Friday, November 30, 2012



WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday December 2, 2012
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CHOSEN AND CLAIMED
(JESUS redeemed us for HIS glory and purpose)
(Ephesians 1:1-14)

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written during his first imprisonment in Rome circa A.D. 60-61. It was one of three doctrinal “jailhouse letters” (the others were Colossians and Philippians) that were believed to be written by Paul while he was awaiting trial there.  He had earlier spent three years in Ephesus (probably A.D. 54-57) and had had a great impact on that city, and other communities throughout the Roman province of Asia. Thousands of people had converted to Christianity during Paul’s stay there, and thousands of dollars worth of books and paraphernalia on magic, were publicly burned.
At that time, Ephesus was the queen city of Asia. Unfortunately, it was also Asia’s center of the popular cult of Artemis. Artemis was the most popular of the many idol gods that found their home in Ephesus. In fact, the worship temple of Artemis was one of the great wonders of the world in the first century, and thousands of visitors traveled to Ephesus each year to get a glimpse of this imposing, and structurally beautiful edifice.
It was against this backdrop of religion and superstition that Paul now writes of the new Church that he had started there in Ephesus. Just as all Christian Churches should be, it was a church whose architect was GOD, whose builder was CHRIST JESUS, and whose temple was occupied daily by the divine presence of the HOLY SPIRIT.
The Christian Church is not one that is born of bricks and mortar, but rather, they are born of the living flesh of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Instead of being stocked with silver and gold, they are stocked with spiritual blessings from on High, and, instead of being overseen by an earthly priest; they are overseen and headed, by JESUS. They do not lie at the mercy of hostile spiritual forces, but rather, they are ultimately guarded and protected by a supreme and powerful GOD.
In Ephesians 1, verses 3-14, the Apostle Paul lays out three provisions of spiritual blessings by the GOD-head, (in one long sentence in the original Greek writing) that are bestowed upon those who belong to CHRIST JESUS. Here we see:

·         The selection of the FATHER (Vs. 3-6)
·         The sacrifice of the SON (Vs. 7-12)
·         The seal of the HOLY SPIRIT (V. 12-14)

These opening verses of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us visions of a child who is surrounded by gifts at Christmas time. One can easily feel how GOD wishes to give us all the needed blessings that are promised to those who belong to HIS “adopted family” (the Gentiles). When we belong to the family of GOD, JESUS opens up the doors to HIS FATHER’s wealth and security, and helps us to fully understand HIS “house rules”, or, HIS will, and HIS ways.
Before GOD ever created the world, HE already had in place, special plans for those HE would later call to partake in HIS great and wonderful work. The rewards we receive at the end of our “Christian walk” are greatly increased in accordance to how close we walked in obedience to the MASTER. HIS secret plan (the church) has now been revealed to us, and it centers on CHRIST JESUS, HIS only begotten SON. And at the right time, HE will bring everything together under the authority of HIS SON, indeed, everything in Heaven, and, on earth.
It is because of CHRIST JESUS, that we have received an inheritance from GOD, and GOD chose us, from the beginning. All things happen now, just as GOD planned them long ago, and when we believe in CHRIST, GOD identifies us as HIS OWN. And HE lends us HIS HOLY SPIRIT to guide us and hold us by the hand, so that when we stumble, we will not fall. The HOLY SPIRIT is GOD’s guarantee that HE will grant us everything that HE has promised, and, that HE has purchased us at a high price to be in HIS family. This is just one more reason for us to praise GOD at all times, not just with our lips, but indeed, most importantly, through our daily behavior.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander



larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com



LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website

Friday, November 16, 2012



WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 18, 2012
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Over 37,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com


PAUL MINISTERS ON THE ISLAND OF MALTA
(GOD provides opportunities to use our faith)
(Acts 28)

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “For whatever is or is not true, this one thing is certain, “We are not what we were meant to be”. Man is the highest form of GOD’s creation here on earth, and thereby, is the greatest benefactor of HIS brilliance and largess. Men and women were made by GOD to have dominion over the works of HIS hand, here on earth. But instead, we’ve become creatures who are frustrated by our own, self-imposed circumstances, who are defeated by our temptations, and, who are surrounded by our own weaknesses. And so, it is into this seemingly hopeless situation that GOD sent us HIS only begotten SON, so that whosoever believes in HIM, will not perish, but rather, will have everlasting life. JESUS made it possible for us to overcome, an otherwise, saddened and doomed state of existence, and, at one and the same time, helped us to understand, and become, what we ought to be.
In Acts chapter 28, verses 1-10, Paul and the 276-man crew find themselves shipwrecked and stranded on the Island of Malta. It would be three months before they could board another ship to Rome. Malta was a small island in the Mediterranean Sea located between Sicily and Africa. While Paul was stranded there, he seized the opportunity to preach the Gospel to its inhabitants, and was actually able to expand the Kingdom of GOD to a group of people, the Maltese, who were called “barbarous”, because they were said, by the Greeks, to speak an unintelligible foreign language. In fact, not only did Paul teach the Gospel of CHRIST there, he was also actually able to plant a new church there before he left.
The people on Malta were very kind to the crew, and it was very cold and wet when they arrived. As they were gathering wood for a fire, a poisonous snake attached itself to Paul’s hand. The people of the Island saw what was happening and thought for sure that Paul would be killed. However, Paul shook the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people, however, waited for a long while to see if Paul would swell up and die, but when nothing happened, they started believing that he must be a god (Vs. 1-6).
While on Malta, they met the chief Roman official, Publius, who invited them to his estate where he generously fed them for three days. Publius had a father who was suffering with an ailment called dysentery (dis-en-ter-e), which is a painful infection of the lower intestinal tract that also causes fever and severe diarrhea. While there, Paul laid hands on him and healed him. He also healed many other sick people on the Island who came to him seeking relief, and they were honored greatly by the people, and were given many things that they would need when they re-embarked upon their journey to Rome (Vs. 7-10).
Three months later they set sail for Rome on another ship that had docked on Malta for the winter. It was a ship from Alexandria in northern Africa, which featured the “twin gods” as its figurehead. In the first century, many ships had images of various idol gods, carved prominently at the front of the boat, kind of like a hood ornament on modern day automobiles, only, of course, sized in proportion to the ship. In those days two of the most popular idol gods were the twins, Castor and Pollux. This ship had carved images of those “Greeks gods of the constellation” called “Gemini” (Greek mythology & astrology) as its figurehead.
Their first stop was at Syracuse, a Greek city on the southeast coast of the island of Sicily, where they stayed for three days. Then they sailed across the Strait of Messina to Rhegium (Ree-jee-uhm), on the coast of southern Italy. From there they sailed up the coast to Puteoli (Poo-TEE-uh-lih) on the western shore of southern Italy where they found some believers, who invited them to stay with them for seven days.
Puteoli was the port of the great capital city of Rome, situated at the foot of the “Appian Way”. It was here at the original “Famous Forum”, some 43 miles from Rome, that, faithful believers came to meet their fearless, hardworking leader, Paul, to greet and encourage him.
Still others met him ten miles farther inland at “The Three Taverns”, giving the man who thought that he was nearly without human support in Rome, a hero’s welcome. And when they arrived in the city of Rome, Paul was placed under “house arrest”, under guard by only one soldier (Vs. 11-16).
Three days after arriving in Rome, Paul called the local Jewish leaders together and informed them, firsthand, of his situation. He told them that he had been arrested in Jerusalem, and tried, both there, and, in Caesarea, but hadn’t been formerly charged with any crime. They agreed that they had heard nothing against Paul, and had no letters from Judea, or reports from anyone else, accusing him of anything against anyone. However, they were still curious to know about the, much-denounced, “Christian sect” that they had heard so many negative things about (Vs. 17-22).
And so a time was set for Paul to speak to the Jews in Rome, while under arrest in his rented house. He took that glorious opportunity to preach and teach the doctrine of CHRIST JESUS from Scripture. He taught them from the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, and, from the books of the prophets. These teachings continued throughout the day, and into the night, and some believed, while others did not. However, after debating back and forward among themselves, Paul left them with a quote from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10), and after that, they all walked away, greatly disagreeing with each other (Vs. 23-29).
For the next two years, Paul continued to preach and teach from his rented house in Rome, and he proclaimed boldly, the Kingdom of GOD, and the doctrine of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. It is also during this period that he wrote his, now famous, “jail house letters”, which includes letters to the Philippians, the Ephesians, the Colossians, and, to Philemon.  
Jewish history tells us that Paul was acquitted of the false charges against him, and he continued to minister for a while, away from Rome. However, he returned to Rome after a couple of years and was re-arrested. This time he was executed by the Romans, reportedly beheaded during the wave of persecutions against Christians, that was spearheaded by the “miming emperor, Nero, in close proximity to Peter’s death, in and around A.D. 68.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander



larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com



LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website

Friday, November 9, 2012



WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 11, 2012

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PAUL SAILS TO ROME
(Faith can lead us through the storms of life)
(Acts 27)

Here in Acts 27, Paul’s long sought after appeal to argue his case before Caesar in Italy, is finally looking like it’s going to happen.  Paul, Luke, Aristarhcus, who was a Macedonian from Thessalonica, along with some other prisoners, all set sail on a cargo ship to Rome, under the guard of the Roman centurion, Julius.
Luke’s accurate description of this Mediterranean scene, impresses even today’s scholars, as he gives us a vivid account of the ports, sea vessels, and weather conditions in that area of the world in late October, and early November. There can be no doubt that this biblical account has to be based on the experiences of someone who had actually traveled these waters, during this particular season, at some point in their life. Luke tells us that they set sail from Caesarea on a ship that had come from Adramyttium (Add-rah-MITT- ee-um), an important sea port in northeastern Asia Minor. It was scheduled to make several stops along the coast of the province of Asia.
The following day they docked at Sidon, an ancient Phoenician seaport on the Mediterranean coast of northern Palestine. There we get a glimpse of the kindness that Julius shows to Paul as he permits him to go ashore and visit with friends, who were able to provide for some of the needs of this, now famous, apostle (v. 3).
After leaving Sidon the crew encountered some strong headwinds that made it very difficult to keep the ship on course. As a result, they were compelled to sail farther north between the island Cyprus and the mainland. They sailed along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia, coming to shore at Myra, in the province of Lycia, a mountainous country in southwest Asia Minor. It was there where they changed ships, and boarded an Egyptian vessel from Alexandria, that would take them on to Italy (Vs. 4-6).
After several days of very rough waters they finally came near Cnidus (NYE-dus), a city of the province of Caria, which is situated on the extreme southwestern tip of Asia Minor. But, unfortunately the winds were too strong against them for them to land. As a result, they had to sail down the wind-sheltered side of Crete, past the cape of Salmone, where they struggled along the coast, finally arriving at Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. 
This detour caused the crew to lose a great deal of time, and it was now becoming more and more dangerous with early winter approaching. Paul, who had traveled these waters before, went and spoke to the officers of the ship, because he believed that if they continued on their journey, they would no doubt meet with disaster. However, the officers made the decision to go on, in spite of Paul’s admonishments. They reasoned that Fair Havens was a port that was badly exposed to the winter elements, and that the port of Phoenix, which was located farther up the coast, would be a much safer place to spend the winter (Vs. 9-12).   
And so they ignored the voice of the man of GOD among them, and they sailed away into peril. When a light wind began to blow from the south, the heads of the ship thought for sure that they could make it to Phoenix. However, the weather then changed abruptly, and a wind, of typhoon strength, caught the ship and blew it out to sea. All they could do was surrender helplessly to the power of the wind (Vs. 13-15).
Having nothing else constructive that they could do, they pulled in the lifeboat to keep it from being damaged, and then girded up the battered ship with ropes to strengthen its hull. They were afraid of being driven across the sand bars of Syrtis on the African coast, and so they lowered the anchor as they were being helplessly pushed by the wind. The gale force winds continued on for several more days, blotting out the sun, and the stars, until all of their hopes (not Paul’s) were dashed (Vs. 16-20).
Then the man of GOD, Paul, stepped forward one more time, to say “I told you so”. Then he encouraged the frightened crew by telling them that they would lose the ship, but none of them would lose their lives. Paul goes on to tell them that an angel of “the GOD he served” had come to him the previous night, and assured him that they would all live, and he himself would stand trial in Rome, before Caesar. However, Paul disclosed to them that they would be shipwrecked on an island (Vs. 21-26), and they were (Vs. 39-44).
By this time Paul had garnered so much credibility that he was, quite literally, in charge of the ship. The lesson that can be learned here is that, authority is not something that rests on position alone, but rather, it is something that comes with integrity, and demonstrated competence. Once again Paul had been proven right by GOD before men, and now, he represented the hope of the entire 276-man crew.  
Even before this dramatic voyage, Paul had become accustomed to facing life-threatening situations that would more than buckle the average person. However, the apostle always believed what GOD told him, and that gave him strength to continue on with his work, and his calling. And so I find it appropriate to end this lesson by leaving you with the four anchors of faith;
·         Anchor yourself in GOD’s presence (believe)
·         Anchor yourself in GOD’s promise (believe)
·         Anchor yourself in GOD’s plan (trust)
·         Anchor yourself in GOD’s power (trust and believe)
Whenever we are in danger of being overwhelmed by the storms of life, GOD, will keep in perfect peace, the mind that stays on HIM, because we trust HIM. GOD will always bring the person who believes in HIM, through the storms of life, but not always necessarily on a sound, well-put-together ship. JESUS comes to us from across the storms of life, with HIS hands stretched out to save, speaking in a calm, clear voice, that bids us to “have no fear” (have faith). And sometimes when HE delivers us, HE may just have to bring us in on shipwrecked, broken pieces, because we were too prideful to consult with HIM, during fair weather.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander



larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com



LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website

Friday, November 2, 2012

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 4, 2012

Over 36,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

PAUL’S TESTIMONY BEFORE KING AGRIPPA
(Sharing a testimony of faith)
(Acts 26)

In Acts 26, after Paul had made his defense to the Roman Governor of Judea, Porcius Festus, without any written charges ever being filed against him, Luke now paints for us, a very vivid description of a regal courtroom scene, full of pomp and grandeur. Here we see King Agrippa II and Bernice, the eldest daughter of Agrippa I, make their grand entry into the auditorium accompanied by military officers and other prominent Jewish men of the city.
They arrived to great cheers and adoration from the people in the audience. It is into this dramatic scene that Festus orders that Paul be ushered in to testify before the king. Here we see Paul, a somewhat diminutive man in physical statue, bound in chains, and yet, from the moment he begins to speak, he clearly has command of this royal setting. But let us go back a ways to explain how Paul ultimately found himself in this predicament.
Two years earlier, Paul had been arrested shortly after he arrived in Jerusalem, as a group of Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, and roused a mob against him. They dragged Paul out of town that day, beating him all along the way. Paul was soon rescued by a regimen of Roman soldiers who were called to disperse the situation (Acts 21:26-36).
After allowing Paul to speak to the angry mob in Aramaic, the soldiers took him inside and ordered that he be whipped until he confessed his crime. As they began tying Paul down to whip him, he reveals to them that he is a Roman citizen, and legally, he couldn’t be punished without first being granted a trial (Acts 22:24-29).
The next day, Paul was released from his chains by the army commander, who ordered the leading priests to go into session with the Jewish high council to find out just what the trouble was all about (Acts 22:30). After appearing before them, and witnessing of the resurrection, and, of CHRIST JESUS, Paul was removed from chambers of the angry Pharisees and Sadducees, because the commander feared that they might kill him. That night the LORD appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul, just as you have told the people about ME here in Jerusalem, you must also preach the Good News in Rome” (Acts 23:1-11).
The next morning a group of more than forty Jews got together and hatched a plan, with some of the members of the Jewish high council, vowing to each other to neither eat nor drink again, until they had killed Paul (Acts 23:12-15). However, Paul’s nephew, who was standing close by, overheard the scheme, and went to Paul, where he was being incarcerated, and told him what the mob was planning to do. Paul then instructed his nephew to inform the army commander of the plan also.
The army commander then sent Paul to Caesarea under heavy guard, where he appeared before, then governor of Judea, Felix. Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with other Jewish leaders and a lawyer named Tertullus, to press charges against Paul. After hearing the case Felix, a few days later, sent for Paul. At that time Paul told Felix and his wife, Drusilla, about his faith in JESUS CHRIST. As he reasoned with them about righteousness, and self-control, and, about the judgment to come, Felix became terrified and sent Paul away. After that, Felix left Paul in prison during the final two years of his term in office as governor of Judea (Acts 24). Paul’s case would not be addressed again until Porcius Festus took over as governor of Judea.
