Category / Sabbath School Teaching Plans

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Wisdom for Righteous Living-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, February 24, 2024.

Main Theme: Wisdom for righteous living is gained through the dynamics of life with God amid temptations and challenges.

Read in Class: Psalm 119:1-16. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How should we keep God’s commandments, and what are the blessings that come from doing that?

Apply: How did Christ demonstrate the power of God’s Word in His life (Matthew 4:1-11)? What should this tell us about the power that comes from a heart set on obeying God’s law?

Share: Your friend says David focused on the law because Jesus had not come yet. Today we just focus on Jesus and don’t pay any attention to the law. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 90:1-17. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is the human predicament?

Apply: No matter how quickly our life passes, what promise do we have in Jesus? (See John 3:16.) What hope would we have without Him?

Share: A very young married couple asks your advice for having a long and happy life. What practical as well as philisophical advice do you share with them?

Read in Class: Psalm 26 and Psalm 141. Describe how these passages coincide or differ?

Study: What does divine testing involve and how does the Psamist pray regarding these tests?

Apply: How has God tested your heart and what lessons have you learned? David tells God not to count him among those who murder but he did commit murder with Uriah. What should that tell us about how careful we should be when examining our own hearts?

Share: Your friend tells you they do not want to be rebuked by anyone in the church. She says she does not need anyone telling her what is right or wrong. Everyone should just mind their own business. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 1:1-3 and Psalm 112. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What blessings are promised for those who love and obey the Lord?

Apply: Why is the Cross, and what happened there, the guarantee of the promises found in the New Testament of what God has in store for us? How can we get comfort from those promises even now?

Share: Your friend asks you what practical or tangible blessings you have received from loving and obeying the Lord? What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, February 17, 2024.

Main Theme: Experiencing God’s mercy encourages us to serve Him alone.

Read in Class: Psalm 136:1-3 and Psalm 51:1-5. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What thought predominates in these Psalms? Why does the Psalmist appeal to God’s mercy?

Apply: Read Psalm 51:6-19. How does this help you understand how forgiveness is applied to you? How does this help you understand the goal of forgiveness?

Share: Your friend asks, if God can forgive David for adultery, deception and even murder then could God still forgive those who have committed adultery and even murder today? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 130:1-8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How are the gravity of sin and hope for sinners portrayed?

Apply: Think about the question, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). What does that mean to you personally? Where would you be if the Lord marked your iniquities?

Share: Your friend asks if “He Shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:8) means that God will give his people victory over every form of sin, no matter how powerful that form of sin is? What do you tell your friend? How might Titus 2:11-14 NLT help you answer that question?

Read in Class: Psalm 113:1-9 and Psalm 123:1-4. How do these two Psalms contrast?

Study: What do we learn from the contrast in these two Psalms?

Apply: Dwell on the Cross and what happened there for you personally. What has Jesus saved you from? Why is it so important to keep the Cross foremost in your mind?

Share: Your friend says, sometimes we are not prisoners of circumstances but rather prisoners of our own thought patterns? In light of Psalm 113 and Psalm 123 what do you think your friend means? Do you agree with the statement?

Read in Class: Psalm 103:1-22. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How is God’s mercy portrayed here?

Apply: How does God’s love and mercy encourage you to worship and trust God and God alone?

Share: Can you think of someone who may be discouraged and could benefit from hearing about God’s mercy this week? Can you share something from the Psalms with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

6: I Will Arise-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, February 10, 2024.

Main Theme: Only God can truly deliver us from wickedness and oppression, which He does in His own time.

Read in Class: Psalm 9:18, Psalm 12:5 and Psalm 146:6-10. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What is the message here to us, even today?

Apply: How much do we think of the “poor and needy” among us, and how much do we do for them?

Share: Your friend says people are poor because they are lazy and therefore we should not help them. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 82:1-8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happens when the leaders pervert justice and oppress the people they are tasked to protect?

Apply: What kind of authority do you hold over others? How justly and fairly are you exercising that authority?

Share: Your friend asks, in our society who is ultimately responsible for social justice? The state or the church? Or God alone? What role do we play as individuals? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Palm 69:22-28 and Psalm 94:1-12. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What sentiments do these psalms convey? Who is the agent of judgment in these psalms?

Apply: Who doesn’t, at times, have thoughts or fantasies about vengeance on those who have done them or their loved ones terrible wrong? How might these psalms help you put such feelings in proper perspective?

Share: Your friend says that the language in some of these Psalms seems pretty harsh? How could God inspire such harsh language? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 96:6-10 and Psalm 132:7-9. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study:  Where does God’s judgment take place, and what are the implications of the answer for us? How does the sanctuary help us understand how God will deal with evil?

