May 24, 2021
May 30 | Application
God is omnipresent and inescapable. The trouble is, we can be oblivious and distractable. The problem isn’t God’s availability, but our awareness.
Articles for tag: Genesis 21
March 11, 2019
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
February 18, 2019
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
January 21, 2019
Lesson for January 27, 2019: God Is Pleased with Faithful Obedience (Abraham—Genesis 12:1-7; 22:15-19)
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. 1 (weeks 1–4; January 6–27, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Faithfully obey the Lord and experience his rich blessings. ______ By Mark Scott Faith in God is like a muscle in the body. It has to be stretched to be strong. Each of the Old Testament people we have studied this month had their faith stretched. Abel stretched his faith with his sacrifice.
October 16, 2018
A Substitute
By Tom Claibourne The Bible is very bloody. Two-thirds of the books mention blood, with more than 450 total references. Blood is the scarlet thread that runs through the Bible and is central to Christianity. Many sincere Christians have set out to read through the entire Bible, only to get bogged down in the seemingly endless details concerning animal sacrifices. Why so many sacrifices? Why so much blood, when the Bible clearly states that the blood of animals cannot take away sins (Hebrews 10:3, 4, 11)? The Old Testament sacrificial system was part of a symbolic process God used to
December 9, 2015
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
By Jim Tune Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote: “Earth”s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit around and pluck blackberries.” I need to reflect more often on the awesomeness of God. I want to live with my shoes off, recognizing holy ground moments as God saturates everything with his awesome light. My posture ought to more often be that of a man standing in amazement trying to fathom the glory of Christ. Isaiah 55:9 reminds us, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
October 14, 2013
Lesson for October 20, 2013: A Blessing for Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 15″“17; 21:9-21; 26:1-25)
By Sam E. Stone Abraham is described in Scripture as an example of faith, and he certainly is (see Hebrews 11:8). But even “the father of the faithful” had his shortcomings. At one point in his life, he and Sarah seemed to doubt that God would fulfill his promise to give them a child. Sarah suggested they take things into their own hands. She urged Abraham to sleep with her handmaid, Hagar. He did and fathered a child””Ishmael. Their attempt to run ahead of God led to tragic results, the effects of which are still obvious in the world today.
October 7, 2013
Lesson for October 13, 2013: A Promise to Sarah (Genesis 17:15-17; 18:9-15; 21:1-7)
By Sam E. Stone When God originally called Abram (as he was then known) to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldeans, he summarized the blessings that would follow (Genesis 12:1-3). Abram was 75 years old at the time. He and his family went to Canaan and from there to Egypt to secure food during a famine. He and his nephew Lot separated upon their return to the promised land. Once more God reaffirmed his covenant with Abram (Genesis 15:1-5). Sarai, Abram”s wife, still had borne no children. She encouraged her husband to marry her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar (16:1-4).
October 17, 2011
Lesson for Oct. 23, 2011: Finding True Love (Song of Solomon 4:1″“5:1)
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for October 23) is written by Mandy Smith, associate pastor at University Christian Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, and author of Making a Mess and Meeting God: Unruly Ideas and Everyday Experiments for Worship, available at www.standardpub.com/makingamess. ____________ Finding True Love (Song of Solomon 4:1–5:1) By Mandy Smith At first reading, the fourth chapter of Song of Solomon seems a little ridiculous to modern ears. In fact, when my Old Testament professor in college heard I like to draw, he asked me to create a literal depiction of these metaphors, and I ended
March 6, 2011
Smaller Churches Need Small Groups Too!
Eric Bingaman explains how small groups can help smaller churches move beyond Sunday morning familiarity into deeper biblical community, prayer, encouragement, and shared life.
December 27, 2010
Lesson for Jan. 2, 2011: God Is Our Redeemer (Isaiah 44:21-28)
Byron Davis reflects on Isaiah 44 and the truth of redemption, reminding readers that God remembers his people, washes them clean, and frees them from condemnation in Christ.
