. It either makes me mad and useless or it makes my ball go a whole lot further off the tee. You see, God has this spirit who is never more ready to fill our hearts than when we're not down. And the Holy Spirit's great skill is to give us bravery, to get us out of the Canyon and to give us more deep, solid character and to give us great hope. Pain is the greatest teacher of all.03:37 And here's the questions for today. How do trials build character when God is in charge? And then secondly, what has been the greatest time of brokenness for you? Or maybe what are you going through now and how has God building character in you through that experience of pain? And then the last question. Describe how he gave you hope and how he gave you hope through the pain. You know what? This is not heaven down here. Pain happens here, but how can you prepare yourself for the, during trials that lay ahead. And here's the lifeline for today. Bitter or better. It's your choice when the cruel ball of failure is hit into your court.5 min - The Faith Family - Romans 4:16
"Think about being adopted by a wealthy dad. A dad with all the toys. A dad with all the stuff. Man. What an enchanting idea."
Family Discussions:- What does it mean to be adopted by God?
- What does it mean to be in this same family as Abraham?
- What does that mean The family of faith?
- When a grateful son is truly grateful?
- How does he act towards the family that by grace adopts him?
Transcription:00:14 Hey, another beautiful day in the Ozarks. Yes, it is. We're in Romans chapter four today, verse 16, and it says this, "For this reason, it is by faith in order that it may be in accordance with grace so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. Who is the father of us all." This is called the faith family and you know what? Think about this. Think about being adopted by a wealthy dad. A dad with all the toys. A dad with all the stuff. Man. What an enchanting idea. You know, and this is why I love burnt orange. When I walked on the football field at SMU years ago, there were these big, fast, incredibly talented, blue-chip five star athletes all around me who towered over my six foot, 200 pound frame.01:08 You know, they had the moves, they had the jumps, they had the biceps, they had the scholarships. But Hayden Fry was the head coach in those days, the Mustangs. And you know, although I was like seventh team, defensive nose man as a freshman, the gap took a special liking to me. I have no idea why, but somehow in his heart, he adopted me my sophomore year and maybe it was just that was too stupid to give up. But the first game, my junior year, he started me and he never put me on the bench again. He took me to Ohio state, to Michigan state to Tennessee, to Texas, to Arkansas to, you know, a bowl game where we beat Oklahoma and even tried to take me to the Hula bowl, until kind of the regulating committee found out that I was just a little too small by their standards.01:53 But I'll forever be grateful to that man. I played my guts out for him. I love that man 'til I die. And you know what? If we were playing on the turf in Dallas, Texas on Saturday afternoons with a free college education, man, it was better than sitting on a bench on the sidelines and paying a jillion bucks to get educated. Imagine the difference between spending forever in heaven where the weather's always clear instead of forever in hell, where the weather's always hot and humid. You know what, man? The Bible in your room tells the adoption story from cover to cover. Daddy, God was so crazy about his son that he wants you to be just like him. As it was with Abraham so it can be with you.02:47 And here's the questions for today. What does it mean to be adopted by God? What does it mean to be in this same family as Abraham? What does that mean The family of faith? And then this question is awesome. When a grateful son is truly grateful, how does he act towards the family that by grace adopts him? And here's the lifeline for the day. Isn't it great? Gratitude builds commitment. Commitment builds of obedience. Obedience builds countless blessings. Take it home, man.4 min - Faith and Works - Romans 4:2-5
"This is about Siamese twins, ladies and gentlemen. You know in Genesis chapter 25 we read an amazingly interesting account of a pair of most remarkable twins born to the Jewish patriarchal hero Isaac and his wife Rebecca. The account describes a play by play of the birth with great details since the first born son, whether twins or not, received a special blessing in that day."
Family Discussions:- What is it about true faith that produces good fruit?
- Why is a life that claims to be a life of faith, not indeed a life of faith if there's no fruit on the tree?
- Are you trying to get to heaven by being good?
- Are you saying in your heart that because you're good you're going to get there?
- Are you saying that your faith is strong enough that you don't need to work for your life to prove it?
