Series: Study

June 24, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 30, 2019: Speak Up by Being His Children (Philippians 2:12-18)

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. 5 (weeks 25-28; June 23–July 14, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Speak up by holding out the Word in your life. ______ By Mark Scott Words matter. God used them to create the world (Genesis 1:3). Jesus used them to give life to the world (John 6:63). The apostles used them to save the world (Acts 11:14). That being said,

June 17, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 23, 2019: Christ Is Preached, Rejoice! Rejoice! (Philippians 1:12-21)

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. 5 (weeks 25-28; June 23–July 14, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Speak up to advance the gospel. ______ By Mark Scott The theme for the 2015 NACC was “We Speak.” President Mike Baker based the convention theme on Acts 4:20. Speaking is not the only way to advance the kingdom, but it is a primary way. John R. W. Stott

June 10, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 16, 2019: Strong in Him (Ephesians 6:10-20)

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. 5 (weeks 21-24; May 26–June 16, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Stand strong in the power of the Lord against the forces of evil. ______ By Mark Scott The scholar Oscar Cullmann distinguished Good Friday from the Second Coming with an analogy. He likened Calvary to D-Day and the Second Coming to V-Day. D-Day was a decisive battle in WWII

June 3, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 9, 2019: Living in Him (Ephesians 5:1-15)

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. 5 (weeks 21-24; May 26–June 16, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Live as children of light seeking what pleases the Lord as wise not unwise ones. ______ By Mark Scott Charles Caleb Colton is credited as having said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” (though others said similar things dating back as far as the time of Marcus Aurelius).

May 27, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 2, 2019: Rooted in Him (Ephesians 3:8-21)

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. 5 (weeks 21-24; May 26–June 16, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Approach God with freedom and confidence in the power of Christ rooted in love. ______ By Mark Scott The discipleship program “Rooted” originated in Africa and is growing in popularity among American churches. The prison epistles (our study through the bulk of the summer months) stress what it is

May 20, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for May 26, 2019: Alive in Him (Ephesians 2:1-10)

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. 5 (weeks 21-24; May 26–June 16, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Give thanks for God’s great love, rich in mercy making us alive with Christ. ______ By Mark Scott Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are known as “the prison epistles” because they were written from prison (either Caesarea or Rome, Acts 24-26 or 28). Ephesians is known as “the queen

May 13, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for May 19, 2019: Trust Jesus in Suffering (Mark 13:9-20)

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 28–May 19, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Trust Jesus’ strength to carry you through suffering. ______ Suffering is caused by a variety of things, including our poor choices, the poor choices of others, and creation being out of sorts with its Creator. Ultimately all suffering is caused by the devil (Genesis 3) and overseen by a

May 6, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for May 12, 2019: Trust Jesus with Your Soul (Mark 8:27-38)

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 28–May 19, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Trust Jesus’ authority to save you. ______ As part of a larger poem, William Ross Wallace wrote, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” A fitting tribute to mothers. But what about the God who rocks the whole world? Can we trust our

April 29, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for May 5, 2019: Trust Jesus in Need (Mark 5:25-34)

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 28–May 19, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Trust Jesus’ ability to take care of you. ______ Jesus’ care for women was tender and counter-cultural. His “heart was touched by their grief” (Matthew 8:14-17; 15:21-28; 26:6-13; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43; 12:41-44; Luke 7:36-50; 8:1-3; John 4:7-45; 7:53–8:11; 20:1, 2, 11-18). That is certainly evident in our text today

April 22, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for April 28, 2019: Trust Jesus in a Storm (Mark 4:35-41)

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 28–May 19, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Trust Jesus’ power to protect you. ______ If Jesus can conquer death (last week’s lesson) then he can certainly calm a storm. And not just figurative, metaphoric, or spiritual storms, but real, physical, honest-to-goodness storms. When sin entered the world, creation experienced a separation from its creator (Genesis 3:17b-19;

April 15, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for April 21, 2019: Follow the Risen One (Mark 16:1-11)

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; March 31–April 21, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim:  Believe the startling reality of Christ’s resurrection. ______ Clark Pinnock said, “The biggest objection to Christianity is that it seems too good to be true.” But it is true. Christ has been raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20). That fact alone compels us to follow the Risen One.

