Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for June 2, 2024

Taken up from You into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

1. Background 1-5

• authorship and recipients of Acts
• doctrine of the Ascension
• promise of the Holy Spirit

2. A Question about Restoration 6-7

• kingdom to Israel
• fixed by the Father

3. A Focus on Reception 8

• empowerment
• extension

4. A Fulfillment of Revelation 9-11

• lifted up (Psa. 2:7-9, 68:18, 110:1-4; Heb. 9:24, 1 John 2:1-2)
• cloud
• angelic confirmation

5. So What?

• Because Christ’s Ascension confirms His claims, acknowledge its encouragements and apply its truths.
• “The dust of the earth sits on the throne of heaven.” (J. Duncan)
• “You have raised our human nature on the clouds to God’s right hand; there we’ll sit in heavenly places, there with You in glory stand. Jesus reigns, adored by angels, man with God is on the throne; mighty Lord, in Your ascension, we by faith behold our own.” (“See, the Conqueror Mounts in Triumph!” by Christopher Wordsworth)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for February 18, 2024

This Time Next Year

Genesis 17

In Genesis 17 the LORD reiterates and expands on the instructions/promises He conveyed previously. In the events leading up to Genesis 17, Abram did what most of us have done when presented with situations that seem incompatible with God’s promises: He attempted to run ahead of God.

1. The Purpose of God’s Design

• to stagger us
• to show us

2. The Parameters of God’s Dominion

• Elohim
• El Shaddai
• significance of a name change

3. The Priority of God’s Desire

• orientation
• renewal of covenant promises
• “…walk before me…blameless…”
• Ishmael and Isaac (Gen. 21:1-7)
• same day submission

4. So What?

• Since the Lord keeps His promises, anticipate His future faithfulness in every facet of your life.
• “God loves to magnify His sovereign grace and keep us in our humble place.” (Piper)
• Orient your life to God’s presence and God’s promises.
• It really is all about Jesus (John 8:58)!

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for December 24, 2023

Christmas Message

First Christmas Comprehension

Luke 2:1-15

1. Historical Setting 1-5

• acknowledgement of earthly governmental activity
• from Nazareth to Bethlehem with his betrothed, who was pregnant

2. Holy Birth 6-7

• the time came for Mary to give birth to her firstborn son
• wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger
• an ancient “no vacancy” issue

3. Heavenly Announcement 8-15

• singling out the shepherds
• angelic appearance and shining of glory
• fear acknowledged and addressed with the ultimate birth announcement
• peace for whom?

4. So What?

• Because of the first Christmas, sinners like us can know true liberation that leads to lasting celebration.
• “God of God, Light of Light. Lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb; very God, begotten not created…” (F. Oakeley, verse 2 of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”)
• “The very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen’s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears.” (Roman orator Cicero in a speech to the Senate a 100 or so years before Paul penned Phil. 2:5-11 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit)
• “He was poor, that he might make us rich. He was born of a virgin, that we might be born of God. He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit. He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven…that the ancient of Days should be born… that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle…that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made, that the branch should bear the vine, that the mother should be younger than the child she bare, and the child in the womb bigger than the mother; that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God. Behold love that passeth knowledge! Come and worship!” (Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for November 26, 2023

Guest Speaker: Dr. Jim Sibley

Messiah

The Undercover Messiah

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

I. The Prophet Prophesied: Deuteronomy 18:15–19

a. The Prophet as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (Isaiah 40–55)
b. The Prophet as the Authoritative Word

II. His Encounter with the Woman of Samaria: John 4

a. An Understanding of the Samaritans’ Identity
b. An Understanding of Jesus’ Identity: John 4:19

1. The Discussion Regarding Water: John 4:10
2. Supernatural Knowledge: John 4:16–18

c. The Unanticipated Result

1. In the Village: John 4:39, 41–42
2. In the Nation: Ezekiel 37:15–22; Acts 8

III. The Feeding of the Five Thousand: John 6

a. The Miraculous Provision of Bread: John 6:8–13
b. The Identity of Jesus Revealed: John 6:14

IV. The Transfiguration: Matthew 17

a. The Correspondence of Time: Exod 24:16; Matt 17:1
b. The Correspondence of Companions: Exod 24:1; Matt 17:1
c. The Correspondence of the Clouds: Exod 19:9; Matt 17:5
d. The Correspondence of the Countenance: Exod 34:29; Matt 17:2

A. M. Ramsey writes, “Moses went up into the Mount . . . and when he came down to the people the skin of his face shone. Here, in contrast is the new and greater Moses, whose face shines not with a reflected glory but with the unborrowed glory as of the sun’s own rays.”

e. The Conversation on the Mount

1. The Exodus of Jesus
2. “Listen to Him”!

Dale Allison says, “It is natural to see in [Matthew] 17:1–9 the greater than Moses theme; for, at the last, Moses and Elijah disappear, and the reader is left with the command to ‘hear him,’ that is, the one Son of God, Jesus.”

The Prophet Still Speaks, “Listen to Him”!

