G‘day! Partakers Christian podcasts of Bible Teaching, Bible Readings, Worship, Prayer and Church History on Podbean to help enable and encourage you! Come listen and interact.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Tuesday Dec 07, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
7 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 10
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
and the battle-bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.(Zechariah 9:9-12)
We have seen in Isaiah that the coming Messiah was a Servant Prophet, a Servant Disciple and a Servant King. We see this as we switch over to the Book of Zechariah to look at in more detail about this Servant King Messiah. Zechariah gives us a picture of how the Messiah will announce His arrival and what sort of qualities that this Servant King will have. He comes into Jerusalem on a donkey! The phrases ‘Daughter of Zion’ and ‘Daughter of Jerusalem’ are terms symbolizing God’s people who believe. It is a scene of exultation, excitement and emotion. The people recognize this man as their Messiah: their Servant-King.
In the podcast today we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Zechariah had to say concerning the coming Messiah’s arrival as King. How does Zechariah describe the coming King? How does Zechariah foresee some the consequences of the coming of this King Messiah? How does any of this have relevancy for Jesus Christ?
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Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
6 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 9
13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him –
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness –
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.( Isaiah 52:13-15)
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.( Isaiah 53:11-12)
During the previous Servant Songs, we saw glimpses of the suffering this Servant who is both a King and Prophet will endure. Now in this section, this Servant Song we get the full picture of suffering and why He must suffer. This is how people will on the last day be consummated with God and attention is now back on him as Isaiah 52:13 states “Behold, my servant”.
Echoing previous passages of where the Servant is God’s. It is as if we are meant to understand that nothing that has been said before is as important as this passage. Without this passage of Scripture, none of the rest makes sense. Let us discover together why that is so.
In the podcast today we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Isaiah had to say in Isaiah 52 & 53, concerning the coming Messiah’s sacrificial life. How does the prophet Isaiah describe the coming Servant who will be exalted, despised suffer silently and then give the greatest of surprises? How does any of this have relevancy for Jesus Christ? We discover how the aspects offered by Isaiah regarding the life of the coming Servant relates to the man of history we know as Jesus Christ.
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
30 November 2021
Church Worship - O Antiphons
In the podcast today we continue celebrating Advent and Christmas with some ancient Christian worship! These seven O antiphons each address Jesus Christ using a Messianic title drawn from Old Testament prophecy. Read backwards, the initials of each title in Latin form the words “Ero Cras” or "Tomorrow I shall be (with you)" – looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ.
The seven antiphons are:
- Sapientia – Wisdom (Isaiah 11:1-3; Isaiah 28:29)
- Adonai - Holy Lord (Exodus 3:1-4; Isaiah 11:3b; Isaiah 33:22)
- Radix Jesse - Root of Jesse (Jeremiah 23:5-6; Micah 5:1; Revelation 22:16-17)
- Clavis David - Key of David (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 22:21-22)
- Oriens - Morning Star (Isaiah 9:2; Zechariah 6:12-13; Malachi 4:2; Luke 1:8-10; John 8:12; Hebrews 1:3)
- Rex Gentium - King of the Nations (Genesis 2:7; Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 28:16; Haggai 2:8-9; Ephesians 2:14-16)
- Emmanuel – God with us (Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:23; John 3:16; Acts 4:11-12)
Come listen and interact with an attitude of worship and prayer, and make them an act of your worship of Jesus today!
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You can now purchase our book about the story of Christmas by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon!
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
23 November 2021
Jesus Cares for the Christian
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’
28 ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’
29 ‘Come,’ he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’
(Matthew 14:22-33)
In his gospel, the Apostle John, records the reason why the disciples were in the boat. The crowd wanted to crown Jesus as a physical king. Jesus didn’t want this to happen and so withdrew by himself and the disciples went back into the boat. The experience of the disciples in the storm can be an encouragement to us when we go through the storms of life. We all go through storms and troubles. When we find ourselves in these storms, we can rest on these 4 assurances about Jesus if we are Christians.
In the podcast today we complete our look at 4 distinct ways that Jesus shows His care and concern for his followers, those who are Christians. Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Christian.
