Four Points Church
139 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★★ - 33 ratingsFour Points Church in Acworth, Georgia.
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Zechariah 6:9-15 - "A Priest With A Crown" - Brent Stephens / April 7, 2024
April 13, 2024 15:49 - 50 minutes - 74.3 MBIn Zechariah 3, Zechariah’s visions introduced a character called “the Branch,” who will bring about restoration and new growth in God’s people. In Zechariah 6:9-15, the Branch is spoken of again, and we learn that the Branch is a priest who is crowned like a king. This brings hope and purpose to the exiles of Judah, who are charged with restoring the city of Jerusalem and its temple.
Zechariah 6:1-8 - "The Four Chariots" - Brent Stephens / March 31, 2024
April 01, 2024 11:16 - 46 minutes - 43 MBWe’ve seen horses before in Zechariah (see Zechariah 1:7-17). In his eighth and final vision of the evening, Zechariah again sees horses. This time, the vision is not against the background of darkness, as it was in chapter 1. Rather, Zechariah’s eighth vision is set against the background of dawn. Hope is breaking through for God’s discouraged people. They are to get their eyes off of their bleak circumstances and onto their sovereign God, who is working out His rule and reign in this world...
Zechariah 5:1-11 - "Cursed, Covered, and Carried Away" - Jeremy Brannon / March 24, 2024
March 24, 2024 22:28 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBAs we begin chapter 5, we see the prophet Zechariah having two separate visions, the sixth and seventh that are recorded in this book: the Flying Scroll, and the Woman in a Basket. Though the two visions are different, they clearly go together to form one bigger message: that sin is revealed through the law, sin is judged, and then sin is removed.
Zechariah 4 Part 2 - "Not by Might, Not by Power" - Brent Stephens / March 17, 2024
March 17, 2024 21:40 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBIn Zechariah’s fifth vision, he is shown a golden lampstand. The Hebrew word for this lamp is “menorah.” The fact this particular lamp is gold is symbolic of the lamps included in the temple furnishings: one in the tabernacle and later, ten in Solomon’s Temple (Exodus 25:31-40; 1 Kings 7:49). It was the job of the priests to ensure these lamps were filled with oil and kept burning at all times (Leviticus 24:1-4).
Zechariah 4 Part 1 - "Not By Might, Not By Power" - Brent Stephens / March 10, 2024
March 10, 2024 23:16 - 41 minutes - 38 MBIn Zechariah’s fifth vision, he is shown a golden lampstand. The Hebrew word for this lamp is “menorah.” The fact this particular lamp is gold is symbolic of the lamps included in the temple furnishings: one in the tabernacle and later, ten in Solomon’s Temple (Exodus 25:31-40; 1 Kings 7:49). It was the job of the priests to ensure these lamps were filled with oil and kept burning at all times (Leviticus 24:1-4).
Zechariah 4:1-14 - "Not By Might, Not By Power" - Brent Stephens / March 10, 2024
March 10, 2024 23:16 - 41 minutes - 38 MBIn Zechariah’s fifth vision, he is shown a golden lampstand. The Hebrew word for this lamp is “menorah.” The fact this particular lamp is gold is symbolic of the lamps included in the temple furnishings: one in the tabernacle and later, ten in Solomon’s Temple (Exodus 25:31-40; 1 Kings 7:49). It was the job of the priests to ensure these lamps were filled with oil and kept burning at all times (Leviticus 24:1-4).
Zechariah 3:1-10 - "Clothed By Another's Garments" - Daniel Pernell / March 3, 2024
March 04, 2024 00:01 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBImagine that a dear friend you have not seen in years comes by as you are doing yard work. You’d love to throw your arms around your friend, but your clothes are caked in grime and muck and you smell like a barnyard. What you want at that moment is to stop time, go shower up and get a change of clothes! Here in Zechariah 3, God continues to restore His people, whose priests are unclean and unable to stand before Him in worship and sacrifice. God alone can provide the cleansing and the righte...
Zechariah 2:1-13 - "The City With No Walls" - Jeremy Brannon / February 25, 2024
February 26, 2024 01:03 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBSame evening. Another vision. We have all seen the city limit signs on the side of the road as we drive down the highway. They indicate the boundaries of the city, telling us where the city begins and where it ends. These signs represent defined borders that distinguish a city from other areas around it. Imagine a city with no boundaries, no borders, and no limits. The city is what the prophet Zechariah sees in his third vision of the evening, which is meant to provide great hope and comfort...
Zechariah 1:7-21 - "Comforting Words from a Merciful God" - Brent Stephens / February 18, 2024
February 19, 2024 00:41 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBThree months after that first oracle of Zechariah’s ministry, recorded in Zechariah 1:1-6, he receives the first of eight visions that come to him in the night. Each of these visions follows a basic pattern: Zechariah sees something, asks the angel about it, and is told by the angel what it means. The general idea of this first vision is that God will overcome whatever difficulties Judah is experiencing. He will rescue His people.
Zechariah 1:1-6 - "Return to Me" - Brent Stephens / February 11, 2024
February 12, 2024 00:04 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBScripture teaches that “for everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The book of Zechariah begins with a specific time stamp: “In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius” (Zechariah 1:1), which means the book dates back to October or November in the year 520 BC. During this time, God’s people, who had returned sixteen years earlier to the land He had given them, were still under Persian rule. Israel was in disrepair with broken-down ...
Mixtape in the Psalms - "Psalm 3" - Scotty Valiani / February 4, 2024
February 05, 2024 03:30 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBMixtape in the Psalms - Psalm 3
Vision 2024 - "Legacy: Love Lives On" - Brent Stephens / January 28, 2024
January 28, 2024 23:51 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBLegacy: Love Lives On
Vision 2024 - "Passion: We Love Others" - Brent Stephens / January 21, 2024
January 22, 2024 01:44 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBPassion: We Love Others
Vision 2024 - "Devotion: We Love God" - Brent Stephens / January 14, 2024
January 15, 2024 11:22 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBDevotion: We Love God
Vision 2024 - ”Love: God Loves Us” - Brent Stephens / January 7, 2024
January 08, 2024 00:05 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBVision 2024 - Love: God Loves Us
Genesis 37:1-11 - ”The Only Good King - Advent 2023 Week 3” - Brent Stephens / December 31, 2023
December 31, 2023 21:25 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBThe Only Good King - Advent 2023 Week 3
Luke 2:1-7 - ”The Only Good King: Advent 2023 Week 2” - Brent Stephens / December 24, 2023
December 26, 2023 17:04 - 38 minutes - 35 MBAdvent 2023 Week 2
Genesis 1:26-28 - ”The Only Good King - Advent 2023 Week 1” - Jeremy Brannon / December 17, 2023
December 17, 2023 23:22 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBThe Only Good King - Advent 2023 Week 1
1 Corinthians 16:12-24 - ”The Common Bond of Gospel Mission” - Brent Stephens / December 10, 2023
December 11, 2023 12:51 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBShakespeare’s Henry V has its share of great speeches, but the best-remembered in our culture is found in Act IV, Scene III, as the king addresses his men before the Battle of Agincourt, a fight in which they know they are greatly outnumbered. He calls his men a “band of brothers”—very familial words for a mixed group of peasantry and nobility, especially in a society in which one’s birth determined so much in one’s life. The Apostle Paul continues to call out his own brothers (and a sister!...
1 Corinthians 16:1-11 - ”The Privilege of Participation in the Mission” - Brent Stephens / December 3, 2023
December 04, 2023 01:52 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBMost of us turn off the credits at the end of a movie, unless the music is really good! The endless scrolling list of names does not carry the entertainment value that the rest of the film does. As a student of the Bible, when you start seeing names and personal greetings, don’t treat them like that list of movie credits and tune out! All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for His people (2 Timothy 3:16). In this passage, we get a glimpse into how the budding New Testament churches int...
