Category / Sabbath School Lessons

by In Light Of The Cross

The Fatal Danger of Cherishing Sin

The story of Achan in this week’s Sabbath School lesson teaches us about the dangers of cherishing sin in our hearts. Fortunately, we have a Savior who is always quick to forgive, time and again, and even cleanse us, time and again. Whenever I see someone mopping a floor and a child tracks dirt on the clean floor, I hear them say, “I just cleaned this floor!” And when I hear that, I am so glad my Savior quickly forgives and cleanses my heart time and time again, without sighing and saying, “But I just cleaned this heart!” Still, while we have a forgiving Savior who can clean our repentant hearts time and time again, we must be careful that we do not become comfortable in our sins. There is a fatal danger in cherishing our sins.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:47-50 NLT 

Notice that in this parable, the bad fish are not cleaned at the end of the world. They are either already good or already bad. There is no changing our characters at the second coming. Thus, it is never safe in any period of our lives to cherish sin.

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11 NKJV

in 1 Corinthians 15, we read a beautiful promise. 

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52 NKJV 

I will let you examine the entire chapter for yourself and decide for yourself, but as I read this chapter, I find that Paul is talking about our physical bodies, not our moral characters, which are being changed at the second coming. Paul gives us much encouragement that our moral characters can be changed by grace here in this life, well before the second coming. 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Titus 2:11-12 NKJV

How comforting to know that God’s grace enables us to live a righteous and godly life in the here and now, instead of having to bring all the destruction upon ourselves and others, as Achan did while he clung to sin. 

I love how the NLT puts it as we continue reading Titus 2,

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.Titus 2:14 NLT 

Jesus did not pay the price for our sins so that we could continue in sin. 

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. Romans 6:1-7 NLT 

We do not want this proverb to be about us.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.Proverbs 26:11 NLT 

Instead, we know that while Jesus did not die for us to continue in sin, He did die so that we can do what is right. 

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. 1 Peter 2:24 NLT 

In the Adventist church I have noticed we seem to go from one extreme to the other. Let’s not go to extremes but remember that God’s power to keep us from sinning never removes His power to forgive a truly repentant heart, and His power to forgive never cancels His power to help us overcome in the here and now.

The story of Achan teaches us while forgiveness is freely offered, clinging to sin will always prove fatal. Achan was found clinging to his trophies when He should have been clinging to God and His grace. As the old hymn says, “When at last my trophies I lay down, I will cling to the old rugged cross.” When Christ returns let us not be found clinging to our sins and trophies, but instead to the old rugged cross. 

by In Light Of The Cross

6: The Enemy Within-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, November 8, 2025.

Central Theme: While we are on the border of the Promised Land, our faithfulness is tested, and we can be victorious only through surrender to Jesus Christ.

Read in Class: Joshua 7. Ask the class to summarize this chapter.

Study: What were the two major causes of Israel’s defeat by the inhabitants of Ai?

Apply: What are ways whole communities can suffer, and have suffered, from the bad acts of individuals within the community? What examples can you think of, and how was the community impacted?

Share: Your friend says that she has heard that there is no such thing as “private sin.” Your friend asks you if you agree with that statement. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 7:16-21. Ask the class to share a thought on this passage.

Study: What does the entire procedure tell us about both God and Achan? What is Joshua asking Achan to do? What is the significance of such a request? How do we understand his confession?

Apply: How does the realization that God knows all that you do, even your hidden things, impact how you live? How should it affect how you live?

Share: Your friend asks how we can overcome covetousness in such a materialistic society? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 8:1-8. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this story tell us about how God can change our worst failures into opportunities?

Apply: How important is it that our church members obey all the statutes and judgments in our lives in witness to those outside the church? 

Share: Your friend asks, when Jesus was baptized, was He just giving us a good example, or was He also repenting on behalf of the human race He was now representing, even though He had never sinned? In other words, was He giving us an example of corporate repentance? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Daniel 2:24. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: While Achan’s sin brought disaster upon the whole nation, what effect did Daniel’s prayer and faithfulness have on his contemporaries, even the evil ones?

Apply: Read Matthew 5:13-16. As Christians, how should our lives, even our private lives, be influencing the world around us?

Share: Your friend asks what the saying means, “We are our own worst enemy.” In light of this week’s lesson, what do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

5: God Fights For You-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class on November 1, 2025.

Main Theme: We will explore the purpose of divine wars and discover the peace and restoration God intends them to bring.

