The Temple of the Lord - 8/24/08pm

Solomon’s Temple

I Kings 6:1-8 -Great care was taken in measuring the temple
-Construction was done in such a way as to keep the site as pure and unbothered as possible

I Kings 6:9-13 -If Israel walks according to God’s will, He will dwell among them

I Kings 6:14-30 -Notice the extreme care Solomon gives to the details: the small things that so many people would have ignored

I Kings 6:31-38 -There is as much detail given in how it looks on the outside as on the inside
-It takes time to bring it to completion

Zerubbabel’s Temple

Ezra 3:10-13 -The new temple was not as grand as the first

Herod’s Temple

John 2:13-22 -God is angry when the temple is misused
-It took quite some time to complete the temple

The Temple Today

Ephesians 2:19-22 -The church as “a holy temple in the Lord”
I Corinthians 6:19-20 -We are each “the temple of the Holy Spirit”
Those same traits that we looked at regarding the physical temples built in the Old Testament should

Measured to the standard
Hebrews 4:12-13 -The word judges the heart

Kept pure, undefiled, and uncontaminated
James 1:27 -Keep one’s self unspotted from the world

Walking according to God’s will
II John 1:6 -Walk according to His commandments

Attention to details
Galatians 5:7-10 -A little leaven leavens the whole lump

That we are seen to be like Christ
Galatians 2:20 -Christ lives in me

Time to mature
I Timothy 3:1-13 -Elders and Deacons, about 10 years after first teaching

That we weep when we are not what we should be
II Corinthians 7:8-11 -Godly sorrow

That we do not misuse ourselves
Colossians 3:17 -Whatever you do, do if in the name of Jesus Christ

Be Not Deceived - 8/24/08am

Proverbs 13:5 -A righteous man hates falsehood

Proverbs 29:12 -If a king believes lies, his servants become wicked

We do not like it when we are deceived and lied to, do we? Yet how often do we deceive ourselves, or allow ourselves to be deceived so that we may do something that we want to? How often have the words, “Well, it won’t happen to me,” crossed our lips? How often have we thought, “This time, it’ll be different.” The Bible warns us of several things that we may deceive ourselves about. Let us examine these things to see what the Lord has to say!

We Should Not Be Deceived About

Deuteronomy 11:13-17 -Don’t turn away to other gods

Jeremiah 37:6-10 -God’s will cannot be thwarted

Luke 21:8 -Others will come in Christ’s name
Acts 20:25-31 -Men will arise to turn men aside after themselves

I Corinthians 3:18-23 -If someone thinks himself wise, let him become foolish
I Corinthians 1:18-25 -The gospel seems foolish to many

I Corinthians 6:9-11 -These shall not inherit the kingdom of God

I Corinthians 15:33 -Bad company corrupts good morals
I Kings 11:1-13 -Solomon the wise is turned away by companions

Galatians 6:7 -Whatever a man sows, so shall he reap

James 1:16-18 -Every good and perfect gift is from above

James 1:22-25 -Do not merely listen to the word without action

I John 1:8 -If we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us
Romans 3:23 -ALL have sinned and fallen short
II Peter 3:9 -ALL need to repent




What Happens if We Are Deceived?

Genesis 12:10-20 -Pharaoh is deceived and punished by God

I Kings 13:1-25 -The man of God who is deceived by a lie, eats, and is killed by a lion

II Thessalonians 2:5-12 -God will send a strong delusion, and they will be condemned

The Hands of Nehemiah - 8/17/08pm

The hands that could be trusted
Nehemiah 1:1-2:6 -Nehemiah, a cupbearer, wants to repair Jerusalem
Nehemiah was trusted. As a cupbearer, he was in a position of great trust: that he wouldn’t poison the king. He could be trusted to do the right thing. He could be trusted to not to the wrong thing. Are our hands as trustworthy?
Psalm 118:8 -It is better to trust in the Lord
Matthew 5:33-37 -Let your yes be yes, and your no be no, without oaths


The hands that were prepared
Nehemiah 4:1-23 -The men work while armed
Nehemiah saw to it that the workers were ready at all times. It didn’t matter that they were busy doing other things: they were prepared for the enemy. As Christians, we do have an enemy. Are our hands prepared? Are we ready to fight at all times?
II Timothy 4:1-2 -Be ready in season and out of season
I Peter 3:15 -Be prepared to give an explanation
I Peter 5:8-9 -Be sober and vigilant, for the devil stalks

We must also be prepared for the end. Just as each day is spent being prepared to fight sin and temptation, we must be prepared for judgment day.
II Peter 3:11-13 -What manner of persons ought you to be?
Luke 12:16-21 -The unprepared barn builder


The hands that were strengthened
Nehemiah 6:1-9 -Sanballat sends threatening letters, Nehemiah prays
Nehemiah 6:15-16 -The wall is rebuilt in 52 days
Nehemiah prayed that the Lord would strengthen his hands. And we see that the Lord does so. The result is that the walls are built amazingly quickly. Have we prayed that our hands are strengthened, that we can more quickly and effectively do the Lord’s will?
I Corinthians 1:20-25 -God’s weakness is greater than man’s strength
II Timothy 4:9-18 -But the Lord strengthened
Philippians 4:13 -I can do all things through Him who strengthens me

Jericho - 8/17/08am

Jericho is, quite possibly the oldest city in the world. And the many long years it has stood, and the many events that have taken place there teach us something: God keeps His promises.

Joshua 2:1-7
Promise 1: The promised land
Genesis 15:17-21 -Abraham promised the land of Canaan
Exodus 6: 6-8 -God reaffirms the promise to Moses
Hebrews 11:13-16 -Looking ahead to a promised land, as do we

Joshua 2:8-24
Promise 2: Salvation comes to those who believe
Hebrews 11:31 -Rahab’s faith

Joshua 6:1-7
Promise 3: God gave them the city
Ephesians 2:8-10 -Gift of grace, created for good works

Joshua 8:9-27
Promise 4: God will help those who obey
Matthew 6:25-34 -Seek first the kingdom, and these will be added

II Samuel 10:1-5
Promise 5: The world will hate you
I John 3:11-15 -Do not be surprised if the world hates you

I Kings 16:34
Promise 6: Actions have consequences
Revelation 22:12-15 -The saved and the not saved

Luke 19:1-10
Promise 7: Salvation comes to those who obey
Hebrews 5:8-10 -Salvation to those who obey Him
I John 2:15-17 -The man who does the Lord’s will lives forever

Spiritual Gifts - 8/10/08pm

Much confusion exists over the matter of spiritual gifts. Let us consider what the Bible says about such things, that we may discern the truth!

Acts 8:9-25 Simon the Sorcerer
Vs 8-11 People were deceived by his “miraculous” abilities.
Vs 12-13 They (including Simon) believed the gospel, and were astonished by the miracles they saw (evidently better than Simon’s)
Vs 14-17 Apostles lay on hands, giving the Holy Spirit
Vs 18-19 Simon goes to an apostle for laying on of hands, not one of the others
Vs 20-25 Simon tried to gain the spirit by physical means, and was rebuked

I Corinthians 12:1-11 Spiritual gifts: different sorts for the common good
Vs 8: Word of Wisdom
Knowledge
Vs 9: Faith
Healing
Acts 3:1-10 Peter wholly heals a well known lame beggar
Vs 10: Miracles
Prophecy
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 Know a prophet by whether he’s right
Discerning of Spirits
Speaking in Tongues
Acts 2:1-13 Apostles speak in tongues they hadn’t studied
Interpreting Tongues

I Corinthians 12:27-13:13 Spiritual gifts: temporary nature of
Vs 8: Prophecies will cease
Tongues will cease
Knowledge will pass away
Vs 10: That which is perfect comes, and then they will end
Hebrews 2:2-4 Purpose of spiritual gifts
Vs 11: These are the “childish” things
Vs 12: Seen darkly in a mirror - a poor reflection
Vs 13: Faith, hope, and love remain AFTER the perfect has come. If “the perfect” is Christ, then why would faith and hope remain?

I Corinthians 14:1-25 Spiritual gifts: prophecy and tongues
Vs 1-5 Prophecy greater than tongues
Tongues edify self, not others
Vs 6-12 If speaking in different language, what good is it?
Vs 13-17 No edification or understanding with tongues
Vs 18-25 Tongues are for the unbeliever, prophecy for the believer
Tongues: speak to new people to convert them
Prophecy: fill in knowledge for believers

I Corinthians 14:26-40 Spiritual gifts: the orderly use of
Vs 26-28 Speaking in tongues to be done in limited amount, one at a time in the assembly, or remain silent if without an interpreter
Vs 29-33 When prophets speak, others should weight their words, and all should be done in turn for the sake of order and edification
Vs 34-40 They should want spiritual gifts, but everything should be done in an orderly fashion

Descriptions of the Church - 8/10/08am

Romans 16:16 “churches of Christ”

I have, for some time, taken issue with referring to some words on a sign as a “name” of a church. I may be splitting hairs, but I think of those words as a “description” of the church. The church needs no proper name, as Christ only established one (Much as we do not assign a name to the moon, since we have only one moon. However, planets with multiple moons have names for their moons.). What we find in scripture are a number of different descriptions of it, each of which gives us some insight into the nature, purpose, an construction of the church.

Descriptions that Denote Ownership
Acts 20:28 “church of God”
The church belongs to God. If it is the Lord’s, then the way it operates, the way it is organized, and those in it must act in accordance with His wishes.
I Timothy 3:15 “church of the Living God”
While being close to the previous one, this indicates an ongoing ownership, not simply a reference to the founder: I AM retains ownership.
Hebrews 12:23 “church of the firstborn”
The church of the firstborn: Christ. This denotes several things about the church:
A) It belongs to Christ, the firstborn of God
B) I calls to mind the authority of God as the Father
C) “Firstborn” indicates others born after, which would be us as Christians
Descriptions of Authority
Acts 19:8 “kingdom of God”
The kingdom of God suggests absolute authority on God’s part.
Ephesians 5:5 “kingdom of Christ and God”
This suggests the role not only of the Father, but of the Son in the church as having authority.
Colossians 1:13 “kingdom of His dear Son”
Once again, a reference to the Son, Christ, as king over the church. Also a note on the relationship between the Father and the Son: His dear Son. It gives us a little understanding of God’s view of when we go against Christ’s wishes in the church.

Descriptions that Denote Composition
Acts 9:1 “disciples of the Lord”
A disciple is someone who learns and follows someone else. The disciples of the Lord are followers of Christ. If someone is not truly following Christ: both His teachings, His actions, and His beliefs, then such a person is not a disciple and is not a member of the church.
Acts 9:2 “the Way”
Our closeness to Christ (the way, the truth, and the light). The church should be indistinguishable from Christ in its characteristics. It also indicates how many paths there are to salvation and heaven.
I Corinthians 14:33 “church of the saints”
A saint is one who is sanctified: that is, set apart for God’s purpose. The church is made up of such people. We also see, I believe, hints of “the Sabbath was made for man,” in this. The church is for our benefit, not we are here for the church’s benefit.
Colossians 1:18 “Christ’s body”
Not only does this indicate who is in charge, it also tells us about function. We each serve a specific purpose in the body. And as the body, we are to carry out the orders passed on from the head. If we are not obeying the head, we’re not part of the body.
Ephesians 2:22 “the household of God”
Christians are the household of God. God is the head of the house, and His household is made up of those who are part of His family.
Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18 “church in ____________”
Revelation 3:1, 7, 14
This is the most common description of a local congregation: a group of Christians in a specific location. More specifically, it means, “assembly in______.” The church (local) is made up of people in a close geographic proximity. The church (universal) is made up of people in many places, often far away.

In Parables
Matthew 13:31-32 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
The church began small: very small. It has grown, however. And grown quite large!
Matthew 13:33 The kingdom of heaven is like leaven
The church has growth. Both numerically and spiritually.
Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure in a field
The church is something precious. It is so precious that we need to be willing to give up everything to be a part of it.
Matthew 13:45 The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking pearls
The church is precious not just to those who happen to find it, but also to those seeking it (and truth and God, etc.).
Matthew 13:47-50 The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet
The church is like a net: those that “join” aren’t always doing as they should. But nonetheless, we try to save as many souls as possible, and in the end, the Lord will be the judge.
Matthew 20:1-16 The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
The reward promised for being a part of the church is the same, regardless of when you put on Christ. If you convert in your youth, middle age, or when you are elderly, the promise is there of eternal life. But remember, we are not guaranteed so much as another minute. Will you be a worker in the Lord’s vineyard? Will you join yourself to His church and be baptized? Will you continue serving faithfully?

Christ's Authority - 8/3/08pm

Matthew 28:18-20 ALL authority in heaven and on earth

Authority was evident
Those around Christ could see that He held authority, and that when He spoke, it was different from when others spoke.
Matthew 7:28-29 Taught as one with authority

Authority over creation
How many times do we see Christ showing His authority over all things created? Whether it was in pure mastery over it, or whether it was the ability to miraculously manipulate created things to His will, Christ showed His authority over all created things.
Mark 4:35-41 Authority over the elements
Mark 5:1-20 Authority to cast out demons
Mark 5:21-34 Authority over sickness
Mark 5:35-43 Authority over death

Authority from the Father
Christ did not work based on His own authority, but rather, from the authority give to Him by God the Father. When Christ spoke or acted, it was by the Father’s will. As such, Christ’s authority over things was the Father’s authority over things.
John 3:34-36 John says the Father gave all things to Christ
John 13:3 Father gave all into His hands
I Corinthians 15:24 Will give it back to the Father
Ephesians 1:20-23 Father gave Him to have all things under His feet

Authority over the church
We see that Christ was put in charge of His church. And that the things He decided were the things bound on those who followed Him.
Ephesians 5:22-33 Christ is over the church
Colossians 1:16-20 Christ is the head, the church is the body

Authority over judgment
We see that in the end, we will be judged by Christ and by the things He spoke. His authority reaches all the way to judgment day.
John 5:17-30 The Father gave Christ the authority to judge
John 12:44-50 Christ’s words will judge in the last day

Repentance - 8/3/08am

Joel 2:12-14 Rend you heart, not your garments

What is repentance?
II Corinthians 7:8-12 Godly sorrow leads to repentance - action
II Corinthians 12:19-21 Paul afraid the Corinthians haven’t repented
Being “sorry” isn’t the same as repentance:
Matthew 27:3-5 Judas is sorrowful

What does repentance accomplish?
I Kings 8:46-51 Solomon prays that God will forgive the penitent
Jonah 3:1-10 Nineveh repents and is spared by God
Acts 3:17-19 Repent so your sins may be washed away
Romans 2:5-11 God’s consequences for (non)repentance

Who needs to repent?
Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short
II Peter 3:9 All should come to repentance
Acts 17:30 God commands all to repent
II Samuel 12:1-23 Even David, a man after God’s own heart, needed to repent.
-Repentance does not mean there will be no consequences

How do we repent?
Judges 2:6-19 When people turned back to God, away from sin, He helped them
Acts 26:19-20 Perform deeds appropriate to repentance
Acts 8:18-24 Simon repents through prayer and action

When should we repent?
Romans 13:11-14 The time is at hand
I Thessalonians 4:13-5:3 The day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night
James 4:13-17 Life is short, so do good