Mark (Program #2) – A Word of Introduction (2)

Many people wonder why the Bible gives us four historical accounts of the life and ministry in Jesus. One of reasons is the each of the four gospels portrays Christ in a unique aspect.  For example, Matthew a book on the kingdom of God reveals Christ in His kingship. Luke shows us Christ’s perfect and upright humanity as a genuine man.  John on the other hand stresses the eternal, uncreated life of God as it is revealed in Christ. John is the gospel of Christ’s divinity.

Then what about Mark?  Well, chapter 10:45 gives us a clue,  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark is wonderful in that it uniquely reveals that Christ lay aside His kingship, His status as God and even His position as a high and honored man to become God’s servant and eventually to become a slave to all mankind giving His life as a ransom for many.

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Hebrews (Program #8) – Jesus in Incarnation, Crucifixion, Glorification and Exaltation

The gospel includes the entire process of God’s eternal purpose. His purpose is to impart Himself and dispense Himself into man. Hebrews chapter 2 may be one of the deepest chapters in the entire Bible. Yet it’s not often studied and perhaps even less understood. We’ll see this chapter open in a tremendous way in today’s life study of the Bible.

Some or all of the terms maybe familiar to all – incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification and exaltation. I believe you all know these five terms deeper but my burden is to show you in no other chapters, no other portion of the Holy word that has put all these five things together. In some of the chapters, you can see a part of Christ’s crucifixion, in some the chapters you could see Christ’s resurrection, in some portions you could see He is glorification, He is exaltation and so forth. But in no portion so short you can see all these main items – incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification and exaltation. Not only so, these five major points of what Christ has passed through are presented in this chapter in a very particular way. Not in the way as the four Gospels did, not in the way as Acts did, not in the way as all the other Epistles did. This chapter presented these five things in a very very strange way.

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Hebrews (Program #7) – Jesus as the Son of Man – as Man Superior to the Angels

There is a certain fascination with angels in this present age and the Bible certainly confirms that angels and the angelic realm exist. But the Bible also confirms that man occupies an even higher place in God’s eternal plan. Are you surprised? Don’t be. We’ll see that and much more in today’s life study of the Bible.

Today we are on Christ as superior to the angels in two ways. First, as the Son of God which means as God He was superior. Second, as the Son of Man, which affects us a little bit more that as a man He was also superior to the angels. And in fact, it shows us man’s place in God’s plan and how the angels are really our servants. So it puts everybody in their proper place. I think as our listeners know, ours is not a topical study of the Bible, we are really going book by book. And it just happens that today the subject matter does line up with a topic that is currently very much of interest to a lot of people Christians and non-Christians alike. So, I believe our listeners will be very interested to stay tuned as we are going to see angels from the Bible.

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Colossians (Program #35) – The Receiving of Christ

There’s a seemingly simple verse in Colossians 2 that says, “As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” Well as I said, this verse seems simple. But consider for a moment, the Bible says that Christ is the very God. It also says that His dimensions surpass even the Universe itself. So just how is it that a simple man of limited proportions and capacity can receive, even contain, this vast immeasurable and all-inclusive Christ who is the very mystery of God.

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Colossians (Program #29) – To Live Christ

When we look at the kind of human life the Lord Jesus lived on the earth and if we take His teachings as an ethical standard for us to imitate, we will set our Christian life on a direct path that will lead us to utter frustration and failure. And worst yet, it will leave God’s heart’s desire unsatisfied because the real example of the Lord Jesus was not just that He lived the perfect life, but that He all the time practiced to live another life. This might sound strange and contrary to what you’ve known and practiced concerning the Christian life, but it, nonetheless, is the clear teaching of the Bible. We need not live a good life. We need to live Christ.

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2 Corinthians (Program #6) – The Ministry of the New Covenant (2)

Metaphors play an important role in Scripture. Webster says a metaphor is the use of one set of words to describe or illustrate a similar point.

John uses the technique when he speaks of Jesus approaching him in the gospel. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Surely he wasn’t saying that Jesus was a literal “lamb”. But the metaphor or picture gives us a much richer and clearer understanding.

The apostle Paul was also very fond of metaphors, particularly when conveying his deepest thoughts in teachings. We see it used intensively in 2 Corinthians. For example in 2 Corinthians chapter 2:14 he says “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ”  Here, the metaphor is the triumphant possession of captured and vanquished folks after a Roman battle. And Paul says that we, the believers had become such vanquished ones in the train of the victorious Christ.

Now, we come to another marvelous metaphor in the very next chapter, chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians begins this way:

1-3 “Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some do, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, inscribed in our hearts, known and read by all men, Since you are being manifested that you are a letter of Christ ministered by us, inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone but in tablets of hearts of flesh.”

Living letters of Christ. This is our topic today.

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