North Bible Recap
Walk through the Bible, each week, with clear explanations and practical takeaways.
North Bible Recap
Episode 28: 1 Corinthians, Numbers, Deuteronomy
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Pastor Rodney and Pastor Sawyer walk through 1 Corinthians, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, highlighting that following Jesus means living with holiness, love, and a deep dependence on God’s Word. The episode emphasizes that Scripture is not just information but daily sustenance—shaping how we handle temptation, suffering, wisdom, and devotion to God in every area of life.
Good day, everybody. I'm so glad that you're joining us for North Bobble Recap. I hope that you are, and apparently you are, going on this journey with us. And today I'm excited to have Pastor Sawyer Wilson with us.
SPEAKER_00Excited, Pastor. Thanks for having me. I'm I'm honored. Been enjoying the podcast. So I'm excited to be a part of the conversation and talk about God's word. Nothing better to talk about.
SPEAKER_01Okay, okay. And you said earlier that you were a little bit nervous. You're not I was.
SPEAKER_00You weren't supposed to expose me to the church, Pastor. And I'm a little bit nervous just because we've had some some really smart um pastors and and teachers on here so far. Um so I'm just praying that God will use me and speak through me today. So I want to live up to the expectations, is what I want to do.
SPEAKER_01A little bit of spot on your shirt though. What happened there?
SPEAKER_00They're like, oh, the youth pastors got water. I was trying to drink some water and just spilled it all all over my shirt. I knew he was nervous when he was shaking so much and just spilled it all over my shirt. So that's that's what that is. Hopefully it'll dry by the end of the episode.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, actually, sorry, I'm so I'm so thrilled. I I want you to tell the audience just real quick. Uh, I know that you just recently shared on our Up into the Right podcast about your journey with the Bible. And so you've been raised in church, but not really a you know, following Christ uh passionately. And tell us about that journey and what happened when you gave your heart to Christ and then how the Bible just became a such a part of your life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Long story short, I uh, like Pastor said, had no real relationship with the Lord, even though grew up in church and got to a point where I was broken, living in sin, um, and didn't even know if I believed in God. That's a whole nother theological discussion there, uh, if I was uh saved or not. But on July 3rd, 2019, had a radical encounter um with Jesus, with God, with the Holy Spirit at North Church, um, and recommitted my life to Jesus. Um, and that night went home, started reading God's word, uh, read the entire Bible in about three, four months. Um, and then since then have not missed a day, whether it's a verse, a chapter, a whole book um of the Bible every single day, about seven years now. And God's word has has changed my life, given me um a passion to preach the word, to share the word with people, to help people engage with it is what I'm really passionate about. Um, and I believe it's not just reading it, um, but doing my best to understand it and apply it to my life is what has has changed my life.
SPEAKER_01I'm I'm so encouraged by that. And you know, for somebody who really is now at 22, when you really had this encounter with God, 21, 22 years of age, and you really had no depth of Bible in your life, though, other than what you caught by almost osmosis by being in church, uh, but you weren't even really faithful at church. But then when it clicked in your passion for Jesus, how fast you cut, and I'm just I'm gonna I'm gonna encourage people. Like I hear people say all the time, Well, I don't know, I just don't understand God's word. You get a ask God for a passion for his word, fall in love with his word, and some of that may be you literally forcing yourself initially to get into God's word. Yeah, but as that begins to grow, I'm telling you, you can catch up to speed quickly with people who have Bible degrees and um m-divs, and and so don't count um yourself out, just fall in love with God's word, and man, you can catch up quick.
SPEAKER_00Amen.
SPEAKER_01Amen. Absolutely. So we're gonna dive into today. Uh 1 Corinthians uh chapter 5 through 10.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01Last episode, obviously, we're we did the first part of uh Corinthians, and then we're gonna look at Numbers chapter 29 through 36, and then we're gonna lay the foundation and you're gonna get the the honor. That's kind of always the hard things to do, is lay the foundation for Deuteronomy. Uh so Deuteronomy chapters one through eight, and then we'll look at Psalms 44 through and 45, and then also Proverbs chapter 8.
