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ScriptureStream episodes
- Culture of My Family: Love Your Neighbor as YourselfIntroduction
- Mark 12:31
This is the law!- Romans 13:8 – This is not saying it is sinful to take out a loan. Instead, it is emphasizing the importance of loving each other.
- Galatians 5:13-14
- Hebrews 13:2-3 – Treat everyone as valuable.
Prove to be a neighbor.- Luke 10:25-37 – Jesus gives the parable of the good Samaritan to show how to be a good neighbor. I need to be a neighbor. I Need to take initiative and do the right thing.
- Matthew 7:12 – Jesus calls us to a higher standard. We are to initiate kindness.
- Matthew 5:38-45 – Love everyone, even your enemies.
Get in the habit of thinking about what would help others.- Jonah 3:10-4:2, 11
- Romans 15:1-3 – Seek to please your neighbor, not yourself.
- I Corinthians 10:24
- We must look to see the value in others – we are all souls!
- James 2:8
25 min - Faith, Part 4Faith establishes trust
- John 11:40 (everyday life) – Jesus wants us to believe in extreme moments just like we do in the mundane, everyday moments.
- Matthew 17:20 (evidence)
- II Corinthians 5:6-8 (walk by faith)
Examples from scripture- Noah – Genesis 6:14-7:6-20
- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego – Daniel 3:11-26, 17
- They trusted in God’s plan. They also trusted that if God chose not to deliver them from the furnace, He will still deliver them.
Examples: evidence in our lives- Answered prayers
- Maturity in our lives through the scriptures (virtue, knowledge, self-control) and the evidence that God is working in our lives (II Timothy 1:7)
- Love for one another (add to godliness, brotherly kindness, love) – Matthew 22:37-40
- Death (ultimate trust in God’s promises) – II Corinthians 5:7-10
Faith creates courage- Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty
- Fear:
- To have a reverential awe (God), to be afraid of
- An unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
45 min - Joshua 3-4Joshua 3
- Joshua 3:3 – See Exodus 25:10, 22; 26:34. In Hebrews 9:2-5, 9 the previous tabernacle is compared with the greater tabernacle.
- Joshua 3:17 – The Israelites crossed on dry ground – it wasn’t even wet ground even though the water was just stopped in v16. Compare Exodus 14 when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. This time, the Israelites were the aggressors.
Joshua 4Joshua 4:1-24 – The twelve-stone memorial- Compare Exodus 12:23-27 when the Passover was instituted, as well as Exodus 13:13-14; Numbers 15:37-41; I Corinthians 11:23-24. God knows we need reminders!
- Joshua 4:18 – As soon as the priests left the riverbed, the water went back to its normal flood stage for this time of year.
- Joshua 4:19 – Compare Exodus 12:29-41. This was within five days of being exactly 40 years. One day we will reach our Gilgal in our Promised Land!
- Joshua 4:22 – They were to teach the children about this memorial. God put the responsibility on the Israelites to teach their own children these things.
40 min - "I wish this church ..."Introduction
- II Corinthians 12:20-21
Stop looking for the perfect local church.- Revelation 2:4-5, 8-11, 12-17 – Messages to the churches. They all had problems and difficulties.
- No local church will be perfect because it is composed of people and people have problems.
- Acts 14:21-23 – These new churches needed to grow.
- Every local church is a work in progress!
- If you find a perfect local church, don’t join it because you will make it imperfect.
Start perfecting yourself.- Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-12, 15-16 – These are the things they needed to work on in Ephesus. The church is built up as each member grows.
What are some things I can do to make Benchley better?- Romans 12:10-13
- “I wish the preaching were better.”
- “I wish the elders were more active.”
- “I wish people were more hospitable.”
- “I wish people made better comments in class.”
- Nehemiah 1:1; 2:17
- Pray before I criticize.
- Be active.
- Sincerely and humbly commit to making Benchley better.
25 min - Faith, Part 3Faith establishes trust
- Trust: the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.
- Matthew 6:25-30 (worry)
- Matthew 14:28-31 (doubt)
- Mark 5:36 (fear) – God is so much bigger than anything we fear.
- John 11:40 (everyday life)
- Matthew 17:20 (evidence)
- II Corinthians 5:6-8 (walk by faith)
- I John 4:18
- I Timothy 6:17-19
- II Corinthians 1:9
- I Timothy 4:10
44 min - The Discipline of WaitingIntroduction
- Psalms 37:1-7
The Bible gives us plenty of examples of those who had to wait- Genesis 6:3; 7:23 – Noah
- Genesis 12:2, 4; 15:1-4; 21:5 – Abraham had to wait 25 years for Isaac.
- I Samuel 16:1, 12-13; II Samuel 5:4 – David had to wait to become king, possibly 15 years.
- The marshmallow experiment
- Children who are able to wait and delay gratification historically have much better outcomes in life.
Waiting until marriage- Hebrews 13:4 – Pre-marital sexual relations are sinful.
- II Samuel 11:2-4 – David’s sin with Bathsheba
- I Corinthians 7:1-5 – Sex within marriage is holy and commanded by God.
- God’s laws are good!
- James 1:14
Material possessions- I Timothy 6:6-10
- Young people tend to want what their parents have now, even though it took their parents decades to achieve.
- Hebrews 11:24-26
- Philippians 3:17-20 – We must think of ourselves as citizens of heaven.
32 min - Joshua 1-2Joshua 1
- Deuteronomy 34:5, 9
Joshua 1:1-9 – “the Lord spoke to Joshua”- Joshua 1:2-4 – See Genesis 12:7. This promise will be fulfilled in the book of Joshua, but this plan started before Creation (I Corinthians 2:7).
- Joshua 1:5-9 – God repeatedly told Joshua to be “strong and courageous.” See Ephesians 6:10-11. We are also in a battle – a spiritual one.
Joshua 1:10-18 – Get ready to cross the Jordan River.- Joshua 1:14 – This would take faith for the fighting men to leave their wives and children and go off to fight, but God would protect them.
Joshua 2Joshua 2:1-24 – Rahab and the spies- Joshua 2:10-11 – See Exodus 14-15. Exodus 15:14-16 tells of the terror that other people would have of them. See also Exodus 23:23, 27-30.
- See Matthew 1:5. Rahab ends up in the lineage of Jesus.
- See Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25. Rahab is commended for her faith in welcoming the spies and sending them out safely. She is not commended for lying.
41 min - "Your Faith Has Made You Well"Introduction
- Matthew 20:29-34
- Mark 10:46-52
- In that time, there was very little in the way of a social safety net for a blind man.
- Bartimaeus could possibly have heard that Jesus had previously been healed near this area.
He inquired … Have we lost our curiosity?- God despises a lack of curiosity and knowledge.
- Hosea 4:6
He cried out … Have we lost our urgency?- He called out to Jesus as “Son of David.”
- Luke 7:22 – The Messiah would be able to heal people. Jesus could do that!
- [Note: Verses may have been quoted incorrectly here. The correct references are Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1. Thanks to Joel for the correction! -MRW]
- Bartimaeus sprang up and ran to Jesus.
- Luke 16:24
- Revelation 3:15-17
- II Corinthians 8:10-11 – We can fail if we are not persistent.
He followed Jesus … Have we lost our way?- Mark 10:52 – Bartimaeus immediately followed Jesus.
- Matthew 13:4-23 – Have we gone back to being beggars after hearing the gospel? We must not go back to our old ways of living.
- Mark 10:46-52
23 min - Faith, Part 2We can develop and strengthen our faith
- Luke 17:5 – The apostles said to the Lord, “increase our faith.”
- John 20:24-29 – Thomas believed with evidence. Jesus said those who believed without seeing were blessed.
- Christ expects our faith to grow
- Matthew 16:8-12; Hebrews 5:12-14
Why study faith? Why build our faith?- Faith is challenging because it is under attack in our age. Some view faith as opposed to fact and reality.
- It is important for new Christians to help them grow.
- It is important to those who grew up in the church. I’ve seen many that take their faith for granted.
Goals for this quarter- Study examples of faith and make application.
- Use these lessons to strengthen our relationship with God.
- John 3:16; Hebrews 11:6 – Two parts: belief and action
- Hebrews 10:35-39
- Jesus is looking for us to have faith. Will he find it? Luke 18:7-8; 17:11-19
Building our faith requires action- II Peter 1:5 – This process to build our faith ends in love!
- Faith is active!
- James 2:18-19, 20-24
- Not just an intellectual assent to the promises laid out by God.
- It is an embracing of those promises in their fully glory and detail, and the effect that has on our lives!
- Faith is more than simple belief; it is an active trust in the future God has assured us. Hebrews 10:39
- Faith is active and it should be active in our lives.
Faith establishes trust- Trust: the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.
- Matthew 6:25-30 (worry)
- Matthew 14:28-31 (doubt)
44 min - "You're in Good Hands"Introduction
- “You’re in good hands.”
- Isaiah 41:10
We are protected in God’s handsProtection from our enemies- Psalms 31:14-15; 138:7-8
- Hebrews 13:5-6
- (Ephesians 6:11-12)
Inseparable from His hands- John 10:29; Romans 8:37-39
We are made beautiful in God’s handsBeauty in Creation- Psalms 95:1-7; Genesis 1:2, 31; Ecclesiastes 3:11
Made beautiful by the potter- Isaiah 64:8
- Jeremiah 18:2-11; 19:1-6, 10-12
- I Corinthians 6:9-11
Being moldable clay- Stay pliable so God can form you to His purpose.
- Psalm 51:1-12 – David did not try to hide his sin from God. He asked forgiveness and put his life in God’s hands.
- I Peter 5:6
We are taken care of in God’s handsThe hand that provides- Job 12:7-15; Psalms 145:1-3, 14-17
- (Genesis 22:7-8, 13-14; Matthew 6)
Faith in God’s provisions- Poem: “Footprints in the Sand”
One night I dreamed I was walking
along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed that
during the low periods of my life, when I was
suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,”You promised me
Lord, that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods
of my life there have only been
one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”
38 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.