Author: Dave

LESSON 9 OUTLINE – Jeremy






Lesson 9 Video Transcript Outline

Lesson 9: The Parables of Jesus

  • Introduction
    • Story about George Frideric Handel and Bob Coughlin
    • Purpose of music and its connection to serving others
    • Connection to the mission of Jesus
  • Purpose of Jesus’ Parables
    • Earthly stories with heavenly meanings
    • Designed to provoke thought, evoke truth, cloak mystery, and invoke action
  • Point 1: Provoke Thought
    • Parables were intentionally provocative, sparking deep reflection
    • Amusing vs. thought-provoking: Jesus’ stories required meditation
    • Example: Parable of the Tenants (Mark 12:1-12)
      • Summary of the story
      • Message about evil tenants and the son
      • Jesus’ reference to Psalm 118:2-3 and its significance
  • Point 2: Evoke Truth
    • Jesus’ parables were intended to awaken truth about God’s kingdom
    • Shift in understanding of the kingdom of God
    • Illustration: Art Museum example
    • Advice to study parables deeply, like digging for treasure
    • Example: Parable of the Tenants in context with Isaiah 5
      • Connection between the two stories
      • Lesson about unfaithful leadership in God’s vineyard
  • Point 3: Cloak Mystery
    • Jesus used parables to reveal truth to receptive listeners, while concealing it from the hostile ones
    • Reference to Mark 4:11-12: The secret of the kingdom of God
    • Parables reveal the hearts of men
    • Example: The Parable of the Sower
  • Point 4: Invoke Action
    • Parables should lead to action
    • Example: The Parable of the Tenants teaches us to be humble hearers of God’s word
    • Application: Stewardship of our lives, families, and responsibilities
    • Call to be doers of the word, not just hearers
  • Conclusion
    • George Handel’s quote about his music’s purpose: to make people better, not just entertain
    • The connection between Handel’s music and the kingdom of God (Revelation 11:15)
    • Final prayer: Seeking to be better and recognize our role as tenants under the King of Kings


Lesson 8 Outline – Mark







  • Introduction
    • Opening remarks and prayer
    • Mark’s personal background and connection to farming
  • Discussion on Mark Chapter 4:1-34
    • Main headline: The “secret of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:10-12)
    • Explanation of the term “secret” or “mystery” in scripture
    • The kingdom of God revealed in parables
      • Old Testament mystery now revealed through Jesus
      • Jesus’ teaching style and purpose of parables
  • The Parable of the Sower
    • Story of two types of people: those who know Jesus and those who do not
    • Interpretation of the parable elements
      • The sower as Jesus and His followers
      • The seed as the gospel of the kingdom
      • The soils as different heart conditions
  • Lessons from the Parable of the Sower
    • Characteristics of the sower
      • Jesus as a humble, unassuming sower
      • The sower’s indiscriminate scattering of seeds
      • Abundance of seeds symbolizing liberal sharing of the gospel
      • Resilience of the sower despite challenges
    • Illustrative story about the cost of sowing and farming
  • The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)
    • Call for believers to be sowers of the gospel
    • God’s love for all people (1 Timothy 2:1-6)
    • Encouragement to share the gospel universally, without judgment
  • Personal Reflections and Challenge
    • Reflection on personal hesitation in sharing the gospel
    • Scriptural encouragement (Colossians 4:5-6)
    • Call to prayer for wisdom in sharing the gospel
    • Challenge to listeners: Reflect on their own gospel sharing practices
  • Invitation to Non-Believers
    • Explanation of the gospel message and salvation through Jesus Christ
    • Call to repentance and faith in Jesus
  • Closing Remarks
    • The growth of the kingdom of God from a mustard seed to a global movement
    • Exhortation to fulfill the Great Commission


Mark Study – Lesson 7 Application Questions

  1. Jesus often withdrew to pray, despite the relentless demands of the crowd (Mark 3:9-10). Reflect on your current prayer life. What distractions keep you from spending focused time with God, and how can you prioritize prayer to strengthen your relationship with Him?

  2. In Mark 3:22-27, Jesus challenges the accusation that His work is of Satan by explaining that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. How can this principle apply to your own relationships or personal integrity? Are there areas in your life where division or inconsistency is preventing unity or growth?

  3. Jesus redefines family as those who do the will of God (Mark 3:31-35). What “idols” or misplaced loyalties (e.g., family, career, reputation) might be competing with your devotion to God? How can you re-align your priorities to put God above all else?

Lesson 7 Outline – Scott

Opening Remarks

  • Introduction and context before the election
    • Importance of faith over political outcomes
    • Prayer for leaders and the country
  • Reminder of the teachings on Jesus’ power and authority

Overview of Mark Chapter 3:7-35

  • Review of recent lessons and introduction to this chapter
  • Visualization of scenes from the narrative
    • Healing on the Sabbath
    • Crowds seeking Jesus
    • Family’s concern about Jesus
    • Accusations by the scribes
    • Jesus’ response about his true family

Key Themes

Pressure

  • Jesus faces immense pressure from various groups
  • Sources of Pressure
    • Followers seeking healing
    • Religious leaders feeling threatened
    • Disciples trying to understand his mission
    • Jesus’ humanity under pressure
  • Jesus’ response: retreating to pray and selecting disciples

Identity

  • Common views of Jesus’ identity
    • Some consider him a teacher or myth
    • Family thinks he is out of his mind
    • Scribes accuse him of being possessed
  • C.S. Lewis’ perspective on Jesus’ identity
  • Jesus’ response to accusations
    • Refuting claims of demonic possession
    • Warning against blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

… it’s not about specific actions like cursing, murder, or adultery, but rather the persistent, willful rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus’ divinity and role as Savior. It involves repeatedly choosing to deny the truth of the Gospel, calling light darkness and vice versa. The warning is particularly directed at those who know and understand the message of Christ but continue to ignore it. The focus is on a continuous, habitual rejection, not a one-time lapse, underscoring a deep and ongoing refusal to accept Christ.

Call

  • Jesus’ true family: those who do God’s will
  • Definition of God’s will: desire for all to be saved
  • Personal call to each individual

Applications

  • Practical responses to pressure
    • Quiet, pray, involve others
  • Reflection questions
    • Where are you with Christ?
      • Encouragement to accept the gospel
      • Support available from leaders and small groups
    • How to help those who have wandered
      • Use love and prayer rather than logic to reach out
      • Importance of kindness in bringing others back to faith

Closing Prayer

  • Blessing for those listening and engaging in group discussions

Outline Summary of Lesson 6 Lecture on Spiritual Warfare

1. Introduction and Background

  • Speaker: Jim Erickson, filling in for Mike Crawford.
  • Acknowledgement: Diverse Christian views on spiritual warfare.
  • Purpose: To understand and respond effectively to spiritual warfare.

2. Main Goals and Approach

  • Objective: To help believers discern and respond effectively to spiritual warfare.
  • Categories of Belief: Avoiding extremes – “ditches” of dismissiveness and hyper-spiritualism.

3. Three-Part Framework for Addressing Spiritual Warfare

  • Determine: Assess if one leans toward dismissiveness or hyper-spiritualism.
  • Calibrate: Align perspectives with Scripture; identify root causes of temptations.
  • Respond: Take action based on accurate spiritual diagnosis and Biblical guidance.

4. Understanding Spiritual Warfare

  • Definition: Opposition to God’s work by demons and Satan.
  • Key Points:
    • Spiritual warfare persists post-resurrection.
    • Not all temptations stem from demonic influence.
  • Purpose of Demonic Activity: To destroy, deceive, and distract believers from God’s work.

5. Types of Temptation

  • Four main sources:
    • Fallen nature (flesh)
    • Fallen world and its culture
    • Lies or untruths
    • Spiritual warfare (demonic influence)

6. Practical Application for Recognizing Spiritual Warfare

  • Triage Approach: Discern sources of temptations.
  • Biblical Counsel:
    • Physical urges: Practical responses (e.g., distraction or exercise).
    • Mental/ideational temptations: Met with truth and Biblical thought.
    • Direct spiritual warfare: Involves prayer, focus on Jesus, and brotherly support.

7. Responding to Spiritual Warfare

  • Steps Outlined in Workbook (pages 59-61):
    • Fix focus on Jesus’ sovereignty over all spiritual realms.
    • Submit to God’s authority; resist the devil.
    • Seek fellowship support for prayer and accountability.

8. Closing Encouragement

  • Emphasis: Brotherhood and mutual support.
  • Goal: Application-oriented approach to foster group discussion and personal reflection.

Seaside Prayers

Excerpt from The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert J. Morgan

Some situations have offered me just two options—I could either panic or pray. My tendency is to panic, like the Israelites by the Red Sea or the disciples on the Sea of Galilee. I’ve had my share of hyperventilating, heart-racing panic attacks. But the Lord has spent years trying to show me that prayer is the means by which I can, if I choose, stay even-tempered, self-possessed, cool-headed, and strong-spirited, even in a crisis.

When we can’t press forward, move sideward, or step backward, it’s time to look upward and to ask God to make a way. In a time of uncertainty, the patriarch Jacob said, “Let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone” (Gen. 35:3).

Referring to his days as a fugitive, David wrote, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from His temple” (2 Sam. 22:7). The writer of Psalm 107 declared,

They cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still. (vv. 28–29)

That’s just what happened as the Israelites cried out to God at the Red Sea, except there the waves became trembling walls of water, held back by invisible dams.

I’m not talking now about our regular, daily quiet-time prayer habits, important as they are; I’m talking about crisis-time prayers. Prayers of importunity and intensity. Prayers during life-threatening or soul-shattering events. “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21). “Pray hard and long,” Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:18 (The Message). The Israelites were in crisis in Exodus 14, and their seaside cry was

  • urgent,
  • united,
  • unfeigned,
  • but unbelieving.

The urgency of their prayer was obvious, evidenced by the verb cried. I had a friend in college who gave me a little booklet her father, Cameron Thompson, had written, titled Master Secrets of Prayer. My copy is now underlined and tattered, but I still treasure it and have these words underlined:

There comes a time, in spite of our soft, modern ways, when we must be desperate in prayer, when we must wrestle, when we must be outspoken, shameless and importunate. Many of the prayers recorded in Scripture are “cries,” and the Hebrew and Greek words are very strong. Despite opinions to the contrary, the Bible recognizes such a thing as storming heaven—“praying through.” The fervent prayer of a righteous man is mighty in its working.

I remember such times in my own life—when my father suffered a heart attack, when a job possibility blew up in my face, when a friend was overdosing on cocaine, when my child got involved in the wrong crowd. There was little I could do except plead with God. Sometimes these prayers are prolonged. Twice in my life I’ve spent the entire night in prayer.

Other times, however, my prayers are quite short. I’ve recently learned a new prayer technique from the writings of missionary Amy Carmichael. She learned it from the famous Bible teacher Dr. F. B. Meyer, who once told her that as a young man he had been irritable and hot-tempered. An older gentleman advised him to look up at the moment of temptation and say, “Thy sweetness, Lord.”

Amy Carmichael developed many variations of that prayer. When meeting someone she didn’t like, she would silently pray, “Thy love, Lord.” In a crisis, she’d whisper, “Thy help, Lord,” or “Thy wisdom, Lord.”

Sometimes when I’m worried, I just lift my heart to heaven and say, “Lord . . . ,” followed by the name of one for whom I’m concerned.

Looking back over the years, I’ve never faced a crisis in which, in response to earnest prayer, whether prolonged or instant, God didn’t make a way. James 5:16 tells us: “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (NLT). That’s the great secret of those who put their hands in the hand of the One who can part the seas. United

Morgan, Robert J. . The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times (pp. 40-44). HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

HEBREWS 6:9-20 When Dealing with Doubts… Remember

Doubts are question marks that often punctuate what should be clear statements of theological fact or unquestioned imperatives of moral truth. For those who are immature in their faith or who have grown sluggish in responding to spiritual things, doubts can drive them into despair. But they don’t need to! For those who are willing to remember the character and promises of God, doubts can serve as mere ellipses . . . pauses in the walk of faith that serve to turn our attention heavenward toward God, who alone is able to give us hope in the midst of despair, assurance in the midst of uncertainty, and confidence in the midst of questioning.

What do we do when the storm clouds roll in and cast shadows of doubt over the landscape of our lives? When on stormy seas, the tendency is to focus on the wind and the waves rather than on the Lord. That was Peter’s problem when the Lord had called him to walk with Him on the turbulent water. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus —the Forerunner and Anchor in the midst of the churning sea —he began to sink in fear (Matt. 14:27-31).

Amid the storms of our own lives, God gives us an anchor for the soul (Heb. 6:19). When doubt says, “Only a fool would believe these things,” remember: “It is impossible for God to lie” (6:18). When doubt tells you, “God has abandoned me,” remember “the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath” (6:17). Even though the circumstances around you may continue to pummel you with painful blows, you can have a quiet confidence that God has a purpose, that He’s in control, and that your soul is anchored firmly in the heavenly realm.

Excerpt From
Insights on Hebrews (Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary Book 12)
Charles R. Swindoll

Jesus – Superior in Our Own Lives

Charles Swindoll on Hebrews 3:6b


The superiority of Jesus will do us no good if we don’t place Him as superior in our own lives. This was the problem facing these Jewish Christians. They were tempted to abandon their Messiah and go back to Moses. This would have been a disaster, a step backward to an inferior ministry. Never forgetting his purpose in writing, the author of Hebrews emphasizes, in the second part of Hebrews 3:6, his readers’ response to the superiority of Jesus.

He reminds them, first, that we-believers in Jesus Christ—are the household over which Christ rules as Son (Hebrews 3:6). However, the author seems to place a conditional element on this promise: “If we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” At first blush, this verse seems to say that if we fail to hold on to our faith and hope in Christ, then we could somehow be kicked out of God’s house-hold, disowned, or disinherited. Does this mean our salvation is contingent on our subsequent faithfulness? Absolutely not.

The conditional construction, indicated by “if,” has different meanings. Sometimes it does indicate a conditional relationship, as in the phrase, “If you eat your broccoli, then you can have dessert.” The implication is: If you don’t eat up, no dessert for you! But it doesn’t lead to that person becoming a real musician in the same way that, in the other example, eating broccoli enables one to have dessert. This is how the author is using the term here. He’s saying that the continuance of faith and hope is proof of the reality of a person’s authentic membership in the family of God.

Now, we shouldn’t obsess over a little segment of a person’s life in which they go astray, have a lapse, or fall down and struggle to get up. All of us have dips and rises on the bumpy ride of spiritual growth. However, we can look at the life as a whole, see how a person’s life ends, and observe the evidences of true Christianity. That’s proof that there’s a reality there that backs up the claim. And if a person who claims to be a Christian appears to utterly fall away and fails to endure in faith and hope until the end of their life, then perhaps that person had never been a member of the family of God in the beginning.

Those who are truly in the household of faith live under the Father’s roof and the Son’s watchful eye. However, they are not immune to stumbling, tripping, and even falling flat on their faces. We never cease to be frail, fallen, and vulnerable people, saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But those who are true believers—and therefore members of the household of faith—have Christ as their high priest. He ministers like no one else can. He is able to catch us when we stumble, steady us when we trip, and pick us up when we fall. He strengthens us in our frailty, forgives us when we fail, and comforts us in our weaknesses. If we endure in this faith and hope —with Christ at our side—to the end, then it will be manifest to all that we truly are members of His household.
This message was something the Hebrew believers desperately needed to hear. Some had fallen; others were teetering; others may have been reaching out for something to steady their tottering faith.

The author points them to Christ-superior to all others, even superior to Moses. All they needed to do was reassert their faith and hope, their confidence in Him-not good works, not spiritual disciplines, not striving to make themselves more worthy in God’s eyes, but confidence in Christ. Behind this hopeful message, however, was the hint of a warning. If they didn’t endure in their faith, but rather abandoned their Messiah and ran back to Moses, their claims to be members of God’s household would be suspect. Only by getting right with Christ would their identity as God’s children be assured.

Excerpt From Insights on Hebrews (Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary Book 12) Charles R. Swindoll

Why Fear?

