Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for February 5, 2023
I Am the Light of the World
John 8:12-20
1. Background
• part of sixth discourse (8:12-59)
• preceded by account of woman caught in adultery (8:1-11)
• in the treasury following the Feast of Tabernacles
2. Jesus Issues a Declaration 12
• second “I Am” statement: against backdrop of quenched lights
• light/darkness imagery (pillar of cloud/fire in Num. 9:15-23)
• promise connected to the declaration (1:4)
3. Pharisees Make an Accusation 13
• intensifying opposition
• legal technicality (Deut. 19:15)
• charge of contradiction (5:31-46)
4. Jesus Offers a Clarification 14-18
• affirmation of origin and destination
• disqualification of Pharisees (9:39)
• the sense in which Jesus judges
• intimacy with the Sender: why Jesus is the “Light of the World”
5. Jesus Makes an Evaluation 19-20
• question of the Pharisees
• you know my Father as little as you know Me
• reminder of divine chronology
6. So What?
• Because Jesus is the exclusive source of illumination for a dark world, keep on following Him.
• Recognize the distinction between continual following and casual adherence.
• “When He puts forth His sheep, He goes before them.” (Maclaren)
• “A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify, who gave His Son my soul to save, and fit it for the sky.” (Wesley)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 10, 2022
Contest at Mt. Carmel
1 Kings 18:17-40
1. Introduction (1-16)
• meet Ahab, the wicked king
• meet Elijah, the prophet of God
• meet Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility
2. The LORD Empowers His Servant-Supernaturally 17-21
• series of orders
• audience: false prophets and all of Israel
• environment: hostile territory
• appeal: Get off the fence!!!
3. The LORD Exposes Idolatrous Futility-Obviously 22-29
• proposition: competing sacrifices and calls
• pathetic display and profound silence
• prophetic derision
• smokeless altar
4. The LORD Answers with Fire-Decisively 30-40
• Don’t miss this!
• a repaired and soggy altar
• that this people may know…
• recaptured devotion
• removal of malignancy
5. So What?
• When you acknowledge the real God, you can know real relief and rest.
• connection to Christ (1 Cor. 15:24-27, Heb. 10:19-25)
• “Give Us Clean Hands” (C. Hall) (Psa. 24:3-6)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 3, 2022
Asa and the Fine Art of Finishing Well
1 Kings 15:9-24
1. Introduction
• shift in focus from Northern to Southern Kingdom
• coverage of three kings (14:21-15:24)
2. Asa’s Righteous Religious Reforms 9-15
• distinctive righteousness
• destructive righteousness: no pampered exemptions
3. Asa’s Problematic Political Practices 16-24
• Baasha’s economic blockade
• Asa’s arrangement with Ben-hadad
• textbook diplomacy and total success
• commentary from 2 Chron. 16:1-12
• making the connection to Christ
4. So What?
• In light of the LORD’S unchanging faithfulness and unceasing support, finish well by relying wholly on Him.
• Recognize the peril of pragmatism.
• Remember Rom. 15:4 and let Scripture interpret Scripture.
• “Ah! If our likeness to God does not show itself in trifles, what is there left for it to show itself in? For our lives are all made up of trifles. The great things come three or four of them in the seventy years; the little ones every time the clock ticks.” (Maclaren)
• In order to finish well, run well now!
• “To this I hold, my only hope is Jesus, all the glory evermore to Him. When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat: Yet not I, but through Christ in me!” (Robinson/Thompson/Farren)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for June 26, 2022
That He Might Fulfill His Word
1 Kings 12:1-24
1. An Appeal to the New King 1-5
• coronation at Shechem
• return of Jeroboam
• request and response
2. The King Consults with Advisors 6-11
• old men: conciliation
• narrator’s advance notification
• young men: intimidation
• perspective from a pronoun
3. The King’s Declaration and a Theological Explanation 12-15
• according to the counsel of the young men
• avoiding the tendency to moralize
• a “circumstance coming from Yahweh”
4. The Reality of a Tragic Tearing 16-20
• Rehoboam’s wrong steps
• repetition of the Davidic covenant concept (2 Sam. 7:12-16)
• rebels: rhetorical question and defiant advice
5. A Case of Remarkable Restraint 21-24
• Rehoboam readies for war
• halted by the word of God
• connection to Christ
6. So What?
• Knowing that the LORD is sovereign over every circumstance, count on Him to keep His promises.
• Reflect on the lengths to which the LORD will go to keep a promise.
• “Remember that the LORD is never a victim of circumstances.” (N. Parrish)
• “Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, by the living word of God I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.” (R. Carter)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for June 12, 2022
Not One Word!
1 Kings 8:54-66
1. Introduction
• placement of the ark: clarity and mystery (1-13)
• prayer of dedication: “center” of the sandwich and praying out of the Pentateuch (22-53)
• transition from kneeling to standing
2. Recognition of God’s Unfailing Word 56
• rest according to His promises
• not one word!
• previously spoken by Moses
3. Request for God’s Inclining Presence 57-58
• “…God be with us…”
• as with our fathers
• for the purpose of “bending” (Psa. 119:36-37)
4. Reliance on God’s Maintaining Providence 59-60
• a prayer “for the record”
• “do the judgment” of Solomon and Israel (Ex. 16:4)
• purpose: “…that all may know…”
5. Response of Complete and Hopeful Devotion 61-66
• complete conformity: “…walking…keeping…” (Heb. 4:11-13)
• sacrifice and feast
• “…glad of heart for all the goodness…”
6. So What?
• Because the LORD remains your true Deliverer, rely on and rejoice in the rest He extends through Christ.
• “We read the past most truly when we see in all its vicissitudes God’s unchanging faithfulness, and recognize that the foes and sorrows which often pressed sore upon us were no breach of His faithful promises, but either His loving chastisement for our faithlessness, or His loving discipline meant to perfect our characters.” (A. Maclaren)
• “His word shall not fail you He promised, believe Him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell.” (H. Lemmel, “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus”)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for June 5, 2022
A Hearing Heart
1 Kings 3:1-28
1. Introduction
• 1-2 Kings: selective history covering 400 years with 50,000 words
• succession (1), security (2) and sufficiency (3)
2. Supplication for Wisdom 4-15
• preliminary connections (verses 1-3): marriage, sacrifice, house, love
• Yahweh’s appearance to Solomon in a dream
• Yahweh’s invitation to Solomon: “Ask…”
• Solomon’s request
• incentive of generosity
• foundation of faithfulness
• priority on the people of God
• principle of the Lord’s pleasure
3. Verification of Wisdom 16-28
• proof from a court case
• two prostitutes and two babies
• Solomon calls for a sword!
• identification of the real mother
• confirming testimony in Israel
4. Personification of Wisdom
• vocabulary of 1 Kings 3 and Isaiah 11:1-4
• how Solomon’s wisdom points beyond itself (1 Cor. 1:30, Col. 2:3)
5. So What?
• Because God is the source and standard of wisdom, ask for a hearing heart that enables growing conformity to Christ.
• Analyze your “asking.” What do you want most?
• Take James 1:5 seriously!
• “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise; Thou mine inheritance now and always. Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, high King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.” (“Be Thou My Vision,” M. Byrne)
