Résultats de "Bill Creasy" dans Toutes les catégories

As Saul crumbles under the weight of kingship, a young man rises to take his place: David. As Jonathan Kirsch observes in King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel (New York: Ballantine Books, 2000), the story of David is “a work of genius that anticipates the romantic lyricism and tragic grandeur of Shakespeare, the political wile of Machiavelli, and the modern psychological insight of Freud." David is one of the greatest characters in world literature; he is also my favorite character in the Bible.

Jesus launches his public ministry when he is “about thirty years old” (Luke 3: 23); it lasts three years. During that time “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4: 23). In this session we sample his teaching, preaching and healing.

Titus is classified among Paul’s letters, but I put it in this lesson before turning to the General Epistles. The General Epistles are all those correspondences written by anyone other than Paul: Hebrews, once attributed to Paul, is now attributed to an anonymous author, someone in Paul’s inner circle; James is attributed to “James, the Lord’s brother” and the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Galatians 1: 19); 1 & 2 Peter are attributed to the Apostle Peter; 1,2,3 John are attributed to the Apostle John; and Jude is attributed to Jude, another of the Lord’s brothers (Matthew 13: 55).

God sends Amos to the northern kingdom of Israel to prophecy against it. Confronting the king and his priests, Amos tells the leaders precisely what will happen if they do not return to God: the northern kingdom of Israel will be destroyed by the Assyrians, and the high priest’s wife will become a prostitute in the city! Join Logos Bible’s Study’s Dr. Bill Creasy as he highlights the social, political, and historical milieu of the era in which this most unlikely of prophets speaks.

When the Babylonian sacked Jerusalem in August of 586 B.C., the Edomites--descendants of Jacob's twin brother, Esau--looted the city. Obadiah is a 1-page book--the shortest book of prophecy in the Bible--that signals God's displeasure with Edom's actions. Join Logos Bible Study's Dr. Bill Creasy as he makes a stunning discovery about one of Esau's descendants who will appear in the New Testament!

Like 2 John, 3 John emphasizes that love must be rooted in truth. This epistle is addressed to John’s friend, Gaius, whom John thanks for all the help he has given believers in need. He also warns Gaius to watch out for Diotrephes: the man is a snake and can’t be trusted! Like 2 John, this short 13-verse letter ends abruptly, with John saying that he’ll stop by for a visit to continue his discussion.

By 430 B.C. Israel is back in the land; the city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt; and the temple is operating once again. After the catastrophe of the Babylonian captivity one would think that Israel had learned its lessons. But, no. In Malachi, God levels eight accusations against his people, saying in effect: “I’ve got a number of bones to pick with you!”

God continues prescribing rules and regulations for his people, including sexual and priestly behavior, and a comprehensive cycle of annual festivals, many of which are still observed today.

At Mt. Sinai, God gives his covenant people their greatest gift: The Law, ten principles by which a covenant people is to live with God and one another.

“When David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him” (1 Kings 1: 1). Old and sick, the consequences of David’s sin continue to dog him. Adonijah, now David’s eldest surviving son, engineers a palace coup to overthrow David. When David learns of the plot, he anoints his son, Solomon, as king (970-930 B.C.). As David’s tenth son, Solomon is nowhere close to being heir to the throne, but David raises him to power to fulfill a promise made to Bathsheba.

With the Law in hand and the Tabernacle functioning, Moses organizes the Israelites by tribe, clan and family. A head count numbers 603,550 men, ages 20-50. The march to the Promised Land begins!

Traditionally attributed to the apostle John, 1 John is a very personal discourse on a variety of topics by one who had an extraordinarily intimate relationship with Christ. In this epistle, John discusses the appeal and challenges of emerging Gnostic beliefs in the early Church and the impact such beliefs have on a believer’s view of salvation. Join Logos Bible Study’s Dr. Bill Creasy as we explore this intimate epistle.

Jesus resurrection is the single most important event in human history. In last week’s lesson, we followed Jesus through his death, burial and resurrection; this week we shall delve deeply into the resurrection, understanding it’s full impact on both Jesus...and on us.

In Isaiah Part 3, the tone changes completely. Chapters 40 – 66 comprise some of the best poetry in the Bible, and the theme of that poetry is grace. Here we learn that after the Babylonian Captivity, God will redeem his people, bringing them back into fellowship with him to the place where they belong. And that return foreshadows an even greater redemption, not just for Israel, but also for all of humanity.

David forged a united monarchy from a loose confederation of twelve tribes; Solomon overlays that monarchy with a brilliant administrative structure. God grants Solomon his request for “discernment in administering,” and in doing so, Solomon builds a kingdom unlike any that had ever appeared before. Too, Solomon carries out David’s wish to build a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem, a temple worthy of God’s name. Throughout his reign, Solomon lives in wealth and splendor, greater than any other king on earth.

Working hand-in-hand with the prophet Haggai, Zechariah also encourages the people to resume work on the temple in 520 B.C.; but unlike Haggai, Zechariah extends his prophecy to foreshadow future messianic and end-time events. Like Ezekiel, Zechariah has several “weird” visions, including that of an ugly woman in a flying bushel basket! Listen as Dr. Bill Creasy of Logos Bible Study explores this fascinating book.

While Paul is in Corinth, A.D. 50 – 52, he writes three epistles, two to the church in Thessalonica and one to the churches in Galatia. Paul spends only “three Sabbath days” in Thessalonica (Acts 17: 2) and he encounters such opposition that “as soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea” (Acts 17: 16), lest they be stoned.

We continue our story of Paul as he begins his 2nd missionary journey, A.D. 50 – 52, leaving Syrian Antioch and making his way across Asia Minor, into Macedonia and finally arriving in Greece, where he spends 18 months at Corinth. Then it’s on to his third missionary journey to Ephesus, A.D. 54 – 57, and finally he is caught in a thicket of legal problems that take him to Rome and an audience before Caesar himself.

The Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem in 588 B.C., and the city falls on August 14, 586 B.C. The siege of a fortified city is a dreadful thing to behold. Food and supplies quickly run out: Starvation, sickness and death follow. Jeremiah is inside Jerusalem during the 2-year siege, and Lamentations is his eyewitness account.

As a church born in the flames of persecution, the church at Thessalonica has several very important questions to ask Paul - especially about the Lord’s return - and Paul addresses these questions in 1 Thessalonians. Enjoy the rich discussion Logos Bible Study’s Dr. Bill Creasy brings to this book as he emphasizes Paul’s words of faith, hope, and love.