Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for January 14, 2024

The Ark and Your Anchor

Genesis 7:1-8:22

1. Overview: Two Lessons from the Life of Noah

• Respond actively to the revelation you’ve received.
• Relish practically the reality that God remembers you.

2. Reflect on the Scope of the Flood

• logic
• language of text
• literature
• lesson in NT

3. Flood Theology Observations

• Observe the mercy of God.
• Observe the faithfulness of God.
• Observe the patience of God.
• Observe the justice of God.

4. So What?

• Receive the offered deliverance.
• Resolve to join the rescue team.
• connection to Jesus: Hebrews 6:19!
• Because of who God is, you can have hope!
• “There is a hope that burns within my heart, that gives me strength for every passing day; a glimpse of glory now revealed in meagre part, yet drives all doubt away: I stand in Christ, with sins forgiven; and Christ in me, the hope of heaven! My highest calling and my deepest joy, to make His will my home.” (S. Townend, “There Is a Hope”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for January 7, 2024

He Did All That God Commanded Him’

Genesis 6:8-22; Hebrews 11:7

Genesis 6 records the story of Noah in the days preceding the Great Flood. The Lord saved, preserved and used him to make a lasting impact on his generation and the generations that followed.

1. Glean the Key Insights (8-13)

• Noah found grace. He did not earn it.
• How the Lord sees all people: righteous or unrighteous
• Our inconsistency doesn’t invite interest.
• The Lord is neither apathetic nor surprised.

2. Observe the Instructions to Noah (14-21)

• Build the ark for survival and not navigation.
• The size of the ark: sufficient
• The typology of the ark: keeping out and letting in

3. Examine the Obedience of Noah (22 and Heb. 11:7)

• Commitment
• Courage
• Conviction

4. So What?

• When you take the Lord’s word seriously, you can have a lasting impact for His glory.
• Biblical faith includes both a backward and forward look.
• Holiness: the habit of agreeing with God’s judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He loves and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His word. (J. C. Ryle)
• “He who does not believe God will punish sin will not believe that He will pardon it through His atoning blood.” (Spurgeon)
• “His will be done, His Kingdom come, on earth as is above, Who is Himself our daily bread, praise Him the Lord of love…All glory be to Christ our King! All glory be to Christ! His rule and reign we’ll ever sing. All glory be to Christ!” (D. Kensrue, “All Glory Be to Christ”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for December 31, 2023

The First Worship Service and the First Murder

Genesis 4:1-15

1. The First Worship Service: A Rejected Offering and a Warning 1-7

• births of Cain and Abel
• occupations of Cain and Abel
• offerings of Cain and Abel (Heb. 11:4)
• rejection of Cain’s offering and his response
• warning from the LORD (Heb. 4:12)

2. The First Murder: A Homicide and Its Consequences 8-15

• Cain kills Abel (1 John 3:12)
• dialogue with the LORD and pronouncement of curse
• Cain’s protest and the LORD’S mercy in the midst of judgment
• the land of wandering east of Eden (Jude 11)

3. So What?

• Because of your complete ruin, look away from yourself and look to the LORD for help. (Heb. 4:16)
• “The blood of Abel cried for vengeance; that of Christ for remission” (Erasmus) (Heb. 12:24)
• “While Eve is talked into sin, Cain will not have even God talk him out of it, nor will he confess to it, nor yet accept his punishment.” (D. Kidner)
• “Give to our God immortal praise; mercy and truth are all His ways; wonders of grace to God belong, repeat His mercies in your song.” (Watts, “Give to Our God Immortal Praise”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for December 17, 2023

Christmas in Genesis

Genesis 3:1-24

1. Deception 1-5

• crafty serpent (Rev. 12:9)
• casting doubt

2. Violation 6-7

• took and ate
• eyes opened

3. Confrontation 8-13

• God’s questions
• Man’s excuses

4. Salvation 14-19

• consequences (Rom. 8:22)
• cure in the context of the curse (Rom. 16:20, Gal. 3:13, Heb. 2:14)

5. Foundation 20-24

• clothed sinners
• getting back to the garden

6. So What?

• Because the Father placed the curse on Jesus that you deserve, rejoice in and rely on the rebel-seeking God of Christmas.
• “He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found…” (Watts, “Joy to the World”)
• celebrating Christmas: pondering your predicament and God’s provision for it.
• “So what am I going to do with all these unfixables? All these not-as-they-should-bes, not as they will be one day? I’m going to trust you with all these unfixables until the day when I finally see the way You make masterpieces out of these unfixables.” (Chapman, “Unfixables”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for December 10, 2023

The First Couple and the First Christmas

Genesis 2:5-25; 1 John 1:1-4

1. Formation 2:5-7

• repetition of LORD God
• formed
• breathed
• living creature

2. Environment 2:8-17

• garden provision
• work assignment
• commands and parameters

3. Family 2:18-25

• conspicuous absence and naming implications
• sculpted helper
• Adam’s response
• institution of marriage: leave, cleave, one flesh

4. Foreshadowing 1 John 1:1-4, Luke 2:7-12, Luke 3:33-38

• obedient and humble creatures
• condescending and caring Creator/Redeemer

5. So What?

• Because of the Father’s creative and redemptive work through Jesus, bow before Him in adoring worship.
• “Seek not in courts, nor palaces, nor royal curtains draw; but search the stable, see our God, extended on the straw.” (W. Billings, “Methinks I See a Heavenly Host”)
• Ponder the Son of God who, as the Agent of creation, sculpted Adam and Eve from the dust of the ground and breathed into them the breath of life.
• “I don’t care if you’ve been on the paid staff of hell…” (T. Keller)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for December 3, 2023

The Image and the Incarnation

Genesis 1:26-31; John 1:14

Grasping the truth that humans are made in the image of God enables you to gain a biblical understanding of human nature and to marvel at the miracle of the incarnation.

1. Reflect the Person of God

• image/likeness emphasis
• “let us make…”
• the issue of image
• personality, morality, spirituality

2. Understand Your Assignment

• fill
• receive
• rule

3. Reject Sub-Biblical Standards

• devaluation of image
• deification of image
• disregard of image

4. Recognize the Connection between Image and Incarnation

• important distinction: “in His image” and “He is the image…” (Col. 1:15, Heb. 1:3, Rom. 8:29)
• two key applications: dignity and destiny
• “Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the incarnation.” (Packer)
• “Man’s Maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.” (Augustine)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for November 19, 2023

Thanksgiving Message

A Psalm for Thanksgiving 2023

Psalms 115:1-18

1. Introduction

• context of burden/difficulty and the “summary statement” of verse 1
• Because the LORD alone is your protector and provider, praise Him now and forever.

2. The Substance of the Taunt of the Nations 2

• based on perceived abandonment and absence

3. The Scorching Deconstruction of Idolatry 3-8

• where our God is and what He does
• contrasted with idols and the principle: becoming what we worship

4. The Summons to Trust the LORD for Protection 9-11

• He is their help and shield in antiphonal praise

5. The Summons to Trust the LORD for Provision 12-15

• reflection on the LORD’S memory
• repetition and recognition of blessing

6. The Summons to Praise the LORD Perpetually 16-18

• do it now while you’re alive and anticipate doing it forever

7. So What?

• Make the connection to Christ: recalling a greater victory.
• Mind the mindfulness of the LORD.
• LORD, put this psalm on my lips and in my life this week.
• “Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be, for me a blood-bought free reward, a golden harp for me. ‘Tis strung and tuned for endless years and formed by power divine, to sound in God the Father’s ears no other name but Thine.”

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 17, 2023

Kingdom Acoustics

Mark 4:1-20

1. Setting

• preceding: mobbed by crowds, maligned by religious leaders, misunderstood by family
• a floating pulpit and a parable sermon (4:1-2)

2. Jesus Tells a Story 3-9

• opening command
• a parable about a sower, seeds and soils
• seed along the path: eaten by birds
• seed on rocky ground: initial success and subsequent failure
• seed among thorns: choked and fruitless
• seeds into good soil: dynamic growth
• repetition of opening command

3. Jesus Addresses the Purpose of Parables 10-13

• responding to the question of the disciples
• citation of Isa. 6:9-10
• the word: helps or hardens
• a sovereign “filtration system”

4. Jesus Explains the Story 14-20

• seed: word
• path: never started, rocky: started but never finished, thorns: survived but never bore fruit
• good soil: perseverance and productivity

5. So What?

• Knowing that lasting transformation is the product of God’s word taking root in you, prize it and persevere in it.
• Pray for an insatiable appetite for God’s word.
• Ponder and apply the principle of perseverance.
• “Sweetly echo the gospel call, wonderful words of life; Offer pardon and peace to all, wonderful words of life; Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever…” (P. Bliss, “Wonderful Words of Life”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 10, 2023

But That You May Know

Mark 2:1-12

1. Setting

• the first of five “conflict” narratives in 2:1-3:6
• preceded by the cleansing of a leper (1:40-45)

2. Jesus Comes Home to a Full House 1-2

• upon His return to Capernaum
• preaching the word

3. Four Men with a Friend Drop In 3-5

• restricted access and roof removal
• Jesus sees and says

4. The Snarl of Some Sitting Scribes 6-9

• their unspoken accusation (Lev. 24:16)
• divine discernment and insightful interrogation

5. Jesus Demonstrates His Authority 10-12

• that you may know…
• rise…and he rose…
• an immediate cure and the impact of unprecedented authority

6. So What?

• If Jesus says you’re forgiven, you are.
• putting a finger on the pulse of the real problem
• “The degree to which you see your own need for forgiveness is the measure of how clearly you understand the gospel.” (S. Ferguson)
• “My sin, o the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul.” (H. Spafford, “It Is Well with My Soul”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 3, 2023

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

Mark 1:1-13

1. Background

• “action” gospel, most compact, “moving picture” gospel
• answering the question: Who is Jesus?

2. Preparation 1-8

• gospel: good news about a person
• pivotal role of John the Baptist (Mal. 3:1, Isa. 40:3, 2 Kings 1:8)
• preaching repentance and pointing to Jesus

3. Verification 9-11

• inauguration of public ministry
• visual and verbal validation

4. Indication 12-13

• driven into the wilderness
• onslaught of temptation
• reversing the curse

5. So What?

• In light of Scripture’s clear indication of Jesus’ identity, rely on His provision and recognize your place.
• “Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word, tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard…Tell of the cross where they nailed Him, dying in anguish and pain; tell of the grave where they laid Him; tell how He liveth again.” (F. Crosby, “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”)
• “I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest. And when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song, ‘twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.” (Hankey/Fischer “I Love to Tell the Story”)