The
string of pearls is a concept... that purports to bring forth a
teaching. It is made up of a series of concepts, principles, ideas,
which are strung together to bring forth a proposal, an action or
series of actions, and finally a conclusion and a challenge.
This has also
been called a 3-point sermon. Concepts strung together in a cohesive
fashion. After each main principles, a refrain comes, a quick review, like a song is brought
forth as a reminder of what we are talking about, what we are trying
to present, and it is like a song, reminding us all of the subject at
hand.
Recently the primary pearl has
been the exposition of
the miracle of Deliverance and conversion depicted in the book of
Exodus. And the enlightenment that is presented by many names,
like born again, blessed assurance, the
epinosis, and the Christian conversion. Christians who are
introduced to the gospel are confirmed in it by a personal revelation
also called a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How does it
happen? Please keep listening...
So in
our first pearl we use the miracle of the Passover of the Israelites
and the miraculous deliverance in Exodus from the old slavery of sin in
Egypt into the perilous journey analogous to the walk with Jesus Christ
to
the better place of freedom from the torment of all that the devil
has placed us in.
And
now to that everyday person who is perplexed by the
vicissitudes of life itself this generates a desire to go on, just as
the miracles in Exodus did to the Israelites. Now this, plus the
universal question people have to know "WHO IS GOD AND WHAT IS HIS
PURPOSE?" We have, in effect "an exit" out of Egypt, and now we
are prepared to learn and to search the trail that lies before us.
By taking our first pearl of the
account of Exodus in the scripture Exodus 13:17 where it becomes a
basic origin of start for our journey after the deliverance. It is
after the Passover. It is when the Egyptians actually let the people
go or thrust them out, with great riches borrowed from the Egyptians.
The parallel here is that when we come out of our bondage personally
we have gold, riches of the experience of how much darkness and pain
and confusion etc., that we experienced as usually voiced and
expressed in a testimony.
All of what the Jews found in the
Old testament was an experience that Paul tells us was our
schoolmaster, our gold treasure chest of experience by which we can
draw many conclusions about God that clearly now is fulfilled in the
Lord Jesus Christ. This pearl of wisdom is expressed in the scripture
in Matthew 5:17 which says I come not to destroy the law and the
prophets but to fulfill.
So that in the Old testament which
is our school master it's content is a series of lessons that are
proven to be examples types and shadows which clearly present the
status of God's New testament. The New testament bringing forth the
promise to the Jews in Jeremiah 31:31 which says in that day I will
no longer write my commandment in stone but upon the hearts of my
people.
And you might ask which people? All that God deals
with in the New testament is the fulfillment of concepts principles,
and ideas that are put forth in the law and the prophets of the Old
testament and Psalms. These are major points that we can jump off of
to fully express a concept One more pearl in the string that brings
forth a fulfilled concept.
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