Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: 1 John 2:15-17, Luke 18:9-14, 1 John 1:9, Heb. 11:24-26, Luke 22:24-27, Phil. 2:3-8

Memory Text: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11, NKJV).

We’ve all known people with big egos, those who think they are never wrong. Or perhaps you know someone who wants to be in control, who never is open to instruction or constructive criticism. Or someone who seems to be constantly in conflict or is a master of putting others down. Our minds might immediately think of others, but the real question is: What about each one of us? By pointing the finger at others and denying pride in our own life, we deceive ourselves.

We’ve all battled with pride. We’ve all experienced times we want to look, act, speak, or appear better than those around us because we believe that we are better than they are, at least in some way. Someone once said that pride emerges from the desire to show that our lives have value. Yet we should already know that our lives have value because we were created by God, and we are those for whom Christ died.

This week we’ll explore the impact that pride can have on our relationships with God and with others, and we’ll look at what the Bible teaches us about humility before others and, of course, before God.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 18.

Further Thought: God calls His people to represent His character but, to do this, we need to know Him for ourselves. The best way to see Him clearly, despite our sinful human eyes that too often misunderstand His holy and perfect ways, is through searching His Word, the Bible. “All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more.”--Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 740.

Discussion Questions:

1. As you consider the attributes of God that you’ve studied this week, which one has most impacted your understanding of God?
2. What other attributes of God could you study to deepen and strengthen your relationship with God?
3. With a family member or friend, read or listen to Steps to Christ, chapter 1, and discuss it together. What new insights about God’s character and Jesus has this chapter made you think about?
4. Many people have a distorted picture of God, which Jesus came to correct. What can you do to share a clear, accurate picture of God’s character to those in your sphere of influence?
5. Consider again what you learned on Monday’s reading. Although we’re clearly sinful and not holy, the Bible also makes some clear statements about God’s people living holy lives. Read 1 Peter 1:13-16, Romans 6:22, and Hebrews 12:14. God is holy and invites us to be holy. But what does it really mean to live a holy life?

Summary: From the beginning of Creation, God has desired to be in a close relationship with us. Although our understanding of His character is the target of Satan’s attacks, God reveals Himself to us most clearly through His Word and through the life of His Son, Jesus. Ultimately, having a clear, beautiful picture of God is essential if we want to deepen our relationship with Him.

Immanuel, God With Us

If you were looking to share with a non-Christian a description from the Bible about God’s character, where would you turn?

The best answer, of course, would be Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus not only reflects God but reveals God. There are many Bible passages that explain this, but the one that does so most simply is John 14:9. Here, Jesus says, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (NKJV). In order to know more about what God is like, we should look to Jesus--His words, His actions, His manner, and His great love toward humanity in His death and resurrection.

The love and care of the Father is most clearly expressed in His Son, Jesus. The beauty of the Bible is that God has given us four rich perspectives on the life of Jesus so that we can have a full picture of who He is. In Matthew (written by a Jew, for Jews), we see Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled what was promised. In Mark, we see Jesus living an active life of service and sacrifice. He was always thinking of others and always responsive to the will of His Father. In Luke, we can read about how Jesus felt, with His humanity and compassion, and we can read this account to have assurance that what we read is true (Luke 1:3-4). In John, we see the incarnate Son of God and are invited to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, so that our spiritual lives can be revived. Although all four Gospels explore the same ground, “they do not represent things in just the same style. Each writer has an experience of his own, and this diversity broadens and deepens the knowledge that is brought out to meet the necessities of varied minds.” --Ellen G. White, Manuscript 105, 1900. Which Gospel have you read most recently?

In Matthew 1:23, a specific name is given to Jesus. Why is this so significant in understanding God’s character? Read Matthew 28:20, focusing on the last part of the verse. Compare these two verses. What do you notice?

We’ve touched only the surface of this huge topic, the character of God. God is greater and more incredible than we can fathom, and we will forever be learning about Him into eternity.

God deserves our praise for who He is and what He has done and is doing in our lives. Take some time now to offer up a prayer of praise to God for who He is. Be specific about what the Bible tells you about God. (For example, “Thank You, God, for being _____, as You tell me in _____.”)

Read as Elihu describes some of God’s attributes in Job 36:24-33 and Job 37. Then read God’s declaration of His omnipotence in Job 38, and 39. What do these passages reveal to us about God?

God in Creation

You probably know from memory the first words in the Bible: “In the beginning God.” In Hebrew, the word for God here is Elohim. Although this word can be used when talking about false “gods,” when it refers to the one true God, it describes an almighty, all-powerful Creator in connection with the whole of creation; the transcendent God who is beyond our understanding but in control of everything. He is so powerful that when He speaks, something is created just from His voice.

But in the next chapter, Genesis 2, there appears a different name for God: Yahweh. This name connects to Elohim (Yahweh Elohim), the same all-powerful, almighty God; but the name Yahweh is the more personal name of the one true God, often used to emphasize that God is the covenant God, in loving relation with His created people.

Compare the descriptions of God in Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:7. What do you notice?

Here in Genesis 2:7, we can imagine God kneeling to form the first human being out of the ground with His own hands. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” This is a God who gets close--so close that He breathes into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life. This name, Yahweh, presents a more intimate picture of God, but Moses uses both names in the first two chapters of the Bible to describe these two characteristics of God to us.

How astonishing! We see here God’s transcendence to us as Elohim, and His immanence, His closeness to us, as Yahweh. How good for us to think of both of these aspects of God’s character: His overall control of everything and His nearness to us. As Paul said to the Athenians on Mars Hill: “He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28, NKJV).

It’s important that we continue to seek a clear, balanced picture of God based on what the Bible tells us about God’s character in order to grow in a relationship with Him. This is why it’s important to read all parts of the Bible rather than focusing on only one portion. Truly, the more we learn about the character of God, the more we will learn to love Him.

Read as Elihu describes some of God’s attributes in Job 36:24-33 and Job 37. Then read God’s declaration of His omnipotence in Job 38, and 39. What do these passages reveal to us about God?

God Is Love

Love is perhaps the most common word used by Christians to describe God’s character. This could be because of the identity statement about God in 1 John 4:8, which says, “God is love.” John didn’t say, “God is loving,” but rather, “God is love.” Love is His character, the very essence of who He is.

For many people, their picture of God emerges from their human definition of love, which is always distorted and imperfect. Instead, our very definition of love should be shaped by who God is and what He reveals about Himself in His inspired Word.

What does 1 John 4:7-19 explain to us about love?

God’s love is perfect, free, and deeply relational, as revealed in the repeated invitation to “abide” in Him in 1 John, because “we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16, NKJV). God is love, and He created us in His image (Gen. 1:27) to love and to desire love. In Hebrew, one major word for love is hesed. This describes God’s covenant love for humankind, which encompasses traits of loyalty, protectiveness, steadfastness, and tenderness.

The ancient languages of Hebrew and Greek use many different names to refer to God, names that capture meaning to shed light on different aspects of God’s beautiful character. Here are just two examples:

• Adonai: The Lord of all, who reigns forever, in reference to the covenant (Gen. 15:2, Judg. 6:15, Mal. 1:6, Ps. 97:5).
• Yahweh-Yireh: The-LORD-Will-Provide (Gen. 22:13-14, NKJV).

Ultimately, the greatest expression of God’s love is revealed through the gift of His Son to this earth (John 3:16) who died for sinners (Rom. 5:8). God could have withheld this from humankind, yet because of His magnanimous, radical, supremely altruistic love, God sent Jesus to earth so that we might freely choose to respond to His love, revealed in His substitutionary death on our behalf. Not only did Jesus bridge the separation that sin has brought between us and God (Isa. 59:1-2), He lived to show us God’s perfect character of love (John 14:9, Heb. 1:3) and to draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).

Many of God’s names capture His holiness and love at their core. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV), and in every case, replace the word “love” with “God.” How does this expand your understanding of God’s character? If you were to place your name where it says “love,” how well would that fit you?

God Is Holy

Holiness is not a word that most people use very often in their everyday language, perhaps because there are so few holy things around us and about us. The Sabbath is a holy day in time, and God is, of course, holy. Apart from God, our everyday lives, for the most part, lack holiness.

If you do a study into the attributes most often associated with God’s character, you’ll discover that holiness is at the center of who God is. But what does that mean?

How do the following passages describe God: Leviticus 20:26, 1 Samuel 2:2, Isaiah 57:15, and Ezekiel 38:23?

When the Bible describes God as the epitome of holiness, it means that He is completely void of and completely separated from evil and sin. God is 100 percent good from beginning to end. In this sense, God’s holiness is central to all His other attributes.

For example, God’s love is a pure, holy love--a love that is completely free from all selfishness and egotistic motives. His omniscience (all-knowing) is holy omniscience, meaning it is free from evil intentions. Would you trust an omniscient God if He weren’t holy? Of course not! Instead, we would, and rightly so, be afraid of Him.

God’s omnipotence (being all-powerful) is holy omnipotence. Imagine a God who is omnipotent but not holy. He could be a powerful, evil tyrant. Only God’s holiness allows and enables us to really love Him, because He is good from beginning to end. This is why holiness is perhaps the most important characteristic to understand about God’s character. Yet, perhaps, it is one of the most misunderstood as well.

Think about Bible characters such as Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John, who came into God’s presence. What was their first response? They removed their shoes, hid their faces, or fell down as though dead. As human beings, we are sinful and so unholy that we can’t bear to stand in God’s presence. Similarly, when Ellen G. White went into vision, she often cried, “Glory, glory, glory” because it was the one word that seemed to capture most what she saw. And, of course, the four living creatures do not rest day or night without saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8, NKJV).

