ScriptureStream

ScriptureStream

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ScriptureStream episodes

  • Acts, Part 9

    • Acts 9:1-43

    • Acts 9:1-9 – It is possible to be sincerely wrong. Sincerity does not equal truth! In modern times, Jesus does not intervene directly like He did in the case of Paul. It is our responsibility to study and find truth.

    • Acts 9:10-19 – Ananias obeyed God despite the threat Paul posed. He was able to see beyond Paul’s problems. We should be able to overcome our doubts and extend love to others like Ananias.

    • Acts 9:15-16 – See Ephesians 3:8; Acts 25:11; 17:1-2.

    • Acts 9:20-30 – See Galatians 1:15-24. Paul evidently made a trip to Arabia at some point here. When we become loyal to Christ, earthly relationships are bound to change.

    • Acts 9:31 – Descriptive phrases about the church:

      • “enjoyed peace”

      • “being built up”

      • “going on in the fear of the Lord”

      • “and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”

      • “continued to increase”

      • Acts 9:32-43 – These miracles were undeniable. The conditions were not faked, and the healing was instantaneous!

        30 min
      • Luke, Part 10
        • Luke 11:1-30
        • Luke 11:2 – We cannot pray “thy kingdom come” in the same way now because Jesus’ kingdom has already come (Acts 2). We can still pray that God’s kingdom will come into the hearts of those who have not accepted it yet.
        • Luke 11:5-13 – God rewards persistence in prayer.
        • Luke 11:21-23 – The strong man here may be referring to Satan. “Someone stronger” would then be God, who overpowers Satan and casts out the evil spirits.
        • Luke 11:24-26 – When we cut sin out of our lives, we must fill the space with good and leave no room for evil.
          • 30 min
        • The Parable of the Sower
          • Psalms 1:3, 1-2 – To be blessed like this man, we must delight in the law of the Lord and avoid sin.
          • Review: parables
            • Earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.
            • Figurative language (extended metaphor)
              • Luke 18:1-8, 9 – Parable of the persistent widow.
              • Illustrates a point, should not be erroneously or over-applied.
              • Told to many, understood by few.
              • The parable, explained
                • Luke 8:11 – Seed is the word of God.
                • Emphasis is on the hearts of men and how they interact with the word of God.
                • Hearing the word is common in all four scenarios.
                • The path
                  • Matthew 13:18-19
                  • Path: hardened heart
                    • Example: Pharaoh (Exodus 7:13, 22-23)
                    • Matthew 13:15
                    • Hears, but no understanding.
                    • No possibility of faith developing (Luke 8:12)
                    • Application:
                      • Personal Bible study
                      • Bible class this morning
                      • Words in the songs we sang
                      • Is your heart closed and incapable of accepting God’s word?
                      • The rocky ground
                        • Enthusiasm and some growth, but no perseverance when trials or tribulations come.
                          • Example: Peter (Matthew 26:30-35, 69-75)
                          • Important for new converts to grow their faith
                            • Matthew 13:12
                            • Jeremiah 17:7-8
                            • What to do in times of tribulation?
                              • James 1:2-4
                              • The thorns
                                • Mark 4:18-19
                                  • YLT: “cares of the world” translated as “anxiety of this age”
                                  • Competition for limited resources (time, energy, etc.)
                                    • Example: Demas (II Timothy 4:10)
                                    • Example: growing grass under a shade tree
                                    • Stunted growth » no fruit
                                      • No fruit = no purpose (Matthew 21:18-19; Luke 13:6-9)
                                      • Results from spiritual laziness (Proverbs 24:30-34)
                                      • Importance of regular pruning
                                        • Example: cutting cable bill or streaming service
                                        • Example: taking a less demanding job
                                        • Application:
                                          • No good fruit = no purpose (Matthew 3:10)
                                          • The good soil
                                            • Acts 2:37, 41-42 – Our hearts must be prepared to receive the word of God.
                                            • Hears + understands » fruit
                                              • Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15
                                              • God expects us to understand His word.
                                                • Matthew 15:10; Ephesians 5:17
                                                • God expects us to bear fruit (grow spiritually)
                                                  • Galatians 5:19-23; Matthew 3:8; Hebrews 5:12
                                                  • Suggestion: Pick someone who is bearing spiritual fruit and emulate what they are doing.
                                                  • Matthew 13:9
                                                    • 30 min
                                                  • Acts, Part 8
                                                    • Acts 7:51-8:40
                                                    • Acts 7:51 – Stephen accuses them of resisting the Holy Spirit. The terms “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit” were often used interchangeably with the message from the Spirit, or the prophet carrying that message.
                                                      • Reference to the “Spirit”
                                                      Another way of saying it
                                                      “You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them” (Nehemiah 9:20)
                                                      “You…admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets” (Nehemiah 9:30)
                                                      “the Holy Spirit foretold” (Acts 1:16)
                                                      “Scripture…by the mouth of David” (Acts 1:16)
                                                      “You…are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51)
                                                      “argued with Stephen…the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:9-10)
                                                      “God who gives His Holy Spirit to you” (I Thessalonians 4:8)
                                                      “word of God which you heard from us” (I Thessalonians 2:13)
                                                      “just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you…’” (Hebrews 3:7)
                                                      “saying through David… ‘Today if you…’” (Hebrews 4:7)
                                                      “the Holy Spirit also testifies…’This is the covenant’” (Hebrews 10:15)
                                                      “The words of Jeremiah…this is the covenant…” (Jeremiah 1:1; 31:33)
                                                      “let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7)
                                                      “John…’Write in a book’” (Revelation 1:9-10)
                                                      • Acts 8:5 – Philip went to Samaria to preach. Race and skin color made no difference to him. Race means nothing to God, and it shouldn’t mean anything to us!
                                                      • Acts 8:19-24 – This is a good example of what we should do if we have been baptized and then sin. We should repent and pray. This also directly contradicts the Calvinist view of “once saved, always saved.”
                                                      • Acts 8:27 – Candace was the title for the queen, like the title Pharaoh. The eunuch was evidently a proselyte who had traveled quite a long way to worship in Jerusalem.
                                                      • Acts 8:16-17 – Spiritual gifts were given by the apostles laying hands on them. Everyone who was baptized did not receive the Holy Spirit just because they were baptized.
                                                      • Acts 8:5, 35 – Preaching Jesus implies teaching baptism!
                                                      • Acts 8:37 – Those who study manuscript evidence tells us that there is little reason to believe that Acts 8:37 was in the original since it was not in most of the ancient manuscripts. It appears to be a case of “scribal gap-filling” (Philip Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary, p. 363). Erasmus included it in his Greek New Testament (1500s) based “on a marginal reading in codex 4.” That became part of the Received Text (Textus Receptus), which is how it came to be included in the King James Version. But even if this verse wasn’t part of the original inspired text, it doesn’t change our understanding of the necessity of confessing our faith (Romans 10:9-10).
                                                        • 30 min
                                                      • Luke, Part 9

                                                        • Luke 10:1-11:9

                                                        • Luke 10:2 – This is just as true now as it was then. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

                                                        • Luke 10:4 – “… greet no one on the way” – The customs of the time meant these greetings could consume significant time. The disciples’ task was urgent, so they were not to delay the work with idle greetings.

                                                        • Luke 10:18 – Jesus was telling them that He was aware of Satan’s power being diminished on earth when demons were cast out of men. It is not saying that Satan was an angel cast down from Heaven. Heaven here just represents a place of power.

                                                        • Luke 10:20 – As great as their spiritual gifts were, the much bigger blessing was that their names were written in Heaven.

                                                        • Luke 10:30-37 – Parable of the good Samaritan.

                                                        • Luke 10:29 – The lawyer was not asking a sincere question. He was trying to trap Jesus and justify himself.

                                                        • Luke 10:38-42 – Mary and Martha

                                                          • It’s not wrong to be a good hostess, but we must be aware of what the true priorities are!

                                                          • Luke 11:1-4 – Jesus taught His disciples to pray. We don’t have a record of John teaching His disciples to pray, but evidently, he did so.

                                                            • Address the prayer to deity.

                                                            • Glorify His name.

                                                            • Petition Him for help and blessings.

                                                              30 min
                                                            • Grandparenting for God’s Glory

                                                              • Introduction

                                                                • Titus 2:2-5

                                                                • Proverbs 20:29

                                                                • Let your kids leave and cleave.

                                                                  • Genesis 2:22-24

                                                                  • Pray!

                                                                  • We must respect God’s design. If children fall into sin, do the best you can to help.

                                                                  • Reinforce good morals.

                                                                    • Proverbs 22:6

                                                                    • Proverbs 29:15 – Respect for authority.

                                                                    • The value of hard work. I Timothy 6:9

                                                                    • Leave a spiritual legacy.

                                                                      • Psalms 78:1-8, 55, 70

                                                                      • Deuteronomy 4:9

                                                                      • II Peter 1:12-15; 3:1

                                                                      • II Timothy 3:14-15

                                                                      • How do you want to be remembered by your children and grandchildren?

                                                                      • “Grandparenting is generational concern with names.”

                                                                      • Doy Moyer – Letters to Our Grandchildren

                                                                      • Repent! (Grandparenting is a limited do-over.)

                                                                        • II Chronicles 33:12-19

                                                                        • Psalms 71:18

                                                                          30 min
                                                                        • When Families Have Questions About God

                                                                          • I Peter 3:15

                                                                          • We should be asking religious questions and be ready to answer them!