Read in Class: Genesis 18:25, Psalm 7:11, Psalm 50:6, and 2 Timothy 4:1. Ask the class to identify the common thread of these passages.

Study: What are these verses saying about God’s moral character? How does the role of God as the Judge of the universe help us understand the question of divine war?

Apply: How is a God who will not endlessly tolerate sin, oppression, the suffering of the innocent, and the exploitation of the oppressed part and parcel of the gospel?

Share: Your friend says that many of us find comfort in the fact that God knows our hearts. But if God knows our hearts, doesn’t He also know the selfish intentions of our hearts as well as the good intentions? If He knows when we are doing our best, doesn’t He also know when we are not doing our best? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Exodus 23:28-30, Numbers 33:52, and Deuteronomy 7:20. Ask the class to find the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these texts reveal about the purpose of the conquest and the extent of the destruction?

Apply: What elements in your own character and habits must be uprooted and annihilated?

Share: Your friend says that many today preach about the love and forgiveness of God, but not about his wrath. Should we also preach about the wrath of God? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Deuteronomy 13:12-18, Deuteronomy 20:10, 15-18, and Joshua 10:40. Ask the class to identify the main idea of these passages.

Study: How does the law of warfare and the procedure against an idolatrous town in Israel, expressed in Deuteronomy, help us understand the limitations of total destruction in the war that the Israelites were engaged in?

Apply: What are the spiritual implications of the Canaanites’ defiance of God for our context today? That is, what are the consequences of our free choices for us personally?

Share: Your friend asks how she can be peaceful towards people who are hostile towards her. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Isaiah 60:17, Hosea 2:18, and Micah 4:3. Ask the class to identify the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do these passages describe the future God desires for His people?

Apply: Think about all the ways we can, by seeking to emulate Jesus, be agents of peace. What about your own life right now? In what ways, in whatever conflict you might be facing, could you be an agent of peace instead of conflict?

Share: Read 2 Kings 6:16-23. Is there a friend you can pray for God to open their eyes, so they can see the goodness of God and the purpose He has for their lives?

by In Light Of The Cross

Michael is My Savior

Recently I was studying with a man who believed Jesus was a really good person, even a savior who died for us, but he did not believe Jesus was God. I shared with him the importance of knowing Jesus was actually God. I asked him, “If your wife was trapped inside a burning building, which would convince her more that you love her? Sending a fireman in to rescue her or going in yourself to rescue her?” He replied, “Going in myself.”

God the Son shows His love for us by dying Himself to rescue us. 

In Daniel 10, Daniel is in a fierce spiritual battle when, finally, 

Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. Daniel 10:13 NKJV

In Daniel’s time of need did God send someone else to rescue Daniel, or did He demonstrate His love by rescuing Daniel Himself?

It’s easy for some to conclude, on surface reading, that Michael is just another angel. But as we look deeper, we see that Michael is actually the Son of God, who became incarnate as “Jesus,” coming to our rescue.

Archangel is a compound of two Greek words: “arche” which means beginning or commencement, and “aggelos” which means angel or messenger. The word arche is also closely related to the word “archo,” which means “to be first” or to “reign (rule) over.” Thus the “Archangel” is the One who began (created) the angels and reigns over them. That would be none other than Christ. 

Bible scholars are in general agreement that an “archangel” is over the created angels. But not all agree that the Archangel is the Creator Himself. 

Let’s look at a similar passage in which Christ is called the “beginning” of the creation of God:

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” (Rev 3:14)

In this text “arche” is translated as “beginning.” Is it not reasonable to conclude that since to all the other churches, the One speaking is Christ Himself, this is clearly another description of Christ. Thus, it appears that in biblical usage, the “arch-creation” or “beginning of creation” means the Creator Himself. 

Thus from the word usage, we could conclude that the “archangel” is also the Creator of the angels and not one of the created angels.

The name Michael means “One like God” or “There is no one else like God.” If Michael were only a created angel, then Lucifer’s aspiration to be “like God” could not be blasphemous and a reason for his expulsion from heaven. (See Isaiah 14:14.)

In Revelation 19:10 John starts to worship an angel and the angel tells him not to. Obviously this was a created angel who realized there was no way he, a created being could be equal with God. However, in Joshua 5, Joshua meets an Angel who accepts his worship, demonstrating that this was not a created angel, but the Angel who led Israel in the wilderness, referred to in Exodus 23:20-21:

 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.

Notice that the implication that this Angel can forgive transgression. Who but God Himself can forgive transgression? The Jews knew this and accused Christ of blasphemy when He forgave sin. (See Matthew 9:2-6) 

So how do we know in the Bible that Michael is the Son of God, now known as Jesus?

Daniel called Michael a chief prince. Who is our chief prince?

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given….. And His name will be called…. Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

Who did Jude 1:9 say raises the dead?

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Jude 1:9

When Jesus comes, who raises the dead?

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 1

It is the Lord Himself who has the voice of the archangel. The same voice that Jesus said would raise the dead.

Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. John 5:25 

There are not two different persons who raise the dead. No created angel can raise the dead. Only Christ can do that. 

While Michael rescued Daniel during his time of need, who will rescue us during our time of trouble?

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake…..” Daniel 12:1-2

Michael, the Son of God Himself will come to our rescue! How assuring to know that God loves us too much to let someone else save and rescue us! He rescues us Himself! Yes God also send angels both terrestrial and celestial to help us in our time of needs, but He also loves us so much that He will finally come rescue all His people Himself! 

Daniel 10 gives me comfort that, in my time of need, when I feel I am being overcome by Satan, I can cry out God, “Please send Michael!” And Michael, the Only one “like Unto God,” Yes God Himself will rescue me!

Are you in the middle of a spiritual warfare now, and feel like you are losing the battle? Don’t wait. Call for Michael, the Son of God Himself, now! 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson here.

  1. In this text “a shout” and “the voice of an archangel” are an example of synonymous parallelism where both phrases mean the same thing, with one reinforcing the other. 

by In Light Of The Cross

4: The Conflict Behind All Conflicts-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, October 25, 2025.

Main Theme: The next two weeks will explore the problematic question of divinely commanded wars in the book of Joshua and elsewhere.

Read in Class: Revelation 12:7-9 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: As we study the book of Joshua, we see that Joshua understood his battles were part of a larger conflict. What do we understand about the battles that involved God Himself?

Apply: What are ways we see, in the world around us and in our own lives, the reality of this cosmic battle between good and evil?

Share: Your friend asks, Why would God command Joshua to fight in wars with physical violence? Wasn’t the war in heaven just a “spiritual war?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 5:13-15, Nehemiah 9:6, and Isaiah 37:16. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: What do you learn about the identity of the commander of the Lord’s army?

Apply: What comfort can, and should, we draw from knowing that the “Commander of the army of the LORD” is at work in defense of His people?

Share: Your friend asks, How do we know the commander of the Lord’s army is Jesus? I thought it was Michael who was an angel? What do you tell your friend? Hint: See Michael My Savior.

Read in Class: Exodus 14:13-14, 25. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What was God’s original and ideal plan concerning the involvement of the Israelites in warfare?

Apply: “If the children of Israel had not murmured against the Lord, He would not have suffered their enemies to make war with them.”—Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 134. How might murmurings impact our lives today?

Share: Your friend asks if it is murmuring and complaining against God when we complain about conference leaders or local church leaders. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Exodus 17:7-13 and Joshua 6:15-20. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: What similarities do you find between these two war narratives? How do they differ?

Apply: Many times we want to see who’s on our side in a disagreement, but how can we stand still and wait for the Lord to fight for us in our spiritual battles? 

Share: Can you think of someone who is in the middle of a spiritual battle right now? Can you take some time to intercede and pray for them right now?

by In Light Of The Cross

Journalling

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“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”—Ellen G. White, Life Sketches, p. 196.

Long before Sabbath School Net, my blogsite, and Facebook, I loved to write. When I was a teenager, Earl Hamner inspired me to write and keep a journal. You may or may not know that Earl Hamner created the 1970s TV series The Waltons, based loosely on his own family’s experiences growing up during the Great Depression and World War II. In the TV series, John Boy, the character is based on Earl Hamner, who kept a journal. This inspired me to keep a journal, hoping to write some exciting stories to share later in life. While I did not write anything noteworthy enough to create my own TV series, I did write what has become a gold mine for my own reflection and self-discovery. 

For instance, when I was 15, I had a crush on a girl who didn’t return my feelings, so I wrote in my journal that I had called her a snob to her face. A couple of weeks later, I recorded in my journal that I preached my first sermon, but also noted the girl I had a crush on did not come to hear me preach, and I wondered why. Reading my journal years later, it was blatantly obvious why. Just a few days earlier, I called her a snob. Who wants to hear someone preach who just called you a snob? I didn’t see the obvious at the time, but years later, reading my journal, I could connect the dots that I couldn’t connect at the time. Around the same age, I wrote in my journal how I hoped to become a pastor someday. It is rewarding to go back to my journal and read about dreams that were fulfilled years later. Except now I don’t call people I want to share the Gospel with “snobs.” 