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for November 12, 2023

When Christ, the Mighty Maker, Died…

Mark 15:33-39

1. Context

• emphasis on sovereignty and scriptural fulfillment (10:45) and the connection between 1:1 and 15:39

2. Cover of Darkness 33

• darkness during the day (Dt. 28:29, Amos 8:9)
• darkness/Passover connection (Ex. 10:21-23, 1 Cor. 5:7)

3. Cry of Desolation 34

• connection to Psalm 22:1 and significance of the address of Jesus

4. Continued Derision 35-36

• misunderstood words and connection to Psalm 69:21

5. Cry of Completion 37

• significance of a loud cry and John 19:30: “It is finished!” (1 Pet. 2:24, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:13)

6. Curtain Torn 38

• a supernatural separation (Ex. 26:31-35) and indicator of access (Heb. 6:19-20)

7. Convinced Centurion 39

• commentary consistent with Mark
• conviction and not skepticism (14:61)

8. So What?

• Assured of the Father’s plan and the fulfillment of Scripture in the death of Jesus, marvel at the sovereignty and sensitivity of the “great exchange.”
• Recognize the Father’s reconciling and retaining work at the cross.
• “Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut His glories in, when Christ, the mighty Maker, died for man, the creature’s sin…” (Watts, “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed”)
• Acknowledge accurate theology: “…Till on that cross where Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied…” (Townend/Getty, “In Christ Alone”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for November 5, 2023

His First Throne

Mark 15:22-32

1. Context

• delivered by Pilate to be crucified (6-15), mocked by soldiers and the compulsion of Simon (16-21)

2. Details at the Cross 22-28

• Golgotha/Calvary: “place of a skull”
• drink refused (Prov. 31:6)
• description of fact
• division of garments and casting of lots (Psa. 22:18)
• designation of time: the third hour or 9:00 a.m.
• disclosure of inscription: The King of the Jews
• crucified between two thieves (Isa. 53:12, Mark 10:39)

3. Derision at the Cross 29-32

• participants: those who passed by, chief priests, thieves (Psa. 22:7-8)
• despised as prophet (Mark 14:58, John 2:18-22)
• mocked as priest
• humiliated as king
• the taunts and the truth (Isa. 53:10)

4. So What?

• Because King Jesus made the cross His first throne, seize the benefit of His sacrifice and celebrate its lasting impact.
• “Crucified as a king, He was king still. He made the cross His first throne.” (S. Ferguson)
• “A sacrificial death is the true work of the Messiah of the law, prophets and psalms and because He did not come down from the cross, therefore He is ‘crowned with glory and honor’ in heaven, and rules our gratefully redeemed hearts on earth.” (Maclaren)
• “God forbid that Christ’s agony would ever become a matter of dispassionate interest.” (K. Hughes)
• “The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak. They rode, but Thou didst stumble to Thy throne. But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak; and not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.” (E. Shillito, “Jesus of the Scars”)
• “What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners’ gain. Mine, mine was the transgression but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior, ‘tis I deserve Thy place. Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace…” (Bernard of Clairvaux, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for October 29, 2023

Sour Grapes

Mark 12:1-12

1. Background

• penetrating parable in the context of escalating conflict with the religious establishment
• preceded by the questioning of the credentials of Jesus (11:27-33)

2. Jesus Highlights the Resources of God 1

• judgment parable about wicked vineyard keepers
• every provision for maximum fruitfulness
• imagery of Isaiah 5

3. Jesus Highlights the Revelation of God 2-8

• escalating violence leading to murder in the vineyard
• revelation through His servants and their treatment
• revelation through His Son and His treatment

4. Jesus Highlights the Goodness and Severity of God 9

• warning of Rom. 11:22
• the problem of receiving resources and rejecting revelation

5. Jesus Uses Scripture to Highlight His Certain Triumph 10-12

• rejected stone has become the chief corner stone (Psa. 118:22-23)
• the last question and the only answer
• pathetic picture of misplaced fear

6. So What?

• Because receiving God’s resources and rejecting His revelation results in inevitable judgment, rely completely on Jesus.
• Recognize the distinct contrast between sour grapes and saving grace.
• “You put your finger in the eye of God when you slight His Son.” (Spurgeon)
• “Jesus is the corner stone, came for sinners to atone; though rejected by His own, He became the corner stone. When I am by trial oppressed, on the stone I am at rest; when the seeds of truth are sown, He remains the corner stone…Till the breaking of the dawn, till all footsteps cease to roam; ever let the truth be known, Jesus is the corner stone.” (L. Goss, “Cornerstone”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for October 22, 2023

By What Authority?

Mark 11:27-33

1. Setting

• part of a section (11:27-13:2) focused on confrontation with the Jerusalem establishment
• contrast between the Jerusalem authorities and the Jerusalem crowd

2. A Question about Authorization 27-28

• continuing emphasis on “authority”
• these things: triumphal entry, fig tree cursing, temple cleansing
• by or who…?

3. A Calculated Response to Opponents 29-30

• counter-question of Jesus
• statement of condition
• reference to John’s baptism (1:1-11)

4. A Dilemma for the Religious Establishment 31-33

• dialogue about their response
• two problematic options
• confession of inability to decide
• the last word with Jesus

5. So What?

• In light of His assigned and exercised authority, eagerly and gladly submit to Jesus.
• “Obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge.” (F. W. Robertson)
• Jesus always refuses to entertain or endorse hypocrisy.
• Actively promote Jesus as the sole focus of saving faith.
• “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same; and He must win the battle.” (Luther, “A Mighty Fortress”)