2 Corinthians (Program #3) -Introduction (3)

The apostle Paul after his strong rebuke and dealing with the Corinthians in his first letter had good reason to visit the city at his first opportunity. It would had given him the chance to answer first hand any misunderstandings and to sue any lingering stinging from his rebuke.

In the realms of public relations or human wisdom he surely would had taken this way. But Paul’s living was not directed by such things as “PR” in human wisdom. And though he was criticized by some of the Corinthians for delaying his coming after he told them of his desire to come.  We see the real reason for his delay. The reason was the Lord Jesus Himself. And Paul’s first concern which was not to live just a Godly life, but to live Christ, to live in perfect oneness with Him. This is the pattern that Paul had become not just to the Corinthians but to all of us.

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

The apostle Paul was a remarkable person. He was used by the sovereign God to unveil much of the New Testament revelation. He also performed wondrous miracles and was a mighty evangelist. Yet in the book that had been understood to almost be his autobiography, he tells us that his only boast was in the singleness or sincerity or purity with which he and his co-workers lived and served the faithful God by living Christ. Listen to his words to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians chapter 1,

12 “For our boasting is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in singleness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.”

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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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1 Corinthians (Program #55) -Dealing with the Collection of the Gift and Conclusion

In his first epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul dealt with eleven serious problems that had overtaken the church there. Then in chapter 15, the next to the last chapter, after dealing with all of these matters specifically he points them to the unique solution to all the problems both of the church life and our human life and that is the reality of the resurrection life of Christ as our portion, the new creation. That brings us to the conclusion of the book, Chapter 16.  And as he begins this final chapter its’ almost as if he puts the Corinthians on the test, the most vigorous of tests to see if his words concerning living in the reality of the resurrection had penetrated. He challenges them on the matter of money and material possessions. And this matter of money is still testing all of His believers even today.  We will fellowship this and see the sweet conclusion to the book of 1 Corinthians.

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1 Corinthians (Program #54) – Dealing with the Matter of Resurrection (3 & 4)

The Bible of course tells us that God created the heavens and the earth and man and all the living things. This is His creation work. But there is another creation revealed in the Bible. Listen to 2 Corinthians 5:17 “So then if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, they have become new.”

In Christ, God has a new creation. In fact all of His work in the New Testament is centered on and focused in this new creation. There is another verse that implies both of these creations in the most profound way. This time in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:45 “So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.”

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1 Corinthians (Program #53) – Dealing with the Matter of Resurrection (2)

Of all the problems that had over taken the church in Corinth, perhaps the most serious was that among the church there, many question the reality of resurrection. Yes, more serious than division, adultery, and even more serious than fornication and incest. Why? You might ask. Because without resurrection, ours is a fake, totally in vain and even more a faith without vitality, the life power needed to overcome all of our problems.  Paul’s rebuttal to those who question resurrection is our topic of program today.

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1 Corinthians (Program #52) – Dealing with the Matter of Resurrection (1)

Have you ever noticed in the presentation of the gospel it’s often the graphic picture of Jesus dying on the cross and bearing our sins that preachers draw upon to engage their audience?   Frequently the gospel is presented with great passion regarding the death of Christ, the sinless One dying for the sinners.

Well, we praise the Lord for His crucifixion, without it we sinners would have no way to come to God. But as effectively as His dead is in dealing with the record of sin, it alone can’t save us from the power of sin. For that we must turn our gaze from the Christ on the cross to the Christ raised from the dead. It is death and resurrection together that bring us a full salvation. And the death and resurrection of Christ is our topic today.

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We thank the Lord for His Word and His faithfulness. We have now concluded the life study of both the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Bible. It has been three years since we first started the broadcast on this web site. It is our earnest desire that this open, interpreted Word would be available to all the seeking believers around the world, to know and experience the deeper truth in the Bible.

Revelation 22:21 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” Only the grace of the Lord Jesus can enable us to live and walk according to the visions and prophecies. The entire Bible closes with this grace, the grace that enables us to experience the all-inclusive Christ and participate in the Triune God that we may become His eternal corporate expression for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, that He and we may enjoy absolute satisfaction and complete rest mutually for eternity. Amen.

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“All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in faith. Grace be with you all.”
(Titus 3:15)

With our last program of Song of Songs, we have now concluded all of our life study in the Old Testament. In Song of Songs, which is an extract of the whole Bible, the seeking believer, who typifies us as the seeking believers of Christ, prays to the Lord : “Draw me…” (v.2), “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth” (v.4). This shows that we need to have a personal and affectionate relationship with our dear Lord Jesus. We should tell the Lord, “Lord, draw me to Yourself. Lord, kiss me with the kisses of Your mouth.” We need to tell the Lord every day, even right now, “Lord Jesus, I love You”.  This is to be in the divine romance.  May we all give ourselves to love the Lord.

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