September 4, 2025
Rest for the Rest of Us
Once you get a true taste of the rhythms of rest, you will long for more. Stopping our relentless schedules creates a break from our culture of consumerism and productivity.
Articles for tag: Exodus 20
April 29, 2025
Are You Lovesick?
Not surprisingly, love is listed first among the Fruit of the Spirit because love is the fertile soil where other virtues thrive and grow.
February 10, 2025
Our Father
Using simple but profound language, Jesus teaches us to address God as a wise, powerful, loving Father.
September 16, 2024
September 22 Application | Making Worship a Way of Life
We can worship the Lord anytime, anywhere—at home, work, and school. Whether alone outdoors or joining with hundreds of others in a building designed for worship.
November 1, 2022
How Do We Answer the Great Questions in Life?
By Chris Philbeck Our preaching team decided to devote June to an “Ask Me Anything” series. I know that’s nothing new or dramatic; churches and preachers have been doing these kinds of message series for years. But I’ve never done one, so we encouraged our church family to send in their questions during May. And even though I had a basic expectation of the kinds of questions people would submit, I was surprised by the response. On the first weekend of the series, I began by saying that upon reviewing the questions I was left with two overwhelming feelings. First
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.
March 7, 2022
March 13 | The Holy Commandment Exposes My Unholiness!
The law was intended to make God’s people holy. In the end, the law underlined their sinfulness.
February 7, 2022
Feb. 13 | Justified by Faith
If grace is God’s love for us that we do not deserve, then faith is how that grace is appropriated in our lives.
January 10, 2022
Jan. 16 | Righteous Abraham
Be careful of idolizing Bible characters. They all have feet of clay, and they can marginalize God as the real hero of the biblical narratives. That being said, Abraham is an imitable model of righteousness. . . .
August 10, 2020
Halting the Downward Cycle (Aug. 16 Lesson Application)
By David Faust “Sin blinds you, then it binds you, then it grinds you.” I don’t know who first said those words, but they ring true. Disobedience to God leads to a downward cycle. “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15)—and that’s true on both a personal level and a societal level. Someone observed, “First we overlook evil. Then we permit evil. Then we legalize evil. Then we promote evil. Then we celebrate evil. Then we persecute anyone who still calls it evil.” There are two
February 10, 2020
Lesson for Feb. 16, 2020: The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)
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 2-23, 2020) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Commit to showing love to God and to others through observing God’s commandments. ________ By Mark Scott “They (the Ten Commandments) won’t go away. They continue to sit in silent judgment on generation after erring generation. They remain the great moral touchstone for the nations. We don’t obey them but
February 3, 2020
Lesson for Feb. 9, 2020: Miraculous Provisions (Exodus 16:11-32)
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 2-23, 2020) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Trust the Lord to provide for your needs. ________ By Mark Scott Bread is a staple of life. Sometimes it is a metonymy for “food” in general. It is part of the fourth petition of the model prayer (Matthew 6:11). It was the content of the first temptation of Jesus
May 14, 2018
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
November 6, 2017
Lesson for November 12, 2017: Promise of a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:27-34)
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 the November 5, 2017. issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The Bible has a love/hate relationship with old and new. On the one hand, God”s people were to ask for the ancient paths and old ways (Jeremiah 6:16), and even Jesus said that the old wine was best (Luke 5:39). On the other hand, Paul taught that if anyone is in Christ he is
October 9, 2017
Lesson for October 15, 2017: Obeying God’s Law (Exodus 20:18-26)
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 the October 8, 2017. issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Obedience is not Testament specific. Both the Old and New Testaments call God”s people to obey. The Old Testament contains at least 613 commands to obey. The New Testament contains well over 1,000 commands to obey. Obedience is a response to redemption (Exodus 20:2). Obedience helps us learn the mind of God (John 7:17).
November 30, 2015
Lesson for December 6, 2015: The Lord’s Day (Exodus 20:8″“11; 31:12″“16)
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 November 29 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott A certain workaholic said, “Thank God it”s Monday.” But even the most aggressive workaholic needs rest. Out of eternity God carved time and made days, weeks, months, seasons, and years. Habit is a great liberator””learning the rhythms of God gives proper pacing to our lives.
June 12, 2015
Communion, Our Constant
By Mandy Smith The old Sunday school song goes, “Since Jesus came within and cleansed my soul from sin, I”m inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time.” But very few Christians could honestly say they feel happy all the time. While we may retain an undisturbed, deep joy, it”s normal for any Christian to have moments of spiritual high and spiritual low, to feel close to God and far from God at various times, to have times of great faith and times of great doubt. One helpful practice that allows us to survive the darker times is to overlook
December 13, 2014
A Biblical View of Poverty
By Mark W. Hamilton A paradox confronting modern Western Christians is this: we who are rich serve a Lord who was poor. At the first Christmas, Jesus and his family did not hang their stockings by the chimney with care. Instead, they haunted stables and fled their home as refugees. Nor did things improve for the adult Jesus, who survived on the generosity of women who embraced his message of the kingdom. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20); “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or your body, what you will wear” (Matthew
May 12, 2014
Lesson for May 18, 2014: Jesus” Teaching on the Law (Exodus 20; Isaiah 29:13, 14; Matthew 5:17-48; 15:1-20; Romans 3:31)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone While Jesus was teaching in Galilee some 50 miles away from them, the religious leaders in Jerusalem sent a delegation to question him. This demonstrates clearly that they regarded him as a threat to their position and influence with the people. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were very influential to the Jews in all religious matters. They held to a strict interpretation and application of God”s law. Most of the common people felt, “Whatever
March 31, 2014
Lesson for April 6, 2014: Jesus Cleanses the Temple (Isaiah 56:6-8; Jeremiah 7:8-15; Mark 11:15-19)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone The messages of two prominent Old Testament prophets provide background for today”s lesson. Both focus on the cleansing of the temple during the final week of Jesus” earthly ministry. Isaiah had preached around 740 BC, while Jeremiah came some 55 years later. R. C. Foster noted, “Jeremiah denounces the wicked character of the people worshiping in the temple and the false trust of Israel in the temple; Jesus applies this to their misuse of the temple
