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By David Watson

Benchley, April 11, 2012

• How can all of these qualities combined in one person be used to help someone caught in sin? (continued from last class)
• Kindness
• John 4:7-26 – Jesus speaks with the woman of Samaria
• There is a kind way to help those who are struggling with sin.
• Goodness
• Hebrews 12:12-13 – Strengthening those who are weak is certainly a good act.
• Faithfulness
• II Peter 3:10 – Our faithfulness can make an impression on people as we remind them of the judgment to come.
• Gentleness
• Galatians 6:1 – We are specifically told to restore the lost in a spirit of gentleness.
• Self-control
• Titus 1:7-8 – Elders must specifically have self-control, but we should all work to have this quality.

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By David Watson

Benchley, April 4, 2012

• Strategies for retaining self-control (continued)
• Learn/grow/get better (I Corinthians 9:27; II Peter 1:6)
• What are the practical benefits of a Christian truly exercising self-control?
• It shows others that Christians have what it takes to deal with the world and makes us better examples to others.
• It helps us to serve God better and practice not being selfish.
• Conclusion (Galatians 5:19-6:1)
• How would all of these qualities come into play when helping one who is caught up in sin?
• Love – John 10:17 – Love would take the initiative in trying to help one who needs it.
• Joy – Acts 11:22-23 – When people see our joy in serving God, it will make them more likely to turn back to Him.
• Peace – II Peter 1:1-2 – People should be able to see that we live in peace as we serve God.
• Patience – Acts 18:1,4-8,11 – Paul showed much patience in how much time he spent with the Corinthians. We must show the same kind of patience and remember how much we have needed God’s patience in the past.

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By David Watson

Benchley, March 28, 2012

• Why must we have self-control in the following areas? (continued from last week)
• Desires (Romans 6:12)
• God gave us permissible outlets for our desires. We must make sure we use only those to be free from sin.
• Strategies for maintaining self-control
• When possible, leave the situation (Genesis 39:12; I Timothy 2:22)
• Use righteous outlets (I Peter 5:7; Ephesians 4:29; I Corinthians 7:1-5)
• Trust in God as the final judge (Romans 12:19)

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By David Watson

Benchley, March 21, 2012

• Acts 24:25; II Peter 1:6; I Corinthians 7:9; 9:25; Titus 1:8
• Self-control means “mastery” or “restraint”. It means that we have the ability to do something, but we refrain from doing it.
• If no one in a society exercised self-control, there would be total chaos and anarchy.
• Why must we exercise self-control in these areas?
• Emotions (Proverbs 16:32; 25:28)
• Emotions themselves are not sinful, but they can cause us to sin if we leave them unchecked.
• Speech (James 1:26; 3:2)
• If we don’t control our speech, we can greatly harm others and ruin whatever good influence we may have with them.

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By David Watson

Benchley, March 14, 2012

• I Timothy 6:11-12 – How is Timothy told to pursue gentleness but then told to “fight the good fight of faith” in the very next verse?
• He was to fight with a spirit of gentleness, not to be overbearing and tear people down in his preaching.
• Jesus is the perfect example of meekness (Matthew 11:29; 21:5). Being meek does not mean that someone cannot help himself and has no authority, power, or ability to be asserted.
• We should be gentle when giving spiritual help to someone. (Galatians 6:1; II Timothy 2:25)
• Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:12; Titus 3:2 – What other qualities or actions go along with gentleness?
• Humility, patience, tolerance, compassion, kindness, being peacable, being considerate
• What are the practical benefits of a Christian being truly meek?
• We are pleasing to God.
• We make is easier for others to see God’s influence in our lives.
• Earthly relationships become more peaceful and harmonious.
• Meekness is not weakness. It is the controlled and appropriate use of the authority that comes from God.

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By David Watson

Benchley, February 29, 2012

• Developing faith
• Hebrews 11:1 – This chapter lists people who showed true faith.
• Hebrews 11:7 – Noah had faith in what he had not yet seen.
• Hebrews 11:8 – Without faith, we cannot serve God.
• What does Romans 10:17 say about how faith is developed?
• Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
• In I Corinthians 2:5, what did Paul tell them their faith would rest upon?
• Their faith would rest upon the power of God.
• Given what the Holy spirit said in I Corinthians 15:14,17, is faith worth anything if it is based on fiction?
• Certainly not!
• Maintaining faith
• Read Philippians 1:21-30. What would help our faith to grow and develop?
• Standing firm in one spirit and suffering for Christ’s sake.
• What was God’s message to the early Christians in Revelation 2:10?
• Be faithful unto death!
• What do we learn about faith from the witnesses referenced in Hebrews 12:1?
• We have people cheering us on. We should be motivated to maintain our faith.
• Losing faith
• List some reasons why people stop serving the Lord.
• Relationships with unfaithful people
• Some calamity happens that is beigger than their faith
• Discord in the church
• Failure to study and grow
• Hypocrisy among other Christians
• In Colossians 2:4-8,16-23, what did Paul warn the Colossians about?
• Persuasive arguments, philosophy and empty deception, and things which have the appearance of wisdom

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By David Watson

Benchley, February 15, 2012

• Matthew 19:16-17; Ephesians 5:9 – How can we know who or what is good? God is the basis for what is good. He decides what is good and informs us through His word.
• Examples of firm “goodness” include Jesus cleansing the temple (Matthew 21) and rebuking the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23). How does this compare to our modern culture’s view of “goodness,” especially goodness in religion?
• A good religious person will find truth and follow it sincerely.
• Matthew 7:17-19; Luke 6:35; I Timothy 6:18 – Is a Christian’s life characterized by simply abstaining from sinful activities? Certainly not! We must go out and do good!
• Matthew 7:13 – Many people tend to do what is easy instead of what is good.
• In what way does Tabitha serve as an example of “good words” (Acts 9:36-39)? Her service was a way of life, not just an isolated instance or two of goodness.
• III John 1 – What can we learn from one man who was evil (Diotrephes) and two who were good (Gaius and Demetrius)?
• Being prideful and making it difficult for others to serve God is certainly not good.
• Walking in truth and helping others as Gaius and Demetrius did is the kind of goodness we should emulate.
• What are the practical benefits or results of a Christian being truly good?
• I Timothy 2:15 – We silence the ignorance of foolish men.
• Earthly relationships are more pleasant and peaceful because people appreciate our goodness.
• It glorifies God.
• It gives self respect.
• It helps others.

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By David Watson

Benchley, February 8, 2012

• What do these passages teach us about the kindness of God?
• Romans 11:20-23 – Reception of God’s kindness is conditional on our behavior.
• Ephesians 2:4-7 – God showed His kindness by sending Jesus to die for us.
• Titus 3:4-5 – God’s kindness is evident in His mercy on us even in our sin.
• I Peter 2:1-3 – We taste the kindness of God through His word.
• Luke 6:31-35 – Our kindness is not to be based on whether or not we have been shown kindness.
• Our kindness is based on:
• How we want other people to treat us
• God’s example of kindness to ungrateful and evil men
• Acts 24:4; 27:3; 28:2 – What sort of things do kind people do? They go out of their way to be patient and helpful to others.
• Colossians 3:12-13; Ephesians 4:32 – Christians are instructed to be kind. How do we obey that instruction? By considering others’ needs before our own and by adjusting our attitude. We should think about God. This is something that takes practice!
• Christians don’t just react. They do what’s right!
• What are some things that keep us from being kind?
• Grouchiness
• Selfishness
• Holding a grudge
• Pride
• Ignorance
• Bad company
• What are the practical benefits of being kind?
• Better influence on those around us

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By David Watson

Benchley, February 1, 2012

• We all must develop patience through practice.
• We need God’s patience.
• I Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient”
• God is the ultimate example of patience. (Romans 2:4; I Peter 3:20) Without God’s patience, we’d all be lost!
• God is patient with us; we should be patient with others. The next time we have trouble being patient with others, we must remember how patient God has been with us. (I Timothy 1:16)
• I Thessalonians 5:14 – “be patient with everyone”
• II Timothy 4:2 – Preach the word “with great patience”
• Hebrews 6:11-15; James 5:7-11 – great examples of patience in the Bible
• Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11; 3:12-13 – commands to be patient

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By David Watson

Benchley, January 25, 2012

• Peace with God
• Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:11-22 – Peace with God is the restored relationship we have with God through forgiveness of sins.
• If we want peace with God, we can only have that through Jesus Christ. (Acts 10:34-36)
• Peace with self (conscience)
• John 14:27; 16:33; Philippians 4:6-9 – True peace with self only comes as a result of true peace with God. A clean conscience is a blessing from God.
• I Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8; I Timothy 1:15 – Did the apostle Paul have peace with self? Yes. We must recognize the difference between a guilty conscience and regret.
• Peace with self does not require spiritual amnesia. It requires current service to God and humility from past sins.
• Peace with people
• Romans 12:18; Colossians 3:12-15 – To what extent can and should we achieve peace with others? We must achieve peace with others to the extent that it depends on us (and we can do so within God’s law).