Two Kings, One Throne | Who Is Really in Control? (Ep. 11)

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The world is loud, truth feels confusing, and life has a way of making us forget what matters most.
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But through scripture, honest conversation, and real stories of faith, remember who the king is exists for one purpose: to point back to Jesus.
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This is more than a podcast.
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It's a reminder.
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The king is still on the throne.
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Hey everybody, welcome back to Remember Who the King Is.
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Today's a little different.
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We had some audio difficulties, and then we jumped on and we tried to hit record, and Mark was having audio difficulties.
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When the devil attacks, he attacks all different angles, but we are good to go.
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We have got it down.
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So we're excited to be with you again.
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Today we're going to jump into um we're jumping into Matthew chapter 2.
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And I'm excited about this because the last episode before this, we were diving into what a lot of people would call the Christmas story.
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But this is not this is not just Christmas.
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This is this is something we should read and look into at all times.
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Most people know this chapter because it talks about the wise men.
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They think of frankincense and myrrh and gifts.
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But this chapter is about kings and what they were willing to do.
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So I'm I'm excited to jump in.
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How are you guys feeling today?
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Doing great.
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Doing great.
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Glad to be here.
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Excited about this story, right?
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Absolutely.
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Me too.
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Have y'all ever so we're talking about the kings going on trips, and instantly when I read this, I think of all of the trips that I've taken, but I cannot imagine this kind of trip of walking that far across the land to see something.
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What's the just out of curiosity, I came up with this question just now.
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What's the furthest any of us have traveled?
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I probably not me.
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You mean as far as walking or as far as riding?
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Well, ri riding.
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We're in modern day, so riding.
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Donnie, what about you?
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2300 miles.
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I've driven uh I've driven like to Philadelphia or uh New York.
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But uh, you know, I've flown uh you know to the uh you know to California or different places, but I've never I've never walked uh as far as this thing, but there's a lot going on in this story, I tell you.
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There's a whole lot going on, yeah.
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Same here.
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I've I've driven a lot, but I can't imagine walking that far.
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I think that's one one uh thing nowadays that we can we can look forward to going and getting our car.
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We don't have to we don't have to walk that far.
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But Donnie, let's go ahead and dive in whenever you're ready.
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Okay, well, let's get going.
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All right, well, so we're in Matthew uh chapter two, and like like we talk about all the time, we you know we're we're praying that people as we do our podcasts will have a desire to read the Bible on their own because it's just such much great uh information and and and there's some real drama in what we're about to read.
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And so let's get going.
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All right, the New Living Translation, the visitors from the East in Matthew chapter two.
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Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of King Herod.
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About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem asking, Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
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We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.
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King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
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He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?
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In Bethlehem in Judea, they said, For this is what the prophet wrote, and you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you, who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.
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Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.
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Then he told them, Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child, and when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him too.
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After this interview the wise men went their way, and the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem.
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And it went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.
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When they saw the star, they were filled with joy.
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They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
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Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
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They escape to Egypt.
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After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
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Get up, flee to Egypt with the child and his mother, the angel said.
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Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.
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That night Joseph left for Egypt, and the child and Mary his mother, and they stayed there until Herod's death.
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This fulfilled what the Lord has spoken through the prophet.
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I called my son out of Egypt.
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Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him.
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He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men's report of the star's first appearance.
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Herod's brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.
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A cry was heard in Rama, weeping and great mourning.
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Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.
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You know, Chad, like you were saying, we think about this story, or people have heard the story, you know, and you know, almost like a Christmas story, right?
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You know, the wise men come and they bring these gifts.
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But that's a teeny little bit of this story.
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This story is about power, it's about control, and it's what, like Chad was saying, it's what kings will do to keep their power.
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And you know, I'm just so excited to talk about it today because I, you know, there's just so much more to this.
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That the wise men, they're they're certainly important, but there's so much more to this story that's applicable today.
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And I know Mark, I know he you know he loves to research this stuff, and I'm real excited.
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I've been thinking about it for two weeks.
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I'm excited to hear what he's got to say about it.
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What'd you what'd you find about this, Mark?
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Thanks, Donna.
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You know, this is probably one of the top three stories that most everybody's familiar with in the Bible.
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To me, this exemplifies God's reign over everything.
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God's plan always prevails.
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Especially when we're talking about his son.
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I mean, if if if there was ever a plan that was gonna go flawless, it was this plan.
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Now, you know, this story takes place around four BC in Bethlehem.
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But believe it or not, the prophet Micah wrote about this and predicted 700 to 735 years before Jesus was born, that this was going to happen.
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I want to read that to you because I I went and researched Micah chapter 5, 2 through 4.
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It says, and these are excerpts, but uh please, you know, viewing audience, please feel free to look this up.
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One who will be the ruler over Israel, he will stand and shepherd his flock and the strength of the Lord, and the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and they will live securely, for their greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
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So this is what Micah wrote 700 to 735 years before Jesus was born.
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Okay, and there's some other excerpts that I invite the listening audience to go to Micah and read from from two to six, and it'll it'll explain more.
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So uh this was what do you call it predestined?
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This was this was already recorded, this was already talked about, it was already written.
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And and so when you know all the players in this story, which are four or five, right?
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We've got Mary, who's the mother of Jesus, we've got Joseph, who's the adopted father of Jesus, we've got three Maja who are wise men.
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You know, these Majas, these guys, scholars believe that these guys were astronomers or they were a astrologers.
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So they're familiar with the stars, right?
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They're familiar with the skies and the interpretation of the stars, and so when they see this particular star, they know it's a star like no other than they've ever seen.
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And dating back to the writings of Micah, they know what this star stands for, and so does the other party, King Herod.
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He was called King Herod the Great, right?
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I don't want to focus a lot on him, but he does play a an important part in this story, right?
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But again, God's hand is in all of this.
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But King Herod was you know called Herod the Great, and he was great at certain things.
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I mean, he was great at building, he was a great administrator, he was great at politics, but he was also great at cruelty.
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And he was and and he would kill those people that were close close associates to him that threatened him.
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So he was pretty paranoid most of the time, I would imagine.
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But he was a he was a ruler and a dictator, and uh, you know, this was Roman rule, right?
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In in Judah.
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And uh so you've got all these characters, so to speak, and you know the wise men knew what they knew when they saw the star, but they stopped, I'm assuming, along the way to tell Herod where they were going, and he was like, Whoa, whoa, whoa Let me know exactly where he is so I can go and worship.
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Well he there again, being paranoid and having an undermining mentality, uh he's gonna he's gonna kill Jesus.
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He's gonna kill the baby.
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Well again, God knows everything, so God already already knew the plan before Herod even thought about what he was gonna do.
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But the wise men, the Majah, they didn't go back.
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They went on about their way after they they came and and worshipped and bowed down, and and I mean they knew so they didn't want to have any part of uh Herod's plan.
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So you know to me those are a lot of the main things that really jumped out at this.
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I mean, when when Herod goes and kills these boys two years and under, I mean, um I mean it it really bothered me to read that and see that and try to picture the suffering that all those parents, not just mothers, but but fathers and townspeople went through.
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Um and I'm quite honestly surprised God let Harry last as long as he did.
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You know, but uh there again, that's you know, these are the words it's it's all dated.
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I mean, it's it's all written down.
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It's it's top probably top three stories that I've ever heard.
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Of course, it was all to song back in the day, you know, when we were children, away in a manger.
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Um but uh the number one thing that that that really resonates with me is is how you know God's plan always, always, always prevails.
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Always.
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And I know there's a whole lot more to this that you guys uh have have interpreted and or feel about this this story.
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But you're right, Donnie, there's a whole lot more to it than just baby Jesus being born in a manger.
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Um a lot had to happen.
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You know, they had to flee, they had to go to Egypt, and again, God spoke, or an angel of God spoke, and uh was directing them, Joseph, to get them out and go to Egypt.
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And and again, he was orchestrating every single thing that took place.
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And what whatn't we what wouldn't we do for our children?
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What what what what wouldn't we do for our sons and our daughters, right?
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And our and our our families.
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So um powerful.
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Powerful.
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That's good stuff.
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That's good stuff.
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You know what's something that came to mind when I when I read through this, or when we talk well, now that we're talking about it, is that everybody everybody that hears about Jesus, everybody responds to Jesus, but everybody's response is different.
