Truth Encounter: Deuteronomy: Recent Episodes
Dave Wyrtzen
Where can we find ethical absolutes in the post modern, relativistic world? Listen and discover the sustain principles Moses laid out for his people and the promise of a greater prophet who would save the world.
Before you get your scissors out and cut Deuteronomy 20 out of your Bible, why not listen and see if you can discover some of the reasons why God would command Joshua to exterminate the Canaanites.
Jesus stood before the tyrant Pilate, the Roman oppressor of Israel, and he said nothing. Why the silence?
If, as the Bible states, God is good and he is in control of history, how could there be all this violence?
The driver‘s breath couldn’t pass a breathalyzer. Do you have a right to attack this man who has just murdered your brother and injured your son? Where is God in this kind of chaos?
It is much more dangerous to walk on the streets of Dallas or New York than to take a stroll in Paris. How could it be that a culture that is supposed to be the most religious is so violent?
Moses feared Israel’s enticement into a world of sorcery, spiritism, and the occult. What do his intense warnings have to do with the temptations we face in the 21st century?
You are invited to place your hands slightly above the table. Suddenly the table appears to float in thin air, inanimate objects fly of their own accord, and you sense tremendous power. Is this just harmless fun?
Life is fragile. Who or what do you turn to when faced with life’s tendency to so easily break?
The destruction expands when we allow the failure of a few to cause us to become cynical about the whole pastoral profession. How does God sort out the faithful and the unfaithful, and how we should respond to moral hypocrisy among the clergy?
A controversial subject: the pastor’s salary? Perhaps we can discover some helpful hints from this passage when it is time to decide about the minister’s livelihood.
“I was born a Leo. What sign were you born under?” How much has astrology permeated our culture?
The land that began with the pilgrims now offers a smorgasbord of religious alternatives. How does an individual decide about this plethora of spiritual options? Is it the same as going to a Baskin Robbins and deciding what flavor of ice cream you want?
Doesn’t it make you angry when the rich and the famous face a different standard than the poor and the obscure? Take another look at truth and discover the reasons why the ethical marks of our creator don’t so easily disappear.
Lady Justice is blindfolded indicating that she is to be blind to wealth, race, or creed. Do you believe this ideal is approached in modern law courts? How does a culture decide what is right and what is wrong?
Worship services....We gather together. We sing. We read the Bible and then someone explains it. Why is this such an important event?
There is electrifying power in a crowd, but we need to be sure we gather with the right crowd for the right reasons.
Before you reject the idea of sleeping out under the stars once in a while for good, stay with us for the next few minutes. You might discover that the Bible itself has some interesting things to say about camping out.
If you find yourself accelerating and extending your work hours to support an increasing budget crunch to maintain your life style, then Truth Encounter today is designed for you.
In this culture of colossal grocery stores it is easy to forget where the food comes from and who we need to remember to thank.
As United States citizens we celebrate our freedom from sea to shiny sea on July 4th every year. If you are from another country you have your special days of liberation. Did you know that this same annual commemoration of a day of redemption and freedom was practiced in ancient Israel?
Description:Sales people become almost electrified as they close in on their biggest month and the possibility of winning the grand prize--a cruise in the Caribbean. A broker will work hours trying to be the biggest producer in his office, but is making more is not the most exciting thing you can do with your cash?
Every day in the mail you receive one of these incredible letters. They promise you only 5.6 % interest for the first five months. What is the danger, especially to the young who are just beginning to get their feet on the ground economically?
We all love to get the charcoal going, grill some hamburgers and then enjoy some good home-made ice cream. According to the Old Testament food laws, you are not allowed to have beef and ice cream in the same meal. Maybe God wants for those who truly love him to fast?
The Jewish people have preserved their identity through the centuries is by scrupulously observing the food laws of Moses and the Rabbis. Why did God declare some foods clean and others food unclean?
Imagine a ruler so wealthy that the crown jewels of the Queen of England pose no temptation to them. If we were to ask this ruler, “What is your most priceless possession?” How do you think they would respond?
