February 5, 2024
The Bible has a love/hate relationship with signs or miracles. On the one hand they can engender faith (John 10:25). On the other hand they can derail faith in the miracle worker (John 6:26). . . .
April 10, 2023
This week we study two miracles of Jesus. The first is the cleansing of the leper (1:40-45). The second is the cleansing from sin and healing of the paralytic (2:1-12).
December 5, 2022
There are five miracles in this lesson text—the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walking on water, Peter walking on water, the calming of the storm, and the healings at Gennesaret. Only the Lord of Creation could demonstrate his power over that creation.
November 29, 2021
This centurion understood how authority works. He answered to people, and people answered to him . . .
April 5, 2021
All religious practices will assume some form. But if those forms are not somewhat fluid, they will turn into rigid legalism.
March 29, 2020
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 the April 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ Lesson Aim: Let Jesus provide for your personal and spiritual needs. ________ By Mark Scott All four Gospels record the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. It was Passover time when Jesus performed it. This was one Passover when Jesus did not go to Jerusalem; he had his own Passover meal in the
March 9, 2020
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 1-22, 2020) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Allow hope in Jesus to temper your grief and suffering in this world. ________ By Mark Scott The Bible affirms that there is a place for mourning (Matthew 5:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). But the Bible also affirms that God desires to remove mourning (Isaiah 35:10; Revelation 21:4). In our text
March 2, 2020
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 1-22, 2020) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Trust God’s Word that your sins are forgiven through Christ. ________ By Mark Scott “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” What do we need to hear more than that? Peoples’ greatest need is to be forgiven of their sins and therefore be right with God. The two gospel narratives in our
February 24, 2020
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 1-22, 2020) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Bring your heartaches and brokenness to Jesus for his healing. ________ By Mark Scott Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35). Jesus was ordained by the Holy Spirit at his baptism (Luke 3:22). Jesus returned from his wilderness temptations by the devil in the power of
March 28, 2016
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the March 27 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott How can an all-knowing God be amazed at anything? Scripture affirms that Jesus was amazed””we are told of two examples in his ministry. Once he was amazed at belief (today”s passage and the parallel text in Matthew 8:10), and once he was amazed at unbelief
January 18, 2016
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the January 17 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Jesus was a worker of wonders. He worked miracles for several reasons. He wanted to prove who he was (Mark 2:10). He wanted to demonstrate that the kingdom had come (Matthew 12:28). He wanted to show compassion (Mark 8:2). He wanted to reward faith (Matthew
April 30, 2012
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone An entire year elapsed between the healing of the lame man (John 5) and the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6). This would be two years after the first cleansing of the temple and one year before the crucifixion. John explains that his Gospel contains only a limited number of the many miracles and teachings of the Lord (John 20:30, 31; 21:25). Seth Wilson observes that the feeding of the 5,000 was a “turning-point in Jesus”
February 21, 2010
By Marshall Hayden It was our first trip with church members to the Holy Land. Driving from the airport, our guide (who has since become our favorite guide) asked the bus driver to pull onto the shoulder of the road about a hundred yards from the top of a hill. “Follow me,” he said. As we topped the rise, there it was, spread out ahead of us, filling the horizon! “Welcome to your spiritual home,” he said. When we climbed back on the bus we heard the first strains of a recording, “Jerusalem.” It was pretty quiet. Except for a
February 21, 2010
By Thomas F. Jones Jr. It was late afternoon and we had just landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. There were 25 of us in the group, all midcareer pastors, 35-55 years of age, men and women. We came from all over the country. We had left the Atlanta, Georgia, airport the day before, and stopped in Frankfurt, Germany, to catch a connecting flight. We were a group of tired, hungry, Christian travelers. Once we landed in Israel we made our way through the crowded passport checkpoint, gathered our bags, and then met our Arab Christian guide
February 14, 2010
By Ben Cachiaras When visiting Capernaum last summer, I paused on the rocky shoreline looking out at the Sea of Galilee. Knowing it could be the very stretch of beach Jesus walked when he called those first fishermen gave it a surreal sense of being holy ground. What struck me is that Jesus” call to them was abrupt and demanding: “Follow me!” Doing so would mean a life of perpetual movement and adventure, risk and change. It meant dropping familiar nets, leaving cherished family, and abandoning well-worn paths in pursuit of a leader who wanted to take them BEYOND any
April 7, 2026
John B. Penrose Jr
April 7, 2026
David Faust
March 27, 2026
Rick Cherok