Lesson 1 Review: The Creation

 

Introduction

Memory Text: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, NKJV).

Genesis' creation story is the beginning of everything that exists on earth, this story does not contradict other human and biblical histories. It is profound that creation and redemption both exist in the Seventh-Day Sabbath Commandment and it is evidence of the existence of grace.

What are the two ways the book of Genesis presents God?

The first creation account presents God as infinitely far from humans, the transcendent God. The second creation account presents God as up close and personal.

What is the human response to the God of creation?

Our response should be appreciation for His grace and enjoy in trembling, His wonderful presence in our lives.

What is the significance of the refrain “it was good” in the first creation account?

“It was good” denotes that God’s work of creation was successful and that God’s observation that “it was good” means, “it worked”.

What is the implied lesson contained in the conclusion of the creation?

God intentionally and suddenly created the world, there was nothing happenstance or chancy about any of it. This description of the creation completely contradicts the theories of evolution, which dogmatically declare that the world came into existence by accident

What points does the Sabbath constantly reminds us of?

It reminds us that God created heaven and the earth in six days and rested the seventh day.

The Sabbath also reminds us of the end of suffering for humankind just as it was the end of the week of creation.

What did Genesis mean by the creation of man “in His [God’s] own image”?

"In God’s image" is not limited to the spirituality of God or the physical, it simply means that we were created in wholistic sense in the image of God. The breath (Spiritual), the life (physical) all account for the full image of God in us. The woman too was created in the image of God because it was from the rib of the man that a woman was formed.

What are man’s duties toward the creation and towards God at the beginning?

Man’s first duty was to tend and keep the natural environment they were put in. The second duty concerns His food; He was allowed to enjoy the eating of every fruit from every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The third duty was concerning the woman, “A man shall leave His father and mother and cling to His wife and they shall become one flesh”.

In Conclusion,

The creation story declares God as the creator and sustainer of everything, everything we see today did not happen to exist by chance. The Sabbath also reminds us of the fact that God ended His six-day work on the seventh day. However, it is disappointing to know that some of us doubt the creating power of God, thereby giving glory to the creation rather than the creator. I pray that God opens our eyes to the truth and the hope we have as Christians in Jesus’ name.

2nd Quarter of 2022 Sabbath School Study Guide Introduction

The Sabbath School Study Guide theme for the second quarter of 2022 is “THE BOOK OF THE BEGINNING”. Genesis is the book of the beginning, it gives an exegesis of the beginning of all things, it does not just end with the Creator of all that we see but also the sustainer of them all. Genesis also exposes wonderful stories of love, hatred, birth, death, murder and forgiveness. The stories remain ours as well regardless of the circumstance, place, culture and time.

Here is an outline for the weekly lesson topics for this quarter:

WEEK	LESSON’S TOPIC	PERIOD
1	The Creation	March 26 – April 1
2	The Fall	April 2 – 8
3	Cain and His Legacy	April 9 – 15
4	The Flood	April 16 – 22
5	All Nations and Babel	April 23 – 29
6	The Roots of Abraham	April 30 – May 6
7	The Covenant with Abraham	May 7 – 13
8	The Promise	May 14 – 20
9	Jacob the Supplanter	May 21 – 27
10	Jacob-Israel	May 28 – June 3
11	Joseph, Master of Dreams	June 4 – 10
12	Joseph, Prince of Egypt	June 11 – 17
13	Israel in Egypt	June 18 – 24

Lesson 13 Review: “Let Brotherly Love Continue”

 

Introduction

Memory Text: “Let Brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1).

Salvation is not just a one-on-one relationship with Jesus, but it is a family relationship that promotes “exhorting one another”.  Other elements include hospitality, visiting and supporting prisoners and those who have been mistreated, honoring marriage, avoiding covetousness, remembering and obeying the leaders of the church, and praying for the author himself.

What does offering hospitality imply?

Offering hospitality implies sharing possessions with other people and suffering with them, which is what Jesus did for us.

What are the two grave threats to brotherly love?

Sexual immorality and greed

What are ways to strengthen our defenses against the two vices?

One of the ways of strengthening our defense against sexual immorality is abstaining both from violation of the marriage oath and unwarranted divorces. A way to avoid greed is to be “content” with the things you have, we as Believers should embrace God’s promises, this embracement would reduce/eradicate greed.

What should be our relationship with our Leaders?

The Leaders are seen as undershepherds under “The Great Shepherd”, Jesus, they look after the members. The relationship is to be characterized by the combination of care and joy from the Leaders and obedience or trust from the members. The members are to respect their leaders both past and present.

Where is grace obtained?

Grace is obtained from the throne of God.

How are our hearts strengthened?

Hearts are strengthened through the mediation of Christ, an anchor, “sure and steadfast” that is fastened to God’s throne itself.

What does it mean to go to Jesus outside the camp?

Jesus was sent outside the camp as an unclean animal was sent out of the wall. Jesus was accused of blasphemy and as such was sent outside the camp. Thus He bore sufferings and pain outside the camp, To go to Jesus outside the camp means to bear the shame and suffering of following Jesus. However, beyond just bearing shame and reproach, We are to “go forth to Him”.

In Conclusion,

God is calling us to show brotherly love, our relationship with Jesus, though partly a one-on-one relationship is also a collective one. We are to express our love for Christ with our brethren as Jesus did for us. Brotherly love promotes the exhortation of one another and by so doing we grow our collective relationship with God. I pray that God strengthens us to let brotherly love continue in Jesus’ name.

Lesson 12 Review: Receiving an Unshakable Kingdom

 

Introduction

Memory Text: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28, NKJV).

Jesus has received a kingdom from God, the Judge and He is going to share His kingdom with His believers, the saints of the Most High who will possess it forever. He has also stood as our mediator to ensure every Believer inherits this Kingdom, this Kingdom is an unshakable kingdom that will have no end.

What is peculiar about Mount Zion?

The inauguration of Jesus’ kingly rule, priestly ministry and the inauguration of the new covenant are events that take place in Mount Zion.

Why are we all called “firstborns”?

We are the “firstborn” because we share the inheritance of the First Born par excellence, Jesus.

If it is a celebration that is described in Hebrews 12:23, Why is God described as a Judge there?

“The celebration described alludes to a future judgment, God the Judge, presides and books are used, and the result of this future judgment from the books is that God’s people receive the kingdom.”

What does the shaking of the heavens and the earth mean?

The “shaking” of heaven and earth simply refers to the destruction of God’s enemies, which include all unbelieving sinners, and Satan.

What cannot be shaken when the heavens and the earth shake?

The righteous will never be shaken. They will never be shaken because they trust in the Lord who can never be shaken.

How do we offer God an acceptable offering?

We offer God acceptable offering by doing good and sharing what we have. We are to show brotherly love to others, just as Jesus showed brotherly to us and gave us the right to be firstborns in His kingdom. Brotherly love means to be hospitable, to visit those who are in prison or have been mistreated and to reject adultery and covetousness.

In Conclusion,

The Kingdom of God is an unshakable kingdom, it is a Kingdom prepared for the righteous, and because the righteous cannot be shaken the Kingdom cannot be shaken too. The heavens and earth will be shaken, this means the enemies of God will be destroyed but they that trust in the Lord will not be moved. I pray that God helps us to trust in Him so we can receive the unshakable Kingdom in Jesus’ name.

Lesson 11 Review: Jesus, Author and Perfecter of Our Faith

Introduction

Memory Text: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV).

We are running a race with Jesus seated at the goal line at the right hand of God. Jesus is our inspiration and ultimate example of how the race is run, He is also the ultimate witness that the reward is true. This week’s lesson will open our minds to what Faith in Jesus is like.

What is the character without which the promises cannot be received according to Hebrews 10:35-39?

Endurance is a characteristic of God’s end-time people without which they will not be able to receive the promises. Endures require that we hold fast our faith until the appointed time for the fulfillment of the promise.

Why did Abraham seem to be the most important character in Hebrews 11?

Abraham’s exercise of faith in his deeds shows the true nature of faith. He was promised to be made Father of many nations and later He was asked to offer up His only son. It is said that Abraham believed that God would resurrect Isaac again, if He did believe so, then Abraham must have had great faith. In God’s leading in the past, Abraham had seen an intimation of what God would do in the future.

What did Moses do that made him the second major example in Hebrews 10?

He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter thus denying the position that would have been accorded him as the Son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He preferred to be the Leader of refugees rather than the Leader of the greatest nation at that time. He partook in the Passover and other ceremonies of the Jews.

What is the similarity between the situation of the original recipients of the Hebrews 10:32-35 and the experience of Moses?

The Hebrews endured affliction because of the love of Christ, in the same way, Moses chose to be mistreated along with God’s people. The similarity here is that they looked to the reward, they considered the reproach for Christ greater reward that enjoyment of the passing pleasures of sin.

How did Rahab show faith and what lesson can we draw from what she did?

Rahab heard about all what the Lord did for the Israelites, how he parted the sea for them, stroke the Egyptians with plagues for their sake, made water come from a rock for their sake and so on. Rahab however did not see any of these things happen but she believed what she heard and hid the spies. Because of her faith, her life and her family were spared. Rahab’s faith shows us how crucial it is for us to believe even when we have not seen it yet happen.

What does it mean that Jesus is the “author and perfecter of faith”?

This means that Jesus is the One who makes faith possible and He is the example who embodies what a life of faith is all about. With Jesus, faith has reached its ultimate perfection.

What three senses can we see Jesus as the Author of our faith as the lesson puts it?

1.       He is the only One who has finished the race in its fullest sense.

2.       It is actually Jesus’ perfect life that has made it possible for others to run their race. Without Jesus, the race of others will be futile.

3.       Jesus is the reason we have faith.

In Conclusion,

Faith does not rule out the possibility of doubt however, we must first believe and then there will be provided for us many evidences on which we can rest our faith on. Jesus is the perfect example on how we should run our race of faith, He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Jesus is at the goal line waiting for us to run the race to the finish and at the end we will win the crown of life, I pray that we live a life of faith so hat these promises can be ours in Jesus’ name.