“Christianity Could Not Possibly Be True” by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=3789

“Christianity Could Not Possibly Be True”

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

What did atheistic author Mike Davis allege was the “smoking gun” that proved to him once and for all that “Christianity could not possibly be true”? What “sealed the issue” and led him to believe “Jesus was wrong...and no more deserving of our belief than any other guy”? When did the case against the Bible and Christianity become “closed”? In chapter one of his book, The Atheist’s Introduction to the New Testament: How the Bible Undermines the Basic Teachings of Christianity, Davis explained that Matthew 24:34 was the deciding factor.
In Matthew 24:34, Jesus stated: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” According to Davis, since “Jesus tells his listeners that the judgment day will come before the generation he’s speaking to passes away,” and since that generation passed away 1,900 years ago, Jesus “could not have been divine” and the Bible is “untrustworthy” (2008, pp. 1-2). In actuality, what Davis confesses ultimately “proved” to him that the Bible and Jesus are unreliable is nothing more than a misinterpretation of Scripture. Jesus was not mistaken in His comments in Matthew 24:34—Jesus’ generation did not pass away prior to witnessing the things Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:4-34. But, Jesus did not foretell in those verses what Davis assumes He foretold. Davis and many others believe that, prior to verse 34, Jesus was describing events that would take place shortly before Judgment Day at the end of time. The fact of the matter is, however, Jesus was prophesying about the coming destruction upon Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and not the final Judgment.
When the disciples went to show Jesus the temple buildings (Matthew 24:1), Jesus said, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (24:2). Later, when Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Him three questions, beginning with “when will these things be?” (24:3). In verses 4-34, Jesus revealed several signs that would indicate Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem, including the temple, was near. [NOTE: “The fall of the Hebrew system is set forth in the sort of apocalyptic nomenclature that is characteristic of Old Testament literature, e.g., when the prophets pictorially portray the overthrow of Jehovah’s enemies (cf. Isaiah 13:10-11; 34:2ff; Ezekiel 32:7-8)” (Jackson, n.d.); cf. Matthew 24:29-31; see Miller, 2003.] In verses 35-51 (and all of chapter 25), Jesus answered the disciples’ last two questions: “what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). To summarize, in Matthew 24:4-34 Jesus foretold of the coming destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, while in 24:35-25:46 He commented on His future return and final Judgment of the world.
How sad it is that so many atheists and skeptics believe they have disproven the Bible and Christianity, when, in reality, they have simply twisted the biblical text to mean something God never intended (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). The fact that Mike Davis highlights Matthew 24:34 as the verse that once and for all proved to him the Bible is unreliable should tell us something about the extreme weakness of the skeptic’s case against Christianity.

REFERENCES

Davis, Mike (2008), The Atheist’s Introduction to the New Testament (Outskirts Press: Denver, CO).
Jackson, Wayne (no date), “A Study of Matthew 24,” http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/19-a-study-of-matthew-24.
Miller, Dave (2003), “There Will Be No Signs!” http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/1838.

From Mark Copeland... Jesus On Divorce And Remarriage (Mark 10:1-12)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

               Jesus On Divorce And Remarriage (10:1-12)

INTRODUCTION

1. A serious problem in the world today is that of divorce and
   remarriage...
   a. Its affect on children has been well documented by Judith
      Wallerstein, author of Second Chance (Ticknor & Fields, 1988)
      1) Almost half of children of divorces enter adulthood as worried,
         underachieving, self-deprecating, and sometimes angry young men
         and women
      2) Half grew up in settings in which the parents were warring with
         each other even after the divorce  -- Reported in Time, 2/6/89
   b. Parents who divorce are not left unhurt either
      1) "A divorce is like an amputation: You survive, but there's less
         of you." - Margaret Atwood (Marriage Partnership, Vol.7, No.4)
      2) Average percentage change in a woman's standard of living the
         year following a divorce:  minus 73% - Daniel Evan Weiss, (The
         Great Divide, Poseidon Press, 1991)
   c. As described by God, divorce is a treacherous, violent act - Mal 2:16

2. Remarriage after divorce is not without it problems also...
   a. It does not always heal the wounds inflicted by the divorce:  "I'm
      lucky my parents have stayed together. Unlike so many of my
      friends, I've never had to cry on a holiday." - Tales Out of High
      School, Marriage Partnership, Vol. 5, no. 6
   b. Many remarriages are unlawful in God's eyes, constituting what
      Jesus called "adultery"

4. While social and psychological effects of divorce and remarriage are
   serious, it is the spiritual effects that concern me most...
   a. Too many people are ignorant of what the Bible teaches on this
      subject
   b. Such ignorance leads to quick and easy divorces, and to adulterous
      marriages that are unlawful

5. In Mk 10:1-12, we find Jesus discussing divorce and remarriage...
   a. Jesus had left Capernaum as was teaching by the Jordan river in
      the region of Judea
   a. His teaching on divorce and remarriage was occasioned by a
      challenge from the Pharisees
   b. He used the opportunity to teach His disciples what people today
      need to know!

[As we consider this passage carefully, we first read how...]

I. THE PHARISEES' QUESTION JESUS (2)

   A. TO TEST HIM, NOT TO BE TAUGHT BY HIM...
      1. Divorce was a touchy issue then, even as it is today
      2. Divorce was not uncommon; e.g., King Herod - Mk 6:17-18
      3. The scribes were divided over the proper grounds for divorce
         a. The school of Hillel taught that a man could divorce for
            just about any reason
         b. The school of Shammai permitted divorce only in the case of
            fornication

   B. ANY ANSWER JESUS GAVE WOULD OFFEND SOMEONE...
      1. If He took the popular lax view, the Pharisees could deride His
         claim as a teacher of superior morality - cf. Mt 5:20
      2. If He upheld the stricter view, He would be unpopular with the
         majority (which the Pharisees could use against Him)

[Of course, Jesus was not concerned with what man thought, but in
pleasing His Father in heaven.  This becomes evident as we next
consider...]

II. JESUS' RESPONSE TO THE PHARISEES (3-9)

   A. HE ASKED WHAT MOSES TAUGHT...
      1. "What did Moses command you?" - Mk 10:3
      2. "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and
         to dismiss her" - Mk 10:4
      3. They understood Moses to permit divorce if a "certificate of
         divorce" was given to the wife - Deut 24:1-4; cf. Mt 5:31
      4. Yet a careful reading of that passage reveals:
         a. Moses forbid remarrying of a spouse, even if her second
            husband had died - Deut 24:4
         b. The reason was the woman became "defiled" when she remarried
            - Deut 24:4
         c. The word "defiled" used elsewhere to describe adultery - Lev18:20; Num 5:13-14
         d. She actually became an adulteress by remarriage (despite the
            certificate!) - cf. Ro 7:1-3
      5. While they appealed to this passage in divorce (and presumably,
         remarriage), it actually described the treachery of divorce:
         defilement of the spouse - cf. Mt 5:32

   B. MOSES PERMITTED DIVORCE DUE TO THEIR HARD HEARTS...
      1. "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this
         precept" - Mk 10:5
      2. The Jews at that time were a hardened people - cf. Deut 9:6;
         31:27
      3. Is this not a commentary on the state of one's heart when they
         desire to divorce?
         a. It takes a hardhearted person to want to divorce their
            spouse
            1) Either to divorce arbitrarily (for no scriptural grounds)
            2) Or to divorce when the guilty person is pleading for
               forgiveness and reconciliation
         b. Of course, that is exactly the condition of those in the
            world (or those in the church who are of the world) - cf.
            Ep 4:17-19

   C. IT WAS NOT WHAT GOD HAD IN MIND FROM THE BEGINNING...
      1. The permission to divorce was only temporary - cf. Mt 19:8
      2. "From the beginning it was not so" - note carefully:
         a. The Law of Moses (which was temporary) considered the
            hardness of men's hearts, and permitted hardhearted actions
         b. The gospel of Christ (which replaces the Law) cures the
            hardness of one's heart!
            1) His grace removes the heart of stone, and replaces it
               with a heart of love!
            2) I.e., a heart able to abide by God's original design for
               marriage
      3. Paul made it clear that under normal conditions divorce is not
         an option - 1Co 7:10-11

   D. JESUS REMINDED THEM OF THEIR GENESIS...
      1. "But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male
         and female'" - Mk 10:6
      2. It is helpful to keep in mind: Where we came from, who created
         us, what we are
      3. For our views on divorce and remarriage will be influenced by
         our views of ourselves!
         a. Are we simply animals, compelled by instinct?
            1) Unable to control fleshly desires?
            2) Then divorce and remarriage ought to be free and easy
         b. Or God's highest creation, made in His image?
            1) Able to control fleshly lusts to the glory of God?
            2) Then divorce and remarriage ought to reflect God's desire
               for man's holiness!

