Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the Daily Bible Podcast. Hello. And we were remiss to talk about it yesterday, although we had plenty to talk about yesterday. But there is a war going on, although it's, I guess Monday now as you're listening to this. I don't know if it's still active at this point because we, just as we're recording this, saw reports that the supreme leader of Iran has been taken out in one of the strikes. I guess it's yet to be fully confirmed, but. It's half confirmed. I'm saying it's half confirmed reports that are saying we're not sure yet others that are saying it's confirmed. Yeah. Either way it seems like this is a pretty sweeping, strong. The show of force and effort from the United States. And I got up this morning, I was watching news coverage. I was listening to people talk about it, and we were just talking before coming on air. Even one of the Democratic congressmen federman came out in favor of this, that this is a good thing. And I guess that's the question, should we. As Christians celebrate what's happening right now. Is this a good thing as we watch this unfold before our eyes in ways that we've never seen wars unfold before? Yeah. This is fascinating because I'm just looking at my feed here. I don't know what's true and what's not true. I can't tell. I, well, I can tell, I'm getting from reputable sources that he has been killed, but I'm seeing videos and I'm like, is this ai right? I can't. I can't tell right now. This is a whole new world. It is. And I'm not. It's a print you can trust print I guess to some extent as long as it's coming from an account that you can trust. And even then you have to be careful that you're seeing the right account. 'cause there are some that are spoof accounts that still have the check mark and they look like they're legitimate. But man, what a day and age we live in, this is good news and I think it is good to call good, good and evil. Evil and this is why. Okay, explain this perhaps 'cause you said something and I'm like, oh, that would be interesting to tease out. When I said, oh look, he's dead. You're like, oh, good. I think a lot of people might be put off by that and say, oh, how dare you? You know, people die. That's not a good thing. We shouldn't be celebrating when someone dies. Leave it to the judgment of God. One of those things. Can you speak to that? Yeah, yeah. This man was. Unquestionably evil, wicked, and important. And he was actively perpetuating evil on people, killing people. He's a desperate in the truest sense of the term. And just as I think when we look at the Psalms, there are moments of imprecatory judgment. Psalms that can be prayed. And this is a man who was also very much adamantly against God's people and the people of Israel and wanting to wipe them off the face of the planet. This is a man who had made himself an ev vowed enemy of God. And just like with any other human being we could argue Romans two, five, storing God as patient. And those that re reject, he, they're storing up wrath for themselves on the day of judgment. God had been patient with this man well into what, whatever he was at his seventies, his eighties. I don't know how old he was to be sure, but he was a wicked and evil man, and I think this is a good thing that he has been taken off the face of the planet with the. Execution of God's justice and judgment. Now, I'm not gonna say every act of the United States military, Israel is an example of God's justice, but I think in this instance we can say, this is an evil man who God took off the face of the planet. Yeah. This relates although differently to the way that we think about God's justice against any wicked, even final justice and final judgment. Some of us. Tremble a little bit thinking about celebrating God's justice enacted against people that we know and presumably love, but this is related. We should celebrate when good wins out. Now, this is sometimes harder to see in our world because not everybody is a hundred percent evil or a hundred percent good. There's always those. I don't know those shades of grace that God bestows on people, but this is as close as it gets. I think there's someone that who has committed atrocities and evils that should be brought to justice, and so this is a good thing. I even suspect that he might have been taken out humanely as much as one can be. If you're taken out by a missile, you're destroyed quickly. You're not having to prolong the suffering and death. And so this is one of those difficult things that we're gonna say, praise God for executing justice here and now. Yeah, it's not ultimate. It's not total, but it is justice nonetheless. Yeah, I would agree. I would agree. So, yeah, it is hard in our society to know what is true and AI, to your point, has made that even more difficult. But for us as Christians, it's okay to look at a situation like this and say, there are good guys and there are bad guys, and we want good guys to win. Yeah. Yeah. Well, hey, let's