Bible Study Radio

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.

Hebrews (Program #6) – So Great a Salvation

You have to look at Acts 7:56 where Stephen when he was being martyred, he looked up in the heavens and he said, “I see the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God”. Our Savior Christ in the victory of His resurrection today is in the heavens and on the throne of God. But is He there as God only or is He enthroned also as a man?   We will explore this profound item from the book of Hebrews on today’s life study of the Bible.

We’ve been given two keys in the early programs of our life study of Hebrews: (1) river-crossers; (2) seeing so great a salvation. What are these two keys about and how are they connected?

In order for us to understand the book of Hebrews, we need to look into the meaning of what it means to be a Hebrew. In Genesis 14:13, it says that Abraham was the first Hebrew. And then if we look at Exodus 9 verses 1 and 13, this tells us that God is the God of Hebrews. Now, the root of the word “Hebrew” means “to pass over”. What it means, strictly speaking, is to pass over a river, from one side of the river to another side of the river. So to be a Hebrew is to be a river-crosser. Abraham was the first river-crosser. If you look at Joshua 24 verses 2 and 3, these verses tell us that Abraham lived at one time in the land of Chaldea which is the land of idolatry. But he crossed over the Euphrates into the land of Canaan which is the land of the worship of God typifying the all-inclusive Christ as everything to us for our enjoyment and for our full salvation. Now how does this apply to us? Well it does apply – all of us Christians need to be the real Hebrews, we need to be the real river-crossers. We need to cross over out of the region of idolatry, out of the region of the ritualistic service of the Old Testament which can be religious forms, religious rituals, religious practices – anything of empty religion. We need to cross over the river into the land of the genuine worship of God, into the land of the all-inclusive Christ where we enjoy Him as everything so that we can be saved by Him in a full way, saved in His life. For us to be saved in His life is for Him to dispense Himself into us and sanctify us, saturating our whole being with all that He is to make us men of life. This is how we connect these two great keys: river-crossers and so great a salvation.

Isaiah (Program #44) – The All-Inclusive Christ in His Four Stages (2)

When we read the account of Christ’s crucifixion, whether in the New Testament gospel or in a rich prophetic passage such as Isaiah 53, we are elated and comforted with the fresh realization that Christ was resurrected.  That means our salvation is secured.  But Isaiah 53 goes on to show us the issue or the result of His resurrection.  The issue is a seed, a seed that satisfies God.  Stay with us today as we explores the riches in Isaiah 53 as Christ is revealed from the pages of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah on life study of the Bible.

Hebrews (Program #5) – Heirs of Salvation

So here in Hebrews we have Christ as the ladder, we have the joint heirs as the components of the house, and, we have the angels ministering to us as we are in the process of being brought into the glory of God. When we have all this, we have the gate of heaven.

Destiny is a concept that occupies many seeking people. As Christians, we may believe that our destiny is just to be saved. But Hebrews reveals that as saved ones, our destiny is to become joint heirs with Christ. We will explore our destiny and our inheritance on today’s life study of Hebrews.

We’re going to begin today’s message by seeing a comparison of Hebrews and Revelation – two books that are often avoided by many Christians. Why is it that many serious believers don’t like to get into these two books that deeply?

The reasons are slightly different concerning Hebrews and Revelation. Many are fascinated by Revelation first – the beasts, the horns, the bowls, the trumpets – these kind of peak one’s curiosity. But to get into the depths of the revelation of Christ in Revelation is difficult. And American Christians are not attracted to difficult things. Speaking frankly, they like easy sugar-coated teachings. And for that very reason, among others, Hebrews is often neglected. Hebrews is just plain difficult. The revelation is profound, the thought is profound – we need especially a seeking spirit if we would linger in this book. So these messages on Hebrews, although they’re presented to all the dear children of God, they’re really for the serious seeker. Hebrews is solid food. Solid food is not for babes, solid food is for those who are mature and who are maturing. And I have to speak plainly in the Lord’s presence – Hebrews and Revelation are both wonderfully focused on Christ. But it is rare to find seekers focused as Paul was on Christ. If we want to get into Hebrews we need to care very much for Christ. Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ. If we do not care for Christ, we will not care much for these books. But if the spirit of reality is awakening in us a fresh seeking after Christ and hunger to know Christ, these books will be found to be most precious in their marvelous unveiling of the all-inclusive Christ.

Isaiah (Program #43) – The All-Inclusive Christ in His Four Stages (1)

Isaiah chapter 53 was written 2,700 years ago.  Although Jews, philosophers and even unbelievers have been reading these chapters over 27 centuries without any idea of what they were reading.  We believers have but to read a few verses, we realize spontaneously that this word is unique and profound and unmistakable portrait of our Savior Christ written 700 years before His coming.  This is the Christ of Isaiah.  Don’t miss His appearance on today’s life study of the Bible.

Hebrews (Program #4) – Christ as the Son of God – as God Superior to the Angels

In the book of Hebrews, we see the vast superiority of Christ to everything, everyone and every matter in the entire old covenant. What could compare to Christ? We all know that there is an Old and New Testament (or covenant). Both have God and angels and many other godly items. But one is vastly superior to the other. We’ll look at this comparison from the book of Hebrews on today’s life study of the Bible.

We believe that the apostle Paul was the writer of Hebrews. Considering his audience at the time, why was it necessary for him to so meticulously build a strong case for the new covenant by comparing it to the old?

Well, these Jewish believers on the one hand were appreciating their faith in Christ; but on the other hand their old background was something established by God in the Old Testament. So, they were hesitating, they were wandering, and, they were in this kind of situation needing a kind of heavenly push and a heavenly pull. They were called by the Lord through Paul, writing this epistle, they were called to go on with the Lord. And they needed to cross the river (remember Hebrews means river-crosser). So Paul by presenting this tremendous Christ, this vastly superior Christ in the book of Hebrews, was not necessarily rebuking them but showing them by comparison how wonderful Christ is and how foolish it is to not come forward and to experience this Christ and enjoy this Christ and pursue this Christ with their whole being. So their need was to come forward out of their old background to this wonderful marvelous Christ who is the center of God’s New Testament economy! These believers, in their Jewish background, their old religion actually given by God initially became the river that they needed to cross. Can our old experiences of Christ become such a river to us? Yes, they can even yesterday’s experience. So we need to be always freshly crossing the river.

Isaiah (Program #42) – The Servant of Jehovah Revealed in the New Testament Economy

Nearly everyone know something about Christ.  There is a kind of natural understanding of Christ that is common to humans everywhere.   Many people consider Him as a great man, great spiritual leader or a teacher.  Such superficial knowledge can began from even a casual reading of the Old Testament.  But portion of the Old Testament such as chapter 53 of Isaiah reveal Christ of God’s economy.  The Christ of our salvation, the Christ that gave immeasurable pleasure and delight to God the Father and willingly and humbly going to the cross to die so that God may have many sons brought forth.  May the Lord grant us the grace and wisdom to present such a Christ to you today on this life study of the Bible.

Isaiah (Program #41) – The Servant of Jehovah, the Arm of Jehovah, the Reigning God, & the Exalted Christ in Relation to Israel’s Return & Restoration

Isaiah beseech the Lord in chapter 51 of his prophecy, “Arise, arise! Put on strength, O arm of Jehovah; Arise as in the days of old.”  Surely God has done many mighty things for His people throughout ages.  As when He dried up the Red Sea for them to walk through as they escape from Egypt.  But to us Christ is also the arm of Jehovah; releasing us and rescuing us from our captivity.  Staying with us for another encouraging and uplifting life study of the Bible.

Hebrews (Program #3) – The Son

God has spoken, praise Him!   Without His speaking, God is mysterious. But He has revealed Himself in His speaking.  God is mysterious and this book of the New Testament, Hebrews, is mysterious as well. But God does not desire to remain a mystery to His created vessels, does He? How has He chosen to unveil this mystery to mankind?

God is certainly mysterious, He is invisible. Even John says “no man has ever seen God”. Also Paul mentioned the same thing – he said “confessedly great is the mystery of godliness”. But both of these writers also let us know that God can be known. First of all, John says “the only begotten Son has declared Him” and Paul says “He was manifested in the flesh”. So this mysterious God has been incarnated, He has come in the flesh, He has come in a visible way to make this mysterious God known. God became a man – Jesus Christ. So, this is one way which God has chosen to unveil this mystery to mankind, that is, by coming into mankind and also by His speaking. And the main thing we’re emphasizing today is that God is speaking; God has spoken. By the time however when the book of Hebrews was written, the incarnated God has gone to the cross, died, been resurrected, and, had become the life-giving Spirit! God is invisible but this invisible and mysterious God unveiled this mystery both by His incarnation and after He became the Spirit. How did He reveal Himself then? He did it by speaking. He did unveil Himself and His mysterious existence by His speaking. In Hebrews 1:1 it says, “God, having spoken of old in many portions and in many ways to the fathers in the prophets. Has in the last of these days spoken to us in the Son….” In His creation and in His work, He is still mysterious but He has unveiled Himself to us, humans, by His speaking. Christ came to speak. He spoke through many people before He came to speak Himself. His history is a history of speaking. Our God is a speaking God. That’s how we know Him because He speaks.

Hebrews (Program #2) – God Has Spoken

Hebrews is a book of God’s speaking. Do you have God’s speaking? Listen today to find out how you can receive light, life and power from God’s speaking in the Son. The book of Hebrews begins with God’s speaking. Speaking is the way a living person makes himself known. Without doubt, we have a living God desiring to make Himself known to men.

It’s interesting that this mysterious book opens with God’s speaking and a contrast to His speaking in the Old Testament dispensation with that of His speaking in the New Testament. What is the primary distinction? Hebrews is a book of God’s speaking; it doesn’t acknowledge an author to emphasize the point that it is the speaking of God to His people. The main point of the book of Hebrews is to help those who had heard His Old Testament speaking to realize that He has a New Testament speaking. Hebrews is simply a contrast between the Old and the New; and in the New Testament, God is speaking in His Son – in Christ. So, Hebrews is actually not that mysterious – it’s just three or four different comparisons of things from the Old Testament dispensation to the experience of Christ in the New Testament and then it’s usually followed by a warning. So you have four comparisons, four warnings, introduction and conclusion – it’s a very simple book in one way. But, the key is that He wants to bring us all forward into God’s current speaking in the Son. So He uses many comparisons, many ways, many words to tell us we have to come forward, we have to cross that river, we have to be one with God in His speaking today, and that speaking is in the Son.