Praise God for Creation

                                                                      Sunday School Lesson


Introduction: Mother Nature is not God’s wife, but creation is God’s gift. It is therefore obvious that God’s people praise him for that gift. And it is right to start that praise on the first day of a new year. Creation arose from the character and power of God and finds its foundation in his identity. When we study creation we are studying the Creator. Our five lessons in January (all from the book of Psalms) call God’s people to praise him for his creation, sovereignty, steadfast love, and provision. It is important that we learn the “tunes” (i.e. content) of these psalms. Today’s Psalm 33 is one of the many that praise God for his creation. The verses beyond our printed text (Psalm 33:10-22) celebrate God’s sovereignty and our response to it in eager waiting. But first comes the music.

The Musicians & the Music 
 Psalm 33:1-3, 8 KJV

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

The musicians are identified in verses 1 and 8. First God’s people (the righteous and upright—notice the parallelism) are called to sing joyfully and to praise him. If God’s people do not sing, then who will teach the world the song of God? Later all the earth and all the people of the world will join God’s people in praise. Part of our primal reality as created beings (whether part of the covenant community or not) is to praise our Creator for his creation. The music is identified in verses 2 and 3. Instruments, content, excellence, and volume are all part of this music of creation. The harp and lyre are the instruments. The content is new. (This will be developed in next week’s lesson.) Excellence is part of playing skillfully. (A friend of mine used to say, “Holy shoddy is still shoddy.”) Finally the volume is loud. Heaven may well be a noisy place. Keep in mind how rather quiet the ancient world really was. There were no jets flying overhead and no 18-wheelers going down the highway. The musicians were everyone, and the music was loud.

The Maestro 

 Psalm 33:4, 5 KJV

4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.

5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

The conductor of the orchestra is the one who brings all the musicians and the music together. Our cosmic maestro can lead the choir of creation because of his impeccable character. Wonderful qualities of the God of creation are underlined in these two verses. He is right, righteous, and just. These are synonymous for the most part. God conforms to his own standard. He is true in himself and to himself. In addition to this, God is faithful. Simply put, he does what he says he will do. His yes really is yes, and his no really is no. But all of his rightness and faithfulness are wrapped up in his unfailing love. It is love that makes him do the right thing. It is love that demands that he keep his word. It is love that balances his truth. This maestro can lead the chorus of heaven’s music because he has placed his humble love within the created order.

The Music Hall 

 Psalm 33:6, 7, 9KJV

6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

The greatest concert hall in the world is the world. God made it, and his praise fills it. The word of the Lord and the breath of his mouth are parallel. God’s voice—his spoken word (see Psalm 29) and his Spirit (breath)—act like two hands in shaping creation into existence. The highest heavens (Paul talked about at least three heavens in 2 Corinthians 12:2) were the products of his word. The atmosphere (starry host—angelic armies or stars) were products of his Spirit. Psalm 33:9 affirms that this great music hall was spoken into existence and commanded to be from God himself. The music hall is large, but the one who made it is larger still. In fact, this Creator can put the waters of the sea into jars and he can put the deep waters into storehouses. The creation is impressive, but the Creator is even more impressive. And this is not just poetry. The New Testament affirms these truths in plain speech. Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). Christ “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3, English Standard Version). “The universe was formed at God’s command, so that what was seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrew 11:3). A lucid moon, a brilliant sunset, a snowcapped mountain, a fertile valley, an abundant field, and a roaring river all praise God for his creation. Let us join them.

The Savior Has Arrived

                                                                                  Sunday School Lesson

Introduction: The Savior has arrived.” That is quite a headline. Big news. Make no mistake—this is a big day for the church. Joni Eareckson Tada said, “If God can become man, then everything else is easy.” Paul Scherer, who taught homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary, said, “God came walking down the stairs of heaven with a baby in his arms.” The story of the incarnation of the Son of God is something to sing about and something to talk about. Luke’s account of the story never gets old. The world was watching Rome because that was the significant place (Luke 2:1). But our story takes place in Bethlehem (v. 4). The world was looking to world-class people (vv. 1, 2). But our story focuses on a young couple from Galilee and some ragamuffin shepherds (vv. 4, 5, 8). The world was expecting a big event (a census and taxation—v. 1). But our story concerns the birth of a baby (v. 7). God had his own way to fill ordinary places, people, and events so that they became extraordinary.

Angels from on High

 Luke 2:8-14KJV

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Angels are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). They do God’s bidding in the highest heaven. But at Christmas they stooped low and gave the Christmas message to lowly shepherds. The Bible has a love/hate relationship with shepherds. On the one hand, they were despised—at least by the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). On the other hand God is likened to a shepherd (Genesis 48:15:15; Psalm 23:1). A mark of God’s grace is that he gave lowly shepherds the first glimpse into Christmas. A visit to Bethlehem today will involve a trip to the Shepherd’s Field. Our Catholic friends have beautified the area with an attractive church building and gorgeous gardens. But originally the Shepherd’s Field was a series of caves where the shepherds stayed. They weren’t allowed in the temple area because they always smelled like sheep. Yet the shepherds were necessary because they cared for the flocks—some of which were used for temple sacrifice. All of a sudden their peaceful evening was broken by the appearance of an angel of the Lord. Because the angel had come from the presence of the Lord, he shone with the glory (shining brilliance) of God. Obviously the appearance of this divine visitor terrified the shepherds (literally made them “fear a great fear”). This special heavenly messenger calmed their fears and proceeded to announce good news. The news would bring joy and would be for all the people. The time was announced: today. The place was announced: the town of David. The person was announced: a Savior . . . Messiah . . . Lord. So that there would be no mistakes in finding this newborn Savior, the angel gave the shepherds a sign (a miracle that points to a greater spiritual reality beyond itself). Most babies in those days were wrapped in strips of cloths. But this baby would be lying in a manger. Now that is odd. His earthly bed/home says something about his humility. The angel was then joined with an angelic army which proceeded to sing (technically “say”) Heaven’s music. Glory in heaven is the first verse, and peace on earth is the second verse.

Shepherds Working Here Below

 Luke 2:15-20KJV

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The shepherds were not naïve, but they were curious. They debriefed the angelic visit and set off for Bethlehem. They wanted to see this thing (literally, this “word”) which the Lord had told them about. Upon arriving at Bethlehem (house of bread) they found the holy family—probably by asking around if there had been any children born within the last few hours. They saw Jesus and spread the word (made known the word that had been spoken to them) about what they had learned—from the angels but maybe also from Mary and Joseph. Three responses end this beautiful part of the Christmas story. Everyone who heard was amazed (marveled). Christmas is actually quite shocking. In contrast to the crowd we read about Mary, who quietly treasured (kept all things with respect to herself) and pondered (threw the word around in her heart). The melody that the angels sang hung on in the heads of the shepherds. They glorified and praised God. Shepherds were typically excluded from big events. They usually just watched sheep. But on this special night they were included in the wide embrace of God. If Christmas says anything, it says that the Savior has arrived for everyone.

God Promises a Savior

                                                             Sunday School Lesson



Introduction: One thing that we can take to the bank is that God always keeps his word. He does not make a promise and then fail to keep it, and God could not have made a greater promise to the world than the promise of sending a Savior. During this Christmas season we are studying Luke 1, 2. The chapters are filled with joy, celebration, song, intrigue, mystery, miracle, and promise.


The Promise Delivered
 Luke 1:26-28KJV

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Following the formal introduction of Luke’s Gospel (1:1-4) Zechariah and Elizabeth were informed of the birth of their son, John, who would be the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:5-25). Gabriel (only one of two named angels in the Bible) delivered the promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Soon Elizabeth, who was old and barren, was pregnant. Six months later Gabriel was on the move again. God dispatched Gabriel to Nazareth (now a sprawling city, but then a small town on a Galilean hill, see John 1:46). Two sites are identified as the possible places where this took place. One is the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation, located in the heart of Nazareth; the other is the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, located in another part of Nazareth near a well. The promise was delivered to a young girl (a virgin) named Mary who was engaged to a man named Joseph. It is no accident that God chose this engaged couple to be the earthly parents of Jesus. In his life Joseph demonstrated the two great qualities of Jesus’ cross—justice and mercy (Matthew 2:19-21), and in her life Mary demonstrated the two great qualities of Jesus’ ministry—servanthood and humility (Luke 1:38). Gabriel greeted Mary, said she was highly favored by God, and reminded her that God was with her (a promise given to many others in the Bible, such as Joshua 1:5).

The Promise Questioned

 Luke 1:29-34KJV

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

After such a stunning announcement, Mary was greatly troubled (deeply confused) at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. Gabriel reassured Mary with common angelic words of comfort, Do not be afraid. Gabriel affirmed Mary: You have found favor with God. Then Gabriel packed several promises into the overall promise of a Savior: 1—Mary would conceive. 2—Mary would give birth. 3—Mary would name the baby Jesus. 4—Jesus would have God’s title (Son of the Most High). 5—Jesus would occupy King David’s throne. 6—Jesus would reign over Israel (Jacob’s descendants), filled with all kinds of people. 7—Jesus’ kingdom would never end. No doubt Mary was dumbfounded. She could have chosen any interrogative, but the one that made the best sense, “How?” Virgins don’t conceive and therefore all the other promises were at risk. There is a difference between Zechariah’s “how” (Luke 1:18) and Mary’s “how.” Zechariah’s how is one of unbelief. Mary’s how is one of details.

The Promise Embraced

 Luke 1:35-38KJV

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Feigned faith brings judgment (1:20). But honest faith brings explanation (Acts 9:1-19). Gabriel explained to Mary how the process of the virgin birth would work. The person of the Holy Spirit will come on you. This is the language of empowerment in the Bible. When the Spirit of God came on people, they were able to act supernaturally (Judges 14:19). Also the power of the Most High will overshadow you. This is the language of creation in the Bible (Genesis 1:2). We are not suggesting Jesus was created. But God is doing something new as he enacts his promise for a Savior. This process protects the Son’s holiness and deity. Mary was informed of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. This must have made Mary raise an eyebrow. But the angel Gabriel gave the sermonic word, For no word from God will ever fail. This is actually based in Genesis 18:14 when the angel of the Lord told Abraham that Sarah would bear Isaac. God’s power in bringing fruit from barren wombs has a great track record in the Bible. Mary’s embrace of this promise is applicable to us. She placed her whole life in God’s hands by saying, I am the Lord’s servant (slave) . . . May your (spoken) word to me be fulfilled. She may not have known all the details of this epoch event to come, but she trusted in the one who promised (Hebrews 11:11).

Life And Healing

                                                                             Sunday School Lesson



Introduction: So much of our environment and lives have to do with water. Think of how much of the earth is water. Think of how much of the human body is water. Israel is a dry land in the midst of various bodies of water. Our older son purchased a T-shirt in Israel for his oldest son that reads, “Med Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea.” To the south is the Red Sea. To the west is the Mediterranean (Great) Sea. To the east is the Dead Sea. In addition, to the north is the Sea of Galilee. Running down through Israel is the Jordan River. Whatever it touches is green. Whatever it does not touch is brown. Israel, like other Middle Eastern countries, knew the value of water. Not surprisingly part of John’s vision into the land of no more tears involved water. Since John wrote‑ Revelation, we should expect that he would use his typical double-meaning language. John knew of physical water (John 4:7) as well as spiritual water (4:10). The same was true as John peered into more of the details of the New Jerusalem.

The River Of Life
Revelation 22:1-5KJV

1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
² In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
³ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
⁴ And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
⁵ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

What is there is water. The same angel who spoke to John earlier (Revelation 21:9) now showed him the river in this eternal city. This river has special spiritual qualities. It teems with life. It is clear as crystal like the rest of the city. Most importantly, the source of the river is God himself (Genesis 1:10; Ezekiel 47:1-12). God is the source of life (John 10:10). This river runs down the middle of the great street of the city, indicative of the fact that life permeates outward from God to his people in this city. What is there is a tree. This tree (described as a grove of interconnected trees like Colorado aspens) is spoken of as one tree (reminiscent of Genesis 2:9). Like the river, it teems with life. This tree is extremely productive. It bears twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. Like the river and the tree itself, the leaves on that tree also teem with life. The leaves heal the nations that stream into this city. Heaven is a place of incredible life. Two things cannot exist in this city. The first is the curse. What was brought into the old heaven and old earth due to sin (Genesis 3:17-19) is now eradicated. With the curse of sin totally gone, the inhabitants of the city (servants of God) are freed to see him, bear his name on their heads, and serve him. With the curse forever gone, nothing will hinder believers from serving God fully. The second thing not in the city is night. In fact, there will be no more night. This may be another good example of John’s double meanings. Physical darkness will be banished, since God is there and he is light (Revelation 21:23). But spiritual darkness will also be banished, since God is there and his character cannot allow moral impurity to exist in his presence (1 John 1:5; Revelation 21:8). The servants of God now share fully in his moral purity. This allows them to reign forever and ever with their God.

The Angels Affirmation
Revelation 22:6KJV

⁶ And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

With life embraced and darkness banished in this eternal city, what could possibly remain for these servants of God living out their existence in the old heaven and old earth? Maybe just one thing—perfect obedience. The same angel mentioned above repeats the theological affirmation: These words are trustworthy and true. The angel invites John to take the truthfulness of what he saw to the bank.

Jesus' Promises
Revelation 22:7KJV

⁷ Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

God gave his inspired message (literally, Spirit) to his prophets (inspired spokespersons like John the apostle) via his angel (messenger from Heaven) to show the servants what would soon take place. Then the Lord (the great I Am) himself declares that he is coming soon. The word soon gives us pause. How soon is soon? Two thousand years does not seem to be soon to us. The word can be translated “quickly,” but that may not help much either. Perhaps the best resolution is that God’s soon is different than our soon. This we know: a blessing awaits the one who obeys the prophetic word in the book of Revelation. This is how the Revelation began (Revelation 1:3). Obedience brings blessing in this life and the life to come. That is something to be thankful for this week.  

New Jerusalem

                                                                   Sunday School Lesson

Introduction: Jerusalem is a stunning city. When the sun hits this city of stone, it sparkles. But the New Jerusalem that John saw in his vision sparkled even more. John utilized vivid language to describe what he saw. Much of this may be literally what John saw. But because John had never seen anything like this, some of it may be the best he can do with figures of speech. Metaphors and symbols are embraced when normal language just does not cut it.


The Wife City
Revelation 21:9-14KJV

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

John was mesmerized by this holy city that came down out of Heaven. He obeyed the voice of one of the seven angels (Revelation 15:1), finding himself in the Spirit (a visionary inspiration), and even went to a mountain great and high (see also Isaiah 2:2, 3) to view this wonderful wife of the lamb. A different metaphorical woman in the book of Revelation is a prostitute who is filled with abominations, has terrible names written on her, and is called Babylon (Revelation 17). This metaphorical woman is a wife filled with transparency, who has the seal of God on her and is called Jerusalem. Her beauty takes one’s breath away.But this wife is not just a wife; she is a city. John described her beauty in highly figurative and symbolic terms. John’s attention was drawn to the city’s glory, walls, gates, and foundations. The glory of the city is described in terms of shining brilliance and security. It was like that of a precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. Jasper was a well-known jewel in the ancient world. Jasper is not clear, but the phrase clear as crystal is descriptive of beauty. It shines. The walls of the city are high, which symbolize protection. The unprinted part of our text indicates that the wall’s thickness is about 72 yards (Revelation 21:17), also representing safety. The glory of the city is described in terms of majesty and symmetry. This text is brought to you by the number 12 (we see 12 gates, 12 angels at those gates, 12 names of the tribes of Israel on the gates, and 12 foundations). Obviously the number 12 is a significant symbolic number. The Old Israel and the New Israel account for the number 12 (a complete picture of God’s people). This city has perfect symmetry too. Just like Israel camped around the tabernacle (Numbers 2:1-34), so the people of God surround the throne in the New Jerusalem. In fact, the city is a perfect cube (Revelation 21:16). Think of the volume of this in a literal way. The space shuttle circles the earth at about 300 miles above the earth. The city goes out into outer space about 1,400 miles. That’s big.

The Lamb Temple

Revelation 21:22-27KJV

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The most important part of Old Jerusalem was the temple. So John looks inside the city to find the temple. To his surprise he finds none. Neither does he find a light. But he does find the Lamb. An engaging part of biblical cosmology is that light existed before sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:3-5, 14-19). Also after the sun is extinguished, light will still exist (Revelation 22:5). The most important part of this city is the Lamb himself.God had always planned for humankind to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). In fact, he got frustrated when people pushed against that plan (11:4). So we should not be surprised when many nations will walk by the light provided by this wonderful Lamb.This New Jerusalem is described even more in terms of its number, security, and its purity. The New Jerusalem will be filled with people (Revelation 7:9). In fact the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. The imagery here is that of a conquering king parading his POWs and spoils into his city after winning a battle. City gates were very significant in the ancient world. No one in their right mind would leave them open. That would mean too much vulnerability. But the Lamb temple is so sovereign he can risk it. God’s people are secure.There is also no night there. This probably has a moral nuance to it (John 13:30). All of the evil has been defeated. Nothing impure will ever enter it and anything shameful and deceptive does not stand a chance. This New Jerusalem is all about the Lamb and his flock.

Brand New

                                                                  Sunday School Lesson

Introduction: The New Testament has two different Greek words translated new (four times in our text). One is “chronos,” which refers to something new in time. The other is “kairos,” which refers to something new in quality. John uses the latter when describing Heaven. Our next four lessons describe Heaven in terms of a social reality that is brand new.In a sermon, Randy Harris of Abilene Christian University outlined the book of Revelation in the following way: 1—God’s team wins. 2—You get to pick a team. 3—Don’t be stupid. If we are wise we will pick God’s team because it always wins and celebrates in a brand-new home.

All Things New
Revelation 21:1-4KJV

1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
³ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

A little chorus says, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace.” It is also filled with things that are familiar (like the old heaven/earth and the city of Jerusalem that we know). It is filled with beauty (like that of a bride). It is filled with a temple (which is really God himself). It is filled with joy (and the absence of tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain).In this text heaven is a place filled with sights, sounds, and words. And they are all new. John saw a new heaven and a new earth. In fact, Revelation is a series of things that John saw (an expression that appears in Revelation 5:1; 7:1; 10:1; 13:1; 15:1; 18:1; 20:1). The fact that the new heaven and new earth could be recognized is because they resembled the old heaven and earth enough to see the similarities. Also there is no sea—a symbol that refers to the source of evils (Revelation 13:1). Inside or alongside of the new heaven and new earth is a new city. It looks familiar too. It favors Jerusalem, but it also is new—and holy (Isaiah 48:2; 52:1; Matthew 4:5). This city stands for the presence of God because it comes down out of heaven. Its main description is delayed until next week’s lesson, but here it is described as a bride beautifully dressed (where the English word “cosmetic” comes from) for her husband.
John not only saw beautiful things. He also heard wonderful words. He heard an angel announce two things: 1—That God is dwelling (Greek word for “tabernacle”) intimately with his people again. 2—That God will remove the old order with all of its pain and suffering. So we see that this new place is totally holy, splendidly beautiful, perfectly sorrow-free, and infinitely filled with the presence of God.

