1 Peter (Program #18) -Christian Life and Its Sufferings (6)

The apostle Peter encourages his fellow believers in Christ to suffer for righteousness by the will of God as Christ did.

We have some wonderful pictures of how we can sanctify Christ in our heart through suffering and also what happened when Christ’s Spirit was made alive in His death.

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1 Peter (Program #16) -Christian Life and Its Sufferings (1 & 3)

The New Testament book of 1 Peter in chapter 2 gives us some marvelous and very experiential expressions concerning our relationship with Christ.  In verse 24 and 25 we see Him not just as our redeemer but also as the shepherd and overseer of our souls.  What does it mean “Christ is our shepherd and overseer?”  To understand these aspects of Christ, we should go back to verse 12 in the same chapter and see that this is Christ in His loving care for His people, even as He comes to inquire of them in the day of His visitation.

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1 Peter (Program #15) -Christian Life and Its Sufferings (2)

The word “grace” bears tremendous significance in the New Testament, yet like so many biblical terms, it has become almost a clichéd to many people and it’s been greatly devalued in the understanding of most Christians.  God’s unmerited favor has become the most common definition among believers.   While this does convey a certain  limited sense of the word, it’s obvious by considering Scriptures that this definition is grossly inadequate.

Consider Peter’s use of the word “grace” in 1 Peter 2:19-20 “for this is grace” he writes “if anyone, because of a consciousness of God, bears sorrows by suffering unjustly.  For what glory is it if, while sinning and being buffeted, you endure? But if, while doing good and suffering, you endure, this is grace with God.“

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Hebrews (Program #51) – Discipline for Holiness

In today’s life study, we look at the Christian walk: A walk of holiness, righteousness, and peace as we enter into the Holy of Holies in our everyday Christian life.

The tabernacle of the old testament is a marvelous picture of our experience of Christ, and is a favorite theme in the book of Hebrews. At the center of the tabernacle is the Holy of Holies. Holy, because God’s very presence is there. But, we can also be there as we will see in today’s life study of the Bible.

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Hebrews (Program #50) – Run the Race

You know it’s very important that we, believers in Christ, realize that we’re not just forgiven sinners that are waiting to go to heaven. There is a race for us to run, and there is a goal for us to reach.

At least four different times, the apostle Paul likened the Christian life to a race that we need to run. As we walk in spirit, we are also running this race with a great cloud of heavenly onlookers urging us to the finish line, with the promise of great reward to those who finish. We will look at the universal race on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Ezekiel (Program #5) – Eagle’s Wings, Man’s Hands, and Calf’s Hoofs

Ezekiel, like the books of Daniel which is also in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament, is a book of signs and figures typifying important spiritual realities. It begins with a storm wind and a cloud with a fire out from which is a golden silver glowing called the electrum. And out of these four comes an indelible image – an image of four living creatures joined together to produce one corporate expression. The details of these four living creatures occupy much of Ezekiel chapter 1; and each of the details is worth our examination because each aspect of this mysterious image reveals much about God’s purpose as well as about our genuine experience of Him in the Christian walk and life. Let’s remember from our previous program that in each of these four living creatures itself has four faces – here’s Ezekiel 1:10 “As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and the four of them had the face of a lion on the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four of them had the face of an eagle.”

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Hebrews (Program #31) – The Heavenly Ministry of the Heavenly Christ

Too many of us as Christians have stopped our progress at the cross but we have not gone on to experience Christ on the throne. Today’s message I believe we’ll get much help how to progress on our Christian life.

We’re going to see Christ today as the Great High Priest ministering in two aspects. I think this portion of Scripture may tend to scare some people off because they just don’t understand what these types and pictures refer to and how they apply to them. The message we’re hearing today so clearly defines both of these aspects – the priesthood according to Aaron and the priesthood according to the order of Melchisedec. We will get a full appreciation of what has been accomplished by Christ as our High Priest.

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2 Thessalonians (Program #6) – Chosen by God Unto Salvation in Sanctification of the Spirit (2)

For a Christian salvation has many facets, many aspects. One of the great mistakes we can make in our Christian life is to assume that sum total of our salvation is the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life.  Surely these are facets, important facets of God’s full salvation but there are far more to our salvation that we dare not neglect. This may had been on the apostle Paul’s heart when he wrote to the young believers in Thessalonica in his second epistle. In Chapter 2:13, he wrote “But we ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”  We have been chosen with a view toward salvation, a salvation that includes sanctification of the Spirit. Here, salvation can be liken to a long bridge. A bridge upon which we, the believers cross over bringing us out of this present evil age and into the realm of eternity.

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Isaiah (Program #2) – The Salvation of Jehovah to His Beloved People and the Nations (1)

“The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  Hear, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, For Jehovah has spoken: I have brought up children, and I have raised them; And yet they have rebelled against Me.”   These are the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah as he began his book of prophecy.  God’s people have rebelled and their righteous and loving Father after confronting them with His complains begins the work of chastisement and drawing the stubborn people back to Himself.  How does God deal with His own when they strayed?  What can we see from this ancient account that is meaningful for us today as we live the Christian life?

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1 Thessalonians (Program #13) – The Hope of the Christian Life

In the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians he vividly describes how desperate mankind is apart from God. Listen to Chapter 2:12
“That you were at that time apart from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

But in his letter to the new believers in Thessalonica he repeatedly points them to the great hope of all the believers and that is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the promise of our rapture at the end of the age.

Rapture is a big topic in the New Testament but in the few selected verses in 1 Thessalonians we have a marvelous overview that will fill all believers with the genuine hope. Promised in God’s word and secured in the shed blood of Christ. He is coming again and all those who believe will join Him at that coming.

“But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are sleeping, that you would not grieve even as also the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and arose, so also those who have fallen asleep through Jesus, God will bring with Him. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who are left remaining unto the coming of the Lord, shall by no means precede those who have fallen asleep; Because the Lord Himself, with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are living, who are left remaining, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will be always with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

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