Mark (Program #31) – The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (4)&(5)

In the Old Testament the selection and preparation of the passover lamb was of great importance. Exodus tells us that after selecting the top lamb from the flock, the one without any blemish or imperfection still that lamb would undergo a vigorous inspection during the 4 days prior to been offered up on the day of passover.

As New Testament believers we know that Jesus fulfills the type of the passover lamb, the real Lamb of God, Who is offered up on the day of passover for our sins.  But do we realize in the 4 days prior to His been crucified, He too was examined, tested and inspected by both the religious leaders as well as the leaders of the worldly government. In every way this wonderful one past the testing and was uniquely qualify to be the real Lamb of God.

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Daniel (Program #14) – The Visions of the Overcoming Daniel (4)

The prophet Daniel is often held up as an example of what a godly person should be like.  He was faithful, obedient, diligent and steadfast and he also prayed much. Surely this was one of the giants of the Old Testament.  But not only so, he received visions from God about future events and experienced dramatic miracles.  It is easy to esteem and envy such a one. But of all his attributes, it is his prayer life that serves as the top example.  Because Daniel knew the secret of how to approach the righteous and holy God. He knew never to approach God on the basis of his righteousness and good deeds.  But rather according to God’s compassion and mercy.  Whereas most people take their own need and desires as the focus of their prayer. Daniel prayed always according to God’s Word and God’s need rather than his own. How did God answer such meaningful and effective prayer.  Well, the answer comes from Daniel chapter 9 in the vision of the seventy weeks.

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Mark (Program #30) – The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (3) & (4)

The Lord Jesus enter into Jerusalem exactly six days prior to His crucifixion. During the first two of these days He was welcomed by the crowd who honored Him and exalted Him really for the first time in His earthly ministry.

The next four days were time of testing and examination by both the religious and the political leaders. These two groups who were natural enemies became united in their desire to defeat the Slave-Savior who had now won the hearts of the people. Various factions of these two groups plotted using the out most of their human cunning and reasoning to trap Him. But each attempt merely afforded the Lord another opportunity to display His marvelous wisdom confounding them on the one hand and inciting them on the other hand to do what they needed to so that He could do what He must do; and that is to be offer up a sacrifice at the hand of these very same leaders, a worldly religion and politics.

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Daniel (Program #13) – Human Government Fighting Against God and Being Crushed by Christ in His Coming With His Bride

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just snuff out His enemy Satan and all of His evil and corrupt followers with just the tip of His finger?  Of course as the all powerful and all mighty One, He could do it this way.  But in His infinite wisdom and eternal plan, God has chosen another way.  A way that involves His redeemed and chosen elect, in other words – us.  We will examine this marvelous mystery in today’s life-study of Daniel.

A mysterious and marvelous romance is revealed throughout the Bible.  To understand this mystery we have to know that the whole Bible is a divine romance.  In the beginning of the Bible,  you have a marriage between Adam and his wife Eve and in the end of the Bible we see the same thing.  Christ marries His Bride and this Bride consummates in the New Jerusalem who is the wife of the Lamb.  And Christ and His wife lives a married life for eternity.  That is the way the Bible ends.  We can see from the beginning to the end the whole Bible is a romance and this romance is developed from Genesis through Revelation…

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Mark (Program #29) – The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (3)

During the period of His gospel service, the Lord Jesus was traveling from Galilee first north toward Caesarea Philippi and Mount Hermon.  Then returning south all the way to Jerusalem. With Him on this long journey which took roughly three years were a small number of faithful disciples particularly Peter, James and John were with the Lord step by step.  And thorough out this period they witness first hand all the items, including the miracles, the teachings, the healing and His dealing with the religious opposers.

As those who desire to know Him and to know His word richly today, we need to realize that this long journey and all these events were not random. From the beginning the Lord’s intention was to arrive at Jerusalem, the religious, cultural and governmental capital.  For it must be in Jerusalem during the specific month and even on the appointed day that He would be offered up as the Lamb of God to accomplish His all redeeming and all-inclusive death.  But we also need to realize that all the preceding event were part of the Lord’s preparation and in addition for the real preparation of His disciples not just to be witnesses but to be those who would pass through His death and enter into the reality of His resurrection.

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Daniel (Program #12) – God’s Economy in the Book of Daniel

Though the book of Daniel in the Old Testament is a short book.  It has many points with  many events and many persons each with their own spiritual lesson and significance. But we should always be mindful that the real focus of this book as it is in every book of the Bible is Christ.  And in Daniel specifically the Christ of God’s economy. To bring us all into this view of Daniel and of Christ is the goal of this ministry. Because it truly is a view that can not only change or deepen our understanding of the Bible, it can affect our whole life as well as a believer.

The very first message in the life-study of Daniel shows us that this book gives us 5 main points concerning Christ.  This is somewhat a review program today of this 5 items in the book of Daniel.

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Daniel (Program #11) – The Visions of the Overcoming Daniel (3)

After a victorious testimony of overcoming in the first six chapters of the book of Daniel. God came in to show Daniel vision after vision concerning the world situation.  Why did God showed Daniel all these visions recorded in chapter 7 through 12?  In our life-study today of chapter 8 of Daniel, we will be addressing this question.

Throughout the ages, Israel has suffered a great deal because of the fighting between the three great empires seen in the vision in Daniel 2.  The Medo-Persians empire, the Grecian empire and the Roman empire.  Of all these, the center of their fighting is Israel.  Israel has been through the ages of battleground and due to this fighting it been difficult at times for Israel God’s elect to be something truly according to His eternal economy.  In our program today, we will see the vision Daniel saw in chapter 8.  A vision concerning a ram and a male goat with its successor.

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Mark (Program #28) – The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (1) & (2)

At the end of a nearly three years long journey with His disciples the Lord Jesus at the end of His gospel ministry makes a triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Just six days before the time of His sacrificial death on the cross the Lord Jesus surprises His disciples confounds His opposers and thoroughly captivated the hearts of the people of the great city of Jerusalem.

During these final days, Jesus was finished performing the miracles, the great teachings, the casting out of demons even the healing and the cleansing of lepers. For now He is totally focus on the preparation necessary for His death, His burial, His resurrection and ultimately His ascension.  Mark chapter 11 gives us a marvelous account of these six days of preparation.

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Mark (Program #27) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (16) & (17)

The second half of Mark chapter 10 brings us to the city of Jericho. The Lord Jesus has arrived at this place very near Jerusalem, near the end of the long journey He had taken with His disciples. Jesus knew that the time of His appointed death on the cross to be the real Lamb of God was only days away and He would not be kept from that hour.

Twice before on this journey on the way to Jerusalem the Lord had spoken to His disciples of approaching rejection and death in Jerusalem. But the disciples never seem to hear the words. And so here the Lord mentions it again for the third time. But still the disciples had neither ears to hear nor eyes to see as these verses in Mark 10 so clearly illustrate. Beginning at verse 32-37:

“Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus led the way before them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that were about to happen to Him:  Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and to the scribes. And they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles, And they will mock Him and spit at Him and scourge Him, and they will kill Him. And after three days He will rise. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying to Him, Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask You.  And He said to them, What do you want Me to do for you?  And they said to Him, Grant to us to sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.“

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Daniel (Program #10) – The Visions of the Overcoming Daniel (2)

“The Ancient of Days sits upon His throne.” This is a word from Daniel.  Today we want to consider further the visions of Daniel in chapter 7 concerning the four beasts out of the Mediterranean sea.  We have previously seen that these four beast are dreadful and terrible doing whatever they desire as if there was no God in the universe.  However these chapter reveals that the Ancient of Days is still on the throne.

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