The titles of the thirteen Sabbaths of study this quarter give us two hymns to use as the themes:
Hymn 593 – In Times Like These and
Hymn 177 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness.

This week’s title gives us
Hymn 523 – My Faith Has Found a Resting Place with the Sabbath afternoon reading adding
Hymn 382/383 – O Day of Rest and Gladness,
Hymn 381 – Holy Sabbath Day of Rest and
Hymn 391 – Welcome, Welcome Day of Rest. These hymns are again expressed on Wednesday and Thursday.

The gift we see on Sunday is “God would show….where He would dwell among them” –
Hymn 62 – How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.

Sadly, on Monday, the Israelites lacked faith, the opposite to
Hymn 523 – My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.

Hymn 361 – Hark! ‘Tis the Shepherd’s Voice I Hear and
Hymn 359 – Hark! The Voice of Jesus Calling echo the study on Tuesday.

We are bound for The Promised Land! Hallelujah!! –
Hymn 620 – On Jordan’s Stormy Banks. Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon.

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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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/5-jesus-the-giver-of-rest-singing-with-inspiration/

Read Hebrews 3:12-19. Why was Israel unable to enter into the promised rest?

The sad story is that those who were delivered from Egypt were unable to enter into the rest that God had promised them. When Israel arrived at Kadesh Barnea, at the border of the Promised Land, they lacked the faith that they needed. Numbers 13 and 14 explain that the Israelite spies “brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land” (Numbers 13:32, ESV). They affirmed that the land was good, but they warned that the inhabitants were strong and that the cities fortified, and that they would not be able to conquer it.

Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com

Joshua and Caleb agreed that the land was good and did not dispute the fact that people there were strong and the cities fortified. But they said that God was with them and that He would bring them into the land (Numbers 14:7-9). Yet, the people who saw God destroy Egypt through plagues (Exodus 7-12), annihilate Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea (Exodus 14), provide bread from heaven (Exodus 16) and water from the rock (Exodus 17), as well as manifest His continuing presence and guidance through the cloud (Exodus 40:36-38) — they failed to trust in Him now. It is a tragic irony that the generation who saw such mighty displays of God’s power became a symbol of faithlessness (Nehemiah 9:15-17, Psalm 106:24-26, 1 Corinthians 10:5-10).

God promises His children gifts that are beyond human reach. That is why they are based on grace and are accessible only through faith. Hebrews 4:2 explains that the promise Israel received “was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed” (Hebrews 4:2, NIV).

Israel traveled to the borders of the Promised Land as a people. When the people were faced with contradictory reports, they identified with those who lacked faith. Faith, or lack of it, is contagious. That is why Hebrews admonishes its readers to “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3:13), “to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24, ESV), and to “[s]ee to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God” (Hebrews 12:15, ESV).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/monday-because-of-unbelief/

Read Genesis 15:13-21. What did God promise Abraham?

When God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, His purpose was to bring Israel to the land of Canaan, where they would be able to serve and obey Him freely (Exodus 8:1; Psalm 105:43-45), including enjoying the Sabbath rest that Pharaoh had prohibited (Exodus 5:5).

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

The land of Canaan was the inheritance that God had promised to their father Abraham because he had obeyed God’s voice and left his country to go to the Promised Land (Genesis 11:31-12:4).

God’s purpose in giving the land to Israel was not simply for them to possess it. God was bringing them to Himself (Exodus 19:4). God wanted them to live in a land where they would be able to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him, without any hindrance, and would also be a witness to the world of who the true God was and what He offered His people. Like the Sabbath of creation, the land of Canaan was a framework that made possible an intimate relationship with their Redeemer and the enjoyment of His goodness.

In Deuteronomy 12:1-14, the Lord told the people that they would enter the rest, not simply when they entered the land, but when they had purged the land from idolatry. After that, God would show them, the Chosen, a place where He would dwell among them.

Read Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15. What two things does the Sabbath rest commemorate, and how are they related?

