Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 20-21 NLV; Ch. 22 NIRV

Executive Producer

Brother Paul of Seattle

Associate Producer

Mike Haner, James from Norway

Podcast Introduction

This Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Matthew 20-22. I’m calling this episode “Bearing Fruit.”

Comments on Matthew 21 and 22

Thoughts on Matthew 21

Let’s take a look at Jesus and the fig tree from verses 18 and 19. Jesus was hungry and he saw that the fig tree had leaves on it. A fig tree with leaves should have fruit on it. That’s the way they’re supposed to work. So when Jesus saw the leaves, he expected fruit. But when there were none, he cursed it.

The natural question  here is, “Why are we given this picture? What are we to learn from this?” 

If we profess to be followers of Jesus, there are certain expectations God has for us. When we ask Jesus to come into our lives, when we ask Him to be our Savior, we are also asking Him to be our Lord, our King, our Master. In John 14:15 He said, “If you love me, you will keep  my commandments.” In John 15:10 He said, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” So yes, there is the expectation that when we ask Him to save us, we will give Him the authority to expect us to exhibit different behaviors than we did before.

If we don’t, then we have not really put our faith in Him. We call ourselves Christians, or followers, but we really are not.

If we truly are followers, our lives will bear fruit. What kind of fruit? The Apostle Paul, in Galatians 5 tells us some of the fruit. Listen: “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

If we call ourselves believers, but our lives do not begin to produce this fruit, we are like the fig tree that had leaves but no fruit. From a distance it looks good, but get close enough to really see it and its barrenness is obvious. It is good for nothing.

When we accept Jesus, we must surrender ourselves completely so that the Holy Spirit can begin the process of making us in the image of Christ. When we do that, the fruit of the Spirit will begin to grow, and we will be amazed at how God will begin to use us for His glory.

Thoughts on Matthew 22

Some parables are easier to understand than others, aren’t they? Today’s reading started with one of the harder ones, so let’s look at it.

This is the parable that Jesus told to the chief priests and elders, about the wedding dinner.

Here it is again, briefly. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like this. A king prepared a wedding dinner for his son. He sent his servants out to those who had been invited to tell them that all was ready for them. But they refused to come. 

So he sent more servants out to tell them that he had lots of food for them. It’s all ready for you. Please come. But they ignored the servants and went back to work. And some of them beat up the servants and killed them.

So the king was understandably angry, and he sent out his army, who killed the murderers and burned their city.

Then the king said, “Look. Everything is ready, but the people I invited weren’t fit to come. So go out to the highways and byways and invite everyone you see. And the servants brought back so many guests that the wedding hall was full with all kinds of people. Some good, some bad.

And when the king came to see the guests, he saw someone who was not wearing wedding clothes. And the king said, “Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” And the man was speechless.

So the king told his servants to tie up the man and throw him outside into the darkness, where people cry and grind their teeth.

Wow! So what’s going on here? What is Jesus saying?

Remember who Jesus is talking to. The chief priests and elders. The religious Jews. These are the folks who hate Jesus and have been trying to trap him and trick him into saying something for which they can charge him with blasphemy. They are the ones who should have been able to see that Jesus is the Messiah that they have been waiting for, but instead are blind. And because of their blindness, they are keeping the people from seeing the Messiah.

And in the parable, they are the ones who were first invited to the wedding dinner. God first invited the Jews to partake in grace. But they rejected Him. And we know that they ended up killing not just Jesus, but those who would go out to tell others about Him. Many early Christians were martyred for spreading the message of the Good News. 

The second group invited to the dinner, the ones found on the highways and byways is the non-Jews, the Gentiles…everyone…the world! John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world…” When the Jews rejected Jesus, God invited anyone who would to come to the wedding.

What a wonderful invitation! The feast is prepared, and it is rich. 

So what of the man who was not wearing wedding clothes? This man represents the hypocrite. 

“He came because he was invited, but he came only in appearance. The banquet was intended to honor the King’s Son, but this man meant nothing of the kind; he was willing to eat the good things set before him, but in his heart there was no love either for the King or his well-beloved Son.” (Spurgeon)

The person who says they are a Christian but is not. If you are a true follower of Christ, you are wearing the wedding clothes. Believers are called the Bride of Christ, and what bride does not wear a wedding dress? Anyone without the wedding dress cannot partake of the wedding, and will be thrown out. But remember, each person has the choice. Each person is given the opportunity to accept or reject, and anyone who tries to come in any other way will be found out and treated like a thief or a robber.

We have been invited to the wedding dinner. Are you prepared? What are you wearing?

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Matthew 20-22: Bearing Fruit (LSFAB S13E056)

[TEASER – 0:00]
Why are we given this picture? What are we to learn from this?

[INTRO S13E056 – 0:10]
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. If you’re in the US, how was your Thanksgiving? Mine was good. We went over to my brother-in-law, Steve O’Brien’s house, and his wife Laurie who is LeeAnn’s older sister. There were probably, I don’t know, 20 or 30 people there, all family, so it was good. It was good. I hope you had a great one.

This is Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Matthew 20 through 22. And I’m calling this episode “Bearing Fruit”.

Oh, by the way, back on Thanksgiving, if you took a family picture, send it to me. I’d like to make a Lifespring Family Photo Album. That’d be fun, right? And that goes whether you’re here in the US and you celebrated Thanksgiving, or if you’re outside the US and you didn’t do Thanksgiving, but you’ve got a family picture that you’d like to have included in the Lifespring Family Album. Send it to me at st***@*************ia.com with the subject line “Family album”. I’ll put the pictures in the newsletter. And if it’s okay with you, I’ll make a special Family Album page on the website and put your picture there as well. When you send your picture in please let me know if it’s okay to publish it in either or both places. I will of course respect your wishes.

Okay, before we read, let’s pray

[OPENING PRAYER – 1:31]
Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much for your Word. And I pray that you would bless our time around it today. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Okay, let’s begin.

[MATTHEW 20 (NLV) – 1:45]
Matthew, chapter 20.

(1) “For the holy nation of heaven is like the owner of a grape-field. He went out early in the morning to hire workmen to work in his grape-field. (2) He promised to give them a day’s pay and then sent them to his grape-field. (3) Later in the morning he went to the center of the town where people gather. He saw men standing there doing nothing. (4) He said to them, ‘You go to my grape-field and work also. Whatever is right, I will pay you.’ And they went. (5) Again he went out about noon and at three o’clock and did the same thing. (6) About five o’clock he went out and still found others doing nothing. He asked them, ‘Why do you stand here all day and do nothing?’ (7) They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said, ‘Go to my grape-field and work. Whatever is right, I will pay you.’

(8) “When evening came, the owner of the grape-field said to the boss of the workmen, ‘Call the workmen. Give them their pay. Start with the last ones hired and go on to the first ones hired.’ (9) The workmen who had been hired at five o’clock came up. Each one of them got a day’s pay for his work. (10) When the workmen who had been hired the first thing in the morning came, they thought they would get more. But each one got a day’s pay. (11) After they received it, they talked against the owner. (12) They said, ‘The last workmen hired have only worked one hour. You have given to them the same as to us. We have worked hard through the heat of the day.’ (13) But he said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me when I promised to pay you a day’s pay? (14) Take your pay and go. I want to give the last ones hired the same as I have given you. (15) Do I not have the right to do what I want to do with my own money? Does your eye make you want more because I am good?’ (16) So those who are last will be first and the first will be last.”

(17) As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He talked also to the twelve followers by the side of the road. He said, (18) “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the religious leaders and to the teachers of the Law. They will say that He must be put to death. (19) They will hand Him over to the people who do not know God. They will make fun of Him and will beat Him. They will nail Him to a cross. Three days later He will be raised to life.”

(20) The mother of Zebedee’s children (James and John) came to Jesus with her sons. She got down on her knees before Jesus to ask something of Him. (21) He said to her, “What do you want?” She said, “Say that my two sons may sit, one at Your right side and one at Your left side, when You are King.” (22) Jesus said to her, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to take the suffering that I am about to take? (*Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?)” They said, “Yes, we are able.” (23) He said to them, “You will suffer as I will suffer. But the places at My right side and at My left side are not Mine to give. Whoever My Father says will have those places.”

(24) The other ten followers heard this. They were angry with the two brothers. (25) Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know how the kings of the nations show their power to the people. Important leaders use their power over the people. (26) It must not be that way with you. But whoever wants to be great among you, let him care for you. (27) Whoever wants to be first among you, let him be your servant. (28) For the Son of Man came not to be cared for. He came to care for others. He came to give His life so that many could be bought by His blood and made free from the punishment of sin.

(29) As they went away from the city of Jericho, many people followed Him. (30) Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. They called out when they heard that Jesus was going by. They said, “Lord, take pity on us, Son of David!” (31) Many people spoke sharp words to them. They told the blind men not to call out. But they called all the more, “Lord! Take pity on us, Son of David!” (32) Jesus stopped and called them. He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (33) The blind men said to Jesus, “Lord, we want our eyes opened!” (34) Jesus had loving-pity on them and put His hands on their eyes. At once they could see, and they followed Jesus.

[MATTHEW 21 (NLV) – 6:08]
Matthew 21.

(1) They were near Jerusalem and had come to the town of Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two followers on ahead. (2) He said to them, “Go to the town over there. You will find a donkey tied and her young with her. Let them loose and bring them to Me. (3) If anyone says something to you, say, ‘The Lord needs them.’ He will send them at once.”

(4) It happened as the early preacher said it would happen, saying, (5) “Say to the people in Jerusalem, ‘See! Your King is coming to you. He is gentle. He is riding on a young donkey.’”

(6) The followers went and did as Jesus told them. (7) They brought the donkey and her young one. They put their clothes on the donkey and Jesus sat on them. (8) Many people put their coats down on the road. Other people cut branches from the trees and put them along the way. (9) The people who went in front and those who followed Jesus called out, “Greatest One! The Son of David! Great and honored is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Greatest One in the highest heaven.”

(10) When Jesus came into Jerusalem, all the people of the city were troubled. They said, “Who is this?” (11) Many people said, “This is Jesus, the One Who speaks for God from the town of Nazareth in the country of Galilee.”

(12) Then Jesus went into the house of God and made all those leave who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the men who changed money. He turned over the seats of those who sold doves. (13) He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer.’ You have made it a place of robbers.”

(14) The blind and those who could not walk came to Jesus in the house of God and He healed them. (15) The religious leaders of the Jews and the teachers of the Law saw the great things He did. They heard the children calling in the house of God and saying, “Greatest One! Son of David!” The leaders were very angry. (16) They said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes, have you not read the writings, ‘Even little children and babies will honor Him’?” (17) Jesus left them and went out of the city to the town of Bethany. He stayed there that night.

(18) In the morning as He was coming back to the city, He was hungry. (19) He saw a fig tree by the side of the road and went to it. There was nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree, “No fruit will ever grow on you again.” At once the fig tree dried up. (20) The followers saw it and were surprised and wondered. They said, “How did the fig tree dry up so fast?” (21) Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you this: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only be able to do what was done to the fig tree. You will also be able to say to this mountain, ‘Move from here and be thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done. (22) All things you ask for in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.”

(23) Jesus came into the house of God. The religious leaders and the other leaders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching. They said, “By what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power to do them?” (24) Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing also. If you tell Me, then I will tell you by what right and power I do these things. (25) Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” They thought among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ then He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ (26) But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, because they all think John was one who spoke for God.” (27) They said to Jesus, “We do not know.” He said to them, “Then I will not tell you by what right and power I do these things.

(28) “What do you think about this? There was a man who had two sons. He came to the first son and said, ‘My son, go to my grape-field and work today.’ (29) He said, ‘I will go.’ But he did not go. (30) The father came to the second son and asked the same thing. The son said, ‘No, I will not go.’ Later he was sorry and went. (31) Which one of the two sons did what his father wanted?” They said to Jesus, “The second son.” Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you this: Tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies will get into the holy nation of heaven before you. (32) For John came to you preaching about being right with God. You did not believe him. But tax-gatherers and women who sell the use of their bodies did believe him. When you saw this, you were not sorry for your sins and did not turn from them and believe him.

(33) “Listen to another picture-story. A man who owned land planted grapes in a field and put a fence around it. He made a place for making wine. He built a tower to look over the grape-field. He let farmers rent it and then he went into another country. (34) The time came for gathering the grapes. He sent his servants to the farmers to get the grapes. (35) The farmers took his servants and hit one. They killed another and threw stones at another. (36) Again he sent other servants. He sent more than the first time. The farmers did the same to those servants. (37) After this he sent his son to them. He said to himself, ‘They will respect my son.’ (38) When the farmers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the one who will get everything when the owner dies. Let us kill him and we will get it all.’ (39) They took him and threw him out of the grape-field and killed him. (40) When the owner of the grape-field comes, what will he do to those farmers?” (41) They said to Him, “He will put those bad men to death. Then he will rent the grape-field to other farmers who will give him the grapes when they are ready.” (42) Jesus said to them, “Have you not read in the Holy Writings, ‘The Stone that was put aside by the workmen has become the most important Stone in the building? The Lord has done this. We think it is great!’ (43) I say to you, because of this, the holy nation of God will be taken from you. It will be given to a nation that will give fruit. (44) Whoever falls on this Stone will be broken. And on the one it falls, it will make him like dust.”

(45) When the religious leaders and the proud religious law-keepers heard this picture-story, they knew He spoke of them. (46) When they tried to put their hands on Him, they were afraid of the many people. The people thought He was One Who spoke for God.

[MATTHEW 22 (NIRV) – 12:43]
Matthew, chapter 22.

(1) Jesus told them more stories. He said, (2) “Here is what the kingdom of heaven is like. A king prepared a wedding dinner for his son. (3) He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the dinner. The servants told them to come. But they refused.

(4) “Then he sent some more servants. He said, ‘Tell those who were invited that I have prepared my dinner. I have killed my oxen and my fattest cattle. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding dinner.’

(5) “But the people paid no attention. One went away to his field. Another went away to his business. (6) The rest grabbed his servants. They treated them badly and then killed them. (7) The king became very angry. He sent his army to destroy them. They killed those murderers and burned their city.

(8) “Then the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding dinner is ready. But those I invited were not fit to come. (9) Go to the street corners. Invite to the dinner anyone you can find.’ (10) So the servants went out into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad. Soon the wedding hall was filled with guests.

(11) “The king came in to see the guests. He noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. (12) ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man couldn’t think of anything to say.

(13) “Then the king told his servants, ‘Tie up his hands and feet. Throw him outside into the darkness. Out there people will sob and grind their teeth.’

(14) “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

(15) The Pharisees went out. They made plans to trap Jesus with his own words. (16) They sent their followers to him. They sent the Herodians with them. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of honor. You teach the way of God truthfully. You don’t let others tell you what to do or say. You don’t care how important they are. (17) Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

(18) But Jesus knew their evil plans. He said, “You pretenders! Why are you trying to trap me? (19) Show me the coin people use for paying the tax.” They brought him a silver coin. (20) He asked them, “Whose picture is this? And whose words?”

(21) “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give to God what belongs to God.”

(22) When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

(23) That same day the Sadducees came to Jesus with a question. They do not believe that people rise from the dead. (24) “Teacher,” they said, “here is what Moses told us. If a man dies without having children, his brother must get married to the widow. He must have children to carry on his brother’s name. (25) There were seven brothers among us. The first one got married and died. Since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. (26) The same thing happened to the second and third brothers. It happened right on down to the seventh brother. (27) Finally, the woman died. (28) Now then, when the dead arise, whose wife will she be? All seven of them were married to her.”

(29) Jesus replied, “You are mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures. And you do not know the power of God. (30) When the dead rise, they won’t get married. And their parents won’t give them to be married. They will be like the angels in heaven. (31) What about the dead rising? Haven’t you read what God said to you? (32) He said, ‘I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living.”

(33) When the crowds heard this, they were amazed by what he taught.

(34) The Pharisees heard that the Sadducees weren’t able to answer Jesus. So the Pharisees got together. (35) One of them was an authority on the law. So he tested Jesus with a question. (36) “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the most important commandment in the Law?”

(37) Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind.’ (38) This is the first and most important commandment. (39) And the second is like it. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (40) Everything that is written in the Law and the Prophets is based on these two commandments.”

(41) The Pharisees were gathered together. Jesus asked them, (42) “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?”

“The son of David,” they replied.

(43) He said to them, “Then why does David call him ‘Lord’? The Holy Spirit spoke through David himself. David said,

(44) “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your control.”’

(45) So if David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be David’s son?” (46) No one could answer him with a single word. From that day on, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

[COMMENTARY – 17:35]
Today, we’re going to focus on Matthew 21 and 22. In chapter 21, let’s take a look at Jesus and the fig tree from verses 18 and 19. Jesus was hungry, and he saw that the fig tree had leaves on it. Well, a fig tree with leaves on it should have fruit on it. That’s the way they’re supposed to work. So when Jesus saw the leaves, he expected fruit but when there was none, he cursed it.

The natural question is, “Why are we given this picture? What are we to learn from this?”

Well, if we profess to be followers of Jesus, there are certain expectations God has for us. When we ask Jesus to come into our lives, when we ask him to be our Savior, we’re also asking him to be our Lord, our King, our Master. In John 14:15, he said, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments.” In John 15:10, he said, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” So yes, there is the expectation that when we ask him to save us, we will give him the authority to expect us to exhibit different behaviors than we did before.

And if we don’t, then we’ve not really put our faith in Him. We call ourselves Christians or followers, but we really are not.

If we truly are followers, our lives will bear fruit. What kind of fruit? The apostle Paul in Galatians 5 tells us some of the fruit. Listen, Paul said “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Beloved, if we call ourselves believers, but our lives do not begin to produce this fruit, we’re like the fig tree that had leaves on it, but no fruit. From a distance, it looks good, but get close enough to really see it and its barrenness is obvious. It’s good for nothing.

When we accept Jesus, we must surrender ourselves completely, so that the Holy Spirit can begin the process of making us in the image of Christ. When we do that, the fruit of the Spirit will begin to grow and we’ll be amazed at how God will begin to use us for his glory.

In chapter 22, we read several parables and some parables are easier to understand than others, aren’t they? Chapter 22 started with one of the harder readings, so let’s look at it.

This is the parable that Jesus told to the chief priests and elders about the wedding dinner.

Here it is, again, briefly, Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like this. Our king prepared a wedding dinner for his son, he said his servants out to those who had been invited to tell them that all was ready for them, but they refused to come.

So he sent more servants out to tell them that he had lots of food for them. It’s all ready for you. Please come. But they ignored the servants and went back to work. And some of them beat up the servants and killed them.

So the king was understandably angry, and he sent out his army who killed the murderers and burned their city.

Then the king said, “Look, everything is ready. But the people I invited weren’t fit to come. So go out to the highways and byways and invite everyone you see.” And the servants brought back so many guests that the wedding hall was full with all kinds of people, some good, some not so good.

And when the king came to see the guests, he saw someone who was not wearing wedding clothes. And the king said, “Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?” And the man was speechless.

So the king told his servants to tie up the man and throw him outside into the darkness, where people cry and grind their teeth.

Wow! So what’s going on here? What is Jesus saying?

Well, first, we have to remember who Jesus is talking to, the chief priests and elders, the religious Jews. These are the folks who hate Jesus and have been trying to trap him and trick him into saying something for which they can charge him with blasphemy. They’re the ones who should have been able to see that Jesus is the Messiah that they’ve been waiting for. But instead, they’re blind. And because of their blindness, they’re keeping the people from seeing the Messiah.

