January 13, 2025
Debt Free
God’s new covenant includes this welcome promise: “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
Articles for tag: Sea Of Galilee
December 5, 2022
December 11 | Lord of Creation
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.
July 5, 2021
Netzer
Sometime in the first century, as Jewish refugees returned from exile, they settled in an area near the Sea of Galilee and named their new town Nazareth after the tender, new shoots of the Olive tree.
January 1, 2021
‘In God We Trust?’
A couple of exciting events took place in 1956. First, I was born, which was pretty exciting for me. Second, our federal government adopted the official motto, “In God We Trust.” That phrase quickly was stamped onto our currency and coin, where it remains today. Why did America adopt a motto in 1956? We were fighting a Cold War with the Soviet Union, a superpower that championed atheism. While the U.S.S.R. contended God did not exist, the United States not only declared his existence, but that our nation trusted in him. “In God We Trust” is more than a
July 20, 2020
Lesson for July 26, 2020: The Promised Land (Joshua 3:7-17; 21:43-45; 23:1-5)
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 July 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ Lesson Aim: Be strong and courageous; God is faithful to keep all his promises. ________ By Mark Scott Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (English Standard Version). Israel had longed for the Promised Land for years. Their hearts were sick for their
March 29, 2020
Lesson for April 5, 2020: Power to Sustain (John 6:1-15, 25-29)
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 23, 2020
Lesson for March 29, 2020: Power Over Evil (Mark 5:1-20)
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. ________ Lesson Aim: Contend with evil in this world and overcome through Jesus’ power. ________ By Mark Scott The miracles of Jesus have their own “power” vocabulary. Jesus’ power is explosive (the Greek word translated “miracle” is the English word “dynamite”). Jesus’ power creates wonder (the Greek word means something that shocks and terrifies). Jesus’ power points to him (the
March 15, 2020
Simon Peter: A Betrayer Is Restored
(An eyewitness’ account*) By Dale Reeves We were just minding our own business, washing and mending our nets on the lakeshore, when we first met Jesus face-to-face. He stepped into my boat to use it as a sort of floating speaker’s platform. After he talked to the people about what he called “the kingdom of Heaven,” he told us to move the boat into deeper water and then cast our nets off the right side. Andrew and I looked at each other and laughed; we had been out there all night without sleep and without fish. I’m not sure
March 9, 2020
Lesson for March 15, 2020: An End to Mourning (Luke 8:40-56)
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
Lesson for March 8, 2020: Good News of Forgiveness (Luke 5:17-32)
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. 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
August 7, 2019
Churches Help in Various Ways as School Year Set to Start (Plus News Briefs)
Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Classes are starting this month, and Christian churches across the country are trying to help children, parents, and schools begin the year successfully. Here are just a few examples: * * * LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 2,000 members of Northeast Christian Church helped spruce-up the exteriors of 32 schools on Sunday. “Volunteers laid mulch, raked leaves, and pulled weeds at schools throughout Louisville and Oldham County,” WDRB reported. The church focuses on the campus and grounds of schools because principals say that is where help is most needed, said David McKinley, marketing
May 6, 2019
Lesson for May 12, 2019: Trust Jesus with Your Soul (Mark 8:27-38)
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 28–May 19, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Trust Jesus’ authority to save you. ______ As part of a larger poem, William Ross Wallace wrote, “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” A fitting tribute to mothers. But what about the God who rocks the whole world? Can we trust our
April 22, 2019
Lesson for April 28, 2019: Trust Jesus in a Storm (Mark 4:35-41)
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 28–May 19, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Trust Jesus’ power to protect you. ______ If Jesus can conquer death (last week’s lesson) then he can certainly calm a storm. And not just figurative, metaphoric, or spiritual storms, but real, physical, honest-to-goodness storms. When sin entered the world, creation experienced a separation from its creator (Genesis 3:17b-19;
March 25, 2019
Lesson for March 31, 2019: Follow the One with Authority (Mark 1:16-28)
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 13-16; March 31–April 21, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Recognize Christ’s authority and his call on your life. ______ By Mark Scott Today we begin an eight-week series from the Gospel of Mark. This series will lead up to and beyond Easter. The first four lessons emphasize following Jesus. The last four lessons emphasize trusting Jesus. Since we
July 10, 2018
A Meal That Reminds Us
By Jon Wren In the last chapter of John’s Gospel, Peter and John, among other disciples, encountered the resurrected Jesus early in the morning on a beach at the Sea of Galilee. Their meeting with him was the culmination of what surely had been a strange and confusing period of time. After spending years following Jesus through small villages and large cities, watching him heal the sick and the demon-possessed, hearing him teach and preach, and even watching him die on the cross, these disciples were sitting with Jesus on a quiet beach . . . and the Lord had
April 2, 2018
Lesson for April 8, 2018: The Risen Lord Appears (John 21:1-14)
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. 4 (weeks 13–16; April 1–22, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Jesus not only had risen from the dead; he had also appeared alive many times to validate his resurrection. Dr. Lynn Gardner lists at least 10 resurrection appearances by Jesus in the New Testament (Christianity Stands True). These appearances were to individuals and groups, to men and women, to leaders and
February 20, 2018
Flesh and Blood
By Ronald G. Davis John declared it: “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, 14). Though John’s Gospel account may emphasize the deity of Christ, it gives full attention to his humanity. Incarnation! The eternal, the nonmaterial, became flesh and blood. Here, we celebrate that fact. Jesus was fully human. He grew from infant in Bethlehem to toddler in Nazareth to a boy of age at the temple to a man . . . at the cross. As
January 16, 2017
Lesson for January 22, 2017: Praise God the Creator (Psalm 104)
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 January 15, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The Creator is separate from his creation. He transcends nature. Creation is awesome. The Creator is more awesome. The disciples found this out when a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee. It was one thing to face the storm (Mark 4:35-38). It was quite another thing to face the one who could calm the
April 11, 2016
Lesson for April 17, 2016: Recovered Faith (Luke 8:26″“36)
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 April 10 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Three of the Gospels record this story (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; and our text today from Luke). The Synoptics place this story following the calming of the storm and prior to the healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of
April 11, 2015
Way Better
By Steve Wyatt You probably wouldn”t have liked the man I once was””though you might”ve been impressed by my résumé. I certainly was! I sang my first solo at 6, taught a seventh-grade Bible class at 15, preached my first sermon at 16, and was a youth pastor at 19. I served as senior pastor of a multistaff church at 23, and wrote two books by my early 30s while leading a church of 200 to more than 3,500! And all God”s people said . . . ? Big whoop. Back in my former life, I was on most short
