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- Prayer of the LevitesIntroduction
- Nehemiah 9 summarizes the Old Testament timeline.
The prayer of the Levites- Nehemiah 9:1-3 – This was a special event.
- Nehemiah 9:6-8 – They are remembering their roots, so to speak.
- Nehemiah 9:16-21 – Our of God’s compassion, He preserved them despite their rebellion.
- Nehemiah 9:22-25 – Thought they didn’t deserve any of it, God blessed them to live in the land of Canaan, where much of the work of setting up cities and farms was already done.
- Nehemiah 9:26-31 – For centuries, God was patient with them despite their rebellion.
The goodness of God- James 1:17 – The blessings come from God When we rebel against God, we bring problems upon ourselves.
- At every turn, God was good to the Israelites.
- Do we appreciate the goodness of God like we should?
- I Peter 1:3-5 – Has anyone been blessed more than us?
- Hebrews 11:39-40 – We are privileged to live at this time in history.
The disobedience of the people- Romans 2:2-11 – If we are punished, that is on us.
- The Exodus generation saw so many miracles and yet were unfaithful.
- Romans 6:16, 20-23
- Why would we be disobedient, given all our blessings?
The need to walk in God’s law- Nehemiah 10:28-31 – They rededicated themselves to serve God.
- Romans 12:1-2
- I need to repent.
30 min - Holiness, Part 10Putting to death the deeds of the fleshAnything wrong with these?
- “I have been praying that the Lord will motivate me to stop …”
- “Lord please remove this temptation from me.”
- Key passage: Romans 8:12-14
We must cultivate a conviction to do so.- Conviction is: the state of being convicted: belief
- Conviction that living a holy life is God’s will for my life.
- I Peter 1:14-16
- Romans 6:1-2
- I Thessalonians 4:7
- II Corinthians 6:17
- Conviction that without holiness no one shall see God
- Hebrews 12:14
- Conviction that the efforts and pain required to “kill” the misdeeds of the body is with the reward*.*
- James 1:12
- … endures temptation …
- … crown of life …
We must be committed to our convictions.- Daniel 1:8 - … purposed in his heart …
- James 1:21-22
42 min - TruthIntroduction
- John 18:37-38 – “What is truth?”
- “There is no truth”
- “Truth is subjective.”
- “Truth is what you want it to be.”
- “Truth is different for everyone.”
- “Truth changes.”
- “I have my truth and you have your truth.”
- III John 1:1-4, 8, 11-12
- 58% of adults agreed: “There can be multiple, conflicting moral truth views in any given situation without anyone being wrong.”
Truth comes from God.- John 14:5-6
- John 15:26; 16:13
- Truth is not something the apostles were making up.
- John 17:17-19
- Colossians 1:1-6
- If you want absolute truth, go to God’s word!
Truth is an objective reality that is external to human emotions, religious trends, social fads, and political movements.- Genesis 37:31-34 – Sincerity does not equal truth.
- Genesis 39:7-10 – Joseph did the right thing because he recognized objective external truth.
- I Corinthians 13:4-6 – Love rejoices with the truth.
- 33% of adults agreed: “Truth is a social creation; it is not an absolute, consistent reality unaffected by cultural differences.”
- 44% of adults agreed: “Different religions/philosophies having conflicting ideas about moral truth proves there are no moral absolutes.”
- 45% of adults agreed: “Perceptions of moral truth change over time and across cultures, proving there is no absolute moral truth.”
- Dr. David Zuccolotto: “Find your truth is no longer about honesty – it’s about authority. It doesn’t just encourage self-expression; it commands you to build a worldview from the inside out, as if your private sense of self could bear the weight of defining reality.”
- Brett McCracken: “the philosophy of ‘your truth’ destroys families when a dad suddenly decides ‘his truth’ is calling him to a new lover, a new family, or maybe even a new gender. It’s a philosophy that can destroy entire societies, because invariably one person’s truth will go to battle with another person’s truth, and, devoid of reason, only power decides the victor.”
- Isaiah 5:20-21
- Ephesians 4:11-14
Truth is what matters on the Day of Judgment.- John 12:46-49
- I Corinthians 6:10
- Galatians 5:22-23
- I Peter 1:22
28 min - Philemon, Part 3; Overview of JudePhilemon 1
- Philemon 1:8-9 – Paul could have ordered Philemon (he had authority as an apostle) but instead appealed to him in love.
- See II Corinthians 8:8
- See also Philemon 1:14
- What precisely was Paul asking Philemon to do here? Possibly, he was asking Onesimus to be allowed to stay and minister to Paul. Or he may be asking Philemon to simply receive Onesimus (Philemon 1:17).
