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 #17) – The Gospel Preached to Abraham

In the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.” How we as New Testament believers treasure the coming of grace and the Gospel of grace that appeared in Christ?  But, did you know that this same Gospel of faith and grace was preached to Abraham 100’s of years before Moses even received the commandments from God. Don’t miss this riveting message of faith and the promise of the Gospel on today’s life study of the Bible.

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2 Corinthians (Program #15) – The Ministers of the New Covenant (7b)

All genuine believers in Christ know that an essential of the Christians faith is that Christ our Savior is sinless. In fact the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians that He did not know sin. Yet the very same verse tells us that this One that did not know sin, was made sin. Here is chapter 5:

21 “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

What mysterious, marvelous language. He, Who did not know sin, was made sin on our behalf. We, who believed treasure the fact that He died for our sins. Yet do we really have the proper understanding, a proper appreciation of the fact that according to God’s word that He was made sin on our behalf?

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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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Matthew (Program #42) – The Treasure and the Pearl

6 parables that unlock the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens are presented by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 13.  Four of these parables depict the visible, outward appearance of God’s kingdom today.  But the last two are much more hidden even difficult to see.  But it is these two that we should focus on most closely because these two are parables of God’s overcoming believers, a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of immense value.

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Matthew (Program #40) – The Establishment of the King’s Rejection (8)

What is the kingdom of God like?  Well, the Lord Jesus in Matthew 13 revealed that the kingdom is like a tender delicious herb, and like bread made from fine flour.  Both of these are good things to eat.  But He goes on to reveal that the kingdom is also like a treasure hidden in the earth and a pearl worth selling all for.  From something good to eat to a most precious treasure.   This is the revelation of the kingdom of the heavens from Matthew 13.

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Matthew (Program #22) – The Decree of the Kingdom’s Constitution (10)

Matthew 6:21 says “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  This simple expression is full of meaning.  If we expect to get our heart on heaven and on the heavenly things, we need to get our treasure there first.

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James (Program #1) – Introduction and Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (1)

One of last books to be added to the canon of the New Testament was the Epistle of James. Throughout the centuries, believers have had very different attitudes towards this book. Some believers treasure it to the uttermost, granting it a status of being among the very top books in the bible. Others, drawing a comparison between James and Proverbs, may feel that it would better fit in the Old Testament. While some have question whether it belongs in the Bible at all. Why would such a book give rise to these varied opinions? The message of the book is very clear and straightforward. The language is lovely even poetic in places. And the author had great creditability because scholars agreed that this was the James that was the Lord Jesus’ flesh brother and he was also the leading elder in the first church, the Church in Jerusalem.  We believe that the life study we begin today will give us a very solid answer to this intriguing question.

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