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3: Sabbath: A Day of Freedom – Singing with Inspiration

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Good morning to a wonderful Sabbath Day of rest: 
Hymn 40, “The Dawn of God’s Dear Sabbath”.

Here are just some of the hymns we have about the Sabbath:
Hymn 381, “Holy Sabbath Day of Rest”,Playing notes of hymns
Hymn 387, “Come, O Sabbath Day”,
Hymn 388, “Don’t Forget the Sabbath”,
Hymn 390, “We Love Thy Sabbath, Lord”,
Hymn 393, “Lord of the Sabbath”.

We may add 
Hymn 384, “Safely Through Another Week” showing all the blessings we have received through the week leading to the Sabbath. Then, sing heartily, 
Hymn 385, “Crowning Jewel of Creation”.

On Sunday, the main word that stood out was “trust” – Trust in God – 
Hymn 590, “Trust and Obey”, or 
Hymn 535, “I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus”.

We are reminded again on Monday, 
“Don’t Forget the Sabbath”, Hymn 388.

If there are some hymns that you do not know, please do go to the SDAHymnals.com website and listen to the music there – https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/ You may be able to teach a new hymn to your congregation’s liking.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(0)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/VH4R7Yd8hX4/

3 Sabbath: A Day of Freedom – Discussion Starters

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  1. The main purpose for God’s creation of Sabbath.  Is it hard for you to believe that the Sabbath came into being to celebrate the creation of a day of rest? Did mankind need a special time to mingle with one another in praise to God? Why? or why not?   Sabbath is a time to celebrate freedom. Freedom from what? What effect does Sabbath observance have on those who take the Sabbath seriously? Or does being serious about the Sabbath make any difference in a Christian’s spiritual life? True or False: Knowing what we should or should not do on Sabbath is the most important aspect of Sabbath worship. 
  2. Manna prevents starvation. Imagine wandering through the wilderness with the Israelites with hardly any food to carry with you. Or none at all. How long would your journey last? What makes the “manna story” so precious in re-living those many years of wandering through the desert? Explain the rhythm of the gift of manna. What impact did the manna miracle have on the trip to the promised land?  What impact would the extra manna provided on Friday have on God’s people? Why did God provide a double measure of manna every Friday? Imagine being an Israelite child. Would the repeated miracle have a special impact on you?
  3. Two reasons for Sabbath. What are the two fundamental purposes of the Sabbath Day? Fill in the blanks: The first purpose (Exodus 16:16 -18) deals with the regular collection of manna for the Sabbath meal. What was the lesson learned by this purpose?  The second purpose (Deuteronomy 5:12-15) underscores the holiness of the seventh day Sabbath. What do those two purposes have to do with how God relates to His people? Is the Sabbath a memorial to our rescue? What else does the Sabbath help us remember? What fundamental principles of Sabbath-keeping guide us to a life of eternity with Jesus?
  4. A day of equality. Why do you think the fourth commandment contains more words and a more detailed description than the other commandments?  In converse, why do you think most Christians, in general, pay less attention to the Sabbath commandment than to the other aspects of the Decalogue? Is it true that we can include the animals we care for in observing the Sabbath day?  Do you agree with this statement from your lesson for this week: “If you are an employer during the week, you have no authority to make your employees work on Sabbath,”  In what way(s) is this interpretation of the Sabbath commandment important today? Every now and then you may encounter someone who believes in the seventh day Sabbath, such as a member of the Church of God. What should be our attitude toward such Sabbath day worshipers?
  5. A day of healing. If you believe that the Sabbath is a day to put work aside, what do you say about the pursuit of Jesus when He repeatedly performed miracles to heal people on the Sabbath? In your Christian experience, do you seek ways to minister to those who are sick or in pain on the Sabbath day? As Seventh-day Adventists, do you think we should spend more time and energy on the Sabbath seeking the sick and offering them comfort? How can we do that and keep the Sabbath commandment that does not allow for labor on that day? What are some ways we can follow Jesus’ example in ministering to the sick and afflicted on His holy day?
Amen!(0)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/b7hHjekLNN8/

3: Sabbath, A Day of Freedom – Teaching Plan

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Key Thought: The Sabbath was used by Jesus to heal the sick and a day to benefit those in need. The Sabbath has many practical benefits.

July 20, 2019

1. Have a volunteer read Exodus 16:16-18.

  1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
  2. What can we learn from this gathering process of the manna that God set up?
  3. Personal Application: How do fellowship meals and Dorcas centers help the church in following this procedure? Share your thoughts.
  4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “How does the church play a role in this period of time in helping people in need when there are social welfare programs and help given through governmental programs? Has the government taken over a church responsibility, or is there a need for both?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Exodus 20:8-11.

  1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
  2. What are some positive reasons that Sabbath rest is a blessing to mankind?
  3. Personal Application: In what ways should Sabbath-keeping make us better, kinder, compassionate, and more caring people? Share your thoughts.
  4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “What is the difference between being legalistic in Sabbath-keeping and the freedom from the law that Paul talks about? What is the difference between a rule and a principle?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Matthew 12:9-13.

  1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
  2. Do we excuse ourselves too much when we do things we shouldn’t on the Sabbath?
  3. Personal Application: Have you ever helped someone on the Sabbath that someone in the church might consider breaking the rule of law? Share your thoughts.
  4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “What good things do you Adventists do for others on the Sabbath? Do you just have potluck and go home and nap on Sabbath, or do you do hospital visits, see shut-ins, help others?” How would you reply to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Leviticus 25:1-7.

  1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
  2. How does Sabbath-keeping affect the way we live the other six days of the week?
  3. Personal Application: How could we incorporate the seventh year resting of land for the poor into our lives today? 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)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/PKrbc80rZ_w/

Tuesday: A Day of Equality

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One of the things obvious from a quick reading of the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5 is that the fourth commandment is the most detailed by far. Whereas some of the commandments are recorded in as few as three words in some versions (in the Hebrew some can be expressed in only two words), the fourth commandment gives space to the why, how, and who of remembering the Sabbath day.

Read Exodus 20:8-11. What does it say about the servants and strangers, even animals, and what does it mean?

Notable among these Sabbath details is the focus on others. Sigve K. Tonstad argues that this kind of command is unique among all the cultures of the world. The Sabbath commandment, he explains, “prioritizes from the bottom up and not from the top looking down, giving first considerations to the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. Those who need rest the most—the slave, the resident alien, and the beast of burden—are singled out for special mention. In the rest of the seventh day the underprivileged, even mute animals, find an ally”. – The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day (Michigan: Andrews University Press, 2009), pages 126, 127.

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

The commandment has a special focus on urging that the Sabbath is a day to be enjoyed by everyone. In the light of the Sabbath, we are all equal. If you are an employer during the week, you have no authority to make your employees work on Sabbath. And that’s because God gave them, too, a day of rest. If you are an employee—or even a slave—for the rest of your days, the Sabbath reminds you that you are equally created and redeemed by God, and God invites you to celebrate this in ways other than your usual duties. Even those outside the Sabbath-keeping people—“any foreigner residing in your towns” (Exod. 20:10, NIV)—should benefit from the Sabbath.

This idea would have been a remarkable change of perspective for the Israelites, fresh from their own experiences of slavery and marginalization. Now that they were to be established in a new land, God did not want them to adopt the habits of their former oppressors. As well as giving them detailed laws for their society, He gave them (all of us, actually) a weekly reminder, in a powerful way, of just how equal we all are before God.

How can you share the Sabbath in your community, meaning how can others in your community benefit from your Sabbath keeping?
Amen!(1)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/F0vTo90qxI0/

Creation and the Cross, by Elizabeth A. Johnson

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Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril, by Elizabeth A. Johnson. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2018. 256 pages. Reviewed by Brent V. Buhler. In her most recent book, Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril, Elizabeth A. Johnson invites the reader to explore […] Source: https://atoday.org/creation-and-the-cross-by-elizabeth-a-johnson/

God Stoops to Listen

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For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15.
When man has taken the lines in his own hands to guide and drive, he will be rewarded, for the work of God will reveal terrible mistakes. Reason becomes blinded, even with the greatness of light, unless that agency is under the yoke of Christ. Every day some plan will be devised when Satan thinks he can lend a hand to sow his tares among the wheat. Vice is not to be commingled with virtue, and the cry may have to go forth in no measured tones, even now while missionary work is being done, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). God is now working for His people, but how many do not recognize the work of God from a strange work.
Drawing aside the veil which conceals the glory of God, it shows Him in His place, high and holy, and lifted up, not in a state of solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy, happy beings, every one waiting to bear the message, to do His bidding—all heaven is in active communication with every part of the universe through a variety of channels, and that holy One is actually stooping, bending from His throne, listening to every sound uttered, observing the movements of every earthly power. It is the highest Being condescending to the lowliest, approving or condemning every action which is developed.
He is interested in the oppressed, and sends messengers to engage in the work in connection with the gospel for the beings who have corrupted their whole mind and thoughts, and they are placed in connection with truth and righteousness. Unless they become righteous themselves, they will contaminate others. There is a work to be done in our world, but if the way of the Lord is not distinctly followed, to put them in the way of life through conversion, there is reason to be afraid lest Satan shall introduce himself to work the abandoned ones our institutions undertake to help.
Satan is playing a game of life for the souls of men and women for whom Christ has died. In our zeal to do a work for the Lord, we must be sure we are not going before Christ, in the place of following after Christ.—Letter 171, January 9, 1900, to Edson and Emma White.
The Upward Look p. 23
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for us as we expand our work in _____ including a TV and school project. Elisha
—–Please pray for Justin he is in his early 30s and he is on life support and they will be unhooking him tomorrow. He is a good friend of my son’s and I don’t know if he is a Christian or not but he really needs prayer for his eternal salvation and a miracle of healing! He is on life support from extreme alcohol and drug abuse in his past. Please pray for him urgently. He has a wife and 2 little kids that really love him. Connie
—-My dear mother has been in so much pain with her fractured spine and pelvis. Last night my mom said she just wanted to die. They gave her some Norco for the pain and now she has been sleeping nonstop for hours. I’m not ready to lose my mom. Please pray for God’s healing hand to be upon her. Connie
—-Requesting prayers for a friend being admitted to the hospital. No details, God knows the need. Danette
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, some friends had asked if it was alright for them to spend the night at our house on the way to their home. They were traveling across the USA which is a drive of about 2500 miles—a very long way when traveling with three children under the age of five. I assured them that we would be happy to have them visit.
There was one trouble. I forgot. I got so busy with normal day-to-day life (with some trials and tribulations thrown in) that their visit was totally forgotten. So, when they called, I blurted out, “Oh, was that today? I totally forgot!” I assured them that they would be welcome but that I had made no special preparations and that we all left for work at 6:45 AM. I don’t think that they believed that I would be happy to have them since I had forgotten.
We sprang into action. Ronnie Jay volunteered to put the “finishing touches” on the house so it would be ready for company, while Ron and I went to a couple of stores to get some items we were needed. When we got back, they called and said that since they were running later than they had planned and that since we had to be to work early in the morning and that we would have no time to visit, they would stay in a motel for the night. I suggested that they come anyway and stay until Thursday morning, but they declined as they were anxious to get home. I felt sad. I am afraid that my forgetting about their coming was the real reason.
How many times we forget our very Best Friend Who is longing to dwell with us. How often we make excuses as in Jesus’ parable, “A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” Luke 14:16-24 We get so busy with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, that we neglect Bible study and prayer. Before we realize it, we are no more prepared for Jesus’ coming than I was to receive my friends.
Jesus warns, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13:32-37 May we never be caught unprepared for that great day is my prayer.
Rose

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/d_6jpIV7ygE/god-stoops-to-listen.html

3.3 A Day of Equality – SABBATH: A DAY OF FREEDOM | Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.

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[vimeo 348155518 w=1280 h=720]

Series THE LEAST OF THESE with Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A. |

3.SABBATH: A DAY OF FREEDOM |
3.3 A Day of Equality

My God bless you today and always.

Download

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Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/3-3-a-day-of-equality-sabbath-a-day-of-freedom-pastor-kurt-piesslinger-m-a/

Lunedi 15 Luglio 2019

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*Luca 23: 50-53* C'era un uomo, di nome Giuseppe, che era membro del Consiglio, uomo giusto e buono, il quale non aveva acconsentito alla deliberazione e all'operato degli altri. Egli era di Arimatea, città della Giudea, e aspettava il regno di Dio. Si presentò a Pilato e chiese il corpo di Gesù. E, trattolo giù dalla croce, lo avvolse in un lenzuolo e lo mise in una tomba scavata nella roccia, dove nessuno era ancora stato deposto. Testo di Henri JM Nouwen elaborato e presentato in studio da Elvira Franzoni.
Meditazione giornaliera, serie "Apri la porta del tuo cuore". https://hopechannel.it Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_nOUHMqHWc

Love Your Enemies

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by Leah Burns  |  14 July 2019  | Forgiveness is a word defined by action: it is a conscious choice to let go of the hate or resentment we may feel toward the people who have wronged us, and be willing to forgive even if a person does not want or deserve our forgiveness. Forgiveness […] Source: https://atoday.org/love-your-enemies-corrie-ten-boom-and-the-power-of-forgiveness/

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