Tag-Archive for ◊ religious ◊

21 Aug 2023 Acts (Program #57)

Acts (Program #57) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (23)

A deeply burdened Apostle Paul returns to the religious center of Jerusalem, only to be met with the most difficult situation of his entire life. To view and consider this momentous event in the life of the one who opened the depths of the New Testament revelation is a powerful confirmation of God’s sovereignty and His absolute commitment to His purpose. Stay with us today for this major event on the life study of the Bible.

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12 Apr 2023 Luke (Program #43)

Luke (Program #43) – The Man-Savior’s Presentation of Himself to Death for Redemption (2 & 3)

The ministry of the Lord Jesus during His human life took place primarily in Galilee, a region far to the North of  Jerusalem and away from the center of religious activity. But as the lamb of God, He has to be offered to God at the prescribed place, Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered Issac. It was there that He had to be delivered according to the counsel of the Trinity. In order to establish His absolute qualification to be the unique offering to God for the sins of mankind, He first had to submit Himself to the examination and question of religious and political leaders of the day.

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10 Apr 2023 Luke (Program #41)

Luke (Program #41) –  The Ministry of the Man-Savior in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes from Galilee to Jerusalem (21)

We’ve all heard of the city of Jericho.  Actually it was a city of curse in the time of Lord Jesus.  One of its inhabitants was a man of curse.  His was Zaccheus, a tax collector actually the chief tax collector and in reality, an extortioner who had gotten rich by taking advantage of the inhabitants of the area.  One day as Jesus was passing through, Zaccheus who climbed in a tree, hoping to get a look at the Savior.  As He came to the place, Jesus looking up, He said to him, “Zaccheus hurry and come down for today I must stay in your house.  And he hurried and came down, and received Him, rejoicing.”  It was a marvelous day as salvation came to the house of Zaccheus.  But the Pharisees, the religious ones who watched it and knew Zaccheus and his past did not share his rejoicing.  We will discover more about this marvelous story of salvation in the gospel of Luke in chapter 19.

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30 Mar 2023 Luke (Program #30)

Luke (Program #30) – The Ministry of the Man-Savior in His Human Virtues with His Divine Attributes from Galilee to Jerusalem (9)

At the time the Lord Jesus was on the earth, the Biblical religion of the day Judaism had many strict ordinances prohibiting all manner of activities on their Holy Sabbath day including healing the sick. And yet, the Lord Jesus purposely broke many of the ordinances. As He not only healed the sick, against the traditions and regulations of the Sabbath, but He would do so in the presence of the religious leaders, many times offending them. We will look at an interesting case today of the violation of the religious regulations with a purpose as the Lord Jesus was continuing to usher in the real New Testament Jubilee.

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30 Jan 2023 Mark (Program #30)

Mark (Program #30) – The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (3) & (4)

The Lord Jesus enter into Jerusalem exactly six days prior to His crucifixion. During the first two of these days He was welcomed by the crowd who honored Him and exalted Him really for the first time in His earthly ministry.

The next four days were time of testing and examination by both the religious and the political leaders. These two groups who were natural enemies became united in their desire to defeat the Slave-Savior who had now won the hearts of the people. Various factions of these two groups plotted using the out most of their human cunning and reasoning to trap Him. But each attempt merely afforded the Lord another opportunity to display His marvelous wisdom confounding them on the one hand and inciting them on the other hand to do what they needed to so that He could do what He must do; and that is to be offer up a sacrifice at the hand of these very same leaders, a worldly religion and politics.

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29 Jan 2023 Mark (Program #29)

Mark (Program #29) – The Preparation of the Slave-Savior for His Redemptive Service (3)

During the period of His gospel service, the Lord Jesus was traveling from Galilee first north toward Caesarea Philippi and Mount Hermon.  Then returning south all the way to Jerusalem. With Him on this long journey which took roughly three years were a small number of faithful disciples particularly Peter, James and John were with the Lord step by step.  And thorough out this period they witness first hand all the items, including the miracles, the teachings, the healing and His dealing with the religious opposers.

As those who desire to know Him and to know His word richly today, we need to realize that this long journey and all these events were not random. From the beginning the Lord’s intention was to arrive at Jerusalem, the religious, cultural and governmental capital.  For it must be in Jerusalem during the specific month and even on the appointed day that He would be offered up as the Lamb of God to accomplish His all redeeming and all-inclusive death.  But we also need to realize that all the preceding event were part of the Lord’s preparation and in addition for the real preparation of His disciples not just to be witnesses but to be those who would pass through His death and enter into the reality of His resurrection.

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07 Jan 2023 Mark (Program #7)

Mark (Program #7) – The Ways the Slave-Savior Carried Out His Gospel Service (2)

Mark chapter 2 gives us the account of the Lord Jesus as the Slave-Savior carrying out His gospel service to care for the need of fallen people. It’s a marvelous chapter that shows us 5 cases or incidents, each one demonstrating this loving care in a particular way meeting the need of all manner of weak, sick and sinful people.

What a picture of the glad tidings being lived out in their midst!  Of course, not all the people are eager and happy to see such a manifestation of the reality and the enjoyment of God.  The scribes and the pharisees, the self-righteous and religious among the people were indignant that their own the authority and their time on the traditions were completely ignored by the Lord Jesus.  For as He Himself told them, “those who were strong have no need of a physician but those who are ill. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.

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24 Jul 2022 Job (Program #2)

Job (Program #2) – The Trials of Job (1)

The Old Testament book of Job tells the story of a man whom God allowed to be touched and even damaged by Satan himself. The natural or even religious thought would say that this must have been because of God’s judgment upon Job due to some some sin or failure at his part. But let’s consider for a moment what the Bible has to say about this man, Job. In chapter 1:6-8, “Then one day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, Satan also came among them…And Jehovah said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” It’s remarkable isn’t it? For not only does the Bible reveal that Job was not a sinful man, quite the opposite it says that he was perfect and upright; and one in whom God even boasts of his goodness. So the age old question persists – Why then did God allow Satan to strip this righteous man of his possessions, his family, his health and even his most prized attainment, his integrity? That’s the subject not just of our program today but really this entire life study of the book of Job.

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09 Jun 2022 1 Peter (Program #26)

1 Peter (Program #26) – The Mighty Hand of God and Its Goal (1)

The apostle Peter says “to gird yourself with humility toward one another because God resist the proud.”  Then he says “to be humble under the mighty hand of God.”   Well, humility is a striking virtue in a Christian and genuine humility bears an unmistakable fragrance, a sweet aroma of Christ being expressed in a person’s living.  False, religious humility also carries an identifiable fragrance as well, but not one that attracts and drives man to it.  Of course the greatest humility in the universe is that of the Lord Jesus Himself who humble Himself for our benefits, putting off His own glory and even becoming a slave for us.  God’s desire today is not for us to try to imitate such humility but rather to submit ourselves to His mighty hands, receiving Him not only as our Savior from sin but even as our humility.

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07 May 2022 James (Program #4)

James (Program #4) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (4)

In chapter one of the Epistle of James, three major points are covered: the divine birth in verse 18, receiving the implanted word in verse 21, and the perfect law of freedom in verse 25. First God brought us forth he regenerated us by the word of truth. Hence the word of truth is the seed of life for our divine birth. After being regenerated by receiving this seed, we need to continue to receive the implanted word, which is able to save our soul in our daily life.

According to verse 18, the word of truth is for regeneration in our spirit. According to verse 21, we need the implanted word for the daily salvation of our soul. Moreover according to verses 25-27, we need the perfect law of freedom so that we may live a God-fearing life. A life that might be considered religious in a proper sense. Such a life corresponds to God’s heart, which is love, and to God’s nature, which is holiness.

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