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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?
Sunday May 24, 2015
Sunday May 24, 2015
Many religions teach that the type of righteousness needed to go to heaven and have eternal life can be only be obtained through obeying a set of laws or following some type of religious ceremony. In the book of Romans Paul points out that in order to be saved by the law a person must live according to all the precepts of the law without violating a single one. Should a person be able to do this, he would have earned his title to heaven.
However, there must come a time for everyone where they realize they are unable to live an absolutely perfect life in thought, words, and deeds. Nobody can do this. So Paul points out the obvious, it is not the law that you must appeal to for righteousness, it is the Lord. It is not Moses, it is Christ.
The righteousness which is of faith provided through God's grace, says that if any man tries to attain righteousness in any other way, he is in effect, saying in his heart, “I am not satisfied with what God has done, I will try to provide the incarnation, or the coming of Christ, by human effort, and I will provide the resurrection by human effort.” Yet, this is not only impossible for man to do, it is not necessary for each of us to do again what God has already done.
Only the power of God could accomplish the incarnation and the resurrection. Therefore, salvation is God’s work. Man cannot produce it, or earn it by effort. It is given freely by grace through faith in Christ. The gospel message requires no impossible task of the sinner to complete such as bringing Christ down from heaven or bringing Him up from the abyss. The word of faith includes the whole message of the gospel with the good news that Jesus Christ has already come down from heaven. It also says that Christ has already ascended from the region of the dead.
The gospel message says that these two miracles only have to be believed in the heart. Therefore, the Scripture, which is the word of faith, is very accessible to man. You don’t have to search for it, it is nigh unto thee.
The gospel message of Christ says that the righteousness that comes by faith is right in front of you. It says "Man, it is so close to you, it is right there in your heart, and it is on the tip of your tongue!" Righteousness by faith is the gospel message that we preach! And that gospel message tells us that not only is the word of faith accessible, so is the Savior as well.
The gospel message says that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It really is that simple. Christ is waiting for you to call. He has done all of the work required for your salvation, for you to have eternal life, all you have to do in believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He was crucified, and that He was raised from the dead. Make Jesus your Lord and Master today.
Saturday May 16, 2015
Saturday May 16, 2015
Since the day that God called Abraham from the Ur of the Chaldees, the Jews have been looking for a Messiah, a Savior. Today’s podcast discusses Israel’s rejection of God’s plan for obtaining righteousness, and how they tried to establish their own righteousness through dedication to keeping the law and other religious ceremonies. We are going to see a how a people can be dedicated to the ritual of worshipping God and still be lost. This is a message that should resonate with everyone who is dependent on their religion to worship God and to obtain eternal life in heaven.
The key to God’s present dealings with Israel is His salvation.
Today, God is offering salvation to the Jew on exactly the same terms as He is to the Gentile, and He makes no changes whatsoever based on the nationality of the lost person. We must all find God through His grace and His plan of salvation. If a Jew wants to come into God’s favor, he must come to Calvary as a lost sinner and accept his Messiah as Savior and Lord. This is the message of our podcast today.
Sunday May 10, 2015
Sunday May 10, 2015
What does it mean when we say that God is sovereign?
We begin with the statement that God is the Creator of all things. God has made each of us in the manner that He chose to do so. God can make one person for honor, and one person for dishonor, by the sovereign will of the Creator. He has the sovereign right of the Creator to do so.
God reaches into the same lump of humanity and takes out some clay to form Moses. Again, He reaches in and He takes out of the same lump the clay to make Pharaoh. That clay was all ugly, unlovely, sightless, and sinful at the beginning and God used it to make Moses and to make Pharaoh.
God’s mercy then makes a vessel unto honor, that is, a vessel for honorable use.
Then, it is the Potter's right to make another vessel for dishonor or common use.
The Bible describes some people as being vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. Those marked for destruction are fitted to destruction, but, and this is important, it is not stated that God so fitted them, as if God had prepared those vessels for wrath in contrast with those He prepared for mercy.
