A. Noah’s ark (Genesis 7:13-23)
B. The blood-sprinkled houses in Egypt (Exodus 12:21-23)
C. Rahab’s house in Jericho (Joshua 2:17-19; 6:17)
II. Safety with God today
A. In His gospel (Romans 1:1-2, 16)
B. In His body, the church (Ephesians 5:23; cf. Ephesians 4:4; 1:22-23)
C. In His promise of eternal life (1 Timothy 4:8; Titus 1:2; 1 John 2:25)
III. Safety with God provides…
A. Protection from spiritual danger (Psalm 23:4; Matthew 10:28)
B. Freedom from anxiety (1 Peter 5:6-7)
C. Hope (Hebrews 6:17-20)
D. Rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
IV. Safety with God is…
A. Available to all (Revelation 22:17)
B. Given to those obedient to the faith (Acts 2:38)
A. Demon possession afflicted people in various ways: inability to speak (Matthew 9:32-33); blindness (Matthew 12:22); insanity (Mark 9:26-36)
B. Jesus and His apostles often cast them out of victims (Mark 5:1-20; 9:25-27; Luke 10:17-18)
II. What are (or were) demons?
A. What they are (and were) not: metaphors, superstitions, common explanation for mental illness
B. Intelligent beings (Mark 1:24; 5:7)
C. Wicked beings from the abyss (Revelation 9:11)
D. Souls of departed wicked men who were allowed by God to possess the living so that His power and authority over all things could be demonstrated and He could be glorified
III. What about today?
A. Their end was prophesied (Zechariah 13:2)
B. God gives us “the way of escape” from temptation—not miraculous (1 Corinthians 10:13)
A. The power of a positive influence (Matthew 5:14-16; 1 Peter 3:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; 3:14-15)
B. The danger of a negative influence (Acts 20:28-30; Galatians 2:11-13; Titus 1:10-11, 16)
II. Your spiritual well-being (9:43-48)
A. The offense/stumbling/sin in these verses is not inconsequential but a complete falling away from God
B. Be careful little hands what you do, feet where you go, eyes what you see!
C. Rebellion against God will result in eternal punishment and separation from Him
III. Seasoned with fire and salt (9:49-50)
A. Fire in this verse = suffering/persecution (1 Timothy 3:12; Romans 5:3-4)
B. Salt is a preservative – how many times has the world been spared from destruction because of the positive influence of God’s people? (Genesis 18:16ff)
A. When Jesus was gone, who would take His place? (Mark 9:30-32)
B. The carnality of selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3)
II. Greatness through service (9:35-37)
A. The leader must be a servant (John 13:12-17)
B. The example of a child – innocence, humility, trustfulness
III. Christianity is not a competition (9:38-41)
A. Do not hinder another’s work done in the name of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)
B. “In my name” = by His authority – does not apply to false religions and denominations (Colossians 3:17)
I. The place of knowledge in Christianity (9:11-13)
A. The disciples had questions – and that’s a good thing
B. We are to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18)
C. When appropriate, Jesus answered their questions
II. The place of action in Christianity (9:14-29)
A. There is a time to stop discussing and start doing (Acts 22:16; James 1:22)
B. Sometimes we fail when we act – learn from those failures!
C. Jesus is the answer when we fail – He never fails!
III. Beware misapplication (9:23)
A. The statement was a rebuke of the boy’s father
B. Context matters
1. All things according to the will of God (1 John 5:14; 2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Mark 14:35-36)
2. All things with proper motivation (James 4:3; 1 John 3:22)
(outline based on Tillit S. Teddlie’s hymn of the same name)
I. Singing, praying, offering
A. Note the frequency: “Oft,” not “occasionally” or even “when convenient” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
B. Singing and praying (1 Corinthians 14:15)
C. The collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
II. The bread
A. Represents His body (Matthew 26:26)
B. “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19)
III. The cup
A. Represents His blood shed on the cross – “for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28)
B. These things are done “with one accord” – “the communion of the blood of Christ…of the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:16)
A. The “inner circle” apostles witnessed this event (2 Peter 1:16; John 1:14)
B. What they witnessed was impossible by human standards
C. We must also be “transformed” as followers of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2)
II. The divine authority of Jesus (9:4-8)
A. Elijah (the prophets) and Moses (the Law)
B. Everything they represented pointed to Jesus and was fulfilled by Jesus (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44)
C. They are no longer the standard of authority; Jesus is! (Col. 2:13-14)
D. God says: “Hear Him!”
III. The divine mission of Jesus (9:9-10, 30-32)
A. His betrayal (Psalm 41:9)
B. His murder (Isaiah 53:7-9)
C. His resurrection (Psalm 16:10; the sign of Jonah: Matthew 12:40)
I. The main point: don’t take matters between brethren to worldly judges
A. Civil cases were a big part of Greek society – still a part of American culture
B. It brings reproach on the church to let our problems spill out into the world [whether in civil court or in the court of public opinion]
II. On judging the world and angels
A. Figurative interpretation (Hebrews 11:7)
B. Judgment by association with Christ (Daniel 7:18-22; Matthew 19:28)
C. In either case, if we will judge the world and angels, surely we can handle the trivial disputes of this life in the church
III. Back to the main point
A. Disputes will come
B. When they do, follow Christ’s command regarding resolution of such (Matthew 18:15-17)
C. If needed, suffer loss to protect the reputation of the church (1 Corinthians 6:7; Matthew 5:38-41)
A. Deny self (Philippians 3:3-11; Galatians 2:20)
B. Take up your cross (2 Corinthians 11:23-28; 1 Peter 4:4, 14)
C. Follow Him (Luke 6:46; 1 Peter 2:21)
II. The value of man (8:35-37)
A. Soul preservation is more important than self-preservation (Matt. 10:28)
B. Your soul is worth more than all treasure (Matt. 10:29-30; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
III. The Second Coming (8:38)
A. Are you ashamed of your belief in Jesus? (John 1:29, 49; 6:69)
B. This world is “adulterous and sinful” (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17)
C. When Jesus comes again, He will come “in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Matthew 25:31-46)
IV. The coming kingdom (9:1)
A. The kingdom came during the lifetime of some who heard these words – nearly 2000 years ago (Acts 2:1-4)
B. This is not a “still future” event! (Colossians 1:13-14)
C. When Jesus returns, He will judge the world and deliver His kingdom to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24)
A. When recreation becomes an obsession: “What does it accomplish?”
B. Chasing pleasure leads to sorrow, not joy (Ecclesiastes 7:3; Proverbs 14:13)
C. Do you seek pleasure or God? (Matthew 6:33; Colossians 3:1-2)
II. The vanity of pleasure through worldly achievements (2:4-6)
A. Houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards, fruit trees, water pools (1 Kings 7:1-12; 9:17-19, 24)
B. Worldly achievements without God mean nothing in eternity (Philippians 3:3-11)
III. The vanity of pleasure through possessions and power (2:7-9)
A. Servants, livestock, silver and gold, singers, and “concubine after concubine” (2 Chronicles 2:14-15; 9:13-28; 1 Kings 11:3)
B. All the riches in the world are worthless without God (1 Timothy 6:6-11)
IV. The conclusion of Solomon’s pursuit (2:10-11)
A. “There was no profit under the sun”
B. The pleasures of sin are “passing” (Hebrews 11:25)
C. The treasures of this world are corruptible (Matthew 6:19-21)
But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)
ConcerningJesus.com 