jump into our daily Bible reading numbers 28 and 29 and Mark nine one through 29. So numbers 28 is gonna sound a lot like what we've read previously with the different offerings, the different stipulations rules, what was to be offered, how many bulls, how many goats, how many this, that, and the other thing animals were to be offered. As I was reading this, two thoughts came to mind. Number one, remember this is the next generation that's getting ready to take the promised land. So they're being informed by Moses. This is what you need to do. Some of them may have remembered the instructions given to their parents. Some of them may have had parents that passed on those instructions to them, but they needed to be reminded before Moses was gonna leave. This is what God has commanded. You don't forget to do these things. This is what life should be like. That was the first thought I had. The second thought I had was their lives were going to revolve around the worship of Yahweh. Mm-hmm. That's what God wanted. He wanted their entire lives to be about the worship of him. And so that was gonna involve daily offerings. It was gonna involve Sabbath rest, it was gonna involve monthly offerings. It was gonna involve the feasts. Everything about their lives was supposed to be about the worship of God. Yeah. Amen to that. I noticed that too. And I especially, because I was thinking daily, weekly with the Sabbath monthly Passover offerings, annual offerings for the Feast of Weeks, that would've been annual as well. So there's all kinds of worship sprinkled out there. Calendar and all of it was meant to say, Hey, don't forget. Don't forget. And it's funny because the irony about this is that God is writing almost the same things to us. And I think he's saying something similar. Don't forget. Yeah. I'm the centerpiece of the whole thing. And I wonder if there's a New Testament parallel where even though we don't offer animals and we're not doing the same kinds of things they did, but maybe there's a parallel for us to say we need to find ways. Most obviously with scriptures and with prayer, things like that. But we need to find ways to have daily offerings to the Lord. We need to find ways to have a weekly rhythm where the Lord is honored and glorified. Anyone thinking church, we need to have a way where there's a monthly memorial, perhaps, where we're eating the bread and the wine. Maybe we need to find ways where there's an annual point in our calendar where we're thinking about what Jesus has done and that he rose from the dead. All of this I see a little bit with tongue in cheek, but obviously I think we have to fight for some of these things that are not grafted into our actual calendars. The calendar themselves either there's Easter, there's Christmas, Sunday Church, monthly communion. But it's the daily stuff, some of the nitty gritty where it's really important that we do what God is doing for Israel, reminding ourselves of what matters most. Yeah. And that's, we see in the New Testament. The church they were daily meeting in one of those houses and breaking bread together. It was a much different rhythm. So different friend as well. You know what, starting today, guys, home fellowship, community groups, they're now daily every day. They're now daily every day. Alright. No, but that is. One thing that has changed, and I guess it's a cultural change, but is it a good change? And I don't know it's hard to say. I think we've become easily distracted. We've become busy. We've become busy with a lot of things that probably we could do a better job at prioritizing our relationship with Christ over the things that we're busy with. But then there's also necessities like you have to work. To be able to provide food for your family. Right. And that's something that's good. And we're not agricultural anymore, so you can't just have your family come with you to the farm and plow the field. Right, right. And we need to build relationships with other people. Having your kids on a sports team where on Saturday you're at the ball fields, that's not a bad thing, especially if you've got an opportunity to build relationships with other people on their team and work to share the gospel with people. But it is much, we're a much busier people perhaps than ever before in history. And we need to be careful not to let all that busyness crowd out our commitment to the church. Yeah. It's a constant fight for us to ask ourselves a question, am I doing life right? It's a hard question to ask. It's, but you should ask it because even though you and I pontificate about what it should look like and what we think application could apply to in this way and that way you are accountable to God for your life. Yeah. You're accountable for, to God, for how you lead your family and what you choose to do with your free time and what you choose to do with all the other things. So you have to just ask yourself regular. Am I doing it right? Yeah. Is this life the way that God would have me live it with the knowledge that I have, with the resources that I have? Is this an appropriate way? And I guess my only point to answer that would be is my life revolving around, I think this is how you said it, revolving around the worship of the Lord. And my mornings, they're the lords. Maybe the evening should be, maybe you need to find another rhythm that allows you to do this more faithfully. Whatever it is, it's gotta be an intentional move on your party. It will not happen by accident. Yeah, I would agree. I a diagnostic question that our sending pastor used to ask a lot of people is this gonna matter a hundred years from now? And I think that's a good thing for us to ask of some of our commitments, some of the things that we prioritize and not that. Everything that you answer, no, that's not gonna matter a hundred years from now, you should get rid of. But at the same time you wanna be investing in things that are gonna matter and are gonna last and are gonna account for eternity as much as you possibly can. And so that's certainly gonna impact how you operate in the different spheres of your life. I think revolve around, or at least, and your identity is, has been transformed such that every identity that you had prior to coming to Christ is now a new identity that you have. Christ, and that's gonna impact how you carry that out. Okay? Let's just balance this out a tad. Does that mean according to your definition here, that I can't enjoy a lot of nothing for several hours on a Sunday afternoon? I wanna sit on my porch. I wanna look at the sun. I directly without glasses. I wanna drink a lemonade. Sun's there, or I want, I wanna drink a 32 ounce sweet tea from pick your FA buck's, HTO. HTO. Yeah. And I'm not doing anything productive. I'm not reading my Bible. I'm just sitting. Yeah. I'm just enjoying life. Yeah. And as Christians, you can absolutely do that. You can nap to the glory of God. You can watch a baseball game to the glory of God. It's just a matter of making sure that you're connecting that somehow back to the worship of the Lord. As you're sitting there giving thanks to the Lord in your mind, for Lord I'm thankful for these few hours that I don't have anything on my calendar right now, that I can just relax and I can recharge and I can be encouraged by looking out at your creation or look, thanks for. The ability to lay down and take a nap and rest in that you sustain my body while I'm sleeping. I would love to say that I'm that focused every single time that I have the free time and I just, I'm to my own shame not, but I think that's the design. I think that's the idea that what it, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do everything for the glory of God. If we could say, Lord, I'm thankful that I get to take my family to this baseball game that you provided the means for us to be able to do that and to sit in the bleachers and watch this and be entertained by that's a common grace of yours. Baseball's a common grace. Not everything. We're not idolizing this, but we're grateful for this time together as a family. The memories that we're creating. I think in instead, I live so much of my life on autopilot. Mm-hmm. And I don't remember to mean God. Thank you for that nap. Thank you for this time with my family. Thank you for creation. So you can be productive even in your rest. Yes, you can choose to say I'm just gonna do a lot of nothing and I'm gonna do it to the glory God. Now here's my, I don't know if this is a helpful question or not, but it's one that came to my mind recently. Do I have to. In order for that thing to be glorifying to God, do I have to, in the act of it or in the appreciation afterward, do we have to say, thank you, God for that thing, or, I'm doing this because I'm doing it for your glory. God, I'm reading this book and God, I, as I read it, I want you to know that I'm doing it as an act of worship to you. And do I have to do that? Is something I have to say and articulate. Can it just be a heart thing that I'm just in my heart, I'm doing it to the glory of God without saying it. I think it can be a heart thing. I think God is gonna be glorified in no matter what. For example, I, growing up, I was a big Dave Matthews band fan. What? Yeah, I know. New Sinner. I know. Do you know what he sings about? Yes. But he was a pH phenomenal musician. I remember seeing him live and just so crazy, dude. Yeah, he's insane. I would argue God is glorified. By his musical abilities, even though he's not actively glorified by Dave Matthews. 