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Not everybody responds the same way.
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Some people are so stuck on themselves, thinking of Herod, wanting authority, and this happens nowadays.
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I mean, unfortunately, there are countries nowadays that people die for their faith.
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They die for Jesus, they die because of the name of Jesus, because there's a ruler, there's somebody in authority that doesn't want to lose that authority.
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And Jesus is a threat to them.
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You know what I mean?
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And back in this story, Jesus was a threat.
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This was a threat to Herod, and that's why he went to the ultimate saying, Hey, I'm gonna go kill, I'm gonna go kill all these children, which is so sad.
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But I I think ultimately it was his it's his pride and his his um wanting to hold on to that authority.
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That threat made him go to the to the ultimate um and and start killing people, which is which is a sad thing.
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But I I think about other other countries nowadays where people suffer and people are killed for their faith.
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Um I think Herod, when you when you talked about Herod, Mark, I can imagine he was you said he was good at several things, and he was, he was good at several things, but he I think he was deeply disturbed in in his mind, obviously.
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Um and when when that threat to his authority came, he was willing to do whatever it was to protect it.
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Anything, anything to protect it.
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Um and I think the greatest competition to God's throne is not Satan, it is its people, it's us, because we want control.
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And Herod is uh an shining example of that.
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He wanted full control, and he was willing to do whatever it took.
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So that really stuck out to me.
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And and I also think practically, how can I how can I apply this?
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How can I apply this story to my life?
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And I think about there are things in my life as I've gone along that I wanted full authority over, and I didn't want to give God any authority in that.
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And so uh, you know, we can think about our own lives.
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What areas of our life are we trying to be the king over instead of giving him full lordship over?
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There's so many things in the story you can break down here and and you can and you can uh apply it to your life.
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But anyway, that's those are the first things that stuck out to me.
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Well, I have a question in verse three.
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You were talking about King Herod being uh paranoid and so forth.
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Verse three says, King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
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I didn't I didn't quite understand that last part, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
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So can Donnie, can you touch on that?
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Well, well, you know, uh in talking about it here again, you know, we're we're kind of speculating, right, on how we see this.
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But isn't this great about reading and discussing the Bible?
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I mean, this is the sort of thing that, you know, like we've discussed, like Chad said earlier, you know, people hear this story, they think about the three kings.
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Well, you know, they're important, but it's a lot more to that than just this story.
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And and uh to me, Mark, and I I'm and I'm curious to what y'all think I'm so great glad you asked that question.
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Carod to my kind, you know, he's the king, he's the king of the Israel, he's the king of the Jews, right?
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So they use they're supposed to be looking for a Messiah.
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They're supposed to be looking for a king.
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But you know, Herod's comfortable.
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He's got power, he's in control.
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And you know, these people in Jerusalem, they probably pretty comfortable, you know, in their lifestyle.
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They they you know, they got their businesses going, they got they got whatever they got going, they got positions of authority, and they ain't looking for nobody to disrupt that.
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And and the idea, I think that's a tell me what y'all think.
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When it's said, I I think that's in there for a for a reason.
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Well, we know Harry's disturbed, because we see what he does, right?
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He he he don't want he don't want no new king.
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He's like, no, I'm the king.
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Okay, this this ain't gonna happen on my watch.
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And I think it's I think God, you know, he shows us things, right?
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Like Chad was saying, and Mark, we've talked, you know, like we've talking about, he gives us puzzle pieces, right?
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I love the puzzle pieces.
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That'll never go out of my mind.
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The puzzle piece here is Herod.
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Herod was an evil man.
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Okay, and he won't looking for no Messiah.
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He was looking to stay in control.
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And I I'm just to me, Mark, to kind of answer your question, this just I want to hear what you guys think about it too.
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But it's like Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
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It almost makes it sound like they want no interest in no Messiah.
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They were doing their own thing and they didn't want nothing to disrupt it.
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And it's almost like God put this in here sort of to tell us, hey, there are a lot of people wherever you at.
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They ain't they ain't interested in me.
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They're not interested in a Messiah.
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Like, like y'all were saying, it would, and Jesus is a threat.
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And it almost makes it sound to me like they were deeply disturbed because they saw Jesus as a threat.
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They saw God as something they really didn't need.
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What do y'all think about it?
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That's like applicable to today.
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I want to jump in because you know, a light switch just kind of came on while not when I was reading it, but when you read it a second time.
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So maybe the folks in Jerusalem were disturbed because they knew how King Herod was paranoid and would kill anybody close to him that that that challenged him.
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So all of a sudden the Messiah is born and they're disturbed because they know King Herod's gonna try to kill it.
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Yeah, good point.
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:50.559
That's a great thing.
00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:02.319
It's it's no, I think I actually think there's there's both of those are true.
00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:17.519
I think you have if you look at the political climate today, I think the thing that scares people, you can have a leader that comes in and people even people that were against that leader at first, they get so comfortable with the way things are.
00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:25.519
Oh, it's taken all this time, but we're we're we're consistent, I've got my business, I've got this, and this is all going fine.
00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:26.720
I don't want anything to change.
00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:27.839
I think there was that.
00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:37.200
And then I also think, Mark, there were people who were adamantly against him, like you said, that were disturbed because they were like, oh no, what is he gonna do now?
00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:55.440
So I think both sides, but it's just like nowadays, you know, when we had we had a different president before, yeah, and people got used to the way things were going, then a new president comes in, things change, and then you know, after a while we're gonna get another president, and people it change really affects people, and it affects people in different ways.
00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:59.440
And I think change is scary to a lot of people, even if they don't like that person.
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.559
But I think there's I think that disturbed probably includes all of those people.
00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:09.119
It disturbed all of the people because some of them knew him and knew how he was going to do it.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:12.799
And some of them was were afraid of him, and some of them were just comfortable.
00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:15.359
So I think that's that's that's a good catch.
00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:18.880
I didn't even I I went right over that and both of y'all stopped on that.
00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:20.400
I said, man, that's good.
00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:21.359
That's really good.
00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:23.119
They were disturbed too.
00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:25.440
That just shows what type of person he was.
00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:31.519
I got a I I got something maybe we could think about like this, for example.
00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:36.559
You know, when Jesus, when a person, when Jesus comes in your life, let me tell you stuff's gonna change.
00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:37.200
Yes.
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:39.279
It's gonna change, right?
00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:47.200
You know, and a lot of folks may not want that relationship because they're they're comfortable, okay, or they they want to be their own king like Herod.
00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:58.799
You know, Herod's a king, he's running the show, this is his deal, and you know, when God steps into your life or when Jesus calls you to do something, you know, it's gonna be some change, and there's gonna be some opposition.
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:02.000
We're gonna, you know, there's a lot of opposition in this story.
00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.920
But how relevant is that to today?
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:07.119
I mean, I think when people uh uh what do y'all think about that?
00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:13.680
Like, you know, when somebody makes a decision for Jesus, uh they need to be prepared, right?
00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:18.960
There's gonna come great blessing, but there's also gonna come challenges, and we gotta decide, is it worth it?
00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:20.000
What do y'all think about that?
00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:22.160
I mean, to that to me, what do y'all think about that?
00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:34.720
Yeah, I don't know if the word dis disturbed is a is an accurate depiction of how I feel sometimes when I know when I sin.
00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:40.000
I know and I know God knows.
00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:42.640
That is disturbing.
00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:47.599
That's disturbing to me because it's a gut check, right?
00:23:47.839 --> 00:24:03.039
I mean, it's a conscious knowledge of I just did something that unconsciously or consciously that I did um and I get disturbed by that.
00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:03.599
Right.
00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:06.240
So there's another there's another definition of the channel.
00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:07.680
There's so many la layers.
00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:08.079
Yeah.
00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:14.000
So I mean, but uh yeah, I can I can see change, you know, what's the saying?
00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:16.240
If you don't change, change will change you.
00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:19.440
Um roll with the punches, things of that nature.
00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:35.599
I don't know that roll with the punches is an accurate depiction, but but being disturbed, yeah, I I consciously am disturbed by thoughts or actions or you know, things that I'm not paying particular attention to.
00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:41.200
Uh but it's okay because I can be forgiven.
00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:47.920
I'm reminded in a in a in a spiritual way that you're gonna make mistakes.
