Category / Sabbath School Teaching Plans

by In Light Of The Cross

13: The Triumph of God’s Love-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, June 29, 2024.

Main Theme: n this quarter’s final lesson, we will see Christ’s steadfast love during the most exciting time in the history of the universe and His complete triumph in the great controversy. The Bible’s last book, Revelation, gives us hope for today, tomorrow, and forever.

Read in Class: Jeremiah 30:5-7, Daniel 12:1-2, and Revelation 22:11-12. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What events occur just before the Second Advent?

Apply: Read Psalm 91. What reassuring promises does God give us for the time of trouble in Psalm 91 as well as other portions of Scripture?

Share: Your friend asks you how are we to prepare for the time of trouble? What do you tell your friend? What Bible passages help us to prepare?

Read in Class: John 14:1-3 and Titus 2:11-14. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Why are these verses so encouraging in the light of the coming time of trouble and the challenges of the future?

Apply: Read Revelation 6:15-17 and Isaiah 25:8-9. How do you think you would respond if Jesus came right now?

Share: Your friend says he is enjoying the world right now, but plans to come back to God right before probation closes. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 20:1-9 and Revelation 21:2-5. Summarize these passages.

Study: What happens to Satan in these passages? What happens to the righteous? What happens to the wicked?

Apply: What do you think we will be judging during the thousand years and why? How will this judgment vindicate God’s character? See 1 Corinthians 6:1-2.

Share: You friend says that during the thousand years the wicked will be given a second chance. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 3:16, John 5:28-29 and Romans 6:23. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Who has eternal life, and who perishes?

Apply: What choices are you making today to prepare to be with Jesus for eternity?

Share: As we conclude this quarter’s last lesson, what meaningful insights did you glean from this quarter’s lessons?

by In Light Of The Cross

12: Earth’s Closing Events-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, June 22, 2024.

Main Theme: The Bible tells us what will happen right before Christi’s return and how to prepare for this blessed event.

Read in Class: Proverbs 23:23, John 8:32 and John 17:17. What common thread runs through these verses?

Study: Read 2 Peter 1:16-21. What assurance does the apostle give us regarding prophecy? What illustration does he use to show the importance of God’s prophetic Word?

Apply: “We have not followed “cunningly devised fables.” The prophecies of God’s Word light up the road ahead. They help us distinguish truth from error. Without the Bible, we would be left to the whims of human opinion and easily be deceived. “The people of God are directed to the Scriptures as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness. Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining a knowledge of the Bible; for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. . . . The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. . . . None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God’s immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 593, 594.

Consider the questions in the quote above. What will enable us to stand in the final crisis? What distracts us from studying God’s Word? How might we be compromising truth for personal pleasure?

Share: Your friend says that she hopes to be laid to rest before earth’s final events, so she does not have to endure them? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Exodus 20:8-11, Revelation 7:1-2, Revelation 13:13-17 and Revelation 14:1. define the common thread in these passages.

Study: What elements of a seal are contained in the Sabbath commandment? Where are the seal of God and the mark of the beast received? Why do you think there is a difference?

Apply: Why is day-by-day faithfulness to the Lord the key to being prepared when the final crisis arrives?

Share: Your friend says. “The world is becoming more and more secular and wicked every day. What do you see going om in the world today that makes you think any kind of a Sunday law or any kind of religous law could ever be passed in such a wicked society?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Joel 2:21-24, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 2:41-47. Define the common thread on these passages.

Study: What prediction was fulfilled in the first century? What impact did it have?

Apply: How does James 5:7-11 prepare us to be a part of God’s final work before the second coming?

Share: Your friend asks what is the former and latter rain? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 24:14 and Revelation 18:1-4. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do these verses say God’s work on earth will be finished?

Apply: What is holding back the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the latter rain, and the loud cry? However small our role as individuals might be, what role can we fill in being open and receptive to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?

Share: Can you think of someone who you can share the Gospel with this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

11: The Impending Conflict-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class on June 15, 2024.

Main Theme: Lucifer attempts to undermine God’s law in order to establish his own dictatorship. Those who remain loyal to God’s law show their loyalty to God as their Creator and Redeemer.

Read in Class: Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 14:12. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How does worshiping the Creator find its final expression?

Apply: Read Daniel 6:4-5. On what basis was Daniel accused and persecuted? Have you ever seen
anyone being persecuted for being loyal to God’s law? Have you ever been persecuted for remaining loyal to God’s law?

Share: Your friend quits keeping the Sabbath to avoid conflict with his wife and her family. He says God understands he has to keep peace in the family. What do you tell your friend? See Matthew 10:34-39 and Revelation 2:10.

Read in Class: Revelation13:1-10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Where does the beast rise from and who gives itauthority?

Apply: How do we live in expectation of the second coming without becoming alarmists every time something happens?  

Share: Your friend asks what this beast does to commit blasphemy? Why was Jesus accused of blasphemy? Is the beast committing blasphemy by claiming to be God? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 13:11-18. Summarize this passage.

Study: How does this beast differ from the first beast in Revelation13?

Apply: What change do you see in this beast, and how does it speak? Think about the political instability in America today. How might that one day lead to the fulfillment of this prophecy?

Share: Your friend says there is no way a country based on religious freedom could ever turn around and  persecute its own people for religious reasons. What do you tell your friend? What instances in both Biblical and secular history might you base your answer on?

According to Time, Read in Class: Daniel 3:4-24 or portions of this passage.

Study: What parallels do you see between Daniel 3 and Revelation 13?

Apply: What specific things happen in Daniel 3 that encourage you to be faithful to God when Revelation
13 plays out.

Share: Can you think of someone who may be suffering persecution in one way or another who could use some encouragement? How can you encourage them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

10: Spiritualism Exposed-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, June 8, 2024.

Main Theme: Our only safeguard against Satan’s last-day delusions is a personal relationship with Christ and a solid grounding in the teachings of the Bible. This includes its teaching about death, regardless of what our eyes and ears and hearts might try to tell us.

Read in Class: Ecclesiastes 9:5, Job 7:7-9, and Isaiah 8:19-20. Define the common theme of these passages.

Study: What do these Bible passages teach us about death and communication with the dead?

Apply: What has been your experience with trying to explain the state of the dead to other Christians? What, if anything, have you found effective?

Share: Your friend says that her late husband appeared to her in her home the other night and even embraced her. She says she knows it was her husband because she saw and felt him, and they talked about things only the two of them knew about. What do you tell your friend? More importantly, what do you share with them from the Bible?

Read in Class: Psalm 6:5, Pslam 115:17, 1 Kings 2:10. Define the common thread in these passages.

Study: What do these verses teach about the state of the dead?

Apply: In the music you hear, and the shows you have watched where have encounterd spiritualism, and what has been your reaction?

Share: Your friend says that it is only our bodies that die. Our spirits and souls are naturally immortal and never die. What do you tell your friend? For help see 1 Timothy 6:15-16, Eclessiasted 12:7, Job 27:3 and Matthew 10:28.

Read in Class: John 11:11-14, John 11:21-25, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these New Testament passages teach us about death?

Apply: Why is the resurrection such a powerful hope for the Christian faith? What if we had the cross but no resurrection? What hope would we have? Why, then, is the resurrection such an important part of our faith?

Share: Your friend says that it is comforting to think that her late husband is in heaven right now with thier child they both lost. She says it is comforting to know they are both watching her from heaven. What do you tell your friend? How does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tell us to comfort each other?

Read in Class: Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:23-27, Revelation 13:13-14, and 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What kind of deceptions will people face in the last days? What do these passages tell us about Satan’s deceptive power and manner of working?

Apply: Why is understanding the truth about how Christ returns, as well as the state of the dead, so important in order not to be deceived?

Share: Can you share some encouraging Scriptures this week with someone who may be mourning the loss of a loved one?

by In Light Of The Cross

9: Foundation of God’s Government-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Sora Shimazaki on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, June 1, 2024.

Main Theme: The aim of this lesson is to show the link between the sanctuary, God’s law, the Sabbath, and the coming crisis over the mark of the beast. We also will explore the relevance of the Sabbath to an end-time generation.

Read in Class: Revelation 11:19 and Revelation 12:17. Summarize these passages.

Study: What was in the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary? Who does the dragon make war with and why?

Apply: When you became a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, did you experience any opposition from family or friends? If so, why did they oppose you becoming a Seventh-day Adventist Christian?

Share: Your friend asks you exactly what is the testimony of Jesus? What do you tell your friend? See Revelation 19:10.

Read in Class: Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11 and Matthew 5:17-19. Summarize these passages.

Study: What is the relationship between Creation, the Sabbath, and the law of God?

Apply: Most Seventh-day Adventists have faced the charge of being legalistic, and that charge is usually connected with our keeping the Sabbath. Discuss the Sabbath as a symbol of Redemption and righteousness by faith. Why would obeying God’s command to rest lead people to think we are trying to work our way to heaven?

Share: Your friend asks, doesn’t Colossians 2:14-17 tell us the law and Sabbath were done away with? What do you tell your friend? See Which Laws Were Abolished at the Cross.

Read in Class: Revelation 14:6-8. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What events do the first and second angels tell us about? Why are they so important to God’s people in the last days?

Apply: The world is changing so quickly, so dramatically. Why must we always be vigilant so that last-day events don’t catch us unprepared?

Share: Your friend asks, “How does an understanding of the judgment and the law of God harmonize with the fact that we are saved by grace alone?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 13:16-17 and Revelation 14:9-12. What is the common thread of these passages?

Study: How are those who take the mark of the beast trying to be saved by thier works? How are those who keep the commandments showing their faith in Jesus.

Apply: When you rest on the Sabbath how are you demonstrating grace? How would working on the Sabbath demonstrate legalism?

Share: How can you share the three angel’s message with your friends this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Motivated by Hope-Sabbath School Leson Teaching Plan

Photo by Shayla on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, May 18, 2024.

Main Theme: The second coming of Christ has filled the hearts of believers with joy through the centuries and how we can be ready for that great event.

Read in Class: John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Titus 2:11-14. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Why did these Bible passages give such hope to Christians through the centuries?

Apply: Why is the Second Coming so important to our faith? Especially because we know that the dead sleep (see lesson 10), why does this teaching take on such importance? Without it, why would we be, as Paul said, in an utterly hopeless situation. See 1 Corinthians 15:15-18.

Share: Your friend says she grew up in an Adventist church and school, where she kept hearing that Jesus is surely coming in the next 5 years. She is now 70 years old and says she is tired of hearing the church cry “wolf.” She doubts Jesus is ever really coming again. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class, Acts 1:9-11, Revelation 1:7, and Matthew 24:27-31. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these verses teach us about the manner of our Lord’s return?

Apply: Read 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5; Hebrews 9:28. What encouragement do these verses give us regarding the manner of Christ’s coming?

Share: Your friend says Luke 17:31-37 and Matthew 24:37-44 teach about a secret rapture. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Daniel 9:24-27. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: When would this entire prophetic period begin? What major events do these verses predict?  How would the 70-week prophecy end?

Apply: Seeing the fulfillment of the prophecy of the 70 weeks, what hope does this give you regarding the surety of the second coming?

Share: Your friend asks you, if the Bible told us when Christ would come the first time, why doesn’t it tell us when He will come the second time? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Daniel 8:14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What event was to occur at the end of the 2,300 days?

Apply: How does the 2,300- day prophecy help us understand where we are it in the history of the great controversy and why Christ has not returned yet? What we are to be doing now?

Share: Can you think of a friend who would be encouraged by the hope of the second coming? What can you do to share it with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

6: The Two Witnesses-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, May 11, 2024.

Main Theme: No matter how hard atheism has tried to silence the Bible, it continues to speak and to be heard.

Read in Class: Revelation 11:3-6. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study:  List five identifying features of the two witnesses you discover in this passage.

Apply: Search Zacheriah 4:1-14, John 5:39 and Matthew 24:14. Based on these passages aloing with Revelation 11, who or what do you believe the two witnesses are?

Share: Your friend says that he is a New Testament Christian and does not bother reading the Old Testament because it is now obsolete. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 11:7-9. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: Remembering that the language is symbolic, what do these verses predict would happen to God’s two witnesses, the Old and New Testaments?

Apply: Revelation 11:9 says that the bodies of God’s two witnesses would lie unburied for “three-and-a-half days” (NKJV), i.e., prophetic “days” representing three and a half literal years. Atheism was at its height in the French Revolution, at least for about three and a half years. This period extended from November 26, 1793, when a decree issued in Paris abolished religion, to June 17, 1797, when the French government removed its restrictive religious laws. In what other periods of earth’s history has atheism tried to silence the Bible? How are people today trying to silence God’s Word? Is even the church trying to silence certain parts of God’s Word today?

Share: Your friend tells you that so many people do not believe in the Bible anymore. Brilliant phillosephers think its all just made up. Your friend asks you why you still believe in the Bible? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 11:11. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What prediction does this text make about the Word of God?

Apply: According to Psalm 119:89 and Psalm 111:7-8, why can we trust the Bible?

Share: Your friend asks you what your favorite portions of Scripture are and why? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 11:15-19. What is the main idea of this passage?

Study: According to these verses, what events take place at the close of time when the seventh trumpet sounds? What did John see opened in heaven? And what did he see as he looked up into heaven?

Apply: How does the striking contrast between the godlessness of the French Revolution and the glorious climax pictured in Revelation 11:1-19 speak to us today?

Share: Who can you share God’s Word with this week? How can you share it with them?

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Faith Against All Odds-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, May 4, 2024.

Main Theme: The Reformers saturated their minds with Scripture. They lived by the Word, and many of them died because of the Word. They were not casual, complacent, careless Christians with a superficial devotional life. They knew that without the power of God’s Word, they would not withstand the forces of evil arrayed against them.

Read in Class: Psalm 119:103-104, 147, 162. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What was David’s attitude toward God’s Word? How did this impact the Reformers, and how does it influence our lives today?

Apply: In what ways have the Scriptures comforted you in times of trial?

Share: Your friend says it must have been hard for the reformers to stand alone, just like it must have been hard for Elijah to stand alone. Sure God is with us, but why does God often let us feel alone as if we have no human support? It would be a lot easier to stand alone on the Word of God if we had more human support and encouragement. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. What is the common thread in these passages.

Study:  What do these passages tell us about the confidence Paul had, despite the challenges he faced in proclaiming the truth of God’s Word?

Apply: Read Daniel 12:3 and Revelation 14:13. How do these texts relate to the lives of the reformers? Now think about your own life and your impact on others. What encouragement do these texts give regarding the opportunity you have to influence others for eternity?

Share: Your friend feels discouraged and laments that they have never given a Bible study where anyone got baptized, and has never been able to lead anyone to Christ. Even in their family no one seems to listen when they talk about Jesus. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 16:13-15. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What principles can we take from this text regarding how we should interpret the Bible?

Apply: How often do you pray as you read Scripture? How much do you depend on Bible commentaries as opposed to doing your own searching and comparing Scripture with Scripture?

Share: Your friend says, I told my sister about the Sabbath and even showed her right there in the Bible. But she died without ever accepting it, so I guess she will be lost. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Romans 1:5, Ephesians 2:8-10, and Titus 2:11-12. Define the common thread in these texts.

Study: How are we saved? What vital truths do these passages reveal about the Christian life? What do faith and grace produce in our lives?

Apply: When you look at yourself what hope do you have for salvation from both sin and death? How has God’s grace changed both your way of thinking, and your behavior?

Share: Can you think of a friend who may benefit from an encouraging passage from Scripture? How can you share it with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

3: Light in the Darkness-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, April 20, 2024.

Main Theme: God’s grace and the Holy Spirit empower us to stay faithful amidst the most difficult situations. 

Read in Class: John 8:44 and John 17:17. Define what these passages are contrasting.

Study: Where do we find truth? Where do lies come from? 

Apply: In what ways has Satan tried to make you doubt God’s Word? How did you overcome these illusions and temptations to doubt God’s Word?

Share: Your friend says her dead husband visited her last night and talked about things only the two of them knew about. She was able to hug and hold him, so she knew it was really him because she both saw him and felt him. What do you tell your friend? See Every Word of God Proves True. 

Read in Class: Acts 20:27-32. Define the main idea of this passage. 

