WEBVTT - Israel, Music and More 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:11.639 If singer and songwriter Matthew West were to visit Israel, 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.840 what would he want most to see and why? What 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:16.880 songs would he choose if he were asked to lead 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:19.880 worship on the Sea of Galilee? On another note, how 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.880 does he feel about the rise of anti-Semitism in America 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:26.280 and across the globe? Coming up later in today's program. 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:28.800 Matthew West will be in our studio to talk about 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:33.319 Israel music and more. Don't miss this fabulous conversation. Hey, 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:35.960 welcome to the land and the book. Our team leader 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:39.320 is Doctor Charlie Dyer, noted Middle East scholar, author, and 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:43.600 frequent tour guide. I'm John Geiger asking, what does Passover 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:47.280 mean for us as believers in Jesus? Some might remember 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:49.480 the story from the book of Exodus, but there's so 0:00:49.479 --> 0:00:51.879 much more to it. For example, did you know that 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.320 the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal? Not only 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:59.160 did Jesus and his disciples celebrate Passover, it also foreshadowed 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:01.830 his death on the cross for our redemption. 0:01:02.150 --> 0:01:04.630 Jewish people have been keeping the feast of Passover for 0:01:04.670 --> 0:01:08.470 thousands of years. Understanding the history and importance of this 0:01:08.470 --> 0:01:11.590 holiday will help you better connect with your Jewish friends 0:01:11.590 --> 0:01:14.709 and neighbors. And what better way is there to learn 0:01:14.709 --> 0:01:19.350 about Passover than to experience a Passover Seder yourself? If 0:01:19.350 --> 0:01:22.830 you've never celebrated Passover, our friends at Life in Messiah 0:01:22.830 --> 0:01:26.510 would love to partner with you in hosting a Seder experience. 0:01:26.830 --> 0:01:30.670 Every year, their staff engage churches and small groups in 0:01:30.670 --> 0:01:35.030 an interactive Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to 0:01:35.069 --> 0:01:38.630 taste and see the redemption story. If you're interested in 0:01:38.670 --> 0:01:41.950 having someone come lead a Seder in your area, visit 0:01:41.950 --> 0:01:45.630 Life in Messiah Org and click on the radio button 0:01:45.630 --> 0:01:48.710 there to learn more. That's life in Messiah. 0:01:50.590 --> 0:01:53.030 Well, let's switch our focus now toward current events in 0:01:53.030 --> 0:01:56.270 the Middle East. The truce between Israel and Hamas is 0:01:56.270 --> 0:01:59.580 now entering its second week. How has the exchange of 0:01:59.580 --> 0:02:02.500 hostages and prisoners gone so far? What's scheduled to happen 0:02:02.500 --> 0:02:04.740 over the remaining five weeks? Charlie, I've got a couple 0:02:04.780 --> 0:02:07.220 of questions here, too. I mean, five weeks. If it's 0:02:07.220 --> 0:02:10.060 for a week, that's only another 20 prisoners. The math 0:02:10.060 --> 0:02:13.419 feels funny to me. Also, you know, why am I 0:02:13.419 --> 0:02:16.140 just unsettled by the notion that perhaps all they're doing 0:02:16.139 --> 0:02:20.100 is booby trapping tunnels for further defense? Should the IDF 0:02:20.100 --> 0:02:21.500 have to return? 0:02:21.540 --> 0:02:25.940 Your concerns are well founded, John. There was some initial 0:02:25.940 --> 0:02:28.580 uncertainty and angst when Hamas failed to provide the names 0:02:28.580 --> 0:02:31.180 of the first hostages to be released, according to the 0:02:31.180 --> 0:02:34.620 agreed on schedule. Now, thankfully, the process was only delayed 0:02:34.620 --> 0:02:37.739 a few hours. The three young women who were released 0:02:37.740 --> 0:02:42.100 brought about an outpouring of joy throughout Israel. Crowds gathered. 0:02:42.260 --> 0:02:44.579 People wept as they watched the pictures of the young 0:02:44.580 --> 0:02:49.220 women being reunited with family members. In return, Israel released 0:02:49.220 --> 0:02:54.180 about 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, 30 for each civilian hostage. 0:02:54.700 --> 0:02:58.250 Israel has also agreed to release 50 Palestinian detainees for 0:02:58.250 --> 0:03:01.250 every Israeli female soldier who will be released in this 0:03:01.250 --> 0:03:04.489 first phase. Now, by the end of this initial hostage exchange. 0:03:04.889 --> 0:03:08.210 33 Israelis are to be released. Your math is correct, John. 0:03:08.210 --> 0:03:10.770 They've got to up the number of people being released. 0:03:10.770 --> 0:03:13.010 But I think they might do that because for Israel 0:03:13.010 --> 0:03:16.049 to get the 33 Israelis back, they're going to give 0:03:16.050 --> 0:03:19.690 up 1800 Palestinians. And the Palestinians do want those back 0:03:19.690 --> 0:03:22.450 as well. The second group of four hostages to be 0:03:22.450 --> 0:03:25.810 released is scheduled to be actually today. And a third 0:03:25.810 --> 0:03:29.250 group of three more hostages will be released next Saturday. 0:03:29.730 --> 0:03:31.770 So the numbers are there, but they're going to have 0:03:31.770 --> 0:03:33.530 to start picking up the number to get to the 0:03:33.530 --> 0:03:36.890 total of 33 in the time allowed. The outpouring of 0:03:36.890 --> 0:03:39.890 joy over the release of the first three hostages was 0:03:39.890 --> 0:03:43.250 tempered somewhat by anxiety over what the release schedule looks 0:03:43.250 --> 0:03:46.730 like for the remaining hostages, as well as which of 0:03:46.730 --> 0:03:50.090 those hostages are still alive and which are dead. Hamas 0:03:50.090 --> 0:03:53.970 has refused to share that information. Shiri and her two 0:03:53.970 --> 0:03:56.880 young children are on the list of hostages to be 0:03:56.880 --> 0:04:00.240 released during this first phase. Back in November, Hamas said 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:04.080 they'd been killed. However, there's been no real confirmation either way, 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:07.520 so people are waiting and hoping that they're among the living. 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:11.160 This psychological trauma will be played out every week for 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:14.520 the remaining five weeks of this ordeal, as Israel watches 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:17.440 and waits and prays for those still being held. And 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:20.120 once this first six week phase is over, there will 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:24.440 still be 64 Israelis alive and dead in Gaza awaiting 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:28.040 release during the next two phases of the deal. Negotiations 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:31.760 on the two remaining phases is scheduled to begin 16 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:34.400 days after the start of the first phase, or just 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:37.640 over a week from now. The new Trump administration's foreign 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:41.160 policy team is already working to help formulate that second 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:44.800 phase of the cease fire. Those negotiations could likely end 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:48.400 up being more contentious and complicated than the ones for 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:50.480 the first phase of the deal. And of course, they 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:51.560 took almost a year. 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.240 Charlie, is it your intuition that there is somebody in 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:57.220 somebody in leadership there in Hamas inside Gaza, who has 0:04:57.220 --> 0:05:01.140 a reasonably comprehensive list of who those prisoners are and 0:05:01.140 --> 0:05:04.180 their status alive or dead, or are they really not 0:05:04.180 --> 0:05:04.900 even sure. 0:05:05.460 --> 0:05:07.700 I believe they have that list. You know, Yahya Sinwar, 0:05:07.700 --> 0:05:10.900 his brother, is in charge there. He knows who they are. 0:05:10.940 --> 0:05:14.180 They just are lying and not giving that information, because 0:05:14.339 --> 0:05:18.260 it's to their psychological advantage to keep that tension in Israel. 0:05:18.740 --> 0:05:21.220 Well, the signing of the truce was not welcomed by 0:05:21.220 --> 0:05:25.260 all members of Prime Minister Netanyahu's ruling coalition who opposed 0:05:25.260 --> 0:05:28.659 the agreement and why? And what impact will their decision 0:05:28.660 --> 0:05:29.860 have on the coalition? 0:05:30.300 --> 0:05:33.460 Well, the main opposition to the deal came from Ben-Gvir 0:05:33.740 --> 0:05:38.419 and his Otzma Yehudit party. They formally submitted their resignations 0:05:38.420 --> 0:05:41.900 and withdrew from the coalition once the agreement was approved. 