Lesson 7: Scripture, the Prerequisite to Abiding

The Last Supper... for a while. Who is the traitor and who is the best disciple? Gethsemane

The signs of the times and of Jesus' coming.

Triumphal Entry. Thieves chased from Temple, again. A question of authority. Vine-growers parable. Tribute to Caesar or no?

Dr. Bill Jones records this episode during a Tuesday evening food pickup in New York City with a mission team from Tri-Lakes Baptist Church in Michigan, longtime supporters of Manor Community Church. The team has spent the week doing service projects, speaking in the chapels, preparing for a beneficial food distribution, and conducting public outreach in the subways next to Moynihan Station, where they set up a prayer station and an easel with questions and riddles that stop foot traffic. A man on his way to a job interview asked the team to pray for him and later returned to tell them he had received the job. The speaker reflects on the city's need and on the joy of teaching Scripture, including a lecture from the Gospel of John on the tabernacle as a picture of Christ. He invites listeners who have never been to New York to speak with their pastor about taking a mission trip to share the gospel with people from many backgrounds and religious influences.

Why didn't Jesus just say, "Your will be done?" And what are we to make of the fact that God said "no" to his request, "Take this cup from me"? Or when God says no to our desperate requests? In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed one of the most astonishing prayers in the entire Bible: "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mark 14:36). But why did Jesus ask the Father to take the cup away if He already knew the cross was the reason He came into the world? Was His prayer simply an act of surrender? And if the purpose of prayer is merely to align our will with God's, why do we make requests at all? If you enjoy the episode, please consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving a 5-stars rating. This helps others find the podcast. My sermons are the fruit of nearly 30 years of pastoral ministry, biblical counseling, formal seminary training, and a lifelong passion for God's Word. Since childhood, I've been drawn to the beauty and power of expository preaching—opening Scripture verse by verse and applying it to real life. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute, I spent the next 27 years serving as a youth pastor, senior pastor, church planter, and host of the Food For Your Soul radio broadcast. Along the way, I also earned a Master of Sacred Literature and a Doctor of Religious Studies. For more content from D. Richard Ferguson, visit TreasuringGod.com. Follow on social: • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DarrellFerguson • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrell.r.ferguson/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.DRichardFerguson

The disciples told again of upcoming problems. Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree. Parable of the minas.

Acts 6:1–7 records the early church's response to a complaint from Hellenistic Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. This exposition examines how the apostles addressed a pastoral and administrative crisis in a way that protected the primacy of the Word and prayer while establishing a pattern for servant leadership in the local church. The passage is treated as background to the diaconal qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:8–13. Main points: - the presenting problem — neglect of the Hellenistic widows and the threat to unity - the apostolic solution — the appointment of seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom - the fruit of faithful church order — the Word spread and the number of disciples multiplied greatly Scripture references: - Acts 6:1-7 - 1 Timothy 3:8-13 Free Grace Baptist Church — https://www.freegrace.ca Full transcript & sermon notes: https://sermons.freegrace.ca/sermons/sermon-acts-6-the-appointment-of-the-seven-4 Description generated by Tyrannus.ai: https://www.tyrannus.ai

The sermon identifies Scripture as the essential prerequisite for abiding in Christ, drawing from John 15 to explain how believers maintain their union with Him. It presents three biblical metaphors for the Word of God: spiritual food that sustains life and satisfies hunger, a map that guides beliefs, morals, and relationships, and a means of deep, relational knowledge akin to marriage. The message emphasizes that while salvation is secure, the daily practice of engaging with God's Word is the ordained means by which Christians are nourished, directed, and empowered for spiritual activity. The tone is instructional and pastoral, encouraging listeners to develop consistent habits of reading, listening, and applying Scripture to ensure their faith remains rooted and fruitful.

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: 16 "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things 18 things known from long ago. 19 "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers 22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers.

Verse by verse exposition through the book of Hebrews. (Sermon also includes the reading and exhortation from the Lord's Table liturgy) Heb 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.