Psalms (Program #37) – The Praise of God’s Elect Consummating in the Particular Position of Christ

The four gospels give us a four-fold record of what Christ is and what He has done.  However, the gospel did not reveal Christ as much as the Psalms do.  Psalms 118:22 says “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the head of the corner.”  The head of the corner, that is the corner stone.  Christ as the corner stone is the hardest point to understand in the entire Bible.

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Colossians (Program #21) – Christ the Body of All Shadows and Christ versus Mysticism

Paul the Apostle is marvelous in his writing in the book of Colossians. He begins with a universal presentation of Christ, and not just Christ, but Christ in us the hope of glory. But then he turns and becomes very practical in leading us into the genuine experience of such a Christ. Listen to verses 16 and 17 in Chapter 2, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ”. Here, he begins to remove things like the law and angels and anything else that represents God to us in an indirect way. For God’s desire is that nothing stands between us and Him no matter how good or how religious it may seem.

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Psalms (Program #36) –  The Highest Revelation of Christ

OK, here is a Bible question for you.   There is one verse in the Old Testament that is quoted directly at least twenty times in the New Testament and is referred to indirectly at least another twenty times.  What Old Testament verse could possibly command this much attention in the New Testament?  Well, here is a clue: it’s a verse from the Psalms.  In fact, it’s from a Psalms that Martin Luther said it’s the highest revelation of Christ in all the Psalms.  Give up?  It is Psalms 110:1  “Jehovah declares to my Lord, Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”  That’s our topic today.

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Colossians (Program #20) – The Economy Of God’s Salvation

As the Church in Colossae continued after its promising beginning, several factors became important to the believers there. Among these were the practice of keeping various ordinances and aspects of the Old Testament law as well as the influence of those who promoted the worship of angels to serve as intermediaries between sinful and fallen man and the righteous and holy God. Though these things may not seem harmful or dangerous, Paul the Apostle went to great lengths to completely eradicate these factors from the sphere or the realm of the salvation of the saints.

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Psalms (Program #35) – The Earth Turning to the Lord Through Zion

For all their beautiful and poetic expressions, the Psalms in great details and richness reveal Christ in many aspects.  At time, He is revealed in prophetic passages but at other times, Christ is directly spoken of by the Psalmists.  Take for example, the passages in Psalms 102, verses 25-27 “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You endure; Indeed all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them, And they will be changed….. ”  Well, apparently these are the words of the Psalmists in His affliction as He pours out His heart and anguish directly to God concerning the devastation of God’s house and God’s city.  But is this passage is quoted in Hebrews concerning Christ, we have to conclude that the Psalmist’s speaking in this Psalms is really his revelation of Christ Himself.  What is this realization opens to us in our life study of this marvelous book?

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Colossians (Program #19) – Made Full And Circumcised in Christ

In the second chapter of Colossians, the Apostle Paul was struggling to remove all barriers that stood between genuine believers and their full and proper enjoyment of Christ. Two major items that he labored to deliver them from were the worship of angels and the practice of asceticism. Why were these things so damaging to the Church in Colossae? We’ll look at these today.

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Psalms (Program #34) – God’s Recovery of His Title and Right Over the Whole Earth Through the Reign of Christ

Often times when we are visiting a new country or a region we are not familiar with, our appreciation of that place will depend on the guide that is showing us around.  Without a knowledgeable and experienced guide we likely will not perceive much of the hidden beauty nor appreciate the richness of all that we are seeing.  Actually this could also describe our understanding of the Scriptures.   Of course, we need to read and read again and re-read again in a prayerful way, the Bible to allow the Lord to reveal His Word to us.  But in addition to our personal reading, we need a guide.  Just as the Ethiopian eunuch did in Acts chapter 8, more…

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Colossians (Program #18) – Not To Be Deluded And Carried Off From Christ

Nearly every believer in Christ loves to hear an eloquent speaker with a solid knowledge of the Bible deliver an inspiring and uplifting message. Christians often elevate this aspect of the ministry to the highest degree as they measure the usefulness of a servant of the Lord. Yet, Colossians contains the following warning in chapter 2, verse 4 says, “This I say that no one may delude you with persuasive speech.”, and verse 8, “Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.”  What is it to be deluded with persuasive speech and be carried off according to the tradition of man?

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Psalms (Program #33) – The Saints’ Deeper Experience of God in the Identification with Christ

The book of Psalms actually a collection of 150 Psalms of poetry, prophecies and hymns show us many aspects of the Christian walk by ways of types and symbols.  Aspects of Christ in His suffering for example, in His death on the cross, His resurrection, ascension and even enthronement are seen in rich details in the Psalms.  But there is another aspect, perhaps the deepest experience of God that is also revealed yet seldom spoken of from this book and that is that Christ took God the Father as His very habitation.  What does this mean?  More specifically, what does it mean for us?  We will fellowship the matter of God’s habitation today.

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Colossians (Program #17) – To Walk In Christ-The Mystery Of God

The book of Colossians is a book to give us the highest vision of Christ. It’s a book unveiling Christ. In chapter 1, Christ is shown as item after item until finally He’s revealed as the very mystery of God. But there’s also a practical side to this book, a practicality that is expressed in chapter 2 in verse 6, “As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” This is a popular verse to many Christians, but also a perplexing one. For though it sounds simple enough, just how is it that we can walk in the One whom we received?   Well, if our eyes can be enlightened, the Bible in several key portions gives us the key, provided our hearts are open and clear, and that we have full assurance of understanding.

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