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.
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.
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity” is a saying attributed to P.T. Barnum and his famous circus. He had a lot of critics, but people kept coming to […]
A Christian is a person who 1) Believes Christ, 2) Obeys Christ, 3) Is Faithful to Christ. Each person should understand that it isn’t enough to claim to be a Christian, one must live that way.
Is love worth the risk? Rejecting the possibility of having love in our life is just another “rubber room,” a place where we will be protected from emotional pain, but at the loss of real relationships, which everyone actually desires most in this world. When we refuse to love others, we also fall into a profound self-absorption, a selfishness from which we will never recover. But to learn to love, we must risk suffering, and to risk suffering, we need a world that is not safe, sanitized, and preventative of all harm.
Revelation 22 pictures paradise reclaimed and offers a path to it. In this chapter we find 1) A Reward for the Faithful 2) A Watch for the Living, 3) A Warning for the Wicked. The hearer should understand that God is working to restore us to His original plan and we must obey him to get there.
I recently read the book The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is an impressive literary work that touches on religion, law, psychology, and philosophy. The author sets forth […]
In this lesson, we will notice four lessons about faith from the Bible. Each hearer should be able to state the four point regarding Bible faith. This lesson is designed to increase each person’s knowledge of Bible faith and what the Bible says about faith.
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.
Have you ever heard someone say, “As long as I am a good person, God will accept me”? But, what does it mean to be a “good person?” Does it […]
We affirm the sanctity of life because 1) It has worth, dignity, and value—it is holy, 2) it is worth living, 3) it is worth protecting. In this lesson, I hope to counter the message of our contemporary culture that life is cheap, meaningless, and worthless for those who have no utility and affirm the sanctity of life.
“LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? . . . He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” (Psalm 15:1, 4) […]
Crossing the Jordan river with the Ark of the Covenant teaches 1) Man’s Faith, 2) God’s Presence, 3) Man’s Patience, 4) God’s Faithfulness. To understand God’s instrument for bringing His people into the promised land and how it applies to us today. We must put our faith and trust in God if we hope to get to the promised land of heaven.
We will discuss the ark of the covenant, its 1) Form, 2) Function, and 3) Fame. The hearer should understand what the ark was, what it was used for, and how it has significance today. I hope that everyone will appreciate God’s desire to be with His people in holiness.
Teaching our kids to love the church means teaching our kids to love the 1) People who are the church, 2) Powers of the church, 3) Purpose of the church. Each person should desire to love the church like Christ loves the church.
This is highly figurative language and as such we should be careful only to interpret it in light of clear biblical teaching. Verses 1 and 11 are clear that this is speaking regarding the king of Tyre. In the absence of another clear Biblical teaching regarding Satan's fall, it would be a very unwise course of action fraught with questionable hermeneutics to declare this scripture as a description of the fall of Satan.
This is an opportunity for us to practice the great commission of Jesus. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
It is time to look forward and go forward! This new year has some great opportunities in store for us to work and serve.