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

We see a number of claims in the Bible about the universe which were well beyond the knowledge of the time and only recently proven by science, proving the Divine Inspiration of Scripture. These claims include the immensity and expansion (stretching) of the heavens, and the number and nature of stars.

This Series introduces the exciting subject of BIBLE CHRONOLOGY revealing God's sovereign Plan of the Ages, confirming that we live near the End of the Age! The first 2 KEYS of TIME give God's overall Structure of Time based on the Blueprint of Creation Week, where 1 DAY = 1000 years.

The Bible claims the universe had a beginning and is triune (space-time-matter), that the work of creation is finished, that it started in a highly ordered state, but is now becoming more disordered, and that it is fine-tuned (designed) for life. This is confirmed by the Laws of Relativity & Thermodynamics.

There is a 2-fold Ministry of the Holy-Spirit: (1) the Spirit UPON, and (2) WITHIN us. We see the difference in the Ministry of the Spirit between the New and Old Covenants. The greatest miracle (not available before the Cross) is the New Birth of our spirit enabling the Holy Spirit to indwell us forever.

"Who has BELIEVED our REPORT? and to whom has the ARM (power) of the Lord been revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1). If we want to see God's Arm revealed in our life we must BELIEVE the Report of what Christ has done for us, and our BELIEVING depends on our HEARING of God's Word (Rom 10:17).

The famous hymn AMAZING GRACE is the testimony of John Newton, a former slave trader. We tell his dramatic story of how God changed his life and show how the words of the hymn spring from his experiences and from the scriptures.

The prophets predicted a New Covenant where God would give us a NEW SPIRIT and put His Spirit WITHIN us (Ezekiel 36, Isaiah 12). Jesus came as the prototype Temple of the Holy Spirit to bring this to fulfilment. By His death & resurrection He multiplied Himself, so now God Himself lives within us!

"Who has BELIEVED our REPORT? and to whom has the ARM (power) of the Lord been revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1). God's Report in Isaiah 53 says that on the Cross: "He (Christ) bore our sicknesses and carried our pains" (v4, Matthew 8:17). By believing this report we can receive healing for our bodies.

God INVITES us into His Presence to SPEND TIME with Him in loving FELLOWSHIP and WORSHIP. The more we know God's abundant grace to us, the more we will love Him extravagantly. Hilary inspires us with examples from God's Word of those poured out their love and worship upon the Lord.

The LAWS of SEED-TIME and HARVEST apply to the whole of life and they are the same for FINANCES as for FARMING. We study the 12 Laws of Sowing and Reaping, so that we may know how to cooperate with God in bringing forth a harvest of righteousness and blessing in our lives.

God works through both MIRACLES and BLESSINGS (God's supernatural power working through natural means). It is better to abide under God's blessing rather than always needing a miracle. We study 8 differences between blessings and miracles, and see why the BLESSING is the higher way.

The BLESSING is a supernatural empowerment from God causing us to be fruitful and prosper. It is the spiritual working with the natural, so it requires our co-operation. Derek reveals the Laws of the BLESSING by which it operates in our life, so we can know how to receive it and operate in it by faith.

Walking in the fullness of God’s blessing requires knowing God as El-Shaddai (Gen 17) and Jehovah Jireh (Gen 22) as Abraham did. In our weakness, we must first RECEIVE the blessing as a free-gift from El Shaddai by faith, and then in love GIVE our blessed seed, trusting Jehovah Jireh to multiply it.

Discover how many proverbs were written to impart wisdom for your finances. Derek shows how the Book of Proverbs teaches that (1) one reward of wisdom is prosperity, (2) wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, and (3) wisdom is meek (teachable), and (4) teaches diligence, hard work & perseverance.

Derek continues to reveal the financial wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, including keys to success in your business, and taking financial dominion through planning and budgeting using Biblical priorities, valuing spiritual things more than natural, being generous, and getting and staying out of debt.

The principle of Sowing and Reaping is Biblical: “WHATEVER you SOW, you shall REAP” (Galatians 6:7). We see how this applies to every area of life, including finances. Whatever we sow in our words and actions will come back to us as a multiplied harvest in our lives. It is an unchanging spiritual law.

Every blessing we have in Christ is ours on the basis of the Atonement, including financial provision. Derek adds 4 more proofs: (4) On the Cross Christ redeemed us from the curse of poverty, (5) 2Corinthians 8:9 says it plainly, (6) The Year of Jubilee, (7) Jesus is the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23.

Psalm 2 is a dramatic Messianic Psalm that describes the victory of Christ over His enemies and the present spiritual warfare. Discover God's strategy for victory as the drama unfolds scene by scene.

Faith is not a work, but must be expressed in works to be effective. We receive God's grace by faith alone, but release it by words & actions of faith. Good works are gold, silver & precious stones. Works of Gold are motivated by the Divine Nature and Presence, and produced by His life & presence in us.

Saving faith is to TRUST in Christ alone for salvation and SURRENDER to Him as Lord. Then we are to cultivate the ATTITUDE of a SERVANT, humbly adjusting our life to hear and obey His Word. We see how Jesus teaches this attitude in Luke 17:3-10, and how He'll graciously reward our good works.

Every New Covenant blessing is ours through Christ's Atonement, including financial blessing. We provide 7 Scriptural Proofs for this foundation of faith: (1) The revelation of Yehovah Yireh, (2) the Type of the Passover Lamb and Exodus, (3) the Messianic Prophecy of the Lamb in Isaiah 53-54.

Man judges after the external appearance, but God looks at the HEART (1Sam 16:7). God will manifest His powe on behalf of those whose HEART is PERFECT (loyal) towards Him (2Chron 16:9). “The WILLING (wholehearted) and obedient will eat of the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19).

We need (1) to SUBMIT to God and His will for our finances, and then (2) take AUTHORITY over satan concerning our finances (Jam 4:7). God created all things for man’s benefit (1Tim 6:17), but the god of this world actively resists God's will, so we need to know how to exercise our authority over him.

God’s PURPOSE is to PROSPER us, so He can fulfil His plans through us. It is a blessing to receive by faith and a greater blessing to give by love (Gen 12:3, Deut 8:18, Acts 20:35, Phil 4:15, Psalm 112, 2Cor 8:9, 9:8-11). The 2 go together. Our faith to receive works best when motivated by love (Gal 5:6).

Prayer is the foundation for a successful Christian life. Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer as a perfect pattern and model for prayer (Matthew 6:9-15, Luke 11:1-4), leading us through all the kinds of prayer (Eph 6:18). This message shows how you can use the Lord's Prayer to develop a strong prayer life.