   E. HE ATTRIBUTED THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE TO GOD, NOT MAN...
      1. Notice, it was GOD who said "For this reason..." - Mk 10:7; cf.
         Gen 2:24
      2. Therefore questions about marriage (such as divorce and
         remarriage) must be answered by God, not by man (nor by man's
         laws)!

   F. HE EMPHASIZED THAT IN MARRIAGE GOD CREATES A UNION...
      1. The two become one flesh - Mk 10:8; cf. Gen 2:24
      2. They are joined by none other than God Himself!

   G. HIS CONCLUSION:  LET NOT MAN SEPARATE WHAT GOD JOINED...
      1. What GOD has joined together, let not MAN separate - Mt 19:6
      2. Man has no right to separate what God Himself has joined
      3. It is clear that God's intention is that marriage is to be for
         life

[According to Mark's gospel, the disciples later asked Jesus privately
more about this subject (Mk 10:10).  And so we now read...]

III. JESUS' TEACHING TO HIS DISCIPLES (10-12)

   A. DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE LEADS TO ADULTERY...
      1. Whether the man divorces the wife or vice versa - Mk 10:11-12
      2. Jesus taught the same consequence of divorce and remarriage in
         Mt 5:31-32
      3. The one exception:  if spouse is put away for fornication - cf.
         Mt 19:9

   B. THE DISCIPLES' REACTION...
      1. They thought it better not to marry - cf. Mt 19:10
      2. Jesus described celibacy as a viable option if necessary - cf.
         Mt 19:11-12

CONCLUSION

1. Any divorce must be on the grounds specified by Jesus...
   a. For marriage is an institution ordained by God - Mk 10:7-8
   b. And man must not separate what God has joined together - Mk 10:9
   c. The only ground specified by Jesus is fornication - Mt 19:9

2. A divorce for any other reason...
   a. Is an attempt to separate what God has joined together - Mk 10:9
   b. Is forbidden by the Lord - cf. 1Co 7:10-11
   c. If a couple divorces, they should remain unmarried or be
      reconciled - 1Co 7:11
   d. For it will result in adultery if there is a remarriage - Mk 10:11-12

May the Lord bless those with the faith to live according to His word,
and may we be diligent in teaching our children what the Bible teaches
regarding divorce and remarriage...!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... Use the right bottle

There is just something about this picture that has fascinated me for the longest time.  I've had this jpeg for several YEARS and have always passed it by when looking for something to use. BUT, IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!  Somehow, (I am not really sure, how) it just seems to encapsulate one little view of the whole world in one place. I know, I know- this is confusing, but that's the thing about the human mind, it makes the oddest conclusions seem completely rational.  At least, I do, anyway.  But, what if one possessed a truly GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT INTELLECT? What then?  Consider one of the greatest men of all time, Solomon...

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12

13  This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.  14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

God gave this man unprecedented wisdom, and at the end of Ecclesiastes, he makes a summary conclusion.  Do we listen- or not?  Well, truthfully, the majority of us do not.  Jesus puts it this way...

Matthew, Chapter 7

 13  “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.   14  How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

How can these things be?

Because, most people use their own bottle.  What I mean is: Look at the world through the prism of the scriptures instead of any-old-bottle, and obey what you see.  Like the picture, life may take on a beauty you just never imagined could be there. Just use the right bottle- its just that simple!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... Matthew 20.28 and parachutes

Matthew 20.28 and parachutes

 Dean reminded me of this and it reminds me again of people like Lizzie Eaton. Their names don't go up in lights, they get no medals, authors don't write adventure stories about them, they don't make the honours lists and it never enters their minds that they should, but the world depends on them. George Eliot famously wrote right at the end of Middlemarch, "That all is not so ill with you and me as it might have been is largely due to those who lived hidden lives and now rest in unvisited graves."

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said,

"You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"
 

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute."

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. He says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, after all, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." He thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

It doesn't matter to me that all this sounds a bit sweet—though I find a little sugar goes a long way. Real people, actual, specific people who never make the headlines or the honour lists keep even the cynical or those of us who have just too much realism for our own good—they keep us alive and well.

