Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Introductory thoughts The Hebrew writer (c.66-68 AD) urges his readers not to be drawn away from Christ to Judaism. To this end, the writer makes an extended comparison -- the new is better than the old; Christianity is better than Judaism. The Hebrew writer thinks many Christians can't handle meaty teaching; for them, it's all milk (H...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Introduction Grace from start to finish (vv.3, 25). Christ was gracious, and this motivated others to change. (See John 4, John 8, Luke 19...) Paul had clearly learned from his Lord. The situation Onesimus is Philemon's runaway slave. He had become a Christian through Paul's influence, while Paul was in prison. Paul -- in the presence...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Introduction Isn't this theme in most of the NT books? Yes; it occurs in the majority of them. 7 consecutive chapters on return of Christ. Issues surrounding the 2 Thessalonian letters are closely related. And seem to be the most urgent issues in each, and certainly in the 2nd letter. Thessalonica Acts 17. But reading this background d...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Introduction Philippians is an extremely christocentric document It is often commented that the theme of Philippians is joy – I count 14 or 15 instances of this word, or the idea—but I’m not so sure. Look at how many times Christ is mentioned (whichever word or phrased is use in referring to Him).  This seems to be the true theme. Ever...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Appreciate the fact that Christ is Lord on not just a local or global level, but on a cosmic level! Listen to Ephesians & Colossians: The Cosmic Christ (11 minutes). Scriptures in this lesson: Eph 1:22-23 Eph 3:8-11 Col 1:15-20 Col 2:9-10 Recommended: Steve Kinnard, Jesus Unequaled: An Exposition of Colossians (IPI, 2013). Cosmic Chris...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Lesson 13, 1-2  Corinthians: Christ's Humility Amidst Suffering (13 minutes), explores Jesus' humility and gentleness even in the midst of severe pain and suffering. Background: Paul penned 4 Corinthians letters (1 Corinthians 1:1, 5:9; 2 Corinthians 1:1, 7:8), c.53-55 AD. Clement of Rome wrote to the Corinthians c.95 AD, urging them t...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Listen to Romans & Galatians: Baptized into Death (15 minutes). Background Galatians (48 AD): Judaizers teaching that circumcision must precede baptism. Council of Jerusalem (49 AD): The apostles and elders reject this teaching (Acts 15). Romans (55 AD): Paul, in elaborating on the gospel for the benefit of a Christian community he had...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Our 11th lesson in the series CHRIST THROUGH THE AGES asks us to read between the lines in James. To what sort of life are we being called? Since as Christ-followers we are all urged to lead a life of Christ likeness, it is fair to regard the intense spiritual qualities enjoined on us in James as an upward call to embrace the life of C...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Listen to the 10th podcast in the series (11 minutes), John: The (Heavenly) Word in (Human) Flesh. Emphasized in this podcast: 90% of John’s material is unique, and mainly set in Jerusalem, as opposed to Galilee. Unlike the Synoptics, John is not structured around the Caesarea-Jerusalem trek following Peter’s confession (Mark 8). Empha...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Listen to the 9th lesson in our series, Luke: A Universal Vision from the Center to the Margins (14 minutes). Introduction: Luke-Acts The good news is to be preached from the centers of power (gospel proclaimed to kings) all the way out to the disenfranchised, minorities, outcasts… Luke was written in the finest Greek, for those at hom...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Emphases of Matthew Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. Jesus a teacher and lawgiver like Moses. 5 Teaching Tracts – like Torah (Pentateuch) and Psalms. Suggests Jesus' teaching is scripture (follows the O.T. model). Suggests Jesus is a second Moses. Matthew 5:17: He came not to abolish, but to fulfill, Torah. OT fulfillment formulae (11x). O...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Listen to lesson 7 in the series CHRIST THROUGH THE AGES. In this podcast, Mark: Lord Caesar or Lord Jesus? , we will examine a special focus of the earliest of the four gospels, Mark. The lesson is 15 minutes long. Introduction Gospels were composed primarily for believers. Bioi . Ancient biography = bios . The theology lies in the di...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. By clicking on the link, you can listen to the 6th lesson in our series, 1st Century Judaism: Many Flavors of Messiah. The podcast is 20 minutes in length. Sectarian groups of the 1st century Pharisee – Torah (written and oral) Sadducees – Temple Essenes – Land (Qumran and library of Dead Sea Scrolls) Zealots – Kingship ( Sicarii -- ex...