Category / Sabbath School Teaching Plans

by In Light Of The Cross

7: The Unified Body of Christ-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, August 12, 2023.

Main Theme: While are all different members, together we all contribute different talents and gifts in forming one church.

Read Together: Ephesians 4:1-16. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does Paul encourage believers to nurture the unity of the church?

Apply: Humility, gentleness, patience. Think about how these attributes would help unify us as a people. How do we learn to cultivate these virtues?

Share: Your friend asks you, if there is only one church does that mean the Adventist church is the only church there is, or does it mean that all the different denominations all make up one Christian church? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 4:11-13. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Drawing on Psalm 68:18, Paul has just described the risen, exalted, conquering Jesus as giving gifts to His people from on high. What “gifts” does the exalted Jesus give, and for what purpose?

Apply: What gifts do you recognize that God has given you for building up His church? What gifts do you recognize in others, and how do you appreciate their contributions to the church?

Share: Your friend says he does not believe in the gift of prophecy because all we need is in the Bible. We don’t need modern day prophets or even Ellen White. How might Ephesians 4:11-13 help you answer your friend? See also The Gift of Prophecy in Light of the Cross.

Read in Class: Ephesians 4:14. Define the main theme of this passage.

Study: What danger threatens the Christlike maturity of the church?

Apply: In what ways might you feel like you are still a child? In what ways do you feel like you have matured as a Christian?

Share: Your friend says that Jesus tells us we must enter the kingdom of heaven as a child. So why is Paul telling us not to be children anymore? What do you tell your friend? See also Grace Helps us Grow up.

Read in Class: Ephesians 4:15-16. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: In what ways does a healthy church function like a healthy body?

Apply:  How can we get every member to use their gifts and talents to increase the body and make it healthier?

Share: Can you think of someone who has been working hard helping out at the church lately? Can you speak a word of appreciation and encouragement to them or even send them a nice card this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

6: The Mystery of the Gospel-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, August 5, 2023.

Main Theme: As we study the Bible more deeply, we receive even greater revelations of God’s love.

Read in Class: Ephesians 3:1-6. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is the mystery that has been entrusted to Paul?

Apply: How can we learn to trust God and His ways amid what can be trying circumstances? 

Share: Your friend tells you ever since her divorce, everyone at church tells her they still love her and are friendly to her at church, but her church friends no longer include her in activities and socials. Her church claims to be inclusive but is obviously leaving her out now. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 3:7-13. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Paul say about God and the actions of God in Ephesians 3:7-13?

Apply: If your own congregation took seriously Paul’s “job description” of the church in Ephesians 3:10, how might it change the way you and your fellow church members relate to each other?

Share: Your friend asks why Paul says he is the worst sinner? Are we all supposed to feel that way? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:16-19 and Ephesians 3:14-19. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Compare Paul’s earlier prayer request, Ephesians 1:16-19, with his plea for believers in Ephesians 3:14-19. In what ways are the two requests similar?

Apply: What person or event has helped you the most to understand the depths of God’s love?

Share: Your friend says he has trouble trying to trust church members like they are family. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 3:20-21. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Paul praise God for in this passage?

Apply: What blessings from God are especially valuable to you?

Share: Your friend says its beautiful reading about how God reconciles us to Himself, but she has fallen too far away from God to have her relationship with God reconciled and restored. What do you tell your friend? See also, Ephesians 3: A Shattered Relationship Perfectly Restored.

by In Light Of The Cross

5: Horizontal Atonement: The Cross and the Church-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, July 29, 2023.

Main Theme: The cross tears down the walls the separate humanity.

Read in Class: Ephesians 2:11-12. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Paul accent in his fresh description of the past?

Apply: From what condition has Jesus redeemed you? Why might it be important for you to recall, with some regularity, where you were when He found you and where you might now be had He not found you?

Share: Your friend complains that she is constantly seeing ads on TV and hearing even seemingly innocent songs on the radio that are always reminding her of her past life of sin. God has turned her life around but she just wishes she could get rid of the constant reminders of her past life. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 2:14-16. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does the cross transform our relationships?

Apply: Is there someone you need to be reconciled with? How might you go about that? See also The 7 A’s of Reconciliation.

Share: Your friend complains that there is racism and sexism in the church just as much as in the world. How do you respond to your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 2:17-18. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does Paul summarize the ministry of Christ in Ephesians 2:17, 18?