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You can now purchase our book about being a Christian by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon
Sunday Nov 21, 2021
Sunday Nov 21, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
21 November 2021
Christian Commitment 04
21 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” 23 Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” 24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’ 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:21-29)
The first thing that hit the first hearers of this sermon was Jesus' authority. It drove them to be astonished by him and his teaching. (v28-29). If we read the Sermon on the Mount, we too should be astonished by the teaching. If Jesus therefore has the authority, Christians above all others, should not only listen & read Jesus’ teaching as given to us in the Bible, but also do it. Jesus laid down the law of God. He expects Christians to build the house of their lives on his words, and adds that only those who do so can be considered wise and will be safe. He says that he has come to fulfil the law and the prophets. He is both the Lord to be obeyed, and the Saviour to give blessing and salvation. He places himself in the judgement seat. He speaks of God as his Father in a unique sense, and implies that what he does, God does and that what people do to him they are also doing to God.
In the podcast today we complete our look at Matthew 7:21-29 and discover that as part of their commitment to Jesus Christ, the Christian is to study His teaching, be obedient to their Lord and make a difference in the world which they live.
Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the life of the Christian.
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You can now purchase our book about being a Christian by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon
Saturday Nov 20, 2021
Saturday Nov 20, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
20 November 2021
Christian Commitment 03
21 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” 23 Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” 24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’ 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:21-29)
We have seen so far in the last two podcasts, that Jesus Christ would have us know that neither a mere intellectual knowledge of him or a verbal acknowledgement of him, can ever substitute for active obedience to his commands. The question is not whether we say nice, polite, enthusiastic things to or about Jesus; nor whether we hear his words, listening, studying, pondering and memorising until our minds are stuffed full of his teaching; but whether we actually do what we say and do what we know to be truth. In other words, is the Lordship of Jesus Christ a reality in our life.
In the podcast today we continue looking at Matthew 7:24-27 and discover that as part of their commitment to Jesus Christ, the Christian has choices to make. Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the life of the Christian.
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You can now purchase our book about being a Christian by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
19 November 2021
Christian Commitment 02
21 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” 23 Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:21-29)
In the previous podcast, we see Jesus saying regarding Christian commitment, that the contrast was between "saying" and "doing". In the passage today, the contrast is now between "hearing" and "doing". On the one hand, Jesus says that “There is the person who hears these words of mine and does them.” (v24) On the other hand, Jesus stipulates “There is also the person who hears these words of mine and does not do them” (v26).
In the podcast today we look specifically at Matthew 7:24-27, where Jesus warns of a mere intellectual knowledge of Himself, without any practical application of following Him. Each one of these, is a substitute for the obedience that Jesus asks for.
Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the life of the Christian.
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You can now purchase our book about being a Christian by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
18 November 2021
Christian Commitment 01
21 ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” 23 Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” 24 ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’ 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:21-29)
Today we start looking at looking at the words of Jesus in Matthew 7 and that following Him involves making a radical choice which demands commitment to Him. Up until now, Jesus has been issuing instructions. It is here, therefore, that He issues the 2 choices we face when having heard His words. As He concludes this sermon with a heart-wrenching application. Jesus confronts us with himself. Jesus sets before us the choice between obeying his words and disobeying them. From there, Jesus then proceeds to call His followers to firm commitment of mind, will & life to himself and his teaching.
In the podcast today we look at verses v21-23, where Jesus warns of a mere spoken profession of following Him. Tomorrow, in verses 24-27 we look at a mere intellectual knowledge of Jesus without any practical application of following Him. Each one of these, is a substitute for the obedience that Jesus asks for. Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the life of the Christian.
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You can now purchase our book about being a Christian by clicking or tapping on this link here which will take you to Amazon
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
16 November 2021
The Lord’s Prayer 08
5 ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8)
Today we conclude our looking at the Lord’s Prayer by looking at what we should mean when we say “Amen” as well as some concluding remarks about the Lord's Prayer. Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the prayer life of the Christian.
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Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Partakers Bible Thought
15 November 2021
The Lord’s Prayer 07
For yours is the Kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. (Matthew 6:13 NKJV)
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Today we continue looking at the Lord’s Prayer and we are looking together at we should mean when we say "For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever." Please do listen or download the mp3 podcast to find out more about this aspect in the prayer life of the Christian.
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