6. Victory in the Wilderness – Discussion starters
- Immanuel or Emmanuel? What is the difference in meaning or use between these two words? Or is there any?
- Did the devil ever control or own the earth? If so, when? how? What is his influence over the earth now?
- Should we be afraid of soon-coming events? David Tasker, the author of this quarter’s lessons, says we should not be afraid of events described in the Great Controversy but treat them as “a discussion that affects our daily lives rather than
seeing it as scary events during the end of time.” How can we stay calm in the midst of turmoil? - Immanuel to the Rescue. What were the reasons presented in the lesson that Jesus came to earth? To restore the _______________ that Adam lost. To destroy the ___________ of the devil. To seek ________________________________. To show us the truth about __________________. If you were able to look at the cherubic face of the baby Jesus, would this have seemed an impossible task? Why?
- Jesus’ Baptism. What mistaken idea did most of God’s people have about Jesus’ coming to earth? Where did they expect to see the Kingdom of God established? They didn’t know the truth about Christ’s coming because they didn’t understand what God had told them. Is there any chance that you and I have the same problem today as we try to understand last-day events just before the Second Coming? What is the solution to our misunderstanding and fear?
- Stones into Bread. Why does the devil sometimes play the role of the benevolent leader? Why do you think the devil decided to try to persuade Jesus to turn stones into bread? Why not turn the sand into sugar? If Jesus was hungry, why wouldn’t He accept the offer of fresh-made bread? What is the significance of the word, “if,” in the statement by the devil, “If you are the Son of Man…”? By not carrying out the rest of the command (turn the stones into bread), did Jesus deny the truth of the “If” statement the devil made? Why or why not?
- Throw Yourself Down. If Jesus had taken the devil up on his challenge to throw Himself into the ravine, what would he have forced Jesus to admit? What is so powerful about Christ’s rebuttal to the devil using the words “It is written”? Can you and I also use this phrase in arguments with the devil about what he wants us to do? Have you ever heard people praying earnestly to God and stating their firm assurance that their prayer will be answered as presented? What, if anything, is wrong with belief that deep?
- Before computer screens. Does the devil need complicated wiring or airborne messages to show Jesus what he wants Him to see? Or is it a gift he has of being able to project a magnificent three-dimensional view with the sky as the screen? What kind of “touching” up does he do to the picture to make the world appear much better than it is? What does the devil want Jesus to do? Can you imagine a more horrible sight? Jesus worshiping the devil? Instead, what happened?
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The victory in the wildness is show us what a significant of Jesus come to do on behalf of what Adam fail to won in the garden of Eden. The Eden was full of beautiful nature while the wildness has no natural covered the land. But we see the same temptation bread/fruit, worship/same as God, drop down/you will know evil and good. Here we see Jesus won the battle that Satan think it will be easy to him to defeat Jesus because He came in the human form.
Thanks for the lesson plan very good