Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

JH

May 04, 2014

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  • Psalms 19:1-4
  • Romans 1:20
  • Colossians 2:8
  • I Peter 3:15 – Always be ready to give a defense for your faith.
  • Hebrews 11:6
  • Psalms 19:4-6
  • Clockwork precision of the universe
    • Most astronomy textbooks state that the solar system formed several billion years ago from a cloud of dust. How can that explain the clockwork precision we observe?
  • Biodiversity of Earth
    • About 10 million species have been documented so far. There may be as many as 100 million species total.
    • Genesis 1:22,28
  • God’s handiwork
    • Freshwater mussels
    • Matthew 6:25-26 – Do not worry about physical needs.
      • Bar-tailed godwit
        • Breeds in western Alaska
        • Winters in New Zealand! It flies there directly in one non-stop flight over nine days, covering 7000 miles.
  • Psalm 148
  • What must I do to be saved?
    • Believe – John 3:16
    • Repent – Acts 2:38
    • Confess – Romans 10:9-10
    • Baptized – Acts 22:16
    • Faithful life – I John 1:7
  • This puts you:
    • In Christ – Galatians 3:26-27
    • No condemnation – Romans 8:1
    • In Christ’s church – Acts 2:38,41,47

For further study, see also:

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JJ

May 04, 2014

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  • Mark 10:28-31 – Following Jesus is more important than earthly possessions or relationships.
    • Mark 10:29 – Some translations include “wife” in this list, which may imply that if a man was in such a state that he could not keep his wife and serve God, he would have to choose God over his wife. Footnotes seem to indicate that “wife” is present in some manuscripts and not others.
  • Mark 10:32-41 – James and John ask for places of prestige. They were still looking for Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom.
  • Mark 10:42-45 – Whoever wishes to be the greatest should be a servant.
  • Mark 10:46-52 – Jesus heals a blind man. Matthew’s account (Matthew 20:29-34) records that there were two blind men. This is not a contradiction – Matthew just records additional detail about the second blind man. The blind man had apparently heard much about Jesus in order to develop the great faith that he demonstrated here.
    • Mark’s account emphasizes miracles as proof that Jesus is the Son of God. Matthew’s account emphasizes that Jesus fulfilled prophecy.
  • Mark 11:1-10 – Jesus enters Jerusalem to great praise from the crowds.
  • Mark 11:11-14 – Jesus curses a fig tree.

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JS

April 30, 2014

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  • Laments, continued:
    • Farther Along (138)
    • Be With Me, Lord (40)
    • Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (193)
  • Songs of praise
    • It Is Well With My Soul (345)
  • Enthronement songs
    • O, Worship the King (501)

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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

JJ

April 27, 2014

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  • Matthew 16:13-19 – Jesus promises to build His church
  • John 14:16
  • Christ promised to build His church and then purchased it with His own blood (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28)
  • There is one body (Ephesians 4:5; I Corinthians 12:27)
  • The body is the church (Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18)
  • Therefore, there is one church that Christ built.
  • Some claim that John the Baptist started the church.
    • If started before Christ’s death, it would be:
      • A church that was not blood purchased (Acts 20:28)
      • A church without a head (Ephesians 1:23)
      • A church without a foundation (I Corinthians 3:11)
      • A church in which Christ could not be preached (Matthew 16:20; Luke 24:46-49)
      • A church without the Holy Spirit (John 7:39)
      • A church that Jesus does not save (Ephesians 5:23)
  • The time, place, and who will lead one to the place:
Time Place Who What
1530 Germany Luther Lutheran
1534 England Henry VIII Episcopal
1535 Switzerland Calvin Presbyterian
1607 England Smythe Baptist
1739 England Wesley Methodist
1830 New York Smith Mormon
1914 Arkansas Group Assembly of God
30-33 Jerusalem Christ Christ’s church
  • Which of the following fits the facts?
    • Time (Isaiah 2:2-3; Joel 2:28-32; Daniel 2:44; Acts 2:1-17,41,47)
    • Place (Isaiah 2:2-3; Isaiah 28:16; Zechariah 1:16; Acts 1:4; 2)
    • Who (Matthew 16:13-19; Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 3:11)
    • What (Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 1:2; I Timothy 3:15)
  • Was this congregation started on Pentecost in Jerusalem?
    • No. (Benchley started October 1991 with 14 members in Joe Harding’s garage.)
      • But the teaching and practices of this congregation were!
    • The local Mormon church was not started in 1830 in New York, but its teachings and practices were.
    • To be a Mormon church, a local church must conform to the teachings of the local church.
    • Just so, to be a church of Christ, a local church must conform to the teaching that started on Pentecost in Jerusalem by Christ.
  • Jesus saves the church
    • It took centuries for the Old Covenant to prepare for it.
    • It took the Son of God, the life He lived, His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, coronation, and becoming high priest to build it.
    • It took the Holy Spirit to reveal it.
    • It took the apostles to lay the foundation.

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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

DW

April 27, 2014

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  • A local church is a group of saints
    • I Corinthians 1:2; I Thessalonians 1:1; Philippians 1:1,27; Ephesians 5:3
  • So what happens when one who is a saint stops acting like a saint?
    • I John 1:10
    • Galatians 6:1-2
    • James 5:19-20
    • Matthew 18:15-17 – how to deal with a brother who sins
    • I Corinthians 5:1-5,11 – instructions for dealing with a sinner in the church in Corinth
  • But what if that person won’t repent and simply joins another local church?
    • As far as I know, the Bible does not explicitly deal with this situation.
    • Philippians 1; Ephesians 5
    • Local church in Corinth: I Corinthians 5:1-13
    • Local church in Thessalonica: II Thessalonians 3:6,14-15
  • Sometimes mistakes are made in local churches
    • I Corinthians 5 – A church may make the mistake of having fellowship with one who is living in sin.
    • III John 1:9-10 – A church may make the mistake of refusing fellowship with one who is living righteously.
    • Acts 9:26-28 – A church may make the mistake of refusing fellowship with one they did not know was living righteously.
    • A church may make the mistake of having fellowship with one they did not know to be in sin.
    • A church may mistakenly draw a line of fellowship over some issue.
  • So what can I do?
    • Out of love for his soul, you can try to contact him and restore him if you haven’t already. (Galatians 6:1)
    • Out of love for his soul, you might consider lovingly bringing the matter to the attention of a member of the other church. What they do with that information is ultimately between them and God.
    • Romans 16:17-18; II Thessalonians 3:15 – If the person won’t repent, for your conscience’ sake, you personally will have to turn away from them.
  • Let’s have a word of caution about all of this.
    • Hebrews 5:13-14
    • Corinth (I Corinthians)
      • Positive: I Corinthians 1:2-9; 16:15,23-24
      • Negative: 1:11; 3:1-3; 11:20,30; 14:18; 15:12
    • I John 1:5-10

For further study, see also:

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