Inside Story for Friday 2nd of February 2024

By Andrew McChesney

Five-year-old Sekule was frightened by Grandmother’s warnings about hell. “You must be good,” Grandmother said. “If you aren’t good, you’ll end up in hell.”

“What do you mean ‘end up in hell’?” the boy asked.

“You will end up in eternal flames if you lie or steal,” she said. “You will feel the flames for all eternity.”

Grandmother’s words ignited great fear in the young boy’s heart. He was confused. On the one hand, she said God is love. On the other, she said that if Sekule lied, he would end up in hell. Sekule was afraid because he couldn’t help but lie sometimes.

The boy didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t turn to his parents. They were not Christian in then-communist Montenegro. Grandmother was the only Christian whom he knew in his village.

One day, when no one was looking, he hid behind a bush and scolded God. “I don’t know why people say You are love,” he said. “You aren’t love but a monster. Why did You create me to end up in flames? Am I supposed to be faithful and not lie and do bad things? I can’t believe in You, and I won’t believe in You. You are a monster.”

Sekule was finished with God. He was only 5 and had no interest in God.

Nine years later, at the age of 14, Sekule was sent away to a boarding high school in Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among the 700 boys at the school, he was the only one from Montenegro. Sensing that he faced an uphill battle as an outsider, he resorted to fighting to gain acceptance with his classmates. He fought nearly every day. If someone even touched one of his ears—and they were a temptation to touch because they stuck out like teacup handles—he attacked viciously. One fight left him with a knife scar on a hand. Sekule also was a bully. When a younger boy received a food package from home, Sekule dangled him outside a dorm window by the ankles until he handed over the package.

After three years of fighting, a desire grew in Sekule to know truth. He wondered whether Grandmother had told him the truth about God. But what was truth? Sarajevo had several main religions: Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Judaism. Sekule wondered, If God is One, why are there so many religions? He decided to become familiar with all religions to find the truth.

Sekule Sekuli´c is an affluent entrepreneur and faithful Seventh-day Adventist in Montenegro. Read more of his story next week. Thank you for your Sabbath School mission offerings that help spread the good news of Jesus’ soon coming in Montenegro and around the world.

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The post Inside Story: Giving Up on God: Part 1 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-inside-story-giving-up-on-god-part-1/

Daily Lesson for Friday 2nd of February 2024

Read Psalms 56:1-13; Ellen G. White, “Rejoicing in the Lord,” pages 115–126, in Steps to Christ.

Like the psalmists, God’s people of all times wonder every so often how to sing the Lord’s songs in “a strange land.” Our faith in the sovereign rule of the Lord is challenged, at times severely, and we may ponder whether God is in control or truly as powerful and good as the Scriptures say.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Biblical faith often implies uncertainty and suspense as much as confidence and assertion. Sometimes uncertainty and suspense, especially in the face of evil and God’s seeming absence, can be almost unbearable. Yet, uncertainty must never be about God or His loving and righteous character and trustworthiness. The psalmists may be uncertain about the future, but they often appeal to God’s unfailing love and faithfulness (Psalms 36:5-10; Psalms 89:2,8).

Likewise, we are to follow the same example. “Summon all your powers to look up, not down at your difficulties; then you will never faint by the way. You will soon see Jesus behind the cloud, reaching out His hand to help you; and all you have to do is to give Him your hand in simple faith and let Him lead you. As you become trustful you will, through faith in Jesus, become hopeful.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 578, 579.

The times when God “hides His face” do not undermine the efficacy of prayer. On the contrary, these occasions cause the psalmists to examine themselves, recall God’s past saving acts, and seek God with confession and humble petitions (Psalms 77:10-12, Psalms 89:46-52). “Faith grows strong by coming in conflict with doubts and opposing influences. The experience gained in these trials is of more value than the most costly jewels.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 555.

Discussion Questions

1. What tensions did the psalmists experience in the face of evil? What similar tensions have you faced, and how have you dealt with them? How do you maintain your faith during these times?
2. Where should we look for answers when our faith in God is tested by trials or by people whose own sufferings cause them to question the goodness and power of God?
3. How do you answer the common question about evil in a world created and sustained by an all-powerful God of love? How does the great controversy motif help answer, at least somewhat, this challenge?

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The post Friday: Further Thought – Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-further-thought-singing-the-lords-song-in-a-strange-land/

Is this True or False? You should not expect help from God unless you are living right. Join us as we discuss this and other questions about Lesson 5 – Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land.

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The post Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land – Hit the Mak Sabbath School appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/singing-the-lords-song-in-a-strange-land-hit-the-mak-sabbath-school/

Daily Lesson for Thursday 1st of February 2024

These psalms lament the current prosperity of the wicked and the challenge that this fact poses to the righteous. The wicked not only prosper but at times also openly despise God and oppress others. The perplexing issue is that while “the scepter of wickedness” (Psalms 125:3, NKJV) dominates the world, the “scepter of righteousness” (Psalms 45:6, NKJV) seems to be failing. Why not, then, give up and embrace evil as others do?

Image © Darrel Tank at Goodsalt.com

While the psalmist in Psalms 73:1-28 remained focused on the current iniquity in the world, he was unable to see the big picture from God’s point of view. The problem that the prosperity of evil posed to his faith was overwhelming; he believed, also, that his argument about the uselessness of faith was based on reality.

However, Psalms 73:1-28 shows that “these things mock those who ignore the first verse of this psalm, which is the summary of the whole psalm: ‘How good the God of Israel is to those who are upright in heart!’ ”—Johannes Bugenhagen, Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), p. 11.

The psalmist is led to the sanctuary, the place of God’s sovereign rule, and was reminded there that “today” is only one piece of the mosaic, and he should consider the “end,” when the wicked will face God’s judgment. The fact that the psalmist understood this truth in the sanctuary and confessed his previous folly shows that reality can be grasped only by spiritual insight and not by human logic.

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The post Thursday: Lest the Righteous Be Tempted appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-lest-the-righteous-be-tempted/

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.”

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The post 5: Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land – It is Written – Discussions with the Author appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/5-singing-the-lords-song-in-a-strange-land-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/