Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the daily Bible podcast. It is Thursday, December 5th. And we are in second Corinthians five through nine today. Second Corinthians five through nine. But Hey, before we get there, you probably already knew this, but in, on this day in 1969, something. Monumental took place. And it's actually something that has an impact on what you're doing even right now in listening to this podcast. On whatever device you're listening to it on, or how are you listening to it? My guess is you're streaming it, which would mean that your, whether it's over your phone cellular network or on a wifi network, you are taking it and you need the internet to make this podcast to function and operate well. On this date in 1969 at the four node ARPANET at a R P a N E T. And you might be thinking what in the world? Does ARPANET stand for? And that's a great question is standard for the advanced research. Advanced research projects, agency, network. Okay. Advanced research projects, agency network, you say great. What does that have to do with the price of AIX? Well, it has everything to do with what you're doing right now, because this was the earliest version of the, the internet. Basically, this is a forerunner to what we now know as the internet. And so the ARPANET network was established, I guess that's redundant. Between UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. And, uh, this was a four node version of that. I don't know exactly what that was. And I guess the university of Utah was involved in that too. So the rest of understanding all that is way above my pay grade, but. I kind of cool to think, man, that's when that began and who would have thought that, that starting men, December 5th, 1969, that would then. Pave the way to, uh, podcasts and granted, maybe they're paved the way to podcasts that shouldn't exist. But it's paved the way to a podcast, at least on this one where we talk about the Bible, which is pretty cool. I think in my book, so good job, UCLA. And. Uh, I guess Stanford and university of Utah. Good job. You guys are, are, you were doing things that you had no idea would pay off because the network is being used for a lot of bad things, but the internet is also used for a lot of good things. The Bible is getting out there. Sermons are getting out there to people. Uh, the Bible is available online for people. I mean, it's just, there's a lot of good that that has taken place here too. So we can be thankful for that. I feel like that's, uh, that's, that's a win overall now. Um, some of you may be sitting there going, yeah, I'd give away the whole thing. If we could shut it all down tomorrow. Um, I mean, I'm there with AI. I'm not there with the internet because if we shut down the internet tomorrow, I think. Our, our society would, would, would crumble. I think we would have a very difficult time. I'm not saying humanity would completely be destroyed. But it would be a giant reset and we would have to figure out how to make a lot of things work and it's everywhere. And so let's redeem it for good and let's celebrate the good that is there. So there you go. Little history tidbit for you. December 5th, 1969. ARPANET is launched and it would eventually become what we know today is the internet. All right. Let's jump into our daily Bible reading. Uh, second Corinthians chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, a lot of material to cover here. So we're going to do it to the best of our ability. He opens up in chapter five after talking yesterday about the light momentary affliction, preparing the eternal weight of glory. Okay. Part of the eternal weight of glory that we're going to have is the heavenly dwelling. And he opens in chapter five by seeing in this earthly tent, we groan in any of you that are, you know, 40 and over. Uh, we, we, we understand that we understand the groaning, the cricks, the creaking and everything else there. We, we played football on Thanksgiving morning and before we kicked off with all the men, I said, Hey guys, All of us who are 40 and over need to remember that we are 40 and over. Uh, and, and we needed to take that into account as we're running around the field. We're not who we used to be. And that's what Paul is saying. He's saying in this earthly tent we groan and even our kids do right. Even when our kids get sick. That's it. That's the early tent groaning to put on the heavenly dwelling, longing to put on that, that body that we will eventually have. That won't be. Uh, won't be frail. It won't get sick. It won't get old and become, uh, broken down and pulsing. And I can't wait for that day. And Paul could uniquely save that. I think having gone through so much physical suffering is again, we'll see in second Corinthians chapter 11, especially, but. He saying here, we long to put on that tent that we would be with him that not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed. So that what is mortal, he says in verse four might be swallowed up by life. First Corinthians 15. And he says, God has prepared us for this thing. And he's given us the spirit as a guarantee of it. So because of that, that guarantee that we have a heavenly dwelling we're of good courage now, because while we're at home in the body, we're away from the Lord. This is where we get the presence here. Or the concept here, as he goes on to say, we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So if you've ever wondered, is there such a thing as soul sleep or how do we know. Where the soul