Winter Quarter Overview with Mind Map Honoring God
Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students!
Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. In
this overview of the Winter Quarter I want to lift for you the major themes and
movements of the next thirteen lessons.
So as we study these lessons you will have some idea of where the lesson
series is taking us.
King David made a place for the Ark of the covenant in Jerusalem. The time came when the Tabernacle was replaced by the Temple. Solomon the son of King David built the Temple in Jerusalem. Moses built the tabernacle, but the time came when the tabernacle was replaced by the Temple. Solomon built the Temple. But the time came when that Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in 583 B.C. The second rebuilt Temple survived until King Herod rebuilt it. It was that Temple that Jesus walked in. But that temple was also destroyed. Now let’s walk though how our Winter Quarter get us here.
The overall focus of the Winter Quarter is
honoring God in worship. We have
thirteen lessons through December, January, and February divided into three
units.
Unit one deals with David as he honors God. Unit two deals with dedicating the temple of God. And unit three deals with Jesus teaching us about true worship.
For each of the three units and each of the four or five lessons in the units I’ll give you a mind map graphic that highlights the big picture. In this overview I’ll focus on key characters, key words Key scripture texts, and since we are dealing with honoring God in worship I list the key places of worship the text shows us.
The theme for unit one is “David Honors God”.
The theme for unit two is Dedicating the Temple
of God
And unit three is Jesus Teaches about True Worship.
So let’s take a look at unit one. There are five lessons in unit one all of which come from 1 Chronicles except our Christmas lesson which comes from the Gospel according to Luke.
So in very broad terms we are going to look at
the Ark of the Covenant of God which was housed in a tabernacle (tent). We move from the tabernacle to the Temple in
Jerusalem and then from the Temple in Jerusalem to the heart of every believer.
So the time came when the Tabernacle was replaced by the Temple. Solomon the son of King David built the Temple in Jerusalem. That Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and the Israelites were taken prisoner to Babylon. About seventy years later, a remnant of those in captivity returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the first Temple. Moses built the tabernacle, but the time came when the tabernacle was replaced by the Temple. Solomon built the Temple. But the time came when that Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. That rebuilt second temple survived until King Herod rebuilt it, taking forty six years to do so (John 2:20). It was this Temple which Jesus visited, but even this temple was destroyed. It was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. And that Temple has never been rebuilt to its former glory. And that leads us to where God dwells today. The tabernacle no longer exists; the Temple made with human hands has been destroyed. It is the book of Acts that reminds us that “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth. Does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24). As Christians, we have been redeemed through the death of Jesus. And as Peter reminded us last quarter “You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18, 19). And because of that redemption, because of that shed blood on Calvary’s cross, God now dwells in, amongst, and with every believer. Knowing that God is with us is good reason to honor God and celebrate God’s presence with us. Unit one deals with how David honors God. Unit two deals with how Solomon his son built the Temple or God and unit three brings it home with Jesus Christ teaching us about true worship. The tabernacle is gone, the temple is destroyed, but God is with us through the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit. I hope you will join me each week this quarter as I explore David, Solomon, and Jesus in the weekly Sunday School lesson. Thank you and may God bless you real good.
Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students!
Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. This
week I take a look at the ninth chapter of Hebrews as it explains the new
covenant’s sacrifice. Of course that
sacrifice is the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Everything the Old Testament required for redemption and restoration is
fulfilled in the New Testament with Christ.
In the Old Agreement the high priest went into the tabernacle and the
Holy Place to sprinkle blood for the redemption of the people. In the New Testament Jesus symbolically goes
into the Holy of Holies with his own blood.
In the Old Testament the high priest had to continually offer sacrifices
for the people. In the New Covenant,
Jesus needs only go in once and it is for all humanity and for all
eternity. Some of the ideas surrounding
this week’s text include the terms:
Tabernacle
Covenant
Testament
New Covenant / Agreement
Redemption
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Background:
The focus of this week is the new
covenant’s sacrifice. Of course that
sacrifice is Jesus Christ. With that in
mind I’ll provide some background on the book of Hebrews, a bit of background
on the chapter preceding this weeks study, and then narrow the focus to this
week’s study which is the ninth chapter of Hebrews.
The New Interpreter’s Study Bible
notes that the book of Hebrews “is not really a letter, and certainly not
written by Paul. It does not begin like
a letter, and in fact, is more of a sermon/treatise”.
Hebrews is likely written about 65
Common Era. Scholars date its
composition before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 CE). “It is extremely difficult to believe the
author would not mention the destruction of the Temple if it had already
occurred, since that would have been the validation of his entire argument
concerning the outmoded character of the Old Testament sacrificial system”
(NISB). “One of the main emphases in
Hebrews is the superiority of the new covenant to the old and its regimen of
animal sacrifices” (NISB).
The eighth chapter of Hebrews deals
with the true high priest (Jesus) and the two covenants (old and new). It naturally, takes a Christological
interpretation of the Old Testament book of Jerimiah 31:31-34. This is the longest quotation from the Old
Testament in the New Testament (Townsend Commentary).
The ninth chapter deals with the
sacrifices of the Old Testament in verses 1-10. This was the first
covenant. It describes some of the
protocol for priests entering into the Old Covenant tabernacle to atone for the
sins of the people and to offer gifts. Verses
11-22 of our study will contrast Jesus Christ with the Old Covenant as the one
and only High Priest that fulfills the new covenant. These verses deal with the “definitive nature
of Christ’s work” (NISB).
