A. The great eagle is Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar; the willow tree/vine is Zedekiah in Judah (17:1-6, 11-14)
B. The second eagle is Egyptian Pharaoh, Hophra (17:7-8, 15a; cf. Jeremiah 44:30)
C. Will the vine thrive? (17:9-10, 15b-21)
II. Messianic hope (17:22-24)
A. The tender one cropped off by God is Jesus (Isaiah 11:1; 53:2)
B. Planted on a high and prominent mountain – the kingdom of Christ would be exalted over all the trees of the field (other kingdoms)
III. Lessons for us today
A. In whom do you place your trust? (Psalm 46:1)
B. Integrity is vital – do not make flippant vows (Numbers 30:2; Ecclesiastes 5:4-5)
A. Prophecy (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-3)
B. Promise (Matthew 16:18-19)
C. Practice (Acts 2:41-47)
II. The distinctive and singular nature of the church
A. One flock (John 10:16; Acts 20:28)
B. One body (Ephesians 4:4; 1:22-23)
C. One bride (Romans 7:1-4; Ephesians 5:22-33)
III. Identifying the church of the Bible by its traits
A. The designation (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:15; Romans 16:16)
B. Organization (Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 4:11-12)
C. Worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Colossians 3:16-17)
IV. A rejection of division
A. The Lord prayed for unity (John 17:20-21)
B. The Lord paid for unity (Ephesians 2:14-16)
C. The Lord pleaded for unity (1 Corinthians 1:10)
D. The Lord planned for unity (Ephesians 4:1-6)
V. How one becomes a part of the Lord’s church
A. The Lord is the one who adds a person to the church (Acts 2:37-40, 47)
B. Those who are added must continue in the faith (1 Corinthians 10:12; 15:58)
A. All the time, yes (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6)
B. In sorrow and great distress (Matthew 26:37)
C. When we are alone (Matthew 26:21, 31, 34)
II. Where should we pray?
A. In seclusion (John 18:1)
B. Separated Himself even from His closest friends (Matthew 26:37; Luke 22:41)
III. How should we pray?
A. With persistence (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44)
B. Earnestly (Luke 22:44)
C. Humbly (Matthew 26:39 fell on His face)
D. Seeking God’s will (Matthew 26:39, 42; 1 John 5:14)
IV. What happens when we pray like Jesus prayed?
A. God hears us (Hebrews 5:7)
B. We receive strength from God
1. Through His Word (Psalm 119:28)
2. Through His servants (Luke 22:43; James 5:16)
I. Toward spiritual laborers [our elders] (5:12-13)
A. Recognize their work (done in love, 1:3)
B. Respect their authority (Hebrews 13:7, 17)
C. Regard them in high esteem [resulting in peace in the church]
II. Toward the brethren (5:14-15)
A. Warn the unruly [lazy]
B. Comfort the fainthearted
C. Uphold the weak (Romans 15:1)
D. Be patient with all (1 Corinthians 13:4; 2 Peter 3:9)
E. Do not seek vengeance (Romans 12:17-21)
III. Toward our own spiritual well-being (5:16-18)
A. Live a life of joy (Philippians 4:4)
B. Live a life of prayer (Philippians 4:6)
C. Live a life of gratitude (Philippians 4:13; James 1:3)
IV. Toward the truth (5:19-22)
A. Apply the Scriptures to your life (Romans 8:1; James 1:22)
B. Compare the words of the preacher to the Word of God (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1)
C. Don’t be involved in evil things (Eph. 5:11; Gal. 5:19-21)
V. Paul’s closing charge (5:23-28)
A. The faithfulness of God to sanctify and preserve
B. Pray for each other and love each other
C. Spend time with the Scriptures
A. To occur when all are raised (Acts 17:31; John 5:28-29)
B. No one can escape this day (Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 10:15; 12:41-42; Luke 10:14)
C. It is a day in which we must give an account for our words (Matthew 12:36) and actions (2 Corinthians 5:10)
D. The standard is set by Jesus (John 12:48)
E. We determine our eternity by our lives (Matthew 25:46)
II. Everlasting punishment
A. Darkness (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 13; Matthew 25:30)
B. Fire (Matthew 13:42; 25:41; Mark 9:44-45; Rev. 20:10, 15)
C. Anguish (Matthew 25:30; Revelation 20:10)
III. Eternal life
A. A place of joy (Matthew 25:21, 23)
B. A place of rest (Hebrews 4:1, 9, 11; Revelation 14:13)
C. A place of reward (Matthew 5:10-12; Colossians 3:23-24; 2 Timothy 4:8)