                                                                          • Isn’t faith just believing without evidence?

                                                                            • Dr. Jeff Miller – Faith is not belief without evidence!

                                                                            • Dr. Richard Dawkins – “Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of lack of evidence.”

                                                                            • Blind faith is not biblical faith!

                                                                            • Mark 2:5-12 – Jesus heals the paralytic man.

                                                                            • John 20:24-31 – Thomas confesses faith in Jesus upon seeing the evidence.

                                                                            • Acts 2:32

                                                                            • Biblical faith is built on evidence.

                                                                            • Hasn’t science disproven the Bible?

                                                                              • Psalms 19:1-6 – The universe points to God.

                                                                              • Many scientists are heavily biased against God. Many scientists refuse to allow for the existence of the supernatural. Only natural processes and explanations are allowed.

                                                                              • Richard Lewontin: “… we have a prior commitment … to materialism. … We cannot allow a Divine foot in the door.”

                                                                              • Romans 1:20

                                                                              • ApologeticsPress.org

                                                                              • Why can’t I just believe what I want?

                                                                                • Truth is not subjective!

                                                                                • Acts 26:9

                                                                                • Acts 17:11

                                                                                • Romans 10:1-4, 14-17

                                                                                • We don’t invent truth – we discover it!

                                                                                • II Timothy 2:15

                                                                                • When we encounter a question, let’s investigate it!

                                                                                  30 min
                                                                                • Confronting Satan’s Lies

                                                                                  • John 18:37-40 – “What is truth?”

                                                                                  • There is one, objective truth.

                                                                                    • I Corinthians 1:18-20

                                                                                    • I Corinthians 14:20 – God wants us to be good thinkers!

                                                                                    • Dr. Frank Turek – I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist

                                                                                    • Common rebuttals:

                                                                                      • “There is no truth.” > Is that true?

                                                                                      • “We can’t know anything.” > Then how do you know that?

                                                                                      • “All truth is relative.” > Is that truth relative?

                                                                                      • “There are no absolutes.” > Is that an absolute?

                                                                                      • “It’s true for you but not for me.”

                                                                                      • I Corinthians 2:5

                                                                                      • God’s Word is that truth.

                                                                                        • II Timothy 3:16-17

                                                                                        • Each of us needs to examine the evidence for the inspiration of the Bible.

                                                                                          • Scientific foreknowledge

                                                                                          • Historical reliability

                                                                                          • Fulfilled prophecy

                                                                                          • ApologeticsPress.org is a good resource for information.

                                                                                          • Titus 1:2

                                                                                          • Acts 5:30

                                                                                          • What’s the truth about the death of Jesus?

                                                                                            • Bible: Acts 5:30

                                                                                            • Quran: Surah 4:157 – “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him …”

                                                                                            • All religious teachings in the world can’t be true!

                                                                                            • Romans 3:4

                                                                                            • Satan tries to suppress God’s truth

                                                                                              • Genesis 3:1-5

                                                                                              • Isaiah 5:20-21

                                                                                              • John 8:44-47

                                                                                              • This results in religious and moral confusion.

                                                                                                • “You shouldn’t judge me.”

                                                                                                  • Matthew 7:1-5 – Jesus was teaching against hypocritical judging.

                                                                                                  • I John 4:1

                                                                                                  • Galatians 1:8

                                                                                                  • Aren’t you judging me for judging you?

                                                                                                  • People aren’t really against judging – just judging they don’t like!

                                                                                                  • “Homosexuality is not sinful.”

                                                                                                    • Romans 1:25-27

                                                                                                    • “Being against homosexuality is like being racist!”

                                                                                                      • Race is sacred. Genesis 1:27. Racism opposes what God has designed.

                                                                                                      • Sexuality is sacred. Hebrews 13:4. Homosexuality opposes what God has designed.

                                                                                                      • “Pretty much everyone is going to Heaven.”

                                                                                                        • Stephen Hawking

                                                                                                        • Mark 9:42-48 – Jesus warned about the reality of hell!

                                                                                                        • “Pornography doesn’t harm anyone.”

                                                                                                          • Matthew 5:27-30

                                                                                                          • Matthew 18:6

                                                                                                          • “I can choose my own gender.”

                                                                                                            • The commonalities between body integrity disorder and eating disorders.

                                                                                                            • God created people as males and females. A very small percentage are born with indistinct genitalia.

                                                                                                              • Matthew 19:12 – Some are born eunuchs.

                                                                                                              • Matthew 19:4-6

                                                                                                              • We need to confront Satan’s lies with the truth of God’s Word!

                                                                                                                • John 1:1-5, 9-11; 3:19-21

                                                                                                                • John 8:31-32 – If we obey Jesus, we can be free from sin!

                                                                                                                • John 9:34; 11:53 – Rejection and suppression of truth.

                                                                                                                • John 14:6

                                                                                                                  30 min
                                                                                                                • Spiritually-Minded Social Media

                                                                                                                  • Introduction

                                                                                                                    • Matthew 22:37-39 – The two greatest commands. Love God and love your neighbor.

                                                                                                                    • How do we harness the incredibly powerful tool that social media is for good?

                                                                                                                    • Social media is like a car. By itself, it is not moral or immoral.

                                                                                                                    • Ways to use social media for good:

                                                                                                                      • Be holy (different)

                                                                                                                        • I Peter 1:13-16 – We should stand out and be different from the world.

                                                                                                                        • I Peter 2:12 – We should be pure and holy online just as we should be in the physical world.

                                                                                                                        • Ephesians 5:3-12 – With social media, we have the ability to show what we like and support.

                                                                                                                        • Extend your influence

                                                                                                                          • Matthew 5:16

                                                                                                                          • Acts 28:30-31

                                                                                                                          • Matthew 25:31-36

                                                                                                                          • Social media is a force multiplier. We should use it to influence others for good!

                                                                                                                          • Social media can have a negative effect if everyone is glued to their phones and we don’t talk to each other.

                                                                                                                          • Romans 12:13; James 1:27 – We have a charge to be aware of other’s needs and help them!

                                                                                                                          • Use social media as a tool, not as a replacement or distraction.

                                                                                                                          • Sherry Turkle – Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age

                                                                                                                            • We are losing the skill of empathizing with each other.

                                                                                                                            • Matthew 7:12; Titus 3:2; Galatians 5:13 – Show consideration for each other and serve each other.

                                                                                                                            • Just the presence of a phone on the table changes the conversation and level of interaction.

                                                                                                                            • Speak with grace

                                                                                                                              • Colossians 4:3-6

                                                                                                                              • James 3:5-6

                                                                                                                              • I Peter 3:9 – Don’t return evil for evil.

                                                                                                                              • Proverbs 12:18

                                                                                                                              • Words of kindness can stop one from spiraling into depression.

                                                                                                                              • Proverbs 16:24

                                                                                                                              • Seek out spiritual food

                                                                                                                                • I Peter 2:2

                                                                                                                                • Proverbs 13:20 – Walk with the wise.

                                                                                                                                • Proverbs 15:14 – The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge.

                                                                                                                                  30 min
                                                                                                                                • Building Loyalty to my Spouse

                                                                                                                                  • Introduction

                                                                                                                                    • Ecclesiastes 11:9

                                                                                                                                    • II Timothy 4:3-4

                                                                                                                                    • James 1:21-25

                                                                                                                                    • Implant God’s word on your heart

                                                                                                                                      • Marriage is permanent!

                                                                                                                                        • Matthew 19:1-9

                                                                                                                                        • Malachi 2:16 – “I hate divorce.”

                                                                                                                                        • I Corinthians 6:9-10 – Adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

                                                                                                                                        • It all starts in your heart!

                                                                                                                                          • Matthew 5:27-29

                                                                                                                                          • Matthew 15:19

                                                                                                                                          • Ephesians 5:25-33

                                                                                                                                          • Dave Carder – Anatomy of an Affair

                                                                                                                                          • Develop companionship with your spouse.

                                                                                                                                            • Genesis 1:27, 31 – Eve made the difference between “not good” and “very good” for Adam.

                                                                                                                                            • Genesis 2:18-24 – The purpose of marriage is companionship.

                                                                                                                                            • Malachi 2:14

                                                                                                                                            • Ephesians 5:25-33 – “Husbands, love your wives.” Be careful that outside friendships don’t interfere with the companionship in marriage.

                                                                                                                                            • I Corinthians 7:3-5

                                                                                                                                            • Song of Solomon

                                                                                                                                            • Proverbs 5:18 – “rejoice in the wife of your youth”

                                                                                                                                            • Don’t be naïve – avoid close calls!

                                                                                                                                              • Genesis 39:6-12

                                                                                                                                              • I Corinthians 6:18 – “flee sexual immorality”

                                                                                                                                              • II Samuel 11:2-4

                                                                                                                                              • Proverbs 5:3, 8

                                                                                                                                              • Proverbs 6:24-25

                                                                                                                                              • Proverbs 7:4-8, 19-27 – Don’t mentally or physically go that way!

                                                                                                                                              • Romans 13:13-14 – “make no provision for the flesh”

                                                                                                                                              • If we do these things, we’re telling our spouse:

                                                                                                                                                • “I’m here for you forever!”

                                                                                                                                                • “I’m going to share my life with you!”

                                                                                                                                                • “I’m going to destroy any threats to US!”

                                                                                                                                                  30 min

                                                                                                                                                About ScriptureStream

                                                                                                                                                From the publisher's feed

                                                                                                                                                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…