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The Case for Christ's Resurrection

Jim Leffel

1 Corinthians 15:1-58

Paul firmly states that the entire Christian faith stands or falls on the truth of Jesus's literal, bodily resurrection from the dead. Not surprisingly, this claim has come under fire, in both Paul's day and ours. Fortunately, Paul lays out plenty of solid evidence for this amazing, supernatural event that guarantees Jesus's victory over sin and death and authenticates Him as God. Because Jesus has in fact raised from the dead, we can have hope, boldness and an intimate relationship with Jesus Himself!

Keywords

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The Transfiguration and Metamorphosis

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 16:28-17:5

Peter, James and John witness Jesus transfigure before them. Elijah and Moses appear with Jesus. This incredible account shows that God wants show Himself at key times and in various ways. This spiritual experience that Peter, James and John had is an instance of God providing such experiences right before He calls for self-sacrifice and a new level of commitment. As Christians we should welcome spiritual experiences, but not idolize them. This account also reveals how the Old Testament prefigured and validated the New Testament, and thus how we can trust Jesus and what he says about needing forgiveness.

Keywords

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Abraham and Melchizedek

Ryan Lowery

Hebrews 7:1-12

Melchizedek is a little-known character in the Bible, but he ends up being crucial in fulfilling God's promise to Abraham and his plan to save the world. The story of Melchizedek demonstrates both the internal consistency of Scripture and the incredible commitment of God to keep his promises.

Keywords

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Three Important Questions

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 16:1-27

Through his interactions with the Pharisees and his disciples, Jesus brings up three major questions that are worth answering. The first question that comes up is who people think Jesus really is. Peter responds that he is the son of God, and Jesus promises that he will build his church to which nothing will overpower it, not even Satan. The second question concerns the call of discipleship, and if people are willing to follow Jesus' radical call of self-sacrifice. The last question concerns the cost of not following after Jesus, which is the forfeiture of one's own soul as Jesus will ultimately judge people according to their deeds. People must make a clear decision on what they think about Jesus.

Keywords

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The Two Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make

Scott Risley

Matthew 16:1-24

Every person alive will need to decide who they believe Jesus is. Their eternal destiny depends upon this decision. The second decision, if one believes Jesus is the Son of God, is whether or not you will follow Him. There is no cost to you to receive salvation but there is a cost to follow Jesus. The best part of the Christian life is reserved for those who go all the way. Can you afford to not follow Him?

Keywords

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Walking on Water

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus comes walking on water in a heavy storm and the disciples are amazed. Jesus challenges Peter's lack of faith that he can provide for them. The doubt of Peter highlights what happens when Christians adopt a horizontal perspective and focus on other things rather than looking to Christ for provision. Often, the horizontal perspective leads to more problems, including anxiety, anger and ingratitude. What Jesus is trying to teach his disciples is to look towards him with a vertical perspective amidst the "waves" or problems that arise in our lives.

Keywords

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Things Old and New

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 13:24-50

Jesus reveals new information based on the fact that the Messiah would come twice. There are seven parables, each of which show an aspect of the kingdom, with some aspects being expected and some being different. Through the parables, we see that this kingdom age will partially fulfill Old Testament promises, infiltrate the current world system, and that God was willing to give His son up so that people could experience this new age before Jesus comes back to reign as King Messiah.

Keywords

{"passage": "Matthew 13:24-50","passageabreviated": "Matt 13:24-50","passagetiny": "Matt 13:24-50","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teaching...

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Jesus Versus Religion

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 11:16-12:21

Jesus and his disciples break grain during the Sabbath, infuriating the Pharisees. Jesus goes to discuss the difference between the "religious" mentality of the Pharisees versus what God actually cares about. Jesus argues directly with the Pharisees about their hypocritical religious mentality. For the religious, the focus is following all sorts of external regulations to be seen as righteous before people and seeing this as the way to please God. Jesus came to point out that real righteousness comes from humbly recognizing our inability to meet all the regulations of God's law, but instead to admit our brokenness and ask for forgiveness in faith. God desires to show people compassion rather than needing sacrifices from them.

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The Mystery Hidden for Aeons

Dennis McCallum

Matthew 11:1-15

Jesus tells the crowd about the ministry of John the Baptist, and how there is something coming that people hadn't anticipated before. Through what Jesus said, and what John had said earlier, it's clear that there are two separate comings of Christ. The first coming of Christ will include humiliation, persecution and ultimately death on the cross, while the second coming will see Jesus return in majesty to have all bow down to him and to reign forever and destroy his enemies. These two comings of Jesus are known as the "mystery" in Scripture, and were aimed to destroy the work of Satan and his accusations against God through Jesus' work on the cross.

Keywords

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