Today we're talking about that's not in the Bible , examining verses that don't exist , but we'll also talk about verses that are taken out of context , that I mean almost are not verses and that they are misapplied , and so yeah . So yeah , all right , thank you .
Speaker 2Thank you for joining us .
Speaker 3I would like to be joining us friends , I think this is an important subject because , as a new Christian , I remember sitting there . I was about three days old and I had a Bible on my lap . It was a huge Bible . I thought I want to conquer this . I want to be able to say that's not in the Bible . After 50 years I haven't conquered it . There's so many verses I haven't even understand as I understand or got to in a sense , like Leviticus and stuff like that . But when someone says God helps them , that help themselves , I want to be able to say that is not in the Bible , because that's the basis of Catholicism God will help you . After all , you can do Same with Mormons and it's a deception and so we need to know what's not in the Bible .
Speaker 3I mean for those who don't understand the principle it's easy to know what's in the Bible . I mean for those who don't understand the principle . It's easy to know what's in the Bible Jesus wept I know that verse , so you can say that is in the Bible , but to say it's not in the Bible you need to know the whole of scripture , right
?
Speaker 1Well , I would say this would be at the top of the list . When you guys , in terms of verses that people don't know , the word think must be in the word .
Speaker 3Yes .
Speaker 1And you hear it quoted here and there from time to time . But let's break some of these down . Obviously we don't just want to say , okay , that's not in the Bible , but let's talk about the unbiblical element of God . Helps those who help themselves Psalm 121.2, .
Speaker 2My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth , and Romans 5.6, . For while we were still weak at the right time , christ died for the ungodly . God does not help those who help themselves . The fact is , we can't help ourselves . You don't understand how dead you are in your sins and your trespasses . Christianity is this great big journey of realizing that Christianity is nothing like the world , and it is a continual cry out to God for help . It's not a moment by moment . I got this one . I got this one . You know I didn't need you today . Maybe next week you know , this is an easy one .
Speaker 2Somebody who is self-reliant is not a praying person , you know .
Speaker 4I learned that from Ray . I like that .
Speaker 2You know , are you ? I remember asking Ray one time are you nervous when you pray or when you open your preach ? And he said he goes . Yeah , you know , but a nervous man is a praying man , right ? Otherwise , what is the point and the purpose of having the Lord instead of our lives ? We need him . We are so reliant upon him . I've often said that we need him more than our lungs need oxygen or relying upon him . I've often said that we need him more than our lungs need oxygen or more than our veins need blood . Moment by moment , day by day is when we need him . There's nothing we can do .
Speaker 1That's why Christ came , because we couldn't help ourselves . Yeah , you know , there's a prayer .
Speaker 1I pray when I'm feeling nervous when I'm about to do something , especially in ministry , and it's this that's when you go , but it says lord , please remove any unnecessary nervousness oh , that's good , and I say that specifically because whatever necessary nervousness I need to have to keep me dependent on him , even though , like in my flesh , I don't want it . But but I never want to get to a place where I'm just like , yep , here we , and it's like no dependence on the Lord no crying out to the Lord .
Speaker 3You ever found that you're alone in a pulpit , without God's help ? Boy you can feel that it's like a nightmare .
Speaker 4I feel like that happens to me 30 seconds before preaching every time , like I think about all the ways I relied on myself rather than him in my prep work and I'm like , oh Lord , help me , I need you now .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 4I think the phrase God helps those who helps themselves . I think the reason why people are gravitating towards that phrase is because they want self-discipline and responsibility , and certainly the modern man lacks discipline and responsibility . But the phrase is fundamentally unbiblical for the reasons that you just said . It was Mark . The gospel teaches us that God helps the helpless , that we cannot save ourselves , that salvation is entirely of grace . In other words , God doesn't just offer help , he rescues the powerless , and his grace will certainly allow us or motivate us to live in a responsible way . I love to explain it like this the gospel is not a life raft out to a drowning man . The gospel is a lung full of air to the man who's already drowned .
Speaker 1Wow , money is the root of all evil .
This has got to be up there with one of the top ones . So many people quote that Money is the root of all evil .
Speaker 1They blame the money . Blame the money .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 3It's like we've got a litter problem . No , we don't . We have a lazy people problem , not a litter problem . Don't blame the litter .
