Key Thought : Worship has to do with the very nature and purpose of our existence. Not to worship God is to lose our reason for existence.
May 13, 2023

1. Have a volunteer read Revelation 1:9, Matthew 13:21, Acts 14:22.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What is the message here for all who seek to follow Christ in the world?
3. Personal Application: Have you suffered persecution for your faith, or have you just been inconvenienced at times? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “The message of many preachers is that God wants us to prosper and be the head and not the tail. So if the message is that we must enter through much tribulation, why aren’t many Christians suffering for their faith? Is it compromise with the world, a lack of living faith in all areas of our lives, or because the time isn’t right yet?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read 2 Corinthians 5:17, Acts 17:27, Colossians 1:17.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does it mean to be made a new creation?
3. Personal Application: Do we draw hope and comfort from the closeness of God, or is it frightening because God knows your darkest thoughts and secrets? Does the gospel give you peace in that context? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Have you ever had an experience where you saw the work of God in your life? You know, where God showed you His love, care, and concern for you in your life personally.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:13-17, Romans 5:17-19.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is the mystery of God that was hidden and is now made manifest to the church mentioned in these verses?
3. Personal Application: Why is it a mystery and a stumbling block for people to know that Jesus created everything, including humans, and then became a human to die that we could have eternal life? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “What’s wrong with the idea that God created through an evolutionary process, where man eventually developed and evolved into the top of the evolutionary cycle? God created, nature and man evolved naturally over time. This reconciles science and religion.” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Revelation 14:7.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why is there a call to worship the Creator of all things in the everlasting gospel of the first angel?
3. Personal Application: What are some ways God may have given us to worship His creation, His creative power, and His position as our Maker? 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)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/7-worshiping-the-creator-teaching-plan/

After His ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9), Jesus visited the last of the living apostles, John, on the island of Patmos, where John had been exiled by the ruthless Roman emperor Domitian.

Read Revelation 1:9. See also Matthew 13:21, Acts 14:22, and John 16:33. What’s the message here for all who seek to follow Jesus in this world?

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Separated from the support of his family, friends, and the Christian community, John was not left alone in the tribulations and trouble that he faced as a follower of Jesus. His ministry was not over. His witness was not complete. An angelic visitor of dazzling brightness visited John on that lonely isle and brought him a message directly from the throne of God. This message from Jesus was to echo down the corridors of time through the centuries. It was a message of hope for every generation, but especially a message to prepare God’s last-day people for the coming of Jesus. It is a serious message of warning as well as an end-time message of encouragement as we get ready to face the trials of the final days (or any trials that you might be facing now).

If you were to enter the cave where it is purported that John was visited by the heavenly angel with Revelation’s prophetic vision, you would immediately notice these words placed on a plaque at its entrance summarizing the entire book of Revelation: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Revelation 14:7, NKJV).

The central issue in the book of Revelation is worship. We were created as worshiping beings. Every one of us worships something or someone. True worship, the worship of the Creator, enables us to discover life’s true purpose. It gives us a reason for living. It gives us not only something to die for but, even more significantly, something to live for and, if need be, to endure tribulations for. And indeed, as the final crises arise, we will better understand the words that “we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22, NKJV).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sunday-companion-in-tribulation/