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ScriptureStream episodes
- Ezra and Nehemiah, Topic 6: Dealing With Enemies
- Nehemiah 4:6 - The people were ready to work and with God’s help, they got it done.
- Nehemiah 4:7-23 - Nehemiah helps rally the people to make a stand and fight. They made specific plans for defense and were constantly on guard. We must do the same today in defending against Satan and sin.
- Deceipt and propaganda
- Nehemiah 6:1-14 - Sanballat tries to deceive Nehemiah and upset the work.
- Matthew 10:16 - Jesus warns his disciples to be careful.
- Titus 1:7-11 - Qualified elders are necessary to defeat deceivers. The defense is with words, not physical violence.
- Nehemiah 6:15-19 - God helped the Jews complete the wall in the presence of opposition, but He did not eliminate the opposition entirely.
30 min - The Individual in Benevolence
- Luke 10:30-35- the good Samaritan
- This is talking about what an individual person should do.
- James 1:22-27- visiting widows and orphans
- This shows personal responsibility.
- Matthew 5:43-47 - Love your enemies.
- Galatians 6:1-10- We are to do good to all, but brethren take precedence.
- This passage is talking about individuals doing spiritual good to others.
30 min - The Age of the Earth
- Present to Christ: 2000 years
- Christ to Abraham: 2000 years
- Abraham to Adam: ?
- Genesis 5: 1946 yeras
- Thus earth is about 6000 years old.
- Science has not proven the earth is billions of years old.
- Polystrate fossils
- Fossils that extend through multiple layers of rock.
- These kinds of fossils must have been buried rapidly because otherwise they would have decayed before the upper layers formed.
- Romans 1:20
- Circular reasoning in the geologic column
- Dating rocks based on fossils and vice versa.
- Faulty dating methods
- Based on assumptions
- Rate of decay has always been the same
- No sources of contamination
- Etc.
- Known eruptions
- Sunset Crater: 900 years ago
- Radioisotope dating dates it to 210,000-230,000 years ago
- Kaupulehu Flow: 200 years ago
- Radioisotope dating dates it to 140 million to 2.96 billion years ago
- Mount St. Helens: 32 yeras ago
- Radioisotope dating dates it to 350,000 to 2.4 million years ago
- Faulty carbon-14 dating results
- Mount St. Helens and “catastrophism”
- Coal may be formed rapidly by large mats of vegetation that are buried quickly by a catastrophe.
- Fossilized trees and Spirit Lake
- Petrifaction can happen as quickly as one year given the right conditions.
- Genesis 7:11-12 - How much of what we see today is a result of the flood?
- Five points of evidence for catastrophism at Mount St. Helens
- Quickly formed stratification
- Rapidly eroded canyons
- Upright deposited logs in Spirit Lake
- Rapidly formed peat layer in Spirit Lake
- Quick recovery of ecosystem in blast zone
- Conclusion
- There is no need to try to reinterpret Genesis 1-2.
- Day age theory
- Gap theory
- Exodus 20:11
- There is no reason to believe science has disproved the Bible.
30 min - 30 min
- The Kingdom the Prophets Saw
- Matthew 16:18-19
- New Testament Church and the Kingdom
- Jesus used the terms synonymously, Matthew 16:18-19
- Kingdom existed in 1st Century, Colossians 1:13
- Admission into kingdom by obedience, Matthew 7:21
- Lord’s Supper is function of the kingdom / the church, Luke 22:16 ff
- Times of Christ were subject of interest to Moses and prophets, Acts 3:21-24 f
- Lawgiver of Judah, Genesis 49
- The blessing of Jacob, Genesis 49:10
- Lawgiver shown by scepter - to receive obedience
- Fulfillment of the right tribe
- Regal genealogy, Matthew 1
- Legal genealogy, Luke 3
- Fulfillment of a ruling lawgiver
- Authority, headship, preeminence, Matthew 28:18
- Authority previewed, Deuteronomy 18:18-19
- Some aspects of authority, John 1:1 ff
- Exerlasting kingdom, II Samuel 7
- Forver rule on David’s throne, II Samuel 7:12-16
- Gabriel’s equivalent prophecy, Luke 1:32-33
- Peter affirms, Acts 2:29-36
- Everlasting aspect, Hebrews 1:8
- His reign, Psalms 110
- Jehovah gives Christ dominion, Psalms 110
- Exercised from the right hand of God
- People willingly serve
- Dual role of Christ: priest, king
- Christ beings kingly work, John 18:36
- Christ is also our high priest, Hebrews 6:20
- From that time forward all appeals are made in His name, by His authority, Acts 2:38
- Voluntary service in kingdom, Romans 12:1
- His government, Isaiah 9
- Governing responsibilities are His. Isaiah 9:6-7
- Mission was to bring peace betwixt God and man; remove the estrangement of sin; restore harmonious relations, Ephesians 2:14
- Nature of the ruler and His government
- Child is … wonderful … mighty God … Prince … a description of His deity
- Expansion of government endless or continuing in its increase of spiritual benefits
- Basis of government and benefits is the justice and righteousness of God - the very character of God ensures the continuance of this kingdom.
