2 Corinthians (Program #15) – The Ministers of the New Covenant (7b)

All genuine believers in Christ know that an essential of the Christians faith is that Christ our Savior is sinless. In fact the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians that He did not know sin. Yet the very same verse tells us that this One that did not know sin, was made sin. Here is chapter 5:

21 “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

What mysterious, marvelous language. He, Who did not know sin, was made sin on our behalf. We, who believed treasure the fact that He died for our sins. Yet do we really have the proper understanding, a proper appreciation of the fact that according to God’s word that He was made sin on our behalf?

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Leviticus (Program #5) – The Burnt Offering – Christ for God’s Satisfaction (3)

The book of Leviticus is comprised of two main sections: the first ten chapters cover the offerings and the priesthood; chapters 11 to 27 cover the holy living of God’s holy people. Today, we’re covering the offerings which are the picture of Christ – the Lamb of God, the fulfillment of all the offerings. These pictures from the Old Testament are a great enlightenment and inspiration for us today.

1 Corinthians 14:26 says, “…Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” The apostle Paul was saying that when believers come to the church meetings, they should have something of the Lord to share with others but what a contrast to the situation we see in church meetings today. more…

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2 Corinthians (Program #14) – The Ministers of the New Covenant (7a)

The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 that he and the other apostles had received a ministry or reconciliation. To reconcile one person to another is to restore the offending party to the offended party.

Of course in our case we all had offended God and the moment that we believed into Christ, receiving His work on the cross for us, we were brought nigh to Him and experience the first step or first level of reconciliation.

But actually 2 Corinthians reveals that there is a further step, a second level or degree of reconciliation. And that only someone fully in God can have such a ministry to reconcile others fully into God. This is the ministry of reconciliation that Paul was commissioned with.

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Leviticus(Program #4) – The Burnt Offering Christ for God’s Satisfaction (2)

Many Christians pass over the fine points in this book, but the Lord has revealed many details of our precious Christ in Leviticus.  Most believers in Christ today know that Christ is the Lamb of God but not many had heard the details of the sacrifice that’s offer to God as described in Leviticus chapters 1 through 7.  As we touch an unique picture of our experience of Christ as it’s revealed in the Old Testament sacrifices.

The book of Leviticus shows us the way God’s people were to worship Him and then as a result of their worship of God they live a holy life. So these things are portrayed in Leviticus.  According to Leviticus to worship God is not just to bow down and to recognizes how awesome and mighty God is. But to worship God is to contact God and to enjoy Christ together with God. This may be a different definition of worship than many Christians have heard but this is the real worship that’s revealed in the Bible more…

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2 Corinthians (Program #13) – The Ministers of the New Covenant (6)

At the beginning of chapter 5 in 2 Corinthians Paul the apostle speaks in a strange way.

1 “For we know that if our earthly tabernacle dwelling is taken down, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.”

Well, we may consider that we have understand this at least in parts. But listen to:

2 “For also in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon with our dwelling place from heaven,”

3 “If indeed, being clothed, we will not be found naked.”

Actually what Paul is expressing here is his deep longing and desire to be raptured.

Rapture, is a topic today that fascinating millions today even unbelievers are intrigued by this topic as we’ve seen by the tremendous popularity of recent series of novels on this subject.

But what is most often missed by Christians considering rapture it that it’s linked not just to our initially salvation but much more to our growth and maturity in the divine life. For as we grow and mature, our longing for this day deepens as we can clearly seen in Paul’s words.

4 “For also, we who are in this tabernacle groan, being burdened, in that we do not desire to be unclothed, but clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.“

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Leviticus (Program #3) – The Burnt Offering – Christ for God’s Satisfaction (1)

“…Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” This popular verse from Hebrews chapter 10 is commonly used but seldom understood in its real context – and that is of Christ replacing the Old Testament offerings. Stay with us today as we once again look at the picture of Christ as the Lamb of God in our life study of Leviticus.

The last 2 programs really were both introductions: firstly, to the book of Leviticus and then to the five major offerings which typify Christ in this book. We’re going to touch these offerings.  The focus today will be on the burnt offering.

At the end of the book of Exodus, we do see that the tabernacle is built. But now in Leviticus we see not only that the tabernacle is built but the living God is living in that tabernacle. And, He has provided the offerings for us, as His believers, to enter into the tabernacle – to have fellowship with Him, to contact Him, to enjoy Him and eventually, we see through typology, that it all leads to Christ and the experience of Christ…

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2 Corinthians (Program #12) – The Ministers of the New Covenant (5)

Let me give you three important spiritual terms from the New Testament.

1. Regeneration
2. Transformation
3. Transfiguration

I selected these because many believers confuse them or perhaps think that they are synonymous or interchangeable. But actually while they all refer to various steps in the process of God’s full salvation, they certainly are not interchangeable, in fact they apply to the three distinct parts of our being. Our spirit, our soul and our body.

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Leviticus (Program #2) – A General Definition of the Offerings

Because Christ is so wonderful and all-inclusive, plain words are just not adequate to revel Him and describe Him.  Types which are actually pictures are also necessary.  Both the tabernacle and the offerings in the Leviticus are types of Christ.  As we look at these types or pictures that we see of Christ in the Old Testament.

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2 Corinthians (Program #11) – The Ministers of the New Covenant (4)

2 Corinthians makes a marvelous contribution to the New Testament because it describes so vividly the experience of Christ not from a doctrinal prospective but from the details of how the apostle Paul and his co-workers gain Christ experientially.

In fact chapters three and four may be the top chapters in the whole Bible in the experience of Christ. especially as this experience relates to how the genuine ministers of the New Covenant are produced. What we see in these chapters is that what these ministers preach, teach and minister is not based on what they have heard, studied or learned but upon what they themselves had been constituted with.

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Leviticus (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

Leviticus, the third book of the Bible began this way; “Then Jehovah called to Moses and spoke to him out of the Tent of Meeting”. It’s marvelous that this book begins with God’s speaking.  Through the ages, God has revealed Himself and His plan to mankind through speaking.  There is much speaking of God, ahead for all of us in the coming weeks as today we begin our life study of Leviticus.

This is a unique life study of a book that it’s fair to say many people don’t know that much about.  This book is not well-known by many many Christians but this message and as we go through this whole book, we are going to have our eyes opened to a lot of marvelous speaking from God.

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