SPEAKER_00So jump into it right now. I'm excited. Yeah, like Pastor said, if you haven't seen the last episode, go check it out, the intro for 1 Corinthians. But a couple of reminders of what's happening in this letter. Paul is writing to a church that he had planted on some of his missionary journeys, and this church was in disarray. Um, if you think that the church today has issues, just check out some of these churches that Paul was writing letters to back in the day. So he was the spiritual father of the church. It would be kind of like Pastor Rodney writing a letter to Pastor Hetty. Say, Hetty, you better get it into line. Um, so imagine a father that goes on a business trip and he's away and he loves his kids, but he gets back home and it is just in complete disarray and they need some discipline and some help. That's what this is. He's writing to address some problems and to answer issues that they had. The problem summarized, there's all sorts of things immorality and sin and disagreements, but the problem summarized in one order is just disorder. There was disorder in the church, and Paul addresses it by looking at everything through the lens of the gospel. So today we're gonna look at two different sections. Chapter five through seven is all about sex. So you called me on to talk about that, which I'm very excited about. Thank you. Um, and also chapters eight through ten is about food. So let's dive into it.
SPEAKER_01Real quick, just it's uh um that's that's great. Yeah, I wasn't purposely planned that, but anyway, uh bottom line is there there's five sections to um uh to Corinthians, and it starts off with divisions, right? And uh, and then it kind of moves over into um you know, each section is a little bit different, but section two is sex, and then we're gonna talk about food also.
SPEAKER_00Go ahead. That's right, exactly. Yeah, thank you. So, why is Paul addressing sex in Corinth? Well, it was a port city. Imagine uh all these traders, ships, sailors coming through. So it's not only uh a melting pot of cultures and languages and people, but also of beliefs, and they describe it as like Las Vegas on steroids. So it was just crazy. There's access to a lot of different things, and um, there was rampant prostitution there. We know that the temple of Aphrodite was there, this uh pagan temple that was just massive and huge, one of the wonders of the ancient world. And there was well over a thousand prostitutes there. Um, people were selfish, they were thinking about themselves, seeking only to please the flesh. And specifically in this church, uh, we read in this letter that there was a man who was actually sleeping with his own stepmother. Um, so Paul is writing to address this, not only in the community of Corinth, but actually in the church right there. Um, so we're gonna look at this first bit of text from 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Pastor, is it okay if I read this? Absolutely. So it says, starting in verse 12 of chapter six, I have the right to do anything, you say, but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything, but I will not be mastered by anything. You say, food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both. The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power, God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body. For it is said, the two will become one flesh, but whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually sins against their own body. Do you not not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were bought at a price, therefore, honor God with your bodies. Pastor, uh, do you have thoughts on this on this passage? What is Paul getting at here?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think in verse 18 he says, flee sexual immorality. I think that's the nuts and bolts of it. I'll let you unpack. But one of the things that I feel like he is emphasizing here that sexual sin is different from all of the sin. It's not just you're sinning uh outside your body, you're sinning inside your body. And like somebody told me years ago, and I've used this term several times, it's like graffitiing your own body. You're destroying your own temple, the temple that God has bought, that He's provided, that He's um called out. You know, and Paul actually says in another part there, he says, what you're doing is actually something that even the world, what was good, the sin, uh this sleeping with a stepmother specifically here, he's saying the even the people in the world think that's horrible. You shouldn't be doing that. And um then of course he gets on to a whole lot more issues with uh uh you know how to stay sexually pure and how to really um emphasizing uh celibacy uh in our singleness, and which in a world today we we we're just not practicing that. And we've had a revival of young people, young men and young ladies that are choosing to say, you know what, I'm gonna stop just sleeping and living with somebody. I'm gonna choose to do it God's way, and that's celibate lifestyle. And then, of course, in marriage, it's um, you know, only the only way the Bible gives us for our sexual fulfillment is one man and one woman in marriage.
SPEAKER_00That's right. Yeah, absolutely. I think in this passage, we see that Paul is writing to this church that they've given their lives to Jesus, they know that they're covered by the blood of Jesus, and they're kind of twisting that and using it as a free pass to do whatever they want. Um, in the beginning, when he says, You say anything is permissible, I can do whatever I want. Paul's addressing this concept of cheap grace, which is wanting forgiveness from God, but not being willing to be transformed and live for God. I had the pleasure of speaking to our young adults at NYA in Oklahoma City a couple weeks ago, and I shared this with them that Jesus lived, died, and rose to free us from sin, not free us to sin. And that's what Paul is encouraging uh the Corinthian church to do. He's reminding them that they are a temple of the Holy Spirit. What is the temple? It's sacred, it's pure, it's free from anything that is unlike God because that's where his presence dwells. When we read about the temple and the tabernacle and in the Torah and all of that, God says to his people, be holy because I am holy. Why would we want a holy God to live inside of an unholy body? So, my takeaway from this whole passage, um, if I could summarize Paul in this, would be that God cares about every single part of us, including our bodies. That's why God cares what we do with our bodies, that's why he cares who we sleep with, that's why he cares um where we go and what we do. And because of the gospel, we should be motivated to live pure and holy lives.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so I I can immediately understand um sex um and how that impacts our spiritual life and how we need to be pure and holy. And but okay, then the second part food, how does that fit into it? Come on, unpack that to us a little bit. What's Paul emphasizing here with the issue of food and what's going on?