Speaker 1So what's the verse really say , ray ? What the love , oh , the love of money is the root of all evil . All kinds of evil , as the modern versions say . King James says of all evil .
Speaker 2Why is that , Mark ? Why is the love of money the root of all evil ? Well , it's a snare , isn't it ? It promises things that don't necessarily deliver .
Speaker 4This is , I think , a really hard one for American Christians to listen to and understand , because the comfort life , the good life , is an idol to us . We want comfort , we want a good life , we want experience . It's like how could not not be the precipice of everything that we are trying to accomplish , to be able to look at somebody and say God is more interested in your holiness than your happiness . It's , it's discomforting , right , but it's ultimately true . God is interested .
Speaker 4As someone else once said , he's more interested in your character than your comfort . God means to make you more like who you were designed to be , more like his son , and his son himself experienced persecution and suffering and even death on the cross . And so if that's true , then how much more ? Why wouldn't we expect to experience suffering in this world ? But if our focus , if our North Star , is happiness , we're going to be disappointed in this life as a Christian and not as a Christian , because life is uncomfortable in this fallen state . But the promise of the gospel is that one day you will experience true joy , no more discomfort in heaven , and until then , the goal of God in your life is to make you more like his son . He's more interested in your holiness than he is in your happiness .
Speaker 3I think it's summed up in the scripture riches profit not in the day of wrath , but righteousness delivers from death . That's what we should be seeking to make sure we have the righteousness of Christ on the day of wrath .
Speaker 2And therefore it's possible to be joyful and not happy .
Speaker 4That's possible , right and so what I was going to get to earlier is inside of Ray's book .
Speaker 2God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life .
He talks about how , on April 12th 1912 , is the date Titanic went down . Whenever , right around that time , you think of the people inside the lifeboats and they're looking at their family go down in the North Atlantic , down into this icy grave . If you were to stop everything , freeze , frame the event and interview the people inside the life raft and say , aren't you happy ? It's like , well , there's a joy that's inexpressible in that you know that you're saved , but don't , I can't say that I'm happy as I see my loved ones and my friends that I just made die right before my eyes . You know I wasn't happy when I saw certain things inside my life right , I'm not happy in those , but I have a joy . I have a joy and I have a certainty that God is at work and he is working all things together for my good , amen .
Speaker 1I think Peter captured it . Well , you know , 1 Peter , 1 , and this you greatly rejoice , though now , for a little while , if need be , you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith , being much more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire , may be found to praise , honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ , whom , having not seen you love though now you do not see him yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory .
Speaker 3What sort of joy is that ? Could you explain it ?
Speaker 1Yeah , so , but before that .
Speaker 3No , it's inexpressible . You can't . Yeah , I can .
Speaker 1But the verse before the one I read . He talked about how we have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance and corruptible , undefiled and that will not fade away , reserved in heaven for you . So sandwiched between that is the joy right , and he connects that with rejoicing in loving Jesus . So what more do we need for joy ? And again , I love the fact you guys highlighted that , the reality that we can be sad and have joy , we can grieve , we can lament , we can experience emotional pain .
Speaker 3Though the fig tree does not blossom . You know that verse , habakkuk . Oh , one of my favorites .
Speaker 1Habakkuk , habakkuk . But you know what I'm saying . It's like , what more do we need than we're going to heaven ? And connected with what Peter is saying we don't see Jesus now . We've never seen him . We don't see him now . We rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory . Why ? Because heaven is really Jesus . We're going to go be with him and that's the joy that carries us through . I'm weeping , I'm crying , I'm in pain , but I'm not undone , I'm not utterly destroyed , because I'm gonna go to be with Jesus , the one that I love , the one that loves me , who loved me I mean , paul says this who loved me and gave himself for me . What more do we need ?
Speaker 3That's the essence of our faith
. I'm just thinking the Bible verse if any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ , let him be anathema .
Speaker 2That's what scripture says .
Speaker 3So that's the essence of loving God with heart , mind , soul and strength , putting your affection upon Jesus , yeah .
Speaker 1Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters podcast . Friends , we value your time , so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped . Without the jokes and fellowship . Be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .