Sunday School Lessons Archives - Baptist & Reflector

JAN. 30: DEMONSTRATE ALLEGIANCE

January 24, 2022

By Kevin Shrum
Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Daniel 3:14-26

The “Pledge of Allegiance” has become a controversial thing in recent years. For some, to pledge allegiance to a nation they feel has been unfair to them is beyond the pale.

For most, however, the pledge to a nation that has given them so much is a “no brainer.” The point is clear — a person pledges allegiance to that which they value or deem worthy. Allegiance has a companion word — alignment. We align ourselves squarely with what we have pledged our allegiance to. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s allegiance to God and His truth caused them to align themselves with practical holiness — prayer and theological conviction. [Read more…]

JAN. 30: THE PITFALL OF TEMPTATION

January 24, 2022

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Genesis 39:1-12

Joseph was successful because the Lord was with him in all his circumstances.

I. Joseph is trusted by a prosperous master (Ch. 39:1-6).

Although Joseph had been sold as a slave to Potiphar, an Egyptian official, the Lord was with him and prospered him (v. 3). Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household and all that he owned. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar owned because of Joseph. The master saw that the Lord was with Joseph. Joseph surely shared his faith with him. Perhaps he told Potiphar about his two dreams. [Read more…]

JAN. 23: INTEGRITY ESTABLISHED

January 17, 2022

By Kevin Shrum
Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Daniel 1:8-21

We are amid a massive cultural shift. Things that were once familiar are now strange; truths that were once cherished are no longer applauded. In his book, Reinventing Liberal Christianity, Theo Hobson traces the collapse of Western civilization through three steps: (1) What was universally condemned is now celebrated; (2) What was universally celebrated is now condemned; (3) Those who refuse to celebrate are condemned. In other words, we are “behind enemy lines” in the sense that the Christian faith is no longer the favored worldview in the public square. How are we now to live? Just as Daniel did when he found himself in a foreign land — with integrity and conviction.

A Commitment Expressed, Daniel 1:8-10. As Daniel was taken into Babylonian captivity he was put to the test. Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the best of the Hebrews men be selected to be reeducated and to be put on a different diet. He wanted them to conform to the “Babylonian way.” But Daniel determined “not to defile himself” (v. 8). Daniel wasn’t belligerent, but he was determined to keep himself holy. This was his minor act of rebellion that ended up having a major impact. [Read more…]

JAN. 23: THE PITFALL OF BETRAYAL

January 17, 2022

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Genesis 37:1-5, 19-24, 26-27

Joseph was loved and hated, favored and abused, abased and exalted. He truly was a man of God.

(1) Joseph’s boyhood (vv. 1-5). Joseph is introduced to us as a young man 17 years of age. Jacob loved Joseph more than his other eleven sons and made him a coat of many colors.

After Reuben, the firstborn, slept with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, he lost his birthright to Joseph. Jacob bequeathed to Joseph the only plot of land he owned, which was near Sychar (Genesis 33:19; John 4:5). Because of Jacob’s favoritism, Joseph’s brothers hated, resented and were jealous of him. They hated Joseph all the more because of his dreams he conveyed to them. [Read more…]

JAN. 16: VALUES

January 10, 2022

By Kevin Shrum
Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Ezekiel 16:20-21; 23:36-39; Psalm 139:13-16

Dictionary.com defines the term “value” as: something that is of relative worth, merit, or importance. We apply the term “value” to many things. We value our money, time, families, and friendships. We value life.

But what happens when a person (or an entire culture) stops valuing the right things and starts valuing the wrong things? This is exactly what has happened in Western civilization (Europe and North America). Rather than valuing life, we have become a “culture of death” that no longer values the very things that give life. But we are not the first to embrace such a deadly posture against God and the life He gives. [Read more…]

JAN. 16: SEEKING JUSTICE IN AN UNJUST WORLD

January 10, 2022

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Obadiah 1-4, 10-17

Though Obadiah is the most obscure of all the prophets, his message is potent and relevant.

