Lesson 2: December 13, 2015
Focus Text: Luke 7:11-17; Colossians 2:13-15; 1 Corinthians 15:53-56
Central Truth: Our God is a God of life.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to tell someone how God gives life to those who have faith in Him.
Lesson Outline:
"And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things." (Mark 6:34)
In "Word Focus" William Sillings writes:
It is interesting to note that Jesus was as interested in the physical needs of His followers as He was in their spiritual needs. Not only did He want His disciples to have a time to rest and recuperate, but He also wanted to take care of the multitude’s need for food. And He did. In fact, when they handed out the multiplied thousands of pieces of fish, everybody ate. And the Bible says they were filled (echortasth san, v. 42). This word means not merely that they were full, but that they were satisfied with food. This demonstrates that before you can satisfy people with spiritual food, you sometimes have to satisfy their physical needs. Satisfying physical needs will not always definitely lead to satisfaction spiritually, but it sometimes helps. Later on, after this passage, Jesus chided this same crowd for the fact that they followed Him for the loaves and the fish, but were not truly seeking the spiritual food they so desperately needed. (See John 6:26, 27.)
Source: Miracles of Jesus, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 4.
"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat" (Mark 6:31)
In "Biblical Perspective" Dr. Gayle Woods writes:
In Jesus Only, Vance Havner said, “We need to come apart and rest awhile, and if we don’t come apart, we will come apart — we’ll go to pieces!” Stress can destroy a person’s life physically and spiritually. Headaches, heart problems, and stomach problems are just a few symptoms of this concern. Burnout is a problem for those who are in some form of Christian ministry. Whether a person is overworked or if life situations bring a lot of stress, it is essential that proper rest, relaxation, and nutrition be maintained in order to preserve good health. Jesus the Great Physician was concerned about the physical well-being of His disciples as well as their spiritual well-being. The disciples and Jesus clearly were overworked and overcommitted. The demands of the people upon their ministry were too great. A balance was needed, and the Doctor prescribed a short vacation.
Source: Miracles of Jesus, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 5.
Read 1 Kings 19:1-8
“And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee” (v. 7).
When my father died in December 1947, my mother was left a widow. She had me, a boy of three-and-a-half years, my older brother of seven-and a-half years, and my younger brother of one-and-a-half years. She had no profession or trade by which she could earn a living, and farmers were not yet covered by Social Security. She was left with two small farms; one an eighty-acre tract with a house and out buildings, and a forty-acre tract with no improvements. She could not cultivate the farms and had only a small welfare check on which to try to feed her three boys and herself. She leaned heavily on the Lord for provisions.
Elijah found provisions for his need from an unexpected source, and it was sufficient for his long journey. The threat from Jezebel brought great fear to him, such that he asked God to take his life. The death of my father left my mother in a perplexing condition. For her to ask God to take her life would have left three boys as orphans. Therefore, she could only look to God for “provision in time of need.” Just as God provided for Elijah, so He provided for my mother and her boys. (Larry DeOrnellis)
It is possible that God permits us to pass through times of need to enable us to experience His provisions.
This devotional is the Monday, November 30, 2015 entry of Opening the Word. Buy your copy today!
Lesson 1 - December 6, 2015
Focus Text: Mark 6:30-44
Central Truth: Christ provides for all our needs.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list at least three needs that they can turn over to God and state some different ways in which God meets our needs.
Lesson Outline:
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"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)
In "God's Word for Today", David Woods writes:
We understand the joy that God gives the Christian is not a surface emotion like happiness. Still, to instruct the Christian to rejoice “alway,” in every situation, might seem unrealistic. As Paul wrote this, do you think he recognized how many might see this instruction as a bit unrealistic?
Teachers, how should you plan to answer students who might see this instruction as unrealistic?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 76.
Read Luke 12:22-27
“Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (v. 27).
“Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God” declares A. W. Tozer. Could we not further affirm that Christianity is like an admiring and obedient child smiling into the face of a fully trustworthy father?
A child who has encountered a miserable bully or some baffling dilemma simply and honestly declares that when his daddy gets home, he will take care of this problem. This may be an exaggerated confidence in his father’s ability; however, that child’s assurance rises out of his loving devotion and his father’s proven faithfulness.
In the dilemmas of life, Jesus calls us to gaze into His face and live at rest. He knows our needs and our problems. He has not forgotten us. He is absolutely capable and absolutely trustworthy. And thus, in contrast to an anxious and contagious negative outlook, the believer is urged to live in the quiet assurance, “My Daddy is home! He will take care of this.” (Blake Jones)
Be still my soul; the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide.
In ev’ry change He faithful will remain.
— Katharina von Schlegel
Today I will cultivate the gaze of my soul into the trustworthy face of my Heavenly Father.
This devotional is the Thursday, November 26, 2015 entry of Opening the Word.
Lesson 13 - November 29, 2015
Focus Text: Philippians 4:4-13
Central Truth: The Christian family should be marked by its positivity.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list several ways they can demonstrate a positive attitude in life.
Lesson Outline:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)
In Doctrinal Discussion, Dr. Gayle Woods writes:
Offering your life for God’s service is your reasonable, or logical, act of worship. Contrary to popular belief, worship does not begin at 9:45 a.m. and end at 12 p.m. on Sunday. A “living-sacrifice Christian” worships God all week long. You worship God by allowing Him to be the operator in your life. He sits in the driver’s seat. When we call the shots, we misuse and sometimes abuse our lives. We make poor decisions. We tend to wander aimlessly through our day. We concentrate on the mundane duties of today, forgetting to focus on the importance of eternity and the imperative of our God-given mission. So God says, “Bring your body to me and I will use it rightly. I will use it to bring peace to hearts. I will use it to bring joy to spirits. I will use it to bring healing to relationships. I will use it in my infinite wisdom.”
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 74.
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. (2 Samuel 9:3)
In "Biblical Perspective" for this lesson, Dr. Gordon Snider writes:
The kindness of God could be translated “the greatest kindness possible.” A similar expression is found in Psalm 65:9 where, in order to describe the great size of a river, the river is called “the river of God.”
Discussion: How does this comparison amplify our understanding of the "kindness of God"?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 72.