- Kingdom of the last days, Isaiah 2
- In the last days, Isaiah 2:2-4
- Superior to all other kingdoms
- Includes citizens of all peoples, Ephesians 3:6
- Taught in and walk in God’s ways is means of entrance to it, Joel 2:32
- Would begin when word issued out of Jerusalem
- Peacable in nature, Ephesians 2:15
- Kingdom of the last days, Daniel 2
- Daniel’s description similar, Daniel 2:44
- Kingdom unlike all others Nebuchadnezzar knew of
- Set up during 4th kingdom, Roman period
- Indestructible and eternal kingdom (act over against Jerusalem and Babylon and all others who rise and fall)
- Conquering kingdom
- Priestly king, Zechariah 6
- The branch who builds the temple, Zechariah 6:12-13
- This is the church, Ephesians 2:19-22 ff
- The branch bears glory (kingly)
- Work of king and priest is simultaneous
- If He is priest, He must also be king, Hebrews 7
- Those “far off” have a portion here
- The prophets saw the king and His kingdom
- Christ as lawgiver/prophet
- Christ as king/priest
- Commanding the conditions of peace
- Making the offering for that peace
- The church a spiritual government
- Peoples of all nations comprising it
- Instruction and obedience to enter
- New Testament preachers preached
- Acts 8:12
- Your entrance into the kingdom
- Hear the gospel - Romans 10:17
- Believe Jesus is the Son of God - Mark 16:16
- Repent from sin - Acts 17:30
- Confess faith in Christ - Romans 10:9-10
- Be baptized - I Peter 3:21
- Live faithfully unto God - Revelation 2:10
30 min - Despise Ye the Church of God?
- The precept of I Corinthians 11:22
- Despise
- A matter of examination
- After regarding the goodness of God do you dismiss it? Romans 2:4
- Such are those who reject the stone. I Peter 2:4
- Such are those who turn from God. Hebrews 6:4-6
- Look down on with contempt
- Correcting attitudes towards the church via the example of the Lord’s Supper
- Assemble for the better, I Corinthians 11:17
- Suggests purposes of assembly: worship, mutual edification
- They disregarded the sacrifice of the Lord. I Corinthians 11:24-27
- They hold in low esteem their own spiritual well-being. I Corinthians 11:28-30
- Assemble in unity, I Corinthians 11:18
- But they were dismissive of one another, I Corinthians 11:21-22
- By this they showed their lack of regard for the church.
- They showed disdain for the church by changing the holy into the common.
- They showed disregard for brethren by flaunting “riches” over “poverty”.
- Some ways the church is despised
- By altering God’s local arrangement
- Saints, bishops, deacons, Philippians 1:1
- Elders in every church, Acts 14:23
- Despised by unqualified elders and deacons, elders over many churches
- Autonomy of the church among you - with its own elders, deacons, saints (I Peter 5:3
- Despised by: sisterhood of churches under central oversight.
- By altering the divine arrangement of the church in: evangelism
- To sound out the word. I Thessalonians 1:7-8
- To train up and send out preachers. Acts 13:2-3
- Despised by: creating and supporting some other organization to do this work - i.e. missionary organizations, institutional organizations, publication organizations, etc.
- Or also by sponsoring another church to do the work God assigned
- By altering the divine arrangement of the church in: edification
- Spiritual growth and encouragement through instruction and understanding
- Despised by: some other means of building up the saints unto some other purpose - i.e. choirs, concerts, gyms, food, movies, etc.
- By altering the divine arrangement of the church in: benevolence
- Caring for needy saints, Romans 15:25-27
- Assuring church is not charged with those for whom it is not responsible, I Timothy 5:16
- Despised by: church funds assisting non-saints, sponsoring organizations, or other churches to do it
- By corrupting the worship
- Singing - Ephesians 5:19
- Prayer - I Corinthians 14:15-17
- Preaching - Acts 20:20
- Lord’s Supper - I Corinthians 11
- Giving - I Corinthians 16:2
- By non-attendance
- Out to be glad to be present, Psalms 122:1
- Should be so regular that an absence is noticed by all.
- By failure to prepare for service
- God is to be worshipped in spirit/truth. John 4:24
- Preacher must prepare: sermons not accidental, must study, think, pray, meditate. Ezra 7:10
- Congregation must prepare: worship not accidental, must prepare hearts for it. II Chronicles 20:33
- Assembly should bear reverence. Psalm 89:7
- By lax convication
- Pulpit not for compromisers, Acts 4:19-20
- Pew is not for religious fence-stradler, I Kings 18:21
- Known what and why you believe, I Peter 3:15
- By worldly living
- It disregards our high calling, Ephesians 4:1
- Don’t preach one way and live another, Romans 2:21-24
- Live offenselessly unto the church, I Corinthians 10:31-32
- Be effective for mutual benefit, Matthew 5:13-16
30 min - 7 Reasons for Bible Study
- Approaching Bible study: Isarah 34:16
- Search
- Purposeful examination for truth, John 8:32
- Know this will separate you from those who do not seek it. John 17:17
- Understand some can have truth, but misappropriate it. Romans 1:18
- Make no attempt to prop up preconceptions or merely “ammunition” for an argument.
- Make use of various translations, dictionaries, concordances, maps, etc.
- Read
- Regularity - attend to it, strive for consistency - I Timothy 4:13
- Purposefully - with the idea of learning and application - Acts 17:11
- Reverentially - respecting God’s Word for what it is - His Word! - I Thessalonians 2:13
- Approaching Bible study: Psalms 103:18
- Remember
- God-fearing exhorted to remember the law, Malachi 4:2-4
- Apply this precept on rememberance, Acts 20:35
- Obey it
- Knowledge does not substitute obedience, Romans 2:18
- Reason for Bible study #1: Comprehension
- Eunuch was reading to learn. Acts 8:28
- “How readest thou?” - is there discernment? Luke 10:26
- Reason for Bible study #2: Wisdom
- Hearing Christ today is our wisdom. Matthew 7:24
- Epistles contain wisdom given to the apostles. II Peter 3:15
- We can understand it. Ephesians 3:4
- Reason for Bible study #3: Memory
- Experience, through reading and application, develops good memory. James 1:23-25
- Reason for Bible study #4: Conviction
- Search to believe Moses about Christ. John 5:39
- Hear gospel and believe, Acts 15:7
- Reason for Bible study #5: Knowledge
- So the profit of reading may be had by all. I Timothy 4:13
- Grow in knowledge, II Peter 3:18
- Teach others, successive training. II Timothy 2:2
- Instructed to share the word, must become common knowledge. Colossians 4:16
- 10 times in gospels Jesus upbraids them for no knowledge, failure to read, Matthew 12:3; etc.
- Reason for Bible study #6: Root out error/set forth truth
- Letters written to be read and deal with heresy, Acts 15:23
- Galatians written to deal with issues, Galatians 1:6
- Learn what is lacking and fix it, Titus 1:5
- Reason for Bible study #7: Godly living
- To enjoy the highest form of spiritual and moral prosperity, Revelation 1:3
- In reading, hearing, keeping (II Peter 1:3
- Conclusion
- Christians are less than we could/should be when we do not study as we ought.
- Preachers and elders preach/allow false teaching when they get away from solid study.
- The world does not know God when it will not read - this is the big problem, we do not search and read!
- Therefore God’s plan for saving men is oft discredited because men simply do not know it is there.
- God’s plan for saving man:
- Hear the gospel - Romans 10:17
- Believe Jesus is the Son of God - Mark 16:16
- Repent from sin - Acts 17:30
- Confess faith in Christ - Romans 10:9-10
- Be baptized - I Peter 3:21
- Live faithfully unto God - Revelation 2:10
30 min - Identifying Marks of a Christian
- I Peter 4:16
- To be identified as a Christian, you must first become one.
- God’s plan for saving man:
- Hear the gospel - Romans 10:17
- Believe Jesus is the Son of God - Mark 16:16
- Repent from sin - Acts 17:30
- Confess faith in Christ - Romans 10:9-10
- Be baptized - I Peter 3:21
- Live faithfully unto God - Revelation 2:10
- Mark: More than a moral and kind person
- Men may be full of goodness and not be saved. I Corinthians 13:1-3
- Cornelius was prior to hearing the gospel. Acts 10:1
- A Christian acts because of Christ and with Him in mind. Colossians 3:17
- A Christian quits immorality and vice, he may suffer for this. I Peter 4:3-4
- Mark: Ceases loving the world
- Of the world no longer. John 15:18-19
- Leans not to love it. I John 2:15-17
- Knows friendship with it makes one God’s enemy. James 4:4
- Be holy, abstain from lusts, be separate. I Peter 1:15-16
- Mark: Puts the kingdom first
- Seeks it ahead of all things, Matthew 6:33
- Seen by choices made
- Regular attendance
- Kinds of movies watched
- Types of places frequented
- Adds qualities that guarantee access into the eternal kingdom. II Peter 1:5-12
- Realizes it’s not about social gatherings but spiritual edification. Romans 14:17-19
- Mark: Practice in handling the word of God
- Is a word consumer, I Peter 2:1-2
- The Word is pure, good, wholesome
- Many things consumed are poison
- Doctrines of men
- Worldly or secular ideologies
- Is a practitioner, James 1:22-27
- Through respect and use, learns to handle the word properly
- Mark: Cannot be neutral
- If not with Him, is against Him, Matthew 12:30
- Lord despises lukewarmness, Revelation 3:15-16
- Song: Stand Up For Jesus
- Mark: Unashamed to wear “Christian”
- A new name promised and given, Isaiah 62:2
- Indicates a relationship with Christ the Savior
- None other Savior exists, Acts 4:12
- Agrippa almost wore that name, Acts 26:28
- Many have suffered for being what Agrippa nearly was, I Peter 4:16
- Will you honor the King, the Savior in taking His name and wearing it tonight?
30 min - What the Bible Teaches About Believers
- John 3:16
- The Bible teaches that believers will be saved.
- Be saved - Romans 1:16
- Is justified - Romans 5:1
- Has access to God’s grace - Romans 5:2
- Has a purified heart - Acts 15:9
- Shall receive remission of sins
- Is born of God - I John 5:1
- These are all the same kind of believers - the kind mentioned in John 3:16
- Should not perish - John 3:16
- But (should) have eternal life - John 3:16
- The Bible teaches that believers will be lost.
- No believers _should_perish, but these will … why?
- The devils believe but are lost - James 2:19
- Some believing rulers are lost - John 12:42-43
- Erring believers are lost - II Timothy 2:15-19
- Those who shipwreck the faith - I Timothy 1:19-20
- Those who depart from the faith (become unbelievers) - I Timothy 4:1-2
- These are all believers - but not the kind of John 3:16
- What sort of believer is the John 3:16kind?
- One who comes to God by faith - Hebrews 11:6
- One who has a pure heart - Matthew 5:8
- One who is justified - Romans 5:1-2
- One who works by love - Galatians 5:6
- One who has his sins remitted - Acts 10:43
- One who is baptized - Mark 16:15-16
- To be a believer who only believes … who perverts scripture … who shipwrecks the faith … is to be a believer who will not be saved.
- God’s plan for saving man:
- Hear the gospel - Romans 10:17
- Believe Jesus is the Son of God - Mark 16:16
- Repent from sin - Acts 17:30
- Confess faith in Christ - Romans 10:9-10
- Be baptized - I Peter 3:21
- Live faithfully unto God - Revelation 2:10
30 min - When Tears Are No More
- Revelation 7:13-17
- Two extremes
- Tears show there is sadness
- Removal shows comfort
- Whose tears and why?
- Those in white - God’s people
- “Out of tribulation”
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Exposure
- The tears of God’s people have been plenty
- Tears of pity
- Compassion weeps for doom of lost - Luke 19:41-44
- Tears of sympathy
- Weeping with others - Romans 12:15
- Tears of bereavement
- David over Absalom - II Samuel 18:33
- Tears of penitence
- Crying over knowledge of wasted life - Luke 7:36-38
- Crying over sin and punishments - Psalms 6:1-2
- Tears of anxiety
- A worker concerned with moral and spiritual wellbeing of those among whom he labored - Acts 20:31
- An anxious father for his child - Mark 9:24
- Tears of sacrifice
- Of saints who suffer great loss for furthrence of the gospel - Psalms 126:5-6
- Our tears and the nature of God
- God of pity - Psalms 103:13-18
- God of love and peace - II Corinthians 13:11
- God of mercy and comfort - II Corinthians 1:3
- God of consolation - Romans 15:5
- God wipes away all tears
- Hand or finger are not named bu understood here
- Hand and fingers: symbol of God’s work, ability, and power
- Hand of supplication - Isaiah 65:2
- Hand of deliverance - Exodus 13:3
- Hand of protection - John 10:28-39
- Hand of guidance - Psalms 23:1-2
- Hand of correction - Psalms 38:1-2
- Hand of comfort - Revelation 7:17
- The Promise: God removes the cause of sorrow. People beyond reach of harm.
- God’s plan for saving man:
- Hear the gospel - Romans 10:17
- Believe Jesus is the Son of God - Mark 16:16
- Repent from sin - Acts 17:30
- Confess faith in Christ - Romans 10:9-10
- Be baptized - I Peter 3:21
- Live faithfully unto God - Revelation 2:10
30 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.