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By David Watson

Benchley, June 29, 2011

• Mark 10:28-31 – See Mark 3:31-35; 8:35. This passage is not literal. Jesus is making the point that we may have to sacrifice physically to be rewarded spiritually.
• Mark 10:46-52 – Bartimaeus showed his exemplary character in persistently seeking Jesus, addressing Him with respect, and showed interest in spiritual matters, even after being healed.
• Mark 11:1-11 – This is often referred to as the Triumphal Entry of Jesus.
  • Hosanna is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “save, we pray”. See Psalms 118:25-26. It was originally a cry for help but came to be used as praise.
• Mark 11:15-17 – Jesus protected the holiness of the temple by driving out the salesmen and moneychangers. Selling animals for sacrifice was not wrong, but doing so in the temple was. We must be careful of the same thing in the church today.

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, June 26, 2011

• Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 11:5-6; Acts 10:33-35; James 2:24 – These passages all harmonize!
• Saved:
  • Not by works (excluded):
    • Sinlessness
    • Devise own plan
    • Any man’s plan
  • By works (included):
    • Faith that responds in works of obedience (Galatians 5:6)
• God’s offer:
  • Joshua 6
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • II Kings 5
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • John 9
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • Mark 16:16
    • Boastful work? No.
    • Man’s faith? No.
    • Man’s obedience? YES.
  • Was the blessing each received by the grace of God? Yes!
  • Did they receive the blessing while rejecting God’s plan? No!
  • Did they receive the blessing at the point of faith? No.
  • Did they receive the blessing when they, through faith, worked the works that God commanded? Yes.

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By David Watson

Benchley, June 26, 2011

• Ephesians 4:31
• Slow down – count to 10 or take a walk
  • James 1:19-20
  • Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; 19:11
• Do not let the sun go down on your anger – let go of things.
  • Ephesians 4:26
  • Put aside your anger on a daily basis.
  • Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 15:10-14 – Jesus was angry at the Pharisees because of the hardness of their hearts.
  • Proverbs 17:14; 30:33
• Think of Jesus – put things in perspective.
  • I Peter 2:13-20
  • Romans 8:38-39
• Mature in the faith – grow up!
  • II Peter 3:18; I Corinthians 3:1-3; James 4:1-3,8

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By Brent Hairston

Benchley, June 26, 2011

• Ephesians 4:1 – walking in a manner worthy of our calling
• Ephesians 4:4-6 – unity in Christ
• Ephesians 4:7 – grace given according to the measure of Christ’s gift
  • This could be talking about spiritual gifts.
  • This could also be talking about various non-miraculous talents we each have.

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By David Watson

Benchley, June 22, 2011

• Mark 10:13-16 – The kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it in the spirit of children. This directly contradicts the doctrine of total inherited depravity.
• Mark 10:21 – This command of Jesus was not part of the old law (or even the new law). This command was specific to this man because he had a particular problem with materialism. It is not a bad idea for us to make our own personal rules like this to help with particular sins.
• Mark 10:25 – Here Jesus exaggerates to make His point. It is possible for a wealthy man to go to heaven, but it is not easy.

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By Luke Stevens

Benchley, June 19, 2011

• Ecclesiastes 3 – God shows us the need for balance and the cycles that exist in our lives.
• Acceptable prayer
  • In faith – James 1:6-8
  • For God’s will to be done – II Corinthians 12:7
  • Through Jesus – John 14:13; I Timothy 2:5
  • For rules, brethren, the lost, sick, suffering, material necessities, enemies, forgiveness – James 5:16; Romans 10:1; John 17:20-21; James 5:13-14; III John 1-2
• The alien sinner should quit praying for salvation.
  • Saul, Cornelius – Acts 9:10-12; 22:12-16; 10:1-14; 11:13-14
  • No Sinner’s Prayer – There is no such prayer in the Bible!
  • Must truly call on the name of the Lord – Romans 10:13-17
• People should quit praying for the kingdom to come.
  • Jesus prayed for it to come. Matthew 6:10
  • It would come during the lifetime of those with Jesus. Mark 9:1
  • It has already come. Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:9
• Persistent, sinning Christians
  • John 9:31,16,24; Proverbs 28:9; Psalms 66:17-18
• The unforgiving
  • Matthew 5:23-24; 6:12,14-15; 18:21-35
• The hypocritical member
  • Matthew 6:5-8; Mark 12:40

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By Jimmy Stevens

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By Jesse Jenkins

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By David Watson

Benchley, June 15, 2011

• Mark 9:49-50 – See Leviticus 2:13. “Salted with fire” may refer to the purifying effects of persecution.
  • I Corinthians 3:9-15
  • This could also be referring to the purifying effects of God’s discipline on us.
  • James 1:2 could be a parallel passage.
• Mark 10:2 – “Divorce” is translated from apoluo, which means to loose or dismiss.
• Mark 10:4 – See Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The certificate of divorce was paperwork showing that the divorce had happened. It was not the divorce itself.
• Mark 10:5-8 – See Matthew 19:8. This doesn’t mean that it’s okay for us to bend God’s law if we are stubborn. Divorce for any reason other than adultery was never acceptable in God’s eyes. God just gave Moses laws to handle the complications brought about by the sin.
• Mark 10:11-12 – God’s law for marriage is the same for men and women. God has no double standard.

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By Jesse Larue

Benchley, June 12, 2011

• Overview of work in Ramstein Germany
• Exodus 21:1-6 – rules for slaves under the old law, including how a slave could choose to serve his master permanently
  • This would have been a painful procedure for the slave.
• We need to be committed to God.
  • James 4:13-15 – This is a decision we must make today.
  • Joshua 24:15 – Joshua chose that day to serve the Lord.
• Romans 6:16-18 – God has released us from slavery to sin.
• Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 9:14
• I Peter 1:13-14 – God brought us near by Jesus’ blood.
• Colossians 2:6ff
• John 6:60-69 – Who else could we go to besides God?
• We will always be slaves to something. It is better to be a slave to God than to sin.