TimFortner.com Matthew 21: What do you think? It was Tozer who said What comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. In todays lesson Jesus asks the chief priests and the elders a series of questions- which we will explore as these questions are connected. We are … Read more
Matthew 13: The Parable of the Sower This teaching was on the same day as the sermon he preached in Matthew 12. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea (KJV). The house can be interpreted as the house of Israel and sea represents the gentile nations. These words … Read more
Matthew 1: How Can I Be Sure? The Gospel of Matthew is considered the most complete account of Jesus teachings and was written to convince the writers Jewish audience that Jesus was the Messiah descended from David, a son of Abraham and the One of whom the O.T. prophets wrote. The most significant teaching passages are … Read more
Matthew 11: Need Rest? Come to Jesus! This chapter contains three of my favorite verses at the end with one of the Lords most gracious calls and invitations to all of us who are weary and heavy laden. It is an invitation to a rest – and as we look at this rest, we discover … Read more
Matthew 12: The Bruised Reed Do you feel like a bruised reed this morning? Does your life seem like a flickering, smoldering candle more smoke than flame or light? Do you have a loved one who is a bruised reed and/or a smoldering wick this morning? Then we need what the old disciple John … Read more
Matthew 12B: Understanding Jesus has made two statements concerning who he is already in his encounters with the Pharisees in verse 6 and 8 where he states- I tell you one greater than the temple is here; and also for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Now with this miracle … Read more
Matthew 16 B: Life is Difficult If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ( Matthew 16; 24) Life is difficult. This is the opening statement of M. Scott Pecks classic: The Road Less Traveled. And as Christians we begin to understand … Read more
Matthew 13B: The Wheat and the Tares In the first parable the Parable of the Sower, we learned not all people react to the Word of God, the Message of the Kingdom the same way. In fact, 3 out of 4 did not allow the seed to germinate and come to fruition. The Incorruptible Seed … Read more
Matthew 13 C: The Seed, The Tree, & The Birds It is important we review what has been revealed to us by the Lord in these first two parables in order to uncover the meaning of the remaining parables. So far we have been told: *The Seed is the Word of God, the Message of … Read more
Matthew 13D: The Treasure and the Pearl Again we have two short parables which are told together. The parables are commonly known as the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price. The first parable compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found the treasure, he hid … Read more
Matthew 14: That Sinking Feeling Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling that was brought on by a sudden storm in your life? A phone call in the night, a sudden interruption of everything going just fine and in an instance turns upside down. Fear takes hold of your imagination and the worst case scenarios … Read more
Matthew 15: For Crying Out Loud! The Pharisees and teachers of the law (scribes) came to Jesus and asked him why his disciples did not wash their hands before they eat, as this was a tradition of the elders. The Pharisees were the dominant party of the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees were strict legalists who believed … Read more
Matthew 16: Who Do You Say I Am? The questions we must all answer is the one Jesus asks his disciples in todays lesson: Who do you say I am? Jesus is about to confirm who he is to his disciples as well as tell them what he is going to do. He is now … Read more
Matthew 17: Help My Unbelief We will study two events in this chapter: the Transfiguration and the healing of the boy with a demon. Both of these events have parallel passages in Mark and Luke which we will also study. The Transfiguration occurs six days after the events in Caesarea Philippi recorded in Matthew 16. … Read more
Matthew 10: Follow the Instructions Sometimes when we are studying the Gospels, we tend to forget how brief the Lords ministry was. It covered a little over 3 years. In chapter 10, in verses 1 & 2, Matthew states: He( Jesus) called his twelve disciples and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits … Read more
Judges 6: A Man Named Gideon Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years He gave them into the hands of the Midianties. What we must realize in this cycle that continues to repeat itself with periodic regularity- the problem is created by the Israelites . At some … Read more
Judges 8: To understand the background of this passage and interaction between Gideon and the Ephraimites , we must go back to Genesis 48. The old patriarch, Jacob, has been reunited with his beloved son, Joseph. Josephs story is well known from how he rose from a slave and a prisoner to become the 2nd … Read more
Judges 8: Part 2 We noted the changes in Gideon in last weeks lesson, these changes will continue to be obvious. Gideon is no longer the least of his family, nor is his family the weakest clan among the weakest tribe of Manasseh. He is becoming quite Ephraim-like in his pride. Pride demands we be … Read more
Judges 9: By now we see a clear pattern that continues to repeat itself in the same recurring cycles: beginning with the phrase-they did evil in the eyes of the Lord; followed by He handed them over to So we read these accounts of apostasy followed by oppression which God allows which then leads to … Read more
Preface to Study of Judges: As we begin this study of Judges- I want to start with an introduction that brings the application of what happened during this time in Israel and bring it alongside what is occurring in our country today. Judges takes place in a time after Joshuas death and before the time … Read more
Judges 4 & 5: Deborah, the Judge Ehud, the left-handed Benjamite leads Israel into 80 years of peace and prosperity. Then once again we see when their leader dies, Israel backslides again and does evil in the sight of the Lord. And once again the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, the king … Read more
Judges 3: On the Other Hand In this chapter we will meet our first three judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Most of us by now have learned life can be difficult at times. Hardships, trials, tears, pain, even death, and adversity come to all of us. The lessons we must learn are endurance and whole-hearted … Read more
Judges 2: Sleeping with the Enemy The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal begins chapter 2 of Judges. In the Old Testament, sometimes the angel of the Lord is believed by many theologians to be a visit of the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus, God the Son. One thing is for sure- the message is … Read more
Judges 10: The Small g gods This book has been difficult because it holds up such a mirror that reflects the state of the church and our beloved country in the 21st century. It continues to reveal the continuous fascination the nation of Israel has with its surrounding culture and society. A culture and … Read more