Keys to the Kingdom

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep ... I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." (John 10:11, 14-15)

Some people believe that Jesus never claimed to be God. But did you know that in just five words in John 10, Jesus claimed to be God not once, but twice? In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we explain -- and we also explore the Good Shepherd metaphor in greater detail.

"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, 'I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'” (John 8:12)

The light metaphor is the second of seven "I am" metaphors our Lord used to describe Himself in the gospel of John. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we’ll take a close look at what this metaphor reveals about Jesus and what it has to teach us about earning rewards in the Kingdom of Heaven.

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.'” (John 6:35)

The bread metaphor is the first of seven "I am" metaphors our Lord used to describe Himself in the gospel of John. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we explore how it connects the Old Testament to the New Testament, and how it gives special meaning to a famous story about the Israelites.

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world...Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:14,17)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to listen in on a conversation between Jesus and God the Father? Thanks to the gospel of John, we can do just that. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we discuss a portion of our Lord's prayer at the garden of Gethsemane.

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight, He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him." (Ephesians 1:7-9)

The blessings of belief in Jesus transcend space and time. In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we discuss predestination and the deep mystery of God’s plan for mankind.

"So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

The word “faith” appears 239 times in the Bible. But in one place, in the book of Acts, the same Greek word is translated "proof." In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we discuss why this is so important and also examine the way Paul argued the case for Christ at the Areopagus before the leading philosophers of his day.

Note: In this lesson we mention Frank Turek and his radio show/podcast, "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist." For more information about that show, visit CrossExamined.org

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

The Old Testament was meant for Israel. The New Testament is meant for the Church. So what’s the point of reading the Old Testament? In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we look to the Apostle Paul for the answer.

"Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves." (James 1:21-22)

Knowing the Word is great, but DOING the Word is what really counts. In this 20-Minute Bible Studies, we dive into James and clear up some confusion about faith vs works in the context of salvation.

"And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me." (Mark 8:34)

We call Jesus our Lord, but what does that really mean? In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we answer this question by closely examining a familiar passage of scripture.

"For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food [or meat] is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14)

In this 20-Minute Bible Study, we discuss two powerful metaphors for spiritual maturity from the book of Hebrews.