00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:51.839
I died on the cross for your sins, you know, Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:53.119
It's gonna be okay.
00:24:53.759 --> 00:25:03.599
The blood of Christ just takes over and and washes away those sins and those thoughts and those actions.
00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:13.440
And so disturbed, yeah, but on the flip side of that is deliverance.
00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:27.200
So to me, it's it's you know, that that word disturbed can have a lot of different definitions and a lot of different capacities, but um it's it's okay to be disturbed.
00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:40.240
You know, it's okay to be uncomfortable, it's okay to know that that you're not perfect and that you're gonna make mistakes, but it's even better to know that those sins could be forgiven.
00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:41.839
That's good.
00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:42.640
To me.
00:25:42.720 --> 00:26:02.799
I mean, that's just back before before I knew Christ, or even before I knew the gospel, I probably would have been way more disturbed knowing that someone was going to enter and radically change everything about me, and I would have to stop doing things that pleased me.
00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:03.839
You know what I mean?
00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:05.519
And that that would have disturbed me.
00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:15.279
I while you were talking, Mark, I looked up synonyms for disturbed, and one of them is disrupted, and one of them is worried.
00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:24.480
And so I can imagine people that are doing their own thing in their own way, having their life in their mind, like we talk about plans change.
00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:36.480
They all planned out, knowing that someone could come in and potentially change that, that would disrupt, disrupt your life, which is what Jesus does in a good way, in the best ways pop possible.
00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:38.799
And that would worry me, that would disturb me.
00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:47.200
So that that has a lot of meaning now, now that I'm thinking through it, as to how how I would have felt, you know, before I knew who Christ was.
00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:50.960
And now, like you say, Mark, it still does disturb me, but in a good way.
00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:53.039
I'm I'm like, ooh, I needed that.
00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:54.799
I needed him to fix that in me.
00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:56.400
So that's good.
00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:03.200
To y'all's point, you know, like um like Mark was describing, you know, once we accept Jesus, Jesus is Lord, right?
00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:05.440
He when he when we say Lord, okay, he's his boss.
00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:06.960
Okay, he's in control.
00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:09.440
And he puts that Holy Spirit in you.
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:12.880
If you go to doing something you used to do that you know is wrong, it's gonna bother you.
00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:14.960
Okay, that it ain't gonna leave you alone.
00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:19.039
Okay, it's gonna disturb you in a good way, right?
00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:23.680
Just say, hey, you know, say, hey, hey, you know what, you following me, you don't need to be doing that.
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:25.680
I mean, this is something you got to give up.
00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:32.799
I mean, if you're gonna if you're gonna follow me, if I'm Lord, I've got big plans for you, or whatever the plans are.
00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:56.480
I've got I've got a plan for you, and and in order to accomplish this mission that I have for you, yeah, you we're gonna have to behave a certain way, and some of these things you used to do, you ain't gonna be doing, and and some of the and the the folks that you know, they're gonna be folks that you used to hang around with and they're not gonna they're not gonna be comfortable around you anymore, and you're not gonna be comfortable around them, because I got I got something new for you to do.
00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.440
And that's a like Mark was saying, what a blessing.
00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:05.599
What a great, great blessing to have that Holy Spirit convicting us from the inside out.
00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:24.559
What do you, you know, let's say, you know, Chad, we talk a lot about, you know, and Mark and I, you know, our kids are grown and your kids are teenagers, you know, we're living in this world, in this social media world, you know, and and even in people our age, I mean, if you make a life change, you make you you make Jesus Lord of your life, life's gonna change.
00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:24.799
Yeah.
00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:28.079
And that can be especially hard for a for a younger person.
00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:31.200
You know, Chad, you know, what do you think about that?
00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:33.440
How and Mark, you know, what do y'all think about that?
00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:42.960
What what what should what can this story teach someone who's a new believer about what's what's hit coming their way?
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:46.160
That's good.
00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:56.160
I I think I think that having I think the problem is a lot of people, there's so much preaching and teaching and all that on social media.
00:28:56.240 --> 00:28:57.200
There's so much of it.
00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:00.720
You can't, I mean, even if you're not a Christian, you'll run across it.
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:06.640
You'll run across people outside of abortion clinics preaching in the streets preaching, uh, all of these things.
00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:07.599
You'll run into them.
00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:11.839
And they'll either scroll by it or but they'll have some type of thought about it.
00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:17.519
And I think about um, when you just said that, there's a verse, let me go back to the Bible.
00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:35.359
It's verse uh four, let's see, four, yeah, where King Herod called a meeting with the leading priests, so these are religious people, religious people, and the teachers of oh, it says teachers of religious law, and asked, where's the Messiah supposed to be born?
00:29:35.519 --> 00:29:39.759
In Bethlehem, in Judea, they said, for this is what the prophet wrote.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:43.680
So these are religious leaders that are alongside Herod.
00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:45.599
He's asking them, he's talking to them.
00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:52.400
And I think about nowadays, people know, some people know scripture that aren't saved.
00:29:52.480 --> 00:30:00.960
They know scripture, they've heard the preaching, they've heard the teaching, but knowing the scripture, knowing about it, is not the same as knowing Jesus.
00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:02.720
And that's what you're talking about, Donnie.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:06.880
When you know Jesus, that is transforming, completely life transforming.
00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:12.720
I think a lot of people nowadays, especially youth, uh, we experienced this at camp last week.
00:30:12.960 --> 00:30:18.720
Youth that have grown up, even in the church, they've heard the gospel several times, but it never clicked.
00:30:18.799 --> 00:30:23.599
They didn't really know Jesus, they just knew of Jesus, like these religious leaders.
00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:27.279
And knowing Scripture is not the same as knowing Jesus.
00:30:27.519 --> 00:30:33.119
These people in this, uh in Matthew chapter 2, these religious leaders, they knew where he was going to be born.
00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:34.319
They knew all about him.
00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:40.799
They were telling Herod, Herod knew now he had that knowledge, but knowledge isn't that transformation.
00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:44.079
The knowledge is what you get before you get transformed.
00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:59.519
I think the application of this is it's possible to know the Bible, to go to church, to know theology, to know things, and still completely miss the actual transformation, the life transformation that Jesus.
00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:14.960
You can I'm I've known people in my life who are very religious and they've grown up in the church, but these people will go home and live like the devil and then come back to church on Sunday because there's no transformation, there's no conviction, like you talked about, Donnie.
00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:17.200
There's just no Holy Spirit living inside them.
00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:20.480
But they have all this hidden knowledge, and that's very deceiving.
00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:21.440
That's what the devil wants.
00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:27.119
He wants you to have a lot of hidden knowledge and no real connection, relationship with Jesus.
00:31:27.359 --> 00:31:30.880
So I I think that that's that's a great question, Donnie.
00:31:31.200 --> 00:31:39.039
Um I think that's one of the biggest challenges now for young people because there's so much stuff in their face and they don't ever experience it.
00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:45.440
When we were at camp last week, we had several young people, like I said, who grew up in church, and we had a night, Thursday night was incredible.
00:31:45.599 --> 00:31:49.279
You could feel the Holy Spirit was in the room working.
00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:54.480
We had the preacher who came in, and there was about 700 kids there, lots of kids.
00:31:54.640 --> 00:32:03.359
And before he even started speaking, they did some worship, before he even got up and started speaking, he just all he was going to do is lay out the gospel.
00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:04.480
We didn't know that though.
00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:12.480
And before he started speaking, kids, for absolutely no reason, and it what from what you could see on the outside, but internally something was happening.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:26.640
They were going up to the altar and praying, and kids were crying and breaking down, and that night they had at least 50 or 60 salvations because they finally it finally clicked with them that oh, I've been in church my whole life.
00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:28.319
I don't know the real Jesus.
00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:33.279
I don't know what He what he means, what He actually does in my life, what am I living for?
00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:34.319
And so it clicked.
00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:41.119
So I think that's that's one of the biggest um one of the biggest threats right now the devil's using.
00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:47.200
I do want to go back and touch on that word disturbed one more time from scripture.
00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:51.440
Because I'm I'm I'm now I'm deep diving into this.
00:32:52.160 --> 00:33:02.079
Um verse two, it says, where the newborn king, where is the newborn king, king of the Jews?
00:33:03.279 --> 00:33:05.039
We have come to worship him.
00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:10.559
All of a sudden the tables are turning on Herod, right?
