Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, Sabbath, Sabbath December 2, 2023.

Main Theme: God can and will use humble people to bring powerful people to Jesus.

Read in Class: Daniel 4:19-37. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happened to the king here, and what does this tell us about salvation coming to one of the world’s most powerful men?

Apply: Even if we are not rich and powerful by the world’s standards, why must we be careful to avoid the kind of arrogance that this king had manifested? Why might that attitude be easier to have than we might think?

Share: Your friend says our political world is being so corrupt and polarized, there is no hope. Your friend says the leaders are so corrupt there is no hope for their eternal salvation. In light of Daniel 4, what do you say to your friend about the corrupt leaders today?

Read in Class: 2 Kings 5:1-19. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What can we take from this story about reaching people for the Lord?

Apply: What lessons should we learn from this story about not pushing people too quickly, especially those who come from a non-­Christian background?

Share: Your friend says if she had been the servant girl, she would never had told Naaman about the prophet who could heal him. Instead she would pray he would die so she could escape and be free to go back home. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 3:1-12. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this story reveal about Nicodemus’s spiritual needs and how Jesus addressed them right away?

Apply: Why must we be careful of the trap of thinking that because “we have the truth” (which we do), then the knowledge of this truth alone is enough to save us? How many souls will be lost who had more than enough knowledge, even of the three angels’ messages, to be saved?

Share: Your friend asks if you think Nicodemus ever heeded Jesus’ invitation to be born again? How might John 7:43-52 and John 19:39 help you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 19:16-22, Luke 19:1-10 and Mark 15:43-47. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Talk about the contrasts between the stories in Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 19:1-10. What do think made the differences? What does Mark 15:43-47 tell us about how God uses rich people?

Challenge: Add someone to your daily prayer list who is in a position of power, is not a believer, and is someone you could come in contact with from time to time. Remember Daniel 4. No one is so powerfully corrupt that they are beyond hope!

Challenge Up: Address a letter or email to someone in a position of power—even if it is someone you may never have met—and tell that person that you are praying for him or her.