The Power Sunday School Class

Many of us remember Dana Carvey’s comical character the "Church Lady" from Saturday Night Live. Sadly, some of us have bumped into her in real life. What does it mean to be a legalist? How can we deal with one? How can we keep from becoming one? We’ll learn from Jesus as we study Matthew 12. Here are the notes for our study.

Lesson Notes for February 15, 2026 – Matthew 12.pdf

Do you feel a sense of shame when difficult seasons can cause doubts about your faith? Is that a sign of weak faith? Can it actually be a sign for a faith "growth spurt?" Here are the notes for our study in Matthew 11.

Lesson Notes for February 8, 2026 – Matthew 11.pdf

Are you a LOYAL sports fan even if your favorite team isn’t winning? Are you so loyal that it’s WORTH your time, money, and enduring "trash talk" at times? Tomorrow Jesus teaches us about the testing of our most important loyalty, our loyalty to Him when we face opposition for His name’s sake. Here are the notes.

Lesson Notes for February 1, 2026 – Matthew 10.pdf

Class,

I am going to miss being with you tomorrow but I’m grateful to our FBCW leadership for their wise precaution to keep us all safe!

If we WERE meeting tomorrow we would be looking at a couple of very important encounters Jesus had with the religious elite recorded in Matthew 9:9-17. Since we won’t be together here are some thoughts on those verses:

• Jesus called Matthew the tax collector (author of this book) to follow Him.
• No doubt God had been preparing Matthew’s heart because he said YES!
• This opened the door for Matthew to introduce Jesus to other sinners, so Matthew had a party with Jesus as the honored guest. That really irritated the Pharisees (rigid religious establishment.) They were too cowardly to ask Jesus directly so they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?")
• Jesus replied: "Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do."
• Then he gave them homework. "Go study Hosea 6:6 and try to wrap your mind around the fact that MERCY for sinners is better than RELIGIOUS RITUALS and legalistic thinking!"
• The reality: Jesus didn’t go into the tax collector booth with Matthew saying, "Slide over and let me help you rip off these poor people so we can line our pockets." Jesus (in essence) said, "Stop ripping people off and come help me show MERCY to those who need it — that would be every human you meet!"
• The point: We can’t reach other sinners (we all are) unless we connect with them. You don’t have to sin to be a friend of sinners. Avoiding them is the opposite of that.

• Scene #2 – John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus. "Why do WE have to fast, and your disciples get to eat all they want?"
• Jesus replied with the example of a wedding banquet. Nobody fasts while they are celebrating with the bridegroom (Jesus) and His bride (His followers).
• Wouldn’t you be offended if your family vowed to fast with long faces at your wedding reception refusing to eat because they were sad about it. [Not saying that hasn't happened in some situations, but you get my point.]
• Jesus said, "They will fast when I’m not here, but for now we are celebrating!"
• I like what Warren Wiersbe said, "As the Bridegroom, He came to give spiritual joy. The Christian life is a feast, not a funeral." [Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 35). Victor Books.]
• To make the point with two common day examples Jesus said, "You don’t patch old cloth with new cloth. It will shrink and tear worse than before."
• "You don’t put new wine (also called "young wine") in old wineskins.
• What is that about? Wine that was fermenting gave off gas that expanded. People needed a container that would also expand so they sewed together animal skins (gross, I know!). You couldn’t "re-use" the skins that had become hard and brittle. New wine required new wine skins.
• The point: Jesus didn’t come to "patch" us up, He came to make us NEW.
• He didn’t come to tack GRACE on top of LAW. He came to fulfill the Law and inaugurate a New Covenant, giving us new hearts, new lives, and a new way of relating to God.
• What does that mean for us if we are followers of Christ?
• He had to make us into new wineskins because life with Him won’t fit into who we were before Him!
• A new "wineskin" won’t be rigid because of legalism (“try harder”), or expand too far into license (“it doesn’t matter”). It will expand exactly with the "new wine."
• We’re not perfect and won’t be in this life, however, over time as we allow Him to stretch and expand us with the "new wine" of His mercy and grace, we will one day have a shape that looks more like Him.
• You might say the "new wine" the Great Physician brings heals our sinful hearts from the inside out!

Stay safe and warm!
Allen

Tomorrow is Sanctity of Life Sunday. Some hear that and think: "Oh boy, we’re getting political. We won’t be political, we will be BIBLICAL as we see how Jesus demonstrated how He values every human life. Here are the notes for our study.

Lesson Notes for January 18, 2026 – Matthew 8 & 9.pdf

Who is the real AUTHORITY in your life? How could I tell that by following you around for a day or two? Tomorrow we'll see what Jesus had to say about how to build a life that will withstand the STORMS that come to everyone. Here are the notes for our study in Matthew 7:24-29.

Lesson Notes for January 11, 2026 – Matthew 7-15-29.pdf

We know the statement: "Wise men still seek Him." Is that biblically accurate? What can we learn from the visit of the Magi? We will look at that and more as we study Matthew 2:1-12. Here are the notes for our study.

Lesson Notes for December 21, 2025 – Matthew 2-1-12.pdf

Light is required to fix things because darkness hides the problems. Jesus came as the "Light of the world" to fix humanity’s sin problem. How does He shed light on the hearts of both the unsaved and His followers? How does it affect our BEING and doing? We’ll see that in Matthew 4 tomorrow. Here are the notes for our study.

Lesson Notes for December 14, 2025- Matthew 4-12-25.pdf

Why would anyone voluntarily follow a leader? What is it about the leader and the followers that makes that happen? The larger question: Why did people follow Jesus when He was on earth. Why do they today? We will talk about that as we look at Matthew 3 & 4. Here are the notes for our study.

Lesson Notes for December 7, 2025 – Matthew 3-13-4-11.pdf

There are many verses in scripture about God‘s guidance to his people. Here are a few to remind us of his presence and guidance.

• “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV)[2]
• “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.” (Psalm 25:9 ESV)[11]
• “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8 ESV)[12]
• “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way.” (Psalm 37:23 ESV)[12]
• “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2 ESV)[11]
• “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV)[11]
• “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 ESV)[11]
• “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21 ESV)[12]
• “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know…I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16 ESV)[11]
• “I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23 ESV)[11]
• “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV)[11]
• “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matthew 10:20 ESV)[13]
• “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13 ESV)[11]
• “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.” (Romans 12:2 ESV)[13]
• “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 ESV)[13]
• “By faith Abraham obeyed…And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8 ESV)[12]
• “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)[14]

Sources
[1] Deuteronomy 31 ESV – Joshua to Succeed Moses – Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+31&version=ESV
[2] Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:9 – It is the LORD who goes before you … https://www.esv.org/Deuteronomy+31:8;Joshua+1:9/
[3] Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV: It is the LORD who goes before … – Bible Hub https://biblehub.com/esv/deuteronomy/31-8.htm
[4] Deuteronomy 31:8 – English Standard Version – Bible Gateway https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+31%3A8&version=ESV
[5] Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV – Bible.com https://www.bible.com/bible/59/DEU.31.8.ESV
[6] Deuteronomy 31:8 – It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be … https://www.esv.org/verses/Deuteronomy+31:8/
[7] Deuteronomy 31:8 – It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be wit… https://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/deuteronomy/31-8.html
[8] Deuteronomy 31:8 – Bible verse (ESV) – DailyVerses.net https://dailyverses.net/deuteronomy/31/8/esv
[9] Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV – It is the LORD who goes… | Biblia https://biblia.com/bible/esv/deuteronomy/31/8
[10] Deuteronomy 31:1–8 – ESV.org https://www.esv.org/verses/Deuteronomy+31:1%E2%80%938;Deuteronomy+34:9/
[11] What Does the Bible Say About Gods Guidance? – OpenBible.info https://www.openbible.info/topics/gods_guidance
[12] 25 Bible Verses About Guidance – Enlightening Scripture Quotes https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-guidance/
[13] 50+ Inspiring Scriptures on Guidance and Wisdom – Bible Verses https://laycistercians.com/scriptures-guidance/
[14] 10 Bible Verses for Guidance – Domestically Blissful https://domesticallyblissful.com/bible-verses-for-guidance/