week of 11/1

Unit 27  Session 1

BLIND TO SEEING

John 9:24-27, 35-41

 

Key Concept:

Jesus opens people's eyes to the fact that He is the Messiah, but we can choose to believe it or not.

John's Gospel contains seven " I am" statements in which Jesus assumes the divine name of God found in Exodus 3:14. The second of these appears in John 8:12 and 9:5, where Jesus proclaimed, "I am the light of the world." What comes next is a demonstration of His light breaking into the darkness. Christ's light healed and saved a man born blind while also revealing the blindness of those who refused Him. The conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities intensified as evidence of Jesus' divinity and messiahship grew. 

As you examine John 9:24-27, 35-41:

 

✞   Contemplate that Jesus makes blind people see, both literally and metaphorically.

✞   Recognize that the Pharisees were able to see with their physical eyes but still chose

    to sin in their spiritual blindness by not believing Who Jesus was.

week of 10/25

Unit 26  Session 4

JESUS RESURRECTS

John 11:17-27, 38-44

 

Key Concept:

Jesus has the power to resurrect the dead and give eternal life to those who believe.

The book of John is unique among the four Gospels. John's Gospel highlighted seven signs Jesus performed that pointed to His identity as not only the promised Messiah but God Himself. John also included seven "I am" statements that intentionally connected Jesus' identity to the God Who revealed Himself to Moses as "I AM" at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). In John 11, Jesus performed both a miraculous sign and declared an "I am" statement to show His power over life and death.

As you examine John 11:17-27, 38-44:

 

✞   Notice that Martha understood that Jesus could do whatever He wanted, including

    resurrect her brother.

✞   Affirm that Jesus' desire was for people to believe in Him and His mission. 

week of 10/18

Unit 26  Session 3

JESUS HEALS

Mark 7:24-37

 

Key Concept:

Jesus' willingness to heal all people points to His desire to bring salvation to all people.

In Mark 7, Jesus journeyed to locations most Jews would not step one toe in. The regions of Tyre and Sidon were Gentile territories. The Decapolis too was comprised of ten Greek cities. These places, and the people in them, would have been viewed as unclean and therefore avoided by the Jews. Mark, however, highlighted Jesus' perspective that differed greatly from the traditions of mere humans. Even in this stage of His ministry, Jesus was revealing His fulfillment of the law, and that meant correcting people's understanding of what was clean and unclean.

As you examine Mark 7:24-37:

 

✞   Recognize that while Jesus first came to the Jews, His message and gift of salvation 

    would be for all who believe in Him.

✞   Contemplate that people who encountered Jesus proclaimed all the miracles that He did
    even though Jesus told them not to.

week of 10/11

Unit 26  Session 2

JESUS OVER CREATION

Matthew 14:22-33

 

Key Concept:

Because Jesus can do all things, we don't need to be afraid when following His steps by faith.

Jesus' popularity surged when He miraculously fed over five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Unsurprisingly, the crowds wanted more of Jesus. To experience some much needed silence and solitude in the wake of John the Baptist's death, Jesus dismissed the crowds and retreated to a mountain by Himself after having sent His disciples on a boat across the Sea of Galilee. What happened next led the disciples to fear and then worship Jesus as the Son of God.

As you examine Matthew 14:22-33:

 

✞   Recognize that when trouble arrives, we need not fear because Jesus is with us.

✞   Focus on Jesus as being worthy of your faith and being the source of your 

    salvation from sin and death.

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.

week of 8/16

Unit 24  Session 3

HE FORGIVES SIN

Luke 7:37-39, 41-50

 

Key Concept:

Jesus forgives sinners who come to Him in adoring faith.

Before Jesus entered the Pharisee's home for a meal, He had several interactions with people who showed faith, such as the centurion, and those who did not. He then raised a widow's son from death, and many recognized Jesus as a prophet, but they did not have the spiritual insight to see Him as God. After calling out the faithless generation (Luke 7:31), Jesus taught about forgiveness and love at a Pharisee's home.

As you examine Luke 7:37-39, 41-50:

 

✞   Point out that the woman abandoned all propriety to show Jesus love and reverence.

✞   Reflect upon the fact that when we are graciously forgiven, we love more.

week of 8/9

Unit 24  Session 2

HE RESURRECTS LIFE

Luke 7:11-17

 

Key Concept:

Jesus gives new life because He is compassionate and good.

Luke recorded his account of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Luke 6. After Jesus concluded His teaching, He entered Capernaum and encountered a Gentile centurion who came to Jesus to plead for the healing and life of his servant. This healing Jesus performed from a distance, praising the centurion's faith. He then traveled to a village called Nain, where He encountered a funeral procession. Jesus' compassion for the widowed mother of the deceased young man led Him to perform a miracle on her behalf.

As you examine Luke 7:11-17:

 

✞   Take comfort in the fact that Jesus has power even over death.

✞   Contemplate how Jesus' power to renew life, both spiritually and 
    physically, fits into the good news that we are to share with the world.

week of 8/2

Unit 24  Session 1

HE IS THE MESSIAH

Matthew 11:2-10, 16-19

 

Key Concept:

Jesus' actions and the fruit of His actions prove that He is the Messiah.

John the Baptist was raised up by God as the prophet promised to precede the coming of the Messiah. He was to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord by calling them to repentance and baptizing them as they confessed their sins. He fulfilled this mission as he pointed to Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. But as John's ministry decreased, he was arrested and imprisoned for speaking out against Herod's unlawful marriage. This led to some questions about Jesus' increasing ministry: Was Jesus indeed the Messiah? So John reached out from prison for an answer.

As you examine Matthew 11:2-10, 16-19:

 

✞   Identify the evidence that proves Jesus is the promised Messiah.

✞   Analyze the foolish standards by which people reject Jesus as the Messiah.

week of 7/26

Unit 23  Session 4

LORD OF LOVE

Luke 6:20-23, 27-36

 

Key Concept:

The way of Jesus is humble, sacrificial love that is countercultural.

Jesus did amazing things. He healed the sick, made lame men walk, cleansed lepers, and cast out demons. He called ordinary, untrained, unlikely men to be His closest followers and told them He would use them to change the world. He confronted the religious leaders of the day, exposing their hypocrisy. When Jesus taught, He revealed things about the meaning of life, the hearts of men, and the nature of God that have echoed through history. Luke 6 contains the Beatitudes, some of Jesus' most wonderful, influential, and challenging teachings.

As you examine Luke6:20-23, 27-36:

 

✞   Meditate on Jesus' message that those who are persecuted are blessed.

✞   Recognize that Jesus calls us to love sacrificially, even to love our enemies.

week of 7/19

Unit 23  Session 3

LORD OF THE SABBATH

Matthew 12:1-14

 

Key Concept:

Mercy and goodness outweigh ritual and law.

People didn't know what to do with Jesus. In Matthew 11, even John the Baptist struggled with doubts about Jesus. Jesus lamented an unresponsive generation, yet to those who did accept Him, Jesus gave one of the greatest promises in Scripture: "Come to Me...and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). In Matthew 12, however, we see the religious leaders' misunderstanding of the heart of God. They mistook God's provision of the Sabbath to display God's goodness for the good itself.

As you examine Matthew 12:1-14:

 

✞   Note that the law is a means to an end, not the end itself.

✞   Recognize that Jesus heals and restores because He is merciful and good.

week of 7/12

 Unit 23  Session 2

HEALING AND CALLING

Mark 3:7-19

 

Key Concept:

When Jesus calls, His disciples obey to continue His mission.

Have you ever been in a huge crowd, feeling pressed in by people on every side? That's what Jesus experienced at many points in His public ministry. Everyone wanted in on the miracles, the healing, the blessing. Jesus felt compassion for the broken people seeking help. Yet Jesus had also come for something much bigger. In Mark 3, Jesus had begun His mission of salvation for all nations. To address the present problem of huge crowds and to look to the future after His resurrection, Jesus appointed twelve disciples and began preparing the for a lifetime of ministry.

As you examine Mark 3:7-19:

 

✞   Reflect upon the fact that crowds came to see Jesus for healing, and Jesus showed 

    compassion to them.

✞   Recognize that Jesus chose and equipped disciples to be with Him, to preach, and 

    to reveal His power.

week of 7/5

Unit 23  Session 1

FAITH AND FORGIVENESS

Mark 2:1-12

 

Key Concept:

Jesus has the power to forgive, especially when He sees committed faith.

In his account of the life of Jesus, Mark wasted no time getting to the action. Jesus came on the scene proclaiming that the kingdom of God had come near to God's people through Him, and it was time for people to respond. Jesus immediately began backing up His claim with power, performing miracles. In today's passage, Jesus revealed something deeper about Who He is and what He came to do. Even greater than miraculous healings, Jesus came to do something about humanity's greatest problem - sin.

As you examine Mark 2:1-12:

 

✞   Note that because of the faith demonstrated, Jesus forgave the man who was paralyzed.

✞   Contemplate the significance of Jesus' declaration of forgiveness followed by His miraculous 

    healing of the paralyzed man.

week of 6/28

Unit 22  Session 4

THE LEPER PROCLAIMED

Mark 1:35-45

 

Key Concept:

Jesus' commitment to His mission originated in His compassion for others.

Mark 1 quickly tells us a lot about Jesus' early ministry. Although some of the accounts are not as detailed, Mark's Gospel accurately aligns with the other Gospel accounts. Up to this point in Mark 1, Jesus had been teaching with authority, casting out demons, and miraculously healing the sick, which showed His authority over all things physical and spiritual. After this, Jesus continued His ministry by traveling throughout Galilee, preaching and healing as He went.

As you examine Mark 1:35-45:

 

✞   Note that Jesus' purpose was to preach the Good News.

✞   Recognize that Jesus' compassion on the leper led the man to spread the Good News of Jesus.

week of 6/21

Unit 22  Session 3

THE CROWD AMAZED

Mark 1:21-34

 

Key Concept:

Jesus, as God the Son, has authority over all in the spiritual and physical realms.

Mark the Gospel writer was not one of the twelve apostles, but he based his account on the testimony of the apostle Petr, a close companion of his. Mark succinctly and rapidly reported the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Mark 1 begins with John the Baptist's ministry, Jesus' baptism and temptation, and Jesus' calling the disciples. Jesus was in Capernaum teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath when He encountered a man with an unclean spirit.

As you examine Mark 1:21-34:

 

✞   Recognize that Jesus had authority to drive out unclean spirits.

✞   Emphasize that Jesus' authority over all things included His ability to heal the sick.