April 8, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for April 14, 2019: Follow the Miraculous One (Mark 8:14-26)

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; March 31–April 21, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim:  Let Christ’s miracles move you to believe he is God’s Son. ______ Miraculous events make up 31 percent of Mark’s Gospel. With only two discourses in the book, the accent is clearly on the deeds of Jesus. Jesus is portrayed as no mere slight-of-hand magician but as a true

April 1, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for April 7, 2019: Follow the Intriguing Teacher (Mark 4:24-34)

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; March 31–April 21, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Listen thoughtfully to Christ’s teaching and respond with growing faith. ______ Jesus really was a master teacher. Of course, it was his identity as the Son of God that made his words most important. But also outstanding was the variety of his supporting material. In the preaching of Jesus

March 25, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for March 31, 2019: Follow the One with Authority (Mark 1:16-28)

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; March 31–April 21, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim:  Recognize Christ’s authority and his call on your life. ______ By Mark Scott  Today we begin an eight-week series from the Gospel of Mark. This series will lead up to and beyond Easter. The first four lessons emphasize following Jesus. The last four lessons emphasize trusting Jesus. Since we

March 18, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for March 24, 2019: God Blesses Those Who Forgive (Joseph)

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. 3 (weeks 9-12; March 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 45:1-15; 50:15-21 Lesson Aim: Seek the blessing of healing, which comes through forgiveness ______ By Mark Scott  “When deep injury is done to us, we never recover until we forgive. . . . Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future” (Mary Karen Read, last journal entry before being

March 11, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for March 17, 2019: God Blesses the Unexpectant (Sarah)

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. 3 (weeks 9-12; March 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 21:1-7 Lesson Aim: Trust that even a small faith brings the Lord’s blessings. ______ By Mark Scott  Sometimes God is just off-the-charts good—like in his creation of the world (Genesis 1:31), in blessing the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45), in his plan to save Jew and Gentile (Romans 11:33-36), in supplying all our

March 4, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for March 10, 2019: God Blesses the Repentant (Judah)

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. 3 (weeks 9-12; March 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 37:26, 27; 44:17-34 Lesson Aim: Experience the blessing of God through repentance. ______ By Mark Scott  The website for futurologist Leonard Sweet is called “Preach the Story.” The thesis of the website is that in all the little stories of the Bible there is the embedded big story of God’s plan to rescue

February 25, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for March 3, 2019: God Blesses the Faithful (Isaac)

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. 3 (weeks 9-12; March 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 26:3-6, 12, 13, 23-33 Lesson Aim: Have confidence that God blesses those who live by his promises. ______ By Mark Scott  A Sunday school children’s song contains the lyrics, “Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line.” Cute song. Bad hermeneutics. The fact is that we participate in

February 18, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for February 24, 2019: God Is with You When You Feel Outcast (Ishmael/Hagar)

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. 2 (weeks 5–8; February 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 21:8-20; 17:19, 20 Lesson Aim: Know that even when others abandon you, God will not. ______ By Mark Scott  Headings matter. The New International Version titles this text, “Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away.” The English Standard Version titles this text, “God Protects Hagar and Ishmael.” The first heading emphasizes Abraham’s duty. The latter

February 11, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for February 17, 2019: God Is with You in Your Oppression (Joseph)

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. 2 (weeks 5–8; February 3–24, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Text: Genesis 39:1-4, 19-23 Lesson Aim: Be assured that God will never forsake you in times of trouble. ______ By Mark Scott  We sometimes use the expression, “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” when we want to emphasize that good is on the way and that soon our “tunnel experience” will end.

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