And in the parable, they’re the ones who were first invited to the wedding dinner. God first invited the Jews to partake in grace, but they rejected him. And we know that they ended up killing not just Jesus, but those who would go out to tell others about him. Many early Christians were martyred for spreading the message of the Good News.

The second group invited to the dinner, the ones found on the highways and the byways is the non-Jews, the Gentiles, everyone, the world. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world.” When the Jews rejected Jesus, God invited anyone who would come to the wedding.

And isn’t that a wonderful invitation? The feast is prepared, and it is rich.

So what of the man who was not wearing wedding clothes? Well, this man represents the hypocrite.

Listen to what Spurgeon said. “He came because he was invited, but he came only in appearance. The banquet was intended to honor the King’s Son, but this man meant nothing of the kind; he was willing to eat the good things set before him, but in his heart, there was no love either for the King or his well-beloved Son.”

Beloved, there are people who say they are Christians, but are not. If you’re a true believer of Christ, you’re wearing the wedding clothes. Believers are called the Bride of Christ. And what bride does not wear a wedding dress? Anyone without the wedding dress, can’t partake of the wedding and will be thrown out. But remember, each person has the choice, each person is given the opportunity to accept or reject. And anyone who tries to come in any other way will be found out and treated like a thief or a robber.

We have been invited to the wedding dinner. Are you prepared? What are you wearing?

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 23:42]
Let me know your thoughts. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511. Or if you prefer to type out your comments, go to comment.lifespringmedia.com, or send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. I would love to share your response on the show.

[LISTENER FEEDBACK – 24:07]
I got an email from Lifespring Family Berean, Brother John in Canada a few days ago, but I didn’t see it until today. I hate when that happens. Somehow it slipped under my radar. I was scrolling through the inbox today. And I said, “Oh, John from Canada!” And then I saw it came in a week ago. Oh, I hate that. Anyway, here it is.

He’s commenting on the show from November 7, Genesis 20 through 23, the “God Provides” episode. He said “Hi, Steve, I’m driving home, pulled over at the moment, and…”

Thank you for… thanks for pulling over to compose your email, John.

And he said, “I’m listening to the podcast. Thanks for the wonderful exposition of the story of Abraham and Isaac.”

You’re welcome.

He said, “It’s a beautiful picture of what God and Jesus went through for our atonement. And a challenge to us. Is our faith strong enough to trust God wholeheartedly? Not always,” he says, “and yet he is faithful always and has proven over and over that he has everything under control.”

And isn’t that the truth? Amen to that.

Brother John says, “I really appreciate your reading of this story and the commentary. Thank you.”

Well, you’re welcome.

He said, “Bless you, Steve, and congratulations on the show anniversary.”

Well, thank you for that.

He says, “All the best, signed, John.”

Well, thank you, Brother John, great to hear from you. I’ve mentioned it on the show before, but in Henry Blackaby’s book “Experiencing God”, he suggests that if we really want to experience God, if we really want him to use us, we should consider saying yes to God, before he asks. How’s that for trusting God wholeheartedly? But when we truly understand that he is good, that he is perfect, that he does love us, and that he is faithful, and that he paid a tremendous price to make it possible for us to have an eternal relationship with him, why would we not say yes to whatever he asks.

And I’m not saying that just to you, Brother John. I’m saying that to all of us, even me, because sometimes, my trust is a little bit short. Because let’s be honest, sometimes it might be scary. And it might even be the exact opposite of what we would do. But if he asks us to do something, saying yes ahead of time makes it easier to move forward with it, whatever it is.

Actually, in my own case, it really wasn’t very long before God called me to do this podcast back in 2004, that I had gone through an “Experiencing God” class at my church. And the thing that I picked up most from that book, “Experiencing God” and that class, is that “Yes, God, I’m going to say yes to you, whatever you ask me to do.” And then shortly after that is when he called me to do this podcast. So sometimes what he asks us to do is scary because it was scary to start the podcast since podcasting was so new. There were no tools that, you know, we have today that to make it easy to do it. So it was all a pioneering-type thing. So it was scary, but exciting and fun at the same time. But that advice from Henry Blackaby – just say yes, before he even asks – is really some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. I highly recommend it. So Brother John, thank you so much for the comment, and my best to you and your family.

