The Weekend Bible Study - with Ronald L. Dart

Hello everyone and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study and a special program from the CEM Vault. Tonight, we present Ronald L. Dart with a study on Renewing The Spirit. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Hello everyone and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study and a special program from the CEM Vault. Tonight, we present Ronald L. Dart with an interactive study and discussion on the subject of Does Crime Pay? 1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Psalm 37:1–6 Next week we will be begin covering the Epistle of James with Mardy Cobb. To get a head start, read chapter one and send any questions or comments via [eeb_email email="[email protected]" display="email"].

Hello everyone and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study. Tonight, we present Ronald L. Dart with a study on the Epistle of Jude from the CEM Vault. To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 24-25

In the first chapter of the Book of Daniel, a rather interesting event takes place that I have often thought of and considered with some fascination. Daniel and his three friends were among a number of young men who were being prepared to become part of the king’s staff of wise men. They ultimately showed themselves to be perceptive men—men of much wisdom—and ended up working right next to the king. In fact, by all indications Daniel was the #1 man on Nebuchadnezzar’s staff—the man who did most of the advising for this gentile king. This is an early example of a Jew finding himself next to the seat of power in a nation that was not Israelite. From that time until today, this pattern has been shown to repeat again and again. Besides this, the Jewish people have often been successful in business, highly placed in educational institutions, and prominent in creative fields. Partially due to this fact, they have also often been envied, feared, and persecuted. Does the pattern of Jews in or near positions of power exist because they, as a people, are simply more capable and intelligent than mankind as a whole? Is it due to chicanery and tricks? Or is there a particular tradition, found in the pages of our Bible, that can help explain it? Join Ron Dart in answering these questions and others while examining Wisdom—what it is, how we can attain it…and how it can be lost.

Now the leaders of the people settled in Jerusalem. The rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of every ten of them to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while the remaining nine were to stay in their own towns. The people commended all who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 11:1–2 NIV Here we begin the process of populating the newly-fortified Jerusalem. Verse two makes it seem like there were many people who didn’t want to live in the city. I can understand that. Many preferred to live in the country, on their own farms or ranches, tending lifestock, growing crops, and raising their families in a rural environment. But there might have been a trade-off; life is always a trade-off, isn’t it? Those in the city would have the wall the protect them from invaders. They would also have immediate access to whatever was going on in and around the temple—an essential part of worship. Down the line, living in the city would also mean greater economic and educational opportunity. David Guzik’s Enduring Word commentary sheds some light on living in Jerusalem at that time: To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-order your view of material things. You had to give up land in your previous region and take up some kind of new business in Jerusalem. To live in Jerusalem, you had to re-arrange your social priorities, certainly leaving some friends and family behind in your old village. To live in Jerusalem, you had to have a mind to endure the problems in the city. It had been a ghost town for 70 years, and was now basically a slightly rebuilt, somewhat repopulated ghost town. The city didn’t look all that glorious and it needed work. To live in Jerusalem, you had to live knowing you were a target for the enemy. There were strong walls to protect you, but since Jerusalem was now a notable city with rebuilt walls, the fear was more from whole armies than bands of robbers. The old village was nice, but not in much danger from great armies. David Guzik - Nehemiah 11 Commentary

Last week, we finished chapter eight, where they had just finished celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. This was a time of spiritual renewal, and they were still experiencing that spiritual high right after the Feast. It was a monumental time for all the people there—the wall had just been completed, Ezra was back in town (as was Nehemiah), and everyone was still hungering and thirsting for spiritual nourishment. As we begin chapter nine, we are still in the seventh month, and their spiritual craving for God has intensified. After the Feast of Tabernacles, there were many tears of joy among the people, but there were also remorseful cries because of the past sins they were now more aware of—both personal and national. But Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites exhorted them to be joyful: […] This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep. For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:9–10 NIV

As chapter six closes, the wall has been completed but the detractors just aren’t giving up. Let’s re-read the closing verses of the chapter, beginning in verse 14, which is a short prayer: Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and replies from Tobiah kept coming to them. For many in Judah were under oath to him, since he was son-in-law to Shekaniah son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berekiah. Moreover, they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling him what I said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me. Nehemiah 6:14–20 The incalculable problems caused by improper intermarriage with those opposed to God are manifest by what is going on here with Tobiah, even after the wall has been completed. Tobiah continues to be a problem and is not going away—because he’s family, so to speak.