6: More Lessons from the Master Teacher – Discussion Starters
- It’s about shame. This week’s lesson opens by mentioning shame as a major part of our struggle with sin. Does your walk with God sometimes seem hopeless because of things you do or say or think? Imagine the shame and hopelessness Adam and Eve felt when they realized that their foolish acts had brought on a total disruption to life on earth. It was their fault, and they felt overwhelmed. Do you and I ever fall into a slump when we realize that what we say and do matters for eternity? Our mistakes cause trouble. What can we do?
- Instead of hiding. From toddler to adult, do we ever see a youngster hiding from the consequences of something he or she had done? When
and how did Adam and Eve hide after their first sin? Why did God call out for them? Didn’t He know where they were? Do you and I ever try to hide from God? Cover up something we did or said? Point to somebody else for wrongs done. Place the blame on somebody else? Try to pay no attention to what stirred up trouble in our lives? Does our hiding help us resist sin? Instead of hiding from the consequences of our sins, what should we do? - On the run. Monday’s lesson gives us the dramatic account of Jacob’s dream. Why did Jacob rest his head on a rock? The ladder is the part of that dream that is hard to forget. A ladder reaching from heaven to earth. Angels walking on that ladder. And what are they sharing with Jacob the dreamer? How important is that ladder to Jacob? To all of God’s followers? To you and me? Exactly what does that ladder represent?
- Rabbi Jesus. Do you ever hear a preacher preach with such a strong sense of personal conviction? How did Jacob earn his reputation as a powerful preacher? Do we need more preachers with an urgent and powerful message told with conviction and persuasion? or is there also room for sermons delivered by people who can speak with a quiet, persuasive tone? Rabbi Jesus? Would He have earned that title? Imagine having Jesus for our teacher. Our pastor? Or, in a sense, do we already have that privilege?
- On the run. Jesus and a woman enter into one of the most interesting conversations in all of the Bible. This woman speaks up. No apologies for projecting herself into a conversation with Jesus. Considering cultural conditions, this woman was totally out of line. But what does she do? Her daughter is sick. She wants help, and she asks for it. Jesus dismisses her. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs,” He says. But “the dogs eat the crumbs,” she replies. Jesus heals her child. What does this story have for us today?
- A student who “gets it.” Although Jesus was reaching thousands and thousands of people with his message of hope and promise, many of his listeners didn’t “get it.” Even his disciples stumbled now and then. But “blind Bartimaeus,” somehow got on the disciples’ track and set out to find Jesus. As important as it was for Bartimaeus to be healed from his blindness, what did he want even more than that? What about us today?
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Good insight from blind Bartimaeus!
Hello where did this good author go to .I really miss her comments in the book of Isaiah?Any clue please!
Joyce has broken her hip and is in rehabilitation care at the moment. She does not have access to a computer, so we have not been able to communicate directly with her. Her family has told me that she is in good spirits but may not be able to live independently for quite some time. We pray that she will continue to improve.
Am really saddened to hear that. May Our Lord comfort her and bring healing to her.. I long to see her back to teaching. God do something!
update please
I will do as soon as I can contact Joyce’s family again. It may take a bit of time as I am currently travelling.
May i know the status of Joyce
. We miss comments. Her email please
Hi Enock, Thank you for asking about Joyce. My last contact with the family earlier this year informed me that Joyce needed help in her day-to-day chores and that she was unable to use electronic devices because they were too confusing to her. She locked herself out of the phone and had to have it reset to factory status so many times. She had confided in me some time ago that her health was failing and warned me what to expect. We, like you, valued her contribution to Sabbath School Net.