Proverbs 18:22 – Marriage is good!

The controversy around marriage roles

The benefits of marriage roles

God-designed companionship

Genesis 2:18; Malachi 2:14

If we try to change what God designed, the only way it can go is down!

Your companion is instructed to love and sacrifice themselves for you.

Ephesians 5:25-30; I Peter 3:7; Colossians 3:18

When the husband fulfills his role correctly, the wife gets a wonderful thing.

Ephesians 5:33

When the wife fulfills her role, the husband benefits as well.

What is my spouse isn’t on board?

I John 2:17

Courage

John 16:32

Acts 4:13 – Peter and John showed confidence, but it was not through their own knowledge or training. It was from being with Jesus!

Acts 18:9-11 – God gave Paul some encouragement by settling him in a safe place for a while.

I Corinthians 16:13

Cost

Philippians 3:7-8 – Paul gave up many physical things, including a career as a Jewish official, to serve God.

Whatever the cost, we must stand with Christ.

Matthew 16:24-26

Christ

I John 2:3-6

I Peter 2:21-24 – Jesus did not die so that we could sin like anybody else!

We should not stoop to the level of the enemy. We must be like Christ!

Galatians 2:20

Matthew 10:16

Faulty appeals

Amos 7:10-17; Jeremiah 38:1-6 – God’s prophets were often rejected without reasoning through their warnings. People tried to ignore or stop their message with force.

What is it?

Appealing to faulty sources of authority might be very effective or persuasive, but it is faulty reasoning because it does not prove a proposition.

The appeal to force/fear: “You better accept my claim or there will be consequences!”

Daniel 3:6

You do not see this sort of appeal in the New Testament. The apostles did not try to force people to be baptized.

The appeal to emotion: attempting to persuade people by stirring powerful emotions rather than making a logical case.

The appeal to pity: a particular type of the appeal to emotion that occurs when an arguer tries to persuade people to accept a position by generating sympathy for those who hold the position.

The appeal to ignorance: the fallacy of appealing to the unknown; specifically, it is when a person argues that a claim is probably true simply because it has never been proven false.

The appeal to the majority of what’s popular: the fallacy of deciding proof by opinion polls.

Spiritual importance

Acts 4:14, 21; 5:18, 28, 40

What about preachers who primarily tell anecdotes and poignant stories instead of reasoning with people from the Scriptures (Acts 17:2)?

“What about the tribal member deep in the jungle who’s never had a Bible and doesn’t know about Jesus?”

“If you teach creation in this school, we’ll sue you.”

Philippians 1:27-2:4

Philippians 1:27 – Our conduct should be worthy of the gospel (up to the standard of the gospel).

Standing for God – Matthew 12:25; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 6:11, 13; 4:12; I Corinthians 10:12; 15:1

Striving together for the faith – Jude 1:3

Philippians 1:28 – There are adversaries, even within the church. If we strive together, we can stand against them.

Philippians 1:29-30 – Striving builds us up in the faith.

Acts 5 – Suffering for Christ has great value.

Revelation 2:13

Despite all the suffering and conflict the Philippians were faced with, they continued to grow!

Philippians 2:1-2 – What to do about conflict and suffering? Be united in serving God!

Philippians 2:3-4 – We are no good in battle if we only think of ourselves. Looking out for others first gives us courage.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Why follow spiritual pursuits?

Matthew 17:5; Hebrews 1:1-2; Acts 3:22-23

II Peter 1:3

II Corinthians 11:3

Genesis 3:6

I John 2:15-17

II Corinthians 11:14-15

Romans 8:6-9, 13-14

Romans 13:14

I John 3:8

Romans 6:16-18

Philippians 2:25; Philemon 1:2

II Timothy 2:3

Ephesians 6:10-18

This is heaven’s armor, but it is for us.

Revelation 2:10; I timothy 6:12

II Corinthians 10:3-5

Matthew 4:1-11

Hebrews 2:14

I Peter 5:8

We must put on all the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:13

I Timothy 4:16

James 1:21

Ephesians 4:14

Colossians 2:8

Jude 1:3

I John 3:7

Psalms 119:172

Romans 10:17

Psalms 119:105

Colossians 3:16

Ephesians 6:15 – preparation of the gospel

I Peter 3:15

I Peter 2:2

Hebrews 6:1

I Timothy 4:13, 16

Hebrews 5:12-14

Jeremiah 6:10

Hosea 4:6

I Timothy 3:15

Matthew 7:13-15

Philippians 2:15

Psalms 1:1-2; 119:15-16

II Timothy 3:16-17

II Timothy 1:3

Titus 2:1

I Peter 3:15

Ephesians 6:16 – the shield of faith

Galatians 3:26

Hebrews 11:1

Romans 10:17

John 20:30-31

Hebrews 2:10

Matthew 28:18

Proverbs 3:5-7

John 10:27-28

Ephesians 6:17 – helmet of salvation

Ephesians 1:3

Matthew 5:45

II Timothy 2:1, 10

Ephesians 1:7

Romans 6:4

Galatians 3:27

Colossians 3:1-3

Philippians 4:8

Ephesians 6:17 – sword of the spirit

This it he only offensive spiritual weapon we have, but it is the most powerful weapon known to man.

II Corinthians 10:3-5

Hebrews 4:12

II Peter 1:5-10

Ephesians 6:18 – prayer is how we communicate with the Commander in this warfare

I Thessalonians 5:17

Luke 18:1

Hebrews 12:1

Philippians 3:13-14

Revelation 2:10

I Peter 1:22-23

John 1:1, 14

“In the beginning was the Word”

John 1:1-3, 14-15

Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2

Genesis 3:15

Galatians 4:4

Hebrews 2:14

I John 3:8

Deuteronomy 18:15

Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7

Matthew 1:20-23

I Corinthians 2:6-9 – God’s plan came before creation!

Ephesians 1:4

II Timothy 1:9-10

“And the word became flesh.”

John 1:14

Micah 5:2

Luke 2:4-7, 10-20, 24 – Jesus was humble from the beginning.

Mark 6:1-4

John 1:46

Philippians 2:5-8

Hebrews 4:15

“John testified about Him”

John 1:15, 23

Matthew 3:7-12

Jesus grew up to say …

Matthew 5:44; 6:24; 7:21; 10:34; 20:27

Mark 8:38

Ephesians 4:25

Ad hominem (Latin for “to the man”)

What is it?

Attacking an opponent’s character or his motives for believing something instead of disproving his argument.

Ad hominem arguments fail because they avoid the issue.

Daniel 2:47 – Nebuchadnezzar was not a good person, but here he made a true statement.

Spiritual importance

If one advocates some point, but also has a character problem, that reflects poorly on their character but does not necessarily mean their point was invalid. This is certainly not to say that character doesn’t matter – it does. Romans 2:1-3, 17-24; I Timothy 4:12, 16; Matthew 23:2-3

It’s easy to resort to ad hominem attacks. If we don’t know how to answer some else’s line of reasoning, we may get emotional and strike back at the other person themselves, which is irrelevant and immature. Acts 6:8-14

In past decades, when brethren were debating the issue of whether orphan homes ought to be supported by individuals or by church treasuries (James 1:27), many personal attacks were launched.

One could listen to those kinds of accusations all day and still not know what the Bible said about the issue.

“Christianity isn’t true. You just believe in Christianity because you were brought up in a Christian home.” This avoids the question of whether or not Christianity is true.

“Those people are just saying that because they’re religious.”

“Why should we believe Solomon when he tells us to be satisfied with ‘the wife of your youth’ (Proverbs 5:18)? He wasn’t.”

Attacks against Jesus:

Matthew 11:18-19

Mark 6:3

Compare John 1:46 – but at least Nathanael was willing to investigate.

Philippians 1:15-26

Philippians 1:19

Paul did not shy away from requesting prayers on his own behalf. Romans 15:30-32; Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3-4; I Thessalonians 5:25; II Thessalonians 3:1-2; Philemon 1:22

“Spirit” here is the spiritual mindset and should not be capitalized. Ephesians 3:14; II Timothy 2:7

Philippians 1:20 – See II Corinthians 4:9; I Corinthians 6:20

Philippians 1:22 – God approves of fruitful labor. II Timothy 2:15

Self-control: restraint or discipline of self.

Acts 24:25

Galatians 5:23, 25-26 – Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit.

Matthew 4:3-7

I John 2:15-16

Self-control is more than abstinence.

Self-control

It is necessary for any worthwhile accomplishment.

I Corinthians 9:24-27; Galatians 5:17

I Corinthians 10:13

Lack of self-control will cause many to be lost.

Proverbs 15:2

Is that great quality that enables to walk IN the world and yet keep self unspotted FROM the world.

A Christian will give diligence to exercise self-control.

Introduction

Philippians 2:14-16

Christians try to live differently than others in the world.

Some people will not like the way we live.

My righteousness judges others.

Hebrews 11:7 – Noah condemned the world by living righteously and building the ark.

Matthew 12:41-42 – The Ninevites repented, thus they would condemn others at the judgment.

Romans 12:20 – Doing good to those who wrong you convicts and embarrasses them.

No one should approve of sin just to keep from embarrassing others.

If people are determined to sin, you can’t stop them.

Romans 1:21-32

Romans 6:1

We have all sinned, but we strive not to.

I cannot participate in or approve of sin.

Romans 1:32 – Committing and approving sin are both wrong.

Romans 6:23

Proverbs 8:13

Romans 12:2, 9 – We must train ourselves to abhor evil.

II Corinthians 6:14

Interact with others like Jesus did.