SPEAKER_00Sure, exactly. So, why is Paul addressing food? Like you said, the church in Corinth, like many of the churches that Paul would write to, they're made up of Jewish Christians, but also Gentile Christians, so people that are ethnically Jewish and then Gentiles, anybody that is not ethnically Jewish. And because these are different cultures, even though they're both Christians at this point, there's disagreements about cultural practices, and they have a disagreement about food that had been sacrificed to idols. Um, pagan worship was really, really big in Corinth at the time. Um, and they would, these uh pagan priests, they would sacrifice food at the altars. People would bring this um meat, animals, whatever, and then they would burn some of it to the idol, to the false gods. The worshipper could then take some home, the priest could take some, and then what was ever left would be sold at the market for a cheaper price. So some of these Gentile Christians would actually go buy this food that had been sacrificed to an altar at the market. Sounds like a good deal to me. I think cheap.
SPEAKER_01It's bargain basement type grocery shopping.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. So they would go do that. And when Paul hears about this, he writes back and he doesn't just give them a straight up yes, you should eat it, or no, you shouldn't eat it. He points to the answer, which we find out is love. In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 1 through 3, Paul writes this now about food sacrificed to idols. We know that we all possess knowledge, but knowledge puffs us up while love builds us up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God. Paul's answering the question with one word, and that is love. The Christian life, following Jesus, is completely based on love, not knowledge. It is love that is the goal. I love this quote from Leonard Ravenhill. He said, You may be stacked up with knowledge and with theology, but what good is it if it isn't on fire? What good is it knowing everything if you don't have a love for God and a love for people? Um, so the takeaway from this whole question about food is that love is and always should be our motivation. If it's damaging my brother or sister for me to eat this sacrificed food, then I'm not gonna do it because I love them and because I love the Lord. Paul is addressing that love is actually the cure for all of the problems that the Corinthian church is facing. And Pastor, I want to hear what you think, but we'll get into that a little bit more later in the book of Corinthians when we read the love chapter in chapter 13 as well.
SPEAKER_01Well, absolutely. I think that it it's the whole Bible is centered around that concept. For God so loved the world that he gave that Jesus said the greatest command, what is it when he was asked? Is to love love God with all your heart. And then the second is like it, love your neighbors yourself. But through all the way through from the very beginning, God God even create what was God, God is in community. The Trinity is about a triangle of love, it's about a relationship between God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God creating man is not because he needed to force somebody to love him, he wanted to have somebody that he could express his love to and then receive the love in turn. So, and then our responsibility, that food thing, it's kind of wrapping your mind around it exactly. And sometimes the context of how we live our life, we don't feel that pressure, but it it's it's it's told out in a lot of other ways, in that we have to be responsible with our actions and how we live our life because other people are watching. So good. And we do not want to create stumbling blocks to their faith, we want to create stepping stones as they pursue Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00So good, amen. Amen. It's it's interesting to see how everything lines up and and God works all these things together because the theme in a lot of these other books that we're reading as well right now is love as well. So I'm excited to talk more about what it looks like to love God and love people.
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, let's let's let's move on to the book of Numbers, chapter number 29 uh through 36.
SPEAKER_00Let's do it. So Numbers, uh, just a reminder again, we're we're moving on. So we're not gonna give the full introductory context. Go back, check out those previous episodes. But essentially, the new generation of Israel, the people of God, are preparing to enter the land that He's promised them, the land of Canaan.
SPEAKER_01So when you say the new generation, right? Those old heads adopt died off. Old heads, no more. All the heads are out, no more. And just a reminder that they had the uh go into the scouts, the 12 scouts, 10 of them come back with a negative report, two of them with a positive report, right? And everybody age 40 at that time, correct, uh and down would be able to go in. Everybody 40 and over wouldn't.
SPEAKER_02Correct.
SPEAKER_01That would leave me out. Oh man. That's a bummer. That's right. That's a bummer. And uh, but but two did make it, and that was who Joshua and Caleb. Yeah, Joshua and Caleb. And so uh they're gonna be Joshua's gonna be leading the children of Israel, but you have you have a completely new generation here. Um, and I just want to speak to my generation, older generation, even is that come on, let us not be so critical, let us not see so negative um at the future and what let us believe uh the promises of God, let us take the land that He has given us, let us not be held back by you know the voices that we're hearing, and let's lead the next generation in the promised land, not be left behind so that they go take the promised land.