We have moved out of the modern world of scientific rationalism into the mysterious post-modern world of transcendentalism and mystical powers. What does the true God have to say about all this experimentation on the other side of the spiritual dimension?
Just roll over and sleep on Sunday mornings? You may not realize it but you may have you begun to listen to the haunting, seductive melody of a spiritual pied piper who could be taking you towards a doorway of isolation and destruction?
What does it mean to love our enemies in this world of polarized camps? Can the Prince of Peace generate peace in our lives, our homes, and our world?
Involve God in your life and you will discover rigidity, suffocating obligations, and endless hours of penance! The Old Testament is sometimes held to be the reservoir of all this repression. Sadly, few read its pages first hand to discover the freedom, joy and celebration that is present in the true worship of God in both the Old and New Testaments.
Imagine a country filled with churches that are exquisite works of art, tourists traveling hundreds of miles to visit these churches, and a government that will pay the bill to maintain some of these historical places. Sound like a country where people are filled with an intense love for God and for his Son?
Remember the problems Moses had trying to lead two million Israelites to the Promised Land. How does God feel about insurrection--about the rejection of legitimate authority?
Authority is out in our culture and individual freedom is in. Are we really free when we reject the leaders God has given to us?
What does the worship of God have to do with accurate accounting procedures, diligent work habits, fair treatment of employees, and not using business stationery for personal needs?
Why do some nations prosper while others decay? As you look at the lives of nations and individuals, do you see any connection between prosperity and morality?
Where do you receive your orders for the day? Are you spending the personal time in the presence of your commander and chief so that you know what the enemy is doing and what you are supposed to be doing about it?
Discover a portion of Scripture that tells us some important facts about restoring our relationship with God when we mess up badly and think God has given up on us.
There are new voices speaking out for a return to such forgotten standards as moral purity, sacred marriage promises, and parents who make a commitment to sacrifice for their kids. Can we find some solid foundations for life in the 21st century from the 14th century BC?
In your walk with God did you realize that the day of victory can become dangerous ground?
Description:All of us know the trauma of defeat, but did you ever stop to consider that there can be greater dangers in the aftermath of victory?
Could it be that as we work our two jobs and feel guilty about the lack of time with our kids that we over compensate by not allowing them to face some of the hard times they need to face in order to learn what it takes to be successful in life?
Most of us in America worry more about dieting than about starving. In the midst of this sumptuous feast of material satisfaction why is there so much hunger in our souls?
Two adults. Decisions to be made. Why not have sexual pleasure which such a pleasing partner?
One of the biggest challenges to a biblical faith is that as we open the pages of the Bible we are faced not with a sweet romanticism but a history bathed in blood. To make the problem stickier, as we open to Deuteronomy chapter seven it is none other than the God of heaven who calls for his people to execute a holy war.
Our walls in our bedrooms and in our living rooms reveal a lot about where our lives are focused. That is why the Jewish prophet Moses advised his people to hang up something very important on the walls of their homes. What was it?
All great men and women have one thing in common--they are focused. They pour it out for a cause that is worth living for. If someone asked you to summarize your life in one simple sentence could you do it? What would you say?
God is not often presented as the powerful judge of the universe whose very presence causes all men, great and small, to cringe in fear before his awesome presence. If you have not seen the Father’s Old Testament holiness, you will never appreciate the reason for the pain and suffering of Calvary.
When we do wrong, our own conscience and guilt knows something needs to be done to make our case before the true, moral judge of the universe. Who is your mediator before the court of divine justice?
The true God defines idolatry on a far deeper level than whether or not you kneel before statues.
The ability to tell a lie in high drama is cultivated during years of deceit beginning with the little things. Truth is hard to get at.The Jewish prophet Moses knew this when he read the writing on the tablets from the finger of God--"Thou shalt not give false testimony against your neighbor."
“If someone stated that they were a born again believer, would this cause you to trust them more in a business transaction, trust them less, or have no effect?” Does a commitment to Jesus Christ translate into greater moral dependability?
We cherish the right to pursue the American dream. Material possessions are a big part of that dream, yet an increasing number are choosing to take the easy way to prosperity- stealing. What can be done to stop sticky fingers?
