Colossians (Program #25) – The Living of the Saints in the Union with Christ (1)

In any situation where you have more than one person occupying the same space, conflicts and differences are bound to occur regardless of how compatible these people might think they are. Just check with any married couple. While these conflicts are not only disruptive to a peaceful marriage life, they’re also devastating within the Body of Christ which Paul calls the New Man in Colossians and Ephesians. So what does the Bible offer as a solution to the conflicts that occur in our daily life and our Church life? Well, we’ll see in today’s life study of the Bible.

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Colossians (Program #24) – Christ-The Constitution of the New Man

Paul the Apostle often repeats a thought if not the exact phrasing of the important truths that he opens up in his ministry. For example, both Ephesians and Colossians tell us that we must put on the new man. While we may think we understand his imperative, “to put on the new man”, but then again as often as the case when our understanding has become full and our view adjusted by the light of God’s Word, what we think and what the Bible reveals are often not that similar. I believe that such will be the case today for many in our listening audience as we come back to Colossians.

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Ephesians (Program #67) -Putting on the New Man by Growing Up into Christ

The Church as seen in Ephesians has many aspects. First as the Body of Christ, the Church has His life. But even in a higher aspect is that of the New Man. In order for the Church to be joint with Christ as the head to become he New Man, it must not only have the life of Christ, but it must also have Christ as its’ person. It is this aspect that the apostle Paul was focused on as he prayed so earnestly in Chapter 3 that we would be strengthened so that Christ might make His home in our hearts.

What is it really to have Christ making His home in our hearts? It means that His person with His own likes and dislikes would occupy our hearts, replacing even becoming our own likes and dislikes.

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Ephesians (Program #54) – Warfare to Deal with the Spiritual Enemy (1)

After 5 marvelous chapters leading us progressively to ultimately see the highest aspect of the Church in God’s eternal purpose, the New Man, expressing a full grown man and then seeing the Church as the Bride to satisfy the longing within the heart of Christ.  At last we come to the final chapter and the final aspect of the Church in Ephesians and here the scene changes from a positive one with Christ and His loving Bride to warfare, a universal conflict, but not between right and wrong or good and evil. A universal conflict or clash of wills, God’s and Satan’s. It is in this light that we see the Church not as a loving Bride, even as a New Man, but as a fierce, corporate warrior.

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Ephesians (Program #53) – A Summary of Exhortation in Chapter 5

Ephesians is the most profound book in the Bible portraying the Church as the Body of Christ, as the New Man, as the Bride and eventually a corporate warrior. No other book brings us such depth of understanding, to this very central item in God’s eternal purpose.

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Ephesians (Program #24) – Putting on the New Man

When people think about God’s work of creation they usually think of Genesis. After all Genesis begins with “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

By the time we get to the New Testament we think that God’s creating work is over. But Ephesians Chapter 2 reveals that the most crucial item of God’s creation took place in the New Testament.  Chapter 2 :15 “Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace”

So, what is this newly created item or more accurately this new creation?   it is the new man and it is the center piece of God’s work through out the ages. If we love God and love His word and desire to be in the center of His plan we need to see a vision of the one new man.

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Ephesians (Program #23) – The Two Created Into One New Man

When the Lord Jesus gave His life on the cross or our redemption, what were the main items that the Bible tells us were dealt with by His death?  Well, the first answer most people would give, of course is our sins. Then some might mention the devil, Satan. If you still would add the corrupted world, and our old fallen nature that the Bible calls our old man. These could be a good list an accurate one according to the New Testament but still incomplete. Or it is probably fair to say that the precious view would include on the list, the last item that the apostle Paul gives us in Ephesians Chapter 2 :15 “Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.”  Isn’t this interesting? And isn’t it surprising? Included among the crucial items dealt with by Christ on the cross are ordinances. How could ordinances be included with such obvious matters as sins, Satan and the world. We’ll find out in today’s fellowship.

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Leviticus (Program #34) – The Holy Living of the Holy People — Putting Off the Old Life and Putting On the New

A wonderful passage familiar to many Christians in the New Testament is found in Ephesians 4  “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. That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit.  And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.”  This marvelous passage in the new testament inspires us all but have you ever thought the Old Testament passage that parallels this one. Well, in fact there is such a passage and it is found surprisingly in the book of Leviticus.  We want to explore these two parallel passages one from the Old Testament and one from the New today.

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