Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 28, 2024

Let’s See What Becomes of His Dreams

Genesis 37:1-36

1. The LORD selects Joseph (37:1-11)

• a continuing theme: the blessing of the Lord
• Joseph’s report to his father
• Joseph’s robe from his father
• Joseph’s revelation from God

2. The LORD subjects Joseph (37:12-35)

• favored son and hated brother
• dispatched by his father
• conspired against by his brothers
• Reuben’s intervention
• thrown into a pit (42:21)
• sold into slavery
• the deception of his brothers and his father’s grief

3. The LORD protects Joseph (37:36)

• preserved from death
• sold in Egypt to Potiphar
• imprisoned but later promoted (39:20-21 and 41:44)

4. So What?

• Because the Lord is sovereign and merciful, you can trust him in life’s lows and highs.
• NT commentary and connection to Christ (Acts 7:9-16)
• Remember that the Lord is never a victim of circumstances.
• “The Lord hath promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.” (J. Newton, 1779)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 21, 2024

Endings Are for Beginnings

Genesis 35:1-29

1. Previously

• Jacob wrestles (32:24-32), meets Esau (33:1-7), settles in Shechem (33:18-20), endures Dinah episode (34)
• two themes: completion and correction

2. Jacob’s Compliance (1-8)

• back to Bethel (28:10-22)
• act of purification
• acknowledgement of presence
• example of provision

3. God’s Confirmation (9-15)

• repetition with additions
• enabled by the Almighty
• feasting on the facts

4. Life’s Continuation (16-29)

• Benjamin’s birth and Rachel’s death
• name change noted
• reality-check with Reuben
• death of Isaac

5. So What?

• Because endings represent beginnings in God’s economy, constantly renew your commitment to Him.
• connection to Christ: Rom. 5:8, 11:33-36, 12:1-2
• “Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made…” (Browning)
• Cultivate a preoccupation with God’s goodness. Count your blessings!

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 14, 2024

Walking with a Limp

Genesis 32:24-32

1. Jacob’s Solitude (24a)

• free of Uncle Laban
• headed for a showdown with Esau (32:1-12)
• family and fortune sent before him (32:13-23)
• left alone at night

2. Jacob’s Struggle (24b)

• wrestling match until daybreak
• insight from Hosea 12:2-5

3. Jacob’s Submission (25-32)

• condescending yet conquering authority
• the “severe mercy” of a dislocated hip
• from wrestling to clinging
• confession and transformation: What’s in a name?
• Peniel: the “face of God”
• walking with a limp

4. So What?

• Because the LORD can transform “strong” losers into “weak” winners, reject self-sufficiency and rely on Him.
• How the LORD uses isolation, confrontation and dislocation in our lives:
• “If dependence is the objective, weakness is an advantage.” (Begg)
• Connection to Christ: A “greater” than Jacob (John 4:1-15)
• “Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be. I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand; Imprison me within Thine arms, and strong shall be my hand.” (Matheson)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for April 7, 2024

What Goes around Comes Around

Genesis 29:1-30

1. Providential Encounter (1-14)

• Jacob “lifted up his feet” (28:15)
• from Bethel to a well near Haran
• dialogue with shepherds
• Rachel is coming!
• a flock watered and a woman kissed
• a welcome from Laban
• a biblical parallel and a notable absence (24:11-33)

2. Providential Education (15-30)

• a question about wages
• Leah and Rachel
• seven years for Rachel
• behold, it was Leah!
• Jacob’s question and Laban’s response
• marriage to Rachel and seven more years
• mercy in the middle of the mess

3. So What?

• Because God uses your circumstances to purify you and promote your spiritual health, persevere in His school of continuing education.
• The sovereignty of God is “the strong wood of the tree that keeps our lives from being blown over by the winds of adversity.” (Piper)
• Acknowledge the “law of the harvest.” (Galatians 6:7-10)
• The Lord’s discipline reveals our deficiency and directs us to His sufficiency.
• “And I smiled to think God’s greatness flowed around our incompleteness, round our restlessness, His rest.” (Browning)
• connection to Christ (John 4:1-26)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 31, 2024

Easter Message

Through the Resurrection

1 Peter 1:3-9

1. Background

• a restored Peter writing to a persecuted, predominantly Gentile audience before the outbreak of Neronian persecution

2. Exclamation: an introductory doxology 3a

3. Disposition: magnifying God’s motivation of mercy 3b

4. Causation: born again to a living hope 3c

5. Instrumentation: resurrection of Jesus Christ 3d

6. Specification: living hope as an inheritance 4a

7. Preservation: of inheritance and inheritors 4b-5

8. Celebration: triumph in the midst of trial 6-9

9. So What?

• Because of the resurrection, live now in anticipation of a perfect and unending future.
• How shall we then live? hope, holiness, fear, love (1:13-25)
• “You can shackle God’s people, but their God wears no fetters.” (P. Ross)
• “Let no one caught in sin remain inside the lie of guilt and shame. We fix our eyes upon the cross and run to Him who showed great love and bled for us. Freely You’ve bled for us. Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death. Come awake, come awake. Come and rise up from the grave…No scheme of hell, no scoffer’s crown, no burden great can hold You down. In strength You reign forever let Your church proclaim…” (“Christ is Risen,” Maher and Fieldes)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 24, 2024

A Deceiver’s Dream and the Lord’s Faithfulness

Genesis 28:10-22

1. Providential Reorientation (10-11)

• Beersheba to Haran
• certain “place”
• contrasts
• strategically situated

2. Personal Revelation (12-15)

• Jacob’s dream: stairway, angels, LORD
• LORD’S message: promise, presence, protection

3. Prescriptive Response (16-22)

• expression for the sake of impression
• fear and awe
• house and gate
• word-driven worship

4. So What?

• Because the LORD reveals Himself as faithful, sinful wanderers can be transformed into serious worshipers.
• Relish the grace of the God of Jacob.
• Savor Scripture and saturate yourself in its promises.
• “…Angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love…” (Crosby, “Blessed Assurance”)
• connection to Christ (John 1:45-51)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 17, 2024

A Dysfunctional Family and Divine Faithfulness

Genesis 27:1-46

1. Isaac’s Defiance (1-4)

• his condition and his request
• his intention to bless Esau
• bless: extension of covenant relationship
• defiance of a previous directive (25:23)

2. Rebekah’s Disregard (5-17)

• her listening
• her understanding of the LORD’S promise
• her scheming and vowing

3. Jacob’s Deception (18-29)

• claims to be Esau
• lies about food
• receives blessing
• true to his name

4. Esau’s Despair (30-46)

• dialogue with a trembling father (Isa. 66:2)
• conspiracy unraveled (Heb. 11:20)
• his grief
• his murderous intent and his mother’s intervention
• future consequences

5. So What?

• Because the LORD blesses undeserving and unlikely people in unusual ways, live in awe of His mercy and grace.
• Setting aside God’s will for your will only leads to turmoil.
• Trust God to work in His own time and in His own way.
• Manipulative measures achieve only apparent and temporary success.
• Praise the LORD for a Savior! (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 4:1-2)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 10, 2024

Inconspicuous Providence

Genesis 24

1. Abraham Commissions His Servant 1-9

• a relational relay
• a recognized relationship

2. The Servant Seeks God’s Guidance 10-27

• an expedition bathed in prayer
• making work effective not unnecessary

3. The Servant Testifies to God’s Faithfulness 28-60

• response of humility
• response of immediacy
• repetition of “steadfast love”

4. Isaac Takes a Wife 61-67

• and he loved her

5. So What?

• Because the LORD providentially governs your life for your good and His glory, faithfully follow Him in your present circumstances.
• Divine initiative and human responsibility are both biblical.
• Rebekah and the bride of Christ
• Acknowledge the Chief Actor and water the camels!
• “All the way my Savior leads me, cheers each winding path I tread, gives me grace for every trial, feeds me with the living bread…” (Crosby, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for March 3, 2024

God Will Provide…

Genesis 22:1-24

1. View the Crisis from God’s Perspective 1-2

• “…After these things…”
• character of the test and conditions preceding it
• specific command

2. Observe Abraham’s Compliance 3-5

• immediate, intimate and intensive

3. Observe Abraham’s Confidence 6-10

• astounding
• accounting: Heb. 11:17-19
• expressing: v.8- “…God will provide for Himself…”
• a built altar and a bound Isaac

4. Consider the LORD’S Response (11-24)

• “…for now I know…”
• don’t miss the repetition
• The LORD “will see…”
• affirmation of promises
• provision of a substitute and a wife

5. So What?

• Because the LORD provides, comply with His commands.
• “At the heart of God’s program of blessing is sacrifice, and although that may seem the way of failure, in God’s marvelous dealings it is the way of victory.” (A. Ross)
• Make the connection to the cross (Rom. 8:32).
• “No strength of our own and no goodness we claim; yet, since we have known of the Savior’s great name, in this our strong tower for safety we hide: the Lord is our power, ‘The Lord will provide.’” (J. Newton, “The Lord Will Provide”)

Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for February 25, 2024

The Answer Is ‘Yes’

Genesis 18:16-33

1. Background/Context

• theme of justice connected to preceding narrative
• justice validated through Abraham’s intercession

2. The LORD Addresses Abraham 16-21

• a sovereign soliloquy and its rationale
• announcement of the investigation of Sodom
• defining righteousness and justice

3. The LORD Responds to Abraham’s Appeal 22-33

• Abraham’s appeal for justice
• Abraham’s humble, persistent and targeted intercession
• assurance of mercy in the midst of judgment

4. The Aftermath

• Lot rescued (19:1-22; 2 Pet. 2:7), Sodom destroyed (19:23-28), Abraham remembered (19:2)

5. So What?

• Because the LORD’S mercy flows even in judgment, recognize His righteousness and rejoice in His revelation.
• See the destruction of Sodom as a warning of the certainty of God’s ultimate judgment (Luke 17:28-30; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7).
• “There is no refuge from God, only in God.” (D. Kidner)
• connection to NT and Christ: Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 1:3; Psa. 24:3
• conform…convey…cry (Hab. 3:2)
• “Your mercy flows upon us like a river. Your mercy stands unshakable and true. Most holy God, of all good things the Giver, we turn and lift our fervent prayer to you. Hear our cry, O Lord, be merciful once more. Let your love, your anger stem; remember mercy, O Lord, again.” (W. Sutton, “Your Mercy Flows”)