Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 27, 2023
A Case for Bible Saturation
Psalms 119:1-8
1. Background
• longest Psalm (176 verses), acrostic, 22 stanzas of 8 verses
• “alphabet of reflection” with 8 repeated synonyms
2. Description Emphasized 1-3
• repeated concept of blessedness (Psa. 1)
• walk in the law…keep His testimonies
• impact of ongoing pursuit and complete preoccupation
3. Determination Indicated 4-6
• Your precepts kept diligently
• steadfast keeping of Your statutes
• impact of fixation on Your commandments
4. Dependence Expressed 7-8
• anticipation of praise that results from learning Your rules
• anticipation of divine intervention
5. So What?
• Because Love for God is refreshed by revelation, soak up every syllable of Scripture.
• connection to Christ: Matt. 4:4 (Deut. 8:3), Luke 11:28, James 1:22-25
• “’One boat goes east, one boat goes west, by the self-same winds that blow. And it’s the set of the sails, and not the gales, that determines which way they go.’ And the Word of God sets our sails.” (A. Begg quoting Ella W. Wilcox, “Tis the Set of the Sail”)
• “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?” (J. Rippon, “How Firm a Foundation”)
Short Sentence Prayers on Psalm 119:1-8
1. Lord, the Word is Your Word. Thank you for giving us Your Word.
2. Lord, teach us that the way of happiness is the way of obedience, and make obedience sweet to us.
3. Lord, grant that our religion would not be empty talk but Gospel life, that our love for you will show not only in our lips but in our lives, that we would practice what we preach.
4. Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, give us a right aspiration for holiness, a grace-wrought desire for godliness.
5. Lord, give us a love for Your whole Word and all Your commands, even in our blind spots.
6. Lord, grant that our lives would be built on the basis of Your Word.
7. Lord, give us Gospel resolve and grace dependence in our lives. (L. Duncan, LigonDuncan.com)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 20, 2023
When the Lord Is Your Portion
Lamentations 3:21-24
1. Background
• after the destruction/desolation of Jerusalem (25:8-11)
• from a context of darkness
2. Unexpected Shift 21
• a mind-altering reality
• the essence of hope
3. Unfailing Compassion Rooted in Unchanging Character 22-23
• not consumed (Psa. 103:10-14)…
• because of steadfast love
• because of the duration and depth of mercies
• because of the daily distribution of mercies
4. Expression of Satisfaction 24
• understanding the concept of “portion” (Num. 18:20, Psa. 73:25-26)
• a sure foundation for the soul’s hope
5. So What?
• When the LORD is your portion, you can have a hope that transcends your darkest moments.
• connection to Christ: Lam. 1:12, Rom. 15:13, 1 Pet. 1:3-9
• “…Morning by morning new mercies I see…Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth…” (T. Chisholm, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”)
• “Broken cisterns, broken cisterns all around; but the fountain remains full.” (A. Bonar)
• Meditate this week on the magnitude of the mercies you’ve received.
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 13, 2023
So, You Want to Go Back to Egypt?
Jeremiah 42:1-43:7
1. Background
• events after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer. 40-45)
• Jeremiah imprisoned and then released (40:1-6)
2. A Request from the People 1-6
• people in Jerusalem after the exile
• their plan to “escape” to Egypt
• Jeremiah’s agreement to pray
• pious display of sincerity
3. Jeremiah’s Response to the People 7-22
• waiting to discern the LORD’S message
• if they stay in the land…compassion
• if they go to Egypt…catastrophe
• exposure of a fatal flaw
4. Rejection of Jeremiah’s Message 1-7
• arrogant accusation against a true prophet
• a disobedient entrance into Egypt
5. So What?
• In light of His promised presence and clear communication, obey the Lord eagerly.
• connection to Christ: John 14:6, 15; Col. 3:15-17
• “Those who reject what they know to be the will of God always invite disaster.” (Huey)
• “They regarded God as a power to enlist, not a Lord to obey.” (Kidner)
• “Here I raise my ebenezer…” (Robinson, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”)
• “May the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom to capture your hearts for Christ, to comfort your hearts in Christ and to humble your hearts before Christ. Amen.” (Davis)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 30, 2023
A Lesson to Learn
Jeremiah 35:1-19
1. Background
• events/messages from the siege to the fall of Jerusalem
• object lesson of the Rechabites: “symbolic action”
2. Assessment of Loyalty 1-5
• instructions concerning the Rechabites (2 Kings 10:15-27)
• intensity of the assessment
3. Explanation of Refusal 6-11
• commandment of Jonadab
• careful obedience to a long-dead ancestor
4. Application for Judah 12-17
• instructions concerning Judah and Jerusalem
• argument from lesser to greater
• painfully apparent contrast
5. Commendation of Rechabites 18-19
• obedience acknowledged
• blessing pronounced (Neh. 3:14)
• searing rebuke
6. So What?
• Because He is the living God and means what He says, obey the LORD’S commands.
• connections to Christ: Phil. 2:8, John 14:15, 1 John 5:3
• “Sometimes secular loyalties to some cause or person put to shame the loyalty of God’s people to Him and His commands.” (Huey)
• The depth of your declaration of dependence is displayed through your obedience.
• “Jesus, too late I Thee have sought; how can I love Thee as I ought? And how extol Thy matchless fame, the glorious beauty of Thy name? Jesus, my Lord, I Thee adore; O make me love Thee more and more.” (Collins, “Jesus, My Lord, My Life, My All”)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 23, 2023
When the Lord Does a New Thing
Jeremiah 31:23-34
1. Background
• the people “get it” (31:15-22)
• a more explicit commentary on 29:11
2. Description of Future Blessing 23-30
• reassurance of restoration
• revelation through a dream
• repudiation of a well-known saying
3. Declaration of a New Covenant 31-32
• noteworthy repetition
• not like the previous covenant
• notice the LORD’S initiative
4. Distinctives of the New Covenant 33-34
• internalized word (Matt. 5-7)
• personal God
• personal instruction
• permanent forgiveness
5. So What?
• Because the LORD can restore fully what was devastated completely, trust Him to do a new thing in your life.
• connection to Christ: Heb. 8:6-12; 1 Pet. 2:9-10
• “But the faith, needed by Israel to believe in what would come, is the faith I need to believe in what has already come.” (S. Smith)
• “God of the covenant, Lord God Almighty, marvels of mercy adoring we see: calling from sin and from darkness a people bonded to Christ by a timeless decree.” (J. Webb, “God of the Covenant, Lord God Almighty”)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 16, 2023
Fueled by Your Future
Jeremiah 29:1-14
1. Background
• yoke of servitude to Babylon and the folly of false prophets (28)
• Jeremiah’s letter to Jewish exiles in Babylon (29:1-32) and the immediate context (29:1-3)
2. Continuation 4-7
• emphasis on the LORD’s sovereignty/providence: displaced but not misplaced
• addressed to exiles
• settle down and thrive personally
• pursue peace and pray
3. Clarification 8-9
• note the repetition
• untrue prophecies from unsent prophets (28:3, 11; 25:11-12)
4. Motivation 10-14
• revelatory accuracy
• emphatic assurance: not to hurt but to help
• personal access and inexhaustible promise (Deut. 4:29; 30:1-5)
5. So What?
• Because of the promise of deliverance in the future, thrive by God’s grace in the present.
• NT connections: Luke 4:18, Heb. 6:19-20; 11:8-10, 1 Pet. 1:3-9
• Aim to align your life with the reality of biblical hope.
• “There is a hope that lifts my weary head, a consolation strong against despair, that when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit, I find the Savior there! Through present sufferings, future’s fear, He whispers ‘courage’ in my ear. For I am safe in everlasting arms, and they will lead me home.” (S. Townend, “There Is a Hope”)
