Applying the Teachings of Jesus

You know and love Jesus. You trust Him for eternal life - but do you UNDERSTAND Him? Do His sayings about bushes, trees, nets and mountains apply to your life? Do the parables help you define your daily walk with Him? Sadly, for many believers the culture and times of Jesus are a mystery. Because of that, His sayings seem simplistic. For still others, they have been taught to spiritualize each word to the point that consistent and careful study eludes them. This seminar focuses on material accumulated from years of traveling each of the settings of Jesus' teachings. After careful study of the geography, contemporary history, archaeology and textual study - this seminar promises to change your view of Jesus and His teachings. The goal of these sessions is to set the sayings of Jesus in the time and place of Jesus, then to find the application of those sayings to our lives at the dawn of the 21st Century.

How to Pull the Principles from the Parables

The parable (Hebrew: "mashal") was a device used by rabbis before and after Jesus. The device had certain guidelines that, if understood, can help unlock the truths in the text. We will explore the rules while opening the parables of Jesus. You will be surprised at the depth of these teaching tools for eternal truth! Some specific types of parables will be examined, including the "Connective parables" (cp. Lk. 15) and "Progressive parables" (cp. Mt. 13).

Jesus and the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament):
The Use of the Remez (Hint) in the teachings of Jesus

The use of the Hebrew Scriptures by the Gospel writers and by Jesus will take us into the study of contemporary rabbinic teaching methods. The "simple" recall (called in Hebrew "peshat") is sometimes used, and the easiest to understand. The "hint" use of a Scripture (Hebrew:"remez") will be fully explained, as with the most complex forms called "midrashim" (from the word for "a search") and "sodot" (Hebrew: "secrets"). These most complex forms are well known in rabbinic circles and easy to find examples of in the Scripture, but not well studied by non-Jews.

Applying the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7)

Using the Principle Approach to Scripture, we will examine all of the portions of this recorded Galilean sermon and set each part in the context of Jesus' life and times. We will use these verses as an opportunity to learn to extract the timeless truths of this great passage!

Applications of the "Olivet Discourse" (Matthew 23ff)

We will use the sermon of Jesus from the week of His Passion in Jerusalem to set the great Apocalyptic sermon is set in the backdrop of the New Covenant. Expect the text to take on a new and living dynamic as we look into the background of this difficult passage!

Applying the "tough" Sayings of Jesus (The Perean Ministry)

Jesus had a period of tremendous decline in popularity of His ministry as He "set His face toward Jerusalem". The "special section" of Luke's Gospel (Lk. 10-19) reflects some of these difficult sayings. Some of the most misunderstood Scriptures are records of the words of Jesus. We will carefully explore some of these passages to help us to consistently uncover the truths in the words of Jesus.

Jesus On Jesus: The Gospel of John

The last of the Gospel accounts accepted in the Christian canon was the Gospel according to John. This record was written to the First Century Messianic core followers of Jesus, as well as the swelling numbers of Greeks that were coming to faith as a result of churches started by the Apostles in Asia Minor, Macedonia, Achaia and near Rome. This Gospel revealed Jesus in two distinct ways: seven deeds (for the Jewish readers) and seven "I Am" sayings (for the Greek readers). We will dissect the approach John used to help us uncover new and exciting understanding of the Good News.