Ephesians (Program #72) – Growth by Feeding for the Building

The book of Ephesians has two distinct sections. The first three chapters give us a clear account of all of Christ is accomplished to produce the Church as the One New Man. His work on the cross, in resurrection has brought forth this New Man, composed of His redeemed people, built together in Himself to become not just One New Man but even the New Man filled unto all the fullness of God.  Well, this seem to be a logical conclusion to the book, but Paul goes on to the last three chapters and points out how much God needs our human co-operation if the Church is to be built up as the habitation of God in Spirit.  We want to look today, just what kind of co-operation God is looking for.

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Ephesians (Program #71) – Ordinances and the Church Life

The book of Ephesians reveals that what God is after is for Christ to be wrought into His chosen and redeemed people to produce the Church. But it also exposes many of the negative things that frustrate us form attaining to His purpose. Among these are the obvious items of sin and worldliness. But though these things surely damage the Church none are so great a problem as the not so obvious matter of ordinances.

Ordinances expressed our own way of practicing the Christian life. And each group, each gathering of believers has its’ own particular characteristics, its’ way to practice, to meet and to worship. Yet these ways that we treasure and value so dearly may in fact be the factor divide us from other believers and thereby frustrate God to the uttermost and He desires to obtain His heart desire, the Church as the One New Man.

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Galatians (Program #33) – Born of the Spirit to Receive the Spirit (2)

At Christ’s death on the cross, we were redeemed. We might think that the purpose of redemption is so that we could be saved and go to heaven. But, Galatians 4:5 says that God has redeemed us so that we might receive the Sonship. To receive Sonship means that we’re born of God and thereby receive the divine life and nature. Stay with us today as we focus not on our future in heaven, but on how to live and walk in Spirit as the very sons of God.

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1 Corinthians (Program #39) – The Type of Israel

The Bible contains two histories. The history of Israel in the Old Testament and the history of the church in the New Testament. Actually these two histories are really one story. The history of Israel a type, a shadow while the church is the fulfillment, the reality.

In many of his writings the apostle Paul used the Old Testament as a book of types and pictures to help illustrate the New Testament economy that he was entrusted to preach.

In 1 Corinthians 5 he mentioned the Old Testament passover as our type of New Testament experience of redemption. In chapter 9 and 10 he again picks up the Old Testament to show us a pattern .

First, of our running the race that is our Christians life. Then as a picture of both aspects of our baptism by water and by the Spirit. And finally as a negative pattern regarding the possibility of the genuine, redeemed children of God could ultimately failed to overcome in their Christian life and missed the prize of the reward that is typified by the good land. This is a strong word, a word of warning, which we, like the Corinth believers should heed.

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Exodus (Program #97) – The Boards of the Tabernacle (1)

The cover or roof of the tabernacle is made of four distinct layers.  Each of which are definite type of the various aspects of Christ.  As God’s dwelling with man, surely the tabernacle typifies Christ.  But the sides of the tabernacle, point us not only to Christ but also to us, the believers.  We see that for God’s dwelling place, He needs us, the redeemed believers.

We spent the last couple of days considering the four layers of coverings that help to compose the tabernacle.  Each of these layers typifies a different aspect of Christ.

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Exodus (Program #78) – The Blood of the Covenant (1)

All genuine believers in Christ who experienced redemption are familiar with and surely have a deep appreciation for the blood of Christ. But listen to Moses’ word in Exodus 24, “And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, Here is the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah has made with you in accordance with all these words.”  What is the blood of the covenant?  Stay with us as we explore this divine reality and marvelous truth on today’s life study of the Bible.

We come again today to the broadcast, the recording actually in the holy land today from the hotel room in Jerusalem.

It’s good to be here especially here in Jerusalem. All the things we’re seeing here are just pictures of the divine realities in God’s economy. The listeners are in for real treat because we will see the highest function of the Lord’s precious blood in this broadcast. more…

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John (Program #51) – Life in Resurrection (2)

We should treasure the way the Lord has ordained to be present with us now. May the Lord really open our eyes: that what is precious to God, that is the invisible, indwelling, pneumatic Christ, would also become precious to us.

In John 20 as in the Gospel of John as a whole, we see the Trinity both in His essence and in His economy. The Divine Trinity is a trinity of essence eternally that is the Father, Son, and Spirit coexist and co-inhere in the Godhead eternally. This is the Trinity in essence. But in order to have the fulfillment of God’s economy, the essential Trinity must function as the economical Trinity to pass through the process in order to, on the one hand, enter into God’s people, and on the other to bring God’s people, now redeemed and regenerated, into God. By the time we reach chapter 20, we have at least the initial completion of this process in which the very God who became a man and died for our redemption, in resurrection became the Spirit, so that, economically speaking, the Father, Son, and Spirit may indwell us.

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John (Program #49) – Life Processed for Multiplication (4)

Let us all let the wind blow where it wills. And, instead of trying to systematize or schematize the experience of the Spirit, let’s experience the Spirit for the carrying out of God’s economy, letting God truly be God.

John 20 is in many respects, a chapter of realization or actualization. By using these terms, I’m trying to say, that in this chapter we have the reality in actual experience of what the Lord revealed concerning His process elsewhere in the Gospel. He made it emphatically clear in chapters 14 through 16 that He needed to go, that is, die on the cross, and come again, that is come into the disciples as the pneumatic Christ in order to indwell them. He had, as the first half of the Gospel emphasizes, become flesh and tabernacled among human kind. But, God’s goal is to be in His chosen and redeemed people, not merely among them.

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Mark (Program #59) – A Life Fully According To and For God’s New Testament Economy (19)

During the last few months we have been given a memorable and wonderfully clear picture of “A Life Fully According To and For God’s New Testament Economy” as it is portrayed through the gospel of Mark.

This life embodied in our precious Lord Jesus in the gospels is developed through out the entire New Testament, ultimately a peak is reached in the book of Revelation, as we see the final consummation of God’s economy in the New Jerusalem. That final consummation is no longer just a picture of God or Christ alone, but we also as His redeemed and regenerated people are included. What a transformation from our pitiful fallen condition at the time we first received His saving grace to the glorious outcome that awaits all of us to participate in for eternity.

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Isaiah (Program #47) – The Servant of Jehovah as the Anointed of Jehovah…

Isaiah, unlike nearly any other book of Scripture captures the most beautiful and compelling images of Christ.  Listen to these lovely poetic utterance from the final chapters.  in chapter 61 “The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon Me, Because Jehovah has anointed Me To bring good news to the afflicted… To grant to those….the oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness;” and also chapter 63 “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He bore them up and carried them All the days of old.”  Today is our final program from this beautiful and majestic book of Isaiah.  Please stay with us for today’s life study of the Bible.

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