Blog Archives

09 May 2023 Genesis (Program #54)
 |  Category: Genesis, Old Testament  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

Genesis (Program #54) – The Victory of the Called

We have a very positive and encouraging message today as we are going to consider the victory of the called.   Again this is from the account of Abraham.  But Abraham’s life is not always one of victory was it?

Play
08 May 2023 Genesis (Program #53)

Genesis (Program #53) – The Trial of the Called Ones

Today we are going to look at the most precious experience of Abraham, a message entitled “the trial of the called ones”.   How Abraham’s life is really a picture of our own Christian walk…

Play
07 May 2023 John (Program #3)

John (Program #3) – A Foreword to the Life-Study of the Gospel of John (3)

The central thought of the scripture is life and building. What is life?  What is building? Firstly, life. God’s creation was centered on life. This has been fully revealed in Genesis chapter 1. And number two, man was placed in front of the tree of life, indicating that God wanted man to take it as life. This is revealed, thus, in two verses: verses 8 and 9 of chapter 2 of Genesis. Number 3, the Old Testament saints enjoyed God as their life.  Psalms 36:9 says “With Thee, there is the fountain of life.”..

Play
06 May 2023 Genesis (Program #51)

Genesis (Program #51) – Living by Faith (2)

We have our second program today on a life of faith.  Our message will begin with Abraham building his second altar.  What is the significance of Abraham building altars while human society was building cities and high towers?

Play
05 May 2023 Genesis (Program #50)

Genesis (Program #50) – Living by Faith (1)

This one should be very instructive and helpful to anyone desiring to live by faith.  We’ve seen before that we really need to look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob collectively if we are going to get a full picture of God’s calling.

Play
04 May 2023 Genesis (Program #49)

Genesis (Program #49) – The Progress in Answering God’s Calling

Our life study today is dealing with progress in answering God’s calling.  A central item in God’s call to Abraham was the necessity for him to cross a river.   What does this mean?  The explanation should take into account both literal and the spiritual significance of this.  Literally, Abraham had to cross a great river in order to go from one realm, the land of Chaldea into the realm, the good land into which God was calling him.  Spiritually speaking, this points to the reality of the experience of baptism.   Elsewhere in the Scriptures, when God’s people were to go from one realm to another, they pass through water.   Noah passed through water to get into the realm of God’s new creation.  The children of Israel passed through the water of the Red Sea and again through the water of the Jordan.  All of these may be understood and rightly as types of baptism.  When God calls us, we began in an old fallen realm.  God wants to bring us out of that realm into a realm where Christ is everything to us.  In order to make this transition by the Lord’s grace, we need so to speak to cross a river.  We need to pass through water which spiritually signifies death and resurrection.  So in summary, Abraham’s crossing the river indicates our need to go through death and resurrection in Christ signified by baptism in order to be transferred out of the realm of old creation into the realm of God’s new creation…

Play
03 May 2023 Genesis (Program #48)

Genesis (Program #48) – The Motive and Strength of Being Called

Today we are going to look at the God of glory appearing to Abraham.   When you consider Abraham’s entire life, when you look at him in his entire history.  You’re looking at a person just like us.  He is called the father of faith.  There seems to be quite an impression from the Word that he is really a person of faith.  But when you look at the details of his living, he was a person just like us and actually very unbelieving.  If it weren’t for the appearing of God, he would just be in his unbelief.  But the very appearing of God infused him to the uttermost.   In principle, I would say, what kind of person was he?  He was really like a kind of unbeliever; the Lord would say something, he would say yes but then actually he just live out the opposite.  Really what was required, what was needed for God, the God of glory to appear to him over and over and over again and it’s just like us.  I am so grateful that the Lord came to me again and again and again so that we can be infused with Him as the unique faith in this universe.  Abraham is called the father of faith but actually he did not have one drop of faith.  All of his faith came from the appearing of the God of glory, infusing him with Himself as the very believing element.  This is the kind of person he was, apart from the God of glory, he had no faith.  He was not a believing person.  But Hallelujah, the God of glory appear to him over and over and over again, so he has been infused with this dear person as the very believing element.

Play
02 May 2023 Genesis (Program #47)

Genesis (Program #47) – The Background and Origin of God’s Calling and the Experience of the Called Ones

Genesis is broken into three sections and now we are just beginning to get into the third section, a very encouraging section that deal with God’s calling.

Although Genesis is a rather lengthy book, it is divided into 3 main sections.   The first concerns God’s creation.   The second deals with Satan’s corruption and his leading man into a corrupted state.  The third concerns God’s coming in to save man through His calling and His all-sufficient grace.  God’s creation deals not only with the original creation but as we have pointed out in several earlier messages, God’s re-creation and further creation climaxing in mankind created in God’s image.

The second section concerns Satan’s activity mainly behind the scene to lead man further and further into the fall in at least 4 stages.  Man fell in Genesis 3 away from God by disobeying Him.   Man fell again in Genesis 4 by turning away from God’s ordain means of salvation.  In Genesis 6, man fell unto the flesh and became polluted and then even after the flood and the institution of human government, man continue to fall and the whole human race rose up in defiant rebellion against God.  At that point, God no longer dealt directly with humanity as a whole but determine to work along another line by calling out a new people, a new race for Himself…

Play
01 May 2023 Genesis (Program #46)

Genesis (Program #46) – The Significance of God’s Calling

Our life study today is dealing with the significance of God’s calling.

For our introduction today, we will say something about the relationship between the great figures of the Old Testament in the accomplishment of God’s purpose.  God had a fresh start with Noah in chapter 9 and He seems to be starting new again here in chapter 12 with Abraham.  What is the significance of these new starts?

Play
30 Apr 2023 Genesis (Program #45)

Genesis (Program #45) – The Fourth Fall of Man

Today we come to a life study in Genesis that will review the 4 steps of man’s fall which conclude at Babel.

Play