Exodus (Program #22) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (6)

A favorite topic of most believers is God’s love.  A second favorite could easily be God’s mercy.  But how about God’s sovereignty?  How often do we appreciate and praise Him for His sovereignty?  Actually, His mercy and His sovereignty very much go together.  For without seeing His sovereignty we can never fully appreciate His great mercy.  This is the lessons of God’s dealing with Pharaoh in the book of Exodus.

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Acts (Program #54) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (20)

In Acts chapter 20, the Apostle Paul is leaving the elders of the Church in Ephesus. And, in his mind, he believed it would be the last time he would ever see these ones with whom he had been so deeply attached in the Lord. His words to them were solemn and at times foreboding. But, embedded in them was a verse of incredible meaning and feeling, a verse in a few words which convey some of the most profound revelation in all of scripture. Today we look at Acts chapter 20 verse 28. Stay with us as we consider this remarkable utterance on today’s life study of the Bible.

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Exodus (Program #21) -The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

God’s people Israel spent hundreds of years in slavery and bondage in Egypt.  Ultimately, the Lord heard their cries and initiated through His called one Moses, a personal battle with Pharaoh.  During the course of this lengthy conflict, Pharaoh is repeatedly subdued only to have his heart harden again to resist the demand of Jehovah God to let His people go.  This is the stuff of great Sunday school lesson to be sure.  But does it hold a meaningful lesson for all of us?  For all serious believers?

We are considering a very difficult question that has been the source of theological debate over the centuries; that is the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in Egypt.  During this long conflict between God and Pharaoh, at times we see God hardening Pharaoh’s heart and at other times Pharaoh harden his own heart.  more…

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Acts (Program #53) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (19)

In Acts Chapter 20, the Apostle Paul, anticipating his possible martyrdom, declared, “But I consider my life of no account as if precious to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus to solemnly testify of the gospel of the grace of God… For I did not shrink from declaring to you all the counsel of God.”

This was God’s foremost Apostle, the one in whom God had committed the ministry of the age, and yet he found himself in such extreme persecution that he feared that he would not be spared to continue. What brought about such a dramatic moment in his magnificent ministry? Stay with us as we’ll find out in today’s life study of the Bible.

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Exodus (Program #20) -Pharaoh’s Subtle Bargaining

We may not think of ourselves as particularly crafty or skillful negotiators in a worldly sense.  But oh how we bargain with the Lord!  There are a lot examples of subtle bargaining with God in the Bible.  But the story of Pharaoh in Egypt found in the book of Exodus is a particularly striking one.  For Pharaoh can at one time represents Satan but also represents ourselves or even our family members.  There is a lot for us to relate to in today’s program.

Today we are coming back to this conflict that took place between God and Pharaoh.  Initially it seems that the Lord’s demand of Pharaoh was clear enough, very straightforward: “let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.”  He tells him in Exodus 5:3, but it take 10 long chapters and 12 different encounters before this ultimately takes place…

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Acts (Program #52) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (18)

In the commercial and cultural center of Ephesus, the Apostle Paul stirred up tremendous opposition from the citizenry, while preaching the Gospel of Christ. Then shortly thereafter, Jewish opposers laid a plot against him as well. What had Paul done to be so threatened by both Jews and Greeks? Stay tuned, as you won’t want to miss this very interesting life-study of the Bible.

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Exodus (Program #19) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (5)

Bible scholars have long agreed that Egypt, the land that held God’s people, Israel in slavery for more than 400 years typifies the world, the system of commerce, culture, education and even entertainment is today’s Egypt, complete with its accompanying slavery and bondage.  God’s way with Israel was to change their view of the land they had grown to love.   He wants to do the same with us today.  When we see the world as God sees it, our heart like Israel’s heart will be changed.

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Acts (Program #51) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (17)

We’re going to hear reference in the program today to a mixture that was present in the Church in Jerusalem. Even a mixture to some degree in the Word of the Apostle James. We want to be clear we’re not condemning or criticizing the Word of God, but simply looking at how the divine record, the Holy Word, has presented the condition that existed at that time. What is this mixture regarding and what kind of influence did it have on the early Church, particularly in Jerusalem?

This mixture is really a mixture of God’s New Testament economy with the Old Testament dispensation. It’s a mixture of Christ with things that are out of date. Many things in the Old Testament, in fact the entire Old Testament, with all the types, the figures, the shadows, and the prophecies – all pointed us to Christ…

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Exodus (Program #18) – God’s Demand and Pharaoh’s Resistance (4)

God’s desire is that His people will build Him a dwelling place on the earth. This was His intention for the children of Israel even as they were held in bondage under Pharaoh in the book of Exodus and it’s His intention for us today. In Exodus, a struggle ensued between God and Pharaoh whereby He manifested not only judgment upon the Egyptian world but also the real nature and issue of the life of the world – the life that usurps God’s people. If we receive mercy, we’ll take this warning given to all God’s people about the usurping worldly system.

It has been a tremendous journey thus far, as we just get into the book of Exodus.  We come to that portion in the last few days, we have been reviewing the conflict between God and Pharaoh.  It is a fairly well-known story to most Christians and believers.  But Witness Lee has been pointing out that we are going to see very directly today that these 10 plagues and these 10 encounters, actually a dozen encounters that took place over all between God and Pharaoh were not just God’s judgement on Pharaoh and on Egypt but are really intended as an exposure and a kind of education for God’s people as well, to realize the real situation that Egypt represents.  Why do we know that this is a picture to expose but not just a matter of God’s judgement on Egypt and Pharaoh?

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Acts (Program #50) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (16)

As Christians we admire and appreciate very much those who are gifted and eloquent, and use their gift for the Lord. We love to hear an exciting preacher holding an audience spellbound with a mighty convincing Gospel message. But, do you realize that such a gifted one in the first century Church as seen in Acts lead many people to the Lord Jesus. He was zealous and bold, and used his gifts for the Lord. But, he was the cause of a serious problem, nearly dividing the Body of Christ: all because of his lack of the full revelation of God’s up-to-date move at that time. Are we in God’s up-to-date move today? We all must ask ourselves and the Lord Jesus this vital question.

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