00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:13.200
So Herod's disturbed, right?
00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:21.039
And then he calls a meeting and says, you know, where is where is this child?
00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:29.440
And then instructs the wise man to go and find his location and let him know.
00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:46.000
Now, you know those guys when they left Herod and they were traveling to see Jesus, they're saying to themselves, they know him, they know Herod, they know how he is, they know what he's up to to some degree.
00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:51.359
Yeah, he wants us to go and find out the location and let him know so he can come and worship him.
00:33:52.319 --> 00:33:54.880
Uh no, he's gonna kill it.
00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:57.359
And we're not going back there.
00:33:58.400 --> 00:34:06.160
We're not gonna go back, we're not going to assist in the death of of Jesus.
00:34:07.920 --> 00:34:18.559
If you look at a bigger picture of Jesus' life from the time he's born he was crucified.
00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:32.320
Or tried to be or tried or or ridiculed or or challenged or or tried to be captured and and ultimately crucified.
00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:34.559
I mean, from the day he was born.
00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:56.480
Um there's there's not anybody that I know of or I've read about that is gonna be more protected by by the Lord God Almighty, his father in the Bible.
00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:57.679
You know, that's his son.
00:34:58.000 --> 00:34:59.920
He's not gonna let anything happen to you.
00:35:01.679 --> 00:35:12.000
Ultimately when he was crucified dead and buried, he still rose three days later and ascended to heaven.
00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:25.440
But but his whole life was was spent trying to teach and love and promote understanding.
00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:30.000
And uh but it started at birth, my lord.
00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:31.360
And ever after.
00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:33.119
Yes, sir.
00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:35.679
So anyway, that's you know, to talk about disturbed.
00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:58.960
I mean, those three wise men were disturbed, leaving Herod going to go find Jesus to worship him, bow down to him, present gifts to him, uh knowing that they were asked to divulge his location so Herod could kill it.
00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:03.119
It's a disturbing story.
00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:07.440
I mean, you know, and like the end of this thing, and we ain't even got to really talking about that part of it yet.
00:36:07.519 --> 00:36:10.559
But I mean, like Mark was saying, you know, when you read this, it's disturbing.
00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:13.519
I mean, it's hard to read what happens in the end of this thing.
00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:22.480
But uh Mark made the great point when he when he you know did his present, you know, when he was talking about all these things he's you know research this week.
00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:30.079
You know, in verse 12 it said, when it was time to leave, talking about the wise men, when it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route.
00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:30.960
Why?
00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:36.320
For God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
00:36:36.400 --> 00:36:36.559
Right?
00:36:36.639 --> 00:36:42.559
So Mark, like Mart was saying, God's got a plan, and you know, Jesus went to the cross.
00:36:42.719 --> 00:36:45.920
Let me tell you, Jesus chose to go to the cross.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:47.519
He had an option.
00:36:47.679 --> 00:36:49.039
He didn't have to go to that cross.
00:36:49.119 --> 00:36:51.760
I mean, if he if he don't want, he went for us.
00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:54.800
He chose to lay down his life for us.
00:36:54.960 --> 00:37:03.760
But from the very jump, do you think it's uh it's uh by chance that the religious leaders and the teachers of religious law were aiding Herod?
00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:06.320
Look, who's who helped send Jesus to the cross?
00:37:06.400 --> 00:37:10.960
Who who who persecute, they're gonna persecute him all throughout the book of Matthew.
00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:20.800
Um you know, I I'm so thankful that we're getting a chance to do this podcast to talk about these things because this, you know, what would you say?
00:37:20.880 --> 00:37:22.320
Oh, this is a story to three wise men.
00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:28.480
Well, it's a lot more than the three wise men in this story, and it's so applicable to life today.
00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:32.079
But how do you talk about choices?
00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:39.920
I mean, you know, Herod might have said, hey, look, you come out and tell me where he is, you know, I'll give you this, that, or the other, you know, because I want to go worship him.
00:37:40.159 --> 00:37:43.840
And, you know, these wise men, they made a decision.
00:37:43.920 --> 00:37:46.559
You know, they made a decision not to do it.
00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:50.480
They had this they had really good discernment for sure.
00:37:50.960 --> 00:37:51.280
Exactly.
00:37:51.360 --> 00:37:54.480
What do you think about the idea that God warned them in a dream?
00:37:54.639 --> 00:37:57.280
I mean, you know, God's speaking us all the time.
00:37:57.440 --> 00:38:00.639
I mean, I I'm praying, I don't know about you, I'm praying all the time.
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.599
Lord, what do you want me to do in this situation or that situation?
00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:06.800
Not that I got it figured out, because I can promise you, I don't.
00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:07.679
I do not.
00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:10.079
But how do y'all feel about that?
00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:15.920
Don't y'all believe God's working in our lives, in people's lives more than we maybe realize?
00:38:16.079 --> 00:38:22.079
Maybe we should look to that a little more, like, hey, you know, God, tell me what you want to do.
00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:26.159
Maybe if we listen a little better, we might things might go better for us.
00:38:26.239 --> 00:38:27.760
What do y'all think about that?
00:38:28.079 --> 00:38:35.280
I think people nowadays are really, well, I talked about it earlier, concerned with the outward appearance, concerned with the outside.
00:38:35.360 --> 00:38:40.159
They look at the outside, they listen to the outside more than they listen to their heart.
00:38:40.320 --> 00:38:49.599
And God speaks to us mostly through his word and through our own experiences within us, our thoughts, our dreams, things like that.
00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:52.239
I don't think people actually, a lot of people believe that.
00:38:52.400 --> 00:38:53.920
A lot of people, I don't think, listen.
00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:58.159
You know, they they they're not they're not intuitive in what is God telling me?
00:38:58.400 --> 00:38:59.840
What is God telling me in my heart?
00:39:00.159 --> 00:39:02.719
Oh, I had a dream, but that's not, they just dismiss it.
00:39:02.880 --> 00:39:05.760
But I think God's more concern God is well, he is.
00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:09.280
He's more concerned with our heart than our words.
00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:12.000
In fact, I don't know, um actually I do.
00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:12.960
What's that verse?
00:39:13.119 --> 00:39:17.360
Um man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart.
00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:28.400
And so he deals with us in a way that nowadays people are so used to looking at the outside and listening to the outside, they don't pay attention to that, Donnie, and I think they miss that.
00:39:28.480 --> 00:39:31.360
I think they miss it so often, probably daily.
00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:43.920
How much more would we be in tune with God if we would spend more time with him and less time concerned with all of our own things that we're doing and our schedule and our time?
00:39:44.079 --> 00:39:58.719
And I was talking at camp to the youth one night, and I said, um, I said, I want you guys to know that when we get back, when we get back home, this high that you're on right now, this spiritual high where you feel in tune to God, the devil is gonna attack that.
00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:04.639
He's gonna not just throw darts at you like you think about, like in sin and being tempted.
00:40:04.800 --> 00:40:11.760
He's gonna throw darts at you with things that God uses for good and the devil uses for bad, such as your time.
00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:13.519
He's gonna try to steal your time.
00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:17.119
He's gonna have you one week saying, I don't need to go to church this Sunday.
00:40:17.199 --> 00:40:20.079
My family's having this event, I'm just gonna stay home.
00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:32.880
And slowly the devil pulls us away from spending more time with him and the word and prayer and spending time with the Lord is how we have a successful Christian walk.
00:40:33.119 --> 00:40:47.280
And the more the devil can consume our time and pull us away from that, the more we are not in tune with what God is telling us in our mind, in our dreams, in our uh walk with him, in our prayer life, all that sort of stuff.
00:40:47.440 --> 00:41:00.719
So I think for me, that's a big one, is people now paying so much attention to outside things and time management and their jobs and their business and all of this stuff, they just get out of tune with what God is telling them.
00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:03.360
Um and so that's that's big for me.
00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:11.679
I I I know I came back from camp wanting to purposefully plan much more time into my life where I just spend it with God.
00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:14.880
Satan's Satan's on a mission.
00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:15.360
Yes.
00:41:17.679 --> 00:41:18.800
He's got his own church.
00:41:18.880 --> 00:41:23.119
He's looking to recruit as many souls as he can get.
00:41:24.239 --> 00:41:26.480
And he's he's resilient.