“On the prowl.” “A real party animal.” There is one overriding drive that fuels all this talk. Pride! Aren’t you tired of this obvious misplacement?
Sexual immorality is not about love. It is about ego. So how do you explain this business called “love?” What is it? Where can we find it?
When your own father or mother flees the scene because their libido dictated another location would be more exciting, it’s hard to trust anyone. If men and women will break their marriage promise, what else will they lie to us about?
An extra-marital relationship is an expected thing, but God still calls it “sin!” What preventatives are needed to protect ourselves from this deadly sin?
Things are stressed out at the office. The IRS has just called you …life sometimes pushes and pushes and pushes. Many of us respond to the pressure by getting angry. We excuse it. It’s the way we are, yet this inner tension can explode into an act of violence for which we will never be able to forgive ourselves.
Police officers are shocked by the intensity of the violence committed by even young children. A desire for safety will lead an increasing number to call for the government to apply force to provide for the security of citizens, but what is needed is to rebuild homes where dads and mom take their parenting responsibility as a direct assignment from God and where kids know they are loved and know they are to obey.
Are we going to continue to believe that we can sustain a society where everyone does their own thing and no one is responsible to anyone except their own desires for personal satisfaction?
Too many irons in the fire? If you don’t keep your nose to the grindstone, your business, your church, your career will collapse. If any of this sounds familiar then the next few minutes could save your life.
When your alarm goes off early in the morning what drives you to get up? Unless we are suffering from severe depression most of us can think of a few things that get us perking.
Lifeguards, liberating forces, and philanthropists can expect adoration and devotion from the rescued. Once upon a time there was an entire nation that was held in the vice grip of slavery. Who saw their plight and came to deliver?
Consider what is simply called in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament- THE TEN WORDS. Both Judaism and Christianity count them as the foundational, moral principles expressing what is required in our relationship with God and with one another. What must we do to incorporate them as the guiding norms of our lives?
What is the greatest event of your lifetime? Thirty four hundred years ago the founder of the Jewish nation asked this same question to a crowd of over two million founding citizens. How did they answer and does it compare with the incredible discoveries of our life time?
Beware! Our God is a jealous God. How could this kind of exclusiveness and intolerant narrowness ever be right?
More than five thousand years ago the Sumerian people nestled in the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates gave us the gift of writing. The Egyptians at the other end of the Fertile Crescent gave us the gift of artistic culture and meticulously designed pyramids. But nestled in between these two lived a people who gave us a far more priceless gift. Who were these people and what gift is more priceless than writing and organized culture?
Radio telescopes probe deep into the vastness of the universe searching and listening for some voice, some evidence of intelligent life. This hunger for a voice from beyond lies deep in the human heart and is unique to our race. Is there life beyond this planet, beyond this present existence? Is there somebody bigger than you and I?
A soundbite generation. Apply this communication theory to your moral and spiritual training and it means that your pastor needs to package his material in a twenty minute, easy to digest, pep talk. Are you hungry for some meat you can get your teeth into?
Would you consider floggings, and rejection by his peers and family a life of comfort and ease? Maybe this idea of coming to Jesus in order to find and easy life hasn’t told us the Gospel truth.
Would you consider floggings, and rejection by his peers and family a life of comfort and ease? Maybe this idea of coming to Jesus in order to find and easy life hasn’t told us the Gospel truth.
Have you ever competed in a tug of war? Your triceps begin to shake and you don’t think you can hold on. Suddenly someone from the crowd yells for you to pull harder. Why don’t they top cheering and start pulling? You may have felt this same frustration in your work for the Lord. How can we learn not to get mad and quit but instead, help people to move out of the stands into the front lines of active service?
Maybe when you think about your roots there were some bad decisions. Does this mean that you are locked into a life of failure?
Have you ever considered that possibly you have settled for a nice comfortable snooze in your spiritual life when God wants you to wake up and get going?
Abandon the packaged “Sound Bites” and force your ears to listen. Let’s get at the very heart of where our moral decisions come from.