In the Word

JUDAS ISCARIOT … FACE OF THE BETRAYER

John 12:5-6; John 6:66-71; Matthew 10:1-8; Luke 22:1-6; Matthew 26:14-16; John 13:27-30; Matthew 26:47-50 and finally Matthew 27:1-7. It has always amazed me that Judas Iscariot followed when others deserted Christ. And though he heard every message that Jesus preached and saw every miracle —he did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God who could forgive sins. There is much that we can learn fro...

Lesson 8 - Stories About Waiting … Understanding God’s Promise

Jesus told two final parables in the days before His death on Calvary — the Parable of the Tenants and the Parable of the Ten Virgins. He warned the religious leaders about what happened to the workers who rejected and ultimately killed their master’s son. And He warned His disciples about what was going to happen to Him and how they needed to live until they saw Him ag...

Lesson 7 - Stories About Treasure … Understanding God’s Economy

Jesus had a lot to say about wealth, but it wasn’t what people expected. Today’s parables feature two rich men who had everything the world could offer. One foolishly tore down his own barns to make room for more. The other ignored the suffering beggar at his gate, though he knew him by name. Jesus had stern words for those who trusted in their riches and misused them ...

Lesson 6 - Stories About Asking … Understanding God’s Heart

The disciples knew that Jesus didn’t pray like the Pharisees and they observed the result in His life and ministry. They sensed that He was truly connected to His Father in heaven and they wanted to experience that for themselves — so they asked that He teach them to pray. They had no idea how much they would soon need the lessons He gave them.

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Lesson 5 - Stories About Serving … Understanding God’s Expectations

We live in a very “what’s-in-it-for-me?’ type world. No one wants to commit to anything that doesn’t enhance their own bottom line. So Peter’s question about what the disciples were going to receive from following Christ was really a very human one. The parables in today’s lesson are all about what He expects from us as we serve Him — and the answers might surprise ...

Lesson 4 - Stories About How to Treat Others … Understanding God’s Forgiveness and Compassion

The Pharisees had a hard time seeing their own need for God’s mercy. They were confident they were keeping the Law’s command to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. But they didn’t really understand what that meant — or just who their neighbor was. They were about to have their eyes opened.

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Lesson 3 - Stories About Who’s In and Who’s Out … Understanding God’s Guest List

The Pharisees made a great show of entertaining one another; and the guest lists for their dinners were all about who was “in” and who was “out.” So when they invited Jesus to dinner, they never expected what He would have to say about their guest lists — or how they compared to the one God has. It was a very interesting evening.

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Lesson 2 - Stories About Lost Things … Understanding God’s Love For Us

Jesus talked about a very common experience in this set of parables in Luke 15 — the loss of something precious and valuable. He began with a sheep, then moved on to a coin, and ended with a son. Who could not identify with one or all of them? But as always, Jesus had a point beyond the details. He wanted His listeners to think beyond the lost things themselves t...

Lesson 1 - Stories About Listening … Understanding God’s Word

Jesus often used familiar, everyday situations to teach His followers powerful truths. These parables may be very familiar to us but because they are rooted in the culture of His day and not our own, we often miss His point. Our modern, western minds get in the way! Join us in this eight-week study of the Parables of Christ and learn how to follow Him in ways you might n...

Lesson 3 - When Fear Overwhelms and Depression Sets In

1 Kings 18:40-19:18.

As Christ followers, we know that the extremes of life teach us to trust Him, they draw us closer to Him, and conform us to His likeness. Elijah shows us what to do when those dark moments happen in our lives. God is never going to forget us! In fact, the Lord often uses those valleys to take us on to higher places, if only we will put our trust in Him and ob...

Lesson 21 - An Exceptional God

Kings 17:12-18:40.

Elijah knew that nothing is impossible for God. In his encounter with the prophets of Baal we learn the truth that all religions are not the same and that enthusiasm and great activity are not always signs of spirituality! The prophets of Baal were no doubt sincere in what they believed, but it is possible to be sincerely wrong! People can have faith, but what truly matters is the obj...

Lesson 8 - The Way to Life

Luke 7:11-17; Luke 8:40-56; John 11:1-53; Matthew 12:38-41 and 1 Corinthians 15:17-22. No study of miracles would be complete without considering those in which Christ raised people to life. But even those miracles pointed to something greater — the miracle that assured our salvation and guaranteed the promise of eternal life for those who believe. This final sign is the most important one of all.

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Lesson 7 - The Way to Restoration

Mark 9:14-29; Mark 5:25-33; Luke 8:47-48; Matthew 8:2-4 and Luke 17:12-19. The miracles in today’s lesson involve broken people who struggled with needs no earthly person had been able to meet. And yet each of them responded in ways that called forth God’s miraculous power. How do they show us the way to restoration?

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