Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Jesus accuses his listener's MOTHER in this passage.   Obviously that is incredibly offensive.  Then He gives the data:  You don't look like the father that you are claiming.  You walk and talk and have the mannerisms of another father.  That guy turns out to be the DEVIL, so this gets even worse tomorrow. Someone has snuck into your family, into the walled garden, impregnated your mothe...

Question:  Do you Want to be FREE? Answer:  Does His Word FIND A PLACE in you?   Would you describe your relationship with Him and His Word as ABIDING? This might be the most attractive thing about becoming a believer for some.  Jesus gives us a "get out of jail card" that has two aspects: The first is freedom from the PENALTY of Sin.  That is not what this passage is about. The second i...

Wouldn't it be great if BELIEF was just the first step? Wouldn't it be great if The Good Lord wants to help us attack our stickiest problems? Wouldn't it be great if that which I have unsuccessfully tried to change could actually be changed? Wouldn't it be great if my "get out of jail card" was not just for the FUTURE, but also for the PRESENT? Wouldn't it be gre...

Don't say Jesus never claimed to be God.  He does so definitively in this passage. In fact, He did yesterday in Episode #218 as well.  After hearing that Jesus claimed a piece of spiritual real estate of Exodus 3:14, today they ask a real question: WHO ARE YOU? Well, Jesus answers today.  Clearly.   With an eye to HISTORY:  Lifting up the serpent in the wilderness of Numbers 21 With an eye to...

Imagine playing a game of SPIRITUAL HOT POTATO.  Except you have no one to off load your hot potato to.  Just you.  When the buzzer goes off you are holding the HOT POTATO.  You lose. Similarly, this is the problem that every single one of us has.  We have this sin problem.  This passage centers around the question, "What will you do about your sin?"  Popular choices are to DENY or to tr...

Jesus is back in His dispute with the Pharisees.  They are superficially wrestling with what makes a testimony true.  It is a continuation of an argument they started in John 5.  Jesus more than holds his own. In this passage Jesus says something a little strange.  "I judge no one."  Whew!  What a relief.  But wait, I am PREVIOUSLY judged?  But wait, I will be judged in the FUTURE?  Wait...

Once again we circle back to the TITLE of this podcast.  Be With Me.   Whoever follows me Will not Walk in darkness  But will have  THE LIGHT OF LIFE. Jesus just got done saying that HE was and is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.  Therefore, I think He is saying, "you (can) get ME".  Yes I am the inventor, and maker and producer of light.  I am the guy that can give you and does give you the STUF...

Jesus says I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD .  Join me in considering that today. First, we have got to just stand in awe that He invented it.  The third verse in the whole Bible says so.  We'll skip some of the science, but what a feat to design it, to implement it, and then to sustain it for all these years.  I am amazed at the thought of it. Then Light separates days and seasons and years.  (Ge...

God has designed all of us with sexual engines.  Fortunately, God has also a fantastic provision for the care, feeding, and enjoyment of that sexual engine.  It is called marriage.   In that design we first stand under He who designed it as Author.  We are not our own. Then, we freely give the authority we did have to the other citizen in our kingdom of marriage.  There is some very heavy duty rig...

Who exactly is the Boss of SEX?  Who invented it?  Who designed it?  Who is the AUTHOR of it?  Who holds the authority? What duties do I owe and to whom? Who is the boss of my ZIPPER?  Today we will consider the sovereignty of sexuality. The Woman caught in adultery will focus our attention on this topic, whether or not these 11 verses are authoritative scripture.   Adultery is giving the benefits...

Nicodemus gets the best Gospel Good News/Bad News presentation of all time in John 3.  Just like reality, we don't really find out if he BELIEVES until later.  We get our first hint in John 7 when Nicodemus DEFENDS Jesus at some peril to himself.  But the real evidence is in John 19: 39. Quick quiz:  Who buried Jesus?  Joseph of Arimethea.  Right?  Jesus was buried in his tomb. Essential Oil...

The Best "Gospel presentation" of all time is in today's podcast.  But before we get there just a word about the only guy in the audience, Nicodemus. You can't BELIEVE what Jesus SAYS to Nicodemus (John 3:16) You can't BELIEVE what Nicodemus SAYS for Jesus (John 7:50 ) You can't BELIEVE what Nicodemus DOES for Jesus (John 19:39) Good News:  For God so loved.  God gave...

Just when you thought this couldn't get any better...  No, not the podcast, but what Jesus says to our real friend, Nicodemus.  Yesterday we got the first half of Jesus undoing Nicodemus to his very core.  "You must be born again".  Nicodemus is confused but curious.  We start with Nicodemus very early in the ministry of Jesus.  Only the calling of the disciples and the wedding at C...

Nicodemus DEFENDS Jesus at great peril in John 7:51.  But the story doesn't START there. Nicodemus has met Jesus before, probably years before.  Jesus did not live in Jerusalem, but went there multiple times to go to the feasts.  During one of the Passovers that Jesus  attended in Jerusalem Nicodemus comes to Jesus at NIGHT.  He comes with some observations, (which are wrong, listen to podcas...

The hilarious part of today's passage is that those who were tasked with arresting Jesus failed miserably.  They get gobsmacked spiritually by Jesus teaching.  "No-one ever spoke like this man".  No kidding.  Jesus is the Christ and Messiah and Prophet.  Or He isn't.   That is what people are trying to figure out in the passage.  Some are really trying :  Considering.  Asking q...

Thirst is essential to life it show us that we are in NEED it acts as an ALARM it needs to be satisfied outside of yourself Here, Jesus blows our mind and tells us that we can be a "bubbling brook" for others (Proverbs 18:4).  A couple of things have to happen first: we have to be thirsty we have to turn our toes and feet and hearts toward Jesus in coming and believing He has to generous...

I f I Could Ask Jesus ONE QUESTION .  John 7:35 (Episode #206) Jesus is at the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem.  Some of the people there charm me.  In Episode #205 they are asking, "Could this be the Christ?"  Today, they are trying to sincerely understand some mysterious things that Jesus says.  I am an admirer of GENUINE INQUIRY.  God is an admirer of Genuine Inquiry.  This really seems...

We all have limited knowledge. There are some choice things here that the people of Jerusalem do that commend themselves to us: they come to belief they believe the miracles and activities of Jesus they listened to Jesus they listened to Jesus say some big things they didn't quite get their arms all the way around they wrestle with their (LIMITED) knowledge of scripture they don't hate J...

The PLACE where SINS DISAPPEAR 2 Chron 3:1 (Episode #204) This is the key verse.  We DISCOVER that the place where the hand of the avenging angel of the Lord is STAYED, and where David builds and altar of thanks (at the Lord's location direction) is not a random place at all.  It is on MOUNT MORIAH.   Wowser!  This is the same place that Abraham encountered the Lord in the non-sacrifice of Is...

David does an excellent job of sinning.  He also does and excellent job of repenting. Then he builds an ALTAR to the LORD at the Lord's DIRECTION and at the Lord's LOCATION .  Will it work?  Will the Lord be satisfied?  Will there be an atonement in this location?  Will the hand of the Lord's WRATH be STAYED?  Is this where the Lord now wants to AUTHORIZE as His special place on ear...

In John 7 the citizens are confused that the authorities LET JESUS TEACH in the TEMPLE. They were concerned about PLACE. Why?  Because it is such a special place.  Does the TEMPLE MAKE IT a special place? or, does the Temple just RECOGNIZE that it already WAS a special place? Let's find out how it got to be such a special place.  We have searched to 2000BC to Mt. Moriah with Abraham and the N...

David: I'll build you a House (temple). God: No, I'll build you a HOUSE (heritage) 2 Sam 7 (Episode #201) We are wondering why Jesus teaching in the Jerusalem TEMPLE was such a big deal.  Place is important.  Here, we find out something that is even MORE important.   We will look at the "foundations" of the Temple that Jesus is speaking in physically.  It involves a decision to...

Why Is there an Israel? Why is there a Jerusalem? Why is there a City of David? Why did the Temple stand in a specific PLACE What did God do there BEFORE any of that? We will be centering today on the importance of PLACE. The reason the Temple in Jerusalem stood there was because of the Lord's Choice.   Good stuff happened there.   First-Resurrection-Faith happened there with Abraham after th...

The folks of Jerusalem are confused in 33AD why the authorities let Jesus teach in the TEMPLE, in JERUSALEM.  It WAS the most important place on earth. We have the (only and) Most Important God. That is why they built a temple THERE.  In that exact place.  It is a very important place on our planet.  Before they built a temple there, one could argue it was the most important place on the earth.  T...

Perhaps you are frustrated because you "cannot keep the law"; you cannot be as good of a person as you might envision yourself to be.  You may have an understanding of yourself that is not exactly the image that you portray to the world.  It might be a little less pretty on the insides. If so, you are in good company.  If you are one who is FRUSTRATED with being one "who is obligate...