Elective Courses:
Part 1

Lesson One:  The Bread of Life - Throughout the public ministry of Jesus, many opinions arose about who exactly this Man from Nazareth was. We see this between Jesus and His disciples in Mark 8:27–30, when the apostle Peter confesses Him as the Christ. The "I AM" sayings do not focus on what others thought of Him; rather, our Savior's pronouncements disclose His own understanding of Himself as deity, including His saving relationship toward the world. In this lesson, RC discusses the first of Jesus' self-revealing statements.

Lesson Two:  The Light of the World - As the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders intensified, direct confrontation became inevitable. As seen in John 7, many opinions about Jesus were circulating. Some thought He was the great eschatological prophet (7:40), while others thought He was indeed the Messiah (7:41). Chaos and confusion divided the crowd (7:41–43), and suggestions of an arrest were made. Just as before, "no one laid hands on Him" because "His hour had not yet come" (7:30, 44). Following this comes the second "I AM" saying of Jesus. Face-to-face with an adulteress and Pharisees as the light of the world.

Lesson Three:  The Sheep Gate (The Door) - After Jesus brings light to blind eyes at the pool of Siloam (John 9:1–7), the newly healed man enters into a heated discussion with the Pharisees and is eventually excommunicated (John 9:13–34). Jesus then finds him, eliciting true worship from the man, unlike those who followed the Savior around (John 9:40). Jesus subsequently responds with the third "I AM" saying: "I am the door." In this lecture, RC leads us to see Jesus is indeed the door—the only way into the presence of God.

Lesson Four:  The Good Shephard - Jesus reveals Himself as the long-awaited Shepherd King calling His sheep into a fold that can be accessed only by the one Door. Given the Pharisees' failure to shelter, care, and guide the once-blinded man (John 9:13–34), Jesus proves Himself to be the true Shepherd-His sheep know His voice & follow, while refusing to follow strangers (John 10:1–5). RC examines how Christ is the Good Shepherd.

 Lesson Five:  The Resurrection and The Life - Jesus has been excluding all those who refuse to believe. The Father who gives the sheep to the shepherd is "greater than all"; He and Jesus are unified (John 10:29–30). The Jews seek again to kill the Messiah for His blasphemy, but Jesus providentially escapes their clutches (10:39). His disciples expect death (11:8), and Jesus knows well that this is for God's glory, so that He might be glorified through it (11:4). It also is a trigger that sets the Son's greater glorification—the passion—in motion.

Lesson Six:  The Way, The Truth, and The Life - As the total rejection of Jesus occurs, He begins to withdraw from the public and the disciples (John 13:20-31). Gathering in an Upper Room (Last Supper), He delivers the "Farewell Discourse," preparing them for the time when He would not be in their midst.  The disciples face fear when Jesus speaks of His departure. Where is He going? How will we survive persecution without Him? How do we get to where He is going? Jesus comforts His sheep by giving them real peace—that rests on the solid foundation of reconciliation found only in Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Dr. Sproul teaches on the ultimate peace believers have in the Lord of truth.

Lesson Seven:  The True Vine - Continuing the Farewell Discourse, He speaks to the eleven as both external conflict with the Jews and internal conflict (Judas' betrayal, St. Peter's impending denial, fear, and threat of apostasy) lurk around every corner. Jesus' ministry turns inward, toward His own. There is a shift in emphasis regarding His relationship with His people. He increasingly presents Himself as being at one with them, thereby reassuring them of His presence and challenging them to abide in Him—without whom abundant life would be impossible. For Jesus to be the "true vine", it”s an absolute necessity to abide in Him

Lesson Eight:  Before Abraham Was, I AM - Just after Jesus declared Himself to be the light of the world, the Pharisees, choosing not to engage Him focused on a minor legal technicality. They accused Jesus of being a liar because He supposedly bore witness of Himself (John 8:13). The conflict in the rest of the chapter grows out of this accusation & centers on the nature and authority of this Man from Nazareth. RC discusses the person of Christ as revealed in this most dramatic and forceful of the "I AM" statements.

Lesson One: John the Baptist - R.C. explains the unique calling of John the Baptist and calls us to learn what John learned as he came face to face with the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Lesson Two: Nathanael - Nathanael was waiting for the Messiah. Unlike the rest of us, his first encounter with Jesus was face to face. What can we learn from Nathanael’s initial meeting with the Man from Nazareth?

Lesson Three: The Woman at the Well – RC looks at Jesus’ encounter with a woman whose attempts for satisfaction only led her to public disgrace, in this message entitled “The Woman at the Well.”

Lesson Four: Joshua – We examine the account of Joshua leading Israel into the Promised Land and talks about a rather unexpected ally who visited Joshua in the heat of battle.

Lesson Five: The Rich, Young Ruler – RC talks about the rich young ruler who asked the ultimate question. Be sure to also watch the modern day reenactment of this encounter!

Lesson Six: Jairus’ Daughter – In Luke 8, we read of two daughters who suffered unto poverty and even death; RC shows how suffering, fear, and faith were used as opportunities for Jesus to exercise His healing touch.

Lesson Seven: The Adulterous Woman – RC talks about the woman caught in adultery, and how Christians should respond to fellow sinners.

Lesson Eight: Moses and Elijah – We revisit the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, three of His disciples, and two rather unexpected visitors.

Lesson Nine: Pontius Pilate -  This lesson looks at the significance of the meeting of Jesus the Man and Pontius Pilate.

Lesson Ten: The Two on the Road to Emmaus – RC retakes that trip with the two travelers on the road to Emmaus as they took a guided tour through Scriptures with One who knew the way better than anyone else, 

Lesson Eleven: Paul – we look indepth at “the chief of sinners”, who became the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Lesson Twelve: John the Beloved – RC explains what happened when the Son of Man made an unexpected visit to the Isle of Patmos, and talks about John’s response in this lesson.

Lesson One:  The Ability of God - Ephesians 3:20–21- Christians long to be assured that God hears them and is able to meet their deepest needs when they pray. Yet many of us do not rightly understand what prayer is or how we ought to pray. HB explains the importance of learning to pray in light of the power and glory of God.

Lesson Two: Equipped by God – Hebrews 13:20-21 - Benedictions are pronouncements of God's blessing, founded on truths about God declaring His intention to bless His people, and He is indicating the specific way in which He will bring that blessing about in their lives. This teaching concerns what God has done for us in Christ and what He promises to do for us in Christ.

Lesson Three:  Perserved by God – Jude 24-25 -God calls His people to stand firm in the faith. But what are we to do when we recognize that we are unable to stand on our own? We must learn how to trust and praise God for preserving us by His grace. Jude's closing doxology explains what it means that God is able to preserve us on earth and to present us to Himself in glory.

Lesson Four: The Presence of God – 2 Corinthians 13:14 - The Trinity is personally involved in the redemption of His people. In conferring spiritual blessings on believers, the Trinity plays His respective role in order to stir up the hearts and minds of Christians to understand more of what blessings they have through God the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit.

Lesson Five: Blessed by God – Numbers 6:22-27 - The priestly benediction of Aaron is the great benediction of the Old Testament. The Lord commanded the priests to lift up their hands and pronounce this blessing over His people. God affirmed His commitment to bless His people according to His will and by His Word. We consider the nature of this particular benediction and the fact that we can trust the God who pledged Himself to bless us.

Lesson Six: Sanctified by God – I Thessalonians 5:23-24 - God calls us as His people to pursue sanctification in the totality of our lives. Holiness is one of our greatest needs in the Christian life. However, we often fail to understand what part God plays in our sanctification. This study stresses the fact that our sanctification is built on the confidence that God is the One who sanctifies believers as we trust Him in this work of grace.

Lesson Seven:  Strengthened by God – I Peter 5:10-11- Christians are called by God to endure hardship, suffering, and persecutions in this life. Though we are engaged in intense warfare with spiritual enemies, God gives us strong consolations and encouragements to strengthen us to stand in the grace of God. In this lesson, HB draws out lessons about God's love and purpose for us in our suffering.

Lesson Eight: Glorifying in God – Romans 11:33-36 - New Testament doxologies are full of truths about God's character and glory. The Apostle Paul's great doxology focuses our attention on the surpassing greatness of God and our call to celebrate the wonder of His majesty.