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)
A. First century confusion: John, Elijah, one of the prophets
B. Twenty-first century confusion: a good man, a prophet, but not the Messiah
II. “But who do you say that I am?” (8:29-30)
A. Peter’s answer: “You are the Christ!”
B. They were warned to tell no one at the time, but were later commanded to tell everyone (Mark 16:15; Acts 2:36; 4:8-12)
III. The suffering of the Son of Man (8:31-33)
A. Jesus predicts His death and resurrection
B. Peter rebuked the Lord – do we ever disagree with Jesus about His identity? His nature? His love for us?
C. Jesus rebuked Peter: “For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Isaiah 55:8-9; Philippians 2:5; Ephesians 4:31-32)
(outline based on Gene C. Finley’s hymn of the same name)
I. Giving in to temptation
A. God does not tempt man to sin (Matthew 6:13; James 1:13)
B. God provides an escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
C. When we give in to temptation, it is because “we let the tempter lead us astray” (James 1:14)
II. Weariness of faith
A. Don’t ever give up (Galatians 6:9)
B. Don’t complain (Philippians 2:14-15)
C. Focus on the big picture, the final destination, not the temporary obstacles of this life (Philippians 3:12-14)
III. Verbal sins
A. We should guard our words carefully (Matthew 12:36; Ephesians 4:29)
B. Let us be patient in our speech (James 1:19-20)
IV. Sinful thoughts
A. “We let them stay” (Mark 7:21-23; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
B. Godly thoughts and worldly thoughts are incompatible with each other (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17)
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)
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