[SEND IN YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISE REPORTS – 27:31]
Tomorrow is Sunday, which is one of the days we share prayer requests and praises. We are called to pray for one another. James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” And we have a promise about the results of prayer in Philippians 5:6-7. “Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he is done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” So let’s pray for each other. Let’s share the praises of what he’s doing in our lives. And you can do that by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511 or by going to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

[CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS – 28:25]
That music reminds me to ask you how would you like to have a free signed copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide”? Well, somebody’s going to win a copy on Christmas Day when I draw their name. Yep. Every person who submits a Christmas question will receive one entry per question. And you can send in as many questions as you can come up with. And today the Lovely Lady LeeAnn even called a question in.

[LEEANN WEBB – 29:02]
Hello, my love. I have a Christmas question for you and James. And ever the romantic, I’m not going the spiritual side. I just want to know, why did they choose mistletoe? And why does it have such kiss appeal? I hope everybody has a very merry Christmas. Bye.

[STEVE WEBB – 29:21]
Well, I’m not going to answer that question today. And as a matter of fact, it’s James Cooper who will answer it. James has probably the most visited Christmas information website in the world at whychristmas.com. We did the Lifespring WhyChristmas show together for several years. And by the way, I’ll be rerunning one of the seasons of the show this December, from the first all the way up to Christmas Day. So if there’s something you’ve always wanted to know about Christmas, now is the time to ask. Send your question to me at st***@*************ia.com and use the subject line “Christmas questions”. I’d love to have enough questions to do at least one per day from December first all the way up to Christmas Day. So send in your question or questions ASAP. Each question I use on the show will count as one entry. so the more questions you send in, the more chances I’ll use one or more of your questions on the show, and therefore, the more chances you have at winning the book. So come on, send ’em in.

[SUPPORTER SHOUT-OUTS – 30:29]
I have some people to thank today. We have an Executive Producer. Brother Paul of Seattle came in with his weekly $22.22 row-of-ducks donation. Thank you, Brother Paul. God bless you.

And we have a couple of Associate Producers. Mike Haner sent in his weekly $7.77 Stryper donation. Thank you for that Mike.

And James from Norway came in with his monthly $20 donation. So James from Norway, thank you too.

I really appreciate these weekly and monthly donations, guys. God bless you. Thank you so much.

So if you find value in the daily reading of the Bible and perhaps even find some encouragement in my comments, how about returning some of that value to me in the way of time, talent or treasure? I could use some help with the cover art for the show that would be time and talent and for the treasure part, the amount of your support is completely up to you. Pray about it. Seek the Lord’s will. Ask him what he would have you do and then go to lifespringmedia.com/support.

That’s the place. You can make a one-time donation or a weekly, monthly, or quarterly. I’ll thank you, and I believe God bless you.

[OUTRO S13E056 – 31:44]
Remember to send in your family pictures, Thanksgiving or not, send them to st***@*************ia.com with the subject line “Family album”. And also let me know if it’s okay to put them in the newsletter and website or either one or the other. And also send in your Christmas questions. Somebody is going to win that signed copy of my book and there’s a good chance it’ll be you, st***@*************ia.com with the subject line “Christmas question”.

Sister Kirsty does the newsletter, Brother Sean of San Pedro does the chapters, and Sister Denise corrects the transcripts, and I’m so thankful for their donation of time and talent God bless you guys.

Comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511 or by going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or emailing me at that address that you’ve heard me say so many times on this show. Remember to send in your prayer requests or praises at prayer.lifespringmedia.com or by emailing me and if you get anything out of this show, remember to go to lifespringmedia.com/support.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for making me a part of your day today. I am honored and I am Steve Webb. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye.

Lifespring Media, bringing the message of hope, love, and good news since 2004.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise