ALL of MATTHEW -J.Vernon Mcgee l Thru the Bible Class

“The weekday Thru the Bible program takes the listener through the entire Bible in just five years, threading back and forth between the Old and New Testaments. It  starts over again with Genesis after the conclusion of Revelation. So one can “get aboard the Bible bus” at any time. If you stay with it for five years you won’t miss any part of the Bible.”

“There is no substitute for a study of the Word of God to make one a full-grown saint of God, well oriented for the great adventure of life. This is a proven method of encouraging people to study the Bible systematically. All great spiritual movements among the people of God have come about through a revival of Bible study. It will make you an intelligent Christian (1 Peter 3:15). It will make you an instructed Christian (2 Timothy 3:16,17). It will make you an informed Christian (John 7:17). “

Recently, I rediscovered the broadcast on a new radio station here in Nashville.

Dr. McGee is genuine old school. He makes it real and tells it like it is.  His perspective explains the big picture, connecting the themes of scripture and the ways of God. His insights and wisdom are still relevant today.

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"How Should We Then Live?" l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

How Should We Then Live? 

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness…? —2 Peter 3:11

In light of the fact that the material universe will one day pass away completely, how should I then live?

 Only a fool would put all of their time, value, and energy into things that are purely material, things destined to burn. 

Paul wrote, "We don't look at the things which we can see because those are temporal, but we look at the things which we cannot see because they are eternal." 

If I count my wealth and my treasure by my material possessions, when all of these things are destroyed, I will have absolutely nothing. So what manner of persons ought we to be?

 In verse 14, Peter says, "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless." 

We're to live a life devoted to the things of the Spirit. We are to be diligent in our walk with the Lord, living in harmony and peace with the will of God, living without spot, and blameless. 

If the Lord should come today, would you be ready to meet Him? 

Amos cried out, "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" (Amos 4:12). Take stock of your life. Are you at peace with God, living in harmony with Him, busy about the work of the kingdom? 

Have you resolved the issues in your life? 

If you can't answer yes to these questions, start today. 

Ready your heart.

 Father, we thank You for the hope of the kingdom of God. We pray that when You come, You will find us as faithful servants, doing Your will. 

In Jesus' name, amen.

"The Good Life" l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

The Good Life 

He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. —1 Peter 3:10-11 

According to Peter, if you want the good life, here are the rules: 

Rule number one: keep your tongue from evil. 

Gossip is pure evil. There is nothing loving or productive about gossip. It brings only harm. 

Rule number two: keep your lips from speaking guile.

 In other words, don't be deceitful in your speech. Deceitful speech twists or omits the truth. It is speech which exploits terminology. Those who are deceitful in their speech soon lose credibility and trust.

Obey God and He will shower you with joy, happiness, peace, and prosperity. 

Rule number three: flee that which is evil. 

Not only must we avoid evil, we need to seek that which is good. 

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "Put off…the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts…put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22, 24). 

Paul then gave specific examples. They weren't just to stop lying, they were to start telling the truth. They weren't just to stop stealing, they were to get jobs so they could help those in need. 

They weren't just to stop slandering, they were to edify one another with their words. Avoiding evil means choosing what is good. And what is the result of following these rules? 

Only blessing. 

Father, we thank You for loving us so much that You desire to bless us. Help us to obey the rules You have established for good living. 

In Jesus' name, amen.

"More Precious Than Gold " l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

From Darkness to Light 

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light… —1 Peter 2:9 

God intended that Israel would be an example to the world of the blessings He would bestow upon those who made Him their God. He chose Israel to be His light to the world. But the Jews forsook God's ways and followed after other gods. 

They did not bring the light of God to the world but rather, gloried in the fact that God had chosen them. The blessings God offered Israel have now been offered to you, the church. 

We are His royal priesthood, and just as the priest's job was to bring the people to God and God to the people, our job is to represent God to the world. 

We are to let our light shine so that all those living in darkness will find their way to Him. God has called us out of darkness and into the light, so we are to declare His praises to those watching our lives and wondering about our strength, our hope, our joy. Jesus declared Himself to be "the light of the world" (John 8:12). 

And He has made us to be "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). 

We are to be His ambassadors and His witnesses. What a blessing it is to belong to the Father of lights! And what a privilege it is to testify of His goodness to a world so desperate for love and forgiveness. 

Father, may we indeed let our light so shine that when men see the good works You produce in us, they will glorify You. Amen.

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"More Precious Than Gold " l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

More Precious Than Gold 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ… —1 Peter 1:6-7 

When we are going through trials, God does not deny us our natural emotions. For a season, we grieve. For a short time, we experience the heaviness of our disappointment, our sorrow. 

But when that season of mourning is over, we do something odd in the eyes of the world: we rejoice. We can do so only because we have the glorious promises of God. Even though we feel burdened, even though we have suffered loss or experienced pain, our souls are able to rejoice.

God will continue to remove the imperfections within us until He can look at us and see His reflection. Peter wrote that the genuineness of your faith is much more precious than gold. Gold is known as one of the precious metals, but it is going to perish eventually. And just as the goldsmith heats the gold until all the dross is burned away and it becomes so pure he can see his reflection, so too, God lights a fire under our faith. 

He allows trials to break the dross in our life and cause it to come to the surface. That is the point at which we will be purified. Remember: trials mature our faith. May we not resist the purifying work of God, but rejoice. Father, thank You for the testing of our faith, and for the fiery trials which You bring to mature and purify us. In Jesus' name, amen.

"Looking for His Coming" l Utah VidDevo l VidDevoChurch

Looking for His Coming

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. —James 5:7 

Jesus is coming again—not as a babe in a manger, but as the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. 

He is coming to reign in righteousness over the earth. And He's coming quickly. 

Three times in the last chapter of the Bible, Jesus used the word "quickly" to describe His coming. "Quickly." 

That is what He said. But 2,000 years have passed and He hasn't yet come. For that reason, people often scoff at talk of His return. Peter wrote about those scoffers in chapter 3 of his second book, and then explained, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:8-9). 

The Lord has a good reason for delaying His return. 

James tell us that God is waiting for the perfect fruit of harvest and has long patience towards it.

 I was hoping that the Lord would come back in 1978, but I am very glad He didn't. Just think where some of you would be today if He had. 

He is waiting for more. I imagine that He is as anxious to take us home as we are to go, but He is giving others an opportunity to become a part of His family. 

Wait patiently and establish your heart, because the Lord is coming quickly.

Father, thank You for the glorious hope of the coming again of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, please give us patience as we wait. In Jesus' name, amen.