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Following are the notes for the fifth lesson in our series,  Christ—Visible in the O.T. Writings .  The podcast (12 minutes) takes aim at the third division of the Hebrew scriptures. O.T. Writings that point to Christ Psalms (e.g. listen to the 18 podcasts at this website recorded in 2013). Proverbs: Jesus as wisdom teacher  and Jesus...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Listen to the 4th lesson in the series,  Christ—Visible in the O.T. Prophets (16 minutes). Introduction Christ’s identity is in the background of every OT book Each of the 3 sections – Law, Prophets, Writings – testifies to Jesus Christ In Jewish thought, the prophets begin with Joshua. While we could examine Messianic prophecy in Isai...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Christ—Visible in the Old Testament Law is the 3rd lesson in the series  Christ through the Ages  (21 minutes). Here are the scriptures referred to in the podcast: John 5:39 (the Jewish scriptures testify to Christ). Luke 24:44-47 (three sections of Hebrew Bible point to the Christ). 1 Peter 1:10-12 (the O.T. is more easily understood...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. The Eternal Plan, Effected at the Perfect Time (19 minutes) is the second in the series CHRIST THROUGH THE AGES. Scriptures referred to in this lesson: 1 Peter 1:20 (Acts 2:23) Titus 2:12 Ephesians 1:20-21 Hebrews 6:5 1 Corinthians 10:11 Hebrews 9:26 1 Timothy 2:5 (also see Ephesians 1:10) Philippians 2:5-11 (1 Corinthians 15:28; Isaia...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. This is the introduction to and first lesson in the series CHRIST THROUGH THE AGES . The series aims to explore what it means that Jesus Christ is Lord of history. We hope that this 40-day series truly makes a difference in your spiritual life. Listen to Lifting our spirits by fixing our eyes on Him (22 minutes). Scriptures referred to...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. So far: We have already studied 9 of the Old Testament's well-known but little-observed commandments. We have striven to examine each in context and understand its message to us as Christians living under the new testament. It is time to conclude our study - to meditate on a commandment that significantly differs from all the others, w...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. So far: We have dissected 4 God-directed commandments and 4 others-directed commandments. Today we look at the fourth of a series of 4 short commandments, bedrock principles in all stable societies. Of course we're not trying to recreate human culture at the level of a lowest common denominator. God's people are called to go far beyond...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Thus far:   We have analyzed the first seven commandments. The 6th - 9th commandments correspond to the teaching of most religions and cultures. Commandments 1-5 and 10 are peculiar to Judaism. Today we tackle the 8th. Text The 8th commandment Exodus 20:15: You shall not steal. Comments Code of Hammurabi (Babylonian) The majority of cr...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. So far We have studied four commandments related to God and 2 related to our fellow human beings. Here we find ourselves in the middle of the ethical commandments. Sexual ethics is an area considered to be highly personal and "private," yet through most of human history sexual mores were never a matter of personal preference. Of all th...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. So far We have already examined four God-directed commandments, then begun to explore the others-directed commandments. This is the second in that category. In the last podcast I urged you to memorize the commandments, at least being able to paraphrase them in order. What do you think -- is this worthwhile for you? Text The 6th command...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. The Decalogue so far Today we begin the second section of the Decalogue, the man-directed commandments. These six amplify Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus called the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). Unlike no. 4, which is not repeated in the N.T., no. 5, like all the others, is explicitly restated in the pages of the N.T. Te...

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website. Last time   The fourth commandment is the last of the ten amplifying what it means to love the Lord with all our heart (Deuteronomy 6:5). Along with circumcision and keeping kosher, Sabbath observance was a unique marker identifying the Jews as God's holy people. The fourth is the only commandment not to reappear in the New Testament....