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• I Timothy 6:6 – II Timothy 1:1-3
• I Timothy 6:10-16 – Don’t let anything come between you and serving God. Fight the good fight of faith!
• II Timothy 1:3 – Paul served with a clear conscience because he was forgiven of his former sins.

• Matthew 13:1-23
• Parable: reveals truth, making people understand the unknown by what is known
• The four kinds of soil
  • The wayside soil
  • The rocky soil
  • The thorny soil
  • The good soil
• Bible examples of each kind of soil
  • Wayside soil – Felix – Acts 24:24-26
  • Stony soil – Hebrew Christians – Hebrews 10:25
  • Thorny soil – Rich young ruler – Matthew 19:22
  • Good soil – Paul (his life) – Acts 9:3-19
• Present day examples
  • Wayside – one who hears but pays no attention to the word.
  • Stony – one who hears and receives the word, but lets external things such as persecution or pressure hinder him and cause him to fall.
  • Thorny – one who hears and receives the word, but lets internal things such as money, position, prestige, pleasure, or sexual lust come between him and God.
  • Good – one who hears and receives the word and does not allow anything to keep him from faithfully serving God.
• The real lesson of the parable
  • Take heed what you hear (Mark 4:24)
    • The information must be right.
  • Take heed how you hear (Luke 8:18)
    • The attitude must be right.

• Isaiah 19:2-3
• There were a few cases where dead people appeared on earth again.
  • I Samuel 28:3-20 – The medium was just as surprised as Saul was!
  • Matthew 17:2-3; 27:50; Matthew 28:8-10
• But in general this is not what happens
  • Luke 16:19-31 – the rich man and Lazarus
  • II Samuel 12:22-23 – This is the norm. The dead do not return to live on earth.
• Let’s leave the spiritual realm to God and focus on the information and tasks He has clearly put before us.
  • Stay away from sorcery and things like that.
    • Leviticus 20:26-27
    • Deuteronomy 18:9-14
    • Isaiah 8:19-20
    • I Chronicles 10:13-14
    • Galatians 5:20-21
    • Acts 8:9-13 – Simon the sorcerer
    • Acts 19:11-12,18-20
    • Luke 16:31
  • If we want answers, look to God’s word.
    • II Peter 1:2-3 – Today, God communicates with us through His word.
    • I Timothy 6:3-5
  • Don’t count on fixing things in the afterlife.
    • Matthew 5:23

• Ecclesiastes 8:1-10:4

• I Timothy 5:23-6:7
• I Timothy 5:23 – Using wine for medicinal purposes.
  • Matthew 5:28; Acts 16:3; Galatians 2:3-5; Numbers 35:20-24 – Motive matters in the Bible! Drinking a little wine for medicinal purposes is a different matter from drinking to get drunk.
• I Timothy 6:1-2 – This should not be interpreted as supporting the kind of abusive, racist slavery we had in America. This is a different kind of slavery that was present in New Testament times. If we are working for someone else, we must do our best, especially if we are working for another Christian!
• I Timothy 6:6-7 – Warning against materialism.