He blew no trumpets, didn't whisper his good deeds in the ears of the influential; in fact, without parading it, he "made himself of no reputation" (Philippians 2, KJV) and announced when he came that he came to save by serving (Luke 4:16-21 and Matthew 20:28).

Can his followers do any less?

©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, theabidingword.com.

Exclusivism and Christ’s Church by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=2844

Exclusivism and Christ’s Church

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Churches of Christ (Romans 16:16) have long been demonized for their insistence that all peoples are required to render obedience to the God of heaven, and that this obedience means that people must not tamper with God’s Word by inventing new churches, doctrines, creeds, and religions. They have insisted that the Bible depicts for humanity the religion of God, i.e., New Testament Christianity. Catholicism, Protestant denominationalism, and the plethora of manmade churches that have sprung up over the centuries are departures from “the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). They have maintained that it is possible—and necessary—for a person to go back behind all denominational creeds and affiliations, and to be simply a New Testament Christian, a member of the New Testament church.
This biblical posture has brought down upon members of churches of Christ a great deal of abuse, ridicule, and antagonism. The revulsion manifests itself in such accusations as: “You think you’re the only ones going to heaven.” Especially with the massive shifting that has taken place in American culture in the last 50 years, with “political correctness” and the “I’m Okay, You’re Okay” mentality having thoroughly saturated national consciousness, anything that smacks of “exclusivity” is immediately demeaned and dismissed as “intolerant,” “mean-spirited,” “judgmental,” and even “a cult.” This mindset has literally infiltrated and infected most Americans. Take, for example, the following statement regarding the name for the church of the Bible:

The truth is that the name “Church of Christ” carries the baggage of an exclusivistic mentality to many people in our culture. “Oh, yeah,” somebody says, “those are the people who think they’re the only ones going to heaven.” One lady said that she never would have come into our building if she had known we are a “Church of Christ.” Once she came in and experienced the presence of God in this body, however, she isn’t about to leave! She and her children—from a very different denominational background—are reveling in the experience of Christ in this community of faith (Shelly, 1998, emp. added).