SPEAKER_00So good. And why was it that Joshua and Caleb from that previous generation were able to go? The word says they had a new spirit. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, different spirit. So uh never too old or too young to follow Jesus. So this book, it can feel sometimes a little monotonous uh and and maybe I've heard it called boring. We know that the Bible's not boring, right? Um, but it's so rich, it's so important, and everything is purposeful and intentional. My wife, I showed her Lord of the Rings. She had never seen Lord of the Rings before, and I asked her afterwards, did you like it? And she was like, Oh, I don't know, because they would just like run through the woods for a little bit and they would fight somebody. And then they would run through the woods for a little bit and then they would fight somebody. And that's kind of the way this book feels a little bit. We're traveling, we're wandering, uh, we're moving, and then we we fight this battle, or we make this ground, or we hear this from God. But everything is so important because God along the way is giving his people instructions for how to live life in the land, preparing them to inherit what he has promised to them. So, where we're at in the story, some of the new generation is actually beginning to the process of crossing over into the promised land. We read uh some of these uh instructions from God. Specifically, we're gonna look at chapter number 33. And in this chapter, God commands his people, Israel, to go into the land of Canaan, to drive out all the current inhabitants of Canaan, to destroy their images, to destroy their idols, to tear down their altars, to take the land, settle in it, and divide it. And it says this in Numbers chapter 33, verse 55. This is God speaking to his people through Moses. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. This is about more than just land. It's not um God trying to make his people pick on other people, but it's about holiness, it's about being set apart. And if the Canaanites, if their culture, which was unholy and completely against everything that the people of God stood for, it would ooze into Israel's way of life and it would affect the way that they live. It would bring unholiness. And if you know the story, spoiler alert, they didn't do this. They did not completely drive out the people, they did not tear down all the altars. Um, and it compromised them. And what we learned from the story of Israel is that if we allow compromise when it comes to God's commands, we're gonna reap the consequences of that.
SPEAKER_01You know that that is so good. And you made a statement that that God is, it wasn't just that God was picking on people here. If you go back and I don't have time to unpack it, but if you go back, actually, God was trying to give the Canaanites and the people to a chance to turn to God. It became the the the worship, uh, their idol worship, their sacrifices of children, all that stuff came to the point that God reached that point, like, okay, it's just time to cleanse the land and let's move on. And it wasn't that God wanted that for them, it's just that uh they actually chose to disregard um God's plan, God's people, and so therefore eventually God said, Okay, it is time to move them on out. But if again, you're right, they did not, and it becomes a problem for them, right? It stays around for a long time, a long time, and it just becomes a mess. So, all right, you got them, you got them going into the land, right? Um, it's about to happen. Deuteronomy is next, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's the the next book up. So Israel's on the edge of the promised land. We wrap up numbers, they're getting ready to enter the land. And Deuteronomy is a really cool book because it shows us Moses's last and final words to the people. So, some context on Deuteronomy. It's the fifth book of the Bible, of the Torah, the Pentateuch. Uh, those are those are the same things, just in one's Hebrew, one's Greek. Uh, traditionally, we believe that this was written by Moses in the 15th century BC. And like we said, it's immediately after the book of Numbers. And it opens up with Moses explaining the law that they've been given to the new generation. So he's reminding them of the law. It's literally a series of sermons and speeches from Moses where he's calling this new generation that we talked about to be faithful to Yahweh.
SPEAKER_01The word Deuteronomy, it's it'd be kind of like uh this it's like uh, you know, parents, if you got your uh eight-track or your cassette tech messages back from the day and you're pulling them back out for the next generation and uh they're re-listening to it. Yeah, so basically, this is a message that was given to the children of Israel back 40 years prior, and now it's being re-re-given.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. So if it seems repetitive, that's why it is, but there's a purpose for that. The word Deuteronomy literally means second law. So some of it is repeated, but some of it is new as well. And the purpose of this, like we said, is to remind the new generation. One of my mentors, um, who's mentored by you, so you probably taught him this, is that as as pastors, as leaders, as parents, whatever, our job is to be the CRO, chief reminding officer. We're always reminding our kids what they need to do, our families what they need to do, our students, our leaders, our teams, what they need to do. And that's what Moses is doing here. He's preparing the people to enter the land. The message, the theme of this book is that love is the key to the kingdom of God. Love from God, but also love for God. And we'll break that down a little bit. The book's outlined into three major sections. The first, chapters one through 11, which is where we'll be today, is Moses' opening. Speech. Then there's a collection of laws in 12 through 26, and then chapters 27 through 34, the end of the book, are Moses' final speech as well as his death. So we're going to open it up with uh two verses, two passages that Jesus quoted. Actually, it's really interesting. Uh, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy, it was the second most than any book. Pastor, what was the number one book that he quoted?