Truly, God is pure holiness, and when we come to Him, we must see Him as such. How does knowing this inspire you? In what ways does this challenge you regarding your own character?

A Clearer Picture of God

The Bible gives the truest, clearest, and most consistent picture of God. The entire Bible seeks to peel back the unseen veil between our visible world and the invisible; to show us where we’ve come from and where we’re going; and, ultimately, to show us who is in control and what He is like.

From Genesis to Revelation, we read about the one true God, who makes Himself known to us through the Bible and through Jesus Christ, God incarnate. We can read about God’s omnipotence (Job 1:12), His omniscience, His all-knowing nature (Isa. 46:9-10), His justice (Isa. 30:18), His mercy (Deut. 7:9), His lovingkindness and patience with us (Rom. 2:4), His wisdom (1 Cor. 2:7), His grace (2 Cor. 12:9), His forgiveness (Matt. 6:14), His will for our lives (Jer. 29:11), His power to defeat death (John 11:25), His kingship (Ps. 47:8), His eternal nature (Deut. 33:27), and many other characteristics that give us abundant reasons to love and have an abiding relationship with Him. The more we know about God and what He is like, the more we will love Him and desire a close and abiding relationship with Him.

It was Lucifer who first doubted God’s character. His doubts about who God is ultimately led to the greatest battle in the history of our universe. Ever since that time, “it is Satan’s constant study to keep the minds of men occupied with those things which will prevent them from obtaining the knowledge of God.”--Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 740. Satan doesn’t care what kind of picture of God we have (pantheism, deism, polytheism, etc.), as long as it’s not an accurate one.

Read Genesis 3:1-5. What was Satan’s goal in his conversation with Eve? What lies did he tell Eve about God’s character?

Ultimately, Satan’s message to Eve was this: God is keeping secrets from you. God does not want what is best for you. You can’t trust Him. Ellen White expands on this when she says, “From the opening of the great controversy it has been Satan’s purpose to misrepresent God’s character and to excite rebellion against His law.”--Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 338.

How is God’s character misrepresented in our world? More important, how might you, at times, have misrepresented His character to others? If you have, what can you do to change with the Holy Spirit’s help? How can you show God’s love to the people around you?

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 3:1-5, Lev. 20:26, 1 Sam. 2:2, 1 John 4:7-19, Gen. 1:1, Gen. 2:7, Matt. 1:23, Matt. 28:20

Memory Text: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3, NKJV).

Having a clear understanding of God’s character is foundational to having a strong relationship with Him. This is why, this week, we will look carefully at what the Bible says about the character of God, keeping in mind that it “is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth.… The last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love.”--Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 415.

It seems impossible to describe God adequately, and so the most we can do is point to what the Bible says about Him. Although we will never know, especially now, everything there is to know about God’s wonderful character, let’s pray that as we learn more about Him, our understanding of and love for Him will deepen, so that, ultimately, we will want to grow closer to Him in order to reflect His love and character to others.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 11.

Further Thought: Before we were born, God loved us; He had a plan to know us and for us to know Him. He seeks us out, like a good Shepherd, and invites us to abide in Him every day. We merely need to choose to respond to Him, and then to exchange our wretchedness and our Laodicean condition for His good gifts (see Rev. 3:18-19).

Like the slow growth of a grapevine’s branches, our relationship with God might grow slowly, or it might come in bursts as a result of much-needed rain. Regardless of the pace at which we grow and the abundance of fruit that is produced in our lives, we need daily “sap,” or the Holy Spirit, to ensure that we’re remaining connected to Jesus. “Abiding in Christ means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of unreserved surrender to His service. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God. As the vine branch constantly draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character.”--Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 676. “How is the dry disconnected sapling to become one with the parent vine stock? How is it to be made a partaker of the life and nourishment of the living vine? Only by being grafted into the vine, by being brought into the closest relationship possible. Fiber by fiber, vein by vein, the twig holds fast to the life giving vine until the life of the vine becomes one with the branch, and the branch produces fruit like that of the vine.”--Ellen G. White, manuscript 67, 1897.

Discussion Questions:

1. Reflect back over your life. Can you identify any life events that have lulled you into a Laodicean spiritual condition? What events have drawn you closer to God?
2. Ellen G. White talks about “a constant receiving of His Spirit.” How often do you pray for the Holy Spirit? What might change if you received the Holy Spirit every day?
3. What might change if we, as a church, were to pray for the Holy Spirit more earnestly and more regularly?
4. Be brutally, even painfully, frank with yourself over your relationship with God. What conscious choices do you need to make in order to have the closeness with Him that He wants but that you hinder?

Summary: Before we can start growing in a relationship with God, we first have to pause to consider what our current relationship with Him is like. If it’s Laodicean or if our branches are not flourishing, Jesus has the perfect solution for our spiritual condition: to abide in Him.