Proverbs (Program #7) – Coming to Proverbs to Cultivate Our Regenerated New Man

Paul, the apostle tells us that the Bible has the potential to affect us when we read it in two very different ways. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 he says “Who has made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Do we have this realization when we come to the word of God?  The same words can either become Spirit and life to us or they can become dead letters to us. It all depends on how we come to the Bible and what kind of persons we are that will determine what we receive. We’re all fallen creatures with an old fallen nature and an old life the Bible calls the old man. When this old man comes to the Bible in order to find help to improve itself before God, the result will be predictable, the result of death.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Proverbs (Program #6) – The Detailed Precepts for Man To Live a Proper Human Life (2)

The book of Proverbs is a collection of gems which are detailed precepts for man to live a proper human life. Today we are going to use the majority of our radio program on the life-study of Proverbs to hear a reading of these gems categorized. Today we’re going to cover the second part of these readings entitled “Admonitions and Teachings”.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Proverbs (Program #5) – Touching the Word of God by Our New Man

The book of Proverbs is a wonderful collection of gems of wisdom concerning nearly every aspect of human life. As such, people of many persuasions appreciate Proverbs and often quote these nuggets of wisdom. While we’re thankful for such a book in the Bible, it also presents a dilemma. And that is that an ethical person, even one who has no personal knowledge or experience of our dear Saviour Jesus, can apply these moral precepts to build himself up and enhance his fallen human life. While we may say that society would surely benefit if all men practice these principles and employ the wisdom expressed in Proverbs, yet God’s goal of bringing us, His children, not into an improved condition but into a new creation will be no closer to reality. While we extol God for the wisdom of His word, our real need is not self-improvement but rather that we put off our old man and put on the new man.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Proverbs (Program #4) – The Detailed Precepts for Man To Live a Proper Human Life (2)

The book of Proverbs contains gem after gem of detailed precepts concerning how to live a proper human life. Many proverbs touch similar topics – consider these few gems that touch the benefit of learning to restrain one’s speech. First in Proverbs 10:19 “When there are many words transgression does not cease, But he who restrains his lips is prudent.” And this one from Proverbs 13:3 “He who guards his mouth keeps his soul, But he who opens wide his lips will have destruction.” And Proverbs 14:23 “In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.” These nuggets gleaned from Proverbs all concern the same subject. In this case related to our loose talk. Being able to consider the Proverbs topically arranged in this way, gives a strong and lasting impression. And we are devoting three special programs to present this marvelous aid for our own study and appreciation of the book of Proverbs.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Proverbs (Program #3) – The Detailed Precepts for Man To Live a Proper Human Life (1)

Whenever we come to God’s word, whether to a deeply spiritual book such as Ephesians or to a book with easy to understand, ethical and moral precepts such as Proverbs, the kind of person that we are will have much to do with what we take away from our reading of the Bible. In fact, the Bible itself tells us that the words of Scripture can be spirit and life to us as we see in John 6, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life”. But the same New Testament also provides a strong word of caution in 2 Corinthians 3, “Who has made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life”. Spirit and life or dead letter, the Bible can be either. And the determining factor as to which we will experience has everything to do with us and how we approach this word of God.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Proverbs (Program #2) – The Principles for Man to Live a Proper Human Life

Many people love the book of Proverbs because the truth conveyed in these short, easy to understand, poetic utterances matches their ethical approach to the Bible and the Christian life itself.  Fearing God is a good example. There are numerous passages in Proverbs that extol the benefit of fearing God. The question is not then, “Should we fear God?” Of course we should and even we must. But we fear God not simply out of duty or instruction but because our reverence to Him issues in a deeper and more genuine experience and love for Him. The difference may seem subtle but in actuality, the difference is profound and life-changing.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Proverbs (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

It’s probably safe to say that the book of Proverbs would be a favorite of a large percentage of Bible readers in all cultures. Written primarily by the legendary King Solomon, the possessor of great wisdom, it’s a book that’s easy to read and to study and to admire the marvelous examples of human wisdom and godly principles that are the main contents of this book. But while it is a book that may help us to live a better life to improve our character, and even to learn the valuable principles that reflect various aspects and attributes of God, there is also a profound danger with such a book. And that danger is that it can be a book that we can apply by our own strength and our own individual pursuit of human perfection. Why is that a danger, you ask? The answer to that can only be found by studying not only the Old Testament books such as Proverbs and Job but studying the entire Bible itself and being brought into the divine revelation. And that divine revelation shows us in that in God’s ultimate economy, wisdom like everything else, becomes the very Person of Christ Himself.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Psalms (Program #42) – The Consummate Praise

Over the course of his nearly 70 years of ministry, Witness Lee conducted three in depth studies of the book of Psalms. His first study took place in 1954, he came back to the book again in 1969, and his final study, this life study, that he gave near the end of his life, in 1993. Although all three studies bear similarity for certain each got progressively deeper and higher, unveiling more of God’s central line, His eternal economy. As we come to the final program in the life study of the Psalms, I thought it is appropriate to quote a short portion from his second study of the Psalms called “Christ and the Church revealed and typified in the Psalms” – more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Psalms (Program #40) -The Preciousness of Zion and Jerusalem in the Experiences and Praises of the Saints (2)

They are 15 Psalms that are referred to as the Psalms of the Ascent, from 120 to 134. These Psalms typified the ascending or raising up of God’s people, from a low suffering place to a place in the high peaks. These high places refer to as Zion in the scripture and it represents many things. Its’ from Zion that God first blesses His people and from Zion He deals with those who persecute and hate His people, is also from Zion that He bring His people into the light to realize their own fallen sinful condition so that they may repent and to receive His forgiveness. Making them humble where they had formally being proud and haughty. Once humbled God brings His people up to and into Zion where they can dwell in Him in oneness and where He can find His rest and His abode in them. This is Zion, this is the place to which we all must ascend for our ultimate destiny or destination in the Christian walk, is the heavenly Zion, the New Jerusalem where God and man will find their mutual habitation and full satisfaction.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS