Part 68 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson shows the book of Acts is a vital part of our Bibles. Having looked at the original intention in the writing of Acts, David now shows how it can be applied to our lives. The early church wasn’t perfect, but had life and power of the Holy Spirit. The growth of the early church is the most astonishing phenomenon and we need to learn from it. David gives wise advice and says that Paul’s conversion and some other experienc...
Jan 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 68
Part 67 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In looking at the book of Acts, David Pawson says that most of the Bible was written for human reasons but was ‘edited’ for divine reasons. In this first talk, he looks at the human side. The author, Dr. Luke is the only Gentile writer of scripture. Medics were trained to be observant, careful and analytical and this comes out in how Luke wrote his gospel and Acts. In Acts he recorded how the good news of the Gospel went from Jerus...
Jan 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 67
Part 66 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In this 2nd talk on John’s gospel, David Pawson shows that he was correcting misunderstandings which had developed after Jesus’ death. He had to correct ancient Greek thinking. They divided the sacred from the secular so had difficulty in seeing that Jesus was both God and man at the same time. So John emphasizes Jesus’ full humanity and his prayer life as well as his full divinity. John introduces 7 witnesses to Jesus’ divinity, 7...
Jan 17, 2022•39 min•Ep. 66
Part 65 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson, in looking at the gospel of John, speaks about the variety and yet the unity of scripture which had 40 human authors and one divine Editor. The authors retained their personalities. The book of John has a difference from the other 3 gospels. David says it’s as though John is looking at the ‘inside’ of Jesus – what was he like, what was his real Person. Of the 12 disciples, John was the closest to Jesus. He omits much ...
Jan 17, 2022•37 min•Ep. 65
Part 64 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that while Luke’s gospel is the best loved because of some of its stories, it is the least well known. He is the only Gentile writer in the Bible and was a doctor. Because of his medical background he provides unique details. David compares Luke’s parables. He wrote for one man, Theophilus, possibly to gain freedom for the Apostle Paul who was at that time released and able to continue his missionary journey. Whil...
Dec 21, 2021•40 min•Ep. 64
Part 63 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that the gospels are essentially news bulletins, better read aloud. Mark was the first gospel written and he is primarily telling us what Jesus did. The 4 gospels together give us a 4-dimensional portrait of Jesus because they had different readers in mind. Mark and Luke wrote for unbelievers. Though Mark was never a leader in the early church he was an assistant and/or interpreter to no fewer than 4 men at variou...
Dec 21, 2021•46 min•Ep. 63
Part 62 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Two of the 4 gospels were written for sinners (Mark & Luke) and two for Christians. Matthew is a manual of discipleship, the best book of the New Testament to take a new convert through. “You disciple someone by teaching them how to live in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.” The expectations of Jew and Christian regarding the Messiah and the Kingdom differ. We are living in the overlap of the “present evil age” and the establishm...
Dec 21, 2021•40 min•Ep. 62
Part 61 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David begins by speaking about how God meant us to read the Bible. He says that somebody has damaged our Bibles by adding chapter and verse numbers and we have become ‘text people’. The gospels are not strictly biographies as more than one-third of the text describes the death of Jesus. David says that they are more like extended news bulletins. The writers had witnessed events and they reported on them. Why are there 4 gospels? Da...
Dec 21, 2021•36 min•Ep. 61
Part 60 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In studying Malachi, David Pawson points out 3 aspects of God we need to understand: He is the Creator from whom we come, the King under whom we live & the Judge to whom we go. David says the loving Father side in the New Testament supplements this, but doesn’t substitute for this. Malachi challenges the priests. Faulty sacrifices were being made; sermons were given for popularity rather than the truths of God; they were man-pl...
Nov 17, 2021•28 min•Ep. 60
Part 59 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson begins the study on Malachi by discussing Replacement Theology which sees blessings promised to Israel (but not the curses) as now transferred to the Church. David says, ‘this seems to me a bad case of prejudice’. Malachi was a prophet to the returned exiles in Israel. Rebuilding had taken place, but times were hard. The people were blaming God and, though they didn’t return to idolatry, were becoming complacent, their...
Nov 17, 2021•29 min•Ep. 59
Part 58 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Continuing his study on Zechariah, David Pawson looks at the question brought to the priest/prophet by the people regarding fasting and feasting which were part of their religion. They were wondering how long they needed to go on fasting to please God. Zechariah quoted the enlightening words of Isaiah which show that food fasting is not the principal kind that God requires, but rather ‘fasting’ from mistreating others, and to be ge...
Nov 17, 2021•44 min•Ep. 58
Part 57 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that Zechariah overlapped Haggai by one month, and had some similar prophecies but it is not an easy book to understand. It has apocalyptic prophecies. David explains that describing something in the distant future requires pictures and symbols such as Revelation, Ezekiel and Daniel have. How would you describe television to somebody who lived a thousand years ago? Whereas Haggai dealt with the current problems, m...
Nov 17, 2021•44 min•Ep. 57
Part 56 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series While some prophets had a lifetime of prophesying, David Pawson says that Haggai spoke for only 3 months. He came after the exile, so his job was to encourage Jews who had returned. Not all Jews returned to Israel as they had become established in Babylon. The returnees had problems because the land had not been cultivated for 70 years, the walls had been torn down, there was opposition from the Samaritans and financial support was...
Oct 18, 2021•33 min•Ep. 56
Part 55 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that Zephaniah was a descendant of the last good king, but now, after evil kings, there was a boy king on the throne, Josiah. What kind of king would he become? The whole nation was in chaos, having had bad examples on the throne, and God sent Zephaniah as his prophet. His job was to try to pull the nation of Judah back to God before He would have to exile them as He had the northern 10 tribes already. Zephaniah w...
Oct 18, 2021•40 min•Ep. 55
Part 54 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson looks at Habakkuk and finds that the prophet sometimes argued with God because his view of Him wasn’t quite accurate. But he clung to God until he got his answer. At first, he is disturbed by what is happening and calls on God for justice. When God gives his answer, he is further disturbed because He isn’t going to do what Habakkuk expects. David reminds us that we often come to God and want him to fit in with what we ...
Oct 18, 2021•36 min•Ep. 54
Part 53 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In looking at the book of the prophet Nahum, David Pawson says that time had run out for Assyria. Jonah had preached a warning from God 150 years earlier with great success. But now it was time for judgment. David warns that today people think that God will never be angry, because he is slow to anger, offering mercy first. Judgment on Assyria was good news for the Jews who were living under Assyrian occupancy. Chapter 1 of Nahum gi...
Sep 21, 2021•35 min•Ep. 53
Part 52 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” This is a beautiful verse from Micah. In this study of Micah, David Pawson points out that the Bible is unique in that it is a book of history and geography, not just words and thoughts. God unfolded his revelation at particular times and places, and it is helpful to understand why. As a...
Sep 21, 2021•38 min•Ep. 52
Part 51 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series As David Pawson looks at Jonah, he says that God would give a message to a prophet in either words or pictures and it would become like a burden within them until delivered. The message could be of challenge when people were doing wrong, or of comfort when they were on the right track. Sadly, most of the prophets, like Jonah, had to challenge. Jonah came from the same village as Jesus, Nazareth. He was called to go to Assyria’s cap...
Sep 21, 2021•39 min•Ep. 51
Part 50 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson looks at what God was doing in the 8th Century B.C., in particular with prophets Amos and Hosea. God’s great plan was to win the world back to himself through his people, the Jews. But his people did not have the same plan. He had made a covenant with them and planted them in the crossroads of the world, promising to bless them as they were obedient to him. The choice was theirs and to disobey would bring curse instead...
Sep 21, 2021•39 min•Ep. 50
Part 49 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that Joel agreed with Obadiah that the Day of the Lord would settle accounts, but Joel warned Israel that they would be included. This was a shock to Israel as they had felt safe from God’s judgment. Joel said that a terrible plague of locusts which had left them with famine had been a warning from the Lord. God had visited their enemies with disasters; now they had brought this disaster upon themselves. David say...
Aug 15, 2021•42 min•Ep. 49
Part 48 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that, though some of the Minor Prophets occupy just one page in our Bibles, they are very important. “Minor” refers to the size of the book rather than their message. These written prophets seem to all relate to the exile of the people of Israel, either warning of its coming – before the event, (Obadiah then Joel were the first 2 in this category); seeking to comfort them once it happened, or encouraging them to g...
Aug 15, 2021•39 min•Ep. 48
Part 47 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Hosea was the prophet who gave God’s final appeal to the Jews to repent of their unfaithfulness to him. God’s relationship with Israel was one of covenant love so loyalty was a key part. God was looking for glad, eager obedience that wanted to live the way he wanted her to live. Hosea had to experience what God was suffering by marrying a woman who would be unfaithful. But, like God, he was to remain true to her. The sins of Israel...
Aug 15, 2021•34 min•Ep. 47
Part 46 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson unravels the second half of the book of Daniel as it is very difficult to understand. This section is primarily for God’s people, having been mostly written in Hebrew. This moves on from Daniel’s life in the present to extremely detailed predictions of the future, some far removed from his time. Chapters 7-12 are not continuous or consecutive, but are separate visions of the future. They vary in duration and some overl...
Aug 15, 2021•40 min•Ep. 46
Part 45 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series Much of Daniel is well known but David Pawson explains the more difficult passages. Because the Bible is a divine book penned by human beings, the supernatural is involved. Amazingly, though the book spans 75 years of Daniel’s life, it covers 2400 years of history – including events of the distant future. Those who discount miracles can’t believe that Daniel accurately predicted events which took place centuries afterward. Approxim...
Aug 15, 2021•36 min•Ep. 45
Part 44 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series In this 3rd talk in the series on Ezekiel, David Pawson deals with the later messages the prophet had for his people in exile in Babylon. God assures them their enemies will be punished. David tells how amazingly some of Ezekiel’s prophecies came true. God says that when his predictions come true, “then they will know that I am the Lord.” After having to tell them earlier that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, now he is able to ...
Jul 12, 2021•39 min•Ep. 44
Part 43 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson begins this talk with the call of Ezekiel. He could not fulfil his priestly role because he was in exile from Israel in Babylon. Now the synagogue replaced the temple. His career as a prophet of God began with a vision which was quite strange, but David gives us an explanation. The 4 creatures of the vision represent all of God’s creation. Above them is the Creator on his throne. The wheels supporting his throne illust...
Jul 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 43
Part 42 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson takes time to explain the background to Ezekiel as he says it is probably the most neglected part of the Old Testament and also difficult. Its messages were given over 20 years. Ezekiel reveals a severity in God’s character which is not usually emphasized. Paul in the New Testament referred to the “goodness and severity” of God as well. Because preachers usually concentrate on the goodness of God, listeners tend to hav...
Jul 12, 2021•35 min•Ep. 42
Part 41 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that Lamentations was written by Jeremiah in tears over the state of his people. As a matter of fact, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament it is called “Tears”. David says that if you picture the desolation of Hiroshima during the second World War, that is what Jerusalem looked like to Jeremiah. He had composed a lament for the whole nation to sing when King Josiah was killed in battle as he was a poet an...
Jun 20, 2021•38 min•Ep. 41
Part 40 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that when Jeremiah looks further into the future, he has a lovely optimism about the ultimate restoration of his people. David looks at the structure of the book. Though the book is a collection of his messages and not in chronological order, there is a pattern. God says the way to peace for Israel is not by making alliances with other nations; they simply need to trust God to look after them as he does when they ...
Jun 20, 2021•38 min•Ep. 40
Part 39 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson shows that there is sunshine in Jeremiah as well as cloud. David identifies with the author and he shows why this book should be read and studied. We are helped to understand Jeremiah the man because he reveals his heart and his own struggles. David looks at the situation the prophet addressed, he examines the man himself (for instance, he was a lover of nature), looking at his background; and also his method of commun...
Jun 20, 2021•38 min•Ep. 39