New Beginning
Revelation 21:5-8KJV

⁵ And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
⁶ And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
⁷ He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
⁸ But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
There is such a thing as a do-over with God. People get second chances, and the whole world gets rebooted. The news of this new beginning is so important that God does not leave the announcement to someone else. The one who sits on the throne (God himself—Revelation 1:10-20; 4:1-3) makes the announcement. Much of our lesson is summed up in the words, “I am making everything new!” Earlier John was asked to look. Here he was asked to write—an imperative that appears several times in Revelation. The reason for this writing is because the words are trustworthy and true. These words have positive effects and negative effects. Positively this new beginning is based on God’s nature. He is the Alpha and the Omega (which is like saying the “A” and the “Z”). This new beginning is also based on God’s invitation. People who are thirsty (a metaphor referring to having a parched throat for the things of God—Isaiah 55:1; John 4:14) are offered free water. This new beginning is also based on a powerful promise. The victorious people (overcomers) will inherit all the wonders of this brand-new city. For a second time in our text God promises to be our God (see also Ruth 1:16). Negatively (which is another way to appreciate the beauty of this city) God lists seven groups of people who won’t be in this city. Most of us can understand why the murderers, sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, and idolaters would be left out. But cowardly, unbelievers, and liars? Are all sins equal? They are not equal in effect, but they are in results. They will be consigned to the lake of fire (like what will happen to the trinity of evil—Revelation 19:20; 20:10). This is not just physical death. It is eternal (second) death.

Model of Endurance

                                                                         Sunday School Lesson


Introduction: A college professors titled a chapel sermon, “Love.” Many thought the text would be 1 Corinthians 13, or John 3, or even Hosea 11. Instead it was our text for today. Simply put, discipline is love, and Jesus modeled it. Our text today shows that Jesus is the model of endurance, and it is achieved through the rigors of discipline. The Hebrew believers were in danger of coming up short on endurance (Hebrews 10:39). They were in danger of drifting away from their superior salvation in Jesus (2:1). They were in danger of falling away from the faith (6:6). They were in danger of not walking by faith (11:6). Our text is really the climax to Hebrews 11, and in it we find three metaphors of endurance.

Persevering in the Faith
Hebrews12:1-3KJV

1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³ For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Many people modeled endurance in the hall of faith (Hebrews 11), but no one modeled it better than Jesus himself. Jesus ran his race, and we must fix our eyes on him to run ours. The Christian experience is an endurance race—not a sprint. We are helped in this race by doing three things.
First, we must take note of our surroundings. We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Are these the people mentioned in Hebrews 11? Are these faithful believers who have died and now reside in the presence of God as they cheer for us? Are these angelic beings in the spirit world? It is hard to say. But it would seem that others are conscious of our race. Second, we must travel light. We must throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Are there two thoughts here or one? Could everything that hinders be anything bad or good that hinders, or is it the sin mentioned in the latter phrase? It probably matters little. We do not need anything tripping us up.
Third, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Jesus’ role, his joy, and his endurance are all mentioned. He is the pioneer (architect) and perfecter (one who brings to completion) of faith. The cross was not a symbol of joy. But Jesus knew that on the other side of the cross was the joy of the empty tomb. He endured (remained under) opposition. Jesus keeps us from growing weary in our race.

Benefiting from God's Discipline
Hebrews 4-13KJV
⁴ Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
⁵ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
⁷ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
⁸ But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.


The Christian life is not only a race, it is also a struggle. The metaphor means “against agony.” In another passage Paul pictured it as a boxing match (1 Corinthians 9:26). Yes, we must run the race by playing according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5). Yes, we must run in such a way as to win (1 Corinthians 9:24). But whether running or boxing, the Christian life at times can be agonizing. It is a struggle. Jesus struggled all the way to the point of shedding his blood. For the Hebrew Christians it had yet to get to that point. The largest part of our text illustrates endurance with the father/son metaphor. Dads (and moms) discipline their kids. In fact, only an unloving parent would not discipline a child. The Hebrew writer used Proverbs 3:11, 12 as the biblical basis for the metaphor. God disciplines his children because he loves them, and that teaches the children endurance.
There are three parts to this discipline. 1—It marks out our identity. If we are disciplined by God, and he is our Father, then we must be his children. 2—It does not last forever. (Though the child might think so.) In reality it is only for a little while. God’s goal in this momentary discipline is goodness and holiness. 3—It is not pleasant but painful. That is why it takes endurance. Sin is fun—but only for a season (Hebrews 11:24-26). Discipline is not fun, but it produces a bumper crop of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 

The Great High Priest

                                                          Sunday School Lesson


Introduction: The Bible is full of priests. There is a sense in which all of God’s people are priests (Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). But there is another sense in which certain people were called especially to represent God to the people and to represent the people to God. Some of these priests were exemplary (Luke 1:5, 6), and some of these priests were rascals (Numbers 3:4). Our text today gives at least three reasons why Jesus makes a great high priest.



Because Jesus Ascended
Hebrews 4:14-16KJV

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Not everyone can ascend. Of course to be able to ascend means that first one has to descend. Our text mentions both as they relate to our great high priest. Jesus finished his priestly work on earth and then sat down at the right hand of God in Heaven (Hebrews 1:3). He experienced this wonderful exaltation because of the humiliation of first descending to earth. When he walked among people he did not do so aloof and unsympathetic. Rather, he wasable to empathize (our English word sympathy comes from this Greek word) with our weaknesses. This empathy goes all the way to human volition and is best illustrated by Jesus enduring temptation. The text affirms that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are. But unlike us, who cave in to temptation, Jesus experienced the full brunt of temptation by not sinning. The writer of Hebrews gives us two commands concerning our great high priest’s exaltation. They are two of the many “let us” patches of Hebrews (4:1, 11, 14, 16; 6:1; 10:22-24). Because Jesus ascended, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. This means that we are to grasp tightly our confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Because Jesus ascended, let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. There is no need for shy prayers. We need grace and mercy, and our great high priest can give those things because he has ascended.

Because Jesus Was Called

Hebrews 5:1-6KJV

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Even though Jesus is a member of the triune God, he did not presume (he did not take this honor or glory on himself). He waited for the Father to “call” him. This matched what happened with human priests. They also had to be called by God. When they were called they had two tasks: to offer gifts and sacrifices to God and to deal gentlywith the people. Their calling helped them with the first task, and their humanity helped them with the second. Of course the high priest would go into the holy of holies once each year in the fall and offer sacrifices for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. But no one could just casually walk into the presence of God. Such a person had to be called by God to come. Jesus was called by God to be this great high priest, and the writer draws upon two psalms to underline this point. Psalm 2 is a royal psalm sung when the king’s reign might be threatened. God’s king will be victorious over people because God has called (named) him. Psalm 110 (quoted eight times in the New Testament) is a messianic psalm sung celebrating the authority of the Messiah. This high priest called by God dates previous to any priestly tribe (that of Levi of Aaron’s descendants). This great high priest is similar to that strange figure in the Old Testament named Melchizedek (king of righteousness). The writer will speak more about him in Hebrews 6:13–7:28. His calling was unique as was the calling of Jesus.

Because Jesus Suffered

Hebrews 5:7-10KJV

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

As much as people like to avoid suffering, it actually becomes a credential for ministry. Human high priests shared a common humanity in the daily grind with their people. Our great high priest chose the path of suffering to fully identify with his people. The agony of Jesus’ suffering was evident in his prayer life. He offered up prayers (specific requests) and petitions with fervent cries and tears to God. The Garden of Gethsemane comes to mind, but the text should not be limited to that prayer (Mark 14:32-42; 1:35-39; John 6:15). The agony of his suffering was also evident in his scourging and passion experience on the cross. Through this suffering Jesus learned obedience and became perfect (complete) so he could be the source of eternal salvation for us. Jesus is the great high priest because he totally understands the human dilemma. No one understands like Jesus.