Core of the Bible: Recent Episodes
Steve Martorano
As I mentioned last time, we are currently doing a little miniseries on the titles for God’s people. Over these few episodes, we are looking at the following terms in some detail: believer and Christian, the Remnant and the Elect, the Church and the Body, and the Bride of Christ. These are all terms that by most accounts are considered synonymous and applicable to the people today who claim to believe in Messiah. However, I intend to look at scriptural reasons as to why I believe this is not the case, how most of those terms do not apply to God’s people today, and yet how God has worked within these various aspects of his people over the ages to accomplish specific things for the good of all.
In summary, the remnant and the elect are closely tied together. In New Testament usage, the elect or election appears to be synonymous with the remnant, or those through whom God would be doing a specific work.
Romans 11:5 - In the same way, then, there is alsoat the present time a remnant chosen by grace.
The word used here for chosen comes from the same Greek root phrase that is used for the elect, and Paul, speaking of events taking place at that time, says that the elect group, the group of the chosen, was the remnant. Today we discuss how the remnant was prophesied to be the group of faithful ones from among Israel, "the elect" then, would be another way of describing those from among Israel who were considered the faithful ones with whom God maintained his covenant relationship in that generation, and through whom God would be glorified.
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
What's the difference between being a believer and a Christian, the Remnant and the Elect, the Church and the Body, and the Bride of Christ? These are all terms that by most accounts are considered synonymous and applicable to the people today who claim to believe in Messiah. However, over the next several episodes I intend to look at scriptural reasons as to why I believe this is not the case, how most of those terms do not apply to God’s people today, and yet how God has worked within these various aspects of his people over the ages to accomplish specific things for the good of all.
My definition of a biblical believer is someone whose actions and lifestyle express their faith in Yahweh as the one true God, and in Yeshua as his Messiah, or Anointed One. A non-believer's actions demonstrate that they have no faith in Yahweh as the one true God, or in Yeshua as the Messiah, even if they claim to be associated with believers.
Most people who call themselves Christians today are not aware of the academic dispute about the actual phrase used in the Greek: was it christianoi meaning "anointed ones" or "those who follow the anointed" or was the term chrestianoi meaning "good ones" or "those who do good"? There is only one letter difference in the Greek between these two terms, and based on some convincing manuscript evidence (like the Codex Sinaiticus of the 4th century), some scholars think that chrestianoi is the original or preferred rendering.
Next time, we'll be looking at the terms "remnant and elect", so be sure to come back and visit for more perspectives on these titles of God's people.
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Luke 24:44-47 – Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
While the details of these conversations that Yeshua had with these disciples and the explanation of how he fulfilled what was written in the Tanakh are not recorded for us, I believe we can still glean some of the passages that he may have represented to those disciples by reading how the early believing congregations interpreted key passages from Moses, the psalms, and the prophets.
Yeshua’s resurrection proved that everything Moses was for the natural, fleshly nation of Israel, Yeshua was going to be for the spiritual, heavenly kingdom of God.
That Yeshua was not just like Moses, but was also a prophet is illustrated by these few examples.
- He foresaw his own death and resurrection. Mark 8:31: “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.“
- Yeshua also prophesied of the expansion of the worship of the one true God beyond the land and leadership of Israel. John 4:20-21 – [The woman at the well said] “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Yeshua told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
- He foresaw the complete destruction of the temple within that generation. Matthew 24:1-2, 34 – As Yeshua left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.” … “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place."
Isaiah 9:7 – The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will accomplish this.
This prophetic announcement of the permanent rule of Messiah over God’s Kingdom, a David-like figure, became the hope of Israel. Even to this day, Jews are expectantly awaiting their Messiah. Sadly, they do not recognize that he has come and he is already reigning in the eternal kingdom of God.
Psalm 110 is one of the most quoted passages in the New Testament writings.
Psalm 110:1-4 – A Psalm of David. Yahweh says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
This teaches us how Yeshua’s resurrection established him not only as the permanent ruler of God’s Kingdom, but also a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. The writer to the Hebrews explains how this oath of God ensured that Messiah had to rise from the dead in order to establish the eternal priesthood within his Kingdom.
Without an eternal Prophet, we cannot know the will of God. Without an eternal King, we have no righteous authority. Without an eternal Priest, we have no atonement for sin. However, the whole thing put together results in a beautiful harmony of God’s three-fold provision for his people, and for any who choose to align themselves with the God of Israel. He has established his eternal King upon his throne, an eternal Prophet who reveals the will (or Word) of God to his people forever, and an eternal Priest who always lives to intercede for those who come to him.
Well, this series has been a long journey and has taken us into some areas that are not typically reviewed in the context of resurrection. However, I truly hope that through all of these scriptural detours and rabbit holes that there are at least a couple of concepts and ideas to encourage you to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
I believe for us to understand Daniel better, we will need to view it together with the teachings of Yeshua. Both of these passages have a larger context which can help us gain some of these insights.
As I have already suggested earlier, the judgment that was imminent in the day of Yeshua and his disciples was the complete annihilation of the city of Jerusalem, and the removal of the temple system, both of which had become extremely corrupt. The power of the holy people was about to be shattered, once and for all time. This theme of the coming judgment was the theme of both John the baptizer and Yeshua:
Matthew 3:7, 10, 12 - But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he [John] said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ... Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ... His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Matthew 4:17 - From then on Yeshua began to preach, "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near."
This was to be a judgment on Jerusalem and Israel, not the whole world, as can be seen in the prophecies concerning the resurrection concept.
The main thrust of the resurrection Daniel discusses eternal life. As mentioned earlier, this element of eternal life is what separates Daniel's prophecy from those of Isaiah and Ezekiel that we reviewed last time. This fact, along with its specific timing and corroboration with Yeshua's teaching places the representative resurrection/restoration of believers into the sphere of the eternal, and not just a worldly kingdom. The corrupted fleshly city of Jerusalem was about to be transformed into the spiritual city on a hill, the "true light of the world which could not be hidden," (Matthew 5:14).
Well, with everything we've covered today, I'm hoping there's at least a couple of concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Isaiah 26:19 - Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Ezekiel 37:1-3, 11-14 - The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of Yahweh and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." ... Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off [from the land].' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel [from your state of exile]. Andyou shall know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live [you shall be "resurrected"], and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares Yahweh."
While both of these resurrection passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel can provide us with study material on its own, taken together we can see how this collective resurrection theme or motif is consistent with the idea of a national revival or reawakening from a previously dead and disconnected or exiled state. In the historical context, each of these prophets was prophesying to the nation of Israel of a promise for them to be revived and renewed as a people of God's favor among which he resides and in which he is honored and glorified. This renewal was looked at as being so dramatic as to represent becoming alive again from the dead.
The New Testament writings reveal that despite the lack of spiritual revival in the restored nation of Israel, there remained a deep and abiding unspoken hope that another revolutionary figure would arise and establish Israel's independence once and for all. The golden age of David and Solomon was hoped to be reestablished, where spiritual truth would once again flow from Mount Zion to the ends of the earth.
For example, at the miraculous provision of the loaves and fishes, we read the following:
John 6:11, 14-15 - Then Yeshua took the loaves, and after giving thanks he distributed them to those who were seated -- so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. ... When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This truly is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Therefore, when Yeshua realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
The writer to the early Hebrew believers in Messiah related how this light would shine from the prophetic city of Zion:
Hebrews 12:22-24 - But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Yeshua, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
The ages of men would come and go, but the age of the Kingdom would be eternal and would reach to the ends of the earth. As we have seen, both Isaiah and Ezekiel spoke not just of physical bodily resurrections, but they used the language of collective resurrection to illustrate the physical restoration of the nation to the land after their captivities, providing the appearance of a destroyed nation being resurrected to life once again. But their resurrection prophecies also hinted at a spiritual revival that would usher in a new age which would never end.
This theme of physical restoration to the land was a hint, a foreshadowing of future glory. Even during the time of judgment and destruction of Jerusalem, its demise would not be the cessation of God's people, but they would ultimately be transformed into something grander and everlasting as the prophetic Zion, the new Jerusalem described in the prophets and apocalyptic literature.
I really hope that these discussions on the topic of resurrection are bringing you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Like every other grand doctrine in the Bible, the topic of resurrection is not without its own complexity. I have found that resurrection is a wide-ranging topic in the Bible. Within its pages there are mentions of many individual resurrections, but there are also indications of collective types of resurrection, as well. Additionally, in a prophetic sense, resurrection is tied together with aspects of judgment which helps to illustrate the national arc of ancient Israel. All of this is combined with the use of ancient metaphorical and literary word pictures which can further distance us from the culture in which these concepts are presented.
The complexity of this concept is evident even among the Jews in the time of Yeshua, as there was sharp disagreement between the Pharisees and Sadducees on the nature and reality of resurrection.
Matthew 22:31-32 – “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
So, what exactly was Yeshua driving at by bringing up this statement of Yahweh at the burning bush? This same passage is related by Matthew, Mark and Luke, so it obviously carried some heavy weight with the early believers. By saying that “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living,” Yeshua appears to be teaching that at least the righteous dead (exemplified by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) were to be considered alive to God, and therefore, already in a resurrection state. While the Sadducees were talking of a general resurrection in a future tense (who’s wife will she be?), Yeshua speaks about it in the present tense (they do not marry and are like angels in heaven). This implied that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all of whom had lived physical lives fifteen hundred to two thousand years prior to the time of Yeshua, by the power of God had been retaining their identities and were to be considered already living in the resurrection state.
Yeshua would have made his point clearly that the Sadducees not only did not understand the true nature of Scripture but also the power of God to provide life after physical death for the faithful. In these passages Yeshua seems to me to be implying that the righteous dead are already living in a resurrected state of some sort. For us, this broadens the meaning of the resurrection to become illustrative of the reality of life after physical death for believers.
John 17:3 – And this is [present tense] eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Yeshua Messiah whom you have sent.
Well, it's my sincere hope that this introduction to the topic of resurrection has brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Eighth Day is related in the Bible only as a day of consecration, offerings, assembly, and rest. It has been viewed as joined to the seven-day festival of Sukkot, yet distinct from it as a separate appointment day. In Hebrew culture, it is known as Shemini Atzeret, a phrase literally meaning Eighth-Assembly, or gathering. During the Second Temple period and the time of Yeshua, this appointment day became filled with traditions surrounding a water ceremony, asking for God’s blessing of rain for the coming year’s crops. Since it comes immediately on the heels of the great harvest festival of Sukkot, these new crops would begin getting planted after the conclusion of this celebration.
From viewing passages that mention the eighth day, we can see that the eighth day has to do with the following themes and rites:
- consecration or setting apart of the priests, firstborn and sacrificial animals, and circumcision of male infants (indicating a setting apart from the world)
- ritual cleansing from impurities related to death and uncleanness
- new beginnings at the completion of faithful obedience
In these aspects, the Eighth Day therefore becomes representative of cleansing and being set apart for God’s purposes. It is a day of new beginnings, where uncleanness involving blood and death is left behind.
We have to remember that the Bible is a book written by Hebrew people, for Hebrew people. In their culture, judgment had to do with God’s disfavor, while life had to do with his favor. Yeshua proclaimed that the word which he spoke would judge individuals on the last day. This did come to pass as the nation was judged within that generation, demonstrated by the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Remember, Yeshua had prophesied that judgment would be passed upon that very generation, those who were alive at that time.
As the last day of the annual appointed times, there are no more; it is the termination of God’s appointed times for the year. The root meaning of the solemn assembly implies a restraining, or a retaining aspect. Jewish thinkers throughout the ages have interpreted this day as a yearning to prolong the last appointed time of the year by one more day; a longing to remain in God’s presence and the presence of his people before departing the festival days until the following year.
In like respects, man is appointed only one life, the timing and length of which is in God’s hands. Though we may desire to linger just a bit longer with family and friends in our community of faith, there comes a time where the offerings are complete, and rest has come. As the holiday comes at the culmination of the agricultural cycle, it provides hope for a new beginning in God’s presence at the culmination of this life, just like the new crops were to begin being planted after the harvest cycle was completed.
The day of Shemini Atzeret, the Eighth Gathering, intimates that believers are to be joined with the Spirit of God in the company of the faithful after the pure offering of a righteous life, providing hope for renewed life in God’s Kingdom and presence for eternity to come.
Well, it's my sincere hope that these studies on the fall festivals of the biblical calendar have brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Thanks for joining me today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
To begin with, these events were to be remembered symbolically by living in sukkot for a week once a year to remind them of those desert wanderings and the provision of God. The sukkot or shelters served as a reminder, not only of the shelters they lived in during that time, but of the shelter and protection of God during the desert wanderings.
Additional symbols of this week include the command to rejoice in that which God has provided. This is a harvest festival after all, sometimes called the Feast of Ingathering.
Along with celebration in the provision of God is the theme of rest, with the first and last days being Sabbaths, or days of rest. The rest after a great harvest provides a deep sense of satisfaction and joy, as it is the completion of all of the hard work that has occurred throughout the spring and summer months.
Each day was also to have an offering made by fire, which as we have seen in other studies as being representative of complete consummation in service to God. Even through the rejoicing in the hard physical work which has been completed, there was always to be a remembrance of who was ultimately responsible for their bounty, and their undivided devotion to his purposes.
Besides the celebratory aspect of the waving of the branches, this command in Leviticus comes on the heels of the previous verse which states to celebrate the holiday “for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land,” (Leviticus 23:39). This produce of the land would naturally include the fruit of the various fruit-producing trees of the land as well.
Ultimately, Yeshua claims to be the very source of the true branches and fruit in which believers can rejoice for all time:
John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
So if we are to carry the themes of the First Exodus with Moses into this Second Exodus beginning with the ministry of Messiah Yeshua, we can conclude the nation of Israel in the first century was being disciplined during this time for rejecting God’s promised kingdom which Yeshua announced during his ministry. Yeshua had taken them to the brink of the land so they could see the Kingdom of God for themselves, but they wavered in faith and rejected his message, just as Caleb and Joshua’s report was denied. They were choosing instead to hold tight to the principles of Egypt (the political world and their traditions) rather than recognize the presence of God among his people to lead them into the spiritual land of promise: Zion.
Well, I hope these studies on the fall festivals of the biblical calendar are bringing you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The Day of Atonement encompassed humility of fasting, burnt offerings, and sabbath rest. From these examples we can see how significantly God focused on the heart of the believer in approaching this day. They were to be sincerely humble, thanking God for his provision, delivering their whole selves to him, and understanding they were recognizing this day as an intermission, a hold or pause button in their busy schedules.
Because the ancient Day of Atonement was a national event, the disobedience of the nation was completely resolved through dual atonements of the goat of sacrifice and the goat of departure. In Yeshua’s day, this same result was effected through his simple and profound faithfulness in submitting to the will of the Father. As Israel’s representative king, he willingly took on the sins of the entire nation at once, allowing the covenant of Sinai to be fulfilled before Yahweh, and releasing those who placed their faith in him from the effects of sin and death. All that has been required for his people is faith in the substitutionary gift of himself, just as faith in the substitutionary goats was required in the original institution.
As mentioned in the previous discussion surrounding Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets), this period of the fall cycle of biblical holidays is the corroborating balance of the spring cycle. In the spring pattern, God raised up Moses as a deliverer for Israel from slavery and the worldliness of Egypt. In the fall pattern, God raised up Messiah to deliver his people from slavery to sin and the worldliness of corrupted religion. Just as the lamb at Passover provided physical deliverance from death for the firstborn of each family, the Yom Kippur ritual provided spiritual deliverance from sin for the firstborn nation of God: Israel. As Yom Kippur is six months removed from Passover, it is the counter-balance of the annual cycle, harking back to the same redemptive themes of that event. They are both about God redeeming and delivering his people from both sin and death; two witnesses to the faithful work of God.
As Israel was to be a light for the rest of the nations, the patterns established in their history still teach us in the nations about God’s faithfulness today. Since the spiritual Kingdom was established at the time of Yeshua, and it is eternally growing until it fills the earth, we can apply principles learned by their example. The principles set down in their narrative allow us to draw conclusions about how God desires to interact with all of humanity for all time.
Well, I hope these studies on the fall festivals of the biblical calendar are bringing you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Once again, thanks for joining me today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
MORE INFO:
Visit the blog articles and full podcast archive at: coreofthebible.org
Email questions or comments to Steve at: coreofthebible@gmail.com
MUSIC:
All music in today's episode: "Brittle Rille" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In the Exodus narrative, we learn that the presence of God on Sinai with this shofar-blast was the occasion in which he himself spoke the Ten Commandments (or Ten Words) to the entire nation at once. Because the force and sound of the words were so frightening (perhaps so loud as to have been considered "ear-splitting"), the Israelites begged Moses, as their representative, to go and speak with God himself, and then bring the information back to them so they could be spared having to listen to God speak directly to them. God then delivered to him the Ten Commandments, which became the cornerstone of the covenant that the people made with God in that day.
On this annual appointment day, the shofar is sounded as a reminder, a memorial, of the importance of God's instruction (torah) which was summarized in the Ten Commandments. The trumpet represents God appearing on Sinai and announcing his standards of conduct for his covenant people. They were to be his physical kingdom representatives on earth, and this was the outline of their constitution. This Kingdom of God was about to become a physical reality on the earth, and they were expected to be obedient to his ways and to abandon the ways of Egypt and the surrounding nations. This horn-blast was a symbol of awe to remind them of God's power and majesty, which was to have brought them to self-reflection and repentance.
In the same way, this day should be for us a memorial of that same event, as if we were standing at the foot of that fiery, quaking mountain, a shofar-like blast piercing through our bodies amidst the deafening peals of thunder at the awesome sound of God's voice. Remember the voice of God; this is what the day is for. On that day he spoke his torah, his instruction, in the declaration of those ten phrases we have come to know as the Ten Commandments.
Well, I hope this introduction to the fall festivals of the biblical calendar brings you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Once again, thanks for joining me today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
To quickly review, last time we examined the first two premises: how atonement was represented in the past through the biblical calendar and the Day of Atonement and also the significance of blood sacrifices in general. We also reviewed how Yeshua conveyed his role as the Good Shepherd, the Ransom, and the founder of the new covenant sealed with his own life.
Today, we are moving into the New Testament writings and how Yeshua's disciples interpreted his life and death.
- Lamb of God
- Paschal lamb (lamb sacrificed at Passover)
- Mediator/High Priest (Day of Atonement)
In all of these examples, God was teaching his people through object lessons, patterns, and foreshadowing that they would have understood from their own writings of how the fulfillment of these preparatory examples were completed and fulfilled in his Anointed One, his Messiah. Once we rise above the limiting horizon of scholarly theories, tradition, and orthodoxy, we can then begin to see the biblical picture of atonement for what it truly is. The atonement that Messiah provided was not one of literal blood sacrifice to calm the wrath of an angry deity, but a representative and allegorical atonement providing mercy and reconciliation that reaches into the very depths of each soul who trusts in him, Jew and non-Jew alike. The mercy and reconciliation of this atonement provides true freedom from sin and causes us to walk in the righteous ways of Yahweh as he always intended: from the heart, not through the traditions and rituals of men. Anyone, therefore, who exhibits faith in Messiah is therefore accepted into the Kingdom, and this is how it was always designed by God to be from the very beginning: to start like a seed from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then at the fulfillment of all things in Messiah, to spread and grow like a blossoming tree until it fills the earth.
Well, I hope this two-part study on the atonement brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Thanks for listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In order to view atonement from an authoritative biblical stance, it made sense to me to consider it by identifying the following categories:
- How was atonement represented in Israel’s past (the Old Testament, or Tanakh)
- How did Yeshua view his role in that worldview
This whole ritual on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is a vivid illustration of themes that would have been commonly understood within that culture and that are continually built on in later biblical stories.
God has ordained that the the symbolic aspect of animal sacrifice in the process of atonement is that its blood is substituted in a representative way for the life of the one presenting the sacrifice. The one offering the sacrifice is essentially saying to God, “My life is now intertwined with the life of this creature which is provided completely to you.” While the offerer continues to live, they have had to provide something of great value to them as a substitute for their own life. This then would become the deterrent to future sin because of the high cost of sacrificing a perfectly good animal which would have had great value to an agrarian family, especially one that was perfectly healthy as it had to be provided without blemish.
As the primary indicator of atonement, I think it’s most important to see how Yeshua himself viewed his role and mission as it applies to this concept. These include the themes of the Good Shepherd, the Ransom, and as the institution of a new blood covenant.
The new covenant was not about a new set of instructions; it was about a new location for the existing instructions: on the heart instead of on pieces of stone in a box.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 – “Look, the days are coming” – this is Yahweh’s declaration – ”when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt – my covenant that they broke even though I am their master” – Yahweh’s declaration. “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” – Yahweh’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Next time, we will continue into the writings of the New Testament to see how this concept of atonement was viewed in relation to the work of Yeshua, and I will hopefully be able to provide some measure of summarizing all of this information in order to make it more applicable for us today.
Well, I hope this first part of our study on the atonement brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Thanks for listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
When Yeshua arrived on the scene in the years of his public ministry, he was proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God and how God was establishing it among those who would believe in that generation. Yeshua’s salvation was all about the Jews and forming a remnant of faithful believers (i.e., children of Abraham) from among the non-belief of the wider Jewish community to carry the message of the Kingdom of God to that generation and beyond. He came primarily for the lost sheep of Israel, to reconcile them to the God of their ancestors from the condition of apostasy that they had descended to. His focus was that they would be saved from the wrath of God about to be poured out on that generation by repenting of their sinful ways.
To accomplish this feat of collective repentance of the remnant, this would mean individuals would need to repent of their sinful actions. This is why salvation many times appears to be personal and spiritual. For national repentance to take place, individuals must repent of individual disobedience. If this is the case, then this puts forgiveness of sins and salvation in a new light for modern eyes and ears: that perhaps the thrust of these New Testament passages are speaking about a collective, national salvation and restoration much more than a personal and private one. However, a personal and private repentance and experience of salvation would result in growing the overall restoration of the nation. This is the logic behind the Kingdom of God language.
In summary, when the Bible speaks of salvation, it is almost always in the context of Israel’s national unity and restoration. It is this context in which the Kingdom of God is preached by John the baptizer and Yeshua, a warning of impending judgment upon Israel’s unfaithfulness and yet a promise of a new and everlasting hope for all who would repent and accept their Messiah. As the national phase of Israel in that first century was disappearing, that is, the “[then] present Jerusalem” (Galatians 4:25), it was simultaneously ushering in the “Jerusalem [from] above” (Galatians 4:26), an eternal city whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10, 16), the prophetic city of Zion (Hebrews 12:22) whose gates would never be shut (Revelation 21:25) and where the presence of God would always remain with his people for all time (Revelation 22:3-5). This, then, is what I consider to be the good news of salvation and participation in the Kingdom of God!
I hope this broad overview of salvation and the Kingdom of God brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there.
Once again, thanks for joining me today!
You can find the full text of the "Kingdom of God" article referenced in today's episode here.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
While most people studying the Bible recognize that God made covenants with Abraham, they misunderstand or overlook how Abraham’s relationship with God came about. To begin with, God simply made seven promises to Abraham before any covenants were enacted.
Genesis 12:1-4 Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;
- And I will make you a great nation,
- And I will bless you,
- And make your name great;
- And so you shall be a blessing;
- And I will bless those who bless you,
- And the one who curses you I will curse.
- And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
So Abram went forth as Yahweh had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
At this point, no covenant was in place; God simply promised that all of these things would come about. Here the Bible tells us that Abraham simply believed in these promises of the one true God. This is the exhibition of faith that Abraham is primarily remembered for. Understanding this principle is key to how the apostle Paul would use this simple faithfulness of Abraham later on in his letters to illustrate faith in Messiah.
Galatians 3:16, 29 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Messiah ... for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua. And if you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.
The physical covenants and genealogies were for physical blessings for Abraham's fleshly descendants through Jacob. They were necessary and proper until the fulfillment of the promises and covenants in Messiah. From Yeshua’s time on, genealogies would no longer be necessary, since they had served their purpose of identifying Abraham's ultimate "seed," Messiah. Physical covenants related to blessings of the land would also no longer be necessary, as the children of Abraham would be defined by their simple faith in God’s Messiah. And this would not be to gain or prosper in a specific, physical land but to live in an eternal, universal Kingdom covering the entire earth.
Those who exhibit this faith in God by believing in his Messiah, just like Abraham's elementary faith, will be counted within the idiomatic expression of believers spanning many ages, known collectively as "children of Abraham." These are the ones whom, like Yeshua taught, will "come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven," (Matthew 8:11).
Remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. And be sure to visit coreofthebible.org for all of the podcasts on our podcast page there. Thanks for listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
With an understanding of how covenants worked in the ancient world, we can gain a better perspective on the application of these covenantal principles today.
God’s covenant with Abraham was to be the start of a set-apart tribal community that would eventually become the physical nation of Israel. Hundreds of years after Abraham, his physical descendants, the children of Israel, became enslaved in Egypt (as God had foretold). He raised up Moses to lead them out of their captivity and to become their own nation and representative Kingdom of God based on the covenant of the Ten Commandments.
As the nation of Israel grew, God provided an ideal example of kingship in David. The surrounding nations became subject to David’s rule and at that time the nation rose to all that had been prophesied before. This physical, national ideal became the type and foreshadowing of the spiritual kingdom which was to be realized a millennium later through the direct descendant of King David, Yeshua.
By Yeshua proclaiming that he was speaking the word of God, and by the accompanying signs done through him, the covenant God made with Israel when they were led by Moses was fulfilled. By Yeshua coming from the line of David, the covenant that God made with David was fulfilled. Since Yeshua was a true descendant of Abraham, the promises to Abraham were also fulfilled in Yeshua.
Now, the really good news (for us) is, because Yeshua also fulfilled the pre-covenant promises that were made to Abraham, Yeshua then also became the way to God for anyone who was not part of covenantal Israel and Judah. In this way, anyone from anywhere who expressed faith in Yeshua as being sent by God, whether Jew or non-Jew, could now approach the God of Creation through simple faith, just like Abraham.
Next time, we will review this concept of the faith of Abraham to demonstrate how believers even today can be considered “children of Abraham.”
Remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
It is my contention that the Bible reveals that humans have been created as mortal beings reflecting the image of the eternal God. This image is one of free will ruling benevolently over God’s Creation. However, because man has free will, yet is mortal and limited, humans are subject to ignorance, covetous desires, and pride which result in disobedience to God. This disobedience is sin.
This disobedience severs man’s relationship with God resulting in a condition which God calls “death.” This death or separation from God can only be overcome by a new “birth.” The results of this new birth allow man to have a re-established relationship with God. Through this relationship, man can gain mastery over the ignorance, covetous desires and pride of this mortal condition. This allows humans to function as God intended: in God’s image, having free will, and ruling benevolently as God intended over God’s Creation.
While the Bible does not describe an inherent sin nature, it does indicate we have a wayward propensity toward sin that, for each of us, at some point creates a severed relationship with our Creator, who then considers us as dead because of our sinful actions. As we are made aware of this, we must then die to ourselves to become re-born, and then the relationship is re-established.
We are no longer obligated to always follow the propensity toward sin in by metaphorically eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad; it can now be redirected toward the tree of life in obedience to our Creator. We have been freed to serve God in righteousness and truth, according to his Word.
Remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. You can also search the catalog of hundreds of articles over at www.coreofthebible.org.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
1 - Creator of all. I believe that in the beginning of what we consider the universe and time, God created all things, and that all existence is therefore dependent upon God who is the Source and End of all things visible and invisible. He created man in His own image, which set man apart from the animal creation.
2 - Righteous and holy. God's commandments and laws define God's righteousness (that which is morally and truly right), and by obeying those laws we are imitating him and becoming more like him.
3 - Compassionate, forgiving, and just. Exodus 34:6-7 Then Yahweh passed by in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave [the guilty] unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."
4 - The Most Powerful. The word Almighty literally means "most-powerful." Two of God's titles in Hebrew are El Shaddai, which is translated "God Almighty," and El Yon meaning "the Uppermost or Most High God." The Bible has declared from ancient times that Yahweh is the Almighty and most powerful God of all, and the events outlined throughout the Bible relate how he demonstrated that by calling a people to himself, delivering them from their enemies, and fulfilling all that he had promised them through his own Son, the Messiah.
5 - All-knowing and All-wise. God's wisdom is so far removed from our ability to comprehend its depths, we can only glean the revealed wisdom of God through the teachings of his prophets and his Messiah, the Anointed One.
6 - Present everywhere at once. Since God is spirit, his presence is not limited to any one specific location. He has the innate ability to be present at all places at all times. Within his physical Creation, all things are limited by space and time, but the Bible hints to us that in the spiritual realm of God's existence, those limits do not exist.
7 - His Name defines who he is. The root of the proper name for God comes from a Hebrew word meaning "(the) self-Existent" or "Eternal." In English, it roughly translates out to "I am" or "I always have been and will always be".
8 - The Ultimate Authority. God truly is the sovereign power over everything that was created by him. We have already seen one of his titles, El Yon, means that he is the Most High God. He can rightfully expect complete loyalty, reverence and obedience.
9 - Most importantly, God is love. Love really gets to the root of God's nature, and love is what He most wants to see in the character of His children. Therefore, it's no surprise that his greatest commandments are to love—to love God and to love people.
Well, I hope this overview of the character of God brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, if you have thoughts or comments that you would like to explore further with me, feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Once again, thanks for joining me today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Most Christians today do not recognize or celebrate the biblical feast days. This is due primarily to the fact that Christianity teaches that the sacrificial aspect of the rites conveyed in the Torah have been fulfilled in Messiah Yeshua. I agree one hundred percent. But “fulfilled” does not mean “done away with.” I believe the Bible teaches that in Messiah, that which was a physical requirement for ancient Israel has become a spiritual reality for all time.
But what I want to focus on is how the biblical calendar is filled with symbolism of the Kingdom and God’s relationship with his people. I believe it is as we maintain recognition of these days that we can be reminded of God’s, and our, purpose. These days become practical object lessons that point to the totality of God’s work among his people, and his presence in this world.
How are we to keep these appointments? Certainly we are not to sacrifice animals; as mentioned earlier all sacrifice has been fulfilled in Messiah. However, on these special days we can still gather together as his people to review the symbolism of those sacrifices to bring greater awareness to our understanding of our relationship with God. Whether it is through deeper fellowship and community among his people, as well as renewing our total devotion to him and consummation in his service, we can become serious about our faith by living it out as object lessons that others can see and learn from, as well.
Even though we don’t bring actual sacrificial animals before Yahweh anymore, I believe these offerings were designed by Yahweh to represent real aspects of our spiritual lives, and I think it’s important that we continue to recognize these. So let’s take a look at what each of these different types of sacrifices means from a symbolic perspective:
- A burnt offering represents total consummation in God’s service.
- A sin offering represents that which is a substitute for us due to our disobedience to God’s torah.
- The trespass offering was offered for unintentional or unknown sin.
- A fellowship or peace offering represents thankfulness for God’s mercy and enjoyment of his relationship.
- The grain and drink offerings represent our gratitude for God’s provision as firstfruits of all he has provided us.
I think it becomes readily apparent how these emblematic sacrifices apply in the life of the modern believer. If we are to honor these appointed times throughout the year, I believe they should be memorialized in the spirit of these attributes.
I hope this brief introduction to the biblical holidays and the restoration Shavuot or Pentecost brought you some concepts and ideas to meditate on and to study out further on your own. But remember, there is also a Core of the Bible virtual Bible study group that is hosted through the Marco Polo video chat app. It is designed to discuss the topics that we cover each week and to help people with responses to questions that may come up. If you are interested in joining the discussion, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com. I will be happy to send you a link to join the virtual Bible study group. You can also feel free to email me any of your thoughts or comments at that email, as well.
Once again, thanks for joining me today! Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Through his Spirit, God reveals to individuals the true understanding of his spoken and written Word, setting them apart for his purpose and will, and motivating faithful actions of believers. Through his Spirit and Word of truth, God convicts of sin, regenerates individuals causing them to be born again or from above, and sets them apart from the world for his purpose. As God continually acts through his Spirit and Word, we are transformed into children of God and the spiritual image of Yeshua, empowered to become effective witnesses to Yeshua and the gospel message of the Kingdom, filling our hearts with love for all men, and moving us to practice godliness.
Since God is eternal and his Kingdom is eternal, enduring characteristics of being influenced by the Spirit of God (fruit of the Spirit) that were present then will continue to be present for all time. As people continue to enter the Kingdom and learn about God through his Word and truth, he continues to bring people to new life by his Spirit through faith in Messiah Yeshua. They are then empowered by his Spirit to demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control; all of the out-workings of the Spirit of God through his people today. I believe these are the "gifts" that believers have to offer the world today: positive spiritual influences that God uses to draw all people to himself.
The Spirit of God therefore separates (or sanctifies) his people to seek first the Kingdom and then empowers them to do so with vigilance. The Spirit of God creates in his people a love for himself with all of the heart, mind, and strength, trusting him for everything. And the fruit of that same Spirit prompts them to love others with integrity, forgiveness, and compassion.
Remember, there is also a Core of the Bible virtual study group that is hosted through the Marco Polo video chat app. It is designed to discuss the topics that we cover each week and to help people with responses to questions that may come up. If you are interested in joining the discussion, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com. I will be happy to send you a link to join the virtual Bible study group. You can also feel free to email me any of your thoughts or comments at that email, as well.
Once again, thanks for joining me today! Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
When it comes to understanding who Yeshua is, we need to exercise care with a lot of time-honored Christian tradition that has built up over the centuries to see if we can peel back some of these layers of orthodoxy to reveal what the Bible actually says about this individual who has come to be known as Jesus Christ.
God’s anointed ones or messiahs have been numerous and characteristically fulfill a role as a priest (as an intercessor or mediator) or prophet, or as a ruler. They are all humans through whom God accomplishes his specific purpose. It is through his empowerment that they have been able to achieve what he has desired. So, for someone to be considered a messiah, an intercessor, ruler, deliverer of God, they must be a human being who has been selected and identified by God for a specific purpose. This is the role that the ultimate Messiah, Yeshua, had been destined for since birth.
In the Bible, Yeshua is revealed as the Son of God, in both the context of a miraculous birth and in his unique role as God's deliverer and savior, his ultimate human Messiah. This places Yeshua at the center and the culmination of the Bible narrative becoming the exemplary human ideal in relation to his self-sacrificial service to God and to others. It is only through the example of Yeshua's self-sacrificial obedience that we can also become the fully obedient humans that God desires us to be.
Remember, there is a Core of the Bible virtual study group that is hosted through the Marco Polo video chat app. It is designed to discuss the topics that we cover each week and to help people with responses to questions that may come up. If you are interested in joining the discussion, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com. I will be happy to send you a link to join the virtual Bible study group. You can also feel free to email me any of your thoughts or comments there, as well.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
One of the primary features of Jewish culture revolves around the reciting of what is known as the Shema. The Shema is based on a very familiar passage to most believers.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! "You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
The Shema has been the primary defining statement of the Hebrew people since it was revealed to them. This fierce monotheism is what has distinctly set apart the Hebrew people since God first revealed himself to Abraham in approximately 2000 BC. The Babylonian, Egyptian, and Eastern religions (and later the Greeks and the Romans) have all been polytheistic religions, filled with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of gods. The Hebrews were first and unique in their strict rejection of all other gods but one.
Yeshua himself confirms the importance of this concept of one God through the Shema, as well.
Mark 12:28-29 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that [Yeshua] had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Yeshua answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one...'
So, if this has been the historical understanding of the nature of God as being singular, how is it that over the centuries after Messiah, a concept known as the trinity came about? This is what we will be discussing today.
Remember, there is a Core of the Bible virtual study group that is hosted through the Marco Polo video chat app. It is designed to discuss the topics that we cover each week and to help people with responses to questions that may come up. If you are interested in joining the discussion, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com. I will be happy to send you a link to join the virtual Bible study group. You can also feel free to email me any of your thoughts or comments there, as well.
Thanks for listening today!
Other helpful sites and resources regarding monotheism of the whole Bible:
Trinity Delusion | TrinityDelusion.net
What is a Biblical Monotarian - The Biblical Monotarian (Copyright 2023)
Why Biblical Unitarianism? | BiblicalUnitarian.com
Trinities – Theories about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The UCA Affirmation - Unitarian Christian Alliance
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
What is torah? Torah is instruction. Torah is also known as the law of God. Anytime God commands or gives direction to something or someone, torah exists. I believe torah is through every fiber of the Bible, from the first page of Genesis all the way through the Revelation; yes, even into the New Testament.
The word torah itself simply means instruction or direction. It comes from a Hebrew root word, yara, meaning to throw or shoot, as in shooting an arrow toward a target. This is what torah's purpose is, what it is designed to do; to point us to the target, or goal, that God would have us accomplish. This is why I believe that torah is all through the Bible: the whole collection of these writings is designed to point us toward the goal God has for every one of us: Messiah-like obedience as God's children in the Kingdom of God.
If the whole Bible is based on torah, or instruction, from God, then it becomes obvious why I believe torah is relevant for believers today, since it is essentially God's word that he expects us to abide by. When we act reflexively with the spirit and intent of torah that is when we know life has actually come into being and changed us.
Remember, there is also a Core of the Bible virtual study group that is hosted through the Marco Polo video chat app. It is designed to discuss the topics that we cover each week and to help people with responses to questions that may come up. If you are interested in joining the discussion, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com. I will be happy to send you a link to join the virtual Bible study group.
Thanks for listening today, take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
If I was to make a declaratory statement about my own views regarding the Bible, it would be something like this:
- I believe that complete message of the Bible points to the faithfulness of God with his people Israel, culminating in the person and ministry of the Lord Yeshua.
- Through God's holy Spirit and his Word, the Bible, God desires to lead people to faith in Yeshua and to guide them in a life of faithful obedience to his will.
- I accept the entire Bible as authoritatively testifying to the nature, work, and wisdom of God. These are the Scriptures or sacred writings concerning God's revelation of himself to mankind.
- God's purpose in these revelations has been an exhibition of his own glory and the establishment of his Kingdom on the earth.
Remember, if you are interested in joining the Core of the Bible virtual Bible study, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com. I will be happy to send you a link to join the virtual Bible study group.
Thanks for listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this podcast, I have come to realize that in order to continue to build on the core biblical principles, I'll have to begin delving into areas of historical doctrine and show not only how those core principles apply, but also reveal a more detailed rendering of my own personal, biblical worldview.
As ancient Christianity was trying to understand itself, its writings, and its beliefs, there were historical councils that were organized to make official statements about these types of practices and beliefs. The relevance of these types of councils was to provide official stances on biblical topics ranging from the nature of God to what religious holidays should be celebrated and when. However, while the intent may have been to unify believers into a cohesive orthodoxy, the end result was that these councils actually tended to cause fragmentation, as people began to choose sides over various important biblical topics. Rather than showing where believers all agreed, they began to reveal how believers had many different opinions about many important biblical topics. Some critics of Christianity view this as a sign of division and contradiction, while others see it as a manifestation of the richness and complexity of the Christian faith.
To this end, as of this recording in 2023 I am embarking on a new project for the next year and beyond, and I invite you to come along with me as I explore 52 different aspects of my worldview and the doctrines that form its basis. Each week, I intend to focus on a brief overview of my understanding of some of the key topics that are usually brought up in statements of faith or denominational creeds, like "the Character of God," or "Man and Sin," along with some additional insights into topics that may not typically be covered within other denominational literature and thinking, like studies on the biblical feasts.
Finally, throughout this upcoming project of worldview exploration, I also do not want to lose sight of the Core of the Bible topics, as that is the overall focus of my endeavors with this podcast. I hope to show how the wider theological topics are imperative to the core principles which should guide the daily lifestyle of the Bible believer.
As a unique experiment tied to this project, I would like to interact on a more personal level regarding these topics with anyone who is interested in doing so. I am always available by email at coreofthebible@gmail.com. However, for those who may want a more immersive communication style, there is an app that allows people to create video discussion groups called Marco Polo. It is a free app that you can download to your phone that allows you to have video conversations back and forth, kind of like video messages that can be watched and responded to by anyone else who is in the group. It is not publicly shared online, but anyone in the group can see and respond to anyone else's video conversation. Additionally, joining the group does not require one to talk on video; members can simply watch the conversations going on in the group. The goal is to have this as a kind of on-going virtual Bible study in between the weekly podcast episodes.
Next week, we are going to begin the worldview discussions with "The Bible: A Divine Revelation."
If anyone on this journey would like to join the Core of the Bible virtual Bible study, simply download the free Marco Polo app and email me a request to join the group at coreofthebible@gmail.com to receive a link to join the Core of the Bible group. Once you're in, you're free to watch and listen to everyone's video chats and add your own comments, as well.
I look forward to having you along on this journey of exploration in the coming weeks and months, both as listeners to the podcast and potentially joining the Core of the Bible virtual study group in the Marco Polo app. Whether you decide to join the virtual group or not, thanks for your interest in listening today. Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Proverbs 23:26 - O my son, give me your heart. Let your eyes observe my ways.
Throughout the Proverbs, Solomon is writing in the context of conveying all of this information and instruction to his child. As a parent wants to instill their children with all of the right information they can, he continually reminds his son to maintain what is right in the face of surrounding adversity.
Proverbs 4:20-27 - My son, pay attention to my words. Open your ears to what I say. Do not lose sight of these things. Keep them deep within your heart because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body. Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. Remove dishonesty from your mouth. Put deceptive speech far away from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead and your sight be focused in front of you. Carefully walk a straight path, and all your ways will be secure. Do not lean to the right or to the left. Walk away from evil.
Here we see revealed for us how the root of remaining vigilant and keeping one’s way pure is centered on the heart: “…keep [my words] deep within your heart…Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.”
According to the Bible, the heart is the wellspring of life. All thoughts and consequent actions flow from the heart, therefore, a pure heart means a pure walk.
A thousand years after Solomon, Yeshua also instructed his followers that what one says, and thereby does, comes from what is within the heart:
Luke 6:45 - The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
So, taking the full counsel of God's wisdom into account, in like fashion, when we keep God’s word deep within our hearts, our walk becomes more sure. Dishonesty and deceptive speech disappear. Distractions from the way of truth become less frequent. Our way becomes more firm as we stay on the path laid out for us. We find the strength to walk away from evil.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we will be looking at the core Bible principle of integrity, and how, it is only when we understand what God’s perspective is that we can know what’s truly right and what’s wrong.
Deuteronomy 12:28 – Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.
Doing what is right in the sight of God is the biblical definition of integrity. It means following his instruction or acting according to his precepts. Today, I would like to take a look at some examples of ancient Israelite kings who have done what is right in God’s eyes: King Asa and King Josiah. I believe this can help us to understand what this practical righteousness or biblical integrity looks like.
- 2 Chronicles 14:2-5 – Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of Yahweh his God. He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded the people of Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands. Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace.
- 2 Kings 22:1-2 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. … He did what was pleasing in Yahweh’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.
- 2 Kings 23:24 Josiah also got rid of the mediums and psychics, the household gods, the idols, and every other kind of detestable practice, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. He did this in obedience to the laws written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in Yahweh’s Temple.
Notice in these examples that Asa and Josiah were considered doing what was right in God’s sight because they were taking action according to God’s Word. The texts tell us that “Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of Yahweh his God,” and that Josiah “did what was pleasing in Yahweh’s sight.” How did they know what God’s perspective was? It says that Asa followed God’s “law and his commands” and Josiah acted “in obedience to the laws written in the scroll” that had been found in the temple.
By contrast, those who instead follow their own ways do what they think is right, not paying any attention to the commands of God.
- Proverbs 16:25 – There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
- Proverbs 21:2 – People may be right in their own eyes, but Yahweh examines their heart.
Essentially, we as humans have the capacity to justify whatever we think is right and appropriate for ourselves, whether those things are right in God’s eyes or not. Unfortunately, as Solomon wrote in his Proverbs, typically those ways “end up in death.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that our own ways always lead to our physical death (although many times they do), but the path of “death” in these ancient texts is typically the antithesis of the path of “life.” Our own ways driven by our own understanding cannot come to the realization of what is truly right. This is the symbolism contained within the meaning of the story of Adam and Eve: they had the right to eat from the tree of life (i.e., in obedience to God’s righteous ways) or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (i.e., operating within their own understanding of what they thought was good or bad). When they chose incorrectly, they experienced “death” and were cast away from God’s presence.
What about us? It is easy for us to become overwhelmed by the negativity, divisiveness, and corruption we see around us every day. But, as believers, that’s what we’re here for. We are to be the city on a hill, the light shining in the darkness, standing up for what’s right according to God’s Word. We have to take action on the instruction of God for it to be impactful in the lives of those around us. It’s been said that believers are the only Bible that some people will be exposed to, so what kind of example of God’s instruction do you want your life to emulate?
As believers, even if the rest of the world doesn’t understand our motivation, we can still do what’s right in God’s eyes. Meditating on his word and understanding it in its entirety provides us the correct context for our outward actions. Like Asa and Josiah before us, this type of obedient integrity purifies God’s people and accomplishes God’s purpose in each generation.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Exodus 20:16 - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
As I have mentioned many times before, when God set the Hebrew people apart as a people for himself, he provided them a basic set of community rules, the Ten Commandments, to maintain order within their new society. I believe these rules were the baseline of God's expectations for all humans that would become evident in the continual outworking of his Kingdom throughout all history for all time.
As such, this specific commandment about bearing false witness includes the restriction against telling an intentional falsehood for the purpose of causing a neighbor harm. To bear false witness against someone is to misrepresent the truth of a situation that one has personal knowledge of to the detriment of someone else. It is intentional deception for the purpose of vengeance or personal gain. Simply stated, falsehood is the simplest way to subvert any relationship or institution. Jealousy and selfish ambition lie at the root of deception. Recognizing this, and knowing the tendency of men to preserve themselves at all costs, God built in to the kingdom charter, the Ten Commandments, a specific command about the necessity of not bearing a false witness against another.
John 8:43-44 - "Why don't you understand what I say? Because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Yeshua taught that a liar, a falsifier who misrepresents, distorts facts, or misleads others (for that is what the word means) has an innate tendency to do so. They cannot be trusted in anything because the ability to lie and spread falsehood can be present in anything they say. He uses the representative word picture of being born of that which is adversarial to God, and it is therefore within their nature, just as the child has the representative traits of the parent. Once one is consigned to lies, misrepresentations and distortions come more easily as new situations arise, and unfortunately they then spiral into layers of falsehoods piled one on top of another.
Paul used the analogous contrast of the “old man” and the “new man” of the heart. As believers’ hearts were renewed, it was as if there was a new person who could only do what was right, and who would stand in judgment of the practices of the old man.
Ephesians 4:22-25 - …that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “[Let] each one [of you] speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
The encouragement to truthful dealings within the community was to be based on this newness of righteousness and holiness of heart. Because of this community in which all were “members of one another,” that is, parts of an integral body, they were to always provide a truthful and honest example in everything, with everyone, in all of their words and actions.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licens
1 Peter 3:8-9 - Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other in brotherly love. Be compassionate, and keep a humble attitude. Do not give back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, give blessings, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.
For us to be truly compassionate with others, we should be operating from a base of harmony with one another, and recognizing one another’s needs sympathetically. Once we are able to show brotherly love to each other through humility and compassionate actions, we can then have a united purpose with those outside the faith.
Peter's direction to maintain humility and compassion among each other could not come at a more needed time in the history of society. However, he was only building on the teaching of his master. Yeshua taught, "Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth," (Matthew 5:5), and, "Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls," (Matthew 11:29).
Peter says that the believers have been called by God to consistently swim upstream against the current of wickedness around them. We must maintain righteous behavior, not to be congratulated for doing so, but because it is simply the right thing to do. And when we do so collectively as believers, we demonstrate a unity with one another that can be recognized by others. We create a firm foundation to then stand united in the face of opposition and evil. Not only that, but more than just standing firm against opposition, it is the believer's obligation to turn away from evil, to provide blessings in return for insults, and to seek and pursue peace with all others. We have no other alternative approved by God; we must always stand for peace and righteousness with one another and with all others.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com. Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Isaiah 55:7 – Let wicked people abandon their ways. Let evil people abandon their thoughts. Let them return to Yahweh, and he will show compassion to them. Let them return to our God, because he will freely forgive them.
The problem that arises in our modern context is that most people, even bad people, do not consider themselves as bad people. They justify themselves in their actions based on their own rationale stemming from comparing themselves with those around them who may do even worse things, thinking themselves better and therefore not guilty of wrongdoing.
However, God’s standards are uncompromising. Even at the most basic level, the Ten Commandments exhibit a baseline standard for people to evaluate themselves in any culture and in any time in history. The universality of the commandments stand as a testimony against every individual as a performance standard that God expects of people who would consider themselves as his own people. That was the purpose of delivering them to the assembled congregation at Sinai, as God was laying out the constitution or charter of his Kingdom to be evidenced among his people for all time. The commandments lay out the appropriate actions toward God and toward others, and all other instruction from God’s Word stems from this blueprint.
Yeshua expanded on the spiritual motivations behind the Ten Commandments with his Sermon on the Mount. This teaching appears in both the gospels of Matthew and Luke in slightly different settings, highlighting the likelihood this was a basic teaching of Yeshua’s which he shared wherever he went. These methods of seeking God's Kingdom first involve integrity, vigilance, holiness, trust, forgiveness and compassion. When people truly evaluate their actions in view of the standards God has provided to us in these teachings of Moses and Yeshua, and not the standards of society, then there is a more complete picture of their standing before God.
For all those who recognize they have transgressed the commands and intentions God has provided in his Word, forgiveness is always available, along with strength through his holy Spirit which can enlighten and guide in the correct ways. Repentance of wicked ways and thoughts paves the way for God to expand his influence in the life of not only those who have not yet experienced spiritual regeneration, but in the life of the believer, as well. The Word of God comes to life through our obedient thoughts and ways, and God is glorified when we lay down anything that offends or transgresses his instruction for us. This is how the Kingdom of God continues to expand and grow, and we become privileged to become his co-laborers in the fulfillment of these things.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In our study today, we will be reviewing how the teachings of both Yeshua and Paul can provide detailed actions that can help us to pattern our lives after the faithful lives of the early believers. In the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua taught two ways that anxiety in life, caused by focusing on worldly needs, can be overcome. The first way is to recognize spiritual priorities.
Matthew 6:31-33 – “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the nations seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Here we see that Yeshua is explaining how anxiety is the result of over-focus on self and selfish needs. By contrast, when becoming engaged with the things of God, personal problems and concerns tend to fade into the background. A commitment to the Kingdom of God helps to keep the correct perspective that allows balance in daily living. Recognizing that the needs of the Kingdom outweigh self-directed problems helps believers to remain productive and fruitful in walking with God.
The second way Yeshua teaches about overcoming anxiety, in addition to his teaching for us to stay focused on the Kingdom, is to focus on one day at a time. Each day has its own challenges, so just take the challenges you face one day at a time.
Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
By maintaining a focus on the Kingdom, and taking one day at a time, Yeshua provides a practical two-step plan for overcoming anxieties that the rest of the world may be experiencing.
Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.
Paul says to remove anxiety by prayer and thanksgiving in everything. This is the pattern of behaviors that instills peace that only God can provide. Paul’s instruction to the Philippian congregation is to pray and be grateful for everything. When we express ourselves and our thanks to God, we are recognizing him as the one who is ultimately in control of all things. This recognition is the basic foundation of our trust and faith in God to begin with. We are deferring to him as the ultimate authority in all aspects of life. We are allowing God to be God.
Paul says that our hearts and minds can have peace “in Messiah Yeshua.” To be “in” the Messiah is to follow his ways, his teachings, and his example. When we do so by seeking first the Kingdom of God and his will, our lives will bear the fruit of righteous actions that he desires for his people.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Paul was encouraging Timothy to stick to these basics of Kingdom living to ensure he would remain separated from falsehood. To pursue righteousness, Paul argues, one needed only to focus on faith, love and peace with all, especially those within the community of Messiah. This would breed righteous actions, indicating pureness of heart among the believers and all would be encouraged.
Yeshua also illustrated with his own life the steep price that that his followers would have to pay in order to live out these principles in the process of following him.
Matthew 16:24 - Then Yeshua told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
So, now we get to the heart of the matter. Being set apart as pure of heart and a peacemaker involves a critical practice: denial of self. To deny oneself is to set oneself apart for some other, greater purpose. When we can get outside of ourselves and our personal, selfish impulses, it is then that we have the capacity to be filled with God's Spirit so he can teach us how to become the pure and peaceful people he wants us to be.
How like Timothy and those early believers we should strive to be! We must remain steadfast in the things we have learned, cleansing ourselves from every false way so that we may live righteous lives that honor God.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Exodus 19:5 – “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples…”
In this passage, God made it clear that those who obey him by keeping his covenant would be his people. The word we translate as keep or to keep in English comes from the Hebrew root word shamar which at its most rudimentary level means to observe and watch. In its primary sense, it means to heed, pay attention to, or observe (in practice) the covenant and the commands of God. This is the generally accepted meaning when it is used.
However, it also means to guard, preserve, or protect. This is a huge concept in Hebrew thought as it relates to the commands of God. Based on passages like Exodus 19:5 that we just reviewed, both the ancient and modern Israelites have understood themselves to be the receivers of God’s wisdom above all other nations in the world. As such, it was their responsibility to preserve his words through oral traditions and written records. Thankfully for all believers today, it was due to this dutiful caretaking of God’s words that we even have a Bible today.
But over the centuries some of the caretakers of the written records had taken this instruction to the extreme by making additional traditions and rules which were intended to guard the Torah even further, to prevent people from violating the original commands. The original intent of creating these extra rules may have been sincere enough, but soon the traditions and rules became equivalent, or even superior to, the original command of Yahweh and they ended up elevating the man-made traditions above the word of God itself. By the days of Yeshua, there were so many rules and regulations about the rules and regulations of God that it had become a hot mess of traditions mixed over the top of the original commands of God.
In our practice of watching carefully over God’s Word, ourselves, and each other, we must ensure that our vigilance in keeping his Word centers on honoring God, not on our personal theories about God or our personal traditions beyond what the text really says. The stories and message of the Bible are all meant to express the reality of God’s Kingdom, and his faithfulness with his people, reassuring us that God is the Creator of all and that he always does what he says. If this is the case, and we are to be his children, then we should also always do what we say so we can honor and represent him faithfully in all things.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Matthew 5:20 – “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
What Yeshua was teaching the audience of his day was nothing new. God had continually put before the Israelites that the integrity of the actions they were to pursue and the decisions they made should have been coming should have been coming from a genuine place in their hearts, not just outward compliance. Moses had urged this of the Hebrew community over a millennia earlier:
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 – Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one: and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. These words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart…
In order to continue this focus in their culture Moses had provided them a specific set of instructions or a template that they could implement in the lives of their communities. Moses then proceeds to explain how to imbue the entire community with the richness of God’s Word.
Deuteronomy 6:7 – “Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
This constant focus on God’s commands would show that his Word is being implemented within the daily fabric of the family, not only at home but when running errands or traveling. When children see that the God’s Word is a vital part of the parents’ lives at all times and in every place, they are more likely to be receptive to it themselves seeing that it has universal application.
It’s been said that immersion in a foreign culture is the best way to learn another language. In a sense, the Kingdom of God is foreign to the cultures of this world, and it takes immersion for us to truly understand the scope and power of its presence here in the lives of believers.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Within God’s Kingdom, the law of God provides the guide for all behaviors that God expects of his people. One of the primary boundaries of God’s law concerns security of individual belongings where stealing is prohibited. Interestingly, God’s solution for discouraging theft is its exact opposite: a type of forced generosity. Those who violate the law must give abundantly or they must give themselves.
The thief upsets the system of civilized conduct because they feel that the same rules that govern others do not apply to them. Whatever their justification is for taking something that belongs to someone else is to consider their reason more important than obeying the command to not steal and the rights of others to enjoy their own possessions. Theft is dangerous because it mocks the integrity of civil order in any society, and must be punished in order to maintain the economic integrity and security of the community.
However, interestingly, the torah or instruction of God reveals that theft is not punishable by death. Instead, a thief must face a fate that very well could be worse than death for them: they must pay restitution.
At a minimum, they were to pay double what they stole (if the goods are recovered). But if what had been stolen had been sold or, in the case of a stolen animal, killed, then they were to pay up to four or five times the amount. If they were unable to pay, then they were to be sold into forced servitude to pay off the debt.
So it turns out that God’s solution for discouraging theft is its exact opposite: a type of forced generosity. They were to give abundantly out of their own possessions, or they were to be forced to give of themselves through servitude.
Therefore, in keeping with the torah or instruction of God within his Kingdom, and as a follower of Yeshua, we should never secretly take anything that does not belong to us. Instead, we should always be willing to give generously of all resources that have been entrusted to us. And because the life he has given us is a debt we can never repay, the remainder of our existence should become an offering of voluntary servitude to the one who has provided us this immeasurable gift of life.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 - If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
The concept of giving to those in need is evident all through the biblical writings. Traditionally, this has come down to us through the ages as the giving of “alms.” However, when it comes to giving to those in need as mentioned in our passage in Deuteronomy 15, the idea of helping the poor is depicted as lending to them, not outright giving. Why is it important to understand this distinction?
Well, it has more to do with the receiver than the giver. Many times, people will struggle to accept outright handouts because of their pride. They don’t want to be made to feel they are unable to meet their needs on their own. This is actually an emotionally good and healthy response for anyone who is otherwise able to provide for themselves but may have just fallen on hard times; it happens. When encountering someone who is need, whether a friend or relative, to provide them assistance with the idea that they can pay back what was lent to them whenever they are able to allows for a sense of dignity in providing that assistance.
As we move into the New Testament writings and the teaching of Yeshua, we find that some of the familiar passages where Yeshua is teaching on generosity have even more meaning when he relates how believers should be viewing acts of giving and loaning to others. For example:
Luke 6:35 - “But love [even] your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil.
Now, here is where we begin to see God's true heart of compassion for those in need. Yeshua teaches that even if our intent is to genuinely help others by providing them a loan of some sort, he says if you are doing so, don’t expect anything in return. This echoes the instruction of Moses in not expecting to receive interest on the loan, and takes it to the next level of not even expecting to be repaid at all.
This is a radical upgrade to the principle of generosity that the Jewish culture of his day would have been familiar with from the previous passages of Torah. Just as Yeshua upgraded the command against adultery to not even looking at a woman with lustful intent, Yeshua here upgrades the command to not charge interest to not being concerned about being repaid at all!
This is an indication of how Yeshua continued to uphold Torah yet demonstrate its true intent when operating from the heart, not just the written command.
Having a larger understanding of the context and social dynamic of biblical giving can make us more responsible givers. In outwardly loaning to those who have need, we can allow them dignity. Inwardly considering these helper-loans as outright donations or charitable giving, not expecting anything in return, we free ourselves from any negative ties to those relationships if the money is never repaid in the future.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Luke 6:43-45 – For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
If, as Yeshua teaches, “each tree is known by its own fruit,” then we can ascertain very quickly what is in a person’s heart by what they say, how they say it, and what they do. What we say is important, because our speech is what makes the contents of our heart known to others; it is the authorized (by us) commentary on what is in our heart.
Today we will be looking at the topic of forgiveness, and how it relates to the condition of our heart. If forgiveness resides in our heart, we can then speak and act on that forgiveness. However, if what we say is unforgiving, then the words we speak illustrate or reveal what is actually in our hearts.
