Colossians (Program #29) – To Live Christ

When we look at the kind of human life the Lord Jesus lived on the earth and if we take His teachings as an ethical standard for us to imitate, we will set our Christian life on a direct path that will lead us to utter frustration and failure. And worst yet, it will leave God’s heart’s desire unsatisfied because the real example of the Lord Jesus was not just that He lived the perfect life, but that He all the time practiced to live another life. This might sound strange and contrary to what you’ve known and practiced concerning the Christian life, but it, nonetheless, is the clear teaching of the Bible. We need not live a good life. We need to live Christ.

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2 Corinthians (Program #6) – The Ministry of the New Covenant (2)

Metaphors play an important role in Scripture. Webster says a metaphor is the use of one set of words to describe or illustrate a similar point.

John uses the technique when he speaks of Jesus approaching him in the gospel. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Surely he wasn’t saying that Jesus was a literal “lamb”. But the metaphor or picture gives us a much richer and clearer understanding.

The apostle Paul was also very fond of metaphors, particularly when conveying his deepest thoughts in teachings. We see it used intensively in 2 Corinthians. For example in 2 Corinthians chapter 2:14 he says “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ”  Here, the metaphor is the triumphant possession of captured and vanquished folks after a Roman battle. And Paul says that we, the believers had become such vanquished ones in the train of the victorious Christ.

Now, we come to another marvelous metaphor in the very next chapter, chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians begins this way:

1-3 “Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some do, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, inscribed in our hearts, known and read by all men, Since you are being manifested that you are a letter of Christ ministered by us, inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone but in tablets of hearts of flesh.”

Living letters of Christ. This is our topic today.

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Romans (Program #5) – The Vanity of Religion and the Totality of Hopelessness

Paul is saying here, “My gospel is for God’s economy, but to do that, you don’t need religion. It’s not a matter of outward practices, it’s not a matter of just not doing or doing certain things – it’s a matter of getting into God’s salvation.”

We are going to look today at God’s condemnation as is presented in Romans chapter 1. Why is it important for mankind to have a realization of God’s condemnation? more…

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John (Program #33) – The Dispensing of the Triune God for the Producing of His Abode (1)

The Lord went through death and resurrection in order to be the way and also to open the way for us in Him to go, not to heaven, but to go into God.

The first section concerns Christ coming to incarnation. The second section is about Jesus going through death and then coming in resurrection as the life giving Spirit. In the first section, Christ as the eternal Word came through incarnation to bring God into man in order to be life to us and our life supply. Then, we see that He came, so that He Himself as life may meet every human need for the building up of God’s dwelling place.

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John (Program #32) – Life’s Washing in Love to Maintain Fellowship (2)

We need to be those who actually experience Christ as life meeting our various needs.  The more we experience Him this way the more we are constituted with Him as the life that washes our brothers and sisters.

Here at a certain point, as the Lord was acutely aware that He was leaving the world and going to the Father, He engaged in a very particular, significant, and touching action.  He laid aside His garments.  That’s a sign.  He girded Himself with a towel, another sign.  And, He began to wash the disciples’ feet.  This is still yet another sign.  And in particular He said, “What I have done to you, you should do to one another.  If I, who am your Lord and master, has washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet”.

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John (Program #9) – An Introduction to Life and Building (5)

God’s economy is not to have a giant, litter with power to accomplish some movement. No.  God’s economy is to send His son to be the little lamb with His Spirit as the little dove.

The main subject of this message is Christ as the Lamb of God with the Spirit as the dove to produce stones for God’s building. If I would ask you, what are the main points or main things in this title?  Number one, Jesus as the Lamb of God. You have to pick up Lamb. The second point, the dove. And the third point, stone. And the fourth point, the house or the building of the house. What is the last item? The Son of Man. These are the five main points: the Lamb for redemption, the dove for anointing and uniting, the stone for material, and the house as the building, and the man as the very substance. The substantial element of God’s building is man…

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