Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 17, 2017
“The Lord’s Passover” Exodus 12:1-13 Bible Study 09/17/17
At the time of the final plague upon Egypt, the Lord established an observance which was to be a token of blessing and remembrance for His people. Passover highlights His absolute holiness and magnificent mercy.
I. Review
-call of Moses in Exodus 3-4
-nine plagues in Exodus 7-10
-one more plague in Exodus 11:1
-not leaving Egypt empty-handed
II. The Lord’s Passover Signals a Calendar Shift (1-2)
-dictated by worship
-device to remind
III. The Lord’s Passover Specifies a Careful Selection (3-6a)
-taken on the tenth day
-unblemished lamb (1 Peter 1:19)
-kept until the fourteenth day
IV. The Lord’s Passover Supplies a Consecrated Sacrifice (6b-10)
-execution of the lamb
-application of the blood
-implications from the meal
V. The Lord’s Passover Secures a Comprehensive Shelter (11-13)
-partake in a departing posture
-protection and partition
-look to the Lamb!
VI. So What?
-Because the Lord is a merciful deliverer of His people, remember, relish and relay His transforming provision.
-Make the connection to Christ. (John 1:29, 1 Cor. 5:7, Rev. 5:11-14)
-“He alone is worthy, to worship and adore, the Lamb of God, victorious, my risen Lord. He purchased our redemption. Our righteousness is He. Exalt the name of Jesus. He is worthy.” (A. Slaughter)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 10, 2017
Guest Speaker: Dr. Steven James
Assistant Vice President of Academic Administration & Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at Scarborough College, Fort Worth.
A member of the Son Burst Class.
“God Confronts Pharaoh” Exodus 7:1–13 09/10/2017
Last week we began to study the book of Exodus by looking at Exodus 3:1–6. After Moses had been in Midian for around 40 years, he came to Mount Horeb and the Lord appeared to him. On an otherwise ordinary day in Moses’ life, God uses the visual and audible in appearing to Moses in a burning bush. We see the holiness of God and the right response to His perfect holiness—preparation and awareness that God is separate and distinct from mortal men. Because God was present, the ground which formerly was ordinary became “holy ground” and “set apart” for God’s purposes. We also saw in the giving of His divine name (3:14–15) that God is both transcendent (holy other and timeless) and imminent (personal and present in space and time). All of this should motivate us to awe and worship of our great God.
I. The Reason for the Confrontation
• God’s Covenant with Abraham
• The Groaning of God’s People
• God’s Decisive Plan
II. The Confrontation before the Confrontation
• Moses’ Role in God’s Plan
• Moses’ Reluctance and God’s Grace
• Israel and Moses’ Unbelief and God’s Response
III. The Weapons of the Confrontation
• Divine Presence
• Divine Signs
IV. The Result of the Confrontation
• Pharaoh’s Hard-Heartedness
• The Lord’s Outstretched Hand Over Egypt (First 9 Plagues)
• The Lord’s Protection of His People
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for September 3, 2017
“Holy Etiquette” Exodus 3:1-6 Bible Study 09/03/17
This morning we will begin our study of the book of Exodus. Exodus 1:8 signals a significant transition in the status of the Hebrew people in Egypt. Peace and tranquility would end and persecution and turmoil would begin. In the midst of their harsh circumstances, the people cried out to God for relief. God heard those cries and raised up Moses to be his human instrument of deliverance. Our text this morning records the encounter Moses had with God after having spent almost 40 years on the backside of the desert. This encounter specifically points us to the holy character of God and the importance of “holy etiquette.”
I. God’s Gracious Initiative
-people then and now: sinners and not seekers
-meeting His people on His terms
-using the visual, the audible and the ordinary
II. God’s Timeless Existence
-supreme and specific
-YHWH-Yahweh-Jehovah-LORD (3:14-15)
-present in space and time
-the original and ultimate promise-keeper
III. God’s Absolute Holiness
-call and response
-symbolic significance of being barefoot in the desert
-holy engagement
-response of profound humility
IV. So What?
-Because God reveals Himself as infinitely holy, respond to Him with worshipful anticipation and awe.
