Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. The Pharisees claimed to be the guides or shepherds of the people. When the man who was born blind was healed by Jesus, he openly acknowledged Jesus as one sent by God. Consequently, the Pharisees cast the man out of their synagogue. Since the Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus accused them of being blind and, therefore, unqualified to lead the people (John 9). Jesus then proceeded to tell the Pharisees the nature

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Approximately six months before his crucifixion, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles (John 7:2, 10, 37). This feast beginning on the fifteenth day in the seventh month (September/October, according to our calendar) was an eight-day festival. It was one of the three yearly feasts that every male among the Jews went to Jerusalem to celebrate as required by the law. Tents or tabernacles were erected in and about Jerusalem to c

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. One task facing Jesus as He went about teaching and preaching was to prepare his disciples for the close of his earthly life and work. In one incident Peter confessed Jesus to be the Son of God (Matt. 16:13-20). Shortly afterward Jesus took Peter, James, and John into a mountain and revealed to them his Divine glory as the Son of God. The purpose of the transfiguration was to convince the disciples that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Over 700 years before Jesus was born, the ten northern tribes of Israel were conquered by the very powerful and fierce nation of Assyria. The Assyrians took many Israelites captive and carried them to other lands which they had conquered. Then the Assyrians brought other peoples that they had conquered to Israel to live. These foreigners married the Israelites that had been left in the land which resulted in a mixed race of people. These people

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. As Jesus went about teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, his fame spread throughout the land of Palestine (Israel), and many people gathered to hear his words. Sometimes there were crowds, but sometimes Jesus spoke to a few or even just one. Early in Jesus' ministry, one of the rulers of the Jews approached him at night alone. Nicodemus was a Pharisee which was a religious sect of the Jews. He was also a member of the Sanhedrin, thu

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Herod the Great was appointed King of Judea by the Romans and ruled from 37 B. C. to 4 B. C. He was an Idumean (an Edomite, a descendant of Esau). It was Herod the Great who ordered the slaughter of the innocent children of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth. He is mentioned in the New Testament only in Matthew 2 and Luke 1. He married ten times and had many children–the names of seven of the children are known in history. Herod Antipas was t

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus presents a series of teachings concerning the kingdom of heaven and its subjects or citizens. After teaching about the importance of seeking first the kingdom (Matt. 6:33-34), Jesus discusses judging, the golden rule, and false prophets (Matt. 7:1-23). He concludes his sermon with an application for his hearers–the dramatic comparison of the two builders. He spoke with authority and astonished the people with hi

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. In his sermon on the mountainside, Jesus discusses hypocrisy and self-righteousness in the religious acts of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matt. 6:1-18). These deeds of righteousness are not to be done with false devotion in order to be seen of men. Rather, the citizens of the kingdom are to perform these acts sincerely from the heart in order to serve God. Hypocrisy deceives others, but it is possible for us to deceive ourselves, too. Jesu

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. As Jesus continues his sermon on the mountainside, He teaches a variety of subjects to his disciples and the people gathered. He instructs them in almsgiving, the necessity of prayer, and fasting which are acts of righteousness to be performed sincerely from the heart and not to be seen of men.

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus describes what citizens of the kingdom are supposed to be (Matt. 5:1-16). Then in the remainder of his sermon, He explains what citizens of the kingdom are supposed to do (Matt 5:17-7:29).

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Following his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus announced that his kingdom was at hand (Matt. 4:17). Sometime later Jesus went up into a mountain near the Sea of Galilee and preached to his disciples and a multitude that had gathered, explaining the nature of the kingdom that He had announced earlier. We call this discussion the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5; 6; 7). Jesus begins his sermon with eight statements called the beatitudes. The word

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Following his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus announced that his kingdom was at hand (Matt. 4:17). Sometime later Jesus went up into a mountain near the Sea of Galilee and preached to his disciples and a multitude that had gathered, explaining the nature of the kingdom that He had announced earlier. We call this discussion the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5; 6; 7). Jesus begins his sermon with eight statements called the beatitudes. The word

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. After his baptism in the Jordan River and his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus began his earthly ministry–teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Early in his ministry, Jesus chose twelve men to assist him in his mission. These men would accompany Jesus from his baptism until He ascended into heaven. Thus they were to be witnesses of all He said and did and of his resurrection (Acts 1:21-22).

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Immediately following his baptism, Jesus was taken by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for forty days where He was tempted by the devil. This event revealed the humanity or human side of Jesus. This is in contrast to his baptism where his Divine nature was revealed by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the Father's voice from heaven. When Jesus became flesh (John 1:14), born of a woman (Gal. 4:4), He also became human and endured temptation

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. John was sent by God to bear witness of the Light that all might believe through him (John 1:6-7). As John prepared Israel for the coming of the Son of God, he called the people to repentance, preaching the message of baptism for remission of sins (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). Jesus came to John to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness (Matt. 3:15). Righteousness is the quality of being right or just; it is the sum total of the requirements of God

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. The only episode in the Bible regarding the childhood of Jesus is recorded by Luke. When Jesus was twelve years old, He and his parents went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover Feast. The Passover Feast was celebrated each year by the Jews to commemorate the night the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites and slew the firstborn of the Egyptians (Ex. 12:1-14). Immediately following the Passover Feast, the Jews observed a seven day fes

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. An angel appeared to both Mary and Joseph to prepare them for the miraculous birth of a son. In great faith Mary believed the announcement of the angel and prayed for its fulfillment (Luke 1:38). Joseph also believed the angel's message regarding the son of prophecy, Immanuel, and did as he was commanded (Matt. 1:24). In obedience to the decree of the Roman Emperor, Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem to be enrolled for the census. There i

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). God's plan for the salvation of man continues to unfold as the birth of his Son takes place. "When the fulness of the time was come"–the time was right. Daniel had prophesied of four world kingdoms in Daniel 2 and 7. In the days of the fourth world kingdom, the God of heaven would "set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroy

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. Before the world was created God purposed to send his Son into the world to save mankind from their sins. The Bible, though written over a period of some 1500 years, is an organized and complete unit, revealing the mind of God and his eternal purpose to save man from his sins. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning...” (Rom. 15:4). The Old Testament scriptures were written for our learning. From the first

Full Lesson HERE INTRODUCTION. After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel did not have a national leader. "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6). The twelve tribes, although related through their common ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were not united, but were rather an unorganized and loose confederation. The judges raised by God to deliver the people from their enemies were generally t