Heavenly Father, as our teachers present this lesson, may their students be infused with hope, that just as the demoniac was delivered by Jesus' power, we too can be freed from any and all sinful habits. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
In "God's Word for Today" David Fry writes:
All of us have been bound by sin; few have been bound by demons. Jesus encountered sinners and demons with the same authority and with the same result. Jesus is greater than any evil that can possess a person.
Then he asks the question: "Why do you think people struggle to accept or believe in Jesus’ power over evil?"
How would you answer this question?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 53.
In "Word Focus" William Sillings writes:
The text says that this man had an unclean spirit (pneumati akatharto — a spirit, an unclean one). Another way to describe this unclean spirit is to say that the man was mad. According to the Talmud, there were four signs of madness — walking abroad at night, spending the night on a grave, tearing one’s clothes, and destroying what one was given. This man had the added characteristic of unnatural, almost supernatural strength. He tore the chains and shackles that had been used to bind him, and no one was strong enough to subdue him (v. 4). Add to this the fact that he was self-destructive and often cut himself with stones, and you have a classic case of extreme demonic possession.
While this definition of demon-possession is intriguing, Sillings' next paragraph exploring the fact that this man had no control over himself is more important...
His name was Legion, he said, for we are many. The word legion is the name of a Roman army unit containing about 6000 soldiers. Even when this man spoke, it was not a man that spoke, but a multitude of demonic spirits speaking through him. What could this person have done to have become so possessed with this multitude? It is clear that the man had not the slightest control over himself, his thoughts, his actions, his words, his feelings, his strength, or anything else. He was a pitiful case. Anyone who is in any way bound by sin is, in some ways, in a pitiful condition, but this man was hopeless.
Discussion: Do you know anyone who, while not demon-possessed, seems hopelessly out of control, spiritually? What is our hope for such hopeless cases?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 52.
Read Mark 1:23-26
“And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him” (v. 25).
You never know what or who you may see at church! I remember D. P. Denton telling of the time he stood up to preach at Mascot, Tennessee and saw the barrel of a shotgun poking through the double doors of the church. Although Denton was a brave man, he determined to keep moving while he preached. When he finished the gun was gone.
In our text, Jesus went to church only to be met by the devil! It seems strange that the demons would have permitted this man to go to church, knowing that Jesus was going to preach. Capernaum was not a large town, and Jesus’ arrival in town the night before seems to have been a clear signal that He would be preaching in the synagogue the next day. Still, the man and the demons that possessed him were there. But when they saw Jesus, they were terrified! Jesus, on the other hand, was quite calm. He knew the power that was in Him.
No one knows what a day will bring. We may come face to face with the devil — even at church. But we can know that the power of the resurrection works within us. And with that confidence we need not fear any obstacle. (Gordon Snider)
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide. — John Ernest Bode
Oh God, whatever comes my way today, may I know you are with me!
This devotional is the Friday, January 29, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.
Lesson 9 - January 31, 2016
Focus Text: Mark 5:1-15, 19, 20
Central Truth: Christ has power to deliver those bound by Satan.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list at least one sinful habit from which God has delivered them or from which He will deliver them.
Lesson Outline:
Heavenly Father, bless our teachers today as they lead their classes in another exploration of one of Christ's miracles. Help them to recognize how faith in you gives sight, but unbelief leads to blindess and despair. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3)
In "Biblical Perspective" Gayle Woods writes:
Jesus opened their eyes to a thought which they never would have considered. There was no connection between infirmity and sin in this situation. The infirmity could not be blamed on the parents or the son. In spite of the bad situation, God would gain glory through their lives. God is often able to use us to the greatest extent when we are at the end of our resources. He takes that which is low, insignificant, and undesirable and uses it for His glory.
Discussion: Even today, many atttribute various diseases and calamities in life to people's sin. Why do we try to make this link?
Discussion: What if our link between the hardship people experience and their sin is inaccurate? What are the implications?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 47.
In "Word Focus" William Sillings writes:
The clay (pelos) that Jesus made was made by putting spittle, or saliva (ptusma), on the ground and mixing the saliva with the dirt. The ancients held a high regard for the curative value of saliva. And while we may frown on the gauche nature of such an idea today, there is little doubt that even the saliva of Jesus had healing virtue.
But Jesus was going to get into trouble for this act of making clay of dirt and saliva. Why? It was the Sabbath (v. 14). The Jewish traditional law forbade kneading on the Sabbath, and mixing any liquid with a solid in order to form anything of a dough-like or clay-like consistency was considered kneading. What Jesus did here, then, was not only to heal a man on the Sabbath, but also, in the minds of the Pharisees, to desecrate the Sabbath by working.
Discussion: The Pharisees thought Jesus was a sinner. Why don't we?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 46.
Read John 9:1-7
“And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (v. 7).
“Some assembly is required; instructions included.” You can imagine with me a new swing set. There are no fewer than fifty bolts, fifty nuts, fifty lock washers, two-inch pipes, braces, chains, and many parts which seem quite strange, and there is a set of instructions. Imagine dumping the entire contents of the box on the back patio and tossing aside the instruction sheet. Unless one has already assembled a swing set or is mechanically inclined, the likelihood of a pleasant experience and a desired result is close to nil. Following instructions is an excellent idea.
The blind man obediently followed Jesus’ instructions. He went. He washed away the mud. He saw. That was a rather simplistic set of requirements, and the man obeyed and was healed. Did every blind man who applied mud and washed in the pool receive his sight? No. It was not the walking and washing that healed the man. Christ healed the man in response to obedient faith.
Let us remember that the path to spiritual sight begins and continues by submission to Christ. (Lonnie Witt)
Come to Christ. Obey. See clearly.
This devotional is the Wednesday, January 20, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.
Lesson 8 - January 24, 2016
Focus Text: John 9:1-17
Central Truth: Faith in Christ brings understanding to the spiritually blind.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to state at least three obligations that accompany receiving spiritual sight.
Lesson Outline: