June 12, 2023
June 18 | Warning for Temple Worshippers
God’s people had undergone physical circumcision, but their hearts still required spiritual circumcision (Jeremiah 4:4). . . .
Articles for tag: Ten Commandments
June 5, 2023
June 11 | Application (‘Accept No Substitutes for God’)
Pagans aren’t the only ones who worship idols. God’s covenant people sometimes make the same mistake. . . .
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.
June 21, 2021
June 27 | The Temple of Solomon
The Bible describes the Hebrew faith as a celebratory faith. The major festivals were essentially parties. Major life events—even funerals—were celebrated. And so were other big events, including the finishing of the tabernacle.
February 8, 2021
Feb 14 | Mercy and Judgment
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. He also serves as minister with Park Plaza Christian Church in Joplin. This lesson treatment is published in the February 2021 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. ________ Lesson Aim: Follow God’s law of love by showing mercy to the poor. ________ Playing favorites might be harmless in elementary school on Valentine’s Day, but it stinks in the church. The first major teaching of the Epistle of James after the long introductory first chapter concerns
April 19, 2020
Lesson for April 26, 2020: His Chosen People (Dt 10:12-22; 7:6-9; 4:5-9; Lev 9:23, 24)
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: Because he is holy, walk as his holy people. ________ By Mark Scott God’s chosen people are holy and wholly his. They are to be set apart for him (holy) and entirely devoted to him (wholly his). At times we have emphasized the “purity” side of holiness but have failed to emphasize
February 17, 2020
Lesson for Feb. 23, 2020: Building the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:1-8, 17-33)
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: Appreciate the tabernacle as a type of the redemption and sanctification available in Christ alone. ________ By Mark Scott How should we speak of “sacred space?” On the one hand, all space belongs to God, and therefore it is all sacred. Since God is infinite, what house could be built
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
December 22, 2018
The Church of Christ Nativity Heist
From After Class Podcast Police have confirmed the mysterious Nativity heist has finally ended. “We’re glad it’s over. The whole town’s glad it’s over,” reported officer Melchior. For three weeks, the front yards of unsuspecting homeowners, respected public establishments, and houses of worship across Magian County have been repeatedly raided by previously unknown thieves. Strangely enough, only one item was routinely carted off—plastic or wooden figurines of the wise men who visited baby Jesus to bring him presents. “It was so strange,” reported 60-year-old Ricky Bob Gaspar. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. They left the cattle, the shepherds,
November 13, 2017
Lesson for November 19, 2017: Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 12:14, 15, 18-29)
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 November 12, 2017. issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Technically a covenant (or testament) is not a book; it is an agreement in a relationship. And relationships change due more to people than events. This in no way denigrates the event of the cross, which signaled the change of covenant (Hebrews 9:16). But is the cross the key to the covenant shift or
October 2, 2017
Lesson for October 8, 2017: God’s Covenant with Israel (Exodus 19:16-25)
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 1, 2017. issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott We live in a world of contrasts. Light and dark; good and evil; Jerusalem and Babylon; the bride and the harlot; in and out; deep and wide; forward and backward; over and under. In our text today the contrast is between “down and up.” God came down and Moses went up. Exodus 19 is
May 10, 2017
It Takes More Than a Village
By Paul E. Boatman In a rapidly changing culture, Christians look for a foundation for healthy life. We can”t ignore what”s happening around us. But we can decide how to handle our homes. Family! This oldest of all institutions of God stirs amazingly conflicted images in the current American cultural climate. Some have Norman Rockwell-style family memories. Some view traditional family values as an evil to be fought and destroyed. Some enshrine idealized images of the family in a way that smacks of idolatry. Each of these perspectives may be found among leaders of American churches. Whatever one”s value perspective,
August 22, 2016
Lesson for August 28, 2016: Love Fulfills the Law (Romans 12:1, 2; 13:8″“10)
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 August 21 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The most outstanding attribute of God is love (1 John 4:8). The greatest commandment is to love God (Mark 12:30). The second greatest commandment is to love one”s neighbor (v. 31). The first listed fruit of the Holy Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). All the commandments of God are swallowed up in love. This is why
June 27, 2016
Lesson for July 3, 2016: Needing More Than Law (Romans 2:17″“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 June 26 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott American Express had a commercial: “Membership has its privileges.” But if a member refuses to pay the balance, those privileges are revoked. With privilege comes responsibility. This is the thinking at this point in Romans. To help people appreciate the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16, 17), Paul first had to convince everyone how much they
March 7, 2016
Lesson for March 13, 2016: Simple Faith (Mark 10:17″“31)
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 6 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Affluenza complicates simple faith. Affluenza is a sickness caused by too many material possessions. While everything created by God is good (2 Timothy 4:4), and while God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), there probably is such
December 7, 2015
Lesson for December 13, 2015: Acceptable Offerings (Leviticus 22:17″“25, 31″“33)
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 December 6 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Someone rightly said, “Exodus is about getting God”s people out of Egypt while Leviticus is about getting the Egypt out of God”s people.” How were God”s people supposed to act once they left Egypt? Leviticus held the answer, and it was “in holiness.” The third
October 5, 2014
Avalanche
By Dudley Rutherford A well-known, yet misguided, quote says, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” The opposite is actually true. What happens in Vegas can stay with you the rest of your life. In California, we have our own adage that rings true: “What happens in California will sweep across the country within 10 years.” My guess is it”s actually two or three years, but who”s counting? When I think of the moral decline on display in California today, the only word that comes to mind is avalanche. And I am not talking about a little snowball rolling down
February 27, 2014
What I”ve Learned About Teens and the Bible
By Curtis Booher What will it take to turn the tide of biblical illiteracy among young people? I contend it will require us to listen more than we talk. We should listen well to young people from every point of the illiteracy to literacy continuum. I have tried to listen to the students sitting in my Bible survey classes, and this is what I”ve heard: Model a Love for Scripture It”s not that students can”t read the Bible; they can. But really, why would they want to? When was the last time they saw their parents read the
February 13, 2014
Southeast Christian Church Tells ‘The Story’
By Brent Adams When one of the largest megachurches in America wanted to celebrate its 50th anniversary, leaders decided there was no better way than to point people to the message of the Bible. In summer 2011, the elders and staff at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, started planning for the church”s 50th anniversary celebration, to be held the following year. They wanted to come up with something that would deflect attention away from the rapidly growing congregation and focus, instead, on the God who has blessed the church since its humble beginnings in the basement of a tiny
February 6, 2014
Deep Impact: The Cultural Challenge of Biblical Illiteracy
By James Riley Estep Jr. You”ll find it in almost every hotel room, usually in the top drawer next to the bed. While most studies indicate a majority of Americans hold the Bible in high regard, those same studies indicate Americans are increasingly ignorant of what”s in the Bible. A lack of biblical literacy is a challenge for the American culture and also the American church. It poses a crucial test for the Christian community”s identity, distinctives, and ministry in the 21st century. Increasing Unfamiliarity with the Bible George Gallup and Jim Castelli have concluded, “Americans revere the Bible
