Baldhead Bible Podcast

It is now roughly 6 weeks after the events from last week and Jesus and the disciples are still hanging around Cesearea Philippi and the Gates of Hell. I believe Jesus was witnessing in the town: witnessing the glory of the Father and the kindness of God upon the nation of Israel. But I also think Jesus was there to send a theological, supernaturally devastating message to all the hostile spiritual forces surrounding Him. This message was simple: The Messiah is here, the Kingdom has arrived, and you rebellious, evil supernatural forces, your time has come. To follow along turn to Matthew 17.

Jesus and His disciples are about to declare holy war on Satan and His doomed minions. But Jesus doesn't do it through any act of violence, but simply through His words. Well, more specifically, through the words of Peter. What were those words that would storm the gates of Hades? Turn to Matthew 16 and make sure to listen to today's podcast to find out.

Jesus is about to enter the period where He begins His long march to the cross and crucifixion. But before that, He has a lot of teaching and warning and encouragement for the disciples. He does not want them to lack knowledge and the spiritual fortitude to take on the evil forces amassing all around them. And one group in particular He wants to warn them about. Listen to this week's story as we hear our Savior warning His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees. Turn to Matthew 16 to follow along.

Now, that is quite a provocative title. Can you imagine! There is a story in the Bible where Jesus compares a woman to a dog. But He also heals her daughter, feeds 4,000 people, and, by the end of the story, provides blessings upon blessings to people who do not deserve it. Why would Jesus compare a woman to a dog? And how does this lead to blessings? Turn to Matthew 15 and listen on.

This week's story focuses on the importance of handwashing. While it may not seem like the most captivating topic, it carries significant religious questions and practical applications for living a life of faith. To read more, turn to Matthew 15.

O you of little faith, why do you doubt? That is the message I want all of us to learn after listening to this week's story: we should never doubt that God will provide for our needs. Listen to this week's story and be encouraged in your faith. Be encouraged that if Peter can walk on water, we can trust that Jesus will provide for us. To follow along, turn to Matthew 14

Jesus has learned that John the Baptist was beheaded and martyred for his faith. Jesus escapes the crush of the crowd in order to be alone, but soon the crowd follows and they find Him. And in His compassion, Jesus leaves His grieving to minister among them and to heal their sick and to cure the blind. Jesus performs miracle after miracle, but then the evening begins to draw near, and the people do not have enough food to eat. How are Jesus and the disciples going to feed all these people? Listen on to find out. To follow along in the Bible turn to Matthew 14.

When Jesus heard that His friend John the Baptist had died, Matthew writes that Jesus went to a remote place to be alone. John the Baptist was killed for standing up for the truth. He was killed because he wasn't afraid to confront those in power with their sin. But he paid a high price for doing what was right. From a human perspective, it was a terribly sad moment, and I believe Jesus felt the deep grief and injustice of that moment. I wonder if the way John died bothered Jesus because the way he was murdered was bizarre and horrific. Turn to the book of Matthew, chapter 14, to follow along.

Jesus is beginning to teach in parables as an act of condemnation upon the people of Israel for not accepting Him as King and believing He is the Messiah. But what about His own family? Wouldn't it be hard to take if your own family didn't believe you were the Messiah, and some of your brothers tried to kill you at one point? This week we hear the story of Jesus' brothers and how they refused to believe that their older brother Jesus was, in fact, God in flesh. This week we learn more about Jesus and His immediate family and how Jesus turned their cold hearts from unbelief to belief.

This week we tell the story of Jesus beginning to speak and preach in parables. What would cause the son of God to begin speaking in stories and illustrations with deeper spiritual meanings? Why would Jesus speak in obscure ways? Wouldn't Jesus want to be as clear as possible, so He can tell as many people as He could about the Kingdom? Well, there was a reason found in the prophecies of Isaiah. Listen to this week's podcast to find out more. To follow along turn to Matthew 13.

Are you a follower of Jesus who likes the show and the rituals? You like the fact that going to church pleases your grandma and that you are a better person because you obey the basic principles found in the Bible. But you don't really believe what the Bible says, and you are not really sure if Jesus was God or just a good man. But you like your church and eating out afterward for Sunday dinner. But whether you genuinely want to follow Jesus is still up in the air. Well, if that is you, I want to say: this week's story contains a warning for you. Listen to learn more about Jesus and the danger of a Swept Out Soul. To follow along, turn to Matthew chapter 12.

We continue working our way through the book of Matthew and his telling of the story of the life of Jesus. In today's episode, we hear about a sin that is so bad and horrible that Jesus says it's unforgivable. If you commit this sin, it can never be forgiven. But I thought God died for all sins, and there is no condemnation in Christ. So how can there be an unforgivable sin? And if there is an unforgivable sin, have I committed it? Great questions, and in this episode, Jesus answers each one. Turn to Matthew 12 to follow along.

Jesus takes on the Pharisses through a series of Sabbath controversies. On one Sabbath He eats some grain, which to a Pharisee is fine. It was the plucking of the grain that got Him in trouble because that was work. Later on, Jesus performs a miracle and heals a man on the Sabbath, which to the Pharisees who were scrutinizing His every move, it was too much. Why is doing good getting Jesus in so much trouble? Because the Pharisees are forgetting that people are more important than sheep and that God wants mercy more than sacrifice. Listen to this week's story to find out about how Jesus took on the religious establishment and showed the true heart of the Father for people. Turn to Matthew 12 to follow along.

Have you sometimes doubted whether Jesus is real? Have you ever wondered if another religion has it right, and we followers of Jesus are wrong? What if we are wrong? What if Jesus is not the way to Heaven? If you have ever doubted, I want to say that others have doubted before you. One of them was John the Baptist. Listen to John's question, but also listen to Jesus' resounding answer. We do not have it wrong. Jesus is the Messiah, and we can be confident in that fact no matter our circumstances. Turn to Matthew 11 to follow along.

With this episode, we come to chapter ten in the book of Matthew, and here we meet the twelve disciples by name. We learn how Jesus commissioned them and sent them as "sheep among wolves." And so, in their final pep rally, before Jesus sends his workers out into the harvest, Jesus tells them some exciting news and reminds them of a sober reality. His words are important for all of us to hear as we work to harvest in the field God has called us. To follow along, turn to chapter ten in the book of Matthew.

So what do you accomplish in an average day? How much do you get done? Well with this week's story, we catch a glimpse into an average day for Jesus, and you might be surprised at how much Jesus did in an average day. According to Matthew 9, Jesus taught, Jesus healed, Jesus raised people from the dead, and yet Jesus' day wasn't yet finished. I hope with this week's story you come away with a better appreciation for what Jesus did during His time on earth, and that He lived with compassion for the "distressed and dejected" people around Him. If you would like to follow along please turn to Matthew 9.

With this episode, we continue with the telling of the conversion of Matthew. Now that Matthew is a follower of Jesus, he wants others to hear about Jesus, so he invites all his friends to one big party—a party where they could meet with Jesus and decide whether they should follow Jesus. But the thing is, Matthew was an outcast in Jewish social circles, and because of that, many of his friends were outcasts as well. People shunned by polite society, are now coming to Jesus, to be saved and to follow Him. This sounds all good, right? But to some people, this was the worse thing imaginable. Listen to this week's episode to hear more about Matthew and all his friends. To follow along, turn to Matthew 9.

What is your spiritual story? When did you get saved? How did you come to faith? In this week's story, we hear the call of Matthew by Jesus to follow Him. We hear the beginning of his spiritual story and the healing by Jesus of a paralyzed man. But Jesus did not just heal this paralyzed man but also forgave his sins. And when He said that, some scribes in the audience began to cry blasphemer, heretic. Why would that cause these men to accuse Jesus of such a thing? Isn't forgiving sin a good thing? Well, listen to this week's episode to find out more. To follow along, turn to Matthew Nine.

Can you imagine asking God to leave because He is doing too much good? Well, that is what the townsfolk of Gaderene asked Jesus to do. To go, get out of town, leave before you do too much good. Jesus had faced two men who were demonically possessed, who had threatened and hurt their people, and He defeated them. He cast the demons out of these two men, and for His good work, the people asked Him to leave. Why? Why did they do that? Well, you better listen to this week's episode to find out. Or turn to Matthew 8 to follow along.

This is the exciting story of Jesus and the disciples caught in a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee. It is a story where Jesus demonstrated His power over nature, and it is the moment some of the disciples finally realized that Jesus is God. This is also a story about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and what it takes to follow Him. To follow along, turn to Matthew 8.