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Episode 51: Luke and Nehemiah · North Bible Recap

• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Well good day, everybody.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad that you're joining us for our North Babel recap.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: What an incredible journey we've been on, and it's good to have today with me, the Pastor Clint Smith.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Hey Pastor Randy, good to be with you today talking about God's word.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Excited about this episode.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I am too, yeah.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: I am too.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to be diving into a Luke.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to finish up Luke.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's an amazing book.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: And we're going to wrap up strong with it.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: We're also going to look at one of my favorite ones is the book of Nehemiah.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's just such an amazing book.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to cover all of that.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then we're going to go the book of Psalms, and we're going to look at 107 and 108 today.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: So you've done the hard work, the heavy lifting for this.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: And um I want to encourage you to whatever platform you're choosing to listen to this, let us know.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Give us some feedback.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: We do appreciate it, okay?
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: And we got some exciting things coming in the future with our podcast.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um stay tuned.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's going to be great.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: Clint, why don't you dive into the book of Luke, chapter 22, starting?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so these chapters bring the Gospel of Luke to a climax, Pastor.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, some great uh passages here.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he's also betrayed and arrested.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Peter denies him.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is crucified and buried, and then on the third day he rises from the dead.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And Luke wants us to understand that the cross is not a failure.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is not simply the victim of circumstances.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: His death and resurrection are the fulfillment of God's rescue plan.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So just a little bit of historical context.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Luke 22 actually begins during the Passover.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's the setting of this.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of the most important celebrations in Israel's history because the Passover looks back at the Exodus and when God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: So every year the Jewish families would remember that God had delivered them through the blood of the Passover lamb.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And that's very symbolic for us.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: At the same time, in this in this day and age for Israel, they were living under Roman occupation.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: So the Jewish people were waiting for God to act again.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Most people were expecting the Messiah to be a strong political leadership type figure to overthrow Rome and restore Israel to what it once was.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what makes Jesus uh a little bit more surprising to them that he did not defeat Rome uh with an army, but instead he goes to the cross, and his death and resurrection bring a different kind of rescue than what they may have thought.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: So we start in with chapter 22, uh the Last Supper, and then just this introduction of the new covenant.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: So during the mill, Jesus takes a cup and he says in Luke 22, 20, This cup is the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So Jesus is taking the Passover story and he's centering himself on it, going back to the Exodus and reminding us of who he is.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: So God rescued Israel from slavery through the blood of the Passover lamb.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now Jesus is saying through his blood, God is bringing that greater rescue from sin and death.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: And notice those words that Jesus uses.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: He introduces this idea of a new covenant, Pastor.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So we know all about the old covenant, uh, but this is a new introduction to the disciples that he's spending time with here, this idea of new covenant.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and that's really important.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Israel had repeatedly promised to obey God, but they continually fell.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna go back to Nehemiah in just a few minutes and look at that.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: That basically is what the old covenant or the old testament mostly was this idea of people connecting with God, but having uh come up short time and time again in need of a savior, in need of that perfect sacrifice.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So Jesus is presenting this idea of something new with that new covenant.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know, uh when when you dive into um the new covenant, um verse of the old, this covenant also is opened up for all people.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, he chose a covenant with the children of Israel in the old testament.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um matter of fact, you got the covenant with Noah, which a lot of people the the covenant covenant with Noah was about a covenant with all humanity.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um it was a promise that God was going to be with all humanity.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: The covenant with Abraham was a covenant with a certain group of people, God's called the Israelites.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: So God's always invested in people, but then he chose a select group of people to work his plan through to bring the Messiah.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: When Jesus comes, obviously this new covenant is you know with God and the people that is solidified by the blood of Jesus Christ, but again, it opens the door for all people.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Anyone who would call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite passages at the end of Luke here is regarding the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus calling out to the Father, if you're willing, please take this cup away from me.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but your will be done, not mine.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's this idea of complete and total surrender uh to the Father in this situation.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus in his humanity is crying out to the Father, saying, I wish you would take this away from me.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: But yet at the same time, I'm willing to do what it takes to set people free from sin and death and hell.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it was really powerful.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Such a beautiful picture of his sacrifice.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and he understands that suffering is coming.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I tell the story like this: he takes the three closest people to him in the world, parks them by a tree, and goes to pray, you know, and begins to seek the father.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: He brought his friends with him.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we see this as a lesson for the disciples, but I think it's also for support, Pastor.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: He was in a very desperate time uh where he was he was all God, but he was also flesh, and he was struggling with the sacrifice that was coming.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: And he did not get the support that he would have liked to have from them.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: They went to sleep, and uh they were very human in their uh three times.