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Transcript

Eternal Encouragement · Bible Tract Echoes Podcast

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hey friend, I'm Mike McCurray.
• 0:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Bible Track Echoes.
• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for tuning in today.
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are in first Samuel chapter number 30.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: I invite you to find your place there.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: If not, I'll read the scripture for us in just a moment.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are talking about how to handle discouragement.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: And it's one of those things even the most happy-go-lucky people deal with at different times in their life.
• 0:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: And sometimes it's exterior circumstances that bear down on us, that pressure us in such a way that we slip into discouragement, depression, whatever we may call it clinically or not.
• 0:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: Some of these things are so well hidden, though.
• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: We smile at the world.
• 0:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: we put on the facade, we make it look good at church and even for our family, but we know and God knows.
• 0:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to ask you if you would detune your ears to what we're talking about today.
• 0:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: The gospel tract I want to talk to you about, it goes right along.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: You need to get this tract.
• 1:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's called RU in danger.
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's a good question for you today, maybe you'd say what are you talking about?
• 1:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: Is that a threat, brother Mike and no, no, no, it's what this gospel track talks about.
• 1:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: It tells a story of a young man.
• 1:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: and a violent teacher, they go out fishing, and join just a little bit of time, and they had a good relationship there, and the parents knew where he was, and there was a problem though, you see, there was a storm that came up, the young man almost lost his life, and it begged the question, a question that this illustration leads into asks you the question, are you in danger, not physical danger so much as spiritual,
• 1:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: danger.
• 1:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're listing right now and you'd say, yeah, you know, if I think about it long enough, this is bothered me.
• 1:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know for sure where I would go when I'd die.
• 1:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'd love to help you with that.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Bible can help you with that.
• 1:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I can just show you what the Bible
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: says.
• 2:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'll give you a number you can text in just a moment.
• 2:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'd love to connect with you, but maybe you're a Christian in that gospel track grab your attention.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: Go to bibletracksink.org.
• 2:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's bibletracksink.org.
• 2:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can order some of this gospel track for free.
• 2:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'd love to send you some.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: But if you're wondering, yes, I'm in danger.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, spiritually speaking, I don't know where I would go when I die in front.
• 2:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: you've come to the right place.
• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Listening right now, you could come to that saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• 2:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not because I have anything of my own to share with you.
• 2:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: I can tell you what the Bible says.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk more about that in just a moment.
• 2:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: But if you'd like to personally reach out to me, you can.
• 2:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I get a lot of messages sometimes, so it might take me a few hours, even a day, to get back to you at times, but I will get back with you ASAP, especially if you're talking about salvation.
• 2:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can text me at this number 3-0-9-3-16-7-2-4-0, again that's 3-0-9-3-16.
• 2:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: 7, 2, 4, 0.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: Speaking of salvation, speaking of resting in the Lord, I want to find our place in First Samuel chapter 30, verse number 1, I'm going to read through this passage briefly just to forgive you some context because I want to apply it to where you and I live today.
• 3:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: We asked the question yesterday, are you discouraged?
• 3:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you'd say, honestly, Mike, I am discouraged.
• 3:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: You don't know what I'm dealing with.
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: I found when speaking to people out in the world, just the run of the mill, the living life, stopping at a fast food place, going to Walmart, or you fill in the blank, wherever we have to go to get life done.
• 3:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I found that when I strike up a conversation with someone, I try to be friendly, I try to be not necessarily a charismatic, that gregarious is not probably word you used to describe me, but I do like to make a connection with people as Lord allows, and I try to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit for those opportunities, but I found that when I ask someone how are you doing, I will get a stock answer.
• 4:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I'm doing fine.
• 4:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for just good.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: But if you ask the question again, if you say, no, no, no, how are you really doing?
• 4:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Often times, you can cut a little deeper.
• 4:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: You can get to the heart of the matter, and I realize these past four years or so have been a little bit out of the ordinary, a little different, they use the word all the time, unprecedented.
• 4:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you haven't heard that word for a little while, I'm sorry if I broke your streak.
• 4:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: They were saying it all the time on the news one thing, unprecedented times, but I realize that.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I also realize that people, maybe people like yourself, have been a little bit more open to what the Bible has to say than previously.
• 5:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: And so when I ask the second time, how are you doing?
• 5:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have gotten a little more.
• 5:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Have had people tell me honestly.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not doing well.
• 5:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: I can't make my renter, my mom is in the hospital or my car just broke down or but it's an opportunity.
• 5:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's an opening for the gospel's sake.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: just had the opportunity.
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Not but a day or so ago, a man stopped a buy here in Odell, Illinois pulled in and he came in and he shared a little bit of his story.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: By the way, if you ever come through Odell, Illinois would love to meet you.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you've never seen our facility before, we'd love to show you.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm actually coming to you right now from my office.
• 5:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I can show you where we record these episodes and all those things.
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: But
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: The main reason he stopped by was he wanted to ask if he could get some gospel tracks and the answer was unequivocally absolutely, but in doing so he shared a little bit of his life's account and he told about how his father had been a heavy, heavy drinker.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: His father was a World War II veteran, this man, his name first name was Larry, 70 something years old, his father had been a World War II.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: One of the first people his father was to walk.
