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- Differences Between First and Second Generation ChristiansIntroduction
- II Timothy 1:5 – We must make our faith our own.
- I John 4:1 – This is my responsibility.
First generation Christians- When he hears the truth for the first time, it’s always from the vantage point of unbelief and error. He had his beliefs and faith called into question in terms of truth.
- Conversion is always a traumatic experience, paying a great price.
- With reference to truth, what he is concerned with is, is it right or am I right with truth? Am I faithful and lower to the truth? Sees faith differently.
- The problem: Apt to become radical. Identifies any variation with innovation or defection. Equates own belief and own perception with the truth. It’s personal.
Second generation Christians- He hears the truth for the first time from the vantage point of belief. Had things to be sorry for, but not like the first generation Christian.
- Conversion is not traumatic. Parents were there when baptized. Grew up in a context of belief.
- Concern becomes the people. Let’s not disturb them, because it’s going so well. Not am I right, but who will I upset. Have I just inherited what I believe and grew up with – go back over old ground.
- The problem: Seldom becomes radical. He becomes liberal. Rationalizes innovation as a way to do it better. Doesn’t have background to be a radical.
Testimonies from those who are first generation Christians- What was your conversion experience like? How were you taught? What were the major roadblocks to conversion for you? What sacrifices did you make or continue to make after conversion?
43 min - LazarusIntroduction
- John 11:1-16
Jesus let Lazarus die.- John 11:5-6 – Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, yet He did not leave immediately to see Lazarus when He heard he was sick.
- Jesus loved them … so he let Lazarus die.
- Jesus let Lazarus die because he loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
- John 11:4, 15 – Jesus had a plan all along.
- They were allowed to suffer, though they were loved by the Lord, so God’s glory could be displayed.
- Matthew 10:28-31
- Whatever happens in life, use it to glorify God.
Martha’s response- John 11:17-27 – Martha was a great woman of faith. Martha never questioned Jesus’ love or His power.
- Martha declares her faith in the Lord in the midst of grief.
- II Corinthians 4:7-8
- Psalms 42:5; 109:21-30 – It’s natural to be upset, but we must not lose our faith.
- Martha keeps things in the right perspective.
- For those who follow Christ, death is not permanent.
Jesus cares deeply- Lazarus’ death caused Jesus to be deeply moved.
- John 11:32-40
- Even though He let it happen … He still had so much compassion for His children.
- Luke 2:12
- Matthew 20:34
- Mark 8:2; 1:41
- God still has compassion on us today.
- John 11:40-44
24 min - Holiness, Part 7How is holy living possible? (continued)The process of sanctificationThe work of the Holy Spirit
- Romans 15:16 – Gentile offering … sanctified by the Holy Spirit
- Romans 15:18-19 – by word/deed, by miracles (signs/wonders), by power of the Spirit of God
- I Corinthians 6:11 – washed/sanctified/justified … by the Spirit
- II Thessalonians 2:13 – sanctification by the Spirit
- I Peter 1:1-2 – the sanctifying work of the Spirit
- Holy Spirit – what do we know?
- He is a He, not an “it” – John 14:16-17
- He spoke – I Timothy 4:1; Acts 8:29; 10:19-20; Acts 13:1-4; John 14:26
- He intercedes – Romans 8:26
- He has a mind/knowledge – Romans 8:27; I Corinthians 2:11
- He has love – Romans 15:30
- He can be hurt by us – Ephesians 4:30; Matthew 12:31-32; Hebrews 10:29; Acts 5:3
- Gift of the Holy Spirit received at baptism – Acts 2:38-39; 11:7; I Corinthians 12:13
- Location of the Holy Spirit
- Titus 3:5-6 – He is instrumental in our spiritual regeneration when we become Christians.
- I Corinthians 6:19-20 – Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
- Ephesians 3:14-16 – strengthens our inner man
- John 14:17
- Romans 8:9-11
- Galatians 4:6
- Ephesians 3:20
The work of the Word of God- Ephesians 6:17 – word=sword of the Spirit
- John 17:17 – sanctified by truth=word
- Ephesians 5:25-26 – sanctify … by the word
Sanctification:- … is received through Christ
- … takes place at baptism upon obedience (death of the old man)
- … is ongoing (as we walk in the light)
- … is work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God (Bible)
43 min - Our Crooked and Perverse GenerationIntroduction
- Philippians 2:15
What is going on?- Genesis 4:6-10
- Genesis 6:11-13
- Sin is going on. It is nothing new.