00:41:30.079 --> 00:41:32.480
Yeah, he's working all the time, 24-7.
00:41:32.880 --> 00:41:34.400
Steal, kill, and destroy his own.
00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:35.440
That's his mission.
00:41:35.599 --> 00:41:36.960
That's his that's his goal.
00:41:37.920 --> 00:41:44.559
You know, as a child, you know, we were told you know, what's right and what's wrong.
00:41:45.440 --> 00:41:48.000
We were shown what's right and what's wrong.
00:41:48.480 --> 00:42:02.719
And now we're adults raising children or raising grandchildren or or or speaking on this podcast to young adults saying, if you don't know, find out.
00:42:03.440 --> 00:42:09.519
If you do know, stay the course, stay the walk the walks, stay on the path.
00:42:10.159 --> 00:42:20.320
You're not gonna be perfect, that's okay, but but be resilient, be cognizant, be committed, be faithful, have faith.
00:42:20.480 --> 00:42:22.000
We're talking about faith.
00:42:23.440 --> 00:42:24.400
Deliver love.
00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:35.599
All these things that I don't really consider God's pre Jesus' prerequisite to be a tall order.
00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:39.039
It's pretty plain and simple, right?
00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:52.159
But the devil's like gravity in a lot of in a lot of capacities, and he's pulling our thoughts and our actions in a in a different direction, even subconsciously.
00:42:52.239 --> 00:42:53.199
He said in a dream.
00:42:53.679 --> 00:42:55.920
Maybe even in dreams, who knows?
00:42:56.239 --> 00:42:58.320
Um be aware of that.
00:42:59.119 --> 00:42:59.679
You know?
00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:04.880
I mean, for me, I mean, I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm aware of that.
00:43:06.719 --> 00:43:13.280
And sometimes it can be like a what do you tug of war, you know.
00:43:13.519 --> 00:43:24.239
You got you got the rope of faith and trust and deliverance, and and on the other side is is Satan pulling you towards the fiery hole.
00:43:25.360 --> 00:43:30.000
I mean, we already know what what's in the Bible.
00:43:30.159 --> 00:43:32.239
We're we're learning more and more and more.
00:43:32.559 --> 00:43:36.719
And read on.
00:43:36.960 --> 00:43:46.239
Read on and and learn more and and love more and educate yourself and um because this this book is no joke.
00:43:47.679 --> 00:43:49.599
It's factual information.
00:43:50.239 --> 00:43:52.559
I don't see a book from Satan.
00:43:56.239 --> 00:43:59.760
But the Bible clearly lays out and states what's going to happen.
00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:07.119
So I mean that's yeah, that's disturbing.
00:44:08.239 --> 00:44:15.840
There's that word again two or three weeks ago when we talked about pieces of puzzle and how they fit in your life.
00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:29.280
So yeah, this is just another I mean this is just another example in writing that's documented how God works.
00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:37.119
You know, and he works through people, like like like Mark's saying, like Satan's working through Herod.
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:41.840
Satan's working through Herod, okay, you know, and Satan's got an army.
00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:43.920
Okay, you know, he he he's got power.
00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:46.239
I mean, he's got earthly power.
00:44:46.400 --> 00:44:49.360
He has an earthly kingdom and he's at work.
00:44:49.440 --> 00:44:52.800
But like Mark said, God's plan is gonna happen, baby.
00:44:52.960 --> 00:44:53.920
It's gonna happen.
00:44:54.159 --> 00:45:14.320
And I I you know, like in uh in verse 13, it says, After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, get up, flee to Egypt with the child and his mother, the angel said, Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.
00:45:14.480 --> 00:45:20.000
Okay, now he's not only gonna kill the child, basically the angel said, he's gonna kill you too.
00:45:20.320 --> 00:45:22.719
He's gonna kill you, he's gonna kill Mary.
00:45:22.880 --> 00:45:24.320
You know, he's coming for you.
00:45:24.400 --> 00:45:26.320
And Herod has an army.
00:45:26.559 --> 00:45:28.400
He's gonna send soldiers.
00:45:29.199 --> 00:45:32.719
Joseph and Mary and Jesus are alone.
00:45:32.880 --> 00:45:36.239
All right, only God could save them from that situation.
00:45:36.480 --> 00:45:41.039
And you know, this is a topic uh, you know, we like to talk about on our podcast.
00:45:42.960 --> 00:45:44.239
We're three guys, right?
00:45:44.320 --> 00:45:46.000
Okay, we're three guys, you know.
00:45:46.079 --> 00:45:51.599
We you know, we got we got grown kids, Ted's got teenagers, I got grandkids.
00:45:53.199 --> 00:45:56.320
Christian masculinity, it's a big deal.
00:45:56.559 --> 00:46:00.400
Okay, Boaz, not too long ago, man, he stood up, he was a man.
00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:10.000
Okay, he was somebody you could respect, he was someone you could admire, he he's someone we should be we should be striving to be as men, right?
00:46:11.119 --> 00:46:20.159
The wives in our lives, the daughters in our lives, the mothers in our lives, and the young men in our lives, they're looking, they're looking to us to lead.
00:46:20.400 --> 00:46:23.760
You know, Herod is an example of leadership in the wrong way.
00:46:24.480 --> 00:46:25.840
What about Joseph?
00:46:26.079 --> 00:46:30.079
I mean, Joseph, Joseph is a young man about to get married.
00:46:31.599 --> 00:46:33.280
You know, he's probably got plans.
00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:34.960
I mean, there's things he wants to do.
00:46:35.920 --> 00:46:37.280
And he's gonna marry Mary.
00:46:37.440 --> 00:46:39.599
You know, he's got he's got some idea.
00:46:40.480 --> 00:46:45.360
And the next thing you know, everything changes for Joseph.
00:46:45.599 --> 00:46:47.199
Everything changes for Joseph.
00:46:47.360 --> 00:46:49.920
Joseph didn't have to step up, he almost walked away.
00:46:50.079 --> 00:46:52.239
Remember we read that in the first chapter.
00:46:52.400 --> 00:47:01.119
Joseph almost walked away from this situation because it was so hard to imagine it could be true that Mary is pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:47:01.199 --> 00:47:04.960
And now Joseph does that, and now Joseph's told by the angel.
00:47:05.119 --> 00:47:08.480
I think it's really interesting he told Joseph instead of Mary.
00:47:10.719 --> 00:47:12.159
The angel spoke to Joseph.
00:47:12.239 --> 00:47:15.119
He said, Hey, you get everything you got and you get out of here.
00:47:15.360 --> 00:47:17.039
He said, because this is gonna happen.
00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:19.440
But man, Joseph steps up.
00:47:19.599 --> 00:47:26.320
I mean, he steps up and does what he's told what God is asking him to do.
00:47:26.480 --> 00:47:33.039
And I just think Joseph is an example of a of a man, a man who's serving the Lord.
00:47:33.119 --> 00:47:36.800
I uh what a powerful example to me.
00:47:37.039 --> 00:47:38.000
What do you guys think?
00:47:38.159 --> 00:47:45.760
To me, that was something that jumped out in me like we were talking about, you know, you think about the story of the wise men, but wow, there's so much to this story.
00:47:45.920 --> 00:47:51.760
I I Joe and you know, we don't hear a whole lot about Joseph as the gospels move forward.
00:47:51.920 --> 00:47:53.440
We don't hear a lot about Joseph.
00:47:53.519 --> 00:47:55.840
But but man, what we know about Joseph?
00:47:56.320 --> 00:47:58.960
Hey, let me tell you, I'd be proud to have him for a son.
00:47:59.679 --> 00:48:04.320
Well, it's not the first time that that uh Joseph's been spoken to.
00:48:04.719 --> 00:48:05.119
Yeah.
00:48:05.599 --> 00:48:13.920
You know when he was the angel of the Lord, I'm assuming, told him about Mary having conceived.
00:48:14.320 --> 00:48:14.800
Yeah.
00:48:15.119 --> 00:48:20.480
And uh now he's been told to flee and go to Egypt.
00:48:20.719 --> 00:48:24.719
And then after that, all these two-year-olds and under are killed.
00:48:25.360 --> 00:48:27.519
I'm sure that word traveled to Egypt.
00:48:27.840 --> 00:48:28.719
Oh my gosh, yeah.
