Walk With Me
Christian discussion of biblical topics, and a dose of daily application. Yes the Bible is still relevant, and we find out more and more each day how relevant it has always been.
Walk With Me
Eat ALL of it!
We also venture into the cautionary tale of King Jehoiakim from Jeremiah 36, who burned God's words, and ponder its implications for our modern lives. Is merely being a good person or feeling good enough for spiritual fulfillment? Through this narrative, we challenge complacency and emphasize the necessity of divine guidance, as highlighted in Proverbs 3:5-6. Reflecting on the choices depicted in the film "Training Day," we explore how daily decisions can align with righteousness over convenience. Engage with us in this thought-provoking discussion and become part of a vibrant community committed to deeper understanding and spiritual growth.
Hello everybody and welcome to today's episode of Walk With Me. I'm your host, jj. It's so good to have each and every one of you here. I know you guys hear me say that every week, but I mean, I really am thankful for each and every one of you who listens to this podcast, downloads this podcast, shares it with other people. I really do appreciate it, and I also want to just say that I don't want you to think that, just because I'm the guy behind the microphone, that I'm some sort of, some sort of special super spiritual guy. I don't want you to think that I'm any better than you, because you and I are trying to get to the same heaven. That's why we're here. God told me to have this microphone and this podcast, and God brought you here. God brought us together so that we can get to heaven together, all right. So thank each and every one of you. Thank you for your kind words and your emails. If you have any questions or comments, go ahead and feel free to send them to walkwithmebiblestudy at gmailcom. Walkwithmebiblestudy all one word at gmail. I love, love, love, love, love. I can't stress it enough.
Speaker 1:Love answering questions, biblical questions, and I'll tell you why, even if and I'll'll be 100 open with you guys some of the questions are not, um, very kind and I'm okay with that. You know why? Because if I'm going to um, if I'm going to make sure that my Bible reading, my walk with God, is full and complete, I got to take the hard questions with the easy ones, right. So I hear tell about a lot of I don't want to call clergymen, but a lot of people who will avoid certain questions because they don't have an answer or you know they're inadequate in that area. Trust me, you ask me questions that seem hard. Or or even if you come in from a position of disbelief or unbelief, it actually just going back and researching the answers for you guys and praying for the answer, it it actually strengthens me. So and as the Bible says, iron, sharpening iron. So as it strengthens me, I can then pass that strength on to you or to anyone else who may have had that question. So feel free to send me your questions and comments. I love you all. Thank you all, so so very much.
Speaker 1:And um, and you know, I, I, I know that we have a lot of voices out there, a lot of podcasts out there, we have a lot of uh doctrines and we just have a lot of different voices. But you know, one of the things that god tells us, the bible, tells us that there's only one way, and in order to find that way, we got to use the map. We got to go by the map. And what is that map? The bible that you have in your hand right now, whether it's in a digital form, like I like to use in my phone, a u-Version is a wonderful, wonderful tool. I'm not getting paid to say this, but I do love that Bible app, youversion. It's really good, so you can always follow along.
Speaker 1:And speaking of Bible verses, before I forget, we will be covering a lot of Scripture today. It just depends on time allowance. But no matter what, we have a rule on this podcast when you have scripture, you have to shorten it or make it brief, but I encourage you to read a verse or two above or a verse or two below, but preferably the whole chapter. Why? Because context is key. By keeping scripture in context, it allows, or it actually prevents, me from deceiving you, and it prevents anyone else from deceiving you, and so it's important that we use the context that that god gives us right, all right, so that's. That said, let's go ahead and get into today's script. Again, I love each and every one of you, thank you all for downloading and sharing and talking about it, and I mean I can't thank you guys enough, and I thank God for each and every one of you.
Speaker 1:All right, so let's get into today's, today's session, today's session. Now we're going to talk about a lot of things that we tend to do when we come to talk about holiness, right, we tend to sort of, we tend to sort of have a sort of buffet style attitude, and this is quite prevalent through a lot of different people. We, well, I'll take this verse and I'll take that verse and I'll take this commandment, I'll take that commandment, but I don't want none of that and I don't want none of this. And you know what? God is going to love me, because the Bible says Jesus is love. Well, the Bible also tells us love. Well, the Bible also tells us.
