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.