Some important words to consider from
this text include:
Covenant
Testament
New Covenant
/ Agreement
Redemption
Review Of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week Mark 15:6 reminded us that
it was customary for Pilate to release a prisoner during the Passover
feast. Barabbas was in prison with
people who had committed murder during the insurrection. So Barabbas was charged with murder whereas
Jesus was charged with insurrection. Yet
the crowd cried out to release Barabbas instead of Jesus.
I also noted that “the Jewish council
had the power to put offenders they condemned to death”. If the Jewish high council wanted to put
Jesus to death themselves they could have done so. But remember that only a few days ago a great
crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem shouting Hosanna to the highest. Perhaps the crowd was the same; perhaps it
was a different crowd. But the high
priests didn’t want to order the death of Jesus so they turned Jesus over to
the Roman government.
I also noted the importance of the
distinction between who was responsible for the murder of Jesus. Ultimately, it was the Roman government that
crucified Jesus not the Jewish council leaders.
That’s important because across the centuries people have used the
crucifixion of Jesus to provoke anti-Jewish feelings in those who blame the
Jews for Jesus’ crucifixion. While it’s
true the Jewish council turned Jesus over to Roman authorities, it cannot be
said that the Jews crucified Jesus.
I also noted in verse 25 that the
third hour was nine o’clock in the morning.
It was 9AM when they crucified him.
Verse 26 was the charge against him.
He was charged with being king in Caesar’s place.
Verses 33 through 39 spoke to the
death of Jesus. The sixth hour was 12
o’clock noon. The ninth hour was
3PM. It was at 3PM when Jesus cried out
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”.
In verse 37 Jesus breathed his last
breath. In verse 38 the curtain of the
temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
This tearing of the curtain was significant. It symbolizes the new direct access to God
through Jesus Christ. Now the high
priest no longer needs to enter into the holiest of holies on our behalf. Now we have direct access through this New
Covenant with Jesus Christ.
Verse 39 closed the lesson with the
centurion proclaiming “Truly this man was God’s Son”! It was the Roman centurion that proclaimed Jesus
as God’s son.
This week’s lesson continues with the
theme of a fulfilled new covenant through Jesus Christ. We have returned to the book of Hebrews as
Hebrews references the Old Testament extensively to prove the point that Jesus
fulfills the new covenant. It is through
the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the grace of God that we now have a new
covenant with God. This would not be
possible without the new covenant’s sacrifice.
That sacrifice is Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. Townsend, Boyd’s, and Standard Lesson
Commentary all title this week’s lesson The New Covenant’s Sacrifice. The scripture text comes from Hebrews
9:11-22.
What Takes Place in This Passage:
Verse eleven describes Christ as a
High Priest of the good things that have come.
These good things are the salvation, restoration, and redemption
provided through Jesus Christ. We have
these good things now because of the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary’s
cross.
Verse twelve describes Jesus as
entering once into the Holy Place. The
New Interpreter’s Study Bible notes that “this place is ideal and not an actual
place, but pointing to the ultimate reality of Christ’s atoning work”. In other words, Jesus symbolically entered
into the Holy Place. This Holy Place is
what we have to look forward to. It is
what will ultimately become our reality.
Note also that Jesus did not enter with the blood of goats and calves,
but with his own blood.
Verses thirteen and fourteen explain
that the blood of goats and calves and ashes only sanctifies the outward
flesh. It is Christ’s blood that
purifies the conscience or inner person from the dead works of the Old
Testament animal sacrifice system.
Verse fifteen explains that because
Jesus replaces this old covenant, he is the mediator of the new covenant so
that we may receive the promised eternal inheritance. This is possible because his death redeems
believers from transgressions under the old covenant.
In verses sixteen and seventeen we
see terminology dealing with the ideas of wills, testaments, and
covenants. The Greek word for covenant
is interchangeable with testament. It is
the same term for which we get the phrase “last will and testament”. The author makes a play on this term to highlight
the double meaning of covenant and testament.
In verse eighteen the author makes
his point from the previous verses; “not even the first covenant was
inaugurated without blood”. The author
is trying to help us understand the importance of Christ’s shed blood. A sacrifice had to be made for the new
covenant to become effective. But a
sacrifice of goats and calves would never be sufficient. It had to be the once and for all sacrifice
of Jesus Christ.
Verses nineteen through twenty-two
deal again with how the Old Testament required blood. In verse nineteen the author reminds us of
Moses sprinkling blood on the scroll and the people saying “This is the blood
of the covenant that God has ordained for you”.
The remaining verses describe the other things Moses sprinkled blood on
and closes by proclaiming “under the law, almost everything is purified with
blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”.
Context:
The new covenant’s sacrifice is the
shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.
This was a gracious way for God to deal with our sin. It was a once and for all eternity sacrifice
that held the key for humanity’s salvation, restoration, and redemption back to
God. One of the central points the
author of Hebrews makes is the importance of the shedding of blood. It was required in the Old Testament. Hebrews makes the point that Jesus fulfills
that requirement with his own blood in the new covenant. The blood of Christ is defined by
Westminster’s Theological Dictionary as a theological symbol of his atoning
death effecting a new covenant, reconciliation, and salvation. It is the central point Hebrews makes in our
lesson.
Key Characters in the text:
Jesus Christ –
Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and according to the Christian church the
incarnate second Person of the Trinity.
He was crucified on a cross and was raised from the dead by the power of
God.
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for
discussion):
Tabernacle – The
portable tent in which the Hebrews worshiped during the wilderness period of
wandering. The Jerusalem Temple replaced
it. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the
“tabernacle” is the boxlike receptacle for the Eucharistic elements.
Mediator – One
who stands between parties in order to effect reconciliation. The term is applies to Jesus Christ as the
“one mediator between God and humankind” in I Timothy 2:5, who has effected
reconciliation by overcoming sin.
Sacrifice – Something
of value offered as an act of worship or devotion to God. Sacrifices were offered throughout the Old
Testament, accompanied covenant making, and were of various types.
Redemption – A
financial metaphor that literally means “buying back”. Used theologically to indicate atonement,
reconciliation, or salvation wherein liberation from forms of bondage such as
sin, death, law, or evil takes place through Christ.
Covenant – A
formal agreement or treaty between two parties that establishes a relationship and
in which obligations and mutual responsibilities may be enacted. Many biblical covenants are found, some
providing only divine promises while others entail obligations.
Testament – A
person’s last will to dispose of property.
Also, a covenant – as at Sinai.
Both senses are found in Gal 3:15-18.
The term is also used for the division of the Bible into Old and New
Testaments (covenants).
Themes, Topics, Discussion, or Sermon Preparation Ideas:
1. The only acceptable
sacrifice (Jesus Christ).
2. The Old Covenant
and the New You.
Questions:
1.
We are no longer under the Old Testament system of animal sacrifices. What sacrifice do we need for salvation
today?
2.
The Old Testament tabernacle was destroyed. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. Is there a temple or tabernacle for
Christians today? (See verse 11)
Concluding thought:
This week’s study of Hebrews compared
and contrasted the Old Testament or Old Agreement with the New Testament or New
Agreement. What was needed to remit sins
in the Old Testament is fulfilled once and for all in the new agreement or the new
covenant with Jesus Christ. The Old
Testament required the shedding blood.
That requirement in the New Testament is fulfilled in the shed blood of
Jesus Christ.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson:
Next
week we move to the book of Colossians.
As we understand the fulfilled covenant in Jesus Christ we will discuss the
fullness of Jesus Christ in the Godhead and how to avoid false teaching. Colossians will show us the importance of
Heart’s united in love.
Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students!
Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. This
week I take a look at how Jesus Seals The New Covenant. In the forty-seven verses of this 15th
chapter of Mark we see Jesus before Pilate, Pilate handing Jesus over to be
crucified, the soldiers mocking Jesus, The crucifixion of Jesus, The death of
Jesus, and the burial of Jesus. In this
text we see a crowd ask for Barabbas instead of Jesus. Only a few days ago a great crowd had
welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem shouting Hosanna to the highest. Perhaps the crowd is the same; perhaps it’s a
different crowd. I think one point we
can take away from this lesson is that crowds can’t be trusted. Some of the ideas surrounding this week’s
text include the terms:
Covenant
Son of God
Son of Man
Background:
This week we continue to focus on how
the New Covenant came to be. With that
in mind I’ll provide some background on Mark the person, a bit more on the book
of Mark, and then a bit more on this week’s chapter of study.
Who’s Who In The Bible notes that
“the second century Christian writer Papias first recorded the tradition that
this gospel was written by Mark”. This
Mark would have been a follower of Peter name Mark (I Peter 5:13). The New Interpreter’s Study Bible adds that
“Augustine seems not to have known this tradition, for he argued that the
Gospel of Mark was merely an abbreviation of the Gospel of Matthew”. Additionally, “Jerome, the translator of the
Bible into Latin, believed that the author of Mark was John Mark of Acts
15:37-38 (NISB). This is the same Mark who’s
other name was John in Acts 12:12. John
would have been his Hebrew name and Mark would have been his Latin Name. Having two names like this was a common
practice for Hellenized Jews (WWITB).
This is the same Mark who accompanied his cousin Barnabas and Paul on
their first missionary journey. When
Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem it displeased Paul because when
Barnabas asked that Mark go with them on a second missionary journey Paul
refused (WWITB). Acts 15:39 tells us
this refusal created a sharp contention between Paul and Barnabas. The writer of this Gospel may also be
associated with Peter who referred to him as “my son” in I Peter 5:13. However, most modern scholars are hesitant to
make this link (NISB). With that in mind,
“The Gospel of Mark, like the other canonical Gospels, probably originally
circulated anonymously among Christian groups” (NISB). In other words we cannot definitively know
who the author is.
The book of Mark was likely written
“in the decade of 65 to 75 Common Era when Nero’s persecutions of Christians in
Rome was soon followed by the first Jewish-Roman war. In this war Jerusalem and the Temple were
destroyed by the Romans” (NISB). Most
scholars agree that Mark is the first Gospel to be written. It is written to suit the needs of Christians
under persecution. This Gospel does not
mention the name of its author and it is not written as a letter to anyone in
particular. Mark intends to portray
Jesus as a Servant Redeemer. “Mark shows
his Gentile readers how the Son of God – rejected by his own people – achieved
ultimate victory through apparent defeat” (Nelson’s Bible Handbook).
The forty-seven verses of this fifteenth
chapter of Mark show us
Jesus before
Pilate
Pilate
handing Jesus over to be crucified
The soldiers
mocking Jesus
The
crucifixion of Jesus
The death of
Jesus
And the
burial of Jesus.
Our Scripture text is interspersed
through most of this chapter. Some
important words to consider from these two texts include:
Son of God
Son of Man
King of the
Jews
Review Of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week our lesson came from two
separate texts in the New Testament but the Hebrews text was really a long
quote from the Old Testament. We studied
parts of Mark 14th chapter and Hebrews 8th chapter. The text in Mark began with the 14th
chapter 17th verse where Jesus and the twelve disciples were
gathered together for the evening Passover meal. As they ate the Passover meal Jesus told his
disciples one of them would betray him.
Distressed, upset, and sorrowful the
disciples took turns asking “is it I”.
Jesus explained “it is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into
the bowl with me”. We mentioned how the NISB
noted that “Dipping bread into the bowl emphasized the bond of hospitality and
intimacy that was about to be broken by betrayal”.
We discussed verses twenty-two
through twenty-four where Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper otherwise known as
Holy Communion. We also discussed verse
twenty-four where “He said to them, this is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many”. This was where Jesus
mentioned the covenant that was the basis for the new and better covenant mentioned
in the text in Hebrews. That closed the
discussion of Mark and then we skipped to Hebrews 8.
Hebrews 8:6 began by explaining that
Jesus was the mediator of a better covenant with better promises. We noted that verse seven explained if the
first covenant had been faultless, there would be no need to look for a second
one. No one could keep all the rules and
regulations of the Old Testament. But
more importantly, this new covenant would replace the practice of animal sacrifices. Jesus was the one sacrifice for all eternity
to absolve or release humanity of the consequences of sin and separation from
God.
This week’s lesson is the second
lesson of the Summer quarter and the second lesson in the Gospel According To
Mark. We will return to Hebrews in the
third week of the quarter. The focus for
each lesson remains on the idea of covenant and specifically the New Covenant
established by Jesus Christ. The aim of
this week is to show us how Jesus Seals the New Covenant. As the Nation of Israel rejects Jesus he is
turned over to Pontius Pilate for crucifixion.
It is the sacrificial death of Jesus that seals the covenant and
establishes our relationship with God. Standard
Lesson Commentary, Townsend and Boyd’s Commentary all title this week’s lesson
Jesus Seals The New Covenant. The
scripture text comes from Mark 15:6-15, 25-26, and 33-39.
What Takes Place in This Passage:
This Gospel is probably written in
the decade of 65 to 75 Common Era. The events
of this chapter take place thirty-five to forty-five years earlier. Mark 15:6 begins by reminding us that it was
customary for Pilate to release a prisoner.
This was customary during the Passover feast. It could have been any prisoner. Barabbas was in prison with people who had
committed murder during the insurrection.
So Barabbas was likely charged with murder whereas Jesus was charged
with insurrection.
It should be noted that “the Jewish
council had the power to put offenders they condemned to death. So this second trial on different charges
before Roman authorities seems unnecessary” (NISB). It also seems remarkable that this crowd
would ask for Barabbas instead of Jesus.
Only a few days ago a great crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem shouting
Hosanna to the highest. Perhaps the
crowd is the same; perhaps it’s a different crowd. I think one point for us to take away is that
crowds can’t be trusted.
It’s important to also note that
ultimately it is the Roman government that crucifies Jesus not the Jewish
council leaders. That’s an important
distinction. Across the centuries people
have used this event to provoke anti-Jewish feelings in those who blame the
Jews for Jesus’ crucifixion. While it’s
true the Jewish council turned Jesus over to Roman authorities, it cannot be
said that the Jews crucified Jesus.
Verse 25 identifies the time of
Jesus’ crucifixion. The third hour was
nine o’clock in the morning. It was 9AM
when they crucified him. Verse 26 was
the charge against him. Although it read
“The King of the Jews” the crime was insurrection. He was charged with being king in Caesar’s
place.
Verses 33 through 39 speak to the
death of Jesus. The sixth hour is 12
o’clock noon. The ninth hour is
3PM. It was at 3PM when Jesus cried out “My
God, My God, why have you forsaken me”. In
this text, these are the last words Jesus speaks before his death, burial, and
resurrection. When the some of the
bystanders hear his cry they think he is calling for Elijah. After someone filled a sponge with sour wine and
gave it to him to drink they said “wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to
take him down”.
In verse 37 Jesus breathes his last
breath. In verse 38 the text leads us to
believe that the curtain of the temple was immediately torn in two from top to
bottom. This tearing of the curtain is
significant. It symbolizes the new
direct access to God through Jesus Christ.
Now the high priest no longer needs to enter into the holiest of holies
on our behalf. Now we have direct access
through this New Covenant with Jesus Christ.
Verse 39 closes our lesson text with
the centurion proclaiming “Truly this man was God’s Son”! It is the Roman centurion that proclaims
Jesus as God’s son.
Context:
Anti-Semitism is opposition to or
hatred of Jews. It may take the form of
discrimination, arrest, or extermination.
