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- Matthew 23Matthew 23
- Compare Matthew 5:20; 6:1-5; 7:3-5, 12, 15. Jesus makes similar points here.
- Matthew 23:5-12 – Warnings against pride.
- Matthew 23:13 – See Isaiah 5:8, 13, 18, 20, 21, 22. Jesus was speaking like a prophet here, which would have surely caught their ear. It is easy to discourage others with our behavior, especially new Christians or non-Christians.
- Matthew 23:16-22 – All of these examples of oaths go back to God’s authority. Misusing God’s name in this way is essentially taking the Lord’s name in vain.
- Matthew 23:23-24 – Don’t focus so much on the details that you lose sight of the bigger picture.
42 min - Calvinism, Part 1Introduction
- II Timothy 2:15
John Calvin (1509-1564)- Jacobus Arminius and his followers argued against Calvin’s teaching. The five points of Calvinism were a distillation of the arguments that Calvin and his followers made against the Arminians.
Total depravity (or total inability)“Adam’s offspring are born with sinful natures, they do not have the ability to choose spiritual good over evil.” – Steele, Thomas, and Quinn, The Five Points of Calvinism, p. 18-19
“Our sinful corruption is so deep and so strong as to make us slaves of sin and morally unable to overcome our own rebellion and blindness. This inability to save ourselves from ourselves is total. We are utterly dependent on God’s grace to overcome our rebellion, give us eyes to see, and effectively draw us to the Savior.” – John Piper, Five Points, p.11
“Ephesians 2:1 says that we Christians were all once ‘dead in trespasses and sins.’ The point of deadness is that we were incapable of any spiritual life with God.” – John Piper, Five Points, p. 19
- Ephesians 2:1-5 – This verse is just saying that people were dead in their sins, not that they couldn’t do anything about it or that their guilt came from Adam.
- Acts 8:4-17
CalvinistsBible“the once dead sinner is drawn to Christ by the inward, supernatural call of the Spirit” – Steele, Thomas, and Quinn, The Five Points of Calvinism, p. 53“they believed Philip preaching the good news” (Acts 8:12) and later “they were receiving the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17)Unconditional election“Election refers to God’s choosing whom to save. It is unconditional in that there is no condition man must meet before God chooses to save him. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. So there is no condition he can meet before God chooses to save him from his deadness.” – John Piper, Five Points, p. 50
“But faith is not a condition for election. Just the reverse. Election is a condition for faith.” – John Piper, Five points, p. 50
Concerning Romans 9:10-13: “God’s choice was not based upon any foreseen merit residing in those whom He chose, now was it based on any foreseen good works performed by them … Election was based on the sovereign, distinguishing mercy of almighty God. It was not man’s will, but God’s will, that determined which sinners would be shown mercy and saved.” – Steele, Thomas, and Quinn, The Five Points of Calvinism, p. 32, 35
- Romans 9:10-13 – This passage is not talking about salvation at all – it is talking about God choosing a particular branch of the family for Christ to come from.
- In any investigation, you have to stand firm on what is known.
- Any time we’re studying the Bible, we need to let the plain passages help us figure out the difficult passages.
- I Peter 1:17-19 – God is an impartial judge, judging according to our works.
CalvinistsBible“It is unconditional in that there is no condition man must meet before God chooses to save him.” – John Piper, Five Points, p. 50“impartially judges according to each one’s work” (I Peter 1:17)- Acts 10:34-35
- I Timothy 2:3-4 – God desires al men to be saved.
- II Peter 3:9 – God wants all to come to repentance.
33 min - RepentRepentIt’s more than just being sorry.
- II Corinthians 7:8-11
- Just because someone upsets you doesn’t mean they are in the wrong.
- Matthew 27:3-5 – Judas felt remorse, but he did not repent in the true sense. Hanging himself was the worst response he could have had.
- Acts 9:1-20
It’s a change of mind that leads to a change of life.- Acts 26:19-20
- Hebrews 6:1 – Repentance from “dead works”
- Matthew 12:41
- Jonah 3:4-10 – The people of Ninevah sincerely repented.
- We can’t just say, “That’s the way I am.” We must all humble ourselves and repent!
It’s not just a one-time thing.- Acts 17:30-31
- Acts 8:13-24 – Do people who are already Christians still need to repent? Yes! Simon was told to repent of his sin.
- Romans 1:7; 6:3
- Romans 2:1-6 – Continue to repent! Don’t judge others for failing to repent and fail to do so yourself.
- Revelation 2:5, 16, 22; 3:3, 19 – Christians in various churches told to repent
- Our humility should be growing and maturing over time.
40 min - Matthew 22Matthew 22Matthew 22:1-14
- In this parable, the slaves who did the inviting were the apostles and those who were invited first were the Jews. The wedding feast represented reconciliation with God (salvation). Others who were invited later were the Gentiles.
- This parable may also be prophesying of the persecution of the apostles and the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 22:6-7).
- Matthew 22:11-13 – We must be properly prepared to enter God’s kingdom. This shows God’s great anger when we sin.
Matthew 22:15-22 – Jesus is questioned about paying the poll tax- Matthew 22:16 – Disciples are learners who are committed to a teacher. Jesus was surely not impressed with their flowery speech here.
Matthew 22:23-33 – The Sadducees question Jesus about marriage and the afterlife- Jesus refused to directly answer hypothetical questions. Be careful and avoid answering them if people ask them of you.
- Matthew 22:32 – Jesus made a point from the tense of the verb!
- We will continue to live when we die on earth, but we will not still be married to our spouse. That is an earthly relationship.
45 min - School's Almost Over - Top 4 Verses to RememberIntroduction
- Matthew 22:37
I Thessalonians 5:15 – Be nice.- Do not repay evil for evil.
- Matthew 5:38-42
- It’s okay to get help!
- Be nice even to the unpopular kids.
- Matthew 5:43
- Seek good for others. Help their souls.
James 4:4 – Be different.- Don’t be a friend of the world. Be different from the world.
- James 4:1-3
- Romans 12:2 – Our job is to be transformed.
- I Peter 2:21 – We are trying to walk in Jesus’ steps.
- Philippians 3:17
Colossians 3:23 – Have a good attitude.- Colossians 3:22-24
- Even slaves should work with good attitudes.
- We must decide to have a good attitude.
- Proverbs 17:22
John 6:27 – Feed your soul.- Spiritual food is even more important than physical food.
- John 6:35, 45 – Spiritual teaching is spiritual food.
21 min - Believe and ConfessBelieve and confess that Jesus is Lord and Christ, the son of God
- Mark 16:15-16
One must sincerely believe (not just know the facts).- Acts 8
- Acts 17:11-12 – They were examining the scriptures daily.
- Romans 10:9-10 – “Believe in your heart”
- Acts 2:14-16, 21-38 – Peter convinced them and they developed sincere belief.
One must believe in Jesus.- Mark 1:1; 16:15
- John 20:30-31 – He is “the Christ, the Son of God.”
- Acts 9:22
- Acts 17:1-4 – Paul reasoned with them, explaining and giving evidence.
- Acts 18:28 – “Jesus was the Christ”
One must not only believe the truth about Jesus, but be willing to confess it.- Romans 10:8-10
- Other types of confessions:
- Romans 14:10-12
- James 5:16
- I John 1:9 – confession of sins
- Matthew 26:63
- Acts 2:36
- I John 4:15
- John 12:42-43 – These people refused to confess Jesus out of fear.
- This is not a one-time thing. It is a way of life.
- Matthew 10:6, 27-33
- Mark 8:38
Repent- Acts 2:37-38
It’s more than just being sorry- II Corinthians 7:8-10
45 min - How Would You Feel Inside the Ark?Introduction
- Genesis 6:14
- Genesis 7:12
- Genesis 7:11; 8:13-18 – They were on the ark a year and ten days.
Scared!- Genesis 7:11, 18-24 – God’s power was on full display.
Marine fossils are also found high in the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountain range, reaching up to 29,029 feet (8,848 m) above sea level.3 For example, fossil ammonites (coiled marine cephalopods) are found in limestone beds in the Himalayas of Nepal. All geologists agree that ocean waters must have buried these marine fossils in these limestone beds. So how did these marine limestone beds get high up in the Himalayas? – answersingenesis.org
- God is great and I am small.
- Amos 4:13
- Revelation 20:11-15
- There were people in Noah’s day who flaunted their sin before God until they died. There are people today who are doing the same until judgment comes.
Sad- Genesis 5:28-32 – Noah’s father died five years before the flood, but it’s possible Noah had siblings that died in the flood.
- Genesis 6:5-8 – It is a tragedy that so many died in the flood, but what was worse was that they had turned their backs on God.
- I Peter 3:20
- Genesis 6:3, 6
- We would probably grieve for those who were not on the ark.
Validated- Hebrews 11:7 – By building the ark and obeying God, Noah condemned the world.
- Noah had to live in the sinful world for 600 years!
- II Peter 2:5-9 – Noah was a preacher of righteousness.
- II Peter 3:3-9
- Matthew 24:38-39 – They were all just living life until the flood came.