What does it mean to be “exclusivistic”? The dictionary definition of “exclusive” is “excluding or tending to exclude; not allowing something else; incompatible; not divided or shared with others; not accompanied by others; single or sole; excluding some or most, as from membership or participation” (American…, 2000, p. 620). A simple perusal of the New Testament reveals that the church of the New Testament is the church of Christ. He built her (Matthew 16:18). He gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25), and purchased her with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He loves her, nourishes her, and wishes to maintain her holy, unblemished nature (Ephesians 5:25-27,29). Christ’s church is not to be equated with the denominational churches that mere humans have established. This is where the name for the church becomes an important factor. Christ’s church will wear His name. Granted, a church may wear His name and claim to be His church when, in fact, it is not. But a church that identifies itself by some denominational designation that draws attention away from the founder (i.e., Christ) to some point of doctrine or lesser spiritual aspect cannot rightly be said to be His church.
Alas, such reasoning is almost universally rejected in today’s permissive climate of indiscriminate acceptance and toleration. Certainly, to suggest that there is “one church” (Ephesians 4:4a), and that every accountable person is obligated to submit to Christ’s plan of salvation in order to be added to that one church, is to be guilty of “exclusivism.” That is the very nature and essence of truth; it is narrow and exclusionary. But is there any indication elsewhere in the Bible that God’s will is exclusive? Does the Bible teach that the correct approach to life and religion is, in actuality, very narrow, rigid, and restrictive? Does the Bible endorse the current climate of toleration, acceptance, and openness?
Consider one brief illustrative incident. At the very beginning of human history, God placed the first man and woman in a beautiful garden paradise. He gave them wide latitude in exercising their own discretion with regard to daily dietary decisions (Genesis 2:16). However, He placed upon them one restriction: they were to refrain from eating the fruit from one particular tree (Genesis 2:17). Satan took issue with this restriction, and urged Eve to do the same (Genesis 3:4-5). She succumbed to his prodding, and to her own fleshly appetites, and ate of the fruit, encouraging her husband to do likewise. The result? Sin was introduced into the world, and the first family was changed forever and permanently banished from the beautiful garden. Question: was the restriction placed upon Adam and Eve by God exclusivistic? That is, did His instructions to them “not allow something else”? Were God’s directives “incompatible” with what Eve wanted to do? Was God’s command “not divided or shared with others” and “not accompanied by others”? Was God’s “my way or the highway” attitude inappropriate? To ask is to answer.
You “do the math.” Check out instance after instance, example after example in the Bible from beginning to end. Apply the definition of “exclusive” to each biblical account in order to determine if, in fact, God’s requirements are “exclusivistic.” Examine the cases of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-8), Noah (Genesis 6:22), Abraham (Genesis 26:5), Moses (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:7-12), Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3), the Israelites (Numbers 14:20-23; 21:4-9; Joshua 6; 9:14; 1 Samuel 8), Eli (1 Samuel 3:13), Saul (1 Samuel 13:11-14; 15), King David (1 Samuel 21:1-6; 2 Samuel 11; 24), Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:6-7; 1 Chronicles 15:13), Jereboam (1 Kings 12:26-33), Samaria (2 Kings 17:7ff.; 18:12), Josiah (2 Kings 22:13ff.), King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16-21), the Jews who returned from exile (Ezra 9-10), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). The inevitable, indisputable conclusion to which the honest heart is driven is that God’s instructions to humans have always been exclusivistic.
Make no mistake: no human and no church have a “corner on truth.” Gospel salvation is available to all: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11); “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). God decides who will be saved and who will be lost. However, He has given us His Word to inform us as to His will and His decisions. He says that He wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). He says that He does not want even one person to perish in hell (2 Peter 3:9). But He also says that most people will spend eternity in hell (Luke 13:23-24). He is most certainly inclusive in that He offers salvation to all without partiality. But He is equally exclusive in that he requires a proper response of obedience to His directives (John 14:15).
We would do well to jettison our petty jealousies, pride, and political loyalties, devote ourselves to ascertaining the precise parameters of God’s directives, and then focus on conforming to His will—“bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). He is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9). There are only two possible courses in life: “sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Jesus Himself declared that the former approach to life is “wide” and “broad,” and that most people go that direction (Matthew 7:13). He also stated that the latter approach is “strait” and “narrow” (i.e., exclusivistic!), and few people muster the gumption to confine themselves to that rigid, strict course (Matthew 7:14; Luke 13:23-24). Faithful Christians will remain undaunted when demonized as “exclusivistic,” since they are merely teaching and advocating that which God instituted. After all, an objective appraisal of the Bible reveals that Jesus, Himself, was an exclusionist. God is, in reality, the God of exclusivism!

REFERENCES

American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language(2000), (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin), fourth edition.
Shelly, Rubel (1998), “What Is Your Church’s Name?” Lovelines, 24[5], February 4.

From Mark Copeland... Principles Of Discipleship (Mark 9:38-50)

                          "THE GOSPEL OF MARK"

                  Principles Of Discipleship (9:38-50)

INTRODUCTION

1. Previously, we saw Jesus teaching His disciples the way to true
   greatness...
   a. A way involving servitude - Mk 9:33-35
   b. A way involving humility - Mk 9:36-37
   c. Both important principles of discipleship

2. In response, John brings up what seems to be a totally unrelated
   subject...
   a. How the disciples tried to prevent someone who would not follow
      them - Mk 9:38
   b. Which Jesus answers, relating it to principles of discipleship
      - Mk 9:39-50

[The principles taught may appear unrelated (at least to my mind), but
they all relate to the matter of following Jesus as His disciples.
Let's consider them one by one, beginning with...]

I. HE WHO IS NOT AGAINST US IS ON OUR SIDE

   A. THE PRINCIPLE...
      1. Stated in response to John's question - Mk 9:38
         a. The disciples saw a man casting out demons in Jesus' name
         b. Whom the disciples tried to forbid because the man would not
            follow them
      2. Jesus' response:  do not forbid Him - Mk 9:39-40
         a. The man was clearly empowered to do works in Jesus' name
         b. So empowered, it was unlikely he would speak evil of Jesus
         c. So while he did not follow the other disciples, he was still
            on their side

   B. THE APPLICATION...
      1. A common misapplication
         a. Many commentators use this passage to decry denominational
            rivalry
         b. Which might be appropriate if denominational distinctions
            were not wrong
         c. But denominationalism is wrong within itself - cf. Jn 17:21-23; 1Co 1:10-13; 3:3-4
      2. A more proper application
         a. Do not fault individuals or churches who may choose to do
            things differently
         b. Assuming that what they do is "in His name" (by His
            authority) - cf. Col 3:17
         c. There are often different ways to do the will of the Lord;
            if someone prefers not to do something "our" way, we should
            not forbid them doing it "their" way

[Next, we learn the value of...]

