Ephesians (Program #23) – The Two Created Into One New Man

When the Lord Jesus gave His life on the cross or our redemption, what were the main items that the Bible tells us were dealt with by His death?  Well, the first answer most people would give, of course is our sins. Then some might mention the devil, Satan. If you still would add the corrupted world, and our old fallen nature that the Bible calls our old man. These could be a good list an accurate one according to the New Testament but still incomplete. Or it is probably fair to say that the precious view would include on the list, the last item that the apostle Paul gives us in Ephesians Chapter 2 :15 “Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.”  Isn’t this interesting? And isn’t it surprising? Included among the crucial items dealt with by Christ on the cross are ordinances. How could ordinances be included with such obvious matters as sins, Satan and the world. We’ll find out in today’s fellowship.

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Ephesians (Program #8) – The Mystery of God’s Will

Ephesians opens with some of the highest speaking in the entire Bible. Our selection, our predestination and our redemption are all mentioned but not as isolated items rather as indispensable steps in the accomplishment of God’s plan which is the great mystery of the universe through the ages. So, we have been chosen, predestinated, and redeemed for what? Ephesians 1:9 says, “Making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” What is God’s will, His purpose, His plan?

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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.

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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.

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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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Zechariah (Program #13) – The Prophecies of Encouragement (4)

In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, we are given extraordinary revelations of the New Testament Christ. We see Him as the Shepherd coming in an intimate and loving way to care for His scattered flock. We also see Him being rejected and even crucified for our redemption. But one of the most striking views of Christ in Zechariah is as the coming Triumphant Warrior to fight against Anti-Christ, the embodiment of Satan and to rescue God’s people, Israel, from their destiny on this earth, the war of Armageddon.

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Isaiah (Program #21) – Christ as the Servant of Jehovah (7)

God’s plan for our redemption require a full and complete sacrifice for our sins and transgressions.  A spotless lamb was the type in the Old Testament until the real Lamb of God would arrive on the scene to take away the sins of the people and satisfy God’s righteous demands forever.  Of course, as Christians we know that Jesus Christ was such a perfect offering on our behalf.  Of all the passages of Scripture that deal with the great reality of the Christian faith, none provide a perfect and poetic narrative the chapter 53 in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.  This prophecy was written some seven hundred years before Christ, yet the description is awesome in its detail of Christ offering Himself for the transgression and iniquities of mankind.  Stay tune for our second program on Isaiah 53 on today’s life study of the Bible.

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1 Corinthians (Program #8) – Christ, Our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption

In our human society we typically have a high regard for the wise and the well born among us and conversely we tend to despise even to disregard the poor and the lowly ones. Yet in God salvation there is no room for man to boast in himself. So God in His wisdom renders all our human wisdom mere folly in Christ. Well at the same time He Himself becomes wisdom and strength and status to all those who had been called. Listen to Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians chapter 1

“For consider your calling, brothers, that there are not many wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many wellborn.  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world that He might shame those who are wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world that He might shame the things that are strong, And the lowborn things of the world and the despised things God has chosen, things which are not, that He might bring to nought the things which are, So that no flesh may boast before God.”

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Romans (Program #57) – Righteousness – The Power of the Gospel (1)

Our God is righteous.  He is right, He is just, He is righteous in all of His acts.  In the redeeming death of Christ, the righteousness of God was not only manifested – it was satisfied.  And now this righteousness becomes the power of the gospel.

We are going to see in the next two days that God’s righteousness is the power of the gospel and the foudation of our salvation.  This is not a common thought to think of God’s righteousness as the power of the gospel …… what we need to see is not so much the power itself in this particular session; rather, we need to see the reason the gospel is so powerful -  powerful enough to be called “the power of God unto salvation”.  The reason for the power is that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel of God.

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Romans (Program #42) – Saved in Life from Naturalness

Romans can be summarized three words: redemption, life and building. The matter of life is stated clearly in Romans 5:10 “…much more we shall be saved in His life”. If we don’t know life and building, we’re missing two-thirds of God’s salvation.

Romans is arguably the definitive book of the Bible regarding Christian doctrine but we’re finding out that it is much more than that. It is really a book opening the way for all of us, as believers in Christ, to enter into the rich experience of the saving life of Christ everyday.

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