1 Peter (Program #22) -Christian Life and Its Sufferings (10)

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have received as part of our full salvation, an escape from the eternal perdition that awaits the disobedient and rebellious.  But many believers mistakenly take this to mean that Christians face no manner of judgment at all from the righteous  and holy God.  Regardless of how popular such a thought might be, the Bible does just not support it.  Take for example Peter’s word in his first epistle in chapter 4.  In verse 12 he says “Beloved do not think that the fiery ordeal among you coming to you for a trial, is strange.”  Then in verse 17 he adds “For it is time for the judgment to begin from the house of God;”  These verses made very clear that our righteous and loving Father does judge, discipline and purify His children will never putting our eternal destiny in jeopardy.

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Ezekiel (Program #25) – The Holy Land and the Holy City

Clearly the subject and central focus of the last section of the book of Ezekiel is the temple, the house of God. Show the house to the house, the Lord tells Ezekiel and that is exactly what he does in the final chapters. Yet, there’s a very profound postscript to Ezekiel’s vision that is found in the final chapters of the book and that is the land upon which the temple sits. In fact the land and the house are the central focus of the entire Old Testament. Recall Jehovah’s words to Joshua following the death of Moses as the children of Israel were encamped at the border of the good land in Canaan, “Moses My servant is dead; now then arise, and cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the children of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you, as I promised Moses…Be strong and take courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.” (Joshua 1:2-3,6). Well if the temple typifies the church as the fulfillment of the house of God, what then does this land typify?

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Ezekiel (Program #24) – The River Flowing from the House

An outstanding feature that appears again and again throughout the pages of the Bible both in the Old Testament and the New is a river. The river was prominent in Genesis and the river appears in the books of history and the books of the prophets in the Old Testament. This river is still flowing in the gospels especially in the Gospel of John where the river flows out of the pierced side of the Lord Jesus. And it continues to flow right through the final chapters of Revelation where it is seen proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem. In all of these mentions the river is a very positive factor, very much related to the matter of the divine eternal life. One of the more striking appearances that this river makes is in Ezekiel 47 where it’s seen flowing out of the house of God. In this chapter it becomes a deep river – too deep and too wide to be passed over. The one that we have no choice but to abandon ourselves to and swim in.

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Ezekiel (Program #22) – The Return of God’s Glory to the House

Early in his ministry as recorded in chapters 9 and 10, the prophet Ezekiel had seen the glory of Jehovah depart from the temple and even from the earth. It was the gross sin of the people, the abominations, the whoredom, the carcasses and the degradation that caused the Lord’s glory to depart. But after receiving the vision of the completion of the building of the temple in chapter 43, Ezekiel saw another vision. This time a vision of the glory of Jehovah returning to the earth and filling the temple. This is Ezekiel 43:1-5, “Then He brought me to the gate, that is, the gate that faces toward the east. And the glory of the God of Israel was there … and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth was illuminated with His glory. And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, that is, like the vision that I had seen when He came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I had seen by the river Chebar. And I fell on my face. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house through the gate which faced toward the east. And the Spirit took me up and brought me into the inner court, and just then the glory of Jehovah filled the house.”

Following the vision of the glory of the Lord filling the house, the Lord had many things to say to Ezekiel as He also does to us concerning His house. Question is, do we have ears to hear and eyes to see the house of God?

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Ezekiel (Program #21) – The Building at the Back, the Walls, the Incense Altar, the Holy Chambers, and the Boiling Places

Ezekiel, a book of visions, begins in chapter 1 with the vision of God’s glory. The final vision in chapter 40 is a vision of the house of God or the building of God. Hopefully, we like Ezekiel, have seen both of these great visions in our life – a vision of God’s glory and a vision of His building. But the sad truth is that though Christians speak much concerning the glory of God, there are precious few words spoken concerning His building. Most likely, it’s because this great vision is yet to be seen by the vast majority God’s children.

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Hebrews (Program #23) – The Remaining Sabbath Rest (6)

Today we look again at the Sabbath rest and how it is related to God’s dealing with His people and His judgment upon them that they could enter into that rest.  Hebrew is a book of warnings.  Warnings to believers.  We know that in our salvation we are spared God’s judgment on our sins.  But what does it mean that “judgment begins at the House of God?”  We will look at how God will judge His children in the coming age.

We are going to begin today’s life study of Hebrews by looking at a verse in 1 Peter 4:17 “judgment begins at the House of God”.  Surely this refers to us, the church.  Yet Christians don’t typically think of judgment having any implication for us once we are saved.  What is the context that God will judge His believers?

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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 #5) – Heirs of Salvation

So here in Hebrews we have Christ as the ladder, we have the joint heirs as the components of the house, and, we have the angels ministering to us as we are in the process of being brought into the glory of God. When we have all this, we have the gate of heaven.

Destiny is a concept that occupies many seeking people. As Christians, we may believe that our destiny is just to be saved. But Hebrews reveals that as saved ones, our destiny is to become joint heirs with Christ. We will explore our destiny and our inheritance on today’s life study of Hebrews.

We’re going to begin today’s message by seeing a comparison of Hebrews and Revelation – two books that are often avoided by many Christians. Why is it that many serious believers don’t like to get into these two books that deeply? more…

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Isaiah (Program #35) – What Christ is as the Steward in the House of God, Typified by Eliakim

Sometimes a picture says far more than words.  We’ve all heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”.  But sometimes we may stare at a picture and not know what it is we are looking at.  For most of us when we visit a great art museum, we would need a guide, a master to show us the real beauty of what we are beholding.  Isaiah is a book of great treasure; pictures of our precious Jesus in all the details.  Can you see Him?  Stay with us today as we again join our guide too see the marvelous Christ unfolded from the pages of the Old Testament prophet of Isaiah on the life study of the Bible.

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1 Timothy (Program #9) – Dealing with the Saints of Different Ages

1 Timothy chapter 3 ends in a very high, divine and spiritual note. Talking about “the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.”

But in chapter 5, the apostle drops to the human level. “Do not upbraid an elderly man, but exhort him as a father.” And continues discussing other human relationships. It’s not enough to be spiritual, we have to learn how to be human.

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