Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Jesus spoke additional words of warning to His disciples at the beginning of John 16. Then, our Lord turned His focus to more fully explaining what the Spirit of Truth was going to do in and through the disciples. Jesus is the ever compassionate Good Shepherd. John 16:4-6  But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.  5) But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?  6) But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Jesus demonstrated His compassionate care for the well being of His disciples. This follows the additional warnings He gave to the eleven.  Christ's purpose in sharing these things is because when the events (hatred from the world) occur, they will remember that Jesus forewarned them. This is the idea of settling their souls so they can faithfull...

Jesus declared that "I Am the True Vine" and we have looked closely into what this teaching means. There are two responses to Christ's teaching.  First, it is an exercise in faith by believers choosing to abide in Christ and being blessed.  The second choice is unbelief evidenced by those who are like worthless  "sucker" shoots which look like shoots that might produce fruit, but they have no fruit and waste precious resources. Compare with the tares and wheat in Matthew 13.  We learned that our Father is going to prune each of the living branches (believers) so that we retain vigor and bear much more fruit for His glory.  We also learned that the Father will cut off all the dead wood from the vine (unbelievers) and they will be cast aside and burned. Again, compare with the judgment of sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. Jesus repeated His promise to send the "Comforter" to His disciples.   John 15:26-27  But when the Comforter is come, whom...

Jesus used a vivid illustration of a grapevine to teach truth to His disciples.  In our last post, we noted how the structure of a grapevine connects with who the Lord Jesus Christ really is and all His mighty works.  We also learned how Christ saying that  "I Am the true vine"   connects Him with titles of Messiah from the prophets. We saw that the roots produce a strong trunk which has a head. Growing from each side of the head are load bearing arms called cordons and their function is to keep all of the fruit producing shoots off the ground and vertically oriented.  The cordons are a picture of Christ our Head, lifting each believer up from the ground where we can be defiled. As the true vine, Christ lifts us up out of the muck of the world so that we are spiritually healthy and productive for Christ.  Our life is hid with Christ.  Colossians 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. The roots of a grapevine are unseen, hid...

  John 15:1,2  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  It is helpful to think about Jesus Christ as the true vine with each believer like the many branches connected to the vine. It is the structure of the vine (roots & trunk) that keeps the branches alive, supports the branches and these things remind us of Jesus Christ as Creator.  John 1:3,4  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John's gospel began with a prologue that connects Jesus Christ, the "Word" with God creating all things in the beginning (Genesis 1-2). John said the "Word was with God and the Word was God." Then, John turned to describe how Jesus Christ created all things and that Christ the Word, is the source of all life....

  We had a blessed Lord's Day with our church family at Heritage Baptist Church in Smithville, Ohio. I hope that all of you were also blessed by worshipping and praising the Lord and hearing His word preached. Below is the YouTube livestream of our church service this morning. Pastor Alvis finished preaching through the gospel of John in this sermon and it reminds us of Christ as our Good Shepherd. I pray that his sermon will bless and encourage all who are able to view it. Bob

Good evening. Below is a missionary update from a dear young couple supported by our church. Their ministry is in Chile, South America. They have some praises to share and some requests for prayer.  Please pray for our missionaries that God will grant them strength, endurance, and grace as they have given up all the familiar comforts of life in America to minister far away from home and family. Bob October 15, 2021  A Need for Endurance  The writer of Hebrews reminded his readers, “For ye have need of patience [endurance], that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36).  Since God is always faithful to his promises and because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, we must persevere in faith, doing God’s will, which he enables us to do (Hebrews 13:21).  Most days and weeks don’t require violent course corrections or changes, we simply need patient endurance to continue doing what is right.  This past month our church ...

Pastors, Parents & Parishioners must take heed to Jesus' discipleship lessons.  Christ's lessons apply to most of us in one way or another, without regard to any specific role or ministry responsibilities we may have within our church, or in our homes.  We are encouraged to keeping moving forward in our faith by learning and following Jesus' discipleship training. It edifies our hearts and sharpens our minds to hear from the Lord about true discipleship. His lessons exhort us to be faithful people who choose to live by faith and not by sight.  Thus, we must faithfully live out these truths as we seek to lead our congregation closer to God, as we seek to be good witnesses at work or in the marketplace, and as we train our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Jesus Christ is the True Vine. John 15:1,2  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth ...