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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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JJ

April 27, 2014

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  • Mark 10:1-27
  • Mark 10:1-12 – God’s marriage law
    • Luke 16:18; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:2
    • Mark 10:11-12 – See Colossians 3:5-7. Some claim that is it not possible to live in sin, so only the first act in the new marriage is a sin but further life in that marriage is not sin. The passage in Colossians shows that it is possible to live in sin, invalidating this line of reasoning.
    • I Corinthians 6:15-16 – This passage illustrates how the Bible uses “one flesh.”
  • Mark 10:17-22 - Materialism
    • Mark 10:18 – Jesus could be deflecting praise to God or (as Jesse Jenkins believes), Jesus is asking the man if he really believes that Jesus is God.
    • Mark 10:22 – One does not have to have great possessions for them to be a god to him.

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JS

April 23, 2014

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  • Acts 16:25 – Paul and Silas sing hymns of praise to God while in prison.
  • James 5:13 – We should sing when we are cheerful.
  • We should sin to lift ourselves and each other up.
  • We do not need to put on a false show of emotion.
    • Which is more pleasing to God: false enthusiasm or honest disinterest?
  • It is hard to sing with a big smile on your face.
  • But we do need to:
    • Engage our voices, singing so others can hear.
    • Engage our minds, thinking about the words.
    • Engage our hearts
  • Lesson 7: Elements of modern hymns
    • Section 1: Laments
      • Master, the Tempest is Raging (425)
      • Farther Along (138)

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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

DM

April 20, 2014

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  • We have a living hope for hard times.
    • I Peter 1:3-5
    • God has given us a “new birth”
    • We have been born into two great things by God’s great mercy.
      • A living hope
      • An inheritance
    • Part of this living hope is because of the inheritance that is promised for us.
    • Our inheritance is reserved!
    • We are guarded by God’s power through faith.
  • This is why we greatly rejoice!
    • I Peter 1:6-9
    • Be joyful in the hope you have, even thought you are distressed.
      • Peter is not ignoring the fact that Christians are suffering.
      • “Momentary light affliction”
      • Our tested faith is more valuable than gold.
      • Our tested faith results in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
      • Endurance is paramount.
  • As we continue to endure suffering and trials …
    • I Peter 1:10-12
    • We live during a privileged time.
      • The prophets searched and inquired diligently about when the Christ would come.
      • What a wonderful time to be living in!
        • Even the angels desired to understand and see these times!
    • Valuable lessons should be learned
      • You can endure suffering.
        • Because you have hope
        • Because you have an eternal inheritance
        • Because you have a genuine faith that is a tested faith
        • Because you’ve established salvation through suffering
        • Because you are privileged to be living during these days of Christ
        • Luke 23:35
          • Here in Luke, Jesus begins His final instruction to His disciples with a question.
            • Luke 9:1-6
            • Did the disciples lack anything?
            • Luke 22:36
  • We need to recognize that we live in an unprecedented time and in an unusual country.
    • What will you do if we are threatened also?
    • We must not be surprised when hostility begins to intensify against Christians.
    • Will we count it an honor to suffer such shameful treatment for the Lord?
    • Will we change our beliefs or shrink in our faith as the pressure mounts against Christians?
    • We must remain firm and endure because:
      • We have a living hope.
      • We have an eternal inheritance.
      • We have a genuine faith that passes the test.
      • We have obtained salvation through suffering.
      • What a privilege to live during these days of Christ.
      • Hallelujah what a Savior – what a hope for hard times!

For further study, see also:

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Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

DM

April 20, 2014

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  • I Peter 2:9-11
  • Identifying God’s people
  • Remember I Peter 2:6-8
    • Notice the contrast
  • A chosen race
    • Exodus 19:5-6 – This language is used to describe the people of God.
    • Romans 2:28-29
  • A royal priesthood
    • Previously, Peter said that we were a holy priesthood. Now he says that we are to be a royal priesthood.
    • God wanted His people Israel to become a kingdom of priests. Exodus 19:6
    • He wanted them to be a spiritual influence for godliness, but Israel failed Him.
  • A holy nation
    • The idea is not just moral holiness, but that we are set apart for God – sanctified.
    • Israel was to be that holy nation, but it became like the world.
    • As Christians, as living stones, we are to be different, set apart for God.
    • Do we look like the Israel God wants us to be, or do we look like the Israel in the past, blending into the world?
  • God’s special possession
    • This image borrows not only from Exodus 19, but also from Isaiah 43:20-21.
    • The Christian’s favorite image should be that we are God’s possession.
    • Notice that we are given a purpose “to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness and into the marvelous light.”
  • God’s people have received mercy
    • I Peter 2:10 – This is based on quotations from Hosea 1 and 2. Hosea 1:9; 2:23
    • Peter is saying that Christians, as living stones that are built into a spiritual house, are the fulfillment of this prophecy.
    • We must be built upon the corner stone of Jesus otherwise we are of no use.
    • The promise was not simply to Jews, but to the nations, to all peoples.

For further study, see also:

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