-“Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.” (E. B. Browning)
-“At its core, ‘holy’ is almost an adjective corresponding to the noun “God.” (Carson)
-from a burning bush to a bloody cross…
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 27, 2017
Guest Speaker: Ryland Whitehorn
A special lesson was presented today, in combination with other Sunday School classes, on personal evangelism, promoting the Three Circles Life Conversation Guide.
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 20, 2017
“I Shall Yet Praise Him!” Psalm 42:1-11 Bible Study 08/20/17
Our psalm this morning is the first psalm of the second “book” of psalms (42-72). These psalms point forward to the fulfillment of all things in Christ and relate concretely to the experiences of God’s people in every generation. Psalm 42 is addressed to the choirmaster and is a musical selection from the temple musicians, the sons of Korah.
I. Introduction
-“God in the Psalms is the all-satisfying object.” (C.S. Lewis)
-the salvaged sons of Korah
II. An Appetite to Observe (1-5)
-longing for God because of absence from corporate worship
-corporate expression and encounter
-homesickness for the house of God
III. An Example to Follow (6-11)
-suffering that exposes secondary satisfaction
-learning to talk to yourself: “pierce” the mind
-looking away to the Lord of life
-the Great Worshiper: our Helper
IV. So What?
-Because the Lord alone satisfies, crave and praise Him in every circumstance and event.
-Recognize the “resolution” in Psalm 43.
-Preach the gospel to yourself regularly!
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 13, 2017
“Prayer as Worship” Psalm 141:1-10 Bible Study 08/13/17
While this psalm of David is not connected explicitly to a specific occurrence/event in his life, it does present the picture of a harassed soul who is being tempted to “slacken his hold on God.” For this reason, Psalm 141 offers powerful insights for believers today in the midst of their earthly pilgrimages. There are perils, both internal and external, which can hinder our progress on the path marked out for us by the Lord. Therefore, our lives should be marked by a desperate dependence which articulates itself in worshipful prayer.
I. A Desperate Sense of Need (1-2)
-urgent cry
-act of worship: “incense” and “sacrifice”
-Rev. 5:8
II. A Distinct Sense of Stewardship (3-7)
-speech, heart, action (Jer. 17:9, Luke 6:45)
-preference for the rebuke of the righteous over the flattery of the wicked
-assured sense of justice
III. A Declaration of Dependence (8-10)
-orientation
-protection
-NT connection: Heb. 2:6-9, 12:2
IV. So What?
-When your eyes are set toward God, you can navigate the dangers of this life with confidence.
-Ponder the fact that you are “in peril” every day.
-“You have never spoken a word that belongs to you, because words belong to the Lord.” (Tripp)
-“The reason for the fixed look of faith lies in the divine names.” (Maclaren)
-“Our prayer and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends.” (E. Hopkins)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for August 6, 2017
“When ‘The Man’ Is You” Psalm 51:1-17 Bible Study 08/06/17
This morning we will focus on the best known of the seven “penitential” psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). Psalm 51 includes a full confession of sin that is without parallel in any other psalm.
I. Background/Setting
-note the superscription
-confrontation by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:1-15…
-following David’s sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:1-5…
-and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:14-15, 1 Chron. 11:41, 2 Samuel 11:27).
II. Return for Pardon (1-9)
-appropriation of the promise of forgiveness
-appeal to the merciful character of God
-sin: transgression, iniquity, sin
-forgiveness: blot, wash, cleanse
-acknowledgment of ultimate offense
-awareness of infection and urgent petition
III. Restoration of Purity (10-12)
-create and renew
-cast and take not
-restoration of joy and corresponding willingness
IV. Renewal of Purpose (13-17)
-instructional “evangelism”
-the tongue’s testimony of righteousness
-broken-hearted joy: the “eloquence” of brokenness
V. So What?
-When ‘the man’ is you, cling to the character of God as your sole cause for hope.
-Make the connection to Christ: Romans 3:21-26
-“Every sin is cosmic treason, an overthrowing of the One to whom you owe everything.” (T. Keller)
-“He goes safely who goes humbly.” (MacLaren)
-“The number of the psalmist’s sins drives him to contemplate the greater number of God’s mercies.” (MacLaren).
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 30, 2017
“Perpetual Praise” Psalm 146:1-10 Bible Study 07/30/17
This psalm is the first of five psalms of praise which bring the Psalms to a close. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Praise the LORD” (Hallelujah). Fittingly, Psalm 146 and the psalms which follow it express the ultimate outcome for those who trust in the LORD. Their “story” will end in unbroken praise and delight.
I. Commitment to Praise (1-2)
-corporate and individual
-the “ring of resolve”: beyond the mood of the moment
II. Caution about Praise (3-4)
-prohibition: “Put not your trust…”
-understanding of “princes”
-perspective: inability and temporality
-whether revered or reviled: man…earth (Gen. 3:19)
III. Contrast Related to Praise (5-9)
-help…Jacob
-hope…LORD God
-eleven verbs
-five-fold repetition of LORD
-connection to Isa. 61/Luke 4
IV. Continuation of Praise (10)
-how the “story” ends
-not an empty-headed hallelujah
V. So What?
-Because the LORD alone is your sure help and hope, commit yourself to His perpetual praise.
-Let your praise be word-driven rather than mood-driven.
-Avoid the dishonor and devastation of misplaced trust.
-“My days of praise shall ne’er be past, while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality endures.” (Watts)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 23, 2017
Guest Speaker: Dr. Barry McCarty
“Jesus Heals a Woman with a Hemorrhage” – Mark 5:24-34
The incident is book-ended by the healing of the Gerasene demoniac occurring before and Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead afterward.
The woman’s ailment caused her to be unclean under the law, adding further to her misery.
Verses 25-27 contain seven Greek participles, describing the history of her condition.
Obviously, she had heard of Jesus and believed what she had heard. She thought that all she had to do was to just touch the hem of His garment.
In verse 31, the Greek for touch is hapto. The word has migrated into English as haptic, as relating to the employment of touch. And, in the Greek text of Mark, the verb, touch, is in the feminine case, indicating that Jesus knew a woman had touched Him. In fact, Jesus, as God, knew all about it well before the incident occurred.
In verse 34, Jesus informs the woman that it was her faith responsible for her healing; her action of touching Him was merely the evidence of her faith.
The Greek verb, translated as “healed” here, is also translated elsewhere as “saved.”
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 16, 2017
“God Revealed” Psalm 19:1-14 Bible Study 07/16/17
This morning we will turn our attention to Psalm 19 and its poetic and powerful testimony to the reality of God’s revelation. We will be reminded that He has revealed Himself through both the skies and the Scriptures. His revelation of Himself should be a source of preoccupation for us.
I. God’s Revelation through the Skies (1-6)
-declaring and proclaiming glory
-pointers to the living God
-the poetic and the theological (Rom. 1:18-20, Acts 14:14-18; 17:24-30)
-the “gushing” speech of nonverbal communication
-beaming bridegroom and conquering champion
II. God’s Revelation through the Scriptures (7-11)
-use of Hebrew poetic parallelism/repetition
-revelation term, descriptive adjective, distinct impact
-desirability: gold…much gold…much fine gold
-trajectory: reality, life, wisdom, contentment (Deut. 32:46-47)
III. Our Response to God’s Revelation (12-14)
-conviction of sin
-cry for forgiveness
-commitment to holiness: mind and mouth
-rock and redeemer (Heb. 1:1-4)
IV. So What?
-Summary: words of the heavens in our sight, words of God for our instruction, our words in God’s sight (C. Blaising)
-Because God communicates His surpassing worth through His works and words, value Him supremely.
-“Because the Bible is the word of God, it has effects on us that are better than the effects of anything else we can read, study, watch or listen to.” (Piper)
-“Sing them over again to me, Wonderful words of life, Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderful words of life…” (P. Bliss)
