Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JJ

January 14, 2018

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  • James 4:11-5:10
  • James 4:11 – See John 7:27. This is not a blanket prohibition on judging others. It is a prohibition on evil judgment (judging not by God’s standards). If we could not judge at all, we could not preach repentance to anyone because we could not judge any of their actions to be sinful.
  • James 4:13-16 – Leaving the Lord our of our plans and out of our life is arrogance and sin. We must instead humble ourselves.
  • James 4:17 – When you understand what God requires of you, but do not do it, it is sin.
  • James 5:1-8 – Compare I Timothy 6:10. The love of money is the beginning of many types of evil. Being wealth is not in itself sinful. The warnings here are against those who have misused their wealth and mistreated others.
  • James 5:7-8 – The “coming of the Lord” here could be referring to God coming in judgment against the rich men in James 5:1-6 – not about the Second Coming of the Lord. The first few verses of this chapter also seem to confirm this by indicating that punishment for these wicked wealthy men was already starting.
  • James 5:10 – See Hebrews 11:32-38.

For further study, see also:

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

DW

January 10, 2018

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  • Context and harmony, continued:
    • Hebrews 13:4 – “Marriage is a holy institution. Any marriage is acceptable to God.”
      • Context – Hebrews 13:1-7 – The context itself forbids fornication and adultery.
      • Harmony – Matthew 19:5-9; Luke 16:18
      • Conclusion – It is possible for a marriage to not be approved by God. Adultery in particular is repeatedly denounced as sin. Marriage is always described as one man and one woman.
  • Figures of speech
    • What Jesus said (John 2:19-21) vs. what they heard (Mark 14:58; 15:29-30)
    • Exodus 5:22-23
    • Matthew 10:26 – “Take eat. This is my body.” Jesus was standing there with them, so it could not have been His actual body. Also, drinking blood was prohibited by the Law of Moses, so Jesus would have been encouraging them to break the law.
    • Dangers of figurative language
      • Taking figurative language literally.
      • Taking literal language figuratively.
    • Matthew 16:5-12
    • John 16:25
    • Psalms 23:4 – hyperbole
    • Mark 10:25
    • Understand a passage literally unless there is a good reason not to.
    • II Peter 2:22
    • When should we take a word or phrase figuratively?
      • When it is said to be figurative
        • Galatians 4:24
        • John 2:18-22
        • Revelation 1:20; 5:8
        • Acts 2:16-21; Matthew 4:12-17 – Old Testament figurative prophecy is often explained in the New Testament.
      • When a literal understanding contradicts another passage
        • Remember to harmonize!
        • Mark 1:5; Luke 7:29-30 – The lawyers and Pharisees had not been baptized by John, so we know that “all” in Mark 1:5 didn’t literally mean all, but “a lot” or “most.”
        • Luke 14:26; Ephesians 5:25; Matthew 5:44
      • When it matches a pattern of figurative language in other passages.
        • I Peter 3:3 – “not-but” passage
        • Genesis 17:1 – “walk” is figurative
        • Isaiah 9:2 – “light” is figurative

For further study, see also:

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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

DW

January 07, 2018

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  • Matthew 22:37; II Chronicles 25:2
  • Introduction
    • II Chronicles 25:1-2, 14-15; II Kings 14:3-4 – King Amaziah served God, but not with a whole heart.
  • James 2:10
    • It’s not that God is watching for any small error so He can punish us. It’s that we have to obey all of God’s commands – not just the ones we find easy.
    • Matthew 5:43-48 – We are to be perfect (complete) – not lacking any moral facet.
    • We must love all – even our enemies.
    • It takes one hole to sink a ship. It takes one sin to sink a soul.
  • Which commands are hard for me?
    • Do I truly put God above my family? Genesis 22; Luke 14:26
    • Do I love all my neighbors – even other races? Galatians 2:11-12; 3:27-29; Matthew 7:12; 22:39
    • Would I rather hold on to Jesus or my riches? Mark 10:19-22; I Timothy 6:17
    • Do I publicly show support for Jesus? Mark 15:43; Matthew 10:32-33

For further study, see also:

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JJ

January 07, 2018

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  • James 3:7-4:11
  • James 3:17 – See Galatians 5:22-26.
  • James 4:5 – Compare Romans 6:16-18. The ESV and NASB make this verse clearer. God yearns for the spirit that He put within us. See also Exodus 20:25.

For further study, see also:

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

DW

January 03, 2018

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  • Context and harmony, continued:
    • Practice using context and harmony together, continued:
      • John 14:26; 16:13 – Does the Holy Spirit miraculously guide people?
        • Context: Jesus and the apostles
        • Harmony: John 13:1; Luke 22:13-14; Matthew 26:19-21; Mark 14:16-18; Acts 8:14
        • Conclusion: Jesus was speaking directly to the apostles and specifically to them. This does not mean the Holy Spirit miraculously guides us today.
      • I Corinthians 1:17 – Is baptism necessary for salvation? Paul said Christ did not send him to baptize!
        • Context: Paul was discussing division that was coming from people being baptized by different people.
        • Harmony: I Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4; I Peter 3:21
        • Conclusion: Baptism is essential for salvation. Here, Paul was addressing a controversy that was springing up and causing division with people dividing over who baptized them. I Corinthians 10:17 is a not-but passage emphasizing preaching over baptism.
      • Ephesians 4:31 – Is all anger sinful?
        • Context: Ephesians 4:25-31 – All anger is not condemned.
        • Harmony: Mark 3:5; Psalms 97:10
        • Conclusion: No, all anger is not sinful. Jesus Himself expressed anger.
      • Luke 14:26 – Are we really supposed to hate our families?
        • Context: Luke 14:23-33 – Jesus is trying to get people to understand the depth of commitment required to follow Him.
        • Harmony: Matthew 22:39; 10:37
        • Conclusion: We are to love Christ the most. We should love Him so much that all other relationships look like hate in comparison.

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.

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