Acts 6:1–7
I. Of Hellenists and Hebrews: Growth and Crisis in the Early Church
II. Of “Ministry”: The Raising Up of Seven to Serve at Table
III. “Of Chance and Choice”: Five Facets of How God Calls
1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:13
I. Thanksgiving for the Past, Prayer for Love in the Future
II. Why Love Is Crucial: Three Reasons
III. How Love Is Cultivated: Two Means
Jonah 4:1–11
I. Once Again, the Final Scene
II. Three “C’s” in the Creator’s Relationship with His Creation
III. God‘s Pursuits in Jonah as Good News
Jonah 3:1–10
I. The Characterization of the Nations in the Book of Jonah
II. The Names of God and the Threat of “Evil”: Unexpected Role Reversals
III. God’s Surprising Strategy in Pursuit of All Nations
Jonah 2:1–10
I. The Song of a Sinking Prophet
II. Two Key Indicators of Bigger Fish to Fry
III. Lived Contradiction of True Confession of Faith: Some Sources
IV. One Key Method in God’s Pursuit of Readers
Jonah 1:1–17
I. A Book about God and His Pursuits
II. Survey of the Plotline of Jonah
III. The Silly Dove: A Character-Sketch of the Prophet
IV. How Does God Love Thee? Counting the Ways in Jonah
Deuteronomy 19:1–21
I. Three Laws on Social Justice and Order in Israel
A. The Law on Cities of Refuge
B. The Law on Moving Boundary Stones
C. The Law on Giving Testimony in Court
D. The Principle of Just Retribution
II. The Breakdown of Justice
III. A Christian Response to the Breakdown of Justice
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
I. A Maze of Metaphors
II. Sorting Things Out (from Clearer to Less Clear)
A. The Building Metaphors
B. The Clothing Metaphors
C. The Geographic Metaphors
III. What We Hope In and How We Live
Proverbs 10–29
I. Limiting Our Attention to an Obscure Verse
II. The Limitations of Wisdom: Constraints for Our Good
A. A World of Limitations
B. The Contemporary Sensibility
C. The Sensibility of Proverbs
III. The Limitations of Wisdom and the Word Made Flesh
Proverbs 6:1–19
I. The Conundrum of the Passage: Odd Ducks as Interpretive Keys
II. The Context of the Passage: Seduction by the Strange Woman
III. The Content of the Passage: Three Seductions in a World of a Thousand Seductions
Proverbs 1:20-33; 3:13-20; 8:1-36
I. Calling Out Wisdom
II. Wisdom Calling Out
III. Wisdom’s Great Worth
Colossians 2:16–23
I. Colossian Difficulties
II. The Focus of the False Teaching
III. The Appeal of the False Teaching
IV. God’s Purpose in Giving the Law
Philippians 3:1–14
I. Autobiography and Exhortation
A. A Surprisingly Lengthy Autobiographical Section
B. Four Observations toward Understanding
C. Imitating Paul: Pressing On without Looking Back
II. Pressing On for the Treasure
A. Seeking the Treasure through Pain
B. Seeking the Treasure Confident in the Promise
C. Seeking the Treasure Who Is a Person
Romans 3:21–26
I. In the Beginning …
II. The Problem (in Three Parts)
III. The Demonstration of God’s Righteousness
IV. By Grace Alone
1 Samuel 21-22
I. The Nature of the Deception at Nob: A Proposal
II. The Lord's Favor toward His Anointed One: A Recurring Theme
III. Good News, but Why?
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1 Samuel 18-20
I. Summary of 1 Samuel 18–20
II. Prosperity, the Presence of the Lord, and Persecution
III. Three Strategies for Persevering through Suffering
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1 Samuel 4-6
I. The Plot of 1 Samuel 4–6
II. “The Glory Has Departed from Israel”
III. “Why Should You Harden Your Hearts Like the Egyptians?”
2 Timothy - The Promise of Life in the Face of Death (2 Timothy 4:9-22)
- Setting the Scene for Paul’s Final Words
- Paul’s Strange Response to His Suffering
- Three Ways in Which Christ’s Resurrection Impacts Us
1 Timothy 5:17–6:2
I. Paul’s Exhortations to the Church
II. Naming the Life of the Church
III. Transformed Outlooks and Actions
1 Timothy 5:1-16
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