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Join us as we delve into Job 42, the final chapter that wraps up our 30-day venture through the compelling story of Job. Witness the restoration of Job's fortune and the renewal of his life after unspeakable trials. Job's sparking repentance and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty serve as eternal lessons for us to remain steadfast in our own life challenges. As we explore reflections from over three decades of journaling, gain valuable insights into maintaining faith and trust in the divine, even when life's trials feel insurmountable.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Alan J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today we reach Job chapter 42, the last chapter of the book of Job, and the last of our 30-day adventure through this book. We'll see Job respond to God one more time, we'll see God speak, and we'll see God restore everything to Job. Let's listen in to the last chapter of the book of Job, chapter 42. Job 42
SPEAKER 04 :
Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know. Hear and I will speak. I will question you and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
SPEAKER 05 :
After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite,
SPEAKER 03 :
My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly." for you have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has.
SPEAKER 05 :
So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them. And the Lord accepted Job's prayer. And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter, Jemima, and the name of the second, Keziah, and the name of the third, Karenhapik. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his sons' sons four generations. And Job died an old man and full of days.
SPEAKER 02 :
We'll take a look for the last time at those journals I've been using through the book of Job. We'll begin with 1984 as I finished the book of Job with chapters 41 and 42. And I wrote, Job repents. God restores him. 41.11 says, Who has given to me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. And 42.2 says, I know that thou can do all things. Thirteen years later, in 1997, I finished the book of Job. With chapters 35 through 42 on the last day, I wrote, God speaks to Job and his friends. Prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me. God puts Job in perspective. He never ever addresses Job's issues but declares his sovereignty. Everything under heaven is mine. When Job has a chance to answer, he laid his hand over his mouth. I will not answer. There is no answer or question to God. He simply repented for ever questioning God. Lord, forgive me for whining or ever questioning you. Give me strength to live in your sovereignty. And 18 years later, in 2015, I finished the book of Job by reading chapters 40 through 42 on the same day. And I wrote, God calls those who question him fault finders. Job desired, waited for the opportunity to present his case before God. He now has the chance to do so and he says nothing. We are so small before God, our articulation is babbling. Doubtful if any of us are going to question God or present our futile case before him. God never answers Job. He never explains what happened to Job. He reminds Job of how big he is. Job responds, God restores the fortunes of Job. after he prayed for his friends. Job lives 140 years, so his suffering may have been a very short trial in his life. How am I handling my trials? In this last chapter of the book of Job, Job does speak to God. Let's go back and see what he had to say. In verse 2, I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. In verse 3, he says, Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job never argues his case before God, does he? Nor will we. Job understands he has no case before God, nor do we. So Job never does understand what happened back in chapter 1, in the book that carries his own name. God does not need to explain himself. After Job successfully faces his trial, this test from God Almighty, Then the Lord restores everything back to Job. Verse 10, And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Verse 12, And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. Verse 16, And after this Job lived 140 years. And verse 17, And Job died an old man and full of days. Notice too, the restoration of Job only came after he was restored to his friends. He had to pray for them, and God said he would hear that prayer from Job. How do you feel after completing the book of Job? Do you feel a little let down that God never tells Job what really happened? Do you feel challenged by your own personal trials and how Job was handled his and he remained faithful? And are you questioning whether you can remain faithful during the trial that God has you in? Or do you feel like you're on the way out of a trial and that you will be restored? Has Job helped build your faith and trust in God? Do you feel sorry for your questioning of God through your life? And do you feel like repenting? Like Job did. Again, look at verse 6. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job repented. Do you need to? When we started Job, we said the theme of Job is can God be trusted? It responds to our heart's desire to question God, to wonder about our faith in a sovereign God when things don't appear to be going right. We said Job questioned God, but while demonstrating unshakable faith... Has our journey through Job given you unshakable faith? Let's close out our journey through the book of Job in prayer. Father, we thank you for this book, a book of despair, a book of trial, a book of trouble, a recap of a life much like our own. Job suffered. He lost it all, but his faith never wavered. As you put us through the tests of life, may we be like Job. May our faith never waver. Thank you for strengthening us through this book. Thank you for reminding us the trials will come in our lives. Thank you for reminding us of who you are. You're bigger than any trial we will ever face. And thank you for the promise of restoration. You restored Job. May you restore us as well. Thank you for the lessons of life in the book of Job. Holy Spirit, apply them to each of our journeys. as we continue our sojourn on the earth. Job had many more years to live after this trial. We may too. So thank you for the promise of restoring us. We give you all the praise and the glory. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Our radio programming is set for 2025. We will cover 44 of the 66 books of the Bible using the Ezra Project day by day through the Bible 11 book series. We start at January 1 with the writings of the Old Testament historical books beginning with Job. We will cover seven more historical books until spring when we jump into the New Testament writings of Mark, Peter, James, Jude, and Hebrews. By summer, we will go back to the Old Testament writings of all 13 of the minor prophets. We'll finish 2025 with the writings of Paul. Maybe you don't want to follow the Ad Bible Radio programming in your daily quiet time. Okay, I offer you an alternative plan. Read the Bible chronologically starting any day you want. The Bible is not organized the way things occurred. You can order an Ezra Project Chronological Bible Reading Journal and experience an amazing journey through the Bible in the order things actually occurred. The first time I read the Bible chronologically, it was an aha experience. While reading Kings and Chronicles, I read the prophets who were alive at the time. In the New Testament, you read about a miracle or a parable by all four gospel writers on the same day. It was a very educational and inspiring way to read the Bible. One user said this about our chronological Bible reading journal. Some years ago, I used a couple of spiral notebooks for my journaling. I've attached pictures of the book, the first edition of the Ezra Project Bible Reading Chronological Journal. That was the picture he sent. I live in Phoenix now, and I cannot find any place that has this type of journal. I've used many types of journals recently, but this seems to work the best for my needs. Please let me know if these are still available. Yes, they are. In fact, it is our number one best-selling product of all time. Visit azureproject.net and order a chronological Bible reading journal today and start your chronological journey through the Bible. I know you're going to enjoy it and want to share it with others. To support AddBible, visit EzraProject.net, the donate button. For a one-time gift of $39 or more, we will send you a free copy of one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. And for a gift of $100 a month, we will send you the entire 11-volume series covering all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter. You will get a book a month for the first 11 months of your $100 a month contribution. So support the Ezra Project today by going online and hitting the donate button at ezraproject.net.
In this enlightening episode of Call to Freedom, Barbara Carmack reflects on recent political events, drawing profound parallels with biblical stories and spiritual lessons. As she delves into recent occurrences involving President Trump and their impact on the nation, Barbara calls on listeners to find solace and strength through prayer and faith. There is emphasis on the transformational power of biblical figures such as Daniel, encouraging individuals to look beyond immediate circumstances and seek divine guidance.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a word-powered daily reading Bible guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom. Oh, the sun is out. Finally, it was a cold, cold week last week, even though, wow, last Monday, just a week from today, last Monday was the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. And what an exciting week this has been. He has just kind of turned the world upside down. And to add attention to his words, even the World Economic Forum that was at Davos, Switzerland, He zoomed in and he talked to them about having equal trade and having them give their fair share into these organizations and not United States paying for everything. I'm so grateful. It's just really been a wonderful turn of events. And as we have prayed, friend, you and I have prayed that God would turn this around and help. I realize that as our prayer goes up, he begins to do his will in this world. So many times I've tried to make it happen. Well, God, we've got to go out and do this and we've got to do that. And God says, I want you just to pray. I want you to pray. I will go to work for you. I will make sure that it is done. And I'm going to be talking about Daniel today because he's the kind of person who, that did not fight back. He did not try to defend himself. He prayed to God and God absolutely delivered him. We're going to read more about that in this program. Let's do our Monday Bible slogan. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I do what it tells me to do. This is my Bible. It has given me new life. It is the word of God. I hope you're involved in some kind of reading your Bible this year and not just jumping from one verse to another. Let's go from Genesis clear through to Revelation. And even though you may not understand some books, um, Do it. Just do it. And you will understand. Even into four or five years, I was reading some of these books like Haggai, Zephaniah. I was reading Numbers. I was reading books that I really didn't truly understand. And it's becoming clearer and clearer to me as I'm reading and I'm reading. I'm asking Holy Spirit to help me to see the clarity of these verses that were given to us. Remember, These men gave their lives. They sacrificed so much that we could have the word today. And don't you think it would be good if you just respected them and honored them by getting into the word? I pray that you will today and this year. 2025, a year that we're going to read through the Bible. Praise the Lord. You are blessed to dispense, for in him you live and move and have your being. And if you would like to listen to programs of Call to Freedom, you can go to freedomstreet.org and click on Radio Show. You can also give at that time at the Donate button. It's so ready for you to hit that button and give to Call to Freedom. I hope it's been an encouragement. I hope this program has been an encouragement to you. And if you've been listening to Call to Freedom for longer than two or three years, why don't you think about giving a donation? I really appreciate it. God has blessed us so much. And, you know, just like you and your household, the bills just keep coming through. I realize that this is going to change. And I know that we're in a blue state here in Colorado. And it just seems like everything is going up and up and up. But God will take care of you, my friend, when you begin to give. because you are a cheerful giver and you want to give into the kingdom of God. It was such a joy to see Franklin Graham standing beside President Donald and Melania in the cold January weather in Asheville, North Carolina. What President Trump said brought relief to many people of that devastated region because some of them had been living in tents and others had no electricity until the week before. Many did not want President Trump to visit North Carolina. They just want to get it going to California and we're going to take care of this situation in California. He has a lot of conditions. After he talked with a council in California, and especially to Mayor Bass, I mean, they were sitting at the same table. He came down pretty hard, and he says, you've got to accomplish some conditions here before you get aid from the government. Really good. I'm so grateful to him. But he decided to visit North Carolina, and I appreciate that. Melania had this wonderful knit cap over her long hair and these aviator glasses with this heavy, heavy coat. And she looked so good. She looked like a soccer mom. It was really precious. But these people needed relief, and they needed someone to bring them hope of the relief. They've been living in tents and had no electricity until the week before, and many did not want President Trump to visit there. But he wanted to show the nation what had not been done in 120 days. Yeah, 120 days since Helene and all the floods came through. And some of these people were still without electricity. FEMA had not stepped in and given sufficient aid to those Americans and yet had spent billions of dollars to put up illegal aliens, and we can call them illegal aliens again, in expensive hotels and given them free medical aid and provide for them three squares a day, which many of them threw into the trash. Now, how would you like to get free food, lodging, and medical aid without paying taxes? By the way, my property taxes, which the Lord is going to help me pay, he always has, he always will, they went up $400 over the last year. So they're going to continue probably to rise until we see some relief from our president. But we're living among greedy politicians. And I'm saying this about this blue state that I live in. And Barbara, why are you living there? Well, because some of us are called into a wilderness area. And I am so pleased and grateful to God that I have the opportunity to tell people about Jesus. And so, you know, those greedy politicians will keep increasing and increasing and increasing on homeowners. His justice, friends, is going to prevail in his perfect timing. And I'm really believing for that, and I'm going to see it someday. Praise the Lord. And, yes, I've applied for all kinds of senior citizen stuff. And, in fact, the last time I called, did this apply to the heritage or whatever it's called for senior citizens? Yes. And you got into that program in 2021. I said, well, why is it increasing every year? Well, we have to do it according to inflation. They have an answer for everything. So what do you do? You go back to the word of God and you pray. Yes, you do. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Father God. Our memory verse for this week is Psalm 33, verse 10 through 12. And I love the 12th verse. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen for his inheritance. Oh, I'm in his inheritance right now. We're going to start in the 10th verse of Psalm 33 in the New American Standard. The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations. He does away with the counsel of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the people. And we saw that at the World Economic Forum last week in Davos, Switzerland. when President Trump did a Zoom call to the council sitting there, and they listened, and if they don't join with the land of the free and the home of the brave, they will get left behind. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation. This is verse 12 of Psalm 33. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. And in the living translation, I just love these different translations. And Kimberly had given me a Bible guide with all these translations. So I can just kind of zoom into there and copy and paste. I'm a copy and paster. I am. So here's Psalm 33, 10 through 22. The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. It's as if, like President Trump says, you don't take these illegals back and you won't get aid, or your tariffs are going to go up to 25%. He's got all the marbles now, and he can really tell people what they need to do. The United States of America has totally been treated unfairly, and your taxpayer dollars have gone to things that were not even planned. Praise God that he is now in office, and I'll be talking about him quite often. But the Lord's plans stand firm forever. That's in Psalm 119 as well. His intentions can never be shaken. What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on earth. You can't hide from God. Nope, you can't. I don't care where you are. You can't hide from God. He made their hearts so he understands their motives. The best equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your war horse to give you victory. For all its strength, it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who honor and reverence him, those who rely on his unfailing love. And that's from the living translation. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him, our hearts rejoice. Yes, we say the Lord be exalted. The Lord be magnified. Oh, praise his holy name. For we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone, in you alone, on Christ alone. Our hope is built in Christ alone. Oh, he's such a wonderful, wonderful Lord and Savior. And there was a time in my life that, yes, I counted him as a savior for saving me from my sins. But now I've made him Lord, master of my life every minute of every day. And I hope he's that for you, too. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. And there are many times when I haven't been the happiest I knew I could be because I wanted my situation to be different. I had my plans and Lord, why are you thwarting my plans? It took me a while, but learned that God can use me in whatever situation I'm in. Even if I'm not thrilled about it, God is so merciful. Even when I'm kind of stubborn about it, I want this. I want it this way, Lord. No, he's going to be very gentle and merciful. The Bible is replete with heroes who were in situations they didn't like, but were able to live mission possible because they chose to trust in God, who then used them greatly. I'm going to go to Daniel. It's such a marvelous book, and especially about the end times which we're in. And in Daniel 6, 1 through 18, we read where Daniel was opposed on every side by jealous administrators, kind of like we've seen in the last four years in our government. Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two other administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king's interests. Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel's great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Ah, but here is where jealousy enters the picture and plans for Daniel's demise. They couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn, so they made it up. He was faithful, always responsible, completely trustworthy. And so they concluded our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion. And we saw that. We saw people who are great spiritual people arrested at the Planned Parenthood clinics. They were arrested and they were still in jail when President Trump pardoned them last week. So, verse 6 of Daniel. Is it 6? Yes. So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, Long live King Darius. Give orders that for the next 30 days, any person who prays to anyone, divine or human, except you, your majesty, will be thrown into the den of lions. This sounds like the January 6th committee. And I believe that's why Liz Cheney was pardoned by Biden. They knew that they had planned wicked schemes against President Trump's supporters. So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room with its windows open toward Jerusalem. That's the holy city. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then wicked officials went together to Daniel's house and found him praying and asking for God's help. And they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. I know, we've done that. We've gone to our lawyers. We've gone to our therapists. We've gone to psychiatrists. We've gone to the banker. We've gone to the loan officer. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. But at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. Then the king said to him, May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you. A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles so that no one could rescue Daniel. No human being, no human being could get in there and rescue him. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. Here's a wicked king, an ungodly king, and he fasted the entire night. Now, probably in their world, they were eating until all hours. Kind of reminds me of the cruise we were on last. We went to a cruise sponsored by the company that had our piano and organ store, the pianos and organs for our store. And you could go to the buffet at midnight. You could go to the buffet at 2 o'clock in the morning. It was always open, and the ship was always ready for anybody to eat. So it was probably the way they spent, you know, these rich people, they just spend the night eating and drinking. And you know the rest of the story, this story. You know that God delivered him and in the morning the king came running and said, Daniel, has the Lord delivered you? And he said, yes, the Lord has delivered me. And the Lord delivered Daniel. You know the story of Joseph because of the jealousy of his brothers. He was sold to a caravan going to Egypt. Was this all in God's plan? Yes, it was. Yes, it was. It was all in God's plan. And maybe the rough times that you've had, the hard times you've been through, the challenging times you thought, oh, I'm going to rebuke the devil. I've done that. I've done that. I'm sorry. I'm kind of laughing because we thought the devil was in all this. Well, God sometimes pushes us against a wall because we will not bend to his plan. We will not submit. And remember what James 4 says. Submit to God. Submit to God. Be obedient to God. Resist the devil and he will flee. So we first of all must submit to the plans that God has for us. And each one of us has different plans. So just as Daniel was seeing injustice every day of his life as a captive in Babylon, he saw Babylon fall and the Medo-Persians take over and Cyrus ruled then. There is another prophet who lived a lifestyle as a farmer until the Lord called him. He lived around Judah and he gave prophecies about the world he was enduring under the Assyrians and Sennacherib. And we see here his name is Micah. And the prophecies of Micah are divided into three parts. Number one, the condemnation against Samaria and Judah because of various sins the people committed. It sounds like the last administration with DEI ruling no matter what those people in the Civil offices knew what they were doing. I mean, they just appointed people. And remember, DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Equity is not the same as equality. Equality means all men are created equal. Equity is give everybody the same playing field. Every level of economy. There won't be any economy. It's like Russia right now. There's the rich, rich ruled by Putin. And then there are the poor, poor. So that's what equity means. D.I. are gone. Praise God. And also, Micah saw the future punishment of these negative actions, including the the doom that the Assyrian armies would bring about. And number three, the hope for a restoration of Israel after their repentance. Remember, it's repentance, folks. And that's why we prayed 2 Chronicles 7.14. If my people who are called by my name, that's us, that's those people in the United States that are spiritual, but we've got to see revival in our own souls, in our own hearts first. Not spread our hands out and, oh, everybody has to repent. Everybody has to have a revival here. No, you must have revival in your heart. So my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Then God says, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land. Throughout the book of Micah, condemnation and punishment and hope for restoration repeatedly and consistently follow each other. And I want to say right here that you will not see reconciliation of any kind until you see equality, as Abraham Lincoln said so eloquently. All men are created equal. Let's look to a God who is a loving God, a merciful God, and say, oh, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Here's a Gaither vocal band.
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Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see. This was grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear. My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains unending love. The Lord has promised good My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. Unending love, an amazing grace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow. The sun forbear to shine. But God who called me here below will be. Forever
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He's forever ours, friend. He's forever ours. Oh, what a loving God we serve. He's truly remarkable, wonderful. It's like an old Lanny Wolf song that John and I used to sing. You're more than wonderful. You're more than wonderful. There are no words to describe God. He's out of the box, out of the universe, bigger than what we could describe. He's wonderful. And in God's eyes, we are all equal. Galatians 3, 28 through 29 says, "...there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female." For you are all one in Christ Jesus, and now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you. So we're equal in God's eyes. We have different economic levels in this world because of our appointments in this world, our assignments in this world. And God still prospers and blesses each and every one of us who are obedient to his call. And that means, you know, I can't look jealously at someone who has more money than I have or bigger home than I have or a beautiful car and a newer car than I have. No, we praise God for what he has done in our individual lives. And then one day we're going to see him and understand all of this, just like I'm going to read on about Micah tomorrow. He's a farmer who came out of nowhere. Nobody knows too much about him. And yet he presented the plan of God to the people so that they could repent, be born, not born again, but know God, seek him again and know his name. God bless you and keep you and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
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SPEAKER 01 :
Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237.org. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
Join us as we unravel the profound yet often misunderstood concept of the 'old man' in Christian theology. By examining Paul’s teachings in Romans, we uncover the distinction between our natural humanity and the spiritual life offered through faith in Christ. This episode challenges common misconceptions and emphasizes the freedom and common sense that comes with understanding the sacrifice of Jesus as our divine representative.
