Have you ever been haunted by your past? Over a decade ago I was preaching during the first worship service and I guess I was all wound up in what I was preaching, because an elder motioned to me that it was time for Sabbath School. I had a real passion for what I was … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Our Forgiving God” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view: You may download an MP4 video file, and audio file or a PDF lesson outline from the HopeSS site. With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will … Continue reading –>
Present for Uganda’s President By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Seventh-day Adventist Church president Ted N.C. Wilson was thinking about religious literature when I arrived in a hotel lobby in Uganda to accompany him and other church leaders to a meeting with the African country’s president, Yoweri Museveni. “I have a pen for the president”, Pastor … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Confession”, pages 37-41, in Steps to Christ. In Nehemiah 9:25, the Hebrews talked about how their ancestors “delighted themselves” (NKJV) in God’s great goodness. The verbal root is the same as the name Eden, as in the “garden of Eden” (Gen. 2:15). Perhaps, the best translation would be “they edenized themselves” if only edenized … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:32-38. What is the focus of the conclusion of the prayer of confession? Once again the prayer turns to praising God for who He is: great, mighty, and awesome, one who keeps the covenant and mercy. They seem sincere in their acknowledgment of God’s goodness to them. They also bring a petition in the … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:23-31. How are the Israelites described in comparison to God’s “great goodness” (Neh. 9:25)? This next section of the prayer/sermon focused on life in Canaan as the Israelites possessed the land that God had given them. They had been handed land, cities, vineyards, and fields ready for use, but they had taken it all for … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Our God is a forgiving God Who is always working to restore us back into a right relationship with Him. November 16, 2019 1. Have a volunteer read Nehemiah 9:1-3. Ask class members what is the main point of this passage. Why did they confess the sins of their ancestors? Hint: Matthew 23:29-36 … Continue reading –>
What order should we choose? Our lesson does not recommend an order of elements to include in our work of confessing and repenting before God, but what order do you prefer in your prayers to God for these items: 1) praise 2) repentance 3) celebration 4) confession 5) other.. Fasting and worship. Instead of a joyful celebration … Continue reading –>
This week we ask “Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive”, Hymn 299 and “Hymn 412, “Cover With His Life” as we have a forgiving God. We are so thankful that “He Hideth My Soul”, Hymn 520. Finally in Nehemiah 9:3, the people worshipped the Lord: Hymn 6, “O Worship the Lord”, and Hymn 83, “O Worship the … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:9-22. How does this part of the prayer differ from the first part? The prayer transitions from praising God for His faithfulness to recounting the contrasting unfaithfulness of the Israelites in their Egypt and wilderness experiences. It outlines all the different things God gave the Israelites; but unfortunately, the response of the “fathers” … Continue reading –>
The response of the people to the Bible reading was a long prayer that recounted the goodness of God in contrast to the history of the Israel’s faithlessness. One can observe that the reply is more like a sermon than a prayer, because almost every verse has a parallel somewhere in the Bible. Read Nehemiah 9:4-8. … Continue reading –>
Read Nehemiah 9:1-3. Why were the people separating themselves from all foreigners? Although Nehemiah was eager to make sure that the people associated this time with joy, he now led the assembly to fasting. They humbled themselves before God and threw dust on their heads, while wearing sackcloth. Because the foreigners didn’t have a share in … Continue reading –>
