Numbers (Program #27) – Fighting (6)

After 40 years of journeying through the wilderness of Sinai, the children of Israel had finally arrived at the gate of the good land and the end of their long and difficult journey.  By now they had experienced a wide range of things from God’s mercy, many of His miracles and the number of wars fighting against a variety of enemies and a great number of their own failures and setbacks as well.  But through it all, God remained faithful to His promise to bring them into the land that He had given to their father Abraham.  He was also faithful to remind them of His need and He would never let them forget the necessity of offering sacrifices there were satisfying to Him.  We will review some of these marvelous point on today’s program and we will see some new things facing God’s people.

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Numbers (Program #25) – Fighting (5)

For more than forty years the children of Israel follow one clear leadership.  Despite the occasional challenge to his leadership, Moses was the undeniable selection of Jehovah; as the unique one that was to lead them through the wilderness and to the good land.  But at 120 years of age, the Lord came to Moses to let him know that he was about to be gathered to his people and that he will not be entering into the land with the people.  We might think especially with all of things that Moses had done with and for the Lord, his concern would have been why he was being denied the opportunity to gain an entrance for himself.  But to the contrary, his only concern and care was for the people.  Who would be there to go in and come out before the people?  This is the story of a man according to God’s heart and it is an inspiring story for us to consider, as we will on this life study from the book of Numbers.

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2 Corinthians (Program #26) – The Ministry of the Spirit as the Life Supply, and of Righteousness as God’s Expression (1)

The Old Testament had one unique ministry beginning with Moses and his receiving and delivering to the children of Israel the law or commandments. The ministry of the law commands and continues until the coming of Christ. But the coming of Christ usher in another ministry, the ministry of the New Covenant. Actually these two are the only ministries spoken of in the Bible.

Acts chapter 1 makes it very clear that not withstanding the current situation, there is a reality of only one ministry. Listen to verse 17 and 25 of Acts chapter 1,

17 “For he was numbered among us and was allotted his portion of this ministry.”
25 “To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

The ministry of the New Covenant is a very great matter that we dare not take lightly, neither should we take it into our own hand to try to put it into practice.

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2 Corinthians (Program #7) – The Ministry of the New Covenant (3)

You probably remember the story of Moses coming down from Mt.Sinai after having been in God’s presence when he received the ten commandments. His face was shining so brightly that he had to put a veil over it before he can encounter the rest of the children of Israel. That shining was the outward reflection of God’s glory. A shining reflected off of Moses face. But as marvelous as that shining was in 2 Corinthians Paul calls it a fading glory. And rightly so, because in a very short time it was gone from Moses face. Actually this shining represents the glory of the Old Testament ministry. A ministry of as Paul called it “death and condemnation”. No wonder this glory fades.

But the New Testament ministry that Paul declares to us in 2 Corinthians is more in glory, an unfading, eternal, surpassing glory, that shines not just upon us but even out from within us, as the New Testament ministers.

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1 Corinthians (Program #40) – Growing in the Full Possession and the Enjoyment

In 1 Corinthians the apostle Paul was speaking to the believers in the church of Corinth much like a father would speak to his own children often chastising and even correcting them. Eventually he warns them using the children of Israel who failed in the wilderness prior to enter into the good land that God had set before them as their goal, as a type.

Paul said in  10:5 “But with most of them God was not well pleased, for they were strewn along in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to us, that we should not be ones who lust after evil things, even as they also lusted.”

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Exodus (Program #52) – The Law Being the Living Word of God Infusing His Substance Into His Loving Seekers

Moses the man of God met with God on the mountain of God for 40 days.  During that time God gave him the commandments for the people.  But when he came down from the mountain he had something more than just ten commandments inscribed on two tablets of stone; he was a man who was thoroughly infused with God’s element.

This is our second of the thirty programs that are going to be devoted to this matter of the law.  I said that almost reluctantly that our listeners would think “my goodness thirty programs devoted to the law!”  But what we are saying in these early ones and it will multiply as we go on it’s just one marvelous interpretation after another.  This is really a classic message in a classic portion of this ministry.  The subject that we’ve come to today specifically is God’s giving the commandments to Moses in Exodus chapter 20. This is going to go far beyond our natural concept concerning the law.

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Exodus (Program #47) – The Continual Fighting Against Amalek

If we could have a birds-eye view of Exodus, we will realize that even after God’s people are redeemed and baptized and brought to feed and drink on the living Christ, they still must face a fierce and subjective enemy.  Even more to be regarded than the world and sin is the flesh, our flesh.  How does God deal with the flesh?  This is our focus on today’s life study of the Bible.

We’ve come today to our second message covering the battle between the children of Israel with Amalek in Exodus 17.  What is represented in our experience by this Amalek?

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Exodus (Program #42) – The Water of Life in Resurrection

Every record in the Bible has a spiritual significance.  We shouldn’t try to understand any portion of the biblical record simply according to the black and white letter.  Let’s take Exodus 16 as an example.  This is a chapter revealing the giving of manna to the children of Israel.  Surely manna is something mysterious and spiritual.  Chapter 17 shows us how God provided water for the children of Israel as Moses struck or smote the rock in the wilderness and the water flow from the clefts.  Surely this also bears tremendous spiritual significance.  The spiritual reality of the water flowing from the smitten rock is our story today of this life study of the Bible.

We are going to pick up Witness Lee’s own speaking for our introduction today.  He make a very striking point about interpreting the Bible.  Of course, we do believe it literally word for word.  But we also don’t want to be blind to its spiritual and mysterious implication.

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Exodus (Program #41) – The Living Water Out of the Smitten Rock (2)

As Christians, from time to time we pass through stages of spiritual dryness.  We just can’t seen to find the flowing and satisfying water that previously has wonderfully quench our inner thirst.  Actually God will lead His people to such a dry place to test them.  For when we are short of this living water our real inner condition is surely exposed.  Such was the case with His people Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness following Jehovah God in Exodus 17.

Today we are going to join the children of Israel now some two months after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt.  They experienced many miracles by this time and they are being led day by day by this pillar of cloud and at night a pillar of fire into and through the wilderness.  They’ve come now to a place seemingly without any water to sustain them.

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Exodus (Program #40) – The Living Water Out of the Smitten Rock (1)

When the children of Israel were in bondage, they cried out and Jehovah God heard their cry and rescued them.  When they were hungry, He heard their cry and sent them manna, bread from heaven.  Exodus 17 shows us the story of God providing  another necessity of life; water, to sustain and satisfy.  Stay with us as we enjoy another marvelous view of our Savior God taking care of His people on today’s life study of the Bible.

We return to Moses and the children of Israel.  This time murmuring to God and murmuring to Moses because of their thirst.

We come to the rock that was sovereignly waiting for the children of Israel.  The Lord led them to this place to another great miracle that has very much to do with, as we are going to find out, our own experience.  Let’s read this portion that we are going to be talking about for several programs that are coming up in the days immediately ahead. more…

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