Recap and Intro We now explore the fourth sequential section, revealing Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Old Covenant. Jesus provided new wine, implying He surpasses the best Judaism can provide (John 2:10). He showed Himself as the Temple’s fulfillment and what took place there (John 2:29-21). He revealed He, who came from heaven, fulfilled […]
John: Lesson 4: Jesus’ Early Ministry: John the Baptizer and the Samaritan Woman (John 3:22-4:26)
April 29, 2018 by
Unnoticed Connections in Scripture: Lesson 2: Water
April 29, 2018 by
The Flood Last week, we looked into creation, God first creating from nothing and then using what He made to finish His creating work. The pattern continues with God using what He made for His purposes. Now, however, we find a contrast with His earlier creation. Read parts of Genesis 6-8 as needed Creation […]
Psalm 23:1: The Lord is My Shepherd
April 29, 2018 by
Most of us understand little about the ways of shepherding and sheep. The few places where sheep wander in the fields are like an alien world to the rest of us. Included in this life are rugged men, who provide for flocks atop the hills and mountains of the American West, hailing from shepherds in […]
John: Lesson 3: Jesus’ Early Ministry: The Temple and Nicodemus (John 2:13-3:21)
April 29, 2018 by
Jesus Cleanses the Temple (John 2:13-25) Excursus: One or Two Temple Cleansings? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell of Jesus cleansing the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, and Luke 19:45-46. John’s account, besides being much longer, differs in several ways: John Other Gospel Accounts Refers to oxen and sheep Not mentioned Jesus uses […]
Unnoticed Connections in Scripture: Lesson 1: Creation
April 29, 2018 by
God’s First and Later Creational Acts Genesis 1:1 begins with bereshit bara, with a word order that doesn’t match the way we think in English: “beginning create.” Bereshit always means the beginning of something, not the first in an absolute sense. To express the first of something in an absolute sense, the Hebrew for this […]
Luke 24:36-49: Clarity in Christ, not Confusion
April 29, 2018 by
The risen Jesus appears again, breaking into His disciples’ lives, this time as they mull over recent events. An astounded Peter witnessed an alive Jesus, no longer held by death. Later, two disciples walking to Emmaus encounter Jesus, and they marvel. Now, shocked and surprised, in an instant, He stands before His disciples, as out […]
John: Lesson 2: A Week of Witness: John 1:19-2:12
April 29, 2018 by
Day 1: John the Baptizer’s Witness Read John 1:19-23 John quoted Isaiah 40:3, revealing he was “making straight the way of the Lord.” What does John understand his role to be? Read John 1:24-25 Malachi 4:5: “Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all […]
Unnoticed Connections in Scripture
April 17, 2018 by
On Thursday, April 19, at 2:00 PM, we will begin our new midweek Bible study. The theme for these lessons will be “Unnoticed Connections in Scripture.” These series of lessons will explore ideas weaving themselves throughout the Bible, which many of the Bible writers expect us to know, but which many of us may not […]
The Subversive Message of Easter
April 14, 2018 by
This is our pastor’s newsletter article for the April edition of our newsletter. Unlike Christmas, when did Easter stress you out like crazy? Though eggs, a bunny, and pastel colors are part of celebrating Easter in our society, a risen Jesus isn’t. Strange. For an over-commercialized Christmas still retains a vestige of its original […]
John 20:19-31: Forgiving and Retaining
April 14, 2018 by
What is the Word of God? Like the Trinity, consisting of Father, Son, and Spirit, the Word is three, yet also one. Though not an exact comparison, the Word first stems from the One, who became flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14). So, this Word is first the incarnate Jesus. From Christ, the written […]
