The Suffering Servant

Text: Isaiah 53 He Did Not Have the Appearance of a King (v. 2) Man often superficially judges according to appearance (1 Samuel 16:1,6-7) God expects us to judge righteously (John 7:24) Man of Sorrows (v. 3) Jesus lived as a man (John 1:14) — necessary to fulfill God’s plan (Hebrews 2:14-15) In His life […]

Lessons from Three Prayers

Text: Luke 11:1 Disciples to Jesus: “Teach us to pray.” Here we’ll notice three prayers that each emphasize a different element of our prayers. This is not a comprehensive list of how to pray or what to pray for, but highlights some examples for our learning. The Model Prayer (Matthew 6:7-13) — Pray for Needs […]

Rightly Dividing the Word

Text: 2 Timothy 2:15 Clear Distinction Between Old & New Laws Many people blur the lines between the OT & NT – yet the Bible presents a clear distinction between the two New & better covenant was coming (Jeremiah 31:31-34) – old was obsolete (Hebrews 8:13) Old law was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14) […]

Jesus Wept

Text: John 11:35 Jesus Displayed Emotion We have emotions because we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) We must control our emotions (1 Peter 5:8) Emotions are a response to conditions — they are not a goal (emotionalism) God Allows Human Suffering Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus & end his […]

The Justice of God

Text: Ezekiel 18 This lesson was written in light of the news of Osama bin Laden’s death. God Wants All to be Saved (v. 23, 32) Jesus came to save the world (John 3:16) — God wants all to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) But just because God wants all to be saved does not […]

“I Will Build My Church”

Text: Matthew 16:18 I Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16) He is our Savior (2 Timothy 1:10), King (John 18:36-37), and is Deity (John 1:1) This is important because Jesus’ identity would be the foundation of His church (Matthew 16:18) Will Indicates a future time when His plan would […]

Themes of the Cross

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18; Luke 9:23 The themes associated with Christ’s cross extend to ours as well. Love “God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) Jesus laid down His life for us (John 10:17-18) Our following Christ & enduring all things must be done in love (John 14:15; Matthew 22:36-40) Grace Man’s condition before the […]