God connected the Sabbath of creation with the deliverance from Egypt. He instructed Israel to observe the Sabbath as a memorial of creation and as a memorial of their redemption from Egypt. Creation and redemption are both enshrined in the Sabbath commandment. Just as we did not create ourselves, we cannot redeem ourselves. It’s a work that only God can do, and by resting we acknowledge our dependence upon Him, not only for existence but for salvation. Sabbath keeping is a powerful expression of salvation by faith alone.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sunday-land-as-a-place-of-rest/

Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon,

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 15:13–21; Hebrews 3:12–19; Hebrews 4:6–11; Hebrews 4:1, Hebrews 4:3, Hebrews 4:5, Hebrews 4:10; Deuteronomy 5:12–15; Hebrews 4:8-11.

Memory Text: “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9, NKJV).

Hebrews 1 and 2 focused on the enthronement of Jesus as the ruler and liberator of God’s people. Hebrews 3 and 4 introduce Jesus as the one who will provide rest for us. This progression makes sense once we remember that the Davidic covenant promised that God would give the promised king and his people “rest” from their enemies (2 Samuel 7:10-11). This rest is available to us now that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God.

Hebrews describes the rest both as a rest that belongs to God and as a Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:1-11). God made this rest, which was His, available to Adam and Eve. The first Sabbath was the experience of perfection with the one who made that perfection possible. God also promises a Sabbath rest because true Sabbath observance embodies the promise that God will bring that perfection back.

When we keep the Sabbath, we remember that God made perfect provision for us when He created the world and when He redeemed it at the cross. True Sabbath observance, however, besides first and foremost pointing us back to Creation, offers us a foretaste, in this imperfect world, of the future that God has promised.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 29.

Sunday–>

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Jesus, Miracle Doctor

By Andrew McChesney

Sengphet was a highly regarded medical doctor at the largest hospital in one of the provinces of Laos. But he was powerless to cure his son’s disease.

His adult son came down with the mysterious illness while working in Bangkok, Thailand. The young man was treated by Bangkok physicians but did not get better.

Image © Pacific Press

So, Dr. Sengphet (not his real name) brought his son back to Laos and treated him at his hospital. The young man’s condition, however, did not improve. Fellow physicians suggested seeking treatment at a big hospital in Laos’ capital, Vientiane. Dr. Sengphet brought his son to the Vientiane hospital, where he underwent multiple tests.

In the end, the physicians could find nothing wrong with his physical health. They concluded that the problem was psychological and that he had suffered a mental breakdown.

All the medical tests took more than a year. Dr. Sengphet and his wife spent all their money on their son, but to no avail. If they had known the Bible, they would have been able to relate to the story of the woman with the flow of blood who “had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:26; NKJV).

They brought their son home and, in a desperation similar to the woman with the blood issue, finally turned to the heavenly physician, Jesus. They prayed in their bedroom for Jesus to heal their son.

As they prayed, their son walked into the bedroom. “What happened?” he said. “Why do I feel peace all of a sudden?”

Dr. Sengphet and his wife kept praying. Then the son had what he described as a vision. He saw an evil spirit leaving his body, saying, “I can no longer stay because Jesus has laid claim over your life. You belong to Jesus.”

That day, the son returned to normal, and Dr. Sengphet and his family started worshiping Jesus. For months, Dr. Sengphet made no secret about his love for Jesus, telling everyone who would listen, “Dr. Jesus Christ healed my son, and my family and I have accepted Him as our Savior.”

After some time, however, Dr. Sengphet stopped worshiping Jesus. He seemed to forget how Jesus had healed his son, and he returned to his former ways. Please pray for him and others who have been touched by Jesus but no longer worship Him. Please pray that they will return to Him again.

This mission story illustrates some of the challenges that Seventh-day Adventists face in fulfilling the church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan, including, Mission Objective No. 2, “To strengthen and diversify Adventist outreach … among unreached and under-reached people groups, and to non-Christian religions”; and Spiritual Growth Objective No. 5, “To disciple individuals and families into spirit-filled lives.” Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will go toward opening an elementary school in Laos, helping to fulfill Mission Objective No. 4, “To strengthen Seventh-day Adventist institutions in upholding freedom, wholistic health, and hope through Jesus, and restoring in people the image of God.” Learn more at IWillGo2020[dot].org.

Amen!(4)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-jesus-miracle-doctor/