ScriptureStream

Ephesians 4:17-24 – “lay aside the old self … put on the new self”

Being a Christian means more than going to church on Sundays! It is a total transformation to serving God.

I Peter 1:15-16 – Be holy!

We must lay aside bad habits and start good ones.

Romans 6:3-13 – “walk in newness of life … our old self was crucified with Him”

Colossians 3:1-11 – “laid aside the old self … put on the new self”

We must put aside our old ways. We can’t make excuses and say, “This is just who I am.”

We must continually change for the better.

Galatians 2:11-14 – This is a good example of the change Jesus demands in our lives.

Malachi 1:1-5 – God declares His love for Israel.

Malachi 1:6-10 – The people offered unacceptable sacrifices. They people questioned the charge, but God listed their offenses in Malachi 1:7-8. They had worshiped according to their own desires.

Malachi 1:11-14 – Israel had profaned God’s name (Malachi 1:12), but it would be great among the Gentiles (Malachi 1:14). This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ.

Malachi 2:1-4 – Priests would not repent, and they were hopelessly cursed by God. See Exodus 29:14

Malachi 2:5-9 – The priesthood as God ordained it is compared to the actual state of the priesthood at that time. They had turned out of the way and caused people to stumble (Malachi 2:8).

Malachi 2:10-17 – The people had not respected God’s marriage law.

Matthew 19 – God’s marriage law. God hates divorce!

Galatians 5:24-25

Malachi 3:1-7 – God’s messenger (John the Baptist) would come before Christ.

Malachi 3:8-15 – They had robbed God with their tithes.

Malachi 3:16-18 – God’s book of remembrance (looking forward to Christ). Compare Nehemiah 5:19.

Malachi 4:1-6 – The ultimate destruction of the wicked and triumph of the righteous.

Do I shut off the kingdom of heaven from people?

Matthew 23:13

John 7:45-53 – Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but honestly sought truth.

The Pharisees assumed they were right and others were wrong without honestly seeking truth.

Am I selfish?

Matthew 23:14

Do I look like a Christian, but avoid the work a Christian should be doing?

Do I bind tradition instead of truth?

Matthew 23:15

The Pharisees converted people to their own traditions – not to God’s law.

II Corinthians 4:5

Acts 8:35; 17:2; 18:28

There is no such thing as “church of Christ doctrine.” There is Christ’s doctrine and that’s all!

Am I dishonest?

Do I neglect what’s important?

Matthew 23:23

Details are important, but don’t forget the big things!

Do I pretend to be what I’m not?

Matthew 23:25-28

Titus 1:15-16

James 2:15-17; I John 2:4

Do I think I would have been a better child of God in some other time or place?

Matthew 23:29-36

Amos 7:14-15

We can’t make excuses. We have to serve God the best we can in our present circumstances.

Themes and take-aways from 1 and 2 Thessalonians:

Compliments / indications they’re doing well

I Thessalonians 1:2-3, 9; 2:19-20; 4:1, 9-10

II Thessalonians 1:3-4; 3:4

End of the world

I Thessalonians 4:15-17

II Thessalonians 1:8

Acts 24:24

We need to know about the end of the world and teach our children about it!

Example / imitate / model

I Thessalonians 1:5-7; II Thessalonians 3:7-9

Follow good examples and be good examples!

Non-Christians (others / outsiders, contrast to converts in Thessalonica)

You are not like this anymore!

I Thessalonians 2:14-16

II Thessalonians 1:8

I Thessalonians 4:4-5, 13

Word / instruction / gospel

I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13; 4:2; 5:19-20, 27

II Thessalonians 2:15; 3:14

God’s word is the instruction in your life.

Prayer

I Thessalonians 1:2; 5:25 – Prayer beings and ends the letter.

I Thessalonians 5:17; 3:9-10

II Thessalonians 1:3, 11; 3:1

Persecution

Help! We’re in a crisis of Bible illiteracy!

We just don’t know what the Bible says.

Hosea 4:1-2, 6; 8:12-14 – Hosea was one of the prophets who pointed out that problem.

Survey after survey indicates that our knowledge of the Bible is going down.

Albert Mohler – The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem

Ephesians 3:4-5

Therefore, we need to read it!

II Timothy 3:14-17; II Timothy 1:5

I Timothy 4:13 – All churches need to preach and teach it!

The Bible is NOT being taught in many pulpits.

Malachi 2:4-7

Matthew 23:13-15

We also need to make the effort to understand it!

II Timothy 2:15

II Peter 3:15-16

A.J. Jacobs – The Year of Living Biblically

Psalms 119:105

Zechariah 8:1-14:21

Zechariah was mentioned in Ezra 5:1; 6:14 and possibly also Matthew 23:35.

Zechariah 8:1-15 – God would again bless them.

Zechariah 8:16-17 – God’s blessings would be conditional. Their fast days would become feasts of joy.

Zechariah 9:1-17 – God pronounces judgment on the Gentile nations, but a remnant of even these would return to God – clearly a Messianic prophecy.

Zechariah 10:2 – Idols are false and can never give blessings.

Zechariah 11 – Allegory of the good and foolish shepherds.

Zechariah 11:7 – The good shepherd made two staffs: Favor and Union.

Zechariah 11:11 – The staff (covenant) was broken.

Zechariah 11:13 – Prophecy of Judas Iscariot and his betrayal.

Zechariah 11:14 – Union was broken, signifying the breaking of the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Zechariah 11:15-17 – The foolish shepherd would not care for the flock. Hebrews 13:17

Zechariah 12 – Jerusalem defeats the nations because God fights for her.

Zechariah 13-14 – The Messiah: the kingship and church.

Zechariah 13:1 – Fountain = Christ’s blood.

Zechariah 13:2-3 – There would be no more prophets.

Zechariah 13:7 – The shepherd would be smitten. Matthew 26:31

Zechariah 14:3 – God is with us in our battles.

Zechariah 14:8 – This might be implying that Jesus’ blood cleanses those in the Old and New Covenants.

Zechariah 14:17-18 – All people must come to the new Jerusalem (the church) to serve God.

Lessons for us:

God’s people must walk in His name to be His people.

Jesus’ blood is for all in all time.

Woe to foolish shepherds.

Jesus is now king.

Prophets and unclean spirits are gone.

All preaching must have a “thus sayeth the Lord.”

All must come to new Jerusalem (the church).

Good shepherds care for God’s flock.

God won’t bless those who don’t serve Him.

II Thessalonians 2:13-3:18

II Thessalonians 2:1-12 – Review. See Romans 1:24, 26, 28. God does not miraculously intervene to keep us from sinning. What then should we do? See II Thessalonians 2:15. Hold fast to what we’ve been taught!

II Thessalonians 2:13-17

Calvinists would say that v13 shows that God made the choice and they were sanctified miraculously by the Spirit. See Acts 10:34-35. God decided on the criteria for salvation, not on individual people that would be saved.

The “sanctification by the Spirit” may not necessarily be miraculous. Compare Revelation 1:11; 2:7. The terms “Spirit” or “Holy Spirit” were often interchanged with the inspired words or messengers God used. Compare II Thessalonians 2:14-15; I Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 17:1-4. God doesn’t make people Christians – He gives them free will and they choose to respond to the truth God set before them.

II Thessalonians 3:1-5 – Prayers were requested for the spread of the gospel and rescue from perverse and evil men. See Philippians 1:22. Do we pray for God’s word to spread?

II Thessalonians 3:6 – See I Corinthians 5:9-13. Christians cannot associate with those who have turned their back on God.

II Thessalonians 3:7-12 – There was a particular problem of idleness, possibly because they thought the end of the world was imminent. Paul was trying to be a good example to them by working to support himself.

II Thessalonians 3:13-15 – Unruly brothers must be disciplined. It is not easy, but it is necessary to try to bring them back to God. This discipline must come out of love!

II Thessalonians 3:16-18 – Paul prayed for them to have peace with God.

I Timothy 2:5 – A mediator is a go-between. Jesus made it possible for us to approach God in prayer.

Sadly, the privilege of prayer is often under-used.

I Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing. This does not mean to literally pray all the time, but to be in a prayerful mindset. We should be able to pray at any time. Compare language in II Samuel 9:7.

The best example of prayer without ceasing is the prayer life of Jesus:

Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17

Luke 3:21 – Jesus prayed after baptism. This is the best thing to do after baptism!

Mark 1:35 – He started His day in prayer.

Matthew 15:36 – Jesus prayed at mealtime.

Mark 14:23 – Jesus prayed at the close of His day. This is the same day Jesus fed 5,000 people and learned of John the Baptist’s death. It was a busy and sad day, but He prayed!

Luke 6:12-13 – Jesus prayed when choosing the 12 apostles. We should likewise pray when making important decisions.

Luke 9:28; Matthew 17:1-2 – Compare Romans 12:2. The same Greek word is translated as both transformed and transfigured.

Mark 14:32 – Jesus prayed before crucifixion. He was praying that His time on the cross would be short (John 10:18).

Luke 23:34, 46 – Jesus prayed at death. He prayed for His enemies and for God to receive His spirit.

As we live, so will we die! Let us live a life of praying without ceasing.

If our prayer life imitates Jesus, it won’t be long between our last prayer and our last breath.

I Peter 3:12 – God hears the prayers of the righteous.