• 6:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: into Hiroshima after the bomb had been dropped.
• 6:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, some of his war stories were gruesome.
• 6:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Horrible to be honest, and it caused him to turn to alcohol.
• 6:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: Now, praise God, he later, because of Larry's testimony accepted Christ, but Larry, followed in his father's footsteps for a while, but he finally came to the end of his rope.
• 6:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: His son, after a few marriages, had dissolved, he had a son, and that son was in a daycare at a church.
• 7:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Finally, when he could take it no longer, he called the pastor up and said, I need to talk to you and found himself on his knees at the altar and accepted Christ as his Savior.
• 7:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe your story isn't about the descent into alcoholism.
• 7:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you haven't had three or four marriages like Larry.
• 7:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: But maybe however, maybe you're discouraged in other ways.
• 7:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: In first Samuel chapter 30, we're introduced to some of we already know from scripture his name is David.
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: He comes to be known as King David later on, but right here he's just David on the run.
• 7:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: discouraged.
• 7:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: First number six, and David was greatly distressed.
• 7:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: His people had turned against him, the situation of life, the enemy had taken advantage of their distraction, and it had captured.
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: They didn't know if their wives and sons and daughters were alive or not, but they had been taken away, kidnapped.
• 8:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: and David was greatly distressed, but what he did was the Bible tells us, encouraged himself in the Lord.
• 8:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you're listening right now and you say, you know, maybe that talk about being in danger, that didn't cut to my soul quite as much as this right now.
• 8:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe I'm just discouraged.
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: And maybe I've only ever had human help, and that's failed every time.
• 8:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: And today for the first time, I'm really willing to consider turning to God.
• 8:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: Disrespectfully, some call him the old man upstairs, a higher power.
• 8:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: Friend, he is the creator of the universe, and he can be Lord of your life if you will allow him.
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: He, as powerful as he is, the Bible tells us he doesn't force himself into your lives.
• 9:11
  [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't make you do what he wants you to do.
• 9:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: What's the point of a creation that does everything you want it to?
• 9:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: No, he wanted to have.
• 9:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wants to have fellowship with you because you choose it.
• 9:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: He wants to have a relationship with you because you choose it.
• 9:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But that's often how it is.
• 9:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are as close to God as we want to be.
• 9:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: And maybe today you're willing to get a little bit closer.
• 9:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: the topic of your eternal destiny.
• 9:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're just discouraged enough that you realize that you could encourage yourself in the Lord.
• 9:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: If that's you today, I'm going to ask you to do this.
• 10:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I want to thank you first of all for your open mind, I want to thank you for the fact that you're even willing to listen.
• 10:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: We've taken a little left turn from where I was planning on going in my notes, but I think it's well worth it because if just one more soul the song says would have walked down the aisle, just like Larry found himself on his knees and an altar, you could come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ right now into day, even though we're coming across thousands of miles potentially from wherever you happen to be.
• 10:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm in O'Dell, Illinois.
• 10:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know where you are, but you could right now understand that you are the Bible tells us a sinner.
• 10:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: We are all sinners.
• 10:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, we can do nothing about that.
• 10:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're born sinners.
• 10:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're born in sin as it is written.
• 10:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: There is none righteous, no not one.
• 10:53
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Jesus Christ paid the penalty for us.
• 10:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: You see, our sin is gonna send us to a devil's hell.
• 11:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: For the wages of sin is death.
• 11:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's not just talking about the moment.
• 11:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: You take your last breath and your heart stops beating.
• 11:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's talking about stepping over into eternity.
• 11:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: And there's only one of two places you can go.
• 11:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: Hell or heaven.
• 11:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: so Jesus paid the penalty.
• 11:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord that sounds encouraging and maybe today for the first time you'd like to encourage yourself in the Lord and you'd like to accept this free gift.
• 11:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: God is not one you add to your pantheon of other gods he is God and God alone.
• 11:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you'd like to accept him
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know that because of my sin, I can't go to heaven, but I want to.
• 11:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: I would accept the free gift of your son, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
• 11:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know he was crucifix, he died, on a cross for me.
• 12:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I know he was buried.
• 12:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: but he rose again the third day, he has power over life and death and I want that from my life, I want to accept you as my savior.
• 12:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: Please save me.
• 12:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe just maybe you have more questions.
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you did pray that prayer you'd like to let someone know.
• 12:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I love to hear from you.
• 12:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: If you have questions or comment, text me at 309-316-72-4-0.
• 12:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk more about encouraging ourselves the Lord.
• 12:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: I hope you took the first step.
• 12:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: Today, have a great day for his glory.
• 12:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk you soon.
• 12:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: God bless.
• 13:12
  [UNKNOWN]: Thank you.
• 13:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for tuning in to Bible Tract Echoes, the radio ministry of Bible Tracts Incorporated.
• 13:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: Want to see our gospel tracks and other resources?
• 13:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Visit us online at BibleTracksInk.org that's BibleTracksInk.org or follow us on social media to learn how you can partner with this ministry.
• 13:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks again for listening.
• 13:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: May the Lord richly bless you as you live for Him.