Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for June 9, 2019
“But I Received Mercy” 1 Timothy 1:12-20 Bible Study 06/09/19
1. Contextual Considerations
• previously: sound doctrine and surrendered life (1:1-11)
• personal reflection building off of 1:11
2. Main Idea: Recipients of the riches of God’s mercy explode in praise and invest in people.
3. Highlight the principle of mercy (12-15)
• the Lord’s enablement
• the Lord’s assessment
• the Lord’s appointment
• awareness of amazing grace
• affirmation of Christ’s objective
• a testimony that glories in Christ rather than glories in sin
4. Understand the purpose of mercy (16-17)
• display of long-suffering
• pattern of grace
• explosion of doxology
5. Engage in the mission of mercy (18-20)
• commissioning of Timothy
• a war to wage
• a warning to observe
• the soldier/sailor combination
6. So What?
• praise to offer: “Immortal invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.” (W. C. Smith)
• charge to keep: “A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify. A never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky.” (C. Wesley)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for June 2, 2019
“In Accordance with the Gospel” 1 Timothy 1:1-11 Bible Study 06/02/19
-Because the gospel is the good news of God’s surpassing worth, treasure and transmit it faithfully.
1. Prioritize the presence of God (1-2)
• ground of hope
• grace, mercy and peace
2. Promote stewardship rather than speculation (3-7)
• instruct “certain persons”
• don’t teach different doctrine
• don’t devote yourself to wrong thinking
• remember the goal
• the danger of spiritual arrogance
3. Process the law properly (8-11)
• using the law lawfully
• understand the identity of its target-audience
• 14 examples rooted in the 10 Commandments
• the standard of “hygienic” doctrine
• according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God
4. So What?
• “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your rest in His excellent word. What more can He say than to you He has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?” (R. Keene)
• “Jesus, priceless treasure, source of purest pleasure, truest friend to me…Thine I am, O spotless Lamb, I will suffer naught to hide Thee, ask for naught beside Thee.” (J. Franck)
• Avoid “Jiminy Cricket” theology.
• Get your spiritual meals from divine revelation rather than human speculation.
• Text-driven truth promotes spiritual health!
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 26, 2019
“To Nourish and Sustain” Mark 14:22-25 Bible Study 05/26/19
1. Contextual/Background Considerations
• Passover preparation precedes
• forecast of denial and prayer in Gethsemane follows
• key text on the Lord’s Supper: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
• Lord’s Supper: ordained and instituted by Christ
2. The Bread (22)
• unleavened bread and its significance
• Christ’s body as a sacrificial offering
• purity of the offering
• take/eat
3. The Cup (23-24)
• shared cup
• new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34)
• apostles: appointed leadership of the “remnant”
• expression of “communion”
• shedding of blood
4. The Continuation (25)
• when I drink it new…
• resurrection: implicit in the Lord’s Supper
• until then: remember and proclaim
5. So What?
• Because the Lord’s Supper portrays the supreme purity and substitutionary power of Jesus, pursue the nourishment and sustenance it provides.
• “Jesus’ sacrifice is the means by which God binds sinners to Himself and brings them deliverance from bondage in sin.” (S. Ferguson)
• “His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay…” (E. Mote)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 19, 2019
“A Beautiful Thing” Mark 14:1-11 Bible Study 05/19/19
With Mark 14, we enter the closing section of Mark’s gospel. As Jesus moves ever closer to the cross, we find here a distinct contrast in responses to Him: conniving hatred and complete devotion.
1. Conspiracy against Jesus (1-2)
• intent to kill
• aiming to avoid a commotion
2. Anointing at Bethany (3-9)
• a contrasting pause
• action: a woman pours
• reaction: indignant about “waste”
• commendation: a beautiful thing (2 Cor. 8:9)
3. Betrayal by Judas (10-11)
• bargaining with religious leaders
• intolerance of complete devotion to Jesus
4. So What?
• Because Jesus poured Himself out for you, pour yourself out in love to Him.
