1 & 2 Samuel (Program #12) – The History Concerning Saul (4)

After been established as king over Israel, God enabled Saul to defeat three successive enemies that were plaguing Israel. But during the course of these campaigns, it gradually become more and more clear what Saul was seeking in his own heart was not God’s kingdom, but rather to build up a kingdom or a monarchy for himself. The third of these enemies, the Amalekites had bothered the children of Israel many years before when they were traveling in the wilderness on their way to good land after leaving Egypt. After Joshua defeated them the Lord told Moses that He would war with the Amalekites from generation to generation. Because in typology, the Amalekites signified the most difficult of all of God’s enemies that is the flesh of mankind. Though king Saul may have outward success his battle against the Amalekites, inwardly he was defeated by his own compulsion to serve God according to his own flesh.

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Ephesians (Program #45) – Living in Love and Light

Human beings are very good imitators.  We all tend to copy the behavior of the others that we esteem highly. We teach our children to imitate. And even society as a whole is all the time encouraging positive role models.

The apostle Paul tells us that we should imitate his pattern. But he goes further in Ephesians 5 where he commands us not just to imitate him or even other apostles but to imitate God. Ephesians 5:1 “Be therefore imitators of God.”

Well, much as we may want to as mortal man we simply cannot do it. Even as Christians is beyond our reach. But there must be a way or else the word of God would not command us to do it. The key lays in the second half of the verse. Listen carefully, “…Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.”

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #11) – The History Concerning Saul (3)

The children of Israel were in a low condition.  Their enemies were closing in.  They had strayed far from the Lord  both in their hearts and in their deeds.  And they feared that He would no longer look after them and protect them. Their reaction was understandable; they asked the prophet Samuel to give them a king just as all the other nations had to protect them. Reluctantly Samuel sought Jehovah in the matter and the Lord granted the people their request and instructed Samuel to anoint Saul as the first king over Israel. In the beginning it appeared that the Lord was with king Saul. And he was victorious in defeating the Ammonites, Israel’s enemy. But as time went on it became more and more evident that what was filling Saul’s heart was not so much to establish God’s kingdom but rather to build up a monarchy or a kingdom of his own within God’s kingdom.

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Ephesians (Program #44) – A Summary of Learning Christ

The Gospel of John begins in a marvelous way with God Himself been incarnated as the man, Jesus Christ.  1:14 “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.”

In Ephesians, Paul also refers to Grace and Truth, only with the order reversed, exhorting us to learn Christ as the truth is in Jesus and then bringing us to the reality of the details of the life we’re learning through grace.

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #10) – The History Concerning Saul (2)

During every period of history it is important to realize God is operating behind the scenes for the accomplishment of His eternal purpose.  When Israel’s first king, Saul was anointed by the priest Samuel, he was confronted with three enemies that were troubling Israel. Jehovah was there working behind the scenes.  And He gave Saul specific instructions how to deal with each of these enemies.  How Saul carried out these instructions gives us a clear window into what was in Saul’s heart, and what kind of king he would turned out to be for Israel.  The first enemy Saul confronted were the Ammonites.

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Ephesians (Program #43) – A Living that Does not Grieve the Holy Spirit of God

The Gospel of John promises that the Holy Spirit would come and would abide in us forever, never to leave and all genuine believers should live with and in this assurance. But though He never leaves us, it is possible for us to grieve Him. And the apostle Paul admonishes us not to do so in Ephesians 4. Listen “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption.”  If we do grieve Him, we loose His presence, the satisfaction and enjoyment that only He can bring. These are the manifestation of grace. But more than loosing these, we loose the capacity for living a life that expresses Him.  Learning to live Christ by not grieving the Spirit is our focus today.

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #9) – Samuel—A Man According to God

Through out the history of Israel only two men had ever been identified been raised up by God in three critical aspects, as priest, as prophet and as judge over Israel.  These two are Moses and Samuel. Samuel like Moses before him was unique and having such a position before Jehovah.  In many ways he was God’s representative on the earth and there were none that were higher than he.  Yet it is interesting that when the Lord instructed him in I Samuel chapter 9, to anoint a king over Israel with his status already intact as priest, prophet and judge we can see it would been easy for him to say at least in his heart “how can God ask me to anoint anyone to be above me?”  Yet in Samuel God had found a man who care nothing for his own position but who only care for what was on God’s heart.

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Ephesians (Program #42) – Learning Christ as the Truth is in Jesus

Chapter 4 of the book of Ephesians begins with a strong exaltation by the apostle Paul regarding our walk. “I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called.”

In the verses that follow verse 1, he goes on to develop just what this walk details.  Finally in verse 17, he contrast our walk of that of the unbelievers. “This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk in the vanity of their mind.”  And then verse 20, After detailing the darken condition of the mind of the unbelieving world, he added this marvelous exclamation,  “But you did not so 1alearn Christ.”  Notice he does not say, you did not so learn about Christ.  What is it to learn Christ?

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #8) – The History Concerning Samuel (5)

For a period of 450 years following their return to the good land, judges ruled over Israel. These Judges were supported by the priests of the Aaronic priesthood but the situation had grossly deteriorated and even the priesthood had waned.  God’s reaction was to raise up a new priest with a new priesthood. this one was Samuel, a man that was completely one with God so much so that it can be said of him that his being was like a photo copy of God’s own heart. Through Samuel not only was the priesthood uplifted and restored but the prophet-hood was ushered in along with the kingship and these things allow God a way eventually to bring forth Christ, the ultimate blessing not only to Israel but to the whole earth. How the Lord needs such ones to be utterly one with Him in this age to turn this age so that Christ could come again.

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Ephesians (Program #41) – The Growth of the Members for the Building Up of the Body

There is a well known verse in Ephesians Chapter 4 that has troubled Bible translators for years. The King James Version and most modern Version, such as the NIV, the New American Standard, says something like in verse 15 “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all things into Him, Who is the Head, Christ.”  Though this certainly is not a wrong translation, it only conveys part of the actual meaning of the verse. Other versions like Darby’s and the Recovery Version use another phrase, “But holding to truth in love..”

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