Song of Songs (Program #2) – Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (1)

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.” (Song of Songs 1:2)

This intimate and tender language might be thought to be from a great love sonnet from Shakespeare or Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Yet it’s actually from the opening lines of the book Song of Songs in the Old Testament. Why is a love poem given precious space in the pages of the Bible? There seems to be no way to understand such a book by studying in a doctrinal or theological perspective. It is purely a book of experience and to understand it properly we must learn to interpret the types and figures.

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1 Thessalonians (Program #11) – Encouragement for Faith, Love, and Hope

When the apostle Paul first passed through Thessalonica and established the Church there, he set the young and new believers on a solid footing not just preaching the gospel to them but also anchoring them in the three strong elements of their life in Christ, faith, love and hope.

Chapter 1:3, “Remembering unceasingly your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;”

Then some months later, Paul found himself excessively burden to see how the young Church in Thessalonica was progressing. So much so he can bear it no longer, so he sent his faithful co-worker, Timothy to help foster their faith and encourage them.  Chapter 3:1-2, “Therefore when we could bear it no longer….. we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and encourage you for the sake of your faith.”

These are precious words. We want to have a chance to really look into the heart of the apostle and the lives and the experiences of these young believers in Thessalonica.

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Song of Songs (Program #1) – An Introductory Word and Drawn to Pursue Christ for Satisfaction (1)

“The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.
Your anointing oils have a pleasant fragrance;
Your name is like ointment poured forth;
Therefore the virgins love you.” (Song of Songs 1:1-3)

Thus opens one of the most remarkable and mysterious books of the entire Bible – The Song of Songs. It’s the third of three books composed by legendary King Solomon, the son of David and the builder of the first temple of God in Jerusalem. It is neither a book of history, law, prophecy or gospel as are nearly all of the other books of the Old Testament; rather, it is a book of poetry – a beautiful poetic story of the love and romance between a great and mighty king and a poor and lowly country maiden. How are we to understand such a book? The key is to realize that this book is a book of figures and symbols.

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Psalms (Program #41) – The Expressions of the Saints Before Jehovah in Different Directions and Final Prayers of David

As we had been carefully considering the book of Psalms for these past 40 programs it has become very clear that the Psalms are difficult to categorize.  Though they are all poetic, and most often lofty in their language. The thoughts and sentiment expressed are widely varied. At times they express the most common of human concepts, at other times they touched the height of God’s divine thought and frequently they revealed Christ in type, in shadow, and in prophecy with striking details and clarity. But at the end what we find are not dramatic revelations or high points but rather the earnest and heart felt prayers of men who bored once striking characteristics and that was their nearness and closeness to God and their deep love and care for the things of God.

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Colossians (Program #16) – The Experience Of Christ As The Mystery Of God

Here is a question for you to ponder.  What is the mystery of God?  Well, how many endless philosophical discussions, how many thousands of pages of mystical speculations had been prompted by such a thought. Yet the Bible answers this question with a single word, the mystery of God is “Christ”. Colossians 2:2 says “That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” As we consider not only this mystery but how we can experience Christ as the mystery of God

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Colossians (Program #3) – The Apostle’s Prayer

Colossians 1:13 says, “Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”. This is a marvelous verse that is well beloved by many that love the Lord Jesus especially those whose background is easily described by the phrase “authority of darkness”. If we had a particularly sinful and dark past then likely our appreciation of this transfer is quite keen. To many others that may not have such an evil and wicked past seemingly, so while they may agree doctrinally that such a transfer has taken place, the heartfelt realization may not be quite as strong. But what was the apostle Paul referring to when he wrote these words to the believers in Colossi?  The answer to this question will likely surprise you.

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Ephesians (Program #65) – God’s Economy—To Work Christ into Us

Once we are saved and had believed into Christ receiving Him as our redeemer and savior, what is God most interested in seeing in our lives?  Good Christian conduct? Christians virtues, such as kindness, patience, love and generosity? Well, what about seeing us been gifted and powerful in our service? Well, how about full knowledge of the Bible?

Well, all of these things are surely wonderful, spiritual. But here is the great surprise. Though all of these things are mentioned in the Bible none of them are of that much interest to God. I said, none of them are of that much interest to God.  Because what He desires above all else in His people is to see Christ, the first born among many brethren making His home in our hearts, and living His life in us, through us and out of us.

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1 & 2 Samuel (Program #24) – Our Need for God to Build Christ into Us

Upon a casual reading, 2 Samuel 7 seems simple enough to understand, it begins with King David expressing his heart’s desire to build a dwelling place for Jehovah. The Lord’s response to David seems to be a very good illustration of His love and mercy toward David, telling him that instead of wanting David to build something for Him, the Lord needed to build something first for David. But if we look more carefully and through the lens of God’s economy, we will see that 2 Samuel 7 reveals one of the highest revelations in the entire Bible.

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Ephesians (Program #50) – Christ in Three Stages

There is a marvelous passage in Ephesians Chapter 5, related to the relationship of husbands and wives and wives submitting to the husbands and husbands loving their wives. This passage is ofter quoted at wedding services and we may think we know it but as we touch it today, we will see it open up in a way that unveils a view of Christ that most likely we had never encountered before.

Listen to these three verses and see if you can see the three stages of Christ revealed.  “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.”

We fellowship over this very, very deep, profound portion that often get over looked.

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Ephesians (Program #47) – Living in the Relationship Between Wife and Husband

If you’ve been to any weddings lately, you very likely may have heard this passage quoted from Ephesians Chapter 5, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord; For a husband is head of the wife as also Christ is Head of the church,… Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”

Yes, this is the exaltation that nearly every Christian couple begins their married life with. Yet as good as these verses are, they neglect one important thing.  How can we do it? How can wives submit? How can husbands love to such a degree? If we don’t offer couples these verses in the context of Chapter 5, including verse 18, we may not be serving them faithfully, in fact we may be setting them up for failure.

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