S1: Did you know the Apostle Paul was a father? The
S1: scriptures tell us that. Know the Apostle Paul may never
S1: have married, and he certainly didn't have a child out
S1: of wedlock. But the scriptures tell us that Paul was
S1: a father spiritually. Exactly what were the attributes Paul tried
S1: to exhibit as he ministered? What can we learn from
S1: him about fatherhood? That's our focus today on this Father's
S1: Day weekend. Welcome to the land and the book. I'm
S1: John Gager, sitting across from our host, Old Testament scholar
S1: and frequent Israel traveler, Doctor Charlie Dyer. Good to check
S1: in with you, Charlie.
S2: Oh, it's always great being with you, John. Know, a.
S1: Lot of listeners wonder, how do you share the gospel
S1: with a Jewish person because of cultural, historical, and religious differences?
S1: Sometimes it can be challenging. How do you navigate a
S1: gospel conversation with somebody from a Jewish background? Maybe you've
S1: wondered how the quote professionals do it.
S2: And to help answer this question, our friends at Life
S2: in Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks
S2: their staff use as they share the gospel. This will
S2: serve a dual purpose. It will equip you with methods
S2: of presenting the gospel, and also supply you with tracks
S2: you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life
S2: in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further
S2: the spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. Now,
S2: to receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need
S2: to do is visit Life in Messiah org and click
S2: on the Moody Radio button for more information. That's life
S2: in Messiah org. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
S1: And that is a great opportunity. Well, for the next
S1: two weeks, we're shifting our focus from the regular day
S1: to day headlines to catch up on some of the
S1: developments in technology and archaeology. So much to explore here.
S1: This week we'll look at recent advances in technology coming
S1: out of amazing Israel. And then next week we'll explore
S1: recent archaeological stories making the headlines. So here we go.
S1: Fasten your seat belts. We've all heard horror stories about
S1: the intrusive impact artificial intelligence will have on our lives,
S1: including its ability to create deep fakes and even distort elections.
S1: But not all AI technology is bad. What are some
S1: of the benefits from AI coming out of Israel?
S2: Well, the field of medicine is a major area where
S2: AI is advancing and Israel is leading the charge. Like
S2: an AI based voice monitor for smartphones that can detect
S2: early signs of flare ups in patients with asthma or COPD,
S2: or an AI program that can successfully predict if a
S2: patient is developing Parkinson's or Alzheimer's based on a patient's
S2: eye movements, or the ability to read a scan to
S2: detect the early development of cancer. Now, these are just
S2: some of the medical breakthroughs using AI coming out of Israel.
S2: Some believe the greatest practical advances in AI will take
S2: place in medicine. But I can do more than just
S2: help doctors. An Israeli startup company called clarity AI is
S2: using artificial intelligence to target the rise of deep fakes.
S2: In essence, they're using AI to reverse engineer images, video
S2: and audio to discover possible deep fakes. They can scan
S2: each frame and each soundbite to look for anomalies in
S2: the manipulation of the information. The goal is to allow
S2: individuals to identify deep fakes that are AI generated and
S2: in a wholly different realm. Two Israeli fathers created an
S2: AI platform to allow their children to become stars of
S2: their own written adventures. This personal platform eventually became Story Wizard,
S2: a company now being used in schools around the world
S2: to enable teachers to engage students in the art of
S2: creating stories. The details for each assignment are created by
S2: the teacher, and then the student uses the program to
S2: help write their own unique adventure. The program writes the
S2: story and even illustrates it while the student chooses the
S2: names of the characters, the style of the artwork, and
S2: all the other details, whether it's in medicine or helping
S2: students develop creativity and storytelling, or even in spotting the
S2: bad actors on the internet. Much good in the field
S2: of artificial intelligence is there, and it's coming out of
S2: amazing Israel.
S1: Interesting. Well, the summer growing season is in full swing
S1: and many look forward to eating cantaloupe. I'm one of them. Unfortunately,
S1: it's hard to eat a large melon at one time,
S1: and the rest often goes bad before it can be consumed.
S1: But now an Israeli startup has developed single serving melons.
S1: Sounds like a pretty sweet idea to me. Charlie.
S2: Yeah, John, you think of this as the fruit equivalent
S2: of a single serving carton of ice cream. Scientists at
S2: Israel's Volcani Institute have developed a softball sized melon that
S2: you can hold in your hand while you eat. They
S2: discovered that a single gene mutation produced multiple small fruits
S2: rather than a single large one. The company isolated, studied,
S2: and then patented the gene and its effects. They created
S2: a start up company called Super Fruit. In the past,
S2: a decrease in fruit size led to a decrease in yield,
S2: but their technology created a five fold increase in fruit
S2: yield despite the fact that the fruit. Is three times
S2: smaller than average. Now. It took 15 years to develop
S2: the final product, but John imagined having a melon small
S2: enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And
S2: that's just as sweet and delicious as a regular melon,
S2: but without the hassle of having to cut up and
S2: store the leftover fruit.
S1: Hey, what aisle are those in? I'd like to get
S1: one right now. This is the land in the book
S1: from Moody Radio, where we're shifting our focus from regular
S1: day to day headlines to catch up on some of
S1: the developments in technology. Israel's war with Hamas generated a
S1: large number of casualties, but it also led to medical
S1: innovations on the battlefield that have saved soldiers lives. What
S1: are some of these innovations?
S2: Yeah, one of the key innovations was to drastically reduce
S2: the amount of time between injury and advanced medical intervention.
S2: In the past, soldiers would be taken to a field
S2: hospital with the more seriously wounded then transported to larger facilities.
S2: In the current war, Israel's embedded 670 doctors and paramedics
S2: directly with combat groups. They also adopted a policy of
S2: airlifting every injured soldier using helicopters that are fully equipped,
S2: flying emergency rooms staffed with surgeons and intensive care doctors.
S2: In the first several months, they flew more than 950
S2: aircraft operations, transporting approximately 4200 soldiers to hospitals, and the
S2: new approach is paying dividends. The death rate of those
S2: seriously injured has dropped from 15% in the past to 6.3%
S2: in the current conflict, and the average time from injury
S2: to hospital has dropped from two hours, which it was
S2: during the 2014 Gaza War to just over an hour
S2: during the current conflict. They're also exploring ways to develop
S2: better bulletproof vests to help cut down on the injuries
S2: from the current generation of bulletproof vests. Even in the
S2: midst of fighting, Israeli doctors and scientists are searching for
S2: better ways to help preserve the lives of those who
S2: are injured and their efforts are paying off.
S1: What does a person's nose have to do with healing
S1: spinal injuries? Well, an Israeli startup has developed a nasal
S1: therapy that can potentially help those with spinal injuries walk again.
S1: I'm intrigued. Charlie, how does this innovation work?
S2: Yeah, it's definitely a non-intuitive approach, but it seems to
S2: offer significant potential Nurix owned biologic and that's Nutreco. Any
S2: biologic developed expt and to treat damage to the nervous system.
S2: Their concept is based on the medication's active ingredients and
S2: on delivering the medication via the nose. The scientists worked
S2: for many years on regeneration in spinal cord injuries using
S2: stem cells. Their breakthrough came when they started using exosomes,
S2: which are nanoscopic particles released by cells to pass messages
S2: to one another. They discovered that exosomes taken from bone
S2: marrow cells had the most potential to help regenerate cells
S2: affected by a spinal cord injury. They then added a
S2: form of RNA that prevents restrictions on the regeneration of cells.
S2: The exosomes and specific RNA are inhaled through the nose,
S2: pass through the brain blood barrier, and are then delivered
S2: to the injured area of the spine, and because they
S2: come from the patient's own cells, there's no immune response
S2: or rejection. Now, the therapy has been successfully trialled in
S2: lab rats with acute spinal cord injury. They hope to
S2: enter clinical trials for humans in the very near future,
S2: and are working for approval for this in North American hospitals.
S2: Let's hope this treatment moves forward quickly and that the
S2: promise it offers becomes a reality. You can imagine, John,
S2: the impact on those who've suffered spinal cord injuries. It
S2: could be incredibly significant.
S1: Boy that's huge. Thank you Charlie. We'll look forward to
S1: following that story as it develops. Well, several Israeli tech
S1: firms are developing robots to help ease the chronic labor
S1: shortage in agriculture. Now, does this mean, Charlie, we're going
S1: to see R2-d2 and C-3po out harvesting vegetables or driving
S1: tractors in the near future?
S2: Yeah. Oh my, I hope not. But then that's the
S2: short answer. No, but the reality behind these innovations is
S2: still amazing. Now imagine autonomous flying drones working their way
S2: down rows of fruit trees to pick ripe fruit and
S2: then lower it to the ground for collection, or a
S2: self-driving vehicle that can use 3D vision technology to harvest
S2: greenhouse tomatoes. It can pick them from both sides of
S2: the row and place them on a conveyor belt that
S2: then delivers them to crates at the rear of the robot.
S2: That machine, by the way, is already in use, and
S2: in a little more futuristic sense, a company called Blue
S2: White has developed a software platform that will enable one
S2: human operator to manage a fleet of autonomous farm vehicles,
S2: like tractors, to do everything from planting to harvesting. Now,
S2: these are just a few of the innovations currently under
S2: development in Amazing Israel to help ease the labor shortages
S2: on farms, enabling a shrinking number of farmers to continue
S2: feeding the growing population of the world. Charlie.
S1: I'm listening to you rattle off all these innovations from
S1: amazing Israel, and I'm drawn to Genesis 2218 through you,
S1: all the families of the earth will be blessed. God says, now, obviously,
S1: that ultimate and first blessing is the birth of Jesus
S1: from a Jewish line. But is it possible God also
S1: blesses us in these technological innovations that help with the
S1: healing and that sort of thing?
S2: I think it is, and I think that's been proven historically, uh,
S2: the connection to Israel when God said in Genesis 12,
S2: I'll bless those who bless you and those who curse you,
S2: I'll curse. But those who sought to bless Israel end
S2: up being blessed by God. And I think one of
S2: the ways God has done that is letting the Jewish
S2: people and their innovation and creativity become a blessing to others.
S1: Hey, our website might just be a blessing to you
S1: as you give it a look. It's at the land
S1: and the book. Org coming up. The Apostle Paul is father.
S1: We know him as Paul the Apostle, Paul the missionary
S1: to the Gentiles. Paul the writer of one fourth of
S1: the New Testament. But did you ever consider Paul as
S1: a father figure? I'm John Gieger with segment two of
S1: The Land and the book. And on this Father's Day weekend,
S1: we've got something refreshing lined up for you. First, though,
S1: this idea about sharing Christ in a winsome way with
S1: a Jewish friend who needs to hear. So you've been
S1: reaching out to a Jewish friend for some time, praying
S1: for them, hanging out with them, talking things over and
S1: everything's going well. And you say to yourself, man, this
S1: seems to be taken forever. Why don't they just, you know,
S1: they're asking questions about Yeshua. Why not just receive Jesus?
S1: Beth Tavlin is on the administrative staff at Olive tree
S1: Congregation in suburban Chicago, reminding us this isn't an instant process.
S3: No, it's not an instant process. And it does take
S3: time to develop a relationship with a Jewish person and
S3: to help them come alongside and believe in the Messiah,
S3: because many of them have been taught you can be anything.
S3: Just don't believe in Jesus. Because. Because much like you
S3: read in the New Testament, in the Gospels, the Jewish
S3: people typically don't embrace Jesus right away. Yeah, they are
S3: taught that the law is what saves them, and for
S3: Messiah to come in and do away with the law
S3: is in many cases very difficult to embrace.
S1: So I think what you're really saying is we need
S1: to give these people time and space and not have
S1: unrealistic expectations. Correct.
S3: But don't give up either, because you never know what's
S3: going on in a person's heart, and they are thinking
S3: and pondering and considering as long as they remain in
S3: relationship with you and have not cut you off. They're
S3: listening and they're learning and they're beginning to understand. And
S3: it does take a long time.
S1: Encouragement from Beth Tablan with Olive Tree Congregation in suburban Chicago,
S1: here on the land and the book. Doctor Bob Mueller
S1: is a marriage counselor who, along with his wife Cheryl,
S1: founded For Keeps Ministries. Bob has written a number of
S1: great marriage books, including The Marriage Miracle and The Six
S1: Hearts of Intimacy. He speaks across the country and has
S1: also taught internationally. It's an honor to have him on
S1: the program. Welcome back, Bob to the land and the book.
S1: Thank you.
S4: John.
S1: You know, some listeners might be struggling to make the
S1: connection that you have in seeing Paul as a kind
S1: of father figure. What what got you started going down
S1: that track?
S4: Well, John, I agree. I never looked at the Apostle
S4: Paul because by all accounts, he was single and we
S4: don't have any evidence that he ever was married and
S4: so doesn't have any children, an unlikely candidate to be
S4: seen as a father. But as I was examining my
S4: own life, I've raised six children now, are all adults,
S4: all married. I was asking myself what could I have
S4: done differently as a father? And even now I remain
S4: their father? What does the Bible say? That a father's
S4: job description really is? What's the essence of it? And
S4: one day in my personal study, I came across first
S4: Thessalonians two, where Paul describes himself as a father among
S4: the Thessalonians and John. It was like connecting two live wires.
S4: All of a sudden there was just this spiritual voltage
S4: where it occurred to me, I think the Holy Spirit
S4: prompted me that, wait, here's a description of fatherhood divinely inspired,
S4: given to us by God Himself through the inspired writings
S4: of Paul about what a father is supposed to be.
S4: And as I looked at it, I was amazed. I
S4: was struck with some of the characteristics that I had
S4: not necessarily associated with fatherhood.
S1: Well, go ahead and enumerate some of those things that
S1: you see in Thessalonians, or maybe even other portions of
S1: Scripture that point us to Paul as a father figure.
S4: Well, let me begin by reading the passage that proved
S4: to be not just a game changer, but a life
S4: changer for me. Sure, he writes and says, you are
S4: witnesses and so is God of how holy, righteous, and
S4: blameless we were among you who believed. And here it comes.
S4: For you know that we dealt with each of you
S4: as a father deals with his own children. And then
S4: he enumerates that encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live
S4: lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom
S4: and glory. There Paul clearly says, I was a father.
S4: We were a father among you. And what he says
S4: that means, I think is amazing. It's powerful and it's
S4: a challenge to us today.
S1: He's a popular author and conference speaker and a truly
S1: gifted marriage counselor. We're honored to have doctor Bob Mueller
S1: with us today on the land and the book. Would
S1: it be your opinion, Bob, that Paul thought of himself
S1: actively as a father when he when he taught and
S1: when he wrote his letters, was he thinking, now this
S1: is how a godly father would react?
S4: Well, I don't know that he was specifically thinking of
S4: himself as a father with young children or, you know,
S4: raising kids as we do today. But there's no question spiritually,
S4: he saw himself as a father. And the people, particularly
S4: in Thessalonica, where he planted this church as spiritual children.
S4: And the first thing he says to them is, you know,
S4: you are witnesses of how holy, righteous and blameless we
S4: were among you who believed. And John, that says to
S4: me that maybe the first qualification of being a father
S4: that can influence their children toward God is they need
S4: to see a life of integrity in you. They need
S4: to see that you walk with honesty. They need to
S4: see it says how holy we were. And I don't
S4: think he's patting himself on the back. He's talking about
S4: being set apart for God's purposes, which was, you know,
S4: the center of his heart, how blameless we were, how
S4: he attempted to live in a way without any accusation
S4: of a character or moral failure or financial misconduct. In
S4: other words, he said, I set an example to you
S4: of spiritual integrity in John. I think that is the
S4: beginning place for any father who's raising children from the
S4: time they put that beautiful baby in your arms till
S4: the day you pack the trunk for college or send
S4: them off. And then beyond that, because I don't think
S4: fatherhood ever ends as long as we still have breath
S4: in this life.
S1: You know, Bob, if there was nothing further than this,
S1: it seems to me that would be a life. Time
S1: of work and focus and need. I mean, uh, you know,
S1: we're both parents. You've got six. I've got two. We're
S1: both grandparents. And, you know, even today, I feel the
S1: pressure to ask myself, am I living my life with integrity?
S1: You know, am I doing the stuff I encourage my
S1: children to do? You know? So if there was nothing
S1: other than this being a person of integrity, that would
S1: be plenty to work on.
S5: You know.
S4: John, our kids are always watching us aren't they? Mhm.
S4: I mean, they're always looking at us to see what
S4: we will do in certain situations and how we'll respond
S4: to certain challenges. And if we're being consistent. I remember
S4: years and years ago when Promise Keepers was perhaps at
S4: its zenith back in the 90s, I bought a baseball
S4: cap at one of their rallies saying, you know, men
S4: of integrity. It was stitched on the back of the
S4: baseball cap. And once I was in our our van
S4: in those days, we had conversion vans.
S5: I remember this, Bob.
S4: Yes. You know, and Cheryl and I are having a
S4: little bit of a spat, and I'm being a little snarky,
S4: and one of my kids, probably no more than 5
S4: or 6 years old, I hear from the back seat, hey, dad,
S4: what about men of integrity? Hmm. And I just took
S4: that hat off. I took it off and put it
S4: on the console. No, really. They're watching, they're listening. And, John,
S4: here's the thing. They want you to succeed. They're not
S4: looking for you to fail. Your kids are not. In
S4: most cases, they're not rooting against you. They're rooting for you.
S4: And they want to see us be people of honesty,
S4: integrity of character. I recently had the incredible opportunity to
S4: stand on the the church stage behind my oldest son
S4: and his wife and their four beautiful daughters as they
S4: were dedicated. Mm. And it just brought tears to my life.
S4: I was getting to see the third generation of faith.
S4: And is there anything that a parent wants any more
S4: than that? Than to see your faith passed on to
S4: your kids and to their children? And, John, any time
S4: temptation enters, as it does to all of us, our lives,
S4: our thoughts, I just imagine my children and my grandchildren
S4: and their faces. If I had to admit something that
S4: was terribly, terribly difficult or compromising, and that thought alone
S4: is enough to snap whatever allurement that temptation may provide.
S1: Doctor Bob Mueller is a longtime guest of Moody Radio,
S1: a longtime guest at our dinner table, we're talking about
S1: the apostle Paul as a father figure on this Father's
S1: Day weekend. You know, Bob, some guys listening to this
S1: conversation will never be fathers in the biological sense. Or
S1: maybe they've had a shot at it and blown it.
S1: But it seems to me Paul's life shows that all
S1: of us, regardless of our marital status, can have enormous
S1: influence for Christ in a younger person's life. Your thoughts
S1: as you look at Paul?
S4: Oh, absolutely. I think that any man who's walking with God,
S4: if he's single and attempting to live the life Paul
S4: said he was attempting to live. There are so many children.
S4: There are children from single parent homes. There are children
S4: in the foster system. There's children all around, sometimes school
S4: teachers with their students. The school teacher who's a believer,
S4: he's told me about how he's had a chance to
S4: influence some of his students toward Christ. So no, this
S4: isn't just for married folk. Paul was not married, and
S4: yet his example as a spiritual father and a man
S4: of integrity was reaching around the world at that time. Mm.
S1: Well, what else does Paul tell us about fatherhood in
S1: his own life and his example and in Scripture?
S4: Well, John, this is so important. He says, you know,
S4: we dealt with you as a father, deals with his
S4: own children. Now, this is a very personal application. And
S4: he starts with the word encouraging. And I don't think
S4: we fathers can encourage our children enough. I don't think
S4: we can over encourage them. Right. On the other hand,
S4: it's possible to discourage them. Paul warns in Colossians 321, fathers,
S4: do not embitter or exasperate your children, or they'll become discouraged. John,
S4: I think fathers have an innate, God given power of
S4: encouragement that not even their mothers have. Mothers have other
S4: wonderful attributes that are uniquely theirs. And any outlines, those
S4: actually in the paragraph above in first Thessalonians two. But
S4: encouragement is a gift a father can give a child
S4: that will last a lifetime. Every boy needs to hear
S4: from his dad. I believe in you. You have what
S4: it takes. You can do this. Every girl needs to
S4: hear from her father. You. Our precious. You are cherished.
S4: You're beautiful. And I think you're the prettiest girl or
S4: one you know, I. I have three daughters, and I
S4: told them all that they were the three prettiest girls
S4: I knew next to their mother. And of course, all
S4: the traits that you want to see in a masculine
S4: soul and a feminine soul, a father is uniquely positioned
S4: to encourage. And I think one of the best ways
S4: to encourage our children is to listen. Yeah, it is
S4: not our words often that so reaches them deeply, but
S4: the fact that we'll listen to their sorrows, their fears,
S4: their setbacks, their questions, their doubts, their insecurities, and listen
S4: with the heart that says, you are my son. You're
S4: my daughter. With you I'm well pleased and I love you.
S1: You're listening to The Land and the book from Moody Radio.
S1: I'm John Gager. Doctor Bob Mueller is a marriage expert
S1: and founder of For Keeps Ministries. What would Paul say
S1: to the dad who feels like he's already blown it?
