1 Corinthians (Program #10) – Christ Crucified, the Focus of the Apostle’s Ministry

In studying the Bible, it’s critical to gain a window into the mind and the Spirit of the writer. The apostle Paul no doubt consider his words very carefully as he addressed his highly educated and philosophically trained audience in the ancient city of Corinth as he prepared his epistle to them.

The gospel contains much that could stimulate and intrigue these learned men, but instead of appealing to their great intellect through philosophy, he purposely just took the opposite approach. He spoke clear simple words of the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross even the crucified Christ as the power of God. He didn’t go on to exalt us as well as the Corinthians believers not to trust or utilized man’s wisdom, philosophy or eloquent words to present this crucified Christ to others.  Why was Paul so insistent of taking this way? And what is the message to us in our own presentation Christ to others?

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Exodus (Program #120) – The Priestly Garments (5) The Priestly Garments (5) Breastplate and Onyx Stones

In Genesis, God created man from the dust of the ground.  Soon after He placed man by a river.  By the flow of the river were precious stones.  Though man was made of dust, his destiny in God’s plan is to become something so precious; not precious dust, but precious stones.

We want to take another look today at this most unique item of the priestly garments, and that is the Ephod.  We mentioned earlier that the Hebrew word Ephod has no English equivalent.  This is the actual Hebrew word.  It refers to an item that we don’t know a great deal about, other than it look somewhat like a vest, apparently from the description here in Exodus 28.  What do we know about the Ephod and what it look like?

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1 Corinthians (Program #9) – The Fellowship of Christ

A superficial reading of 1 Corinthians often leads to the conclusion that is a book focus mostly on outward problems and situations. Actually this book is one of the riches in the New Testament with marvelous passages touching the profound aspects of Christ, the Spirit and the church. The first 3 chapters are particularly profound with a number of unique and significant terms employ by the apostle Paul as he ministered the riches of Christ to a church that surely was in need of an infusion of the divine life. Such a ministry is found in verse  1:9, where Paul says “God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.“

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Exodus (Program #119) – The Priestly Garments (4) Breastplate and Ephod

When God met with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the ten commandments, but He also gave him detailed instructions on how to build the tabernacle, a kind of portable temple.  Then He turned to the elaborated garments to be worn by the priests, especially the high priest.  Each of the detailed account provides us with marvelous pictures of our own experience of Christ.  The priestly garments, these are our focus 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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Exodus (Program #118) – The Priestly Garments (3) Beauty and Glory

If we happen to be on the street in our city and find ourselves in trouble, we would immediately turned to someone wearing a uniform.  There is something about what the uniform expresses that qualifies the person wearing it.  He or she has instant credibility by virtue of what they express.  What do we express?  Can people see Christ within by looking at our outward expression?

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1 Corinthians (Program #7) – Christ Crucified, God’s Power and God’s Wisdom (2)

When you consider the power of God, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?   Well, this is a hard question because one can rightful name so many things. Creation, certainly creation of all the things including the universe, all the creatures even man himself may be at the top of a lot of these lists. Others might say God miraculous power and certainly God does has the power to accomplish miracles.

But I wonder how many of us would give the answer that the Bible gives?  Because when the Bible speaks of the power of God as it does in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 it mentions none of these things. Listen

1: 23 “But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

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Exodus (Program #117) – The Priestly Garments (2)

Today we are going to bring you again one of our highlight programs from a previous life study and in our life study of Exodus, we are at a point of looking at the precious stones.   These messages are bringing us to the vision in Scripture of God’s building.  We had an outstanding message several months ago when we were in the life study of the book of Acts on this very thing, God’s building as seen in Scripture.  We feel it is a good time to go back and revisit that message.

As Christians we all know Christ as our Savior and our Lord.  We may also know Him as our friend even our healer and many other precious items.   Yet can we say that we, like Peter in Acts 4, know Christ as the stone for God’s building?

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1 Corinthians (Program #6) – Christ Crucified, God’s Power and God’s Wisdom (1)

The city of Corinth during the time of the apostle was the center of Greek culture and philosophy. These were the things that were most valued and esteemed by the citizens of the city. Yet it was here that the apostle Paul, who is also a man of culture and well trained philosophy went to announced the gospel of Christ, but not in a way of philosophical words of wisdom or lofty speech. But through even to use his own phrase, word of foolishness. What was this foolishness that Paul proclaimed? It was not the resurrection of Christ but it was the cross of Christ. The unique solution to the many problems of the church in Corinth was the crucified Christ and the application of His cross to those who believed.

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Exodus (Program #116) – The Priestly Garments (1)

Of all the major items presented to man in the Bible, perhaps none is as misunderstood and mysterious as the church.  Of course, to most people, the church is quite simple; it’s the building on the street corner.  Others though have seen more, that the church is not the physical building at all but is really composed of all the believers, the people of God.  But the revelation doesn’t stop here.  We are going to see a clear and wonderful picture of the church, God’s building.

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