'cause Dave Matthews not a believer. I would argue that God is glorified by the display of the fact that Dave Matthews can do what he can do with a guitar because God enabled him to be able to do that. So there's a passive glorifying God. And I think that's true for Christians and even to a greater degree because we are Christians. I think there is a default heart posture before the Lord that is wrought within us by the Spirit that does enable us to glorify him, even if we're not actively giving him. Thanks for that. But I think we should make it our target and our aim to, to more regularly give him the thanks and be more intentional about that. All right, let's jump over to our New Testament reading in Mark chapter nine, verses one through 29, mark nine. Jesus has just said that there are gonna be some that don't die before they see the. Kingdom of God after it's come with power, because in fact, that's the beginning of Mark nine here. And there's a lot of people that say, well, what does that mean? Because these people are gonna die before the kingdom comes. And that's why a lot of people have pointed to the transfiguration, which, what is what happens next? And Mark as the fulfillment of that prophecy that he's gonna take Peter, James and John up on the mountain with him and he's gonna be transfigured before him. Others have argued that this is going to refer to his resurrection appearances, that he's going to show up in his resurrection, post-resurrection body, and that's gonna be the witnessing of the coming of the kingdom. Yeah I don't know that it's abundantly clear either way. I think I can, I'm fine with the translation that, or the interpretation that this referred to the transfiguration. But Jesus says that there are gonna be some that see the coming of the kingdom in power. That's certainly what happens on the mountain. Jesus is transfigured before them. He appears in the fullness of his glory and they are driven to their faces as they hear this voice from heaven saying, this is my son. Listen to him. This is another, you have that at the baptism of Christ, and you have this affirmation again here on the Mount of Transfiguration where God con confirms that this is his son and that he's worthy of our devotion, worthy of our attention. And these three that Jesus takes up with him, see him as well as Elijah and Moses as they're up on the mountain there. Why Elijah and Moses law and the prophets. Yeah. Moses being representing the law, Elijah, representing the prophets, which is was a term to refer to the entirety of the Old Testament essentially. And then you have Jesus representing the church age, the New Testament as well. He says here, why do the, why do they then see the scribes? That is, that Elijah must come first And he says, Elijah does come first to restore all things. We think he's talking about John the Baptist here, but John the Baptist says, Nope. I'm not Elijah, what do you make of that? John's humility, I think. I don't think John was gonna take a mantle on himself that he wasn't absolutely sure was his to take. I think Jesus is pointing out in retrospect, John was Elijah, John was fulfilling that, that prophecy. But I think when John is sitting there in, in the gospel of John and the Pharisees come to him and say, are you Elijah? I think John's humility is such that he is not going to take on a mantle of his, that wasn't directly given him by the Lord. Yeah. You might read this. As an reincarnation sense. But notice here, the first century audience would not have even understood that. So we think, oh, maybe he's saying like, I am not personally Elijah, and I guess that's fair. I think he maybe could be saying that, but they don't have a concept of reincarnation. We do because of our exposure to other religions, but. They don't, and I think that's a good read. It's probably an act of humility on his part, but the Lord spoke concretely and says, yes, this is Elijah. This is so what that tells us then Elijah has, Elijah was a type, John is the anti type. He's the fulfillment of Elijah. Jesus is the ultimate anti type, but John is. A fulfillment. It's an a anti type where Jesus is the anti type. Yeah. The next scene is one of those unique ones. A lot of times Mark is more condensed than the other gospel writers. This time he gives us more than Matthew gave us, and this is the situation where the father comes to him with a a son that is. Is possessed and the disciples are not able to cast this demon out. And Jesus here says to them, this demon can only be cast out by prayer, but he calls them a faithless generation. He says, how long I be with you? They bring the boy, he's talking to his father, and the father says, if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus responds and says, if you can, he says, all things are possible. And then the father gives this just. I think, I don't know what else to call it other than this pure response to Jesus saying, I believe, help my unbelief saying everything in me wants to believe that you can do this. Jesus, if there's vestiges of unbelief or lack of faith in my heart, reveal that to me. Take this away please. And Jesus responds by healing the boy and restoring him and giving him back to his family here. Yeah, this is one of my favorite scenes. Because of its brutal honesty. I don't know anybody who's a Christian who wouldn't say I've said that. I felt that even if I've never articulated it, I do believe, Lord, help my unbelief. Yeah. We're always this strange combination of faith and of fear, of boldness and of cowardice, and I think this father captures what a lot of us can feel on any given day of the week, I believe helped my unbelief. In fact, Chris Alman recently came out with a song taking this phrase and he made it. I mean, it's a great song. I would encourage you to listen to it. Think that we're gonna use it at some point because it just, I don't know. There is such a thing as good doubt. It is a. Good faith, kind of doubt. There's a doubt that says, Lord, help me understand this. I don't get it. Help me see what I can't see. There's a doubt that is destructive and ultimately undermines your faith, but there is a kind of doubt that says, Lord, I know you know. I know you're it. I know. Help me see what I can't see. That's a humble kind of doubt that says, Lord, help my unbelief. I'm struggling because of me. It's not you. I wanna do better. I wanna be better. That's the kind of dialogue that can helpfully be had in the church when you're struggling with something saying, I believe help my unbelief is an incredible posture of humility and a welcoming to others to say what you know, help me know and what you've learned helped me learn. Because ultimately this is how the Lord works with us. He uses people to meet us where we are and to help us overcome the chasm that we struggle with. I remember in high school. I was reading blogs. You guys remember what blogs are? You're old man. You're so old. It was, yeah. This wasn't a newspaper. It was a blog and I read a series of, I don't know, three or four, five articles, blogs, and this guy destroyed me. He was just this random guy on the web who was just composing his thoughts about how if God was good, A, B, C, and D, and I found the arguments novel. And because they were novel, I was unprepared. And I was like, wow, that was a really good argument. I don't have an answer to that. And so I did almost immediately. It's not like I was smart enough to do it. I was just threatened. And so I came to the people, I'm like, Hey, help me with this. I'm really struggling. And by this point I was leading worship and I had a leadership role in the youth ministry, so I was one of the guys and I said, you gotta help me. I'm real. This is hard. I don't know what to do with this. Will you please show me? And within a matter of less than an evening, the problems were all resolved. Yeah. And I was like, oh, that was so helpful. It was just wise questions easy solutions. Really, when I look back on it, it was them just saying does that make sense to you when he says this? And we're saying that. So it was really helpful. And all I can say is if you find yourself with the vocalizing, with his father, I believe helped my unbelief make that known to people that love you and who can help you and have walked the road with you. Every Christian at some point in his or her life will struggle with doubt. If you're a thinking person, you will. It's not unusual. But what is unusual is opening up to people that can help you and walking through that season with people hand in hand. Absolutely, man this is the humility that doesn't put God in the dock and say, explain yourself. Justify yourself because I don't believe you. This is, look, no I trust you're God and I'm not, and there is an answer to this. I just need help finding it. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. Well, let's pray and then we'll be done with this episode. But I pray for those that are in our church that might be in that position of just wrestling with doubt or questioning or having their own struggles. I pray that you'd be kind of them gracious to them, help them to be honest with their questions and that you'd provide the answers to their questions and even the answers that might not come as clearly. I pray that you'd give them just the confidence in you to be able to hold loosely. To their doubt and say, okay, Lord I'm still gonna trust you even though I may not have all the boxes checked. I believe you. I believe who you say you are, and I believe your word as well. So we thank you for this and we thank you for your word that we can turn to it for answers. And we thank you for how you've revealed yourself to us in it, and we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. We'll keep you in those bibles, keep asking questions, send 'em to us, compass our podcasts@compassnntx.org and we'd be happy to answer 'em. We will catch you guys tomorrow for another edition of the Daily Bible Podcast. See you. Bye.

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Daily Bible Podcast. We’re grateful you chose to spend time with us today. This podcast is a ministry of Compass Bible Church in North Texas. You can learn more about our church at compassntx.org. If this podcast has been helpful, we’d appreciate it if you’d consider leaving a review, rating the show, or sharing it with someone else. We hope you’ll join us again tomorrow for another episode of the Daily Bible Podcast.