More Than Medicine
More Than Medicine
DWDP - Gen 5, 21 Judgment Coming
What does it truly mean to walk with God? In this thought-provoking episode of Devotions with Dr. Papa, we uncover the profound spiritual legacy of ancient patriarchs like Methuselah and Noah, who stood apart as preachers of righteousness in a corrupt world.
Dr. Robert Jackson takes us on a fascinating journey through Genesis 5, revealing how Methuselah—whose very name meant "judgment coming"—carried a prophetic message throughout his extraordinary 969-year life. Imagine bearing a name that constantly reminded people of impending divine judgment! For nearly a century, both Methuselah and his grandson Noah warned of catastrophe while facing ridicule from a world that had never even seen rain.
But what truly set these patriarchs apart from their numerous siblings? The answer lies in a simple yet profound choice they made—they "set their hearts" to walk with God. Drawing powerful parallels with Ezra, who purposefully decided to study, practice, and teach God's law even while in exile, Dr. Jackson illuminates how spiritual impact flows from deliberate decisions rather than special talents or circumstances.
This message strikes at the heart of authentic discipleship. Each of us faces the same choice that confronted the ancient patriarchs—will we decide to walk closely with God, study His Word, and share His truth with our circle of influence? As Dr. Jackson powerfully reminds us: "Any one of us can become a seed planter, a soul winner, an evangelist... Any one of us can be known as that person who walks with God and consistently speaks the truth in love."
Join us for this transformative exploration of purpose, decision, and spiritual legacy. Your doctor loves you—and challenges you with the question that echoes through the centuries: "Will you decide?"
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Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country, hosted by author and physician, Dr. Robert Jackson. Papa can you tell?
Speaker 2:me a story.
Speaker 1:Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Gather around, grab your Bibles and let's look into the written word, which reveals to us the living word, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Well, before I leave Genesis, chapter 5, I want to make a comment about names. You know, in the Old Testament and really the New Testament, names have special meaning. For example, let's look at the name of Methuselah. There is a little controversy about exactly what his name means, but many theologians think that Methuselah's name means judgment coming. Now, enoch was Methuselah's dad, and remember that Enoch was a preacher of righteousness. He was one of the ten patriarchs. Enoch was the one who walked with God and God took him. But before he was taken, he birthed. His wife birthed Methuselah, and Enoch, the prophet, the preacher of righteousness, saw what was coming. Perhaps he had a vision, but he saw the judgment that was coming and he named his son Methuselah, and his name means judgment coming. So, before leaving Genesis, chapter 5, I want us to focus on Methuselah and Noah in particular, the preachers of righteousness, and consider their lives a moment.
Speaker 1:Now let's play, pretend like children, do I want you to imagine that, on the day that you were born, that your father, who was a widely known evangelist, claimed to have a vision from God of a terrible judgment to come on planet earth if men did not repent of their wickedness? So convinced was he of the coming judgment that he named you, judgment coming all of your life. You had to explain that name. Yes, my dad was enoch. No, he didn't disappear or run off with another woman. God took him up to heaven. Well, you can believe whatever you want, but my dad was a preacher of righteousness, and now so am I. And I tell you, if you don't turn away from your wickedness, you will perish in the judgment to come.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't really know what the judgment to come is exactly, I just know it's coming. Well then, suppose you had to preach message for 860 years until your grandson, named Noah, began preaching the same message. But then, all of a sudden, he knows what the judgment to come really is and he says that God told him a universal flood is coming over all the earth, which is really, really weird, because up till then it has never even rained on planet earth. In fact, a heavy dew falls every night, but no rain. So everyone, including you, thinks your grandson is a little, maybe a lot, loony because he starts to preach that there's universal flood. But then you know that God spoke the world into existence in six days, just by speaking the word. And you know that he formed Adam and Eve from the dust of the earth and he breathed into them the breath of life. And you know that God can do whatever he pretty well pleases. He's been speaking to your heart for 800 plus years that he will not tolerate this wickedness and corruption and violence much longer, although he is patient toward men, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to a knowledge of the truth. And now God is revealing the method of judgment. To come to your grandson, it's a flood. Well, god can do whatever he pleases. And suddenly there are two of you, noah and Methuselah, preaching righteousness, calling men to repent and warning of a flood to come for nearly a hundred years, as Noah built this huge monstrosity of a houseboat. But then, five years before the flood, god calls you home. Your mission is complete. For nearly a century as a preacher of righteousness, you have fulfilled the meaning of your name, judgment coming. Well, we've been playing, play pretend thus far, just like children do, and trying to place ourselves in the shoes of Methuselah.
Speaker 1:But here's my question how did these ten men, these patriarchs, these preachers of righteousness, how did they become the preachers of righteousness? Have you ever wondered that? You know, the Bible tells us that their fathers had multiple other children. It repeatedly says that they begat other sons and daughters. Now just think about this. My wife and I, between age 27 and age 44, had nine children. Noah had three sons at age 500. How many other sons and daughters did he and Mrs Noah have before he was 500? If my wife had been able to maintain fertility till she was 500 years old she was popping out a baby every two and a half years she could have had 250 babies. Think about that. It says that they begat other sons and daughters. How many other sons and daughters did these patriarchs have? Did they love having babies as much as me and my wife did? Did they maintain fertility for 500 plus years like Noah did? Well, I don't have a real good answer for that, but I'll bet you that they had lots of other sons and daughters.
Speaker 1:So why did these 10 patriarchs end up in the lineage of the seed of the woman? Well, you know, I'm going to submit to you. Well, before I do that, let's do this. I want you to jump over with me to the book of Ezra. Ezra, chapter 7 and verse 10.
Speaker 1:I want to read a verse to you Now. Here's the context Ezra is a scribe, ezra is an exile and he's in Babylon, and the Bible tells us that the good hand of the Lord is upon his life. And in fact, the Bible tells us that the king in Babylon gave to Ezra everything that he requested, because the hand of the Lord, his God, was upon him. And so when the exiles begin to go back to Jerusalem, well, ezra's in that crowd and they head back to Jerusalem. And then, in verse 10, it says for Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Speaker 1:So let me ask you a question have you ever purposed in your heart to do something? Have you ever set your heart to do something? Sure, you have. Many of you determined in your heart. At one time you were going to get married and you set your heart on a young lady or a young man to be your spouse and it was a non-negotiable for you. And you've been married for many, many years. My wife and I are coming up on 44 years in just a couple of weeks. Some of you remember the day you determined, you purposed in your heart you were going to go to college or graduate school or professional school.
Speaker 1:So you know, purposing in your heart, determining in your heart to do something and it becoming a non-negotiable in your life, you understand what this verse means when it says that Ezra set his heart, determined in his heart, purposed in his heart, that he was going to study the law of the Lord. And then it goes on to say that he determined that he was going to practice it, he was going to obey it. And then it says he was going to teach God's statutes and ordinances. Where In Israel. Now get this. He was in exile in Babylon, and yet he determines that he was going to teach God's statutes and ordinances all the way back in Israel, and yet the good hand of the Lord was upon his life. Ezra ends up back in Israel, and yet the good hand of the Lord was upon his life. Ezra ends up back in Jerusalem and if you read in Nehemiah, god used him to bring about a revival in Jerusalem. So God honors this young man's decision-making. God honors the determination in his heart, the decision that he made. Now we don't know if he was a young man, a middle-aged man or an older man. All we know is that he was a scribe who purposed in his heart to study the law of the Lord, to obey it and to teach it in Israel.
Speaker 1:Now I submit to you very respectfully that these 10 patriarchs were set apart from all their siblings because they made a decision and their decision was to walk with God and pursue righteousness. In fact, the Bible tells us that both Enoch and Noah walked with God At some time in their life. They chose, they decided, they purposed in their heart to walk with God and to obey God, to pursue righteousness, pursue righteousness. So that set them apart from all the other siblings, and who knows how many other siblings there were in their lineage. But this decision is what set them apart, that consecrated them, so that they became the one listed in this lineage of the seed of the woman, and this is what caused them to become the preachers of righteousness.
Speaker 1:Now that begs another question what does it take, dear listener, for you and me to become a preacher of righteousness Men and women who walk with God. What does it take for you and me to be that man and that woman who walks with God, who turns many away from the error of their ways, who warns them to flee from the wrath to come, who urges them to run into the arms of Jesus? Once again, I respectfully submit to you that it takes a decision, not just one decision, but a whole series of life-altering decisions to follow Jesus, to study his word and to obey it and to teach it and to preach it to our circle of influence. That includes our children, our grandchildren, our extended family, our neighbors and our co-workers. Any one of us can become a seed planter, a soul winner, an evangelist. Any one of us could become that grandmother or grandfather that wins all of their grandchildren to the Lord and all of the kids in the neighborhood.
Speaker 1:Any one of us can be the next Charlie Kirk of our generation. Us can be the next Charlie Kirk of our generation. Any one of us can be known as that guy who walks with God and consistently speaks the truth in love. I submit to you that it just takes a decision. Will you decide You're listening to Devotions with Dr Papa? If you like what you hear, I pray that you'd follow, like, share or download. And please remember this your doctor loves you.
Speaker 2:And until next week. May the Lord bless you real good. Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. Also, don't forget to check out Dr Jackson's books that are available on Amazon. The Family Doctor Speaks the Truth About Life in his first book, and the Family Doctor Speaks the Truth About Seed Planting Equipping Believers for Evangelism is his second. This podcast is produced by Bob Sloan Audio Productions.
