The revchristruelsen’s Podcast

Beyond the Shire

Text for discussion: Luke 18.

The world is a place where we recognize that there is what seems good, and what is not as it ought to be.  We long for a better place, but it is not to be found in country or in city life.  It is not found on the earth as it is.  Where can we find a place where life is as it ought to be?  

Hymn:  All Depends on Our Possessing (public domain).

The art: The rich young ruler illustration from Harold Copping Picutres The Crown Series c, unknown date.  Public domain in the US.  

Unmistakeable

Text for discussion: Luke 17.  

As we return to the book of Luke, we look at a passage where Jesus talks about the end times.  Will folks be left behind? What does Jesus mean?  The signs spoken of here are unmistakeable!  

 

Hymn: O Love How Deep.  (Public domain).

The art: Gustave Dore, "The Darkness at the Crucifixion."  (Public domain).

Currency

Topic of Discussion Leviticus 27.  The last chapter of Leviticus! 

(All Scriptures and verses use the ESV.)

 Money is an earthly thing.  The love of money is a root of all evils, but money is necessary for transactions.  Money can become worthless overnight.  The one currency that is valuable for all time is the currency that only Christ could provide.  

The art: Moses as depicted by Dore.  Public domain.  

The hymn: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word.  Public domain.  

 

 

God's Merciful Answer to the Wages of Sin

Text for discussion: Leviticus 26.  

 

Israel and God had a covenant, a contract which provided penalties for a breach of contract.  God, knowing our sins and weaknesses visited His full wrath on the Son in the crucifixion that we might have full life and complete forgiveness.  Christ's work paid for it all.  

Hymn: The Battle Hymn of the Republic.  Public domain.  

Artwork: Christ in Gethsemane. by Mikhail Vrubel.  1888.  Public domain.  

Redeemer Past and Present

Reading for discussion: Leviticus 25.  

 

The God of creation, who made the heavens and the earth redeemed Israel.  He brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they belonged to Him.  He was their God and they were His people.  They were certainly reasons that the people lost the land, but ultimately this was a microcosm of the greater thing that God did by redeeming the people of all nations through His Son Jesus Christ.  If we claim Him as our God in faith, He claims us as His own through His Son.  

Hymn: Savior Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise (public domain).

Photo: Christ the Redeemer.  as shared in Wikimedia Commons by Lima Andruška from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  2011.  

Christus Victor Revisited

Text for discussion: Luke 4.  

In this chapter, Jesus is tempted in the desert and begins His ministry.  

Jesus shows us how He is going to stand between us and evil.  The full victory is won at the cross.  It is not just a temporal victory, but an eternal victory, for you . . . . 

 

Hymn: Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.  A public domain hymn.  

Image: Christ in the Desert by Ivan Kramskoy, 1872.  

The Tree of Life

Text for discussion: Leviticus 24.  

We are forgetful of things past.  Practices and their meanings disappear for us, but God remembers all.  All provision comes from Him, and He does not forget us.  In light of all our sins, God has wiped them away by the power of the new tree of life.  What is it?  

 

Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

The engraving: The Crucifixion by Gustave Dore.  

The Sun Rises on the Just and the Unjust (Revisited)

This week we revisit a podcast from January 14, 2022:

Exodus 16.

All abundance comes from God.  All the people of the earth experience the shining sun, and rain when it is needed.  

The people of God wanted to return to Egypt when the wilderness grew harsh, but God provided.  

He provides for you too.  

 

The hymn: My Soul Now Praise Your Maker

A public domain hymn.  

Are you the Black Sheep of the Family? (Revisited)

This one revisits a podcast from May 14, 2021: 

Esau wasn't exactly the most beloved character in all of Scripture.  He was kind of an oaf, a doofus, but here is his genealogy in Genesis 36.  

This podcast is about being the "black sheep" and what to do about it.  

The hymn is #730.  What is the World to Me. A public domain hymn.  

Pixels and Powerful Patterns

Text for discussion: Leviticus 23.  

 

So much is lost in our understanding of history and our world.  When we read the Scriptures there is much significance and understanding lost to us, but whatever patterns we miss, God always remembers.  The feasts discussed in this chapter are no different-but as we come to understand them through God's Son, Jesus Christ, the patterns take shape for us. 

Engraving: Gustave Dore's depiction of Moses and the Commandments (public domain).

The Hymn: Be Still My Soul, (public domain).