Mercy Commons Podcast

Luke 1:5-25 & 57-80 // Advent is a season of both reflection and expectation. Songs are important because we sing to express the posture of our hearts and we sing to re-posture our hearts. These four songs are monuments to us, marking the incredible moment where God broke into our natural world, our history. And they serve to posture our hearts to expect that God fulfills His promises and Christ will come again. Zechariah’s song reminds us how we can posture our hearts: by celebrating God's graciousness and shouting God's faithfulness in all seasons. As we enter into the season of Advent, Zechariah’s Song can help us posture our hearts by reminding us to trust that God remembers us, to hope in His Word, and to embrace the centrality of Christ.

Philippians 4:10–23 // Our call as believers is to be content. However the world we live in a world constantly tempting us to be discontent with our current state. We pursue contentment through the practice of gratitude. No matter what we have or don't have, who is in our lives, what season we are in, what unexpected situations we face, or the emotions we carry – we can be content in all these circumstances through Christ who gives us strength. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving.

Judges 14-16 // The story of Samson, part 2. The unrestrained pursuit of legitimate desires in illegitimate ways leaves us blind, captive, and broken. How do you know you are pursuing legitimate desires in an illegitimate way? – When our prayers are immature (Judges 15:18-19). When we repeat destructive patterns (Judges 16:4-7). When we rely on our own strength (Judges 16:10-13). When we trust the wrong people (Judges 16:15-17). When we can’t discern the presence of God (Judges 16:10-13).

Judges 13-14:4 // The story of Samson. When we first are introduced to Samson, we are told about his mother. However, she is never named. Yet we have confidence that she was not unknown to God. God sees us, knows us, and loves us. Psalm 139:1-6. Samson’s mother was barren before she gave birth to her son. When we consider fruitfulness is our lives – we must remember that it is expected however seasons are normal. Barrenness is not death. What brings unfruitful character in our lives? Anxieties, cares, pursuing riches, and our desire for comfort and convenience. Our calling is to be rooted and grounded in God’s love, to abide in Him and so to avoid a life of trying harder. Rest in the Lord.

Judges 11 // The story of Jephthah. A man who was affected by the sins of his father and committed sins as a father. Two important questions: what are we like? What is God like? We know that we are flawed, fickle, and forgetful. YET, God is good and God is great. Sins of a father leave us feeling rejected. God is not limited by our failures or the failings done to us. Our hope is in a good Father who brings belonging out of abandonment. Sins as a father lead to repeated cycles of sin. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know have the power through the Spirit to break sin cycles in our lives and in the lives of our family even from generations to generations. How can we be better at remembering the goodness and greatness of God? Mention Him. Speak truth over our lives. Speak the Scripture. Meditate on Him. Gather our thoughts and fix our minds on God. Magnify Him. We must magnify our own view of God. We can’t make Him bigger than He already is, but our life’s journey is to increase our understanding of Him.

Judges 8 // Gideon goes from threshing wheat to threshing flesh. He goes from stopping idolatry to leading people back into it. He goes from humility to hubris. How can we guard against collapse in our lives? Beware of turning God out. Are we expecting to hear from Him? How do we listen to His voice? In what ways do we tune Him out? Beware of feeding anger. Scripture warns about anger giving a foothold to the enemy. What makes you angry? How do you guard against it becoming destructive? Beware of living like a king. Gideon acknowledges God’s kingship with his lips, but not with his life. He acquires wealth and wives. He names his son “My father is king.” He creates a golden ephod that becomes a snare. Are there ways that we acknowledge God with our lips but not with our lives? What is competing for his place on the throne? Jesus is a better king than anything that we’re tempted to put in his place: money, sex, power, comfort, convenience. Remember that God is “the one who protects us from falling.” We should pursue the right safeguards and practices, but ultimately it’s His grace and faithfulness that keep us from collapse.

Judges 6:11-32 // This week we look at the story of Gideon. The Lord’s first commandment to him was to go and tear down his family altar to Baal. An altar is a place in our hearts where we are worshipping an idol. Tearing down these altars is a messy business because it exposes our idolatry and areas in our hearts that rely on something or someone else more than God. The grace and mercy of God is to give us the strength to replace these altars that keep us thirsty (like drinking salt water) with the Living Water that quenches that longing our hearts and the thirstiness of our dry souls for Jesus.

Judges 4:6-5:2 // Insecure faith is still faith! “True faith takes its character and quality from its object. Its strength therefore depends on the character of Christ. Even those of us who have weak faith have the same strong Christ as others!” ~ Sinclair B. Ferguson

Judges 3:7-30 // In chapter 3 of Judges, we learn from Israel’s mistakes. They forgot the Lord their God and it lead to them doing what was right in their own sight. Their disobedience led to their captivity. God’s discipline is designed to help us remember who the Lord is. We are called to remind ourselves and others who God is and who we are in Him. 2 Peter 1:3 // By His divine power the LORD HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the One who called us by His own honor and glory.

Judges 21:25 // The book of Judges shows that without a God above us all, things spiral out of control. When we allow the idolatry of the land to live in our hearts, we forget that Christ is where truth resides. This book has many challenging stories that ultimately show God's judgement is merciful and meant to bring us back to Him.