Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 17 NKJV; Ch. 18-19 NIV

Podcast Introduction

This is Gospels Saturday. We’ll read Matthew 17-19. I’m calling today’s episode “Missing the Point.”

Comments on Matthew 17 and 18

Thoughts on Matthew 17 

Did anything strike you as strange when you heard the reaction from Peter, James and John when Jesus told them not to tell anyone about what they had seen on the mountain, when Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus? Remember, he told them don’t tell anyone, until the Son of Man is risen from the dead. 

And what did they say? “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

I think my first reaction would have been, “Risen from the what?!? What do you mean, risen from the dead?” I don’t know. Maybe they did say something like that, but we are only told of the discussion of Elijah. Yeah, that’s probably it. 

And then later in chapter seventeen, Jesus again told them of his death and resurrection. “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”

Now, of course, I understand their sadness at hearing that their friend, their rabbi, their LORD was going to be killed, but again, they completely missed the most important part: and the third day He will be raised up. I think I would’ve said, “Raised up? What do you mean, raised up?” They just let the most important event in the history of mankind slip right by them. Maybe it was just so huge that their minds had no idea how to process the words. But beloved, those are the words…that was to be the event that would change EVERYTHING for anyone who believed! NOTHING in all of history would surpass this coming event! 

Sometimes we don’t see the things that are the most important. We get stuck in our own little self-constructed mindset, and when something really huge comes along we don’t see it because it doesn’t fit our view of the world. The disciples could not grasp the idea of Jesus coming back to life, so it seems to have gone completely over their heads. 

Let’s pray that God opens our eyes, beloved. Let’s ask Him to make us aware of His will and His moving in our lives.

Thoughts on Matthew 18 

Jesus addressed several topics in these two chapters. Today I’d like to focus on chapter 18 verse 15 because there are a lot of people who seem to be unaware of what Jesus said in regards to judging others. Let me read it to you again. Jesus said, ““If your brother or sister  sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”

Now, I can hear some of you saying, “But Steve, in my translation it says, ‘If your brother or sister sins against you…’” And you would be right. Many translations do include the words “against you”. When those words are added, the meaning of this passage changes, doesn’t it? After all, if you sin against me in some way, it’s only logical that I would have the right to bring it to your attention.

So why do some translations leave out those two words and why do some include them?

I did some digging in my library and found that in the original Greek, the words “against you” are not included. So that would seem to indicate that Jesus said, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.”

But, being the careful sort when it comes to Bible study, I looked up some similar passages. For example, Luke 17:3 says, “So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” I looked up the Greek for this verse, and guess what? “Against you” is not there.

Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Looks like we have a trend here, doesn’t it? But again, being careful, I called my brother-in-law, who is a pastor, to ask his opinion. Together we looked at the language, and found that “against you” is not in the original Greek. Some translators do include the words in parentheses, which means that they are implied or perhaps added later.

I can almost see why these translators see that the words are implied if we continue in the chapter to verse 21 when Peter asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” But when we look at the Greek here, the words “against me” *are* included! So in my opinion, if Jesus had meant to say “against you” in verse 15, He would have said it.

So where does that leave us? Here in Matthew and in several other verses of the New Testament, we are taught that when we become aware of fellow believers’ sin, we must first go to them privately and gently, with humility point it out to them. Why? Because unrepented sin keeps us from having the kind of relationship with God that He wants. The motivation is not to say, “Hey! I saw you do that, and you’re busted!”, but to point out their error so that they can confess their sin and be restored to God. If they refuse, then we are to take two or three others to meet with the one in error. If they still refuse, the church should be made aware. If they still refuse correction, then Jesus said to treat them as you would a pagan or tax collector.

Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But wait! It’s not harsh at all. How did Jesus treat pagans and tax collectors? With love! My goodness, Matthew, the writer of this book was a tax collector before Jesus came into his life. Believers are to treat pagans and tax collectors as people who sorely need the redemption provided by the shed blood of Jesus. 

When a brother or sister refuses to deal with their sin by confessing it, we are to treat them as if they are at square one, as someone who does not know the love of Christ. Do we reject that type of person? Heaven forbid!

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Matthew 17-19: Missing the Point (LSFAB S13E049)

[TEASER – 0:00]
Now wait a minute, I don’t think that would be my first reaction.

[INTRO S13E049 – 0:11]
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’ll read through the entire Bible in a year. The website is lifespringmedia.com. This is Gospel Saturday. How’s your weekend going, so far? Today we’re going to read Matthew 17 through 19. And I’m calling today’s episode, “Missing the Point”.

