May I have a WORD with you?

References:

• David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17
  • Our fourth “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giants
    • Fight - Resist, oppose - ἀνθίστημι (anth-is'-tay-mee) 
      • Eph 6:10-12, 13, 14-18
        • withstand & stand (ἀνθίστημι & ἵστημι)
          • To stand - ἵστημι
            • Acts 12:6-17 - great story, not the usage as our smooth stone
            • 1 Cor 10:12-13 - we’ll come back to this passage next week
          • Biblical usage in Eph 6:13
            • continue safe and sound, stand unharmed, to stand ready or prepared
            • to be of a steadfast mind
            • of quality, one who does not hesitate, does not waiver
      • 1 Peter 5:8-9
        • The communal quality of fighting with this smooth stone.
          • Remember how David would fight lions and bears to protect the flock
          • Your family of believers all over the world
          • Psalm 23:4-5 - Satan may look, but he cannot touch: the offensive action of HC
      • James 4:6, 7 & 8
        • Our fighting stance - knowing our Champion has our back
          • “humble yourselves before God.”
          • “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”
        • Picture the courage of a cub when the alpha male lion is behind.
    • Resist! Stand strong! Withstand in the evil day, that…
      • ... having done all, you will stand firm.”

References:

• David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17
•  Our third “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giants
  • Rebuke - ἐπιτιμάω (ep-ee-tee-mah'-o) 
    • To honor (non-biblical), to adjudge in the sense of merited penalty, to censure severely, rebuke
  • We need rebuking - from the Lord
  • When we are right with the Lord, rebuke becomes a tool for the good of His Body, 
  • And a weapon to be used through the Lord.
    • Jude 1:9–Michael the archangel “did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”
• Jesus rebuked
  • The devil and demons
    • Mt 17:18; Mk 1:25; Lk 4:35, 9:42; etc.
      • See Zechariah 3:2
  • Natural forces: wind, waves, fever
    • Mt 8:26; Mk 4:39; Lk 4:39
      • See Ps 106:9; Nahum 1:4; Malachi 3:11
  • People not to reveal Him before the right time
    • Mt 12:16, 16:20; Mk 3:12, 8:30; Lk 9:21
  • James and John get rebuked by Jesus because of the state of their hearts
    • Luke 9:51-56
• The disciples and other people rebuked
  • Other people for bringing children to Jesus
    • Mt 19:13; Mk 10:13; Lk 18:15
  • Those seeking healing from Jesus
    • Mt 20:31; Mk 10:48; Lk 18:39
  • Peter rebuked Jesus!
    • Mt 16:22 (Jesus doesn’t rebuke back); Mk 8:32-33
• To be used with godly wisdom
  • 2 Tim 3:16 & 4:2
    • All Scripture is to: teach, rebuke, correct, train
      • Rebuke here is actually ἐλέγχω (el-eng'-kho)
    • Preach, reprove, rebuke, exhort
      • el-eng'-kho, ep-ee-tee-mah'-o, par-ak-al-eh'-o
  • Luke 17:1-10 esp v4
    • We are taught to rebuke for the sake of forgiveness and healing the Body
• For fighting the giant - in Christ and with the Lord
  • Rebuke Satan, demons, powers of darkness
    • Satan’s strongholds
    • Any spirit of deception or division in the Body
    • Any powers that stand in the way of God’s Kingdom

References:

• David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17
•  πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων - “pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4)
  • Our second “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giants
    • Opportunity - τόπος (top'-os), place, quarter
    • Mat 14:13 - Jesus made a discipline of going to solitary places (ἔρημον τόπον)
      • Silence, solitude - disciplines of spiritual warfare
• The battle: Eph 4:27 - give no place, no foothold, no opportunity to the devil. 
  • What gives Satan τόπος ?
    • Anger, offense.
  • Rom 12:19 - “give place unto wrath” KJV God will judge
    • No Quarter! - Mat 12:43-45 
      • Led Zepplin song 
• The strategy: Mark 6:30-32
  • Quiet τόπος, desolate τόπος, 
    • When you have received the cleansing of your heart, mind and spirit through the blood of Christ, fill the τόπος
      • Silence before God
      • Solitude with God
      • Resting in God
• Let the Light shine in the dark τόπος. From the quiet τόπος, take the τόπος to listen to God’s powerful word of victory.

References:

• David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17
•  ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν - “weapons of our warfare” (2 Cor 10:4)
  • Our first “smooth” Biblical stone for fighting the giants
    • Thoughts - νόημα (no'-ay-mah), mind
    • The peace of God keeps our νόημα in Christ - Phil 4:7
• The battle: 2 Cor 3 & 4
  • Our preconceived notions about what is “right”
    • The brilliance of the covenant and the veil - 2 Co 3:14
  • The light of the new and eternal covenant
    • Jars of clay - 2 Co 4:4, 7
• The strategy:  “every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Cor 10:5
  • Context: There are people sowing division in the Body of Christ
    • If Satan (the giant) can foster discontent with leadership, that’s a huge win for the enemy
    • It’s no good to have a mouth full of Bible verses if your heart is full of hatred
  • Paul is not only being undermined, he is being attacked personally
    • One of the most vulnerable points of our lives is our insecurity. It’s an identity issue. vs 7
      • The armies of Israel didn’t have the confidence to face the giant, but David did.
      • We know the God of heaven’s armies
      • Isa 54:17 - no weapon formed against us…
  • We know Satan’s ways: evil schemes, designs, sly ways - 2 Cor 2:11
    • A real concern - 2 Cor 11:3
• May Peace return and win the day: Phil 4:7

References:

• Sticks and stones… words can be powerful
  • hapax legomenon - a word that appears only once within a document or corpus
  • The works of William Shakespeare — known for wide variety in his vocabulary — are estimated to contain more than 6,000 hapax legomena (the plural form).
    • Honorificabilitudinitatibus - "the state of being able to achieve honours"
    • Wm Shakespeare's “Love’s Labour’s Lost” - Act 5, Scene 1
• David selected five smooth stones to fight Goliath. 1 Sam 17 Why five? Many people say because Goliath had four brothers. ??? Why smooth?
  • Wouldn’t a jagged or sharp edged stone be more lethal?
    • A smooth stone launched from a sling will fly truer than a jagged stone.
    • Sling hunters will tell you that blunt force well placed is the effectiveness of dropping game, not penetration.  
  • Smooth stones - חַלֻּק (khal-look') only used in 1 Sam 17:40
    • A Biblical hapax legomenon
  • From root חָלַק (khaw-lak') 
    • to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assign
    • to be smooth, slippery, deceitful
      • Smooth Operator - Isa 41:7
      • Smooth Criminal - Ps 36:1-4 (esp v2)
• Here are five “smooth” Biblical stones for fighting the giants of spiritual warfare
  • Thoughts
    • Mind, thoughts - νόημα (no'-ay-mah) Phil 4:7, 2 Cor 2:11, 10:5
  • Opportunities 
    • Occasion for acting - τόπος (top'-os) Eph 4:27
  • Rebuke 
    • Rebuke of the Lord - ἐπιτιμάω (ep-ee-tee-mah'-o) Jude 1:9
  • Fight
    • Resist, oppose - ἀνθίστημι (anth-is'-tay-mee) James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9
  • Flee
    • Exit, way out - ἔκβασις (ek'-bas-is) 1 Cor 10:13

References:

• Can you believe these stats?!?
  • Over 11,000 downloads (listens?) as far as I can tell
    • 6 of the 7 Continents!!
    • From 58 different countries.
    • What!?!
  • First podcast published on Substack on Aug 17, 2023
  • Podcast platform went live on Nov 10, 2023
    • Learning curve with RSS feeds, etc.
    • Setting up a Domain (johnbromhal.com)
    • Distribution began beyond Substack to
      • The BIG five (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio)
      • And (Podcast Index, Castbox, Overcast, Pocket Cast, Podcast Addict, Deezer, and many others)
• Why is 150 significant?
  • It is how long the waters of the flood covered the earth.
    • Gen 7:21-24 - the time over which the chaos waters ruled.
      • Everything that had breath, died. Except Noah and his family and the animals on the Ark.
      • Noah’s ( נֹחַ )  name means “rest” - 
      • Ark תֵּבָה  (tay-vaw') , the same word used for the basket Moses was saved by in the waters of the Nile
    • 8:1-5 - the time after which the ark “rested” on Ararat
      • Rested ( נוּחַ )  
      • Mountain peaks reappeared
    • 150 days was not the end of the time in the ark. 
      • Most scholars put the stay in the ark duration at 370-371 days total.
      • I’ve got a ways to go if I’m going to do as many podcast episodes!
• Psalm 150 - The last great celebratory Psalm in the Psalter. The where, why, how and who of worship
  • Verse 1 - Praise the Lord… where?
    • In the holy places
    • And the created places
      • See Gen 1:6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20
      • A space רָקִיעַ (raw-kee'-ah), an expanse, sky, heavens 
  • Verse 2 - Praise the Lord… why?
    • For what He does - megaleia (mighty works)
    • For who He is - unequaled, excellent, magnificent greatness
  • Verses 3-5 - Praise the Lord… how?
    • The full range of instrumentation
    • Full body worship - dancing
  • Verse 6 - Praise the Lord… who?
    • Circle back to what suffered in the encroaching chaos of the flood. - everything that had breath.
    • Lift not just our body in dance, nor just through instruments, but with our voices in song.
• Praise the Lord! -  Here’s to the next 150 episodes!

References:

• Review A Jesus Parable and Romans 12:1-2
  • Don’t be “conformed”
  • But be “transformed”
• Review Matthew 25:31-46
  • Separating - aphorisms - from Merriam-Webster Online
    • a concise statement of a principle
    • a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment
      • "Let us value the quality of life, not the quantity."
      • Compare with a proverb (check out last week’s episode).
  • Sheep vs Goats
    • Being a goat is to practice transactional kindness
    • Being a sheep is to practice joyful generosity
• “Lord, when did we see you… and help you?” 
  • Sheep mindset considers loving service of others as a natural, joyful default.
    • “How can I help” flows from a foundational awareness of grace, loving as one has been loved.
    • Sees people through the eyes of compassion, seeing the image of God in the vulnerable.
  • Biblical support or clarification:
    • Proverbs 14:31; 19:17 (NLT) - God’s wisdom reveals that how we treat the poor is how we directly treat God.
      • My experience on the mission field has been that the poor often don’t see themselves as worthy of visiting, help, compassion, dignity.
    • 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (NLT) - Sacrificial generosity grows from first giving one’s self to God, then the joyful response to God’s overwhelming gracious love.
      • I have stories of desperately poor people showing me a sheep’s heart in their joyful generosity.
  • Judgement:
    • “‘when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”
    • Into eternal life!
• I just wanna’ be a sheep. Baa baa ba baa.
  • By the renewal of my mind.
  • By the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

References:

• A Jesus Parable and Romans 12:1-2
  • Conformed - συσχηματίζω (soos-khay-mat-id'-zo)
    • BLB - to conform one's self (i.e. one's mind and character) to another's pattern, (fashion one's self according to)
    • 1 Peter 1:14
  • Transformed - μεταμορφόω (met-am-or-fo'-o) as in Christ’s transfiguration
    • BLB - to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure
    • 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
• Matthew 25:31-46 - the Sheep and the Goats parable
  • Separate - ἀφορίζω (af-or-id'-zo) 
    • BLB - to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separate
    • Word from which we get “aphorism” (compare proverb)
      • Proverbs …
        • are a traditional, popular saying rooted in folk wisdom that offers common-sense advice.
        • focus on moral instruction, caution, or practical guidance for daily life.
      • Aphorisms…
        • are a clever, original observation on life usually attributed to a specific writer or thinker.
        • aim to provoke thought, offer a fresh philosophical insight, or reveal a deeper reality.
  • Sheep from Goats
    • Being a sheep is to practice joyful generosity
    • Being a goat is to practice transactional kindness
• “Lord, when did we see you… and not help you?”
  • Goat mindset considers self first.
    • “How can I help” may be based on convenience, obligation, or an attention seeking righteousness (see the “hypocrites” teachings in Mt 6, esp MSG).
    • See people through the lens of utility, measuring others by what they offer or cost.
  • Biblical support or clarification
    • 1 John 4:20 (NLT): Our treatment of the visible "least of these" is the ultimate diagnostic of our invisible faith.
    • James 2:15–17 (NLT): Real faith isn't abstract theoretical agreement; it has hands and feet.
  • Judgement: 
    • “‘when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’”
    • Into eternal punishment!
• I don’t want to be a “Goat.” Nope, nope, no, nope.

