Key Thought: The truth about our Father’s goodness, the power of His name, the power of the resurrection, and the compassion of God will shape and enable us to stand strong in adversity.
August 20, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read John 14:14.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What does Jesus mean when He asks us to pray like this?
3. Personal Application: What things in your life could be standing in the way of having these promises fulfilled in you? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “I have prayed for many things over the years expecting the Lord to hear and answer. But I never get the things I asked for. Does it matter what I ask for, or why I ask, or when I ask? He says if you ask anything in His name He will do it.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Ephesians 1:18-23.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does this text teach us about the power of the resurrection?
3. Personal Application: What choices can you make in areas of your life to allow this power to work more freely? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “What power is God talking about here? How is His body, the church, the fullness of Him? I don’t understand this saying..” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read I Peter 5:7.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What is the basic message here for us?
3. Personal Application: What things cause you to worry? Do you believe God can take care of it? Is there anything that we should worry about? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “How can I cast all my cares on someone I’ve never seen? If He cares for me so much, I wouldn’t have all the financial and physical problems I have. How am I supposed to care for someone I don’t know?” How would you respond to your relative

4. Have a volunteer read Isaiah 40:27-31.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. In what way does Isaiah describe God? Can we hide anything from Him?
3. Personal Application: How would you respond to those who feel God has left them? 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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Having scanned through the lesson quarterly, there are so many hymns from which to choose a theme. In effect, there is a commencing theme hymn which changes through the quarter to the finale theme hymn. To start with, we could use:
Hymn 552 – The Lord’s My Shepherd or 
Hymn 545 – Savior, Like a Shepherd.

Somewhere in the middle of the quarter one could change the theme and add in
Hymn 159 – On a Hill Far Away 
which is where we complete our studies in Lesson 13.

On opening the lesson pamphlet to commence studying for this week, our title of Seeing the Invisible gives us 
Hymn 21 – Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise. May we gain wisdom this week.

 Our memory text has me requesting 
O For a Faith – Hymn 533 knowing that 
Faith Is the Victory – Hymn 608.

 We are reminded on Sunday that “Faith comes into action precisely at those times we are tempted to doubt God and His goodness”: 
Hymn 517 – My Faith Looks Up to Thee so that I can then say that 
My Faith Has Found a Resting Place – Hymn 523 because of Our Father’s Extravagance.

 Because of Jesus crucible (Monday): 
Hymn 157 – Go To Dark Gethsemane, we have comfort knowing we have salvation: 
Hymn 646 – To The Name That Brings Salvation and 
Hymn 232 – At The Name of Jesus when we pray “In Jesus’ name, amen”.

It is with joy that we see Jesus Christ is risen from the grave (Tuesday):
Hymn 166 – Christ the Lord Is Risen Today and 
Hymn 176 – Hail The Day That Sees Him Rise. “This Resurrection power is the same power that God makes available to us today!” Paul continues on Tuesday in Ephesians that 
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less – Hymn 522, because of the astonishing power of the resurrected Jesus: 
Hymn 415 – Christ the Lord, All Power Possessing.

We do not need to worry about anything (Wednesday) but we may still question sometimes 
Does Jesus Care? – Hymn 181. We will do well to remember that “It Is No Secret What God Can Do” (by Stuart Hamblen 1950) and the children’s Sabbath School song by John W Peterson:

Why worry when you can pray,
Trust Jesus, He’ll be your stay,
Don’t be a doubting Thomas,
Rest fully on His Promise,
Why worry, worry, worry, worry, when you can pray.

We are advised on Thursday 
O Brother, Be Faithful – Hymn 602 knowing that “we are not to fear: 
Hymn 519 – Give To The Winds Your Fears.

 From Ellen G White’s reading on Friday we will ask 
Come, Holy Spirit – Hymn 269 and “trust Him, still trust Him to the uttermost”: 
Hymn 279 – Only Trust Him so that our faith grows stronger each day: 
Hymn 510 – If You Put Your Trust In God To Guide You.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 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)

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“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14, NKJV).

Jesus was not going to be with the disciples much longer. The One who had been their support and encouragement was going to heaven, and the disciples were beginning to feel confused and powerless. But though the disciples would not be able to see Him physically any longer, Jesus gave them a remarkable promise.

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

Read John 14:1-14. According to verses 13 and 14, Jesus promises to do for us “anything” that we ask in His name. Because of this, we almost always add onto the end of our prayers, “In Jesus’ name, amen.”

When we say this, what do we normally think it means? What does Jesus mean when He encourages us to pray like this? What clues are there in these verses that help us to understand the point He’s making?

When our request is “in the name of Jesus,” we can be certain that the whole machinery of heaven is at work on our behalf. We may not see the angels working all around us. But they are — sent from the throne of heaven in the name of Jesus, to fulfill our requests.

Sometimes when we pray in the name of Jesus, we open our eyes and expect everything to be different around us — but it all looks the same. However, while the power of God may come with dramatic effect, as when Jesus calmed the storm, it may also come in quietness, unnoticed, as when the power of God sustained Jesus in Gethsemane. Something dramatic may not suddenly happen, but that doesn’t mean that God is not at work for us.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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“If God really loved me, He would certainly do _______ ____________ for me!” I wonder how many times that thought has flickered through our minds. We look at our circumstances and then begin to wonder whether God really loves us, because if He really did, things would be different.

There are two rationales that often lead us to doubt God’s goodness. First, when we have a burning desire in our hearts and minds for something that we believe is good, the idea that God might want something different for us may seem ridiculous.

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

Second, we may doubt God’s goodness because our experience clashes with what we believe. If something looks good or feels good or sounds good or tastes good, then it must be good. And so we get angry with God when we can’t have it.

This is where faith comes into play. Faith comes into action precisely at those times we are tempted to doubt God and His goodness.

Romans 8:28-39 is a powerful passage that describes the goodness of God toward us. What can you find in the verses that helps to guard our minds against doubting God’s goodness?

In Romans 8:32, there is an important piece of logic that is extremely helpful in guarding us from becoming overwhelmed by our circumstances. “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?” (Message). How could we possibly think that God would send Jesus to die for us and then turn mean and stingy?

This means that the truth of God’s generosity to us, seen in the death of Christ, must have a stronger impact in our thinking than all of the doubts that the crucible may generate inside us.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Romans 8:28-39, John 14:1-14, Ephesians 1:18-23, Isaiah 40:27-31.

Memory Text: “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27, NKJV).

The definition of faith in the book of Hebrews is always challenging. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). How can we be sure about what we do not see? Yet, this is exactly what Moses illustrates in our memory verse: “He persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27, NIV).

It is even more challenging to realize that we are called to see “him who is invisible” not simply when times are good, but especially when everything is going wrong. For this we need faith, a Christlike faith that must be shaped by the truth about God and God’s kingdom. The truth about our Father’s goodness, the power in the name of Jesus, the power of the Resurrection, and the compassion of God are essential truths that will enable us to stand strong when we are in the crucible and may be tempted to doubt everything.

The Week at a Glance: What truths about God can help sustain us through even the worst situations?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 20.

Sunday–>

Amen!(2)

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