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: He'd wake them up to encourage them to keep praying, uh, but uh they kept falling asleep.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, one of my favorite passages.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then we look at Peter's failure after that.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Peter was the one that let Jesus know he would never turn his back on him, uh, but yet it happened.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Luke 22, 32, but I've pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus knew that he would fail him, he knew that he would deny him, but yet he was speaking life over him and calling him to be the leader of what we know as the church.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: So really cool.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: Crucifixion is also found in this uh section of passages, Pastor, in Luke chapter 23, Jesus is tried before Pilate and Herod.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is ultimately the climax of the gospel of Jesus Christ, right?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Crucifixion was a Roman form of execution that that was designed not only to kill someone, but they were also looking to humiliate them as much as possible.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And they use this in Rome to display its power.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yet Luke shows us that what looks like Rome's victory is actually God's victory and Jesus winning.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the most powerful scenes happens with the criminals that are beside Jesus when he says, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: And Jesus replies, I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: You talk about faith.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Think about this for just a moment.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about having faith in Christ, and every person must at some point die to themselves and place their faith in his kingdom, his way.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: But for somebody to be on a cross dying and seeing the person Jesus who is dying, and then you're able to be able to at that moment actually believe that he is God.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's kingdom is going to rule in his kingdom.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: That doesn't look too promising.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't it doesn't look too promising at all.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: And then he calls out and that remember me when you enter into your kingdom.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: What what what's he thinking other than he actually gets it?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: Something clicks inside of him and he sees it.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh this I see your plan.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I believe that you're going to rise from the dead.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: I believe that some way, somehow, I don't know, I don't know if he's re saying rise from the dead, but that you you are going to be victory, yeah, victorious.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: And to place your faith in that moment, that is a very big act of faith.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and a great example for all of us because we uh obviously didn't walk the earth with Jesus.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't seen him in flesh, uh, but yet we believe, and it's stories like this, examples like this, uh, of the criminal that that encourage us and show us uh that Christ is who he says he is and who we believe he is.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: So he he turns his faith to Jesus and Jesus receives him, and then we lead into the resurrection, the finality of it all at Luke 24.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh when the women go to the tomb and they find it empty, and the angels say, Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: He isn't here, he is risen from the dead.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, amen.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: This changes everything, obviously.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Christianity is not simply built around the teachings of someone who died, but also Jesus rose from the dead.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: So death did not have the final word, the enemy's plan to destroy him uh did not work out.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: I mean that there's there's no other religion that has claims like this.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: And there's no other religion that has the evidence historically.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: And so just say it often, but the resurrection is the is the defining moment.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: It is the crux of everything that validates the Christian message, the gospel message.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: All other things can be debatable, but resurrection is so much proof of evidence backing it, supporting that you have to stare the facts in their face and reject them.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: If you give yourself to really the study of the facts, yeah.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the history, yeah, writings that go along with it.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: So then we have the road to Emmaus, uh, one of my favorite scenes, two disciples walking and trying to understand what has happened, and Jesus actually joins them.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: They don't recognize him.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Luke 24, 27.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Just thinking about that is really incredible to think about Jesus walking alongside after the resurrection and teaching and coaching these guys up and reminding them of what was said in the Old Testament or what we know as the Old Testament, what they were referring to as the scriptures, and teaching them uh what the scriptures said and proclaimed about him.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: So Jesus is giving a Bible study in essence and pointing towards himself.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: The cross was not a plan B, uh, it was not an accident, the resurrection wasn't God improvising after he did something wrong or had a foul plan.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is Jesus showing them that this is the story of the Holy Scripture, and this is the story that God had planned to tell all along.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: So and you know what?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: That was a long walk.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that walk to Emmaus was not his short little jot.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: It was like a it was a it was quite stretched out over hours, and and Jesus is taking them through the the scriptures and giving them a download.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, to be there in that moment.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, oh, to be able to uh to listen in.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: And uh again, that was part of how Jesus chose to give this message to the world of his resurrection through eyewitness accounts and through select individuals that he chose to be the people that he downloads stories to and information.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, which is interesting that he would first choose women.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: I read a historian recently that um basically said that uh it was early disbeliever of the gospel who basically literally said that uh women nullified the ability for this to be true because you did not believe in a court of law a when in a woman's testimony.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so, but yet God chose women to be the first voice to proclaim to the world of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because again, throughout the scripture, the first will be last and the last will be first, and God's method of doing things is different from man, he turns the world.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Of course, it says in the book of Acts that these are those who come to turn the world upside down, but actually Christ and the Christians are turning the world right side up.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and um so it's just interesting how that you know this road emails, he's pouring into these two individuals, and we don't know exactly who they are.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um very well could have been a husband and wife that were walking, and then you have him using his the first message of the resurrection as two women, yeah.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's really good.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and he he leaves us in Luke 24, putting us on a mission and kind of giving us that bridge into the book of Acts.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Luke 24, 47, it was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: Thank the Lord for that.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and the book of the book of Luke is meant to flow right into the book of Acts.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: So the order that we have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that was chosen years ago as the order, but but really Luke being the author of the book of Luke and also the book of Acts, the it flows very well from Luke into the book of Acts.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the story of the early church.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's moving on.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: We we finished up Luke.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now we're gonna head into Nehemiah and move into Nehemiah.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: So usually Nehemiah is remembered as the story about rebuilding Jerusalem's walls and the main character, Nehemiah, uh, and it is that.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but really, this book is also about uh not just the construction of a project in a broken city, but the deeper problem of people and broken hearts, people needing to be restored, and eventually needing that savior that we just ended up talking about.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, just to give you a little historical context for those that are joining us, um, we have to remember uh where we are in Israel's history here.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: In 586 BC, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and many of the people of Judah were taken into exile, and eventually the Persian Empire defeated Babylon, and Persian kings allowed groups of the Jewish exiles to return home.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: And by the time Nehemiah enters the story, the temple has already been rebuilt, but Jerusalem's still in terrible shape.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: So they're coming out of this exile, the city has been ransacked and destroyed, uh, the temple has been rebuilt, but the walls are still broken down and the gates are still burnt.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: So this is significant in this ancient world because a city without walls is vulnerable, exposed, and disgraced.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: So Nehemiah is living in the Persian capital and serving as a cupbearer to the king.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that was much more than simply just serving him drinks, it was a very trusted position that was close to the king, that it's obvious that the Lord had put him in favor with the king.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: So when Nehemiah hears about Jerusalem, uh he's in a unique position to do something about it.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: And when he hears about the terrible condition of his country, his prayer is this.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: When I heard this, I sat down and wept.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we find introduction to Nehemiah 1:4 there.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: It tells us something about Nehemiah's leadership.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Pastor, I think one of the things I love about the book of Nehemiah is the undertow and the theme of spiritual leadership and the significance of it throughout this entire book.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: His life is a great example for us to have the call of God and for God to give us an assignment, and then for us to trust the Lord and lean into him and then do something with what God has assigned us.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So one thing that he did as a leader is before he went and did something about it, he prayed about it and submitted to the Lord.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, after he prayed, he develops a plan and he begins to take action.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and we see that combination happen throughout this whole book.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: A dependence on God and an intentional leadership.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and those two things work together beautifully throughout this entire book.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: So, in that return to Jerusalem, Nehemiah asked the king for permission to return to Jerusalem, and the king of Persia grants him that and even provides resources for the work.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is something that blows me away, Pastor, is that he's in this pagan community, and the king grants him permission because of the favor of God, obviously, and then the king actually provides resources and finances to foot the bill for rebuilding the wall and doing what he needs done.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: So really powerful.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, this story is a great story.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: Early on in the church, matter of fact, in probably the first year of our uh starting North Church, I did a series on rebuilding the wall.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: It was really just a great I heard some great teaching from different people on this, but I I dove into it.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: But just his concern for the well-being of the people of Israel, he is going to God in prayer, like he said, but he's asking God for wisdom.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: He sees a concern, a need, calls out to God for wisdom, and then God gives him the courage to go before the king because he doesn't know how this king's gonna respond.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he could respond with anger that even to think that you're gonna do that.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then he had to have the courage to go and to be able to submit the request.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then the favor of God that was upon him, that was all birthed through prayer.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm telling you, pray, pray, call on God.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: We work, work, work, but when we pray, God works.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so good.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it's kind of like a step-by-step guide, Pastor, of how to walk through something, a leadership.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: No matter what your role is, it could be leading your own home or leading yourself, leading at work, uh, leading as a volunteer at church, whatever your situation might be.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can lean into the book of Nehemiah and learn from him of how God took him through this, uh When Nehemiah arrives, he surveys the damage and then calls people together.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: So he's he's assessing situation.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: You talk about wisdom.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's wisdom.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: When we walk into a situation, uh, sometimes we can just carelessly start uh working at things.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: But what Nehemiah does is he actually prays and speaks the Lord and then assesses the situation and then begins to gather people to rally the troops to rebuild and do what was necessary uh for this to actually happen.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the best pictures of the book comes in Nehemiah 4, 417 says the laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love this too because this shows the opposition.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't just uh personal criticism, but they had a real fear that while they're rebuilding this wall, that they would be attacked and destroyed.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so really powerful to see uh that sometimes we can be working at things, and then I just love that you know, we think about our weapons of warfare are not carnal, right?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the word of God and keeping God's word fresh in us, praying, seeking Him, using God's weapons uh in our own daily lives to make sure that we're prepared, even as we're building our lives and discipling other people, that we also have our weapons with us and we're ready for whatever opposition might come our way.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: And there was threats, there was letters sent, there was all of that going on that were trying to discourage them and to try to pull them down from the job that God was asking them to do.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, leadership-wise, they stay focused.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Another leadership attribute that we talked about.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Nehemiah 6.3.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: I am engaged in a great work, so I cannot come.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, why should I stop working to come and meet with you?
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so that's one of my favorite leadership lines in scripture.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Not every invitation deserves your attention, not every criticism requires your response, and not every distraction deserves your energy.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Nehemiah knows what God's called him to do, and he refused to leave the work.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: That is something that every person listening to Clinton just then needs to write that down.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: Not every invitation, I think you said, deserves critic attention, and not every criticism requires a response.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And not every distraction deserves your energy.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: Remember that?
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: Write it down, practice it because they were trying to distract them from what God was wanting to do through them, and the enemy will always do that.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I remember a story of uh a colonel, uh Marine, uh, where his men were engaging in a battle, and the officers above him were trying to call him off the front lines, and his response to them is I am in a fight.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: I am not leaving my men.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's Nehemiah's approach here, that dedication to I have a purpose, I have something that God has put in front of me, and I'm going to stand by it.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so in Nehemiah 6, I I love it when scripture puts specific dates, Pastor Rodney.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Nehemiah 6.15.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: So on October 2nd, the wall was finished just 52 days after we had begun.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: Ooh.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: Incredible accomplishment.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: Come on.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we didn't get them to come build the church.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: We do.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: Build his church Nehemiah style, right?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's good.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so even when their enemies didn't realize uh the work could not have happened without God's help.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: And the book kind of begins to shift here.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the city's been physically rebuilt, and now the people need spiritual renewal, kind of the reintroduction of Ezra.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, in Nehemiah 8, Ezra stands before the people and reads God's law.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is significant.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Ezra's a priest and a scribe uh who had already uh been involved in helping restore Israel spiritually, and now he's dedicating and speaking the word of God over the people in this time of great need.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: So really powerful.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, people start weeping, they they're recognizing how they've drifted away from the Lord.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: And Nehemiah says, Don't be dejected or sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that is a moment of spiritual renewal and people coming back to the Word of God.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: They worship, they confess, and they celebrate what God is doing and just remembering his faithfulness.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: Everything that he had brought them through uh was reminded uh that God is faithful, even though he had had repeatedly unfaithful people, he was still true.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Do it again, God.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Do it again.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: So a new covenant.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: We talked about the covenant that Jesus brought, Pastor, uh, but there was also a covenant renewal here, uh, where they recommit to the Lord and promise to obey, honor Sabbath, uh, support the temple, and bring faithfulness back to Jerusalem.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: It looks like the book should end here because the people are back, the walls rebuilt, worship is restored.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, this is kind of that storybook ending of the way we would like for uh the story to end or the movie to end, but the truth is a problem returns because we got a people problem, Pastor.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um so Nehemiah leaves for a brief period of time, and when he comes back, he discovers many of the same problems.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you can also associate that with a lack of leadership.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of times, with lack of leadership, problems return uh that had once been dealt with.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: So Levites not being supported, the temple being misused, Sabbath being ignored, a lot of the things that had restored had gone back, and people had gone back on what their commitment was.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: Our flesh and human nature doesn't just drift into alignment with God's will and purpose and plans.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, that's why Paul talked about we die daily.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: The Bible on the covenants, it's never about God breaking covenants with man, it's only about man breaking covenant with God.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and we just naturally have a drift away from God's plan and will.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why we emphasize we got to every day be in the word of God for ourselves.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we have to be inviting the Spirit of God to fill us.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: We need to be with the community, the church, the people of God, surrounding ourselves because we all have blindsides.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: We need to hear the word of God preached, we need to engage the word with other people, we need to let the spirit of God move in other people around us, and then we just also every day surrender to God.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_01: I've got to do it multiple times throughout the day because my natural bent is to lean away from the things of God into what I want and desire.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for all of us.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: I made a note here.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: The human heart was much harder to rebuild than the wall.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: And it is that daily commitment, Pastor, like we we can finish up building a building in a few years, right?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: But uh although we may be saved and that might be instant, uh, we're constantly rebuilding the human heart because we need more of Jesus and we need to be sanctified to become more like him.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: So uh turns out that that new covenant they made was insufficient, uh, and ultimately they needed the new covenant that Jesus introduces to us in Luke 22 that we just talked about.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us not too long ago.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: Leads us to Psalm 107, 108.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: And 107 is a beautiful picture of God rescuing people who are unable to rescue themselves.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so it appears that 107 uh people God is speaking to people who have experienced being scattered and then gathered back together.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: That was kind of a theme.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: We just talked through that theme in Nehemiah as well.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: That makes it a natural psalm uh for Israel after exile, uh, and they know uh what it's like to lose land, security, stability, all of those things.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and they know what it's like for God to restore things to them.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: So 107 is not just a generic song about difficult circumstances, it reflects Israel's larger story of rebellion, exile, rescue, and restoration.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it begins with 107.1 give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his faithful love endures forever.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: Man, if there's one verse that we can lean into in our lives and repeat, memorize, I I would think this has to be it.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: So good.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when you talk about Psalms, I just want to kind of lay out, we've kind of discussed this uh over the past many weeks, just kind of how Psalms is laid out.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's 150 chapters in the book of Psalms, um, 71 for sure, 73 is my guess, were definitely confirmed to be written by David.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then there's several other different authors that are identified.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: 51 of them are anonymous, but it's interesting, and you got uh chapter 107 here, which is anonymous.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: Also, 108 is anonymous.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, excuse me, 108 is David.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: 108 is King David.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: So 107 is anonymous, 108 is King David, but 107 starts book five of Psalms.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: So Psalms is actually written five books, and it's meant to mirror, and again, this is just a refresher, you've heard this before on the podcast.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's meant to uh mirror the uh Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: So book one is meant to mirror um Genesis, uh book two is meant to uh um mirror Exodus, and then same point book three, Numbers, book four, Deuteronomy, and book five is meant to mirror um Leviticus.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: Genesis is Leviticus, yeah, Numbers is number four, and then number five is the book of Deuteronomy.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: So we are actually with 107, starting book five, which will take us all the way through the end of Psalms.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: So 107 to 150 is book five of Psalms.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: The Psalm 107 back to it gives us several pictures of people in trouble, uh, lost in the wilderness, trapped in darkness, suffering because of their own rebellion.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Amen to that, right?
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: We've we've all been there and done that.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_00: Sailors caught in a terrifying storm, uh, different circumstances, uh, same pattern.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they reach end of they reach the end of themselves and then they cry out to God, and that's kind of humanity, right?
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_00: We we come to what we can do and figure out we're not good enough, and we have a need for God, and God rescues.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so Lord help.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: They cried in their trouble and he rescued them from their distress.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that phrase is really the heartbeat of Psalm 107.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: They cried out and God rescued them.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a lot of psalms, yeah, again and again and again.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um I I tell you, I think that we we talked about this um recently in one of the podcasts with Pastor Christian, is that as we mature in our faith, and I've noticed this with my life, is that I've really leaned more into the book of Psalms because it really speaks to the ups and downs of life.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: Being in the valley and being on the mountaintop and all the emotions that come with life, and learning to trust God and have confidence in Him no matter what circumstance we are in or facing.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think the more mature we get, the more we realize that the ups and downs will always be there.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so it's it Psalms, the book of Psalms, is a beautiful picture of humanity and the need for God.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: So Psalm 108, us just finishing up on this, continues with that confidence in God's character.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: David, as you noted, he says this in 108.1 My heart is confident in you, O God.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: No wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: So it brings together language that also appears in some of those uh earlier Psalms of David, the emphasis in confidence in God and when victory has not yet been experienced.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of times that happens in our world, doesn't it?
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Psalm 108, 4, for your unfailing love is higher than the heavens, your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: His confidence isn't rooted in perfect circumstances because David went through it sometimes in his own doing, other times because of other people, but he went through it just like we will as humans go through it.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Our faith is rooted in the character of God, that is our confidence.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: With God's help, we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's verse 13.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: Kind of wraps it up, Pastor.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: Clint, well done.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate this.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: What a great job.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: I love Nehemiah.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: I love Nehemiah.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: Finishing up with Luke, like we did, the book of Nehemiah, the example of spiritual leadership, just so many life application lessons there uh in context as well.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like you can just really see a godly man that the Lord used at such a high level to impact and influence and lead well.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, thank you very much, everybody.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_01: So glad that you joined us for North Bible recap and what an incredible journey it's been.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: We look forward to the weeks ahead.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: Keep following, keep tracking, share it with other people.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_01: And we've got more content to come.