Key Thought : Christ made the Sabbath as a time for mental, physical, and spiritual refreshing.

[Lesson Plan for The Sabbath September 8, 2014]

1. Have a volunteer read Matthew 12:10-12.

a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. What is the principle that we can find in this passage on what Sabbath observance really is all about?
c. Personal Application: What activities do you consider “doing well” on the Sabbath day? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Adventists are hypocrites, they are like the Pharisees. They talk about keeping the Sabbath, but they run hospitals on the Sabbath day, they serve and sell food on the Sabbath in their schools, and many of them eat out at a restaurant on the Sabbath.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Luke 4:16-21.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. Why do you think Jesus announced the beginning of His mission and ministry at thirty on that particular Sabbath day?
c. Personal Application: How is the Sabbath day a day of liberation and healing for you? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “Why are so many members of your church absent for Sabbath services? Why do so many who do attend skip Sabbath school? If it was Jesus habit to attend and participate in church service, why do those who claim to be Christian choose not to make it their habit?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

3. Have a volunteer read Matthew 24:20.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What do Jesus’ words tell us about His expectations for His disciples forty years after His death, burial, and resurrection?
c. Personal Application: How can we stress the positive aspects of Sabbath-keeping, and not be caught up in focusing on the negative? Share your thoughts..
d. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Do you think that Jesus’ words were meant just for His disciples at Jerusalem, or do His words have a dual application and apply to us in the last days?” How would you respond to your friend?

4. 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 Sabbath was made for us, and we weren’t made for it?
Why was the Sabbath made for us?
c. Personal Application: How do we balance strictly keeping the Sabbath with being lax in our Sabbath keeping? What should our attitude be? 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.

(Note : “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.” MH p. 149.

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