Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Temptation must be viewed in the context of idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  The temptations Paul refers to are viewed as, small and of moderate duration. Our temptations or trials are not as difficult in comparison of those endured by the Israelites.  Paul gives us hope that our trials and temptations can be resisted and overcome. God will not suffer us to be tried above the strength He gives us.  The word "temptation" is of great interest to us.  It is an experiment, attempt, trial, proving or testing,  our fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy of our Christian walk. It refers to an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from our own desires or from outward circumstances. Temptation is a mental state by which we are enticed to sin or

Listen to the Old Testament scriptures because they will warn and help us.  1 Corinthians 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  There is a purpose God has for including the historical narratives concerning the Israelites.  People in the Bible are introduced to us with their triumphs and failings, their faith and struggles with unbelief. Their stories, victories and hardships are told in the context of God advancing His kingdom throughout history. Thus, we have good examples of faithful men and women and we have examples of those who wavered from time to time.  We have many examples of epic moral failures and all of these are meant to instruct us in our walk with the Lord. Each successive generation of believers have more light from God than the preceding generation.  Therefore each generation has greater accountability to God for the light they receive. This is what Paul means wh

1 Corinthians 10:1-5  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  2)  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  3)  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  4)  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  5)  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.  So far in this chapter, Paul has used Old Testament pictures of Christ and baptism to illustrate his teaching about idolatry. What does idolatry look like in 2024? A simple definition is that idolatry is anything or anyone that takes a higher priority in my life than the priority I have for God. Many Corinthian Christians came to Christ from a background of pagan idolatry and immorality. Paul had to teach them right from wrong concerning the things of God. In our last post, we noted that un

  Good morning to all.... Here are links to all the sermons and lessons preached by Pastor Alvis in the month of August 2024. Sermons are livestreams and the Sunday afternoon and midweek services are audio only. Pastor Alvis is a very capable expositor of the scriptures and is a true Christian brother and friend, in addition to being my pastor. I hope that his teaching will greatly bless each of you, as much as I have been blessed by his ministry. Bob

A note about the archive index containing all Bible lessons posted on this blog since its inception in 2019.   An index for  all lessons  posted from 2019 through 2021, was published on  September 7, 2022. An index for all lessons posted in 2022, was published  J anuary 24, 2023. An index for all lessons posted in 2023 was posted on  February 28, 2024.  Each index lists lesson titles and the date each one was posted, so that you can study subjects that we have written about. Below is a link that will take you to the YouTube channel of Heritage Baptist Church in Smithville, Ohio, where my wife and I are members. Our Pastor, Mike Alvis, asked me to assume teaching the adult Sunday school class last October and we are currently working our way through this wonderful book of Ezra. In this lesson we moved into Ezra chapter 7. We saw that Ezra was a master at providing context.  Chapter seven begins with the words "After these things" and we reviewed the highlights of the first six

Baptism and a public profession of faith is essential for each Christian.  1 Corinthians 10:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  2)  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  3)  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  4)  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  Paul shows us how Israel going through that cloud and the parted waters of the Red Sea is a picture of being baptized into Christ, by the Spirit of God. We looked at baptism by water immersion  in order to make sure that believers today understand what that baptism is.  It is a public testimony, an outward profession of faith that says "I am identifying with Jesus Christ and His Spirit has given me a new heart." A public profession of faith honors Christ and edifies other Christians.  Romans 10:9-11  T

A note about the archive index containing all Bible lessons posted on this blog since its inception in 2019.   An index for  all lessons  posted from 2019 through 2021, was published on  September 7, 2022. An index for all lessons posted in 2022, was published  J anuary 24, 2023. An index for all lessons posted in 2023 was posted on  February 28, 2024.  Each index lists lesson titles and the date each one was posted, so that you can study subjects that we have written about. Below is a link that will take you to the YouTube channel of Heritage Baptist Church in Smithville, Ohio, where my wife and I are members. Pastor Mike Alvis asked me to assume teaching the adult Sunday school class last October and we are currently working our way through this wonderful book of Ezra. This lessons focuses on how the house of God was finally completed. We learned that each Christian is a work in progress and that God will keep working to conform us to Christ, until the day He calls us home. We also s