Closer To Heaven
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Join the Hit the Mark panel as they close out this quarter’s study of the book of Psalms – Wait on the Lord.
(1)The post Wait on the Lord – Hit the Mark Sabbath School appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/wait-on-the-lord-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/
Daily Lesson for Thursday 28th of March 2024
Read Psalms 5:3, Psalms 30:5, Psalms 49:14, Psalms 59:16, Psalms 92:2, Psalms 119:147, 2 Peter 1:19, and Revelation 22:16. What time of day is symbolically portrayed as the time of divine redemption and why?
In the Psalms, morning is typically the time when God’s redemption is anticipated. Morning reveals God’s favor, which ends the long night of despair and trouble (Psalms 130:5-6).
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
In Psalms 143:1-12, God’s deliverance will reverse the present darkness of death (Psalms 143:3) into the light of a new morning (Psalms 143:8), and from being in the pit (Psalms 143:7) into residing in “the land of uprightness” (Psalms 143:10).
Read Mark 16:1-8. What happened in the morning talked about here, and why is that so important to us?
The resurrection morning of Jesus Christ opened the way for the eternal morning of God’s salvation for all who believe in His name. Jesus’ disciples experienced the full strength of the promise in Psalms 30:5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,” when they met the resurrected Lord. It is only by God’s favor and unconditional love that our weeping is transformed to joy (Psalms 30:5,7).
As the morning star announces the birth of a new day, so faith heralds the new reality of eternal life in God’s children (2 Peter 1:19). Jesus is called the bright and morning star (Revelation 22:16), whom we eagerly await to establish His kingdom in which there will be no more night, evil, and death (Revelation 21:1-8,25). In the end, more than anything else, this is what we are waiting for when we talk about waiting on the Lord. And, surely, the wait is worth it.
“Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Christ had proclaimed in triumph, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life.’ These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings live by the will and power of God. They are dependent recipients of the life of God. From the highest seraph to the humblest animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life. Only He who is one with God could say, I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 785.
Death, it has been said, has been etched in our cells at birth. Though true, at least for us fallen beings, what has the resurrection of Jesus promised us about the temporality of death? Why must we never forget just how temporal death is for us?
(1)The post Thursday: Joy Comes in the Morning appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-13-joy-comes-in-the-morning/
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 27th of March 2024
Read Psalms 92:1-15. What two aspects of the Sabbath day are highlighted in this song for the Sabbath day?
The praise of God for the great works of His hands (Psalms 92:4-5) and the Eden-like portrayal of the righteous (Psalms 92:12-14) clearly point to Creation, the first aspect that the Sabbath commemorates. The psalm also magnifies the Lord for His victory over enemies as the God of justice (Psalms 92:7-15) and so reinforces the second Sabbath theme—redemption from evil (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Thus, Psalms 92:1-15 extols God for His past Creation and present sustaining of the world, and it points to the end-time hope in eternal divine peace and order.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
The people can enjoy Sabbath rest because God is the “Most High” (Psalms 92:1, NKJV); His superior position on the high places gives Him an unparalleled advantage over their enemies.
Yet, although He is the Most High, the Lord readily reaches down to rescue those who call on Him. The Lord’s work of creation and especially redemption of that creation should inspire people to worship God and love Him. After all, living in a fallen creation, without the hope of redemption, isn’t anything to be particularly thrilled about. We love, we suffer, we die—and do so without any hope. Hence, we praise the Lord, not only as our Creator but as our Redeemer, as well.
“Fresh oil” conveys the psalmist’s renewed devotion to serve God as His reconsecrated servant (Psalms 92:10). The anointing with oil was done for consecration of chosen people such as priests and kings (Exodus 40:15, 1 Samuel 10:1). Yet, the psalmist chose an unusual Hebrew word, balal, to describe his anointing that does not typically depict anointing of God’s servants but denotes “mixing” of oil with other parts of the sacrifice (Exodus 29:2, NKJV; Leviticus 2:4-5). The psalmist’s unique use of balal implies that the psalmist wishes to present himself as a living sacrifice to the Lord and to consecrate his whole self to God (Romans 12:1).
It is not surprising to find thoughts about consecration in a psalm that is dedicated to the Sabbath because the Sabbath is the sign that the Lord sanctifies His people (Exodus 31:13). The images of palm trees and cedars of Lebanon portray God’s people growing in faith and true appreciation of God’s wonderful purposes and love. The Sabbath is the sign of the Lord’s eternal covenant with His people (Ezekiel 20:20). Thus, the Sabbath rest is essential to God’s people because it empowers them to trustingly wait upon the Lord to fulfill all His covenantal promises (Hebrews 4:1-10).
Read through Psalms 92:1-15 again. What great hope is offered to us there, and how can we, even right now, take comfort in what it says?
(0)The post Wednesday: Waiting in God’s Sabbath Rest appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-13-waiting-in-gods-sabbath-rest/
Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dragoslava Santrac, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson, “The Lord Reigns.”
(0)The post 13: Wait on the Lord – It is Written – Discussions with the Author appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/13-wait-on-the-lord-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/
View an in-depth discussion of Wait on the Lord in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris.
Click on the image below to view the video:
With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.
(0)The post 13: Wait on the Lord – HopeSS Video Discussion appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/13-wait-on-the-lord-hopess-video-discussion/
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