Romans (Program #33) – The Consummation of the Gospel

In God’s salvation, He does not just wash us from our sins, forgive us and make us clean, but He imparts His very life into us.  He does this in order to make us His sons.  So sonship or being sons of God is a matter of receiving the life of God.

God’s plan or eternal purpose cannot be realized without genuine sons of God that are match to Him in righteousness, holiness and glory.  But all He has to work with is just sinner like you and me.  How can He accomplish such a lofty goal?

We have a favor theme of Romans as our focus today and that is God is making sons out of sinners.  This seems out of comprehension to most of us.  But what does it mean really to make such a statement?

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Exodus (Program #73) – The Angel of Jehovah for His People to take Possession of the Promised Land (1)

After the escape from Egypt, God’s brought His people to the mountain of God, Sinai, where the sky was clear and He could unveil His own portrait and a plan for His eternal dwelling with His people.  We would be all quite happy and satisfied to have such an experience with God.  But this was not the goal or the end of His plan for His people.   For after this, He sent His angel to lead them to a place, a place that He had prepared for them, the good land, a type of our wonderful Lord Jesus.  Stay with us today for another remarkable life study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

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Romans (Program #32) – A Closing Word

The book of Romans in its final three verses concludes with a beautiful offering of praise to God. Theologians have dubbed it a doxology; though it might aptly be called a melody, a melody of praise that we can fully enter into. It’s the peak of the gospel of God as presented in Romans.

This message begins with a concise overview of the entire book. The perspective is that of the revelation of God’s entire economy revealed in the New Testament. And the feeling is that in our experience and practice, we should have a book of Romans with sixteen chapters, that is with all of the stations or all of the sections, and not just part.  We appreciate the fact that when the reformation began, God used a segment of the book of Romans to recover a tremendous truth – that of justification by grace, through faith.  This is the first major station in the book of Romans.  The station or section of justification.  The importance of this can hardly be over-emphasized…

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Exodus (Program #72) – The Implications, Indications and Significances of the Ordinances of the Law (3)

Several times a year, God’s people in the Old Testament were instructed to come together to enjoy very specific feasts unto the Lord.  Of course, as Christians today there is no such commands for us to outwardly keep these annual feasts.  But why then are they directly referred to in the passages of the New Testament?  Actually, the Christian life should be a life of feasting continually.  This is our theme on today’s life study of the Bible.

In chapter 21, 22 and 23, we saw yesterday that there were 3 feasts mentioned.  We want to continue to look at them a little further today because the feasts in the Old Testament always show us something very marvelous regarding our enjoyment of Christ in the New Testament dispensation.

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Exodus (Program #71) – The Implications, Indications and Significances of the Ordinances of the Law (2)

After the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, the Lord continued for 3 more chapters to give item after item of regulations regarding man’s relationships. These added items are called “ordinances”, many if not most, seem to us to have nothing whatsoever to do with us as New Testament believers. They deal with such things as treatment of slaves and the ancient feasts and rituals of Jewish religion; and, even such things as “not boiling the kid in its mother’s milk”. So how do we as Christians regard these Old Testament details? Do we just skip over and dismiss them? Or, in the light of God’s New Testament ministry, is there a real and meaningful application of these items for us?  We return once again today to the book of Exodus and the remarkable journey of God’s people out of their bondage of worldly captivity and through the wilderness.

We’re continuing today to look at Exodus chapter 22 and 23, chapters that as we said offer many items all contain in these ordinances that were supplements or additions to the basic ten Commandments that we’re all quite familiar with. In an earlier message, we heard that though we cannot directly see Christ in the ten original commandments, these supplemental ordinances contain all of the rich details of Christ – what do we mean by this kind of speaking? more…

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Romans (Program #31) – The Consummation of the Gospel

Today we come to the conclusion of the gospel of God in the book of Romans. The book of Romans, perhaps the most doctrinally complete book in the New Testament, has a surprising and non-doctrinal conclusion concerning what God wants for every believer.

The gospel of God refers to the entire speaking of the book of Romans. Here in the book of Romans, Paul gives perhaps the most complete doctrinal portrait of the gospel in its fullness than in any other book that he has written. Romans begins with man in condemnation and then shows us how God takes him through the steps of justification, sanctification, glorification, selection, and transformation – a panorama of God’s organic salvation. Now we come to the conclusion of the gospel, and this conclusion is surprisingly non-doctrinal, after the marvelous picture that Paul painted in the process of that salvation. The goal of that salvation is given in a very experiential way that is surprising to the readers of the rest of the book.

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Exodus (Program #70) – The Implications, Indications and Significances of the Ordinances of the Law (1)

The Bible is the divine revelation.  As such, we need to realize that every chapter contains diamonds and gems.  But if you read the Bible you know there are difficult and hard chapters.  Exodus 21, 22 and 23 for examples deal with slaves and murders and liers.  Where can the gems possibly be within such chapters as these?  Stay with us for this life study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

The focus of our message today is to see the gems and crystals contain in these 3 chapters of Exodus; 21, 22 and 23.  We’re going to see today that these chapters concerning the addition of the ordinances to the basic commandments are full of, in Witness Lee’s words, implications, indications and significances.  The goal of this ministry is always to get beyond the superficial and to get into the depth.

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Romans (Program #30) – Transformation in Receiving the Believers

If we receive the believers, according to the Word, we will be those who are absolutely beside ourselves with the joy of the Holy Spirit. God’s blessing is commanded upon those who receive the believers in such a way.

One of the most intimate and revealing passages of the New Testament is found in the final chapters of Romans. The apostle Paul opened his heart revealing the real practice of the Body life.

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Romans (Program #29) – Transformation in Receiving the Believers (1)

Our eternal salvation is by faith through faith.  Once we have been born of God, we can never be unborn and lose our status as regenerated ones.  But there is a matter of reward and/or discipline.

The book of Romans has been called the fifth gospel or the gospel of God.  At its consummation, it beautifully depicts the tender and intimate church life that satisfy both God and man.

The book of Romans as we have been seeing, is divided into 5 basic sections of justification, sanctification, glorification plus selection and then one other.  If we look just casually, it may not seen to fit that this final section concludes with several non doctrinal chapters dealing with the church life.

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Exodus (Program #69) – Sundry Ordinances of the Law

We are all familiar with commandments and ordinances.   It seems everywhere we turn, we’re met by these rules and regulations.  The same is true in the latter part of Exodus where we find many ordinances and commandments.  But have you ever seen the sweetness of these commandments of God?  You’d want to stay with us for today’s life study of the Bible, featuring the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee.

The genuine ministry of the New Testament is not a miraculous things produced in a short period of time.  It requires much preparation involving the cross, and the spirit in the context of proper Body life.  This comes to mind because the central human figure in Exodus is Moses.  We realize how extensive was the time given to his preparation.  This word preparation is rich in spiritual significance.  more…

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