Throughout Christian history anti-Semitism has been a real problem
spread by the view that Jews crucified Jesus.
It’s important that all Christians prevent the spread of this false
narrative. Although rejected by his own
people, It was the Roman government that crucified Jesus. The good news is the crucifixion, the willing
sacrifice of Jesus was part of God’s plan.
Through this sacrifice now all of humanity has direct access to God
through Jesus Christ.
Key Characters in the text:
Jesus Christ –
Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and according to the Christian church the
incarnate second Person of the Trinity.
He was crucified on a cross and was raised from the dead by the power of
God.
Barabbas – a man who had been
arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion for insurrection against Rome
and murder. He was freed by Pilate,
instead of Jesus, at the request of the crowd during the Passover feast.
Pilate – The Roman governor of Judea
from about 26 to 37 Common Era. Pontius
Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his execution.
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for
discussion):
Son of God – An
individual who stands in a special relationship with God is a son or child of
God (Gal 4:6-7). The concept is used in the Old Testament for
Israel as a nation, David, and kings. In
the New Testament, Jesus Christ is God unique Son.
Son of Man – A
Hebrew or Aramaic expression that may be a synonym for humankind or refer to an
apocalyptic figure who will judge the righteous and unrighteous at the end
time. It is also used as a title for
Jesus in each sense.
Themes, Topics, Discussion, or Sermon Preparation Ideas:
1. What shall I do
with him? (see vs 12)
2. The Centurion
called Him Son of God. What do you call
Him?
Questions:
1.
The title of our lesson is Jesus Seals The New Covenant. What is the seal?
2.
Mark 15:10 identifies the chief priests as the ones who handed Jesus
over to Pilate but it was the Romans that crucified Jesus. Why should Christians refuse to entertain the
idea that the Jews crucified Jesus?
Concluding thought:
We’ve been focused on how the New
Covenant came into existence. The short
answer is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ in Calvary’s cross. But just as important is the fact that this
New Covenant brings reconciliation. We
are reconciled to God through the grace of Christ on Calvary. If God would go this far for our
reconciliation, shouldn’t we also do the work of reconciliation with our family
members, friends, and acquaintances?
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson:
Next week we return to the book of
Hebrews. As we focus on how the New
Covenant came to be I will bring the New Covenant’s sacrifice into view. That sacrifice is the shed blood of Jesus
Christ. It’s this same sacrifice that
gives us hope to look forward. I
Corinthians 15:17 reminds us “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is
futile and you are still in your sins”.
The good news is that Christ is risen and we have salvation through his
sacrifice.
Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students!
Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. This
week we take a look at how Jesus institutes the New Covenant at the Passover
meal and how Hebrews shows the new covenant was foretold in the Old Testament. There are several covenants throughout
Scripture but this New Covenant is the one covenant available to all humanity
for salvation throughout eternity. The
old covenant had its purpose but the new covenant fulfills the requirement for
righteousness through Jesus Christ and for all eternity. Hebrews will tell us that now; there is no
need for the Jewish practice of animal sacrifice. Some of the ideas surrounding this week’s
text include the terms:
Testament
Covenant
Holy Communion
Background:
This week’s lesson is focused on how
the New Covenant came into existence.
Jesus plainly institutes the New Covenant in Mark and this section of
Hebrews reflects back to how the New Covenant was foretold in the book of
Jerimiah. But before we go any further,
it’s important to understand what we’re really talking about when we use the term
New Covenant. So I’ll define covenant, New
Covenant, and then take a look at the backgrounds of Mark and Hebrews.
The term covenant and testament are
used interchangeably. We have the Old
Testament and the New Testament. The Old
Testament can be called the Old Covenant and the New Testament can be called the
New Covenant. It is an Old Agreement and
a New Agreement.
Covenant =
Testament
Old Covenant
= Old Testament
New Covenant
= New Testament
Covenant is defined as a formal
agreement or treaty between two parties that establishes a relationship and in
which obligations and mutual responsibilities may be enacted. Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms
defines New Covenant as the anticipated action of God in establishing a
personal relationship with people (this was foretold in Jeremiah
31:31-34). Christians see this New
Covenant as fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The
term New Covenant is used by Jesus in relation to his death (Luke 22:20; I Cor
11:25) and elsewhere in the New Testament for the effects Jesus Christ
brings. New Covenant is also, a term for
the New Testament.
So the main point is there is an old covenant or an old agreement. I should also note that there are at least seven covenants in Scripture. In a general sense when we are talking about covenants; Protestant Christians recognize the Old Covenant as the 39 books of the Old Testament. There is a New Covenant, and Protestant Christians recognize this New Covenant as the 27 books of the New Testament.
So with that in mind, I’ll take a
look at the background of Mark and Hebrews as they both help us understand this
New Covenant.
The Gospel of Mark does not mention the name
of its author. “Biblical scholars have
tended to date the composition of the Gospel to the decade of 65 Common Era to
75 Common Era” (New Interpreter’s Study Bible).
“Mark was believed to have written the Gospel after Peter’s death in
Rome during Nero’s persecutions (NISB)”.
Nelson’s Bible Handbook notes that Mark’s theme is to portray Jesus as a
Servant and as the Redeemer of men.
In the fourteenth chapter of Mark
Jesus is at the Passover meal.
Christians recognize this as The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. It is here that Jesus institutes the New
Covenant. It is a new agreement that is
a better agreement.
Now, for some background on
Hebrews. The book of Hebrews is one of
eight general epistles or letters that are not addressed to a specific
church. The author is not known and Hebrews
is more of a sermon/treatise than a letter (NISB). One of the main emphases in Hebrews is the
superiority of the new covenant to the old and the old covenant’s practice of
animal sacrifices (NISB).
The eighth chapter of Hebrews deals
with the true high priest (Jesus) and the two covenants (old and new). It naturally, takes a Christological
interpretation of the Old Testament book of Jerimiah 31:31-34. This is the longest quotation from the Old
Testament in the New Testament (Townsend Commentary).
Some important words to consider from
these two texts include:
Covenant
Testament
New Covenant
/ Agreement
Holy
Communion
Review Of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week we discussed how Paul began
Romans 8 by imploring, pleading with, urging, and what seemed like begging the
believers at Rome to “offer their bodies as a living sacrifice”. We discussed how Jesus Christ is the ultimate
sacrifice for all humanity and that we should bring our entire life, all of who
we are, our entire bodies as a living, breathing, thinking, sacrifice in
service to Jesus Christ.
We also talked about the different
translations of the end of verse one. The
King James Version ends verse one saying “this is your reasonable
service”. The New Revised Standard
Version says “this is your spiritual worship” and the New International Version
translates it as “your true and proper worship”. The idea is the same in either translation;
we are expected to offer our complete selves holy to God.
We discussed how verse two tells us
to not emulate or conform to the world but rather be transformed or changed and
how it is this transformation that is the new life in Christ. We are transformed by the renewing of our
minds. We discussed how verse three is a
gentle reminder and warning not to boast.
This was not doubt wise advice for both the Jewish Christians and
Gentile Christians coming from different cultures, customs, and practices who
needed to work together.
We also listed the six spiritual
gifts that Paul mentions in verses six through eight. Those are gifts are prophecy, ministry, teaching,
exhortation, leading, and mercy. Those
various gifts are given to each of us by grace.
Paul mentions other spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.
This week’s lesson is the first
lesson of the Summer quarter. The theme
for this week and this quarter will focus on ideas surrounding covenant. In particular we will try to understand how
the New Covenant came to be, how Jesus is the embodiment of the New Covenant
and what that means in our day to day living.
Standard Lesson Commentary, Townsend and Boyd’s Commentary all title
this week’s lesson Jesus Institutes The New Covenant. The scripture text comes from Mark 14:17-24,
and Hebrews 8:6-7, 10-12.
What Takes Place in These Passages:
Mark 14:17 begins with Jesus and the
twelve disciples gathered together for the evening Passover meal. As they eat the Passover meal Jesus tells his
disciples one of them will betray him. They
all knew betrayal would mean a cruel and painful death. They also knew that betrayal would likely put
them in danger as well. Can you imagine
sitting at the dinner table with friends and someone says one of you will have
me killed? Just knowing that someone
close to you is capable of this kind of betrayal is astonishing.
Distressed, upset, and sorrowful the
disciples take turns asking “is it I”.
Jesus explains “it is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into
the bowl with me”. The NISB notes that “Dipping
bread into the bowl emphasizes the bond of hospitality and intimacy that is
about to be broken by betrayal”.
In verses twenty-two through
twenty-four Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper otherwise known as Holy
Communion. Note especially verse
twenty-four. “He said to them, “This is
my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many”. Here Jesus mentions the covenant that is the
basis for the new and better covenant Hebrews mentions.
Hebrews 8:6 begins by explaining that
Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant with better promises. Note that verse seven explains if the first
covenant had been faultless, there would be no need to look for a second
one. No one could keep all the rules and
regulations of the Old Testament. But
more importantly, this new covenant would replace the practice of animal
sacrifices. Jesus was the one sacrifice
for all eternity to absolve or release humanity of the consequences of sin and
separation from God.
Context:
Jesus institutes the New Covenant. When I think about the New Covenant I am also
reminded of new life in Christ. “Therefore
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come. (II Cor. 5:17).
We have taken off the old and put on the new. The old ways, the old habits, the old
routines that created problems, caused sin, and produced confusion in our lives
should be put to rest. We have a new
covenant, a new agreement, a new testament that is created in Jesus Christ. This new covenant is based on righteousness, but
its Christ’s righteousness, not ours. We
live in an age of grace and it is that grace that finds us in the newness of
Christ’s covenant.
Key Characters in the text:
Jesus Christ –
Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and according to the Christian church the
incarnate second Person of the Trinity.
He was crucified on a cross and was raised from the dead by the power of
God.
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for discussion):
Covenant – A
formal agreement or treaty between two parties that establishes a relationship
and in which obligations and mutual responsibilities may be enacted. Many biblical covenants are found, some
providing only divine promises while others entail obligations.
Covenant of grace – The relationship into which God entered to provide, by grace, the promise
of salvation to sinful humanity. It
extends throughout the Old Testament by means of various covenants to its final
fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Testament – A
person’s last will to dispose of property.
Also, a covenant – as at Sinai.
Both senses are found in Gal 3:15-18.
The term is also used for the division of the Bible into Old and New
Testaments (covenants).
Passover Meal
– The commemorative Jewish meal recalling the deliverance of the nation of
Israel from slavery in Egypt through the exodus event.
Lord’s Supper
– The sacrament of Communion, or the Eucharist. (Baptist believers use the term
ordinance, not sacrament) It celebrates
the death of Christ, his presence with the church, and his future kingdom
(reign). It was instituted by Jesus (I
Cor. 11:23-26) at the Last Supper, the last meal which Jesus shared with his
disciples before his crucifixion.
Themes, Topics, Discussion, or Sermon Preparation Ideas:
A better way
A new agreement. (Compare and contrast agreement with contract, bond, indenture, testament, etc.)
Questions:
1.
What does it mean when Hebrews 8:7 says “For if the first covenant had
been faultless”? Does this mean there
was an error in the Old Testament?
2.
There are several covenants throughout Scripture. Jesus established the New Covenant. Does that mean we are bound by the old
covenants?
Concluding thought:
Jesus institutes the New Covenant. The old covenant required the shedding of
blood from animals for the remission of sins.
This New Covenant is established by the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary’s
cross. His sacrifice was once and for
all humanity because Jesus lived a sinless life.
It’s now up to us. We will never be sinless, but that should be
the goal we strive for. Jesus has
established the new covenant and that agreement requires each of us to follow
the teachings and example of Jesus.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson:
Next week we continue in the Gospel
according to Mark. The aim of next week
is to show us how Jesus Seals the New Covenant.
As the Nation of Israel rejects Jesus he is turned over to Pontius
Pilate for crucifixion. We will look at
what it means to be in relationship with one another, Jesus Christ, and
God. These relationships are made
possible by the unselfish sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary.
Hello Sunday school teachers, preachers, and students!
Welcome to SundaySchoolPreacher.com. This
week we take a look at how God calls us to be transformed. As we are called to new life in Christ we are
required to make changes and alterations in our day to day living. Students of theology call this change
praxis. It is the transformation from
theory and thought to action in each of our lives. That’s what chapter twelve is about as Paul
turns the corner from the theology of chapters’ one through eleven. Some of the ideas surrounding this week’s
text include the terms:
Sacrifice
Praxis
Cooperation
Background:
Over the previous three weeks I’ve
repeatedly discussed how Paul’s letter to the church at Rome is written
approximately 57 Common Era. That was
important because it helped establish that Paul was writing to both Jewish and
Gentile Christians. They were different
groups that had different practices, customs, and cultures. That’s still important but less so in this
twelfth chapter of Romans. In this
chapter Paul has switched from writing doctrinal statements that helped Jewish
and Gentile Christians understand how to work together. In this chapter he switches to writing more
about the practical application of previous chapters. So what is discussed in chapter twelve is
addressed to the believers in Rome but it applies even more specifically to all
believers.
In this chapter, Paul begins to put
it all together. He begins to tell us
how to live the Christian life. Townsend
Commentary reminds us of some of the doctrinal journey through Romans. “They have been “justified through faith” in
chapter 5, “set free from sin” in chapter 6,
“released from the law” in chapter 7, and made “alive” in Christ in
chapter 8”.
Some important words to consider in
chapter twelve include:
Sacrifice
Gifts
Cooperation
Review Of Last Week and How it Connects to This Week:
Last week was the third of four
lessons in Romans. This week is the
fourth lesson of Romans and the final lesson of the Spring quarter. Last week’s study began at Romans 11:11. Here Paul asks a question about his Israelite
nation; “have they stumbled so as to fall”?
As he refers to the broader Jewish religion, He answers the question by
saying “By no means”! He explains that
the Jewish religious nation has not fallen so far as to fall. He is telling the Jewish Christians that
“salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous”. In
verse thirteen he declares himself the Apostle to the Gentiles. He hopes to use jealousy of the Christian’s
salvation to win some of his Israelite nation to faith in Jesus Christ. If jealousy works, if envy works, then Paul
is prepared to use it. Verse sixteen
continues with a literary device using the first fruits of dough and the root
of a tree as a metaphor. These metaphors
paint a mental picture that shows how both the Jewish Christians and Gentile
Christians are Holy through their connection to the Jewish religion which was
God’s first covenantal family.
Verses seventeen through twenty-four
use a different metaphor. In these
verses both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians are branches of an Olive
tree. Whereas the Jews were broken off
branches, the Gentiles were branches grafted into the tree.
After Paul notes the kindness and
severity of God he closes this metaphor with a note of hope that the “natural
branches would be grafted back into their own olive tree”.
In this week we consider practical
application of Christian doctrine. Paul
is writing in this twelfth chapter about praxis. It’s about how to live the Christian
life. Townsend and Boyd’s, Commentary
title this week’s lesson Called To New Life in Christ. Standard Commentary titles it Called to Be
Transformed. The Scripture text comes
from Romans 12:1-8.
What Takes Place in This Passage:
Paul begins by imploring, pleading
with, urging, and what seems like even begging the believers at Rome to “offer
their bodies as a living sacrifice”. The
imagery of a living sacrifice is placed against the imagery of customary Jewish
animal sacrifices. While Jesus Christ is
the ultimate sacrifice for all humanity we should bring our entire life, all of
who we are, our entire bodies as a living, breathing, thinking, sacrifice in
service to Jesus Christ.