Study: What specific warnings did the apostle Paul give to the church leaders from Ephesus regarding the coming apostasy?

Apply: Read 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12. How does the apostle Paul describe the coming apostasy? What characteristics should believers look for? See also Pray to Have a Love for the Truth. 

Share: Your friend asks, “What kind of compromises do we see entering the church today? More importantly, what compromises might you be making? Is it sometimes by blending truth and error?” What do you tell your friend?  

Read in Class: John 17:15-17 and Acts 20:32. Define the common thread in these passages. 

Study: What insights do Jesus and the apostle Paul give us regarding protection from the deceptions of Satan?

Apply: Read Psalms 119:105; Psalms 119:116; Psalms 119:130; Psalms 119:133, and Psalms 119:160. What insights does the psalmist give us regarding the significance of God’s Word in the plan of salvation?

Share:  Your friend argues that” the Bible is just the writings of kings, shepherds, fishermen, priests, poets, and others who shared their understandings and conceptions of God, of nature, and of reality the best that they, in their time and place, understood them. So why should we, living today in the twenty-first century, really care about what these people thought, much less make what they thought the foundation for our hope of eternity?” What do you tell your friend? 

Read in Class: Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 16:25, and 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do these passages warn us against Satan’s schemes and our own human reasoning? 

Apply: Why is the human mind without the aid of the Holy Spirit incapable of discovering divine truth? Discuss the relationship between human reason and divine revelation. How does reason actually help us understand divine revelation? For example, look at Daniel 2:1-49, a prophecy that covers world history from the time of Babylon to the Second Coming. How does a prophecy like this powerfully appeal to human reason?

Share: Do you know someone who has questions about the authenticity of the Bible? Can you give them a Bible study on how to know if God’s Word is true or not? See The Scriptures in Light of the Cross. 

by In Light Of The Cross

2: The Central Issue: Love or Selfishness?-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, April 13, 2024. 

Main Theme: By patiently sharing the love of Christ even amidst persecution, we help God win the great controversy between good and evil. 

Read in Class: Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 23:37-38, John 5:40. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these verses tell you about Jesus’ attitude toward His people and their response to His loving invitation of grace and mercy? What revelation of God’s character do you see?

Apply:Read Matthew 24:15-20. What instruction did Jesus give to His people to save them from the coming destruction of Jerusalem? 

Share: Your friend says, “There is so much persecution of Christians in the early church, and today there is so much persecution, needless bloodshed, heartache, and sorrow. How can you possibly see God’s love in all this pain and suffering?” What do you tell your friend? 

Read in Class: Hebrews 11:35-38, Revelation 2:10 and Acts 2:41, and Acts 5:42. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these passages tell us about the reality of the challenges facing the early church, and how it continued to grow despite those challenges? 

Apply: What can we learn from the early church that could help us, the end-time church?

Share: Your friend asks why God allows the church to be persecuted? What value does it serve? What does it accomplish? What do you tell your friend? 

Read in Class: Read Acts 2:44-47; Acts 3:6-9; Acts 6:1-7. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Although circumstances vary, what principles can we learn from these passages about authentic Christianity?

Apply: How do the ways your church serves the community help prove that Satan’s accusations about God and His church are wrong? In other words, how does your church let the community see the love of God in practical day to day living? 

Share: Your friend says that the pathfinders in her church are helping to care for the lawns of widows in the neighborhood, and that some of the deacons helped a farmer build a new barn after his old one burned down. However your friend thinks in these times of earth’s history we should just be spending our time warning people about the mark of the beast instead of just helping people with their daily living.  What do you tell your friend? In what ways might the pathfinders and deacons be preparing the community for the mark of the beast or the seal of God? See Winning the Great Controversy in Every-day Life.

Read in Class: John 13:35 and 1 John 4:21. Define the common thread of these passages. 

Study:  What do these passages reveal about Satan’s challenge against the government of God in the great controversy? What do they tell us about the essence of genuine Christianity?

Apply: What is the obvious message for us here? How do we learn to die to self so that we, too, can manifest this same selfless spirit? It’s not easy, is it? 

Share: What are some practical ways your Sabbath School class and/or family can reach out to your community this week to let them know God is love?