SPEAKER_01Psalms.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Psalms, which we'll get into here in a little bit. But Deuteronomy was like Jesus' second favorite book.
SPEAKER_01And it's important to understand, Jesus didn't just quote those two books, he was quoting from Leviticus. Yeah. That's where I picked up the main uh, you know, the great command. And uh, but just all throughout, Jesus is referencing, quoting, and so uh for people that think like, oh, we can unhitch from the old testament and move on. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I I'm a big believer. If somebody is a new Christian, yeah, let's dive into the gospels, let's go into the new testament, let's read it. But but don't don't ignore, don't shelf. Or some of you right now, maybe you're listening, like you only do reading one plan, year after year after year, uh, for a North Church reading plan. And I I celebrate that. Yeah, but no, no, you need to move on. Yeah, you need you need to incorporate reading too. You need to grow in the depth of understanding, of realizing because the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, when I say Hebrew Bible, that's what that is, it's the Old Testament. Okay, it is the foundation that we built upon for what the New Testament is.
SPEAKER_00That's right. Yeah. What does it tell us in the New Testament? 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. All scripture is God breathed and is useful for training and teaching. So we're gonna look at one of these first passages that Jesus quoted, one of many. It's uh actually a well-known Hebrew prayer and confession of faith. It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 4 and 5. It says this Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. So, Pastor, this is the Shema. This is something that is really, really important to the Jewish people, to their culture, still to this day. It's a classic Hebrew confession of faith. It's all about obedience and devotion. The word Shema, what we call this passage, means listen in Hebrew, but it's not just the same as maybe somebody's listening to this podcast right now. It actually takes it a step further. It's not just listening as in hearing, it's actually hearing and responding. Another way to put that is to obey, right? So it's taking this word and applying it.
SPEAKER_01We we understand any parent understands this when you when you tell you you yell at your kid because you told them something and you say, Hey, listen to me. What are you saying? You're saying just don't hear my words. You're saying go do what I say.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Hear my words and obey. Um, in this book, it talks about, or in this passage, it talks about love. Um, and it also doesn't mean just love in the way that we would feel an affection towards uh a husband and wife, between uh friends, brothers in Christ, whatever. It's actually more than emotion, it's an emotion coupled with a decision. You could say it's devotion. So it's saying, be devoted to your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Jesus actually says in Matthew chapter 22, like you mentioned, that this is the greatest commandment. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul. What's interesting to me, Pastor, is that Jesus takes it uh a little bit further and he says, also, all of your mind. I've I've kind of wondered why does that happen? Why does it do that? Is that an inconsistency in scripture? Actually, no, it's the opposite. Um, you look at some of the gospels, different ones include mind in there as well versus just heart, soul, and strength. Why do they do that? Is because in the Hebrew language, the heart included the intellect. So it's it's the same thing, just a different language. So when you read that, that's exactly what that is. In the point of the Shema, it was the same yesterday, today it'll always be the same, and to love God with everything.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. No, I was listening to um a Orthodox Hebrew teacher teach the other day on that regards to the mind and um how much that oftentimes, because you really for the Hebrew, for the Jew, for the practicing Jew today, it is about engaging your mind. It it is so I think sometimes as Christians, uh, we kind of hear people, all Christians, they just like they don't think for them. No, it it's the most this book demands thinking. Yes, that's why it constantly says meditate on this, think about it. Uh, Paul is constantly saying renewing of the mind, the renewing of the mind again and again and again. The problem is a lot of Christians we don't think according to God's ways and the word of God, and so we're really not thinking for ourselves.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So good. So this the Shema here is showing us the theme of the book, and it's that love is the key to the kingdom of God. Another passage that Jesus refers to and quotes is from Deuteronomy chapter 8, verses 1 through 5. It says this be careful to follow every command I'm giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way into the wilderness there uh for those forty years to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger, and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you, and here's the part that Jesus quoted that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell during those forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Okay.
