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ScriptureStream episodes
- Ezra and Nehemiah, Topic 5: Optimism
- Topic 4: Work Ethic, continued:
- Nehemiah 6:15-16- God will bless work that we do with Him and for Him.
- Some of the work that Christians need to busy themselves with today:
- Teaching others (Acts 8:1-4
- Keeping God’s commandments (Colossians 3:5-10
- Topic 5: Optimism
- Ezra 3:8-13 - Although many of the Israelites were discouraged that the new temple was not as majestic as the original temple, they had much to be optimistic about.
30 min - From the Saints in Germany
- Report of work in Rammstein, Germany
- Location
- Spiritual condition in Germany
- Challenges of the work
- People of the church
- Does God just want you to be happy?
- II Timothy 3:12
- Blaming God?
- For my temptations
- How can God create me and then tell me I can’t indulge in my desires?
- That is a misunderstanding of God’s purpose in putting us here.
- We must be careful about making up our own standards for behavior.
- James 1:12-15 - God does not tempt us.
- Making choices
- It is Satan who tempts us
- Obtaining true happiness
- Loving God (Matthew 22:36-40
- Resisting sin (I John 2:15-17
- Being obedient (I John 5:2-3
- God wants us to have true, lasting happiness by obeying HIm.
30 min - The Bread of Life
- What do I seek?
- John 6:26
- Will I get discouraged?
- John 6:41
- Jesus was trying to get them to understand that He was there to feed their souls. Many were offended at what He had to say, got discouraged, and fell away.
- There will always be grumblers. We can be like the apostles who stuck with Jesus even though they didn’t understand everything at first?
- We must prepare ourselves to stand against those who discourage us.
- Am I a student of God’s word?
- John 6:45
- John 12:47-50 - Jesus’ word is the criteria by which we will be judged.
- John 7:45-46 - Jesus’ teaching was unique.
- John 8:30-32 - If we follow Jesus’ words, we are His disciples.
- Romans 1:16 - We will not be saved apart from God’s word.
- John 8:24 - The plan of salvation.
30 min - I Peter 3:7-14
- I Peter 3:7 - Live with your wife as if she is weaker. Honor her as Christ honored the church when He gave Himself for her.
- I Peter 3:8 - We are to all live in a kind and harmonious way with each other.
30 min - Ezra and Nehemiah, Topic 4: Work Ethic, Part 2
- Challenges with long-term work:
- Boredom: try changing your routine
- Laziness: try spending time with new converts or non-Christians who will keep you on your toes
- Discouragement: help bring others out of discouragement; bring visitors, ask questions, suggest sermons to the pracher
- How can we keep from leaving God’s work undone while we “run to our own houses” (Haggai 1:9?
- Matthew 6:19-21 - Put your emphasis on heavenly treasures.
- We must make God our first priority.
- Nehemiah 2:17-18 - Nehemiah took the initiative to be a leader.
- Nehemiah 3:10 - Nehemiah assigned people to rebuild the wall near their house to help motivate them.
- The secret to a good work ethic:
- Recognize the importance of what you are doing.
- Make a workable plan.
- Just get to work.
- Faith
30 min - 30 min
- Philemon
- Philemon 1
- “I rather appeal to you” (Philemon 1:9)
- Paul appealed to Philemon rather than using his authority to order him. Sometimes polite requests are more effective than direct commands.
- I Peter 5:2-3 - This applies to elders as well.
- Colossians 3:12-13 - We should stimulate each other to good works.
- “Onesimus … is useful” (Philemon 1:10-11)
- Colossians 4:7-9
- Are we useless or useful to God?
- Whatever our station in life, we can be useful in the work of Christ!
- “More than a slave, a beloved brother” (Philemon 1:16)
- Ephesians 6:5-9 - God regulated slavery so that it was not an abusive relationship.
- I Corinthians 12:13 - There is unity in Christ, regardless of nationality or station in life.
- Let us be united as brothers and sisters in Christ.
- I Corinthians 8:10-11 - I must take my brother or sister into account when I decide what to do.
30 min - I Peter 2:22-3:6
- I Peter 2:23.
- I Peter 2:24.
- I Peter 3:3 - Outward appearance is secondary to making sure our hearts are right before God. This is not a blanket prohibition on braiding hair and wearing gold jewelry.
30 min - Ezra and Nehemiah, Topic 4: Work Ethic, Part 2
- Things we need to “inspect” today (Nehemiah 2:11-17:
- II Corinthians 13:5
- Ourselves by comparing ourselves to God’s word. Do we abhor what is evil and cling to what is good? (Romans 12:9
- Rebuilding the temple:
- Work starts (Ezra 3:8
- Haggai and Zechariah encourage, work resumes (Ezra 5:1-2
- Work finished (Ezra 6:15
- Haggai’s prophecy (Haggai 1-2
- The people had done other things for 16 years instead of working on God’s temple.
- God had punished them with drought because of their lack of work.
- The new temple would be nothing compared to the old one (Haggai 2:3. This is a prophecy of the coming of the kingdom of heaven, which will be far more glorious than any physical temple.
- Our spiritual race is an endurance race, not a sprint. (Hebrews 12:1-2
30 min - The Messes We Make
- History can teach us if we look to God’s word
- Romans 15:4
- John 20:31
- Ephesians 3:4-5
- A few examples of the messes humans have made in the scripture
- Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-19
- People of Noah’s day (Genesis 6
- Abram and Sarai (Genesis 16:1-6
- They tried to help God fulfill His promises. With Hagar, Ishmael and his descendants were created (Genesis 25:12-16
- Peter in the garden
- John 18:1-11 - Peter cut off the ear of Malchus
- And today … What messes do we make?
- The family
- God defined family as husband and wife and children (Ephesians 5:22-6:4
- World: single parent homes
- World: live together, no marriage (Matthew 5:27-28
- World: divorce and remarry for any reason (Matthew 19:3-9
- The assembling of the Lord’s body
- Attendance: We are to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:23-25
- Priorities are evident by our actions (Romans 6:16
- Do we miss for: work? sports? don’t feel well?
- When we stand before God, will we say these are more important?
- Are there times when we could have been here and were not?
- How we as Christians are perceived by the world
- Do we teach the lost? Mark 16:15
- The examples we set
- Speech - Colossians 4:2-6
- Dress - Matthew 5:28
- Our own growth
- Commanded to study (II Timothy 2:15
- Must grow/mature (I Corinthians 3:2
- Do you love the Lord?
- Matthew 6:33
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…
and additional resources for Bible study.