A Bride for Adam
What can we learn about Jesus from the story of Adam, an innocent man who was wounded in his side for the sake of his bride? The Apostle Paul says that Jesus was a new and greater Adam. The similarities between Adam and Jesus are quite remarkable. They both had no father except the Lord […]
Cain & Abel
Abel was a good shepherd, who offered an acceptable sacrifice to God. But Abel’s great favor with God provoked the hatred of his brother, Cain, who murdered him in cold blood. After death, Abel’s blood cried out to the Lord for justice, and the author of Hebrews specifically cites this fact as evidence of resurrection […]
Abraham & Isaac
What can we learn about Jesus from the story of how Father Abraham must sacrifice his unique and beloved son, Isaac? Genesis 22 is a passage that many people struggle to understand. In this most unusual story, God gives Father Abraham the terrifying command to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. In obedience to God, Abraham […]
Joseph
Joseph knew great suffering in his life. He was rejected by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery in Egypt, and then on top of all of this, falsely accused and condemned to an underground dungeon, a place of metaphoric death. But Joseph learned that his suffering was not without gospel purpose. In […]
The Birth of Moses
Moses was the “savior” that God had appointed to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt. But Moses was born under a decree of death! Pharaoh commanded that all the male children of Israel must be thrown into the Nile River. However, God delivered the infant Moses through the waters of death and raised him […]
The Water from the Rock
Once again, the Israelites found themselves at the point of death. They were traveling in the hot, desert wilderness, and they could not find any water. But God told Moses to bring the people to a rock on Mount Sinai. When Moses struck the rock, water came out in abundance, delivering God’s people from death […]
Moses & the Battle of Rephidim
While the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, the Amalekites came to attack them in the valley of Rephidim. But on the day of the battle, Moses climbed up a hill, accompanied by two men. Standing between those two men, Moses stretched out his arms to each side in the posture of prayer. When Moses […]
Samson
Samson was a mighty man, who performed many great deeds by the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet Samson had a great moral weakness: an eye for beautiful women who did not belong to the line of faith. Samson married Delilah, who betrayed him to his Philistine enemies for silver. He was taken into bonds, […]
David & Goliath
The giant Philistine Goliath challenged the armies of Israel to send out their greatest warrior to fight him in single combat. Filled with fear, the Israelites cowered in their tents–until an unlikely representative came forward. His name was David, the son of Jesse. With a stone from his slingshot, he crushed Goliath’s head, and then […]
Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were falsely accused of blasphemy and thrown in a fiery furnace of death. But in the end, God sent the Angel of the Lord to deliver the three righteous young men from death! Learn how their glorious deliverance prefigures Jesus’ even more glorious deliverance from death through his resurrection on the […]
Daniel & The Lions’ Den
The king of Persia signed a wicked decree, stating that no one could pray to anyone except him for thirty days. Daniel prayed to the Lord anyway, and so the innocent Daniel was condemned to death in a pit of lions. But the Angel of the Lord intervened to save Daniel! Very early in the […]
Esther
The Great King of Persia had an evil advisor, named Haman, who convinced the king to sign a decree condemning all of God’s people to death. But God provided a “savior” to deliver his people: Esther, the Queen of Persia, who was secretly a Jewess. In order to save her people, Esther knew she had […]
Jonah
God commanded Jonah to bring the message of repentance to the wicked Gentile city of Ninevah. But Jonah didn’t want to, and the disobedient prophet set sail in the opposite direction! So God sent a storm upon the sea. In order for God to calm the storm, the sailors threw Jonah overboard, where he was […]
The Birth of Jesus
God in his providence ordained that the life of his Son would be beautiful. Part of beauty in life is symmetry. In this lesson, discover how God arranged the events at the beginning of Jesus’ life to beautifully mirror the events at the end of his earthly life. Learn how the story of Jesus’ birth […]
Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus and his disciples gathered together at the table. Before the supper began, Jesus humbly washed the feet of each of his disciples. The Gospel of John uses seven key words to describe the scene: Jesus rose from the table, laid aside his garments, girded himself as a bondslave, […]
Jesus Among the Teachers in the Temple
After the Passover Festival, Jesus’ parents left Jerusalem to travel home. But along the way, they discovered Jesus was not with them. Fearing that the young Jesus had suffered death and was lost to them forever, Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem in a hurry. But after three days passed, they discovered Jesus in the […]
Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree
Zacchaeus was an unjust man–until he encountered Jesus at a tree. Learn about Zacchaeus’ remarkable encounter with Jesus at that tree, and how it powerfully depicts the gospel redemption we can find at an even greater tree, the Tree of the Cross!
The Stoning of Stephen
Stephen was a righteous man who performed great wonders and signs among the people. But Stephen was falsely accused of blasphemy and condemned to death. He was taken outside the city gate to be executed, and as he died, he cried out with a loud voice, asking God to have mercy on those who were […]
Peter Escapes from Prison
The Festival of the Passover had arrived in Israel. Although Peter was innocent, King Herod made plans to kill him. He arrested Peter and imprisoned him in a dungeon to await death. But in the middle of the night, God sent an angel to deliver Peter from death! Learn how Peter’s escape from the dungeon […]
Paul on Malta
While Paul was gathering wood for a fire on the island of Malta, a viper came out of the wood and pierced him in the hand. Like Jesus, Paul had suffered a deadly wounding by the serpent. But in the end, like Jesus, Paul survived unharmed! Learn how the story of Paul on Malta reflects […]