Grateful- Genesis 6:13-14, 17; 7:1
- Genesis 6:9 – Unlike the rest of the world, Noah was trying to walk with God.
- Genesis 8:18
- II Timothy 3:12; 4:14, 18
31 min - Matthew 21:1-22Matthew 21
- Matthew 21:5 – This is quoted from Zechariah 9:9. See Psalms 24:7-10. The picture is of the Lord coming into His city as a king.
- Isaiah 61:1-2 – Jesus read this scripture in Luke 4:18-19 and applied it to Himself.
- Isaiah 62:4, 1, 10 – Zion was downtrodden but would rejoice.
- Matthew 21:9 – See Psalms 118:19-24. Compare Luke 19:37-38. The occasion was the Passover festival.
- Matthew 21:15-16 – See Luke 19:39. The quote is from Psalms 8:2. Compare Matthew 18:3; 19:13-14 regarding children.
- Matthew 21:12-13 – Jesus drives out the people who had turned the temple into a market. The traders were using the arrangement for sacrifices God had set up under the Law of Moses to take advantage of others.
- Matthew 21:19-22 – This was the season for figs produced from old growth. Jesus is making the comparison to the Jews who should have believed in Him but did not. The “old growth” was not bearing fruit as it should.
43 min - Called to ServiceIntroduction
- Read God’s word every day!
- If you rush past the ruler to get to the rules, you may not assess them correctly. The Bible is a Jesus book!
Nehemiah- Overview
- Laments the sins of the people – Nehemiah 1:3-7
- Travels far to go and help them – Nehemiah 2:4-11
- Teaches repentance and renewal – Nehemiah 2:13-18
- Motivates them to work together – Nehemiah 3
- Stands against outside opposition – Nehemiah 4:8-16
- Calls for unity, peace, and love – Nehemiah 5:1-13
- Faces threat of death by enemies – Nehemiah 6:1-10
- Finishes the work he sets out to do – Nehemiah 6:15-16
- Becomes a leader for years to come – Nehemiah 5:14
- Calls for continual faithfulness – Nehemiah 10:28-39
- Would you have listened to Nehemiah?
- Nehemiah was a shadow of a great leader: Jesus
Jesus- Overview
- Laments the sins of the people
- Travels far to go and help them – Philippians 2
- Teaches repentance and renewal
- Motivates them to work together
- Stands against outside opposition
- Calls for unity, peace, and love
- Faces threat of death by enemies
- Finishes the work he sets out to do – Hebrews 12
- Becomes a leader for years to come
- Calls for continual faithfulness
- Is His passion enough for you? Or do you have to wait until it is your own idea?
- Will you allow Jesus to call you to repent? To demand change?
- Can He pull you into communal service, to church involvement?
- Is He worth overcoming external and internal pressures to quit?
- Is past involvement enough? Or can He call you in for more?
A call to service- Elders – I Timothy 3:10, 1
- Deacons
- Teachers
- Evangelists
- Hosts
- Givers
- Workers
- Encouragers
- Romans 12:1-8 – Don’t wait to feel the call. Hear the call!
- Ephesians 4:11-16
- When you get lazy and lethargic, you get mean and blame others. This doesn’t happen if you use your hands for good.
Conclusion- Matthew 16:24
- Are you a 90 or a 52?
43 min - Living for JesusIntroduction
- Acts 2
Colossians 3- Colossians 3:1-4
- Think and live for Christ and Heaven’s glory.
- Keep buried the life that was exposed to Satan.
- Anticipate His return and the glory that is to come.
- If Jesus is real to you, the main way people will see that is in your relationships with other people.
RelationshipsMatthew 5:13-48- Be a good influence (Matthew 5:13-16)
- You cannot out-worship a bad attitude.
- Do not mistreat believers (Matthew 5:21-26)
- Do not lust for another (Matthew 5:27-30)
- Loving others properly can help with lust.
- Do not divorce your spouse (Matthew 5:31-32)
- Be a person of integrity (Matthew 5:33-37)
- Do not return evil for evil (Matthew 5:38-42)
- Love even your enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)
Ephesians 4:1-3Colossians 3:5-4:6- Avoid sexual immorality (Colossians 3:3-7)
- A sin against God and others
- Treat Christians properly (Colossians 3:8-16)
- Not with anger and meanness
- But with compassion and love
- Encouraging with thankfulness
- Ephesians 4:29
- Honor your family (Colossians 3:18-21)
- Loving them and the Lord
- Respect authority roles (Colossians 3:22-4:1)
- Loving them and the Lord
- Influence people everywhere (Colossians 4:2-6)
- With wisdom and grace
Matthew 7:13-14, 12- The context here is the golden rule!
- Treat others well!
36 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.