Bible Study
Parable of the Straying Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14 Teaching Outline)
Most probably refer to this parable as the “Parable of the Lost Sheep” and view it as a parallel text to the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15. However, I have preferred to call it the “Parable of the Straying Sheep,” since I do not think it is a parallel text to that…
A Good Deal on "From Heaven He Came and Sought Her"
//player.vimeo.com/video/77637785?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0 The above video describes From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective. Here is a description of the book from the Westminster Bookstore website, where it is currently available at a significant discount (45% off): Includes contributions from Michael A. G. Haykin, Paul Helm, Lee Gatiss, Carl…
Parable of the Householder (Matthew 13:51-52 Teaching Outline)
Note: Not everyone sees this as a parable, but I think it bears enough similarity to other parables in Matthew 13 to be considered a parable as well. Only this time the parable does not refer specifically to what the Kingdom of Heaven itself is like. Rather it refers to what scribes in the Kingdom…
Parable of the Dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50 Teaching Outline)
Introduction: In a sermon on this passage, John MacArthur gives the following sober reminder: Our Lord spoke very much and very often about hell. He said many things about the abode of the damned, the wicked, the Christ rejecters. But of all of the startling, terrifying things that Jesus ever said, perhaps the most startling was when…
Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:44-46 Teaching Outline)
Introduction: In the past weeks we have examined four of the seven kingdom parables contained in Matthew 13. We first looked at the Parable of the Sower, which described the reactions that could be expected to the good news about the kingdom, and we saw that there would be many who would not truly believe.…
Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven (Matthew 13:31-35 Teaching Outline)
Introduction: John MacArthur illustrates well the primary point made by these two parables: Small things can have, ultimately, very large effects. All music, all symphonies, concertos, oratorios, hymns, songs, all music comes basically from eight notes. All the profound words that have ever been uttered or written in the English language come from 26 letters.…
Journey Books Make Great Christmas Gifts
If you are still looking for a good Christmas gift, consider starting someone out on the Journey series of theological novels by Dr. Richard Belcher. In this series Dr. Belcher has sought to combine teaching theology with the ongoing story of a man’s life, beginning with his first encounter with Calvinism in Bible college and…
Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43 Teaching Outline)
Introduction: The December 18, 2001 entry of Our Daily Bread seeks to apply this parable for us. I want to quote it in full in order to illustrate an important issue when seeking to interpret this parable correctly: For 11 years, an official at a Michigan community college impressed fellow workers as a highly qualified…
Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23 Teaching Outline)
Introduction [After having read all of verses 1-23]: I recently read a testimonial from someone who attended the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. Here is a part of that testimonial: I have, for a long time, been passionate about making the Bible relevant in contemporary culture and talking to people where they are at. So…
Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matthew 7:24-27 Teaching Outline)
Introduction: The Sermon on the Mount, like most sermons today, has both an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction consists of the thought-provoking and heart-penetrating Beatitudes, but the conclusion consists of a simple illustration intended to drive home the crucial choice left to the hearers. And it shows us that we have been brought by Jesus…