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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2 Corinthians (Program #1) -Introduction (1)

The apostle Paul’s first epistle to the believers in Corinth was of sixteen chapters and was full of his strong rebuke and argument with the church there. In that letter he subdued them and defeated them. Now in his second letter just as a parent would spend a long period of to comfort and encourage a child that had received the strong chastisement. Paul minsters to comforting ointment and the encouragement of love. Listen to his opening words in his cherishing epistle :

1:1-3 ” Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy the brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and God of all comfort;”

This is a very subjective book, 2 Corinthians, where by Paul brings the Corinthians back to the experience of Christ and is a book that can lead us to experience Christ as well.

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Zechariah (Program #2) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (1)

The New Testament tells us that Christ today is in the heavens as the Great High Priest interceding always for us continually before the throne of God. For all of us as believers, this is the most encouraging and comforting realization of Christ. But interestingly, this aspect of His ministry can be seen not just in the New Testament book of Hebrews but also in the Old Testament visions of the prophet Zechariah. In fact, the book of Zechariah is full of visions that reveal Christ in His sweet comfort, care and encouragement for His suffering people.

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Micah (Program #2) – Jehovah’s Comfort to Israel

The Prophet Micah in the Old Testament speaks of God’s reprove and chastisement of Israel in a very poetic language.

Chapter 1:3-4 “For Jehovah is about to come forth from His place, And He will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will be melted under Him, And the valleys will be cleft, Like wax before fire, Like water poured down a slope.”

These sobering words caused Micah to weep but as with other prophets Micah also speaks of God’s comforting of His people.  Which ultimately comes at the end of this age in what the prophets of all spoke as the restoration. A coming age when there will be no need of weapons for all the enemies will be gone and Christ will rule, shepherd and protect His people while His people feast and rejoice in loving worship of Him for a thousand years.

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Psalms (Program #19) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (6)

The Psalms are beloved by Bible readers universally. In part, maybe because for the mot part, the Psalms seems easy to understand and identify with. For example, when David or the other Psalmists were suffering, they would cry out to God for comfort, deliverance and help. We can readily identified with these. But actually some of the Psalms are mysterious to the uttermost. Consider Psalm 40, in this Psalm, on of the highest prophecy concerning the coming Christ, David appears to say to Jehovah “You do not delight in sacrifice in offering. You do not require burnt offering and sin offering.” Well, the question that must be asked is “how must the Old Testament scholars have understood such a verse?” or even more importantly how do we, as God’s New Testament believers understand such a verse?

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Psalms (Program #14) – Christ as the Shepherd in His Resurrection and Christ as the King in God’s Kingdom

Psalms 23 is a precious and popular Psalms, “The Lord is my shepherd” immediately brings comfort along with the six short and lovable verses in this wonderful Psalms.  We have a sweet radio program today.

Psalms 23 is one of those Psalms and portions in the Bible that is read a lot and is quite popular.  We are going to see it in the view of God’s economy and in the context of the group of 3 Psalms that it is in; Psalms 22, Psalms 23 and Psalms 24 in a group.

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