Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Test of Discipleship”, pages 57–65, in Steps to Christ.

“There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged.

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Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. . . . He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health of our countenance” – Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 64.

Discussion Questions:

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Read Nehemiah 11:1-2. What is going on in this passage? Why would they have to cast lots to see who would have to live in Jerusalem as opposed to living in the other cities?

What does Nehemiah chapter 11 teach us? It was necessary to get new residents for Jerusalem from the newcomers who had come back to the land after their exile.

Watchfulness While Working

Apparently it was easier to live in the countryside than in the city. People had their own land, inherited from their forefathers. To abandon it and go to live in Jerusalem was a sacrifice, and many could rightly feel that they would be uprooted if they did so. Life would have new challenges, and an urban lifestyle is different from living in a rural area. Moving to a new, unknown setting is always difficult.

How challenging is it to move to a new city or country where the gospel needs to be spread? Mission to the cities requires willingness to undertake new adventures and hardships.

“Our workers are not reaching out as they should. Our leading men are not awake to the work that must be accomplished. When I think of the cities in which so little has been done, in which there are so many thousands to be warned of the soon coming of the Saviour, I feel an intensity of desire to see men and women going forth to the work in the power of the Spirit, filled with Christ’s love for perishing souls” – Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7. p. 40.

Why is the long list of priests and Levites mentioned in Nehemiah 12:1-26? What is the connection between them and the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem described in the second part the same chapter (Neh. 12:27-47)?

God wants things to be done in a proper way. Dedicated and consecrated people are needed first before great things can be accomplished. These priestly families helped Nehemiah build the walls in order that they could safely worship the living God in the temple without intervention from outside. Walls were important for security, but without devoted priests true worship would be in jeopardy. Hence all the people, in their various functions, had their roles to play.

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Further Study: Read Ellen G. White, “Growing Up Into Christ”, pages 67–75, in Steps to Christ.

“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose power created and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of space, the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven, He whom cherub and shining seraph delighted to adore — humbled Himself to uplift fallen man;

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that He bore the guilt and shame of sin, and the hiding of His Father’s face, till the woes of a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life on Calvary’s cross. That the Maker of all worlds, the Arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside His glory and humiliate Himself from love to man will ever excite the wonder and adoration of the universe. As the nations of the saved look upon their Redeemer and behold the eternal glory of the Father shining in His countenance; as they behold His throne, which is from everlasting to everlasting, and know that His kingdom is to have no end, they break forth in rapturous song: “Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His own most precious blood!” – Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pages 651, 652.

Discussion Questions:

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Key Thought: No matter how far away we are from God he can bring us back to Him. 

November 30, 2019

1. Have Volunteers to read Daniel 1:1-2 and Ezra 1:9-11.

   

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1.  Ask the class what seems to be the theme of these passages.
2. What is the significance of the returned items?
3. Personal Application: If God had the Jews keep an accurate track of items, what assurance does that give that God will keep an accurate track on you and your life? See John 17:10-12 and Deuteronomy 3:3. 
4. Case Study: Your skeptical neighbor who has trouble believing the accuracy of the Bible points out that if you add up the items in Ezra 1:9-10 it only adds up to 2,499. That is 2,901 items short of the ,5400 total. How do you explain this? Hint: Some scholars believe the 2,499 total is only what Sheshbazzar returned adding to what others returned making the 5,400 total. Some scholars believe there is a translation error. While many scholars agree with the former explanation, suppose such a translation error did exist. Should that make us distrust the Bible? Consider: ““I saw that God had especially guarded the Bible, yet when copies of it were few, learned men had in some instances changed the words, thinking that they were making it more plain, when in reality they were mystifying that which was plain, by causing it to lean to their established views, which were governed by tradition. But I saw that the Word of God, as a whole, is a perfect chain, one portion linking into and explaining another. True seekers for truth need not err; for not only is the Word of God plain and simple in declaring the way of life, but the Holy Spirit is given as a guide in understanding the way to life therein revealed.”—Ellen White, Early Writings, Pages 220, 221

2. Have a volunteer(s) read Daniel 5:1-31.

1. Ask the class what is the main point of this passage.
2. What lesson should Belshazzar have learned from his predecessor Nebuchadnezzar?  
3. Personal Application: What lessons do we have to learn from Belshazzar? We often draw comfort from passages that describe God’s love and acceptance of all humanity, but should we also heed passages like Daniel 5:26-27? See also Revelation 3:17. 
4. Case Study: A member of your Bible study group points out in Daniel 5:13-14 it appears Belshazzar gives Daniel a backhanded compliment. He refers to him as an exile instead of one of the kings royals servants. Does Daniel seem phased by this insult? Why or why not? What example does Daniel give us when we appear to be underappreciated or belittled? 

3. Have a volunteer read Deuteronomy 30:1-6.  

1. Ask what is the main idea in this passage?
2. What was the prerequisite for having their fortunes restored? 
3. Personal Application: What hope does verse 4 give us when we stray far from God? 
4. Case Study: Another friend from your Bible study group says he sees some similarities between the Jews returning to Jerusalem and the story of the prodigal son. What parallels do you find in the parables in Luke 15:1-31 with the Jews returning home ?

4. Have a volunteer read Nehemiah 11:1-2. 

1. Ask what is the main idea of this passage? 
2. What do “sacred lots” (NLT) tell us about how carefully God chooses where we live?
3. Personal Application: How much influence does your home environment have on your personal walk with God? Does God take into account where we were born and what influences we had where we lived?  See Psalm 87:6.
4. Case Study: Your Adventist friend, who lives in an Adventist university community, tells you he is moving to a town where there are no Adventist churches. He hopes to start a small home study group that may grow into a church. He feels he will be needed more where there are not already a bunch of Adventists. Another Adventist friend tells you he  wants to move to an Adventist community because he feels more comfortable being where everyone believes the same way.  Which friend do you encourage the most and why? 

Conclusion: Encourage your class to share this message with someone this week. Remember, “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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Read Deuteronomy 30:1-6. What promise was given here to the Hebrew people? What must this promise, among others like it, mean to men like Ezra and Nehemiah?

Ezra and Nehemiah knew the prophecies. They knew that God was going to bring the people back from captivity. We saw in Nehemiah 9 that they understood their history and the reasons for their troubles. At the same time, too, they knew God’s graciousness and leading, despite their sins.

Thus, they trusted in the Lord, that He would make the return from captivity successful. Those promises, however, didn’t mean that they would not face many challenges along the way. In much of this quarter so far, we have looked at the trials and tribulations that they faced, even amid the promises of God.

Read Ezra 8:16-23. What was the challenge here, and how did they respond to it?

Despite the promises, Ezra knew just how dangerous the journey was. Thus, the fasting and the humbling before God were ways of acknowledging just how dependent they were upon the Lord for their success. At this time, with so many dangers ahead of them, the idea of asking the king for help and protection had at least occurred to Ezra. But in the end, he chose not to do that, in contrast to Nehemiah (Neh. 2:9), who did have an escort to protect him. Ezra obviously felt that if he had asked, it would have brought dishonor to the Lord, for he had already said to the king, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him” (Ezra 8:22, NKJV). In this case, it worked out well for them, for he later wrote (Ezra 8:31) that the Lord had protected them, and they made it to their destination safely.

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