James (Program #3) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (3)

After studying the Apostle Paul’s writings and the life study messages on the writings of Paul, we will no doubt be influenced to receive the light concerning God’s economy and to be strongly for God’s economy. But there is the possibility that we may be careless in our behavior or that we may neglect the matter of practical Christian perfection. Therefore we need the balance provided by the book of James, which comes in the Scripture immediately after the fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul.

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Judges (Program #6) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (5)

In the varied history of the nation of Israel that is recorded in the book of Judges, we have of course the interesting and well known story of Samson.  Endued with the power of the Spirit, he was mighty and fierce in his struggle against Israel’s enemy the Philistines but he had a very specific failure that gave Satan, God’s real enemy the ground to tempt him and and ultimately defeated him. Of course the beautiful Philistines woman, Delilah  typifies this failure.  Samson indulgence of the lust of his flesh led to his down fall. The story of Samson and the warning that we as God’s people today must take from this case is our topic on this life study of the Bible.

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James (Program #2) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (2)

Perhaps the most important contribution that the Epistle of James makes to the New Testament is in the area of practical Christian perfection. Some people may not understand the usage of the word “perfection” in this context. James actually uses it in verse 4 of chapter 1. Let me read beginning at verse 2 to give it its proper context, “Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith works out endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.” What is it to let endurance have its perfect work that we may be perfect?

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Judges (Program #5) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (4)

The Bible begins with the story of Adam and how he gained a wife, Eve. In the New Testament of course we find out that Adam is a type of Christ, the very God and Eve, a type of God’s people, the Church.  So, from the beginning the Bible becomes a book of the marriage of God Himself with His people.  Yet by chapter 3 of Genesis, God’s enemy comes in to seduce man, to forsake God as their husband.  The result of this separation or divorce is the story of the chaotic history of mankind. Whatever nation, whatever group, whatever person forsakes God to become involves in something else ends up in a chaotic situation.  Israel’s history has seen this story repeated again and again in a cycle after cycle and soberly as we consider the situation even in the church, we’ see the same thing today.

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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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Judges (Program #4) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (3)

During a very difficult time in Israel’s history the Lord raised up Gideon to be a judge and ruler. Initially great victories were afforded under Gideon’s leadership and the account of his successes stands as the most glorious of those recorded in the book of Judges. His success can be attributed to 4 glorious factors of his relationship with Jehovah. However shortly after these successes he succumbed to serious temptations.  These ultimately overtook him and all of Israel eventually suffered as a consequence. These factors remained as major stumbling blocks to many of God’s people and especially to many leading ones among God’s people today.  We will look at the factors of both Gideon success and his failures on our program.

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Judges (Program #3) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (2)

If God’s people are to enjoy all the benefits of their relationship with Him, it is necessary for them to maintain this relationship in a proper way. In reality God is the king, the unique husband and the Head over all things. That means His people must be under Him, submissive and subject to Him in a tender and intimate way . But in much of the history of God’s people they rejected Him in His headship always resulting in a condition of His people falling lower and lower and been evidenced by defeat after defeat at the hands of the various enemies of God’s people.  At such times we occasionally see Jehovah acting in an extra ordinary way to jolt his people into the realization of their actual condition. Such a time existed in the book of Judges after the death of Joshua, God chosen leader over Israel as the people turned away from Him and their enemies began to prevail, God responded by raising up not a mighty king to lead Israel back to victory but rather He raised up Deborah, a female.  Though she was very capable, she was the one who lived in submission and in subjection to Him.

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Hebrews (Program #69) – The Function of the Law of Life

The Captain of Salvation, the Author of our Faith, the Great High Priest, the Pioneer, and the Forerunner. This is the Christ that we have seen in Hebrews.

This life study of Hebrews took place in 1975 and 76.  It was unquestionably one of the real gems of the entire life study.  Today brings us to our 69th and final program from the book of Hebrews.   As we like to do in our wrap-up programs as we finish a book of the Bible, we break form a bit and spend more time reviewing and discussing the high points that have marked our journey along the way.  Hebrew is certainly a book that has many of these high points.  A point was made in our first broadcast that Hebrews is a book that is not that well-know among a lot of Christians.

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Judges (Program #2) – The Miserable History of Israel’s Forsaking God (1)

In the history of the children of Israel God had manifested Himself to Israel in many aspects.  He fought for them as a warrior against Pharaoh and his armies, becoming their protector when they were still in Egypt. Then He supplied them with water and food in the wilderness as the source of all their living for more than 40 years. In addition He cared for them not just as a father but more so as their king.  Eventually He unveiled to them His deepest longing and that was to be a husband to them and for them to be a bride, a pure and chaste wife to Him.  But again and again Israel turned away from Him as their husband and as their king. At least 4 times, in the book of Judges we see the same words, “In those days, there were no kings in Israel, every man did what was right in his own eyes.”  How much these words must had offended Jehovah, Who had revealed Himself so faithfully to Israel again and again. But His love is greater than the weaknesses of His people, so He appeared to them again, not as a king not even as their husband but as a servant, a slave to minister to them in their poor condition and lowest state.

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Hebrews (Program #68) – Living According to the Nature of God

Today in Hebrews, we will see once again that it is normal for man to live not by outward regulations, but by the very life of God within him.

As Christians, we often speak of how much God needs us. And it’s true. God does need us for His purpose and His plan. But, what is it that He needs from us? Does He really need us to do things for Him? or is He more concerned not for what we do for Him, but what we are in Him? Living by God’s own nature is once again our focus of today’s life study of the Bible.

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