SUNDAY SCHOOL

Sunday School is now SATURDAY SCHOOL! | Saturday School conference calls are Saturdays at 9:00 a.m.

DIAL IN: 312-626-6799 | Access Code: 322476888

Summer 2024  Hope In The Lord   Unit 3: Eternal Hope

When we read the New Testament letters, we are reading someone else’s mail. Of the 27 books in our New Testament, 21 of them are messages between the author and a particular church or individual. In the Greco-Roman world, letters served a personal function and were considered a substitute for the writer’s physical presence. The letters were commonly read aloud by the deliverer to the community (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27).
The challenge for the modern reader is the attempt to interpret the texts and understand them in the same way as the first-century audience. The letters best serve us after we know the historical and literary world in which these letters originated.
One dictionary defines hope as “to want something to happen or be true” or “to desire with the expectation of obtainment or fulfillment.” In popular use, a hope is often closely associated with a wish; there is not necessarily an expectation that this “hope” will come true. But Christian hope is based on nothing less than God’s promises and the confidence we have based on his faithfulness to his promises. We do not wish God would honor his promises; we hope he will. This quarter of study traces hope through the generations.

Hope and the Future
The four lessons of Unit III, “Eternal Hope” (1 Thessalonians, 1 John, and Titus), consider facets of the promised future that God is preparing for those who call on the name of Jesus. What does hope look like as we wait for Jesus to come again in glory and finally set things right? Paul anticipates the nearness of Christ’s return when he tells the Thessalonians how excited he is to brag about them (lesson 10), even as he worries about the problems that might rock their faith in his absence from them. Similarly, 1 John (lesson 11) anticipates Christ’s return so that in seeing Christ we might become like him.
The final two lessons of the quarter are from Titus, where we hear Paul’s appeal to live out the present moment with hope rooted in God’s grace-filled future, made certain in Christ’s death and resurrection. Our hope will be fulfilled at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Titus 2:13; lesson 12). Thus, the foundation of hope is Jesus Christ. Through the death and resurrection of Christ and the promise of his coming, believers live in daily encouragement and strength. The knowledge of Christ’s second coming prevents us from complacency in our present situation.

Lesson 10   The Word of God   1 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5
Because it was written around AD 51, the epistle we call 1 Thessalonians was probably the first of the New Testament’s 27 books to be written. Although the four Gospels detail earlier events, most research agrees that those four were not written until the AD 60s and later.
Thessalonica was (and is) a Macedonian port city where Paul founded a church during his second missionary journey. His visit was quite controversial (Acts 17:1–9). The commotion Paul stirred was so intense that he had to escape by night (17:10). That was not the first time he had had to do so (9:23–25), nor would it be the last (23:31).
The city was on an important trade route and prospered as a result. Those of Greek, Roman, and Jewish heritage constituted its population. Paul and Silas had entered the synagogue in Thessalonica and argued from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. They ultimately persuaded some Jews and many Gentiles (Acts 17:1–4). Other Jews in the city became envious of Paul and Silas’ success. They persuaded the governing authorities to persecute the residents who believed in Christ. While the church in Thessalonica grew, it continued to face challenges in the form of persecution (1 Thessalonians 2:14; 3:3–4). Paul wrote this letter to comfort and encourage the Thessalonian believers in their trials.

Lesson 11   The Love of God  1 John 3:1–10
Five books of the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to the apostle John, who was one of the original 12 disciples (Matthew 10:2). Three of the five—the ones we designate 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John—are letters from the apostle to various believers in the first century AD.
Church history strongly associates John with the church in Ephesus, located in modern-day Turkey. Tradition says he died in this city in the AD 90s. The three letters were probably written in the region of Ephesus. The letters date from the AD 80s or 90s. John would have been an older man by this time (compare the self-designation “the elder” in 2 John 1; 3 John 1). The dignity of his age peeks through in 1 John as he addresses his readers as “dear children” nine times (examples: 1 John 2:1; 3:7).
We are unsure of the issues that faced the letter’s original audience. Apparently, they had been confronted with threats to their faith. Some of these threats included the temptation from an early form of the attractive heresy we call Gnosticism. Among other things, gnostics taught that it did not matter whether a person had morality or love—as long as he or she had “secret knowledge.” To combat this false teaching, John emphasized the connection between right belief, right actions, and right love. The child of God must believe the truth, obey the commands, and love the brethren. False teachers were so bold that John referred to them as having a “spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3; compare 2:18, 22). John wanted their influence eliminated lest they split the church further (see 2:19).
The church also faced more general threats, including the denial that Jesus is Christ (1 John 2:22), a return to idol worship (5:21), and a general lack of love for one another (4:7).

Lesson 12   The Rules of Life   Titus 1:1–3; 2:11–15
Paul’s letter to Titus comes from a part of the New Testament called the Pastoral Epistles. Whereas Paul wrote other letters to specific groups of believers in particular locations (examples: Galatians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1), the Pastoral Epistles were written to particular individuals: Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2) and Titus. The latter was a church leader Paul designated “my true son in our common faith” (Titus 1:4).
Paul was accompanied on Crete by one of his most trusted associates, a Gentile believer named Titus (Galatians 2:3). The book of Acts does not mention Titus by name. Still, he figures prominently in the letters of Paul. In 2 Corinthians, Titus is named (in Greek) nine times (example: 2 Corinthians 8:23). Paul wrote his letter to Titus in about AD 65 after departing from the island. Paul had left Titus behind to correct a chaotic situation in the Cretan churches. Most importantly, Titus needed to place an eldership in each congregation (Titus 1:5).
The church in Crete was troubled by people who professed to know God but lived demonstrably different lives (see Titus 1:16). Such people had deceived others, disrupted the community (1:10–11), and brought needless controversy to the church (3:9–10).
Today’s lesson reveals Paul’s solution to this challenging situation. What the church in Crete needed was “sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9; 2:1) and training in godliness (see 1:1; 2:12). This is the nitty-gritty of helping believers mature into godly men and women. Paul wanted Titus to grow the church by grounding them in the truth of the gospel and encouraging lives of holiness.

Lesson 13   The Washing of Regeneration   Titus 3:3–11
The context surrounding the island of Crete and Paul’s travels there has been covered in the Lesson Context of the previous lesson—lesson 12.  Paul had written this letter to address certain disturbances that faced the believers on that island. There had been a lack of godliness that had led to meaningless controversies and distractions (Titus 1:10–15). Paul instructed Titus to appoint godly leadership (1:5) to encourage others with gospel truth and refute the teachings of the opposition (1:9–16).
Old or young, male or female, husband or wife, free or enslaved, Paul instructed his readers to demonstrate self-control and pursue lives of godliness (see Titus 2:1–15). Paul also directed Titus to encourage the people to obey authority, be eager for good works, and live with gentleness and meekness (3:1–2). The worst thing that could occur would be for controversies to arise and distract the believers in Crete from focusing on the gospel.

BIBLE STUDY

Youth Bible Study| Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. Login information may be found here.

Adult Bible Study |  Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. To join virtual Bible Study please visit Zoom.us and enter Meeting ID: 802 973 031  To join by phone, dial 312-626-6799 and enter Meeting ID: 802-973-031

July 10, 2024 – September 11, 2024

We all want a faith that won’t let us down in times of trouble or loss, uncertainty or fear. A faith that can pull us through the worst (and best) times in our lives. This is the kind of faith that James writes about. It is a faith that we must practice day by day.

This 9-week study on the teaching of James will help us grow a steadfast faith that can carry us through all the ups and downs of life.

  1. Dependable or Double-minded (James 1:1-18)         Lesson 1 Replay

  Vacation Bible School : July 17, 2024 (No Bible Study)

  2. Words, Words, Words (James 1:19-27)          Lesson 2 Replay

  3. Who’s the Judge? (James 2:1-13)     Lesson 3 Replay

  4. Just Works (James 2:14-26)

  5. On Preventing Forest Fires (James 3:1-12)

  6. Makers & Breakers of Peace (James 3:13 — 4:10)

  7. Getting Perspective (James 4:11-17)

  8. What Awaits (James 5:1-11)

  9. Becoming Whole (James 5:12-20)

  No Bible Study on September 18, 2024