Observe the Word

John 12 The Hour of Glory has Come

In John 12 Jesus declares "the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. This is the conclusion to the first part of the Gospel, chapters 2-12, which we have titled The Word Among Us and, at the same time, the introduction to the second part of the Gospel, chapters 13-20, which we have titled The Hour of His Glory. 

John 11 I am the Resurrection and the Life

In John 11 Jesus provides a sign that points directly to himself as the Resurrection and the Life. He raises Lazarus from the dead to affirm the truth that life in this world is experienced through walking with him and life in the next becomes a reality through believing in him.

John 10 True Leadership and Valid Witnesses

In John 10 Jesus follows up the sign of healing the blind man with teaching about himself as the Door of the Sheep and the Good Shepherd. This lesson ends the second major section of the Gospel, chapters 5-10.

John 9 The Light of the World and the Blindness of Men

In John 9 Jesus again declares, "I am the light of the world!" Paired to this declaration, he gives us a sign and concludes with these words, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see,' your sin remains."

John 8:12-59 The Feast of Booths and the Light of the World

In John 8:12-59 we continue the dialogue between Jesus and the Jewish crowd at the Feast of Booths as Jesus shines light on his own nature and theirs.

John 8:1-11 Text Criticism and A Passage in Search of a Home

In John 7:53-8:11 we consider a known but rarely talked about issue with a cherished passage that does not seem to belong where it is located. The problem of this story will give us an opportunity to introduce the important study of identifying the original words of Scripture.

John 7 The Feast of Booths and Living Water

In John 7 we consider the symbolism of the Jewish Feasts in the Gospel and specifically the symbolism of the Feast of Booths as it applies to Jesus' teaching in the temple, the debate of the people and the response of the leaders.

John 6:52-71 Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood

In John 6:52-71 we consider the second part of Jesus' dialogue with the crowd centered on his declaration, "I am the bread of life." Jesus offends the crowd and many disciples depart. What is Jesus doing? What do his words mean?

John 6.1-51 I am the Bread of Life

In John 6:1-51, Jesus performs an astonishing sign, but the masses following him resist what he offers them, insisting instead that he give them what they want. This raises a key question of faith. What do you want from Jesus?

John 5:31-47 Equality with God and Valid Witnesses

In John 5:31-47, Jesus calls four witnesses to support his claim of equality with God.

John 5.1-30 Healing of the Lame Man and Equality with God

In John 5:1-30, we listen to Jesus' speech after the healing of a lame man and ask, "Is Jesus really claiming to be equal with God in power and authority? And if so, what does that mean about the nature of God?"

John 4.43-54 Healing the Nobleman's Son

In John 4:43-54, Jesus is received without being received just as in chapter 2 many had believed without believing. The harvest field does not appear to be as white in Galilee as it was in Samaria. Still, the nobleman and his household indicate there are some in Galilee who truly believe.

John 4.27-42 Conversation with a Samaritan, part 2

In John 4:27-42, we consider the effect of Jesus' gospel conversation on the Samaritan woman, the disciples and the Samaritan villagers.

John 4.1-26 Conversation with a Samaritan, part 1

In John 4:1-26, we listen in and learn from Jesus Christ principles for sharing the good news.

John 3.22-36 Witness of John the Baptist

In John 3:22-36, we reconsider symmetry in the structure of John. We also focus in on the center of chapters 2-4, the second testimony from John the Baptist, and apply that testimony as a heart check to our own service for God.

John 3.1-21 Conversation with Nicodemus

In John 3:1-21, an influential, religious leader comes to Jesus at night, and though he has everything going for him, he cannot see the light Jesus reveals. But maybe we can.

John 2:13-25 Multitude at the Passover

In John 2:13-25, Jesus clears out the temple revealing truth about himself and motivating three different responses from Jewish leaders, his disciples, and people in the crowd.

