Listen to conversations with Bill Crowder, Elisa Morgan, and Mart De Haan as they discuss biblically based subjects relevant to daily living.
Ministry > Discover The Word
Join us for this special glimpse into the Christmas story!
Luke 1 and 2
Interview with Elizabeth
HADDON: Elizabeth, thank you for joining us here at Discover the Word.
ELIZABETH: I am honored to be here with you.
HADDON: You have an amazing story—in fact, the story of a miracle. Tell us how it started.
ELIZABETH: Well, as a young girl in my early teens I married an older man, Zacharias, who served as a priest in our temple here in Jerusalem. Of course I expected to have children with him—that was the hope and expectation of every young woman in Israel in my day. But it didn’t happen. Year after year after year Zacharias and I kept trying to have a baby—and year after year after year we were disappointed. If you haven’t gone through that yourself, I’m not sure you can know how crushing this was for us.
Weighing the outcome of this crucial decision: to love or reject God
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny”
How repentance plays a key role in our ability to forgive
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17 :3-4).
- The closer the relationship, the deeper the need for forgiveness.
- To help listeners realize that the more they give to a relationship, the greater is the demand for forgiveness.
Discover how humility paves the way to a deep relationship with God
Friday, January 21, 2011, Part 2
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
IDEA: “Poor in spirit” commends those who realize their destitute condition before God.
PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate why Jesus commends the “poor in spirit.”
When we say that someone is “counter-cultural,” what do we mean?
Is being “counter-cultural” positive or negative?
Do you believe that Jesus was counter-cultural?
I. What do you make of the first beatitude that states that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”?
Whatever Work God Has Given Us To Do, Let’s Do It With All Of Our Hearts!
Significance in our work does not come from seeing it as a place to do evangelism.
To show inadequate ways of building a bridge between our faith and work.
Imagine a conversation between two business people:
George, you and I have been attending church together for a couple of years, and I’ve never found out what you do.
Finding True Contentment And The Cure For Covetousness
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
The Lord’s Supper, And What Communion Represents To Followers Of God
The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus answered, A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet;
Discover The Profound Meaning Imbedded In The First Communion
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later on you will understand.’ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part in me.’ ‘Then Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well.’
What Jesus Says About Heaven And Hell And What That Means For Us
Listen to a parable that Jesus told. It is both sobering and fascinating. It is the only parable that Jesus gave us that has its major action on the other side of the grave. As you listen to the parable, what can you learn from it about life after death—especially for those who die apart from God. What do you learn about hell?
[Max McLean reads this story from Luke 16:19-25.]
There are sections of the Bible that I love to talk about. For example, I enjoy preaching on the parable of the prodigal son. It is the story of God’s kindness and grace to people who don’t deserve it. In that sense, it is my story. Sometimes when I tell men and women about God’s grace—or think about it—I am moved to tears of joy. I revel in the good news of the gospel. If I could I would preach on God’s grace all the time.
A Serious Discussion About What Determines Our Eternal Home
Here is a parable that Jesus told. As you hear it read, try to answer a very basic question: Why does the rich man end up in hell? Why does the beggar end up in paradise?
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The Negative Impact Of Forcing One's Beliefs Onto Another Person
The writer of Hebrews 11 states that there are those who were tortured . . .
Why do governments or organizations, even people, resort to torture?
Prisoners captured in war are tortured because the military is looking for information about the enemy’s plans.
Do you think that works?
Sometimes nations resort to torture to teach people the consequences of rebellion or of defiance.
Guidelines For Accurately Interpreting The Scriptures
A seminary student who had a speech defect was wrestling with whether or not he ought to go into the ministry. He read Exodus 4:10-11, in which Moses tried to hide behind his defects, and whom God challenged with a promise to teach him what to say.
Is it legitimate for someone today to use that text for a life decision about ministry?
I. Not all history is our history.
This text was given to Moses. There is a principle behind it: God is the one who takes responsibility for the impediment. That he overcame the difficulty with Moses doesn’t follow that He will overcome the difficulty with me.
Find Freedom From Carrying The Load Yourself
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:4-5).
A Biblical Warning Against Idolatry Put Into Context For Us Today
When I learned the Ten Commandments, I felt that there was one that definitely did not apply to me—the second commandment. I had never made a graven image (whatever that was).
Do you think the people we’ve been reading about in Hebrews 11 would have reacted to the second commandment the way I did?
