Besides the examples we’ve already looked at, this idea of types and symbols can apply to the biblical concept of rest, as well. To see this, we go to the New Testament book of Hebrews.

Read Hebrews 4:1-11. What is the remaining promise of entering His rest referring to? How does Israel’s experience during the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings offer additional insights into the idea of entering into God’s rest?

Image © Damon Bowie from GoodSalt.com

The theme of perseverance and faithfulness is very important here. Though talking about the seventh-day Sabbath, the main focus of these verses (and what came before; see Hebrews 3:7-19) is really a call for God’s people to be persevering in faith; that is, to remain faithful to the Lord and the gospel.

These passages remind the reader to take the lessons learned from God’s leading in the past seriously, “so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). Pay attention, this is an opportunity! Israel did hear the gospel, the text continues, but the word did not profit them. Instead of having their faith strengthened by trust and obedience, they chose rebellion (compare with Hebrews 3:7-15), and thus, they never experienced the rest that God wanted for them.

Hebrews 4:3 points to the close relationship between faith and rest. We can enter into His rest only when we believe and trust the One who promised rest and who can deliver on this promise, and that is, of course, Jesus Christ.

Read Hebrews 4:3 again. What was the main problem with the people referred to? What lesson can we take from this for ourselves, we who have had the “gospel … preached to us as well as to them” (Hebrews 4:2)?

The early Christian community accepted God’s prior revelation (what we call the “Old Testament”) and believed that Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God, the sacrifice for their sins. And by faith in the sacrifice, they could experience salvation in Jesus and the rest that we are offered in Him.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Amen!(4)

The post Tuesday: The “Example” of Rest first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/W490RfwtjXk/

Key Thought: The weekly Sabbath is a symbol or model of the heavenly rest Jesus will give us.
.September 11, 2021

1. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 4:4-7.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What is the remaining promise of entering His rest referring to?
3. Personal Application: What was the problem with the people referred to in this passage? How can we learn not to get caught up in the same problem? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Why didn’t the Israelites enter into God’s rest? How can we not make the same mistake? What does it mean to have unbelief?” How would you respond to your friend?

2. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 4:8-11.

1. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
   b. What is the link between not entering rest and disobedience?
   c. Personal Application: How do we harden our hearts today? Is hardening our hearts a form of disobedience? Share your thoughts
   d. Case Study: One of your friends states, “I don’t think Jesus can forgive my sins. He can’t change my heart; I think there is no hope for me.”?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Galatians 3:26-29.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What are the characteristics of God’s post-cross covenant people?
3. Personal Application: Do we tend to major in minors too often? How can we keep our focus on the big picture and not get lost in the trees of the forest? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Can we be reconciled to God if we are not reconciled to each other? Is there any place for hatred, prejudice, or racism in God’s kingdom or in His church on earth?“ How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 10:1-11.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What examples do we have from the Israelites in the desert? What makes you think we wouldn’t have acted the same way? Why or why not?
3. Personal Application: How do we focus on the heavenly, when we are deluged with the earthly daily struggles and worries of living? How can we increase our faith?” Share your thoughts.
4. 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).

Amen!(0)

The post 11: Longing For More – Teaching Plan first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/vb1_Ge0MrMg/

The Old Testament system of ritual and sacrifices, such as found in Leviticus, offers more examples of what we saw yesterday — Old Testament symbols pointing to New Testament truths. Though modern readers of the Bible often pass over these rituals, they do contain many important spiritual truths that can be of great value to those who study them.

Read the instructions for the sin offering for a regular Israelite in Leviticus 4:32-35. What can we learn from this ritual, even though we don’t have a sanctuary or temple with an altar where we can offer sacrifices for our sins? Connect this ritual with John 1:29 and 1 Peter 1:18-21.

Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com

A ritual is an excellent communicator of important values and information, and it needs to be understood in its context. It usually requires a specific time, a particular location, and a predetermined sequence of actions to be efficacious. Indeed, when we read through the biblical injunctions in the Old Testament regarding sacrifice, it becomes clear that God gave very specific details about what could be sacrificed, and when, where, and what ritual and procedure to follow.

Central to many of the rituals, of course, was blood and the spilling and the sprinkling of blood. This is not pretty, nor was it supposed to be, because it is dealing with the ugliest thing in the universe, and that is sin.

What exact role did the blood play, and why did it have to be put on the horns of the altar? While most of the rituals associated with the sanctuary appear in prescriptive forms (i.e., they give instructions on how to do it), they do not always include all the explanations. Perhaps that’s because the people already understood what it all meant. After all, people in Israel understood the significance of blood (Leviticus 17:11).

The example taken from Leviticus 4:32-35, however, contains an important explanation in Leviticus 4:35: “So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him” (NKJV). Thus, blood was key to the whole process of atonement, the means by which we sinners can be made right with a Holy God. What we see with these sacrifices, then, is a type, a model, of Christ’s death and ministry in our behalf.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Amen!(0)

The post Monday: Ritual and Sacrifices first appeared on Sabbath School Net.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/2WdO4fyRHgA/