Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

After describing the ugly works of the flesh, Paul describes the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit - the beauty of holiness that the Holy Spirit in union with our reborn spirit will produce in our life. In contrast to the many works of our flesh, the Spirit in us produces one fruit with many segments or flavours (Paul lists 9 manifestations of this one fruit). Fruit only grows as a result of life....

Paul lists the works of the flesh in v19-21 to reveal the true nature of the flesh, motivating us to refuse to yield to the flesh and express it in our lives, but rather be led by the Spirit. We note the 4 categories of these works: (1) sexual sins, (2) religious sins, (3) social sins, in the area of personal relationships, and (4) intemperance. We study the meanings of the Greek words used by Pau...

Paul encourages us to submit to the Spirit rather than the flesh, by contrasting the ugliness of the works of the flesh, with the beauty of the fruit of the Spirit. It helps us to see the true nature of the flesh, by what is evidently manifested when people yield to their flesh. When it says: "the works of the flesh are evident" (v19), it speaks of the flesh having its own nature, mind and desires...

In raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in John 11, Jesus validated His claim to be (1) the Resurrection and (2) the Life, the One who will raise us from both (1) physical and (2) spiritual death, if we believe (trust) in Him.

Derek shares 3 true stories that paint vivid pictures of the wonderful salvation that God has provided for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and His death on the Cross.

The Mount Everest of Prophecy (Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12). This majestic prophecy from 700 BC reveals the perfect saving work of the suffering Messiah in dying for our sins and rising again. We see how Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled this prophecy in all its details.

We discuss the nature of the flesh according to the Bible, and how it is implacably opposed to God and His work in us. Our flesh cannot please God and only deserves crucifixion. Therefore to please God, we must walk in the Spirit. There is a battle between our flesh and the Spirit, and both desire to gain control over our souls. In our born again spirit, we desire to do God's will, but the covetou...

In Galatians, God's Magna Carta of Christian Liberty, Paul emphasised justification by faith first (chapters 1-4), because it is foundational, and puts us in position, where we can receive and walk in His sanctifying Spirit, who empowers us to overcome sin in the flesh (chapters 5-6). First, God sent His Son to set us free from the Law by His death on the Cross, and then on that basis, He sent His...

First, we take a closer look at Paul's wonderful description of the Spirit-filled Christian life in v5-6: "We through the SPIRIT eagerly WAIT for the HOPE of RIGHTEOUSNESS by FAITH. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but FAITH working through LOVE." We live by the grace of the indwelling Spirit, who enables us to believe (rest) in His promises, so that wit...

In these verses, Paul contrasts the false man-made and man-centred religion of man's achievement (salvation by good works in obedience to the Law) in v2-4, with the true God-centred religion of Divine initiative, grace and achievement (v5-6). In this context, circumcision represents embracing the Law as one's life and salvation, and Paul warns them that if they do that, Christ will profit them not...

Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (NKJV). Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (NIV). This key verse is transitional, moving the letter of Galatians into a description of Christian l...

The Bible alone holds the secrets to life after death. It reveals that all humanity is divided into two groups after death, and is set apart unto 2 opposite eternal destinies - Heaven and Hell. While God-rejectors, who die in their sins, go down to Hades to await their resurrection unto final sentencing and everlasting condemnation, those who die in Christ, go up to Heaven, to be with Christ, thei...

God has prepared a wonderful eternity for all those who receive His salvation in Christ. We see what the final chapters of the Bible reveal about our everlasting life in the heavenly City. A God Day programme.

Derek shows how the 4 Faces of the Cherubim (the Ox, Eagle, Man and Lion) represent 4 ways that our soul is designed to function, under God's 4-fold anointing, symbolised by the 4 rivers flowing out of Eden. These correspond to the 4 Gospels (Mark, John, Luke and Matthew), each of which emphasise Jesus operating in one of these aspects. A God Day programme.

We look at Genesis 21, which is the basis for Paul's thoughts in this passage. In Genesis 21, Isaac ('laughter') is born, speaking of the rejoicing in Heaven whenever someone in born again. When Isaac was weaned, there was a feast in his honour (v8), which resulted in Ishmael manifesting his insecurity by mocking Isaac (v9). Ishmael, who was 14 years older, was used to being in the ascendency, but...

Paul compares the Old Covenant and its children to Hagar and Ishmael, pointing out that by its nature the Old Covenant (Hagar, the bond-slave) gives birth to children of bondage (Ishmael). He strengthens this identification by pointing out that the origin of the Old Covenant, Mount Sinai, is in Arabia, where Hagar and Ishmael settled after being cast out, from whom came the Arabs. Thus it is clear...

We continue our study of Paul's analogy of Ishmael and Isaac. We take a more in-depth look as how God made it possible for us to receive a supernatural birth like Isaac, through receiving the promise of God in the Gospel, causing us to become the seed of Abraham and heirs of eternal life in Christ. God accomplished this through Christ, the greater than Isaac, the ultimate Seed of Abraham, who, lik...

In these verses, Paul illustrates his message with a symbolic allegory, based Abraham's 2 sons, (1) Ishmael and (2) Isaac, born from 2 different mothers, (1) Hagar (the slave) and (2) Sarah (the free woman). The 2 sons derived their nature and status from their mothers, either (1) slavery (bondage) or (2) freedom. These 2 mothers represent (1) the Old Covenant (Law) associated with Mount Sinai, an...

What exactly is Halloween, where does it come from and should Christians have anything to do with it? The roots of modern Halloween can be traced back to the pagan Celts of Britain, 2000 years ago. One of their main festivals was Samhain on 31st October marking the transition into the ‘dark half’ of the year. They believed that the veil between this world and the 'otherworld' was at its thinnest,...

In contrast to the false teachers who were love-bombing the Galatians for their own selfish purposes, Paul's love for them was genuine, both in their presence and when they were separated from them. His motive was not to possess them for himself, but that Christ would be formed in them. He loved them as a mother loves her children. He had originally brought them to birth through his prayers and th...

Having described how God had saved them from bondage to external law and ceremonial religion, and evil spirits, and given them the liberty and inheritance of sonship (v7-8), Paul points out how foolish is it for them to desire to return to being in bondage again to external ceremonial laws, such as observing days, months, seasons and years (v9-10), which he describes as weak and beggarly elements...

These wonderful verses describe how God the Father has saved us by His grace in (1) sending forth His Son into the world to redeem us (v4-5), and (2) sending forth His Spirit into our hearts to regenerate and indwell us and lead us into our full inheritance (v6-7). We discuss what ‘the fullness of time’ means (v4), and how these verses claim that Jesus is the God-man, born of a virgin (Genesis 3:1...

In this study, we see what God did for us, when we received Christ as Lord and Saviour. The key phrase is ‘in Christ.’ God made the promise of salvation to Abraham and His SEED, who is CHRIST (v16). Christ received the full Blessing of Abraham on our behalf, and when we trusted in Christ, we were baptised into Christ (v27, Romans 6:3-7). In Christ (through our union with Him) we became sons of God...

In these verses, Paul continues to describe how the Law serves the purpose of preparing man to receive salvation through faith in Christ. The Law of Moses consists of (1) the Moral Law, which revealed His absolute righteousness, (2) the Ceremonial Law, which revealed what Christ would do to save us, and (3) the Civic Law, which revealed that God’s justice demanded punishment when laws were broken....

Previously we saw that God established His way of salvation by grace through Abraham, so that when He introduced the Law through Moses, He never intended it to be a means of salvation. So, the question naturally arises: What then is the purpose of the Law? We see that one of its main purposes is to reveal the fact that we are sinners, who cannot save ourselves, so that we will welcome the Gospel o...