Epistle for April 11, 2003
Posted by: info <info@...>
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation April 11, 2003
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During this quarter (April-June) Dr. Scarborough will be presenting
teachings on all 13 chapters of both Hebrews and Nehemiah
In This Issue:
"Testimony from Four Witnesses" (Hebrews 2:1-18)
"What God Had Put in My Heart to Do" (Nehemiah 2:1-20)
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Testimony from Four Witnesses
(Hebrews 2:1-18)
I. Concentration: on the four witnesses
1. "The word spoken through angels," v. 2.
2. "First began to be spoken by the Lord," v. 3.
3. "Was confirmed to us by those who heard him (Christ)," v. 3.
4. "God also bearing witness with," v. 4 . . .
(1) signs
(2) wonders
(3) various miracles
(4) gifts of the Holy Spirit
II. Meditation: on the testimony of these witnesses
1. Jesus Christ has dominion over all things, including angels, vv. 5-8.
2. He died for everyone, but He rose again in glory and honor, v. 9.
3. His atonement through suffering brought salvation, vv. 10, 17.
4. He sanctifies believers, whom He is proud to call family, vv. 11-13.
5. He is victoriously triumphant over Satan, v. 14.
6. He releases (delivers) persons who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage, v. 15.
7. He aids persons who are tempted to resist sin, v. 18.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen in this chapter
1. God reveals Himself in many ways, but primarily through the Word
(His Son, John 1:1) and through the Word (Scripture), Hebrews 1:1-2.
2. In the mouths of two or more witnesses, a thing is established
(Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Matthew 18:16) . . . angels, Jesus, disciples,
and God the Father.
3. Jesus Christ did not come to give aid to angels, but to the seed of Abraham
. . . persons who have faith, v. 16.
4. The Son of God became a human being, tempted in all points as we are yet
without sin (Hebrews 4:15), so that He could become a merciful and faithful High
Priest making propitation (covering) for our sins, v. 17.
IV. As a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Pay earnest attention to the Living Word (Jesus Christ) and to the written word (the Bible).
2. Thank God for Christ's atonement through His death.
3. Thank God for Christ's sanctification through His sinless life.
4. Thank God for victory, deliverance, and freedom over sin and Satan.
"What God Had Put in My Heart to Do"
(Nehemiah 2:1-20)
I. Concentration: on the main events of this chapter
1. Nehemiah discussed the sad condition of the city of Jerusalem
with King Artaxerxes of Persia, vv. 1-6.
2. Artaxerxes commissioned Nehemiah to journey to Jerusalem to
assume the governorship and to rebuild the city walls, vv. 7-10.
3. Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, where he personally and privately
inspected the condition of the walls, vv. 11-16.
4. Nehemiah encouraged the leaders, officials, nobles, and priests to join
him in rebuilding the walls of the city, vv. 17-20.
II. Meditation: on the ways God dealt spiritually with Nehemiah
1. God gave Nehemiah a vision of divine destiny . . . "what my God had
put in my heart to do," vv. 4-5, 12.
2. God put His "good hand" upon Nehemiah . . . to encourage and to
empower him by His Spirit, vv. 8, 18.
3. God guided Nehemiah to take the initiative, to assume personal responsibility,
to evaluate the needs, and to plan carefully to accomplish the task, vv. 11-16.
4. God gave Nehemiah the faith to speak prophetically and the courage to call for
commitment from others to work with him: "The God of heaven Himself
will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build," v. 20.
III. Revelation and Applications: as a Christian leader, I need to . . .
1. Pray earnestly and wait patiently for the Lord to reveal His vision of
divine destiny for my life.
2. Be open to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit for power to accomplish the job
which God has given me to do.
3. With God's guidance and power . . . take the initiative, assume the personal
responsibility, evaluate what needs to be done, and plan carefully to achieve and
fulfill God's vision of destiny for my life.
4. By faith, prophesy what God is going to accomplish through His people according
to His revealed words; with courage, begin working and calling for God's people to
join me in completing His assigned tasks.
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"The true test of character is not how much we know how to do,
but how we behave when we don't know what to do." John Holt
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Master of Ministry (32 credit hours - $2,400) in
Biblical Counseling . . . by distance learning
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