Major Texts for this Lesson: Rev. 12:7-9; Ezek. 28:12-15; Isa. 14:12-14; Gen. 3:15; John 17:24-26 Every story has to have a beginning. The verses listed above all speak to the beginning of the conflict. The first passage is truly remarkable, even disturbing for it tells of a war in heaven. One is hard-pressed to understand why or how there was war in what we would imagine to be a pristine, untroubled space. But the passage is quite clear, that there was war in heaven between Michael and his...

Leading Question: Stories often have an arc. There is tension, and the story draws us along because in the unfolding of each story, we see a bit of ourselves and what it means to be human. When you think of stories that have been powerful in your life, where does waiting fit in the storyline? Scripture Focus: Psalm 27:14, Psalm 131, Psalm 126, Matthew 18:3 The Big Idea: Waiting in the Bible is active, not passive. Active waiting can involve silence and sound, calm and activity. And while...

Leading Question: What does it mean to bless God? What does it mean to receive a blessing? Scripture Focus: Psalm 104, Psalm 103, Deuteronomy 6:13, Psalm 96, Psalm 98 The Big Idea: Praise is the beginning, the end, and everything in between in the book of Psalms, absolutely fundamental to the life of God’s people both individually and in community. For Discussion: In Hebrew poetry, when a line is used to start and end a poem, it is called an inclusion. This creates something like a...

Leading Question: WFor you or people close to you, what is a place that is tied to spiritual experiences or memories of connection with God? Scripture Focus: Psalm 84, Psalm 125, Psalm 122, Psalm 46 The Big Idea: For many of the biblical writers, Zion, or Jerusalem, was the place where God dwelt and from which God blessed the people. For Discussion: The author of Psalm 84 speaks with jubilation and longing about the dwelling place of the LORD. Perhaps most famous is the line in verse 10:...

Leading Question: What role do stories about the past play in equipping people to navigate life with all its twists and turns? Scripture Focus: Psalm 78, Psalm 105 The Big Idea: Knowing where we come from is an important part of knowing who we are. Many of the psalms contain recitations of the long history of the people with God, and these recitations then form the foundation for discernment in the people’s continued journey with God. For Discussion: In our ongoing quest to make sense of...

Leading Question: Covenant relationship is a thread that winds throughout the biblical literature, conceptualized in a variety of ways. What does it mean to say humans are in covenant relationship with God? Scripture Focus: Psalm 89, 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 23, John 10:11-15, Psalm 22, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 7:20-28 The Big Idea: Covenant is renegotiated and reimagined many times in the biblical narrative, the constant being that God initiates and sustains relationship with humans. For...

Leading Question: What is wisdom? Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 28, Psalm 128, Psalm 90, Psalm 137 and 138 The Big Idea: It is usually books like Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes that are described as “wisdom literature.” But the Psalms also include collected wisdom and even the way the songs and poems are organized invites us as readers into a journey of discernment. For Discussion: William Brown describes the book of Psalms as a hymnbook, a prayer book, and a textbook, and argues that the...

Leading Question: When do we as humans need God’s mercy? Scripture Focus: Psalm 57:9, 10, Psalm 136, Psalm 51 The Big Idea: The covenant loyalty of God is a theme that runs throughout the Bible, and God invites his people to not only see how his covenant love continues forever as the bedrock of existence but also how the invitation remains for humans to partner with God and embody covenant love. For Discussion: Discussion question: Psalm 51 is a well-known poem, memorized by many, some of...

Leading Question: What does it mean when God stands up? Scripture Focus: Psalm 12:5, Psalm 18, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Psalm 96, Psalm 99 The Big Idea: The writers of the Psalms understood God as a divine being who intervenes in the human realm, standing up for justice and righteousness and advocating for the oppressed. For Discussion: Along with the metaphor of God as king, discussed earlier in the quarter, the Psalms also depict God as a mighty warrior and a just judge. Psalm 18 is filled...

Leading Question: Have you ever had something asked of you that felt like an insult, a misunderstanding of who you are and what matters most to you? What was this like for you? Scripture Focus: Psalm 137, Psalm 22, Psalm 73 The Big Idea: Exile is a thread that runs throughout the biblical text. Exile is event, and exile is a metaphor for the human condition. For Discussion: How people understood God’s presence and what they believed about how to access it changed significantly over the...

Leading Question: What is it like to be truly and deeply heard? Scripture Focus: Psalm 34, Exodus 2:23-25, Exodus 3:7-8, Psalm 17:8, Psalm 44, Psalm 80 The Big Idea: Throughout the Bible, God is described in anthropomorphic terms. God has ears that hear and eyes that see and a brain that knows and hands that act. These depictions of God in terms of human body parts and actions are used to show God’s deliverance and also the pain of not experiencing expected deliverance. For Discussion: In...

Leading Question: In the Bible, God is depicted in a variety of ways, with imagery from kingship, priesthood, motherhood, and many more arenas. What messages about God and God’s relationship with humanity are communicated by the metaphor “God is king”? Scripture Focus: Psalm 93, Psalm 8 The Big Idea: The Bible is replete with metaphors for God and how God engages with humans and the earth. Recognizing that each metaphor is both significant and partial allows us to mine the depths of that...

Leading Question: What messages have you received over the course of your life about what prayer is? How did you learn how to pray? Scripture Focus: Psalm 23, Daniel 2:20-23, Psalm 44, Psalm 22, Psalm 60 The Big Idea: Prayer is both automatic and also a skill we can learn and cultivate. The Psalms allow us to glimpse many facets of people’s journeys with God and each other, and praying the psalms can serve as a kind of apprenticeship in prayer. For Discussion: Most of the Psalms mentioned...

Leading Question: Robert Alter, in his book The Art of Biblical Poetry, argues that “poetry is not just a set of techniques for saying impressively what could be said otherwise. Rather, it is a particular way of imagining the world” (p. 151). What poem, or line from a poem, does this for you? Capturing your imagination, giving you a way to see God, yourself, others, or the world around you? Scripture Focus: Psalm 25, Psalm 33, Psalm 121 The Big Idea: Knowing some basics about biblical...

Leading Question: What will heaven be like for God? Will he finally be able to relax? Will his work for us be done? Scripture Focus: Luke 11:23; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:1-7, 14:6-12, 21:1-4 The Big Idea: God’s mission to bring restoration will one day be complete. This is good, good news. Discussion Questions: This lesson is entitled, “The End of God’s Mission.” Does God’s mission end when the second coming? When will our mission end? According to 1 Timothy...

Leading Question: When faith is out of favor, is it best to keep it quiet, or to openly stand for truth and let the chips fall where they may? Scripture Focus: Esther 2:1-10, 3:1-15, 4:1-14, 9:1-12; Daniel 1:1-12, 6:1-9 The Big Idea: God is always at work and can accomplish his purposes even through the messiness of our lives. Discussion Questions: Both Daniel and Esther find themselves in a foreign land that is not particularly receptive to their Jewish faith. Daniel makes his faith...

Leading Question: Which is the greater danger—that we isolate ourselves from ungodly people and leave them unreached, or that we mingle too closely with them and are ourselves led astray? Scripture Focus: 1 Kings 11:1-6; Matthew 4:23-2, 8:10, 13; 15:22-28; Mark 7:24-30; Acts 10:34-35 The Big Idea: Faith is found in unexpected people and in unexpected places, so don’t be afraid of the city or the people who live there. Discussion Questions: The Adult Sabbath School lesson presents the...

Leading Question: What are the most popularly worshipped idols today? Scripture Focus: Acts 17; Romans 1:18-25; 1 Corinthians 2:2 The Big Idea: The content and manner of our communicating the gospel must be sensitive to the context we are addressing. We must listen well before we can speak well. Discussion Questions: This lesson is titled, “Mission to the Unreached.” In the context of Christian mission, what does it mean to be unreached? Is a non-Adventist Chrisitan unreached? ...

Leading Question: Are rich and powerful people less likely to respond to the Gospel? Scripture Focus: 2 Kings 5:1-19; Daniel 4; Matthew 19:16-22; John 3:1-12, 19:38-42 The Big idea: God is interested in the salvation of all people, including those who seem to be secure and successful. Discussion Questions: Last week, the Adult Sabbath School Lesson focused on mission to the needy. This week the focus is on mission to the rich and powerful. Is it helpful to label people as “needy” or...

Leading Question: Is it possible to hurt the needy while trying to help? And who are the needy? Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 10:19; Leviticus 23:22; Matthew 25:34-40; Luke 4:17-19, 5:17-26 The Big Idea: Followers of Jesus should actually follow Jesus. He ministered to people’s need—whatever that need was. We should do our best to do the same. Discussion Questions: Few of us would argue with the idea that followers of Jesus should “help” the needy. But this belief can actually lead to...

Leading Question: What does a person need to do or believe in order to receive eternal life? Scripture Focus: Luke 10:25-37; James 2:17-22; Matthew 22:37-40; Galatians 5:14; Micah 6:6-8 The Big Idea: According to the apostle Paul, the entire law is summed up in the single command to love our neighbor. And our neighbor is anyone who is in need. So, we must love those who are not like us and thus who we don’t like. Discussion Questions: In Luke 10, a lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to...

Leading Question: How much do our motives matter in mission? Can I have lousy motives and still do good work for Jesus? Scripture Focus: Luke 24:1-12, 36-49; Acts 1:12-26, 2:1-41 The Big Idea: It’s difficult to produce a list of “appropriate motives” for mission. Perhaps God can use us for good, even when our motives are mixed. Discussion Questions: What are some examples of less-than-ideal motives for sharing our faith? What are some of the best motives for sharing our faith with...

Leading Question: What are the most common excuses we use to avoid doing what God has called us to do? Scripture Focus: Jonah 1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8 The Big Idea: God sends us to those we hate . . . and extends undeserved compassion to them. Discussion Questions: Before discussing these questions, it would be helpful to read through the book of Jonah! God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, a principal city in Assyria, a feared and hated enemy of Israel at this time. The Assyrians were noted in...

Leading Question: If God came to your house for lunch, what would you feed him? Scripture Focus: Genesis 18:1-19:29; James 5:16; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25 The Big Idea: Despite his faults, Abraham models the three missional qualities of hospitality, love, and intercessory prayer. Discussion Questions: Previously, God had told Abraham that he was to be channel through which God would bless all peoples. In Gen 18, we see Abraham taking the initiative to provide hospitality to three...

Leading Question: What will God do if we refuse his commission to go to the world and spread the gospel? Scripture Focus: Genesis 11:1-9, 12:1-3, 10-13:1; Acts 1:1-4, 8 The Big Idea: God cares so much for the world that he is willing to move us out of our comfort zone in order to reach others who don’t know of him. Discussion Questions: Missiologist Ralph D. Winter suggests that ideally, God’s people would respond to his commission and go out to the world voluntarily. A second...