From Gary V. Womack... SOWING DISCORD

SOWING DISCORD

Mt. 13:24-30    PARABLE OF WHEAT & TARES

                              COMPARE THIS PARABLE TO 

                       THE SOWING OF DISCORD

Prov. 6:16-19 Six things the Lord hates, yes, 

                      seven are an abomination to Him.

DISCORD [medan] (med-awn') Discord, Strife. A form of (another Hebrew word) [madown] (maw-doun') A contest or quarrel: brawling, contention (-ious), strife.

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, 

THE WORD WE FIND IS STRIFE

Gal. 5:20 A WORK OF THE FLESH

               SELFISH AMBITION (Strife, kjv)

LISTED WITH: "CONTENTIONS" [erithia] (Faction, asv) Denotes ambition, self-seeking, rivalry (self-will being an underlying idea); hence, it denotes party making, seeking to win followers. Faction is the fruit of jealousy.

ALSO WITH: "HERESIES" [hairesis] denotes a choosing, choice; then, that which is chosen, and hence, an opinion, especially as self-willed opinion. (False doctrine is not inherently associated with the word. One can be doctrinally right and still be guilty of heresy.)

2 Cor. 12:20  PAUL FEARED HE WOULD COME 

                     TO THEM AND FIND THESE

                     PROBLEMS STILL AMONG THEM. 

                     NOTE ESPECIALLY:

                         Contentions, Selfish ambitions 

                         (strife), backbitings, whisperings.

WORDS OF WISDOM ABOUT STRIFE (SELFISH AMBITION)

Prov. 15:18 "The wrathful man stirs up strife, but he 

                   who is slow to anger allays contention.

Prov. 16:28 "A perverse man sows strife, and a 

                   whisperer separates the best of 

                   friends."

A DESCRIPTION OF THOSE WHO ARE GUILTY OF CAUSING DIVISION & THE

CERTAIN JUDGMENT THEY WILL FACE.

Jude 14-19 NOTE: While the previous verses have 

                              reference to those who teach 

                              false doctrine, those who are 

                              described here as worthy of 

                               judgment are guilty of causing 

                              division, by whatever method it 

                              is accomplished.

vs. 19 (kjv) "These be they who separate 

                   themselves..."

vs. 19 (asv) "These are they who make 

                    separations..."

NOTE: This designates one who draws a line through the church and sets one part over against another.  THESE ARE THOSE WHO ASK "WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?"

SOWING OF DISCORD IS A WORK OF THE TONGUE

Jas. 3:1-12 ITS INFLUENCE - THE DANGER OF 

                  ITS DESTRUCTION

vss. 13-ff THIS LOGICALLY FOLLOWS THE 

                PRECEDING WORDS. THE MISUSE OF 

                THE TONGUE IS BROUGHT ON BY

                BITTERNESS, ENVY, & SELF-

                SEEKING.

4:11-12 DO NOT SPEAK EVIL OF ANYONE. No 

             scripture allows us to backbite or speak 

             slanderously against our brethren, not even 

             those who have been marked or withdrawn 

             from.

             See 2 Thess. 3:14-15

5:9 DO NOT GRUMBLE AGAINST ONE 

      ANOTHER. GOD HEARS!

IT TAKES A LISTENING EAR FOR THE TONGUE TO DO ITS DIRTY WORK

Prov. 26:20-22 "Where there is no wood, the fire 

                        goes out; and where there is no

                        talebearer, strife ceases. [21] As 

                        charcoal is to burning coals, and

                        wood to fire, so is a contentious man 

                        to kindle strife. [22] The words of

                        a talebearer are like tasty trifles 

                        [gossip], and they go down into the

                        inmost body."

1 Tim. 4:1-7 NOTE: vs. 1, "giving heed (not taking 

                                heed) results in "departing

                                from the faith."

                                vs. 3, "commanding to abstain 

                                from foods which God created 

                                to be received..." refers to 

                                matters of OPINION.

                                See Rom. 14:1-13

                                vs. 7, REJECT ....fables.

IF YOU ARE ON THE RECEIVING END OF SOWN DISCORD - DO THIS

Mt. 18:15-17 GO TO THE SOURCE, ONE ON 

                     ONE. IF UNSUCCESSFUL THEN 

                     WITH ONE OR TWO WITNESSES. 

                     IF UNSUCCESSFUL THEN GO 

                     BEFORE THE CHURCH.