Luke 6:45 – The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
I knew a man who was recently honored at his work for being an outstanding performer, always receiving gracious comments from customers with whom he interacted on a regular basis. He even received national recognition and many accolades from his company for his achievements. However, when a particular crisis arose and he was challenged by his boss with a sharp disagreement over his mishandling of a particular situation, what began as a discussion of strategy degraded into a string of profanity and lashing out. He ended up blaming a customer for what was in reality his own inability to bring a situation to its proper conclusion. This indignation, it would seem, was always simmering and bubbling under the surface of the polished outward appearance of his performance. When a situation challenged his work, what was truly in his heart boiled over and out of his mouth, revealing the true nature of his character.
Yeshua calls this the “fruit of the tree.” The wider context of our verse today demonstrates this idea.
Luke 6:43-45 – For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.
If, as Yeshua teaches, “each tree is known by its own fruit,” then we can ascertain very quickly what is in a person’s heart by what they say, how they say it, and what they do. What we say is important, because our speech is what makes the contents of our heart known to others; it is the authorized (by us) commentary on what is in our heart.
Proverbs 10:20 – The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value.
Notice how the tongue of the righteous is contrasted with the heart of the wicked. By locking these two themes together, Solomon is passing commentary on how the tongue (that is, what we say) and the heart are absolutely connected.
In a heated discussion with the Pharisees, Yeshua says the following:
Matthew 12:34-37 – “Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Yeshua teaches that the heart is like a storeroom where either good things exist, or where evil things exist. The underlying Greek term is where we get our word thesaurus from. Consider what a thesaurus is: a thesaurus is a storehouse of words that have similar meanings. Our heart is a storehouse where similar things are stored, either good or bad. It implies a wealth, abundance, or treasure; either a treasure of positive, helpful things or an abundance of unhelpful and wicked things. We make deposits in our hearts with every thought, every interaction, and every distraction. Based on what we allow ourselves to be engaged with every day, it is up to us if those things that we are storing up are good or evil. Either way, Yeshua teaches that the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart, so whatever we have stored up in our heart is what is going to come out at some point.
If we are to be speaking and demonstrating forgiveness and reconciliation with others, then that forgiveness and reconciliation will truly need to be in our heart. This can only be accomplished when we step out of the way of our old natures and allow God to work through our renewed nature in those situations.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19 – Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Messiah after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Yeshua Messiah, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Messiah, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
It is important to note that Hezekiah removed the worship sites known as "the high places." These were ancient worship sites that had been used by the Canaanites long before Israel inhabited the land. Especially before there was a temple in Israel, and sometimes after, it was a common practice to worship gods, including Yahweh, in areas on high mountains that were considered sacred.
But Hezekiah was not doing this as a popularity concession; he was dutifully upholding the law of God, as a king should:
Deuteronomy 12:10-11, 13-14 - "When you cross the Jordan and live in the land Yahweh your God is giving you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, then Yahweh your God will choose the place to have his name dwell. Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions, and all your choice offerings you vow to Yahweh. ... Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see. You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place Yahweh chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you."
Hezekiah took this command seriously because the people had strayed back into their comfort zone of local idolatry. But by any standard, this was a bold move that demonstrated just how zealous Hezekiah was for God's honor.
When Assyria laid siege to Jerusalem, Hezekiah's faith and trust in Yahweh, relying on Yahweh to provide the necessary and appropriate resolution to the defense of his favored city, was rewarded. When we truly trust God, we need to learn to get out of his way and allow him to move in situations and arrange outcomes that are far beyond our capacity.
It took a clear understanding of God's Word and bold action to re-set the time-honored practices of God's people who had strayed from the truth. This corruption of idolatry is contrasted with the faith and zeal of Hezekiah. That which can be seen (a false god) is devalued in light of that which cannot be seen (the one, true God). We must not only repent of our own idolatrous tendencies, but to provide God's perspective for those who may not yet realize the depth of their own complacency and compromise with the culture, much like those who would worship Yahweh at the idolatrous high places throughout the land of Israel.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read hundreds of articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
2 Corinthians 7:1 – Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
What promises is he referring to?
- 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 – And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says Yahweh; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says Yahweh Almighty.
These are, indeed, amazing promises:
- that God would dwell among them
- that he would be their God, and they his people
- that he would welcome them
- that he would be a Father to them, and they would be as sons and daughters
But all of these wonderful promises are contingent on this cleansing of defilement of body and spirit, involving a setting apart of some sort. Paul is using these passages as a way of weaning them off of their cultural traditions and practices that were hindering their walk with Yahweh through their new-found faith in Messiah Yeshua. He is using these texts to remind them of their true purpose as God’s people, and God’s care and concern for them as his own children. If they were to forsake their idolatry, God would indeed live among them and be a Father to them.
But if this is how Paul is applying these texts, then we can also begin to see how these wonderful prophetic indicators were not necessarily meant to be about a literal migration back to Israel, but a spiritual one. God was indeed calling his people back to himself from among the nations, but they were not necessarily returning to physical Jerusalem, but instead to the prophetic Zion, the New Jerusalem.
Paul’s admonition is that when we do actively separate ourselves, when we cleanse ourselves from these things, then we are truly behaving like God’s sons and daughters, and only then will he be present among us. This is the fulfillment of those ancient promises that generations have looked forward to. When we take decisive actions to maintain our holiness out of godly respect and honoring of him, we demonstrate the validity of God’s Word and the kingdom of God becomes visible to others in our actions.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Colossians 3:1-3 - If then you were raised together with Messiah, seek the things that are above, where Messiah is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in God.
It seems that Paul was basing this concept of seeking the things that are above on the same principles that Yeshua had taught. Yeshua taught that we should always keep asking, knocking, and seeking in order to receive, to have doors opened, and to find what it is we’re searching for.
Matthew 7:7-8 - "Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
According to Yeshua, this type of vigilance is rewarded with the objectives sought for. If we are consistently asking and seeking and knocking, then we will definitively obtain those things which we seek.
Living a sacrificial life for God is going to be something that is different for every believer because we are all at different places in our walk with him. To Paul, placing one’s faith in the Messiah was, in no uncertain terms, a matter of life and death: death to self and traditions of men, and new life as a new self that seeks after the things of God.
Romans 8:13 - For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Each of us only has a certain remaining time here to accomplish what God desires, and we don't know when that eventuality will occur. If we are being led of God's Spirit to grow in him, being molded into his image more and more each day, we should work diligently to be sure that God is receiving the benefit of his investment in us by our faithful and obedient representation of him.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Genesis 6:9 - This is the account of Noah and his descendants. Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation. He walked habitually with God.
From this description of Noah, we can begin to paint a portrait of what type of person pleases God. Noah was righteous, blameless, and walked with God as a way of life. By looking at each of these characteristics, we can draw some application for our own lives as we seek to honor and magnify God as his representatives in this world.
Noah had believed that what God had revealed to him about a coming flood, even though it had not yet been fulfilled, was going to happen. He took it seriously and built a giant boat, rearranging his entire life and enterprise to commit to this faith in what God had said. There are few greater examples of what a living faith looks like.
The fact that Abraham simply believed what God told him was considered by God as an act of righteousness, not the change of some legal standing before him. We know Abraham was also considered a righteous individual because he was obedient to all of God's revealed instruction, most likely oral at that point, just like it was with Noah.
A righteous individual believes in the instruction of God (taking God at his word) and then obeys it. In God's view, believing what he says, even though it may not yet be fulfilled, is an act of righteousness as valuable as any other act of obedience. It is the sign of ultimate trust which is considered by God as the action of a righteous person.
God may not task each of us with building a literal ark, but we should be just as mindful of our responsibility to "become the righteousness of God" by positively influencing those around us through our integrity and faithful obedience to God’s revealed word.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Matthew 5:21-22 - “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.’ But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fire of Gehenna."
According to Yeshua here, the true intent of the command not to murder is to reach to the emotion underlying the act. By condemning the inner emotion, the outward act is eliminated, and the command is enhanced. In essence, Yeshua is saying, “While everyone knows that murder subjects you to judgment, I tell you, in God’s eyes, the same applies to unchecked emotions. Therefore, do not call someone a fool or an idiot or be unrighteously angry with anyone.”
If judgment is the result of the combination of the emotion and the action, then conversely, a blessing can be inferred from the inverse emotion and action combination. For example, if the command is to not murder or even be angry with anyone, and if we do the opposite by not being unrighteously angry with anyone at any time and instead safeguard the lives and interests of others, this will result in a blessing both for them and for us. The action flows from the intention and inner emotion, and when the inner intent is good, the actions will be good. This is how Yeshua taught that a tree (its inner goodness or badness) will be known (demonstrated) by its fruit (its actions).
Paul speaks about the supremacy of the law of the spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:7-8 - "Now if the ministry that brought death, engraved in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses's face because of its glory, which faded, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?"
If the stone commandments were powerful enough to cause Moses' face to physically shine with glory, albeit only temporarily, how much more will the application of the inner spiritual motives of those commands cause believers to shine even more gloriously for all eternity? This is the whole point of the law: to lead us to the new covenant of the kingdom in Messiah, in whom the fullness of the law through the Spirit of God, enabling those inner motives to truly conform to his will, is revealed. The law is not done away; as Paul writes, it is "holy and just and good." But what I believe he is trying to convey is that the letter of the law, empty of the power of the Spirit of God, is what has faded away. In its place, through Messiah, is a renewed heart that is enabled to keep that same law through the empowerment of God's Spirit. This is the message of Jeremiah and Ezekiel; this is the gospel of the kingdom!
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Luke 6:35-36 - …he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.
In our English Bibles, sometimes verses that express compassion will mention mercy or kindness; sometimes compassion is equated with forgiveness. However it is expressed, we are commanded by Yeshua to be like God in regard to his mercy and compassion.
God’s compassion has been evident in choosing to take care of Israel as caring for an abandoned baby. His compassion is evident in forgiving them when they were consistently unthankful and disobedient to him. His compassion is evident in restoring Israel to the land he had promised them even after their captivity for disobedience.
If we are to be merciful and compassionate like our Father, we need to recognize that the examples he sets for us are teaching us that compassion is all about reaching out to and helping those who are unable to help themselves.
Yeshua also exhibited this same type of compassion, just like his Father, helping those who could not help themselves. Most importantly, in a representative fashion Yeshua took up the sins of the rebellious upon himself.
Romans 5:6-8 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly. (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.) But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us.
In the most famous parable of Yeshua regarding the good Samaritan, the illustration is placed before us of the depth of compassion shown to be evident in someone caring for the needs of another, an anonymous individual who had no ability to help themself after being assaulted and left for dead. I can think of no greater example of helplessness than this. We are encouraged to follow the example of the Samaritan in the parable in the summation of the lesson by Yeshua.
Luke 10:36-37 - Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" The expert in religious law said, "The one who showed mercy to him." So Yeshua said to him, "Go and do the same."
This is the end-goal of the command for us to be merciful and compassionate with others. It has less to do with our obedience and more to do with genuinely desiring to help those who cannot help themselves. When we lay down our own lives (our personal ambitions and plans) for the sake of others, we are then acting in a godly fashion that God expects of his children. To exhibit the characteristics of God by helping the helpless is not only an honor and privilege he affords us, but we also then become the avenues through which God can work in practical ways in their lives.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Our words are important, and in this day of instant and voluminous communication, there are numberless words spent daily in the vast sea of our digital culture. Not all of that communication is helpful, and much of it is downright hurtful. However, as believers, all of our words should be a blessing to others.
1 Peter 3:9 – Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.
This is the true calling of all believers, and yet it does not appear that we all have come to understand it very well. With all of the denominational divisiveness and inflammatory rhetoric we express towards each other at times, it seems unlikely that we are living up to our true calling in the eyes of Messiah. If we can’t even speak well with each other among ourselves, how can we be expected to speak well of those who are truly antagonistic towards us or toward the cause of Messiah and the Kingdom of God?
If, as Peter instructs, we are called to “pay back with blessing,” then we should understand this is an obligation we have, not an optional action of some kind. The real challenge we face in our calling is in not only speaking well of anyone who could be considered an adversary, but truly meaning it from the heart. Certainly, as we have seen, this is not a natural inclination. But as believers, we have to recognize that we are not just natural beings. The apostle Paul speaks of it this way:
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Paul makes the point that as believers we no longer are to view our life in this world as we have in the past. If we are living the born-again life from above, we have become part of the new creation, and everything is now new. We have new thought process which should drive new actions and new ways of doing things. We have new convictions and new purpose. Everything we see and touch should be driven from this new identity we have in Messiah. This means that we now have new hearts with new qualities and capacities, as well.
If, in obedience to Yeshua, we are to truly bless those who work against us at all times, then we need to ensure that our spring, our river of the heart, is flowing from the Spirit of God with unlimited measures of real forgiveness. Then no wrongs can be too harsh, no hurt can be too severe. Our obligation to bless the haters becomes as natural as the air that we breathe within the rarefied atmosphere of the new creation. In this way, blessing and prayer for all others will become the living water flowing from our hearts.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Philippians 4:6-7 – Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has 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.
Trust in God is not an abdication of all responsible action; it is a recognition of power or skill beyond your own that will ultimately accomplish the outcome. That trust can be present at every skill and responsibility level. When we pray about everything, we are demonstrating that our trust is not in our own abilities or resources, but in God.
Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.
Another aspect of trusting in God is remaining flexible. Many times, we may believe we are headed toward a desired outcome when God has something totally different planned. This is not always a negative thing, but it may require a pivot in our thinking and expectations. Being obedient in those times can yield new experiences and more fruitful results.
At other times, God provides guidance through or during the adverse condition or situation. If he has other plans for us along the way, plans of which we had no idea or had even considered a possibility, our trust in him will provide the confidence needed to operate in these unfamiliar areas and terrain.
This is what it means to walk by the Spirit. Yeshua taught:
John 3:8: “The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.””
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we will be looking at the topic of holiness or sanctification, and how our ongoing commitment to God’s word distinguishes us beyond just participating in God's Kingdom in ways that are more beneficial for God’s overall purposes.
Paul wrote to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:20-21 - "In a large house there are dishes and bowls of all kinds: some are made of silver and gold, others of wood and clay; some are for special occasions, others for ordinary use. Those who make themselves clean from these things will be used for special purposes, because they are dedicated and useful to their Master, ready to be used for every good deed."
Holiness is about being sanctified or set apart for God’s specific purposes. In the example that Paul uses here with Timothy, there is also an ongoing refinement that is similar to recognizing the differences between ordinary plates for everyday use and fine china that would be used for special occasions. There is a cleansing or refining process that he mentions: “those who make themselves clean.”
Psalm 119:9 – "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word."
In an overall sense, God has set us apart by drawing us to faith in Messiah so that we may do the good things he has prepared for us to do, according to his word. But by continuing to sharpen our obedience to God’s word, we also distinguish ourselves from those in God’s household who are content to remain simply with their sanctification from the world.
In Paul’s example, these are the plates used for ordinary purposes, for the basics of eating and drinking, for the rough and tumble of everyday existence. These are the plates and bowls that have chips and cracks, that have rough edges, blemishes and marks from use. They are serviceable in the uses they are designed for, but they all carry evidence of that use, and are not as likely to be used for special occasions.
By contrast, the gold and silver plates and cups are those which would be used for specific events that are noteworthy, the holiday gatherings with friends and family, or the formal dinners with respected individuals and guests. Paul is implying that, apart from God’s sanctification from the rest of the world, believers can “cleanse themselves” further from rough, ordinary use into something that is more useful to God in special ways. But this has to be an intentional purpose on their part, something that is chosen to do by disciplining themselves in his word to create and maintain the luster and polish required of the fine china.
The context of the passage with the dishes, plates, and cups helps us frame a reference for this concept of living worthy of the calling, as Paul had just mentioned it to Timothy a few verses earlier.
2 Timothy 2:15 – "Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth."
In this way, we can continually prepare ourselves to be the most useful to him and provide him the greatest amount of "special dishes" to use as he sets the banquet wide for any and all to come to him.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily articles on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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We should always remain aware of who we are among this generation; we are the children of the day.
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One of the most famous passages of the Bible provides the name of the Kingdom of God.
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Stockpiling Gods blessings to us causes stagnation and lifelessness.
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The steep price of forgiveness is an investment in the future of the kingdom, and the world.
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Trust in Yahweh is not just an abstract belief, but a real understanding that produces right action.
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What did Peter really learn from his vision in Acts 10? This story of Peter’s vision is typically used as a way of teaching that God was declaring all foods “clean” or acceptable to eat. However, looking more closely at the context and outcome, we can learn more about its true meaning, along with some aspects of vigilance in our walk with God.
Now, what's interesting to note here is that in the original text, two different Greek words are used to describe the status of the animals. Peter says that he never had eaten anything common (koinou ) nor had he eaten anything ritually unclean (akatharton). Now there is wisdom in understanding the difference between that which is common and that which is unclean.
We can learn that the distinction between holy and common appears to be one of purpose: that which is holy is set apart for a specific use by priests or God's people only and that which is common is for everyday use by anyone. By contrast, that which is clean or unclean appears to be inherent in the thing itself, for example, those animals which were approved for eating versus those which were not approved for eating, likely due to the risk of contracting illness or disease.
Peter had taken the real meaning of the vision to mean that God was breaking down the barriers between men of different nations, and that the door of faith in Messiah would be opened to all who were willing to come. This was even confirmed to be the correct interpretation as the foreign men were visibly affected by receiving the Spirit of God (10:44-45).
Ultimately, vigilance in our walk before God comes in many forms, whether our own personal commitment to holiness, or our obedience to the things that God may reveal to us along the way. Peter exemplifies for us a measure of personal vigilance that we can learn from and follow in our own lives. He held tightly to the understanding of Judaism and maintained those traditions faithfully, believing that he was honoring God in doing so. Yet, when God revealed something radical within his current worldview, he was still willing to follow this new understanding wholeheartedly and unreservedly.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
This is why believers look at the world around them in ways that differ from those who are relying on their own knowledge and understanding.
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Taking care with what we say is as important as what we believe.
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Real needs exist beyond what’s in the mirror, or on our device.
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We act like our Father when we forgive others.
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Having faith in Yeshua means you are placing your faith in God.
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While God can certainly know what’s in our hearts, he typically does not need to look much further than our actions to know what resides there.
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Walking in righteousness is said to guard or “keep” one in the way of God. The more our lives demonstrate consistency in righteous actions, the simpler it is to stay on the correct path.
Proverbs 11:3, 5 - Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people. ... The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
By contrast, when our lives are in disarray and when our actions are inconsistent, we struggle more to keep our focus where it needs to be. The wickedness of those who do not walk with integrity is said to “overthrow their sin offering.” This is a demonstration of how even the best of intentions can be counteracted by a pattern of inconsistent behavior or outright sinful rebellion.
God's judgment comes into play in the sense that he has made it abundantly clear through his Word and with the historical example of the nation of ancient Israel that he expects mankind to follow his commands, and he has also shared the consequences of not following his commands. His commands are the key.
1 John 5:3-4 - Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith."
When we recognize Yahweh God as the one true authority in the universe, and make a conscious decision to abide by his Word we will be empowered to do so by his Spirit guiding us.
Galatians 5:16, 22-25 - "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. ... But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Messiah Yeshua have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives."
To make righteous choices every day means the expansion of the Kingdom of God into the world of chaos. This is the effect our faith can have when we choose to be obedient to the Creator of all and live by his standards established for all time.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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By recognizing the holiness of God and doing holy things, we also shall continue to become holy.
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The high calling of God in Yeshua requires vigilant behavior to demonstrate the validity of God’s message of the kingdom to the world.
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Being a faithful believer in the God of the Bible is a blessing, but also a large responsibility.
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Did John mean the kingdom was already present, or soon to come?
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We should not be neglecting the immediate needs of those around us, especially our family, friends and neighbors.
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When we provide forgiveness, we give people room.
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As God conveyed his Torah, or instruction to Moses, he made it clear that within the kingdom of God, there would be many roles requiring to be fulfilled. While most people today look to define and embrace roles like prophets, priests, teachers, helpers, there are no roles as basic and impactful as the roles within each family: husband and wife, mother and father.
In today’s culture this has become a controversial stance, but I firmly believe that the significance of man and woman in the kingdom is a basic building block upon which everything else is built. The male and female component is inherent within the DNA of the kingdom, right back to its origins in Genesis, in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 1:27-28 – So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
The very first royal edict of the kingdom had to do with man and woman reigning and having dominion over God’s Creation. So, in Hebrew culture, the father and the mother are therefore figures representing divine authority over the family. They are the representatives of God’s authority because they have been made in his image, and to be respected as possessing and implementing the wisdom of God.
The God-given authority of the father and mother was an ongoing kingdom principle for the early Messiah believers, also. Yeshua firmly taught the Ten Commandments as a basis for the kingdom, sometimes used as a synonymous phrase for the principle of eternal life.
Paul writes to the Ephesian congregation about the promise of faithful obedience to parental authority.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents because you belong to Yahweh, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
Paul writes here that this commandment to honor father and mother is the first command that is not only the right thing to do, but it carries within it a promise for well-being and long life. The idea is that a believing father and mother, as God’s agents, can provide the best guidance and direction that would lead to those things for the children who are obedient to their instruction.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The best demonstration of faith is in living out the principles of the Bible in all we do and say.
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This practice of separation is a hallmark of believers everywhere, who are to be separating themselves from the unrighteousness and lawlessness of their respective cultures.
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Our individual worldview can influence which things we accept as true and which things we reject as false.
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As God’s image-bearers, we should be faithfully representing him in all that we do and say.
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Yahweh has always been, and always will be, the rightful king of his people.
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Tabitha and Cornelius received amazing blessings from God, not because they were looking to be blessed, but because they were simply and sincerely concerned about the welfare of others.
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God provides what others need when we act sincerely from the heart. Additionally, instructing others in the way of God is in itself an act of compassion toward those who are willing to hear.
In the twenty-third chapter of Matthew, Yeshua goes into great detail regarding the specific failings of the ruling elite in Israel. They were essentially holding people to the letter of the law while they themselves circumvented it through loophole justifications. Their hypocrisy and corruption was known to all but rarely, if ever, challenged.
It was within this larger context that Yeshua sought to provide instruction, real instruction from the Torah, to the people. When they heard his words and saw they great works that validated his teaching, they were amazed and excited that a true teacher had arisen within Israel, and they didn't want to miss any opportunity to hear him.
From the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, this was the lesson Yeshua wanted the disciples to understand: those who rely on the provision of God will never lack to provide to those who are truly in need. God will always meet the needs that are present when believers step out in faith that he can do so. All that is required is the compassion to want to help others, and God will make the rest happen.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
We need to be responsible children of God who honor his name by doing the things he does, forgiving and loving as does.
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By being trustworthy individuals in speech and manner of life, we honor the God who calls us to be the lights in a world of darkness and strife.
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When we apply the wisdom of God with confidence, we will appear to shine amidst the darkness of this world.
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Each generation requires the kingdom to be reestablished in its midst. Here are some themes from Nehemiah that illustrate this.
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Righteousness today is still based on obedience to God’s torah, his instruction.
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True righteousness and holiness can be achieved when we love God and love others, as Yeshua taught.
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We must extend the love and forgiveness of God that we have received to others.
Colossians 3:13 - "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."
Paul is here reminding the Colossian believers of an obligation they have to forgive anyone who offends them.
The answer to the problem of unforgiveness, sin and the flesh, Paul says, is to live by the empowering of God's Spirit. This should be the reality for the believer, not the see-saw of frustrated obedience in Romans chapter seven; no, that is the result of trying to serve God in the flesh and not through his indwelling Spirit.
This teaching on living by the Spirit actually dovetails perfectly with our current discussion regarding forgiveness of others, because when we are attempting to serve God in the flesh, we open ourselves to all of the negative connotations of worldly religion. Among other things, we can fall prey to a measure of hypocrisy, something hated by all and cautioned against by Messiah.
Matthew 6:14-15 - “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."
When we refuse to forgive, it's the flesh that is rising up because it has been offended by something that it does not approve of. That is the natural reaction of the natural person, the one who has not been regenerated by the Spirit of God. But it is hypocritical of us to be subject to the flesh and to remain unforgiving of others. Why? Because the admonition of Paul in Colossians 3:13 says because “the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” A literal rendering of this instruction would be “in the same manner or to the same degree that God has forgiven you, you should do in like fashion to others.”
With what measure and how much has God forgiven you? When we realize the depth of that forgiveness, it should reveal our ability, and our obligation, to forgive others in a new light.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
We can become peacemakers who seek to honor our Lord by edifying one another and strengthening one another.
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As disciples of Yeshua we are commanded to respond with blessing, that is, speaking well of all others at all times.
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Yahweh is a refuge for those trusting in him.
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As believers in Messiah, we are being molded and shaped by Spirit of God and by his word to have an increased sympathy for the unrighteousness we see around us.
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There are two parts to vigilance in our understanding of the faith: thoroughly knowing the torah or instruction of God and knowing from whom the Word is being taught.
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The momentum of actions, good or bad, create a path of life that can define us.
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To help illustrate this principle, we can take a closer look at the story of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego. While there are many fascinating facets to this story, the essence of what it conveys is both practical and challenging. These men were not trusting God to save them, they were simply trusting God regardless of the outcome. This demonstrates that their trust was not in a hoped-for resolution, their trust was in God alone, whatever was to come of it, even if death resulted.
If you are a believer, why are you trusting God? Are you trusting him to save you from the flames of a fiery hell? What if, for his own purpose and glory, there was no guarantee that he would deliver you from that fate, would you still trust in him? What if when you die, you cease to exist; would you still trust in him today?
What if God had chosen to abandon those three men in the furnace? Perhaps he could have decided that their perishing in light of their undying trust in him would have better served glorifying his name: three martyrs for Yahweh. It would still be a good story and they would still be honored as heroes of the faith. Yet God chose their miraculous preservation as a way of honoring their faith and converting a pagan king. That served his purpose better. Case in point: we’re still talking about the impact of this incident thousands of years later. It is still serving his purpose to this day.
Is your salvation an unspoken condition of your trust in God? Then you are believing in God for what he can do, not for who he is. As believers, we need to remove ourselves from the center of our own faith universe and make sure that we are recognizing and trusting God simply for who he is: God. We need to let him be God, and to unswervingly place our everything: our well-being, our lifestyle, our security, into his hands and let him accomplish his own purpose in his own way. The end result may not look like we expect it to, but it shouldn’t matter. We can be confident it will always be the outcome that best serves his purpose and provides him the most glory.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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Lying and falsehood have no place among believers of the truth.
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Believers are not exempted from helping with the needs of those around them, even enemies.
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We may encounter hardship or trial due to our unwillingness to forgive others, not because God is vindictive, but because he is trying to guide our feet in the right way.
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When we flee to the refuge of God’s care and protection "under his wings" we are demonstrating our total dependence on him.
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Fasting is a spiritual practice that, done for the right reasons and in the correct, dignified manner, will provide a deep level of personal connection with God.
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Obedience to the ways of God always provides the best outcome for the lives of believers and their descendants.
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The one thing that set ancient Israel apart from their neighboring tribes and countries was that their God was present with them. While other kingdoms and countries had their gods, their idols, and their temples, Israel actually had the very presence of the God of the universe with them. His presence resided in that Most Holy Place, by all accounts hovering above and within the ark of the covenant which contained the tablets of the Ten Words, or what we call the Ten Commandments.
To this day, what sets God’s people apart is this same covenant, the Ten Words. There is no equal among the religious communities of the world. The illustration for believers today comes through what is pictured in the wilderness journeys of Israel: just as God resided in that Most Holy Place within and above the ark of this covenant, God’s very presence resides within these Ten Words, the Ten Commandments. Just as the Ten Commandments were placed into the "heart" of the tabernacle within the ark of the covenant, God's commands are placed in the heart of every believer through the renewal of the holy Spirit. As we seek to fulfill these commands placed in our heart, then we are truly following in the footsteps of our Lord, the Messiah Yeshua.
This is holiness, being set apart for the purposes of God. He is present within the words of his covenant, and as the covenanted words are in our heart, he is present within us. This holiness through obedience to his words in our heart is the very essence of his kingdom on the earth.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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Paul equates faith in Messiah as a righteous act, equally as righteous as any of the acts of the law-keeping Jews, and in fact more so, because faith in God was the whole point of the law.
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God’s solution for discouraging theft is its exact opposite: a type of forced generosity.
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We are encouraged by Jude and Messiah to cautiously show mercy to those who may oppose the message of the kingdom.
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Forgiveness always positively changes a relationship, but it always comes at a cost.
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Goodness and happiness are not rights as some would contend, but a privilege. They are a privilege afforded to those who trust in God, who abide by his word.
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We are set apart and holy, not because of who we are, but because of who he is.
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Paul admonishes believers to pray vigilantly and unceasingly for all of God’s people.
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The vigilance for righteousness that God expects of us amidst the corruption around us is real, challenging, and unwavering.
The story of Phinehas killing an Israelite man and a Midianite woman in Numbers 25 is remembered because he unhesitatingly did a difficult thing that God required, and in so doing, saved the rest of the assembly. In his vigilance for righteousness, he saw the iniquity of their combined idolatry and took immediate action.
This story is a metaphor for us today. The example is extreme because God wants to make sure we understand how serious it is for us to remain in blatant disobedience to his purposes. In our modern permissiveness, we excuse all types of aberrant behavior as being acceptable based on the fact that the biblical culture was distant and removed from our current relativistic and inclusive morality today. However, while the culture may indeed be distant, the moral underpinnings that anchored the ancient Israelites should be the exact same foundation we build upon today. When we shy away from our duty to not compromise with the surrounding culture, it can affect us in ways that will continue to erode spiritual stability throughout the believing community.
How are we to overcome these varieties of challenges to the purity of the kingdom message?
The good news is that the same Spirit which empowered Yeshua and the early disciples still lives within the regenerated lives of believers today. As Paul wrote in Romans 8, "if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live." It is the power of the Spirit of God that provides the ability to overcome sinful practices of whatever culture among which we find ourselves.
Collectively, we need to mimic the no-compromise mentality of a Phinehas, not waiting, but taking immediate and decisive action on the habits and practices in our lives that are offensive to a holy God.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Positive heart habits produce a life of integrity that honors God.
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Compassion and unity with one another provides a foundation for reaching others.
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We have the ability, through faith in Messiah, to gain the privilege of being reconciled with our Maker.
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Longing for God’s house is a longing to be in his eternal presence which can provide true happiness.
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We must present ourselves to God with each new day as those who have been resurrected from our old, sinful ways into a new life of righteousness.
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How following the godly examples of our spiritual forefathers during their exodus experiences can lead us to a life of integrity.
Yeshua taught:
Matthew 5:6 - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
This is a reference to the wanderings in the wilderness which Israel experienced, and how God provided for them. They neither hungered nor thirsted, they were protected from the scorching sun by the cloud that covered them, and he had pity on them and led them by springs of water. In a physical way, they were experiencing what would ultimately be fulfilled within the spiritual kingdom of God.
This exodus event is when God proved himself as a protector and provider of his people. This is how the Israelites could be assured that Yahweh is the one true God. This is the essence of Hebraic thought, woven into all of their storytelling and tradition. Based on this consistent theme of the exodus story, we can see how the biblical writers drew from this resource time and again to provide spiritual application of the exodus story in other contexts.
John 8:34, 36 - Yeshua answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
As believers, we identify with the passionate expression of these principles of our faithful spiritual ancestors because we are ignited with the same Spirit. We desire to share in the exodus experience that they have given voice to over the centuries and millennia as these words were collected and compiled into our Bibles. Like the writer of Hebrews, we have the privileged opportunity to step back and view the entirety of the faithful ancestors who followed God and learn to copy their exemplary lives:
Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The vigilance to stay on the right path begins in the commitment to keep our hearts pure.
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A strong eternal kingdom cannot be fostered in an environment of doubt, hypocrisy, and disobedience.
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If we keep our eyes and our hearts focused on the one true God, we will not stray into the idolatry and spiritual adultery of the nations around us.
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God is honored when we honor and respect him in all things, including how we manage our finances and our relationships with others.
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The words we speak illustrate or reveal what is actually in our hearts.
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When we pray for his will to be done in our lives, we are truly allowing God to be God.
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When he was confronted by religious leaders as to his interpretation of appropriate Sabbath activities, Yeshua replied with the following:
Mark 2:27 - Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath."
In this simple statement, Yeshua was corroborating several things at once. Firstly, he validated the Sabbath as a viable concept within the eternal counsel of God, not as a mere temporary requirement. Secondly, he defined the Sabbath as being for all men, not as a practice just for Jews. And thirdly, the Sabbath has always been designed for the benefit of man, not for anxiously maintaining a detailed list of rules and regulations.
The kingdom of God has been designed by God to be not just an ideal to strive for, but to be a practical outworking of his desire for human behavior. God's will is established and conducted through his Kingdom people. The kingdom has always been designed to be the earthly representation of God's people who are faithful to his commands. And, through the example of the nation of Israel, God has demonstrated that he expects his people to abide by his commands. God’s people have been instructed to remember the Sabbath and keep it set apart. It is a gift from him, a sacred memorial honoring the Creator (Yahweh), his provision, and his eternal purpose.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of Bible articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of Bible articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of Bible articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
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When a field was harvested, sometimes the fruit or grain that was not quite ripe was left on the vine or the tree, with the idea that the harvesters would come back through the field at a later time to ensure all of the harvest was brought in. However, God instructs the Israelites to leave what remained for those less fortunate in the land. After the main harvest, the poor class without income, typically widows, orphans, and resident outsiders, would be allowed to enter the fields of the wealthy and essentially scrounge whatever was left for themselves. In this way, the wealthy in the land would be assisting in providing for the literal welfare of those who could not provide for themselves.
Throughout the Torah, or instruction of God, he has commanded his people to take note of the poor and help them, and in doing so one will be blessed. God was promising a blessing of recompense that would be poured out if they would simply obey his command to help the poor. Becoming a shining light is imagery that speaks to the exemplary status that would result for his people when they were faithful in carrying out what he asked.
Beyond the blessings associated with generosity and compassion, the gleaning of the fields was to be a reminder to themselves of their previous slavery in Egypt. This act of compassion was to prevent them from abusing the lowest class, because they had previously collectively been in that situation in Egypt. Therefore, as they practiced this compassion within their society, they would be honoring the memory of their ancestral bondage and making a statement that they would not be repeating the class abuse they had suffered in a foreign country with those among their own land.
Demonstrating compassion is not always easy; if it was, it would be commonplace, and we would not need to be encouraged to take actions that we would normally do anyway. However, what we can learn from the principle of gleaning of the fields is that it takes forethought and intentionality to be obedient to the commands of God when it comes to helping others. And while our current social status might not be based on a lineage that has been rescued out of actual slavery like the Israelites were, we as believers have all come from a background of spiritual slavery of disobedience to God in one form or another. God showed compassion to us when we were spiritually bankrupt and had nothing to offer him. If nothing else, this compassionate love of our God toward us should provide a recognition of our common bond with all others, not only in our country but around the world. This bond should then spur us on to obedience, to be faithful to God’s command of demonstrating compassion with those who cannot provide for themselves.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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Believers are not to join in any effort or activity where the Name or character of God would be maligned or disdained.
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Wisdom with consistent action makes a difference, especially with hard teachings like those about forgiveness. Anyone can say people should be forgiving of those who are intent on harm, but to do so in the most extreme of circumstances demonstrates authenticity that has power to change lives.
This is corroborated in the lives of Yeshua's disciples, most visibly in the noble act of Stephen when he faced the same type of hostility of those who would see him dead for his speaking of the truth.
It was the same case in the instance of Yeshua's crucifixion at the hands of his oppressors, he didn't just preach forgiveness of enemies, he actually lived it out, praying for God to forgive those who had no intent toward him except extreme harm.
Our ability to forgive should not be based solely on an emotional feeling of sadness or pity toward someone else. There may be times where our emotions are running completely opposite to empathy or pity, and yet, we are commanded to forgive anyway, if for no other reason than we have been forgiven by God. That is the standard that should guide us.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of Bible articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
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God deserves our trust because he never changes. What he has decreed will come to pass. What he has done remains forever.
Psalm 33:11 - "The counsel of Yahweh stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations."
Throughout this unchanging counsel of the Bible, by contrast the life we have been given is represented as a fleeting and temporal existence.
James 4:14 - What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
This recognition of our own mortality should drive us closer to God, not farther from him. Because we understand we are so temporary, we should seek to latch on to those things that are eternal, that reach beyond our short time that we have while we are here. Our thoughts should run in step with those of the psalmist:
Psalm 90:12 - So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Think of the cathedral builders who recognized they were working on a project that would not be completed for decades or even over a hundred years. They worked every day as a link in a chain that they knew could extend beyond their working lifetime. If we had even the slightest inclination that our work would be progressively built upon after our departure, how would that affect the effort and quality we would put forth?
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of Bible articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
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If our review of God’s instruction is to be constant, it must be comprehensive. We should be reviewing all of God’s word on a regular basis, not just cherry-picking our favorite verses. At a minimum we should be reviewing all of the Bible at least once a year.
Secondly, our review should be intentional. We have to set apart time each day to be successful. Like any relationship, there has to be constant interaction in order for the relationship to grow. The psalmist uses the language of “day and night” to convey the constancy of this meditation in God’s word.
Thirdly, this daily review of God's Word should be meaningful. We need to be critically engaged with God’s instruction. What do I mean by this? Essentially, we need to be thinking about what it is that we are reading: who was this written to? When was it written? What is the goal of the author in writing this material? These are the types of things that help us begin to understand the overarching narratives that become evident as we gather information on the whole of the Bible and not just our favorite comfortable passages.
In what ways can you be more engaged with God’s instruction? Perhaps experimenting with different levels of interacting with his word through the media options available to us can provide fresh perspective and renewed insight. The more intentional we are in learning from his guidance, the more set apart and available for his purposes we become.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of Bible articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of articles, other podcast episodes, and videos!
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Many a wife has reviewed this passage with trepidation, as the ideal set forth in these verses can indeed be intimidating. However, instead of describing the ideal woman and holding wives to an unreachable standard, this passage can be viewed from a different, and perhaps more attainable, perspective that aligns with the middle eastern propensity to couch word pictures and ideas in parabolic language. When viewed as a metaphor for the people of God, a whole new set of ideals come into focus. Viewed as an ideal for all believers, a collective attainment of its lofty ambitions suddenly becomes more applicable and practical.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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The person of integrity is one who intently seeks to know the truth of God. They desire to walk in that way, to conform their lives to what God desires of them. They have made seeking God the passion of their life, hungering to know him more and to know the correct way according to his Word. They will not rest until they have heard a word from God, until he has shown them the next steps on their path.
The eleventh chapter of the epistle of Hebrews speaks to a long list of those who demonstrated their faith and integrity through their actions. But when we consider the depth of their commitment to the one true God, our own faith seems to pale by comparison.
This race we are in is not a sprint that is over after a burst of effort and energy. No, the lives we live are long-distance endurance rallies, challenging us at every turn with new obstacles attempting to wear us down and cause us not to quit, but to compromise. Once we accept the premise of cultural degradation, our message becomes diluted by non-essentials.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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To "take up" God's name means to lift or carry; it conveys the idea of raising or bearing a load or burden; it can also mean to accept. To “take” his name is to take up, or carry his name as identifying who we are, or rather, whose we are.
The Hebrew word shem or name also conveys some meanings about what it represents. It is associated with the fame or glory of an individual, indicative of their character. From a Hebraic perspective, to utter someone's name is to call out their character.
That which is being lifted, carried and honored is his character, his reputation. Therefore, those who belong to the kingdom of God should be honoring the name, or character, of God with their thoughts, speech, and conduct.
As one of the Ten Commandments within the charter of the kingdom of God, this then implies that honoring the name through living out its values is appropriate and expected kingdom behavior.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today. As always, I hope to be invited back into your headphones in another episode to come. Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Friends provide compassion to friends in need so that the needful friend does not abandon all hope and reject the fear of God altogether. In Job's situation, his friends should have been comforting him in his affliction rather than trying to prove to him why he deserved to be afflicted. They should have been doing everything they could to make sure that Job does not lose his fear of God in his despair.
"The fear of the Almighty" or "the fear of the Lord" are phrases that have fallen out of use in our modern religious vernacular. Rarely is God represented as a being who is to be feared; rather, his mercy and forgiveness are emphasized above and beyond all of the qualities of his being. If we have the fear of God, we have the deepest respect and reverence for God, recognizing just how awesome and powerful he really is.
Having the larger perspective of awe can help us realize that the things we value as important to us in the short term of our temporary lives pale in contrast with the more important things that the God of the universe expects of us, such as helping others.
Humility can be accomplished through a sense of awe and wonder for the God who created all things and who placed us within his creation to make a compassionate difference in the lives of those around us. Our kindness toward others not only reveals our reverence for God, but for those who are in desperate situations, it can revive or even create a kindred sense of awe for God.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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Psalm 130:3-4 - "If You, O Yahweh, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared."
The Psalmist here writes, "But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared." The quality of God that most causes people to revere him is the fact that he is willing to forgive those who sincerely admit their failings. By contrast, the deities of the ancient nations exhibited their power through their strength, ruthlessness, and promises of fulfillment of selfish ambition.
None of the ancient Egyptian, Greek, or Roman deities conveyed forgiveness. The ideals of forgiveness offered through the God of the Bible were unheard of in the ancient world until they were exemplified by the ancient Israelites in their torah practices, which culminated in the gospel of the kingdom brought forth by their Messiah and his early believers.
The God of the Bible is indeed all powerful. He represents himself as having created all that exists, and he has the ability to destroy kingdoms and lift up others for his own honor and glory. And yet, surveyed against the backdrop of historical beliefs and cruel demands of pagan gods, his greatest strength lies not in his unchallenged power to create or destroy, but in his demonstration of and willingness to provide forgiveness to those who turn to him.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Please visit coreofthebible.org for hundreds of articles and other podcasts and videos.
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The process begins with our ears; we must turn or incline our ears toward wisdom. The Hebrew word conveys a stretching out, as in stretching out the fabric of a tent when pitching a tent. This involves an intentional and focused purpose in what we listen to.
Another aspect of hearing the words of the wise, as the proverb points out, is literally hearing the words spoken instead of just read internally on the page.
The next aspect of creating a growing trust in God comes when the wisdom is applied in the most inward recesses of our being: in our hearts. To apply the wisdom is to place or station it in this place so it will remain sure and steadfast, and become part of our deepest make-up, our very constitution. Additionally, what is in our heart can't help but come out through what we say and do.
We have to remember that biblically speaking, trust or faith in God is not just a feeling or an inward state of mind, it is an active outworking of revealed truth which has been assimilated into the heart. This type of "living trust" is what shines into the darkness of this world to draw others to God and his wisdom.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In Psalm 29, David provides a poetic allegory of a thunderstorm in order to consider the holiness and majesty of God. Within this psalm is a description of God's awe-inspiring power displayed in the majestic outworking of a tempest. If you've ever been through a close and violent thunderstorm, I'm sure you can recall how terrifyingly loud and unnerving the noise and commotion of the thunder and wind and rain could be, and how vulnerable and frail you may have felt. The Psalmist here is using this type of imagery as a way of illustrating the power and majesty of God, and how incredibly small and unshielded we are from the elements of this world; how much more does that apply to us spiritually.
That God has revealed himself as a being greater than the universe itself is boggling to the mind, and yet necessary for him to demonstrate who he is. His being is so high above all that exists, he is set apart from his Creation; yet he has chosen to maintain a dynamic and ongoing relationship with those whom he has created within that order of Creation that we call the universe. Our own holiness, or separation from the world, is derived from our perspective and meditation of God as the Creator of all.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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Instances of God's spoken word make an interesting study. If we consider that the primary instruction that is spoken of as being the meditation of the righteous and the ensuring of avoiding sin is the Ten Commandments, we can see that an in-depth appreciation and ongoing evaluation of God's words to his people has much benefit. The Ten Commandments are the basis of all of God's word to his people.
If we agree that the teaching of Yeshua is the teaching of the Father, then I submit that the greatest summary of the Father's teaching that Yeshua provides us is in the Sermon on the Mount.
This is why I conclude that the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are the core of the Bible message; these are the two primary sources of the purest instruction from God that we have recorded for us in the Bible.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
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All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
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The book of Proverbs provides a wealth of God's wisdom in brief statements. The juxtaposition of positive and negative characteristics help to illustrate each other, causing them to stand out in bold relief to one another. When we understand the characteristics of the negative quality, we look to its opposite in order to understand the positive quality more fully. This is the beauty of the proverbs that contrast good and bad qualities.
Proverbs 11:3 - "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."
In this verse, the integrity, the completeness or wholeness, of someone who is righteous or upright is contrasted with the twisted ways of those who are deceitful, or who act covertly in order to accomplish their own ways, even if it means overthrowing the actions of the righteous.
This brings out an interesting facet of what the Bible teaches: the consequences of one's own actions. While we may come to the Bible to learn about eternal answers to questions we may have, I believe that many times we tend to skip over the simpler, obvious teaching because we are looking for deeper or more significant meaning in a passage. It may also be that we don't have a complete recognition of the cultural underpinnings of these ancient writings, which is one of the reasons I find exploring this type of literature so fascinating.
In ancient Jewish thinking, since God is just, the Creation itself is imbued with a mechanism of justice. Sometimes the forces of nature are blended with concepts of angels or messengers of God. In this psalm we see David asking God to "take your shields...and come to my aid," and asking that the "angel of Yahweh" pursue his enemies. To our Western way of thinking, these concepts appear to be spiritual forces that David is requesting God to provide to protect him and to rout his enemies. However, these are more likely literary expressions as to how it would appear to his enemies when the consequences of their actions were to fall upon themselves. David is simply asking God for those consequences to come to fruition.
In Matthew 5:33-37, Yeshua encourages believers to exhibit these characteristics in all of their outward relations: "Be a person of your word, not requiring any oath to substantiate your actions. Simply say yes or no, and do what you say." When we act in this way, we can honor God and magnify the positive characteristics and ethical characteristics that are displayed, and contrasted, in his Word.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today. As always, I hope to be invited back into your headphones in another episode to come. Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Exodus 20:4-5 - "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them…"
Yeshua confirmed that God abhors idolatry, and further revealed how God desires spiritual worship based on the truth, not some physical representation of him.
John 4:23-24 - "But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The idolatry of the Bible, however, is generally concerned with the statues and carvings of the various gods that continually led Israel away from the one true God, Yahweh. Baal and Ashtoreth were two of the most notable "local" gods in the land of Canaan which threatened to lure Israel away from Yahweh.
Additionally, the idolatry of Israel was not always focused on other gods, but on the one true God, just through some form of statue or representation of their own making.
Consider the golden calf incident. Most people think that the golden calf was a foreign god that the Israelites were worshiping, however, they made the golden calf in honor of Yahweh God and instituted a festival to him! The Israelites created it as a representation of the God who had brought them out of Egypt (Ex. 32:4), and also as a representation of the God who would go before them and conquer. They bowed down to it and danced around it.
From a practical standpoint, I am extremely saddened by the idolatry present throughout the world for another significant reason: the sheer waste of resources that could be used to help people in real need.
If we were to total all of the money and resources that are sacrificed in the worship of these false idols and their traditions, I am convinced that hunger and poverty throughout the world could be eradicated many times over. I am convinced that resources spent on religious idolatrous enterprises in every culture, including Christianity, are consuming what is available for the ever-growing population of humanity.
True idolatry is the participation in a physical event or honoring of traditional, physical icons in lieu of worshiping the one true God in spirit and in truth.
Yahweh, the God of the Bible, sets himself apart from all other gods by demanding we stop trying to represent him or his kingdom symbolically, whether through some type of iconography, grand facility, or through wasted resources on idolatrous traditions and practices. We can't represent him fairly in those instances and, even if it is attempted, whatever we make becomes an object of corruption.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Luke 6:34-35 - "And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked."
While compassion is encouraged throughout the Bible, we should understand it is based on the eternal instruction of God throughout the Torah. God has always encouraged his people to be generous, and we will look at some of those ways as we dive deeper into the topic of giving.
Since banks as we know them today did not exist in Bible times, there were only a few means for someone who had fallen on hard times to extricate themselves from dire financial circumstances.
Sometimes, individuals would be sold as servants of others in an effort to pay off debt or to help their families. This was a form of indentured servitude, a commitment to the benefactor to recoup their investment.
An additional measure of relief in the Torah for those who had become deep in dept was instituted in the release of all debts every seven years which is also described in Deuteronomy 15:9. In this way, no one would be able to get so far in over their heads financially that they couldn't receive a fresh start.
But for those who had the ability to work but had simply gotten into financial straits, the Bible conveys that, by far, the most common way of helping others was the idea of loans from family and friends as legitimate assistance until they could get back on their feet.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 - "If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs."
Are you up to the challenge of what it really means to be a follower of the Messiah and demonstrate true compassion? Hopefully, having a larger understanding of the context and social dynamic of biblical giving as we have looked at today can make us more responsible givers. In outwardly loaning to those who have need, we can allow them dignity. Inwardly considering these helper loans as outright donations, not expecting anything in return, we free ourselves from any negative ties to those relationships if the money is never repaid in the future. If we are giving advantage to those around us, even our enemies, then they cannot take advantage.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
During his last few hours before he was given up to the authorities in Jerusalem, Yeshua provides some insight for us in what were to become his parting words to his disciples.
John 14:15-17 - "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
So, the types of non-retaliatory actions that Yeshua encouraged his followers to abide by must have required a very special form of forgiveness. This type could only be displayed when relying on the Spirit of God providing the strength to do so by indwelling them.
This is how the believers were to live up to standards that were unattainable by purely doing their best to live out of the flesh. This is why fleshly works have no value in the sight of God; they cannot accomplish the depth and complexity of what God intends. The believer must be transformed to allow God to work through them; this is what makes biblical faith come alive. This is how we become image-bearers as God intended, ruling and reigning in his Creation with the wisdom and understanding that comes from him.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
I believe it can be shown that faith is something that is based on a multitude of factors that we have been exposed to in our lives. Whether by tradition or society, the individual interpretation of that information will lead to a specific worldview. Within the biblical worldview, we can receive personal guidance if we sincerely seek God's direction, which may be known to us but unseen by others, and this direction will be in harmony with God's revealed will in his word.
Another way to say this is we can trust God today for what he has revealed to us yesterday. And we can trust God for tomorrow and beyond when we trust him for today. Acting on that unseen conviction is how we demonstrate our faith in God and fulfill his purposes in this world.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Reviewing this concept in the Bible, the Way is well-attested throughout, from the earliest beginnings in Genesis all the way through the NT writings. The Way of Yahweh is variously described as the way to the tree of life, the way of wisdom, the way of righteousness, and sometimes simply the Way.
In this episode, the Way is charted from Genesis, through the ministries of John and Yeshua, and into the lives of the early believers. The Way is something that is distinct from where the rest of the world travels. Being on this Way of holiness means that one is traveling within a way of life that is intentionally set apart for God's purposes, and this Way can keep even our foolish inclinations in check.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In the parable of the sower, Yeshua cautions about the thorns that can grow up and choke out the fruitfulness of the Word. Today we will be exploring the topic of vigilance and how the act of maintaining the purity of our heart and our actions requires constant vigilance and continual grooming.
The seed being sown among the thorns represents those individuals who receive the word of God, but their hearts are so overcrowded with worldly cares and other ambitions that the seed cannot grow to maturity; it gets choked out and cannot bear fruit.
If we are to reflect on our own lives, how much of our time and attention is spent on the thorny distractions of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and passionate desires for other things besides the kingdom? We need to remain vigilant that the weeds and thorns of these other concerns do not overcrowd the truly important and impactful things that surround the kingdom: hearing and understanding the word and bearing fruit.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today. As always, I hope to be invited back into your headphones in another episode to come. Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
One of our admonitions from Yeshua in the Sermon on the Mount is to demonstrate virtue and purity that exceeds those who are merely following external commands (Matt. 5:20). Sometimes these external commands take the form of direct regulation, and sometimes these "commands" come in the form of allowances or tolerations of our culture that would violate the purity of our relationship with God. We must resist both forms of this type of cultural influence if we are to maintain our integrity and our holiness as God's people.
A clear example of this type of successful witness is illustrated by the early life of the prophet Daniel who would not compromise on his dietary commitment to Torah.
A secondary example is the witness of the early believers in Messiah who attempted to maintain their holiness, or set-apartness, by rightly abiding by the Torah commands in regard to food.
For believers today, God's people are only holy or set-apart when we live in holy and set-apart ways. We are still commanded in the New Testament writings to be holy. In regard to food practices of New Covenant believers, the term "conscience" is mentioned at least 8 times. Ultimately, Paul says that all things should be done in love, and that:
Romans 14:22-23 - Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin."
Probably the simplest way to understand all of this information is that it is our obligation as believers to be so thoroughly committed to our faith that through our integrity we become the influencers of those around us, rather than allowing them to influence us. Don't just know what you believe, but why. Understanding why we allow or don't allow certain things in our lifestyle practice will provide the strongest witness to outsiders who are curious to understand more about the Bible, God, and Yeshua. These are the types of godly interactions that God can and does use to grow the kingdom, and to change the world.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The King of the kingdom that was being formed in that desert wilderness of Sinai deserved to be king because he had demonstrated himself faithful to the promises that had been made to the forefathers. He had exhibited real, demonstrable power in breaking them free from their yoke of slavery that had overcome them. There was no greater exhibition of power than that which had not only removed them from their oppressors, but destroyed those former masters completely so they could now worship and obey Yahweh in that freedom which he had obtained for them. This is one of the greatest themes of the entire Bible: believers are set free from slavery to sin and have the freedom to worship and obey Yahweh in truth.
Clearly, in both the Old and New Testaments, God the Father, Yahweh, is viewed as the ultimate authority before whom all are accountable. However, some of this same language is applied to the risen Yeshua, and is representative of his exalted state to which God has appointed him.
Philippians 2:8-11 - he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death -- even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Yeshua every knee will bow -- in heaven and on earth and under the earth -- and every tongue will confess that Yeshua Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
So, will every knee bow before God the Father, or the risen and exalted Yeshua? The answer is yes to both. How can that be?
This biblical idea of agency is what allows the risen Messiah to be granted all of the same honor that can be directed to the Father, Yahweh. Yahweh had granted him agency, the power of attorney, to act and speak with authority in all matters concerning himself and his kingdom.
John 5:20-23 - "For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works than these so that you will be amazed. "And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants. "The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, "so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
There is a point where Messiah hands over the kingdom authority back to God the Father, the true King of all, since Yahweh is "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see."
If we take to heart the great theme of the Bible of how God the Father, Yahweh, has revealed himself as the God who redeems out of slavery and worldliness, we can be reminded of why we have been drawn to follow him in the first place. Through his Son, Messiah Yeshua, the God of the universe has provided us a way out of our blind and unthinking bondage to worldliness, whether traditions of men or of our own sinful and rebellious actions. In this new freedom, we have been liberated to worship him in spirit and truth and we are motivated and enabled to abide by his instruction.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening to!day
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - "Praise the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Messiah! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort. He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God."
This wise admonition of the apostle Paul contains within itself the makings of a simple truism: If we have received comfort from God through some trouble, then we have the ability, and the responsibility, to comfort others with that same comfort that we had received. In this sense, these verses contain a kind of "pay it forward" mentality. God comforts us, therefore we comfort others.
Psalm 34:19 - One who is righteous has many adversities, but Yahweh rescues him from them all.
The Psalmist writes that the righteous don't just coast through life with the best of everything. To the contrary, those who are righteous have many adversities to endure. Paul also confirms this as he writes to Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:10-12 - But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured -- and yet Yahweh rescued me from them all. In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted.
The apostle Paul pulls no punches; anyone wanting to live a godly life in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted. But the good news is that through these shared tribulations, Yahweh will deliver them, just as Paul was delivered through his. He is encouraging the disciples to build one another up in their most holy faith by providing the comfort and insights they had received through these common experiences of persecution and affliction; this is what builds up the faith of the congregations.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Matthew 6:12, 14-15 – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. … “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. “But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.
It would appear that curses for disobedience are essentially corrupted and inverted blessings for obedience. This implies that God desires our obedience in righteous actions. When we do so, he demonstrates we are acting in accord with his purposes by providing certain blessings towards us. However, when we choose not to do so, then he matches his actions towards us by our actions towards him. And those actions meant to be blessings then become inverted and appear to us as curses.
If, for example, we choose to live lives of treachery and deceit for our own pride and selfish gain, there is a good likelihood that our lives will be filled with not knowing who to trust, and being fearful of being taken advantage of at every turn. This is the natural result or consequences of those decisions. Yet if we choose to live humbly with integrity and honesty, it is more likely people will interact with us in similar ways, and we will have friends we can trust and experience less stress overall.
Proverbs 3:33-34 - Yahweh's curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous; He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble.
If we are allowing the Spirit of God to guide our lives, then we need to always be mindful of how important the role of forgiveness plays in our interactions with others. For to whomever forgiveness is not extended, then a state of unforgiveness remains. And if we are to maintain a consistent view within the larger context of Yeshua’s teaching during his life and ministry, that state of unforgiveness can be measured against our own standing with God.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The story of Israel is a story about God’s faithfulness. He has demonstrated himself as worthy of trust because whatever he has committed to his people has come to pass. Time and time again he has proven himself as fulfilling what he has promised, whether in blessing or in judgment. In essence, the Bible story of Israel is a type of historical resume that God has provided us.
If we review the story of Israel as related in the Bible books, we find a consistent narrative that has a logical beginning, middle, and ending that has been borne out in time. We can see that there is a flow and a lasting evidence to how God has worked with the nation of Israel within history to help us understand who he is.
Demonstrated in this episode are instances of how God was faithful in providing Israel the land of Canaan, and allowing the kingdom of David and Solomon to prosper. We will also review the removal of Israel from the land, and how their scattering among the nations fulfilled prophetic pronouncements to Moses. Finally, we will see the culmination of all prophetic promise in Messiah Yeshua, and how God's faithfulness is demonstrated to the whole world through faith in him.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today. Take care!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Holiness is not some sort of mystical state of existence, but a continual practice of doing what is right, or righteous actions. We can only know what is right or wrong in God's eyes because of the revelation of his law.
Acts 10:34-35 - Peter began to speak: "Now I truly understand that God doesn't show favoritism, "but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
A life that is set apart in holiness is separated because it is constantly being renewed in the image of the One who made it.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 - For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness.
Our mindfulness in remaining intentionally and purposefully bound to this life of righteousness, that is, doing what is right from the heart, is what causes us to become holy and set apart for use by God.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Luke 12:16-21 - Then he told them a parable: "A rich man's land was very productive. "He thought to himself, 'What should I do, since I don't have anywhere to store my crops? "I will do this,' he said. 'I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. "Then I'll say to myself, "You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." ' "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared -- whose will they be? ' "That's how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
I think most of us instinctively know this to be true, but it doesn't always stop us from desiring more, whether it is more things to possess or more power and authority or advantage over others.
Now I believe a significant caution is necessary here in saying that many commentators and preachers will use this parable and teaching to admonish those who are rich, or those who are being prudent in regard to their income and assets, but is that the true meaning of what Yeshua is teaching us here? Is he trying to say it is better to be poor than to be rich?
On the surface, this parable appears to teach that saving up for an uncertain future is to no avail, as we cannot have any certainty of the length of our lives. While this is certainly true, I believe the real essence of the parable, based on the teaching of Yeshua that it is meant to illustrate (that of the vigilance needed in avoiding greed) is summed up in the last sentence: "That's how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
Notice, it is not the storing up of the treasure that is the issue, but storing up treasure for oneself, that is, for one's own ease and comfort, without being rich toward God.
Further, one more final and important point regarding our vigilance against covetousness in our lives, the apostle Paul provides a stern warning regarding covetousness to the believers in Colosse:
Colossians 3:5 - Put to death, therefore, whatever is worldly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."