Sadly, after a couple of years of journaling, I stopped because I didn’t feel that what I wrote was exciting enough to record. Was I ever wrong! As I said earlier, I look back and see it as a gold mine of self-reflection and self-discovery, as well as documenting events and dates to refer back on whenever I need a timeline. By reading my old journals, I can see now what I have required to grow and how I have grown. Around 2005, Someone gave me a journal as a birthday gift, and I started journaling again, though I do not write in it nearly as often as I did as a teen. Of course, I now write on my blog and Facebook, so I can still share stories of my life. 

As we study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson, “Memorials of Grace,” I am reminded how journaling can be a memorial of grace.  In recent years, I have journaled about how God closed the door on my Bible Worker ministry only to open an even bigger door for ministry. I have journaled about how God got me out of debt after I lost my job, which is a very unique route out of debt. I have journaled about how God revealed His presence to me when my mother passed away. These miracles in my past are recorded in my journal to remind me that I never have to fear bad news. 

They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. Psalm 112:7 NLT 

So today, I thank God for the gift of writing, whether it is in my personal journal or blogging on Sabbath School Net or social media. I hope you also take advantage of the wonderful gift of writing, and record your own tragedies and triumphs, so you can look back and read and re-read the wonderful things the Lord has brought you through and done for you. I feel that, like me, you will also learn some things about yourself as you read your old stories. 

By the way, at camp meetings and while traveling, I will meet people who tell me they have been following my blog for a long time. Some of them have never commented, so I had no idea they were even following me. So, whether you have commented or not, I want to thank you for reading my blogs. Thank you for being someone I can share my stories with. By sharing my stories with you, I have been able to share my life with you. That makes you very special to me. Thank you. 

by In Light Of The Cross

3: Memorials of Grace-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, October 18, 2025.

Main Theme: Memorials reminding us what God has already done for us give us faith and hope for the future.

Read in Class: Joshua 3:1-5 and Numbers 14:41-44. Ask the class to share the main idea of these passages.

Study: Why did God ask the Israelites to specially prepare for what was about to happen?

Apply: God does not always part the Jordan. His interventions are not always so obvious. How do you think we can develop the spiritual preparedness to experience and discern God’s interventions on our behalf?

Share: Your friend asks why God doesn’t perform amazing miracles anymore, like He did in Moses and Joshua’s day. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 3:6-17. Ask the class to identify the primary meaning of this passage.

Study: What does the miraculous crossing of the Jordan tell us about the nature of the God whom we serve?

Apply: Read Luke 18:18-27. How does Jesus’ answer to His disciples encourage you to trust God with what seems impossible?

Share: Your friend asks you if you have ever seen God do anything in your life or the life of anyone you know that seemed impossible. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 4. Ask the class to identify the primary meaning of this passage.

Study: Why did God ask the Israelites to build a memorial?

Apply: Read Psalm 45:17. What are some of the memorials, personal memorials, from your own walk with the Lord that help you remember what He has done for you? Why are these memorials so important?

Share: Your friend points out that despite God performing many amazing miracles for the children of Israel, they still complained and panicked whenever a new crisis arose. Your friend asks, What could have kept them from panicking all the time? What keeps you from panicking when a crisis occurs? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 14:26 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25. Ask the class to identify the primary idea of these passages.

Study: Why must we always remember what Christ did for us? What else really matters without it?

Apply: Though it is important to remember the past and how the Lord has worked in your life, why must you day by day have an experience with Him and the reality of His love and presence now?

Share: Can you think of someone who would be encouraged by your testimony about something amazing God has done to help you? Can you reach out to this person this week and share?

by In Light Of The Cross

When Love and Grace Made the Universe Stand Still

There is a saying, “kids who are loved at home come to school to learn. Kids who are not loved at home come to school to be loved.” Is it any different in Sabbath School? Is it also true that God’s children (ages 0-125) who know they are loved come to Sabbath school to learn, and those who don’t yet know they are loved come to Sabbath School to be loved?

I can still remember sitting at my desk in my 4th-grade classroom at Tulsa Adventist Academy, listening to my teachers, Miss Fisher and Mrs. Krueger, lecturing us about something. I don’t really remember exactly what it was about, but we must have been struggling with our grades, because all I remember is that both teachers told us, “If you only learn one thing this year, learn this. We love you!”  Now we were loved at home. We were loved at church and school, but as educated as my teachers were, they knew the most important thing was not money or a degree. It’s love. Without that, nothing else matters, and when you know you are loved, nothing can stop you!

For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14 Amplified Bible)

So while humanity tries harder, and reads self-help books and tries 12-step recovery programs, Paul says it is by looking at the cross and knowing we are loved that we get all our power to succeed. I remember John the Baptist telling everyone to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29. He didn’t tell them to try harder next time. He told them to look at the Lamb. Let His love soak into you.

As legalistic humans we are always wanting to promise to try harder next time. But the answer is not promising to try harder. The answer is letting yourself be loved.

In Jeremiah God mentions how Israel had not kept the promises they had made, so He was going to make a better promise. His promise would be better because He is the the One making the promise instead of them. He is the perfect Promise-maker while we are lousy promise-makers!

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 NLT)

So God promises to do for us what we could never even promise to do for ourselves, much less even try harder to make happen. God is the One promising, and He is the One who is accountable to make it so. Please notice something very important though. Its in Jeremiah 31:3 NLT, several verses before He promises to write His law on our hearts.

I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Just like my teachers realized all the book knowledge in the world doesn’t mean a thing without love, God feels the same way. Knowing all the laws and having them memorized in your mind and knowing them all by heart doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know how much God loves you!

Friends, there is no reason for you to promise God you are going to try harder and do better next time. He has already promised you! We don’t need to promise God what He has already promised us! What? I don’t have any work to do myself? Well yes, and I will let Jesus tell you Himself, exactly what your work is.

 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29 NLT

Our work is to believe God’s promise that He loves us with an everlasting love, and He will place the principles of His love (also known as His law) in our hearts!

This is why John never told us to try harder! Just look at the Lamb and let His love soak into your heart till your heart is saturated with His love, which is also His law. You don’t need to promise God anything. Your work is to believe the promises God has made to you!

I don’t need too many self-help books. I don’t need to try harder. I just need to look at the Lamb and fall in love with Jesus! His love will change me in ways I could never change myself. After all, all the self help books and promises of better performance don’t mean a thing without love!

So just how good is God at keeping His promises to love and save us? For brevity, let me share one example. You can read about it in Joshua 9-10.

The Gibeonites used deceit to trick Israel into letting them in on the covenant God had made with them. Even though Israel was not supposed to make a covenant with anyone living as close as the Gibeonites, they did. Later when the Gibeonites were under attack, they called upon Israel to save them, and even though the Gibeonites had used deceit to secure this covenant, God was so relentless in keeping His promise of love, that He caused the sun to stand still until the Gibeonites were all rescued! God fought for Israel as Israel fought for the mischievous Gibeonites. Let that soak in. The Gibeonites were in no way worthy of any of God’s blessings, but God was still so loving and faithful to His promise that He made the sun stand still until they were all rescued! Talk about a love that moves heaven and earth! And this powerful love was given to the most undeserving people! So, scientifically speaking, the greatest power in the universe is not gravity or the suctioning power of the black hole. God’s love overruled all those powers and made the solar system stand still. Imagine what this love can do in your heart! 

God’s powerful promises and love are also for you and me. In Hebrews 13:5 God promises to never leave us or forsake us, but the Amplified Bible is the only English version that even begins to grasp what God is actually promising.

for He has said, “I will never under any circumstances desert you nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless, nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you- assuredly not!” Hebrews 13:5 Amp version.

If we know we are loved we can come to Sabbath School to learn, and we can learn while we are loved, but we can’t learn without love.

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 NLT

—and the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

2: Surprised by Grace-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, 11 October 2025.

Main Theme: We explore two of the most fascinating stories of the book of Joshua and discover their relevance to our faith today. God’s grace has infinite possibilities to surprise us.

Read in Class: Joshua 2:1, Numbers 13:1-2, 25-28, 33, And Numbers 14:1-12.

Study: Why would Joshua start the mission of conquering the Promised Land by sending out spies?

Apply: Read John 18:25-27 and John 21:15-19. What parallels do you discover between the second chance given to Israel as a nation and to Peter as a person? When has God given you a second chance, and how did you react?

Share: Your friend asks, since God gave Israel and Peter second chances, does that mean we have to give everyone a second chance? Where do we draw the line between how many times we give someone another chance and who we give second chances to? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 2:2-11, Hebrews 11:31, and James 2:25. Ask the class to identify the main idea of these passages.

Study: What do these passages tell us about Rahab and God’s grace towards Rahab?

Apply: What does this story teach us about how God must have our ultimate allegiance?

Share: Your friend asks, Why did God honor Rahab’s faith when she lied to the men searching for the spies. Did he reward her for lying? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 2:12-21, Exodus 12:13, 22-23. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: How do the texts in Exodus help you understand the agreement between the spies and Rahab?

Apply: What powerful gospel message can we find in these two stories? What gospel lessons can we take from them?

Share: Your friend asks, if God saved Rahab, who was a prostitute, will He save prostitutes and even their customers today? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joshua 9:3-4, 9-27. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What are the similarities and differences between the story of Rahab and that of the Gibeonites? Why are they meaningful?

Apply: How did Joshua apply both grace and mercy to the Gibeonites?

Share: Can you think of someone who has disappointed you that you may need to give a second chance? Could you please reach out to them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

Perception and Reality

God never affirms a proud and arrogant attitude, but, as in the case of Joshua, He does tell meek and humble people to be strong and courageous. See Joshua 1:7-9. 

In His message to the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus tells the church of Smyrna that, although they may appear poor, they were actually rich. See Revelation 2:9. Later, He tells the church of Laodicea that, although they appear rich, they are actually destitute. See Revelation 3:17. It was because of Laodicea’s pride that Jesus could not call them rich, while He could call the humble people of Smyrna rich. The question is, who do we believe when Jesus contradicts our perception of reality? Do we believe in Jesus or do we believe what we see, hear, and feel? Let’s be cautious, as pride and arrogance can blur our perception of reality. On the other hand, so can our lack of faith in God ‘s love. 

Satan well knows how perception affects our picture of reality. So he likes to play little mind games. A while back, during a Bible study, I mentioned that I sometimes feel tempted to think that I care more about people than they care about me. My Bible student quickly responded, “Me too!” Then he paused, scratched his head, and added, “I bet Satan tries to make everyone feel that way.” I agreed with my Bible student.

Let’s look at how Satan played mind games with the Israelites. Look at how they perceived themselves after spying out the Promised Land, which had already been … well, promised to them!

“All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” Numbers 13:32-33 NLT.

Wait a minute? First of all, historians suggest that the Canaanites may have been a few inches taller than the Israelites, but not significantly taller so as to be considered giants. The grasshopper comparison was a drastic exaggeration. Furthermore, how did they know the Canaanites thought they were like grasshoppers? How would they know what they were thinking at all? They didn’t! They projected their perception on the Canaanites and thought their perception was reality. But it was all in their minds. Satan was playing mind games with them.

Later, in Joshua 2:9, Rahab, an actual Canaanite who could speak for the residents of Canaan, told the Hebrew spies exactly how they felt towards them, and they definitely did not see them as grasshoppers.

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.” Hebrews 2:9 NKJV

So the grasshopper comparison was just a little mind game of Satan that the first spies bought into. It was not reality. Sure, God wants us to be humble, but that does not mean he wants us to think we are grasshoppers while everyone else is a giant. Those who walk humbly with God are a terror to those who stand in their own pride and arrogance. If you walk humbly with God, you do not need to be intimidated by anyone, regardless of their title or the letters behind their name.

Humble men, armed with the word of truth alone, withstood the attacks of men of learning, who, with surprise and anger, found their eloquent sophistry powerless against the simple, straightforward reasoning of men who were versed in the Scriptures rather than in the subtleties of the schools. –Ellen White, Great Controversy, Page 455.

So it is today, as in every age. The same can be said for you today, which was said of John the Baptist.

He could stand erect and fearless in the presence of earthly monarchs, because he had bowed low before the King of kings. –Ellen White, Desire of Ages, page 103.

Wisdom and humility go beautifully together, while the typical combination of arrogance and ignorance seems to lack comeliness. While we do not want to be arrogant and ignorant, it is possible to be humble and confident. Our confidence should be in God and not in ourselves.

Are you facing a giant today? First, humble yourself before God. Put your confidence in His love and power. Walk forward in humble faith and obedience, and your giants will turn into grasshoppers. The humble of the land can also be the confident of the land, not cowards. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.