John 2:1-12 Water to Wine

In John 2:1-12, we begin part 1 section 1 Jesus Revealed with the first sign which was performed at a wedding in Cana. We consider both the big obvious lettering on the sign and also the smaller, easier to miss lettering.

John 1:19-51 Introduction

In John 1:19-51, we start by considering the overall structure of day before moving on to the four days of witness described in this introduction to the narrative.

John 1:1-18 Prologue

In John 1:1-18, we follow the chiastic structure of John's prologue to consider the major themes that will play out in his gospel, regarding the nature of Jesus, the nature of faith, and the nature of discipleship.

P29 Deuteronomy 12-26 King Priest Prophet

In the twenty-ninth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we complete our series, considering three aspects of deuteronomic law code with an emphasis on the laws for leadership found at the center of the book, the laws of king, priest, and prophet.

P28 Deuteronomy 27-30 Listen and Love and Live

In the twenty-eighth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we examine the relationship between covenant obedience, covenant blessing, and covenant curse in the theological exhortation chapters of Deuteronomy 27-30 with a focus on the call to listen, love, and live.

P27 Deuteronomy 5.1-16 Ten Commandments - Love God

In the twenty-seventh lesson of the Pentateuch series, we continue to follow Jesus' lead in the Sermon on the Mount as a guide for understanding the Ten Commandments as a moral paradigm for the whole law. Our focus in this lesson is on the first half of the Ten Commandments with a focus on loving God.

P26 Deuteronomy 5.17-21 Ten Commandments - Love people

In the twenty-sixth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we follow Jesus' lead in the Sermon on the Mount as a guide for understanding the Ten Commandments as a moral paradigm for the whole law. Our focus in this lesson is on the second half of the Ten Commandments.

P25 Deuteronomy 4-11 Listen and Love

In the twenty-fifth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we consider the chiastic structure of the first theological exhortation section of Deuteronomy, chapters 4-11, and also consider the themes of exclusive faithfulness, self-awareness, and right motives in relation to the overarching theme of covenant obedience.

P24 Deuteronomy Form and Structure

In the twenty-fourth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we get a handle on the overall structure of Deuteronomy by considering how style, form, and structure are developed through the three literary devices of discourse by Moses, suzerain-vassal treaty, and chiastic parallelism.

P23 ANE Parallels

In the twenty-third lesson of the Pentateuch series, we pause between the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy to consider the issue of biblical parallels with Ancient Near Eastern texts, such as the flood story from the Gilgamesh Epic and the creation narrative from Enuma Elish. How do we explain parallel accounts of events, ideas, and rituals that occur outside the Bible?

P22 Numbers 22-25 Balaam Blesses Israel

In the twenty-second lesson of the Pentateuch series, we make the transition from the Grumbling Generation to the Second Generation with a concentrated look at the intriguing story of Balaam Blessing Israel, better known as Balaam and the donkey.

P21 Numbers 15-21 Moses Strikes the Rock

In the twenty-first lesson of the Pentateuch series, we consider the second set of four incidents of grumbling during the Israelite's 40 years of wandering with a focus on Moses striking the rock and why God responded with such harsh punishment.

P20 Numbers 11-14 Israel Grumbles in the Wilderness

In the twentieth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we consider the grumbling of Israel through the middle section of Numbers and note principles of leadership modeled by Moses as he leads this contentious people.

P19 Numbers 1-10 Preparing to Leave Sinai

In the nineteenth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we overview the book of Numbers and consider several legal passages in the Torah that seem to degrade women, beginning with the adultery test in Numbers 5.

P18 Leviticus 16-17 Day of Atonement

In the eighteenth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we focus in on the Day of Atonement, the central point to the book of Leviticus.

P17 Leviticus 18-20 Moral Purity

In the seventeenth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we address the moral purity code of Leviticus considering the low bar of law as a code to govern civil society and the high bar of law as a call to moral perfection.