Note also that Paul says
“therefore”. He begins chapter twelve
this way because he made his case in the preceding chapters. He laid the foundation of justification by
grace, redemption, salvation, and other doctrine in chapters one through eleven
and now he turns the corner by essentially saying “this is what we are supposed
to do, THEREFORE… present your bodies a living sacrifice.
The King James Version ends verse one
saying “this is your reasonable service”.
The New Revised Standard Version says “this is your spiritual worship”
and the New International Version translates it as “your true and proper
worship”. The idea is the same in either
translation; we are expected to offer our complete selves holy to God.
Verse two tells us to not emulate or
conform to the world but rather be transformed or changed. It is this transformation that is the new
life in Christ. We are transformed by
the renewing of our minds. We are called
to be transformed and we achieve transformation by following the Holy Spirit,
not the ways of the world.
Verse three is a gentle reminder and
warning not to boast. It’s a poor frog
who doesn’t praise his own pond, yet, praising your own pond is entirely
different from bragging about and holding yourself in too high esteem. Paul encourages us to think soberly, not
boastfully about ourselves. This is no
doubt wise advice for people in an environment of different cultures, customs,
and practices who need to work together.
In verses four and five, Paul uses
the body as a metaphor for the church.
In the same way the body must work together with arms, legs, eyes, and
ears; so must the church work together with different people doing different
but necessary things to work together.
Verses six through eight expound on
the idea of working together by mentioning six different gifts. Those gifts are:
Prophecy
Ministry
Teaching
Exhortation
Leading
Mercy
Note that various gifts are given to
each of us by grace. Paul mentions other
spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.
Context:
God’s word is for our transformation
and inspiration not just information.
That’s the point Paul is making in chapter twelve. He has given a lot of doctrine in chapters
one through eleven. He begins in chapter
twelve explaining how to put the doctrine to use. For Christians today that means praxis. Praxis is taking theory and thought to actual
practice. It is applying what is said to
what should be done. It’s taking what is
heard in the pews to what should be done at home, at work, and in everyday
life. Praxis is moving from thinking
about it to being about it. When Paul
says “therefore I urge you” it is almost as if he is begging us to do the work
of living this Christian life. It’s this
kind of practical application that chapter twelve requires of us. In short, Paul is asking at least five things
of us in this chapter. Those
include:
Be a living
sacrifice
Renew our
minds
Think
soberly of ourselves
We belong to
each other
Use our
various gifts for Christ
If we can make these actions in our
living and not theory or just thoughts we are certainly on our way to being
transformed and called to new life in Christ.
Key Characters in the text:
Paul – Originally
known as Saul of Tarsus before his conversion to Christianity. He was the most influential leader in the
early days of the Christian church. Paul
was a primary instrument in the expansion of the gospel to the Gentiles. His letters to various churches and
individuals contain the most thorough and deliberate theological formulations
of the New Testament (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible).
Gentile – A
term used by Jews for one who is not Jewish by racial origin. In the Old Testament, “the nations” is used.
Key Words (not necessarily in the text, but good for
discussion):
Sacrifice – Something
of value offered as an act of worship or devotion to God. Sacrifices were offered throughout the Old
Testament, accompanied covenant making, and were of various types.
Praxis – A
term used in liberation theologies for a combination of action and reflection
which seeks the transformation of oppressive situations and the social
order. It marks the beginning place for
theological reflection and focuses on the dialectic of theory and practice.
Gifts, Spiritual – Those abilities given by the Holy Spirit to persons in the church for the
up-building of the church. Examples are
listed in Rom. 12:6-8; I Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:11; and I Peter 4:11.
Themes, Topics, Discussion, or Sermon Preparation Ideas:
Don’t
talk about it, be about it.
Ubuntu
– I am who I am because of who we are.
Questions:
1.
A living sacrifice is a contradiction.
What is Paul really telling us to do in this verse?
2.
Cooperation for the good of the whole seems to be an important point
Paul is making. How can we cooperate
with fellow believers today?
Concluding thought:
Our call to new life in Christ
requires transformation. Our
transformation is achieved though renewing our minds to become more like Jesus
Christ. That is an ongoing process that
cannot be achieved with a single act or in a single week, month, or year. We grow, we learn, we get better and
sometimes we have to repeat the process when we sin and get it wrong. Our call to be transformed is a call that
takes practice. It takes daily and
sometimes moment by moment conscious effort.
As we renew our minds, sometimes we alter our life. We alter choices and make decisions that
don’t come naturally. They are often
decisions that benefit others more than ourselves. That’s the way it is with new life in
Christ. A transformed life is a living
sacrifice that does not have too high a regard for its own wants and desires
but an humble life that realizes that we belong to each other. It realizes that whatever spiritual gifts we
have we should use them for the up-building of the work of Jesus Christ.
Preview of Next Week’s Lesson:
Next week is the first lesson of the
summer quarter. The summer quarter will
focus on aspects of covenant. The first
nine lessons come from the New Testament so we will view covenant from a New
Testament perspective before three lesson in the Old Testament that view it in
a more general perspective.
The June 2nd lesson comes
from the Gospel According to Mark and Hebrews.
We will consider how Jesus institutes a new and better covenant made on
better promises.
Sunday School Preacher 