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 - ”The Victory of the Resurrection” - Daniel Pernell / November 26, 2023
November 27, 2023 02:02 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBPaul has just spent the last several verses discussing what the resurrected bodies of believers will be like. He now explains to the church in Corinth about the change that must take place for those that are in Christ to enter into the glorious presence of King Jesus for all eternity. This change is necessary because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50). “The perishable” is describing our current bodies, a...
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 - ”The Hope of the Resurrection” - Brent Stephens / November 19, 2023
November 20, 2023 01:55 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBIn the previous section, Paul deals with some in the church who are saying that there is no resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12). Apparently, one of the sticking points for this group is the inability to understand what kind of resurrected bodies they will have. We see this belief in Paul’s anticipation of the follow-up question: “With what kind of body will they come” (v. 35)? Paul is upset at the line of questioning and calls the Corinthians “foolish” in verse 36, not because t...
1 Corinthians 15:12-34 - ”The Implications of the Resurrection” - Nick Steinichen / November 12, 2023
November 13, 2023 02:45 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBPaul begins this chapter by validating the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus has risen from the grave, what does that mean for you and me? What are the implications of the resurrection for the believer in Jesus? Paul addresses these questions now.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 - ”The Evidence for the Resurrection” - Nick Steinichen / November 5, 2023
November 06, 2023 00:44 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBThis book has been full of important issues. However, there is one issue that is vital to all other issues that have been addressed in 1 Corinthians. In this section, the subject matter now shifts. Paul addresses this very important subject—not that the other issues he has addressed were not important, but this issue is of "first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3): the resurrection. It seems as though some of the Corinthians were denying a physical resurrection of the body. This shouldn’t surp...
1 Corinthians 14:26-40 - ”The Proper Procedure for Prophecy -The Gifts, Part 8” - Brent Stephens / October 29, 2023
November 05, 2023 16:15 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBGod is a God of order and not chaos. Think for a moment about the universe, our world, and society itself. God has purposefully built order into everything. Those who accept His order will flourish, while those who reject it live under the shadow of a curse. Imagine if the mayor of the town you live in suddenly gathered everyone together and made the following speech: “We are no longer going to have leaders, police, firemen, or any other government agency within this city. Our goal is for ea...
1 Corinthians 14:13-25 - ”The Proper Procedure for Tongues - The Gifts, Part 7” - Brent Stephens / October 22, 2023
October 23, 2023 00:28 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBImagine being in a worship service when a woman interrupts the sermon by loudly singing in tongues. Or a man standing in a service and praying in tongues for several minutes. Both the woman and the man would be personally edified by using their gift of tongues, but no one else in the room would get anything out of it. No one else could even say “Amen” afterward because they have no idea what had been sung or prayed (1 Corinthians 14:16). I was once in a service where a man spoke in tongues f...
1 Corinthians 14:1-12 - ”Striving For the Gifts That Build Up - The Gifts, Part 6” - Brent Stephens / October 15, 2023
October 15, 2023 23:27 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBTwo aforementioned realities are again made very clear at the beginning of chapter 14. First, God has given gifts to His Church, and His people should earnestly desire those gifts. God gives these gifts to be used so that the Church can be built up (1 Corinthians 14:3, 5). It should not surprise us that God wants to build us into mature believers who together act as salt and light in this world around us (Matthew 5:13-16). It is through His people that God makes His glory and salvation known...
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - ”Love: The Oil That Permeates the Body - The Gifts, Part 5” - Brent Stephens / October 8, 2023
October 09, 2023 00:54 - 46 minutes - 42.9 MBPaul has already affirmed that God gives a variety of gifts to the Church for the common good of all believers. Early church fathers and modern commentators agree that Paul is writing not to dissuade the use of these gifts, but rather to instruct on their proper application within the context of the gathered church. It appears that certain individuals have overstepped their roles in the use of the gifts, actually hurting the church rather than propelling her forward. This is why Paul says he...
1 Corinthians 12:20-31 -”The Interdependence of the Church - The Gifts, Part 4” - Brent Stephens / October 1, 2023
October 02, 2023 01:10 - 57 minutes - 53 MBIt has been clear since the beginning of this letter to Corinth that divisions exist within the church. People who lived two thousand years ago are no different from people who live in our postmodern world. It is simply easier to remove yourself from difficult or different people than to remain and try to get along with them. Gifts of grace have exacerbated the differences between members of the Corinthian church. Instead of using gifts for the common good, certain individuals have elevated ...
1 Corinthians 12:12-19 - ”Members of One Another - The Gifts, Part 3” - Brent Stephens / September 24, 2023
September 24, 2023 20:20 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBIt’s not very hard to snap a single pencil in half. But have you ever tried breaking 15 pencils at one time? It’s a much different scenario. Pencils are not very strong alone, but when you have a bunch of them together, they become virtually unbreakable with human hands. This is God’s design for His Church. The Old Testament teaches us that “two are better than one” and “a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). There is strength in numbers. It is why wolves travel in pac...
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 - ”The Varying Gifts of Grace - The Gifts, Part 2” - Brent Stephens / September 17, 2023
September 18, 2023 00:50 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBPaul mentions nine gifts of grace in these verses. However, this list is in no way exhaustive. He will add four more gifts to this list later, in verses 28-30. Further, three other texts in the Bible add to our understanding of spiritual gifts. In fact, there are just over 20 unique gifts mentioned in the New Testament. It is important to realize that these gifts are spread throughout the individuals within the church and not simply all given to one person or leader. This is shown through th...
1 Corinthians 12:1-7 - ”Unity in Diversity - The Gifts Part 1” - Brent Stephens / September 10, 2023
September 11, 2023 00:10 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBIn the last chapter, we read about Paul’s concern for the socioeconomic disparities that existed in the church. The members of the church needed to see the table of the Lord as a place of unity in Christ, regardless of social status. All are equal at the foot of the cross! Paul now turns his attention to another disparity that exists within the church. It seems the church in Corinth has several members with a wide array of spiritual gifts. The word “gifts” in Greek is charisma and can also b...
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - ”The Lord’s Supper” - Brent Stephens / September 3, 2023
September 04, 2023 03:08 - 46 minutes - 43 MBIn the first century when Christians would come together as a church, a meal was a part of their gathering. And when the early Christians took the Lord’s Supper, often it came after they shared that meal together. Luke wrote in Acts 2:46, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” Jude 12 speaks about “love feasts” where the church was almost certainly partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 - ”The Beauty of Complementarianism” - Brent Stephens / August 27, 2023
August 27, 2023 23:22 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBThis is one of the most challenging passages in the New Testament to interpret. Paul is speaking to a cultural situation that we find difficult to reconstruct and hard to understand. However, the principles we can glean from this passage on women’s head coverings and propriety in corporate worship are very helpful for our world, which is confused on the subject of gender. Paul is teaching us about God’s pattern for men and women. In this passage, we see God-ordained differences and complemen...
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 - ”Freedom for God’s Glory” - Brent Stephens / August 20, 2023
August 21, 2023 00:41 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBPaul continues his instruction on meat sacrificed to idols, which he began in chapter 8. Here, he helps the Corinthians navigate two challenging issues before the culture at large. How can they maintain a consistent witness about God alone deserving worship, while exercising their freedom to enjoy God’s good gifts? Must they investigate the history of every piece of meat that comes before them, to ensure that it has never been a part of a religious ritual? How can they be both faithful and f...
1 Corinthians 10:14-22 - ”The Emptiness of Idolatry” - Brent Stephens / August 13, 2023
August 13, 2023 23:16 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBAt the beginning of chapter 8, Paul began the discussion about food being sacrificed to idols. Some within the Corinthian body had no problem with eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. Earlier, Paul dealt with their lack of love for their brothers in prioritizing their own desires to eat that food over what was best for their brothers (see previous section in this study guide). Now, Paul condemns eating the sacrifices, saying those who do are participating in the idolatrous services...
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 - ”The Dangers of Overconfidence” - Brent Stephens / August 6, 2023
August 06, 2023 23:17 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBThis passage opens with a summary of some of the ways God cared for His people in the Old Testament, as they left Egypt, wandered in the wilderness, and eventually entered the Promised Land. Paul relates several ways that God provided for their physical needs, including leading them through the Red Sea, feeding them manna, and giving them water from the rock. These were visible and tangible means that God used in the Exodus of His people. In verse 6, Paul is clear that one of the reasons we ...
Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Soli Deo Gloria” - Daniel Pernell / July 30, 2023
July 30, 2023 23:13 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBSoli Deo Gloria - To the Glory of God Alone
Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Sola Scriptura” - Jerermy Brannon / July 23, 2023
July 24, 2023 01:29 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBSola Scriptura - Scripture Alone
Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Solus Christus” - Nick Steinichen / July 16, 2023
July 16, 2023 23:36 - 55 minutes - 51.1 MBSolus Christus - Christ Alone
Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Sola Fide” - Nick Steinichen / July 9, 2023
July 09, 2023 20:49 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBSola Fide - By Faith Alone
Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Sola Gratia” - Nick Steinichen / July 2, 2023
July 02, 2023 23:08 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MBJustified: Studying the Five Solas - "Sola Gratia"
1 Corinthians 9:15-27 - ”Laying Down Our Liberties” - Brent Stephens / June 25, 2023
June 26, 2023 00:38 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBAt the beginning of chapter 9, Paul argued that those who minister the gospel deserve to make a living from the gospel. After all of this buildup, one would expect Paul to request the Corinthians to pay up! But that is not where he is going with his argument. We will see in this passage that Paul’s main point in chapter 9 is to demonstrate that though he has a right to claim payment for his gospel ministry in Corinth, he gave up that right for the sake of the Corinthians, and ultimately for ...
Mixtape in the Psalms - Psalm 11 - Scotty Valiani / February 5, 2023
February 06, 2023 01:46 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBMixtape in the Psalms - Psalm 11
Vision 2023 - ”Legacy” - Brent Stephens / January 29, 2023
January 30, 2023 02:13 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBOur fourth point of Four Points Church is Legacy: Love Lives On!
Vision 2023 - ”Passion” - Brent Stephens / January 22, 2023
January 22, 2023 21:47 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBOur third point of Four Points Church is Passion: We Love Others!
Vision 2023 - ”Devotion” - Jeremy Brannon / January 15, 2023
January 16, 2023 02:49 - 48 minutes - 44 MBOur second point of Four Points Church is Devotion: We Love God!
Vision 2023 - ”Love” - Brent Stephens / January 8, 2023
January 08, 2023 22:05 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBOur first point of Four Points Church is Love: God Loves Us!
Revelation 3:14-22 - ”The Church at Laodicea” - Jeremy Brannon / January 1, 2023
January 02, 2023 00:20 - 44 minutes - 41 MBLaodicea is one of the most ancient cities in the Lycus valley. Archeological evidence can accurately prove that people lived in the city more than a thousand years before the writing of Revelation. Historical records show previous names of the city as Rhoas and then Diospolis (which means City of Zeus). The name Laodicea did not come into use until the 3rd century BC when Seleucid king Antiochus II renamed the city after his wife Laodice. The provenance of Laodicea—its origins, importance, ...
Revelation 3:7-13 - ”The Church at Philadelphia” - Nick Steinichen / December 18, 2022
December 18, 2022 23:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBPhiladelphia was located about thirty miles inward from Smyrna and the Aegean Sea, sitting on high ground on the south side of the Cogamis River. Its fertile land is well-suited for growing grapes, leading to an economy based mostly on agriculture and some industry. Because of this vine-growing ability, worship of the Greek god Dionysus—the god of wine— was a major pagan cult. Philadelphia had a strategic location at the intersection of several trade routes, making it a very prosperous city ...