Tag-Archive for ◊ enlightenment ◊

19 Sep 2024 1 & 2 Samuel (Program #15)

1 & 2 Samuel (Program #14) – The History Concerning David (3)

All of us are used to thinking of David as perhaps the most valiant of the great men of the Old Testament. From his youth, when he was fighting off lions and bears as they attack his flock of sheep, to his triumph over the mighty Goliath, to his fearless warring against all the enemies of Israel once he was king. It seems that David never backed away from a fight. Yet when his own wife was being threatened by the evil King Saul of Israel, when given the chance to defend himself, his only action was to flee. He would not lift a finger against Saul even when it seemed that Jehovah had delivered Saul fully into his hands. But why behind David’s refusal to avenge himself of Saul is most enlightening.

Play
23 May 2024 Leviticus (Program #20)

Leviticus (Program #20) – The Law of the Meal Offering

Psalm 36:9 says, “For with Thee is the fountain of life/ In Thy light we see light.” The Old Testament offerings from Leviticus when properly applied in our New Testament walk with the Lord will bring us to experience Christ as the very fountain of life. This life brings us into the light, God’s light. In His light, we see even more clearly our true condition and how short we are and how in need we are of the very Christ God has provided us to be our offering, to bring us more into God’s presence.

The meal offering is the wonderful offering for us to enjoy Christ which is related to the cycle of life, and that is related to our walking in the light. God is light!  This really is the Christian life – we walk in the light, God shines in us, this leads us to enjoy Christ as the offerings, then we have more life and this life brings us more light and we get more shining, more brought to Christ as our offering…

Play
15 Jan 2023 Mark (Program #15)

Mark (Program #15) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (2) & (3)

Mark chapter 6 presents us with 4 seemingly unrelated cases. To our shallow understanding these 4 cases seems to be merely 4 separate stories of events that took place during the Lord’s earthly ministry. However if we receive even a little enlightenment we can see that once again the sequence in the divine record of how these events are unfolded is really marvelous.  And that when taken together these 4 cases really are layers of meaning and significance.

So here are 4 cases, 2 negative and 2 positive. That individually show us the rejection, hatred and justice even martyrdom that typifies the world’s response to the gospel. But collectively they fill us with encouragement, conviction and even a renewed determination to go forth to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth.

Play
12 Jan 2023 Mark (Program #12)

Mark (Program #12) – The Parables of the Kingdom (2)

All genuine Christian believers love to hear the preaching of the gospel. We admire greatly those whom the Lord had raised up with the gift of evangelism and most of us prayed fervently for the spread of the gospel.  But as such believers we should also asked ourselves a couple of basic questions regarding the gospel.

First, what is the gospel?  Then, what is the goal of the gospel?  If our answer to the first question did not incorporated the realization that the gospel really is just Christ Himself then we need some further enlightenment.  And if our answer to the question in regarding to the goal of the gospel was something along the line that the goal of the gospel is to save sinners so that they can go to heaven then we should pray as Paul the apostle prayed that the Father in His mercy would grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him.

Play
26 May 2022 1 Peter (Program #12)

1 Peter (Program #12) -Growth in Life and Its Results (2)

At times the apostle Peter’s way of writing in his New Testament epistles seems very strange.  Though his content is quite high, he breaks many rules of composition by mixing metaphors and awkward use of grammar.   For example in chapter 2 of 1 Peter he describes the spiritual nourishment in the word of God by comparing it to the nourishing milk of a nursing mother for her new born babe.  But then without any apparent transition the metaphor changes to Christ being a stone for the building up of God’s house.  As a work of literature we might have a ground to criticize Peter, but as a conveyor of rich spiritual content, we will see today that Peter’s writing is full of the divine thought and deep experiential enlightenment.

Play
24 Mar 2022 Hebrews (Program #29)

Hebrews (Program #29) – The Word of Righteousness and the Word of the Beginning of Christ

If you want to mature in Christ and if you hunger for the solid food of the Word, please pay attention – this message is just for you.

The Word of God has many different titles and scripture and even more functions – it’s called the Word of Grace, the Word of Life, even the Good Word. But in Hebrews, it’s called the Word of Righteousness. This is the solid nourishing word that can bring us on to maturity.

We’re not quite halfway through this life study of Hebrews and it seems that in nearly every turn, we are challenged and even stretched by what is opened up in Hebrews.  Because this book is so profound and deep, every turn it takes really challenges those of us who approaches it with still elementary understanding of God and the things of God. more…

Play