LSAB003: Lifespring! Audio Bible…Genesis 5 and 6, Matthew 4
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Today, we’re going to read Genesis chapters 5 and 6 and Matthew chapter 4.
LSAB002: Lifespring! Audio Bible…Genesis 3 and 4, Matthew 3
An audio book version of Genesis 3 and 4, and Matthew 3. A much shorter show than yesterday. 
This is a copyrighted version of the Bible. Please do not copy, rebroadcast or reproduce in any manner either the audio or printed form of this work, without the express written permission of yours truly.
The Lifespring Audio Bible
Genesis Chapter 3
3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”
3:2 The woman answered the serpent, “We are allowed to eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.
3:3 “But we are not allowed to eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. God said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, or you will die.”
3:4 Then serpent said to the woman, “You will not die.
3:5 “God knows that when you eat of that tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”
3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and that
it was a delight to the eyes, and a desirable tree to make one wise, she took some of the fruit and ate it. She gave some of the fruit to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.
3:7 Then their eyes were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together, and made clothes for themselves.
3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God as he walked in the garden in
the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
3:9 And the LORD God called to Adam, “Where are you?
3:10 And Adam said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
3:11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I told you not to eat?
3:12 And the man said, “The woman you gave me, she gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it.
3:13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?” And the woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
3:14 And the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done
this, you are cursed more than all livestock, and more than all wild animals. You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
3:15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will bruise your head and you will bruise his heel.”
3:16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your labor in childbirth; with pain you will give birth. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and ate of the tree which I told you, “You shalt not eat of it,” the ground is cursed because of you. In toil and pain will you eat from it all the days of your life.
3:18 “It will produce thorns and thistles for you. You will eat the herb of the field.
3:19 By the sweat of your brow, you will produce bread until you return to the ground, for out of the ground you were taken. Dust you are, and to dust you will return.”
3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all who live.
3:21 The LORD God make clothing of animal skins for Adam and his wife.
3:22 And the LORD God said, “The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. If he stretches out his hand and takes from the tree of life and eats its fruit, he will live for ever.
3:23 So the LORD God banished him from the garden of Eden to work the ground
from which he had been made.
3:24 So he drove the man out, and on the east of the garden of Eden, he placed Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis Chapter 4
4:1 And Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. And she said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
4:2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel was a shepherd, but Cain worked the soil.
4:3 After a time, Cain brought an offering of his harvest to the LORD.
4:4 And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and their fat. And the LORD approved of Abel and his offering,
4:5 But did not approve of Cain and his offering. Cain was exceedingly angy, and his countenance fell.
4:6 And the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you so angry, and why has your countenance fallen?
4:7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is waiting at the door. And it will want to have you, but you must master it.”
4:8 Cain talked with his brother Abel. And when they were in the field, Cain attacked his bother Abel and killed him.
4:9 And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he
said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
4:10 And he said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
4:11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from thy hand.
4:12 “When you work the ground, from now on it will not give its best to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
4:13 And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can
bear.
4:14 “Today you have banished me from the land, and I will be hidden from your face. I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who finds me shall kill me.”
4:15 And the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain shall receive seven times as much punishment. And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that whoever found him would not kill him.
4:16 And Cain left the presence of the LORD, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
4:17 And Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch (EE-knock): and he built a city, and named the city after his
son, Enoch (EE-knock).
4:18 And to Enoch (EE-knock) was born Irad (EYE-rad (as in “had”)): and Irad (EYE-rad (as in “had”)) was the father of Mehujael (meh-HOO-jay-el): and
Mehujael (meh-HOO-jay-el) was the father of Methusael (meh-THOO-shay-el): and Methusael (meh-THOO-shay-el) was the father of Lamech (LAY-mek).
4:19 And Lamech (LAY-mek) took two wives: the name of one was Adah (AY-duh),
and the name of the other was Zillah (ZIL-uh).
4:20 And Adah (AY-duh) gave birth to Jabal (JAY-buhl). He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
4:21 His brother’s name was Jubal (Jew-buhl): he was the father of those who play musical instruments.
4:22 And Zillah (ZIL-uh), she also bare Tubalcain (TOO-buhl Cain), an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain (TOO-buhl Cain) was Naamah (NAY-uh-muh).
4:23 And Lamech (LAY-mek) said to his wives, Adah (AY-duh) and Zillah (ZIL-uh), Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech (LAY-mek), hear my words, because I have killed a man for wounding me, and a young man for injuring me.
4:24 If Cain will be avenged seven times, then Lamech (LAY-mek) will be avenged seventy-seven times.
4:25 And Adam had sexual relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, “Because,” she said, “God has given me another child in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.
4:26 Seth also had a son, whom he named him Enosh (EE-nosh). Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
Matthew Chapter 3
3:1 In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the Judean desert,
3:2 saying, “Turn from your sins! Repent! Because the kingdom of heaven is near.”
3:3 This is the man that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah (eye-ZAY-uh), when he said, “The voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
3:4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist; and he ate locusts and wild honey.
3:5 The people of Jerusalem went out to see him, and all the people of Judea (jew-DAY-uh), and all the areas around Jordan,
3:6 And John baptized them in the Jordan River, and they confessed their sins.
3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to watch him baptizing, he said to them, “You are the children of snakes! Who warned
you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8 “Produce fruit that shows you have turned from sin.
3:9 “Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We are descendants of Abraham’, because I tell you that God can turn these stones to into descendants of Abraham.
3:10 “And now the ax is laid at the roots of the trees. Every tree which does not produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.
3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the man who comes after me is mightier than I am. I am not worthy to carry his shoes. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
3:12 “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will throughly clean his floor, and
gather his wheat into the barn; but he will burn up the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”
3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River, to be baptized by John.
3:14 But John protested, and said, “I need to be baptized by you, and you are coming to me?”
3:15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it to happen now, because in this way we must fulfill all righteousness.” And then, John agreed to baptize Jesus.
3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went immediately up out of the
water, and the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and landing on him:
3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and with whom I am very pleased.”
Lifespring!193 “As Stable As Jello”
As I record this, the date is November 13, 2009. and it’s about 10:30 p.m. Almost exactly five years ago at this very hour I spoke very nervously into a microphone at the back of the sanctuary of what was then known as calvary temple, and recorded the very first Christian podcast not based on repurposed church sermons.
I felt as if the Lord had called me to proclaim his name through this new technology, this new medium, and that is what I did. With much trepidation, in a barely lit sanctuary, I sat in the sound booth of that church and told whomever might be listening, why I am a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ. I spoke of his love, and his mercy. I talked about the problem of sin and the wonderful solution God came up with, at His expense, to bring reconciliation between Himself and me…and you.
I think I played music from Anne Davis on that first show. If it wasn’t that one, it was probably the second show.
I invited emails and comments, and I surprisingly heard from folks around the world…almost immediately. I was humbled that anyone would listen, and thankful for the emails. To me, it was a confirmation that I was doing the right thing.
Who knew what would result from that first show? I must say that I had no idea how much my life would change in the next five years. Then, my windshield repair business was doing well, the lovely lady LeeAnn was home schooling our two youngest sons, and I was asking God how I might serve Him.
Today, our windshield repair business is on life support with a weak, thready pulse with blood pressure dropping…as a result of the horrible economy. The lovely lady LeeAnn has had to find employment outside of our business, our middle son has graduated from our local public high school, our youngest is a sophomore at that same school, the oldest is now married to a beautiful young woman, and I’m wearing several hats in order to earn a living…all of them centered around my computer. I’m a voiceover artist, an audiobook editor, a video editor, a wordpress website developer, and a podcaster. I’ve probably forgotten something in there, but the point is that five years ago, I would have never imagined that my life was going to be so completely turned upside down. Nearly everything has changed in my daily circumstances.
There are, as I sit here and think about it, two enormously important constants over these five years. The first that I’ll mention is the love and support of the lovely lady LeeAnn. Through everything, she has been there to love and support me. She is my best friend, she is my sounding board, she is my companion. The strength of our marriage has only grown, and I am blessed beyond words to have her to be my life’s companion.
The second thing that has been constant has been the presence of God in my life. In Malachi 3:6, God says “I am the Lord, I change not.” And that has become for me a wonderful scripture of comfort.
To know that God is not changed by the circumstances and foibles of man, to know that there is a safe place, a source of strength when everything else seems to be about as stable as Jello…well, that knowledge helps me to move forward and keep fighting the good fight.
A scripture that has become very popular over the past few years is Jeremiah 4:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I love that scripture. It is a wonderful promise, to be sure, but I’ve learned that putting a scripture in context is always a good thing. It brings more clarity and understanding, in most cases.
Now listen to the context.
Because the children of Israel had rebelled against God, He—after numerous warning through His prophets—allowed them to be taken into captivity and exiled from Jerusalem into Babylon. But because of His great love for them, He gave them this promise. Listen to verses 10 through 14:
10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
What a marvelous, loving God. Even though there was a history of God providing miraculously for them, and them abandoning Him, and this chain of events happening over and over, His loving nature was to, yet again, offer this promise of hope and restoration.
And of course, ultimately, it became apparent that this cycle would never end, because it is the nature of man to rebel…to sin. God allowed the multiple cycles not because He was under any notion that man would someday “get it”, but so that we might see our complete inability to maintain any kind of righteousness. We would never be able to live according to God’s standard of behavior…to be without sin.
And then, according to Gal. 4: 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law.
At just the right time in history, Jesus came into the world to break that cycle we spoke about. Jesus came to make full and final payment for my sin and yours, so that we might at last have lasting peace and relationship with God. He did that by taking my sin and yours upon himself and paying for them with his own blood…his own life. And then proving his right to do so by being resurrected on the third day. If he had remained dead, then it would have all been for nought. But He showed himself to be God, to be the only one with the power to bring forgiveness to us, by his resurrection. How do we know it really happened? For one thing, there were many eyewitnesses. He appeared to over 500 people on one occasion. The fact that most of his disciples chose horrible deaths over denying Jesus’ resurrection is another fact that lends credibility, and there are others.
The point is that because of what Jesus did all those years ago, and because of the fact that we know God doesn’t change, you and I can have peace and even joy, despite this changing and unsteady world in which we find ourselves.
God is still God. He is still;
El-Shaddai — The God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People
Jehovah-Elohim — The Eternal Creator
Jehovah-Jireh — The Lord our Provider
Jehovah-Nissi — The Lord our Banner
Jehovah-Ropheka — The Lord our Healer
Jehovah-Shalom — The Lord our Peace
and all the other names we learn about in Scripture.
If you are looking for peace, my friend, the only place you will find it is in the loving arms of this God. He created you. He loves you with an intensity and a depth that is impossible to express in words. He wants you to know him and to have an ongoing, intimate relationship with him. And that is only possible through knowing Jesus Christ. Listen to some of Jesus words…
“I and the Father are one. No one comes to the Father but by me. If you love me, you’ll keep my word, and my father will love him and we will make our home with you. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…”
Eternal life. Eternity is a long time. It’s forever. The changes I’ve seen in my own life over the past five years show me that this world is far from forever. There are constant variations and movements in my circumstances. But my Rock doesn’t move, doesn’t change. My present is uncertain, but my future is secure.
How about yours? If you are not sure, if you have questions, if you have doubts or fears, I would love to hear from you. I’m not a preacher. I’m just a guy who has found peace, and I would love to provide whatever answers I can if you have questions.
Email me at steve (a t) lifespringmedia.com, or phone me at 951-732-8511. I will get back to you.
Lifespring!191 “The Ten Commandments vs Faith and a Review of The Shack” TOLL FREE Comment Line +1(877)433-9091
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ON TODAY’S SHOW
We’ve got a jam packed show today. We talk about the “Ten Commandments vs Faith”, and because so many of you have asked me about my opinion of the best selling book, the Shack, I give my review.
Music Links
Larry Norman
“Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus” (mp3)
from “Only Visiting This Planet”
(Solid Rock)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album
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Links To Items Mentioned On the Show
David McLaughlin’s review of The Shack is here.
Bryan Duncan’s website is here.
The interview of Bryan on Lifespring! 52 is here.
Bryan’s Twitter page is here.
From @chad_estes tweet, the background on The Shack and the “incredible” interview: here.
Lifespring! shows mentioned in Steve from Texas’ email:
Lifespring!164 “The Man With The Golden Heart” or “From Korea With Love
Lifespring!156 “Really Finding Lost Children”
Lifespring!171 “The Tongue: More Powerful Than A Locomotive”
Lifespring!161 “Speaking In Unknown Tongues? Me???”
Lifespring!167 “O Is For Oprah”
The Gospel Channel article about John Schlitt.
“100 Incredibly Inspiring Christian Blogs”
“100 Best Blogs for Christian Moms”
My friend, Wayne Henderson’s website is here.
My social media links are in the right sidebar of this page. ——>
Lifespring!187 “Where Is The Meaning?” Toll Free Comment Line 1(877)433-9091
Where Is The Meaning?
With all the turmoil and loss of financial and many other types of stability, we take some lessons from Solomon and the book of Ecclesiastes.
Music On Today’s Show
Jimmie Bratcher’s “One Rock”,
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,
,
,
,
,
Big Stuf
“Keep Singing” (mp3)
from “Storms : Songs for the Heart When It Hurts”
(IMI)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album