00:48:28.880 --> 00:48:36.800
And Joseph and Mary are are disturbed that are they safe in Egypt?
00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:41.199
I mean, the Lord said go to Egypt and I'll let you know when to return.
00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:47.280
But I mean, they're still they've got to be under suspicion.
00:48:48.159 --> 00:48:53.840
Or suspicion that something might have still happened to them and to Jesus.
00:48:56.239 --> 00:49:03.599
Not a not a uh storybook story.
00:49:05.519 --> 00:49:07.199
Not a storybook fairy tale.
00:49:07.760 --> 00:49:08.480
Ain't no fairy tale.
00:49:08.559 --> 00:49:09.440
What do you think, Chad?
00:49:09.760 --> 00:49:18.159
How can young young men who are about to be fathers or or wanting to get married and you know, and they got plans or this, that, or the other?
00:49:18.320 --> 00:49:25.519
And how can how what an example how what what can we learn and what can they learn from Joseph in this story?
00:49:25.840 --> 00:49:32.719
Well, I I think if you look at I think there are there are a few types of men.
00:49:33.119 --> 00:49:40.559
I think there are some men who just don't want to do good, they're just not gonna do good, they're just not good guys.
00:49:40.719 --> 00:49:52.960
I think there are some men who have the appearance of having decent character because they do good, but in their mind, they're doing good because they want people to see them doing good.
00:49:53.119 --> 00:50:05.840
And then I think there's some men who just have incredible character, and they're gonna do good no matter if people are looking at them, no matter if they're behind closed doors, no matter if they're by themselves, they're just gonna do good.
00:50:05.920 --> 00:50:33.280
And I think the the key concept here is to pray that God would get you to a point, especially if you're a young man, where you are not distracted by what people have, what people think about you, what what others around you are doing, but you want to be a man of good character because that is what God calls you to be, instead of I need to be good because people are looking at me, people are watching me.
00:50:33.440 --> 00:50:34.239
That doesn't matter.
00:50:34.480 --> 00:50:35.199
Forget that.
00:50:35.440 --> 00:50:45.760
But you know, we're so programmed as teenagers nowadays, teenagers coming up are so programmed to care so much about what everybody thinks about them because that's all they think about.
00:50:45.920 --> 00:50:48.320
I gotta post this post this photo.
00:50:48.480 --> 00:50:49.599
Look at me, I'm smiling.
00:50:49.679 --> 00:50:55.119
It's all this selfie stuff, and it's gratifying yourself based on what others think about you.
00:50:55.280 --> 00:50:56.639
And you've got to get away from that.
00:50:56.800 --> 00:50:59.280
We've talked about this before on here.
00:50:59.519 --> 00:51:01.440
You've got to get away from that mindset.
00:51:01.519 --> 00:51:10.559
If you've got to step away from that, step away from it, spend time with the Lord and pray that you will have good character because that's what God has called you to do to be.
00:51:10.719 --> 00:51:15.280
And I think that is what Joseph genuinely had incredible character.
00:51:15.440 --> 00:51:22.000
And I think he was a good man because he knew that that's what God had called him to be, and he was going to do it no matter what.
00:51:22.159 --> 00:51:37.199
I don't know that there's really any secrets or any ways around it other than praying about it, seeking God, and trying to be a man because you want to be a good man and because God's called you to be that, not because all this outward stuff.
00:51:37.440 --> 00:51:40.480
There's so much of that now, and I think that's hard to get away from.
00:51:40.639 --> 00:51:54.960
And I think another thing is you've talked about it, both of you guys have talked about it, joining, joining an organization, no matter what that is, where you strive to be good, a good person, a good man, a man of God.
00:51:55.119 --> 00:51:58.239
You strive to be that because that's what God's called you to be.
00:51:58.320 --> 00:52:11.679
And some of these, the sports organizations you guys have talked about, so there's a lot of them around, but finding something like that, an outlet where you can strive to be what God's called you to be and not care about what others think about you.
00:52:11.840 --> 00:52:13.920
Just do it because that's what you're supposed to do.
00:52:14.079 --> 00:52:15.599
That's my thoughts on that.
00:52:16.639 --> 00:52:22.639
Let me let me ask you this, because uh uh, you know, I've just been thinking about this, you know.
00:52:23.920 --> 00:52:27.760
The um we all know what it's like to be a dad.
00:52:29.119 --> 00:52:31.199
I mean, we know what it's like to be a dad, right?
00:52:31.280 --> 00:52:36.719
You know, and being a dad is the greatest thing you'll ever be able to do if you're a man, is be a dad.
00:52:36.880 --> 00:52:38.719
I mean, that opportunity is a big deal.
00:52:38.880 --> 00:52:40.719
It's a it's a blessing to be a dad.
00:52:43.039 --> 00:52:47.840
You know, Joseph uh he had a tremendous responsibility.
00:52:48.000 --> 00:52:52.000
I mean, he had a tremendous responsibility here to be the father of Jesus.
00:52:52.159 --> 00:53:02.880
Well, you know, I mean you know, but you know, he he had to step up and do he had to do the right thing when Mary, when the angel appeared to him, said Mary's really pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
00:53:03.039 --> 00:53:04.480
He Joseph had to do the right thing.
00:53:04.639 --> 00:53:09.599
Okay, and now now here they're born, and before you know it, we've we've all had infants.
00:53:10.880 --> 00:53:12.480
I mean, Jesus is an infant.
00:53:13.039 --> 00:53:15.199
You know, and it's hard to care for an infant.
00:53:15.280 --> 00:53:17.519
I mean, in a in a house with a crib.
00:53:17.760 --> 00:53:22.400
Oh, you know, and even if uh if uh if grandma's uh are there helping out.
00:53:22.480 --> 00:53:26.880
I mean, when you have an infant in, you know, in your life, it it's a lot.
00:53:26.960 --> 00:53:30.719
And so here Joseph is, he's a he's he's he's a new father.
00:53:31.599 --> 00:53:34.880
He's got an infant child and he's on the run.
00:53:35.679 --> 00:53:40.639
I mean, and you know, we gotta remember that this is not like we've just got it's not a fairy tale.
00:53:40.719 --> 00:53:41.599
This is real life.
00:53:41.679 --> 00:53:42.480
This is what he has.
00:53:42.639 --> 00:53:53.280
Now they they have the incredible blessing of being parenting Jesus the Messiah, but it came with big time challenges.
00:53:53.760 --> 00:54:00.079
Should we be surprised as men when we have a a tremendous blessing that we're gonna have some challenges?
00:54:00.320 --> 00:54:06.239
I mean, should these young men uh because I I you know I I I really love to think about it.
00:54:06.400 --> 00:54:08.000
I guess it's we're guys, right?
00:54:08.079 --> 00:54:12.719
You know, I can think of it from the male perspective easier because I'm I'm a man.
00:54:13.440 --> 00:54:16.880
But these young men out here, they're looking to us to lead.
00:54:18.000 --> 00:54:27.840
You know, they're looking for us to lead as as as as uh the body of Christ at work in the world, you know, we're at we're out there and these young men are looking for us to lead.
00:54:27.920 --> 00:54:37.840
But what an example Joseph is in this situation with that can you imagine having an infant child and you're running for your life, and there's just the three of them, and Herod's got soldiers.
00:54:38.000 --> 00:54:39.119
He ain't playing.
00:54:39.360 --> 00:54:40.880
What do you imagine that was like?
00:54:40.960 --> 00:54:44.079
I mean, I just so admire Joseph in this story.
00:54:44.239 --> 00:54:45.840
What do y'all think about that?
00:54:46.400 --> 00:54:48.960
Having a baby and you're on the run.
00:54:49.519 --> 00:54:52.880
Yeah, that's that's you're walking, you're walking.
00:54:53.039 --> 00:54:54.960
I mean, you know, or riding a camel.
00:54:55.039 --> 00:54:57.840
I mean, you know, you're trying to get away from these soldiers.
00:54:58.000 --> 00:55:00.800
I mean, how scary must that have been?
00:55:01.199 --> 00:55:07.760
I think that's you have to fully trust you have to fully, fully trust that God has got your back.
00:55:08.320 --> 00:55:11.519
You because fear fear could easily overtake you.
00:55:11.679 --> 00:55:14.320
Fear, I think, would overtake most of us at that point.
