Bible Studies for Life Archives - Baptist & Reflector

MAR. 7: THE NATURE OF GOD

March 1, 2021

By Michael Julian
Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church, Kenton

Focal Passage: John 14:8-11, 16-20, 23-26

What grander subject could we seek to explore and extract truth from other than the subject of the nature of God? And while the intricacies of Father, Son, and Spirit have baffled theologians for centuries, understand that God reveals Himself in knowable fashion. So, let us turn to the words of Jesus in John 14 to help us mine the depths of the nature of the revealed God.

John 14:8-11: “To know Jesus, the Son of God, is to know the Father.”

Jesus, having washed the disciples’ feet and having shared the intimacy of the Lord’s Supper with them, proceeds in His upper room discourse. The troubled hearts of the disciples led them to ask questions, and we have become the beneficiaries of their questions. [Read more…]

FEB. 28: JOINING GOD’S WORK

February 23, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: John 15:1-8

As we come to our final lesson in this quarter, we are reminded of Henry Blackaby’s challenge to “Find where God is working and join Him in it” (Experiencing God).

R. Kent Hughes wrote about our text, “The inward test is far more telling than the number of souls saved, people influenced, money collected, etc. It is possible to have [all] the outward signs without having the life of Christ within … . The fruit Christ looks for is His own life in us.” Which is why we must join in God’s work.

First, joining God’s work means that fruitfulness is proof of our union with Christ (John 15:1-3). There is a reason Jesus uses the phrases, “in Him,” or “in Me” multiple times. It is about our union with Christ. [Read more…]

FEB. 21: CONNECTING TO CHRIST’S BODY

February 15, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:12-24

Many years ago, there was a mass-marketing push to get people to drink more milk. Part of the push contained an ad campaign with the catchy phrase, “Milk, it does a body good.” The obvious connotation was that drinking milk is good for the health of one’s body.

Of course, a popular metaphor in the Bible for the local New Testament church is that of the human body, with every member in the church contributing as they do their part. In our text for this week, the Apostle Paul uses this kind of language to remind a divided Corinthian church that their success as a congregation depended on their health, and that health is seen in their unity in diversity. [Read more…]

FEB. 14: MAINTAINING FOCUS ON JESUS

February 8, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Daniel 9:1-7; 17-19

By the time one arrives at Daniel 9, the prophet is most likely in his mid-eighties. He is studying the words of Jeremiah, and is moved to prayer for the people of God.

And what follows is one of the greatest prayers in the Bible, as Daniel enters a period of “prayer and supplications” which included “fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” What we have is a sound example of what a life looks like that seeks to maintain a focus on the Lord Jesus.

First, we focus on spiritual disciplines. The first thing Daniel did is what we should do. We need to set our “face toward the Lord God” (Daniel 9:3). It is a picture of complete focus. When King Jehoshaphat learned of enemy forces preparing to attack the people of Judah in Jerusalem, the Bible tells us that the King “set himself to seek the LORD” (II Chronicles 20:4). [Read more…]

FEB. 7 – INTIMACY WITH JESUS

February 3, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: John 17:1-5, 21-26

There is no denying that Jesus is our ultimate example of what intimate praying to God the Father looks like. Jesus’ prayer life is the prayer life we should all aspire to. And while Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 are often called, “The Lord’s Prayer,” this high priestly prayer of Jesus here in John 17, is truly The Lord’s Prayer.

It is His prayer for Himself, for His disciples, and for all believers throughout the ages who would come to believe on Him. So, in our text for this week, we see some of the things we should pray for. [Read more…]

JAN. 31: KNOWING GOD

January 25, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 119:17-24

In May of 2010, the Kimyal people of West Papua, Indonesia received the first ever copies of the New Testament in their own language.

If you have never watched the actual video of the people receiving the Word of God, it is worth your time. I was convicted at how the people were genuinely overcome with emotion as they saw those copies of God’s Word being unloaded from a plane. There was dancing, shouting, and literal tears of joy over the long-awaited arrival of the Word of God in their heart language.

In our text for this week, I see a similar kind of emotion by the psalmist as he describes his desire for the Word of God to the God of the Word. [Read more…]

JAN. 24: THE BENEFIT OF SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

January 18, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: 1 Timothy 4:1-10

While our text for this week contains Paul’s pastoral admonitions and instructions for young pastor Timothy, they should not be viewed as irrelevant to those of us not in vocational, gospel ministry.

The Apostle Paul delivers some sound spiritual advice for all who are living in the “latter times” (1 Timothy 4:1). And while we know that the “latter times,” is a reference to the period between Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:9-11) and His promised return, it sure seems like the Day of His return is drawing near! [Read more…]

JAN. 17: CREATED FOR A PURPOSE

January 11, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Jeremiah 1:4-10

Our text for this week is often used in the context of making a case for the importance of every single human life, because if God “formed,” Jeremiah in his mother’s “womb,” then certainly, all lives are created and formed by God. In addition, every life formed in the womb is known by God.

So, while we can find principles and truths here that inform us about the sanctity of human life, these words in Jeremiah 1:5 are found in the context of the calling of Jeremiah, of whom God says, “I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Therefore, the reasons God points out the importance of Jeremiah’s life, is because God had created him for a purpose. Matter of fact, God has a purpose for the life of each of his servants. The question is, are we willing to surrender to God’s purpose and calling on our lives? [Read more…]

JAN. 10: WEATHERING THE BLUES

January 4, 2021

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 31:1-8

While most scholars attribute this Psalm to David during his trials with Saul, or the treason of Absalom, there are other scholars who do not agree on its authorship. Yet, it seems that there is strong evidence for the authorship of David. We can affirm the importance of this Psalm because it was quoted by Jonah, Jeremiah, and Jesus.

So, whatever one’s view on the authorship of this Psalm, it is clear that the author (David) is looking back over his life and remembering both the troubles of life and the grace of God. So, whether this Psalm was written by King David, King Hezekiah, the prophet Jeremiah, or some unknown Israelite, the author went through some trials that could bring any soul to a low place in life. [Read more…]

JAN. 3: OVERCOMING WORRY

December 30, 2020

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 23:1-6

The 23rd Psalm is probably the most well-known passage in the Bible. Psalm 23 is the “Amazing Grace” of the Word of God. Charles Spurgeon called it, “The pearl of the psalms.” Alexander Maclaren said that this Psalm, “Has dried many tears and supplied the mold into which many hearts have poured their peaceful faith.” James Montgomery Boice wrote, “If ever a Psalm could stand almost on a single line, it is this one —‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ ”

In other words, this Psalm is a cure for all that worries us and makes us anxious. Matter of fact, there are five reasons why the Good Shepherd enables us to overcome worry. [Read more…]

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