September 5, 2022
September 11 | New Heart
Ezekiel continued to prepare the exiles in Babylon for the new days ahead. Now it was time to paint a brighter picture for their future beyond Babylon.
Series: Study
August 29, 2022
September 4 | The Watchman
Ezekiel’s ministry of judgment on fallen Israel (chapters 1–24) and judgment on Ammon, Tyre, and Egypt (chapters 25–32) has turned to a ministry of being a watchman to the people of Israel (chapter 33) and specifically to the leaders of Israel (chapter 34).
August 22, 2022
August 28 | God’s Glory Departs
God will not stay where he is not wanted. However, he does not take lightly being pushed away. If repeatedly pushed away, he will punish those who resist him. That is the essence of Ezekiel’s vision at this point.
August 15, 2022
August 21 | The Soul that Sins
In this lesson text, the exilic prophet Ezekiel taught that the soul that sins is the one in trouble. Ultimately a child cannot pass the buck of blame for sin to mom or dad. Each individual must stand before God personally.
August 8, 2022
August 14 | Sins of the Leaders
Since the call of this exilic prophet (in Ezekiel 1–3), the prophet had cried out against Israel’s idolatry and the sins of Israel’s leaders. The result was that leaders began persecuting Ezekiel. At this juncture "the word of the Lord" came to Ezekiel to cry out against those leaders.
August 1, 2022
August 7 | Sent to a Rebellious People
The major prophetic book of Ezekiel is the Judges of the exile. It is the Dark Ages of captivity for Israel. This prophet-priest had to announce that sin came with consequences. With this lesson, we launch a two-month study of this book.
July 25, 2022
July 31 | Don’t Be Idle Wasting Time
Paul made two prayer requests. He asked the Thessalonians to pray that the gospel would spread rapidly and be honored. Paul also asked God to deliver him and his team from wicked and evil people who have no faith.
July 18, 2022
July 24 | Be Strong Through Trials
Paul gave the Thessalonians inspired advice about how to be strong through trials. It had to do with growing in faith and love, recognizing God’s judgment, and constantly praying.
July 11, 2022
July 17 | Be Alert for Christ’s Return
This section on the return of Christ (beginning in 1 Thessalonians 4:13) is one of the longest in the New Testament. Evidently some of the believers felt as if those who had died before the return of Jesus would miss out on his second coming. Paul was writing to correct that fallacious thinking.
July 4, 2022
July 10 | Endurance Inspired by Faith
It’s been said that the Christian life is not a sprint but a marathon. . . . One thing hindering the Thessalonian believers from enduring the race was confusion about the end times and return of Christ. Confusion about the future caused them uncertainty in the present.
June 27, 2022
July 3 | Labor Prompted by Love
Christianity is not for the lazy. . . . The apostle Paul did not labor to achieve salvation; he labored because he had salvation.
June 20, 2022
June 26 | Be Ready for the Day of the Lord
Joel and Obadiah each had something to say about the day of the Lord. For Joel it was the signal that God was turning a new page in history. . . . For Obadiah it was that all nations should take a cue from the defeat of Edom for how they treated God’s people.
June 13, 2022
June 19 | Experience My Compassion
The picture of God in both Jonah and Joel is one of compassion, which the Lord so wants us to experience.
June 6, 2022
June 12 | Return to Me
Jonah was on the run. In chapter 1 he ran “from” God. In chapter 2 he ran “to” God. In chapter 3 he ran “with” God. And in chapter 4 he ran “counter” to God. God always desires for us to run to him in full repentance. . . .
May 30, 2022
June 5 | Where Have You Run?
The book of Jonah is a narrative prophetic book. There is no question it is a story. But what kind of story is it? Historical story? Story “based” in history? Fictional story (similar to a parable)? . . .
May 23, 2022
May 29 | Two Stories about Prayer
The subject matter of the parables was prayer, but the context concerned the faith and humility necessary for always being ready for the return of the king.
May 16, 2022
May 22 | The Story of the Running Father
The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin clearly set up the parable of the lost son(s). And all three parables connect back to the criticism of the religious elite in Luke 15:1-2.
May 9, 2022
May 15 | The Story of the Master’s Return
This lesson text is highly metaphoric. The main metaphor concerns a master and servant. But under that big-picture metaphor are at least eight others that make this text quite visual . . .
May 2, 2022
May 8 | The Story of the Poor Rich Man
This is one of the few parables where Jesus inserts “God” into a secular story. God called the man a fool (not an atheist but someone who has no moral compass). Death is a great wake-up call. . . .
April 25, 2022
May 1 | The Story of the Neighbors
This parable began in reality, for there really was a road that went from Jerusalem to Jericho referred to as “The Bloody Way.” But for a Samaritan to help a Jew on that road? That was the point at which the true-to-life parable veered into fictional analogy. . . .
