Year 1

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This series of lessons diverts from the usual procedure of a systematic study of one book of the Bible. Rather, this eight-week (instead of three month) study is a thematic look at some major themes in the Old Testament, a v... more

Today’s lesson covers Exodus 20:1-17, one of the well-known passages in all of Scripture. The Ten Commandments are also known as the “Decalogue,” a term that can be traced to Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 4:... more

Today's lesson explores the issue of holiness in our worship practices. God gave specific instructions to ancient Israel regarding their sacrifices and their appointed feasts. Jesus has fulfilled and therefore made obsolete ... more

In Deuteronomy 5 Moses reminded Israel of their covenant with God encapsulated in the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 6 and 7 continue along the same lines and focus upon Israel’s personal relationship with the Lord. Mos... more

Recap: Israel desired a king like the other nations (chs. 8-12), and God gave them what they wanted. Initially Saul enjoyed military success, but time and again he demonstrated his unfitness to lead God’s people (chs. 13-15... more

Following Solomon's death most of the subsequent rulers of the north and the south were evil and turned the hearts of the people away from God. In the south (Judah), eleven of the nineteen kings were bad. Asa, the third king... more

The book of Ezra recounts the return of a remnant of God’s people to the Promised Land following 70 years of Babylonian exile for the re- establishment of temple worship. There are two “returns” recorded in Ezra... more

Psalm 23 is perhaps the best known of all the psalms. It is intensely personal and expresses the goodness of God towards His people. Down through the ages many have found comfort during dark and difficult times in Psalm 23. ... more

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. It is an acrostic Psalm, which means it is organized around the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which would have been an aid to memorization. The Psalm is comprised of 22 sectio... more

Bible scholars recognize two major divisions of the book of Isaiah. Chapters 1-39 consist primarily of oracles of judgment while chapters 40-66 are characterized by messages of hope. The second half (chs. 40-66) envisions a ... more

Jeremiah 31:27-34 is considered by many to be one of the most significant passages in the Old Testament. The passage is located in a section of Jeremiah known as the “Book of Consolation” or the “Book of Ho... more

Today’s lesson explores further the courage and faithfulness of Daniel and his three friends. These godly young men were willing to risk everything in order to remain faithful to God. Daniel’s reputation for wisdom pu... more

Today’s lesson provides snapshots of Jesus’ early Galilean ministry. Mark 3:13-15 records the calling/choosing of the twelve disciples. Mark 3:31-35 contains a powerful statement concerning who is and who is not ... more

Luke 15 records three parables of “lostness”: the lost sheep (15:3-7), the lost coin (15:8-10), and the lost son (15:11-31). Luke 15:1-2 provides the context for each parable; the Pharisees and scribes were upset beca... more

Last week we began a study of the Book of Revelation. Revelation is divided into three major sections (1:19). This lesson covers portions of the second major section of Revelation (ch. 2-3). These chapters contain messages d... more

Acts is one of the most exciting books in the New Testament. Luke chronicles the first three decades of early church history and the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. Acts is a valuable resource for the church sin... more

Acts 2 concludes with the mighty work of the Spirit among the Jerusalem believers. But just as Jesus encountered opposition in his earthly ministry, so also the disciples would encounter opposition as they proclaimed the cru... more

In spite of opposition to the preaching of the Gospel, unity and generosity characterized the Jerusalem church (4:32-34). The struggles of the early church were internal as well as external. Acts 5 records the hypocrisy of A... more

Following the death of Stephen the Gospel began to make its way outside of Jerusalem. Persecution only increased the effectiveness of the church’s witness to Christ. The dominant theme of Acts 8 is the preaching of Philip,&... more

One of the most amazing conversions recorded in Scripture is that of Saul of Tarsus. Saul has already appeared in the narrative of Acts as a threat to the early church (cf. 7:58; 8:1-3). Acts 9:1-19 records his conversion on the ... more

That Luke considered the conversion of the Gentile centurion Cornelius significant is evidenced by the amount of space he devoted to it. All of Acts 10 and a good portion of chapter 11 describe the visions of both Peter and ... more

Following the account of the conversion of Cornelius through the witness of Peter, Luke now moves on to describe the founding and the activity of the church at Antioch. Here also, Gentiles are brought into the church through... more

Acts 12 records yet another instance of persecution against the church initiated by Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great. Herod put James the brother of John to death and, since this “pleased the Jews,” he impri... more

Acts 14 ends with the report by Paul and Barnabas to the church at Antioch regarding the success of the Gospel among the Gentiles. Certain Jews, however, opposed the Gentile mention. They wanted Gentiles to become Jews befor... more

Acts 17 continues the narration of the second missionary journey. Following a ministry in Thessalonica and Berea, Paul arrived in Athens awaiting the missionary team from which he had been temporarily separated. While waitin... more

Following Athens, Paul moved on to Corinth where he remained for a year and a half (18:11). After a brief stay in Ephesus (18:19-21), he traveled to Caesarea, back to Antioch, and then to various locations throughout the reg... more

God calls his people to commitment, to stay the course regardless of consequences. Fulfilling the will of God exceeds all other considerations of personal comfort or personal ambition. Paul magnificently illustrates this pri... more

Because of the imminent threat upon his life in Jerusalem (cf. 23:12-22), prison officials transferred Paul to Caesarea to appear before Felix, governor of Judea. Paul reasoned with Felix concerning the Gospel, but to no avail.&n... more

Finally, Paul arrived in Rome. He wanted to go to Rome as a preacher, but instead he arrived as a prisoner. Nevertheless, his circumstances gave occasion for the Gospel. The conclusion of Acts focuses on Paul's conference wi... more