- Philemon 1:10-11 – The name “Onesimus” means “useful.” This is apparently a play on words. Paul seems to indicate here that he converted Onesimus while he was in prison.
- See Colossians 4:7-9.
- Philemon 1:14 – Paul did not want to be presumptuous with his handling of Onesimus. He wanted to operate out of love rather than authority.
- Philemon 1:15-16 – Despite the previous relationship between Philemon and Onesimus, Paul is reminding them that they are now brothers in Christ.
- Philemon 1:17-19 – The literary device in verse 19 is called a paralipsis, in which something is mentioned by saying you are not mentioning it. See other uses of this device in I Thessalonians 4:9; 5:1.
- The meaning of verse 19 is not entirely clear. Paul could mean that he converted Philemon.
- Philemon 1:21 – Paul continues to appeal out of love.
- Philemon 1:22-25 – Paul was hoping to be released from prison. Colossians was written after Philemon and Paul was still in prison at that time. Paul was thriving and being productive, even in prison.
Jude – quick overviewObservationsError is a serious problem, and not unique to Jude.- Compare II Peter 2. Some of the same examples as Jude are used.
The Holy Spirit inspires Jude to use a lot of triads and triplets.- Jude 1:1, 2, 5-7, 8, 11, 19, 22-23
There are several things mentioned here that are not mentioned elsewhere (at least, not in any great detail).- Don’t run wild with curiosity and speculation. John 21:20-23; Deuteronomy 29:29
45 min - Holiness, Part 9Holiness is a daily battle, continuedThe external battle … with Satan, continuedHe is an active enemy … but one we can fight.
- James 4:7 – submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you
- I Peter 5:8 – your enemy walks about like a roaring lion, resist him
- Be soberminded – there is something for us to do!
He is persistent …- Luke 4:13
He is crafty …- II Corinthians 11:3, 13-15 – serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, transforms into an angel of light
- Matthew 7:15-16 – false prophets dressed like sheep
- II Corinthians 2:11 – he uses schemes and tricks
He is subtle …- Psalms 1:1-2 – progression of sin: walk, stand, sit
The internal battle … within ourselves- Galatians 5:16-17 – lust of the flesh vs. spirit
- Why does the flesh have lust?
- James 1:12-16 – drawn away by his own desires and enticed
- Romans 7:22-25 – Paul says the internal battle is hard!
- I do the things I hate
- I do evil I do not want to do
- He recognizes the battle
42 min - GreedIntroduction
- Proverbs 11:6
Greed is the desire to have more.- Romans 1:28
- I Corinthians 6:9—10
- I Corinthians 5:9
- I Thessalonians 2:5
- II Peter 2:1-3, 14 – False teachers were greedily extorting them.
- Mar 7:21-23 – Greed comes from the heart.
- II Corinthians 9:5-7 – Don’t let greed spoil things.
- Ephesians 4:19; 5:3 – Greed can involve desires other than money.
- Colossians 3:5
Money is not the answer we think it is.- I Timothy 6:9-10 – The love of money is the problem.
“lottery winners declare bankruptcy at twice the normal rate”
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 – If you loe money, you won’t be satisfied with money.
- Matthew 22:39
- Ephesians 4:28
- Gambling is an avenue for greed.
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Greed is fixed by spiritual maturity, not more money.- Luke 12:13-21
- Philippians 4:11 – Paul learned to be content.
- Colossians 3:1-4
- I Timothy 6:6-12
26 min - Philemon and Slavery, Part 2New Testament slavery, continued
- Ephesians 6:5-9
- Colossians 3:22-4:1
- I Timothy 6:1-2
- Titus 2:9-10
- I Timothy 1:10
- Matthew 20:26-28 – If you wish to be great, be a servant.
- John 13:13
- Luke 17:1-10 – The centurion and his relationship with his slave.
- Philemon 1:10-17 – This might indicate that Paul was involved in the conversion of Onesimus. The gospel transforms every relationship, even master/slave.
- Colossians 4:7, 12, 9 – People referred to as slaves of Christ.
Philemon 1- Philemon 1:1-3 – Apphia and Archippus might be Philemon’s wife and son (Colossians 4:17). Possibly, Archippus was a preacher working there.
- Philemon 1:4-5 – Paul constantly mentioned his prayers for others.
34 min - Authority For Our New BuildingIntroduction
- Colossians 3:17
- Hebrews 10:25
- I Corinthians 14:23
- Acts 20:7
- We have authority to assemble and need a place to do so.