SPEAKER_01I'm having some flashbacks, some hopperlinks right now of Jesus quoting. Can you take where Jesus is quoting this quite a bit?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he quotes it quite a bit. The the the main time that we see this is in Matthew chapter 4, when he is, uh it's in other gospels as well, but when he's tested in the wilderness, right? So he's hungry, he's been fasting 40 days, 40 nights, and the enemy comes to him and says, You're Jesus, why don't you turn those stones into bread? If that was me, I would be like, Absolutely, I want some bread. I'm hungry, it's been 40 days and 40 nights. What does Jesus do? He turns to the word of God and he says, uh, it is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. It's interesting. All three times in this story that Jesus is tempted, what book does he quote? Deuteronomy. Yeah. Every single time, which is just re-emphasizes to me how important God's word is for us. If God himself turned to God's word in his time of need, why shouldn't we? I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon. He said that a Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't. When the rest of my life may be in shambles, when things may be um falling apart, when I may be hurting physically, mentally, emotionally, I can turn to God's word because we know Jesus teaches us, model for us, that we don't live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
SPEAKER_01Wow. That's good. I love that quote. I've heard that quote before. I've just been reminded of it now when you brought that up. It's been a while. That is so good. Now, I I know that um you, uh, in regards to North students and of course across the church, we have our framework of faith. Right.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Talk a little bit about that. Absolutely. So there's four parts of the framework of faith: the word of God, the people of God, the spirit of God, and then surrendering to God. Obviously, right now we are talking about God's word. And that's the reason that this is a part of the framework, is because we live off of the word of God. We are people of the book. Jesus modeled it for us. We read it in scripture, how important it is to use that as our sustenance for daily life. It's not just something that we read, but it's something that we do and that we live out. It's not just a book of rules, it's not just a book of history, but it's something that will change your life if you apply it to your life.
SPEAKER_01And let me just emphasize that because we live in a world that is just sound bites and tick tock and various things, and we're shaping our theology based upon what get into God's word. Know what it says about sex, food, marriage, um, life, decisions, are that this is this should be shaping our thinking. And when we talk about having a um a biblical worldview, okay, all of us have a worldview. It's just what's shaping that worldview, right? And is it is it your friends, is it your, you know, um the news feed that you have that you're listening to, what whoever that is, whatever that is, uh certain podcasters out there that are great and you know, attractive that you listen to, that give great stuff. And let me say some of those may actually give a little bit of God's word. Sure. And um nothing necessarily wrong with that, but man, let this book and people who are breaking down God's word, talking about God's word, let that be uh where you lean into uh and get your worldview. So good. Biblical worldview will stand the test of time.
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_01Everything else is going to be shaken, uh, but God's word remains. Heaven and earth pass away, the flower fadeth, but God's word stands strong.
SPEAKER_00Amen. Amen. So, so good. And that's what Deuteronomy is is teaching us in this section is the importance of God's word. I'm excited to continue talking about it more in the future.
SPEAKER_01Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, so and then also let's let's dive into Psalms uh chapter 44 and 45. And that was written by do you know who that was written by? 44 says sons of Korah. Sons of Korah. Right. And also 45 as well was written by the sons of Korah. In fact, we talked about this in a previous podcast, and it's really interesting because you got Korah who stands up against Moses, right, and um you know, challenging his leadership and just kind of just a quick refresh refresher. And then what does God do? God speaks to Moses, says, Tell him to stand at his tent, and you stand over there, and God is going to determine who is right so that the people will know. And lo and behold, what happens? The ground opens up, swallows up Korah and 250 other people, and then there's actually a plague that goes out throughout the um the camp that kills a lot of people, too. Just a sad moment. But then so you get Korah dying there, and then you have this over here in Psalms about the descendants of Korah writing these things, which actually gives hope because it speaks to later on, it says that the sons of Korah remained. So it speaks to even though a father chose to go against God, against spiritual leadership, there was sons that said, No, I'm not gonna go the way of my dad. So good. And so then God actually rewards them and honors them by giving them a place in the Psalms. So cool. Now we understand the Psalms, 150 books, uh chapters in the in the uh book of Psalms, but about half of those are written by uh King David, uh, but all of them are highly influenced by King David. Right, and so even the sons of Korah were probably influenced by uh the writing. So good. So chapter 44 is really about the concept of when God fills distance. Uh Paul, you're being faithful. Matter of fact, the children of Israel here are struggling. The sons of Korah are writing that the people insist that they have not turned away from God, but yet they are suffering. And you know what? Let me just tell the audience that just because you obey God and you dot every T and cross, I mean dot every I and cross every T does not mean that you're not gonna suffer. No, far from it. Um you know, Jesus suffered. And the Bible speaks to if we're gonna follow up to Him, we're there is going to be seasons and times of suffering.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01Um we've got to let Paul learn how to rejoice in the suffering, not for the suffering, knowing that God is working all things for our good. And the first thing in chapter 44, he speaks to remembering past victories in those moments that hang on, God is gonna help you through that faith is strengthened by remembering what God has done. And he says here in this, oh God, we have heard it with our own ears. You drove out the pagan nations by your own power. He's reminded, like, okay, these stories are very real, they're not just some you know fictitious thing that was thrown out. Uh, these are real stories. And then also it's experiencing uh present defeat is very real. He he cry, they cry out and said, You have rejected us, you make us retreat from our enemies. And you know what? It sounds kind of harsh there that they're kind of telling speaking to God that way, but God would rather you be honest with your emotions and take them to Him, yes, than actually uh you know withdraw and then share it with people who can't do anything with it. And so this is both the old theology, really, that's saying that God invites us to wrestle with Him. The biblical faith is really honest and it does not deny the pain.
SPEAKER_00So good.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I'm somewhere on hyper spiritual people that deny the pain. Oh, it's not real. No, no, it's it's okay to acknowledge the pain, right? Just turn your hope to God. So good. And then they're protesting that they're innocent. And they're saying, and matter of fact, in verse number 22, um, it's a verse that says, For your sake we are killed every day. And this verse is later even quoted by the apostle uh Paul in one of the epistles in the book of Romans, chapter eight. And so God's faithfulness does not guarantee ease. Um, God's faithfulness guarantees that he's gonna carry us through. So good. And then, of course, the last part of that is just kind of a bold cry for God to act. Uh, wake up, oh Lord, uh, why do you sleep? And it sounds kind of odd because usually God's the one saying it to us. Uh, but um, but I but I you know it's sometimes we're like, God, what's going on? Why? Why? And I don't understand why this is happening to me, those around me, uh, but God's very faithful. God's very faithful.
SPEAKER_00Amen.
SPEAKER_01Have you seen that in your own life, the faithfulness of God in the midst of suffering?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. I mean, Jesus teaches us in this world you will have suffering. If they persecuted me, they're definitely going to persecute you. So why would I think that I deserve better than what Jesus got in this life? But it's so interesting, especially when I look back at my life in some of the darkest times, some of the darkest, loneliest, most broken places that I was in, I can see that God was right there with me. And I can see him working things together for my good. Um, and and when we go through things that we don't understand, and maybe we'll never understand, but we can start to see God's hand working in one and every single step that we take. So I've definitely seen that for sure. That verse that you shared of 22, for your sake we face death all day long, is what is what my translation says here, not my translation, the one I'm reading, uh says here. It reminds me of uh uh Jim Elliott. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Man, I would consider it an honor to suffer for the name of Jesus. Um, and it may be easy for for for me to say and where I live and what I do, but man, what an honor to be even in the same breath as our Lord. So good. So good.
SPEAKER_01Okay, then Psalm 45, the glorious king and his bride. Now, this is really kind of interesting because you go in chapter 44 of like just total despair and struggling to chapter 45 of like God is king, you know, we're having a big marriage, and it's a time of rejoicing. So 45 shifts dramatically. It is a royal wedding psalm. Uh, most likely some theologians believe maybe for one of um the divinic kings, uh, but it is ultimately pointing beyond any earthly ruler. It's pointing to the king of kings, the lord of lords. And of course, it just opens up uh in the first part, it says, You are the most handsome of all, speaking of God. It's just rejoicing in the beauty and the majesty of God. Um, this king here speaks with grace, uh, fights with truth and justice, reigns in righteousness. In verse six, it says, Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever and ever.
unknownAmen.
SPEAKER_01And so it's a beautiful story here of the ultimate king. He is the ultimate king of righteousness, he is eternal, and he is just.
SPEAKER_02So good.
