Prophecy and Scripture – Teaching Plan
Key Thought: Peter declares that God’s prophetic Word is more certain than personal experiences, because its origin is in the Holy Spirit.
1. Have a volunteer read 2 Peter 1:19.
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a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. What does Peter mean by a more sure word of prophecy? More sure than what?
c. Personal Application : How does your study of the Word help you get to know Jesus better? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: “I don’t know if I can accept what the Bible says all the time. There are a lot of people who show skepticism concerning the veracity of Bible stories and history.” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read 2 Peter 1:16-18.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. What event did Peter especially focus on regarding what he had personally seen?
c. Personal Application : What events have had a lasting effect on your faith? What do they mean to you today? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “If I can see it; I’ll believe it. If I had personally seen Jesus and His miracles, I’d believe in Him. But it’s hard to believe in someone you can’t see and have to rely on some one else’s witness.” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. How many people teach or read the Bible to their children today? Are the people you meet mostly literate in the Bible, or unaware of its teachings?
c. Personal Application: How confidant are you that the whole Bible was inspired by God and is useful in our teaching? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “I think some of David’s writings weren’t inspired. Especially when he writes about killing his enemies in the Psalms. That doesn’t seem to agree with God’s nature and character.” How would you respond to your neighbor?
4. Have a volunteer read 2 Peter 1:19-21.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. Why does Peter say that God raised Jesus from the dead, when Jesus said that He laid down His life, and He takes it up again?
c. Personal Application : What does it mean that Christ as a Lamb was foreordained before the foundation of the earth? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
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