Key Thought: The Sabbath bids us to behold the glory of the Creator in His created works. As we come close to nature, Christ makes His presence real to us and speaks to us of His peace and love.
August 28, 2021

1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 1:10,12,18,25,31.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What did God’s evaluation indicate about Creation?
3. Personal Application: How close and personal was God’s creation of man and woman? How close did He want their relationship with each other to be? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “I don’t believe woman was made from a man’s rib. That would make her secondary. God is more likely a woman, and man came from her. The Bible was written during a patriarchal society. We have overcome those sexist and superstitious teachings that shouldn’t be propagated or believed.” How would you respond to your friend?

2. Have a volunteer read Exodus 20:8-11.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How important is the Sabbath as it relates to Creation?
3. Personal Application: What is the purpose of remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy? What does remembering it do for you? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why do you worship every week on the seventh day? Aren’t we supposed to worship God every day? Do we need to go to a church building to worship? Can’t we worship God in our own homes?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Exodus 16:14-31..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What are some reasons God gave manna in the desert in the manner He did?
3. Personal Application: Is keeping the Sabbath a reminder of what God has done for us in the past, or a reminder of what He will do for us in the future? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “It doesn’t matter what day we keep. Jesus is our Sabbath rest. We rest in Him. So trying to keep a particular day each week is not resting in Jesus every day. We are not under the legalistic old covenant anymore.“ How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Isaiah 58:13; Psalm 92…

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What atmosphere should we create and promote on the Sabbath day?
3. Personal Application: What are some positive things you get by keeping the Sabbath day? How has it been a blessing to you?” 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).

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God was there at the beginning. The Lord God spoke, and it was. Light divides day from night; firmament, sky, and seas are spoken into existence on the second day; dry land and vegetation follow on the third. God forms the basic framework of time and geography, and then He fills it during the next three days. Lights govern the sky by day and by night.

Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com

Different from the stories of most ancient cultures, the biblical Creation account makes it abundantly clear that the sun, the moon, or the stars are not deities. They enter into the picture only on the fourth day and are subject to the Creator’s word.

Moses’ description of days 5 and 6 (Genesis 1:20-31) is full of life and beauty. Birds, fish, land animals — they all fill the space prepared by God.

What does God’s evaluation indicate about Creation? Read Genesis 1:1-31.

This is not just any space that God has created; it’s a perfect place. Teeming creatures fill the earth. Like the refrain of a catchy tune, God keeps saying that it was “good” after each day.

What is different about the creation of humanity from the rest of the created world? Read  Genesis 1.26-27 , Genesis 2:7,and Genesis 2:21-24.

God stoops and begins to shape mud. Humanity’s creation in God’s image and likeness is an object lesson in intimacy and closeness. God bends down and breathes life into Adam’s nostrils, and there was a living being. Eve’s special creation from Adam’s rib adds another important element to Creation week. Marriage is part of God’s design for humanity — a sacred trust of partnership between ’ish and ’ishshah, “man” and “woman.”

This time, when God looks at everything He has made on day six, the refrain sounds different: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, italics supplied).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Image © Pacific Press

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 1:1-31, Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 16:14-31, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Psalm 92:1-15, Isaiah 58:13.

Memory Text: “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:3).

Who can imagine what the acts of creation — light amid darkness, oceans brimming with life, birds suddenly taking flight — must have been like? And the supernatural creation of Adam and Eve? We can’t even begin to grasp how God did it.

But then, after all of this active creating, God turned His attention to something else. At first glance, it did not seem as spectacular as leaping whales or dazzling feather displays. God simply made a day, the seventh day, and then He made it special. Even before humanity would dash off on our self-imposed stressful lives, God set a marker as a living memory aid. God wanted this day to be a time for us to stop and deliberately enjoy life — a day to be and not do, to celebrate the gift of grass, air, wildlife, water, people, and most of all, the Creator of every good gift.

This invitation would continue even after the first couple was exiled from Eden. God wanted to make sure that the invitation could stand the test of time, and so, right from the beginning, He knit it into the very fabric of time itself.

During this week, we will study God’s wonderful invitation to enter into a dynamic rest, again and again, with every seventh day.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 28.</

Sunday–>

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Just a few months ago I shared a story about a plane crash where around 80 people were killed. The whole ordeal could have been avoided if only proper communication and understanding had taken place. Some say the cockpit should have communicated more clearly. Others agree the ATC should have listened better. I feel for both sides because I have been on both sides. 

