Episode 323 - 3rd Anniversay of TBOB!!!

The THIRD YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Two Brothers One Bible podcast! Thank you for listening! James 1:3-5

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:28

And welcome to Two Brothers One Bible Podcast on this very special, very, very special, extremely special episode. What makes it so special? I don't know. Okay. No, I do know. I do know that in this episode right here, we mark three years of Two Brothers One Bible Podcast. What do you have to say about that? Let's do four. Let's do four. Yeah. I like that. Let's go on and keep going. Three years. Isn't that amazing? It really is hard to believe. And what started out was just two guys getting together and saying, you know, that might be fine. We'll do it for a little while and see what happens. Now we meet every week. Yeah, we do. And we look forward to it. You know, I have got to say, Peter, it has been such a blessing for me to do this podcast with you because number one, it gets me in the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

And although we're doing our year-long reading, which I love, well, I've got to dig in a little further. Right. And I think that's what this podcast is all about. It's digging in.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

Yeah, I I'll tell you, Robert, I just like hanging out with you. Well, they got to be able to do that. You're a lot of fun to be with. Here's that $5 bill. Yeah. Well, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Oh, is it Dan?

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Oh, sorry. Yeah, no, but honestly, it is just a joy. And I and I think from what I've heard from our listeners, uh, they kind of like the chemistry, the banter, the relationship that we have, and it shows on the air. And then hopefully out of that, we we bring some insights into the scriptures.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Exactly right. Well, happy third anniversary to Two Brothers One Bible Podcast. We would love to hear from you. Send your uh it says send fan mail uh wherever you get your podcast, and it can be a text message and you can use your phone, send that to us. We would love to hear from you. And so before we uh before we get into that, let's introduce ourselves. All right. Uh for the third beginning of the third year. Yeah. Uh I'm Robert Wakefield. I'm Peter. And Peter, it is great to have you here. Let's answer our trivia question that we put out there on uh Monday.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

All right. If so, if you uh send in your answer, or maybe you're just biting your nails, wondering what it is, the Greek word in for the word no in verse three is the word gonosco. And we're going to be talking about verse three and tell you why that's important because James does not arbitrarily use that word. In fact, he had uh the choice of a different word he could have used for no, still would have been translated, but that it being gnosko is very important.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Okay, so the word was gonosco, and we will uh we'll go back and look and see how many of you got that right. Yeah. Isn't that going to be exciting? All right. So we're going to be in chapter through uh chapter one today. We're gonna read verses three through eight. All right. So go ahead, Peter.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

All right, so that is the word of the Lord, and here we are. We're in verse three where the word grenosco is used because you know that the testing of your faith produces uh perseverance. So, you know, these this word no, like you just mentioned, uh, that is through experience. Yes, very good. And so that is what I have learned about Gnosco. Yeah. And whenever I see this in in the Bible, I want to know which one they're using. Right. So what are the other ones that we've talked about?

SPEAKER_01 4:14

The other one's oyada. Oyada. Oyada is is no, uh, but it's more from an understanding. And so we we know the difference. Uh there's basically seven types of learning, but the the one that we typically learn the best from is experience. Right. And so, you know, there's one thing uh to to you know read it in a book, uh, you know, a how-to manual, and there's one thing to watch a video about you know how how I need to do this. Uh, but boy, when you hands on, especially when you've got a mentor who says, All right, let me show you how I do it and let me watch you do it, that's knowing, that's gnosis. I I can tell you, boy, to have gnosisco that experience from someone who's done it all their life. Right. A master mechanic or a uh a fine uh Finnish carpenter who says, Let me show you how to do the craft. And it's like, oh my goodness, there's such a depth to it. Right. When James uses this word, he's not talking about someone who's never experienced trials before. No, he's who that's who he's writing to.

unknown 5:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

And he's talking to people who have experienced joy in these trials. And so he says, you know, when you go through this testing, you know when you're you're up against it, you know when your back's against the wall, your faith grows. It it perseveres. And so he's talking to people who have personally walked this walk.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

And you know, you when you just said that, it just made me think that when you consider it the pure joy of what you're going through. Yeah, what a different way of looking at trials and and per persevering through them. Yeah. Because to me, that is that that is the big thing here. Yeah. Is that the the fact that because so many people that we probably know in our lives times come up on a trial, they say, Why is God doing this to me? Right. They turn their back away and never give their hearts back to him. Right. Because of the what he did in this instance or whatever. And and James is telling us, no, it's it's going to produce something even greater, and that's perseverance. Yeah. So talk about perseverance for a second.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

You know, perseverance is that stick-to-itness, that that I'm no matter what's thrown at my way, no matter how what I think because of that, considering it pure joy and realizing that that God hasn't turned his back on me, right? It's not, he's not, I'm not being punished. And so life has trials. Uh, you know, if if someone has has shared with you, if you become a Christian, your life is going to be easy street. They have not shared with you the gospel. That's so true. James is saying, look, if you become a Christian, it's going to be hard. And I think most of us who have been a Christian for any length of time, I would even say, you know, when I someone comes forward and they've just prayed that sinner's prayer and they're letting the church know and it's before their baptism. I usually tell them and I tell the church, you need to up your prayer for this person because things are going to get worse before they get better. Right. And and most of the time the person will look at me either like, What did I just get myself into? Right. Or I've already experienced that.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Because Satan is not happy. And so he's doing every everything he can to discourage and discredit us as believers. And so he throws all these trials at us. But God says, I know these trials are going to happen, but I'm going to use it to glorify myself because it's going to make your faith stronger and you're going to be able to endure it better. And how you do this with great resilience is going to show my relationship with you.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Exactly. I think that the trials that we face are designed just for that. Yeah. And we talked about that earlier. But to me, when you think that you're going through a trial, you know, who is the last person that we usually go to when we're facing something that's just overwhelming? Right. Well, we hit our knees in prayer. Exactly. You know, that that's that should be first. Absolutely. I am totally guilty of that. Well, uh, I'll try this or I'll try that. Or maybe if I did this right here, maybe this is what the Lord is leading me to do. Instead of just going hitting my knees in prayer and asking him to lead me through the trial. Because that's what God wants. He wants that relationship, he wants that closeness. And he's you these trials are directing our thoughts more to him than to ourselves. Yeah. And I think that's one of the things that we have trouble with. We have trouble deflecting it without looking at ourselves. Well, woe is me. Yeah. And and not look towards God for you.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

You know, as you share that, I think there may be a step even before that. The step is when we get up, we say, Lord, this is the day that you've made. Right. I don't know what I'm going to face, but you do. Help me to face it in a godly way that brings you glory. Wow. And so when when bad things happen, we're not in the frame of mind of well, I didn't see that coming. Right. I didn't, but God did. Exactly. And so how can I walk through this with integrity and grace and honor and let people see who watch me do this, especially in a world today where everyone's watching and they got video to prove it. Oh, sure. Let me walk in such a manner that is glorifying God.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

The the word perseverance really struck me because it's not just passive endurance. You know, you know, perseverance is not just going through something. No. It's it's actually showing that you're you're tough, you're spiritually tough, you're steadfast, you're going to be sure that you go through this with God holding your hand. Yeah. And I that's how I illustrate in my head, uh, which, you know, it's pretty painful sometimes. But but when I think of that, I think the perseverance, I think God taking me by the hand and leading me through that.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Yeah. Yeah. Perseverance. I mean, we we see it in movies, we read it in books, we we've heard personal testimony. Perseverance is you can't take another step and yet they take another step.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

You know, they're they're on the mat and they get up. You know, they're climbing a mountain and they go a little bit higher, you know, and it's like, you know, it's it's those athletes that endure and and just, you know, they're gonna say I'm spent, and yet they find a little reserve somewhere. Right. As Christians, man, just just saying, you know, uh God give me strength. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

You know what I think when uh when you said that made me think of this uh the perseverance that that I see on YouTube, uh men or women climbing Mount Everest. That is just, first of all, for those of you who climb Mount Everest, way to go. Yeah. But you know, the things that they go through because they have that goal in mind. Right. And they're freezing cold. Sometimes they lose, you know, fingers and their nose will freeze off. I mean, the perseverance is to get the satisfaction of reaching the highest place on earth. It it just astounds me the perseverance that they go through. And that's the kind of perseverance I think you know, James is describing here for us.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

Well, I'm gonna say it's even more. You know, I I think I think you're right. Uh for us, it's a it's a YouTube video or it's that cat poster where it says hang in there, baby. You know, and we think that's perseverance. But perseverance for us as believers is realizing what Jesus endured on the cross. Oh, that's perfect. And he hung there, knowing even if he thought I'm tapping out, the angels would have responded. 72,000 angels in a moment would have been all around him, would have just wiped out all of the people there persecuting him, hurting him. And he could have just just mentally just said, I'm done, God. But he persevered it because it was worth persevering for us. Oh, wow. And I think that's what James is tapping into here. I think so too. When we compare our trials and tribulations to what Jesus endured for us, it is nothing.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Nothing. That's exactly right. And that's what leads us right to verse four. Yeah. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. So, you know, he's saying let this perseverance finish its work. Um it's not he's just saying don't jump off the don't jump off the ship because it's sinking. You know, just hang in there because it's gonna it it's a perfect work it's gonna do for you.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yeah, I want to start at the end of the sentence to work forward. Okay. You know, when he says not lacking anything, I I think if we asked that as a survey question, what do you like? I think we would say, Well, how much time do you have? You know, we are so needy as people, we have an exhaustive list of what we think we need. I think when when James makes that statement, that is the reflection of what mature and complete is. If we're mature and complete, we would honestly say, I don't need anything else. Right. It is Psalm 23 verse 1. Right. I've got it all.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

I've got everything I need.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

And so maturity is saying, you know, there there may be you there may be some realities of I need some money to pay my rent, or I I I can't get my medication this this month because but it's realizing that I am not helpless and hopeless because of my relationship with God.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Oh, that's that's a great point, Peter. And that this thing about uh you know, making sure that you're lacking uh nothing and let perseverance fear just work, good work. It's like baking bread. If you pull it out too early, yeah, it's not gonna be done, it's gonna collapse. But if you let the heat finish what it's supposed to do, then you get what it's supposed to be, uh a great piece of bread. That's good. Yeah, thank you very much. I like that. I like bread. I couldn't so let's go on to uh verse five. Well, we're zooming, aren't we? Verse five. If any of you lacks wisdom, so he changes he changes course here. Yeah. Yeah, isn't that amazing? He's talking about trials and and and perseverance, and then he says, Okay, if you lack any wisdom.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

You know, true, but as we go through these trials, if we're going to consider pure joy, we've we've got to have a heavenly mindset. And I think that's when he says wisdom, that's what it is. How do we take the scripture, the word of God, and overlay it on our hearts and our minds to where we're perceiving correctly? Like you said, it's a matter of perspective. Right. Two people can have the same same struggles, same trials, and one will say, I am fed up with God, I don't want any more, and the other one will say, Thank you, Father, for what you've done.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

And so that is that wisdom that allows us to see who God is, and and we just rejoice in that.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

You you know, that's a that's a great point. Do you know what struck me about verse five is that if you lack wisdom, he gives you the answer right after that. Yeah. If you lack wisdom, you should ask God.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Yeah. Well, how many times have I not done that in my life? You know, I lack wisdom and I think, well, I maybe I can get it by trying this. Or I lack wisdom and maybe I should ask this person. Right. Instead of just going to the source asking God. Yeah, what are my resources? What what can I do within my own strength? Exactly. And you know, we're all guilty of that. Sure. We're all guilty of that because, you know, we're we're kind of a we like we like problem solving.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

And we think we know better than God does, which is just hilarious. Yeah. You know, because we're nowhere close to that. Yeah. But, you know, he James right here says if you lack wisdom, you should ask God. And look what he says after that. I know. This blows me away. Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. So talk about giving generously, how he gives us wisdom generously.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Takes me back to the word that Paul liked to use is lavish. Lavish. John used the word lavish. I just it's just that extra heaping. You know, it's the cafeteria that lady that likes you and gives you two scoops instead of one. You know, it's just because what he's talking about is this is who God is. He's a generous God, he's a giving God. He he he loves us and cares for us. And so he he goes the extra and and gives us something. And he's talking about this is the midst of our trial.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

That doesn't mean it's going to, he's going to kiss it, make it all better, and it goes away. But he's going to give us the stuff we need to endure that. Exactly. And then he says he does it without finding fault. You know, how many times in our humanity does someone give us something and and they're reluctant, you know, or or it comes with a lecture. But he says, God doesn't do that. He doesn't have any malice in his heart towards us. He is a loving father that desires good gifts, wants to give good gifts to his children.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Right. And without finding fault, and it will be given to you. It kind of reminds me of of when uh we're both dads and and your your kids come, well, I I need some help with my homework. Yeah. And so you sit down with them and and you know, it's over my head a lot of times. Especially now with the new math. Uh if they ask me to do that. But you know, you're you sit down with them and you're very patient, and and you you're trying to teach and you're trying to learn, and and that's you're trying to give your child generously so that they don't get discouraged, but to help them understand. This is the this is the kind of father we serve. This is the kind of God that that wants us to have this kind of wisdom, and he just lavishes it on us. Yeah, it's it's crazy good.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Yeah, he's not the dad that's gonna say, I can't believe you're asking for this. I I thought I made you smarter than that. I I've given you all this stuff. Why can't you figure it out on your own? He says, Man, I'm so glad you asked. Right. I've been waiting. I've been waiting.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Waiting to give this to you. That's right. So listen, can we you think we can get verse six in? No. Okay.

unknown 18:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

I don't, because it goes right into seven. Okay. And then it goes into eight.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Right, yeah. Okay. Well, it was worth a shot. So we uh we got two verses uh done today. But again, uh it's a third anniversary show. Yeah. We've been on this podcast for three years uh on this podcast. So, Peter, thank you so much for for being my brother and how much I love you and how much I enjoy doing this podcast with you each and every day.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Well, I I feel the same way, but I I feel led to close us out in prayer for those who may be first facing persecution. So, Father, we pray for those listening who say, Boy, I'm I'm in trials right now. I'm being persecuted, uh, I'm going through the thick of things. May they feel the everlasting arms wrapped around them securely. May they feel the presence of their Lord Jesus. May they realize what he did for them on the cross, and may you help them to persevere and to finish well, to be mature and complete. And Father, we just thank you for being the Father that gives us good, good gifts. In your name we pray.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Amen. Amen. Thank you so much for listening to Two Brothers One Bible Podcast. I'm Robert Wakefield. I'm Peter Sears. And we will be back with verse what, six? Verse six on our next podcast. Thank you so much for listening and God bless.