Philippians (Program #10) – Taking Christ as Our Pattern

The apostle Paul said for us to be an imitators of Christ in Philippians 2: 5-9 gives us a pattern to imitate. But how so we, fallen human beings, imitate the pattern of such an excellent Christ?

In the matter of taking Christ as our pattern, Philippians 2:5-9 says “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men, and being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.”

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1 & 2 Chronicles (Program #3) – The Highest Point of God’s Gospel

It is clear from the first two chapters of the Bible that the center and focus of God’s creative work was man.  Genesis 1:26 “and God said let us make man in our image after our likeness.”  In Zechariah God focus is even more graphic, in chapter 12 verse 1 it says “the burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel thus said Jehovah who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth forms the spirit of man within him.”  God’s goal was with man.  His eternal purpose was with man.  But Old Testament declaration like these refer to man’s status before he fell.  So the question for us today is “did the focus, the center and the plan of God changed with the fall of man or is the original purpose still intact?”  The New Testament answer this question with crystal clarity.  Ephesians 1:9 “making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself unto the economy of the fullness of the times to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth in Him.”

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Philippians (Program #9) – The Believers’ Support to the Apostle

The book of Philippians is concern with the experience and the enjoyment of Christ and this issue in our joy and rejoicing yet among the Philippians believers there were much dissension in their thinking.  Dissension which troubled the apostle Paul, he even asked them to think the same thing, even think the same one thing that in this way they may make his joy full.  Paul had given them such positive fellowship in the first chapter now he desires them to return this fellowship to support him in his imprisonment. This mutual fellowship in the Body of Christ is what we are looking at in today’s life study of the Bible in the book of Philippians.

The apostle is not nearly as bothered as it seems by his imprisonment in this Roman jail as it was by the fact the Philippians believers were not of the same mind, were not thinking the same thing. more…

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1 & 2 Chronicles (Program #2) – The Reproduction of God

The books of 1 & 2 Chronicles are unique among the books of history in the Old Testament in that they traced the history of God’s move in man, all the way back to Adam.  We know the story, “in the beginning God created the universe”.  But one in that universe rebelled against God, corrupting and ruining His entire creation thereby.  So God came in and restored the spoiled situation and in the process, created man in His image and with His likeness.  This makes man unique in all of God’s creation.  For man’s destiny as revealed in God’s word is that “he is of God’s kind” with the capacity to contain God’s life and nature, making him not just a good man but making him through God’s full salvation, a duplication of Christ, the first God-man.

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Philippians (Program #8) – Standing Firm in One Spirit Striving Together with One Soul

In Philippians 1:27 the apostle Paul says, “that you stand firm in one spirit with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel.”  We need to not only stand firm in one spirit for the experience of Christ but also to strive together with one soul in the faith of the gospel. To be with one soul for the gospel work is more difficult then to be in one spirit for the experience of Christ. This unique use of term would be our focus today on the life study of the Bible from the book of Philippians.

Concerning our standing it says we need to be firm in one spirit and then concerning our striving together we need to be with one soul. So this verse shows us an exercise of both the spirit and the soul. Many believers, many Christians may not realize or perceive the critical difference between these two portions or aspects of our being, the spirit and the soul. So, to clarify, to reveal this very basic and important understanding.

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1 & 2 Kings (Program #20) – Concluding Word of the History of the Kings among Israel

During the 400-year period when the kings rule in Israel, God witnessed the hearts of His people drifting farther and farther away.  Except for a very few exceptions this degradation was actually led by the kings themselves.  Idolatry, immorality and general hardness of their hearts were the things that characterize this dark dark period in the history of God’s people.  But actually there is much that we can learn even from the failures of those kings.  Because as we have seen so often in this life study, the Old Testament is a book of types of typology and the New Testament is the fulfillment of those types.  We will explore the New Testament fulfillment of the type shown to us by the kings in this final program in the life study of Kings

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Philippians (Program #7) – The Best Choice of Paul

When things are going well in our life and God seems to be answering all of our prayers for our practical living, how easy it is to rejoice in the Lord even to boast to other of how marvelous it is to be saved and to love Jesus. But what if rather then grand every request for a good job and a happy family life or even a new house, the Lord would to allow us to be thrown into prison or even beaten, then could we boast?  Will we then be full of rejoicing and be able to minister encouragement to others?  The book of Philippians shows us how the apostle Paul related to such a situation and it also gives us a way to be brought into the real experience of practical salvation.

We have seen now in our first messages in these life study of Philippians that it is very meaningful to understand the circumstances that Paul was in when he wrote this letter dealing with the experience of Christ. In virtually very verse he pointing us and bringing us to one thing and that is the genuine experience and the enjoyment of Christ.

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1 & 2 Kings (Program #19) – The Reign of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, & Zedekiah over Judah and the Governing of Gedallia

In the final chapters of 2 Kings, the Lord was ultimately forced to give up His people Israel because of their continual degradation and the hardness of their hearts.  Even when He allowed the Syrians to conquer the northern kingdom of Israel and carried them away into captivity those in the southern kingdom of Judah refused to heed this warning and continue in their evil ways.  Eventually the great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and the walls of the city and took the king Zedekiah to Babylon.  Soon the entire nation of Israel was taken in captivity.  But through the following several hundred years though the nation of Israel was never again fully restored, Jehovah maintained a linage of the descendant of King David until ultimately Christ, the promised seed of David could be brought forth in Israel.  This maintained God’s original intention and made possible both our redemption and our regeneration.

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Philippians (Program #6b) – Magnifying Christ by Living Him (2)

In Philippians 1:20 the Apostle Paul says, “according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be put to shame but with all boldness as always even now Christ shall be magnified in my body whether through life or through death.”  The apostle Paul wrote these words as he was in prison in a Roman jail and his exhortation to the Philippines was to follow his pattern of experiencing and enjoying even magnifying Christ regardless of his outward situation.

As we continue our fellowship from yesterday, another message covering Paul’s experience, magnified Christ by experience Him even through sufferings. There are much more here as we are able to cover a message of remarkable depth and incredible insight and so much encouragement for us.

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1 & 2 Kings (Program #18) – The Reign of Manasseh, Amon, & Josiah over Judah

A picture is worth a thousand words and in the Old Testament God gave us many pictures.  Today we are continuing the life study of Kings and in the life study of Kings we are seeing the picture of God’s economy through the history books, the books of history.

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