goes once the person dies because the body is buried, what is the, what happens to the soul while here, we would rather be away from the body K away from the body and at home with the Lord. So, this is why we know that when a loved one who is in Christ dies, their body stays here. Their soul goes to be with the Lord. They go to be at home with the Lord until they find that day. And we believe as Christians, this is going to be the rapture. When they will receive their glorified bodies, there'll be reunited with a body that is not like this earthly tent, but it's going to be a body prepared for them. Like we read about in first Corinthians chapter 15. That's going to be the glorious body that we will have. And on that day, Or in the future, rather we, uh, well we'll have that body and it will be such a good thing for us. Well, he goes on to talk about some, some other things that are going to happen when we leave our bodies behind, we are going to appear before he says the judgment seat of Christ. This is believers. This is Christians. So, this is not the great white throne judgment. This is not about heaven or hell. This is about eternal reward and it's the Bema seat. If you've ever heard somebody talk about the Bema seat, this is it. The Bema seat was the seat of judgment in a town or a municipality. And so Jesus is the one judging us there. And he's going to judge us for what we've done in the body, whether good or evil, this is going to be weather. Uh, oh, Our work passes through as. Uh, you know, something that, that burns up wood hay stubble, that the things that were were not good that we've done, or if we're going to have eternal reward pass through the gems and precious stones and gold. Those are gonna be the good things that we've, we've done the eternal reward that we will have on that day. And so we look forward to that and because of that verse 11, therefore, with all of that in mind, Hey, what about persuading others? Essentially what he's going to go on to say in the rest of chapter five, to come to faith in Jesus and he's, this is going to go into chapter six, even, and this is his whole focus here. And this is where we get the great concept of us being ambassadors for Christ. We have been reconciled to reconcile others to Jesus. This is second Corinthians, five 17. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone. The new has come. And we take that message to a lost and dying world. And so we implore verse 21 on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God, verse 20. That is, we beg you be reconciled to God for why the great exchange verse 21. He made him who knew no sin to be sin. So that we might become the righteousness of God. And so because of that future, that awaits us at the beginning of chapter five. Chapter the rest of chapter five and into chapter six all the way through 11, we are to be about imploring with people to be reconciled to God. Chapter six verse. Uh, verse two behold now is the favorable time. Hold now is the day of salvation. Come to Jesus pulsing. I'm not going to do anything to hinder you from coming to Jesus. Come to Jesus, come to Jesus. And so that's the message there. Chapter five. Chapter six through, through verse 11. In or through verse 13. I come to Jesus. Why? Because there's light momentary affliction back in chapter four is preparing an eternal weight of glory and that glory is going to be awesome. Beginning of chapter five. So rest of chapter five into chapter six. Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Okay. It goes on from here to talk about their relationships with the world then. And this is where we get in verse 14, do not be unequally yoked. It's a famous verse, right? We talk about that with dating unbelievers, a Christian, and this is where we draw this from should not date an unbeliever. This is, is something that he refers to as being unequally yoked. You didn't want one ox stronger than another or bigger than another, because it would not plow the fuel correctly. They would not be able to, to work together to plow the field. So we sing. As Christians in the most intimate relationships that we have. And even he's talking in here in the context of, even in business, let alone in marriage, we should not be unequally, yoked. It was yoked to somebody who doesn't share our same convictions, our same values or same worldview. And so if it's in our power on the front end of a relationship, To ensure that the person that we are partnering with in marriage, business, life, whatever it is. We need to do everything we can on the front end to ensure that that person is a believer and not an unbeliever, because we are called out of this. And then he says in verse seven, since we have these promises, these promises. About, uh, being sanctified by him and chapter seven. Uh, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. That's another reason why we don't want to be unequally yoked. We don't want to be. Negatively influenced and have our holiness, uh, held back or, or, or, or, uh, regress because of a relationship with an unbeliever here. He's thinking we want to see our, our holiness continue to grow and Excel and thrive here. And then he goes on and he says, look, we, we need in the rest of chapter seven, we need to, to, to continue to do what Corinthians you've been doing. And that is to, uh, respond rightly to the conviction of the spirit. He says, look, and he refers again to the letter that he wrote. He says in verse eight, Even if I made you grieve with my letter, I don't regret