Sabbath School Gems

How can we remain faithful to God and hold onto hope for things not easily seen? How can holding onto His promises which seem so distant, transform our lives now?

Key Texts: Heb 10:22-24 and Heb 11

Hebrews 10:22-24 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

How can we cope when evil seems to be triumphing over good and God seems to be silent or absent?

Key texts: Isaiah 40:22-26 and Habakkuk 3:17-19

Isa 40:22  It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Isa 40:23  He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.

Isa 40:24  Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

Isa 40:25  "To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

Hab 3:17  Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—

Hab 3:18  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Hab 3:19  The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Does the Holy Spirit help us through our struggles or add to our struggles?

Key texts: 1Pe 1:13-15 and Isa 1:18-19

What is the secret that allowed Abraham, Job, Hosea and Paul to endure their challenges and tests of faith?

Key text: Jer 9:10-14

4. SEEING THE GOLDSMITH'S FACE

What is the difference between a refinement process and a final test and how do we prepare for the final crucible?

Key text: Hebrews 12:1-3

Contents: Job’s strength as an example for us; how God’s law is like a mirror; the parable of the ten virgins; the parable of the sheep and the goats; what is the refinement process and when does it take place; special refinement at the end of time; dangers in waiting for the test crucible before we have been refined.

3. THE BIRDCAGE

Does God cover our birdcage sometimes so we can learn His songs, or does this happen outside of Him and He only uses our times of darkness to teach us His songs and to ensure us that He will someday remove the cover and let us fly?

Key Text: James 1:13

Contents: The bitter waters at Meribah; the rebellion at Rephidim; The temptation of Jesus;

Sabbath School Gems

2. THE CRUCIBLES THAT COME

Are there different origins for our troubles and it does it matter for how we should respond?

Key Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Contents: types of crucibles; origins of suffering; monkey pox and pride month as related to Romans 1:18-32; warnings about an enemy on the prowl

1. THE SHEPHERD'S CRUCIBLE

Why does the Bible use the Shepherd as an illustration of God and Jesus and sheep for us?

Key Text: Psalm 23

Contents: In defense of sheep; the beautiful picture of God as shepherd, husband, parent, maker

The Fall as described in Genesis 3 is not a sad story about man's plunge from paradise to perdition, but rather an encouraging story about God's desire to teach us the essentials of our existence and His intent to save us from evil and sin forever.

SABBATH Knowledge of Good and Evil.

1. God wanted us to know good, but did not want us to know (or endure) evil.

2. Evil doesn't work like that though; It can come in and defile us and separate us from God whether we know about it or not.

3. The offerings for sin were always sins committed in ignorance.

Eze 45:20, Num 15:27 and throughout Exodus and Leviticus

SUNDAY- THE SERPENT

1. The serpent is a fitting description of Satan and those who align with evil:

2. It is small and elusive (e.g. white says it was a dazzling creature, but WAS)

3. It comes in through deceit – a mix of error with truth Gen 3:4-5

4. Snakes are usually small but can be deadly. They kill usually without the human seeing it come.

5. The snake ends up falling from elevation in a tree to slitering on the ground with no arms, no legs, no wings; eating dust – ultimately dying which is the fate of those who don’t chose God.

6. Humans can usually easily catch and kill snakes - We can have victory over sin and evil. ‘ “...You shall bruise his heel.”

MONDAY - FORBIDDEN FRUIT

1. Satan attacks us at our most vulnerable, using the good, healthy things that God gave us: our desire for beautiful things, our desire for wisdom and knowledge, our desire for food, sustenance and life; our desire to be one with our spouse (physically and mentally); our desire to be like God (in a good sense, not to be gods, but to be closer to Him);

2. God most likely also wanted man to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, eventually

- He put it in the middle of the garden (along with the tree of life)

- He can communicate with us on a deeper level when we have this knowledge

- We can better avoid sin and seek redemption with such knowledge (Psa 19:13)

- It was not the knowledge of good and evil that caused death; but the removal from the garden and tree of life that causes death.

3. God most likely did not put the tree of knowledge in the garden to tempt but to teach. To tempt would be cruel and would not work anyway because someone soon in Adam and Eve’s offspring would eat of it.

4. Sin comes in through temptations of the things that are desirable as redemption comes from the opposite.

- humility “Desire for husband”: embracing our position in life and reverencing elevating God

- childbirth and child-rearing (learning to love and putting others first)

- hard work Gen 3:19  In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread. (We can conquer evil as we can overcome weeks and serpents (You shall bruise his heel.)

TUESDAY-HIDING BEFORE GOD

1. Sin isolates us from God, even if it is unintentional.

2. God wants to reach out (Gen 3:9) and has a plan for the great controversy between good and evil.

3. His plan is what allows us to come to him and to call on him (Gen 4:26)

4. Blaming others doesn’t help us to make the decision to trust and obey God, a decision which is ours alone and for which we will have to accept the outcome.

We have ourselves to blame because ultimately it is our decision whether or not to listen, trust and obey God

FRIDAY -

"Moral and spirtual choices have an impact on biological life."

Our decision whether or not to obey God (shama, shama kole YHWH), yes even or especially with what we don't know or can't clearly see, is what will determine our fate