S1: He had his chances, and whether through poor choices or
S1: because of baggage from his own childhood, he just he
S1: just didn't do that well as a dad.
S4: John, here's the good news today. It's never too late
S4: to become the father you should be. It's never too late.
S4: I don't care how old you are. I always say,
S4: as long as your body is above room temperature and
S4: your children's, there is a chance there is an opportunity.
S4: Let me use that word instead to be the father.
S4: In other words, if you've discouraged your kids, call them
S4: up today, today and say to them, you are my son.
S4: You are my daughter whom I love with you. I'm
S4: well pleased. Now they may say, dad, did you get
S4: a bad medical report? You know, is there? Should I
S4: come home for some reason? No, I'm just long overdue.
S4: If you've ignored them, stop ignoring them. Give them time.
S4: If you've been critical of them, stop being critical. Start
S4: being encouraging. If you did all the talking and never
S4: listened to them, change that. Let them talk to you
S4: and ask questions and draw their hearts out. John, this
S4: is a wonderful thing. It's never too late. If the
S4: kids are 47 today or 38 or 18, it's not
S4: too late. They will respond. And I've seen it happen.
S1: Bob, I think there's a whole lot of people who
S1: are relieved to hear what you have to say and
S1: would like to hear more. I hope you'll come back
S1: and share further with us. Meanwhile, I want to point
S1: you to our website where you can hear this conversation,
S1: share the podcast with a friend. It's at the land
S1: and the book org, the land and the book org.
S1: Segment three is next. It's Charlie Dyer's answers to your
S1: Bible questions right here. You know, when you open your Bible,
S1: there's no end to the questions that come to your mind,
S1: because there's no end to the source of wisdom and
S1: mystery that surrounds the Word of God. So much of
S1: it very easy to understand. A child can understand it.
S1: Yet there are dimensions to that Word of God that
S1: are as they should be beyond us and should require
S1: some digging. And that's what this next segment is all about.
S1: Welcome to the land and the book I'm John Gager.
S1: It's all about answering questions that have come to you
S1: in your own journey through Scripture. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer,
S1: has his Bible open. And Charlie, I think a lot
S1: of people wonder, how do you share the gospel with
S1: a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences,
S1: it can be challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with
S1: somebody from a Jewish background. Maybe you've wondered how the
S1: professionals do it.
S2: And to answer that question, our friends at Life and
S2: Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their
S2: staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve
S2: a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of presenting
S2: the gospel, and also supplying you with tracks you can
S2: share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's
S2: Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread
S2: of the gospel among the Jewish people. To receive this
S2: helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do is
S2: visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody
S2: Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org and
S2: don't miss out on this great opportunity. All right.
S1: Let's get to our first question of the day from Mary.
S1: She asks, what is the expression total depravity really all about?
S1: Pastors and Bible teachers, at least in my hearing, seem
S1: to say that in depravity, man is not as bad
S1: as he could be. Is this true, or are there
S1: different views?
S2: Well, the best definition of total depravity, which I learned
S2: in Bible college and seminary, is that at the fall,
S2: all humanity inherited both the sin nature and the guilt
S2: of Adam so that everything about them is affected by sin.
S2: It doesn't mean people are as sinful as they can
S2: possibly be, but it does mean we possess an inward
S2: distortion that makes every part of our being wholly bad
S2: and displeasing to God. One verse that comes to mind
S2: to help this is Jeremiah 17, verses nine and ten.
S2: The heart is more deceitful than all else, and desperately sick.
S2: Who can understand it? Yet we don't even know why
S2: we do things ourselves. But then it goes on and says, I,
S2: the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind to
S2: give each man according to his ways, according to the
S2: results of his deeds.
S1: Lynn says, I have been studying Mark 15 and 16
S1: and I'm wondering, could you please help me with the timeline?
S1: By days of the events of the Passion Week, I've
S1: scribbled my own ideas out and can never quite get
S1: those days correct.
S5: Yeah, and we.
S2: Could take the entire rest of the time just to
S2: go through all the details. So let me give a
S2: link online here that could help, I think not just Lynn,
S2: but everybody, uh, go to bible.org that website and then
S2: type in these words chronology and synopsis of Passion Week,
S2: chronology and synopsis of Passion Week. They have a little
S2: search bar there. Just type that in. Now here's why
S2: I like the site. They're going to provide a day
S2: by day account of all the events in chronological order,
S2: along with the references to those events in all four Gospels.
S2: And what I really like about the site is if
S2: you hover your cursor over each of the references, it'll
S2: bring up the Bible translation of that passage. So it
S2: allows you to compare the accounts in each gospel without
S2: having to flip from one book to another. Uh, again,
S2: just go to Bible. Org and type in chronology and
S2: synopsis of Passion Week in their search bar, and you'll
S2: get a great research tool.
S1: Marilyn asks, whenever I read or hear the story of
S1: Joseph preached or mentioned, I always wonder why Joseph never
S1: returned home at some point, even when he'd risen to
S1: the position of governor of Egypt and was a prominent man.
S1: Why did he never go back home to his father
S1: and family?
S2: That's actually a great question. I think the answer can
S2: be found in two parts. A Joseph was sold into
S2: slavery by his brothers when he was 17, and for
S2: the next 13 years he was a slave in the
S2: house of Potiphar and then placed in prison following the
S2: false accusation of Potiphar's wife. So it wasn't until he
S2: was 30 years old when he was released from prison
S2: and entered the service of Pharaoh. Those first 13 years,
S2: he wasn't free to return home. The second part of
S2: his life in Egypt happened when he entered Pharaoh's court.
S2: After interpreting Pharaoh's dream, he was put in charge of
S2: the whole land of Egypt to help the country prepare
S2: for the coming famine. And he was now, quote, free
S2: in the sense that he was out of prison. He
S2: had power. But for the next seven years he was
S2: responsible for traveling throughout the land and preparing storage facilities
S2: for the coming famine. And when the famine hit, he
S2: was then placed in charge of grain sales and distribution.
S2: He was finally reunited with his family in the second
S2: year of that famine, when he would have been 39
S2: or 40 years old. So in light of all that,
S2: I don't believe he was able to return home first
S2: because he was a slave and prisoner, and then later
S2: he was given such great responsibilities. I think there's one
S2: final reason, by the way, in spite of all that
S2: Joseph did for Egypt, he was still a subject under Pharaoh.
S2: In fact, when. Josiah's father died. Joseph had to go
S2: to Pharaoh and ask permission to take the body of
S2: his father back to Canaan for burial. That's in Genesis
S2: chapter 50. So Joseph was a great man, but he
S2: was still under the authority of Pharaoh and wasn't free
S2: to do whatever he wanted.
S1: That's Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger. This is the land.
S1: And the book segment three is all about the questions
S1: that you kind of ruminate about as you read through Scripture,
S1: and this one is an interesting one. Is there any
S1: historical verification for the darkness that covered the land from
S1: the sixth hour to the ninth hour, during the crucifixion?
S2: I don't know of any historical sources, apart from the
S2: Gospels that describe that period of darkness. Of course, the
S2: number of available historical sources is quite limited. Apart from Josephus,
S2: and he wasn't born until about four years after the
S2: events of the crucifixion. I don't know of any other
S2: source that wrote in detail about that specific period of
S2: time in Israel, and none of the official Roman sources
S2: from that specific time period have ever been discovered either.
S2: So the lack of supporting historical resources here is not surprising.
S1: This listener wants a good explanation of Mark 16 verse 16. Charlie,
S1: it says whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Now,
S1: this can be confusing for folks who say, wait, wait, wait,
S1: I thought we didn't need to be baptized.
S2: Yeah, and I start by saying I don't hold to
S2: baptism as a requirement for salvation. So let me start
S2: here by sharing what I think the best understanding is
S2: of that verse, and actually answer two ways. First, in
S2: that geographical area, that region in the first century, baptism
S2: was the outward indication of belief and acceptance of the
S2: gospel message. Even today, both Jewish and Muslim cultures in
S2: that region, believers decision to be baptized is seen as
S2: the proof of conversion, publicly indicating that they've turned from
S2: their former beliefs to become a follower of Jesus, and
S2: normally baptism immediately followed the decision to trust Christ. But second,
S2: I think it's clear that baptism wasn't an essential requirement
S2: for salvation. The second half of that verse shows the
S2: opposite effect he who does not believe will be condemned.
S2: It's it's the belief or lack thereof that either saves
S2: or condemns. The baptism is simply an outward indication of
S2: that inward saving faith. And also Paul, who did baptize
S2: the Philippian jailer and his family in acts 16, later
S2: wrote to the Corinthians, I am thankful that I did
S2: not baptize any of you. And then he gives a
S2: few exceptions that he did. But he says, in the end,
S2: for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to
S2: preach the gospel. And the point here is that the
S2: gospel message did not include getting baptized as an essential
S2: element for being saved. In fact, later in the book,
S2: when Paul explains what the gospel is in first Corinthians 15,
S2: he doesn't include baptism.
S1: Sharon is teaching through the book of John and says,
S1: I need your insight. In John 531, Jesus says, if
S1: I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
S1: But in John 814 it says, Jesus answered and said
S1: to them, even if I bear witness of myself, my
S1: witness is true, for I know where I came from
S1: and where I am going. But you do not know
S1: where I came from and where I am going now.
S1: How can these statements be harmonized?
S5: Yeah, I.
S2: Think the context helps us harmonize the two statements. In
S2: chapter five, Jesus is saying that under Jewish law, if
S2: he was the only one testifying about himself, his testimony
S2: wouldn't be considered legally valid, since in Deuteronomy 1915 it
S2: was the evidence of 2 or 3 witnesses that was
S2: required for a matter to be confirmed. But then Jesus
S2: points out that there was indeed a second witness to
S2: the truth of what he was saying and and doing.
S2: And that was John the Baptist. That's why in the
S2: next two verses, Jesus talks about another who testifies in
S2: my favor and says about him, you have sent to John,
S2: and he has testified to the truth. Now in John eight,
S2: the context is slightly different, though once again, the Pharisees
S2: challenged Jesus, saying, here you're appearing as your own witness.
S2: Your testimony isn't valid. Uh, this time Jesus answers, using
S2: a different argument, though. First he says in verse 14
S2: that his testimony is valid or truthful because he, not them,
S2: is the one who really knows his identity and mission.
S2: Though his testimony alone might not have been enough to
S2: meet the legal requirement of needing two witnesses in court,
S2: what he was saying about himself was still true. And then,
S2: having made that argument, Jesus provides a second witness to
S2: show his claim about himself is indeed valid. He says,
S2: I'm not alone. I stand with the father who sent me.