it. Remember we talked about that yesterday. He had that fatherly, uh, that fatherly, uh, pain there. He said, though, I did regret it for, I see that the letter grieved you, he felt sorry about that, but, but not to the point of, of seeing eye. Shouldn't have sent the letter because he goes on, he says, as it is I rejoice because you were grieved with a godly grief, Gabi grief is going to take the center stage here and he's going to compare it to worldly grief. He says, God, the grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation, but worldly grief simply produces. Death. So an unbeliever can be sorry that they got caught or sorry. That they're seen hurt someone else. But the difference is that godly grief is a grief that sorry, because of the impact of their relationship with God. And so that's going to lead to a repentance. That's going to produce an eagerness to clear ourselves and indignation over the sin. A fear that we should fall back into it, a zeal, never to do it again. And so that's godly repentance there in. Uh, second Corinthians chapter seven, verses 10 through verse 12. Um, things though in current. It had turned round and that was great. Verse 15. He talks about Titus again earlier. He'd said, I miss Titus. Now he's saying. Titus has brought report of, of you and everything going on is, is his affection for you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of you all. And so, again, Paul's pastoral heart for the Corinthians had shown up here, he's saying I'm rejoicing. Because you've been responding the right way. So that's cool to see there. Uh, with the Corinthians and second Corinthians chapter seven from here in chapter eight, he goes on to talk about giving and he does so not giving within the context of church, the way that we gave every week, but special offerings. And so he points to the Philippian church at the beginning of chapter eight and he says, you know what? The Philippian church has done this so well, even in there. Affliction. Uh, they gave, uh, According to their means and even beyond their means, begging us for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. And so as the church that we're giving to support one another, the Philippian church, he said it was doing this so well. And then he turned to the Corinthians in verses eight and following and said, you guys desire to be like them. And so that he's going to challenge them and say, great. Be like them. Then do it. He's going to say, after this. In chapter, he says I'm sending Titus and some of the others. And I want you to welcome them. And as they come to their come to you, they're coming to take up the offering that you want to be able to give like the church in Macedonia. And I'm just telling you church in Corinth. I do it. Excel do be like the church in Macedonia in that regard. And then in chapter nine, He gets to that end. He talks about how they should give in their attitude in giving. And he says, I want you to be ready when they get there. I want you to have the, the, the gift arranged in advanced, as you have promised, so that it's ready, a willing gift, not an exaction. And so he says, look, I want you to, to sow to the Lord. He says that whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully, but give, as you've decided in your heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. Again, this is not about church. Week-in and week-out, this is about the special offerings. This is about giving to support a missionary or giving a support a special cause maybe he's saying God loves a cheerful giver. It's good to give. It's a, something that you're going to reap bountifully from giving these ways. But, Hey, I want you to, to do so cheerfully and not under compulsion. That's not talking about Sunday morning. I was talking about these special offerings that we are to give. And he goes on, he says, you know what, you're going to have needs. I get that chapter nine, but God will supply those needs. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. Verse 11. I love that. When God blesses us, he blesses us in order that we might be a blessing to others. And that's what he's saying. There. Uh, in that, in, through all of this, you are going to do what you're going to glorify. God. In your generosity in, in your, your giving. And then he ends in verse 15. Thanks. Be to God for his inexpressible gift. This looks all the way back to chapter eight, verse nine. He says for, you know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich yet for your sake, he became poor. So that you, by his poverty might become rich. And so, because of how much Christ has done for us, we want to be generous towards other people. Thanks. Be to God for his inexpressible gift. All right. Let's pray together. On that note, God, we do give you thanks for your inexpressible gift. We thank you for Christ. We thank you for giving him for us and providing abundantly for every need that we have the greatest need that we had being. Our standing before you justification, needing to be justified. And so we thank you for Christ. God, I pray that we, as a church will be a generous church. Um, Lord that we would be cheerful in our generosity towards one another. And as we have opportunity and means. Uh, that we would be eager to do that. And so we thank you Lord, for these things. We thank you for your gifts, your kindness to us. We thank you for all this in Jesus name. Amen. Are y'all keep it in your Bibles and tune in again tomorrow for another edition of the daily Bible podcast back.