Matthew (Program #53) – Relationships in the Kingdom (2)

Who can possibly describe the depth of God’s forgiveness of our debt to Him.  Yet we frequently find it very difficult even impossible to forgive others who would even slightly offended us.   Matthew 18 reveals that if we fail to forgive others after we have received God’s forgiveness of us, we are in serious jeopardy and we will face a very harsh reality when we meet Christ.  You may say as many do, “I don’t have to worry, I have been forgiven of everything and on my way to heaven”.  Well,  if this is your thought we hope, we even pray that you stay tune today because this chapter like much of Matthew is not dealing with our eternal destiny but rather our practical participation in the kingdom of the heavens.

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Jeremiah (Program #16) – A Full Picture of God’s Economy by His Dispensing

The book of Jeremiah reveals God’s righteous judgment upon His people, Israel, for their many sins and the idolatry that had overtaken them. But if we look carefully and consider this book in the light of the entire Bible, we see that in the midst of all this negative history, God’s economy – that is His desire to dispense Himself and His riches into His chosen people that they might be reconstituted with Him and become His very corporate expression, is also revealed. In the first pages of Jeremiah’s account, God commissions him to tell all the people that their greatest evil is that they have forsaken Him not as their Creator nor even as their God, but as the fountain of living waters.

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Jeremiah (Program #15) – Jehovah’s further Commission to Jeremiah (2)

When we read a verse from the Bible, particularly from an Old Testament book like Jeremiah, there’s usually a fairly clear and straightforward meaning. For example, Jeremiah 17:7-8, “Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah And whose trust Jehovah is. And he will be like a tree transplanted beside water, Which sends out its roots by a stream, And will not be afraid when heat comes; For its leaves remain flourishing;” On the surface we read and come away with a thought that if we trust in the Lord, He surely will bless us. Wonderful and certainly accurate according to the truth of this verse. But there is another equally accurate and yet far more profound understanding that can gleaned from such verses. It is this deeper and more intrinsic aspect that beckons our consideration and fellowship on this life study program.

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Matthew (Program #52) – Relationships in the Kingdom (1)

In Matthew 18 the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, “who is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?”  What would we say?  The one with power to heal or the gifted preacher?  Well, the Lord Jesus answered the question in this way; “and He called a little child to Him and stood him in their midst.. He therefore who will humble himself like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens.”

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Jeremiah (Program #14) – Jehovah’s further Commission to Jeremiah (1)

The prophet Jeremiah was one with the Lord in many regards. So much so that during the troubling and tumultuous time in which Jeremiah lived, God used him as His own mouth. Bringing Jehovah’s direct speaking to the apostate and rebellious people of Israel. Yet despite being the Lord’s called and anointed prophet, Jeremiah also suffered greatly, sharing in Israel’s judgment. It’s understandable then at times he was given to complaining and bitterness. Yet the Lord was continually with him, comforting him and encouraging him not to speak “worthless things” as the people did. But to speak words that matched the preciousness of Jehovah and all that He had revealed to Jeremiah.

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Matthew (Program #51) – Vision Concerning Christ

The gospel of Matthew is somewhat different than the other 3.  It chronicled many of the same events but the arrangement of these events in Matthew has little to do with the actual sequence in which they happened.  Rather Matthew presents these cases carefully and strategically and has ordered them to portrait a full revelation of God’s kingdom.  We will see the wonder of the divine arrangement in Matthew again today.

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Matthew (Program #50) – The Miniature and Manifestation of Kingdom

At the northern most tip of Israel, stands majestic Mount Herman.  This was most likely the spot where the Lord Jesus took His three disciples to witness one of the most incredible events ever seen by men’s eyes.  This was the transfiguration of the Man Jesus giving His chosen ones a brief glimpse of His glorious divinity as it was encased in His uplifted humanity.  Our words failed in any meaningful measure to convey the depth what Peter, James and John saw first hand that day.

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Jeremiah (Program #13) – God’s Economy with His Dispensing in Jeremiah (2)

It seems upon casual reading of the Old Testament that the central focus of the book is the law of Moses.  When God brought Moses to the mountain and deliver the ten commandments that surely was a key moment, a key factor in God’s dealing with His people Israel.  But in the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that the law was not part of God’s original intention for man, rather it was something added due to man’s failures and sins.   In Galatians chapter 3 he says, “Why then the law? It was added because of the transgressions until the seed should come to whom the promise was made, it being ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator. ”  Actually God’s intention for man has never changed.  From the beginning He has desire that He Himself would be everything to man.  And Jeremiah, he lamented that His people Israel had forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters.  If we have this view of God’s eternal desire, our understanding of such Old Testament books as Jeremiah will be greatly uplifted.

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Matthew (Program #49) – The Pathway to Glory (7)

In one of the truly high point of the New Testament, the apostle Peter has the revelation of revelations, “You are the Christ”, he declares “the Son of the living God”.  But just moments later, after expressing his deep concern for the welfare of Christ, the Lord turns and calls Peter “Satan”.  What can possibly account for this dramatic reversal for our dear brother Peter?   We will find out as we return to the pathway of glory today in our life study of Matthew chapter 16.

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Jeremiah (Program #12) – God’s Economy with His Dispensing in Jeremiah (1)

The Bible consummates with the revelation of the city of New Jerusalem. This indicates that the New Jerusalem is God’s goal. In fact every book in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is in some way related to the New Jerusalem as God’s goal. And as the ultimate goal of His plan and purpose with man, the New Jerusalem is just too wonderful for us to imagine. So God reveals this matter bit by bit. First by the Bible’s own words and then the stories, types, history, shadows and figures make it more and more clear to us. The Old Testament of Jeremiah is rich in the aspect of God’s economy that are revealed throughout. In Jeremiah, God’s goal of having a group of human beings that have been filled with Him and that bear His image and likeness to become His corporate expression for eternity is very much on display. And this vision unlocks all the riches and treasures in this book.

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