Apply: Read Romans 8:34. How does this verse show us that what Christ is doing in the heavenly sanctuary is good news for His people?

Share: Can you think of someone who is suffering from oppression or injustice? How could you help encourage them this week? How could you even help relieve their suffering at least to some extent?

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, Sabbath, February 3, 2024.

Main Theme: The psalmists respond to God’s perceived absence, as well as to God’s presence.

Read in Class: Psalm 102:3-5, 11, 23-24. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What experiences do these texts describe? In what can you relate to what is said here?

Apply: Think about Jesus on the cross and what He suffered because of sin. How should that reality, that God in Christ suffered even worse than any of us, help us keep faith even amid times of suffering and trial?

Share: Your friend says it is wrong to express grief or doubt in our prayers, as it shows a lack of faith in God and His love. What do you tell your friend? See The Difference Between Cynicism and Lamentations.

Read in Class: Psalm 42:1-3. Psalm 63:1, and Psalm 69:1-3. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What causes great pain to the psalmist?

Apply: Read Psalm 10:12, Psalm 22:1 and Psalm 27:9. What can we learn from the psalmists’ responses to God’s apparent absence? How do you respond to times when God does seem silent? What sustains your faith?

Share: Your friend asks you how you know God is with you when you can’t see, hear or feel His presence? What do you tell your friend? See How I Know God is With me.

Read in Class: Psalm 77:1-20. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What experience is the author going through?

Apply: Think about past times when the Lord worked in your life. How can that truth help you deal with whatever you are facing now?

Share: Your friend tells you that while her teenage son was expressing how terribly depressed he was he used some foul language. She ignored the foul language and just tuned into his feelings. Her husband on the other hand scolded him for using foul language. Your friend asks you which one of them handled the situation properly? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 73:12-20. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What brings the psalmist through the crisis? What is the end of those who trust in futile things? See also 1 Peter 1:17.

Apply: How does the promise of God’s judgment upon the world, and upon all its evil, give you comfort when so much evil now goes unpunished?

Share: Do you know someone who feels like life has been unfair to them? How can you encourage them this week from the Word of God and your own experiences?

by In Light Of The Cross

4: The Lord Hears and Delivers-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, January 27, 2024.

Main Theme: We should remember that the proper response to the Lord’s nearness consists in a life of faith in Him and of obedience to His commandments. Nothing short of this faith and obedience will be acceptable to Him, as the history of Israel often revealed.

Read in Class: Psalm 40:1-3, Psalm 121:1-8. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study:  How is God involved in our daily affairs?

Apply: What are some practical ways that you can better experience the reality of God’s care? How can you better cooperate with God in order to enable Him to work within you and for you?

Share: Tell about a time when God came through for you when all human help failed?

Read in Class: Psalm 17:7-9, Psalm 31:1-3, Psalm 91:2-7. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What does the psalmist do in times of trouble?

Apply: How, though, do we deal with the times when calamity strikes, and we can’t seem to see the Lord’s protection? Why do these traumas not mean that the Lord is not there with us?

Share: Your friend asks, if God always hearing our prayers means we always get what we ask for? How do you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 114:1-8. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How is the divine deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt poetically described here?

Apply: What are some of the spiritual dangers we face as believers, and how can we learn to lean on the Lord’s power to protect us from succumbing to these dangers that are as real for us now as they were for the psalmist?

Share: Your friend says that God literally delivered Israel from slavery, but does God literally deliver us from oppression or is it just symbolic of God delivering us from sin and spiritual oppression? How do you reply to your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 3:4, Psalm 14:7, Psalm 20:1-3. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study:  Where does help come from in these texts?

Apply: Read Hebrews 4:15-16. In what ways does this passage parallel what the psalmist says about the sanctuary?

Share: Can you think of someone who needs to be encouraged by something in this week’s lesson? How can you encourage them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

3: The Lord Reigns-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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

Main Theme: The Lord’s sovereign rule thus renders the world firmly established and secure. The psalmists want the reader to understand this foundational truth. With this worldview as their lighthouse, the psalmists seek to thrive and to serve God with undivided devotion.

Read in Class: Psalm 97:1-12. Define the main point of this Psalm.

Study: What characterizes the Lord’s reign? What is the domain of His reign?

Apply: “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” (Psalms 97:10). Why should our love for God cause us to hate evil? How are these two concepts related?

Share: Your friend says Psalm 97:10 says the Lord delivers his saints out of the hands of the wicked. Yet so many innocent people have died in concentration camps and human trafficking. What good does that promise do them? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 75:1-10. Define the main idea of this Psalm.

Study:  Why is the boasting of the wicked in vain?

Apply: The Psalms call us to rejoice in anticipation of God’s judgments. (See Psalm 67:4, Psalm, 96:10-14, Psalm 98:4-9) How is God’s judgment good news for those covered by the blood of Christ?

Share: Your friend claims he never gets promoted at work because of all the corruption where he works. Company politics has everything rigged. How might Psalm 75:6-7 help you respond to your friend? What illustrations in the Bible can you find of godly people being promoted even in the most corrupt environments?

Read in Class: Psalm 94:14, Psalm 105:7-10, Daniel 7:22. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: The theme of God’s judgment prompts a significant question: How can God’s people have peace with God and assurance of salvation at the time of judgment?

Apply: What do we have in Jesus, which shows why these promises made to ancient Israel can now apply to us? See Galatians 3:26-29.

Share: Your friend says that the promises in the Old Testament were only given to the Jews. How do you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 19:7 and Psalm 119:165. What do these passages have in common?

Study: How is Satan’s attack on the law of God actually an attack on the kingdom of God? Why does Satan have to attack God’s law in order to reach his goal in in Isaiah 14:13-14? How do we know Satan will never reach his goal of reigning over the universe?

Apply: What are practical ways that keeping God’s laws and rules and testimonies have helped you in your life? On the other hand, what have you suffered from violating them?

Share: Your friend tells you the law of God was nailed to the cross and done away with. What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

2: Teach us to Pray-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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

Main Theme: Praying the Psalms has helped many believers establish and maintain regular and fulfilling prayer lives.

Read in Class: Psalm 105:5, Colossians 3:16, James 5:13. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What is the place of the Psalms in the believer’s worship experience?

Apply: What does it mean to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16)? Why is reading the Bible the first and most crucial step for that experience?

Share: Your friend complains about their lack of faith. He says that God always provides for him but when new trials come he loses faith all over again and becomes anxious. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 44:1-12, 23-26, and Psalm 22:1-11, 21-24. Define the main idea of these Psalms.

Study: What two main moods do we see in these Psalms? Why the change in moods? What does this teach us about trusting God even in times of trouble?

Apply: How can drawing on past times, when God’s presence felt very real, help you deal with the times in which troubles make you think that God is far away?

Share: Your friend suggests that David is way too negative in some of his prayers. Shouldn’t we always praise and thank God in our prayers instead of complaining or being so negative? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 13:1-6. Define the main idea of this Psalm.

Study: What two main moods can you distinguish in this psalm? What decision do you think brought the radical change in the psalmist’s general outlook?

Apply: How can your trials draw you closer to God? Why, if you’re not careful, can they push you away from Him?

Share: Your friend asks you if you feel like God has always dealt bountifully you even amid your trials? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 60:1-5. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: For what occasions do you think this psalm would be a suitable prayer? How can we benefit from the psalms of lament even in joyous seasons of life?

Apply: Whom do you know, right now, who needs not only your prayers but your ministering touch, as well?

Share: Have you ever written a poem or “Psalm” about how God has heard your prayers? Can you share your poem with someone this week who may be encouraged by it?

by In Light Of The Cross

1: How to Read the Psalms-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, January 6, 2024.

Main Theme: The Psalms have been written in Hebrew poetry by different authors from ancient Israel, and so, the Psalms reflect their particular world, however universal their messages. Accepting the Psalms as God’s Word and paying close attention to the Psalms’ poetic features, as well as their historical, theological, and liturgical contexts, is fundamental for understanding their messages, which reach across thousands of years to our time today.

Read in Class: Nehemiah 12:8, Psalm 18:1, Psalm 30:1-2 and James 5:13. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What were the occasions that prompted the writing of some psalms? When did God’s people use the Psalms?

Apply: Though we, of course, do not worship God in an earthly sanctuary like the temple, how can we use the Psalms in our own worship, whether in a private or in a corporate setting?

Share: Your friend says that the Psalms were written so long ago, and mostly about the authors own experiences about war and so forth. We are not warriors from ancient times so what do the Psalms have to do with us today? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 3:5-8, Psalm 33:1-3 and Psalm 109:6-15. Define the common thread in these passages.

Study: What different facets of human experience do these psalms convey?

Apply: What kind of psalms would you most likely be apt to use or write in your references to God in your life? 

Share: One of your friends says, “Why does David write so many psalms that seem to focus on destroying his enemies and bringing judgment on others? Where is Crist’s love for the erring and sinners in his heart?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Samuel 23:1-2 and Romans 8:26-27. What is the main thought of these passages?

Study: What do these texts teach us about prayer?

Apply: Jesus quoted the Psalms like Luke 20:42-43 for example. What should Jesus’ use of the Psalms tell us about the importance that they could play in our own faith experience?

Share: Your friend asks what it means that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 16:8, Psalm 44:8 and Psalm 46:1. What is the main idea of these passages?

Study: What place does God occupy in the psalmist’s life?

Apply: How can the Psalms help us understand that we cannot limit God to certain aspects of our existence only? What might be parts of your life in which you are seeking to keep the Lord at a distance?

Share: Can you share a time when Psalm 46:1 or one of the other passages in this section was a particular comfort to you?

by In Light Of The Cross

13: The End of God’s Mission-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, December 30, 2023.

Main Theme: God’s mission will be fruitful and have much success.

Read in Class: Revelation 14:6-7. Summarize the first angel’s message.

Study: What do these verses have to do with our last day message and mission?

Apply: Do you have a plan for sharing the everlasting Gospel? If a friend asked you how they can know if they are saved what would you tell them? See Salvation in Light of the Cross. How does this everlasting Gospel help you prepare for the judgment?

Share: Your friend asks how the Seventh-day Adventist Gospel is different from any other Gospel preached in protestant churches? Don’t we all preach the same cross? Is the Gospel preached by Adventists any different? What do you tell your friend? See the God-forsaken God.

Read in Class: Revelation 14:8 and Revelation 18:1-4. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How do the teachings of Babylon oppose the Gospel and the cross? How is Babylon legalistic? For clues see Daniel 1:2, Daniel 4:17 and Daniel 4:31-32.

Apply: 1 John 4:8 says God is love. How do the teaching of Babylon skew our understanding of God’s love? For an example, see Hell in Light of the Cross.

Share: Your friend says that instead of preaching the Three Angel’s message in the last days we should be Preaching the cross instead. What do you tell your friend? See The Three Angel’s Message in Light of the Cross.

Read in Class: Revelation 14:9-12. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What exactly is the mark of the beast? How is accepting the mark of the beast not only rejecting the Bible Sabbath but also rejecting the cross of Christ and salvation by grace? For example what is wine of God’s wrath that is poured into the cup of His indignation? Is this the same cup Jesus asked to pass from him, but ended up drinking for us?

Apply: What assurance do you see in Revelation 7:9-14 and Revelation 15:1-4 that the call out of Babylon and the warnings not to take the mark of the beast will be successful? What other passages in the Bible assure you of the success of God’s mission in the last days?

Share: Your friend asks you if the 144,000 who are saved in the last days is a literal number or symbolic? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 21:1-4, Revelation 21:22-27, and Revelation 22:1-5. What is the common thread of these passages?

Study: What is the scene described here?

Challenge: How are you hastening Christ’s return? Are you planting seeds of hope in the hearts of those who need to hear good news? Are you “watering” new believers by helping them learn what it means to live a life of loyal obedience to Christ? Pray for opportunities to communicate the promise of the earth made new with the people on your daily prayer list.

Challenge Up: Some of your “disciples” may be ready to accept Christ. This includes joining a church or group of believers. Put yourself in his or her place and imagine attending your church for the first time. What kind of experience would he or she have? How prepared is your church to welcome and disciple new people? Are you open to starting new groups of believers, not just building up your own existing church? Create a strategy to address weak areas. Share your thoughts with your church leaders, and work with them to implement a plan to become a more intentional disciple-making church.

by In Light Of The Cross

12: Esther and Mordecai-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, December 23, 2023.

Main Theme: The story of Esther shows how God’s people, even in foreign environments, can witness for truth.

Read in Class: Esther 2:5-10. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What do these verses tell us about the situation of Mordecai and Esther? Why did Mordecai tell Esther not to reveal her Jewish identity?

Apply: What circumstances would it be prudent not to be open about your faith? Or should we never hide who we are? See Why did Jesus tell the Demons not to Tell Everyone He was the Son of God?

Share: Your friend says that Mordecai not wanting people to know who Esther was showed a lack of faith. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Esther 3:1-15. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is happening here and why?

Apply: In what ways, even now, might we be tested, like Mordecai? 

Share: Your friend says the it seems like Mordecai was escalating the situation between him and Haman? Why couldn’t Mordecai have been a peace maker and just humbly bowed to Haman to show a little respect? Why did he have to create such a huge confrontation and put the lives of his people in peril? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Esther 4:8-14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Why was it considered appropriate at this time for Esther to identify herself as a Jew?

Apply: For the Jews in such a situation as described above, prayer would certainly accompany fasting. That is, though they acted in their own behalf, prayer was central to their response. What obvious lesson can we take from this?

Share: Your friend asks why Mordecai would put Esther in such a dangerous situation? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Esther 9:1-12. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What was the result of Esther’s effort?

Challenge: Pray that God will give you the courage to share something He has done for you with one of the people on your prayer list this week.

Challenge Up: Begin a diary or journal of special little things (or big things) that God does for you. Review it and pray that God will bring these things to your mind at just the right time so you can share them with someone.