Group Bible Study

In the last few days, we have been thinking about the fact that true biblical Christianity is about a marriage God is making between His Son and all those who will enter into covenant with Him. In some mysterious way, we, the people of God, have been brought into an organic union with Christ. Jesus said, "I am the Vine, you are the branches… 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" (John 15:1; 4). In fact, the words "In Christ" appear 160 times in the New Testament. A marriage relationship between a man and his wife is a picture of the divine union that Christ has entered into with His bride, the people who are born-again of the Spirit (John 3:3). Many of our wedding traditions are illustrative of the heavenly marriage. Things such as the bride taking on the last name of the bridegroom. Those who are known as "Christians," have taken t...

Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, wanders over the hillsides seeking to find those conscious of being distant from His flock (Luke 15:4). He knows and calls His people by name. Over a long period of time, He has gone to great lengths to show humankind our need of a Savior from sin. God's plan called for the most loving thing anyone could ever do for those He loved. He died as a substitute taking their penalty upon Himself to set them free from sin. This act of love expressed the most powerful thing in the universe—the power of love, agapé love. This kind of love is self-sacrificing and creates a love response from those who receive such grace. God has sent His Son into the world to win and woo His bride to Himself, especially those who are far away from Him and wandering near wolves. To show us just how special we are to Him, Paul the apostle, in writing to the people of God at Corinth, deliberately spoke to believers as those being prepared for a wedding with Christ H...

We are continuing our meditations on the subject of eternity, and thinking specifically on God’s desire to have us live eternally with Him. Jesus said: 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you,  I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am . 4 You know the way to the place where I am going."   5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"  6 Jesus answered, " I am the way   and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:2-6). He said He would come back and take believers to be with Him. Do you believe Him? Have you found the way to His house? The road is not a direction; it is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He has paid the penalty for your sin and invites you to receive Him into your life and to...

We have been meditating on the subject of eternity over the last few weeks (scroll down for other meditations). Erwin Lutzer tells the fable about a Baghdad merchant who sent his servant to the marketplace to run an errand. When the servant had completed his assignment and was about to leave the market, he turned a corner and unexpectedly met Lady Death. The look on her face so frightened him that he left the marketplace and hurried home. He told his master what had happened and requested his fastest horse so that he could get as far from Lady Death as possible—a horse that would get him to Sumera before nightfall. Later that same afternoon, the merchant also went to the marketplace and also met Lady Death. "Why did you startle my servant this morning?" he asked. "I didn't intend to startle your servant—it was I who was startled," replied Lady Death. "I was surprised to see your servant in Baghdad this morning because I have an appointment with him in Su...

We are continuing from yesterday (scroll further down) our meditation on the thousand-year reign of Christ. Let me be clear regarding the difference between heaven and the millennium. Although the Millennium will be a time when we experience God's kingdom on earth, there is more to come! At the end of the Millennium, the New Jerusalem will come, and there will be no more death: 1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  4 ‘ He will wipe every tear from their eyes . There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for...

We are continuing to meditate on the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth (scroll down for yesterday’s thoughts). Under the inspiration of the Spirit, the prophet Isaiah (65:17-25), writes a second time about the time when there will be significant changes on the Earth: 17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.  18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.  20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.  21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will ...

We are continuing our meditation on the topic of the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus. When Christ comes, those who have given their lives to Jesus are given new, incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:54). At that time, God will change the nature of the animal kingdom: 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time (Romans 8:19-22). When Paul the apostle wrote to the church in Rome about the  creation , I wonder what was in his mind? I think he was referring to the animal kingdom that is so fearful of humankind. Since the Fall of Man, the relati...

We are continuing our study on the topic of the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus on Earth. In the third study on eternity, we talked about the resurrection of the saints at the return of Christ. Those who are born-again and walking with Christ will receive an imperishable body, a body of power that is immortal. This body will be like Christ's resurrection body, a body that had been sown in dishonor, but raised in glory (1 Corinthians 15:43). The saints are given authority to reign with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4; 1 Corinthians 6:2), and Satan will be bound and thrown into the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3). 1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.  2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a  thousand years .  3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymo...

We are continuing to meditate on the topic of eternity, so today we begin to look at the Millennium. Somehow, in our inner soul, it does not ring true that this short time of life on earth is all there is. When one looks at the structure of atoms and the complexities of life, the universe we look out on with our telescopes, one who examines the evidence finds it completely illogical to buy into any theory that denies our Creator. There are questions that science cannot answer. King Solomon, known as one of the wisest men who has ever lived, said: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Solomon spoke of God's creative design by saying that our inner nature is divinely imprinted with impressions of eternity. The French Bible translates the original Hebrew by saying that God has "set the thoughts of eternity in our hearts." Prince Charles once talked ab...

We are continuing from yesterday (scroll down for previous meditations) our meditation on the passage in Luke 16, where Jesus teaches about two individuals, a wealthy man and a man called Lazarus, and where they went when they died. The rich man was surprised to find himself in hell. That begs the question: Is it a sin to be rich? And does a person that is poor go to heaven because he or she is poor? If not, then what was the sin that sent the rich man to Hell?  There are many sins that the rich man may have committed, but his primary sin was that  he was quite content without God . His life was one in which he had no need. He paid no heed to anything but his pleasure and comfort. It could be that he never noticed or cared about Lazarus, which indeed would have increased his condemnation. He had been in a position to help Lazarus, but instead, he left him to suffer and die. He seems to have had the notion that it was perfectly healthy and a normal part of life that Laza...

We are continuing our study of eternity and specifically to think on the topic of Hell (Scroll down for yesterday’s thoughts), so today we look at Jesus' words about the Rich Man sent to Hell and what eternity was like for Lazarus from Luke’s Gospel: 19 There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores  21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.   22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him  to Abraham's side.  The rich man also died and was buried.  23 In Hell , where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'  25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, rem...