• “It’s beautiful when the worth of Jesus and the love of His followers match…when the value of His perfections and the intensity of our affections correspond.” (J. Piper)
• no turning back or holding back
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 12, 2019
“A Much-Married Wife and the Resurrection Life” Mark 12:18-27 Bible Study 05/12/19
I. Contextual Insights 18
• in Mark and Matthew preceded by taxes to Caesar and followed by great commandment.
• the context of Pharisee/Sadducee competition to undermine Jesus
• note the significant amount of dialogue/exchange in the text
• the Sadducees: wealthy, fewer, aristocratic, theologically liberal, materialistic
• note the dramatic present of verse 18: “There come to Him Sadducees.”
II. Concocted Illustration 19-23
• the illustration of a woman with 7 husbands
• a concocted story to ridicule faith in the resurrection of the dead
• this absurd account springs from Deuteronomy 25:5-6 and the concept of levirate marriage
• the Sadducees were selective inspirationists who valued the Pentateuch most
III. Convicting Illumination 24-27
• Interrogation: Is this…mistaken/deceive yourselves? planaomai-wander
• Observation: Deficient because you don’t know Scriptures or power of God
• Obliteration: Jesus obliterates their false assumptions
A. verse 25-not if but when
B. like angels not as angels
C. Jesus appeals to Moses-Exodus 3:3-6
D. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live!
E. You blunder-verse 27
IV. Concrete Application
• Because God is the God of the living who testifies of Himself in inerrant Scripture, relish the reality of resurrection life.
1. A right knowledge of God’s Word preserves/protects against error.
2. Refuse to separate what the Bible holds together.
3. Both scoffing infidels and superficial exegetes dishonor God.
4. Affirm that you are not left to worms but to a glorious resurrection.
5. “Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.” (John Paton)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 5, 2019
Guest Speaker: Dr. Barry McCarty
“A Prayer I Wish You’d Pray for Me” – Colossians 1:9-14
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 28, 2019
“But It Shall Not Be So Among You” Mark 10:32-45 Bible Study 04/28/19
This morning’s text is, in many ways, the key to understanding Mark’s gospel. As Jesus moves towards Jerusalem and the cross, He articulates clearly the nature of His mission and calls His disciples to follow Him in it.
1. Contextual Considerations
• little children in 10:13-16
• rich young man in 10:17-31
2. A Repeated Prophecy (32-34)
• Judea by Jordan (10:1)
• first prophecy in 8:31-34 and reaction
• second prophecy of 9:31-32 and reaction
• moving towards Jerusalem and the intrepid leadership of Jesus
• “The Saviour, what a noble flame was kindled in His breast, when, hasting to Jerusalem, He marched before the rest!” (Cowper)
• third prophecy of 10:32-34 and reaction
3. A Selfish Request (35-37)
• what James and John got right
• staking a claim for the place of honor (Matt. 19:28, 20:20)
4. The Cup and the Baptism of Jesus (38-40)
• taken to task by the Master
• drink cup: get one’s fill of suffering (Psa. 75:8, Mark 14:36, John 18:11)
• baptized with baptism: immersion in suffering (Psa. 42:7, Luke 12:50)
• adjudication and qualification (Matt. 20:23)
5. Reaction and Response (41-45)
• indignant disciples
• reference to Gentile “lording”
• different measurement of true greatness
• deacon and bondslave
• grounding principle: service and sacrifice of Jesus
6. So What?
• Only as you are served by Jesus can you serve others in His name.
• Move beyond the idea of inspiring example to enabling sacrifice.
• Let the direction of your life be determined by the destined glory of Jesus.
• Grasp the principle of gospel humility: “…not about feeding my ego but feeding the faith of others.” (Piper)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 21, 2019
Easter Message
“An Easter Benediction” Hebrews 13:20-21 Bible Study 04/21/19
This morning, as we celebrate the living hope of all who rely on Jesus, we will turn our attention to the glorious benediction at the close of the book of Hebrews.
