by Paul Apple | Jan 17, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: NOMINAL CHRISTIANITY WITH ITS SELF-RELIANCE DESERVES CHRIST’S CRITICISM AS REPULSIVE INTRODUCTION: GotQuestions.org: What is nominal Christianity? Outside of arcane discussions in medieval philosophy, nominalism is the possession of a baseless name, title,...
by Paul Apple | Jan 16, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITHFULNESS (DESPITE NOT BEING OUTWARDLY IMPRESSIVE), THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA IS PROMISED SPECIAL PROTECTION FROM THE GREAT TRIBULATION INTRODUCTION: Buist Fanning: Jesus commends the church in Philadelphia for fidelity despite weakness,...
by Paul Apple | Jan 14, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: SPIRITUAL LETHARGY CALLS FOR REVIVAL — FOR THE BELIEVING REMNANT TO WAKE UP AND STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS INTRODUCTION: Grant Osborne: One would hope that there are few churches like Sardis today, but there are many. Lack of spiritual vigilance in a...
by Paul Apple | Jan 13, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: FALSE PROPHETS SEDUCE THE SAINTS TO IDOLATROUS COMPROMISE BUT THE CHURCH MUST PERSEVERE IN FAITH, LOVE AND GOOD WORKS INTRODUCTION: William Barclay: What, then, was the problem in Thyatira? We know less about Thyatira than about any other of the seven cities...
by Paul Apple | Jan 10, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: MORAL AND THEOLOGICAL COMPROMISE UNDERMINE SPIRITUAL LOYALTY INTRODUCTION: Buist Fanning: Jesus commends the church in Pergamum for their faithfulness despite deadly persecution, but they will face his judgment unless they turn away from idolatrous...
by Paul Apple | Jan 9, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: ANTICIPATING FUTURE RESURRECTION FORTIFIES BELIEVERS TO FAITHFULLY ENDURE PERSECUTION EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH INTRODUCTION: John MacArthur: Throughout its history, the seemingly paradoxical truth has been that the more the church has been persecuted, the...
by Paul Apple | Jan 6, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: GOOD WORKS AND DOCTRINAL DISCERNMENT CANNOT EXCUSE A FAILURE TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER INTRODUCTION: Marvin Rosenthal: I believe that the messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Rev. 2-3) are not descriptions of different periods of church history or...
by Paul Apple | Jan 4, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE VISION OF THE GLORIFIED REIGNING CHRIST AND THE RECORDED INSIGHT INTO END TIME EVENTS FUEL THE PERSEVERANCE OF SUFFERING SAINTS INTRODUCTION: John MacArthur: Having described the circumstances in which he received it, John then related the vision itself....
by Paul Apple | Jan 2, 2024 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: YOU CAN COUNT ON THE PROMISE OF CHRIST’S RETURN BECAUSE THE ETERNAL GOD IS THE SELF-EXISTENT, ALL-POWERFUL SOVEREIGN CONTROLLING THE UNIVERSE INTRODUCTION: G. K. Beale: The greetings section is concluded by the Lord’s description of Himself using the first...
by Paul Apple | Dec 31, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE PREEMINENT JESUS CHRIST — WHO LOVES US AND REDEEMED US AND ELEVATED US — IS COMING BACK IN DRAMATIC FASHION TO EXERCISE SOVEREIGN DOMINION INTRODUCTION: Richard Phillips: The book of Revelation, which takes the form of a historical letter,...
by Paul Apple | Dec 30, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE DIVINE UNVEILING OF END TIME EVENTS CALLS US TO READINESS AND PROMISES A BLESSING INTRODUCTION: Buist Fanning: This book is a prophetic revelation from God Almighty through John intended to bless the churches by showing how God’s redemption will be...
by Paul Apple | Sep 26, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: GOOD COMMUNICATION FOSTERS FELLOWSHIP IN THE GOSPEL INTRODUCTION: Benjamin Merkle: This section contains Paul’s concluding remarks to the saints in Ephesus and can be divided into two parts: (1) a commendation of Tychicus and his task (Eph. 6:21–22) and (2)...
by Paul Apple | Sep 26, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE PROTECTION OF THE SAINTS AND THE FORWARD PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL DEPEND ON ALERT INTERCESSORY PRAYER INTRODUCTION: Harold Hoehner: It is important to note the repetition in this verse. Prayer and petition are mentioned four times. This is not tautology...
by Paul Apple | Sep 26, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: WALK STRONG – DEFEND AGAINST THE ENEMY WITH THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD INTRODUCTION: Stephen Fowl: As a way of completing his epistle, Paul in this final substantive section shifts from admonitions about walking in a manner worthy of the gospel to a discussion of...
by Paul Apple | Sep 26, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: WALKING WISELY INVOLVES FULFILLING YOUR ROLE IN RELATIONSHIPS OF SUBMISSION AND CONSIDERATION INTRODUCTION: Stephen Fowl: It is crucial that readers interpret 5:21 as pointing both backward and forward. It serves to conclude a section that presents some of...
by Paul Apple | Sep 25, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: WALK WISELY – IN THE WILL OF THE LORD – UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT INTRODUCTION: Frank Thielman: The theme of wise conduct within the household binds the entire passage together. In light of the evil times in which believers live, Paul...
by Paul Apple | Sep 25, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: KEEP YOURSELF PURE AS YOU WALK IN THE LIGHT AND EXPOSE DEEDS OF DARKNESS (ESPECIALLY SEXUAL IMPURITY, GREED AND SHAMEFUL SPEECH) INTRODUCTION: Remember the theme of Walk in Love (5:1-2). This leads into the discussion on abstaining from impurity = the...
by Paul Apple | Sep 23, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE CHRISTIAN MUST REJECT HARMFUL BEHAVIOR (WHICH DESTROYS COMMUNITY) AND IMITATE THE LOVE OF GOD (WHICH BUILDS COMMUNITY) INTRODUCTION: Harold Hoehner: To review, Paul has exhorted the Ephesians not to walk as the Gentiles do. He described the lifestyle of...
by Paul Apple | Sep 22, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: THE CHRISTIAN WALK MUST BE RADICALLY DIFFERENT — – THAN THE UNSAVED – THAN OUR OLD SELF INTRODUCTION: Andrew Lincoln: In terms of its structure and sequence this pericope has two parts—the exhortation not to live like the Gentiles (vv...
by Paul Apple | Sep 21, 2023 | Bible-NT
BIG IDEA: IN HUMILITY AND LOVE, PROMOTE UNITY IN A CONTEXT OF DIVERSITY WITH THE GOAL OF MATURITY INTRODUCTION: Harold Hoehner: The revelation of the unification of Jewish and Gentile believers positionally as “one new person” (2:15), the body of Christ, and the...