SPEAKER 01 :
So here we are in Romans chapter 6, and we're at verse 6, where Paul says, Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Now, this is very interesting. It's strange as well. And, you know, I'm not sure how I can explain it to you, but I see the book of Romans in a very different way now from how I saw it when I first started teaching this book decades ago. I still saw the gospel in it decades ago, but I see it with a difference now. You see, I thought Paul was simply talking atomistically, shall I say, and that is his own personal experience. And he was simply talking about his having been, let's see, how does it say, that his old man had been crucified with Christ. What I didn't understand then, and I do now, I think, is that Paul is talking about the whole of humanity. Paul is talking about humanity in a personal way so that we get it personally, but it applies to all humanity. Well, let's go on, and then we'll perhaps see that more. Knowing this... What do we know? That's what you and I have to ask ourselves as Christians. Because, you see, we live in a fallen world, and we are part of that fallen world. We have a broken-down human nature, a sinful human nature. a nature that is corrupted. And so the inclination of our hearts and our minds is downward. It's towards sin. It's towards misery. It's towards evil, towards other people and to ourselves and before God, because we are in a state of suppression, as Paul says in chapter 1 of Romans verse 18. But now we've seen Jesus Christ. Christ has revealed himself to us. God sent his Son to reveal himself to the world and to reveal the Father to the world through his Son. And so something has happened to some of us, not all of us at this point. You see, Paul is talking with two voices. He is reminding us that as one man brought sin and death into the world, Adam, so one man brings righteousness and life to the world, Christ. As one man brings about death to everyone, so one man brings life to everyone. That's the good news that we're looking at here, you see. So, in general terms, he's talking about all the world, but then he gets specific about himself and about Christians who know something. What is it we know? That our old man was crucified with him. Now, what is this old man? Well, it's our human nature. It's the whole of us. It is this humanity that is all broken down, that goes in the wrong direction when we want it to go in another direction. This humanity... that would not naturally lift its heart up to God, but naturally go down into the ways of Satan, that humanity of ours, that's what we are, was crucified with him. Well, you say, that sounds weird, ridiculous. I wasn't there even. We're talking about 2,000 years ago at the cross. How could I be crucified with him? And this is where you have to understand the background that Paul is talking about Jesus as a representative for the whole of humanity. Now look, we have recently seen, or today, we have seen the inauguration of a new president. That president represents now the country. Whether we like him or not, that's not the issue. I'm not being political here. I'm simply saying that a person represents the whole. Many, many times we know this. You may have a favorite football team, and you say, we won. And you say, we? Well, we weren't on the football field, were we? But we won because our team represented us. This is what it means when we talk about Jesus as being the representative. What Jesus did for the world was to take the judgment of the world upon himself. And that means that you and I, by faith, are no longer under that judgment. It's as if our natural humanity had already been executed. You see, Jesus' death was not simply the death of a natural death. Obviously it wasn't. It was a crucifixion. But it was an execution. It was an execution for crime. We are the criminals. We are the ones who have suppressed the image of God in us, and we have gone our own way and followed idols, and ultimately that means the dehumanization of every human being. That's what our problem is, and that's what our old man is. That old man then is now counted as if it had been executed because Jesus, the representative of the human race, the sort of spiritual president of all humanity, was executed on our behalf. Now there are some people who turn this into insanity, because what they do is to say, oh well, there's an old man and there's a new man in me, and the old man now is crucified. Well, it's supposed to be anyway, they say, but I haven't succeeded in crucifying it yet, but if I keep working at it, I'll be able to finally kill it off. and they go into all kinds of spiritual insanity. This is what I call religious neurosis. And they try to kill off their old man. And they go on fasts, and they go into rituals, and they go into extensive meditation. And what they're trying to do is eliminate that old man that exists in them. You can see, can't you, how absolutely erroneous that is. Paul is not talking about an old man in us, like a part of us, while we have the new man also in us, that other part. He's not talking about a divided humanity. The old man is our human nature, our humanity. and it is crucified, but not in itself. It is crucified in Christ who represents us before the Father. So this, you see, is Paul identifying by faith with Jesus Christ. This is one of the most amazing and intimate verses you will find anywhere in the Bible. Because this is Paul feeling or knowing that he is so close to Jesus, rather more accurately, Jesus is so close to him that Jesus is identifying with Paul. Now look, you and I need to say, Jesus is identifying with me. I'm not simply identifying with Jesus, because that would be an eternity's work, and I may not be able to do it in this world totally, and I certainly will not be able to do it to identify totally with him. There are people who try to do this. There are crazy people in the Philippines, for instance, I mentioned this the other day, who actually get on a cross and nail themselves to it during the Easter season. It's insanity. It is utterly false religion. They try to identify with Jesus. The faith life is that Jesus identifies with me. You say, well, Colin, how could he identify with me? I'm a sinner. But that's precisely the point. That's why he died. He died a sinner. And this gives you and me the courage to go forward. We are faced every day with our utter corruption. Well, if you're in reality, you're faced with your corruption. If you're in delusion, you think you're an angel about to go to heaven if you don't overshoot. But the truth is, that Jesus has said, I know how messed up you are, Colin, and I am going to identify with you and take all the judgment that you deserve, and I'm going to take it upon myself. And that is how and why Jesus died on the cross. So you and I, on a daily basis, lift up our heart before God and we say, Jesus, thank you so much for identifying with me to the extent that you took my judgment. Thank you that I'm free from judgment, even though I'm a sinner still. You see then, that your old man that is crucified with him, that's not a psychological reality, because if you think it is that, then you're going to go into this religious neurosis where you're trying to spiritually kill yourself. and it is absolutely sick. Don't try it. But when you, by faith, lift up your heart, and you say, oh Jesus, thank you so much, that the burden of guilt, the sense of judgment that I feel I should take, is not upon me anymore. You took it. And as you speak this way to God, you begin to experience a freedom in your spirit that enables you to move forward with some common sense. You understand what I mean by common sense. Common sense only comes to people of faith because men and women without faith are ridden with guilt and shame. And if you're ridden with guilt and shame, you can never think in a common sense way. You're always evaluating the world and how you look before people and how other people look before you with loads of guilt and shame. You're thinking, how do I look? What do they think of me? Whatever will they think of me if they knew what I do? Or you are evaluating them. They're no good. They're stupid. They're useless. And you're contemptuous of other people because guilt and shame are floating around in your mind and heart, and you're evaluating yourself that way, and so you have no common sense at all. But when it comes to faith, we then can look at ourselves and say, I know I'm a sinner, but my Savior Jesus has taken my judgment. And so my old man, the natural humanity that I am in, is finished. It's condemned, and it has been executed. Now, you notice that Paul uses the word old man. Don't use the word old in the sense of time. Well, that was my old man a year ago when I was converted, but now I no longer have an old man because I'm converted. No, the old man is simply your natural humanity in one way of looking at it, in one sphere of existence. But you are now resurrected with Christ. And so you have a new humanity. And that humanity is the way you look at things through the eyes of Jesus Christ. So don't get bowled over by false teaching about, I was this years ago, but now I'm this now. Rather, I'm in myself, an old man, but that's not reckoned against me anymore because I'm crucified in him. And now I'm in Christ, and I have a new humanity. Thanks for listening today. Colin Cook here. You can hear this program on your smartphone any time of the day or night. Simply download a free app, soundcloud.com or podbean.com and key in how it happens with Colin Cook when you get there. Thanks so much for all your support and I'll see you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
Join us as we dissect Ezekiel's message, learning how the enduring truths from the scripture can inform our daily walk with God. Through passionate teaching, Jeff Archie reminds listeners of God's desire for repentance and the abundant life He offers to those who turn from wicked ways. We also explore how these teachings apply to raising our children, sharing our faith, and living a life fully dedicated to God's purpose. It is a call to action, a call to live as God intended, and an invitation to engage more deeply with His Word.
SPEAKER 01 :
How can we then live? You know, that was asked in the long ago, and the answer was given then, and it is given now. We're going to search the Scriptures for how can we then live? That's today from the International Gospel Hour. Stay right here.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. For 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God's Word through International Gospel Hour. You are about to listen to another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour, starting now.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you to our J-Web, and greetings and hello everyone. It's always great having you with us for our studies here from the International Gospel Hour broadcast. We're grateful that we can study today a question asked in the long ago. You know, Hebrews 11, 6 says, "...but without faith it is impossible to please Him, that being God." For he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. May we seek God through our study today as we go to the Old Testament in the book of Ezekiel to consider the question beforehand. I'm going to read Ezekiel 33 verses 1 through 10. Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, When he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people that whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning. His blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but the blood I will require at the watchman's hand. Now verse 7, So you, son of man, that is Ezekiel, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore you shall hear a word from my mouth and warn them for me. When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus you say, if our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, How can we then live? Friends, that is our question for our study. How can we then live? Now, before we study this section of text, we have a free magazine for our teens in the audience. Well, maybe it could be a gift for your children or grandchildren. Here is our J-Web with the details.
SPEAKER 03 :
Courtesy of our friends at apologeticspress.org, we at International Gospel Hour have a limited supply of Valor and Virtue, a Christian apologetics magazine for teens. It is a great resource for any age, but especially for the challenging teen years. Get your free copy today by calling toll-free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say, Valor. That's it. Again, that's 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say, Valor. You can also request it through our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Click on the contact tab and leave us your name and address and put Valor in the message box. We will send you a copy while supplies last. So get yours quickly.
SPEAKER 01 :
In Ezekiel 33, friends, our chapter in consideration, this chapter is called a chapter of charge or a challenge from God with warnings and the plea and command of obedience in light of the warnings that God brings forth, especially through this son of man, Ezekiel. Now in the verses we've read we see the charge of a watchman in warning the people for the people to listen and to obey and to respect the warnings that would come. Now this language is similar to that of Ezekiel 3 verses 17 through 21 with verse 7 here in Ezekiel 33 clearly showing Ezekiel as the watchman God has brought forth. So this great question, how can we then live, in verse 10, and in the verse it says, if we pine away in them, or pine away is a phrase that means to become hardened. It's like death, if you will. And one pines away in sin, then where is life to come? Or what kind of life do you really have, Israel? So when the question is asked, how can we then live, may I go to verse 11 now of Ezekiel 33 for the answer. Say to them, as I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel? Then with specific warnings God brings forth in verse 12, the conclusion is simple. In verse 13, to those that turn from God, well, you will die. But to those that turn to God, you will live. That's verses 14 through 16. So friends, the question, how can we then live? The answer is the same. One must turn to God in order to live. Now, we are reminded of Peter's words in 2 Peter 3 and verse 9, how the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men would count slackness, but how the Lord is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. You see, he's not willing that any should perish, and as noted from Ezekiel 33, 11, he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But he wants all to come to repentance, a continual, beautiful plea from God to this very day. So friends, let's bring forth some lessons here. Let's live for God the way he wants us to live. A lot of us will create our own religion, our own ideas. Oh, I've had individuals look at scriptures concerning salvation, and they'll say, I know that's what it says, but here's what I think. Friends, that's dangerous. When we see what God says through His Word, we need to think upon that and apply that, not begin to determine our own things. You see, let's live the way God wants us to live. In Psalm 56 and verse 9, the psalmist said, When I cry unto thee, then shall my enemies turn back. This I know, for God is for me. You see, God is for all of us. Why would one want to die spiritually when he sent his Son to die for us? He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That beautiful passage of John 3.16. In 1 John 4 and verse 8, God is defined as love. God is love. And how He expressed that love to us in sending His Son. You see, God is for us. God wants no one to be lost. He has done everything possible for you and I to obey Him. Now the charge is upon us. just like it was in the days of Israel. May I submit to you, secondly, let us live for God and tell others, like we're striving to do here at International Gospel Hour. We bring forth this broadcast, and we bring it forth so we can reach the masses with the gospel message, the best message, the only message that will change our lives for good. We have a life to live by telling others with the charge of the Great Commission that Jesus gave in Matthew 28, 18-20. In Mark 16, beginning with verse 15, Luke 24, beginning with verse 47, and John 20, beginning with verse 21. We need to tell others about the Christ. That's one purpose that we bring forth here. A study of the Word of God that when we take the Word of God to study, to show ourselves approved unto God, to be workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing or cutting aright the Word of Truth, 2 Timothy 2.15. We are able to give an answer of the hope that is within us with meekness and fear, 1 Peter 3.15. We need to live for God and let others know, and we need to live for God as our children need to live for God. To those arrows in the hand of a mighty man to be aimed and guided, Psalm 127, verses 3 and 4. Proverbs 22, 16 says, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Children need training, or this training a child in the original Hebrew language means to place a bit in the horse's mouth, to guide, to break, to lead in the right way. Earlier in our broadcast, our J-Web shared with you a free publication of Valor and Virtue for Teens. Well, friends, we want everyone to live for God. How can we then live? We can live by turning to God. With that being said, friends, we'd like to once again mention a new Bible study available by mail. We've talked about this in several broadcasts. It is titled, God and Man, How to be Saved from Sin. This study booklet addresses a number of questions about the salvation from God to man, and friends, like all of our materials, it's absolutely free. Do you want to know how you then can live? Turn to God and we think this book will help you. Now here's what you do. Call us toll free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say God and man. That's all you have to do. Again, that's 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say God and man. Or you can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the contact tab and leave the same information, name, address, and type God and man in the message box. This is another new Bible study that is free from the International Gospel Hour. Friends, what we also want to do is continue these thoughts in our next broadcast from Ezekiel 33. And with that being said, thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I'm Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you for listening to our broadcast today. To God goes all the glory, and we hope that our study today will draw you closer to His Word to walk in His way. To listen to it again or our other broadcasts, please visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com.