1. Consider the Context
• big picture of Hebrews: Jesus is greater…
• 13:1-8: Jesus Christ the same…
• 13:9-16: the sacrifice of praise and bearing His reproach outside the camp
• 13:17: responding to human shepherds
• 13:18-19: author’s request for prayer
2. Bask in the Benediction (20-21)
• a “good word”
• structure: invocation, amplification and doxology
• …God of peace…
• brought again from the dead…the great shepherd of the sheep… (Isa. 63:11-14)
• by the blood of the eternal covenant (Jer. 31:33, Zech. 9:11, Heb. 13:12, 1 Pet. 1:19-20)
• …equip…working…pleasing…through Jesus Christ
• …glory forever. Amen.
3. So What?
• The resurrection of the Great Shepherd from the dead is the hinge on which every hope of His sheep hangs.
• He who laid down His life for you will never let you down.
• two key Easter benefits: confidence and conformity
• “The sheep get the joy. The Shepherd gets the glory.” (Piper)
• “Morning breaks upon the tomb! Jesus dissipates its gloom! Day of triumph through the skies, see the glorious Saviour rise! Christians, dry your flowing tears; Chase those unbelieving fears; Look on his deserted grave; Doubt no more his power to save.” (W. Collyer)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 14, 2019
“A Glimpse of Glory” Mark 9:1-13 Bible Study 04/14/19
This morning we will focus on the event known as the transfiguration of Jesus. Also recorded in Luke 9:28-36 and Matthew 17:1-13, this event, as recorded by Mark, comes on the heels of Jesus having foretold His impending death and resurrection. Mark 8:31-38 indicates that the life of a disciple inevitably calls for sacrifice and suffering. What follows in our passage is the reminder regarding another side of discipleship. With an almost tantalizing brevity, Mark’s account indicates that the life of a disciple looks forward to seeing and sharing in the glory of Jesus.
1. Considering the Context (1-2)
• reference of verse 1 and connection to 8:31-38
• after 6 days, Peter/James/John, mountain, transfiguration
• seeing the power and glory of the Kingdom in an altogether new way
• “…foretaste of glory divine.”
2. Observations about the Transfiguration (3-8)
• transfigured-“metamorphosed”
• exceeding “whiteness” of the clothing of Jesus
• appearance and conversation with Moses and Elijah-“exodus” (Luke 9:31)
• Peter’s desire to make “three tents” and its implications
• overshadowing cloud and the voice out of it
• timeless verification and command
• Jesus only
3. Understanding the Transfiguration (9-13)
• descending, He instructed…
• question about Elijah
• slow to understand
• response to Elijah a foreshadowing of the response to Jesus-rejection
• Peter’s later perspective (2 Peter 1:17-19)
4. So What?
• You grasp something of the glory of Jesus now only as you listen to the Father’s testimony concerning Him.
• “A Christ without a cross is a king without a throne. If our ministry is to have power, it must all center in the death for the world’s sins.” (Maclaren)
• “I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place; I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face; Content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss, my sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.” (E. Clephane)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 7, 2019
“Crumbs for Canines” Mark 7:24-30 Bible Study 04/07/19
This morning we will focus on a perplexing encounter that Jesus had with a pagan woman. It teaches us much about the person and work of Jesus.
1. Contextual Considerations
• truth and tradition in 7:1-13
• external and internal in 7:14-23
2. Intentional Mission to Gentiles (24)
• from Galilee to the region of Tyre/Sidon
• deliberate ministry to Gentiles (Gerasene Mark 5, food clean Mark 7, Decapolis Mark 7)
• bracketed between feeding of 5000 (Mark 6) and 4000 (Mark 8)
• Elijah in Zarephath (I Kings 17)
3. Analysis of the Encounter (25-30)
• Matthew 15:21-28
• identity of woman
• appeal of woman
• response of Jesus
• insightful persistence of the woman
• commendation and healing from a distance
• fulfillment of Psalm 87:4
4. So What?
• Because Jesus is the gracious, merciful and only Savior of the whole world, trust Him to deliver you.
• “Missions is not an OT or NT thing. It’s a Bible thing.” (L. Duncan)
• Praise God for His massive ability to meet miserable need.