Greed, the desire for more and more material things for personal security and satisfaction, is idolatry. This must be put to death, a term of finality; there is no middle ground. We need to be vigilant in removing all unrighteous practices from our lives, and idolatry is the primary indicator of rebellion against God. When we seek to trust our provision (which we can see) more than our Provider (whom we cannot see), then we have fallen prey to idolatry.
God promises to meet our needs, not our wants, but in so doing, he instructs us that we should demonstrate generosity with others out of respect for his care for us. If you really desire to have a godly abundance, then rather than being an idolater, be an abundant giver.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Now also on YouTube! Just getting started, but new videos will be added regularly on many different topics, find us at: Core of the Bible on YouTube.
Questions or comments? Feel free to email me directly at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Matthew 5:10 -Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Integrity involves standing up for what’s right, even while enduring hostile environments. In our day, the concept of persecution has been unfortunately trivialized into essentially any notion of being ridiculed or spoken out against. However, in biblical terms, the concept of persecution conveys the act of having to flee from those who are intent on injuring or even killing those who have opposing viewpoints. That's a much different emphasis than we see today.
FB Meyer in his commentary on this passage writes:
"Christian piety cannot continue without persecution, because the world is hostile to the kingdom of God..."
And then he cites some of these passages as examples:
John 15:18-21 - "If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. "Remember the word I spoke to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. "But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they don't know the one who sent me.
Matthew 10:21-23 - "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. "You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. "When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
So we see persecution was predicted by Messiah and was to be expected by believers who were holding to the integrity of their righteousness and the gospel of the kingdom.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to read daily blog posts on these topics and to find out more about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Luke 17:20-21 - When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Yeshua replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
In Luke 17, Yeshua is asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom would be established, and Yeshua has to doctrinally reset their expectations. He mentions it would not be something dramatic with an observable political program and a specific location, but was a present reality already changing hearts, minds, and bodies.
This mention of the nearness of the kingdom presents similar challenges even today. Most believers in our day have the same expectation as the Pharisees: that the Messiah of God will come to rule and reign over a physical kingdom, and all nations will be a witness to the power and majesty of God.
However, to hold this view misses the essence of what Yeshua was teaching: the kingdom is not the coming visible manifestation of a political entity, but is an invisible, living community made up of those with changed hearts of obedience toward God.
Matthew 13:31-32 - "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. "It's the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it's taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches."
This parable is a metaphor for how the kingdom would grow over time, like any other living thing God has created. But even as it grows, the kingdom is being manifested every day in the lives of believers through their changed hearts, minds, and bodies. As we learn and place God's commands within our hearts by faith, we then begin to express outward actions in accordance with his will by that same faith. Those outward actions then influence the individuals around us as an outward demonstration of the inward reality of the invisible kingdom, and the outward reality of the kingdom adds another branch, another area for animals to metaphorically enjoy its shade and perch within its protective covering.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
This famous passage of the Good Samaritan is Yeshua’s definition of having compassion on one’s neighbor. True compassion is not just having a feeling of sympathy, but it is a sympathetic feeling that takes action. The Samaritan did some field first-aid, used his own transportation and brought him to a place where he could rest and recover with on-site care. The Samaritan was moved by compassion so strong that he was willing to interrupt his life to assist someone else, even if that someone was a stranger to him. Therefore, biblical compassion according to Yeshua looks outward to others who are in need, beyond the comfort of one’s own personal situation or condition and says, “What can I do to help?”
Loving of one's neighbor through compassion is only half of the equation of fulfilling the torah of God. Loving one's neighbor can only be truly carried out when one first fully loves Yahweh; heart, soul, strength, and mind. And doing both of these demonstrates you are a follower of Yeshua the Messiah.
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Now also on YouTube! Just getting started, but new videos will be added regularly on many different topics, find us at: Core of the Bible on YouTube.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. … You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:38, 43-44
This teaching of Yeshua is one of the most widely known yet least practiced of all of his precepts. This is because it is non-intuitive and frankly, difficult.
Yeshua never lost the perspective that people are made in God's image and that all are deserving of the benefit of the doubt when a situation may look otherwise. He could love his enemies and pray for them because he knew who they really were, even if they didn't.
If we could allow God to change our perspective to see that all others are made in God's image and are merely souls who have possibly not yet met the God of the universe, we might have a different approach in our dealings with them. This type of perspective can provide us the inward motivation of love and forgiveness necessary to accomplish the outward actions which will likely seem just as contradictory when we do them.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's episode:
01:33 Actions begin in the heart
03:33 Peter's struggle with unceasing forgiveness
04:24 Love and forgiveness are tied together
06:44 Actions based on our heart perspective
07:40 Double-goodness overcomes evil intent
09:31 This principle in the first century congregations
11:48 Mimicking Yeshua and our heavenly Father
13:33 Summary
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct you on pleasant paths.
The language used here of trusting in God that he will "direct you on pleasant paths" can be likened to a traveler who is trekking through a wilderness in fog. He uses his natural wisdom and understanding to find the path that will take him where he needs to go. However, once he is on the path, he places his confidence in the path that it will carry him to his destination, even though because of the fog he cannot see the full length of where the path is heading. When he is following the path, he is carefree from having to choose his own potentially hazardous way through the wilderness.
Yeshua specifically said that "no one comes to the Father except through me." This would be a hugely conceited statement were it not true. The exclusiveness of Yeshua's teaching is here revealed with no apology from the Master himself. Whatever this Way is, it is represented solely by his life, his practice, and his teaching, all of which make up who he is. This is why Yeshua is so central to Christian thought and practice, because he has placed himself there on purpose. The life of Messiah is one that is to be followed and imitated; this is how one stays in the Way of God.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
00:57 Biblical definitions of trust and wisdom
04:28 The "wilderness" of straying from trust in God
09:22 The Way of God as related by Yeshua
14:02 The Way of God as related by the disciples
17:10 Summary
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we will be exploring the topic of holiness, and how Yeshua uses some idiomatic language of having a good eye or an evil eye to determine our set-apart, or holy behavior. Are we being single-minded, having a "good" eye toward the things of God? If so, this allows us to become set apart and to truly shine for him.
Yeshua stated it this way:
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Matthew 6:22-23
The "good" eye implies singleness; unfolded, clear, and unambiguous purpose. We have clear vision when we have a single purpose. There is nothing that can distract us from our primary objective.
In the Sermon on the Mount, this idea of avoiding having an evil eye comes in the immediate context of Yeshua’s admonition that we cannot serve two masters: God and worldly wealth. In this respect, greed and covetous focus on worldly gain will divide up our interests, taking us further away from singleness of purpose within God's kingdom.
When we don’t have clear purpose, we tend to have divided interests among many other things that may not be in our best interest and lead us into wickedness. These secondary objectives cloud our vision and create a darkness that envelops our judgment.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main ideas in today's episode:
00:57 The general proposition and the "good" eye
02:08 Superstitious concepts of the "evil" eye
04:42 Biblical concepts of the "evil" eye
08:25 The positive aspects of the "good" eye
11:02 Light and darkness throughout the apostles' teachings
16:36 Summary
If you enjoyed this week's podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about today's topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Matthew 26:40-41. And he [Yeshua] came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Yeshua was speaking this to Peter for the specific purpose of admonishing him to stay alert with him while he was praying in Gethsemane. However, this has become a type of universal admonition regarding prayer to avoid temptation, and not without good reason.
Praying to avoid temptation was a key teaching within Yeshua’s template for prayer. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Based on the original word definitions, this can be expanded and paraphrased as “May we not be lead into adversity and hard testing; nevertheless, rescue us from anguish, harm, and all evil.”
Praying in this manner is a demonstration of vigilance. When praying to avoid temptation, 1) there is an awareness of the possibility of impending challenges and 2) there is also a recognition of God’s ability to provide assistance or escape.
Colossians 3:15, 17 - And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. ... And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Constant prayer and giving of thanks is a theme Paul also brings to the congregation in Thessalonica as well. In fact, he cements this as a cornerstone of believing practice in the accomplishment of God's will.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 - pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God's will for you in Messiah Yeshua.
If we are therefore praying in an alert fashion, that is, being aware of what we are praying and why we are praying, and we are doing so from a place of gratefulness and thankfulness for his provision in our lives, then we have a recipe for overcoming temptation.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:25 Vigilance in prayer and walking in the Spirit
03:10 Commentary on being delivered from temptation
10:17 Alertness and specificity in prayer
14:53 The powerful perspective of the thankful heart in prayer
16:52 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
What I would like to do today is to look at the two main aspects of this principle of Yeshua: what the Bible says this meekness or gentleness is, and then to review what inheriting the earth is all about.
Looking at some modern definitions of the word "meek" present us with ideas like "easily imposed on" or "overly submissive." Words like "weak, timid, soft, and yielding" are also considered modern synonyms.
What Yeshua is expressing here when he says the meek shall inherit the earth is certainly not timidity or weakness, but rather strength that is under complete control, having the ability to demonstrate great power without harshness. This is a vital ingredient in the make up of the integrity of a believer.
This is a non-intuitive way of viewing power in general, as we typically associate power with directness and abruptness of absolute authority or influence. However, the quality spoken of here is one of constancy of purpose and direction, yet having the ability to convey that definitive purpose in a way that is steady and unyielding but without being severe.
When Yeshua said the meek shall inherit the earth, I believe he used this phrase of inheriting the land metaphorically, applying it directly to the kingdom that emanates from heaven. This can be demonstrated by looking at the immediate context of the teaching of meekness within the Sermon on the Mount:
Mat 5:3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ... 5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth [land]. ... 10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, if Yeshua used references to the land inheritance to metaphorically stand for the Kingdom, then I believe we can also. God gave national Israel (physical descendants of Abraham) the Land; he gives believers (spiritual descendants of Abraham) the Kingdom.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:07 Some Biblical definitions of meekness
09:07 Inheriting the land or the earth?
14:10 The eternal "land" of the kingdom
20:14 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
"Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Another parable spoke he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened." Matthew 13:31-33
These two parables of Yeshua are illustrating the same picture: the kingdom is something that begins small and becomes larger and larger until it is all inclusive. This is one of the grand principles of all Creation: everything begins small and then grows to its mature state. Animals, plants, people; all things exemplify this principle.
Most Christians today might say they believe the kingdom of God began with Messiah, and it began its spread throughout the world at that time.
Matthew 28:18-20 - Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
While that was definitely a springboard to the nations, the Bible actually traces the trajectory of the kingdom much farther back in history, all the way back to Adam and Eve "ruling" over Creation. Let's trace this kingdom narrative to see how God has operated throughout the millennia to teach us about his eternal realm of righteousness.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's episode:
03:07 Examples of the kingdom growing from small to large, beginning with Adam and Eve
10:00 The eternal kingdom exemplified by the prophet Jeremiah overcoming false teaching
16:19 The universal, spiritual kingdom of God has always been, and will be, present
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we will be exploring the topic of compassion, and how compassionate actions stem from a root of simple respect for others based on the respect and compassion we have received from God.
Yeshua stated it this way: Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12
Of course, we know this as the Golden Rule. Certainly, anything that you wish others would do for you, do in the same manner for them, for this summarizes God’s teachings regarding others.
Our actions towards others should be based on our own internal sense of justice, fairness, and equity. This is the essence of compassion. Yeshua's admonition focuses on the positive aspect of doing good for others based on what we know is acceptable, fair, and just in our eyes.
The simple fact is, God has built-in a sense of equity and fairness within the human condition. Even if we were to do nothing more than abide by the sense of what we believe inherently is right and wrong behavior (based on how we would like to be perceived and treated by others), then we will be miles down the road of doing what is right in God's eyes.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:09 Applying what we know about ourselves to others
04:43 Respecting the context of the Golden Rule
08:08 Our compassion is owed to those in need
14:07 The future of compassion
17:45 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments or reading daily blog posts on these topics. The Core of the Bible is all about the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form, that is, the principles of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we will be exploring the topic of forgiveness, and how forgiveness is a quality that comes from a mature heart, a heart that knows and understands how powerful forgiveness is.
Yeshua stated it this way: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:36-37
This teaching of Yeshua instructs us to not criticize or condemn others. It also highlights several different aspects of judgment and forgiveness.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:19 UNIVERSAL BALANCE AND EQUITY
04:32 FORGIVENESS: THE OTHER SIDE OF JUDGMENT
08:39 GOD'S JUDGMENT AND FORGIVENESS CONTRASTED IN NEHEMIAH
13:30 LEAVING JUDGMENT AND VENGEANCE TO GOD
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
A sincere understanding of God and his ability to provide for our basic needs gives us a foundation of trust that we can then build on. When this reality seeps deep inside to our core, it becomes a tap-root that can sustain us through the most adverse conditions.
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” Matthew 6:31-32
Anxiety over things we cannot control not only cannot add any time to our span of life, but actually has been scientifically proven to shorten it. The more we stress over things that have not happened yet, the more we tax our immune and nervous systems to where actual damage can be done to the working of our physical bodies.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:50 REDUCING ANXIETY THROUGH TRUST IN GOD
05:16 REDUCING ANXIETY THROUGH PRAYER
11:55 REDUCING ANXIETY THROUGH GIVING
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we will be exploring the topic of holiness, and how cultivating a heart like God's means to be moved and motivated by the things that move and motivate him. This godly empathy is what separates God's people as a unique and set apart people. Yeshua stated it this way:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
Yeshua explains that in grieving for unrighteousness a blessing will result, as God will be near to comfort those who are passionate for righteousness.
This is not a sorrow for sorrow's sake, just to feel sad about how disobedient we have been, or to languish in the wayward practices of the world around us. No, this grief is a grief that should spur us to action, to be personally repentant and to intercede for others.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:57 Understanding the holiness of God and who he is
04:01 What God expects of us
05:58 Personal repentance over disobedience
06:51 Recognizing societal unrighteousness
09:40 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-20
A way of paraphrasing this can be expressed as: Beware of deceitful religious impostors. You will recognize them for what they truly are by looking closely at the results of their words and actions. Vigilance involves being on guard against all manner of deception to avoid following a false way.
The apostle Peter had no shortage of words for the deceivers that were prevalent in his day. What he has laid out in a few verses in his second epistle can provide us an outline of identifiers of false teaching.
2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
In this passage, the apostle vividly expanded on describing more specifically what some of those fruits of false teachers are that Yeshua mentioned as the method of identifying them.
- secrecy
- denying Yeshua as Messiah
- sensuality
- greed
- exploitation of believers
- false words
- speaking against the way of truth
Yeshua declares the end of false teachers or "every tree that does not produce good fruit" as being “cut down and thrown into the fire,” (Matt. 7:19). While they may look good on the surface, they will not survive their worldly aspirations designed only to better themselves. While the context of Yeshua's statement applied to the coming destruction of the corrupt system of his day, in no way does that diminish God's view of those who are promoting falsehood and tradition over the Word of God today.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's episode:
01:30 Biblical admonitions to beware of false teachers and teaching
04:48 How to determine falsehood in a teacher
06:17 Following the Way of truth
10:06 Questions for evaluating teachers today
14:27 Confronting false teachers
17:07 Loving those who have been led astray
19:20 How to interact with falsehood in our culture
21:25 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of integrity, and how a life of integrity cannot help but shine brightly for God in a world filled with darkness.
Yeshua stated it this way:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
Integrity is not just doing the right thing when no one is around, but doing the right thing in the sight of others even if it is the unpopular or undesirable course of action. The motivation for this type of example is not to become the center of attention, but to simply do the right thing even if the right thing to do is sometimes messy. The reality is that the truth of God can’t be contained when you are operating with integrity. As you do so, your good works make a real difference as they shine into the lives around you.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's episode:
00:40 Integrity is not about us
02:18 Avoiding hypocrisy
03:57 Motivations for actions of integrity
06:07 The ancient meaning of "the light of the world"
09:15 The city on the hill
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46
How invested are you in the kingdom of God? Yeshua taught us that we should be seeking the kingdom first, not somewhere further down a list of spiritual things we think we should be doing.
This parable illustrates the immense value that a true seeker places on the discovery of the kingdom of God. To be willing to sell everything you have in order to gain one single objective is a demonstration of the very highest commitment.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main ideas in today's episode:
02:19 What is the kingdom of God?
04:33 How to discern God's will
07:06 Examples of God's will from the law
10:04 How do you know what the most important things are in your life?
11:38 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of compassion, and how our giving to the needs of others should stem from an intentional purpose of assistance and a heart of love, and not from a place of financial reciprocation. Yeshua stated it this way:
Give to everyone who asks from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. … And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:30-31, 34-35
The distinctive aspect of how believers are supposed to model giving is to go outside the normal boundaries of the culture; to willingly give to those who would be considered unlikely recipients: those who can’t repay, even those who could be considered enemies. This is not a practice for the faint of heart. Giving as God intends requires mettle and resolve. This is not “feel-good” giving. In fact, this type of giving can be painful because it seems so contrary to common sense.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main points of todays episode:
02:50 The torah perspective on giving
07:30 The context of ancient religious thought on giving
12:02 Yeshua corrects wrong interpretations of his day
15:33 Giving of handouts: historical commentary
20:58 Biblical motivation for generous and intentional giving
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of forgiveness, especially as forgiveness reigns over judgment, and how forgiveness is a sign of emotional and spiritual maturity.
Yeshua stated it this way: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:36-37
When we typically think of the quality of forgiveness, it’s usually placed as a virtue that is opposite hatred. To forgive is to love and not to hate. However, in this passage, we find that mercy and forgiveness are placed in direct contrast not with hatred, but with condemnation and judgment.
When judgment is the primary objective, the possibility of forgiveness becomes diminished. When maintaining or restoring a relationship is a primary objective, then the potential for forgiveness increases. Both are necessary, but both serve different purposes.
When we forgive, we are being generous; generous with our mercy, generous with our emotions, and generous with our friendships. This generosity of action, according to Yeshua, leads to that generosity being returned to us many times over. When we are generous forgivers, forgiveness comes back to us over and over.
Below are some helpful timestamps of some of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:15 Seek not to be overly judgmental
01:50 Biblical examples of hypocritical judgment
04:30 The universal balance of God's judgment
06:00 Fair and correct judgment
08:10 Forgiveness is more abstract, and above, judgment
09:00 Forgiveness is release
10:05 Forgiveness is generosity
11:39 Biblical examples of reciprocity
13:20 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of trust, and how that in which we have placed our ultimate trust, God or Wealth, will always be evident in our lives.
Yeshua stated it this way:
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:24
You cannot be bound equally both to God and to your confidence in wealth. One will always take precedence over the other, and the results of following either will be evident in your life.
The issue that Yeshua focuses on is not necessarily the results of following either (which are evident throughout the biblical writings), but the complete inability of humans to multi-task serving God in among other responsibilities in this life. He says emphatically, "you CANNOT serve God AND wealth." In literal terms, the text reads there is NO ABILITY to do both.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's episode:
01:06 The inability to serve two masters
01:32 The two masters
02:48 How powerful wealth (as Lord) is
04:22 The true Lord of wealth
06:30 The idolatry of wealth and its effects
08:36 Yeshua and the rich young seeker
10:45 The God who makes things possible
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of holiness, and how our commitment to God, first and foremost, needs to be absolute. But this relational commitment needs also to be reflected within our spousal relationships; the two types of relationships are equivocated in the Bible.
Looking first at our spousal relationships, Yeshua stated it this way:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. … “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Matthew 5:27-28, 31-32.
In the Bible, adultery, while wrong in and of itself, is a metaphor for idolatry. Time and again, Israel’s unfaithfulness with the gods of the surrounding nations is compared to adultery with God. Just as the act of adultery is an affront to the spousal relationship, an act of spiritual adultery in pursuing idolatry is an affront to the holiness of God, and destroys that relationship.
As if to emphasize this point, both of these admonitions are contained within the Ten Commandments: "You shall not commit adultery," and "you shall have no other gods before me."
Here are some helpful timestamps of some of the main points in today's episodes:
01:47 The concept of marriage in the Bible
03:22 Yeshua clarifies divorce
06:15 Adultery as a metaphor for idolatry
07:35 Commentary on sinful desire
09:45 Idolatry is more than worshiping a statue
10:45 Keeping our thoughts pure
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of vigilance, and how we need to be highly aware of our audience when we are attempting to share the good news of the Kingdom of God. Yeshua stated it this way:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6
In essence, what he is saying is not to share something sacred or spiritually pure with those who are not receptive. While the message of the Bible can be good news to those who need to hear its message, not everyone is receptive to its principles.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main thoughts in this episode.
00:43 Exercising discernment
02:10 The scriptural distinction between the righteous and unrighteous
03:21 Some of Yeshua's followers left him
05:06 Yeshua instructs the disciples to be discerning
06:20 Early believers focused on willing hearers
06:57 Avoiding aggressive audiences
09:18 Giving knowledge of the kingdom, enlightened by the Spirit
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of integrity, and how people of integrity understand and avoid the dangers and deception of hypocrisy.
Yeshua stated it this way: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5
In other words, the basic takeaway is: Don’t be hypocritical.
Some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's episode are below.
01:03 The context of judgment
03:26 God charges man with dominion over all things
06:20 Hypocrisy is recognized by all people, regardless of culture
09:20 Yeshua publicly denounced hypocrisy
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of the Kingdom of God, and how the individuals making up this ever-expanding kingdom have hearts of humility and are filled with wisdom.
Yeshua stated it this way:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3
A paraphrase to expand on the meaning of this passage conveys that to have an empty spirit, ready to receive and obey the slightest instruction, you will be blessed as the kingdom of heaven is yours.
Some helpful timestamps of the main ideas presented in today's episode are as follows:
01:25 Definition of the "poor in spirit"
03:40 Definitions of "contrite" and humility
05:50 Verses related to the importance of humility
08:44 The contrast of personal agenda
10:17 God's resources for believers
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” -Matthew 5:13
Yeshua choosing the metaphor of salt was enlightening on many levels. Just like Lot's wife and Abimelech overthrowing the city of Shechem, if the believers would retain their saltiness, it would represent a measure of finality in judgment upon that rebellious generation. But the metaphor also recalls the seasoning of offerings, as many of them would be giving their lives in the persecution that was going to come upon them after his death. Finally, their saltiness would have a purifying effect among those whom he was calling, and would be a preservative of the peace and unity that God intends for all believers.
Here are some helpful timestamps of the main points in today's topic:
02:05 Biblical representations of salt
07:45 Judgment and destruction
10:55 Sacrifice and offerings
14:11 Purifying
16:54 Preservation
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” Matthew 5:21-22
Believers should not call someone a fool or an idiot or be unrighteously angry with anyone. According to Yeshua, anger breeds an environment of death.
The good news is, God is in the life-giving business. To overcome the error of "killing" someone with our anger, Yeshua encourages the opposite to anger: forgiveness. When you boil it down to essentials, peace that overcomes anger is really based on forgiveness. Forgiveness can heal breaches in trust or the wounds of anger and resentment. Forgiveness is a creator of peace. Where anger breeds death, forgiveness breeds life.
Here are some helpful timestamps of some of the main points in today's episode:
01:30 Examples of anger causing an environment of death
04:25 Examples where forgiveness can bring life
07:03 What about God's anger?
13:42 The difference between God's anger and ours
18:08 God's anger and his justice
20:29 Our anger should be slowly started and short-lived
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of trust, and how our attitudes and actions demonstrate whether our trust is in earthly things or in heavenly things.
Yeshua stated it this way:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
However, looking at the passage from its literary construction, the subject doesn't appear to be so much the type of wealth, but the storehouse in which the wealth is kept. You see, it's not the treasure itself that is the focus, but the storehouse. Wherever you are storing your stuff, that's where your heart will be.
Here are some useful timestamps of the main thoughts in today's episode:
01:31 From treasure to storehouse
03:54 Bible passages on the temporary nature of earthly wealth
06:56 Having a single purpose
09:45 What type of wealth is supposed to be in heavenly storehouses?
10:07 The flow of the Sermon on the Mount
10:57 Yeshua corrects corrupt traditions
14:11 Faithful storehouse building comes from a heart harmonized with actions
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Moreover when you fast, do not be as the hypocrites, of a sad appearance; for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, that you do not appear unto men to fast, but unto your Father which is in secret: and your Father, who sees in secret, shall reward you openly. Matthew 6:16-18
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of Holiness, and the role of fasting and prayer. Below are some helpful timestamps that highlight the main topics under discussion today.
01:44 Examples of biblical fasting
03:18 Fasting and prayer as an act of repentance
04:27 Fasting and prayer for seeking God's involvement and favor
05:26 Fasting and prayer for the sake of enemies
06:31 Fasting accompanied great times of testing, but also of revelation
07:23 Fasting and prayer with the wrong attitude
09:14 Fasting and prayer as personal humility in the kingdom
10:45 Fasting reminds us who our Provider is, both physically and spiritually
12:30 The right kind of fasting
We need to keep in mind that fasting and prayer is not a personal discipline for our own selfish desires, but a means of humbling ourselves before God in the service of the needs of others.
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of Vigilance, specifically persistence in prayer according to the will of God.
Yeshua stated it this way:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
In his saying here is an aspect of continual, persistent activity: always keep asking, knocking, and seeking in order to receive, have doors opened to you, and to find what you’re searching for.
Timestamps are below for the main points of today's lesson:
03:01 Differing views of God
05:21 God's sovereignty vs free will
08:13 Other aspects of prayer
14:47 How we should apply ask, seek, knock
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” - Matthew 5:6
Food is a compelling motivator for those who have none. It's that motivating factor that Yeshua seizes upon to drive home the urgency with which he encourages his listeners to seek righteousness. They should hunger and thirst for it.
Timestamps of the main themes of today's lesson:
03:14 The morality options of the world
05:37 The Bible definition of righteousness
07:21 Specific, general, and implied directives of God's word
10:31 Being prepared and consistent
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of the Kingdom, and how the instructions about how to live in God's kingdom, or God's torah, is eternal.
Yeshua stated it this way:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others [to do] the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches [them,] he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19
Here are some timestamps for the main topics in today's lesson:
01:45 What is Torah?
06:42 The regulating principle of Torah
12:25 The fulfillment of Torah
19:14 Torah as tutor
22:38 Torah in the heart
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:3-4
While the main context of Yeshua's comment is in deriding acts of hypocrisy, within this pronouncement is a nugget of wisdom as it comes to helping others in need. While he denounces the proud and their showy acts of helping others, he is effectively saying that we should be privately and sincerely compassionate toward those in need. The need is real and when we give we should be quietly genuine in our acts of helping others. That is the type of compassionate giving that God honors.
2:22 Biblical entreaties to give to the poor
3:42 Blessings and curses associated with giving
6:14 An illustrative story of giving
7:20 The current state and causes of poverty
9:20 Provisions for the poor in ancient Israel
9:50 Gleanings
10:56 Third year offerings
11:46 Personal loans
Who is identified as the needy in the Bible?
14:15 Widows and orphans
15:06 Foreigners
16:15 Levites
17:53 Summary of whom we should be helping
18:37 Helping your neighbor
19:35 The commands provide intentionality
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
All music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of forgiveness, some practical ways to demonstrate forgiveness, and the humility and kindness required when we concede to overlook the faults and aggression of others.
Yeshua stated it this way:
Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your wrongdoing.
The overarching theme where this verse is tucked into the Sermon on the Mount is all about avoiding hypocrisy. Don't expect something of someone else (including God) if you are not willing to subject yourself to the same principles. If you expect to have God forgive you when you have wronged him, then you should be forgiving of those around you who have wronged you.
But what does this type of forgiveness of other people look like? How can it be enacted in practical ways? Yeshua provides a couple of examples that include a brother who has an offense against you, and an adversary who is taking you to court.
Matthew 5:23-26 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”
From this insight, Yeshua is teaching us that a primary aspect of forgiveness looks a lot like reconciliation. By this standard, reconciliation with all others must take place prior to worshiping God or seeking his forgiveness. Seeing how these two concepts are tied together so closely, we can therefore say forgiveness is the root and foundation of all reconciliation. This is a requirement if we are to be asking God for forgiveness.
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of trust in God, and how God's provision is promised within the activities of the kingdom.
Yeshua stated it this way:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:25
Having our perspective changed from temporary to eternal will change how we respond to the hurdles of life's challenges. We will find over time that the anxiety and distress over temporary things will begin to fade as we focus more on the eternal things.
According to the example of the Levites serving at the Tabernacle, we can see that God will provide for those who are wholly engaged in the service of the kingdom. We can also understand from the stories of Abraham, Hagar and Elisha that God's provision becomes apparent when it is needed most, in his timing.
When we truly trust God, we demonstrate that we are not subject to the typical anxieties of this life. We are then living out the values of his kingdom, knowing the King provides for his subjects.
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today. As always, I hope to be invited back into your headphones in another episode to come. Take care!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Prayer is a primary method of God setting us apart, making us holy. Yeshua taught us the three "R's" of prayer: Recognition, Repentance, and Request. These three concepts can simplify our convoluted and sometimes misguided ideas about prayer. In this episode, we identify these principles and how we should be applying them.
Recognition: we need to recognize God for all he is, for all he has done, and all he is doing. Acknowledging his authority and purpose helps us keep our perspective.
Repentance: confession and repentance are not only good for the soul, they are a requirement. This is the opportunity to make sure we are being open and honest with God about all conflict in our lives.
Request: with the correct perspective of God, and a humble heart of repentance, we are now in a state in which we can request what’s appropriate and necessary in our lives, not just flippant and shallow desires of the moment. God has promised to meet our needs, not our wants.
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on this and other topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
I believe that the core of the Bible consists of seven main principles of conduct surrounding the topics of Kingdom, Integrity, Vigilance, Holiness, Trust, Forgiveness, and Compassion.
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of vigilance necessary in a believer's life to follow the narrow path that leads to a small entranceway of life.
Yeshua stated it this way: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
The Core of the Bible website and podcasts are meant to provide the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form for ease of learning and application. The information presented is non-denominational and sometimes a bit unorthodox, but always firmly rooted in the patterns and principles contained within the Bible and its historical narrative.
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, hear weekly podcasts, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you to include listener comments in future episodes. Feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
I hope every day on your path is one that makes you value its full potential to draw you closer to God and to other travelers along the way.
Take care!
Music used in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the deep desire for integrity that is a hallmark of believers. This desire wells up from the deepest recesses of our spiritual being, driving us to be conformed to the life of Messiah, a life of truth and righteousness.
Yeshua stated it this way: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
Visit the Core of the Bible website at coreofthebible.org for contributing comments, subscribing to daily blog posts, and for free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Music in this episode:
Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
Entering into the kingdom of heaven is possible only by consistently doing the will of the Father in heaven, not by merely claiming to be a disciple. This is how we demonstrate what we believe.
The Kingdom of God is the overarching concept that is integral within the teachings of Yeshua. Within the kingdom are exhibited the core of the Bible qualities of integrity, vigilance, holiness, trust, forgiveness, and compassion. It is my hope you will continue to review with me these aspects of human expression that, I believe, God expects of all people.
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, view daily blog posts, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Music:
Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we will be exploring the topic of compassion, as Yeshua mentions this quality in our highlighted verse this week:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Matthew 5:7
I have paraphrased this as "Extend mercy and compassion to others and you will be blessed, receiving mercy in return."
There are two aspects to this verse that I would like to explore with you today. One aspect is just reviewing what the biblical concept of mercy is that we are expected to be extending to others.
The other aspect is that the verse has this reflexive type of principle present, where the practice of some value or ethic brings that value or ethic back to the individual practicing it.
I find it interesting that the Strong's definition here expresses compassionate to emphasize its verb form: to compassionate, as if it's something actively going on, like to calibrate an instrument or to rotate an object. To compassionate is to actively exemplify compassion.
This is most commonly used in phrases extolling God's mercy on believers, or God's mercy on Israel. It is something bestowed upon others who are not deserving, and recognized as such by those who receive it.
Many an orphanage, hospital, school, and missionary endeavor has been formed from these very ideals. Believers inspired and motivated by this kind of mercy would seek outlets for expressing it in their communities or building new institutions to meet the needs of others.
Additionally, the specific form of the word "mercy" used in this statement of Yeshua is used in only one other place in the New Testament:
“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”Hebrews 2:17
This unique sense of the word in both of these passages implies an active quality of mercy and compassion. The high priest was always and actively ministering about the work of the temple and interceding on behalf of the requirements of Torah and the offerings of the people. The idea conveys the concept of never slumbering nor relaxing its guard. In this regard, the compassionate believer is one who is always ready and prepared to provide help and assistance at the slightest indication of need.
As we review the passage again “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” we see how one who is merciful to others is also destined to receive mercy. It is not unusual in the teachings of Yeshua to find what I call reflexive teachings, kind of like the biblical version of karma.
For example:
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Forgive and you will be forgiven.
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By extending mercy, you will receive mercy.
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Give, and it shall be given to you.
These passages are typically viewed as the giver of the quality then becoming a recipient of that same quality from God.
However, I wonder if you may have ever considered that the giver may not always directly be God, but simply the response of those around you? If you are always providing forgiveness, then it is more likely you will be forgiven by others for some misstep. If you extend mercy on a regular basis, then others will be more merciful with you. If you are generous to others, then others are more likely to be generous with you.
These reflexive sayings of Yeshua also point to that objective: if we are forgiving, extending mercy, and giving from the sincerity of the heart, then those things will be exhibited back to us with the same level of sincerity.
Newton's law of physics may state that every action has an opposite and equal reaction, but Yeshua teaches that every action can have a responsive action in kind, that is, in the same quality as it is offered, not its opposite.
This is a great principle when it is understood correctly, but it needs to be removed from its common misunderstood application, which is that we should be giving in order to get something back. "Giving to get" is so far removed from every biblical principle and pattern, it defies comprehension.
When understood correctly, this general principle of Yeshua actually states the opposite of giving to get something in return. We are just supposed to give mercy and compassion unilaterally at all times, and by default we will then be receiving back in the same measure we use towards others.
If we don't receive back in every instance, then it is no big deal; we are simply applying a law of averages. Sometimes we may not have an immediate response; other times we may receive back more than we gave. The point is that it is a principle to be applied generally, not absolutely.
And don't we see this to be true in our lives? If we are angry with someone, they are likely to respond in anger. If we are helpful to others, they are likely to be helpful back when we may need assistance.
All of these qualities that we talk about at the Core of the Bible have to do with this imitation of God. Because when we imitate God, we, being made in his image, then reflect his character and glory to those around us. In so doing, the kingdom is evidenced and possibly grown as others are drawn to its light.
I hope I've been able to provide you some ideas and concepts to meditate on further. Compassion is not only a way for us to reach out and exhibit God's love to others, but when we extend mercy to others, we will be blessed by receiving mercy in return, not in order to receive mercy, but as a by-product of our own attitude of compassion toward those around us.
We need to keep in mind that compassion is one of the concepts that is integral within the core of the Bible qualities of kingdom, integrity, vigilance, holiness, trust, and forgiveness. It is my hope you will continue to review with me these aspects of human expression that, I believe, God expects of all people.
Be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, access the show notes in the blog, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Music in this episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
I have paraphrased this verse as "Make peace; do peace, and you will be blessed, being recognized as a child of God." It is our obligation as believers to be the vanguard of peace among the lives of those around us.
What's interesting in this verse is the active nature of what is being expressed. Yeshua appears to be emphasizing the doing or the making of peace. By this reckoning, peace is not something that just happens; it involves work and effort to bring it about. That's what we are discussing today; what is involved in bringing about peace in our lives and the lives of those around us?
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in this episode:
Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
We all understand that we carry way more anxiety than we should be, and to live simply trusting in the provision of God is certainly a welcome thought in our current day and age of information and emotional overload.
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music:
Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Holiness, in its essence, is "apartness" or "separateness." Purity of heart is definitely something that is different than the rest of the world, and is a primary aspect of this state of being set apart. When we are kept from disobedience, or sin, then we are in a state of apartness or being separate. Purity of heart then is a root, a foundation, of holiness.
In the sense being discussed here, the heart is the wellspring of who you are physically and ethically.
Proverbs 4:23-27 - Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
When the heart is right, then our speech, our focus, and our walk will be in line and keep us from disobedience. How many times can you recall saying the wrong thing, or taking your eyes off of God, or walking where you shouldn't be walking? My own personal list would be extensive.
According to this proverb, we need to keep our heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. What is in our heart is what we express.
Luke 6:45 - The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
What is in the abundance of your heart? You know it by the things you say. If your heart is pure, then your speech will be pure.
Additionally, the Bible tells us that the heart doesn't just need to be pure, it needs to be continually purified. This is similar to the cleansing effect of fire on precious metals, refining them until they have no contrary elements left.
Psalm 66:10 - For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
Proverbs 25:4 - Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel;
Isaiah 48:10 - Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
Daniel 12:10 - Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.
Refinement is the state of being free from a mixture of false and true until only what is sincere and genuine remains. This is a process, not an instant occurrence. As you can tell from these passages, some of this refining takes place through affliction, some is self-induced by those who are wise. The implication is that if it is not done voluntarily, God can make it happen by outside means.
Another example of ongoing refinement is that it is like a vine that is pruned of dead, unproductive branches so that the plant has the energy and room to bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2 - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
1 John 3:6 - No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
3 John 1:11 - Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
Hebrews 12:14 - Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Living in this way with a pure heart is what sets you apart from the rest of humanity; this is what holiness is.
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Today we’re going to be looking at the topic of vigilance and focusing on a key passage in Matthew 5:29-30.
“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into Gehenna. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into Gehenna."
This is a challenging passage, because the imagery is so intense. But I believe that intensity is exactly what Yeshua intended, because it is so critical to our spiritual lives.
All stumbling-blocks to righteousness must be removed from our lives with extreme diligence. This is an act of personal vigilance in remaining undistracted from the things of God and his kingdom.
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
All music in todays episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:20
This principle is summed up by its paraphrase: “Demonstrate virtue and purity that exceeds those who are merely following external commands.”
A life of integrity is one that is not driven solely by a list of do’s and don’ts. Right actions should spring from a willing heart, not from a grudging sense of obligation. It’s not just a matter of doing the right thing, but doing the right thing for the right reasons, with the right attitude.
The example of Uriah the Hittite - 2 Samuel 11
Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. Now when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing."
Once the heart is sincere and motives are pure, actions of true integrity will follow.
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today. As always, I hope to be invited back into your headphones in another episode to come. Take care!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
From the beginning of all things, God designed mankind in his own image for the purpose of providing representative rulership for him on the earth. According to Yeshua, this was so that God’s will would be accomplished within his physical Creation, to mirror what is always accomplished in the ideal of God’s reign in his spiritual realm.
Matthew 6:9-10 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Below are some helpful timestamps of the main topics discussed in today's episode:
01:55 What is the Kingdom of God
03:03 The rule of God expressed in Creation
03:22 The Adamic or Natural kingdom (rulership)
05:00 The Mosaic or National kingdom
07:25 The Davidic or Ideal kingdom
09:18 Prophecies of a Messianic kingdom
11:43 Messianic - the spiritual kingdom
14:10 The kingdom is not the "Church"
18:45 The kingdom which cannot be shaken
21:36 Summary and Application for today
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
As the introductory episode, I wanted to provide a little background on myself, my motivation for the podcast, and a brief overview of the Core of the Bible principles.
Although this is a short episode, below are some helpful timestamps of the main topics:
00:32 Why create this podcast
00:52 A (very) little bit about me and my background
01:28 The basic premise of the podcast (7 principles)
02:03 The 12 Commandments (The Charter of the Kingdom)
03:12 Why I use the name Yeshua instead of Jesus in this podcast
05:21 Summary
If you enjoyed this weeks podcast, be sure to visit coreofthebible.org to join the conversation through comments, to see daily blog posts on these topics, and to find free downloadable resources regarding the message of the Bible reduced to its simplest form.
Have questions about todays topic, or comments or insights you would like to share? Perhaps you have found this podcast helpful or encouraging. If so, I would love to hear from you and include listener comments in future episodes, so feel free to email me at coreofthebible@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest in listening today!
Music in today's episode: Brittle Rille by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3460-brittle-rille
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license