ScriptureStream

By Mark Watson

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 a... more

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How many episodes does ScriptureStream have?

The podcast currently has 3,202 episodes available.

ScriptureStream episodes:

August 08, 2021Romans, Part 1
Introduction (Romans 1:1-17)
Romans 1:1 – See Acts 9:15; Romans 2:17; 11:13. Paul is the writer. The theme of the book is that salvation is for everyone!
Romans 1:5 – Paul was made an apostle to bring about obedience in all the nations. Compare Romans 16:26.
Romans 1:6 – The people were “called” by the gospel.
Romans 1:7 – The people in Rome apparently had a good reputation in the world.
Romans 1:11-12 – The spiritual gift he is referring to may be the encouragement they receive from each other’s faith.
Romans 1:15 – We should also be eager to preach the gospel.
Romans 1:16-17 – The gospel is the universal solution to the problem of sin. This is the theme of the book. Compare Romans 10:3.
“from faith to faith” – This could mean “from the gospel to a believing faith.”
Five-word outline of Romans:
Condemnation – All of us are guilty of sin and justly condemned by God.
Christ – Thankfully, we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ!
Choice – We must choose to die to sin, a system of perfect law-keeping, and the flesh.
Children – ALL people can be children of God, whether Jews or Gentiles.
Conduct – Given God’s love, His people ought to conduct themselves accordingly.
Condemnation (Romans 1:18-3:20)
Unrighteous people are condemned (Romans 1:18-32).
Romans 1:19-20 – God expected people to glorify Him! We should honor Him and give thanks.
Romans 1:24, 26, 28 – God “gave them up” because they chose to sin.
Romans 1:26-27 – This is a clear condemnation of homosexuality. See also I Corinthians 6:9-11 and I Timothy 1:10. The “due penalty” could be either physical issues, spiritual penalties, or both.
Romans 1:29-31 – The “rollcall of the hell bound.”
Romans 1:32 – See Romans 6:23. This is probably referring to spiritual death.
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30min
August 08, 2021Putting Our Suffering into Perspective
Introduction
How can God allow suffering to occur?
God allows us the freedom of choice
Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6 – Adam and Eve had the freedom of choice.
Joshua 24:14-15
If there were no consequences, it wouldn’t really be freedom of choice.
Luke 23:39-43
Sometimes the choices of others cause our suffering. Sometimes it is our own choices.
I Peter 4:14-16
We need to make the right choices!
I Timothy 4:8
II Timothy 3:12
The world is a temporary stop on the way to eternity.
Hebrews 11:13-16
Eternity will far outshine whatever suffering we endure here.
I Peter 2:11
Job 3:17
Romans 8:17-18 – Suffer now, glory later.
II Corinthians 4:17-5:1
If our attitude is right, we benefit from suffering.
James 1:2-4
I Peter 1:6-9
When did you pray the hardest? When you were suffering!
Psalms 119:65-68
There is good that can come from suffering.
II Corinthians 12:7-10 – We can get to the place Paul was if we have the right attitude.
II Corinthians 1:8-10
Jesus suffered.
I Peter 2:21-23
Jesus suffered for a time and now I suffer for a time.
Conclusion
Let us not let suffering be a stumbling block!
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30min
August 04, 2021 Who Decides Morality?
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30min
August 01, 2021Love Truth
What is the most foundational pursuit?
To love, seek, and do what is true.
John 3:16-21
John 4:1
Culture of truth
Context of truth is universal.
Truth is loved, sought, held to
Encourage honest discussions
Questions answered with truth in a spirit of love
Never settle
All levels of seekers welcome
Spread culture to all spheres of influence
Questions
How do you teach someone the gospel if they don’t believe there is a God or the Bible is His word?
What evidence convinces you the Bible is from God and that there is a God?
What evidence is there that the texts are the words of God and have been copied accurately?
How were the Bible texts originally composed?
Hebrews 1:1-2 – Transmission history of about 1000 years (1000 years for the Old Testament, 50 years for the New Testament).
How?
God speaking to us through prophets, Jesus, and apostles.
Composition of the Old Testament
Purpose of the New Testament
Ten commandments – Deuteronomy 10
Moses wrote the words of the law in a book.
The “law of Moses” became a formal law.
Torah (first 5 books)
Historical books – 1, 2 Samuel, 1, 2 Kings, 1, 2 Chronicles
The proverbs
The psalms
Writings of the prophets
Composition of the New Testament
Christians did not have a compiled New Testament for about 400 years after Jesus’ time.
At first, the gospel spread orally.
Move from oral to written transmission follows the needs of the church
Period of composition: 30s AD to just before the end of the first century
Authors: primarily apostles
Purpose of the writings
The “Original Bible”
Production of the autographs was recorded in the Bible.
The Old Testament and New Testament both state they were inspired by God
I Chronicles 28:19
Jeremiah 21:1; 36:1-2
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 3:15-16
Why don’t we have the originals?
Original materials wore out.
Witnesses to the Old Testament text
Greater weight:
Primary sources; Copies of ancient Hebrew manuscripts
Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic text
Secondary sources; Versions: ancient translations into other languages
Septuagint; Latin vulgate
Tertiary sources: Paraphrase of the Hebrew text
Lesser weight:
Quaternary sources: Quotations of the Hebrew text in Greek
Dead Sea Scrolls
Probably produced in Hasmonean period (152-63 B.C.) and early Roman period (63 B.C. – 68 A.D.).
Witnesses to New Testament text
Greater weight
Manuscripts
Written in Greek
To date, 5745 known manuscripts.
New Testament versions
Translations into other languages
15,000-20,000 such documents, ranging in date from 3rd to 16th centuries AD
Lesser weight
Citations
Citations of the New Testament in sermons, commentaries, letters, etc.
Over 1 million known citations, ranging in date from 1st to 13th centuries AD
Textual criticism
Process of diligent appraisal and comparison of texts.
Recovering the Old Testament text
Two basic steps:
Look at Masoretic text
Compare Dead Sea Scrolls
Recovering the New Testament text
Compare available manuscripts
Reference materials
Randall Price, Searching for the Original Bible
Conclusion
III John 1:1-4
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30min
August 01, 2021Entitlement, Part 2
What does entitlement mean?
I deserve something. Society owes me.
Does our society struggle with the concept of entitlement?
Yes!
Parenting – raising our kids and avoiding entitlement.
Disciplining a child can help guide the child away from entitlement.
Hebrews 12:3-11
Our society – dealing with entitlement in others!
II Timothy 1:7
Pursuing contentment rather than happiness?
I Timothy 6:6-12
Hebrews 13:5-6
Our spiritual family – keeping the entitlement culture out!
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30min
July 28, 2021Christian Attitudes, Part 20
The church and its members
Biblical description of the church
Universal
Hebrews 12:15-24 – Old Covenant vs New Covenant
Acts 9:31 – The size of the church (in the universal sense) multiplied.
Local church
Galatians 1:21-24
I Corinthians 1:1-3
Universal church
Jesus said He would build it – Matthew 16:18
Bought it with His blood – Acts 20:28
Loves it and gave Himself for it – Ephesians 5:25-29
Wants it pure, blameless, holy – Ephesians 5:27
Maintained in His word – John 17:17
His body – Romans 12:4-5
Church – body of Christ
We are not just individuals
Members of each other
One body – I Corinthians 10:16-24
Seek our neighbors’ good
Desire that all be pure – Colossians 1:21-23
All the saved are added to it – Acts 2:41, 47
Local church
Where all collective activities are undertaken – Acts 20:7
Saints have much or most Christian associations – Acts 2:44-47
Analogy of the body – I Corinthians 12:12-27
Baptized, obedient believer is member of the body
We all work together – Philippians 2:1-4
Single-minded purpose
Part of a whole, each member has a purpose, value – Ephesians 4:11-16
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30min
July 25, 2021Bible 101: Original Meaning
Introduction
Colossians 2:21 – “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
Colossians 2:20-22 – Context.
Consider the original meaning …
… in that culture.
Proverbs 31:31 – “let her works praise her in the gates”
“Gates” was a common cultural idiom.
Matthew 5:20 – “scribes and Pharisees”
Matthew 23:1-3; Mark 7:3 – More information about scribes and Pharisees and why Jesus rebuked them.
Matthew 18:17 – “as a Gentile and a tax collector”
In that culture, Gentiles and tax collectors were hated and the Jews would not associate with them.
… to those people.
Jeremiah 29:11 – “… plans for welfare”
The context is the exile in Babylon.
John 16:13 – “the Spirit … will guide you into all truth”
I Corinthians 7:27 – “Do not seek a wife.”
… using those words.
“Samaritan”
This word has a good connotation today, but it didn’t then!
John 4:9
John 8:48 – They used it as a bad name to call someone!
“church”
Acts 8:3 – The word church means “people.”
“fellowship”
“baptism”
Even if specifics have changed, find what is relevant to us.
Jeremiah 29:11
I Corinthians 14
I Corinthians 14:5 – Our concern should be edification.
I Corinthians 14:40 – Worship should be orderly.
II Timothy 3:15 – Young people can study scripture. The Old Testament is valuable to study.
None of the Bible was written to us, but it was written for us!
Beware of wild interpretations that stray from the original meaning.
Example: “Puff the Magic Dragon”
Example: Jehovah’s Witnesses and Daniel 4:23-25
Bringing it all together
Test case: Matthew 24
Matthew 24:1-2 – The destruction of the temple was the context.
Matthew 24:34 – The events would happen within the lifetime of those present. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., which fits the prophecy by Jesus.
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30min
July 25, 2021Job and Ecclesiastes, Part 12
Ecclesiastes 10:3-12:14
Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 – One’s wisdom does not always benefit him.
Ecclesiastes 10:8-11 – One does not always see the benefit of his hard work.
Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 – Having a lot to say does not mean one is wise.
Ecclesiastes 10:15 – A fool has trouble doing simple things and what he does accomplish is much more difficult.
Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 – The importance of kings and the influence of their leadership: a king should be a good steward and not lazy. Be careful what you say, even in private. Words have a way of getting out.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 – Work and maybe you will see a return.
Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 – There is always an excuse not to work. If you focus too much on the risks, you will never do anything. See Proverbs 22:13.
Ecclesiastes 11:5-6 – Work because you don’t know what will prosper.
Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 – Enjoy the days of your youth!
Ecclesiastes 12:1 – Compare Genesis 8:1; Exodus 20:8; Jeremiah 15:15; 31:34. “Remember” is not just about mental recall. It’s about picking a direction of action.
Ecclesiastes 12:2-5 – Solomon may be figuratively talking about the ailments of old age.
Ecclesiastes 12:8 – Solomon ends where he began – vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 – Solomon left behind a tremendous body of work.
Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 – Books are wearying!
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 – Solomon’s conclusion – fear God and keep His commandments. This applies to all of us.
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30min
July 25, 2021Do You Need Another Reason NOT to Sin?
Introduction
Isaiah 59:2 – Sin separates us from God.
Deuteronomy 6:24; I Timothy 4:8 – Not sinning is a benefit now and in eternity.
Sin invites trouble to my life!
II Samuel 11:2-15; 12:14 – David’s sin with Bathsheba.
David caused the death of Uriah and of his infant child.
Hebrews 12:15-17 – Esau could never recover what he lost when he gave away his birthright.
Luke 13:4-5
Sin gives me a guilty conscience.
Genesis 42:21-22; 50:15
Matthew 27:3-5 – Judas hanged himself in guilt!
Hebrews 9:14
I Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8 – Paul carried his guilt of persecuting Christians the rest of his life.
I Timothy 1:15; Acts 24:16 – Paul tried to put his sin behind him the rest of his life.
Sin might ruin my conscience.
I Timothy 4:2
Titus 1:15 – It’s possible to defile your conscience.
Ephesians 4:17-19
Sin gets me into bad habits.
Acts 8:9-10, 18-19
Hebrews 10:25 – Missing worship can become a habit.
My sin affects others.
Galatians 2:11-13 – Barnabas was caught up in Peter’s hypocrisy.
Luke 17:1-2
Our lives are like ripples in a pond – we affect others.
Even if no one else is aware of your sin, you are a different person because of your sin. You are not as spiritually-minded as you could be otherwise.
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30min
July 21, 2021Christian Attitudes, Part 19
People who disagree with us, continued
Remember who we are
Correcting error
Part of what we do
Not who we are – Revelation 2:2-6
Seek opportunity to teach that first love
I John 4:19
Romans 5:6-8
Time
What is it? Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
God’s creation – Genesis 1:1-5
His command
Against the Amorites – Joshua 10:10-14
As a sign for Hezekiah – II Kings 20:1-11
He is timeless – II Peter 3:8
It changes us, but does not change God – Hebrews 13:8
The gift of time
Limited resource – Psalms 90:8-10
Must use wisely – Ephesians 5:13-17
Wise use brings better life – Ecclesiastes 12:1
Don’t waste time when something needs doing!
Zaccheus - Luke 19:5-6
Shepherds – Luke 2:10-16
Philippian jailer – Acts 16:27-31
Joseph and Mary – Matthew 2:13-14
Emulate their attitudes – Hebrews 4:7; 3:13
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30min

FAQs about ScriptureStream:

How many episodes does ScriptureStream have?

The podcast currently has 3,202 episodes available.