0:05:42.180 --> 0:05:45.659 The net result is that Netanyahu's coalition dropped from 69 0:05:45.660 --> 0:05:49.020 seats in the Knesset to 62 or 63, depending on 0:05:49.020 --> 0:05:52.700 the status of one member of Ben-gvirs party who broke 0:05:52.700 --> 0:05:55.810 with them to support the coalition. And that's still a 0:05:55.810 --> 0:05:59.130 majority in the Knesset, though an incredibly slim one. The 0:05:59.130 --> 0:06:02.450 other party that opposed the agreement was the National Religious Party, 0:06:02.770 --> 0:06:06.330 led by Bezalel Smotrich, but he and his party chose 0:06:06.330 --> 0:06:08.929 to remain in the coalition because, he said, his exit 0:06:08.930 --> 0:06:12.250 from the government would have forced new elections. Though he 0:06:12.250 --> 0:06:14.930 opposed the deal, he believed it was inevitable, he said, 0:06:14.930 --> 0:06:18.730 giving the current political situation. When asked his opinion of 0:06:18.730 --> 0:06:22.290 Ben-Gvir choosing to resign over the deal, Smotrich called him 0:06:22.290 --> 0:06:27.130 an irresponsible pyromaniac, somewhat of colorful words there for his 0:06:27.130 --> 0:06:31.090 former colleague. Smotrich believed the war isn't over, and he 0:06:31.089 --> 0:06:33.050 wants to be in the government to help it achieve 0:06:33.050 --> 0:06:36.370 the final downfall of Hamas. Once, as he believes Hamas 0:06:36.370 --> 0:06:39.969 breaks the agreement, Netanyahu was able to finesse his coalition 0:06:39.970 --> 0:06:43.210 into moving forward. However, the budget, the bill to draft 0:06:43.210 --> 0:06:46.330 the ultra-Orthodox into the army and bills to reform the 0:06:46.330 --> 0:06:51.250 judiciary still remain as battles on the horizon. Those along 0:06:51.250 --> 0:06:55.800 with his continuing trial, will definitely keep Netanyahu busy working 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.200 to hold his fractious coalition together. 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:00.640 From Moody Radio. This is the land and the book 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:03.520 with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geoghegan. We're 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:06.760 looking at current events. Earlier this month, news reports made 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:11.000 headlines announcing the discovery of a biblical era worship site 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:14.520 from the First Temple period inside the city of David. 0:07:14.680 --> 0:07:17.160 Many of our listeners have been there. Charlie, how significant 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:18.240 is this find? 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.080 Well, the reports described a worship site in the original 0:07:21.080 --> 0:07:24.440 city there, dating to the eighth century B.C., which places 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:28.680 it in operation between the times of Uzziah and Hezekiah. 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:32.480 The site is about 1500ft south of where Solomon's Temple stood, 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:36.200 meaning it's a totally different worship site in Jerusalem. That's 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:38.880 assuming it was a worship site. Now here's some of 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:42.680 the rest of the story. First, this isn't a new discovery. 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:44.920 I was given a private tour of the site almost 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:48.120 two years ago, and the excavations actually took place back 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:52.070 in 2010 and 11. So the discovery is almost 15 0:07:52.070 --> 0:07:54.750 years old. Now, it takes a long time for archaeologists 0:07:54.750 --> 0:07:58.070 to examine everything uncovered, and then to formulate and write 0:07:58.070 --> 0:08:01.590 up their conclusions. In fact, because nothing had yet been published, 0:08:01.590 --> 0:08:03.670 I was asked not to write or comment on the 0:08:03.670 --> 0:08:06.110 tour I was given. But now that a formal article 0:08:06.110 --> 0:08:08.670 has been published, I can share what I saw. A 0:08:08.670 --> 0:08:11.470 row of rooms were uncovered further up the hillside from 0:08:11.470 --> 0:08:14.270 the entrance to the Gihon Spring. A bits of pottery 0:08:14.270 --> 0:08:16.830 from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age were uncovered, 0:08:16.990 --> 0:08:20.550 along with some other curious markings, including three v shaped 0:08:20.590 --> 0:08:22.950 grooves in the floor of one of the rooms. The 0:08:22.950 --> 0:08:25.390 problem is that there's nothing really there to help define 0:08:25.390 --> 0:08:28.670 the purpose for the rooms, the archaeologists described what they 0:08:28.670 --> 0:08:31.150 felt were the base of an altar, along with a 0:08:31.190 --> 0:08:34.750 sacred stone pillar. But that altar platform was just an 0:08:34.750 --> 0:08:38.190 eight inch high raised area. The stone pillar was simply 0:08:38.190 --> 0:08:40.830 a flat stone standing on a pile of rocks eight 0:08:40.830 --> 0:08:44.790 inches high. The stone itself was only about 16in high. 0:08:44.910 --> 0:08:47.670 They also discovered items that seemed to connect to industry 0:08:47.670 --> 0:08:51.300 rather than religion. For example, they found stone loom weights 0:08:51.300 --> 0:08:54.380 used in weaving as well as possible grape and olive 0:08:54.380 --> 0:08:57.460 oil presses. If it was a religious site, was it 0:08:57.460 --> 0:09:00.339 in use prior to the time of David capturing the city, 0:09:00.340 --> 0:09:03.699 with the rooms later being repurposed? And were the mysterious 0:09:03.700 --> 0:09:06.540 v shaped grooves on the floor part of a structure 0:09:06.540 --> 0:09:11.260 to hold possibly animals for sacrifice, or simply places used 0:09:11.260 --> 0:09:14.260 to help secure the loom for weaving. The answer is 0:09:14.380 --> 0:09:17.699 we really don't know. Religious worship would have taken place 0:09:17.700 --> 0:09:20.740 in Jebus prior to David capturing the city. We also 0:09:20.740 --> 0:09:23.860 know that Israel kept turning to idolatry even after Solomon 0:09:23.860 --> 0:09:26.620 built the temple. But it's possible this could simply be 0:09:26.620 --> 0:09:29.140 a case where rooms that may or may not have 0:09:29.140 --> 0:09:33.220 been used for ritual purposes simply were repurposed once Solomon's 0:09:33.220 --> 0:09:35.819 Temple had been built. The bottom line is that what 0:09:35.820 --> 0:09:39.420 I saw really wasn't that impressive, and the now published 0:09:39.420 --> 0:09:42.300 archaeological report didn't change my opinion. 0:09:42.580 --> 0:09:44.780 Charlie, if you were asked to lead a prayer segment 0:09:44.780 --> 0:09:47.620 for a small group at your church lifting up the 0:09:47.620 --> 0:09:50.330 Middle East right now. What would be your top three 0:09:50.330 --> 0:09:52.770 prayer items that you'd recommend all of us pray for? 0:09:53.330 --> 0:09:55.730 Top three I would pray for the other hostages that 0:09:55.850 --> 0:09:57.850 still have to be released. Let's just pray that the 0:09:58.010 --> 0:10:00.210 deals go through so that they can get back to 0:10:00.250 --> 0:10:02.530 their friends and loved ones. Second, I would pray for 0:10:02.530 --> 0:10:08.130 incredible wisdom for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet. And third, 0:10:08.130 --> 0:10:10.650 I would just pray for peace itself, for wisdom on 0:10:10.650 --> 0:10:13.610 the part of our leadership as we try and redirect 0:10:13.610 --> 0:10:16.010 the Middle East and find a way forward. You know, 0:10:16.050 --> 0:10:18.410 we're told to pray for peace, and that's one of 0:10:18.410 --> 0:10:20.130 the best things we could be doing right now. 0:10:20.290 --> 0:10:22.690 Three quick prayer items for the nation of Israel and 0:10:22.690 --> 0:10:25.689 the Middle East in general. Thanks for keeping those in mind. 0:10:25.809 --> 0:10:28.290 Up next, a conversation with Matthew West. If he were 0:10:28.290 --> 0:10:30.690 to visit Israel, what would he most want to see 0:10:30.730 --> 0:10:33.370 and why? What songs would he choose if he was 0:10:33.370 --> 0:10:35.930 asked to lead worship on the Sea of Galilee? We're 0:10:35.929 --> 0:10:38.130 about to talk about his feelings about the rise of 0:10:38.130 --> 0:10:41.810 anti-Semitism in America and across the globe. Don't miss this 0:10:41.809 --> 0:10:45.490 conversation with singer and songwriter Matthew West. It's all ahead 0:10:45.490 --> 0:10:48.520 here on the land and the book from Moody Radio. 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:11.680 You know him for songs like Don't Stop Praying, The 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:15.559 God Who Stays, Do Something. Hello, My Name Is, and 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.040 a whole lot more. He's a singer who connects with 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:20.440 us at a level most do not. I'm talking, of course, 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:24.120 about singer and songwriter Matthew West. Hi, I'm John Gager. 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.319 This is segment two of The Land and the book. 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:28.719 And let's pause right now. Put our heads together for 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:32.040 a fresh idea that just might point your Jewish friend 0:11:32.160 --> 0:11:37.000 to our Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Listen to this. No educated 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:40.960 or religious Jewish person would ever believe in Jesus. Is 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:44.319 that a true statement? Levi Hazen is executive director of 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:46.140 Life in Messiah. What say you? 0:11:46.380 --> 0:11:49.540 Well, John, this claim could not be further from the truth. 0:11:50.260 --> 0:11:53.340 There have been many, many highly educated Jewish people that 0:11:53.340 --> 0:11:56.459 have come to believe in Jesus. We have testimonies of 0:11:56.660 --> 0:12:00.020 rabbis who have come to faith, such as the chief 0:12:00.020 --> 0:12:03.860 Rabbi of Bulgaria named Daniel Zion. He played a crucial 0:12:03.860 --> 0:12:06.819 role in saving hundreds of Jewish lives during the Holocaust. 0:12:07.380 --> 0:12:10.500 Or what about today? Doctor James tour. He's a professor 0:12:10.500 --> 0:12:14.220 at Rice University, a synthetic organic chemist who has over 0:12:14.220 --> 0:12:20.059 750 research publications. He's been granted over 130 patents and 0:12:20.059 --> 0:12:23.620 named one of the top 50 influential scientists in 2019. 0:12:23.940 --> 0:12:27.460 He's a Jewish believer in Jesus. So this lie can 0:12:27.460 --> 0:12:30.900 simply be responded to with grace and love by giving 0:12:31.059 --> 0:12:34.140 multiple examples of Jewish people who do believe. 0:12:34.220 --> 0:12:37.980 But grace and love? Shouldn't those characterize any conversation we have? 0:12:38.179 --> 0:12:40.420 Absolutely. We're not going to beat someone over the head 0:12:40.420 --> 0:12:41.699 into believing in Jesus. 0:12:41.780 --> 0:12:47.010 That's Levi Hazen with life in Messiah. Matthew West is 0:12:47.010 --> 0:12:50.809 a five time Grammy nominee with more than 250 songwriting 0:12:50.809 --> 0:12:53.890 credits to his name. His songs are sung by artists 0:12:53.890 --> 0:12:57.930 like Ann Wilson, Rascal Flatts, Scotty McCreery, Michael W Smith, 0:12:57.929 --> 0:13:02.050 Amy Grant, Mandisa, Danny Gokey, Casting Crowns, and a few others. 0:13:02.330 --> 0:13:06.290 He has recorded 15 studio albums, the latest released in 2023, 0:13:06.330 --> 0:13:10.209 a double album, My Story Your Glory and Unless you 0:13:10.210 --> 0:13:13.210 live somewhere under a proverbial Rock, you've heard his wonderful 0:13:13.210 --> 0:13:17.010 single Don't Stop Praying. Matthew has also written seven books. 0:13:17.010 --> 0:13:19.330 More on the way. He and his wife, Emily have 0:13:19.330 --> 0:13:21.610 two daughters. And Matthew, it is great to connect with 0:13:21.610 --> 0:13:22.689 you on the land and the book. 0:13:22.770 --> 0:13:23.970 Thank you for having me today. 0:13:23.970 --> 0:13:26.810 It's great. So I have to ask, in your songwriting, 0:13:26.809 --> 0:13:30.770 grace is not just an important theme, but a dominant theme. 0:13:30.770 --> 0:13:33.170 What is it about grace that escapes so many believers, 0:13:33.170 --> 0:13:34.930 and even those of us who have walked with the 0:13:34.929 --> 0:13:36.050 Lord for a long time? 0:13:36.650 --> 0:13:39.809 Well, I think, uh, the pressure that we put on ourselves, 0:13:39.809 --> 0:13:42.250 at least I can speak for myself. That pressure to 0:13:42.250 --> 0:13:45.640 be something that is impossible to be, which is perfect. 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:49.040 You know, I grew up a preacher's kid and always 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:51.600 felt like I always had a lot of people watching me, 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:55.520 you know, and maybe even holding me to a different standard. And, 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:57.160 and then I started to kind of hold myself to 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.040 that standard. And so I think that's one of the 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.200 reasons why that theme of grace shows up in so 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:04.040 many of my songs. Of course, you know, I'm far 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:06.720 from the first one to sing anthems about the message 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.840 of grace, you know? And that's what's the most widely 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:14.000 sung song is amazing Grace. That saved a wretch like me. 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:15.760 And so I feel like a lot of my songs 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.839 echo that same sentiment, just the amazement. And really a 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:20.880 lot of the songs that I write are reminders to 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.040 myself and anybody listening that there is a gift that 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:26.280 each one of us needs. We're all born sinners, and 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:27.720 we're all in need of a gift that we could 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:29.760 never be good enough to earn, or else it wouldn't 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:31.920 be a gift. And so years ago, I wrote in 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:35.200 my journal, sort of a personal mission statement that I'm 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.080 going to write and sing songs about what I know 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:40.000 I need, what I know I don't deserve, and what 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.070 helps me get up in the morning. And the answer 0:14:42.070 --> 0:14:44.510 to all three of those is the word grace. You know, 0:14:44.550 --> 0:14:46.190 getting up in the morning knowing that God's not done 0:14:46.190 --> 0:14:46.670 with me. 0:14:47.150 --> 0:14:49.350 Well, our program, of course, is is very much focused 0:14:49.350 --> 0:14:52.310 on the Middle East and Israel in particular. You were 0:14:52.310 --> 0:14:55.990 scheduled to go there some years ago. It didn't quite happen. 0:14:55.990 --> 0:14:58.470 But if you were to go. Yeah. What are some 0:14:58.470 --> 0:15:00.550 of the spots you think would be highlights for you? 0:15:00.590 --> 0:15:03.070 Well, I was excited about the entire trip. I wanted 0:15:03.070 --> 0:15:05.070 to see it all, of course. And and I was 0:15:05.070 --> 0:15:06.990 going to have a pretty great tour guide in Max 0:15:06.990 --> 0:15:09.590 Lucado who had gone many times before. He, he and 0:15:09.590 --> 0:15:11.830 I are dear friends. That trip got canceled. One of 0:15:11.830 --> 0:15:13.350 the things I was most looking forward to is we 0:15:13.350 --> 0:15:15.030 were going to be. I was going to get the 0:15:15.030 --> 0:15:18.470 chance to lead a group of people in worship from 0:15:18.470 --> 0:15:20.750 a boat on the Sea of Galilee. So I was 0:15:20.750 --> 0:15:23.030 I was really looking forward to that, and I hope 0:15:23.030 --> 0:15:25.030 to do that at some point in the future. But 0:15:25.030 --> 0:15:27.750 from everybody I've talked to, that has made the trip. 0:15:28.190 --> 0:15:30.390 One of the most common refrains I hear is just 0:15:30.390 --> 0:15:33.190 how they felt that it it really brought Scripture to 0:15:33.230 --> 0:15:36.190 life in a whole new way. And I felt similar 0:15:36.190 --> 0:15:41.060 feelings in recent travels to Rome, Italy, and just some 0:15:41.060 --> 0:15:43.740 of my tours that I took, and just seeing where 0:15:43.740 --> 0:15:46.500 some of the early Christians were buried and things like that. Like, 0:15:46.540 --> 0:15:48.420 you know, it just kind of really puts some things 0:15:48.420 --> 0:15:51.300 into perspective. So I have a feeling a trip to 0:15:51.340 --> 0:15:53.260 the Holy Land is going to do the same. 0:15:53.300 --> 0:15:55.300 Okay. You mentioned Rome. I mean, don't you feel now 0:15:55.300 --> 0:15:57.460 that when you open your New Testament and you read 0:15:57.460 --> 0:15:59.780 about this town or that town. Oh, gosh. You go. 0:16:00.220 --> 0:16:01.060 It's a real place. 0:16:01.060 --> 0:16:02.980 It's a real place. Yeah, it's a real people. That's 0:16:02.980 --> 0:16:05.580 exactly what. Yeah, that's exactly what people who come home 0:16:05.580 --> 0:16:08.660 from Israel share. And so I'm looking forward to taking 0:16:08.660 --> 0:16:09.820 that trip once and for all. 0:16:10.060 --> 0:16:12.580 Matthew West is our guest today on the land and 0:16:12.580 --> 0:16:14.500 the book. We're honored to have him with us. How 0:16:14.500 --> 0:16:16.580 do you feel when you're on the road all the 0:16:16.580 --> 0:16:20.300 time cranking out songs? How do you feed your soul? 0:16:20.300 --> 0:16:22.140 What nourishes you personally? Matthew? 