And so three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new position as governor, he left for Jerusalem to hear allegations leveled against Paul by the Jewish leaders. The leaders actually wanted to get permission from Festus to move Paul to Jerusalem, and then, they would kill him on the way there. However, Festus invited the leaders to come to Caesarea instead, so Paul could be tried there in the official Roman court. During the trial, the Jewish leaders weren’t able to prove any of their allegations against Paul, and so Paul appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25).
This brings us up to snuff, here in Acts 26, where in this pompous and regal atmosphere, Paul’s long and unjust ordeal is about to come to a head. He has now been divinely placed into a position where he can witness of JESUS to the King of Judea, himself, Herod Agrippa II. The defense of a man changed by GOD is all that Paul has to offer up. Perhaps the one thing that great men of GOD always had in common was that they were not ashamed to confess what they had once been.
And so that is how Paul started his defense on that fateful day in the official court of the Roman Empire. He was able to show how his shameful behavior toward the adherents of “The Way”, those men and women who preached CHRIST, was now being used to glorify CHRIST, WHOM he had once publicly and outwardly detested (Vs. 2-11).
It was William Barclay who wrote that, “In this passage, Paul insists that the center of his whole message is the resurrection. His witness is not of someone who has lived and died, but of someone who is gloriously present forever more. For Paul, every day was Easter”.
In verses 12-18, as Paul recounted his Damascus Road experience, he tells once again of the light that was brighter than the sun at high noon. But now, for the first time, we are told that CHRIST spoke to him in Aramaic. The description by JESUS that Paul was “kicking against the pricks” suggests that Paul had guilty feelings about his persecution of the Christian Church, and that he was violating his conscience, acting in ignorance and unbelief in those days.
Paul’s testimony before the court left Festus stupefied when he spoke of the idea of the resurrection of CHRIST (v. 23). In fact, Festus believed that Paul had so enveloped himself in his studies that he had finally lost his grip on reality by making such a statement (v. 24). And as for King Agrippa, he was left with a feeling of embarrassment, and was not about to admit to beliefs that his own appointed governor thought to be preposterous.
In the end, Festus had the power to acquit Paul, but he let his political astuteness overrule his heart instead. Paul had been courageous enough to share his testimony and witness of CHRIST JESUS with everyone, small and great. And clearly he doesn’t lend the impression that he is even a prisoner in this dramatic scene. He seems to emit a power that raises him head and shoulders above anyone else in the auditorium, because he spoke with the confidence of a man, who clearly had GOD on his side.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander



larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com



LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website