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Fall 2023: Studies in Psalms
The greatest devotional literature is found in the Old Testament in the Book of Psalms. The Psalms can be variously interpreted and widely applied.
No other book has as many writers as the Psalms. David is the best known and most prolific of the psalmists. Many of David's Psalms were written when he was in tight spots as he sought to serve the Lord. Those who wrote the Psalms, along with David, were people who knew how to turn tragedy into triumph, and that is a lesson we need to learn. While at times the writers appear to be weak and fainthearted, they knew the Source of their strength.
Because they are poems and hymns, the Psalms must be read with the heart as well as the head. The Psalms continue to be relevant to modern life as they express emotions and describe experiences that are relevant today.
Here, more than any place in the Bible, the heartthrob of the Christian is heard. Here are the most exalted expressions of God's greatness; here are the bitterest groans of the sinful and the afflicted. Here is something for everyone in every mood.
If your favorite Psalm is missing, perhaps being introduced to a new Psalm will compensate for the loss.
"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together" (Psalm 34:3).
August 27, 2023: Forever with Christ
FOCUS TEXT: Revelation 22:1-14
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 4:5-14; Revelation 22:1- 21
DEVOTIONAL READING: Isaiah 9:1-7
KEY VERSE: Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Revelation 22:12).
CENTRAL TRUTH: All Christ's followers will one day live with Him in eternity.
OBJECTIVE: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify things in heaven which a Christian can look forward to.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. Great Gifts (Revelation 22:1-5)
II. A Great Promise (Revelation 22:6-16)
III. A Great Invitation (Revelation 22:17-21)
August 17, 2023: Heaven’s Indescribable Glory
Thursday, August 17
Read 2 Corinthians 12:1–4.
“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (v. 4).
In a somewhat enigmatic style, Paul gives us a glimpse into the glory that awaits the faithful child of God. So glorious is the vision which Christ gave him that Paul finds it impossible to describe; it is a revelation of what it is like, and what it will be like, to be in such closeness to Christ that the experience is indescribable. I read somewhere that this vision resulted from a restless pursuit of Christ when the seer becomes one with the Seen.
Paul’s experience might be compared to the sublime meeting of Peter, James, and John with the glorified Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. So profound was the excellence that Christ prohibited the apostles from even talking about it until He was resurrected.
For us: the narrative of a place and an experience, so “other- worldly” as impossible to describe, should be a compelling vision urging us into intimacy with Christ now in anticipation of an eternity with Him in the indescribable glory that awaits. (LLS)
“Just to be near the dear Lord, I adore, Will through the ages be glory for me.”
--- Charles H. Gabriel
August 20, 2023: All Things New
FOCUS TEXT: Revelation 21:1-7, 22-27
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 60:11-22; Revelation 21:1-27
DEVOTIONAL READING: Isaiah 65:17-25
KEY VERSE: He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
CENTRAL TRUTH: Someday God will make the entire universe completely new.
OBJECTIVE: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to briefly describe the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. A New Life Style (Revelation 21:1-8)
II. A New City (Revelation 21:9-12)
III. A New Kind of Light (Revelation 21:22-27)
August 9, 2023: Satan Cast Out
Wednesday, August 9
Read Matthew 17:14-21.
Satan Cast Out
“And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour" (v. 18).
I remember a situation when I was a young teen at Stoneboro Camp in Pennsylvania. Several saints gathered in the main tabernacle to pray earnestly for a young girl who appeared demon-possessed. God’s power was evident as the
evening wore on, and the demons had to release the girl. This reaffirmed to me that no power or manifestation of Satan is a match for God and His people.
Satan cannot inhabit anywhere that God does not permit. However, as Christians, we have a part to play in removing Satan and his demons. Jesus instructed His disciples that it takes prayer and fasting to throw demons out of a person. In other words, we must be earnest and committed to praying for a person's release from Satan's grasp.
It is not in our power to rebuke Satan – we are no match for him ourselves. All things are possible with God, so we immerse ourselves in His strength, and He does the rebuking and casting out. (HVC)
“At the sign of triumph, Satan’s host doth flee; On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!”
--- Saine Baring-Gould
With God, all things are possible – even casting out Satan!
August 13, 2023: The End of All Evil
FOCUS TEXT: Revelation 20:1-15
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Genesis 3:14, 15; Isaiah 11:6-16; 14:9-20
DEVOTIONAL READING: Micah 4:1-5
KEY VERSE: Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).
CENTRAL TRUTH: Someday righteousness shall forever triumph over evil.
OBJECTIVE: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to contrast the end of those who live wickedly with the end of those who accept the plan of redemption provided by Christ.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. Satan Bound (Revelation 20:1-3)
II. The Millennium (Revelation 20:4-6)
III. Satan's Final Attack and Defeat (Revelation 20:7-10)
IV. The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)