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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, May 29, 2011

• Differences of the two laws:
  • Old:
    • Keep Sabbath
    • Animal blood
    • Mechanical music
  • New:
    • Meet on Sunday
    • Jesus’ blood
    • Vocal music
• This is all true, but if this was the only difference, we would still be under the same system but with different commands.
• System of law demands:
  • No man could fully follow the law as the system demanded and be made perfect in God’s eyes.
• System of faith demands:
  • No man can have faith enough to justify himself. He needs the grace of God to carry him the rest of the way.
• Philippians 3:13-14 – We must press on toward the goal!

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 29, 2011

• Proverbs 25:11
• Proverbs 16:24; 15:23; Isaiah 50:4 – The power of good speech.
• A word fitly spoken is a word spoken with …
  • Planning
    • I Thessalonians 5:14 – These are things that require planning to accomplish.
    • James 1:19 – Be slow to speak.
  • The right attitude
    • Proverbs 15:1 – Give gentle answers.
    • I Peter 3:8-9 – Don’t return evil for evil.
    • Ephesians 4:15 – Speak the truth in love.
    • “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
    • II Corinthians 2:4 – Paul wrote with an attitude of love.
  • Desire for positive change
    • Proverbs 9:8-9 – Constructive criticism can produce positive change.
    • Proverbs 25:12; Ecclesiastes 12:11 – The power of a wise reprover.
    • Colossians 4:5

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By Brent Hairston

Benchley, May 29, 2011

• The old city of Ephesus is fairly well preserved and many ruins still exist.
• The letter was written by Paul, probably while he was imprisoned in Rome. (Ephesians 3:1,13; 4:1; 6:20)
• Paul at Ephesus:
  • Acts 18:18-22
    • Dropped off Priscilla and Aquila
    • Reasoned with the Jews (Acts 18:19)
  • Acts 19
    • Imparting of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-6)
    • Paul performs miracles (Acts 19:11-20)
    • Paul confronts idol craftsmen (Acts 19:21-27)
    • Uproad: town clerk quiets the crowd (Acts 19:28-41)
  • Acts 20:17-38
    • Paul sends for Ephesian elders from Miletus.
    • Paul gives “farewell address” to elders (Acts 20:25).
    • Encourages strength (Acts 20:28-31)
• Paul’s purpose
  • Remind them of their calling in Christ (Ephesians 1-3)
  • Encourage them to walk as a Christian (Ephesians 4-6)
    • Ephesians 4:1 – Walk in a manner worthy of your calling.
    • Ephesians 5:1 – Be imitators of God.
    • Ephesians 6:10 – Be strong in the Lord.
• Ephesians 1:5 – “Predestined” here means that God intended for us to be adopted as sons. There are still conditions we must meet for this to be true.

By David Watson

Benchley, May 25, 2011

[Sorry, no audio for this lesson due to a technical glitch.]

• Mark 9:1 – The church would be established while some who were standing there were still alive.
  • Luke 24:45-53 – The apostles would be clothed with power.
  • Acts 2:1-4,41-42 – The gospel is preached in completeness for the first time.
• Mark 9:2-8 – The transfiguration.
  • II Peter 1:16-18
  • The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus shows the transition to the New Covenant. Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies from the Old Testament, not contradicting them.
• Mark 9:11-13 – See Malachi 4:5. Here, “Elijah” is referring to John the baptist.
• Mark 9:14-29 – See Matthew 17:19-21 – Jesus casts a demon out of a boy. Apparently the faith of the disciples was not great enough to cast out the demon.

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, May 22, 2011

• Acts 17:22-31
• Balance the contrast
  • Psalms 19:12-13
    • Presumptuous sins
    • Secret sins
      • Secret from others?
      • Secret as to consequences?
      • Unknown sins? – This is the balance for presumptuous sins.
  • Luke 16:9-11
    • True riches
    • Unrighteous mammon
      • Sinful things?
      • Material possssions? – This is the balance for true riches.
  • Acts 17:30
    • Calls to repentance
    • Winked at
      • Did not know?
      • Did not charge the sin?
      • Did not call to repentance? – This is the balance.
• Now:
  • Sounds forth
  • Universal call to repentance
• Times past:
  • Suffered to walk in own ways
  • Gave them up
  • No universal call to repentance
• Acts 14:16; Romans 1;24,26,28
• Repent
  • Matthew 3:2; Acts 4:17; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 26:20; Revelation 2:5,16,21; 3:3,19

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 22, 2011

• He is an actual being.
  • Proverbs 1:20-22; Mark 8:33; Job 1:6-12; 2:7; Matthew 4:1-4; II Corinthians 2:11
• Was he created by God?
  • John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16; Isaiah 45:7; 47:10-11; 31:1-2; Amos 3:6; Ecclesiastes 7:29; I John 3:8
• Is he a fallen angel?
  • II Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Matthew 25:41; Luke 11:18 – possible indications that the devil has control of demons
  • Isaiah 14:12-15 – This is a prophecy about Babylon. It is not talking about the devil.
  • Isaiah 13:1,6,17,19; 14:3-4,22-23 – explanation for the prophecy
  • Luke 10:17-18; Revelation 12:9 – Some interpret these passages to mean that Satan was an angel cast down from heaven.
  • II Peter 2:2-9 – Angel can mean either a human messnger or a celestial being. This could simply be referring to human messengers who sinned.
    • Jude 1:5-7 – This could also be referring to earthly messengers.
      • Jude 1:9 does specifically reference a celestial angel, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Jude 1:5-7 is.
    • Even if these passages are talking about celestial angels, they still don’t say anything about the devil being one of them.
    • The other four examples are about humans who sinned.
• Deuteronomy 29:29 – Some things are just not revealed in scripture.
• Matthew 25:41 – Wherever he came from, we know where he’s going!
• James 4:7 – If we resist him, he will flee from us!

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By Brent Hairston

Benchley, May 22, 2011

• Review of Paul’s history with the Galatians
• Galatians 6:1 – helping each other in a spirit of gentleness
• Galatians 6:3 – warning against pride
• Galatians 6:4 – We must not rejoice in the troubles of others.
• Galatians 6:7 – We will reap what we sow!
• Galatians 6:14 – Paul boasted only in the cross of Christ.

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 18, 2011

• Mark 8:27-29 – Jesus asks the disciples plainly who they think He is.
• Mark 8:33 – Jesus rebukes Peter for refusing Jesus’ prophecy of His death.
• Mark 8:34-38 – Following Jesus is the most important thing we can do. If we have to give up other things to follow Jesus, we must be ready to do so.

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By Caleb Anderson

Benchley, May 15, 2011

• I Peter 3:15 – We must be ready to give a defense for our faith.
• Romans 1:18-20 – God’s power is demonstrated in nature.
• If God did create the universe, what religion would He reveal Himself through?
• Daniel 8 – Daniel’s prophecy of nations and world events to come, including Alexander the Great
• Ezekiel 26:12-14 – prophecy of the destruction of Tyre by Alexander the Great
• John 5:36-39
• Faith is based on evidence. It requires logical and rational thought.
• Hebrews 11:4-10 – great examples of faith
• Faith remembers what it knows in the face of hard questions. It is not afraid of questioning.

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By David Watson

Benchley, May 15, 2011

• Genesis 7:1-11; II Peter 3:3-8 – Two key passages for Harold Camping (FamilyRadio.com)
• Dangers of such a “movement”:
  • It is wrong.
    • Matthew 25:1-13 – No one knows when the Lord is coming again!
    • I Thessalonians 5:1-8 – The Lord will come like a thief in the night.
    • II Peter 3:10 – The day of the Lord will come like a thief.
  • It causes people to look for secret ways to interpret the Bible.
    • I John 1:6; 2:3-4; 5:13 – This sort of teaching is similar to Gnosticism, which it defended against here.
    • II Peter 3:8-9
    • We must let plain teaching guide us through the more difficult passages.
  • It will give people a reason to believe the Bible is confusing and wrong.
    • Deuteronomy 18:20
  • It distracts people from preparing for the real Judgment Day.
    • II Thessalonians 2:1-4,15; 3:10-12 – Don’t be distracted but keep doing what you’ve been taught.
    • II Peter 3:11-18 – Be diligent to live as God has told us to live.