Hebrews (Program #47) – The Unique Way of Faith and Faith’s Definition

The bible says faith is the substance for the substantiating of the unseen things.  Faith is what makes God real to us, the way our eyes make light real to us.

Today we will spend most of our time looking at the unique way of faith and the Bible’s definition of faith.  And as a preface, we need to see that Hebrews opens the matter of faith to us only after the presentation of some serious warnings to Christians, to believers.  What is the general point of these warnings?

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Ezekiel (Program #6) – The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures (1)

The spiritual application of the mysterious vision in Ezekiel chapter 1 of the four living creatures is marvelous on many levels. First, it portrays Christ in various aspects; but more than just revealing aspects of Christ in this vision, we can see ourselves in God’s economy and how the various aspects of Christ become the genuine aspects of our experience of Him. Ultimately, God’s purpose and His move on earth are revealed in this vision. A vital key in our entering into God’s move is revealed in Ezekiel is the matter of the coordination typified by the four living creatures.

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Jeremiah (Program #16) – A Full Picture of God’s Economy by His Dispensing

The book of Jeremiah reveals God’s righteous judgment upon His people, Israel, for their many sins and the idolatry that had overtaken them. But if we look carefully and consider this book in the light of the entire Bible, we see that in the midst of all this negative history, God’s economy – that is His desire to dispense Himself and His riches into His chosen people that they might be reconstituted with Him and become His very corporate expression, is also revealed. In the first pages of Jeremiah’s account, God commissions him to tell all the people that their greatest evil is that they have forsaken Him not as their Creator nor even as their God, but as the fountain of living waters.

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Jeremiah (Program #15) – Jehovah’s further Commission to Jeremiah (2)

When we read a verse from the Bible, particularly from an Old Testament book like Jeremiah, there’s usually a fairly clear and straightforward meaning. For example, Jeremiah 17:7-8, “Blessed is the man who trusts in Jehovah And whose trust Jehovah is. And he will be like a tree transplanted beside water, Which sends out its roots by a stream, And will not be afraid when heat comes; For its leaves remain flourishing;” On the surface we read and come away with a thought that if we trust in the Lord, He surely will bless us. Wonderful and certainly accurate according to the truth of this verse. But there is another equally accurate and yet far more profound understanding that can gleaned from such verses. It is this deeper and more intrinsic aspect that beckons our consideration and fellowship on this life study program.

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Jeremiah (Program #14) – Jehovah’s further Commission to Jeremiah (1)

The prophet Jeremiah was one with the Lord in many regards. So much so that during the troubling and tumultuous time in which Jeremiah lived, God used him as His own mouth. Bringing Jehovah’s direct speaking to the apostate and rebellious people of Israel. Yet despite being the Lord’s called and anointed prophet, Jeremiah also suffered greatly, sharing in Israel’s judgment. It’s understandable then at times he was given to complaining and bitterness. Yet the Lord was continually with him, comforting him and encouraging him not to speak “worthless things” as the people did. But to speak words that matched the preciousness of Jehovah and all that He had revealed to Jeremiah.

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Jeremiah (Program #13) – God’s Economy with His Dispensing in Jeremiah (2)

It seems upon casual reading of the Old Testament that the central focus of the book is the law of Moses.  When God brought Moses to the mountain and deliver the ten commandments that surely was a key moment, a key factor in God’s dealing with His people Israel.  But in the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that the law was not part of God’s original intention for man, rather it was something added due to man’s failures and sins.   In Galatians chapter 3 he says, “Why then the law? It was added because of the transgressions until the seed should come to whom the promise was made, it being ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator. ”  Actually God’s intention for man has never changed.  From the beginning He has desire that He Himself would be everything to man.  And Jeremiah, he lamented that His people Israel had forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters.  If we have this view of God’s eternal desire, our understanding of such Old Testament books as Jeremiah will be greatly uplifted.

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Jeremiah (Program #12) – God’s Economy with His Dispensing in Jeremiah (1)

The Bible consummates with the revelation of the city of New Jerusalem. This indicates that the New Jerusalem is God’s goal. In fact every book in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is in some way related to the New Jerusalem as God’s goal. And as the ultimate goal of His plan and purpose with man, the New Jerusalem is just too wonderful for us to imagine. So God reveals this matter bit by bit. First by the Bible’s own words and then the stories, types, history, shadows and figures make it more and more clear to us. The Old Testament of Jeremiah is rich in the aspect of God’s economy that are revealed throughout. In Jeremiah, God’s goal of having a group of human beings that have been filled with Him and that bear His image and likeness to become His corporate expression for eternity is very much on display. And this vision unlocks all the riches and treasures in this book.

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Jeremiah (Program #10) – A Word concerning Israel’s History

Many people think the book of Jeremiah is not easy to read nor to understand. Well, it maybe hard to ready because it seems to be full of the failures and degradation of God’s people, Israel. Yet despite page after page of such failures, there are wonderful crystals of God’s economy and of the new covenant and of Christ Himself. It’s hard to understand because much of it is based on the history of God’s people and what has led up to the time when God called a young man, even still in his mother’s womb to be a prophet for Him and speak on His behalf to the rebellious and unfaithful people of Israel. This was the prophet Jeremiah.

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Hebrews (Program #18) – The Remaining Sabbath Rest (1)

Today we come in Hebrews to the matter of the Sabbath rest. How does a Christian enter in to the Sabbath rest? This is the subject of today’s life study.

Hebrews 4:9 says, “So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Many Christians debate whether our Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday or some other time period yet in the future. What is the New Testament revelation on this topic and how critical it is for us as Christians?

The New Testament doesn’t say too much about this issue but I guess it’s fitting that it is addressed in this book of Hebrews. There are several different views of the importance or the interpretation of the Sabbath in the New Testament. The Sabbath here in Hebrews has a very particular meaning and interpretation. There is a debate among some Christians whether to keep the Saturday or Sunday as the Sabbath. more…

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Jeremiah (Program #6) – God’s Faithfulness in Fulfilling His Economy

Though the Bible was written by many hundreds of years and written by scores of different authors, there are several consistent theme that run through from the beginning to the end. The most significant of which maybe seeing God as a flowing fountain or a river. This picture, the flowing fountain, the river of life, really reveals God in His divine economy in a marvelous way. And we see it quite profoundly in the book of Jeremiah.

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