Before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 0:40]
Our heavenly Father, we thank you, again, so much for your Word, and for the fact that you want us to know you. You’ve shown us who you are through the Bible, and we thank you for that. We thank you, Lord, that you love us. And we pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Are you ready? Let’s begin.

[MATTHEW 17 (NKJV) – 1:00
Matthew, chapter 17.

(1) Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; (2) and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. (3) And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. (4) Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

(5) While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (6) And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. (7) But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” (8) When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

(9) Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

(10) And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

(11) Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. (12) But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” (13) Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

(14) And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down and saying, (15) “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. (16) So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

(17) Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” (18) And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

(19) Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

(20) So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (21) However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

(22) Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, (23) and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

(24) When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

(25) He said, “Yes.”

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

(26) Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”

Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. (27) Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

[MATTHEW 18 (NIV) – 4:19]
Matthew, chapter 18.

(1) At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

(2) He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. (3) And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (4) Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

(6) “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (7) Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! (8) If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. (9) And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

(10) “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11]
(12) “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? (13) And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. (14) In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

(15) “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. (16) But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ (17) If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

(18) “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

(19) “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

(21) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

(22) Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

(23) “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. (24) As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. (25) Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

(26) “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ (27) The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

(28) “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

(29) “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

(30) “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. (31) When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

(32) “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. (33) Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ (34) In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he could pay back all he owed.

(35) “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

[MATTHEW 19 (NIV) – 8:22
Matthew, chapter 19.

(1) When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. (2) Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

(3) Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

(4) “Haven’t you read,”he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ (5) and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? (6) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

(7) “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

(8) Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. (9) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

(10) The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

(11) Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. (12) For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

(13) Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

(14) Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (15) When he had placed his hands on them, and went on from there.

(16) Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

(17) “Why do you ask me about what is good?”Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

(18) “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, (19) honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

(20) “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

(21) Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

(22) When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

(23) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. (24) Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

(25) When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

(26) Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

(27) Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

(28) Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (29) And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. (30) But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

[COMMENTARY – 11:57]
Well, Beloved, today, I have thoughts on Matthew 17, and Matthew 18. Let’s start with 17. Did anything strike you as strange when you heard the reaction from Peter, James, and John, when Jesus told them not to tell anyone about what they had seen on the mountain when Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus? Remember, he told them don’t tell anyone until the Son of Man is risen from the dead? Yeah, right, risen from the dead.

And what did they say? “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Now, wait a minute, I don’t think that would be my first reaction. I think I would have said, “Risen from the what?!? What do you mean, risen from the dead?” I don’t know. Maybe they did say something like that. But we’re only told of the discussion of Elijah.

And then later in chapter 17, Jesus again told them of his death and resurrection. This is what it said. “Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.'” And the scripture continues and says, “And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”

Now listen, I understand their sadness at hearing that their friend, their rabbi, their LORD was going to be killed. But again, they completely missed the most important part: and the third day he will be raised up. I think I would have said, “Raised up? What do you mean, raised up?” They just let the most important event in the history of mankind slip right by them. Maybe it was just so huge, that their minds had no idea of how to process those words. But, Beloved, those are the words. And that was to be the event that would change everything for anyone who believed! Nothing in all of history would surpass this coming event!

Beloved, sometimes we don’t see the things that are the most important. We get stuck in our own little self-constructed mindset. And when something really huge comes along, we don’t see it, because it doesn’t fit our view of the world. The disciples could not grasp the idea of Jesus coming back to life. So it seems to have gone completely over their heads.

Let’s pray that God opens our eyes, Beloved. Let’s ask him to make us aware of his will and his moving in our lives.

And now let’s look at chapter 18, verse 15 because there are a lot of people who seem to be unaware of what Jesus said in regards to judging others. Let me read it to you here again. Jesus said, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.”

Now I can hear some of you saying “But Steve, in my translation it says, ‘If your brother or sister sins against you…’” And you’d be right, many translations do include the words “against you”. And when those words are added, the meaning of this passage changes, doesn’t it? After all, if you sinned against me in some way, it’s only logical that I would have the right to bring it to your attention.

So why do some translations leave out those two words, and why do some include them?

Well, I did some digging in my library, as you might guess. And I found that in the original Greek, the words “against you” are not there. So that would seem to indicate that Jesus said, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.”

But being the careful sort, when it comes to Bible study, I looked up some similar passages. For example, Luke 17:3 says, “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” I looked up the Greek for this verse, and guess what? “Against you” isn’t there.

Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Looks like we have a trend here, doesn’t it? But again, being careful, I called my brother-in-law who is a pastor to ask his opinion. Together, we looked at the language and found that “against you” is not in the original Greek. Some translators do include the words in parentheses, which means that they’re implied or perhaps added later.

I can almost see why these translators see that the words are implied if we continue in the chapter to verse 21. When Peter asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” But when we look at the Greek here the words “against me” are included. Who sins “against me”…up to seven times, okay? The words “against me” are included. So in my opinion, if Jesus had meant to say “against you” in verse 15, the one we started looking at here, he would have said it.

So where does that leave us? Here in Matthew and in several other verses of the New Testament, we’re taught that when we become aware of fellow believers’ sin, we must first go to them privately and gently with humility point it out to them. Why? Because unrepented sin keeps us from having the kind of relationship with God that he wants. The motivation is not to say, “Hey, I saw you do that, and you’re busted!” But the motivation is to point out their error so that they can confess their sin and be restored to God. If they refuse, then we’re to take two or three others to meet with that one in error. If they still refuse, the church should be made aware. And if they still refuse correction, then Jesus said to treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Well, that sounds harsh, doesn’t it? But wait, it isn’t harsh at all. How did Jesus treat pagans and tax collectors? With love! My goodness, Matthew, the writer of this book, was a tax collector before Jesus came into his life. Believers are to treat pagans and tax collectors as people who sorely need the redemption provided by the shed blood of Jesus.

So when a brother or sister refuses to deal with their sin by confessing it, we are to treat them as if they are at square one. As someone who doesn’t know the love of Christ, do we reject this type of person? Heaven forbid, no! We treat them with love and we reintroduce Jesus to them.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 18:29]
Well, I would love to hear your thoughts. Let me know. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 and if you’re outside the US put a +1 at the beginning of that number. You can also comment at comment.lifespringmedia.com or you can email me at st***@*************ia.com and there’s a good chance I’ll play your audio comments or read your comment on the show.

Tomorrow is Epistle Sunday and we’ll read Romans 15 and 16.

[SEND IN YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISE REPORTS – 19:00]
Remember that we do prayer requests and praises on Sundays

[Music – 19:04]
You lost your way. Pray about it.
Struggling with your faith. Pray about it.
Decisions to make. Pray about it.
Heart about to break. Pray about it.

Prayer changes things. It changes you.
It builds your faith to grow into
Grace and peace when troubles brew,
Gives you strength to make it through.

Prayer changes things. It changes you.
Builds your faith to grow into
Grace and peace when troubles brew,
Gives you strength to make it through.

Just pray about it. He’ll make a way.
Pray about it. It’ll be okay.
Pray about it. By the action.
Pray about it. You’ll find direction.
Pray about it. Just believe.
Pray about it. You will see.
Pray about it. Pray about it.
Pray about it. Pray about it.

Feeling all alone. Pray about it.
Got drama goin’ on. Pray about it.
There’s evil in your home. Pray about it.
Can’t make it on your own. Pray about it.

Prayer changes things. It changes you.
Builds your faith to grow into
Grace and peace when troubles brew,
Gives you strength to make it through.

Prayer changes things. It changes you.
Builds your faith to grow into
Grace and peace when troubles brew,
Gives you strength to make it through.

Just pray about it. He’ll make a way.
Pray about it. It’ll be okay.
Pray about it. By the action.
Pray about it. You’ll find direction.
Pray about it. Just believe.
Pray about it. You will see.
Just pray about it. Pray about it.
Pray about it. Pray about it.

Prayer opens up the door
For you receive it,
Faith, it can restore.
Never stop believing
When you present your case
At the throne of grace.
Lead a best day.
God will make a way.
Just pray about it. Pray about it.
Pray about it.

Pray about it. By the action.
Pray about it. You’ll find direction.
Pray about it. Just believe.
Pray about it. You will see.
Just pray about it. Pray about it.
Pray about it. Pray about it.

Pray about it. He’ll make a way.
Pray about it. It’ll be okay.
Pray about it. By the action.
Pray about it. You’ll find direction.
Pray about it. Just believe.
Pray about it. You will see.
Just pray about it. Pray about it.
Pray about it. Pray about it.

