Verse 26 of Romans 11 is the conclusion to the allegory. Paul says, "And SO all Israel shall be saved." Paul doesn't say, "all Israel shall be saved," but "SO all Israel shall be saved." The word "so" is an adverb of manner. It means in such a way, or in such a manner, all Israel shall be saved. The idea is that they will be saved in the same manner in which they are grafted back into the Olive Tree, through belief that Jesus is the Messiah.
What is the gospel? It is 1) the Good News, 2) the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus, 3) the Power of God to Salvation. Each hearer will be able to answer the question, “What is the gospel?” I want to communicate that the gospel is God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
When I was a young boy, we played football. We played in the front and back yards, in the streets, in the parking lot, and in the parks. We […]
What is sin? Sin is 1) lawlessness, 2) violation of conscience, 3) leaving undone what we should do. Each hearer should be able to state what sin is. This lesson seeks to answer a top religious question with Bible teaching.
From Joshua 22 we learn about 1) Fellowship, 2) Falling Out, 3) Fact Finding, and 3) Fairness. We should follow the example of the Israelites when resolving our problems as well.
In this lesson we will examine three practical ways in which we can make it easy to forbear and forgive one another. The objective of this lesson is to seek to practice forbearance and forgiveness of one another in our lives.
We must keep the unity of the Spirit by 1) Speaking the Same Things 2) Not have division, 3) Have the same Judgment. Each listener should be able to explain how to have unity. Each Christian should be committed to maintaining unity by doing these things.
Last week we looked at the question, “Why didn’t God make the world in such a way so as to give people freedom but without any bad consequences?” The answer […]
“Why is there so much suffering in the world?” the atheist asks. The believer responds, “Because God made people free to choose between right and wrong, and all suffering is […]
What is reality? God is real. People are real. Relationships are real. Each listener will know the biblical answer to the question, “What is Reality?” We will focus our thoughts on what is real as opposed to what is not.
We need to hear the gospel, but our hearing must be 1) Without Prejudice, 2) With a View toward Obedience, 3) For Self-Correction, 4) To Evangelize Others. Each hearer should be able to understand what the Bible says about hearing the gospel correctly. Each person should be hearing as the Bible teaches us to hear.
In this passage we find 1) A Hiring, 2) A Payment, 3) A Complaint, 4) A Response 5) An Interpretation. Each hearer should understand what the expression, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first” means.
In this lesson, we will answer the question, What is the Church? We must understand God’s original design in the creation. When we understand this, we will understand what the church is in relationship to God’s great plan to restore unity between God and man, and between man and man. Each member should understand God’s desire for unity in the church as the restoration of His purposes in creation.
Many people believe that religion is just about morality. In that vein, they will make statements like, “All religions are the same; one is no better than the other. They […]
In this lesson we will study the question, “What must I do to be saved?” In the scriptures this question was asked three times and we will study each of these circumstances and the answer to the question in each of these circumstances understanding this: that if the same question is asked today, it should be answered in the same way. The hearer should be able to know where these passage are and be able to use them to answer the same question for those who ask in the world today. The aim of this lesson is to empower each individual Christian to be able to answer this most critical question.
In this lesson, we will study 2 Samuel 6 and the account of David’s bringing the ark to Jerusalem. The hearer will consider the errors and successes of David in an effort to understand how God desires us to regard His holy things. It is my aim to teach some lessons regarding holiness in worship.
In this lesson, we will focus on John 3:16 as we seek to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” Jesus is 1) the Son of God, 2) the Savior, and 3) the Personification of Grace and Truth. This lesson seeks to provide a basic answer to the question who is Jesus for those who are seeking rudimentary knowledge.
Advocates of same-sex marriage use the following argument: “Love” experienced by heterosexuals is the same as “love” experienced by homosexuals. (“Love is love.”) And, (as Frank Sinatra sang) “Love […]
This lesson seeks to address the question of can we know truth in our relativistic culture. The objective of this lesson is to equip high school and college students to defend their faith regarding truth.
God provided escape from the famine because Joseph 1) Acted with Integrity, 2) Trusted in God’s Power, 3) Didn’t Give in to Vindictiveness. The hearer should understand that escaping from difficulties requires faith in God on our part to do His will even when we don’t see God working.