Series: Study

September 17, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for September 23, 2018 | Redemption: Christ Includes Me (Ephesians 1:3-14)

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. 10 (weeks 37–40; September 16—October 7, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ The Bible lessons now follow a scope and sequence prepared by Christian Standard Media. For more information, click here. ______ Lesson Aim: Give thanks to the Lord for the riches of his grace and a heavenly inheritance. ______ By Mark Scott  Kenneth McFarland was the “Zig Ziglar” of the 1950s and 1960s. He

September 10, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for September 16, 2018 | Justification: Christ Liberates Me (Romans 3:9-26)

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. 10 (weeks 37–40; September 16—October 7, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ The Bible lessons now follow a scope and sequence prepared by Christian Standard Media. For more information, click here. ______ By Mark Scott  Here is the bad news: we really need a savior. Here is the good news: Jesus is a wonderful Savior. The only solution to sin (the last two weeks’ lessons)

September 3, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for September 9, 2018: Sin Is Lawlessness (1 John 3:4-18)

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. 9 (weeks 33–36; August 19—September 9, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Beginning with this batch of four lessons, the weekly Bible lessons are based on a scope and sequence prepared by Christian Standard Media. For more information, click here. ______ By Mark Scott  Sin is many things. It is missing the mark (original meaning of the New Testament term). It is rebellion against the

August 27, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for September 2, 2018: The ‘Not’ in the Serpent’s Tale (Genesis 3:1-15)

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. 9 (weeks 33–36; August 19—September 9, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Beginning with this batch of four lessons, the weekly Bible lessons are based on a scope and sequence prepared by Christian Standard Media. For more information, click here. ______ By Mark Scott  Sin is a “knotty” problem. The word not appears three times in our lesson text (Genesis 3:1, 3, and 4). The

August 20, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for August 26, 2018: Live by the Word of God (2 Peter 3:3-15)

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. 9 (weeks 33–36; August 19—September 9, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Beginning with this batch of four lessons, the weekly Bible lessons are based on a scope and sequence prepared by Christian Standard Media. For more information, click here. ______ By Mark Scott  Israel lived by the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus lived by the Word of God (Matthew 4:4). The church should

August 13, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for August 19, 2018: Christ Is Preeminent (Colossians 1:9-23)

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 (weeks 33–36; August 19—September 9, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Beginning this week, the weekly Bible lessons are based on a scope and sequence prepared by Christian Standard Media. For more information, click here. ______ By Mark Scott  Our oldest son had a T-shirt that read, “There are two things you can be sure of: (1) There is a God. (2) You are

August 6, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for August 12, 2018: Giving Justly (2 Corinthians 8:7-15)

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. 7 (weeks 25–28; July 22—August 12, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Three activities occupied center stage for the earliest church in the book of Acts. Those three activities were preaching the gospel, baptizing the converts, and planting the church. But running under the radar of those three was the collection for the saints. Jesus had taught his disciples to care for

July 30, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for August 5, 2018: God’s Justice (Romans 2:1-12)

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. 7 (weeks 25–28; July 22—August 12, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  We rarely do justice well. God always does justice well. Romans is about the justice of God—real righteousness. As Paul built a bridge between Jews and Gentiles in the church at Rome he explained what God’s justice looks like. Following the opening greeting and his typical thanksgiving, Paul stated the

July 23, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for July 29, 2018: Parable of the Great Dinner (Luke 14:15-24)

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. 7 (weeks 25–28; July 22—August 12, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Eating is a form of thanksgiving and table fellowship is sacred. Jewish table grace went something like this: “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” When we eat we are acknowledging that God has provided for our needs. When

July 16, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for July 22, 2018: Entering God’s Kingdom (Luke 13:22-30)

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. 7 (weeks 25–28; July 22—August 12, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  God is sovereign over his kingdom. He decides who gets in and who is put out. Still he invites, entices, and pleads with people to accept the invitation into his kingdom. It is his good pleasure to give his people the kingdom (Luke 12:32). But those who are invited must

July 9, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for July 15, 2018: The Widow and the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8)

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. 6 (weeks 25–28; June 24—July 15, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  A deacon’s meeting had gotten out of sorts. Tempers flared, temperatures rose, and words got ugly. One deacon tried to calm the group by saying, “I think we should just stop and pray.” Another deacon said, “Has it come to that?” Why is prayer often a last resort as opposed

July 2, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for July 8, 2018: Jesus Criticizes Unjust Leaders (Matthew 23:1-4, 23-26)

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. 6 (weeks 25–28; June 24—July 15, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  If the unforgiving servant had a shrunken heart (last week’s lesson), the unjust leaders who condemned Jesus had shrunken souls (today’s lesson). While many Jews received Jesus gladly and became children of God (John 1:12), these “religious leaders” played the role of antagonists in the gospel record and in this

June 25, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for July 1, 2018: Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

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. 6 (weeks 25–28; June 24—July 15, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  “God is just” was the accent of last month’s lessons. “Jesus calls for justice and mercy” is the accent of this month’s lessons. Therefore our texts will come from the Gospels—two from Matthew and three from Luke. Matthew 18 is Jesus’ fourth discourse in the Gospel. The theme of the

June 18, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 24, 2018: Reaping God’s Justice (Luke 16:19-31)

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. 6 (weeks 25–28; June 24—July 15, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Reaping is the language of harvest in the Bible, and therefore sometimes reaping is a metaphor for judgment (Hosea 8:7; Revelation 14:15, 16). The law of harvest is universally true. You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). But it is uniquely true when it comes to the use of our

June 11, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 17, 2018: Jesus Teaches about Justice (Matthew 15:1-9)

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. 5 (weeks 21–24; May 27—June 17, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Biblical justice is not just about what a culture thinks is legal or illegal. Biblical justice (conforming to God’s standard) encompasses good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate, action and attitude, and external and internal—as defined by the Lord. In our text today, Jesus defended his disciples and taught what truly

June 4, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 10, 2018: Parables of God’s Just Kingdom (Matthew 13:24-33)

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 27—June 17, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  Parables are true-to-life comparisons that break forth into fictional analogies that seem upside down to us and often deceive us into truth by opening up the government of God. This is a homemade definition of parables, with the exception of the phrase “deceiving into truth,” which can be attributed to

May 28, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 3, 2018: Justice and Sabbath Laws (Matthew 12:1-14)

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. 5 (weeks 21–24; May 27—June 17, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote about the law of fair play. It goes like this. “I gave you a bite of my orange; give me a bite of yours.” Or, “Don’t hit me; I didn’t hit you.” From where did such laws arise? They seem to be innate. It

May 21, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for May 27, 2018: Rejoicing in Restoration (Psalm 34:1-10; Hebrews 2:17, 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 21–24; May 27—June 17, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott  David Brymer sings, “You bring restoration; you bring restoration; you bring restoration to my soul. You’ve taken my pain; called me by a new name. You’ve taken my shame and in its place, you give me joy.” This is the story of redemption personalized in song. Giving praise to God

May 14, 2018

Mark Scott

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

Mark Scott

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

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