• Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 25, 2018

    “The Great Exchange”   2 Corinthians 5:18-21   Bible Study   03/25/18

    This morning, as we reflect on the cross of Jesus and look forward to His resurrection celebration on Easter, we will turn our attention to a key NT text regarding the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death. Set in the context of his apostolic defense and articulation of ministry, Paul emphasizes both the compelling love of Christ and the reconciling initiative of God the Father behind it. At the heart of our experience of Christ’s love and reconciliation with God is the “great exchange” vividly described in 5:21. In the reconciling plan of God, Jesus took our place so that we might have His peace.
    I. Recognize the source of reconciliation (18-19)
    • “All this” in 5:18 points back to 5:14-17
    • compelling love and new creation
    • the agent of reconciliation: through Christ
    • having reconciled…having given…
    • expansion: not counting trespasses and depositing the word
    II. Respond to the summons for reconciliation (20)
    • ambassadors through whom appeal is made
    • imploring believers to be reconciled
    • reminder: God reconciles. Man is reconciled.
    III. Savor the substance of reconciliation (21)
    • the One not having known sin
    • for us/for our sake He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin
    • that we might become the righteousness of God in Him
    • Isa. 53:10, Rom. 5:6-11, Gal. 3:13
    IV. So What?
    • “If our Lord’s bearing our sin for us is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach.” (Spurgeon)
    • “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood, sealed my pardon with his blood: Hallelujah, what a Savior!” (P. Bliss)
    • In Psalm 103, David’s enumeration of the Lord’s benefits begins with forgiveness of sins. He understood what is of greatest importance. If we have everything but God’s forgiveness, we have nothing of worth. (Carson)
    • Keep on preaching the gospel to yourself.

  • Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 18, 2018

    Guest Speaker: Dr. Barry McCarty

    “Three Things Every Believer Should Know”
    Ephesians 1:15-23

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  • Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 11, 2018

    Guest Speaker: Dr. Barry McCarty

    “The Endgame Prayer”
    Ephesians 3:14-21

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    The book of Ephesians can be divided into two parts.
    Part I:  Chapters 1-3 – Deals with the mystery of the gospel.
    Part II: Chapters 4-6 – Practical instruction on Christian living.

    The prayer found in 3:14-21 could be called The Endgame for the Christian Life.
    The Greek word, hina, occurring in the text three times, introduces three parts to Paul’s prayer.




    The heart is the starting place for all actions, both good and bad. The word in Greek, translated dwell, carries the sense of making oneself completely at home.

    Dr. McCarty experienced an example of the love of Christ when he visited a region of India to organize a translation of the Bible into the Bundeli language and give support for Christians experiencing persecution on a tragic scale. Those men, though, under a crushing burden of persecution, put Dr. McCarty’s needs first, providing his meal first, before they ate, and seeing that he could get to bed earlier than they.




    The Alpe d’Huez is a French ski resort used by the Tour de France bicycle race. This leg of the race is 8.5 miles in length but climbs 6000 feet, a big challenge for the average person. One needs to be vested with all the strength and skill of a champion bike racer to participate. We are also challenged in living for Christ; but if we are filled up with all the fullness of God, we are doing things in God’s strength and not our own.


  • Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 4, 2018

    “Come Back to the Cross” 1 Corinthians 1:10-25 Bible Study 03/04/18

    This morning we are beginning the study of 1 Corinthians. It is a letter directed to a gifted yet problem-riddled church. Almost immediately, Paul addresses the issue of divisiveness in the church. After identifying and assessing the problem, he proceeds to expound on its solution. His readers need to “come back” to the cross. Because the word of the cross demonstrates the complete supremacy of God’s wisdom and power to a dying world, depend on it and declare it confidently.

    I. Context/Background

    -pastoral letter addressed to a “troubled and triumphant church”
    -Paul had spent 18 months in Corinth previously.
    -objective: unity rooted in the cross
    -confirmation of calling (1:1-9)
    -contention in the church (1:10-17)

    II. The Cross Exposes the Futility of Human Wisdom (1:18-21)

    -synonym for the gospel
    -its disregard results in distraction and division
    -failure to address ultimate issues
    -contrast: perishing/folly and being saved/power
    -supporting OT reference: Isa. 29:13-14
    -exposure of foolishness (Isa. 35:18)
    -God’s pleasure in what appears “foolish”

    III. The Cross Exceeds the Power of Human Effort (1:22-25)

    -demand for signs: the spectacular
    -demand for wisdom: the intellectual
    -a rescue rooted in divine determination
    -stumbling block and folly (Deut. 21:22-23)
    -foolish wisdom and weak strength
    -pulverizes pride (1:31 and Jer. 9:23-24)

    IV. So What?

    -Because the word of the cross demonstrates the complete supremacy of God’s wisdom and power to a dying world, depend on it and declare it confidently.
    -“How soon faith would freeze without a cross.” (S. Ford)
    -“…If we blunt the sharp edges of the cross, we dull the glittering diamond of God’s love.” (Jeffery, Ovey and Sach in Pierced for Our Transgressions)
    -Dynamic power calls for delighted dependence.
    -“Forbid it, Lord that I should boast, save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.” (Watts)
    -“Alas! And did my Savior bleed and did my Sov’reign die? Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” (Watts)
    -“Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all a healing stream, flows from Calv’ry”s mountain. (Crosby)