Apply: How can we learn to be preachers of peace as opposed to conduits of conflict? To what situations, right now, can you help bring healing?

Share: Your friend asks how the church can help blend in with the culture around it without compromising Bible teachings? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 2:11-22. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What culminating set of images does Paul use in Ephesians 2:11-22 to signal unity between Jews and Gentiles in the church?

Apply: What “walls” or divisions in the church do you see now, that you would like to see broken down?

Share: Can you think so someone who may feel alienated from the church? How can reach out to them this week and make them feel included?

by In Light Of The Cross

4: How God Rescues us-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, July 22, 2023.

Main Theme: Ephesians 2:1-10 describes our rescue story.

Read in Class: Ephesians 2:1-10. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is the main idea that Paul is giving us here about what Jesus has done for us?

Apply: What do these verses teach about the reality of the great controversy? At the same time, how can we draw comfort and hope in the knowledge that Jesus has been victorious and that we can share in His victory now?

Share: Your friend says, its okay to continue in sin because we are saved by grace. What do you share with your friend? Does grace save us from death or from sin? Or both? See Ephesians 2: Sitting With Jesus in Heavenly Places.

Read in Class: Compare Romans 1:5 and Titus 2:11-12 with Ephesians 2:8-10. What are the common threads in these passages?

Study: What distinct qualities does each passage tell us grace produces in our lives?

Apply: In Ephesians 2:8-9 is God’s grace responding to our faith or is our faith responding to God’s grace? What is the difference and why does it matter? Notice also that in Romans 2:4 God’s goodness leads us to repentance instead of our repentance leading to God’s goodness.

Share: Your friend notices in Titus 2:11-12 it says we are to live righteous and godly lives in this present age. Your friend says he thought our characters would be changed at the second coming, and then we could live righteous and godly lives. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 2:6-7. Define the main theme of this passage.

Study: what sense do believers participate in Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and exaltation? When does this participation occur?

Apply: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7, NKJV). How do the verses we looked at today help us understand what Paul writes here?

Share: Your friend asks, how does knowing your are currently sitting in heavenly places with Christ right now, change they way you look at your every day struggles? What do you tell your friend?

Read Again in Class: Ephesians 2:1-10. After the discussions you have had, what new insights do you see in this passage?

Study: What points does Paul highlight as he concludes this passage?

Apply: While the good works of believers play no role in their redemption, in that they can never give people saving merit before God, what important part do they play in God’s plans for believers? Eph. 2:10.

Share: Can you think of someone who has been struggling in their own power, who may need to hear about God’s grace? How can you share the plan of salvation by grace with them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

3: The Power of the Exalted Jesus-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class on July 15, 2023.

Main Theme: We can experience the power and reality of Jesus’ transforming grace in our own lives.

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 3:14-21. Define the common theme in these two prayer reports.

Study: What does it mean that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think? Do you see that power in your life? If not, why not?

Apply: Why is it important always to thank God in prayer for what you have to be thankful for?

Share: Your friend notices that Paul seems to be constantly praying for those he is reaching for Jesus. Your friend asks you how much you pray for those you are reaching for Jesus. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:17-19. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Paul prays that the Holy Spirit will bring special insight to believers on what three topics?

Apply: How can you better experience “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe”? What does this mean in daily life?

Share: Your friend asks, if God’s power is so great, why does it seem like evil is winning all over the world? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:21, Ephesians 2:2, and Ephesians 6:12. Define the common thread in these passages.

Study: Why does Paul seem to be so interested in evil powers?

Apply: What are some present-day manifestations of these same evil forces, and how can we make sure that we don’t get caught up in any of them?

Share: Your friend asks if its possible to think we are fighting against each other when we are really fighting wicked spirits in high places? What do you tell your friend? What are some examples you can give?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:22-23. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What benefits does the exaltation of Christ to the throne of the cosmos, and His rule over all things in heaven and on earth, provide for His church?

Apply: What has been your own experience with the power of prayer? That is, not just answered prayers but prayer in general, and how does prayer draw us closer to God and the power offered us in Jesus?

Share: Can you pray the prayer Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:14-21 for someone this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

2: God’s Grand, Christ-Centered Plan-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, July 8, 2023.