0:16:22.580 --> 0:16:25.380 Well, you know, that's one of the biggest challenges is 0:16:25.380 --> 0:16:27.500 and I honestly, I feel like God has really done 0:16:27.500 --> 0:16:30.180 a work in my life because if I could be 0:16:30.180 --> 0:16:33.860 bluntly honest about one of my struggles, it would be 0:16:33.860 --> 0:16:37.060 that I feel like sometimes I'll challenge here's here's an 0:16:37.060 --> 0:16:41.010 honest question that deserves an honest answer. And I don't 0:16:41.010 --> 0:16:43.850 like the answer sometimes. And the question is, Matthew, have 0:16:43.850 --> 0:16:47.290 you gotten better at talking about Jesus than talking to him? 0:16:47.890 --> 0:16:50.890 And that's a question that somebody like myself, who spends 0:16:50.890 --> 0:16:53.610 so much of my life in the public spotlight singing 0:16:53.610 --> 0:16:56.050 songs and, and people would look and applaud and go, man, 0:16:56.050 --> 0:16:58.490 you're singing about Jesus. That's so great. Yeah, but then 0:16:58.490 --> 0:17:00.610 what if I forget to take care of first things 0:17:00.610 --> 0:17:03.090 first if I'm singing about Jesus, but I'm not spending 0:17:03.130 --> 0:17:05.449 time talking to him. And so a lot of it 0:17:05.450 --> 0:17:07.370 can just be as simple as what I did today 0:17:07.410 --> 0:17:10.449 of just reading a verse of the day and listening 0:17:10.490 --> 0:17:13.050 to a devotional on my phone as I'm sitting on 0:17:13.050 --> 0:17:16.250 an airplane, you know, and trying to turn off Instagram, 0:17:16.250 --> 0:17:20.490 turn off social media, and turn myself into God's Word 0:17:20.490 --> 0:17:23.290 and really focus there, even just for a few moments, 0:17:23.290 --> 0:17:25.810 even in the middle of a chaotic schedule. It helps 0:17:25.810 --> 0:17:28.250 keep me grounded and it gives me the strength that 0:17:28.250 --> 0:17:28.770 I need. 0:17:28.810 --> 0:17:31.330 All right, since we're being blunt and brutally honest, let 0:17:31.330 --> 0:17:32.850 me ask you this one. How do you cope with 0:17:32.850 --> 0:17:35.609 getting off the bus or the plane after a spiritual high? 0:17:35.650 --> 0:17:38.320 You're you've done a concert and and then you walk 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:40.840 in the door at home and maybe out of exhaustion. 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.360 You're less than gracious with Emily or your kids. You've 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:46.280 just sung all those great songs. 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:46.800 No. 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:49.560 And maybe now it's you that needs to say I'm sorry, 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:52.480 or it's you that needs to hear. Grace wins every time. Yeah. 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:55.440 At moments like that, do your songs comfort you, or 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:57.440 do they make you uncomfortable? 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.200 That's a great question. I don't I can't relate to 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.239 the hypothetical scenarios you've just raised, though, because I am 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.480 the perfect husband and the perfect father. But, you know, 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:09.400 I'd like to say that I think my songs here's 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:11.720 what I think when I write these songs, I hope 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:13.560 that they're for somebody out there in the audience or 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:16.840 somebody who's listening to your show that they need that song. 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:20.080 But I know for certain of one person who needed 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:23.160 the songs that I wrote, and that's me. And so 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:25.280 the songs that I put out, they've been lived in, 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:28.560 they've been lived through, and their message is that God 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:30.520 has shown me, you know, Matthew, I'm inspiring you to 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:33.160 write this song. But it's not just for the masses. 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:35.320 The song is for the singer, too. And so I 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:38.990 think songs, Music, when it's at its best, hopefully is 0:18:38.990 --> 0:18:41.949 most importantly going to point people to Jesus. But a 0:18:41.990 --> 0:18:45.230 lot of times my songs are nudges in in terms 0:18:45.230 --> 0:18:48.350 of conviction to and reminding me. I write a lot 0:18:48.350 --> 0:18:51.149 of songs these days about legacy, just thinking about how 0:18:51.150 --> 0:18:54.550 do I want to be remembered, what's most important? Focusing 0:18:54.550 --> 0:18:56.950 on the right things and being a good husband and 0:18:56.950 --> 0:18:59.030 being a good father. So you'll hear those themes come 0:18:59.030 --> 0:19:01.550 through a lot in my songs, and that's usually evidence 0:19:01.550 --> 0:19:04.389 that that's what I'm wrestling with or that's what I'm, 0:19:04.430 --> 0:19:06.670 you know, worried about. Like, oh, have I been on 0:19:06.670 --> 0:19:08.870 tour too much? Am I making my family a big 0:19:08.869 --> 0:19:11.390 enough priority? So, you know, I think the songs that 0:19:11.390 --> 0:19:13.950 I write challenge me just as much as I hope 0:19:13.950 --> 0:19:16.150 they challenge somebody out there who's listening to them. 0:19:16.150 --> 0:19:18.590 We're having such a great time talking about uncomfortable issues. 0:19:18.590 --> 0:19:19.830 Let's stay at it, shall we? 0:19:19.950 --> 0:19:20.550 Might as well. 0:19:20.950 --> 0:19:22.709 It cannot be that every time you show up for 0:19:22.710 --> 0:19:25.270 a concert, you're in a great mood. You're right with God. 0:19:25.270 --> 0:19:27.270 You're right with your wife. You're right with your family. 0:19:27.350 --> 0:19:29.710 It just doesn't happen. And in the same way, we've 0:19:29.710 --> 0:19:32.030 got pastors who are listening, others who are in ministry, 0:19:32.030 --> 0:19:34.350 others who are in public positions, and they got to 0:19:34.350 --> 0:19:37.169 do what they do regardless of how their world is 0:19:37.170 --> 0:19:40.970 broken and dented. So what's your answer? What are you 0:19:41.010 --> 0:19:44.090 saying to yourself when it isn't perfect? And you do 0:19:44.130 --> 0:19:45.129 got to go out there and sing. 0:19:45.450 --> 0:19:48.130 Those are the times when I feel like I reach 0:19:48.130 --> 0:19:52.290 a deeper level of dependence on God. And wouldn't you 0:19:52.330 --> 0:19:54.290 know it, those wind up being some of the most 0:19:54.290 --> 0:19:57.649 special times. It's it's amazing how much my musical journey 0:19:57.690 --> 0:20:00.850 tends to mirror my spiritual journey. For example, when I 0:20:00.850 --> 0:20:03.250 don't feel like reading my Bible, but I do it anyway, 0:20:03.570 --> 0:20:05.490 God shows up and he honors that and he speaks 0:20:05.490 --> 0:20:07.530 to my heart. But I don't feel like writing a song, 0:20:07.530 --> 0:20:09.929 but I do it anyway. Some of the songs that 0:20:09.930 --> 0:20:11.890 I'm singing that have been my biggest hits were on 0:20:11.890 --> 0:20:14.330 days where I didn't think I had anything in the tank. Yeah, 0:20:14.369 --> 0:20:16.410 same thing when I get on stage. You know, I 0:20:16.450 --> 0:20:19.689 love that opportunity to get up on stage. And I 0:20:19.690 --> 0:20:22.649 will say, the enemy for years has done a number 0:20:22.650 --> 0:20:24.930 on me in moments before I would walk on stage, 0:20:24.930 --> 0:20:27.090 just feel like I'd hear the lies of the enemy saying, 0:20:27.090 --> 0:20:29.690 who are you to go out there and sing about 0:20:29.690 --> 0:20:32.770 God's love and act like you've got it all together? Like, 0:20:32.770 --> 0:20:35.640 if these people only knew how messed up you are 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:37.320 or whatever, right? I mean, these are the lies of 0:20:37.320 --> 0:20:40.119 the enemy that anybody in ministry might hear, you know, 0:20:40.160 --> 0:20:42.960 because it's almost like we're, you know, the enemy wants 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:45.560 us to believe that we're supposed to be somehow superhuman 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:49.359 while everybody in the congregation gets to be just human. Right? 0:20:49.400 --> 0:20:52.359 And I think the biggest remedy I've been able to 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:55.479 find to that is running, not walking to the truth 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:57.920 of the scriptures and who God says I am. And 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:00.280 that's why even in my songs, you hear a lot 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:04.280 of Scripture literally song word for word, like, because I 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:08.000 need these reminders of God's grace, of God's strength. The 0:21:08.000 --> 0:21:11.000 reminder that I don't have to grow weary in well-doing. So. 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:14.679 So I would say, like, I'm thankful for those days 0:21:14.680 --> 0:21:17.040 when I feel like I don't have it. I can't 0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:19.879 bring it. I didn't live it today. God forgive me. 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:22.359 And then I feel like my posture is one of 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:25.960 humility before I walk on stage, because I know the 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:28.560 only way I can get up there tonight and be 0:21:28.560 --> 0:21:32.080 a testament of God's grace is because of what God's 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.109 grace is showing me in my life, that when I 0:21:35.109 --> 0:21:37.750 am weak, then I am strong, that his strength is 0:21:37.750 --> 0:21:39.750 perfect and his grace is sufficient. 0:21:39.790 --> 0:21:42.189 Singer and songwriter Matthew West joins us today on The 0:21:42.190 --> 0:21:44.590 Land and the book. Eventually you're going to get that 0:21:44.590 --> 0:21:47.190 trip to Israel. Eventually, that moment will come when you're 0:21:47.190 --> 0:21:49.910 out on the Sea of Galilee. Based on what you've 0:21:49.910 --> 0:21:51.830 done so far. If you were going to do it 0:21:51.830 --> 0:21:55.350 next week, what would be your playlist, your song list 0:21:55.470 --> 0:21:57.350 for that boat ride right now? What would you go with? 0:21:57.350 --> 0:21:57.990 You got three. 0:21:58.350 --> 0:22:01.189 Oh, man. Um, well, I was going to make a 0:22:01.190 --> 0:22:03.949 joke about, uh, fishing. You know, maybe, maybe, maybe a 0:22:03.950 --> 0:22:07.149 fishing song, but probably not. Um, I gotta say, though, 0:22:07.190 --> 0:22:10.150 you know, my prayers are with Israel, too. I mean, um, 0:22:10.190 --> 0:22:13.670 it's been unbelievable to watch, uh, what has taken place 0:22:13.670 --> 0:22:18.109 to watch the anti-Israel rhetoric, you know, even on social media, like, 0:22:18.109 --> 0:22:21.030 I mean, I think I made one post that, you know, 0:22:21.030 --> 0:22:23.510 just said I was praying for Israel, and it was unbelievable. 0:22:23.510 --> 0:22:27.310 The response, the just the vitriol and stuff. So so 0:22:27.310 --> 0:22:29.230 that breaks my heart, you know what I mean? So I, 0:22:29.270 --> 0:22:31.020 I guess maybe my prayer is that I that I 0:22:31.020 --> 0:22:33.580 would when I was there. Hopefully I could sing songs 0:22:33.580 --> 0:22:38.980 about healing. Um, songs about, uh, the reminder that Jesus 0:22:39.020 --> 0:22:41.739 is coming back. Amen. So I'd have to work on 0:22:41.740 --> 0:22:44.300 that playlist, but I think it'd be a pretty special one. 0:22:44.740 --> 0:22:47.660 I love the opening line to your single, Don't Stop Praying. 0:22:47.660 --> 0:22:51.260 You ask us, what's your impossible for me? I could 0:22:51.260 --> 0:22:53.700 tell you what that is. It's several unsaved relatives, okay? 0:22:53.740 --> 0:22:56.340 Or a neighbor that I've known for 40 years who 0:22:56.340 --> 0:22:59.940 still doesn't know Jesus. Okay, I'm asking you. My question is, 0:22:59.980 --> 0:23:01.580 fair or not fair? What's your. Impossible? 0:23:01.619 --> 0:23:03.580 I think that's why that song, one of the reasons 0:23:03.580 --> 0:23:07.460 that song has resonated is because I think it literally 0:23:07.460 --> 0:23:10.340 from the very first line, everybody has an answer to 0:23:10.380 --> 0:23:13.419 that question. Yeah. We all face something that looks bigger 0:23:13.420 --> 0:23:15.939 than than us. And the reason is, is because it 0:23:15.940 --> 0:23:18.540 is we're going to face things that are beyond our 0:23:18.540 --> 0:23:22.619 ability because otherwise we wouldn't need God. And so I 0:23:22.660 --> 0:23:25.500 love hearing other people share the story of their impossible 0:23:25.500 --> 0:23:29.020 for me. You know, I think, uh, these days, I 0:23:29.020 --> 0:23:30.410 think your answer is gonna be going to be different 0:23:30.410 --> 0:23:33.330 to that question throughout different seasons of your life, I suppose. Yes, sure. 0:23:33.369 --> 0:23:36.649 And so these days, I'd say I feel like, um, 0:23:36.650 --> 0:23:40.210 parenthood is one where I'm like, I don't know. I'm 0:23:40.210 --> 0:23:43.010 in new territory. I've got a daughter who's in college now, 0:23:43.130 --> 0:23:47.010 and and I'm struggling with that feeling of empty nester, 0:23:47.050 --> 0:23:49.050 you know, that, like, and I'm wondering if, did I 0:23:49.050 --> 0:23:51.129 do a good enough job as a dad? And how 0:23:51.130 --> 0:23:53.970 do I help continue to, like, raise my kids to 0:23:54.010 --> 0:23:56.450 to know the Lord and pursue a relationship with the Lord? 0:23:56.450 --> 0:24:00.090 And so sometimes I feel like my impossible is just going, man, 0:24:00.130 --> 0:24:03.850 every new season as a parent is unchartered territory for me, 0:24:03.850 --> 0:24:06.010 and I'm asking God to show me how to be 0:24:06.010 --> 0:24:06.770 a good dad. 0:24:07.450 --> 0:24:09.370 If Jesus were to sit in the back row or 0:24:09.369 --> 0:24:11.570 front row of one of your concerts, and I assume 0:24:11.570 --> 0:24:14.050 you invite him to do that every time, what do 0:24:14.050 --> 0:24:16.850 you think he might enjoy most as his favorite? What's 0:24:16.850 --> 0:24:19.850 his favorite Matthew West song and why? I think I know, 0:24:20.690 --> 0:24:21.489 but but you take a. 0:24:21.490 --> 0:24:22.410 Shot at it, you. 0:24:22.410 --> 0:24:25.090 Know? That's a great question. I mean, the beauty of 0:24:25.090 --> 0:24:28.090 it is that he does promise that we're two or 0:24:28.090 --> 0:24:30.560 more of us are gathered in his name, that he 0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:32.200 will be there in the midst of us, and that 0:24:32.240 --> 0:24:34.239 one of the things that I pray for, and I 0:24:34.240 --> 0:24:37.520 think he'd be pleased with the fact that I pray 0:24:37.520 --> 0:24:39.800 that every one of my concerts will be not just 0:24:39.800 --> 0:24:42.040 a night of entertainment, but that it will be a 0:24:42.040 --> 0:24:44.680 night where people feel like they left going. You know, 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:47.760 I spent time with Jesus tonight, and that's the goal. 0:24:47.760 --> 0:24:50.840 And I think I would think he would be pleased, hopefully, 0:24:50.840 --> 0:24:53.600 that I want my heart posture to be what pleases 0:24:53.600 --> 0:24:55.920 him the most, that my desire is not. Did I 0:24:55.960 --> 0:24:58.880 sell enough records? Did I sell enough T-shirts? Did I 0:24:58.880 --> 0:25:02.000 make them a fan of me? Most importantly, it probably 0:25:02.000 --> 0:25:03.960 be the end of the night where at the end 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:06.199 of every concert that I do, I give a gospel 0:25:06.200 --> 0:25:10.199 presentation and invite anybody who doesn't know the Lord to 0:25:10.240 --> 0:25:12.320 make the most important decision of their life, just like 0:25:12.320 --> 0:25:14.160 Billy Graham did when I was a little kid. And 0:25:14.160 --> 0:25:17.480 I asked Jesus into my heart. So I'd probably say, man, 0:25:17.480 --> 0:25:20.159 more than any one song, it's how all the songs 0:25:20.240 --> 0:25:23.080 are leading up to that pivotal moment in someone's life, 0:25:23.280 --> 0:25:26.160 where they feel God knocking at the door of their heart, 0:25:26.320 --> 0:25:29.910 and then together we pray and they say yes to Jesus. 0:25:30.030 --> 0:25:32.590 So that's probably what I would say, hands down the 0:25:32.590 --> 0:25:34.470 most important part of my show. Were you going to 0:25:34.510 --> 0:25:35.630 guess a certain song? Yeah. 0:25:35.630 --> 0:25:36.990 It's grace wins every time. 0:25:37.030 --> 0:25:37.870 Grace wins every time. 0:25:37.869 --> 0:25:39.710 You think of the mission of Jesus. God so loved 0:25:39.710 --> 0:25:41.470 the world that he gave. Yes, sir. For the woman 0:25:41.470 --> 0:25:44.030 at the well. Grace wins. Yes. For the worst. In 0:25:44.030 --> 0:25:45.470 you and me? Yes. Grace wins. 0:25:45.470 --> 0:25:46.630 Yes. Amen to that. 0:25:47.230 --> 0:25:49.150 Our time has gone, but it's been a blast. Thank you. 0:25:49.310 --> 0:25:51.150 Thank you guys. Great to talk to you today. 0:25:51.350 --> 0:25:54.230 Hey, it's Bible questions and answers. Next right here on 0:25:54.230 --> 0:26:07.949 the land and the book. This is segment three of 0:26:07.950 --> 0:26:10.950 the land and the book Bible questions and answers from 0:26:10.950 --> 0:26:14.430 Doctor Gerald Peterman. Boy, this guy knows his Bible, teaches 0:26:14.430 --> 0:26:16.750 the Bible, is the field chair of Bible at Moody 0:26:16.750 --> 0:26:20.230 Bible Institute. He's very comfortable answering those questions. And if 0:26:20.230 --> 0:26:22.949 you want to send yours, it's welcome anytime at the 0:26:22.950 --> 0:26:28.139 Land and the Edu. Here's a question what does Passover 0:26:28.140 --> 0:26:31.219 mean for us as believers in Jesus? Some might remember 0:26:31.220 --> 0:26:33.419 the story from the book of Exodus, but there's so 0:26:33.420 --> 0:26:35.420 much more to it. Did you know that the Last 0:26:35.420 --> 0:26:39.060 Supper was actually a Passover meal? Not only did Jesus 0:26:39.060 --> 0:26:43.020 and his disciples celebrate Passover, it also foreshadowed his death 0:26:43.020 --> 0:26:46.420 on the cross for our redemption. Jewish people have been 0:26:46.420 --> 0:26:49.620 observing the feast of Passover for thousands of years, and 0:26:49.619 --> 0:26:52.460 understanding the history and importance of this holiday will help 0:26:52.460 --> 0:26:55.540 you better connect with your Jewish friends and neighbors. And 0:26:55.540 --> 0:26:58.139 what better way is there to learn about Passover than 0:26:58.140 --> 0:27:03.220 to experience a Passover Seder yourself? If you've never celebrated Passover, 0:27:03.260 --> 0:27:05.739 get this. Our friends at Life in Messiah would love 0:27:05.740 --> 0:27:09.820 to partner with you in hosting a Seder experience. Every year, 0:27:09.820 --> 0:27:13.780 their staff engage churches and small groups in an interactive 0:27:13.980 --> 0:27:18.060 Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to taste and 0:27:18.060 --> 0:27:21.340 see the redemption story. So if you're interested in having 0:27:21.340 --> 0:27:23.980 somebody come to lead a Seder in your area, just 0:27:23.980 --> 0:27:27.609 visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody 0:27:27.650 --> 0:27:31.650 Radio button there to learn more. That's life in messiah.org. 0:27:32.210 --> 0:27:33.929 You ever get tired of questions that come to you 0:27:33.930 --> 0:27:36.490 from students? Doctor Peterman I mean, you teach these classes 0:27:36.490 --> 0:27:39.369 year after year. Do the questions weary you? 0:27:39.369 --> 0:27:42.850 John? No. Absolutely not. Actually, I tell the students when 0:27:42.850 --> 0:27:45.129 I'm in the classroom that my favorite thing to do 0:27:45.130 --> 0:27:48.690 is answer questions. Really? Because when I'm answering a question, 0:27:48.690 --> 0:27:51.410 I know I'm addressing a need. They have. Yeah, this 0:27:51.410 --> 0:27:53.210 is on their mind. They want to talk about it. 0:27:53.210 --> 0:27:54.970 I could answer questions all period long. 0:27:55.010 --> 0:27:56.770 You know, I see that on your face. There's a 0:27:56.770 --> 0:27:59.210 smile as you're reading these questions or reacting to them 0:27:59.210 --> 0:28:01.690 because you truly do love it. And that's a good 0:28:01.690 --> 0:28:03.690 thing because you know your Bible. Let's go to our 0:28:03.690 --> 0:28:06.570 first question of the day from Christine. She says, I 0:28:06.570 --> 0:28:08.850 have a question about John 15 1 to 8. What 0:28:08.850 --> 0:28:12.170 exactly does it mean to abide? I understand from looking 0:28:12.170 --> 0:28:15.650 at the definition it means to remain, to continue. So then, 0:28:15.650 --> 0:28:18.170 is it correct to say that abiding is the position 0:28:18.170 --> 0:28:20.690 of every true believer, or is there something more or 0:28:20.690 --> 0:28:22.369 deeper to abiding? 0:28:22.369 --> 0:28:25.510 Oh, I just love John 15. You get this illustration 0:28:25.510 --> 0:28:29.310 that Jesus gives of the Christian life is about the 0:28:29.310 --> 0:28:32.350 vine and the branches. It's a grape vine and we 0:28:32.350 --> 0:28:35.150 are branches. We're going to bear fruit if we stay connected. 0:28:35.470 --> 0:28:37.910 You only get this in John 15. It's just wonderful, 0:28:37.910 --> 0:28:41.510 wonderful stuff. So I love this question. To abide, to remain, 0:28:41.510 --> 0:28:44.830 that is, are we staying connected to Christ? Do we 0:28:44.830 --> 0:28:47.510 love him? Are we listening to him? Are we praying 0:28:47.510 --> 0:28:49.950 to him? Are we being guided by him? Are we 0:28:49.950 --> 0:28:52.790 staying in His word? Are we trusting Him in His word? 0:28:53.310 --> 0:28:57.230 Because several times in John's Gospel there's another option. It's 0:28:57.230 --> 0:28:59.989 a poor option, but there's another option that is, you 0:28:59.990 --> 0:29:02.590 get into John six and we find that after Jesus 0:29:02.590 --> 0:29:06.990 teaches for a while, some of his disciples stop following him. 0:29:07.350 --> 0:29:09.830 This is very bad. And in John six there are 0:29:09.830 --> 0:29:12.230 some who believe for a while, then they stop believing. 0:29:12.270 --> 0:29:14.110 So one of the things our Lord wants to communicate 0:29:14.110 --> 0:29:17.310 to us is hang in there, stay connected to me. 0:29:17.310 --> 0:29:21.150 Keep listening, keep trusting, keep obeying. I want to add 0:29:21.150 --> 0:29:25.140 one more thing and that is abiding is not about perfection. 0:29:25.580 --> 0:29:29.140 Abiding is just being consistently faithful. When we sin, we 0:29:29.140 --> 0:29:31.980 don't lose our relationship with God. We can abide by 0:29:32.020 --> 0:29:34.380 then confessing the sin just like a husband and wife. 0:29:34.380 --> 0:29:36.979 They might get angry, but they still remain husband and wife. 0:29:37.140 --> 0:29:40.500 We will always have eternal life in Christ. But what 0:29:40.500 --> 0:29:44.100 he's talking about here is that daily hanging in there, 0:29:44.460 --> 0:29:46.300 cultivating the relationship with him. 0:29:46.340 --> 0:29:49.700 Yeah, this is so important. This idea of abiding Oliver 0:29:49.700 --> 0:29:53.100 takes us to the creation age. He says, how do 0:29:53.100 --> 0:29:55.820 we respond to the idea that some scientists want to 0:29:55.820 --> 0:29:59.460 say carbon dating places the Earth as billions of years old? 0:29:59.660 --> 0:30:02.980 It's hard to wrap our minds around such age dates 0:30:03.100 --> 0:30:05.860 when you consider how the 40 days of rain caused 0:30:05.860 --> 0:30:08.140 a flood to change the contour of the land. When 0:30:08.140 --> 0:30:11.180 you see how Mount Saint Helens changed the landscape within 0:30:11.180 --> 0:30:14.580 a matter of hours, can we believe creation was literally 0:30:14.780 --> 0:30:18.500 six 24 hour days as we know them? It would 0:30:18.500 --> 0:30:21.850 seem like at least the sixth day creatures would take 0:30:21.850 --> 0:30:24.610 more than 24 hours to evolve. When you consider the 0:30:24.610 --> 0:30:26.770 life cycles and seasons your thoughts. 0:30:27.050 --> 0:30:29.850 Can we believe in a six day creation? Short answer yes. 0:30:30.210 --> 0:30:32.450 But let's talk about a couple of other things along 0:30:32.450 --> 0:30:36.010 the way. Actually, carbon 14 dating can only take us 0:30:36.010 --> 0:30:40.050 back to around 60,000 years in theory. And even that 0:30:40.050 --> 0:30:43.690 has some questions to it. When we come to what's 0:30:43.690 --> 0:30:46.890 happening in Genesis, I really believe that what's happening in 0:30:46.890 --> 0:30:50.530 Genesis is six literal 24 hour days. This is how 0:30:50.530 --> 0:30:53.170 it's being presented in Genesis. The kind of language that's 0:30:53.170 --> 0:30:55.610 being used is the typical language you have in the 0:30:55.610 --> 0:30:58.010 rest of scripture about typical days. And then when we 0:30:58.050 --> 0:31:00.370 come to Exodus, when God is giving the law and 0:31:00.370 --> 0:31:03.410 he's talking about the Sabbath on the sixth day, that's 0:31:03.410 --> 0:31:06.890 being presented as as a literal week. Now, of course, 0:31:06.890 --> 0:31:09.810 there's a lot we don't know about creation, because God 0:31:09.810 --> 0:31:11.969 is so rich and deep and majestic. There's a lot 0:31:11.970 --> 0:31:14.930 we don't know about creation. But here's my view. In 0:31:14.930 --> 0:31:20.000 my view, God created the world with the appearance of age. 0:31:20.360 --> 0:31:22.280 What do we have? We have Adam in the garden. 0:31:22.720 --> 0:31:25.080 It appears he's full grown. And it appears that the 0:31:25.080 --> 0:31:28.200 trees are full grown and they have fruit. And then 0:31:28.200 --> 0:31:30.440 when he makes Eve. Thanks be to God. He makes 0:31:30.440 --> 0:31:33.360 Eve and brings her and brings her to Adam. It 0:31:33.360 --> 0:31:37.080 appears that she is full grown. Certainly. Right. So that 0:31:37.080 --> 0:31:40.360 is the appearance of age, even though they're both brand new. 0:31:40.720 --> 0:31:43.960 So what other appearances of age might there be embedded 0:31:43.960 --> 0:31:46.880 in our world, when in fact there is a six 0:31:47.160 --> 0:31:49.440 day creation? I think we. Yes, we can believe in 0:31:49.440 --> 0:31:50.760 a six day creation. 0:31:50.800 --> 0:31:53.800 Doctor Gerald Peterman answers your questions when you email the 0:31:53.800 --> 0:31:57.440 land and the book at Moody. Edu. Thanks for joining 0:31:57.440 --> 0:32:00.080 us on this third segment of The Land and the book. 0:32:00.440 --> 0:32:03.720 Todd asks what is left to be fulfilled in God's 0:32:03.720 --> 0:32:07.080 covenant with Abraham. Could a person not say the promises 0:32:07.080 --> 0:32:09.720 to Abraham have already been fulfilled? 0:32:10.040 --> 0:32:12.040 Well, a person can say that, but I don't believe 0:32:12.040 --> 0:32:15.720 it's true. Are the promises to Abraham in the process 0:32:15.720 --> 0:32:19.110 of being fulfilled? Yes they are. Are they all completely fulfilled? 0:32:19.150 --> 0:32:22.590 No they're not. That is. What does the promise to 0:32:22.590 --> 0:32:26.230 Abraham include? It includes a specific land. It includes a 0:32:26.230 --> 0:32:30.430 promised seed or offspring that is family. And then also 0:32:30.430 --> 0:32:34.790 the reality that it's Abraham's family that's going to bless 0:32:34.790 --> 0:32:37.670 all the families of the world, all the nations on earth. 