Luke (Program #31) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes from Galilee to Jerusalem (10)

As Christians, we are instructed by Scripture to do many things.  Of course among them to love our wives as ourselves, to honor our mother and father and to be careful how we treat our own bodies because they are a Holy Temple of the Holy Spirit.  But then we run into a section of the Bible such as found in Luke 14 where the Lord Jesus says “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and moreover, even his own soul-life, he cannot be My disciple.”  Well, does the Bible in fact as alleged by many unbelievers contradicts itself?  Of course we know better.  But what does it mean for us to “hate” such cherished one, even to hate ourselves as the Bible intends?

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Luke (Program #8) – The Preparation of the Man-Savior with His Divinity (7)

Following the account of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in Luke chapter 3, there are two very interesting items. First of all, the genealogy of Jesus – beginning with Jesus and working its way back to God. The second is the temptation or the testing of Jesus – forty days in the wilderness with Satan directly tempting the Lord, yet Jesus in His perfect humanity, fully withstanding every temptation and thereby defeating God’s enemy. But it’s interesting that the Lord was led there to face that temptation by the Holy Spirit. We will look at both the genealogy of Jesus and His passing this test of tests in today’s life study of Luke.

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Luke (Program #4) – The Preparation of the Man-Savior with His Divinity (2)

The gospel of Luke tells the story of a wonder meeting between two mothers to be – Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and Mary, of course who was the mother of our Lord Jesus.  Listen to this marvelous account given in chapter 1 “And Mary rose up in those days and went to the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, And entered into the house of Zachariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she lifted up her voice with a loud cry and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby leaped with exultation in my womb. And blessed is she who has believed, because there will be a completion of the things spoken to her from the Lord.”

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Luke (Program #3) – The Preparation of the Man-Savior with His Divinity (1)

Luke chapter 1 is a marvelous chapter in the whole Bible. It’s interesting in that it gives us an account of two conceptions – that of John the Baptist and of course of Jesus Christ. Both of these conceptions involve the Holy Spirit in miraculous ways. But to see the difference between them is valuable because it will help unlock one of the most tremendous mysteries in scripture – and that is the two natures of the Man-Savior.

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Mark (Program #56) – A Life Fully According To and For God’s New Testament Economy (16)

The gospel of Mark ends with the Lord’s ascension. So what is the Lord Jesus doing now that He has resurrected and ascended?

In order to find out what the Lord is doing after His ascension, we need the book of Acts. Acts 1:5 says, “For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”   And Act 1: 8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.“

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Micah (Program #3) – The Greatness of the Prophets in Their Speaking Concerning Christ

Genuine lovers of God’s word have learned that the Old Testament reveals Christ in types and figures and in many places. In fact the Prophets of the Old Testament are particularly rich in the detailed aspects of Christ’s earthly and heavenly ministry revealed in their pages.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, often what they wrote prophetically had both application to their own situations in their time, as well as a clear reference to the coming One, our dear Lord Jesus. Other passages seen uniquely focus on Christ.  Micah 5:2 is such a passage, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, So little to be among the thousands of Judah, From you there will come forth to Me, He who is to be Ruler in Israel; And His goings forth are from ancient times, From the days of eternity.”

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Joel (Program #4) – On Joel (5)—The Four Factors in the Book of Joel

The Old Testament, Minor Prophet Joel is an interesting book. It was quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost and its’ prophecy concerning both the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the second coming of Christ are of great importance even to us, the New Testament believers.

The book can be summarized into 4 principles. These are the consuming locusts representing the 4 great empires of the human history and how they had been consuming Israel for more than 27 centuries.  The second principle is the suffering, that this is caused to Israel and how Israel had continued to endure under the suffering.  The third principle in Joel is that the Church, that’s us, God’s New Testament people are the beneficiaries of all these consuming and suffering.  And finally, the fourth principle is that of restoration. For all the suffering that Israel has endured there is a day coming when Israel will enjoy God’s full restoration.  This is Joel a wonderful and important book.

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Jude (Program #4) – Charges to the Believers (2)

The short epistle of Jude concludes with a marvelous charge to the believers. A charge that includes, “…building up yourselves upon your most holy faith,” and “praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God,” of course the Father, “awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ“, the Son.

The result or issue of this four fold charge is that it will be unto eternal life.  Actually some consideration of this passage may give raise to a very meaningful question. Is this really a formula for how to receive the eternal life?  Or rather is it a charge to those who already possessed the eternal life, is that how they should have their daily living in the eternal life that they already received?  A profound question.

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Jude (Program #3) – Charges to the Believers (1)

Jude a short book of only one chapter with twenty five verses is known primarily for the classic call in verse three “to contend for the faith”.

Yet in addition to this well known passage it also contains some marvelous utterances that help bring the believers into a rich and glorious experience of the divine life. And even some practical help on how not just to live a godly manner but how to live in the Triune God Himself. Listen to verses 20 and 21 – “But you, beloved, building up yourselves upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

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1 Peter (Program #6) – The Full Salvation of the Triune God and Its Issues (4)

Even though Peter’s entire contribution to the New Testament only comprises eight chapters, the scope of his writing was extremely broad.  In his first epistle he incorporates both the prophecies of the ancient Old Testament prophets and the preaching and teaching of the New Testament apostles and links both of these in the Holy Spirit’s application of God’s full salvation upon His chosen people.

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