March 22, 2021
Mar 28 | The Reward of Wisdom
As we enter this Holy Week we must be careful of unjust accusations against our Jewish forefathers for missing Jesus. If we do not embrace the wisdom from heaven, we might miss him too.
Articles for tag: Tree Of Life
September 3, 2019
Better Promises
By Stuart Powell Much of Christianity is understood best through the lens of the Old Testament. The history of Israel and the Law of Moses reveal how far humanity fell from the ideal God created. The earliest believers were devout Jews who had spent their lives looking forward to the Messiah spoken about in their Hebrew Scriptures. Considering all this, this New Testament passage is striking: “But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6, New English Translation). How did Jesus’ sacrifice usher in
August 11, 2018
A Garden Story
By Mel McGowan Mosaic Church in Winter Garden, Florida, opened their doors in 2003, but the church’s story began taking shape centuries before. In fact, it has the same origin we all do, the Garden of Eden, a paradise handcrafted by God for his beloved creations. Eden began as a perfect oasis that offered humankind everything we could ever need—and then it was broken by sin. And the shattered world that emerged was rescued by Jesus and restored for eternity. The heart of Mosaic’s story is summarized in three words: rescue, identity, and mission. And this story informs and describes
November 21, 2016
Lesson for November 27, 2016: First and Last (Revelation 22:8-21)
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 20 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott On this first day of Advent we consider the last passage of the Bible. God had the first word (Genesis 1:3), and he will get the last word (Revelation 22:20). Our lessons this month have gone to great length to describe the Holy City. Words fail us to describe its beauty. Sometimes the beauty of
November 14, 2016
Lesson for November 20, 2016: Living Waters (Revelation 22:1-7)
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 13 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott So much of our environment and lives have to do with water. Think of how much of the earth is water. Think of how much of the human body is water. Israel is a dry land in the midst of various bodies of water. Our older son purchased a T-shirt in Israel for his oldest
November 7, 2014
The Best Object Lesson
By Trevor Tolley A good teacher likes to use an object to help his or her students remember the lesson. A good teacher knows that a good object lesson engages a student”s senses. The more a student”s senses are engaged, the greater the likelihood the student will remember the lesson. Jesus understands this about us. And through the Lord”s Supper, Jesus demonstrates his mastery as a teacher. He cares enough to provide a physical reminder, an object lesson, of what he has done for us and what we believe. And what a reminder! Have you ever stopped to ponder the
April 25, 2014
Where Is Eden?
By Jeff Faull Where is the Garden of Eden? Not the actual geographical description. You can read that in Genesis 2. Where is the garden now? What happened to it? Last we knew, it was in Genesis 3. Remember? Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:23, 24, New
September 10, 2013
A Day for Hope
By Mark A. Taylor What will you do tomorrow to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11? If you”re like me, your answer may be, “Nothing.” Although none of us alive when terrorists attacked the U.S. September 11, 2001, will ever forget the day, we don”t dwell on it; we may not even think much about that horror from the past. Maybe this is because we”ve seen so much senseless tragedy since then: moviegoers gunned down in a theater, and schoolchildren murdered in their classrooms. And many are still feeling repercussions from the Boston Marathon bombing April 15. This week we”re assaulted
February 27, 2012
Lesson for March 4, 2012: Wisdom”s Origin (Proverbs 8)
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone After today we will be studying the Gospel of John each week during this quarter. There Jesus is presented as the one who holds the answer to all of life”s questions. Today”s text from Proverbs provides the backdrop for our future study. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon describes wisdom as if it were a person. In this poetic way he explains both its characteristics and source. Using personal terms he sets forth the characteristics of
May 23, 2011
Lesson for May 29, 2011: Water of Life (Revelation 22:1-9; 13-17)
This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 29) is written by Ron Arnold, senior pastor with Kaimuki Christian Church in Honolulu, Hawaii. ____________ Water of Life (Revelation 22:1-9, 13-17) By Ron Arnold Water department trucks in Honolulu display the slogan “Pure Water””Our Greatest Need””Conserve It” to remind the people of Hawaii to use this limited resource sparingly. This is true in the islands, and may be true in your area, if we”re talking about the physical realm. It”s only a half-truth in the spiritual realm. In the Scriptures, water is a symbol of life flowing from
December 31, 2010
Better Than a Party
By Rick Chromey Every New Year”s Eve our culture gathers together to toast and celebrate another year”s passing. New opportunities. New friendships. New dreams. Of course, for some, too much imbibing, indiscretion, and insolence sully the festive occasion. Nevertheless, many choose to drown their sorrows in drink or ease their anxiety through gluttony. After all, humans desperately seek to numb our pain and bury the past. Alcohol, food, sex, and entertainment are simply cultural solutions to crisis and conflict. Like Band-Aids on a gaping wound, many try to mask, manipulate, or minimize the bleeding but ultimately fail miserably to find
