WEDNESDAY EVENING BIBLE STUDY (WEBS) NOTES
09/02/2020 - BASICS - Lesson 3 - Canonization and Translation
08/26/2020 - BASICS - Lesson 2 - The Character of Scripture | SCAN
08/19/2020 - BASICS - Lesson 1 - The Bible is the Word of God
07/09/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “the life everlasting”
06/24/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “the resurrection of the body”
06/17/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “the forgiveness of sins”
06/10/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “the communion of saints”
06/03/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “the Holy Catholic Church”
05/27/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “I believe in the Holy Spirit”
In this study of the Apostles’ Creed we come to the third and final section of the confession. The opening line states, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” In the same way the creed confesses belief in God the Father Almighty and Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, it teaches us to confess belief in the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, for many, even while confessing this line of the Creed, a lack of understanding the Holy Spirit is present. For others the Holy Spirit is the “Cinderella” of the Trinity. Present, no doubt, but undervalued and unappreciated.
05/13/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “whence he shall return to judge”
The creed provides for us a chronological ordering of the ministry of Christ—past, present, and future. In the past he was conceived, suffered, crucified, buried, descended. Presently he sits at the right hand ministering on behalf of his own and one day in the future form whence (from which/there) he will come again. As such the return of Christ is an essential and elementary doctrine of our faith. If Christ is not coming again there’s no need for a creed because there’s nothing to confess. But with the Apostles’ Creed every believer confesses the coming again of Christ to judge the living and the dead.
05/06/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “he ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand”
While the descent clause of the Apostles’ Creed is the most debated line of the confession, it may very well be that the ascent clause is the most neglected line of Creed. The ascension of Christ may be the most overlooked aspect of his ministry. This is the case despite it being mentioned, prophesied, or referenced at least 46 times in the Bible, both New and Old Testaments. However, the ascension of Christ is not only a great FACT of the New Testament, but a greater FACTOR in the life of Christ and Christians, and no complete view of the faith is possible unless the ascension is included.
04/29/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed - “the third day he rose again from the dead”
It should come as no surprise that we find the resurrection of Jesus Christ confessed in the Creed. The Apostles’ Creed would be no confession of faith without the resurrection included because there is no faith without a resurrected Christ. If this line isn’t present in the creed what proceeds and follows is of little concern and ultimately rendered void and vain. The resurrection is the keystone of our faith. Remove it and everything else crumbles.
04/22/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: “he descended into hell (he descended into the dead)”
There is no more misunderstood and debated line among believers in the Apostles’ Creed than this one. Positioned as the fulcrum of the descent and ascent of Jesus, the creed confesses “he descended into hell.” Evangelicals, Baptists especially, are left perplexed at best in regards to the phrase and at worst entirely uncomfortable in speaking and confessing it. However, when rightfully understood, it becomes clear this is a pivot that merits our praise. For in his descent Christ has done a glorious work.
04/15/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried”
In these lines of the creed we come to the goldmine of our faith—Calvary. Jesus has suffered so that we might be saved. The riches confessed here are beyond any ability to exhaustively mine all their glories.
04/08/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: “conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary”
The coming of Christ, and how he came, is an essential component of our faith. In fact, it was this aspect that presumably gave rise to the formation of the creed itself. If the nature and person of Christ can be debunked, diminished, or done-away-with then our faith is futile. Furthermore, the early church knew that if you didn’t have a proper grasp of Christ in the womb, you wouldn’t rightly understand Christ on the cross (Mohler, 44).
Thus the creed asserts…. Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. As we consider these lines in our study we’ll ask and answer…”What does the Creed confess about the incarnation, why does it matter, and what impact does it have for us?”
04/01/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: “Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord”
Our study of the Apostles’ Creed in this lesson brings us to the heart of the confession and the defining characteristic of our faith: Jesus Christ. Who we believe Jesus to be is the most important aspect of our faith. The confession’s claims about Jesus Christ clearly separates and distinguishes us from all other religions. But what are we confessing about Christ in this line of the Creed? There is certainly more to come, but the four descriptions of the line in the creed we’re looking at tonight present Jesus as Mediator, Messiah, Mystery, and Master.
03/25/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: “Maker of heaven and earth”
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” These may very well be the most profound words in all the Bible. In this lesson the study takes a look at the second line of the Apostles’ Creed—the confession of God as “maker of heaven and earth.” While few in words, it is certainly full of meaning. It’s clear that what we believe about God and creation is vital to our faith.
03/18/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: “God the Father Almighty”
If your God is ordinary, it’s because he’s a god you have made. That’s not the god of our faith, nor this creed. He’s no ordinary God. Because what we believe about God is the most important belief we have, the Apostles’ Creed helps us to understand and confess him correctly. It’s opening line offers three affirmations of the God of Christian Faith…
03/11/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: I Believe (Credo)
The Apostles’ Creed is a statement of belief. The word creed is derived from the Latin “credo” which literally means “I believe in.” What do we mean when we say we believe these things? What is the essence of the belief and faith confessed in the Apostles’ Creed? It’s not enough to simply look at what we believe, or know what we believe; we must also examine how we believe it! This study of the creed’s opening confession examines 7 characteristics of true belief and saving faith.
03/04/2020 - The Apostles’ Creed: Introduction
If someone were to ask you to give a (succinct) summary of the Christian faith what would you tell them? Or, if you were asked what you believe, how would you answer? This new series, exploring the Apostles’ Creed can help us with those answers. In this introduction to the study we look at the major creeds and confessions of the Christian faith and why they matter.
02/26/2020 - A Few Good Men: Judas Iscariot
In this final study of A Few Good Men we look at the life of Judas Iscariot. While it might be tempting, especially given his actions, to dismiss or completely ignore Judas’s life as part of the twelve, we shouldn’t. Like the rest, Judas’s life teaches us some important lessons. In fact, they may be some of the most important of all.
02/12/2020 - A Few Good Men: James (the less), Simon (the zealot), and Judas (not Iscariot)
In this study of the twelve we look at the lives of a group of great unknowns. While unquestionably apostles, they never stand in the spotlight, are all virtually silent in the gospel narratives, and we have no works attributed to their pens. It would be easy to ask (or sing) “Who are you?” in connection with these men. Yet, these men remind us that our faith isn’t measured by our fame!
02/05/2020 - A Few Good Men: Matthew & Thomas
A publican (Matthew) and a pessimist (Thomas) teach us the all import truth about finding our soul’s delight in Jesus. Both these men, despite their differing personalities and backgrounds, possessed hearts that longed for Jesus.
01/22/2020 - A Few Good Men: Nathaniel
There are a lot of fakes in this world, and a lot of people with a fake faith too. Nathaniel’s life as an apostle is a wonderful reminder of what genuine faith looks like and how we can possess it.
01/15/2020 - A Few Good Men: Philip
Philip was the first listed in the second group of four among the apostles. He was quick to follow Jesus in faith, but his natural tendency often led him to live by fact. Through his life we’re reminded to live by faith not by sight.
01/08/2020 - A Few Good Men: John
John is the second half of the heavenly tag team duo—The Sons of Thunder. He is self described and known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” What did he mean by that? This study looks at his life and ministry as the longest-living apostle and the marvel he held for God’s love toward him.
12/18/2019 - A Few Good Men: James (the Great)
I don’t think we’ll watch wrestling in Heaven, but Jesus did have his own tag team among the disciples. He even gave them a great name—The Sons of Thunder. This study looks at the life of James, his fiery personality and zeal for Christ.
12/11/2019 - A Few Good Men: Andrew
Andrew was the brother of Peter, leader of the twelve. While he never preached to the multitudes like his brother, he impacted the lives of all he met by bringing them to Jesus.
11/20/2019 - A Few Good Men: Peter
Peter was the appointed leader of the twelve. He had natural abilities but many lessons still needed to be learned. In this study we’ll discover how Peter learned to live up to his name.
11/13/2019 - A Few Good Men: A Study of the 12 Apostles - Introduction
Who were the apostles and why should we study their lives? This introduction to the series A Few Good Men, A Study of the Twelve Apostles, will answer those questions.