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Each week a new verse-by-verse Bible study podcast given in expository style. Join us and see the Bible come alive as we study the truths that God‘s Word has for us.
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 10, 2015
Wednesday Jun 10, 2015
God has declared in His Word that He will restore Israel to it place of religious privilege. In this week’s podcast we discuss when God says this event will occur. It is not a specific date, for no man knows this date, but the Bible tells us that it will occur when the Fullness of the Gentiles is complete.
Listen to this podcast to learn about the difference between what the Bible calls the Times of the Gentiles and the Fullness of the Gentiles. When God has finished using the Gentiles to spread His message of eternal life, He will turn again to the Jews. He will judge them, and then He will bless them.
Wednesday Jun 10, 2015
Wednesday Jun 10, 2015
In last week’s lesson, we discussed God’s judicial blinding, or hardening, of the nation of Israel for their rejection of Christ as the Messiah and their subsequent rejection of the gospel message. Paul described for us the place of special religious privilege the Jews had been granted by God as the channel of God’s message of salvation for the world. But their rejection of God’s plan and His Son, Jesus, as the Promised Messiah caused God to remove them, temporarily, from this place of religious privilege. Since the day of Pentecost, it has been the church, that body of true believers, who have now occupied the position of being God’s channel of the gospel message to the world.
So, Paul has given the Gentiles a warning that they should not be proud of the fall of the Jews and their own rise to a position of religious privilege, for this is but a temporary state of affairs, as well. Without a doubt, God’s plan for dealing with Israel includes their restoration to the position of being the channel of salvation for the world.
In this podcast Paul uses the illustration of the olive tree to explain to the believing Gentiles what God is doing by dealing with Israel during this period, the relative positions of the Jews and Gentiles in God’s plan, and the power and purpose of God to restore Israel to its place of spiritual privilege.
Sunday Jun 07, 2015
Sunday Jun 07, 2015
Our lesson today is about how Paul describes the way God is dealing with Israel today. They are a nation that God has temporarily set aside from their place of special religious privilege for their rejection of Jesus Christ as the Promised Messiah. For this rejection of God’s plan and purposes, the Jews are now divided into two groups. The unbelieving blinded majority, and the believing minority.
The unbelieving Jew who makes up the blinded majority rejects Jesus Christ as the Promised Messiah that their own Scriptures proclaim Him to be. They reject God’s gift of salvation through the cross and depend on their religion for the righteousness they seek. Paul describes this search as something that they have not obtained, for the righteousness of God can only be obtained in one way, and that is through the faith in Christ.
The believing minority have found favor in the sight of God and have been added to the body of true believers called the church.
Listen to this podcast to learn how God is dealing with Israel today.
Tuesday Jun 02, 2015
Tuesday Jun 02, 2015
When presented with the simplicity of the gospel message, that salvation, eternal life in heaven, and God’s acceptance, are the gifts of God, freely given to anyone who will make Jesus Christ their Lord and Master, why do people dogmatically, stubbornly, and unreasonably, refuse to believe?
The answer is different for each person, but many simply prefer their lives as they are. They are happy with their life. They find fulfillment in their work, in their social life, or in their hobbies. They are not in need of anything, certainly not a Savior, and they ask what do I need to be saved from? Eternal life is a sketchy, made up thing, so why do I need to worry about it? Is heaven or hell even real?
Others might say that they simply don’t want to give up the way they live their lives. Religion is a bunch of “No’s”, don’t do this, don’t do that, essentially don’t do anything that is fun. I can’t believe in anything that says I can’t be happy.
Still others would say that they don’t like the idea of owing something to a Creator. For if a Creator does exist, and that Creator made them, then that Creator has the sovereign right to establish the absolute truths about right and wrong. He decides what is a sin, and what is righteous behavior, and the social morals of today are not valid. If this is true, then God has the right to decide the path to eternal life, and nothing made up by man will get the job done. It’s God’s way or an eternity in hell.
A large number would probably say that they have their own faith, their own idea on eternal life, and this is just too simple to be true. Nobody does anything for free. You have to earn your way into heaven. Jesus was just a prophet, so who is He to be my Savior?
Jesus was absolutely right when He said:
John 3:19-20
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
KJV
This podcast describes the unrelenting disbelief of the Jews in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the consequences they face as a result of that disbelief. But this message has just as much application to anyone today who has heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ and they simply refuse to believe it. The Bible declares that eternal life can only come to those who accept God’s free gift of salvation by believing that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, and that He died on cross for all our sins, and that He was bodily resurrected by God. God’s way says that the only path to heaven is through making Jesus Christ your Lord and Master.
The question is, will you believe God or not?