I rarely if ever get sick. Apparently God has blessed me with a good immune system. I am also a happy person. I rarely if ever get depressed. My friends talk about how happy I am all the time. A father once jokingly told his family that the reason I am always is happy is because I am single and have no kids. Or at least I hope the family took it as a joke. Having a family should make one happy not sad. Just the same it has occurred to me that God must have also provided me with an immunity to depression. I rarely ever get depressed and when I do it does not last long at all. 

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

So how does that help me feel for both sides? Like the ATC, I don’t always detect depression in others, though I have gotten better over time. I am a very punctual and responsible person. So when others are late, or just flake out on a commitment, my first thought used to be that they were just undependable people. It never occurred to me until recently that they were fighting depression.

Years ago I was working with a very small church school that hired a new principal from out of state. He accepted the job but when it came time, he never showed up. He never responded to our calls until, finally, we had to scramble to replace him at the last minute, realizing he was not communicating any more. I was very offended that a professional would behave in that manner – not showing up for  work or even communicating. Later we finally found out that he was going through a family crisis and was very depressed. Once he finally contacted us, he was very sorry for the situation. Of course we had replaced him by then, but I learned that depression can affect anyone. And not everyone who flakes out is a flake. Often they are depressed and don’t know what to do about it. I get that now.

Meanwhile I can also identify with the cockpit crew. Like I said, I rarely every get depressed and it has been over 20 years since my little outburst. I finally recently told you all about. I seem to have a good immunity against depression, and my friends, and even students at the school where I help, comment about how upbeat I seem to be all the time. I have never not shown up for work. I have never flaked out on a date, agreement or assignment. I have never failed to communicate if I am late or plans have changed. But rare as it may be, there have been times when I sure felt like it! Over the last 50 plus years, there have been times I wanted to jump in my car and just run away somewhere – anywhere! There have been times I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it. There have been times I wanted to find a deserted island and move there. Now if you’ve known me for a long time, you are probably shocked reading this. That is because I never communicated it. You never saw it. I acted like everything was okay, and, within time, before I acted out the feeling passed over. Usually all it took for me was a good night’s rest or phone call with a trusted friend, and everything was right in the world again. My rare depressions were never chronic but they were enough to help me understand why people do the things that they do. In other words, while I have never accepted a new job and then never shown up, I do understand how that might happen. I understand that depression makes people do things no one understands. 

Obviously my rare depressions were situational and temporary. I understand many people have chronic depression which takes place even on the most beautiful of days for no apparent reason. When chronically depressed people actually carry out irresponsible and foolish acts, I can still relate, because just because I have never carried out an irrational action does not mean I have have never felt like it. I have felt like it! The good news is that there is help for all of us. God understands even when no one else does. As a matter of fact there are some pretty pathetic psalms in the book of Psalms. Some of them make me wonder how they ever even made it into the Bible. Some of them seem to offer no solution as David just expresses his pathetic emotions. Then, again, maybe that is why they are in a collection of inspired writings – to let us know even inspired people sometimes have irrational feelings and emotions. 

Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Psalm 143:7 NLT 

Of course we all know God is our number one source of joy and peace. However God said it was not good for people to be alone, which is why He created a community for Adam. We need community too. Sometimes we need to go ahead and call professionals in the community to help us with depression. Abide Counseling is a group of trained Adventist professionals who are trained to use Bible principles for dealing with and overcoming depression. They can even help you online in the privacy of your own home. They can work with your budget.

It has been a stressful and isolating last couple of years for most people, and does not seem to be getting better. Some of us have been isolated. Some of us are grieving the loss of a loved one(s) during isolation.  Help is available, and Abide Counseling is a safe and biblically sound resource for finding hope, peace and meaning.

The Abide Counseling website also has several helpful and encouraging blog posts concerning depression and anxiety. I encourage you to explore their blog post section and find some help and encouragement. 

We owe it to ourselves to get the help we need to have the joy and peace God wants us to have. We owe it to others to be sensitive and caring for others who may be battling depression. 

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Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0fKLeskbQM&w=560&h=315]

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