SPEAKER_01And of course, the second part of that speaks to the beauty and the calling of the bride. And of course, the Bible speaks that we are his bride. And uh the bride is called to leave the father's house, devoted herself to the king, enter into the place of splendor. The bride is is beautiful, golden. You know, the Bible says speaks that that we are he is the groom and we're the bride. And there's this beautiful relationship, which it it's it it leans into the Ephesians chapter five. And so when you read God's word, remember that there is all of these hyperlinks that are just connecting all over the place. Because God is the Bible is one story, it's pointing to one person, his name is Jesus. You say, Well, I don't know about that. I've read these failures. Yeah, it's speaking to their they can't do it on their own, right? They need Jesus, they cannot make it life on their own. And so the the last part of that is just um speaking to the promise of a last lasting dynasty. It says, Your sons will become kings like their father. And I love that too, because we're joined heirs with the king of kings. Amen. We're children of God, and it speaks to that enduring legacy, and um, unlike chapter 44, which was unanswered lament, 45 ends with confidence and celebration. Of course, that's the life of don't give up on God. There's the days you're gonna feel like you're just like ready to throw in the towel. The next day could be waving, waving the towel and celebration. You know what? That's right. There's a difference there. Sometimes I'm throwing the towel and giving up and then waving the towel and celebration. Yeah. So that's what you have in chapter 44. Want to throw in the towel. Chapter 45, waving the towel in celebration. So weave the contrast between these two chapters so that you can see them. First off, in chapter 44 is national suffering, and chapter 45 is royal celebration, a night national celebration. Chapter 44 is why have you rejected us? The question. Chapter 45 is a proclamation of your throne endures forever. Chapter 44 is lament. Chapter 45 is a wedding joy. Chapter 44 is a cry for help, and chapter 45 is a promise of eternal reign with God.
unknownWow.
SPEAKER_01So good. You know, if I put it down in one sentence summary, it'd be when God's people suffer, they cry out in faith because God's king reigns forever.
SPEAKER_00So good. So good. In the good days and the bad, in the highs and the lows. Absolutely. Dark and sunny, Jesus, Jesus reigns, he's on the throne.
SPEAKER_01He's still on the throne.
SPEAKER_00So so good.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Proverbs. What let me just I'm gonna I'm just gonna read one thing from Proverbs in just a second, but what would you want to say to people? Because I've heard you say a few things about Proverbs before. How to take it, how to read it, what that I this is something I'm passionate about.
SPEAKER_00So I'm glad you you said this. I think that we sometimes take the Proverbs as their like promises, right? For example, uh one, I don't know the exact reference, but you train up a child in the way they should go, and when they're old, they will not depart from it. Well, I would say my parents were not perfect by any means. They would say that, but they were good parents and they trained me up in the way that I should go. They uh took me to church, they made sure that I was doing the things I needed to do at school, tried their best to keep me out of trouble, but I definitely departed from some of those things. And even, even we see so many people that are our pastors and leaders in the church, godly men and women, that their children depart from that. So, does that mean that God's word is not true? No, these are not promises, they're principles that are usually true. They're principles for us to follow, to live a wise life, and to live good in the world that God has given us. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to do the things that this book teaches. It just means that these are not promises from God, but they're principles for us on how to live. That's good. Good.
SPEAKER_01So we're in chapter eight, and I'm just gonna read uh verse number two. This is actually every day, I've done this now for uh about seven years that I am writing from the Old Testament and the New Testament. I've taken a verse, and then I will take that verse, I'll put a title to it, and I'll rewrite something. And so um now I've got a lot of writings. Um, but so this was last year, March. I got now March 22nd of 2025. I wrote it was from Proverbs chapter eight and verse number two. On the hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads. The she is wisdom, right? It's speaking to wisdom. Lady wisdom. Wisdom is known as a lady. Okay, so um and for for all of those that struggle with like the the male presentation of the Bible, and it seems like the Bible leans into a lot of um female um examples, and when it comes to wisdom, he says the woman. Okay, and so here's the thing the crossroads. I wrote I took two words of the crossroads. You need wisdom wherever you go and whatever you do, not in a worldly sense, but in a spiritual and heavenly way. Money, knowledge, favor, wealth, health, possessions, and more are all wonderful things to access, but they aren't crucial. Being wise is better than all the other qualities one could have. Desire her, parentheses, wisdom, above everything else, because she is more valuable than silver and gold and most anything else.
SPEAKER_00So good. So good. Uh I think of you know who wrote, presumably, most of these proverbs. King Solomon, right? One of the richest men who ever lived. I I looked it up one time, I don't know how true this is, but they said that his his net worth was probably north of a hundred trillion dollars. Choose my instruction, choose wisdom instead of silver rather than gold. Knowledge is far greater than anything this world could offer. So good. Good. Hey, thank you so very much for joining me. Thank you for having me. I hope that it was a it was a good discussion. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot today. I think it was so good. Why don't you join me for the next podcast? Let's do it. Does that sound good? Absolutely. I'm in. Okay, all right. Did you bring a change of clothes? I I'll turn my shirt backwards. No water spills this time. Maybe you can give me the hat. We'll do that.
SPEAKER_01All right. Hey, I'm so glad that you joined us today for North Bible recap. Until next time, God bless you.