Introduction

• Nehemiah 9 summarizes the Old Testament timeline.

The prayer of the Levites

• Nehemiah 9:1-3 – This was a special event.
• Nehemiah 9:6-8 – They are remembering their roots, so to speak.
• Nehemiah 9:16-21 – Our of God’s compassion, He preserved them despite their rebellion.
• Nehemiah 9:22-25 – Thought they didn’t deserve any of it, God blessed them to live in the land of Canaan, where much of the work of setting up cities and farms was already done.
• Nehemiah 9:26-31 – For centuries, God was patient with them despite their rebellion.

The goodness of God

• James 1:17 – The blessings come from God When we rebel against God, we bring problems upon ourselves.
• At every turn, God was good to the Israelites.
• Do we appreciate the goodness of God like we should?
• I Peter 1:3-5 – Has anyone been blessed more than us?
• Hebrews 11:39-40 – We are privileged to live at this time in history.

The disobedience of the people

• Romans 2:2-11 – If we are punished, that is on us.
• The Exodus generation saw so many miracles and yet were unfaithful.
• Romans 6:16, 20-23
• Why would we be disobedient, given all our blessings?

The need to walk in God’s law

• Nehemiah 10:28-31 – They rededicated themselves to serve God.
• Romans 12:1-2
• I need to repent.

Putting to death the deeds of the flesh

Anything wrong with these?

• “I have been praying that the Lord will motivate me to stop …”
• “Lord please remove this temptation from me.”
• Key passage: Romans 8:12-14

We must cultivate a conviction to do so.

• Conviction is: the state of being convicted: belief
• Conviction that living a holy life is God’s will for my life.
  • I Peter 1:14-16
  • Romans 6:1-2
  • I Thessalonians 4:7
  • II Corinthians 6:17
• Conviction that without holiness no one shall see God
  • Hebrews 12:14
• Conviction that the efforts and pain required to “kill” the misdeeds of the body is with the reward*.*
  • James 1:12
    • … endures temptation …
    • … crown of life …

We must be committed to our convictions.

• Daniel 1:8 - … purposed in his heart …
• James 1:21-22

Introduction

• John 18:37-38 – “What is truth?”
• “There is no truth”
• “Truth is subjective.”
• “Truth is what you want it to be.”
• “Truth is different for everyone.”
• “Truth changes.”
• “I have my truth and you have your truth.”
• III John 1:1-4, 8, 11-12
• 58% of adults agreed: “There can be multiple, conflicting moral truth views in any given situation without anyone being wrong.”

Truth comes from God.

• John 14:5-6
• John 15:26; 16:13
• Truth is not something the apostles were making up.
• John 17:17-19
• Colossians 1:1-6
• If you want absolute truth, go to God’s word!

Truth is an objective reality that is external to human emotions, religious trends, social fads, and political movements.

• Genesis 37:31-34 – Sincerity does not equal truth.
• Genesis 39:7-10 – Joseph did the right thing because he recognized objective external truth.
• I Corinthians 13:4-6 – Love rejoices with the truth.
• 33% of adults agreed: “Truth is a social creation; it is not an absolute, consistent reality unaffected by cultural differences.”
• 44% of adults agreed: “Different religions/philosophies having conflicting ideas about moral truth proves there are no moral absolutes.”
• 45% of adults agreed: “Perceptions of moral truth change over time and across cultures, proving there is no absolute moral truth.”
• Dr. David Zuccolotto: “Find your truth is no longer about honesty – it’s about authority. It doesn’t just encourage self-expression; it commands you to build a worldview from the inside out, as if your private sense of self could bear the weight of defining reality.”
• Brett McCracken: “the philosophy of ‘your truth’ destroys families when a dad suddenly decides ‘his truth’ is calling him to a new lover, a new family, or maybe even a new gender. It’s a philosophy that can destroy entire societies, because invariably one person’s truth will go to battle with another person’s truth, and, devoid of reason, only power decides the victor.”
• Isaiah 5:20-21
• Ephesians 4:11-14

Truth is what matters on the Day of Judgment.

• John 12:46-49
• I Corinthians 6:10
• Galatians 5:22-23
• I Peter 1:22

Philemon 1

• Philemon 1:8-9 – Paul could have ordered Philemon (he had authority as an apostle) but instead appealed to him in love.
  • See II Corinthians 8:8
  • See also Philemon 1:14
  • What precisely was Paul asking Philemon to do here? Possibly, he was asking Onesimus to be allowed to stay and minister to Paul. Or he may be asking Philemon to simply receive Onesimus (Philemon 1:17).
• Philemon 1:10-11 – The name “Onesimus” means “useful.” This is apparently a play on words. Paul seems to indicate here that he converted Onesimus while he was in prison.
  • See Colossians 4:7-9.
• Philemon 1:14 – Paul did not want to be presumptuous with his handling of Onesimus. He wanted to operate out of love rather than authority.
• Philemon 1:15-16 – Despite the previous relationship between Philemon and Onesimus, Paul is reminding them that they are now brothers in Christ.
• Philemon 1:17-19 – The literary device in verse 19 is called a paralipsis, in which something is mentioned by saying you are not mentioning it. See other uses of this device in I Thessalonians 4:9; 5:1.
  • The meaning of verse 19 is not entirely clear. Paul could mean that he converted Philemon.
• Philemon 1:21 – Paul continues to appeal out of love.
• Philemon 1:22-25 – Paul was hoping to be released from prison. Colossians was written after Philemon and Paul was still in prison at that time. Paul was thriving and being productive, even in prison.

Jude – quick overview

Observations

Error is a serious problem, and not unique to Jude.

• Compare II Peter 2. Some of the same examples as Jude are used.

The Holy Spirit inspires Jude to use a lot of triads and triplets.

• Jude 1:1, 2, 5-7, 8, 11, 19, 22-23

There are several things mentioned here that are not mentioned elsewhere (at least, not in any great detail).

• Don’t run wild with curiosity and speculation. John 21:20-23; Deuteronomy 29:29

Holiness is a daily battle, continued

The external battle … with Satan, continued

He is an active enemy … but one we can fight.

• James 4:7 – submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you
• I Peter 5:8 – your enemy walks about like a roaring lion, resist him
  • Be soberminded – there is something for us to do!

He is persistent …

• Luke 4:13

He is crafty …

• II Corinthians 11:3, 13-15 – serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, transforms into an angel of light
• Matthew 7:15-16 – false prophets dressed like sheep
• II Corinthians 2:11 – he uses schemes and tricks

He is subtle …

• Psalms 1:1-2 – progression of sin: walk, stand, sit

The internal battle … within ourselves

• Galatians 5:16-17 – lust of the flesh vs. spirit
• Why does the flesh have lust?
  • James 1:12-16 – drawn away by his own desires and enticed
• Romans 7:22-25 – Paul says the internal battle is hard!
  • I do the things I hate
  • I do evil I do not want to do
  • He recognizes the battle