Philippians (Program #30) -The Believers Fellowship in the Apostle’s Need

If you owe a debt to someone would you ever have the boldness to say “My God will repay you?”  Most of us will stop short of such a declaration. Yet the apostle Paul because of his oneness with the Lord Can say to the Philippians believers “my God shall fill every need of yours.”  We have an enlightening even and uplifting portion of the ministry today.  When we come to the matter of giving, in the material realm as believers we need a good deal of enlightening and uplifting because this is a topic that has been contaminated to such an extend by religion that we almost dare not to talk about it. But the Bible talks about it so we would handle it faithfully and with much fearfulness of not adding that contamination.

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Job (Program #7) – The First of the Three Rounds (3) and (4)

In Job’s unyielding vindication under his extreme sufferings, he said in Job 10:1-2, “My soul loathes my own life; I will let my complaint have free course in me; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, Do not account me wicked; Make known to me why You contend with me.”

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Philippians (Program #29) -The Apostle’s Secret of Sufficiency in Christ

In Philippians 4:12 the apostle Paul said he had learned the secret more specifically he said in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. This secret from Paul’s own experience is the secret of sufficiency or satisfaction and seeing how he wrote this word while in prison in Roman it carries even more weight.

This is indeed a marvelous portion in Philippians, showing that Christ is our secret to enable us to be content in every circumstances that God places us in in His sovereignty.

Paul is not writing from a doctrinal point of view, we may study the book of Philippians or other books in the Bible and have a kind of knowledge.  But really have we tab into the secret of experiencing Christ as his sufficiency puts it in a little different light.

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Job (Program #6) – The First of the Three Rounds (2) – Job’s Vindication

God put the book of Job into the Bible as a black background. The speaking of Job and his friends indicated that although they were apparently godly men, they were short of God and they did not express God. Job and his friends came together to debate not to fellowship.

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Philippians (Program #28) – Excellent Characteristics of the Christian Life (2)

As believers in Christ we are all motivated at least to some degree to try to live the Christian life. Well this is noble and worthy desire but the Bible presents to us even a higher aspiration and that’s is not just to live a Christian life but to live a life that is the expression of Christ Himself. If you think that these two things are the same, you’ve better think again and you better stay with us for this life study program from the book of Philippians.

We need to live a life that is the expression of Christ Himself. It seems like a tall order.  It’s impossible by a human effort.  So we want to get into this.   Paul unfolded a numbers of things for us that are going to bring to light how it can be possible, because it is impossible on one hand, so we have a divine paradox.  more…

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Job (Program #5) -The First of the Three Rounds in the Debates Between Job and His Three Friends (1) – Eliphaz’s Answer to Job by Rebuking

In Job chapter 4 and 5 Eliphaz, the first of Job’s three friends opens up the first of three rounds of debates concerning Job’s sufferings. Job held the concept that he was right but Eliphaz corrected him. Referring to Job in chapter 4:17 Eliphaz asked him, “Can a mortal man be more righteous than God? Can a man be purer than his Maker?”

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Philippians (Program #27) – Excellent Characteristics of the Christian Life (1)

Enjoying Christ or been an enjoyer of Christ these are not terms we commonly used. But we will see today in the life study of Philippians that enjoying Christ issues in a life full of forbearance and without anxiety. Philippians 4:5-6 ” Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

There is an outward issue from this enjoyment of Christ. In these verse in chapter 4 we see the description of a glorious outward expression of the inward reality of a person who’s living and experiencing Christ. We can’t experience these excellent characteristics refer to apart from really enjoying and experiencing Christ, can we?

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Job (Program #4) – Job’s Cursing of His Birthday

In Job chapter 3, Job cursed the day of his birth. He was a good man and he was trying to keep his perfection, uprightness and integrity. But due to his vexation he could not contain himself and he didn’t know what to do. Job’s suffering was so intense and most of the book of Job is a debate about why God would allow such a good person to suffer so much. And this debate continues today. At the end of chapter 2, Job painfully sat in silence for seven days and nights. And then in chapter 3 Job broke the silence and initiated the debate, which is most of the book of Job, by cursing the day of his birth because of his suffering of this very great pain.

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Philippians (Program #26) – Thinking the Same Thing and Rejoicing in the Lord

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice.” This wonderful short refrain is loved nearly by all believers.  We might use it to comfort  suffering friends or we may declare it or even sing it aloud to help ourselves and others be more joyful in the Lord. But have you ever examine this verse in its Biblical context. We will do just that today, I hope in so doing we all will be made more joyful in the process.

In a lot of his Epistles the apostle Paul mentioned various saints by name that were important to him and had really joined themselves to his ministry. In this letter to the Philippians he mentioned two sisters (Euodias and Syntyche) in chapter 4, and these two even had co-labored with him in the gospel but we are going to find out that he wasn’t singling these two out in particularly in a very positive way.

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Job (Program #3) – The Trials of Job (2)

Job 2:1-3 say, “Then one day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, Satan also came among them to present himself before Jehovah. And Jehovah said to Satan, Where have you come from? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From roving the earth and going about in it. And Jehovah said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, though you have moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.”

This book of Job has been a real mystery to all those who have read it for centuries and it’s a wonderful thing to have the opportunity to explore this book from the standpoint of God’s New Testament economy. To look at this book, this Old Testament book, from the perspective of the New Testament.

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