- Hebrews 1:1-3
- Ezekiel 7:23
- Hebrews 11:36-39
- Mark 15:22-25 – The creation murdered the Creator.
- Luke 23:41 – Jesus did nothing wrong!
- Mark 16:10-15 – Jesus’ disciples were so confused that they did not believe that He had been resurrected.
What is the solution?- Matthew 15:18 – Change the heart!
- Laws and law enforcement are important, but more fundamental than that is the hearts of men. No laws can be good enough or law enforcement comprehensive enough if the hearts of men are not aligned with God.
- Matthew 10:7-23, 28 – People were hostile to this message.
- Jonah 3:1-8
- Hosea 4:1-7 – The more people left God, the worse society became.
What should I do today?Love your neighbor as yourself.- Luke 10:25-37 – Prove yourself a neighbor to others.
- Matthew 5:44
Put on the new self.- Ephesians 4:24
- People need to submit to Jesus. We must be the example showing the way.
Support justice, but not vengeance.- Romans 12:17-21
- Romans 13:1-4
Pray- I Timothy 2:1-2
Endure- Hebrews 12:1-3
31 min - Philemon and SlaveryThe slavery practiced in America was full of sin.Stealing people is slavery.
- I Timothy 1:10 – Enslaving listed as a sin.
- Exodus 21:16 – Death penalty for selling someone into slavery.
- This is not the same as imprisoning criminals.
Mistreating people is sinful.- Galatians 5:19-21
- Matthew 7:12
- James 5:4
- Philippians 2:3
Racism is sinful.- Genesis 1:27
- Acts 17:26
- I John 4:20-21
- Matthew 22:39
Slavery existed in various forms and was regulated in various ways in the Old Testament.“a Hebrew man or woman”- Deuteronomy 15:12-18
“slaves from the pagan nations”- Leviticus 25:44-46 – Under the Old Covenant, it was permitted to buy and own slaves with certain restrictions.
- Leviticus 18:2-3, 24-30 – Don’t do what these other nations were doing.
New Testament slavery- I Corinthians 7:18-24 – There are different kinds of slavery: physical and spiritual.
- I Corinthians 12:13
- Galatians 3:28 – You can be a Christian no matter what state you are in.
- Colossians 3:11
45 min - Two Big Problems I Need to FixProcrastination
- I Thessalonians 5:2-3 – The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- Luke 12:20
- II Corinthians 8:10-12 – Do what you can today! Don’t wait for the perfect time.
- II Corinthians 6:1-2 – Now is the favorable time.
Desire- Genesis 3:6 – People often do things just because they want to.
- I Timothy 2:14
- Numbers 25:1-8 – Why serve idols? Because it involved, food, fornication, and fun.
- Revelation 2:14
- If I want to be a better Christian and better influence on others, I must work on my desire. I need to learn to desire what God wants, not what I want.
- If I really want to do something, I will find the time to do it.
- Matthew 5:6
- Acts 20:7; 17:11
- Matthew 22:35-38
- I Corinthians 12:13
- Galatians 3:28 – You can be a Christian no matter what state you are in.
- Colossians 3:11
24 min - Holiness, Part 6How is holy living possible?Is holy living even possible?
- Key passage: Romans 6:5-7
- This is our goal.
- Romans 6:12-19
- Do not let sin reign in your body
- Sin shall not have dominion over you
- We are under grace
- Slaves of sin no more
- Slaves of righteousness now
- Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ
- I John 5:14-15 – Ask according to His will. He hears us.
- What is the risk if we don’t believe we can be HOLY?
- We might get the idea that all we need is grace.
God’s role in our holiness- Hebrews 10:10 – Through the body of Christ, sacrificed once for all people, we can be made holy.
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- Saved by grace (God’s favor)
- Through faith (man’s part)
- All Christians are “sanctified”
- I Corinthians 1:2 – people who were “sanctified in Christ Jesus”
- I Corinthians 6:11 – people had been “sanctified”
- I Corinthians 3:1-3 – Who were these sanctified people?