P16 Leviticus 11-15 Ceremonial Purity

In the sixteenth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we address the ceremonial purity code categorizing the requirements, defining the meaning and function of the code, and asking, "Does any of this apply to me as a Christian?"

P15 Leviticus 8-10, 21-22 Priesthood

In the fifteenth lesson of the Pentateuch series we consider the priesthood sections of Leviticus and also consider the difficulty of three narrative passages describing God’s severe execution of the death penalty.

P14 Leviticus 1-7, 23-27 Ritual

In the fourteenth lesson of the Pentateuch series we begin the study of Leviticus as a challenge to be set apart as holy for God as members of his covenant community.

P13 Exodus 35-40 God Indwells the Tabernacle

In the thirteenth lesson of the Pentateuch series we consider the renewal of covenant with Israel after the sin of the golden calf, the symbolism of the tabernacle, and the incredible reality of God indwelling the tabernacle.

P12 Exodus 25-34 Rebellion in the Camp

In the twelfth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we come to the true climax of the book. The most insidious enemy resides within. God intends to dwell with his people, but while Moses is away Israel rebels, re-imagining the Lord as a golden calf.

P11 Exodus 19-24 God Cuts Covenant

In the eleventh lesson of the Pentateuch series, we consider how God established covenant with Israel, looking closely at Moses' role as covenant mediator, the form of the covenant as a suzerain-vassal treaty, and the ratification of the covenant by blood and oath.

P10 Exodus 5-18 God Redeems Israel

In the tenth lesson of the Pentateuch series, God destroys the gods of Egypt, making his name known to the nations and redeeming the nation Israel out of bondage but not without cost.

P9 Exodus 1-4 Moses' Backstory

In the ninth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we move from Genesis our Kingdom Prologue to Exodus where Kingdom will be established. We focus in this lesson on the origin story and call of Moses.

P8 ANE Background Studies

In the eighth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we pause between Genesis and Exodus for one lesson to consider how ancient near eastern literature supports the unity and historicity of the biblical text while also providing insights into better interpretation.

P7 Genesis 36-50 Joseph and Judah

In the seventh lesson of the Pentateuch series, we consider God's sovereign faithfulness to his covenant promise and how Joseph steps up as a positive participant in God's plan.

P6 Genesis 23-35 Isaac and Jacob

In the sixth lesson of the Pentateuch series, we consider covenant renewal made with Isaac and with Jacob, giving focus to Jacob's struggle through life as the son of believing parents who wrestles with God, grasping for blessing but unable to trust.

P5 Genesis 16-22 Abraham 2

In the fifth lesson of our Pentateuch series, we consider Abraham as a model of faith and focus in on the second two essential covenant events in his life: the covenant sign in Genesis 17 and the covenant test in Genesis 22.

P4 Genesis 12-15 Abraham 1

In the fourth lesson of our Pentateuch series, we consider two out of four essential covenant events in Abraham's life: the promise made in Genesis 12:1-3 and the covenant cut in Genesis 15:1-21.

P3 Genesis 3-11 Fall Flood Nations

In the third lesson of our Pentateuch series, we consider closely the temptation and judgment of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and then step back to take a broad look at the effects of sin on all humanity described in Genesis 4-11.

P2 Genesis 2 Creation part 2

In the second lesson of our Pentateuch series, we continue to follow the creation story as Moses focuses in on Adam and Eve and what he teaches us about work, covenant, intimacy, and gender.

P1 Genesis 1 Creation part 1

We are starting a new survey study of the Pentateuch with an emphasis on Grace in the Law. We plan to average 6 lessons for each of the first 5 books of the Bible. This first lesson provides an introduction to the series and begins with the creation story of Genesis 1, considering the three questions: (1) Who is God? (2) Who are we? (3) And what's our mission?

Romans 16:25-27 Conclusion 3 Final words

In Romans 16:25-27, Paul closes out his presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a packed benediction in which he reminds us of the letter's purpose, topic, antecedent, scope and goal.