Ephesians (Program #7) – The Mystery of God’s Will

In the first chapters of Romans, the apostle Paul begins by establishing man’s pitiful and sinful condition; almost as though, he is proving to all mankind the need for redemption. Ephesians, however, another letter written by the apostle Paul, also speaks of redemption in the first chapter but from an entirely different perspective. This time it’s from the perspective of God and how He sees us and our need for redemption from the heavenlies. Listen to the marvelous way in which it’s presented in Ephesians chapter 1 “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love, Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, To the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He graced us in the Beloved; In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses according to the riches of His grace,” What an uplifted view of this matter of redemption we have in Ephesians.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Ephesians (Program #6) – Redemption in the Son

If we take three simple words from the New Testament like ‘praise, glory and grace’, we may feel quite comfortable that we understand what they mean. But the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1 links them together in one verse, verse 6 “To the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He graced us in the Beloved;” How about now? Do you feel that your understanding is adequate according to the divine revelation especially when you put this verse in it’s context; that is, as the issue of our being predestinated unto sonship in verse 5?  Well, Ephesians is rich, high and mysterious because it is written from the viewpoint of God in the heavenlies. And from that point of view, ‘praise, glory and grace’ flowing out of our sonship are not simple at all but marvelous.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Galatians (Program #31) – The Brands of Jesus and the Grace of Christ

The marvelous book of Galatians contains some of the most encouraging and positive utterances in the New Testament. “When it pleased God to reveal His Son in me. “And, if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Yet, there’s an unmistakable imprint of the cross of Christ running through Galatians as well. It’s a book of grace and faith, and the Spirit of life, all the while not to be missed is the putting to death of the flesh and bearing the brands of Christ. Does this reveal a contradiction or a secret to experiencing Christ in the Christian life? Stay with us for today’s life study of the Bible.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Galatians (Program #22) – The Spirit of Sonship

Galatians 4 is a wonderful chapter, focusing on two divine sendings. God first sent forth His Son. But, not only so, He also sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. The two sendings in Galatians 4 are our topic on today’s life study of the Bible.

It helps to see the two main points in chapter 3 are number 1, that the Spirit is the blessing of the Gospel, and number 2, that the law is a custodian leading us to Christ, conducting us to Christ, and keeping us for Christ. In this Chapter 4:1-7, we see a continuation. That is, the Spirit of Sonship replacing the custody of the law. So, we need to begin this program by asking, “Do you want the blessing or do you want a custodian?”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Exodus (Program #150) – The Holy Anointing Oil (2) Materials, Spices and Function

Of the three of the Godhead or Trinity, surely the Spirit is the most difficult to understand.  We can easily relate to God the Father and we appreciate Christ the Son is our Redeemer and Savior.  But how do we understand and apply the Spirit?  We get some real help on this crucial need of all believers on today’s life study of the Bible.

The matter of the Spirit is one of the great mysteries in the Bible.  The evidence of that must be the wide diversity of teaching and understanding that exists among God’s people today regarding the Spirit.  Why is it that we believe that this revelation of the holy anointing oil form Exodus 30 can be invaluable for all God’s people in gaining both an understanding and may be more important, an application of the Spirit?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

John (Program #50) – Life in Resurrection (1)

John 1:14 says, the Word became flesh. That means the Word, who was God, became something that He previous was not. When God came out of eternity into time to accomplish His plan, He became flesh. In this sense, God did change.

When we cover these two aspects (God being unchanging and God having changed), what we’re touching is the mystery of the Divine Trinity. So, what we need to do is look at the entire Bible and just say Amen to whatever the Bible says about the Triune God. On the one hand, you know people uses this verse Malachi 3:6, which says that God changes not. And, this is true. But of course, if you look at the context of Malachi 3:6, it’s talking about that God changes not in his principles, in the way that He deals with His people. But also, we know that the Bible shows that God in His eternal being is unchanging. The Bible reveals that the Triune God, the three of the Godhead. On the one hand, they are distinct. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are eternally distinct, but they also co-inhere. That means that they mutually indwell one another. The Father is in the Son. The Son is in the Father. The Father is in the Spirit. more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

John (Program #38) – The Organism of the Triune God in the Divine Dispensation (2)

When He speaks to us, we have to keep it. When His word abides in us, then right away, we are abiding in His love. So, just by saying Amen to His speaking, love will fill us, and we will find the prevailing way to love the Lord Jesus and abide in His love.

The very striking point in John 15 to me is the illustration of the vine and the branches. There’s no other plant that could adequately illustrate the life flow that exists between the Lord and His believers. The Lord said, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” Could any other illustration make it more clear? Then, what God is producing is an organism, not an organization. The “I am” here is Christ when He said, “I am the vine.” And, the “you are” is that part of the vine known as branches. Christ, the Son, is the very center of God’s economy, and He’s also the embodiment of all the riches of the Father.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Luke (Program #34) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes from Galilee to Jerusalem (14)

Luke 15 is a chapter with three tremendous parables including one of the best known in the whole Bible, the parable of the prodigal son. When you take these three parable together, they reveal to us the three persons of the Godhead. The Son is seen the first parable, the Spirit in the second, and the Father in the third, and all three bring us to salvation. Then, we come to another parable at the beginning of chapter 16. At first, it seems terribly out of place. The story of a steward, who threatened with the loss of His position, unrighteously deals with his master’s assets only to gain His praise. But as we will see today, these parables fit very well together.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

Jude (Program #4) – Charges to the Believers (2)

The short epistle of Jude concludes with a marvelous charge to the believers. A charge that includes, “…building up yourselves upon your most holy faith,” and “praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God,” of course the Father, “awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ“, the Son.

The result or issue of this four fold charge is that it will be unto eternal life.  Actually some consideration of this passage may give raise to a very meaningful question. Is this really a formula for how to receive the eternal life?  Or rather is it a charge to those who already possessed the eternal life, is that how they should have their daily living in the eternal life that they already received?  A profound question.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS