(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see why)
Focus Question:
What is most encouraging?
Intro:
What is the most encouraging thing you can hang your hat on? In times of doubt, or dealing with doubters? Or when wrestling with a family member who started following someone with a skewed sense of the Gospel? What is the bedrock you can come back to?
Yesterday, my friends, I tackled a big topic for our focus question and I almost didn’t publish it, doubting my own ability in light of my time constraints since I don’t get to do this full time. Today’s Focus Question, though, is lighter and, I trust encouraging. I hope you’ll be with me for our short — and encouraging — Bottom Line segment.
New Testament segment:
In our NT Segment yesterday we heard of the confrontation of Jesus by “teachers of the law from Jerusalem over the source of his undeniable authority and power (3:20–35),” and today “Jesus tells four parables that speak to the divisive impact of the mysterious nature of the kingdom of God.” And if we zoom out, tomorrow we’ll see Him perform “four mighty deeds that, parable-like, reveal the true source of his authority and what he has come to do.”(1)
Passage: Mark 4
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 41
Words: ~867
Are you ever afraid? For your job? Or what people will think of you? It’s ok. Here are the first-hand eyewitnesses going, “Whoah!” Hang with me for our Bottom Line segment today.
Old Testament segment:
In our OT Segment we hear of the restricted access for people and priests. Remember, “only the true people of God have access to worship a holy God (vv. 1–14). The priests, together with the other worshipers, must have clear lines of separation between the holy and unholy in their worship (vv. 15–31).”(2) And we’ll see how it goes, but we’ll likely also get into the next section which speaks to the restoration of justice, the worship calendar and procedures, too. Finally, if all this seems weird, at least ask Jesus to help you recall it as we catch a little more cool stuff as the book of Ezekiel comes to a close in the next few days.
Passage: Ezekiel 44-45:12
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 43
Words: ~1256
The bottom line:
What is the most powerful and encouraging thing you can believe? The Sunday School answer “Jesus” is a good start, but let me deepen that a little with credit to Gary Habermas who I first heard say this:
If Jesus rose from the dead, Christianity follows. ~ Dr. Gary Habermas
If Jesus rose from the dead, we know he actually lived and died. We know miracles happen. We know God exists. We know the Bible is true. We know He has the authority to say things that we should take seriously. We know that he’s both fully God and fully human. We know that, regardless of what anyone says, that when he says “I’m the way and the truth and the life,” that there can’t be more than one way to heaven — or even multiple interpretations…we might not all get it right, but only one interpretation can be true. We know that when he affirms uni-heterosexuality — that sex is awesome but only in the context of covenantal, one-man-one-woman union, that any other practice by anyone of any orientation is wrong. We know that there is no adjective on justice, that justice is inherently an issue of how people created in the image of God treat each other, and adding “economic” or “racial” or “social” as an adjective is someone likely idolizing just part of the total picture. In short, if Jesus rose from the dead, we have both the simplest thing to do — believe and proclaim that His is Lord and Savior — and the lifelong thing to do — to be transformed not by his guru-ness or philosophy, but by the renewing of our minds as He promised the Holy Spirit would do as we fall more in love with Him and the people in His world.
What is most encouraging? Jesus rose from the dead.
I love you. Amen? Amen.
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) D. A. Carson, “The Gospels and Acts,” in NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1776–1777.
(2) D. A. Carson, ed., NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 1479.