Transcription:00:13 Well, today is a super day here in the Ozarks. As I sit here in my lovely burnt orange for are you Texas fans. Romans 4:2-5. "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about but not before God. For what does scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works his wage is not credited as a favor but as what is due. But to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness." This is about Siamese twins, ladies and gentlemen. You know in Genesis chapter 25 we read an amazingly interesting account of a pair of most remarkable twins born to the Jewish patriarchal hero Isaac and his wife Rebecca. The account describes a play by play of the birth with great details since the first born son, whether twins or not, received a special blessing in that day.
01:21 Esau actually was born first and Jacob followed with his hand grasping Esau's heel. Romans 9 illustrates the distinction of Jacob as the spiritual posterity of Israel. Even though naturally he would not have been such. As significant as the birth order was then, it is no more important than understanding the birth order of two more all important biblical twins. Meet faith and works. You know many Christians and in fact holding nominations get awfully confused with the birth order of this pair of twins. This passage is clear as it was with Abraham, so it is with us. You got to get this down, Christian friends. The first born child is faith. We are saved by faith. Faith is trusting Christ with your whole heart and giving your life to him. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear. It's not by works. It's by faith we're saved.02:18 Faith gets you into God's family, John 1:12 says. Faith records you as righteous before God, James says. No good deed can save you neither church ritual nor giving your life to save another nor giving, you know, living in absolute piety, no works will get you to heaven. As they appoints that clearly. But there is a twin. He's always born with true, sincere faith. Meet works. Works are the good things you do because by faith Jesus now lives in your heart. Because of your faith, you do produce good and the fruit that you produce is result of your faith. And scripture is clear that if you're not producing fruit, where is the faith?03:10 So here's the verses and the scripture and the questions that bring the verses of scripture to life. What is it about true faith that produces good fruit? And why is a life that claims to be a life of faith, not indeed a life of faith if there's no fruit on the tree? And the final question is this, look into your heart today and see which twin is missing. Are you trying to get to heaven by being good? Are on the other hand, are you saying in your heart that because you're good you're going to get there? Or are you saying that your faith is strong enough that you don't need to work for your life to prove it? The twins always show up together and here's the lifeline. Are the faith and works twins alive and well in your life today?5 min - Unmatchable Gift From God - Romans 3:23-25
"A fine college student athlete came to my office to talk about God. The guy was lost. He was so incredibly lost. He had caused two abortions. He had drank alcohol, like a fish in a pond. In his search for meaning in life, he scuffed the idea of a personal loving God, and he had paid a dear price for his wrongdoings."
Family Discussions:- How can you explain God's amazing tender grace?
- How should that grace motivate you?
- Why is that grace so hard to comprehend?
Transcription:00:14 This super scripture today is from Romans 3:23-25. It says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but being justified is a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because the forbearance of God has passed over the sins previously committed." This is awesome. Hey, you want a gift? You want a free car? You want a brand new car? You want to Porsche? Do you want a Lamborghini Diablo? Do you want a Lexus? Do you want a MasterCard with unlimited spending and no bills to pay ever? You know what? The very heart of scripture, and that's where we find ourselves today is this amazing, overwhelming, unparalleled, unmatchable gift from God to you.01:18 Fall short? In the scripture that means you could never ever get there alone. Justified? In this verse that means your sin and debt is paid totally. Gift? That means without charge. That means it's free. Grace? That simply means undeserved completely. Redemption? That means bought with a price. That means bought with his blood. You know, last week a fine college student athlete came to my office to talk about God. The guy was lost. He was so incredibly lost. He had caused two abortions. He had drank alcohol, like a fish in a pond. In his search for meaning in life, he scuffed the idea of a personal loving God, and he had paid a dear price for his wrongdoings. He was a mess. His first wife was a stripper. She left him for another man. His daily agony was in comprehensible. But as we began to talk, he pitched many unanswerable, stereotypical questions about God. Like how could a good God allow suffering and evil? You know, how could a tribesmen who never had a chance to hear get to heaven?02:31 It was all just a smokescreen from the heart. That was elusively longing for a real relationship with his creator. I've heard the conversation in many ways a thousand times, but as if I had planned it at that moment. Then I began to explain to him from scripture the indescribable love of a good father for his son. My daughter and my precious grandson came up in a tiny camo hat and tiny camo PJs. She placed that tender precious grandson in my arms and she spoke for baby. She said, granddad, I want to go hunting with you. Man, I held that baby in my arms and I was just overcome with a deep sense of a dad's love that I can't express on paper. The college athlete saw the picture of God's redemption unfold before his eyes. You know what? He had no more questions. That night he gave his life to Christ and he has decided to give his life to purity so that others might see the truth of this wonderful passage in scripture.03:37 Here's the questions for today. How can you explain God's amazing tender grace? And how should that grace motivate you? And why is that grace so hard to comprehend? And here's the lifeline for the day. Grace is getting what you don't deserve. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve.5 min - A Pop Quiz on Righteousness - Romans 3:10-12
"Imagine a bizarre announcement over the school's PA system. Just as you packed up your backpack with all your books and notebooks after a hard day of classes, and prepared to make a mad dash home. Over the PA system, you immediately recognize the superintendent's voice. And here's what he says. "Students, I know this sounds unusual, but we have a very special guest visiting school today, and I want everyone to immediately proceed to the auditorium for a spontaneous assembly.""
Family Discussions:- Righteousness on your own means making a hundred on the pop quiz. Why does everyone fail the test?
- How can a Holy God allow unholy people like me for most of all in heaven?
- What is God's remedy for this eternal dilemma? And aren't you glad that he has a remedy?
Transcription:00:13 Today's scripture in Romans 3:10-12 is just amazing and super impacting. Check this out. "For it is written. There is none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together, they've become useless." Check this out y'all. Go with me back to the days. And for some of us, it's centuries. It seems like. When we dreaded those pop quizzes. I've taken biology at SMU in the pre-med days. I mean, I remember the pop quizzes, I hated them. But imagine a bizarre announcement over the school's PA system. Just as you packed up your backpack with all your books and notebooks after a hard day of classes, and prepared to make a mad dash home. Over the PA system, you immediately recognize the superintendent's voice. And here's what he says. "Students, I know this sounds unusual, but we have a very special guest visiting school today, and I want everyone to immediately proceed to the auditorium for a spontaneous assembly."01:20 Man, you grumble. And as you, you know, a couple of friends, you'll head for the auditorium. What's this all about? You know, you're saying to your friend and inside man, you kindle the anxiety that begins to raise its head inside your mind. Who is this guy who thinks he's important enough to come to our school and extend an already long day? He'd better be good. It's better be a good assembly. The auditorium fields with whispers of complaints and speculation. Within moments the guest abruptly appears on the stage, long white robe, greatly wrinkled face, super long white beard. His voice resonates through the assembly as the crowd hushes in silence. Hello students. He says, I am God. You probably don't recognize me, but I've been concerned that many of you are going to flunk the final exam. So today I've come to give you a little pop quiz. Then he whips out a copy of the 10 commandments. He instructs you and all the other students to score yourself. His voice is deep and sober. Give yourself a 10 he says, if you keep this commandment perfectly and a zero, if you've ever broken it, even in one part. Any scored less than a hundred means complete failure. Man, nobody cracks a sound until the pop quiz is over.02:43 Here's the questions for today. Righteousness on your own means making a hundred on the pop quiz. Why does everyone fail the test? And by the way, remember Jesus' words in Matthew 5 when he says, it's not just about killing somebody, but even anger is like killing somebody. And it's not so much just committing adultery, but even committing adultery in your heart is committing adultery. Like it's the real thing. So how can a Holy God allow unholy people like me for most of all in heaven? And here's the great question of the day. What is God's remedy for this eternal dilemma? And aren't you glad that he has a remedy? And here's the lifeline for the day, without the cross man, without the cross of Christ, heaven would be an empty jury.4 min
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Initiate meaningful conversations with your family no matter how long the commute with Joe White's age-appropriate short talks on scripture, parenting, culture, and community.