References:

• Labor Day Weekend - back to עָבַד
  • Labor - עָבַד (aw-vad')
    • Work - as in till or cultivate
      • Gen 2:5, 15 - part of the 1st command of God, a blessing
      • Gen 3:23 - a part of the curse in the fall story 
    • Serve, slave - a prophetic word to Abram
      • Gen 15:13 - God describes the time of Israel in Egypt after Joseph has died and been forgotten
      • Gen 15:14 - God’s judgement upon the Egyptians who will enslave Israel
    • Serve - working for another for compensation
      • Gen 29:15, 18, 20, 25, 27, 30 - Jacob working for Laban
      • Gen 31:40-42 - “I have עָבַד you” for 20 years and you’ve changed my wages 10 times!
  • So עָבַד can feel like slavery or like freedom and flourishing. It all depends on who you עָבַד. God rescues the Israelites so that they can עָבַד Him through life-giving work.   
    • Ex 3:12 - עָבַד - serve, worship
    • Ex 20:5, 9 - 10 commandments
• The Hebrew word עָבַד translated into NT Greek
  • From Gen 2 - till, work = ἐργάζομαι (er-gad'-zom-ahee)
    • Think of ergonomic (ergon-work + nomos-law)
    • Mt 21:28; Mk 14:6; Lk 13:14
    • From ἔργον - see John 17:4 “I have finished the WORK…” 
  • From Exodus - forced service, enslave = καταδουλόω (kat-ad-oo-lo'-o)
    • Gal 2:4
    • From δοῦλος (doo'-los) - servant or slave
      • See Rom 1:1; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:1
      • Also Rom 6:16-20
• So be a good ἐργάτης (er-gat'-ace) worker
  • 2 Tim 2:15-21
  • 1 Peter 2:15-17

References:

• The Gospel: it is not ours to adapt to our comfort or liking
  • What is a “false” Gospel? - deliberately twisting the truth concerning Christ - 1:7
    • Wanting the Gospel to align with my life choices - 2 Tim 4:3-4
    • What might equate with circumcision today? (compare Col 2:13-23)
      • Denominations? Or doctrinal convictions. (we are the “right” ones)
      • Outward appearance? (black vehicles at church)
      • Political opinions? (you can’t vote that way and be a Christian)
  • The True Gospel - how are we sinners put in right standing before God?
    • It is not about what I DO but about what God HAS DONE. - Gal 2:16-21
    • Romans 3:20-31
    • Ephesians 2:1-10
• Our Changing Guardians
  • The Law - meant to show us our sin and need for a Savior
    • Mirror - Rom 3:20
    • Hammer - Rom 4:15
    • Guide - ??? (what about the Law of Christ Gal 6:2 (Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.); 1 Cor 9:19-21; consider antinomianism (Jn 13:34; Jas 2:8))
  • Works of the flesh (while under the guardianship of the Law?)
    • Gal 5:16-21; 1 Pet 2:11; 1 Jn 2:16
    • Col 3:5-17 - putting off and putting on
  • The Holy Spirit as Guardian - fruit bearing (fruit of the Spirit)
• Freedom!
  •  Gal 5:1 - for freedom Christ has set us free
    • Freedom from slavery to the law does not mean anything goes. That would be freedom from Christ which is bondage to sin.
    • Freedom in Christ means–because of Christ’s completed work fulfilling the law’s demands–I can be free to be right before God and filled with the Spirit
  • Assiduously and patiently waiting - ACTIVE not passive
    • Aug Conf Art. 6 - the New Obedience
    • On the one hand but then the Other
• Spiritual Warfare
  • Ill intentioned skeptics - Gal 2:4-5
    • Hapax legomenon - κατασκοπέω - to spy
      • Against the goal
      • Opposite of Phil 3:14
    • Fighting for one another - Gal 2:11-15 - guarding against Acts 15:36-41
  • προγράφω designated before hand (in the scriptures of the OT), to write before the eyes of all who can read, to depict, portray, paint, before the eyes
    • Rom 15:4
  • Judgement on false teachers (see esp. Jude 1:4ff)
• Summer Break! - End of Season 8. I’ll be back with Season 9.