- John 4:21
Classrooms for Biblical teachingIn the New Testament, we find authority for churches to be involved in the teaching of God’s word.- Acts 15:35
- Acts 13:1
- Acts 18:4, 8, 11
- I Corinthians 4:17
- I Corinthians 14:26
- Acts 20:28, 32 – Arranging Bible classes is one way that elders can shepherd the flock.
As far as I know, there are two main arguments against classes:- First, some object to classes by saying that it divides the assembly, and we have no authority to divide the assembly (Hebrews 10:25; Acts 15:30; 11:26).
- Another objection to Bible classes is that it involves women in an unscriptural way.
- I Corinthians 14:34-35
- I Timothy 2:11-12
No kitchen or fellowship hallThe church building is not sacred like the temple was.As a local church, we need to abide by what the New Testament authorizes us to do as a church.- Provide for needy Christians
- Help needy saints in the local church (Acts 6:1-6)
- Help needy saints in other churches (Romans 15:26)
- Preaching the gospel
- Sound forth the word (I Thessalonians 1:8)
- Support preachings in other places (Philippians 4:15-16)
- Worship and edification
- Add/subtract members (Acts 9:26-28; I Corinthians 5:13)
- Assemble to worship God and edify each other (I Corinthians 14:23-26)
- Have elders (Acts 20:28)
- Have deacons (I Timothy 3:8-13)
- Make decisions (I Corinthians 16:3)
- Help sinners repent (Matthew 18:17)
- Partake of the Lord’s Supper (I Corinthians 11:17-24)
- Sing spiritual songs (I Corinthians 14:26)
- Pray (I Corinthians 14:15)
- Teach God’s word (I Corinthians 14:26)
- Collect money (I Corinthians 16:2)
There is no passage that gives a church authority to provide facilities for regular meals.- Churches can provide for needy Christians
- Acts 6:1
- Churches can provide for the Lord’s Supper
- I Corinthians 11:17-22, 34
The difference between an individual and the church- Matthew 18:15-17
- Philippians 4:15 – Sometimes the church acts via money.
- Acts 4:32-5:4
- I Timothy 5:16
- Matthew 9:10
- Acts 16:34
- Acts 2:46-47
Can’t the church practice fellowship?- (share, contribute, participate)
- Philippians 4:15
- Luke 5:19
- I Corinthians 10:16
- I Timothy 5:22
- I John 1:7
- Acts 2:42
We can make the same point about edification- Acts 20:32; I Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 4:11-12
39 min - Holiness, Part 8Holiness is a daily battleWhat prevents us from being holy?
- External influences
- Pride
- Doubt
This battle takes on two forms:- External
- Internal
We are being lied to by external influences all around us:- Godless society
- Moral relativism
- The idea that there is no absolute right and wrong.
- Judges 17:6; 21:25
- Pluralistic ideology
- The idea that we’re all going to heaven, just on different paths.
- This is somewhat related to the idea of multiculturalism when it is applied to religion.
- Isaiah 5:20
Reminders:- Romans 12:1-2 – Don’t conform, be transformed
- II Corinthians 6:17 – Come out and be separate
- I Peter 1:15-16 – We CAN be holy
Battle – Ephesians 6:10-13- Ephesians 6:10 – Be strong
- Ephesians 6:11 – Put on armor; stand firm against devil’s schemes
- Ephesians 6:12 – Struggle not against flesh/blood
External battle … with Satan- He is an active enemy … but one we can fight
- James 4:7 – Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
41 min - The Importance of Congregational SingingSinging has always been important to God’s people.
- Exodus 15:1-7 – The song of Moses.
- I Samuel 18:6-7
- The book of Psalms is a collection of the songs of God’s people.
- Psalms 72
Congregational singing is a fellowship.- Psalms 95:1-7 – This is something we do together. God’s people are always stronger together.
- “O come”
- “Let us”
Congregational singing IS and IS NOTIt IS a command – NOT an option- Ephesians 5:19
- Colossians 3:12-16 – Don’t make excuses for why you don’t sing. It is a command right along with kindness, humility, and patience.
- Exodus 4:10-14
- Psalms 100:1
- We are not commanded to sing only if we are good at it.
It IS worship – NOT entertainment- John 4:24
- Psalms 100:1-5
- Singing is about God – not us. It is not a time for us to showcase our talents – that is worshipping me.
It IS from the heart – NOT empty words- Mark 12:30
- Psalms 103:1
- Malachi 1; Matthew 15:8-9
It IS a sermon – NOT a “warm-up”- Singing teachings – Colossians 3:16
- Singing encourages – Hebrews 10:24-25
- Singing comforts – Acts 16:25; Matthew 26:30
- Singing draws us closer to God – James 4:8
- … and each other
40 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.