[STEVE WEBB – 22:17]
So if there’s something that God is doing in your life and will encourage the Lifespring family, let me know so I can share it on the show. Or if you want the Lifespring family to pray with you about something, tell me that, too. Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com

[SUPPORTER SHOUT-OUTS – 22:36]
I have some people to thank today. Yay! Donald Francis sent in $50.18 with a note. “Congratulations on 18 years. God bless you and your ministry.” Well, thank you, Donald. Much appreciated. God bless you. Thank you.

Also, an anonymous weekly donation of $22.22 came in, a row-o-ducks. Thank you very much Anonymous and God bless you.

And from “not that Paris”, Mike Haner sent in his weekly Stryper donation of $7.77. Thank you, Mike, and God bless you.

Beloved, I don’t take any corporate money, no advertisers, no money, no contributions from anyone that might try to influence me to dilute the message of the Gospel. Did you know that there are some podcast platforms now that are beginning to put labels on podcasts to mark them as brand-safe or unsafe? Many brands or advertisers don’t want to be identified with unsafe, quote-unquote, podcasts. Well, what label do you think they’d want to put on this show? No, you won’t hear any vulgar words on the show, but you will hear that God created just two sexes, male and female. You’ll hear what the Bible clearly teaches about homosexuality and other things that our culture doesn’t like to hear. Well, given that culture, what label do you suppose that kind of teaching would get? Do you think I care? Not really. Not at all! Because I don’t have to kowtow to advertisers. I don’t have to kowtow to corporate sponsors. I answer to God and God alone. If you agree with me, if you want to help me continue to teach the truth of God’s Word, if you believe that this show is salt and light to a dark world that needs to hear that God loves them and that Jesus is the only way to have peace with their Creator, please go to lifespringmedia.com/support. Look at the information on that page. Then pray and ask the Lord what he would have you do, and then just follow his leading, lifespringmedia.com/support. I’ll thank you and I believe God will bless you.

[LIFESPRING WHYCHRISTMAS SHOW – 24:54]
Well, that Christmas music is just to remind us that I’ll be rerunning the 2009 edition of the Lifespring WhyChristmas show beginning on December 1. And if you have a question about anything Christmas, send it to me right away. My co-host on the Lifespring WhyChristmas show is James Cooper, the Christmas expert, and James is going to be providing the answers to your questions. Now to get you thinking about what questions you might have, here are the questions that Sister Denise sent in that got me thinking about this whole thing. She said, “Number one, why does Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus not include the wise men’s visit? I think it’s genuinely believed by scholars that Luke got the story of Jesus’ birth directly from Mary. Even though I think it’s understood that the visit by the wise men took place when Jesus was a toddler, it seems like an important event to include.” And then question number two from Sister Denise. “What was the star of Bethlehem really? Was it a star? Was it a planetary convergence? Was it a special object that God created just for this occasion? I mean, it seems to move around a lot in Matthew’s account.” Well, those are pretty good questions, aren’t they, Beloved? So what questions do you have about Christmas? Don’t be shy. You can ask James anything you want to know about Christmas traditions: carols, gift-giving, lights, trees, or whatever. I know, let’s see if we can stump James.

Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 and leave a message or email me at st***@*************ia.com. And please do use the subject line “Christmas question”. Listen, I’d love to be able to make this a December 1 through Christmas feature on the show. But really, that part is up to you. It depends on how many questions you send in. So let’s have some fun with this, shall we?

[SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER – 26:58]
Did you get your newsletter? Sister Kirsty just sent it out. And if you haven’t signed up yet, you’re gonna want to do that. Go to news.lifespringmedia.com and sign up. I won’t sell your name. I won’t sell your information, nothing like that. It’s all just for the Lifespring Family Newsletter. So I want to thank Sister Kirsty for sending out that newsletter, for putting the whole thing together. And I want to thank Brother Sean of San Pedro, who does the chapters, and Sister Denise, yes, that Sister Denise, who corrects the transcripts. I truly am thankful for these guys.

And also I want to thank Donald Francis, Anonymous, and Mike Haney for helping to make this episode possible. God bless you, guys.

And you can comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 or by going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or by sending me an email at st***@*************ia.com. And, Beloved, if you believe in the ministry of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, if it’s an important part of your day, ask the Lord how you should support it, and then go to lifespringmedia.com/support.

And last, but certainly not least, remember that we will have a time of prayer together tomorrow. If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com or call the Lifespring Family Hotline and leave a message there. Let us rejoice with you or pray for you on the show and I will pray for you in my own devotional time.

And now until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for making me a part of your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

[ANNOUNCER – 28:35]
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise