Theology &amp; Bible

Lesson for May 20, 2018: Remembering with Joy (Leviticus 25:1-12)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 17–20; April 29—May 20, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott One way to acknowledge God is to rest. Dr. John Walker has said, “A good night’s rest is way overrated.” Indeed, there are valid reasons for not being able to sleep well (see 2 Corinthians 11:27). Fred Craddock observed, “Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is go to

May 7, 2018

Lesson for May 13, 2018: Bringing Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14, 22)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 17–20; April 29—May 20, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Our laughter and our tears display our hearts, but our calendars and checkbooks display our priorities. God wanted his people to get first things first. This principle related to every category of their lives. A reoccurring phrase in the book of Leviticus is, “I am the Lord.” God’s peoples’ conduct

April 30, 2018

Lesson for May 6, 2018: Giving from a Generous Heart (Exodus 35:20-29; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 17–20; April 29—May 20, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott One of the best ways to acknowledge God (quarterly theme) and give praise to God (monthly unit theme) is with our “coined” lives. Giving to God in generous stewardship of finances can be a disciplined obligation and a wonderful privilege. But it is at its best when it is the

April 23, 2018

Lesson for April 29, 2018: Blessing, Glory, Honor Forever (Revelation 5:6-14)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 17–20; April 29—May 20, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott In this month of lessons, we have learned that God is “acknowledged” by the resurrection of Jesus (first two lessons), by the obedience of his followers (lesson three), and by heavenly worship (lessons four and five). Everything else pales in comparison to worship. It is a sin to make little

April 17, 2018

Love’s Welcome

By Jackina Stark How do you come to the Lord’s Table? Surely sometimes we come weary and troubled, and we are comforted when we remember Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Maybe you don’t think of those words of comfort, however, if the source of your weariness is the weight of sin—that is, something that is not beyond your control. Has anyone come to the table today having had a fit this week, cussing a blue streak? Has anyone come having been greedy, the very antithesis

April 16, 2018

Lesson for April 22, 2018: The Lord God Almighty (Revelation 4:1-6, 8-11)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 13–16; April 1–22, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Randy Harris teaches at Abilene Christian University. In his freshman Bible class he gives students the following outline to the Book of Revelation: (1) God’s team wins. (2) You get to pick a team. (3) Don’t be stupid. It’s a good outline. The last two lessons for this month come from

April 9, 2018

Lesson for April 15, 2018: Follow Me (John 21:15-25)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 13–16; April 1–22, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “To follow Christ is to obey Christ.” The apostles had the privilege of literally “coming after” Jesus. For them, following Jesus meant geography, physicality, and proximity. But after Jesus’ resurrection their following of him became more like ours. Obedience outstripped physical presence. The lesson text today picks up

April 2, 2018

Lesson for April 8, 2018: The Risen Lord Appears (John 21:1-14)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 13–16; April 1–22, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Jesus not only had risen from the dead; he had also appeared alive many times to validate his resurrection. Dr. Lynn Gardner lists at least 10 resurrection appearances by Jesus in the New Testament (Christianity Stands True). These appearances were to individuals and groups, to men and women, to leaders and

April 1, 2018

‘If Christ Be Not Raised . . .’

By Mark E. Moore The resurrection is the bedrock of Christianity. If it is not true, everything crumbles. Paul testified to this, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14*). Thus the question, Did Jesus rise from the dead? is one we must answer to determine if faith in Christ is well-founded or a farce. To that end we will address two profoundly important questions: Why should I believe Jesus rose from the dead? And if this is true, then why does it matter? WHY SHOULD

March 31, 2018

How Easter Got Hacked

Why the Good News of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection Is More Relevant Than Ever By Haydn Shaw Malware can mess up your life by allowing hackers free access to your computer. That’s exactly what has happened to Christianity; it’s being replaced by something that looks similar to Christianity but without the power of Easter. It wasn’t until sociologist Christian Smith and his team talked to teenagers that it became obvious how badly Christianity had been hacked. As detailed in his book Soul Searching (2005), Smith and his team interviewed more than 3,000 millennials, ages 13 to 18, to

March 30, 2018

The Forensics of Good Friday

An ER Doctor Examines What Jesus Experienced from the Garden to the Cross By Dwain C. Illman The resurrection is the keystone and the capstone of Christian belief. The crucifixion was required as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Every time I read Isaiah 53, I’m filled with awe and sadness as I marvel at detailed predictions surrounding our Savior. Consider Isaiah 53:5: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” As a physician who saw some

March 29, 2018

Jerry Harris

Just One Thing

By Jerry Harris Just one thing. That’s what it all comes down to. Paul made it abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19: And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised,

March 26, 2018

Lesson for April 1, 2018: He Has Risen (Luke 24:1-12, 30-35)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 4 (weeks 13–16; April 1–22, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Some historians trace the origin of April Fool’s Day to between the 14th and the 16th centuries—some trace it clear back to the time of Noah. The original name may have been “All Fool’s Day.” Regardless of its origin, April Fool’s Day celebrates foolishness, naiveté, and gullibility. But the resurrection of

March 22, 2018

The Bold Invitation

By Kevin Dooley During Passion Week we reflect on Christ’s sufferings for us. We may also remember the sufferings of the apostles and the persecuted church throughout history. Today, millions of people around the world are boldly proclaiming the gospel in the midst of great suffering for their faith. They invite us to know Christ “and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” It is the key to reaching the unbelieving world with the gospel of hope. My wife, Kim, and I have been privileged to serve alongside the persecuted church in countries that

March 20, 2018

A Family Feast

By Dick Wamsley It is significant that Jesus instituted what we today call Communion or the Lord’s Supper at Passover, a traditional Jewish family feast. Every element of the Passover meal was designed to remind the Jews of the bitterness of slavery their ancestors suffered in Egypt and their deliverance from the tenth plague, the angel of death that passed over the land killing every firstborn male. Jesus used this sacred supper of remembrance as a teaching moment for his disciples and to institute a memorial service that the church has observed for more than 20 centuries. He turned just

March 19, 2018

Lesson for March 25, 2018: Keep My Statutes and Ordinances (2 Chronicles 7:12-22)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 9–12 (March 4–25, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Praise should not be divorced from obedience. To praise God and then not obey God is hypocrisy. That was the problem on Palm Sunday. On Sunday the crowd said, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9), but by Friday the same crowd said, “Let him be crucified!”

March 17, 2018

Archaeologists Unearth the Centrality of the Table

By Jim Nieman The discovery of a floor to what might be the earliest-known Christian church seems to confirm that early Christ followers came together around a table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In 2005, prisoners unearthed a 580-square-foot mosaic floor with three inscriptions likely dating to the third century. One of the inscriptions speaks of a table “offered . . . to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.” The mosaic floor was discovered within a prison holding 1,200 Palestinian inmates, in Megiddo, on a hill overlooking the Valley of Jezreel—“the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16).

March 16, 2018

The Communion Distinctive: Drama of the Gospel

By Mark Scott In the middle of the second century, Justin Martyr gave an account of the weekly worship of Christians. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine

March 12, 2018

Lesson for March 18, 2018: The People Gave Thanks to God (2 Chronicles 7:1-9)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 9–12 (March 4–25, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Giving thanks makes for a busy life. The busiest travel days in the United States occur around the Thanksgiving holiday. Airports are crammed and highways look like parking lots. Even so, Bob Russell says that Thanksgiving is the one holiday that has not suffered extreme commercialization (Bob Russell Ministries Blog, Thanksgiving—My Favorite Holiday,

March 6, 2018