S2: In your own law, it's written that the testimony of
S2: two men is valid. I'm the one who testifies for myself.
S2: My other witness is the father who sent me. So
S2: in the end, Jesus did provide two witnesses. In both
S2: of those chapters.
S1: Charlie says, I'll be teaching a Sunday school lesson in
S1: a few weeks. On the origins of the Bible. Could
S1: you recommend a book that would be helpful in my preparation?
S2: Yeah, I can actually recommend three, though there are many
S2: others that are helpful. The first is a small book
S2: by W.H. Griffith Thomas called How We Got Our Bible.
S2: It was written about a century ago, but it's a
S2: great summary. The second book is Evidence that demands a
S2: verdict by Josh. McDowell is a section on the Bible
S2: that provides some information in outline form, and the third,
S2: probably the most complete of the three, is called A
S2: General Introduction to the Bible by Norm Geisler and William Nix.
S2: It provides a great deal of information on how the
S2: books of the Bible came to be recognized as canonical,
S2: and how the writings were preserved. Well, that's.
S1: It for today's question and answer segment. If you didn't
S1: hear yours, is it possible you didn't ask it? Yeah,
S1: it takes a few weeks to get it on the air. Sure,
S1: but you get a response pretty quick from Charlie. And
S1: if you send us an email, we'll get right to it.
S1: Here's how you connect the land and the book@moody.edu. Don't
S1: you go away because Charlie Dyer's devotional is next here
S1: on the land and the book. Happy Father's Day weekend
S1: from the team here at The Land and the book,
S1: I'm John Jaeger with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. And Charlie,
S1: your devotional takes us to some appropriate remarks for Father's Day.
S1: I suspect.
S2: It does father's wise words from Proverbs chapter four, and we'll.
S1: Get to that after we listen to this testimony that
S1: I think you need to hear.
S6: Hi, my name is Janice and this is my Holy
S6: Land experience. The thing that will never be the same
S6: is the Bible will never be the same to me
S6: when I read it, just simply because of all the
S6: things that we've seen and how it applied to what's
S6: already in Scripture. The second thing that was the most
S6: fun was dancing on the boat and the Sea of Galilee.
S6: And lastly, I think what surprised me the most was
S6: how complex the issue is between Israel and the Arabs
S6: and the whole conflict. And I think in the US
S6: and for myself personally, I have made it much simpler
S6: and it's very complex. So I would like to remember
S6: to pray about that. And I think that's something that
S6: I learned the most.
S1: All right. Somebody who's been to the Holy Land and
S1: had a great insight for us there. All right. We're
S1: going to turn now to Proverbs chapter four for your devotional. Charlie.
S1: Go ahead.
S2: Ah, thanks. Well, in my office I have a special
S2: file with precious items I've collected over the years. Now,
S2: it's not filled with diamonds or gold bullion or stock certificates.
S2: Anyone ransacking my office hoping to find those would be
S2: sorely disappointed. My stash of treasures are cards, letters, emails,
S2: other writings, and Bibles I've received over the years, and
S2: these gems also include a hand drawn book, and I
S2: use that term loosely from my then ten year old daughter.
S2: It's definitely a keeper. Now. I also have a collection
S2: of typewritten letters from my dad. For many years. He
S2: would type a letter to my wife and me at
S2: the beginning of each new year. Dad was a two
S2: fingered typist, so these multi-page letters were a labor of love,
S2: and he didn't know how to switch between uppercase and
S2: lowercase on his small, portable typewriter. So each one shouted
S2: out his message in all capital letters. But the best
S2: part of each letter was the prayer he typed at
S2: the very beginning. He was praying very specifically for both
S2: of us, and I knew exactly what he was praying. Now,
S2: dad didn't come to the Lord until he was in
S2: his mid 40s, right about the time I left home
S2: for college. But once he did place his trust in
S2: Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he grew like a
S2: weed spiritually. On the shelf to the left of my
S2: desk I have three of the Bibles he wore out
S2: over the next 40 years of his life as he read, pondered, underlined,
S2: and then scratched out notes in the margin of each one.
S2: A dad wasn't a professional pastor, though he did become
S2: an elder at our local church. He was a World
S2: War II vet, a high school graduate, and a blue
S2: collar worker who spent much of his adult life as
S2: a truck driver. But more than that, he became a
S2: man of spiritual depth and wisdom who wanted his family
S2: and everyone else to come to love God and His
S2: Word just as much as he did. So. Since this
S2: weekend is Father's Day, I thought it might be appropriate
S2: to pull two of dad's Bibles off my shelf to
S2: see what he discovered in his study of Proverbs four,
S2: verses 20 through 27, Proverbs explains how life ought to
S2: be lived, and a proper understanding of life begins with
S2: a proper relationship to the God who designed it all.
S2: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
S2: Solomon wrote these words to explain to his son how
S2: life ought to be lived. Solomon wasn't perfect. He drifted
S2: from many of the precepts he himself taught to his children.
S2: But rather than becoming too hard on Solomon, let's remember
S2: that we've all fallen short when it comes to living
S2: out God's standards for life. So let's focus on what
S2: God describes as the ideal way to live, so that
S2: we can hopefully avoid some of the mistakes that Solomon
S2: and our parents and we ourselves have made in the past.
S2: Solomon began by imploring his child to pay attention to
S2: what I say. Listen closely to my words. Do not
S2: let them out of your sight. Keep them within your heart.
S2: The heart focuses on the inner aspects of our being.
S2: It encompasses our ability to comprehend our our feelings and
S2: our will. And in verses 22 and 23, Solomon explains
S2: why it's so important to take in, guard and protect
S2: these truths. They are life to those who find them
S2: and health to a man's whole body. In the margin
S2: of one Bible, dad wrote that being guided by the
S2: Holy Word of our Lord helps keep us spiritually vital
S2: and spiritually healthy, which keeps away moral decay. In the
S2: second Bible, he wrote that Solomon told his son to
S2: keep these words in his heart because they offer health
S2: and life with all these underlinings. In the verses, it
S2: appears dad was trying to focus in on the key
S2: commands Solomon was stressing and he bracketed verse 23 with
S2: lines above and below to make sure it stood out.
S2: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the
S2: wellspring of life. In verses 24 to 27, Solomon provided
S2: some practical guidance on how to guard one's heart. He
S2: began in verse 24 by focusing on what we say
S2: put away perversity from your mouth, keep corrupt, talk from
S2: your lips. It's interesting that the first place we need
S2: to guard is our mouth. My dad applied this to
S2: his life in one simple note in the margin do
S2: not lie. And he did live his life always trying
S2: to tell the truth, even when it meant that he
S2: had to have some awkward conversations with individuals whom he
S2: felt needed to be confronted for their actions. He tried
S2: to speak the truth in love, as Paul wrote in
S2: Ephesians 415, but he never shied away from saying what
S2: he felt needed to be said. In verse 25, Solomon
S2: moves from the mouth to the eyes as he says,
S2: let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly
S2: before you. Solomon had earlier described the way of the
S2: wise and the way of the foolish, and it's called here.
S2: As for the individual not to get distracted by the
S2: temptations and allurements that try to pull us away from
S2: the path of godliness toward the ways of the world.
S2: Dad underlined. Let your gaze be fixed straight in front
S2: of you and in the margin, he added On Jesus Christ.
S2: He didn't include a reference, but I'm pretty sure he
S2: was thinking of Hebrews 12 one and two, where we're
S2: told not to let ourselves become entangled by sin, but
S2: to run the race before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Finally,
S2: in verses 26 and 27, Solomon moves from our mouth
S2: and our eyes to our feet. Make level paths for
S2: your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do
S2: not swerve to the right or the left. Keep your
S2: foot from evil. This theme is one Solomon keeps repeating.
S2: In verses 18 and 19 he described the two pathways
S2: available to everyone. The path of the righteous is like
S2: the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the
S2: full light of day. But the path of the wicked
S2: is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes
S2: them stumble. Dad liked these verses because he squeezed several
S2: notes in the margin. For verses 18 and 19 he wrote,
S2: the path of the righteous is like the sun's rays
S2: in the morning. By noon it is in full light.
S2: But for the wicked it's in deep darkness. And then
S2: in another color ink. He wrote no hope. At verses
S2: 26 to 27 he wrote, our conduct should be right
S2: and keep us on a level path. And in the
S2: other Bible he wrote, walk a straight path for Jesus.
S2: So what do these verses have to do with you
S2: this Father's Day weekend? Some of you have a godly
S2: father who is still alive, and if so, take some
S2: time to let him know how much you appreciate the
S2: impact he's made on your life over the years. But
S2: what if your father's absent or has passed away? Does
S2: Father's Day for you need to be a time of
S2: sorrow and regret? I don't believe it has to be
S2: for two reasons. First, you can still think back and
S2: focus on the good experiences you had with your father.
S2: What life lessons, spiritual or otherwise, did you learn from him?
S2: What memories do you have of the ways he tried
S2: to be a good father for you? Now? For some,
S2: there might not be any memories. You may have grown
S2: up without a father in your life. He might have
S2: died when you were young, or he might even have
S2: walked away from his commitment to his family. And if
S2: that's the case, how can you apply these truths on
S2: this Father's Day weekend? I believe the answer, then, is
S2: to look beyond your earthly, biological father to your heavenly
S2: father who has said he will never leave you nor
S2: forsake you. Claim Psalm 68 five for yourself today a
S2: father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God
S2: in his holy dwelling. The anniversary of my dad's homegoing
S2: is next month. He's been gone for several years and
S2: I still miss him. But my Heavenly Father will always
S2: be there for me, and he will be there for
S2: you as well this weekend and every single day that follows.
S2: And he wants you to listen to his wise words
S2: in Proverbs 24, so that what you feel and think,
S2: what you say, what you see and what you do,
S2: point your friends and family toward him as well.
S1: Thank you. Charlie loved having your dad's notes right there,
S1: amplifying what we're reading in Scripture. Those are great insights. Well,
S1: you know, our time is gone, but we want to
S1: say thank you to this station for providing air time.
S1: There's no accident about this program. By the way, the
S1: fact that we're here, that you're hearing us is because
S1: of the kindness of this radio station. So we thank
S1: them and I hope you'll drop them a line as well,
S1: letting them know that you appreciate the land and the book.
S1: Our host, Charlie Dyer and producer Dan Anderson, want to
S1: join me in saying thanks for listening to The Land
S1: and the book, a production of Moody Radio, a ministry
S1: of Moody Bible Institute.