1. The sin of all sins (vv. 1-4). Edomites were the descendants of Esau. Edom was bordered on the east by the desert and on the north by a deep canyon. The central area was characterized by cliffs that rose to heights over 5000 feet above sea level.

The configuration to enter Sela, the capital city, was so difficult to navigate that, according to the Edomites, just 12 men could defend it against an entire army. Their rallying cry was, “Who will bring me down?” (v. 3). The Edomites’ pride was in their geographical security. Pride is the sin of sins. [Read more…]

JAN. 9: OFFERS

January 3, 2022

By Kevin Shrum
Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Someone once took each letters of the word GOSPEL to define the gospel — God Offers Sinful (Dead) People Eternal Life. But this is only the beginning of what the good news means. The phrase — “Jesus did not come to make good men better, He came to make dead men live!” — is true. God’s offer of salvation is made all the more remarkable when we understand our condition outside of Jesus Christ and comprehend and embrace by faith God’s transforming grace in Jesus Christ. Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones illustrates our condition and God’s clear offer of grace.

The potential, Ezekiel 37:1-6. God gives Ezekiel a clear vision of Israel’s condition, and ours as well. Ezekiel says that God “brought me out by his Spirit and set me in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones,” (v. 1). The bones he saw were dry, numerous, and disjointed (v. 2). And so is the condition of the sinner — dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), disconnected from the life of God (Ephesians 2:2-3). [Read more…]

JAN. 9: THE RULER WHO CARES FOR HIS PEOPLE

January 3, 2022

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Micah 5:2-5a; Matthew 2:1-6, 9-11

There are some 330 prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Jesus.

The prophecy of Micah (Micah 5:2-5a). The people in Judah were insecure because of the threat of the Assyrians invading their nation. Micah gave them hope by prophesying of a future King who would shepherd them. Micah stated that this King would come from Bethlehem.

Furthermore, he foretold of His origin being from “ancient times,” which means from eternity (v. 2). Finally, Micah predicted that, “He will be their peace” (v. 5a). Jesus brings peace that surpasses all understanding to those who trust in Him for their salvation.

The introduction of the wise men (Matthew 2:1-2). The events in these verses probably occurred one to two years after Jesus was born. Jesus was now living in a house rather than the stable where He was born (v. 11). Also, Matthew called Him a child rather than an infant (v. 11). [Read more…]

JAN. 2: WARNS

December 27, 2021

By Kevin Shrum
Pastor, Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville

Focal Passage: Ezekiel 28:11-19; 25-26

My car warns me all the time; yes, my car. If I get into my car without buckling my seatbelt, it warns me with an annoying sound. If one of the car doors is left ajar, it warns me. These warnings are annoying, but necessary. They are meant for my safety and security. These warnings want me to change my mind about not buckling up or closing my vehicle doors.

God warns us as well. In fact, the Bible is filled with “oracles of woe,” (see Matthew 23) warnings, threats, and judgments that God announces to His people so that they might change their minds, repent of sin, and return to Him. So, as we think about God as a God of grace and mercy, we must also be reminded that our Holy God is a God who announces warnings and makes judgments against sinners. In brief, God offers grace to the humble and brings down the proud (James 4:6-10). [Read more…]

JAN. 2: THE LIGHT AND GLORY OF GOD

December 27, 2021

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Luke 2:22-35

Just as the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that the baby Jesus was the Messiah, He reveals to us the mind of God.

The dedication of the parents (v. 27b). When Jesus was forty days old, Joseph and Mary went to the temple because she was required by Old Testament law to go there for purification rites described in Lev. 12. She had to offer a sacrifice for her purification. They also came to pay a five shekel ransom price because Jesus was her firstborn (Exodus 13:1-12). The third reason they came was to dedicate Jesus to God.

Godly parents today, either in private or in a baby dedication service, will acknowledge that their child is God’s gift to them and dedicate him to the Lord (Psalm 127:3). [Read more…]

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