Epistle for September 19, 2008
Posted by: info <info@...>
E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation September 19, 2008
"God Put It Into My Heart"
(Nehemiah 7:1-73)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. On Nehemiah's orders, the wall was finished, the gates were hung,
and the worship leaders were appointed, v. 1.
2. Nehemiah appointed his brother, Hanani, as "Mayor" of the city of
Jerusalem, and Hananiah . . . "a faithful man who feared God
more than many" . . . as commander of the citadel (fortress area);
he also gave orders about when to secure the gates of the city, and
appointed sentries to stand guard, vv. 2-3.
3. Upon giving direction ("my God put it into my heart," v. 5), Nehemiah
took a census, registering by genealogy all the people of the nation: a
total of 42,360 citizens, plus 7,337 servants and 245 singers, vv. 4-69.
4. The governor, Nehemiah, along with some of the tribal leaders and the
rest of the people, gave freewill offerings to support the work of the
priests, vv. 70-73.
II. Meditation: on the actions taken by Nehemiah
1. He supervised the construction work until the whole project was
completely finished.
2. He appointed as officials in his realm those persons known to be
faithful and God-fearing.
3. He took actions as he was prompted by the Holy Spirit, Who put the
ideas into his heart.
4. He set the example of generous giving to support the ministry of the
priests as they led the people in the worship of the Lord.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications of these accomplishments
1. Faithful leaders continue working on their divine assignments until
their task is completely finished.
2. Wise leaders appoint only those assistants whom they know to be
faithful and God-fearing.
3. Spiritual leaders move under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.
4. Successful leaders set the example for others in the area of generous giving.
IV. Applications: as a Christian leader, I need to . . .
1. Persevere at my God-given tasks until they are completed.
2. Enlist fellow-laborers who have a proven track record of faithfulness and
spiritual commitment to the Lord.
3. Listen for and follow the instructions revealed to my heart by the Holy Spirit
of God.
4. Lead by example in faithful service and generous living.
Melchizedek, King and Priest
(Hebrews 7:1-28)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on Melchizedek in this chapter and other Scripture references
1. King of Salem (Jerusalem), v. 1; Genesis 14:18-20.
2. Priest of the Most High God, v. 1; Psalm 110:4.
3. King of Righteousness, v. 2; Romans 5:18; Revelation 19:16.
4. King of Peace, v. 2; Isaiah 9:6.
II. Meditation: on Melchizedek's identity
1. Without father, mother, or genealogy, v. 3.
2. Had neither beginning of days nor end of life, v. 3.
3. Made like the Son of God, v. 3.
4. Remains a priest continually, vv. 3, 23-24.
III. Observations: on Abraham's dealings with the King of Salem (Exodus 14:18-20)
(From "Personal & Practical" Bible study notes on Exodus 14)
1. Abram established his relationship with the King of Salem, who gave him
bread and wine, v. 18.
2. Melchizedek's actions 2,000 years before Christ foreshadowed the priestly
ministry of Christ.
3. Melchizedek used the same elements Christ used in the Lord's Supper.
4. Abraham worshipped God . . . and he offered tithes.
IV. Revelation: on Abraham's response to Melchizedek
1. Abraham gave a tithe (1/10th of his possessions) to Melchizedek, v. 4.
2. Although Abraham's descendants (Levites) received tithes from all the
tribes of Israel, they (through Abraham) paid tithes to one who was
superior to them, vv. 5-6, 8-10.
3. Abraham received a blessing from Melchizedek, rather than the other way
around . . . the lessor is blessed by the greater, vv. 6-7.
4. The Levitical priesthood was an imperfect foreshadowing of the priesthood
of Christ, which produced a better (new) covenant . . . a better hope through
personally drawing near to God, vv. 11-19.
V. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Identify Melchizedek as an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. (See John 8:56)
2. Praise and thank the Lord for His salvation and for His continuing
intercession for me, v. 25.
3. Pattern my life after the holy life of my High Priest, for, I too, am a priest
of the Most High God, (See Revelation 1:6 and Revelation 5:19)
4. Receive spiritual blessing from Almighty God, and bestow spiritual blessings
upon others in the name of Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Child's Book Report On the Entire Bible
(copied from the Black River Times)
(Part one of Three)
A child was told to write a book report on the entire Bible. This is amazing.
I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are
teaching???? Through the eyes of a child.
CHILDREN'S BIBLE IN A NUTSHELL!!!
In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God,
darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one', but I think He must
be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then
God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't
embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God
by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what
they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like
a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of
his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some
animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would take
a rain check.
Continued next time!!
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: epistle2equip-unsubscribe@welovegod.org