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- Introduction to GalatiansIntroduction to GalatiansWhere was Galatia?
- Near modern-day Turkey, between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
What was Galatia?- A Roman province with changing borders.
Who lived there?- Numerous ethnic groups
- Lycaonians – Acts 14:11
- Homer and Pausanias – Barbari
- Other languages
- Greek
- Syrian
- Pisidian
- Solyman
- Lydian
- Major ethnic group – Celtic
Where were the churches of Galatia?- In Galatia, of course
- Paul and Barnabas had visited the region (Acts 14)
- Were run out of Iconium
- Regarded as gods, but then stoned Paul in Lystra
- Left to return to Antioch
- Paul returned later with Silas to Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16)
- Found Timothy and other brethren
- There were churches there! (Acts 16:5)
- Passed through Galatia region, bypassing Asia (Acts 16:6)
- Passed back through, strengthening disciples (Acts 18:23)
- Appear to have been churches in
- Antioch in Pisidia
- Derbe
- Lystra
- Iconium
- Other principle city of Galatia – Ancyra
- No record of a visit from Paul
- Well north of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium
- Certainly possible
Writing of Galatians- Who?
- Paul (Galatians 1:1)
- Almost universally accepted
- Why?
- State his concerns to the churches (Galatians 1:6-7)
- Affirm his apostleship (Galatians 1:1, 15-16)
- When?
- AD 53
- As early as AD 48 or late as AD 58.
Main themes of Galatians- Salvation by grace through faith
- No salvation by law
- Circumcision has no effect (Galatians 5:2-3)
- Authenticity of Paul’s apostleship
- Nor from men
- Assigned an apostle by Jesus
46 min - End of Mark and the Great CommissionEnd of MarkThe last twelve verses of Mark (Mark 16:9-20)
- In some translations, these verses are removed or annotated to indicate that there is some doubt about their authenticity. The evidence in favor of their authenticity is overwhelming.
- In one survey of manuscripts, out of 620 manuscripts which contain Mark, only two do not contain these verses.
- “Church fathers” dating back to the 100s AD quote from these verses, indicating that they were commonly in manuscripts at that time.
The great commission- Luke 24:45-49
- Acts 1:8
- John 20:19-23
Return to the last twelve verses- Mark 16:9-11 – Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.
- Mark 16:12-13 – Jesus appears to two disciples. Compare Luke 24:13-26.
- Mark 16:14-18 – The great commission.
- Mark 16:17 – This is not saying that all who believe in Jesus will be able to work signs and miracles. It is saying that the signs would accompany those who were going out to preach (see Mark 16:20).
- Mark 16:19-20 – The great commission executed.
- They started in Acts 2 just like Jesus commanded.
- Study suggestion: Memorize all of Acts 2!
- Peter explains the plan of salvation:
- Acts 2:22-36 – They heard the word.
- Acts 2:36 – They believed.
- Acts 2:37 – Confess.
- Acts 2:38-40 – Repent and be baptized.
- The rest of Acts is a history of the apostles doing like they did here in Acts 2.
- Compare: Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:47-49; John 20:21-23; Mark 16:15-16
- Mark 16:20 – And they went everywhere doing this! We need to do the same thing!
41 min - 37 min
- 46 min
- 29 min
- The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus ChristThe crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ
- Some people say that Jesus had to die at the same time as the Passover. That, combined with a misunderstanding of John 18:28, causes them to put Jesus’ resurrection on the Sabbath (14th day of first month).
- The term “Passover” is used in three senses in the Bible:
- Exodus 12:21; Numbers 28:16; Mark 14:12 – The lamb they sacrificed and the day they killed it are both called the Passover.
- The Passover feast – Ezekiel 45:21; Luke 22:1
Accounting for days- Leviticus 23:32
- Jews counted days from sundown to sundown.
- Numbers 33:3-4
- 1st month, 14th day
- Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-15; Matthew 26:17-21 – Passover lamb killed. They ate the lab before Jesus was crucified.
- 15th day
- Mark 14:17-72; 15:1, 24-26 – Jesus was crucified about noon and taken down before Sabbath started at sunset.
- 16th day
- Luke 23:12-16 – Sabbath
- 17th day
- Mark 16:1-16; Luke 24:1-21 – Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week.
- What about John 18:28? They did not want to disqualify themselves from the rest of the Passover feast, which was a 7-day feast. See Numbers 28:16-25.
- What about Matthew 12:40 and Jesus being in the grave for three days and three nights? It is a different way of reckoning time. Part of day 1, all of day 2, and part of day 3 is counted as three days, or three days and three nights even though it was not a full 72 hours.
40 min - Five Ways to Improve My Spiritual LeadershipTake the initiative.
- Nehemiah 1:2-4; 2:5, 15-18
- Nehemiah’s leadership was contagious!
- Nehemiah was 1,000 miles from the problem, but he traveled to go help.
Keep learning God’s truth.- II Peter 1:8, 5
- Titus 1:9
- Deuteronomy 17:18-20 – Leaders had to know the law!
- Luke 8:9 – Disciples were asking questions and learning!
- Luke 11:1 – Teach us to pray! The disciples wanted to learn how to pray properly.
- Luke 6:39-40
Demonstrate the proper behavior.- I Timothy 4:12 – Lead by example.
- I Corinthians 11:1 – Paul said for them to imitate him.
- Do I hold myself to the standard I require of others?
- Can others see my behavior and look to me as a proper example?
Grow my communication skills.- Proverbs 15:1-2, 28 – The righteous ponder how to answer.
- Proverbs 29:20
- James 3:2
- It takes practice to build this skill.
Be willing to change myself.- John 3:1-3, 9-10 – Nicodemus came to Jesus by night.
- John 7:13, 48-52
- John 19:38-40 – Nicodemus showed respect for Jesus in public, which was quite a dangerous thing for him to do!
- Nicodemus was willing to change!
Conclusion- Nothing will happen unless you take the initiative!
27 min - Acts 26:24-28:30Imprisoned in Caesarea (Acts 24-26), continued:Agrippa (Acts 26), continued:
- Our role is to plan the seed, no matter how long it takes someone to convert.
Taken to Rome (Acts 27-28)Sailing from city to city (Acts 27:1-13)Everyone survives the shipwreck (Acts 27:14-44)- God knows when and how to answer prayer!
The island of Malta (Acts 28:1-10)- Thanks to the shipwreck, the gospel was spread to Malta.
Paul in Rome (Acts 28:11-31)- Acts 28:13 – Paul sailed past Mount Vesuvius about 10-20 years before it erupted.
44 min - Lessons from ZephaniahIntroduction
- Zephaniah 1:1
Idols distract us.- Zephaniah 1:4-5
- You don’t have to make a statue to be guilty of idolatry.
- Colossians 3:5 – Greed is idolatry!
- Idols are anything that distract us from God.
- Zephaniah 1:6
- When I am worried or happy or insecure, do I seek God or something else?
- Zephaniah 2:1
- Zephaniah 3:1
- We must not be distracted with things of the earth.
Laziness is deadly.- Zephaniah 1:12
- II Peter 3:3-7
- Zephaniah 1:13-17 – Punishment is coming. Don’t get complacent!
- We must see our sin and decide to change!
God always wins.- Zephaniah 2:8-11 – This happens today – people taunting Christians.
- Zephaniah 2:13-15 – Ninevah, the largest city in the world would fall by God’s hand. World powers are no problem for God, so we can’t be scared of them as Christians.
- Acts 4:3-5, 13-15, 19, 24-28 – The powerful people thought they had Jesus taken care of. The quote here is from Psalm 2. God in heaven laughs at the attempts of powerful people. Take courage!
31 min - Make Me a ServantIntroduction
- Mark 9:33-37 – The disciples discuss who will be the greatest.
- Matthew 20:20-28
- Luke 22:24-27 – The greatest is the one who serves.
- John 13:1-17 – Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. These were the same people who would forsake Him on the cross! He commanded them to wash each other’s feet – to serve each other.
- Philippians 2:5-8
- Greatness will only come to those that serve others.
How to become a servant- Deny self / crucify self (Luke 9:23; Galatians 2:20)
- We must first desire discipleship. God doesn’t force anyone to serve Him.
- Make Christ Lord of your life (I Peter 3:15)
- Remove pride, humble self (I Peter 5:5-6)
- Esteem others better (Philippians 2:3)
- Seek out ways to serve others (Galatians 5:13)
Ways we can serve- Doing good works (Titus 2:14; 3:1, 8, 14)
- Practicing hospitality (Romans 12:13)
- Encouraging others (I Thessalonians 5:11, 14)
- Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
- Pray for the needs of others (Colossians 1:9-12; James 5:16)
- Share our blessings with others (Hebrews 13:16)
- Teaching the gospel to the lost (I Corinthians 9:19-22)
- Serve in the local church (Romans 16:1-2)
- Greet people, send cards, clean building, mow grass, teach a Bible class, provide a ride, lead singing, give a talk, lead a prayer, make visits, etc.
Servant Song by Matthew BassfordConclusion- Matthew 25:21 – “Well done good and faithful servant.”
54 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…
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