A. The need for authenticity (Philippians 2:14-16)
B. The danger of dishonesty (Eph. 4:25; Matthew 5:33-37)
II. “Give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me”
A. Be content with God’s blessings (Philippians 4:11-13)
B. Do not worry about the things of this life (Mt. 6:25-34)
C. Focus on what really matters (Colossians 3:1-5)
III. The problem with prosperity
A. Forgetting and denying the source of all blessings (James 1:17; Job 31:24-25, 28; Hosea 13:6)
B. Self-reliance / self-sufficiency (Deuteronomy 8:11-17; 31:20; Nehemiah 9:24-26; Hosea 13:6)
C. Apathy and indifference toward the work of the church (Revelation 3:15-19)
D. You can never have enough! (Eccl. 5:10; Luke 12:15-21)
IV. The problem with poverty
A. Covetousness (1 Timothy 6:9-10)
B. The temptation to steal, betraying love (Romans 13:9; Ephesians 4:28)
C. Cursing God for not perceived neglect (Isaiah 8:21)
A. “The times and seasons” (Matthew 24; Romans 2:5; Ephesians 4:30; John 6:39; 11:24; Jude 6; 2 Thessalonians 1:10)
B. Compared to a thief in the night (Mt 24:42-44)
C. Compared to labor pains – inevitable
II. Contrasting the people of the world vs. the people of the Word (5:4-7)
A. People of the world:
1. In darkness, of the night (rebellion)
2. Asleep (indifferent)
3. Drunk (disoriented, easily deceived)
B. People of the Word
1. Sons of light and sons of the day (obedience) (John 12:35-36; Ephesians 5:8)
2. Watchful (alert)
3. Sober (clear thinking, normalcy)
III. Our preparation (5:8-11)
A. The breastplate of faith and love
B. The helmet, the hope of salvation (Isa. 59:17; Eph. 6:13-17)
C. Obtaining salvation through Jesus’ death (Philippians 2:12; Acts 2:40 ASV)
D. Comfort each other, knowing we will be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:14)
A. Acquisition of the linen sash (13:1-5)
B. Retrieval of the linen sash (13:6-7)
II. The application (13:8-11)
A. The result of pride: ruination (13:8-9)
B. The result of rebellion: unprofitable (13:10)
C. The aim of God was to exalt the nation, but Israel chose to reject Him (13:11)
III. Lessons for today
A. There is still danger in pride (Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 16:18)
B. Disobedience is detrimental (Jeremiah 7:24; 8:5; 11:8)
C. God desires to exalt His people – don’t hinder His purposes through your pride and rebellion! (Deuteronomy 26:17-19; James 4:10)
I. The hope of resurrection is not a return to this life…
A. Though God demonstrated this power on several occasions (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:18-20, 32-37; John 11:43-44; Acts 9:36-42)
B. Rather, it is the hope of a return to God (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7; Acts 24:15)
II. The depth of the hope of the resurrection
A. Rooted in the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:20)
B. Looks forward to redemption (Job 19:25-27)
C. Embraces immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)
III. The results of the resurrection
A. The prophecy of Daniel (12:2-3), affirmed by Jesus (John 5:28-29)
B. “Some to everlasting life” (Matthew 25:21, 23, 34)
C. “Some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Matthew 25:30, 41, 46)
I. The condition of man and conception of God (1:4-5)
A. “Wept, and mourned…fasting and praying” (1:4; cf. Romans 9:2)
B. “LORD God of heaven” (1:5)
II. Persistence (1:6)
A. Appeal for God’s attention (cf. Isaiah 59:1-2; 1 Peter 3:12)
B. “Day and night” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Nehemiah 2:1)
III. Contrition of heart (1:6-7)
A. Nehemiah prayed for Israel and confessed their sin
B. Nehemiah acknowledged his own failings (cf. Isaiah 6:5; 1 John 1:8)
IV. God’s character (1:8-10)
A. God’s promise – “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter…if you return, I will gather” (1:8-9)
B. God’s possession – “Your servants…Your people” (1:10)
C. God’s pattern – “whom You have redeemed” (1:10)
V. God’s providential work (1:11)
A. Asked for “mercy in the sight of” Artaxerxes the king
B. We should pray that the government acts in such a way that opens doors for the people of God (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-4)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
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