Nehemiah (Program #5) - The Leadership of Nehemiah for the Reconstitution of the Nation of God’s Elect

Nehemiah loved God and he loved God’s interest on earth concerning His economy. This interest included the good land, the temple and the city of Jerusalem all of which Nehemiah loved. Even though he was a common person, without a rank such as that of a king or of a captain in the army, he took care of God’s interest on the earth.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Ezra (Program #3) - The Return of the Captivity under the Priestly Leadership of Ezra

Deep within every Christian, there is a desire to be free from any kind of captivity of the enemy, Satan. If you agree with that, then you would want to stay with us right here for the next half hour as we discuss the return of the captivity under the priestly leadership of Ezra.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament, we call these books the recovery books because according to the history that is presented in the Old Testament before Ezra at end of the books of Chronicles, God’s people Israel had been carried away from the land of Israel into the land of Babylon - so they were there in their captivity. And then a certain time God came in to bring a remnant, a small number not all of them but a small number back to the land of Israel, the good land that He had given to their forefathers. So these we call the recovery and these books we call the recovery books.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Ezekiel (Program #25) - The Holy Land and the Holy City

Clearly the subject and central focus of the last section of the book of Ezekiel is the temple, the house of God. Show the house to the house, the Lord tells Ezekiel and that is exactly what he does in the final chapters. Yet, there’s a very profound postscript to Ezekiel’s vision that is found in the final chapters of the book and that is the land upon which the temple sits. In fact the land and the house are the central focus of the entire Old Testament. Recall Jehovah’s words to Joshua following the death of Moses as the children of Israel were encamped at the border of the good land in Canaan, “Moses My servant is dead; now then arise, and cross over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the children of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you, as I promised Moses…Be strong and take courage, for you will cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.” (Joshua 1:2-3,6). Well if the temple typifies the church as the fulfillment of the house of God, what then does this land typify?

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

1 & 2 Chronicles (Program #8) - Living Christ for the Expression of God

After the division of Israel into two kingdoms, God was still able to point to some among His people that have not given up their proper standing and had maintained at least outwardly some devotion to His fundamental word.  God’s word at that time of course, consisted of the laws.  But many don’t realize the law came in two sections, both of which came through Moses.  The first section is the law of commandments, were the ten commandments we commonly referred to them.  These are the moral laws that God gave to His people cover all aspects of relationships.  The second section is called the ceremonial law, the laws governing the details of the offerings and the priesthood and the feasts that God established for His people.

Though the kings of Judah stood on the proper ground of Jerusalem and professed allegiance to all the laws of God, in reality they kept neither the moral law nor the ceremonial law.  The result was that ultimately they lost their possession and enjoyment of the good land that God had given them.  What can we, God’s New Testament people learn from such a tragic example?

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Colossians (Program #5) - Christ-The Preeminent and All-Inclusive One, The Centrality and Universality Of God

God has often dealt with man through the promises that he has made to man. And these promises begin as early as Genesis chapter 3. But not until Genesis 12 did a promise of God include blessing or enjoyment for man. This promise of blessing to Abraham was altogether to do with the good land of Israel. But the Apostle Paul in the New Testament book of Galatians repeats that promise in the context of “blessing and enjoyment promise by God to us, His New Testament people”. So what does the land, so preeminent in Genesis, so preeminent in the Old Testament, have to do with us in the New Testament?

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Ruth (Program #3) - Ruth’s Seeking for Her Rest

In Ruth chapter 1, Ruth made a strong decision to follow Naomi back to the good land. And this typifies our decision to receive Christ. Today in the life study of Ruth, we are going to see that is not enough, we also need to enjoy Christ as typified by the gleanings that Ruth did from the Boaz’s field. And we also need to enter in to a marriage with Christ as typifies by Ruth marrying Boaz.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Judges (Program #7) - The Abominable Chaos in their Worship

The life study of the books of Joshua and judges reveals not just the history of Israel with its’ successes and failures possessing the good land of Canaan, but also even more importantly it teaches us how we can gain and possess the all inclusive Christ as our full portion, our enjoyment and our inheritance. Israel in the good land typifies us, the New Testament believers in Christ and just as Israel allowed their departure from a close and intimate fellowship with Jehovah to impede their progress gaining the land we too can see our spiritual progress and our enjoyment of Christ impeded if we don’t take care of our day by day, even moment by moment fellowship with Him.  Listen to this verse in 1 John 1:3 “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

A very marvelous portion related to this matter of fellowship typified of course by the picture in the Old Testament of Israel gaining, possessing the land. We enter into the fellowship the moment we receive Christ and this fellowship is a fellowship that is life long.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Joshua (Program #13) - Ten Aspects of Christ

In the book of Mathew, one of the early names given to the Lord Jesus was Emmanuel, which means God with us. In Isiah chapter 8 Canaan the good land is called the land of Emmanuel, clearly identify the good land as a type of Christ. Canaan is a land that is rich in its’ variety. Listen to the wonderful details given to us in Deuteronomy 8 “For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of waterbrooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains; A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey; A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity; you will not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you can mine copper. And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Jehovah your God for the good land which He has given you.”

Actually it takes all the rich details in the Old Testament books like Deuteronomy and Joshua to depict all of the riches of the all-inclusive Christ.  Today as we look at 10 different aspects of Christ in the book of Joshua.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Joshua (Program #10) - The Allotment of the Land (2)

When the children of Israel entered the good land, the land was apportioned to them according to their tribes. Each tribe received a different piece, some larger than others yet each one according to their condition and situation.

Bible interpreters long agrees that the good land is a type of Christ and Israel certainly typifies us, the Church.   So how is it that the Christ you receive may be in a sense bigger, more extensive than the one I have?   Well, it seems to be a paradox particularly in the light of the scripture clearly tells us in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, even forever.”  Well, we will see today that the Christ we experience matches our situation, our condition and our capacity.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Joshua (Program #9) - The Allotment of the Land (1)

We all know the story of Jacob, of course he had 12 sons, each one very different. These 12 sons then became the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel and the good land of Canaan was eventually apportioned to these tribes, the descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons.

The account of how these parcels were passed on to the various tribes of Israel may seems to us to be a meaningless bit of history as God’s New Testament people, yet it is recorded in the book of Joshua and as we will see today it helps to convey a very meaningful and very experiential aspect of our own enjoyment of Christ.

 

 Standard Podcast [26:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup