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- Bible TranslationsQuick facts about Bible translationTranslations are not inspired.
- II Peter 1:21
”… translation is an inexact science. No translation is perfect …” - Dr. Mark Strauss, Bible translator
Translation is not simple.- Mark 1:1
- Idioms
- German: “Ich glaub, mein Hamster bohnert!”
- Word-for-word translation: “I think my hamster is polishing the floor!”
- Thought-for-thought translation: “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
- Figures of speech
- Numbers 12:9 - “So the nose of the LORD burned against them.”
Translation philosophies exist on a spectrum.- Spanish: “¿Como se llama?”
- Word-for-word: “How yourself call?”
- Thought-for-thought: “What’s your name?”
- Spanish: “¿Cuantos años tienes?”
- Word-for-word: “How many years do you have?”
- Thought-for-thought: “How old are you?”
- II Samuel 18:25
- II John 1:12
Quick facts about the Christian Standard Bible- History:
- 2004: Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) first published.
- 2009: HCSB revised
- 2017: Major revision with new name: CSB
- 2020: CSB revised
Their philosophy is to pursue “optimal equivalence.”They aim for “gender accuracy.”- Acts 17:34
- I Corinthians 1:10
- Galatians 4:7
They try to avoid denominational bias.- Translation team:
- 100 scholars
- Different continents
- Male and female
- 17 different types of churches
- Acts 2:4 - “languages” vs. “tongues”
- Romans 16:1 - diakonos: deacon or servant?
Why am I using the Christian Standard Bible in class?The unfamiliar wording will force us to dig deeper.- John 3:16 - “so” vs. “in this way”
- I John 2:2 - “propitiation” vs. “atoning sacrifice”
It will give us a chance to evaluate the CSB.- Amos 4:6 - “cleanness of teeth” vs. “absolutely nothing to eat”
- Psalms 147:10
- I Thessalonians 4:4
I’m trying to get us to compare translations, not switch translations.- Psalms 119:105
34 min - Acts 1:1-2:13Acts 1Acts 1:1-3 - Prologue
- Acts 1:3
- The first narrative Luke wrote was the book of Luke:
LukeActsThey are written to the same person: Theophilus“to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus” - Luke 1:3“I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus” - Acts 1:3Acts picks up where Luke left off (the ascension).“he left them and was carried up into heaven” - Luke 24:51“about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up” - Acts 1:2The apostles are in Jerusalem waiting for the “promise.”“I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city” (Luke 24:49)“he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise” (Acts 1:4)- Acts 1:3
- Since Luke no longer uses a title for Theophilus, some suggest that Theophilus had become a Christian. Christians in those days did not address each other using titles.
- Jesus ascended forty days after the resurrection. Then ten days later was Pentecost, when the apostles received power from the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).
Acts 1:4-8 - The Holy Spirit Promised- Acts 1:8 - See John 14:26; Matthew 3:11. This verse is a good summary of Acts.
- The promise of Holy Spirit baptism:
- The promise was to the “apostles” (not all Christians).
- They were to wait for it in “Jerusalem” (not Benchley).
- It would come “in a few days” (not 2,000 years later).
- They would be empowered to testify as “witnesses” of Jesus (we are not eyewitnesses today).
- The events in Acts were prophesied in Isaiah 2:3.
Acts 1:9-11 - The Ascension- Acts 1:11 - See I Thessalonians 4:16-17. Jesus will return the same way He left.
Acts 1:12-14 - United in Prayer- Acts 1:12 - This is a measure of distance, not time - 2,000 cubits or about 0.6 miles. This distance was not explicitly specified in scripture. It is something the Jews worked out for themselves based on a few Old Testament scriptures.
Acts 1:15-26 - Matthias Chosen- Acts 1:18 - The phrase “acquired a field” here is referring to how the chief priests used the money Judas returned to them.
Acts 2Acts 2:1-13 - Pentecost- The Old Covenant authorized three annual feasts (Exodus 23:14-17; 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16)
- Feast of Unleavened Bread (including Passover)
- Feast of the Harvest (Feast of Weeks, Feast of Firstfruits … called “Pentecost” in the New Testament)
- Feast of the Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles / Booths)
- Only apostles - miracles and tongues
- Acts 2:7 - “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?” (refers to apostles, who were “Men of Galilee” Acts 1:11)
- Acts 2:14 - ”Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice …”
- Acts 2:37 - ”… said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?‘”
- Acts 2:38, 40 - ”Peter replied … With many other words he testified”
- Acts 2:42 - “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching”
- Acts 2:43 - “many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles”
46 min - I Samuel 26-31The downfall of Saul
- I Samuel 9:1-2 - From a worldly standpoint, Saul was to be envied. He came from a wealthy family and was a handsome young man.
- I Samuel 10:6-9 - Samuel prophesied that Saul would have the Spirit of the Lord upon him and he would become another man. Saul evidently started acting differently once the spirit of the Lord came upon him.
- I Samuel 10:24 - They wanted a king and they got what they wanted!
- I Samuel 13:8-14 - This was the beginning of Saul’s downfall.
- I Samuel 31:4-7 - Saul fell on his own sword, dying on the same day as his three sons. But his downfall started when he first disobeyed God.
- If we are not careful, we can make the same mistake as Saul by going our own way rather than obeying God.
The witch of Endor (I Samuel 28)- Sorcery and contacting the dead is condemned in the strongest language in the Bible. Be careful of this. It is still an issue today.
42 min - Sensible, Righteous, and GodlyIntroduction
- Titus 2:11-14
- God makes it simple: one thing or the other.
Sin always comes with poison.- Titus 3:3 - There is something pleasurable about sin.
- Hebrews 11:25
- Proverbs 5:3-5 - Adultery is only a temporary pleasure.
- Proverbs 20:17
- Ecclesiastes 2:1
- Ephesians 2:10
- Ephesians 3:14-19 - This is the life God wants for us!
- Ephesians 4:22
Temptations have always been around and always will be.- James 4:4 - friendship with the world vs. God
- I John 2:15-17
- Ecclesiastes 1:9
- I Timothy 2:9
- Think about hte effect you are having on others.
- I Timothy 4:12
- You are already valuable as a child of God. You don’t have to seek value by dressing immodestly.
- Luke 17:1
There is tremendous joy in living God’s way!- Galatians 5:22
- What do we gain from doing things God’s way?
- A strong, secure family - Titus 2:3-4
- A blissful marriage - I Corinthians 7:3-4
- A solid reputation
- I Peter 3:3 - There’s not some better life out there!
The life God has mapped out for us is a good life. And the retirement plan is out of this world!
- Titus 2:12
28 min - The New Testament Church, Part 12Making Benchley strong
- Revelation 3:1 - It is possible to be a dead church.
Use the Bible as our guide.- Acts 11:19-30 - All three of Paul’s preaching journeys started in Antioch.
- Antioch was a brand new church with both Jews and Gentiles and they were doing well.
- Acts 11:20 - “Hellenists” here is likely referring to Greek-speaking non-Jews (Gentiles).
- We must fall back to our common ground—the word of God.
- Acts 11:26; 13:1; 15:35 - Lots of teaching was happening at Antioch!
Be devoted to Jesus above all else.- Acts 11:20-21 - “a great number who believed turned to the Lord”
- There is one Savior and we must be converted to Him.
Live the life.- Acts 11:27-30
- Are you using your time and money to live for Christ?
- I John 2:3-6; 1:6 - It is not enough to know the scripture - you must act.
- I John 3:7-8 - The one who practices righteousness is righteous.
Rejoice about spiritual things.- Acts 8:3-4, 39 - The eunuch rejoiced about his baptism.
- Acts 11:23; 13:48; 16:34 - More rejoicing!
- When’s the last time you rejoiced about something spiritual?
45 min - Humbly Walking With God, Part 2Introduction
- Micah 6:8
Matthew 23:1-12- Focus on self:
- Love for:
- Attention and praise from men
- Being honored by men
- Elevated and admired by men
- Focus on Christ
- Look to, focus on God and Christ
- Practice God’s law: not to draw praise for self
- Give attention and praise to God
- Humble themselves
- Be servants
I Corinthians 1:10-2:9; 3:1-9- Focus on self:
- Divide into groups aligned with human teachers
- Give undue status and authority to men
- Worldly, physical focus
- Impressed by:
- Clever arguments
- Debate tactics
- Men’s philosophies, wisdom,
- Charisma
- Mighty people: wealth, renown, confidence
- Eloquent speech, appealing voice
- Physical attractiveness
- Focus on Christ
- Focus on Christ and God’s message
- Preach the gospel of Christ
- Christ crucified = wisdom of God
- Spiritual focus
- Confidence, power, boast in God
- View themselves as servants
- Working with God
- Give credit and glory to God
II Corinthians 1:12-14, 24- Focus on Christ:
- Not a “lord” over others
- Not a person with special distinction
- Working together with other disciples
John 3:22-31- Focus on self:
- Concerned about people following ME
- Building MY following
- Pointing people to ME
- Focus on Christ
- Concerned about people following Christ
- Building Christ’s following
- Completely point people to Christ
- Humbly doing my part in God’s work
When we focus on ourselves- Love for:
- Attention and praise from men
- Being honored by men
- Elevated and admired by men
- Concerned about people following ME
- Building MY following
- Pointing people to ME.
- Divide into groups aligned with human teachers
- Give undue status and authority to men
- Worldly, physical focus
- Impressed by:
- Clever arguments
- Debate tactics
- Men’s philosophies, wisdom,
- Charisma
- Mighty people: wealth, renown, confidence
- Eloquent speech, appealing voice
- Physical attractiveness
When we focus on Christ- Look to, focus on God and Christ
- Practice God’s law: not to draw praise for self
- Give attention and praise to God
- Humble themselves
- Be selfless servants
- Not a lord over others
- Not a person with special distinction
- Working together with other disciples
- Focus on Christ and God’s message
- Spiritual focus
- Preach the gospel of Christ
- Christ crucified = wisdom of God
- Confidence, power, boast is in God
- View themselves as servants
- Working with God
- Give credit and glory to God
- Concerned about people following Christ
- Building Christ’s following
- Completely point people to Christ
- Humbly doing my part in God’s work
Applications- Convert people to Christ. Be careful of converting people to my church.
31 min - I Samuel 25I Samuel 25
- I Samuel 25:1 - Samuel died. Israel assembled to mourn him. Samuel gave his own obituary in a way in I Samuel 12:1-5. How great it would be to be able to say these things about myself at the end of my life!
- I Samuel 25:3 - Nabal’s name meant “fool.”
- I Samuel 25:24 - Abigail showed tremendous wisdom and humility in intercepting David.
- I Samuel 25:26 - Abigail said that God restrained David’s hand. David agreed in I Samuel 25:34.
- I Samuel 25:28 - This was possibly a prophecy of what would come from David’s lineage.
- I Samuel 25:32 - David counted meeting Abigail as God’s providence. God helped arrange this turn of events. Don’t overlook the small events that God may be orchestrating in your life!
40 min - Show Yourself To Be An ExampleIntroduction
- Titus 2:7-8
Check your motive- Matthew 22:37 - Being an example should not be our primary goal.
- Matthew 6:1-5, 15 - Be careful of crossing the line and being a showoff.
- Matthew 23:1-5 - The scribes and Pharisees had the wrong motives. See Deuteronomy 6:8. That was figurative language, but were making it literal with their tassels and phylacteries.
- Deuteronomy 11:18
- Numbers 15:39
Think: “What effect will this have on others?”- Matthew 22:39
- We all know we are not perfect, but we should be operating out of humility.
- I Thessalonians 1:6-8; 2:5-12 - Sometimes we might need to let something go that would normally be our right just to avoid having a bad effect on others.
- II Thessalonians 3:7-12
- Colossians 3:23
- Start out by serving others, but then go above and beyond!
Be like the moon. Reflect the Greater Light.- Genesis 1:16-19
- Psalms 19:1 - The moon is part of that glory. It is doing its job.
- I Corinthians 11:1
- Matthew 5:14-16
28 min - The New Testament Church, Part 11Local churches are authorized to provide for needy Christians (continued)Considering objections
- James 1:27 - “Can’t the church practice pure and undefiled religion?”
- Yes, but that’s not what James 1:27 is talking about.
- Can an individual practice pure and undefiled religion? Yes, and it is described in James 1:27.
- Compare I Timothy 5:16. “Jesus tells us what should be done. Paul tells us who should do it.”
- Galatians 6:10 - “The church should ‘do good to all people,’ not just Christians.”
- Is this talking about a church giving money to people, especially to Christians?
- No. This passage is about individual Christians helping others overcome sin, not using the church treasury to give money to people.
- A letter written to a church does not mean that everything in that letter pertains to church action (I Corinthians 7).
- A letter written to an individual does not mean that everything in that letter pertains to individual action (I Timothy 3).
- II Corinthians 9:13 - “Paul said the money went to ‘them’ (needy saints) and to ‘all’ (non-saints).”
- Context:
- Proof of their love (II Corinthians 8:24)
- Thanksgivings to God (II Corinthians 9:11-12)
- Glorification of God for your obedience (II Corinthians 9:13)
- Yearning for you (II Corinthians 9:14)
- This money was sending a message!
- Harmony
- I Corinthians 16:1 - “for the saints”
- II Corinthians 8:4 - “support of the saints”
- II Corinthians 9:1 - “ministry to the saints”
- II Corinthians 9:12 - “needs of the saints”
- Romans 15:25 - “serving the saints”
- Romans 15:26 - “poor among the saints in Jerusalem”
- Romans 15:31 - “to the saints”
- Consider the relationship between Jews and Gentiles.
- Acts 10:28, 34-35; 11:1-3; Galatians 2:11-13
- Gentile brethren ➡️ Jewish brethren
- There was something much bigger going on here than just the money paying the bills for needy saints. The relationship was affected! It was an act of good will, sincerity, love, and fellowship between Gentiles and Jews.
- My conclusion: I believe Paul is referring to the money and the message it sent about the relationship between Gentile saints and Jewish saints.
- “Because of the proof given by this ministry, [the proof of love from Gentiles] they [Jewish brethren] will glorify God for your [Gentiles’] obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution [the money and the message it sent] to them [needy Jewish saints] and to all [Jewish saints].”
44 min - FearIntroduction
- What causes us to feel fear? It could be any number of things.
Terror vs. reverence- Exodus 20:18-21 - God showed His power on Mt. Sinai.
- Israel was full of ear and doubt. Although God showed His power many times, they failed to fully understand His power.
- Hebrews 3:15-19 - Israel knew God but refused His commandments. Instead, they feared the inhabitants of the land.
- Hebrews 11:6
- Can we relate to Adam and Eve? To know God but refuse His commandments?
- Matthew 7:13, 21-23
- Romans 5:6-11
- Without Jesus, there will be terror on the day of judgment.
- Philippians 2:12
- Hebrews 4:1-2
- I John 4:17-18
- We should have reverant fear of God.
23 min
About ScriptureStream
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Just the gospel, plainly spoken. ScriptureStream compiles lessons presented at the Benchley church of Christ, located just north of Bryan, TX. Visit ScriptureStream.com for full notes on each lesson…
and additional resources for Bible study.