JUNE 28

If God is in control of every aspect of your world and his grace covers all your sin, why would you ever give way to fear?

There are many things I wish were true about me:

I wish I could say that I’m never afraid, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that worry never interrupts my sleep, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that I never wonder what God is doing, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that I never give way to envy, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that I am always aware that God is near, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that I never wonder, “If only_______,” but I can’t.

I wish I could say that I never dread what’s around the corner, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that I always have peace in my heart, but I can’t.

I wish I could say that all that I do is done out of faith and not fear, but I can’t.

You see, I have come to be very aware that although I know the Bible and its doctrine well, the battle between fear and faith still goes on in my heart. Here’s what this means at street level. It is important to understand why fear still lives in the life of a believer in the hallways, kitchens, bedrooms, family rooms, workrooms, and vans of everyday life. You could argue that he or she has every reason to be free of fear, that fear should be an artifact of a former civilization. So why the continued struggle with fear?

Fear lives and rules in the heart of a believer who has forgotten God’s sovereignty and grace. If left to myself, I should be afraid. There are many trials, temptations, dangers, and enemies in this fallen world that are bigger and more powerful than me. I have to deal with many things that are outside my control. But the message of the gospel is that I haven’t been left to myself, that Immanuel is with me in sovereign authority and powerful grace. He rules with perfect wisdom over all the circumstances and locations that would make me afraid. In grace, he blesses me with what I need to face what he has decided to put on my plate. I am never–in anything, anywhere, at any time–by myself. I never arrive on scene first. I never step into a situation that exists outside his control. I never move beyond the reach of his authority. He is never surprised by where I end up or by what I am facing. He never leaves me to the limited resources of my own wisdom, strength, and righteousness. He never grows weary with protecting and providing for me. He will never abandon me out of frustration. I do not need to be afraid. When you forget God’s sovereignty and his grace, you give room in your heart for fear to do its nasty, debilitating work. Pray right now for grace to remember. Your sovereign Savior loves to hear and answer.

For further study and encouragement: Isaiah 44:1–8

Excerpt From

New Morning Mercies

Tripp, Paul David

The Danger of Wealth Without Humility

A great reminder for Charles Swindoll:

In 1923, an elite group of businessmen met at the luxurious Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The roster included some of the most influential, famous, and wealthy moguls of the early twentieth century. These men were among them:

  • Charles M. Schwab—president of Bethlehem Steel Corporation
  • Richard Whitney—president of the New York Stock Exchange
  • Albert Fall—Secretary of the Interior under President Harding
  • Jesse Livermore—Wall Street tycoon
  • Ivar Kreuger—head of a global monopoly of match manufacturers

These heavy hitters controlled more wealth than the total assets of the United States Treasury at the time. Surely these men would become models of the entrepreneurial spirit and stellar examples of financial success. But fast-forward about twenty-five years or so and look back on the courses of their lives:

  • Schwab—died $300,000 in debt in 1939
  • Whitney—served time at Sing Sing prison for embezzlement
  • Fall—served time for misconduct in office, leaving behind a ruined reputation
  • Livermore—committed suicide in 1940, describing himself as “a failure”
  • Kreuger—shot himself in 1932 after his global monopoly collapsed

Buried beneath the rubble of humiliation, defeat, crime, sickness, and financial collapse, these men—along with a number of their colleagues—died in a depressing, pitiable condition. Their wealth, power, and prestige did nothing to soothe the personal anxiety and guilt they suffered in life. The reality is that great intelligence and hard work can make a person wealthy. But it takes God-given wisdom and supernatural humility to be able to manage wealth and influence.

In 3:13–5:6, James develops the theme that real faith produces genuine humility. We’ve already heard James remind us that our goodness comes from God-given wisdom, not our own (3:13-18). He called us to turn to God, not ourselves, for peaceful relationships (4:1-10). And he warned us against playing God instead of submitting to God’s sovereignty (4:11-17). Now, James rails against the pride that so easily deludes the wealthy of this world (5:1-6). In each case, James encourages God-enabled humility.

Insights On James, 1 & 2 Peter: 13 (Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, Charles Swindoll