week of 10/4

Unit 26  Session 1

JESUS PROVIDES

Matthew 14:13-21

 

Key Concept:

Jesus is always able to provide for His people beyond what is needed.

Each Gospel writer told the story of Jesus, but the Holy Spirit inspired them to put their own unique emphasis on it. Mark focused on the action. Luke focused on detailed, eyewitness accounts. Matthew narrated Jesus' life by alternating between a specific event and teaching. Matthew 14 begins with John the Baptist's disciples informing Jesus of his execution at the command of King Herod. Jesus then withdrew to a desolate place, presumably to grieve, but the crowds followed Him. Instead of frustration, Jesus responded with compassion, and the people witnessed His power to provide.

As you examine Matthew 14:13-21:

 

✞   Take comfort that Jesus' compassion and love motivate His actions.

✞   Give Jesus glory because He is "able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think 

    according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).

week of 9/27

Unit 25  Session 4

POWER OF HEALING

Luke 8:41-56

 

Key Concept:

Faith assures us that Jesus, as God, has the power to heal and resurrect.

Jesus and His disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee to the predominantly Gentile region of the Gerasenes. After Jesus cast demons from a man into a herd of pigs, the people there asked Him to leave. Jesus and the disciples then returned to the Galilean side of the lake, where a crowd awaited His return. The crushing crowd's needs and expectations heightened the urgency of the moment as two people captured Jesus' attention. One was a respected leader of the local synagogue and the other was a woman who was ceremonially unclean - yet their stories intersected when they met Jesus.

As you examine Luke 8:41-56:

 

✞   Notice that the woman had faith that she would be healed by just touching Jesus' 

    clothes.

✞   Contemplate that even in times of hopelessness, hope prevails through Christ.

week of 9/20

Unit 25  Session 3

POWER OVER NATURE

Mark 4:35-41

 

Key Concept:

We can have faith in Jesus because He is God, sovereign over all things, including nature.

Jesus taught in parables to a large crowd of people by the Sea of Galilee. Using the natural amphitheater-like acoustics of the lake, He sat on a boat near the shore while the crowd listened. That evening, Jesus decided that He and His disciples should cross to the other side of the sea in the boat, taking time to rest after a long day with the crowds. A powerful storm broke through the calm night, however, testing the disciples' faith in Jesus. Who indeed was this Man Whom they had left everything to follow?

As you examine Mark 4:35-41:

 

✞   Take comfort that Jesus knows everything and is never surprised or anxious.

✞   Recognize that Jesus, being God, is sovereign over all things, including nature.

week of 9/13

Unit 25  Session 2

POWER OF THE KINGDOM

Mark 4:21-34

 

Key Concept:

The kingdom of God may start small but will be revealed and grow in power.

After Jesus taught and explained to His disciples the parable of the sower and the importance of letting the Gospel sink deep roots into our lives, Jesus delivered short parables about the kingdom of God. He again emphasized the importance of truly listening to His words and living out their powerful implications in the world. Jesus knew His kingdom would start off small in this world, but it would also grow and cover the whole earth.

As you examine Mark 4:21-34:

 

✞   Reflect on the truth that God's kingdom grows in this world in God's power and timing, 

    not ours.

✞   Contemplate that Jesus' ministry started small but would usher in a worldwide kingdom 

    for His glory and purposes.

week of 9/6

Unit 25  Session 1

POWER OF GOD'S WORD

Luke 8:4-15

 

Key Concept:

Jesus taught the importance of receiving the Word and producing fruit from doing so.

Jesus traveled from town to town preaching the good news of the kingdom with His disciples. Jesus' preaching ministry was both the context and the subject of His parable of the sower. As Jesus traveled, He indiscriminately spread the seeds of the Gospel far and wide. The Gospels record a diversity of responses to Jesus' teaching: rejection, doubt, fear, joy, sadness, anger, and belief. In the parable of the sower, Jesus classified people's responses into four general categories as He illustrated the power of the Word and the danger of rejecting it.

As you examine Luke 8:4-15:

 

✞   Discover why Jesus taught in parables: to expose who truly was seeking truth.

✞   Recognize that we are transformed and bear fruit when we hear and trust the Gospel.

week of 8/30

Unit 24  Session 5

HE TEACHES ON WORRY

Luke 12:22-34

 

Key Concept:

We need not worry because God takes care of us and provides for our needs.

After teaching His disciples about prayer, which included a request to God for daily bread, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their pride, hypocrisy, persecution, and greed. He then was drawn into a conversation on money by a man who had an issue with his brother over their family inheritance. In response, Jesus taught a parable that warned against storing up treasure for yourself here on earth and not being "rich toward God" (12:21). He then added to this conclusion for His disciples, cautioning them not to worry about their needs in life but to entrust them to God while seeking His kingdom.

As you examine Luke 12:22-34:

 

✞   Identify the reasons Jesus commanded us not to worry about our daily needs.

✞   Reflect on the fact that as kingdom people, we invest in eternal treasures.

week of 8/23

Unit 24  Session 4

HE TEACHES ON PRAYER

Luke 11:1-13

 

Key Concept:

Jesus teaches us how to pray because He wants to give us good gifts.

Having called twelve disciples to follow Him, Jesus trained these men in His ways. He performed miracles in their presence, taught crowds in their hearing, and explained His parables to them while leaving others pondering their meaning. Jesus even empowered His disciples and some others to cast out demons and to heal the sick as He sent them out to prepare His way. The disciples enjoyed their success in the field, but after returning to Jesus, they asked Him for one thing - to teach them how to pray.

As you examine Luke 11:1-13:

 

✞   Recognize that we should pray for God's kingdom, true needs, forgiveness, and       

    protection against temptation.

✞   Rejoice that when we ask God for good gifts of the kingdom according to His will, 

    He will gladly give them to us.