G‘day! 🌟 Welcome to Partakers Christian Podcasts! Tune in for Bible Teaching, Bible Readings, Worship, Prayer, and Church History. Our mission on Podbean is to enable and encourage you on your faith journey. Come listen, interact, and be inspired!
Episodes
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Thursday Dec 09, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
9 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 12
1 ‘Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband,’ says the LORD.
2 ‘Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.(Isaiah 54:1-3)
You may recall back in Isaiah 52, Isaiah started talking about a great homecoming for all those who believed. Then Isaiah gave a picture regarding the sacrificial suffering of the Messiah Servant. Now in Isaiah 54, we see the reason for the suffering. We see that because of this coming Messiah’s suffering and subsequent exultation and vindication, that God will make a New Covenant with all the peoples of the world!
God has always kept the promises He made with people! Promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David were also kept by God! God is ever faithful and always true to His word! And here God reminds them through Isaiah of three promises or covenants He has made: Abraham, Moses and Noah.
Then Isaiah goes on to link those promises to the coming Messiah who is promised! God is going to make a new Covenant with people, through this coming promised Messiah – and God can be trusted to keep His promises!
In the podcast today, we continue looking ahead to Christmas and its consequences, by seeing what the prophet Isaiah had to say concerning the Messiah being God’s Promise – not just to Israel but to the world! How does Isaiah talk of Noah, Abraham and Moses? How does this relate to the future promises of God? How does How does any of this have relevancy for Jesus Christ?
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Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Wednesday Dec 08, 2021
Partakers Christmas Thought
8 December 2021
Looking Ahead to Christmas – Part 11
1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to all people,
and plants of the field to everyone.
2 The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
3 ‘My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders;
for the LORD Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.
4 From Judah will come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg, from him the battle-bow,
from him every ruler.
5 Together they will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.
They will fight because the LORD is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.(Zechariah 10:1-5)
During the time of Zechariah, the Temple was being rebuilt. The Temple, as you may or may not be aware, was central to Jewish worship. Indeed, central to Jewish life. But who would help give advice and solve the multitude of problems they were facing? Who cared about them? Well, Zechariah speaks into their situation with wise words. He has already likened the nation of Israel as being like sheep, and that God is their shepherd
“Yahweh their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they are like the jewels of a crown, lifted on high over his land. “ (Zechariah 9:16)
Throughout Zechariah 10, it is repeated again and again, that God will care for and bless them. But in order to receive the blessing and care, the nation of Israelites must respond appropriately!
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 leadership. Zechariah call Israel to respond to God, but how are Israel to respond to God? How does Zechariah describer the leadership of the coming Messiah? How does any of this have relevancy for 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 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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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!
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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