New Testament

I. Profile Of A Spiritual Hypocrite A. What Is A Spiritual Hypocrite? 16:3; Luke 12:1 1. Hypocrite- an actor, a stage player, one who wears a mask, conceals true identity 2. Spiritual hypocrites pretend to want the truth 16:1 a. “They came testing Him”- their...

I. Who Is Jesus? A. Jesus Called Himself The Son Of Man V. 13 1. Jesus is not having an identity crisis; He knows who He is 2. He wants these men to search their hearts & come to their own conclusion 3. They had been with Him a long time, they had heard Him teach,...

I. The Invitation To Follow Jesus V. 24a A. Jesus Frequently Invited People To Follow Him 1. More than follow in a physical, philosophical, ethical sense. 2. Jesus invited people to commit their lives to Him B. The Invitations & Blessings Of Following Jesus 1....

Matt 16:24-26 (NKJV) 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26...

I. Their History With Jesus A. The Teaching Of Jesus 1. Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5-7 2. Teaching on fasting Matthew 9 3. Teaching re. Sabbath Matthew 9 4. Parable of the Sower Matthew 13 5. The 6 kingdom parables Matthew 13 B. The Miracles Of Jesus Matthew 8-15 1....

I. On The Mountain Top & Down The Hill A. On The Mountain Top 1. They had been on the Mt. with Jesus, & had seen Him transfigured 2. They had seen Moses & Elijah appear w/Jesus, speaking of His upcoming death 3. Peter had suggested that they build three tabernacles,...

I. The Temple Tax A. It’s Origin & Purpose Exodus 30:11-16 1. Intended as a ransom for their souls Ex. 30:12a a. A recognition of the debt owed to God for when He delivered the people from Egypt, & His gracious covering (ransom, kopher ) of their sin & guilt b. Not a...

I. The World’s Path To Greatness A. The Disciples 1. Peter, James & John had just seen Jesus transfigured in glory 2. Jesus had just told the 12 about his coming betrayal and death (Matt. 17:22, 23) 3. In spite of what they had recently seen & heard, they quickly...

I. The Process Of “Gaining Back Your Brother” V. 15 A. “If your brother sins against you…” 1. Brother- The context dictates that it is one Christian sinning against another 2. “Sins”-to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken, to do or go wrong, to wander 3. “Against you”-...

I. Deciding When To Confront An Offender A. “Coverable” Sins 1. 1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover (hide, veil) a multitude of sins.” 2. Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory...

I. Jesus’ Teaching Regarding Forgiveness A. Forgiveness Is Commanded V. 21-35 B. Forgiveness Is Reasonable 1. Man wants to limit forgiveness to other men V. 21 a. The rabbis taught that you should forgive up to three times b. Perhaps Peter thought himself super...

I. Receive Little Children 18:5 A. What Does It Mean To Receive? 1. To receive or grant access to, to not to refuse friendship 2. To receive into one's family 3. To receive favorably, give ear to, embrace, make one's own, approve, not to reject B. “In My Name” 1. The...

I. These Men Had Hard Hearts A. Hard Hearts Regarding Jesus V. 3a 1. Testing Him- tempting (KJV) a. To try, make trial of, test: for the purpose of ascertaining what he thinks b. In a bad sense, testing one maliciously, to prove his feelings or judgments 2. Their...

Matt 19:13-15 (NKJV) 13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 15 And...

I. Asking About Eternal Life Vs. 16, 17 A. It’s Deeper Than You Think 1. It was commendable that this young man asked this question 2. He came running and knelt down. Earnestness & humility (Mark 10:17) 3. He came thinking that the solution wasn’t far from his...

I. Rewards For Followers Of Jesus A. Peter’s Concern V. 27 1. Peter witnessed the conversation between Jesus & the rich, young ruler 2. He heard Jesus’ challenge him to leave worldly loves, & follow Christ 3. He heard Jesus’ offer of eternal life to this young...

I. Herod A. Personal History 1. Herod the King- An “Edomite”, who married into the Jewish race. 2. Edomites: not pure Jews; descendants of Esau; somewhat Jewish re. religion 3. Was given the title “King of the Jews” by Caesar Augustus. 4. Small man/big ego: 4’4” tall...

Regarding the kingdom of God, it has been said… “The way up is down”. To be accurate, the way up is obedience to Jesus, and having a servant’s heart towards all. Some may try to live the lowly life by their own power. Self-directed lowliness is not what Jesus is...

I. Their Needs And Ours A. Physical Blindness And More 1. Physical healing- obviously, he had a tremendous need to be able to see 2. Situational healing- what were their lives like b/c of blindness? a. Broken family and friendships? Hardships on families, etc. b. Lost...

I. Jesus Presents Himself As King Vs. 1-4 A. Jesus Takes Deliberate Steps To Fulfill Scripture 1. When they drew near- Jesus acts in anticipation of His entrance into Jerusalem a. Bethphage/Mt. of Olives is just across the Kidron Valley b. There are about 2 million...

Prior to this moment, the crowds had tried, by force, to make Jesus king. John 6:15 The people had been amazed at his miracle of multiplying the loaves and the fish, and feeding 5000 plus people. But the moment for Jesus’ revealing of Himself as King was not yet come....

I. What This Teaching Isn’t About A. It’s Not About Having A Fruitful Life 1. Christians are to be “fruitful”; called branches in the vine John 15:1-10 a. What’s similar in these passages? i. Both the fig tree and Christians are called to “bear fruit” ii. Jesus...

I. The Components Of The Promise A. To Whom The Promise Was Made-Disciples Luke 14:25-27 1. Jesus is not making this promise to people who will pray selfishly or godlessly 2. This promise is for those who make Jesus the priority of their life B. Faith & Believing...

I. Don’t Resist Questioners V. 23 A. Jesus Received Them 1. He did not tell these men to go away 2. Jesus received many questioners during His ministry a. Rich young ruler b. Nicodemus c. Samaritan woman at the well 3. He taught them, guided them into self...

Regarding parables: 1. Parables are an earthly story which illustrate a heavenly truth 2. Don’t try to establish doctrine based upon every aspect of a parable 3. Understand that a parable is designed to make one or two main points 4. It is difficult to explain every...

What must happen in order for someone to willingly render one’s life to another? 1. The understanding that we don’t belong to ourselves 2. The understanding that we belong to someone else I. Those Opposed To Jesus (Unwilling To Render Themselves To God) A. Desire To...

I. Jesus Answers The Liberal Theologians A. The Sadducees V. 23 1. The Sadducees were formed during the intertestamental period 2. They were equivalent of modern day liberal theologians, i.e., The Jesus Seminar 3. Didn’t believe in the supernatural, angels, miracles,...

I. General Description Of Scribes & Pharisees A. Hypocrites Vs. 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29 1. Hypocrite- an actor or pretender; one who wants to conceal their real feeling/motives. Maybe insecurity, pride, selfishness, desire for approval, etc. 2. Not someone who...

These verses are often seen as a series of 8 “woes” Perhaps we might consider the 1st “woe” as the overall description of what these men were doing The next 7 woes are descriptions of their evil actions & attitudes in closing the door to Heaven I. Shutting The Kingdom...

I. Shutting The Kingdom Of Heaven V. 13 A. Fault Of Jewish Leaders- Obstructing Entrance God’s Kingdom B Christians Are To Open The Kingdom Of Heaven Unto Others Turn to Matthew 28:16-20 II. How They Shut The Kingdom Of Heaven A. They Exploited Vulnerable People To...

Setting the stage… Realize the disciples’ mindset as they asked these questions. What was their world like, and what were their expectations? Understand what their line of thinking was, and how they asked erroneously re. the future. They misunderstood the near and far...

I. The Setting (Review) A. The Disciples’ Expectations 1. The O.T. scriptures spoke of a coming Messiah, as Savior for God’s people 2. They expected the Messiah to be a ruling political king. 3. Matthew 20:17-23 Disciples hoped for places of power in the coming...

The Age In Which We Live Review- These verses have a dual and overlapping application. Compare with Luke 21:8-24 They speak of aspects of the conditions in Jerusalem prior to its destruction. They also speak of the centuries that have followed, right up to this...

The Age In Which We Live I. The Events Before The End V. 14- Jesus said that the following events would take place, and then the end would come. NOTE- These events happened in the lives of those 1st century disciples and have happened in the lives of Christians ever...

I. The Last 20 Centuries A. Many Have Claimed To Be Jesus John Lennon- In 1966, Beatle John Lennon announced, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. . . . We're more popular than Jesus now." But few people know what was going on inside John Lennon's mind at...

A Brief Chronology 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 The Rapture of the church, any time. Jesus coming for His church. Daniel 9:24-27 The Anti-Christ makes a 7 yr. covenant w/Israel. Many believe a peace treaty, which is a current goal of many in the Middle East and around the...

I. An Apparent Contradiction Regarding Jesus’ Return A. The Desolation Of Abomination: A Time To Count The Days 1. Matthew 24:15 Jesus spoke of an event spoken about by the prophet Daniel 2. Jesus said that the Jews in Judea who see this event need to escape for their...

I. An Apparent Contradiction Regarding Jesus’ Return A. The Desolation Of Abomination: A Time To Count The Days 1. Matthew 24:15 Jesus spoke of an event spoken about by the prophet Daniel 2. Jesus said that the Jews in Judea who see this event need to escape for their...

I. The Parable Of The Servants- Being Found Faithful A. The Faithful & Wise Servant 1. Ruler over a household- Fulfills his responsibility from God 2. Give them food in due season- responsible to care for others 3. Great blessing comes when the master returns...

I. The Master & His Servants Vs. 14. 15 A. The “Traveling” Master 1. Remember the context- the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Master in the story. 2. He has gone to a far away country, (Heaven), but will return for His servants John 14:2, 3 2In My Father’s...

Jesus is hours away from being tortured and crucified. The crowds are about to turn against Him, & in a few hours He will not look like a King of Glory. But Jesus sees beyond the cross and the tomb. He sees beyond the centuries of wars, plagues, and people denying...

Introduction- Verses 1 & 2 Vs. 1- “All these sayings”- Everything that Jesus has just taught them in Chapters 24, & 25. Vs. 2- Only 2 days until He dies. The nearness of the cross begins to divide people’s heart even more. 1. The approach towards the cross...

26:1  Jesus has just taught them aspects of the Kingdom. Part of those teachings included that the Bridegroom (Jesus) would be delayed, and that they needed to be ready for His arrival. Those teachings included the idea of a man traveling to a far country who be gone,...

I. Incidental Facts Vs. 17, 18 1. The disciples who prepared the Passover meal were Peter & John. (Luke 22:8) 2. The Jewish day began at sundown. 3. Jesus ate the Passover meal the same day He was killed. He was that Passover Lamb. 4. Certain man- Man carrying...

I. The Setting A. The Garden V. 36 1. After the Passover Meal… a. Luke 22:39 “Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed” b. He had spent His nights there that week (Luke 21:37); He refused to alter this routine, though He knew it meant that Judas would...

26:47, 48 The Greek language indicates an embrace and a kiss. Much more than the kiss that was a customary greeting. Literally- Tenderly kissed him over and over. This was a seemingly more impassioned display of love. What was Judas feeling? Deep seated hatred? Were...

27:11 When Jesus was tried by the religious rulers, they found Him guilty of blasphemy. (Matt. 26:63-65) According to their laws, Jesus deserved to die. The Jews did not have legal authority to carry out the death sentence. They had to present Jesus to Pilate as one...

I. Judas’ Understanding Of Jesus A. V. 4- “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” 1. Judas saw that Jesus was innocent. 2. If anyone could have put “real” blame on Jesus, it would have been one of the 12. a. They were with Him constantly for 3 ½ years. b. They...

I. God Desires To Reveal Jesus A. They Had A Wrong Idea About Jesus V. 1 1. They thought He was still dead. They had seen Him die. Understandable. 2. They had come to anoint His dead body (see other scriptures) a. Mark 16:1 1Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary...

I. The Great Commission A. Commanded By Jesus V. 18 1. All authority- Jesus has all authority, and He has told us to do this. 2. We may convince ourselves that this is not important. 3. Others may tell us we shouldn’t do this. People, demonic spirits, etc. B. Speak Of...

I. God’s Call To Man V. 1 A. John Came Preaching 1. “In those days…” Jesus is now about 30 years old 2. God is always the Initiator with man a. God the Father - John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him...

John did not want to baptize Jesus. John knew that Jesus had no need of a baptism unto repentance, for Jesus was without sin. John knew that he needed to be baptized by Jesus. Jesus did not deny that John needed to be baptized by Him, but 1st His baptism must happen....

Review 1 John 2:15-17 Temptations Regarding The Body Vs. 1-4 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he...

I. General Observations A. Temptation 1. Tempted- peirazō; pi-rad'-zo To test, to scrutinize, assay, examine, to prove, to try. 2. Root word- peira; pi'-rah. To test through the idea of piercing. 3. Thayer’s- to test: to ascertain what one thinks, or how he will...

I. Their Condition A. Living In Galilee Among Ungodly People 1. Also called “Galilee of the nations” 2. Inhabited by Egyptians, Arabians, Phoenicians 3. Region of Galilee- 204 villages with no less than 15,000 people in each 4. A highly populated area, but populated...

I. General Observations A. Areas Of Temptation For Mankind 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and...

I. General Observations A. Temptation 1. Tempted- peirazō; pi-rad'-zo To test, to scrutinize, assay, examine, to prove, to try. 2. Root word- peira; pi'-rah. To test through the idea of piercing. 3. To be tempted doesn’t mean that one is sinning. a. Jesus was...

The 1st three beatitudes speak of man’s spiritual need, and how the realization of those spiritual needs drives a man to God. The 4th beatitude speaks of man crying out to God b/c of his spiritual need, and that God fills that man, first with Himself, and then with...

1And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. This message was to the disciples of Jesus, not to the multitudes. The Declaration of the Kingdom. The nature and the aspirations of the citizens of that Kingdom....

Persecution- to make to run or flee, to pursue (in a hostile manner), in any way whatever to harass, trouble, to be mistreated on account of something (because of a commitment to Jesus) I. Righteous Living Will Bring Persecution A. Jesus 1. Predicted it John 15:20, 21...

I. Salt A. Nature & Purpose Of Salt 1. Salt was created by God 2. Many uses throughout history a. Used as compensation: Slaves were traded for salt, soldiers paid with salt: Hence the saying “He is/isn’t worth his salt”. b. Used to keep roads free of weeds c....

I. Jesus’ Relationship To The Law Vs. 17, 18 A. Jesus Didn’t Come To Destroy The Law Or The Prophets V. 17a 1. Religious leaders wrongly thought Jesus opposed the Law. See Matthew 15:1-9 2. Jesus was not against the Law a. He challenged the wrong interpretation of the...

I. Different Interpretations A. Wrong Interpretation 1. Historically- O.T. written in Hebrew, but the Jewish masses spoke Aramaic 2. They depended upon the Scribes & Pharisees to read & interpret O.T. for them 3. Pharisees cared only about the actual act of...

I. Regarding Adultery & Lust A. Wrong Interpretation V. 27 1. Remember that the masses could not read O.T. Hebrew; they depended upon the Scribes & Pharisees to instruct them 2. The leaders had reduced the Law to emphasize only actions, not thought or...

I. Your Promises Vs. 33-37 A. God’s Intention 1. Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…” 2. The people were not to invoke God’s name, or use His name in a vain or casual way. 3. They were not to use God’s name in making a false oath. 4....

Intro: Trouble with world today - war- sickness-crime. It’s not any single manifestation of sin, but sin itself. The church’s answers to the world’s trouble lie in this verse. Ours is not the task of reforming society-but of leading people to Jesus, & the...

I. What Is Peace? A. Definition 1. To agree 2. A state of tranquility or quiet 3. Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions 4. Harmony in personal relationships 5. A pact or agreement to end hostilities B. A Low View Of Peace 1. To agree, but not...

I. Motivation Regarding Good Deeds 6:1-4 A. Wrong Motivation Regarding Good Deeds 1. Pride and the desire for recognition motivate us to seek the approval of people a. Pride runs deeply within each of us. See Mark 7:21-23 b. Desiring man’s approval runs deeply within...

I. Laying Up Treasures Vs. 19-21 A. What We Are To Be Doing Vs. 20, 21 1. We are not to be laying up treasures on earth 2. We are to be laying up treasures in heaven 3. Lit.- “Don’t /do be treasuring up your treasures”. Both verbs are imperative. 4. Jesus is...

This prayer is often called the “Lord’s Prayer.” It is more appropriately called the “Disciple’s Prayer.” I. Relationship With God 6:7-9a A. Mechanical, Unfamiliar Prayer Is Inappropriate 1. A mechanical, unfamiliar relationship is not what God wants with anyone 2....

I. When Judging, Use One Standard For Everyone Vs. 1, 2 A. Jesus Is Not Universally Prohibiting Judgment 1. Judge- krinō- kree'-no To distinguish, to decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish:—avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree,...

I. Two Kinds Of Men Vs. 24-27 A. Many Similarities 1. Both men hear the Word of God 2. Both men are building “houses” a. Both men have a life philosophy/theology. They are “building”. b. Both men have life goals c. Both men have storms in life i. Physical afflictions...

Psalm 127:1a Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it… I. Build With God’s Word A. Diligently Learn How To Build 2 Timothy 2:15 1. Diligent- to make effort, be prompt or earnest, endeavor, labor, study. Rightly dividing- orthotomeō- to make a...

Jesus is the rock we build upon. His words are what we build our lives on. He is not static, like the foundations of our homes. He is a living, moving, mobile foundation. Our lives are not static they are ever changing. Our foundation is the truth of God, which does...

Matthew 7:1-5 tells us… We are not to be hypercritical, condemning people who are eager to judge others but not ourselves. The standard of judgment that we use towards others will be the same standard that they use on us. Our judgment needs to begin with us, not other...

I. Jesus Is Willing To Heal A. The Leper 1. The physical suffering of leprosy a. Now called “Hansen’s disease” leprosy was and is incurable b. It is spread through respiratory droplets, forcing isolation of the leper c. Nerve endings lost their sensitivity; appendages...

I. Be Willing To Live Without Creature Comforts Vs. 18-20 A. Jesus Was/Is On The Move 1. When upon Earth, Jesus was on the move, reaching people. He had a mission. 2. He was internally driven by the will of His Father. 3. Turn to John 4:25-38 4. That heavenly drive...

I. Be Willing To Face Death Vs. 23-27 A. Disciples Of Jesus Follow Jesus V. 18, 23 1. “His disciples followed Him”. This is the essence of what disciples do a. Disciples discern what Jesus is doing, or what He is commanding them. b. They follow Him, they obey Him. 2....

I. Matthew Verse 9 A. Who & What He Was 1. Matthew was a tax collector 2. His proper name was Levi. The tribe of Levi was the priestly tribe of Israel a. Matthew probably grew up in church (Jewish synagogue) b. He quotes many O.T. scriptures; indicates a church...

I. The Paralytic A. Physically 1. Paralysis is a sudden loss of tone & vital power in a certain part of the body. 2. This may affect a limb, the whole side, the tongue, or the whole body. 3. Generally incurable, unless in its slighter stages, or by Divine...

I. The Concerns Of The Pharisees & John’s Disciples Verse 10 A. Pharisees 1. The Jews related to God by means of a covenant of blessings & cursings. a. Obedience brought blessings; disobedience brought judgment b. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 26“Behold, I set before...

I. The Woman Vs. 20-22 A. Her Situation & Obstacles 1. 12 years of a vaginal discharge of blood 2. She had spent all her money w/doctors, and had only gotten worse (Mark 5:26) 3. Her discharge made her ceremonially unclean. She wasn’t to touch others 4. Her...

I. Jesus’ Actions Towards The Shepherdless Sheep V. 35 A. Taught The People 1. Teaching- to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them; to deliver didactic discourses; to explain or expound a thing 2. Jesus went into the churches (synagogues), and explained...