From Mark Copeland... Jesus Predicts His Passion And Resurrection

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

         Jesus Predicts His Passion And Resurrection (10:32-34)

INTRODUCTION

1. On three separate occasions, Jesus predicted His passion and
   resurrection...
   a. In the region of Caesarea Philippi, He emphasized the necessity
      - Mk 8:31
   b. While traveling through Galilee, He stressed the certainty - Mk 9:31
   c. Now on the road to Jerusalem, He describes it in greater detail
      - Mk 10:32-34

2. If you have ever faced an impending ordeal...
   a. You know the anticipation itself adds to the trial
   b. The anxiety and stress of knowing what it is to come

[As we remember what Jesus did to save us, do not overlook the burden of
knowing in advance what He would suffer, and what helped Him to endure.
So let's look a closer look, beginning with...]

I. THE SETTING

   A. ON THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM...
      1. Making their way from beyond the Jordan via Jericho - Mk 10:1,46
      2. This was Jesus' last trip to Jerusalem

   B. THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WALKED...
      1. Jesus taking the lead - Mk 10:32
      2. The disciples following behind - Mk 10:32 (NLT)
      3. The people further behind - Mk 10:32 (NLT)

   C. THE ATTITUDES AS THEY WALKED...
      1. Jesus with steadfast determination - cf. Lk 9:51
      2. The disciples filled with awe, perhaps by Jesus' determination
         - Mk 10:32 (NLT)
      3. The people overwhelmed with fear, perhaps knowing the danger
         Jesus and His followers faced in Jerusalem - Mk 10:32 (NLT);
         cf. Jn 9:22; 11:8,57

[At some point, Jesus takes the twelve apostles aside and begins to tell
them what will happen to Him...]

II. THE PREDICTION

   A. HE WILL BE BETRAYED...
      1. Betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes - Mk 10:33
      2. Referring to the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of the Jews
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 14:41-46

   B. HE WILL BE CONDEMNED...
      1. Condemned to death and delivered to the Gentiles - Mk 10:33
      2. Referring to the Romans, who alone had the authority to put to
         death - cf. Jn 18:31
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 14:55-64

   C. HE WILL BE MOCKED...
      1. Treated with contempt, ridiculed - Mk 10:34
      2. To imitate with mockery and derision
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 15:16-20,29-32

   D. HE WILL BE SCOURGED...
      1. To be whipped, punished severely - Mk 10:34
      2. "Under the Roman method of 'scourging,' the person was stripped
         and tied in a bending posture to a pillar, or stretched on a
         frame. The "scourge" was made of leather thongs, weighted with
         sharp pieces of bone or lead, which tore the flesh of both the
         back and the breast." - Vine
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 15:15

   E. HE WILL BE SPIT ON...
      1. With saliva or phlegm
      2. Done with anger or contempt - Mk 10:34
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 14:65; 15:19

   F. HE WILL BE KILLED...
      1. Death would follow His mockery and torture - Mk 10:34
      2. Jesus knew the manner of death:  crucifixion! - cf. Mt 20:19
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 15:24,37

   G. HE WILL RISE THE THIRD DAY...
      1. Resurrected from the dead - Mk 10:34
      2. Foretold very early in His ministry - cf. Jn 2:19-22
      3. Fulfilled - Mk 16:1-7

CONCLUSION

1. When Jesus predicted His passion and resurrection...
   a. The first time, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him - Mk 8:31-33
   b. The second time, the disciples did not understand and refused to
      ask Him - Mk 9:31-32
   c. The third time, there is no dispute (though they may have still
      been confused)
2. What strikes me about these three predictions...
   a. Is that it reveals that Jesus knew what would happen to Him!
   b. The stress and anxiety from anticipation only added to His
      suffering for us!

3. How was Jesus able to press on, knowing what was to come...?
   a. The writer to the Hebrews reveals the answer - cf. He 12:2
   b. He encourages us to "consider Him...lest you become weary and
      discouraged" - He 12:3

Yes, let's consider how He died, but also He faced knowing what awaited
Him.  As Erdman wrote...

"Let us pause to gaze on that face and form, the Son of God, going with
unfaltering step toward the Cross! Does it not awaken us to new heroism,
as we follow; does it not awaken new love as we see how voluntary was
His death for us; yet do we not wonder at the meaning and the mystery of
that death?"

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

 

From Gary... Freedom

This morning as I took Buddy out for his walk, I looked up at the sky and thought- How nice it is to be free from that oppressive humidity we have been experiencing lately (it was 97 on the Lanai yesterday afternoon).  Then I remembered that this was Memorial day weekend.  Although, to many it is just a cook-out time, as citizens of the United States Of America, we need to remember those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom.  So, let us REMEMBER, AND NEVER, EVER FORGET!!!  For those of us who follow the Christ of God, we also remember our greatest warrior, who laid down his life for our spiritual freedom.  This memorial we celebrate each Sunday, but honestly, it is worth thinking about every day of the week, because there is not a single day that we do not reap the benefits of HIS SACRIFICE.  With that in mind, please read the following passage and be thankful...

Matthew, Chapter 26

  17  Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 

  18  He said, “Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’” 

  19  The disciples did as Jesus commanded them, and they prepared the Passover.  20 Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.  21 As they were eating, he said, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.” 

  22  They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, “It isn’t me, is it, Lord?” 

  23  He answered, “He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.   24  The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.” 

  25  Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?” 

He said to him, “You said it.” 

  26  As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”   27 He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it,   28  for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.   29  But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 

Now, the veteran's I have known during my life would only number in the thousands or perhaps possibly tens-of-thousands, but every one of them was NOT PERFECT!!!  In comparison, Jesus was and still is absolute perfection.  This weekend, let us give a double meaning to Memorial Day and remember that one special warrior who died that we might be free from sin and all its eternal consequences!!!!

PS.  The picture at the top is from one of the most wonderfully landscaped homes in our Southfork community.  To me, what really makes it great is the way our nation's flag is displayed- with GREAT RESPECT!!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... Indwelt Temples

Indwelt Temples

Paul says to Corinthian Christians that each of their bodies is a “temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.” (1Corinthians 6:19) Should we conclude that the physical body of each Corinthian was a temple—literally rather than metaphorically? I’m pretty sure that the vast majority would say “temple” is a metaphor. The truth Paul speaks—whatever else it is—is clearly a spiritual truth but that has nothing to do with “literal versus spiritual”. Literal stands over against metaphorical and not over against spiritual.

Earlier he has said that each Corinthian was a part of/member of “Christ himself” (6:15). Most of us would go in either of two directions. We would say “member of” is metaphorical because Jesus himself is not made up of a vast number of people—he is himself and no-one else. Or we would take “Christ” (as most students do) to mean the “corporate” Christ and not the historical person, Jesus Christ. We would say it was the “corporate” Christ because Christ in this passage is said to consist of many people and this would lead us on to the phrase “the body of Christ.” Here Paul doesn’t say “the body of Christ” because he wants to drive home not only their oneness with Christ but the horror of amalgamating Jesus Christ with temple prostitutes. (He has dealt with “run-of-the-mill” fornication in the previous chapter and here deals with prostitutes who serve the temple of the hill.)

In one way or another, the spiritual union of the Corinthians with Christ is expressed in a metaphor. The spiritual union is real and actual but it isn’t described in literal terms; it’s described in metaphor. If we make “Christ” stand for a corporate reality rather than the historical Jesus we employ metaphor. If we make Christ the literal and historical Jesus Christ then “members of” becomes a metaphor.

When we come to the Holy Spirit who indwells a Corinthian temple or temples we rightly take temple to be metaphorical. We don’t want the one temple to be made up of many little temples. I think it’s a mistake to break the phrase into two independent notions. To say, “You are temples in which the Holy Spirit lives or dwells” and then to say “temple” is figurative and “dwell” is literal is surely a mistake. At least, it needs justification rather than simple assertion. To hold that “in you” or “dwell in you” must mean that the Spirit takes up bodily residence in each Corinthian is to reach into a section filled with metaphor and insist on one literal understanding, even in a single phrase.

Body, parts (members), bought, “one spirit” (6:17), temple all figuratively tell a non-spatial spiritual truth but “dwell” is literal and tells a spatial truth? We need more than an assertion that that is true.

"Christ himself, that not literal."

"Body, that's figurative."

"Members, that's figurative."

"Temple, that's figurative."

"Bought, that's figurative."

"One spirit, that's not literal."

"Dwell in, that's literal."

Hmmm.

I believe that these are metaphors and speak of actual spiritual truths in non-literal speech. The phrase “temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” is not telling us where the Spirit can be located but how the Corinthians relate to the Holy Spirit (and to the Christ) and the Spirit to them.

©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 Cost And Reward Of Discipleship

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

             The Cost And Reward Of Discipleship (10:28-31)

INTRODUCTION

1. Jesus had just completed His encounter with the rich young ruler...
   a. Who sadly left when he chose his possessions over following Christ
      - Mk 10:17-22
   b. When Jesus then warned His disciples about the difficulty of
      riches - Mk 10:23-27

2. At which Peter began to say, "See, we have left all and followed
   You..." - Mk 10:28
   a. Matthew adds in his gospel "Therefore what shall we have?" - Mt 19:27
   b. Matthew also mentions the promise of the apostles sitting on
      thrones of judgment in the regeneration - Mt 19:28

[For everyone else who follows Jesus as His disciples, there is the
promise of both cost and reward.  With Mark's account (Mk 10:28-31)
before us, let's first examine...]

I. THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

   A. EARTHLY RELATIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of leaving family - Mk 10:29
      2. He mentioned wife; not found in some mss of Mark, but is in 

         Lk 18:29
      3. Not to suggest such is always necessary - cf. 1Co 9:5
      4. But sometimes even one's family turns against a disciple - 

         Mt 10:21,34-36
      5. Thus Jesus and His gospel must come before family - Mt 10:37;
         Lk 14:26
      -- Sometimes the greatest cost of discipleship is imposed by our
         own families

   B. EARTHLY POSSESSIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of leaving house and lands - Mk 10:29
      2. Not to suggest that it is always necessary - cf. 

         1Co 16:19; Ro 16:5; Col 4:15; Phm 1:2
      3. But disciples often sold lands, opened their homes to others
         - Ac 4:36-37; Phm 1:22
      4. Paul certainly gave up much to serve Christ - Php 3:7-8
      5. Thus Jesus and His kingdom must come before possessions - 

         Lk 14:33; Mt 6:33
      -- We must be willing to forsake all that is necessary to be a
         disciple of Jesus

[The cost of discipleship can certainly be great.  For some, it is more
than others.  But for all who are willing to bear the cost of being His
disciple, Jesus promises...]

II. THE REWARD OF DISCIPLESHIP

   A. ETERNAL RELATIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of hundredfold blessings "in this time" - Mk 10:30
      2. Of brothers, sisters, mother, children
         a. He likely refers to fellow disciples as family - cf. Mk 3:31-35
         b. Jesus does not mention "fathers"; could it be because God is
            our Father? - Mt 23:9
         c. The fulfillment of this can be seen in the church, the
            family of God - 1Ti 3:15; 5:1-2
         d. Our spiritual family (the church) is the only one that will
            survive death
      3. Of houses and lands
         a. Perhaps through fellow ties with other disciples - Ac 4:32
         b. Who opened their hearts and homes to one another (Mi casa es
            su casa)
         c. Like Aquila and Priscilla - Ac 18:1-3; 1Co 16:19; Ro 16:5
      -- Even now, through His church, there are great rewards for
         following Christ

   B. ETERNAL POSSESSIONS...
      1. Jesus spoke of eternal life "in the age to come" - Mk 10:30
      2. As Paul described, the gift of God to be received at "the end"
         - Ro 6:22-23; cf. Mt 25:46
      3. This eternal life includes the "people of God" - cf. Re 21:3
      4. This eternal life includes spiritual houses and lands
         a. The Father's house, in which there are many rooms - Jn 14:1-3
         a. A new heaven and a new earth - 2Pe 3:13; Re 21:1
         b. The holy city, New Jerusalem - Re 21:2,23-27
      -- What glorious rewards await those who follow Jesus to eternal
         life!

CONCLUSION

1. In Mark's account, Jesus also mentioned persecutions...
   a. Together with the rewards of following Jesus - Mk 10:30
   b. Leading some to view them as a reward rather than a cost of
      discipleship
   c. Those who suffer persecution are certainly blessed - Mt 5:10-12;
      Re 20:4-6

2. Jesus concludes:  "But many who are first will be last, and the last
   first"... - Mk 10:31
   a. Which is followed in Matthew's gospel with the parable of laborers
      in the vineyard - Mt 20:1-15
   b. And is repeated again after the parable - Mt 20:16
   c. Thus a cautionary warning not to serve the Lord with a mercenary
      spirit

Whatever the cost of discipleship, whether our service proves to be long
and hard or short and easy, the reward of discipleship more than makes
up for it.  As Paul (who suffered greatly for Christ) wrote:

   "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working
   for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we
   do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which
   are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the
   things which are not seen are eternal." - 2Co 4:17-18

May the words of Jesus in our text always remind us of the things that
are eternal, some to be enjoyed even in this age, others to be realized
in the age to come...

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

 

From Gary... The greatest

Yesterday, I did something that I have not done in decades, something stupid; I locked myself out of my house and didn't even have my cell phone with me.  Worse than that, there was an activity of some sort at the clubhouse, so I had to go to five of my neighbors homes before I found one at home.  When I finally gained access to a phone, I just couldn't get though to anyone- answering machines, all.  Later, one of my daughters came to the rescue and as she was leaving, she said jokingly, something like- Aren't I just the best daughter ever?  So, it is with no surprise that I seemed to connect with the picture at the top.  I especially like it because it has a little twist thrown in by the MOM.  Makes me feel right at home, because my wife Linda has been ZINGING ME FOR ABOUT 50 YEARS NOW.  After all this, it is but a very small detour to the follow passage of Scripture...

Luke, Chapter 22

 24 There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest.  25 He said to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’   26  But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves.   27  For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn’t it he who sits at the table? But I am in your midst as one who serves.

Humility: easy to understand and hard to do.  Jesus served.  So should we.  Let God be the judge of whether or not we have been successful in our efforts.  Just follow our Savior the best you can and forget about others.  Again, easy to say- and hard to do.  Just try- you will be glad you did!!!

PS.  Thanks for coming over, YOU are a wonderful daughter!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... In defense of singleness

In defense of singleness

1 Corinthians 7 begins with "it is good for a man not to marry" (NIV). Is this the claim of some Corinthians?

Very possibly, because in other places it seems clear that he quotes a Corinthian proposal only to take issue with it (maybe 6:12 illustrates that). It could be that some fellows thought asceticism was the best option so that when it came to marriage they were saying: "Leave it alone!" This is the prevailing view among commentators.

And does Paul oppose that alleged Corinthian proposal? It's generally held that Paul takes pains to expose this ascetic view of things but if he opposes the proposal as stated he goes about it in a very strange way.

Look, suppose some ascetic type Corinthians with a little flavour of Platonism say, "It's good for a man not to marry." Suppose Paul wants to deny that proposal because it has some sinister elements in it, what will he say? We would probably expect him to mount a robust defence of marriage over against celibacy but that's not what what we find. Whatever we think he might have said we know what he actually didsay.

Corinthians say, "It is good not to marry" and Paul says, "it is good not to marry" (7:8). He agrees with the proposal. Again in 7:26 he agrees with 7:1 and advises virgins, "it is good not to marry." He goes on to say—in light of specific conditions and general considerations—that those who abstain from marriage are doing the right, even better, thing (7:26-40).

Instead of opposing celibacy so much of chapter 7 says that it's good "to be alone." It’s good for widows and widowers not to marry (7:8). He doesn't only say that they will have less trouble, he says it is "good" for them not to marry (7:8). Certainly he qualifies his opinions that celibacy is good. If a person has serious difficulty maintaining a chaste celibacy then marrying is the better way to go (7:2,9 and see 38) but aside from that he argues in favour of the opening proposal.

Maybe the opening proposal isn’t the word of an ascetic; maybe it’s Paul’s counter proposal. It could be that some were saying that in light of Genesis 2:18 it isn’t good for a person to be unmarried and Paul was saying, "Yes it is!" And if you add the prevalence of fornication there would be good reason for some Jewish members to harangue people with Genesis 2:18. Maybe some were saying with deep conviction that it is not good for a man to be single, that it is a Christian duty to marry. (For the majority of ancient Jews this was normative and while Greeks had their "evil matter" notions floating around there were still those like Demosthenes who insisted that men should marry to raise and guide families and use courtesans for pleasure. We hear of festal gatherings where unmarried men were pelted with rotten fruit and other things for being unmarried.)

If we take the view that there was a strong element in the Corinthian church that was vigorously proposing marriage as a bit more than normative then Paul’s talk about "the good" of singleness makes perfect sense.

7:3-5 is parenthetical and 7:6 takes up his remarks in 1-2 so I think we should read it this way. "It is good for a person not to marry but because of the prevalence of fornication let each man have his own wife and she her own husband [3-5] but this I say as a concession, not as a command."

What goes on within the marriage union if two people have decided on that is not the concession. They are one flesh and should treat one another in that fashion (7:3-5). To avoid fornication each one is to have his/her own husband/wife. This he says using an imperative but so that he won’t be misunderstood he returns to say he is not commanding marriage because, the truth is, he would rather that everyone was like himself (7:7). He was single and chaste and would be pleased if everyone could be like that (for reasons he would outline later) but he recognized that God hasn’t gifted everyone for that. But he does see singleness as a gift and insists that one who exercises that gift as unto God is doing a good thing.

Christians may not feel as strongly about marriage as most ancient Jews who thought it was normative and thought it strange that a person might not want to marry. But the currents that run in our Western culture encourage us to muse about unmarried people and wonder if there isn’t some homosexual leaning there. I would suppose (though I’ve taken no census) that the very idea that someone might freely choose singleness would seem strange. And if they chose it as an expression of their submission to God in Christ that would be thought to be even stranger. But it’s time we looked at these people and thanked God for them. Whatever else is true they're not inferior to us old married people. I think Paul said, "It is good for a person not to marry."

©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 Problem With Riches

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                   The Problem With Riches (10:17-27)

INTRODUCTION

1. In our text, we read of a rich man who was so right, yet wrong...
   a. He came to the right person - Mk 10:17
      1) He came to Jesus
      2) Who could tell Him the way to eternal life
   b. He asked the right questions - Mk 10:17
      1) "What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"
      2) "What do I still lack?" - cf. Mt 19:20
   c. He certainly received the right answers - Mk 10:19-21
      1) "...if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments"
         (suitable for one living under the OT covenant) - cf. Mt 19:17-19
      2) "If you want to be perfect, go, sell...give to the poor...and
         come, follow Me" (fitting for one who would become a disciple
         and follow Jesus during His ministry) - cf. Mt 19:21
   d. But in the end, he made the wrong decision - Mk 10:22
      1) He went away sorrowful
      2) For he had great possessions

2. As the rich man went away sadly, Jesus told His disciples about the
   difficulty of riches...
   a. It is hard for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of
      God - Mk 10:23-24
   b. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle - Mk 10:25

3. What is it about being rich that makes salvation so difficult...?
   a. Are we aware of the dangers of riches?
   b. Do we have the proper attitudes toward wealth, whether rich or
      poor?

[Let's first consider...]

I. THE PROBLEM WITH RICHES

   A. THE ABSORBING INTEREST OF RICHES...
      1. Riches do not satisfy, and we foolishly think that simply more
         riches will bring satisfaction - cf. Ec 1:8; 5:10
      2. With riches comes the preoccupation with them:  how to use,
         maintain, store, etc.
      -- Like a black hole, the accumulation of riches can absorb what
         time and energy we have so that we have little for anything
         else (such as family, church, the Lord)

   B. THE DECEITFUL PROMISE OF RICHES...
      1. Jesus warned about the deceitfulness of riches - Mk 4:19
      2. Riches promise much, but really offer little in return
         a. They can easily disappear, rust, or be stolen - Pr 23:5; Mt 6:19
         b. They cannot buy one's salvation - Ps 49:6-9,16-20
         c. Neither can they protect one from God's wrath - Zep 1:18
      -- Riches can deceive one into thinking they are in need of
         nothing; the parable of the rich fool illustrates the folly of
         such thinking - Lk 12:16-21

   C. THE FOOLISH PRIDE OF RICHES...
      1. Wealth tends to promote a sense of arrogance and pride - cf.
         Deu 8:11-17
      2. It was such pride that was the downfall of Sodom and Israel
         - Eze 16:49-50; Hos 13:4-6
      -- Blinded by such pride, one will not seek God - Ps 10:4

   D. THE HARDENING SELFISHNESS OF RICHES...
      1. The wealthy, while in a position to help others, often close
         their hearts to the cry of the poor
      2. This was one of Israel's sins - Am 2:6; 5:11-12; 8:4-6
      -- Abusing the poor to make money, failing to respond to their
         cries for justice, interested more in money than the welfare of
         the poor, such are the problems that often afflict the rich

[Certainly not all who are rich are guilty of such things.  Some of the
most godly people in the Bible were rich (Job, Abraham, Joseph, David,
Solomon, Barnabas, Philemon, Lydia).  But these are reasons why it is so
hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  If they let mammon
become their god, they will not be willing to serve the true God! (cf.
Mt 6:24)  From what we have seen about the danger of wealth, let's now
draw some...]

II. LESSONS GLEANED FROM THE PROBLEM OF RICHES

   A. THE FOLLY OF COVETOUSNESS...
      1. Why be so anxious to be rich, when riches might prove to be a
         curse for us?
      2. Besides, covetousness is viewed by God as a form of idolatry
         - Ep 5:5; Col 3:5
      3. It not a sin to be rich, but the desire to be rich is wrong
         a. Those who desire to be rich will fall into temptation, and
            not go unpunished - 1Ti 6:9; Pr 28:20
         b. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil - 1Ti 6:10
            1) For which some have strayed from the faith
            2) And suffered many sorrows
      -- Beware of covetousness! - Lk 12:15

   B. THE DUTY OF CONTENTMENT...
      1. Contentment along with godliness is true wealth - 1Ti 6:6-7
         a. "He is richest who is content with the least." - Socrates
         b. "Contentment comes not so much from great wealth as from few
            wants" - Croft M. Pentz (The Complete Book of Zingers)
      2. Contentment is a virtue that is learned - e.g., Php 4:11-12
         a. By having a proper perspective on life - 1Ti 6:7
            1) "You can't take it with you"
            2) Ever see a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer?
         b. By understanding what is truly essential in life - 1Ti 6:8
            1) Food and clothing...anything more is a luxury
            2) Realizing this, we will appreciate how blessed we are!
      -- Learn to be content! - He 13:5

   C. THE NEED FOR SYMPATHY FOR THE RICH...
      1. Jesus loved the rich young ruler - Mk 10:21
         a. We should certainly love those who are rich
         b. We should not be envious, nor despise them
      2. If the rich are overcome by their riches, we should remember...
         a. That the desire to be rich affects both the rich and those
            who want to be rich
         b. That the rich face many temptations that the poor do not
      -- The rich are in need of salvation as much as the poorest
         beggar! - Ro 3:23; 6:23

   D. FAITH IN THE POWER OF GOD...
      1. Though it is hard for a rich person to be saved, it is not
         impossible - Mk 10:23-27
         a. No one can save themselves, whether rich or poor
         b. But God can save the rich by His own power, through the
            gospel - Ro 1:16-17
      2. There were many rich people who became Jesus' disciples
         a. Those that supported Him during His earthly ministry - Lk 8:1-3
         b. Others such as Zacchaeus, Matthew, Barnabas, Lydia, Aquila
            and Priscilla, Gaius, Philemon
         c. Such people used their riches in service to God and others
            - cf. 1Ti 6:17-19
      3. Therefore...
         a. The rich should have the gospel preached to them
         b. We should pray for the rich
         c. We should rejoice greatly that there are rich men and women
            in the kingdom of God
      -- With God, nothing is impossible! - Mk 10:27

CONCLUSION

1. The issue of wealth is often one of contention...
   a. The poor are often envious of the rich
   b. The rich often despise the poor

2. But riches and poverty both have their difficulties...
   a. Wealth can one make one arrogant, less receptive to the gospel and
      the kingdom
   b. Poverty can make one bitter, filled with envy of others

3. Whether rich or poor, all should be aware...
   a. Of our need for salvation that comes only by the grace of God
   b. That we can share together in the riches of salvation

Have you become an heir to the "unsearchable riches of Christ"...? - Ep
3:8

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011