Judges (2025)

Classes - Benchley church of Christ

JM

December 24, 2025

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Part 2: The downward spiral of Israel’s apostasy (Judges 3:7-16:31), continued

Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7), continued

Victory and Jephthah’s foolish vow (Judges 11:29-40)

Jephthah’s conflict with Ephraim (Judges 12:1-7)

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon (Judges 12:8-15)

Samson (Judges 13:1-16:31)

The birth of Samson (Judges 13:1-25)

  • Judges 13:5
    • Nazirite vow: Numbers 6
      • No grape juice or strong drink
      • No cutting of the hair
      • No contact with dead bodies
    • Manoah entertains an angel. Compare Gideon’s case in (Judges 6:11-21) and Abraham (Genesis 18:5-8).

Class 9 takeaway

  • Jephthah was exceedingly foolish in making his vow of a burnt offering if the Lord gave the Ammonites over in victory. He made a terrible situation worse by placing blame on his daughter instead of accepting responsibility for his grave lack of sense.
  • We create messages in our lives when we fail to guard our hearts and control our speech (Luke 6:43-45). We must always be people of integrity who thoughtfully make commitments and stick with them (James 5:12). And we must always remember we will be judged by our speech (Proverbs 10:19; 21:23; Matthew 12:33-37).

For further study, see also:

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


Benchley Sermons 2025

Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

DW

December 21, 2025

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Introduction

Your top influences

  • Psalms 1:1-2
  • What has influenced you the most in 2025? Who and what are you listening to?
  • Did God’s word actually shape my thinking?
  • Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Temptations and repentance

Relationships strengthened and people helped

  • Romans 12:9-18
  • The second greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself.
  • How have you been treating people?

Your daily habits

  • Daniel 6:10
  • What would my stats say about prayer?
  • Acts 2:42
  • Our habits should come naturally out of loving the Lord.
  • What do my habits tel me about my heart?
  • Proverbs 4:23
  • Hebrews 12:1-3
  • For the year ahead, are my eyes fixed on Jesus?
  • Do I have people in my life who will help me spiritually?

For further study, see also:

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


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I Timothy 6

I Timothy 6:11-16 – “Fight the good fight”

  • I Timothy 6:12 – This confession is not recorded, but it seems to be referring to Timothy confessing faith in Jesus.

I Timothy 6:17-19 – “Instruct those who are rich …”

I Timothy 6:20-21 – “guard what has been entrusted to you”

II Timothy 1

Paul will be executed soon

  • I Timothy 3:14
  • It appears that Paul was imprisoned twice and executed during the second imprisonment. He wrote I Timothy and Titus between the two imprisonments.
  • II Timothy 4:6

II Timothy 1:1-4 – “To Timothy, my beloved son”

II Timothy 1:5 – Lois and Eunice

II Timothy 1:6-7 – “power and love and discipline”

II Timothy 1:8-12 – “join with me”

II Timothy 1:13-14 – “Retain the standard of sound words”

  • Don’t allow yourself to be pushed around because of your youth. Stick to the truth!

II Timothy 1:15-18 – Paul’s interactions

II Timothy 2

II Timothy 2:1-2 – Teach others to teach

  • It was important for Timothy to not only to teach, but to encourage others to teach as well.

II Timothy 2:3-7 - Three analogies

II Timothy 2:8-10 – “Remember Jesus Christ …”

For further study, see also:

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


Benchley Sermons 2025
DW

December 21, 2025

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Introduction

Translation philosophies

  • On the left:
    • Word-for-word: Preserves original wording, English may feel less natural.
  • On the right:
    • Thought for thought: Takes liberties to emphasize readability and meaning.
New American Standard Bible; New King James Version; King James Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New English Translation New International Version New Living Translation

King James Version (1769)

Pros

  • Highly accurate
  • Beautiful, nostalgic wording

Cons

Sample verses

New King James Version (1984)

Pros

  • Still accurate
  • Modernized

Cons

  • Still mainly based on manuscripts the King James Version used.
  • Starting to get a bit dated itself.

New American Standard Bible (1977)

  • The 2020 update for the New American Standard Bible added gender inclusive language. See Philippians 4:8, where NASB 2020 changes the rendering from “brethren” to “brothers and sisters.”

Pros

  • Extremely accurate
  • Great for detailed study

Cons

  • Stiff, unnatural wording
  • May not be best for casual or devotional reading

New English Translation

  • Published for free online, including 60,000 marginal notes from the translators.

Pros

  • Translator notes
  • Very modern

Cons

  • Physical version is big
  • Not widely used

New International Version (2011)

  • Best-selling translation in the world.

Pros

  • Highly readable
  • Widely available

Cons

  • Less precise
  • Some choices are controversial

English Standard Version (2016)

Pros

  • Very popular
  • Sweet spot

Cons

  • Some awkward wording
  • Little transparency

Christian Standard Bible (2020)

  • Previously known as the Holman Christian Standard Bible, then rebranded.

Pros

  • Sweet spot
  • Very modern

Cons

  • Some non-traditional choices
  • A few quirks

New Living Translation (2015)

Pros

  • Super easy to read
  • Very modern

Cons

  • Lots of interpretation from translators
  • Much less precise

Conclusion

For further study, see also:

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


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