Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

24 Examining Our Motives, Gen 12:10-20

The Bible teaches us that God sees people very differently than we do. We look at appearances and actions, but God is able to look at motives (1Sa 16:7). He sees not only what people do, but He knows why they do it. And this knowledge seems to play heavily into how He deals with each person. I believe this truth helps us explain why He showed mercy to Abram and Sarai, even though Abram had made foolish choices that had gotten them into such trouble.

One person may make a mistake and God will intentionally bring upon him the painful consequences of his actions, while another might do the same sort of thing, but this time God comes to his assistance, helping him out of the mess he's made. In order to understand why He treats people differently, we need to try to identify some of the things He's looking for when he examines our motives. Hopefully we may learn something about ourselves in the process.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

23 Digging Wells, Gen 12:10-13:4; 26:1-6, 12-25

Not only does it take faith to find God's will for our lives, but it also takes faith to stay in His will. Predictably, after we finally arrive at a place where we are confident we are doing what God asks us to do, forces rise up to oppose us. One of the most devastating is the drying up of financial support. If we don't have enough money for the basic needs of life then we can't remain in a place. This was the predicament that Abram and Sarai faced upon arriving in the land God promised them. They knew they were where God wanted them (Ge 12:7), but the region was experiencing a drought. It appeared there was no way they could get enough water to care for their flocks and herds. So, without consulting God, Abram made the decision to travel down to Egypt (Ge 12:10). It seemed that he had no option. Yet, his "logical" choice nearly destroyed God's plans for his family. How many of us have also felt that there were times when circumstances, rather than God, were controlling our lives. Like Abram, we too felt forced to move, even though God was using us powerfully in that place.

Today we're going to discover that Abram had options available to him that he didn't know about when he felt forced to move to Egypt. He had not yet discovered that God can provide "rivers in the desert" (Isa 43:19).

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

 

22 Building an Altar, Gen 12:1-8

Some people think God randomly chose Abraham to leave his land because God really liked him. But the Lord was not playing favorites. In Abraham and Sarah, He finally found someone who would obey Him! That's why God chose them. God found someone who was willing to obey His call and walk in faith. 

The Bible is full of lessons on walking in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Faith is not just something you believe. Faith is something that changes you so that you DO. And your life is changed. Think about the men and women of the Bible. Each of them did powerful exploits by faith: Abraham, David, Debra, Esther, etc. We are to live lives in the same way. 

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

 

 

21 Learning from Abraham Gen 11:27-12:10

When God prophetically speaks a promise to us, He's telling us what He plans to accomplish through us. But He is not predicting the future as if to say this is what will happen to you no matter what choices you make. In order for God to accomplish great things in our lives, He must first grow our faith to a level where we can receive His promise. God promised great blessings to Abraham and Sarah, but as we see in this passage they had a lot of growing to do before the promises could become reality. The troubles faced by Abraham and Sarah played important roles in growing their faith. To begin with, their faith was far too small to allow God to fulfill His promises to them, but God didn't let that stop Him. As a father He used their troubles, and even their mistakes, to strengthen the depth of their spiritual lives. As we know Abraham and Sarah successfully realized God's promises. But it wasn't easy and at times they made foolish decisions.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

20 The Blood of Jesus, Gen 8:20-9:6

Something recoils in all of us at the sight of blood. Some may even faint when they see it. So when we open the Bible and find so many references to blood, it can be a bit disturbing. In the Old Testament animals are sacrificed and their blood sprinkled on people and things, and in the New Testament Jesus uses shocking analogies involving His own blood (Jn 6:53-56; Mt 26:27, 28) and his apostles went on to refer to His blood repeatedly in their writings (Ac 20:28; Ro 3:25; 5:9; Eph 1:7; 2;13; Heb 9:12; 1 Pe 1:2; Jn 1:7; 5:6; Rev 1:5). So, we need to ask, "Why all this talk about blood?" Is it necessary, or can we assume it was just an ancient way of expressing a spiritual truth that we today prefer to describe with different language?

In this study we'II look at what the Bible says about blood in order to understand why it's so important. Then we'll look at how blood was applied in the Old Testament and later on in the New Testament. And, finally, we'll examine how believers today can apply the power of "the blood" to their own lives.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

19 Racism and Reality, Gen 9:18-27

The Bible lays out the high points and the low points of its heroes. We have seen Noah's extraordinary obedience over a long period of time. But today it brings up a sad occurrence from Noah's life. And with this passage of Scripture in Genesis 9 there has also come wrong theology known as the "curse of Ham" that people have used to excuse racism. In this episode we delve into the origin of racism and discuss what racism is, why it is around, and where it can be found. We also look at what the Bible has to say about racism and Christ's effect on it.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

18 The Blessing of God, Gen 9:1

As we have studied Noah over the past few weeks, we've seen in him several important qualities: First, he knew how to hear the voice of God; second, he did the will of God; and third, he patiently waited for the timing of God. So, it should come as no surprise that today we read, "And God blessed Noah and his sons..." This means that God committed Himself to watch over Noah's life so that the good things in his life would increase. To be "blessed" is the opposite of being "cursed," and each of us should deeply desire that God would bless us. In fact, it is God's desire to bless each person who believes in Jesus Christ. Even if we lived a life that was cursed in the past, when we repent and start obeying, we sow a new kind of "seed." In time, this new seed will produce a good harvest just as our past disobedience produced a bad harvest. Today we want to look at what it means to live a blessed life.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

 

17 Adam-itis, Gen 8:20-22

Some people ask, "Why doesn't God just kill all the bad people so we can have a good world?" Well, these chapters in Genesis give us our answer. Even though the flood eliminated all the bad people on earth, leaving only one family alive, it was only a matter of a short time afterwards that evil was expressed, and human society was again corrupted (Ge 9:20-24; 11:1-9). This shows that every human, even someone as good as Noah, carries within ourselves a spiritual "disease" which is involuntarily passed on from parent to child. These inner forces were released by Adam and Eve's rebellion against God. The old theological term for this inherited tendency to ungodliness is called "original sin." It doesn't mean we're being punished for what Adam and Eve did, but it means that the rebellious, selfish and independent attitudes in our first parents have been passed on to all of us. We've caught their disease, and as a result, each of us commits our own sins that bring upon us death and hardship. We could call this disease Adam-itis because it's a spiritual infection contracted from our first human parents. Its presence within us is something we need to realize is there. If I understand I have the disease, then I can properly apply God's cure.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

16 Waiting for God, Gen 7:6-8:19

Every Christian comes to a time when he or she tires of doing God's will and longs for a change of circumstances. There are few things in our spiritual lives more difficult than waiting for God's guidance. Sometimes it seems He doesn't hear our prayers, or if He does that He refuses to give us an answer. In these seasons resentment can rise up in us. We may decide He's forgotten us and decide to take matters into our own hands. This is a very dangerous moment, because if we're not careful, we can act out of frustration and spoil the plan God has for us. In our lesson for today, Noah is an example of a person who might well have grown frustrated and acted without waiting for God's guidance, but thankfully he refused to do so. Instead, he waited obediently until God's command came and the result was that he stayed in God's perfect timing. As painful as it must have been, Noah chose to wait for God.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.

 

15 Doing God's Will, Gen 6:22, 7:5

It is one thing to hear God's voice; it is another to actually do what He tells us to do. Noah did both: he heard God speak, and he did everything he was told. Why do we often have a problem obeying God's voice? And how do people respond to God's voice? Pastor Steve will answer these questions in this episode and discuss the benefits of obedience if we obey God.

To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.