Speaker 1:And what generally happens is, when people do this, they end up developing contradictory doctrines, and this is how we end up with denominationalism, and then we end up with people who don't have the full power of God behind them, of God behind. So let's talk about the authority of the script, of the every single verse in the Bible, right? So we're gonna talk about, first we'll start off in 2nd Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16 and 17. Now I'm going to start off in the New Living, the King James Version, and then we're going to go to the New Living Translation, because I just like the way the translation explains it without softening the word. Okay, so we're going to start with 2 Timothy, chapter 3, verse 16 and 17. And that reads in the King James All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Speaker 1:Now, wait a minute, jj, we make a living, us Christians. We have a whole doctrine about how we are not perfect, have a whole doctrine about how we are not perfect. But if we're supposed to go by this word, it says if we use all the scripture, then we can become perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Now we also have a section of us that'll say well, not by works, as any man should boast. But this is what happens when you take scripture out of context. If we use this scripture, all scriptures given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God and the woman of God and the children of God and everybody may be perfect, thoroughly furnished, unto all good works, in other words, unable to do the right thing. Now let's read it out of the New Living Translation. This is one good example where I like the translation, without it watering it down.
Speaker 1:All scripture is inspired by God and it's useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Now, what is this saying here? Every scripture in this Bible comes from God. We need all of it and we have to follow all of it, and by following it it is good for you, it is good for me, it's good for all of us.
Speaker 1:And we're going to go to 2 Peter 1, verse 20 and 21. And 2 Peter 1, verse 20 and 21, in the I'm sorry second Peter, chapter one, verse 20 and 21 in the King James Version says knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scriptures of any private interpretation. So I don't get to say this is what it says. I don't get to say this is what that says. Pastor, apostle deacon John Smith doesn't get to say what it is. Why? Because in verse 21,.
Speaker 1:For the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man, but holy men of God, because they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Why is that important? Because if scripture was given in the old time by the will of man, then we could kind of say, well, you know what? This is, a new day and a new age, but it wasn't given. It came through man, but it was given by God. And when we start saying, well, you know, that was back in the old times, we are literally creating a doctrine where we're saying the people who wrote the Bible are out of touch. The people who wrote the Bible did not hear from God, and now it puts you in a position of being very close to blasphemy.
Speaker 1:So the bottom line are we allowed to pick and choose what scriptures to obey? Not in the least bit, folks. Not in the least bit. This is what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to live for God and keep his commandments. And let's go to Mark, chapter 7, verse 9 through 13.
Speaker 1:And this is now Jesus speaking. This is God manifesting the flesh, speaking to us, to his apostles and to us Full well, you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your own tradition, for Moses said Honor thy father and thy mother. And whoso curses his father or mother, let him die the death. But if you say, if a man shall say to his father and mother it is forbidden, that is to say a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free and you suffer him no more to do ought for his father and his mother, making the word of God come of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered, and many such like things do ye. Now let me tell you something. How many of you have heard somebody say well, you make the word of God no effect? How many? Now, everybody should probably raise their hand here, because we've all heard people take that one little part of one scripture and use it indiscriminately, without taking the context of what Jesus was talking about.
Speaker 1:And the New Living Translation explains this. It says then he said you skillfully sidestep God's law in order to hold to your own tradition. For instance, god gave you this law from God honor your father and thy mother, and anyone who speaks disrespectful of father or mother must be put to death. And this is. You can go back and look it up. But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents sorry, I can't help you, for I have vowed to give to God what I have given to you, so now wait a minute. If you're supposed to be honoring a father and a mother and God told you to do this, then now you're in trouble. But let's continue in this way. You let them, the people who you let, sidestep the word of God. You let them disregard, disregard their needy parents, and so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. How many times have we seen this happen? And this is only one example among many others.
Speaker 1:What Jesus is saying there is that God still stands by all his commandments. Now I get it. I got into a little bit of a spiff I guess you would call it with somebody who, well, you know that was the Old Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the law, but without taking that law, that scripture, in the context. You don't realize that we are still supposed to honor our father and our mother. We're supposed to still help them, we're supposed to still be kindly of them, even if they were terrible people. We are supposed to do this, and the law that Jesus came to fulfill was the law of sacrifice, not the law of honoring thy father or thy mother.
Speaker 1:So, basically, we can't disregard the scripture setting simply because it doesn't fit our belief. We can't disregard a scripture setting simply because it doesn't fit our belief. We can't disregard a scripture setting because of a person who fits that description has done us wrong in the past. I mean even and I know this sounds ridiculous prima facie, but to say, um hey, you talk bad about your parents because they abused you, is our flesh to speak and not our spiritual speak. We have a saying you know, if you ain't got nothing nice to say, don't say it at all, but you still should be thankful for your parents who brought you into the world.
Speaker 1:Because, let's face it, we live in a time and age now. Even being in the womb is a perilous place to be. So even surviving to the age of maturity is starting to become almost a blood sport. Y'all Not being mutilated and deceived and led astray is starting to become almost like an Olympic sport. We can't take these things for granted. Almost like an olympic sport. We can't take these things for granted. But we also can't take these scriptures out of context or ignore them because we have fought against somebody. Let's continue, I'm already running out of time.
Speaker 1:Jeremiah 36, uh 22 the king james version. Now the king sat in the King James Version. Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month, september. Well, actually this is December because the Bible says that the way the Bible writes the months, the months kind of start in March somewhere. So it goes with the saying, if math says so, that the ninth month is December. Right, okay.
Speaker 1:And there was a fire burning in the hearth before him and it came to pass that when the Hudai had read three or four leaves, he cut with a penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the road was consumed with the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king nor the servants that heard all these words. And nevertheless Elnathan and Deliah and Jemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the scroll for he would hear them. But the king commanded Jeremiel, the son of Amalek, and S were telling the king don't do this. This is wrong. So now the king decides because he's a little hurt in the backside. He wanted to kill these prophets. Then the Lord spoke.
Speaker 1:Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, and after that the king had burned the roll and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah saying take thee again another roll and write it to all the formal words that were in the first roll which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, had burned this the king of Judah hath birthed. This is the king of Judah. This is supposed to be the head of the church burning the scroll. And I shall say to Jeroboam, the king of Judah Thus saith the Lord Thou hast burnt this road saying, why hast thou written therein saying the king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land and shall cause to cease from them man and beast. Therefore, thus said the Lord of Jericho, jehoiakim, king of Judah, you shall have none to sit upon the throne of David and his dead body shall be cast out in the day of the heat and in the night of the frost, and I will punish him and his seed of the servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Judah and the men of Judah and the evil I have pronounced against them. They harketh not. They harketh not. Now I read that real fast because I'm looking at the timer, I'm running out of time. So basically, they were burning the word of God, they were throwing it away, they were discarding it because they didn't like what it said and in so doing they got cursed for it.
Speaker 1:And this is the evil day that we're sort of living in now, because people sincerely believe that all they have to do is just be a good person. They sincerely believe that all you have to do is just be a good person. They sincerely believe that all they have to do is put on a good front. They sincerely believe that all they have to do is just come to church, don't curse, maybe. Don't drink, maybe don't smoke, maybe don't cheat on their stuff, like not all of these things together, but like just one or two things, one or two of these aspects. Or they don't have to deal with getting a conviction of a sin, or they don't even have to believe that sin is real. They don't have.
Speaker 1:I literally spoke to someone who called himself a Christian the other day and he said there's no such thing as sin, because if we were created by Christ and if we sin we are the devil and the devil hasn't created anything, then there's no such thing as sin because therefore we cannot be of the devil. I mean literally. I was flabbergasted at his logic and I said to myself God, I can see how people are deceived, but it was a great danger. It was such a great danger because this actually is a doctrine that kind of catered to your feelings. But as long as I feel like I did the right thing, and as long as I feel like I did the right thing, and as long as I feel like I'm a decent person, and as long as I feel like, you know, I feel good when I leave church on Sunday afternoon, then I'm good. There's a huge danger because you know what happens Either A your feelings won't get you through the tough times, or B your feelings won't get you through the tough times, or B your feelings won't get you into heaven. And that's a serious, serious thing.
Speaker 1:Proverbs 3 and 5,. 3, 5, and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he shall show you which path to take. That's out of the New Living Translation. So, if you are trusting in the Lord with all your heart and not trying to change the word of God to fit you, that's the only way you're going to make it, because he's going to show you which way to go, which pitfalls to avoid, which things to stay away from, even if. Even if there's something that comes along later that the Bible doesn't mention, that, okay, you should kind of stay away from that. That's what conviction is. Conviction is God, the holy ghost inside of you, keep telling you hey, jj, you might not want to do that thing. How about you stop doing that thing? You want to go to heaven or you want to go to hell. And I'm going to just like.
Speaker 1:Uh, like in training day when, uh, denzel was talking to whatever Jake yeah, jake, that was his character. Ethan Hawke was playing Jake, and every so often Denzel would say to Jake not what you know is what you can prove. And then he would say you want to go to jail or you want to go home. You want to go to jail. You want to go home. You want to go to jail, you want to go home? Well, I asked you, do you want to go to heaven? You want to go to hell? And, yes, the Bible talks about hell. He talked about that before. I'm sure we'll talk about it again. But hell does exist. It does.
Speaker 1:And I know we don't want I, I know I. I know that we don't want to admit that. I know we don't want to feel that. I know we want to wish that people that we truly love, that we truly um care about, don't go to hell. But we don't get to say that we don't get that choice. The only choice we can do is the choice that we do to live for god and follow the, the entire bible. Because this? Because in the book of revelation I think I'm getting ahead of myself, but the book of revelation talks about it the books were open. And then the book of Well, what books do you think they're going to open? They're going to open the Bible and all 66 books.
Speaker 1:You say well, jj, how do you know? Because the next verse it says and they were judged by the things that were written in the books and if their name was not found written in the book of life, they were cast into the lake of fire. Now that right there should tell you we have to live by what's in these books. And is it hard? It's absolutely impossible. And you say, wait a minute, what? Yes, it is impossible to live completely by the word of God. It is absolutely impossible without the Holy Ghost.
Speaker 1:This is what makes denominationalism so dangerous, because in certain sections and certain places of denomination we take the Holy Ghost completely out of the equation. Jesus said except the man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. So when we take the power of the Holy Ghost out and make it some feel-good thing, rather than a power of holiness and a power of direction and a power of reproof and a power of, you know, rebuke and a power of strengthening and comfort, once we take the Holy Ghost out of it, we doom ourselves. We doom ourselves and I didn't mean to start preaching at you, but this is exactly what's going on here.
Speaker 1:When we have denominationalism, we're not trusting the Lord, we're trusting in a person behind a pulpit. We're not. We're not leaning on him and and we're leaning on our own understanding. We like the way he speaks, we like the way he preaches he ain't saying nothing, but we like the way he preaches and then we're not seeking his will in all that we do. We doing what we want to do, because it's comfortable for us. We like this tradition, we like wearing this on this Sunday, we like having two choir songs and an offering. This is what we like and this is what we're going to do, and we like our music to sound this way and we like this to be this way and we like to do our fast on this day and that's only this day and we, like I, can keep going. We're going to be seeking His will in everything we do. Sometimes. What if God? What if you walk into church one day and God had already decided that the preacher wasn't going to preach anything? That just everybody is going to just pray and seek God and get touched and filled with God's Holy Spirit? What if God had that on the agenda? But you came to hear Rabbi Apostle, whatever. Because we're not trusting in His Word. We're leaning to our own understanding. We like when people say a certain thing to us and this is very dangerous, walker. It's very dangerous Because then, when somebody comes along and tells you the truth, it hurts.
Speaker 1:It hurts twice as badly. And why does it hurt twice as badly? Because at first you're going to get angry about it, which is understandable because emotions are emotions. You're going to get mad about it and then at some point you are going to start thinking about all the people before you who was deceived. You're going to get doubly angry and then you're going to have church hurt and then you're not going to say you know what, skip it, I'm not living for God anymore. Why? Because you did not trust in the Lord with all your heart, you did not lean with all your understanding, you didn't depend on, you depended on yourself, you depended on that guy behind the pulpit, you depended on the guy behind this microphone instead of God, and I knew I wasn't going to get through all the verses we had to go through today.
Speaker 1:So we're going to continue this next week, unless, you know, if somebody sends me some questions that I have to answer. This would be a better format Because, basically, in order to get your answer on the show, just make sure it's like a really good question and it's going to take me longer than like two sentences to reply. I just love replying. Anyway, I'll say hey, I'm going to do that question in the show. Oh, by the way, before I forget, if you want your name to be mentioned, just put your name in the subject line, that way I know to mention your name. Otherwise it's going to be anonymous and I'm okay with anonymous, it's okay. People listen, that's not my job to program, not my good job to teach you how to program. My job is to be here and deliver the unadulterated entire word of God. All right Now.
Speaker 1:That being said, again, I thank each and every one of you for joining us today. We are out of time. Thank you for the sponsors True Barstow, lyricists, as Good as the time. Thank you for the sponsors Street Bars, the Lyricists, the Squizzy Creations. Thank you to Ioka for your. I don't have the name of your company yet, ioka, but I do want to know the name of your company so we can set you on the sponsors list. Thank you so much, so much. Thank you, thank you, thank, thank you. Go out and tell somebody you love them, jasmine, we love you. So we love each and every one of you. Thank you all. God bless you Bye-bye. Oh yeah, I guess I got to say thank you. Ah yeah, I'm also going to say thank you to Isaiah and Aziza. Yeah, I love you guys too. You are my sons and my daughters. Okay, love you all. Bye-bye.