Anyone can claim to be anything, yet not every claim is true. People can portray themselves as being something they are not. When Jesus was upon the earth, many did not believe who He was. In the context of our text, He claimed to be the Son of God (John 5:17-18), and that He had authority to execute judgment (John 5:27). What He claimed about Himself was true, but He did not expect the people to just take His word for it. In our text, He explained that there were “witnesses” that testified to the truthfulness of His claims. We are going to consider these in this lesson.

An anchor is used to prevent ships from drifting and keep them where they need to be. The Hebrew writer used this illustration to describe our hope – it is an anchor of the soul. Without this, we would go adrift and be lost. To use it properly, we need to understand what our hope is and how we take hold of it.

As one year quickly draws to a close and we look forward to a new year, it is common to take time for self-evaluation and making resolutions to improve our lives. Many resolutions pertain to our lives here (improve finances or health, eliminate bad habits, etc.). These are all good, but we must remember that improving our spiritual lives is far more important. We can get in shape, eat healthier, quit a bad habit, and get out of debt, but none of that matters if our spiritual lives are not in order. So we are going to consider six ways we can improve our spiritual lives – at the new year or anytime.

Jesus would send His apostles into all the world to preach the gospel. These men were chosen from various backgrounds. We do not know what all of them did before Jesus called them, but we do know this for a few. For the ones of whom their background is known, there are some lessons we can learn. We can also see that Jesus offered them (and us) something far better than any earthly employment.

In our text, Paul contrasted two different mindsets – one set on the flesh, the other set on the Spirit. These are diametrically opposed to one another, and as Christians, it should be obvious which side we are on. Yet too often, we allow our minds to focus on the flesh instead of the Spirit. It is important that our focus is where it needs to be. In this lesson, we are going to compare these two mindsets and see how to stay on track.

This lesson considers some examples of the prophets and Job, who suffered, and what lessons they can teach us.

Paul told the Galatians that they were not to lose heart in doing good. Yet this often happens. We become exhausted as we go through life serving the Lord. As Christians, we need to deal with this feeling appropriately and not allow ourselves to “lose heart.”

In the previous lesson, we talked about the proof we have for the resurrection of Jesus. This was not just a myth or legend, it is a historical fact. This is important. If the resurrection of Jesus did not happen, there are some major implications. Paul warned about what it would mean if Jesus was not raised in his letter to the Corinthians. If we deny the resurrection, these will be true for us.

The resurrection of Jesus is part of the foundation of the gospel. Yet it is not a mere myth or legend. There is proof that the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact. What is the proof that this event happened? We will discuss that in this lesson.