Phil and Sherry stared at each other across the after-dinner clutter on the dining room table. “What are we going to do?” Sherry said, her fingers twisting and turning. “Jeremy doesn’t love the Sabbath.”1
“He used to,” Phil said. “Remember when he was thrilled when we told him it was Sabbath and time to get ready for Sabbath school?”
“He was two. Now he’s sixteen and off riding his bicycle with his friend Neal. Didn’t wake up in [...]
Key Thought: Jesus, our Creator and Redeemer, gave us the Sabbath as a sign between Him and His people. It is His day given to man to enjoy a special time with Him.
[Teaching plan for "Lord of the Sabbath" February 15, 2012]
1. Have a volunteer read Mark 2:27,28.
A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. What does it mean that the Son of man is Lord also of [...]
“Uncle Jim is coming,” Mom announced one morning.
“Whoopee!” “When?”
“He should be here any minute. I think that’s him at the front door. Could you let him in, Marcia?”
Uncle Jim was tall and lanky. He looked like he could drop a basketball in the net without even stretching. Marcia and her brother Tim liked Uncle Jim a lot. So did Mom, but she always worried a bit when he dropped in. Uncle Jim was an atheist and loved to [...]
Key Thought: The law describes who God is and how He lives and how He has meant for us to live. We are free to live in happiness as we let Him write those laws in our hearts and minds.
[Teaching Plan for "God the Lawgiver" February 8, 2012]
1. Have a volunteer read Exodus 19:18,19.
A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. Why did the Lord present the law [...]
“Hey, Ben. Here’s one for you. How is being an Alaskan salmon like being a Christian?” Mark looked at his friend for two seconds.1
“They both get wet.”
“C’Mon, Ben, that was too easy. Where does the Alaskan salmon begin its life?”
“Hatched from a fish egg laid in a mountain stream.”
“So, Ben. Would you say it spends its whole life there in the beautiful forest and streams?”
“No. But for up to three years, it’s paradise for those fish. They swim in [...]
Key Thought: It is vital and necessary for us as fallen beings to acknowledge God’s exalted holiness and to seek His cleansing blood and righteousness.
[Teaching plan for "The Holiness of God" February 1, 2012]
1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 2:3.
A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. What significance does it have that the first thing called sanctified or holy in the Bible is time?
C. Personal Application: What [...]
The world totters on the brink of moral collapse.1
The Judge of All is about to pass judgment on those who have refused to acknowledge Him as their Leader Eternal.
“Is there anyone else,” He calls out, “anyone else who wants to be free from the burden of sin?”
A few people struggle towards Him. The rest slink away.
“Not fair!” roars the enemy. “Condemn all or condemn none!”
“I won’t do that,” the Judge of All replies. “All who come to Me will be saved.”
The enemy [...]
Key Thought: Justice demands the death penalty for our sins. Yet grace through the suffering of Christ on our behalf delivers us from death if we accept it.
[Teaching Plan for "The God of Grace and Judgment" January 25, 2012]
1. Have a volunteer read Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. What does it mean to fear God? Are we to be afraid of God and the [...]
Key Thought: From the beginning the Bible points to the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross in order to redeem us from sin’s penalty of eternal destruction.
[Teaching Plan for "God as Redeemer" January 18, 2012]
1. Have a volunteer read Romans 1:16-18.
A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
B. If God’s righteousness is revealed by faith, why do so many hold onto unrighteousness and lies?
C. Personal Application: Have [...]
The creation story is one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture. Imagine Moses, wrapped up in the awe of an Almighty God sweeping the history of time. With humility and awe Moses describes the beginning of earth and all that is within it.1
Day 1 God establishes light. Three days later, on Day 4, God reveals the sun, moon, stars in the light of the sky.
Day 2 God develops land and sky. Three days later, [...]