00:55:14.880 --> 00:55:17.199
Um, but we don't even we don't even see that.
00:55:17.360 --> 00:55:24.880
And maybe, maybe it's not written in, maybe he didn't have it, but you do not see that oh, I'm so scared, I gotta stop.
00:55:24.960 --> 00:55:27.119
What what if, what if there's none of that?
00:55:27.280 --> 00:55:31.360
And I I just think I I want to aspire to be a man like that.
00:55:32.079 --> 00:55:32.800
Exactly, yeah.
00:55:34.639 --> 00:55:46.400
So the distance I just looked it up, the distance between Bethlehem and Egypt, depending on how far into Egypt they went on foot.
00:55:47.920 --> 00:55:50.800
250 to 350 miles.
00:55:51.519 --> 00:55:52.079
Wow.
00:55:53.920 --> 00:55:56.079
And that's a lot of desert.
00:55:58.159 --> 00:56:01.360
Or you know, it would have been a song foot.
00:56:01.599 --> 00:56:02.079
Yeah.
00:56:02.480 --> 00:56:06.639
And we're not talking about modern stopping at a hotel, modern amenities here.
00:56:07.280 --> 00:56:07.519
No.
00:56:08.000 --> 00:56:11.840
I mean Jesus is like you said, dying an infant.
00:56:12.239 --> 00:56:18.000
So the challenges were uh unbelievable.
00:56:19.280 --> 00:56:24.960
But they knew who had the plan and they knew that they were gonna be okay.
00:56:27.599 --> 00:56:28.079
Great story.
00:56:28.800 --> 00:56:31.199
You know, and it ends up, you know, it ends up with Herod.
00:56:31.280 --> 00:56:32.480
You know, Herod was furious.
00:56:32.960 --> 00:56:39.920
Verse 16, when he realized the wise men had outwitted him, he sent soldiers to kill all the boys in around Bethlehem who were two years old and under.
00:56:43.119 --> 00:56:44.000
I mean, you know.
00:56:44.159 --> 00:56:50.480
I mean I mean, when we see when we see and and and look, we're all sinners, right?
00:56:50.559 --> 00:56:52.320
We don't want we don't want to judge people, right?
00:56:52.400 --> 00:56:53.360
We don't want to judge people.
00:56:53.440 --> 00:56:55.119
We all make poor decisions.
00:56:55.280 --> 00:57:04.239
But when we see positions of power threatened and we see people do things a day and we're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe they're doing that.
00:57:04.400 --> 00:57:07.920
Well, after reading this, I mean, is there anything off the table?
00:57:08.880 --> 00:57:18.480
I mean, when the when power is threatened and and and uh and you have a bad you have bad leaders and they don't care about nothing or nobody but their power.
00:57:19.840 --> 00:57:23.840
After reading this, here here again, how applicable is this to real life?
00:57:23.920 --> 00:57:24.159
Okay.
00:57:24.719 --> 00:57:27.039
After reading this, is anything off the table?
00:57:27.199 --> 00:57:28.480
Should we really be surprised?
00:57:28.639 --> 00:57:30.400
I mean, what's Herod motivated by?
00:57:30.480 --> 00:57:34.800
He's motivated by pride, power, control.
00:57:35.360 --> 00:57:39.360
Okay, and he's willing to do whatever to protect it.
00:57:39.760 --> 00:57:40.559
And he's paranoid.
00:57:40.960 --> 00:57:41.599
Exactly, yeah.
00:57:41.760 --> 00:57:48.320
And those three wise men, when they left and went to their own country, I mean, I'm sure they were looking over their shoulder.
00:57:48.639 --> 00:57:49.119
Oh, yeah.
00:57:49.920 --> 00:57:52.400
Because they didn't go back to Herod.
00:57:52.639 --> 00:57:53.199
Yeah.
00:57:53.840 --> 00:57:54.079
Yeah.
00:57:55.039 --> 00:57:55.119
Yeah.
00:57:55.199 --> 00:58:00.559
Herod's Herod Herod's greatest enemy was not Rome, it was losing control.
00:58:01.039 --> 00:58:06.480
And you can see what you can see what Herod Herod was worshiping power.
00:58:06.559 --> 00:58:07.760
That's what he was worshiping.
00:58:07.920 --> 00:58:08.159
Amen.
00:58:08.480 --> 00:58:09.280
The pursuit of power.
00:58:09.519 --> 00:58:09.840
There you go.
00:58:10.000 --> 00:58:10.320
There you go.
00:58:10.480 --> 00:58:15.119
And a lot of you can see nowadays it's the same thing with a lot of men, but Herod was worshiping power.
00:58:15.360 --> 00:58:23.519
And fear, fear usually uh reveals what we what we worship, what our foundation is, you know.
00:58:23.760 --> 00:58:31.760
I put I put a post on Facebook last week or something like that, and it it was similar to this, but I I I I can't remember where I was reading in the Bible.
00:58:31.840 --> 00:58:48.400
We were going through devotions at camp, and um it just it just came to me that you know when you are afraid, when you're when your darkest fear comes, it reveals either you are set on Christ, and that's your foundation, or it will reveal what you truly who you truly are, your character, who you're worshiping.
00:58:48.559 --> 00:58:50.480
And I think that's what we see here, Herod.
00:58:50.639 --> 00:58:54.000
He didn't want to lose that power, and he was worshiping that power.
00:58:54.719 --> 00:58:57.599
Let me ask you this, you know, just kind of expand on that.
00:58:57.760 --> 00:59:10.400
You know, we think about Mary, you know, the Virgin Mary, you know, I mean, I mean, you gotta what a what a you know, she was blessed among women, right, to be the the mother of Jesus.
00:59:10.719 --> 00:59:17.679
Joseph, he's a father, he's a father of you know, he's a he's a earthly father of Jesus, look looking out for him.
00:59:17.840 --> 00:59:19.119
He he's helped raise him.
00:59:19.280 --> 00:59:20.239
I mean, think about it.
00:59:20.400 --> 00:59:23.039
What what what more oh well what was your role?
00:59:23.119 --> 00:59:24.559
Oh well, I helped raise Jesus.
00:59:24.719 --> 00:59:27.760
Okay, you know, so he's a he's as blessed as you can get.
00:59:28.320 --> 00:59:29.840
They ain't done nothing wrong.
00:59:31.039 --> 00:59:33.760
They're doing everything they're supposed to do, and they're running for their life.
00:59:33.840 --> 00:59:35.519
Should we be surprised?
00:59:36.239 --> 00:59:41.119
As Christians, you know, there's that prosperity gospel which needs to be thrown into the ditch.
00:59:41.280 --> 00:59:43.039
Okay, that was a bunch of bull.
00:59:43.360 --> 00:59:44.880
Okay, forget that.
00:59:45.440 --> 00:59:46.559
Read this story.
00:59:46.719 --> 00:59:47.920
Okay, read this story.
00:59:48.000 --> 00:59:51.599
If you if you're out there living for Jesus, let me tell you, you're gonna have some drama.
00:59:54.239 --> 00:59:55.440
He ain't gonna give up.
00:59:55.599 --> 00:59:57.920
I mean, you know, uh how how applicable is that?
00:59:58.079 --> 01:00:01.599
I mean, for people who are, or maybe they're a new believer.
01:00:01.679 --> 01:00:05.360
I think about like a teenager, Chad, you know, and Mark and I, we have kids.
01:00:05.519 --> 01:00:07.840
We have a we have kids who are trying to raise kids.
01:00:08.000 --> 01:00:09.360
You know, Mark and I do.
01:00:09.599 --> 01:00:18.880
How applicable is this for them to know that, hey, just because you're following Jesus, if you believe that prosperity bull, then you may think, well, God don't love me anymore.
01:00:18.960 --> 01:00:23.840
I can tell you he loved Jesus, he loved Mary, he loved Joseph, but they're they're in a bad spot.
01:00:24.079 --> 01:00:24.960
Should we be surprised?
01:00:25.119 --> 01:00:28.480
We can't expect life to be easy.
01:00:29.280 --> 01:00:29.599
No.
01:00:29.920 --> 01:00:38.800
No, and I think if there's people out there, if there are people out there who are listening to this and they think, well, I have been I've been a Christian for years.
01:00:38.960 --> 01:00:44.079
I've been a Christian for for most of my life, and I I don't have I haven't had challenges.
01:00:44.239 --> 01:00:45.760
My life's been easy, all this stuff.
01:00:45.840 --> 01:00:51.679
I think there's a time where you might want to look back and see if you really are a Christian, because the devil is going to try you.
01:00:51.840 --> 01:00:53.039
He's going to challenge you.
01:00:53.199 --> 01:00:55.519
You're going to have darts that are thrown at you.
01:00:55.679 --> 01:00:59.119
And like y'all said earlier, he wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
01:00:59.280 --> 01:01:16.960
And if you haven't experienced anything in your life while you've been serving Jesus, I think the danger in that prosperity gospel, uh, Donnie, is that people start that instead of worshiping Jesus, they're worshiping, hey, if I'm going with Jesus, he's going to give me everything I want.
01:01:17.119 --> 01:01:18.800
And that's not worshiping Jesus.
01:01:18.880 --> 01:01:24.079
That's worshiping your wants and your desires and your covetousness and look at what everybody else has.
01:01:24.239 --> 01:01:25.119
That's what I want.
01:01:25.280 --> 01:01:35.039
And I think there's going to be a lot of people, unfortunately, you know, the Bible talks, the Bible's very clear that the way to heaven is very narrow.
01:01:35.280 --> 01:01:37.280
The way to hell is very wide.
01:01:37.360 --> 01:01:42.559
And people think, I I heard a pastor say this, and I was like, oh, I've never thought about that.
01:01:42.800 --> 01:01:47.760
He said, people think that is when we're referring to the overall population of the earth.
01:01:47.920 --> 01:01:48.800
No, no, no.
01:01:49.199 --> 01:01:50.800
The Bible is clear on that.
01:01:50.960 --> 01:02:04.079
In church, if you go in a church, many churches, the people that are actually true Christians, 100% saved, born again, and serving Christ and not themselves, that is narrow.
01:02:04.239 --> 01:02:09.440
There are fewer people in that building than there are that are going to heaven.
01:02:09.760 --> 01:02:19.039
Because many people fall into this worldly religion and philosophy that I'm going to get into this to save myself.
01:02:19.280 --> 01:02:22.000
And that is not why we become born again.
01:02:22.079 --> 01:02:27.280
We we become born again because we love Christ and our desire is to change truly.
01:02:27.440 --> 01:02:31.440
The Bible says that when we are saved, we are a new creature.
01:02:32.239 --> 01:02:33.599
We don't have the old things.
01:02:33.840 --> 01:02:34.880
Old things pass away.
01:02:35.039 --> 01:02:36.800
Behold, all things become new.
01:02:36.960 --> 01:02:45.039
And if somebody is in a church and they say, Well, I know I'm saved, nothing's really changed, and I've never really had any challenges, but I know I'm saved.
01:02:45.119 --> 01:02:46.400
Well, how do you know you've been saved?
01:02:46.480 --> 01:02:47.519
I've heard this many times.
01:02:47.760 --> 01:02:50.400
Well, when I was eight, I said a prayer.
01:02:50.559 --> 01:02:53.199
The pastor said, Say this prayer and you'll be saved.
01:02:53.440 --> 01:02:58.960
And they don't even truly understand what that salvation is, and they think it's a get out of hell free card.
01:02:59.119 --> 01:03:09.519
So you have a danger in that prosperity gospel stuff, and then you have a danger when people say a prayer because they don't want to go to hell, and they miss the whole, I'm in this for Christ.
01:03:09.679 --> 01:03:11.119
I'm in this to serve Him.
01:03:11.280 --> 01:03:14.880
I'm in this because He changes my life, and they don't get it.
01:03:15.119 --> 01:03:16.960
And I think there's a big danger in that, Nani.
01:03:17.199 --> 01:03:19.679
I I think that's that's worth being pointed out.
01:03:19.920 --> 01:03:30.000
If someone's listened to this and you have not, if anything that we have said today has sparked something inside you, or maybe you were convicted and you said, well, you know what?
01:03:30.159 --> 01:03:31.440
Maybe I'm not saved.
01:03:31.599 --> 01:03:43.280
I've been doing this my whole whole time because I thought I thought it was the get out of the hell free card, or I thought I thought I I could get uh success and happiness because of it, but I've never really been in it.
01:03:43.360 --> 01:03:44.719
I don't serve Jesus a lot.
01:03:44.800 --> 01:03:46.880
I'm I'm not I don't know that I'm truly saved.
01:03:46.960 --> 01:03:52.480
I hope that you can listen to this and be encouraged to dive in and go go to Romans.
01:03:52.559 --> 01:03:54.639
I think all of us have heard of the Romans Road.
01:03:54.719 --> 01:03:57.760
That's probably the simplest way to salvation.
01:03:57.920 --> 01:04:02.960
Romans 3.23 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
01:04:03.119 --> 01:04:04.559
That says you are a sinner.
01:04:04.719 --> 01:04:12.000
Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
01:04:12.159 --> 01:04:21.840
That simply says that you saved the wages of you not being saved, the wages of that sin you carry is death, and that punishment is hell.
01:04:22.000 --> 01:04:30.000
Yes, but Romans 5.8 says, God demonstrated his own love toward us that while we were yet sinners, what happened?
01:04:30.239 --> 01:04:37.280
Christ died for us, he paid the penalty for our sin on a rugged cross.
01:04:37.519 --> 01:04:43.760
And that blood that he shed is the way that you can get rid of that sin.
01:04:43.840 --> 01:04:52.079
And God looks at you as a son, he looks at you as family, he looks at you as righteous, and he only does that through the shed blood of Jesus.
01:04:52.239 --> 01:04:58.639
And then Romans 10.13 says, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
01:04:58.719 --> 01:05:09.119
And then my favorite one, Romans 10 9, says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you can be saved.
01:05:09.280 --> 01:05:13.360
So that is the quick message of salvation that I can give you right here.
01:05:13.599 --> 01:05:16.079
If you have any questions, please reach out to us.
01:05:16.239 --> 01:05:17.039
Go on the website.
01:05:17.119 --> 01:05:18.000
We want to hear from you.
01:05:18.159 --> 01:05:23.840
If you say, Hey, Donnie, Mark, Chad, I don't know if I'm saved, but I want to talk to somebody at it.
01:05:24.400 --> 01:05:25.199
Talk to somebody about it.
01:05:25.360 --> 01:05:30.239
Send us an email at rememberTheKing.com and we would love to help you.
01:05:30.400 --> 01:05:32.880
This podcast, yes, it's a walk through scripture.
01:05:33.039 --> 01:05:41.920
It is for us to open the Bible and go through some devotions together and really discuss this life practicality, but it's also so that you might know Jesus.
01:05:42.000 --> 01:05:52.719
And if you don't know Jesus, we want to help you come to uh uh knowledge and uh of how to do that and to truly know Jesus and walk with him every day.
01:05:52.880 --> 01:05:58.960
So, really quickly, I just wanted to give uh a little bit of a salvation message there just in case you have questions.
01:05:59.920 --> 01:06:01.679
But anybody else have anything to say?
01:06:01.840 --> 01:06:02.880
Anything to add?
01:06:04.480 --> 01:06:06.400
Close us out in prayer, Donnie.
01:06:06.800 --> 01:06:07.039
Yes.
01:06:07.280 --> 01:06:13.840
All right, okay, dear Lord, we want to thank you for this day and the opportunity to to uh read your word.
01:06:14.079 --> 01:06:21.519
We thank you for the Bible, the the beautiful gift that it is, and Lord help us to, as we read through the Bible, to remember that these are real people.
01:06:21.599 --> 01:06:22.960
Uh it's not a fairy tale.
01:06:23.039 --> 01:06:26.960
They're dealing with situations like we face today in our life.
01:06:27.119 --> 01:06:38.000
And you know what an example Joseph is for for men of all ages, especially young men who are you know new fathers and and and you know, taking on those responsibilities, you know.
01:06:38.079 --> 01:06:48.400
Lord, I pray you'll pour your spirit out upon them and all of us and help us to grow to know you and uh to serve the Lord Jesus in a powerful way.
01:06:48.639 --> 01:06:51.280
And we ask these things in Jesus' name.
01:06:52.800 --> 01:06:53.440
Amen.
01:06:56.400 --> 01:07:02.320
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