Hebrews (Program #9) – The Captain of Salvation (1)

God’s goal is not to bring us to heaven. The goal of God’s salvation is to bring us into the very glory which in Christ has been sown into us at the time of our regeneration. Christ is many things to His saved ones. We may appreciate Him as our Savior and our Redeemer or may be even as our friend. But Hebrews unveils Him as the Captain of our Salvation. We’ll see Him as the fighting captain in today’s life study of the Bible.

Logically, we think that for salvation you need a savior or a redeemer but why do we need a captain for our salvation?

We need to make it emphatically clear that we surely need Christ as the Savior and we absolutely need Christ as the Redeemer. There’s no way to be saved without this personal Savior, the God-man. And we surely need Him as the Redeemer who bought us back with His precious blood and has brought us back to God that we may enjoy God as everything to us in Christ as the Spirit. Regrettably, many believers have a shallow even elementary concept of salvation. If we understand salvation merely as a rescue from hell to heaven then we don’t really need a captain. We just need a savior and a redeemer, one who allegedly who brings us out of the likelihood of going to hell and brings us to heaven. However, the goal of God’s salvation is not heaven. We are told in the book of Hebrews that God is bringing many sons into glory. For this we need a captain. Why? more…

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Hebrews (Program #8) – Jesus in Incarnation, Crucifixion, Glorification and Exaltation

The gospel includes the entire process of God’s eternal purpose. His purpose is to impart Himself and dispense Himself into man. Hebrews chapter 2 may be one of the deepest chapters in the entire Bible. Yet it’s not often studied and perhaps even less understood. We’ll see this chapter open in a tremendous way in today’s life study of the Bible.

Some or all of the terms maybe familiar to all – incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification and exaltation. I believe you all know these five terms deeper but my burden is to show you in no other chapters, no other portion of the Holy word that has put all these five things together. In some of the chapters, you can see a part of Christ’s crucifixion, in some the chapters you could see Christ’s resurrection, in some portions you could see He is glorification, He is exaltation and so forth. But in no portion so short you can see all these main items – incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification and exaltation. Not only so, these five major points of what Christ has passed through are presented in this chapter in a very particular way. Not in the way as the four Gospels did, not in the way as Acts did, not in the way as all the other Epistles did. This chapter presented these five things in a very very strange way.

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Hebrews (Program #7) – Jesus as the Son of Man – as Man Superior to the Angels

There is a certain fascination with angels in this present age and the Bible certainly confirms that angels and the angelic realm exist. But the Bible also confirms that man occupies an even higher place in God’s eternal plan. Are you surprised? Don’t be. We’ll see that and much more in today’s life study of the Bible.

Today we are on Christ as superior to the angels in two ways. First, as the Son of God which means as God He was superior. Second, as the Son of Man, which affects us a little bit more that as a man He was also superior to the angels. And in fact, it shows us man’s place in God’s plan and how the angels are really our servants. So it puts everybody in their proper place. I think as our listeners know, ours is not a topical study of the Bible, we are really going book by book. And it just happens that today the subject matter does line up with a topic that is currently very much of interest to a lot of people Christians and non-Christians alike. So, I believe our listeners will be very interested to stay tuned as we are going to see angels from the Bible.

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Hebrews (Program #6) – So Great a Salvation

You have to look at Acts 7:56 where Stephen when he was being martyred, he looked up in the heavens and he said, “I see the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God”. Our Savior Christ in the victory of His resurrection today is in the heavens and on the throne of God. But is He there as God only or is He enthroned also as a man?   We will explore this profound item from the book of Hebrews on today’s life study of the Bible.

We’ve been given two keys in the early programs of our life study of Hebrews: (1) river-crossers; (2) seeing so great a salvation. What are these two keys about and how are they connected? more…

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Philippians (Program #59) – Highlight Portions

Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  These words from the apostle Paul from the first chapter of this book perhaps summarize better than any, the essence of the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians.  A book focus on the experience of Christ, experiencing Him in every situation, magnifying Him whether through life or through death.

Welcome to our final broadcast from the life study of Philippians. We have a special program today.  We have enjoyed a tremendous life study through the past weeks and months as we have explored the riches in this book of Philippians. For the sake of those who perhaps missed many of the programs we decided for our final broadcast today to go back to the weeks to pick up a few highlight portions and try to bring them together to give you a taste and idea of what we have experience and enjoy in this tremendous life study.

For the first portion of this program we like to go back to life study on magnifying Christ by living Him…

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Philippians (Program #58) – A Life Full of Forbearance But Without Anxiety (6 & 7)

It has been said that anxiety is the totality of the natural human life. Day by day even hour by hour our human life is just consumed with the anxiety.  And it seems like the more thoughtful and sensitive we are the more anxiety we suffer. Yet the Bible says “let your forbearance be known to all men in nothing be anxious.”  These two things, anxiety and forbearance represent not just opposite ends of the spectrum but actually characterize two completely different sources from which our life experience might flow. more…

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Philippians (Program #57) – A Life Full of Forbearance But Without Anxiety (5)

In Ephesians chapter 1:3 and 2:6 the apostle Paul says that we have been blessed and have been seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Well it might say that in the Bible what does it say in your experience?  Day by day are you in the heavenlies or do you find yourself spending your time in anxiety?  Most of us would have to truthfully answer that we spend much more of our time wrestling with anxiety than enjoying a life with Christ at peace in the heavenlies. The truth is that after men fell, human life become a composition of anxiety and worry. So how it is then the apostle Paul also said in Philippians 4 “Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near.  In nothing been anxious.”? more…

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Philippians (Program #56) – A Life Full of Forbearance But Without Anxiety (2)

Philippians 4:5 says “Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near.”  Today is our third life study out of five on the subject of “A Life Full of Forbearance But Without Anxiety”.  This matter of forbearance without anxiety is not a small thing.  If you miss these programs then you want to stay with us for there is something for you in this program.

This word forbearance in Greek is composed of two different words and combining these words the meaning of the term in Greek can be translated literally this way, “extensively reasonable or fully reasonable.”  Base on this kind of analysis of the Greek word, our spiritual experience and God’s activity in His economy plus the Lord’s living on earth I think we can realize to have adequate forbearance means we also have to have many other virtues as well.  Since forbearance is the all-inclusive virtues.

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Philippians (Program #55) – A Life Full of Forbearance But Without Anxiety (2)

What word would you use to describe a life that expresses Christ?  Would you say loving, submissive, may be patient, humble or kind?  All of these words do describe aspects of Christ’s living. But none individually are adequate. It’s significant that the apostle Paul does not use any of these terms in the last chapter of Philippians focusing on the living out of Christ. Instead he uses the word forbearance. “Let your forbearance be known to all man.” He did not tell us to let our patience, our humility be known, but our forbearance. This all inclusive virtue of Christ is the topic today.

Philippians is unique in the New Testament, because it talks about the experience of Christ.  We are going to see that actually forbearance as virtue is Christ Himself and we need to let this Christ as forbearance within us be known to all man.

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Philippians (Program #54) – A Life Full of Forbearance But Without Anxiety (1)

In our reading of the book of Philippians it might seem that Paul’s thought in chapter 4:1-7 is not nearly as high as what was expressed in the first three chapters. In chapter 1 for example he speaks of “living Christ and magnifying Him”. In chapter 2 of “taking Christ as our pattern and shining as light in the world and holding forth the word of life.”  And in chapter three “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ and pursuing toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But then in chapter 4 he uses the expressions that apparently seem quite ordinary. He says “rejoice in the Lord, let your forbearance be known to all man and in nothing be anxious.”  Suppose you are pursuing toward the goal for the prize and suddenly someone encourages you not to be anxious. Would you not consider this an interruption and say “I am pursuing Christ, I want to arrive at the out resurrection. Why talk to me about anxiety?”  Well, we are going to focus on this practical Christ reveal in chapter 4. more…

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