#44 - Joby Martin // For His name’s sake – It’s not about you. - The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: The Daily Blade Episode #44 - "For His Name’s Sake – It’s Not About You"

Hosts: Joby Martin (Pastor of the Church of Eleven22) & Kyle Thompson (Undaunted.Life)
Release Date: March 3, 2025
Episode Title: For His Name’s Sake – It’s Not About You

Introduction

In Episode #44 of The Daily Blade, hosts Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson delve deep into the profound truths of Psalm 23, challenging common perceptions and encouraging listeners to view their relationship with God from a perspective that glorifies Him rather than themselves.

Exploring Psalm 23

Kyle Thompson opens the discussion by highlighting the universal familiarity with Psalm 23, a favorite among many for its comforting imagery:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness."
— Kyle Thompson [00:35]

Key Points Discussed:

Common Misinterpretation:
- Many listeners appreciate Psalm 23 because it paints a picture of God caring personally for them.
- The comforting actions of God (leading to green pastures, still waters) are often interpreted as God catering to individual needs.
Challenging the Self-Centric View:
- Kyle emphasizes that while God's love and care are real, Psalm 23 is ultimately about glorifying God, not about serving the listener's personal comfort.
- Quote:
  
  "God does not exist for you. God exists for God. God exists for the glory of God."
  — Kyle Thompson [02:15]
Avoiding Scripture Misinterpretation:
- Inserting oneself into scripture can distort its true meaning.
- Kyle warns against seeing oneself as the hero in biblical narratives, using the analogy of David and Goliath.
- Quote:
  
  "You’re not the little guy out there that can overcome the giant. Jesus is the one that overcomes the giant of sin and death on our behalf for our sake."
  — Kyle Thompson [03:45]
God’s Ultimate Purpose:
- God exists for His own glory, not merely to fulfill human desires.
- Worshiping anything above God leads to spiritual destruction.
- Quote:
  
  "For God to glory in anything other than himself would be idolatrous because God is ultimate."
  — Kyle Thompson [04:10]
Understanding God's Jealousy:
- The term "jealous" in reference to God is clarified to mean His deep love and commitment to humanity, not envy.
- Quote:
  
  "When the Bible says that God is a jealous God, this doesn't mean that God is jealous of us. He is jealous for us."
  — Kyle Thompson [04:50]
God’s Provision and Sufficiency:
- God provides everything necessary for our well-being, symbolized by a mother's care for her child.
- Quote:
  
  "That word hesed is a word picture of a baby crying out for its mom and then the mom lactating and giving the baby what the baby needs."
  — Kyle Thompson [05:00]

Conclusion

Kyle Thompson wraps up by reiterating that following Jesus is not about personal gain but about honoring Him because "Jesus is better than life." This perspective shifts the focus from self-interest to divine glory, encouraging believers to align their understanding and worship accordingly.

Joby Martin concludes the episode by encouraging listeners to share the podcast and support the mission of equipping men for spiritual battles.

Key Takeaways

God’s Purpose: Understanding that God's actions are for His glory, not solely for individual comfort or needs.
Scriptural Integrity: Avoiding the common mistake of inserting personal narratives into scripture, ensuring a faithful interpretation.
True Worship: Recognizing that genuine worship centers on God's eternal supremacy rather than personal satisfaction.
Divine Provision: Trusting in God's provision as an expression of His love and commitment, not merely as a means to personal ends.

Notable Quotes

Kyle Thompson [02:15]:
"God does not exist for you. God exists for God. God exists for the glory of God."
Kyle Thompson [03:45]:
"You’re not the little guy out there that can overcome the giant. Jesus is the one that overcomes the giant of sin and death on our behalf for our sake."
Kyle Thompson [04:10]:
"For God to glory in anything other than himself would be idolatrous because God is ultimate."
Kyle Thompson [04:50]:
"When the Bible says that God is a jealous God, this doesn't mean that God is jealous of us. He is jealous for us."
Kyle Thompson [05:00]:
"That word hesed is a word picture of a baby crying out for its mom and then the mom lactating and giving the baby what the baby needs."

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as a powerful reminder to Christians to center their faith on glorifying God rather than seeking personal fulfillment through scripture. By realigning our understanding of passages like Psalm 23, we can develop a deeper, more reverent relationship with God that honors His true nature and purpose.

Stay Connected:
To continue equipping and growing in faith, don’t miss the chance to join Pastor Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson in person at the 2025 Men's Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. Grab your seat here.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:01]
Joby Martin
Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.
[00:20]
Kyle Thompson
All right, men. Welcome Back to Psalm 23 again, one of the most famous psalms in all of the world. Even if you're brand new to Bible study, you've heard this one. And. And today we're going to talk about why so many people probably like this psalm, why so many people love it, and why we're probably very, very wrong. Again, we're going to read the first three verses. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness. And there's a little bit more to that verse we'll come back to. I think this is why so many people love this psalm, because you get to this point of the psalm and you begin to think, wow, God's really into me. Now, let me be perfectly clear. God loves you. God is for you. Anybody that dies for you is for you. But it's not all about you. And you're like, I don't know, Pastor, if you look at the psalm, he's really into me. I mean, he's making me lie down by green pastures and he's leading me beside still waters, and he's leading me in paths of righteousness. Isn't God doing all of these things for me? And the answer is, no, absolutely not. God does not exist for you. God exists for God. God exists for the glory of God. The reason that the Lord is your shepherd, the reason that you shall not want, the reason he makes you lie down in green pastures. The reason that he leads me beside still waters, the reason that he restores my soul, the reason that he leads me in paths of righteousness is for his name sake. This may be the most shocking thing you've ever heard, bro. It's not about you. Again, God is for you. It's just not all about you. And one of the worst things that you can do when you come to study the scriptures is to insert yourself into the scriptures. It's not about you, my friend Matt Chandler, who will be on the daily blade at some point. So mark your calendars for that. He is most famous for saying, you're not David, that so often we misread the scriptures. We like to insert ourself into the scripture as if we're the hero and we're not the hero in the story of David and Goliath. You're not the little guy out there that can overcome the giant. Jesus is the one that overcomes the giant of sin and death on our behalf for our sake. So do not get confused. God does not exist for your pleasure, for your comfort, for your ease, to meet all of your dreams. That is not why God exists. God exists for the glory of God. And for God to glory in anything other than himself would be idolatrous because God is ultimate. And what God knows is what we need more than anything. Is God not a better version of ourself? And for God to put anything above himself would be the worst thing that he could do. When the Bible says that God is a jealous God, this doesn't mean that God is jealous of us. That is silly. Do you think God saw you get up this morning and put your pants on and think, man, I wish I had some pants like that? No, you dummy. That he owns everything. He has everything. He has no use of the things that we have. God is a jealous God because God is jealous for us. He is not jealous of us. And he knows that for us to worship anything other than him will not lead to life, but it would lead to death and despair and destruction. You see, I know we're talking to a bunch of men, but one of the greatest illustrations of this, the Bible says that God is long suffering. The word there is chesed. It means that he is that he is love towards us. Some people translate it blessed kindness. And it is a word picture. That word hesed is a word picture of a baby crying out for its mom and then the mom lactating and giving the baby what the baby needs. When you and I cry out, what we actually need is God. And for God to give us anything other than himself would kill us, would lead to our destruction. You see, the reality is that the Lord is our shepherd and that he is our green pastures. He is our still waters. He restores our soul. He is our paths of righteousness. And when we follow him, we follow him for his glory, for his name's sake. The reason we follow after Jesus is not because he makes our life better, but because Jesus is better than life.
[05:08]
Joby Martin
Peace. Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.