ScriptureStream

Genesis 6-8 is not just a story. It’s a historical account.

Romans 15:4

I Corinthians 1:11

Genesis 6-8

About 2500 B.C. The earth was roughly 2500 years old at this point.

Genesis 6:1-2 – We have numerous examples in the Bible of men being influenced to evil by women. Proverbs 31 shows that women can also be great influencers for good in the world. Ephesians 5:25.

Genesis 6:3 – II Peter 2:2-5; I Peter 3:20. God waited 120 years. Noah preached to try to get the people to repent.

Only adults were on the ark. Would you have gotten on the ark if there were no kids the age of your kids? What about if there were no adults your age?

There weren’t many people on the ark. Would you have gotten on the ark if there were only a few people?

Romans 6:3-4 – We are buried with Christ through baptism. We are not saved by water like Noah and those on the ark were. I Peter 3:21. If you reason that baptism is salvation by works, you wouldn’t have gotten on the ark!

Matthew 7:13-14

People that depend on “death bed repentance” would not have gotten on the ark.

Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28

[Sorry, no audio available due to technical difficulties. -MRW]

Genesis 1:1

Is there any reason to believe the Bible is true and that God exists?

Design implies a designer

Romans 1:18-20

Johnny Matheny and his bionic arm – obviously designed!

Stonehenge – obviously designed!

The universe – not designed?

The universe is too finely tuned to have been a cosmic accident.

Genesis 1:1-19

Psalms 19:1-6

Isaiah 45:18

Rebuttal: multiverse? “If you don’t want God, you’d better have a multiverse.”

A book – obviously designed!

DNA – not designed?

Francis Crick himself saw no way that DNA could have assembled on its own. He called it a “miracle.”

The SETI project even infers that information implies intelligence.

Outboard motor – obviously designed!

Bacterial flagellum – not designed?

The field of biomimicry is growing as we learn more from creation.

Job 38:1-7; 39:1, 5-6, 19-20, 26-27

Rebuttal: “God of the gaps” fallacy

II Peter 3:3

https://ApologeticsPress.org for further reading.

Acts 2:36-3:12

What can we learn from Peter’s sermon?

Be bold enough to speak up.

Use scripture, not opinion.

Acts 2:38 – See also Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 1:20.

Acts 2:39 – Peter said the promise extended to those “who are far off.” Paul later used the same wording to refer to Gentiles in Ephesians 2:11-18. Peter was alluding to Gentiles without even realizing what he was saying.

Acts 2:38, continued: The Holy Spirit had foretold (II Peter 1:21) the coming of this gift. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 53:11; Joel 2:32. Many were baptized, but they could not perform miracles, so it is clear that this gift was not a miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The gift was salvation!

Acts 2:47 – This refers to God adding people to the church in the universal sense.

Introduction

Written to Theophilus, who here is referred to as a specific person.

Luke was the writer. The Holy Spirit was the author.

Filled with the Spirit (Luke 1:15-17; 41-42)

“Filled with” speaks, not of quantity, but of motivation. It speaks of cause and effect.

Luke 6:11

Acts 5:17-18

Acts 13:45

Acts 5:3

Acts 9:17-18

Ephesians 5:18-20

Luke 1:41-42

Luke 1:38 – This was a great demonstration of faith on Mary’s part, knowing that what she had just been told would be a miraculous feat.

Luke 1:50 – God will be merciful to the faithful in the judgment. Compare II Timothy 1:18.

Philippians 3:20

The dilemma

All of us are guilty of sin, and sin will keep us out of Heaven.

Romans 3:23

Isaiah 59:2

I John 2:1-6

The danger

We may grow discouraged or unfruitful.

Mark 10:22

Matthew 27:5

We may be drawn to a false doctrine to find assurance.

Miraculous experience.

Martin Luther

The resolution

Our confidence comes from obedience to a God who is patient and forgiving!

Psalms 130:3-4

Acts 2:41; 16:32-43

I Corinthians 1:1-9, 18, 30; 11:1-2; 15:1-2 – Salvation is conditional. Keep improving!

Colossians 1:9-10; 2:20-22; 1:5, 13-14, 21-23; 2:13-14; 3:4, 13 – The Colossians could have hope of salvation even though they had room to grow.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:8

I John 1:6-10; 2:25-29; 4:15-17; 5:4-5, 10-13 – We can know God and have confidence in the day of Judgment.

Revelation 2:4-5, 19-23

The apostle Paul

Writer: Luke

II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24

Luke 1:2 – Not a personal eyewitness of Jesus

Colossians 4:14

All early records unanimously name Luke as the writer of Luke and Acts.

Three indicators that Luke wrote both Luke and Acts

Theophilus

Summary:

Acts covers about 30 years of the earliest history of the church.

https://overviewbible.com/bible-length-infographic/

The book of Acts has been shown to be extremely historically accurate. Acts 13:7

The apostles wait with great anticipation - Acts 1:1-12

John 14:16-17, 26; 15:16, 26-27; 16:13; 17:18; 20:21; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47-49

Acts 1:1-12 reviews and continues this great anticipation.

Carrying out the great commission – Acts 1:8

Jerusalem – Acts 2-7

Judea and Samaria – Acts 8-12

Remotest part of the earth – Acts 13-28

Isaiah 2:1-3 – This is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Jesus ascends into Heaven – Acts 1:9-11

Jesus left as part of the divine plan. He did not fail but left on His own terms.

Acts 7:55 – Stephen later saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Bible contradiction? Acts 1:8

Selecting a new apostle – Acts 1:15-26

“Witnessing”

The word “witness” is used many times in the New Testament, but people use it in a different way today. The apostles were witnesses of things they had seen with their own eyes.

The apostles were the prime witnesses.

The apostles could tell people what they had seen with their own eyes.

Matthias qualified as an apostle because he was an eyewitness. Acts 1:21-22

Paul became a witness because Jesus appeared to him.