Main Theme: The Book of Ephesians tells us what God’s grace has already provided to secure our salvation.

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:7-8. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: “Redemption” is an idea that is used frequently in the New Testament. Compare the uses of the idea in Colossians 1:13, 14; Titus 2:13, 14; and Hebrews 9:15. What themes do these passages share in common with Ephesians 1:7, 8?

Apply: What does it mean to you that through Christ’s atoning sacrifice you are forgiven and redeemed? What if you feel that you are unworthy of it? (Hint: you are unworthy; that’s the whole point of the cross.)

Share: Your friend asks you how God’s grace has already transformed your life? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:9-10. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is God’s “plan for the fullness of time,” and how extensive is its reach?

Apply: How can you acknowledge and celebrate that the redemption you have experienced in Christ Jesus is part of something sweeping and grand, an integral part of God’s studied and ultimate plan to unite all things in Christ?

Share: Your friend asks how heaven and earth are united? What do you tell your friend? See also Why Heaven Needs to be Reconciled.

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: Compare the uses of the idea of “inheritance” in Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18. Why do you think this idea is important to Paul?

Apply: What is the difference between working to get something and inheriting it instead? How does this idea help us understand what we have been given in Jesus?

Share: Your friend asks if you believe in predestination? What do you tell your friend? See did God predestinate us to be saved or lost?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:13-14. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: Paul tells in brief the conversion story of his readers. What are the steps in that story?

Apply: How does Paul reveal salvation by faith alone and not by works of the law? 

Share: Can you think of someone who needs to be assured they are included in the plan of salvation? How can you encourage them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

1: Paul and the Ephesians-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, July 1, 2023.

Main Theme: In the book of Ephesians Paul tells us how God’s grace protects us against the wicked powers in our community.

Read in Class: Acts 19:13-20. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What strange event leads to widespread reverence for “the Lord Jesus” in Ephesus?

Apply: What did the burning of their own books signify, even at such an expense to themselves? What does that say about a total commitment to the Lord?

Share: Your friend asks why the demons were able to overpower the people using the name of Jesus? What clues from the passage itself can you share with your friend? Also see Matthew 7:21-23.

Read in Class: Acts 19:21-Acts 20:1. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What lessons can we draw from this story?

Apply: At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul meets with elders of the Ephesian church. How would you summarize Paul’s concerns? (See Acts 20:17-38)

Share: After reading these warnings, you friend asks, “What do you think Paul would warn our church today about, and why?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:1-2 and Ephesians 6:21-24. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How does Paul begin and end his letter to the believers in Ephesus? What do we learn about his deepest desires for them? How does Paul worry about the effect his imprisonment will have on believers in Ephesus? See Eph. 3:13.

Apply: How can you use your personal tribulations as a witness to others about the goodness of God?

Share: Your friend says, “I thought the whole point of accepting Jesus as our Savior was so He would bless us and make us prosperous? If we still have tribulations what’s the point of having Jesus in our lives? How has God’s grace protected us from the evil in our community if we still suffer harm?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:9-10. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does Paul announce the theme of his letter?

Apply: In the church of which you are a part, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, God is drawing together a transnational, multilingual, multiracial, cross-cultural community (Rev. 14:6, 7) that points the way to the fulfillment of His plan to unite all things in Jesus (Eph. 1:9, 10). How can we work in concert with God’s grand plan?

Share: Can you think of a friend who would enjoy these studies on Ephesians? Can you invite your friend to Sabbath School?

by In Light Of The Cross

13: Ablaze With God’s Glory-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, June 24, 2023.

Main Theme: The three angel’s message in Revelation 14:6-12 leads God’s people out of the dark ages into the light of the Gospel.

Read in Class: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study:  What admonition does the apostle Paul give us regarding the last days of human history?

Apply: Paul says not “to sleep” as others do. What does that mean, and how can we know if we are, indeed, sleeping and, if we are, what will it take to wake us?

Share: Your friend asks you where you see things in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 being fulfilled? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 18:1-4. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What three things does John tell us about this angel? (See also Hab. 2:14).

Apply: Ultimately, how do the issues in the last days (as they really do every day) come down to authority? Whose authority do we follow: God’s, our own, the beast power’s, or someone else’s? Whose authority are you following now?

Share: Your friend asks, if God’s people are being called out of the churches they are in where are they supposed to go? Does the Bible tell us? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 4:11, 5:12 and 19:1. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What words are associated with the glory of God that fills the earth as described in Revelation 18:1?

Apply: How does God’s church bring glory to God? What are some practical ways we give light to this dark world?

Share: Your friend complains that it seems like his Adventist father-in-law is always bashing other churches. Your friend asks if its really necessary to bash other churches in order to share truth? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 13:1-4 and Revelation 14:1-12. Discuss the contrasts in these two passages.

Study: How do we make sure we are following the Lamb instead of the beast? Where all does the Lamb go and where do we go when we follow the Lamb?

Apply: Where has the world seen you following the Lamb recently?

Share: Take a moment and share some new ideas your have gleaned from this quarter’s lesson.

by In Light Of The Cross

12: The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast Part 2-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, June 17,2023.

Main Theme: We all have to make a choice for or against God.

Read in Class: Revelation 13:5, Revelation 12:6,14 and Daniel 7:25. Define the common threads of this passage.

Study: How long was this power to rule through previous centuries?
(Note: 42 months; a time, times, and half a time; and 1,260 days is the same 1,260 years from 538AD with Justinian’s Code to 1798AD with Berthier marching into Rome and putting the pope in prison.)

Apply: Think about how amazing biblical prophecy is and how it reveals to us God’s knowledge of future events. What should this fact teach us about why we can trust the Lord’s promises, even the ones we don’t yet see fulfilled?

Share: Your friend says the 1260 days are still in the future and do not have anything to do with the papacy. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Paul predict about the last days? What identifying marks does he give for the beast, the antichrist power?

Apply: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12, NKJV). How must we apply this principle in dealing with the theme of the beast powers in Revelation 13 and 14?

Share: Your friend says, “1 John 2:18 says there are many antichrists. If there are many antichrists who are they? Hint: Could you be an Antichrist?

Read in Class: Revelation 17:12-14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does John describe these final scenes of earth’s history? What powerful contrast is seen here?

Apply: How do make sure we are not unwittingly at war with the Lamb?

Share: Your friend asks, “Why does the Lamb have to conquer all the other powers? Why can’t we just all peacefully coexist? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 14:9-12. Define the main idead of this passage.

Study: Where is the mark of the beast placed? (See Deut. 6:8, Deut. 11:18). What two characteristics contrast God’s people from those who receive the mark of the beast?

Apply: In what ways has humanity always been divided along the lines of being on either God’s side or on Satan’s? Why can there be no middle ground? How can we know, for sure, just whose side we really are on?

Share: You friend says that she heard someone say that the third angel’s message in Revelation 14:9-12 is all about righteousness by faith. How so? What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

11: The Seal of God and the Mark of the Beast Part one-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, Sabbath, June 10, 2023.

Main Theme: God’s people will be loyal to Jesus because they love Him because He first loved them.

Read in Class: Revelation 14:12. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What two characteristics do we discover in this passage about God’s last-day people? Why are both important?

Apply: How faithful are you in the little things? What might that tell you about how you will be when the real trial comes? (See Luke 16:10).

Share: Your friend tells you the church focuses too much on commandment keeping instead of faith. How would Revelation 14:12 help you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 13:1-3 and Revelation 14:4. Define the common thread of these passages

Study: Where does the beast come from, and who gives the beast his authority? What contrast do you see in these verses?

Apply: “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved“ (Matt. 10:22, NKJV). How ready are you to endure to the end?

Share: Your friend asks you what the Biblical meaning of “blasphemy” is? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelation 13:4-5 and Revelation 13:13-17. Define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What identifying marks of the beast power do we discover in these verses? What will God’s end-time people face in the final crisis?

Apply: Read Galatians 6:7-9. Though this is not written in the context of last-day events, why is the principle there so relevant to issues over the mark of the beast, and how we can stand faithful?

Share: Your friend asks if the mark on the hand or forehead is literal or symbolic? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 27:45-50. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this teach us about what Christ had experienced on the cross? What did Jesus mean by asking God why He had forsaken Him, and how does this scene help us understand what it means to have “the faith of Jesus”?

Apply and share: Your friend asks how you have shown the faith of Jesus in your own life? How has the faith of Jesus helped you get by even in the worst of times? What do you tell your friend? See When the Faithfulness of Jesus carried me Through.