God does not create people in order to damn them. However, when people behave like Pharaoh, God so deals with them that their inbred wickedness reveals itself in such a way that they become fit objects for His punishment, or they are fitted for destruction.
2 Timothy 2:20-21
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
KJV
God created both Moses and Pharaoh. God knew that Moses would be a vessel unto honor when He created him. God also knew that Pharaoh would be vessel unto dishonor when he created him.
Moses chose to believe in God and, therefore, he was prepared by God unto glory. Pharaoh chose to reject God and, therefore, he was fit for destruction, or fitted to destruction.
God is sovereign, and man is granted a free will by God. God chooses those whom He will show mercy to, and man is free to choose Jesus Christ as His Lord and Master, or to reject Him. As the Sovereign Creator, God in His mercy has offered eternal life to anyone who will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him their Lord and Savior.
Saturday Apr 25, 2015
Saturday Apr 25, 2015
What does it mean when we say God’s sovereign will?
Does it mean that God, and God alone, determines the absolute truths about what is right and what is wrong, or does the concept of right and wrong depend on the social values established by man?
Does it mean that no matter what man does, God’s predetermined series of events, or God’s plan for the universe, will be completed? In other words, will God’s will be done, no matter the choices that man makes?
Does it mean that God can show mercy to whom He chooses to show mercy to, and wrath to whom He chooses to show wrath to? Do the actions of man determine whether they will receive God’s mercy, or God’s wrath?
God’s actions toward man are always just and righteous because God defines the meaning of the words just and righteous. If this was not the case, and man decided what was just and righteous, then God would not be the sovereign God.
Does the creation have the right to question the actions of the Creator? Can a potter make one vase cherished and special and the other vase ordinary and common? Does the potter’s creations have the right to challenge the work of the potter?
These are the questions that Paul will answer in our lesson today. Certainly the sovereignty of God is one of the more difficult concepts for a stiff-necked, willful, and arrogant, mankind to accept. But God is sovereign, God is also merciful, and we have much to be thankful for that both of these facts are true.
Listen to this podcast to learn about the sovereign will of God.
Friday Apr 17, 2015
Friday Apr 17, 2015
What made God choose Israel as His special people?
What made God choose Abraham over the other pagan worshippers in the land of the Ur of the Chaldees?
Why would God choose Isaac over Ishmael for the promise of the covenant?
Why would God choose Jacob over Esau to be the father of the children of the promise?
God in His sovereign wisdom made the Jews a peculiar treasure unto Himself, and it is through them that God has communicated to the whole world His absolute truths about right and wrong. Every single prophecy of the end times that we have, and every single Scripture we have, has come from God through the Jews. And with God there is no changing. His words were true then, and they are true today. What was sin then, is sin today.
Listen to this podcast to understand that God’s dealings with Israel were based on His divine wisdom. By His divine wisdom, God knows those who are the children of the promise.
But, God's promises were not for everyone just because they were a natural born Israelite! Rather, they are for one who has the faith of Abraham. The father of faith!
Romans 4:16
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
KJV
In other words, not all the offspring, the natural offspring of Israel, are the real Israel. Paul is telling us that there has always been a remnant within the nation of Israel, and that remnant, whether natural or not natural, has been a spiritual offspring. These are the children of the promise. These are the real Israel. These are the ones whom God will fulfill each of His promises to.
Saturday Apr 04, 2015
Saturday Apr 04, 2015
Is God through with Israel?
God is very clear in the Bible about His intentions for Israel. He tells us that not one single promise that God has made to Israel will fail to come true. God will keep every single one, and it won’t be because Israel deserves it, but it will be because God is gracious and merciful.
It is important to understand that God’s reason for dealing with the nation Israel in the past did not derive from their exceptional qualities or superior efforts. On the contrary, all of God’s actions are found in His own sovereign will. He functions through mercy in His dealings with Israel and all others, including when He deals with you and me.
Listen to this podcast to learn what God’s Word says is the answer to the questions that so many Christians ask today, What about all of those ancient promises? Are they cancelled now? Where does the Jew stand in relation to God in this new dispensation?