Tit. 3:10 REJECT A DIVISIVE MAN (HERETIC) - 

              HE IS SELF-CONDEMNED.

DIVISIVE (HERETIC,kjv) Causing division 

               (factious). Not necessarily divisive 

               because of false doctrine.

IF YOU ARE PERSONALLY GUILTY OF SOWING DISCORD - DO THIS

Eph. 4:31-32 PUT BITTERNESS AWAY - 

                     REPLACE IT WITH KINDNESS &

                     FORGIVENESS.

BEWARE OF THE WARNING OF THE DANGER OF ETERNAL LOSS.

Mt. 18:6-9 Woe to that man by whom offenses 

                 come...BETTER TO LOSE AN ARM

                 OR AN EYE THAN OUR SOUL IN 

                 HELL.

                 OFFENSES [skandalon] (from which we 

                 get our word skandal) Originally was "the

                 name of the part of a trap to which the 

                 bait is attached," hence, a trap or snare.

INVITATION

Jas. 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, 

                and pray for one another, that you may 

                be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of 

                a righteous man avails much."

1 Jn. 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and 

               just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse 

               us from all unrighteousness."

From Jim McGuiggan... Going Barefoot

Going Barefoot

Sometimes you see or hear things and you just feel like taking your shoes off because something has made the entire place holy. Such things often are but they don’t need to be overtly religious to fill you with awe (which is always religious in nature). Depending on your background and experience you only have to look at a starry sky or a waterfall or a field of wheat or a tiny baby or the devotion of one human to another and you’re unzipped; life is never the same even though you go back to the “ordinary”. You’ve seen something you can’t unsee, heard something you can’t unhear. A chicken might as well try to get back into the shell it broke out of.

It’s true; sometimes the holy is there and we don’t realise it until later. It’s only when we become sensitive to such things that we realise we’ve seen a burning bush and not just another somewhat interesting occurrence [“yes, that was…um…interesting,” a big yawn and stretch].

Each of us has his/her own moments [don’t we?] though some public domain events can affect us all the same way.

It was only years after she died that I realised this was so about my mother (who bore thirteen of us and raised nine of us to adulthood). I was in the presence of a burning bush and didn’t know it—I was too busy, too young, too something. I should have gone barefoot—I was on holy ground.

The trouble was, I had seen others like my mother (but not at all exactly like her) and I suppose I was used to the sight. Her life wasn’t out-in-the-open different and gob-smacking as Dick Hoyt’s wondrous devotion to his son Rick, but hers was as real and genuine and lasting and, in some ways (the details don’t matter), even more costly. Moses must have seen a lot of bushes burning in that wilderness heat but he’d never seen “a burning bush,” if you know what I mean. There’s was nothing ordinary about this sight on that day and there was nothing ordinary about the presence of God in my mother. Some of you know exactly what I mean for you have seen “a burning bush” and barefoot is appropriate.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Gospel of Mark, Introduction

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                              Introduction

INTRODUCTION

1. "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"...
   a. So begins the Gospel according to Mark - Mk 1:1
   b. The shortest of the four gospels, likely the first one written
   c. Often overlooked because of the gospels of Matthew and Luke

2. Yet the Believer's Bible Commentary notes that because of its
   brevity...
   a. Mark's gospel is an ideal introduction to the Christian faith
   b. In mission fields it is often the first book translated into a new
      language

[Who was Mark?  What makes his gospel unique?  Let's start with...]

I. AUTHOR AND DATE OF THE GOSPEL

   A. JOHN MARK...
      1. Who apparently came from a wealthy family
         a. His mother was Mary, who had a large house in Jerusalem - Ac 12:12
            1) Some speculate the Last Supper took place in her home
               (RWP)
            2) Also that Mark may have been the young man who fled naked
               - Mk 14:51-52
         b. His cousin was Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus - Ac 4:36-37;
            Col 4:10
      2. Who traveled with Paul and Barnabas
         a. Starting out on their first missionary journey, but turned
            back - Ac 13:5,13
         b. Which caused trouble between Paul and Barnabas - Ac 15:36-41
         c. He later became a fellow laborer and comfort to Paul - Phe
            1:24; Col 4:10-11
         d. In Paul's final words, Mark proved "useful to me for
            ministry" - 2Ti 4:11
      3. Who also accompanied Peter
         a. Who called him "his son" (his convert?) - 1Pe 5:13
         b. Who was in "Babylon" (possibly Rome) at the time
      4. Traditions outside the Bible state:
         a. Mark was an interpreter for Peter - Papias, 130 A.D.
         b. Mark composed his gospel mostly from Peter's memoirs
            - Justin Martyr, 150 A.D.
         c. Mark went to Alexandria in Egypt where he died in 64 A.D.
      -- The early and unanimous opinion is that John Mark wrote this
         gospel

   B. BEFORE 64 A.D....
      1. Certainly so, if written by one who died in 64 A.D.
      2. Barnes suggests between 56 and 63 A.D.
      3. Some scholars date the book in the early 50's
      -- A plausible date would 57-59 A.D. (Bible Knowledge Commentary)

[Now for some information about Mark's gospel in particular...]

II. THEME AND OUTLINE OF THE GOSPEL

   A. ITS THEME OR PURPOSE...
      1. Written to Gentiles, perhaps Christians in Rome (BKC); note the
         following:
         a. Jewish customs are explained - e.g., Mk 7:3-4
         b. Aramaic expresses are translated into Greek - e.g., Mk 3:17;
            5:41; 7:11
         c. Roman reckoning of time is used - e.g., Mk 6:48; 13:35
         d. Only Mark identifies Simon of Cyrene as the father of Rufus
            - cf. Mk 15:21; Ro 16:13
         e. Few OT quotations are used
      2. The focus appears to be on Jesus as the Perfect Servant (BBC)
         a. Mark emphasizes the deeds of the Lord more than His words
         b. He records nineteen miracles, but only four parables
         c. The deeds of one who "did not come to be served, but to
            serve" - Mk 10:45
      -- Thus one could say that the theme is:  "Jesus, Servant of Man"

   B. A SIMPLE OUTLINE...
      1. The preparation for Jesus' ministry - Mk 1:2-13
      2. His ministry in Galilee - Mk 1:14-9:50
      3. His journey to Jerusalem - Mk 10:1-52
      4. His ministry in Jerusalem - Mk 11:1-13:37
      5. His suffering and death in Jerusalem - Mk 14:1-15:47
      6. His resurrection and appearances - Mk 16:1-13
      7. His great commission and continued work from heaven - Mk 16:
         14-20
      -- Jesus came from heaven to serve, and returned to heaven to
         serve!

[Perhaps of further interest are some...]

III. SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOSPEL

   A. AN EARLY GOSPEL...
      1. Probably the first one written
      2. All but 31 verses are quoted in the other gospels
      3. Leading many to conclude that Matthew and Luke based their
         gospels on Mark

   B. A CONCISE GOSPEL...
      1. The shortest of the four gospels
      2. Luke has 1151 verses, Matthew 1071, John 879, Mark 661
      3. Mark's entire gospel can be read aloud in 1.5 hours

   C. A FAST-PACED GOSPEL...
      1. Over 40 times he uses a word translated "straightway" or
         "immediately"
      2. Two-thirds of the verses begin with "and"
      3. The present tense is used frequently (e.g., they come...He
         says...He sends...)

   D. A VIVID GOSPEL...
      1. Mark presents "lively little touches" not found in the other
         gospels - Hendriksen
      2. "...he wrote with all the graphic distinctiveness and vividness
         of an eyewitness - Erdman
      3. It may have been Peter's reminiscences, or perhaps his own,
         that account for such details

   E. AN EVANGELISTIC GOSPEL...
      1. It opens with "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ..."
         - Mk 1:1
      2. It closes with "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to
         every creature" - Mk 16:15

CONCLUSION

1. What Mark accomplished with his gospel in the first century was
   significant...
   a. He left a record of the gospel preached by Peter
   b. Which emphasized the things that Jesus did - cf. Ac 10:36-39
   c. That stressed the servitude of Jesus as the Son of Man - cf. Mk 10:45

2. It can serve an important purpose for us today, reminding us...
   a. That Jesus came to serve, and continues to serve - cf. He 7:25
   b. That Christian discipleship likewise involves service - cf. Ga 5:13

3. Mark's own life was one of early failure, redeemed by later devotion
   (Erdman)...
   a. He got off to a rocky start in his service for the gospel of
      Christ
   b. But he persevered and proved to Paul that he was "useful...for
      ministry"

May his gospel of Jesus Christ, who came to serve, inspire us to become
servants who are also:

   "useful for the Master, prepared for every good work" - 2Ti 2:21

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011