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- Genesis, Part 1Why is Genesis so important?
- Acts 17:23-28 – God gave us evidence so we would seek Him.
- Hebrews 11:3
- Colossians 1:16-17
- Psalms 33:6-9
- Romans 1:18-25
- Genesis establishes God’s presence and His power.
- If you don’t believe God created the world, you cannot defend anything in the Bible!
A denial of the literal Genesis account is a denial of Jesus.- John 5:45-47
- Exodus 20:11
- John 1:1
Repeating theme in Genesis is:Man’s total dependence on God.
Genesis 1Genesis 1:1- God’s omniscience and omnipotence is established.
- God’s authority is evident.
Genesis 1:2- “Spirit of God” (H7307 – ruah)
- Same word as Genesis 8:1; Exodus 15:8
- “Deep” usually refers to the ocean, but there were no defined oceans yet.
Genesis 1:3- God spoke and it happened – Psalms 33:9
- Display God’s total control of all the elements, energy, time, and space.
Genesis 1:4-5 – Day 1- God created light.
- What is light?
- Light is a particle and a wave.
- Light is energy.
- God created energy, quantum mechanics, and physics (a way to control the elements)
- God is organizing his creation in a very specific order.
- God established the period of time to define day and night.
- God called the light good.
- Who was writing Genesis?
- Evening and morning?
Genesis 1:6-8 – Day 2- God separated the waters.
- There was water on the earth and water in the air.
- Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide.
- Pressure, temperature, gravity
- Science tries to explain creation and chaos.
- God created it with complete control and order.
Genesis 1:9-13 – Day 3- God gathered the water which caused…
- Dry land to appear.
- Then God created life …
- Vegetation started to sprout
- According to their kind (H4327 – min)
Genesis 1:14-19 – Day 4- God made the sun, moon, and stars to govern the seasons.
- God made the earth on an axis with tilt, rotation, and spin.
- Do planets help dictate the seasons on earth?
- Why did God create the Sun on Day 1 and not Day 4?
Genesis 1:20-23 – Day 5- Birds and fish
Genesis 1:24-26 – Day 6- Animals and everything that crawls on the ground
- Man in our image
Genesis 1:27-31- God made everything necessary for life to begin and to continue.
- If each day took millions of years, then life would not have survived.
- God’s people understood this to be one week (Exodus 20:9-11).
40 min - Meditation
[Note: Jady was kind enough to pass along his PowerPoint slides, which contain more information than is in this outline. You can download them by clicking the link to the PowerPoint file in the “Resource files” list above. Thanks, Jady! -MRW]
Introduction- Psalms 19:14
What is meditation?- Psalms 77:6
- Psalms 77:12
- Isaiah 33:18; Psalms 73:16
- Contemplate
- Dwell on
- Consider
What does the Bible teach us?- Genesis 24:63 – He was deliberate in going to a place to meditate.
- Joshua 1:8 – Meditation on God’s law would bring success.
- Job 15:4
- Psalms 1:2 – Meditating on God’s word shows we delight in it.
- Psalms 4:4
- Psalms 19:4
- Psalms 27:4 – Meditation should be a priority.
- Psalms 49:3
- Psalms 63:6
- Psalms 77:6, 12, 2
- Psalms 119
- Psalms 143:5
- Psalms 145:5
- Psalms 104:34 – This whole psalm was a meditation to God. All the psalms are meditations.
SummaryWho- You
- Young, old, or depends on the day
- Book smart or practical
- Lover of routine or … squirrel!
- Just you
- There is time for others for study and edification, but we need time alone with God.
- Moses spoke to God 1-on-1, THEN he came and others saw the glory of God in his face (Exodus 34:29-35).
- God
- Listening to God’s words
- Thinking about God’s thoughts
- Speaking to God
What- All the ways God has made himself known – print, people, planet
- All the ways your walk interacts with God
- Good times and bad
- Joys and sorrows
- Easy times and hard times
- In strength and in weakness
When- Deuteronomy 6:6-9
- At the beginning of the day
- In the night watches
- All throughout the day
- Luke 1:29; 2:19, 51
- In the middle of a conversation
- When God does and declares wonderful, and maybe even perplexing things
Where- Everywhere
- Noisy or quiet
- Alone or in a crowd
- On your bed
- On the road
- In the city
- In a desolate place
- By the “sea” – Matthew 13:1
- On the “mountain” – Matthew 15:29
- A secluded place – Mark 1:39
- Corner of a coffee shop, or McDonald’s, a park, library, your closet, porch, or portable isolation (headphones)
- On a mower or tractor
- In your car
- Instant meditation – turn off the radio!
How- But I can’t focus!
- Maybe that’s okay
- Find purpose
- For others
- For yourself
- Techniques
- Start with meditating on meditating
- Find silence
- Whatever silence is most important to you – auditory, visual, mental, physical
- Visual reminders – cards, marker/chalkboard
- Phone reminders
- Buddy system – one or a group
- Tips from friends
- From David: Imagine yourself as the person being spoken to in scripture.
- Lessons from Andy Cantrell
- Hearing from God: Meditation
- The Value of Meditation
- Tips from Jady
- Start in the morning
- Immerse in the text
- Ask questions
- Before leaving study, identify what you are going to think about.
- Make it small and focused, memorable
- Walk. At the right speed.
- Stare
- Stop doing
Why- Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 12, 20-21, 25
- For yourself
- For your family
- That it may be well with you
- That you may prosper and multiple in your promised land
- Deuteronomy 8:2, 11, 14, 18, 19-20
- That you may remember
- Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God
- Then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God
- But you shall remember the LORD your God
- It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD … you shall perish
35 min - Introduction to the book of ActsIntroduction to the book of Acts
- The writer is Luke, the author is the Holy Spirit.
- The book seems to have been written from Rome.
- Luke was a Greek physician who travelled with Paul. I Timothy 4:11
- The beginning of the book of Acts takes place about 30 AD. The book was written about 63 AD and records history of the first 30 years of the church.
- The book is extremely accurate, mentioning many people and places by name.
- Acts is in a way a sequel to the gospels.
- John 14:26; 15:16, 26; 16:13
- Matthew 28:18-20 – The great commission to the apostles.
- Mark 16:15-16
- Luke 24:46-53 – These promises were made to the apostles.
- Holy Spirit baptism was a promise to the apostles, not a command. The Holy Spirit would be received in Jerusalem soon (“not many days”). The Holy Spirit would allow the apostles to work miracles and bear witness of Jesus.
- Mark 16:20
- “Witness”
- Martyr?
- A witness gives testimony of something they know or have seen.
- Why is God’s message still alive today?
38 min - BarnabasBarnabas
- First introduced in Acts 4:36.
- Isaiah 40:31
Events involving Barnabas- Acts 9:26-30 – Barnabas was willing to associate with Paul immediately after his conversion when others would not.
- I Corinthians 15:58
- John 14:27
- Barnabas was willing to take the risk on Paul.
- Acts 11:19-26 – Barnabas was sent to encourage the Christians in Antioch.
- Romans 15:5
- Barnabas spent a year there with Paul building up the church.
- Acts 11:24 – Barnabas continued to add to the number of Christians.
- Acts 15:36-41 – Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance.
- II Corinthians 13:11
- II Timothy 4:11 – Paul did eventually want to work with John Mark again.
- Galatians 2:11-14 – Barnabas was drawn away in Peter’s hypocrisy.
- Philippians 1:10
- Galatians 3:28
- Romans 14:19
38 min - Acceptable WorshipIntroduction
- Worship is foundational to the life of a Christian.
- John 4:20-24 – Acceptable worship is in spirit and in truth.
There are two areas of worship – public and private.- I Corinthians 6:19-20
- Public and private worship are both necessary.
- If we don’t worship privately, our public worship will be anemic.
- Psalms 113:3
God seeks worshippers.- Acts 17:5
- Psalm 148 – All these things praise God by doing what they are supposed to do (and what they were designed to do).
- Philippians 2:10-11 – In this life is the only time we have a choice in whether or not to praise God.
- Ephesians 1:18 – Christians are God’s inheritance.
The meaning of worship.- Malachi 1:6
- Psalms 29:2
The object or worship.- Our Father is the object of our worship because He is the father of all the world by creation.
- Psalms 24:1
- God’s glory is intrinsic.
- II Corinthians 8:5
The essence of worship.- John 4:24
- Two things are necessary: the right information and the right disposition.
- Do I have the right attitude when I worship?
- Colossians 3:16
- Acts 2:42
- II Timothy 2:15
- II Corinthians 8:5 – We must give ourselves to the Lord.
Conclusion- The fuel of worship is the truth of God; the furnace of worship is the spirit of man. And if it is authentic, it will make it outside the building and all week. Let us have the disposition of Psalms 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at al times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” God seeks worship of people; angels and nature worship Him (Psalm 148). He wants people to want to worship Him. Worship is not a place or an event; it is a true faith praising God. Thus, let us say with the Hebrew writer, “Let us offer sacrifice and praise to God continually; that is, the fruit of our lips, giving praise to His Name.” (Hebrews 13:15).
35 min - The New Testament Church, Part 11Local churches are authorized to provide for needy Christians, continuedObjections, continued
- Galatians 6:10 – “The church should ‘do good to all people,’ not just Christians.”
- The book of Galatians was written to a church, but not everything in the book is specific to churches.
- Galatians 6:1-10 – Notice that this passage has been addressing individuals. The topic is how to help people caught in sin, but no church action is in the passage. Also notice that spiritual restoration is in the passage, but not material benevolence. Galatians 6:6 does not seem to be the right passage to use to justify paying a preacher.
What makes Benchley workLoveTruthWorkI Thessalonians 4:9-10; 5:12-18; II Thessalonians 1:3-4Acts 17:1-4; I Thessalonians 2:12; II Thessalonians 2:10-3:1I Thessalonians 1:6-10; II Thessalonians 3:4, 13-1444 min - Show Us the FatherIntroduction
- John 14:7-15
God spoke in a way that we could understand- I Corinthians 2:6-13
- II Peter 1:13-15; 3:1
- John 20:30-31 – The written word is powerful and can cause readers to believe.
- Ephesians 3:4-6
- All these men thought the word of God could be understood!
We can still miss the meaning if we’re not careful.- Luke 9:22, 43-45 – Jesus spoke plainly more than once, but they failed to understand it.
- I Corinthians 2:14; 1:22-24 – It’s possible I am not spiritually-minded enough to understand.
- Therefore, we must be objective and open-minded.
God views His message as an extension of Himself.- Luke 6:46-49 – Hear God’s word and act on it.
- Numbers 20:6-11
- Habakkuk 2:18-20 – God is on His throne. We need to be quiet and listen to Him.
- Therefore, we must respect His message!
- Acts 7:51-53
God’s word is the most important truth we have!- Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:1-4 – How will we escape God’s judgment if we reject this message?
32 min - The Women Who Supported Jesus and the ApostlesThe women who supported Jesus and the apostles
- Luke 8:1-3; Matthew 27:55-56
- Mary Magdalene
- Martha
- Luke 10:38-42 – Compare Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Mary showed the correct priority, Martha did not. See also John 4:13-14.
- (Another) Martha
- Matthew 16:24
- Joanna
- The woman who washed Jesus’ feet
- Luke 7:36-50
- Over time, we may forget how much we have been forgiven of and lose some of our love for God. We must be careful to not let that happen!
- Proverbs 11:22; 12:4; 14:1; 19:14
36 min - Practicing on My First SoulIntroduction
- Luke 5:8 → II Peter 1:16
Helping someone else starts with helping myself.- Matthew 7:3-5
- Luke 22:61
- We are continual works in progress, so we can’t wait until we’re perfect to help others.
Courage to confront my own sins … so that I can help others do the same.- Acts 26:18, 9
Learning God’s truth … so that I can help others do the same.- I Timothy 4:15-16
- II Timothy 2:2, 14-15
- Acts 17:2-3
Wise decision-making … so that I can help others do the same.- Colossians 1:9-11
- II Timothy 2:24-26
Zeal … so that I can help others do the same.- Titus 2:14
- I Corinthians 12:14
- If everybody at Benchley was as zealous as me, what kind of church would it be?
24 min - The New Testament Church, Part 10Local churches are authorized to provide for needy Christians, continuedObjections
- James 1:27 – “Can’t the church practice pure and undefiled religion?”
- This passage is talking about individuals – not the church acting collectively.
James 1:27 (individuals)I Timothy 5:16 (churches)Widows●●Orphans●- Luke 10:30-37 – “Jesus taught us to do the same as the good Samaritan.”
- “Even the Old Covenant provided for the needy and the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant.”
- God defines what is “better.” We can’t pick and choose things from the Old Covenant.
- Acts 2:46 – “The early church broke bread from house to house.”
- “All” must be kept in context. The passage is not saying that 100% of their goods were in the church treasury.
- II Corinthians 9:13 – “Paul said the money went to ‘them’ (needy saints) and to ‘all’ (non-saints).
- This money would do more than just pay the bills – it would cause others to glorify God.
- Paul mentioned this money seven times in three different letters, always noting it was for needy saints.
- I Corinthians 16:1; II Corinthians 8:4; 9:1,12; Romans 15:25, 26, 31
- Acts 10:28, 34-35; Galatians 2:11-13 – Relations were icy between Jews and Gentiles.
- Romans 15:25-27
- Paul is referring to the money and the message is sent about the relationship between Gentile saints and Jewish saints.
43 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.