Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: He is with us.
Merry Christmas.
God is with us.
Merry Christmas.
[00:00:16] Speaker B: Welcome Back to the NextGen Advent podcast. Today we are on day six, and we are going to talk about how to live. I have two special guests with me today who are going to help us kind of discuss this topic. Special guests, can you tell me your first name and what grade you're in?
[00:00:31] Speaker C: My name is Deanna and I'm in first grade. My name is Michael and I'm in second grade.
[00:00:38] Speaker B: All right, we've got Deanna and Michael here today to help us figure out what does it mean, how to live? All right, but before we jump into that, let's talk a little bit about Christmas. Deanna, what are you looking forward to most about Christmas?
[00:00:51] Speaker C: Opening presents with my family and singing to Jesus with my family.
[00:00:57] Speaker B: Is there anything that you're hoping that you get this year as a present?
[00:01:01] Speaker C: Roller skates.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Oh, that would be fun. That's very fun. Michael, how about you? What are you looking forward to most about Christmas?
[00:01:09] Speaker C: Probably, like, Obian presents and praising Jesus name and his birthday.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Mm, yeah. I mean, those are all great things, right? How about you? Any presents that you are looking forward to most? Probably like, like, you got a little smirk on your face when I said that. So what were you thinking of?
[00:01:27] Speaker C: I was thinking of, like, probably I was gonna get Legos. Like, a whole set.
[00:01:33] Speaker B: Oh, like a whole set. Is there, like, a certain set that you're, like, liking?
[00:01:37] Speaker C: Probably like a water. A water slide set.
[00:01:42] Speaker B: Oh, that would be very fun, wouldn't it? Yeah, I like Legos. They're pretty fun. All right, so let's talk about this. What is something at Christmas time that's more fun to do with other people than to do all by yourself? Dee Dee, what do you think?
[00:01:55] Speaker C: Opening presents with him and singing to the Lord?
[00:01:59] Speaker B: That's true. Like, both of those things would not be nearly as fun if you just did it by yourself, right? Michael, how about you? What's something that you like to do with other people then? It's just more fun than to do by yourself?
[00:02:08] Speaker C: Well, mostly, like, eating and, like, doing fun stuff.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: Yeah, the eating and the fun stuff, they're just better with other people, aren't they?
[00:02:18] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Yeah. All right, let's think about this. We know that God is with us, right? Like, every day while we're living. Deanna, for you, where do you imagine that God is, like, when you, like, think about the fact that he's with us? Like, where do you imagine that he.
[00:02:31] Speaker C: Is, like, right beside us wherever we go and, like, right next to us. Even if we're, like, lost or somewhere, we don't know where we are.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: Yeah. He didn't go anywhere, did he? Nope. He's still right by you. You're exactly right. Michael, how about you? How do you. Where do you imagine that God is? We know he's right with us. Like, how do you imagine that?
[00:02:53] Speaker C: Like, he's in our heart and, like, he helps us and, like, and figure things out.
[00:03:00] Speaker B: I love that answer. Right. And he's always, like, there to, like, guide you. Right. And help you think through things. That's great. And so. All right, let's dig into the material. We're gonna talk about how to live. And we're gonna be looking at Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 9 through 22. But we're really gonna be focusing on verse 15 today. And we're gonn you, the Lord God.
[00:03:20] Speaker C: Will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. Deuteronomy 18:15.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: I love it. So a nation of people from Abraham grew, and they were enslaved by the nation Egypt, where they lived at the time. If you look that up, it's in Exodus, chapter one. And after God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, there needed to be laws to be able to guide them. God used Moses to speak to his people, and God gave Moses the ten commandments and the law that is designed to set Israel apart from all other nations. The reason God mentioned such crazy scenarios as parents burning their children as offerings, sorcery, fortunes, and other horrible things was because the people of other nations were actually doing those things. And he wanted Israel to be different. They were to only worship the one true God. Living differently meant setting up clear laws and directions for his people. At this time, God chose to lead his people through not kings, but prophets who would speak God's word to the people. These prophets had the job of listening to God and sharing God's truth as well as the promises that he would make. These promises would be ways that his people and the world would see his faithfulness. This passage is a prophecy that not only speaks about their immediate future, but also predicts the greatest prophet to Jesus.
God doesn't call us to mysterious life that we need to discover. God clearly explains his will and his ways through his word and through the ultimate fulfillment of his plan, Jesus Christ. Jesus. Life, ministry, teachings, death, and resurrection help us to know how we are called to live. So, Deanna and Michael, let's think through this. Why do you think God chose prophets at this Stage of the story to lead his people instead of kings, governments, or other groups of people. Why do you think he chose prophets?
[00:05:19] Speaker C: Because he chose prophets to listen to him first.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: Yeah. He chose prophets because he wanted his people to be a people who would listen to him first and not to anyone who was in the government or kind of running the groups of people. He wanted their hearts to be tender to him.
How do we know whether our teaching is true or accurate? How do we discern whether things that we're being told is true or accurate? What do you think, Deanna?
[00:05:45] Speaker C: You can compare to the Word that's God's word.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: So you can compare what you're being taught and be able to discern if the teaching is true and accurate. Because you're going to be able to compare it to God's word. Because, Deanna, is God's word true?
[00:05:59] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:06:00] Speaker B: Is God's word accurate?
[00:06:02] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: Yep. That's right. And so we can take everything that we're being taught or that we're being told and we can compare it to that to be able to see if it is true and accurate. All right, so let's think through this. How do you know that you can trust God's word?
[00:06:15] Speaker C: Like you have the Bible and that you know him and that you trust him and know that he's the savior of the world?
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Yep, yep. Like all those things, right? Like you've got like a multiple tier argument there, right? You're like, the Bible's accurate. He's my savior. I can understand that. He's saved me.
Michael, how do you learn how to live?
Like, how do you, how do you get wisdom? How do you learn how to live rightly?
[00:06:42] Speaker C: Like trusting him and like believing that he is there even though you can't see him that well. And like, you just trust it somehow, right?
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Like, and he, he's there, right? And he's teaching you how to live. And you said earlier that you know when he lives inside your heart that he also helps you to understand, like, what is right, what is wrong, and how to be able to live. And so so far we've covered the fact that we see that we are able to compare anything that we're being told and we're able to discern it. We're able to understand if it's right by comparing it to the word of God.
Honestly, I think too, we can talk to the people in our lives who we trust and if they love Jesus and we can ask them, like, is this true? Help me understand what the word of go to say about this. And then we also have the Holy Spirit living inside of us once we put our faith and trust in Jesus and he helps us to understand if this is right or what is happening and what that looks like.
So just for all of our listeners today, I hope and I pray that you begin to think, how do I live? When we begin to see that God sent a whole series of prophets. He sent Jesus to be able to teach us exactly what it is and how we are called to be able to live. And then we begin to see that we also have the Holy Spirit that instructs us and guides us in how we need to live every day. And so, Michael, would you just be able to close us in prayer today that we would trust God's word and that his word would help us live lives that make much of Jesus.
[00:08:03] Speaker C: Dear God, I hope that we had a good day and everyone has a good Christmas this month and that everyone could be safe and healthy and believe in the Lord with all their heart, and we could all have a great rest of our day. In Jesus name, amen.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: Amen. All right, can you guys close our podcast by wishing our listeners together Merry Christmas.
[00:08:30] Speaker C: Merry Christmas.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: That's so good. All right, Merry Christmas, everyone who's listening with us. We'll be back here with you again tomorrow.
[00:08:49] Speaker A: Star is shining, angels sing Our Savior born the hope he brings in a manger the king has come God with us the Holy One through the silence light breaks through A tiny child A promise true in the stillness heaven's near God with us we shout he is with us Merry Christmas.
God is with us Merry Christmas.
He is with us Merry Christmas.
God is with us Merry Christmas.
[00:09:52] Speaker B: N.