0:32:38.350 --> 0:32:42.230 So do we see the specific land promise starting to 0:32:42.270 --> 0:32:46.150 come true? Yes. But what Israel currently occupies is not 0:32:46.150 --> 0:32:49.989 all that's promised in numbers 34. So that's beginning to 0:32:49.990 --> 0:32:52.390 come true. How about the promise sea? Do we see 0:32:52.670 --> 0:32:55.469 millions of Jews in the world? We do. I'd like 0:32:55.470 --> 0:32:58.630 to see more. But we see that promise beginning to 0:32:58.630 --> 0:33:03.190 be fulfilled. But through Abraham's offspring, all the nations on 0:33:03.190 --> 0:33:05.469 earth will be blessed. Let's go to revelation five. What 0:33:05.470 --> 0:33:08.710 do we find there? We find that John sees people 0:33:08.710 --> 0:33:12.510 from every tribe and tongue and people and nation worshiping God. 0:33:12.910 --> 0:33:16.550 That hasn't happened yet. There's still much mission to be done. 0:33:16.550 --> 0:33:20.940 But because God has begun to fulfill the Abrahamic promises, 0:33:20.940 --> 0:33:23.260 I think we can be sure that he will continue 0:33:23.260 --> 0:33:24.060 to fulfill them. 0:33:24.900 --> 0:33:27.620 Marvin takes us to an article in the Jerusalem Post 0:33:27.620 --> 0:33:32.180 suggesting Jericho is 1100 years old. How did they know 0:33:32.180 --> 0:33:34.180 the age of the city? How does this fit in 0:33:34.180 --> 0:33:37.220 with the Bible? Who and when did people move into it? 0:33:37.340 --> 0:33:39.900 Was it before the flood? From the Bible's point of view, 0:33:39.900 --> 0:33:43.140 the flood happened about 4000 years ago. Could the Bible 0:33:43.140 --> 0:33:46.660 chronology be skipping time, allowing for the city to be 0:33:46.820 --> 0:33:48.740 9000 years old B.C.? 0:33:49.460 --> 0:33:51.140 I appreciate that all that seems to me that there 0:33:51.140 --> 0:33:53.220 are several questions in there. I'm not sure I will 0:33:53.220 --> 0:33:57.140 get to all of them. Actually, I printed off the 0:33:57.140 --> 0:34:00.500 article from the post and read through it this morning. Actually, 0:34:00.540 --> 0:34:04.700 the article in the Jerusalem Post says 11,000 years old, 0:34:04.700 --> 0:34:09.340 not 1100 years old, suggesting the city had its existence 0:34:09.340 --> 0:34:12.779 somewhere around 9000 B.C., something like that. Where does this 0:34:12.780 --> 0:34:16.049 number come from? Where does this assertion come from? It 0:34:16.050 --> 0:34:19.850 comes from Kathleen Kenyon, who way back in the 1950s 0:34:20.130 --> 0:34:23.410 did some excavations there and made some assertions. Now you 0:34:23.410 --> 0:34:25.529 have to keep in mind at least a couple of 0:34:25.530 --> 0:34:28.810 things that happen when we're talking about archaeology. Many times, 0:34:28.810 --> 0:34:34.210 archaeologists make the assumption of the world being billions of 0:34:34.210 --> 0:34:37.650 years old, or they make the assumption about evolution. This 0:34:37.650 --> 0:34:42.890 can sometimes taint their results. Furthermore, you're absolutely right. A 0:34:42.890 --> 0:34:46.370 previous question that came to us has to do with 0:34:46.930 --> 0:34:50.170 could the flood have rearranged some things? Could the flood 0:34:50.210 --> 0:34:54.290 have caused layers of sediment to be mixed up? Yes, absolutely. 0:34:54.330 --> 0:34:56.370 And over the course of time, much of this could 0:34:56.410 --> 0:35:00.049 have happened. Now, I don't see that this assertion by 0:35:00.050 --> 0:35:03.690 the post really negates the chronology we find in our 0:35:03.690 --> 0:35:06.730 Old Testament, because the assertion made by the post is 0:35:06.730 --> 0:35:09.010 largely based on evolutionary presuppositions. 0:35:09.410 --> 0:35:13.089 Freya has a rather antagonistic comment. She says after a 0:35:13.090 --> 0:35:17.230 year of genocide, Moody continues to defend the Israeli government 0:35:17.310 --> 0:35:20.629 and provide cover for the countless deaths of Palestinians. You 0:35:20.630 --> 0:35:22.910 are a shame to the name of God. How do 0:35:22.910 --> 0:35:24.150 you respond, Doctor Peterman? 0:35:24.550 --> 0:35:27.270 Freya, let me share this response from the entire land 0:35:27.270 --> 0:35:30.109 of the book team. We're concerned by your lack of 0:35:30.110 --> 0:35:33.470 understanding of what's really happening in the Middle East. Has 0:35:33.469 --> 0:35:37.070 it been genocide? Yes. But it's not been genocide committed 0:35:37.070 --> 0:35:40.750 by Israel. The genocide was committed by Hamas on October 0:35:40.750 --> 0:35:44.709 7th when they raped, tortured and killed 1200 Israelis for 0:35:44.710 --> 0:35:49.190 simply being in their own homeland. In 1946, the United 0:35:49.190 --> 0:35:52.550 Nations declared that genocide is a denial of the right 0:35:52.590 --> 0:35:57.270 of existence of entire human groups. It is Hamas, Hezbollah 0:35:57.270 --> 0:35:59.790 and Iran that have been trying to destroy Israel and 0:35:59.790 --> 0:36:04.110 the Jewish people within Israel. There's something like 2 million Palestinians, 0:36:04.110 --> 0:36:08.229 about 20% of Israel's population. And Israel wants those folks 0:36:08.230 --> 0:36:10.590 to be safe in their homeland, as they want to 0:36:10.590 --> 0:36:14.460 be safe in their homeland themselves. So we do not 0:36:14.460 --> 0:36:16.339 wish anyone to die in this region. But we also 0:36:16.340 --> 0:36:18.060 believe that Israel has the right to live in their 0:36:18.060 --> 0:36:20.940 land without fear of attacks like that of October 7th. 0:36:21.340 --> 0:36:25.100 And Hamas, Hezbollah and ultimately Iran have caused the current crisis. 0:36:25.780 --> 0:36:27.739 God said he would bless those who bless Israel and 0:36:27.739 --> 0:36:31.180 curse those who curse them. That's Genesis 12 three. They've 0:36:31.180 --> 0:36:33.140 chosen to curse Israel, and in so doing, they have 0:36:33.140 --> 0:36:35.300 set themselves against the God of the Bible. 0:36:36.100 --> 0:36:38.940 Thank you for that sobering response, and we thank you 0:36:38.940 --> 0:36:41.939 for your questions as well. Yours are welcome again when 0:36:41.940 --> 0:36:46.620 you email us at the Land and the book@moody.edu. Charlie's 0:36:46.620 --> 0:37:03.220 devotional is next right here. Our grandkids love to play 0:37:03.219 --> 0:37:05.940 on the beach. And Charlie, they're they're real good at 0:37:05.940 --> 0:37:10.819 constructing things. Towers and moats. And I don't know what 0:37:10.820 --> 0:37:12.810 they do, but it's a lot of stuff. It's almost 0:37:12.810 --> 0:37:15.330 become a city, but a city built on sand is 0:37:15.330 --> 0:37:17.090 ultimately probably not a good idea. 0:37:17.570 --> 0:37:19.410 It's not a good idea, John. And that's what we're 0:37:19.410 --> 0:37:20.290 going to talk about today. 0:37:20.410 --> 0:37:23.410 All right. As we turn toward acts 26, not before 0:37:23.410 --> 0:37:26.090 we take in a testimony, though, from somebody who's traveled 0:37:26.090 --> 0:37:27.890 to the Holy Land and has a thought for you 0:37:27.890 --> 0:37:28.370 and me. 0:37:32.770 --> 0:37:34.529 Hi, I'm Rick Warren, and I'd just like to talk 0:37:34.530 --> 0:37:38.610 a little bit about my trip to Israel. What really 0:37:38.610 --> 0:37:42.010 strikes me is every time this is my third trip here, 0:37:42.010 --> 0:37:45.410 and every time I come is, you know, just going 0:37:45.410 --> 0:37:49.970 through the various places where Jesus actually was and just 0:37:49.969 --> 0:37:53.410 the sense that whether you're on the Sea of Galilee 0:37:54.130 --> 0:37:59.410 or you're, you know, in Jerusalem or anywhere along the way, 0:37:59.410 --> 0:38:03.129 just the fact that Jesus was actually there, and then 0:38:03.130 --> 0:38:06.089 the thought just keeps coming back to me how much 0:38:06.090 --> 0:38:08.730 he really loved us and what he was willing to 0:38:08.730 --> 0:38:11.239 do for us in the And the sacrifice to come 0:38:11.239 --> 0:38:13.960 to earth, to give up his place in heaven, to 0:38:14.000 --> 0:38:18.359 come to earth and to make the sacrifices for our 0:38:18.360 --> 0:38:21.880 salvation so that we we can honor and bring glory 0:38:21.880 --> 0:38:26.160 to him. It's just really makes me very reflective each 0:38:26.160 --> 0:38:28.120 and every time I come here. I think the thing 0:38:28.120 --> 0:38:34.040 that really stands out to me this time was standing 0:38:34.040 --> 0:38:39.000 on the Mount of Olives and just looking down on 0:38:39.000 --> 0:38:43.520 the city of David and thinking about the last week 0:38:43.520 --> 0:38:46.080 or so that he was here on earth. And that 0:38:46.080 --> 0:38:49.720 just really, really struck me this time. 0:38:50.680 --> 0:38:54.360 Acts chapter 26 is where we're headed for Charlie Dyer's devotional. 0:38:54.920 --> 0:38:56.320 Let's let you get at it, Charlie. 0:38:56.640 --> 0:38:59.000 Thanks. And, John, we're going to focus on Caesarea, a 0:38:59.000 --> 0:39:02.200 city that was built on sand for many pilgrims to Israel. 0:39:02.200 --> 0:39:04.160 One of the first stops on their journey through the 0:39:04.160 --> 0:39:08.080 land is the Seaside Theater at Caesarea. The theater, originally 0:39:08.080 --> 0:39:10.469 built by Herod the Herod the Great rises from the 0:39:10.469 --> 0:39:14.230 sand dunes to greet its visitors. Though restored by archaeologists 0:39:14.230 --> 0:39:17.750 and used today for musical performances, the theatre retains that 0:39:17.790 --> 0:39:21.190 well-worn look of a structure that faced the Mediterranean for 0:39:21.190 --> 0:39:25.270 20 centuries. The scarred and pocked sandstone hints at the 0:39:25.310 --> 0:39:28.310 storms that have lashed at it through the years. Walking 0:39:28.310 --> 0:39:30.990 into the theatre brings a sense of excitement, but that 0:39:30.989 --> 0:39:34.710 visceral emotional reaction does not come from the height or 0:39:34.710 --> 0:39:38.790 the grandeur or the intricate workmanship of the structure. Rather, 0:39:38.790 --> 0:39:41.430 it comes from being face to face with a visible, 0:39:41.590 --> 0:39:44.710 tangible link to the past, a gateway back to the 0:39:44.710 --> 0:39:47.470 time of the Bible. Herod the Great may have walked 0:39:47.469 --> 0:39:51.150 across the same stones, his hands brushing against the very 0:39:51.150 --> 0:39:54.190 walls you're now touching. The remains of his palace are 0:39:54.190 --> 0:39:56.670 just a few hundred yards away. And that's where the 0:39:56.670 --> 0:40:00.550 apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years before being taken 0:40:00.550 --> 0:40:04.230 to Rome. During that time, Paul spoke boldly to Felix 0:40:04.230 --> 0:40:07.589 and Festus, and to the great grandson of Herod the Great, 0:40:07.590 --> 0:40:11.819 King Herod Agrippa the Second Luke records these encounters in 0:40:11.820 --> 0:40:15.940 acts 24 and 25. Paul's life and ministry is intertwined 0:40:16.060 --> 0:40:19.780 with this ancient Roman city on the shore of the Mediterranean. 0:40:20.260 --> 0:40:22.980 But those who look beyond the impressive ruins soon see 0:40:22.980 --> 0:40:26.580 the fatal flaw in Herod the Great's original design. The 0:40:26.580 --> 0:40:30.540 city's foundations did not rest on solid rock. Instead, the 0:40:30.540 --> 0:40:34.700 city spread out along the shifting sands of the Mediterranean coast. 0:40:34.739 --> 0:40:38.940 Herod's harbor is gone, sunk beneath the waves. The aqueduct 0:40:38.940 --> 0:40:42.340 that once brought Caesarea, its life giving water from Mount Carmel, 0:40:42.860 --> 0:40:47.180 now stands in complete isolation. Its northern edge disappears beneath 0:40:47.180 --> 0:40:51.259 the sand that has relentlessly reclaimed its territory, while the 0:40:51.260 --> 0:40:54.260 southern end has been torn away by the Mediterranean, leaving 0:40:54.260 --> 0:40:56.980 a gap between the aqueduct and the city it was 0:40:56.980 --> 0:41:00.500 built to serve. Vast parts of the ancient city are 0:41:00.500 --> 0:41:04.339 now covered by sand. What Herod thought was permanent was 0:41:04.340 --> 0:41:08.890 only temporary. The city named after Caesar, built with Roman 0:41:08.890 --> 0:41:13.730 technology and intended as a monument to Herod's greatness, hasn't endured. 0:41:14.050 --> 0:41:17.250 The buildings may have been grand, but their foundations rested 0:41:17.250 --> 0:41:20.770 on nothing more than sand. The entire western side of 0:41:20.770 --> 0:41:24.890 the original Hippodrome, the horse racing track between Herod's Palace 0:41:25.010 --> 0:41:28.250 and the harbor, is gone. It was washed away by 0:41:28.250 --> 0:41:32.130 the relentless waves of some long ago storm that tore 0:41:32.130 --> 0:41:35.090 away the sandstone blocks and carried them out to sea. 0:41:35.690 --> 0:41:38.570 The Apostle Paul spent two years under guard at Herod's 0:41:38.570 --> 0:41:42.930 palace in Caesarea, probably as nothing more than a footnote 0:41:42.930 --> 0:41:45.930 in the ledgers of the Roman rulers who governed Judea 0:41:45.930 --> 0:41:48.730 from here. But the mission to which Paul had committed 0:41:48.730 --> 0:41:51.890 his life was not built on sand. It was anchored 0:41:51.890 --> 0:41:55.290 on the solid rock of God's eternal son. As Paul 0:41:55.290 --> 0:41:59.529 himself reminded the church at Corinth in one Corinthians 311, 0:41:59.530 --> 0:42:02.169 for no one can lay any foundation other than the 0:42:02.170 --> 0:42:06.440 one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Paul's words in 0:42:06.480 --> 0:42:09.560 that verse raise an important question in what should I 0:42:09.560 --> 0:42:12.480 place my trust? That's likely a question that many who 0:42:12.480 --> 0:42:15.640 listen to Paul must have asked themselves. They could see 0:42:15.640 --> 0:42:19.120 the visible might of Rome. Could it somehow be less 0:42:19.120 --> 0:42:23.000 permanent than God's promise of salvation? Grounded in the death 0:42:23.000 --> 0:42:26.480 and resurrection of Jesus Christ? To many in Paul's day, 0:42:26.520 --> 0:42:30.440 such a choice must have sounded absurd. Festus, the Roman 0:42:30.440 --> 0:42:35.040 governor in Caesarea, after hearing Paul's impassioned message, cried out 0:42:35.040 --> 0:42:38.920 in acts 26, Paul, you're out of your mind. He 0:42:38.920 --> 0:42:42.160 lived in a magnificent palace with a pool that extended 0:42:42.160 --> 0:42:45.600 out into the Mediterranean. He attended Roman plays in the 0:42:45.600 --> 0:42:48.920 nearby theater, or listened to the pounding of horse's hooves 0:42:49.000 --> 0:42:52.280 as they thundered around the hippodrome next to his palace. 0:42:52.280 --> 0:42:54.680 From the palace roof, he could see the other impressive 0:42:54.680 --> 0:42:59.480 buildings already standing while hearing the clank of hammers, hitting chisels, 0:42:59.480 --> 0:43:04.020 fashioning still more monuments to Rome's greatness. To Festus, Hephaestus. 0:43:04.180 --> 0:43:09.020 These stones and statues and monuments were reality. How could 0:43:09.020 --> 0:43:12.419 Paul believe that the power of God through Jesus Christ 0:43:12.420 --> 0:43:17.500 could be greater than this? That seemed absolutely absurd. It's 0:43:17.500 --> 0:43:21.180 been almost 2000 years since Paul Festus and Herod Agrippa 0:43:21.180 --> 0:43:25.100 the Second met in the audience hall at Caesarea, originally 0:43:25.100 --> 0:43:29.300 built by Herod the Great. Only fragments of Herod's palace remain, 0:43:29.300 --> 0:43:33.180 bits of tesserae that once formed grand mosaic floors. The 0:43:33.180 --> 0:43:35.980 outline of the pool cut into solid rock and jutting 0:43:35.980 --> 0:43:40.300 into the Mediterranean. Pieces of elegantly carved statues that only 0:43:40.340 --> 0:43:43.820 hint at the glory that once adorned the site. This 0:43:43.820 --> 0:43:46.060 city that was built to honor the name of Caesar 0:43:46.180 --> 0:43:49.100 and promote the greatness of Herod is little more than 0:43:49.100 --> 0:43:55.660 an archaeological curiosity worn, weathered, world weary. But the message 0:43:55.660 --> 0:43:58.739 announced by the Apostle Paul in the room where we're 0:43:58.739 --> 0:44:02.779 now standing, spread with power around the globe, and continues 0:44:02.969 --> 0:44:06.330 to do so even today. It's almost time to head 0:44:06.330 --> 0:44:08.730 back to the bus to continue our journey. But as 0:44:08.730 --> 0:44:10.649 you look around one last time, I want to challenge 0:44:10.650 --> 0:44:13.489 you to look at Ancient Caesarea and at your own 0:44:13.489 --> 0:44:16.569 country in a different light, just as it must have 0:44:16.570 --> 0:44:19.129 been in Paul's day. So today, it's easy to be 0:44:19.130 --> 0:44:24.970 overwhelmed by the great feats of human accomplishment. The buildings, roads, monuments, 0:44:24.969 --> 0:44:28.970 and palatial homes are definitely impressive, and the world around 0:44:28.969 --> 0:44:31.810 us encourages us to devote our lives to plans and 0:44:31.810 --> 0:44:36.810 projects that seem so grand, so awe inspiring, so permanent. 0:44:37.370 --> 0:44:40.850 But what looks permanent is only temporary. Remember, it's not 0:44:40.850 --> 0:44:43.969 the structure, but the foundation on which the structure is 0:44:43.969 --> 0:44:47.850 built that ultimately provides stability, for no one can lay 0:44:47.850 --> 0:44:51.410 any foundation other than the one already laid, which is 0:44:51.410 --> 0:44:55.090 Jesus Christ. Edward Mote was born to parents who managed 0:44:55.090 --> 0:44:57.810 a pub in England. He grew up not even knowing 0:44:57.850 --> 0:45:00.210 there was a god. As a teenager, he became an 0:45:00.210 --> 0:45:03.799 apprentice cabinetmaker. maker. His employer took him to a meeting where, 0:45:03.840 --> 0:45:06.120 for the first time, he heard a minister share the 0:45:06.120 --> 0:45:09.800 message of Christ. He responded and it changed his life. 0:45:10.160 --> 0:45:13.000 He did become a successful cabinet maker, but one who 0:45:13.000 --> 0:45:17.040 sought to serve Christ in his 50s. He entered the ministry. 0:45:17.400 --> 0:45:20.719 He also expressed his love for God through music, writing 0:45:20.719 --> 0:45:24.759 about 100 hymns. The words to his best known him 0:45:24.760 --> 0:45:28.279 go like this. My hope is built on nothing less 0:45:28.280 --> 0:45:32.040 than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the 0:45:32.040 --> 0:45:36.640 sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ, 0:45:36.640 --> 0:45:40.920 the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. 0:45:41.440 --> 0:45:45.600 All other ground is sinking sand. And that leads me 0:45:45.600 --> 0:45:49.120 to ask a simple question as we close today, what's 0:45:49.120 --> 0:45:52.880 the foundation on which your life is built? 0:45:53.400 --> 0:45:56.480 You know, I'm sitting here listening to this devotional, and 0:45:56.480 --> 0:45:59.720 I'm thinking about somebody who's saying, boy, I've never made 0:45:59.910 --> 0:46:04.270 Christ the center of my life, the foundation of my existence. 0:46:04.670 --> 0:46:06.430 What should that person do now? If they'd like to 0:46:06.430 --> 0:46:09.030 receive Jesus? Do they pray? What do they say? And. 0:46:09.030 --> 0:46:10.029 And what's next? 0:46:10.150 --> 0:46:11.870 Well, it's as simple as prayer. Prayer is just talking 0:46:11.870 --> 0:46:15.709 with God. That person could say, Lord, I don't know you. 0:46:15.710 --> 0:46:17.790 I don't know your son, at least the way that 0:46:17.790 --> 0:46:20.350 they've been talking about him. But right now I know 0:46:20.350 --> 0:46:22.950 I'm a sinner. I know Jesus died for my sins, 0:46:22.950 --> 0:46:24.870 and I want to place my trust in him as 0:46:24.870 --> 0:46:28.469 my Savior. And if they pray something that simple, that's 0:46:28.469 --> 0:46:30.830 all it takes to make that transaction with God. 0:46:31.030 --> 0:46:33.750 And if you've got questions that you'd like answers to, 0:46:33.790 --> 0:46:35.870 why not speak with a volunteer now? Who will pray 0:46:35.870 --> 0:46:39.070 with you and answer those questions at eight, eight, eight? 0:46:39.110 --> 0:46:42.950 Need him 888 and the numbers that spell out need him. 0:46:43.590 --> 0:46:46.029 Our time has gone. Always goes too quickly, but we're 0:46:46.030 --> 0:46:48.710 always glad to have you with us. I'm John Yeager 0:46:48.710 --> 0:46:51.029 for Charlie Dyer. The land and the book is a 0:46:51.030 --> 0:46:54.950 production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.