- Faithful Christians, but they also still had problems
- Christians are also “being sanctified”
- Hebrews 2:11 – Greek tense is continual
- Our relationship to God and Jesus is different through sanctification.
- I John 1:6-7 – Blood of Christ continually cleanses us from sin
41 min - The Lord's Model PrayerIntroduction
- Matthew 6:9-13
The point of prayerIt’s not to show off (Matthew 6:5)- Long prayers are not bad – Jesus Himself sometimes prayed for long amounts of time.
- The problem is when you are making a long prayer just to show off.
It’s not to have “meaningless repetition” (Matthew 6:7)- Don’t just say the phrases by rote without meaning.
It’s not to provide information to God (Matthew 6:8)- God already knows what we need before we ask.
It’s a personal connection with God (Matthew 6:6)- God is not too busy to listen to us. He wants to hear from us.
“Pray then, in this way …”“Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name.”- “name” can refer to more than just your literal name.
- Matthew 10:22; 12:21; Acts 3:6
- It can also refer to a person’s power, reputation, etc.
- We should keep God holy and revered in our minds.
“Your kingdom come.”- Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17
- At the time, the kingdom was imminent.
- Acts 2:29-36 – Jesus fulfilled the prophecy made to David a thousand years before.
- After Acts 2, the kingdom was already in existence. Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:9
- We could still pray this in the sense of God’s rule coming into people’s hearts.
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”- Matthew 26:39
“Give us this day our daily bread.”- I Peter 5:6
- God cares about things that matter to us.
- I Thessalonians 5:17 – We should be praying daily.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”- Matthew 6:14
- This is referring to transgressions and spiritual debts.
- Acts 8:13, 18-22
- Christians maintain their relationship with God via prayer.
- I John 1:9
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”- James 1:13-14
- Scriptures often references indirect action. We know that God Himself does not tempt anyone, but He allows us to be tempted through our own free will.
- Acts 1:18
- John 4:1
- Job 42:11
“[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]”- This verse was not included in the most ancient manuscripts.
34 min - James 5:1-20James 5
- James 5:3 – The meaning of the end of this verse is a bit unclear. It may just mean that this problem had become especially bad recently.
- James 5:4 – Under the Law of Moses, workers were to be paid at the end of every day.
- James 5:6 – Compares James 2:6. The rich were abusing the poor.
- James 5:7 – Be patient! The “coming of the Lord” may mean the second coming of Christ or it may just mean God’s punishment on the unrighteous wealthy men in James 5:1-6.
- James 5:10 – Be patient like the prophets. Many of them were treated horribly.
- James 5:11 – Job is the example of patient suffering. But the Lord is full of compassion and merciful. This is the lesson we should get from Job!
- James 5:13-15 – Is this referring to spiritual or physical illness?
- The work of elders – Titus 1:9; I Timothy 5:17
- Anointing with oil – Psalms 23:5; Hebrews 1:9
- James 5:20 – This is a concise refutation of “once saved, always saved.”
44 min - Holiness, Part 5Holiness: optional for Christians?Holiness is not optional because:It is given through Christ
- II Timothy 1:8-10 – This was the plan from the very beginning.
- Hebrews 10:10-14, 19-26 – By Christ’s one perfect sacrifice, we can be made holy.
It is required for fellowship with God- Who will see the Lord?
- Hebrews 12:14
- Psalms 15:1-5 – Who shall sojourn in your tent?
- Psalms 15:2
- He who walks uprightly
- He who works righteousness
- He who speaks truth in His heart
- Psalms 15:3
- Does not slander with his tongue
- Does not do evil with his neighbor
- Does not take up reproach from his friend
- Psalms 15:4
- Despises vile people and honors God-fearing people
- Who keeps an oath even when it hurts
- Psalms 15:5
- Who is fair and honest in financial matters
It is required for effective service to God- II Timothy 2:19-21 – Do you have “china” (place settings) in your house?
- II Timothy 2:21 – Gives a description of the honorable vessel. “Set apart as holy” and therefore “useful to the master.”
43 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.