II. A CUP OF WATER IN HIS NAME GIVEN

   A. THE PRINCIPLE...
      1. He who gives a servant of Christ a cup of water in His Name
         will be rewarded - Mk 9:41
      2. The principle further explained in Matthew's gospel - Mt 10:40-42
      3. Even the smallest acts in helping others serve the Lord will be
         noticed by Him

   B. THE APPLICATION...
      1. When we help the brethren of the Lord, He takes notice - cf. Mt 25:34-40
      2. When we support their ministries, we have fellowship in their
         work - Php 1:5; 3Jn 1:5-8

[Then we are warned of...]

III. CAUSING LITTLE ONES TO STUMBLE

   A. THE PRINCIPLE...
      1. Causing the little ones who believe to stumble is a great
         offense! - Mk 9:42
      2. Again, Matthew's gospel expands on this theme - Mt 18:6-7,10

   B. THE APPLICATION...
      1. We should be very careful about our example and influence on
         the young
      2. Every one is a role model, either for good or evil
      3. The best way to show love for the children of God is by loving
         God and keeping His commandments - 1Jn 5:2

[Another principle is that sometimes it is necessary to have...]

IV. RADICAL SURGERY TO AVOID HELLFIRE

   A. THE PRINCIPLE...
      1. Sometimes radical actions are needed to avoid hellfire - Mk 9:43-48
      2. Eternal life is worth whatever cost it takes - ibid.

   B. THE APPLICATION...
      1. Not to be taken literally, because one could still sin with one
         hand, one eye
      2. But anything close to us (family, job, friends, etc.) that
         would keep us away from God must be removed if necessary - cf.
         Mt 10:37; Lk 14:26,33
      3. Note:  Jesus believed and taught the reality of hell! - cf. Re 20:15; 21:8

[Finally, Jesus segues from the punishing effects of hellfire to the
positive effect of a different kind of fire...]

V. SEASONING EFFECTS OF FIRE

   A. THE PRINCIPLE...
      1. We are seasoned with fire, like sacrifices are seasoned with
         salt - Mk 9:49
      2. The salt makes the sacrifice better, so fire can make one
         better - Mk 9:50

   B. THE APPLICATION...
      1. Appreciate the purifying nature of trials and difficulties - Jm 1:2-4
      2. As difficult as it may seem at the time, there can be glory in
         suffering - cf. Ro 5:3-4

CONCLUSION

1. Thus we find in our text five principles regarding discipleship...
   a. He who is not against us is on our side
   b. A cup of water in His name given
   c. Causing little ones to stumble
   d. Radical surgery to avoid hellfire
   e. Seasoning effects of fire

2. Seemingly unrelated perhaps, but important to serving Jesus with
   humility...
   a. Others don't have to follow "our" ministries, plans, etc., to be
      faithful
   b. Sometimes we may only help in the smallest of ways, but the Lord
      notices
   c. We cannot arrogantly overlook the needs of the little ones around
      us
   d. Sometimes we have to deny ourselves those things that mean much to
      us
   e. We need to humbly accept the seasoning effects of trials when they
      occur

Indeed, the way of following Jesus requires much humility on our part.
With such humility, we will find ourselves at peace with one another (Mk
9:50).  Are we willing to humbly follow Him...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

From Gary... Accidents will happen!!!

If your presents are a little late today, be advised that there was a major sleigh wreck at the corner of girl-crossing boulevard and Reindeer Rest avenue in Helsinki.  It seems that the boys were distracted during their journey by some unknown disturbance.  Relax, though, everyone is OK. Santa suffered only minor embarrassment when he was ejected from his sleigh and landed in a manure pile. Fortunately, there was plenty of snow to "wash" with and a small bottle of body wash that had been opened in the wreck was nearby.  If Santa has not arrived yet, please be patient. If Santa has another accident, please try to understand, because reindeer need love too. So, try to be content with what you have - for you are blessed...

 Philippians, Chapter 4

 8  Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.  9 The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.  10 But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity.  11 Not that I speak in respect to lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.  12 I know how to be humbled, and I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.

ps. This year, forget the milk and cookies- Santa could use a small bottle of perfume instead.