Bible Caddie Podcast

We are in our fourth week of asking, “Why did Jesus Die?”. His entire life had been moving to this point of His death. This was the reason why He came. In our first week asking this question, we saw that Jesus didn’t just die, He was killed. In our second week, we saw that Jesus wasn’t simply killed, He was laying down His life. Last week, we saw that Jesus wasn’t just laying down His life, He was fulfilling Scripture. It was all according to plan. This week, we peel back another layer of the onion, and we are going to see that Jesus was not simply fulfilling Scripture, He was taking our place. On that cross, He was bearing the punishment that we deserve. We saw this hinted at at the end of our episode last week in those famous verses from Isaiah 53. “5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” In some way, this death was for our transgressions. For our iniquities. For our sin. He was taking our place. We’ll see how this works today in a few different passages, but we will start in Matthew 26:36-46.

This week on Bible Caddie, we continue to answer the question “Why Did Jesus Die?” In this episode we peel back another layer of what was really going on that Friday in April. Today we are going to see that Jesus wasn't simply killed, He was laying down His life. And He wasn’t just laying down His life, He was dying according to plan. His death was a fulfillment of Scripture.

We are in our second week of a new segment in looking at Jesus Christ. We’ve looked at what He did, and how He came, and what He taught, and what He claimed, and now we are asking, “Why Did He Die?” His entire life had been moving to this point of His death. And last week, we saw that He didn’t just die, He was killed. The religious leaders hated Him because He undermined their institutions, exposed who they really were, and threatened their power and influence among the people. So they stirred up the crowd, and they persuaded the Roman authorities. And on Passover weekend 33 AD, they killed Jesus of Nazareth by nailing Him to a Roman cross. Today, we peel back another layer of the onion of what was really going on that Friday in April, and we are going to see Jesus wasn’t just killed, He was laying down His life. We are going to look primarily at two passages this morning. John 10:11-18, where Jesus explicitly says this, and John 18:1-11 where it becomes crystal clear just what He is doing. Join us on this journey!

We are starting a new series today that will get us through the next six weeks are so. And everything we have talked has been leading us to these next few weeks. We’ve asked what was Jesus like? What did He do? What did He teach? And what did He claim? And we’ve seen some pretty amazing stuff. But starting today we are asking, “Why Did He Die?” I’m sure that most listeners know that as a relatively young man, somewhere around Webb and I's age, Jesus’ life was taken from Him. The next few weeks we want to ask, “Why?” What happened? What did it mean? What did it accomplish? I’m sure many people know this already, but Christianity hinges on how we answer these questions. So here’s how we’ll do it. We are going to peel back one layer of the onion at a time. We are going to start toward the surface, and then each week, we will peel back one layer and go deeper into the Bible says so that we really understand what the Bible teaches about Jesus’ death. Here’s what we are going to see in this first week— Jesus didn’t simply die, He was killed. Today, I want us to see why that happened and how that happened. 

What we want to do on today's episode is a little different. Instead of recapping each of these I Am claims, before we move on from this topic of what Jesus claimed, today I want to quickly look at a few other claims that Jesus made in the Gospels. Think of it as like a Bible Caddie Top 10. Our hope is that you wouldn’t view Jesus a good teacher. He’s so much more. So let’s do our Top 10 count down of Jesus’ claims.

Today we are looking at the last of Jesus’ I Am statements in the Gospel of John. The last six weeks we’ve been asking, “What did He claim?” We’ve seen so far that Jesus made a number of huge claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. Today, in John 15, we come to Jesus’ final I Am Statement, the last of these seven claims in this book. In this passage, Jesus offers His last I am statement by communicating that He is the vine and people are branches. We are to abide in Him and He in us so that as His disciples we might bear fruit for God’s glory and our joy. 

We are in week 6 of Jesus’ I Am statements from the Gospel of John. As we aim to get to know Jesus better, we are asking, “What did He claim?” We’ve seen so far that Jesus made a number of enormous claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. Today, in John 14, we come to probably the most famous of all the I Am Statements. In this passage, Jesus claims to be the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father. This is comforting and clear. And it demands our belief.

We are four weeks into Jesus’ I Am statements from the Gospel of John. We are trying to get to know Him better, so we are asking, What did He claim? As we’ve seen so far, Jesus made a number of enormous claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. Today, in John 11, we come to one of the most shocking claims of all. We’ve got a big chapter, so here is how we will approach it. Instead of reading it all up front, we will take it scene by scene. In a beautiful act of love, Jesus demonstrated His glory through His words, His emotions, and ultimately, through raising Lazarus from the dead, all in order that He might reveal who He is and that many might believe that He is the Resurrection and the Life, the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing have life in His name. 

As we continue to look at Jesus Christ in an effort to get to know Him better, we are a few weeks into our new season asking the question, “What did Jesus claim?” He made a number of enormous claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. We’ve already heard Him claim in the Gospel of John that He is the Bread of Life and the Light of the World. Last week, Jesus jumped into a metaphor about shepherds and sheep. He claimed “I am the Door”, the only way into God’s pasture of safety and security and life. This week, we pick up right where we left off in the Gospel of John, in Chapter 10 verse 11 with His fourth I Am statement. In this passage, Jesus claims to be the Good Shepherd, God’s very own representative, even God Himself, who has come to gather His flock. This is only possible because He will laid down His life for His sheep, only to take it up again that He might lead us and care for us for eternity. In short, salvation and life are only ever possible through Him!

We are a couple weeks into our news season asking the question, “What did Jesus claim?” He made a number of enormous claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. We’ve already looked at a couple of the “I Am” statements from the Gospel of John. Today we turn our attention to the third of those “I Am” Statements which comes in John 10.

We are one week into a new season of Bible Caddie, still making it our aim to get to know Jesus. And for the next few weeks we are asking, “What did Jesus claim?” He made a number of enormous claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. The claims we are looking at are Jesus’ “I Am” statements from the Gospel of John— which are some of His most significant. Our hope is that those of you who haven’t made up your mind about Jesus yet would see who He is and trust Him. And that those of you who already believe would be strengthened in your grasp of who Jesus is. Last week, we saw Jesus claim to be the bread of life— the one who provides nourishment and satisfaction and life for His people. Today, we turn our attention  to Jesus’ second “I Am” statement. We’ll pick up reading at the end of John 7 and read through the first part of John 8. 

Jesus made a number of enormous claims. Claims that if they’re not true, they’re absurd. And if they are true, they demand our attention and allegiance. Over the next eight weeks, we will be  looking at Jesus’ “I Am” statements from the Gospel of John— some of His most significant claims. Our hope is that those of you who haven’t made up your mind about Jesus yet would see who He is and trust Him. And that those of you who already believe would be strengthened in your grasp of who Jesus is. Thanks for listening!

So we’ve looked at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. And they can be categorized in a number of ways. Some are commentaries on the kingdom of God. Others communicate the ethic of the kingdom of God. Our last few have done that. For example, last week, in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, we saw that in God’s kingdom, because we have been so generously forgiven by our King, it is not only appropriate but necessary for us to forgive others from our hearts. Some parables instruct us how to live. And all Jesus’ parables are meant to elicit a response in us. In this episode, Ben, Webb, and William recap what was covered in season 3 and get practical about what Jesus' teaching looks like in their own lives.

So we’ve looked at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. And they can be categorized in a number of ways. Some are commentaries on the kingdom of God. Others communicate the ethic of the kingdom of God. Our last few have done that. For example, last week, in the parable of the Unforgiving Servant, we saw that in God’s kingdom, because we have been so generously forgiven by our King, it is not only appropriate but necessary for us to forgive others from our hearts. Some parables instruct us how to live. And all Jesus’ parables are meant to elicit a response in us. This week, we will close out this season on what Jesus taught by considering a parable that encourages us to live a certain way while at the same time offering some weighty truths about who Jesus is and what He will do. Today, we are looking at one final parable in Matthew 25:14-30— the Parable of the Talents. This parable teaches us that when Jesus returns, He will call us to account for how we have managed all that He has given us. As a result, we are to steward all that we are and all that we have for God’s kingdom and purposes. At the inevitable return of Christ, it will pay off!

Our goal in this season of the podcast is to continue to get to know Jesus better, and we are doing that over these next few weeks by asking, “What did He teach?” So we are looking at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. As one author says, they are “stories with intent.” Last week, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, we saw that we are to love all people, especially those in need. Today, we will continue with our theme of life in the Kingdom as we consider the topic of forgiveness. In this episode we will see that in God’s kingdom, because we have been so generously forgiven by our King, it is not only appropriate but necessary for us to forgive others from our hearts.

Our goal in this season of the podcast is to continue to get to know Jesus better, and we are doing that over these next few weeks by asking, “What did He teach?” So we are looking at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. As one author says, they are “stories with intent.” Our progression has been this: We started by seeing the treasure that the Kingdom of God really is, then we considered what the heart of God really is like, we looked at how to be made right with God and come back under His rule and into His Kingdom, and then last week, we made a shift toward some parables about the ethic of the kingdom. How life works in the kingdom of God. And we saw that we are to build our lives on the words of Christ. And we are to build our lives on prayer. We saw last week that we can come boldly and shamelessly to the Lord. Today, we will be in Luke 10:25-37, in one of the most famous parables, we will see what it looks like to live a life of love. 

Our goal in this season of the podcast is to continue to get to know Jesus better, and we are doing that over these next few weeks by asking, “What did He teach?” So we are looking at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. As one author says, they are “stories with intent.” Our progression has been this: We started by seeing the treasure that the Kingdom of God really is, then we considered what the heart of God really is like, we looked at how to be made right with God and come back under His rule and into His Kingdom, and then last week, we made a shift toward some parables about the ethic of the kingdom. How life works in the kingdom of God. And we saw that we are to build our lives on the words of Christ. That’s wise building. Today, we will be in Luke 11:1-13, considering what Jesus taught about prayer.

We are continuing to get to know Jesus better as we start the new year, and we are doing that over these next few weeks by asking, “What did He teach?” So we will look at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. As one author says, they are “stories with intent.” Our progression has been this: We started by seeing the treasure that the Kingdom of God really is (hidden treasure/pearl), then we considered what the heart of God really is like (prodigal son), then last week, we looked at how to be made right with God and come back under His rule and into His Kingdom (Pharisee and Tax Collector). Now, we are going to shift toward some parables about the ethic of the kingdom. How life works in the Kingdom of God. And we are going to do that by looking at the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24-27.

We are continuing to get to know Jesus better as we start the new year, and we are doing that over these next few weeks by asking, “What did He teach?” So we will look at a number of His parables. Parables are extended analogies that help us understand a truth. As one author says, they are “stories with intent.” Last week, we looked at the parable of the Prodigal Son. We saw in that parable that there are two kinds of lostness— outright rebellion and so-called righteous living that seeks to put God in our debt. We saw the need to return to God and to rejoice when others return to God. And perhaps most of all, we saw the heart of God. That parable shows us what God is actually like. He is a graciously extravagant Father, who rejoices when lost sinners come home. So that parable shows us in a way how God yearns for us to be right with Him. The parable we are looking at today shows us how that might happen; how we can be made right with God. We will be in Luke 18 looking at the story of the Pharisee and Tax Collector. 

In season 3 of the Bible Caddie, William, Webb and Ben navigate the things that Jesus taught while he was on earth. This episode has some clarification on the rules of the golf picks and a tip from Ben on how to increase your swing speed! Our time in the Word is focused on The Prodigal Son parable in Luke 15:11-32. Can you relate to the younger brother? The older brother? What does this tell us God is like? How can this parable apply to your life now? Check it out now! If you have any questions please email us at BibleCaddie@gmail.com.