Tag / aids for Sabbath School Teachers

by In Light Of The Cross

11-Living With Christ-Sabbath School lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, March 14, 2026.

Central Theme: This week we’ll see ways in which living with Christ can make a difference, now and eternally.

Read in Class: Colossians 3:1-6. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What condition does Paul indicate is necessary for us to be heavenly-minded? What do you think that means?

Apply: How do we experience what it means to be dead to self and to earthliness and alive to “those things which are above” (Col. 3:1)? See also Romans 6:1-7.

Share: Your friend asks, “How do we follow the words “mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth” (Col. 3:5)?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Colossians 3:6-11. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: How does Paul continue with this train of thought?

Apply: What does putting off the old man look like for you in everyday life? See also,  Romans 6:6 and Ephesians 4:22-24.

Share: Your friend complains that a kid from the church neighborhood, who is trying t find Jesus has joined her son’s youth Sabbath School class. Last week during prayer request time, he was talking about how frustrating his life is and accidently let a very bad word slip out. He apologized, and the teacher forgave him. Your friend thinks he should have been asked to leave the class. This is church after all! What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Colossians 3:12-14. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study:  How are believers described, and how do you think it relates to the qualities they are to “put on”?

Apply: How well are you representing Jesus in the way you treat others, especially those who may be unkind to you?

Share: Your friend says we hear too many sermons about forgiveness and need to hear more sermons about perfecting our character. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Colossians 3:16-17. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What specifically enables Christ to be in control, and what role does music play in all this?

Apply:We are told that whatever we do, “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). Can you truly say that you do that? If not, how can you change; that is, what must you stop doing if you cannot do it in the name of the Lord?

Share: Your friend asks how the Word of God “dwells” in us. What do you tell your friend?

Mission: Think about the kind of influence your life has on others. And though we tend to think of this in the context of our individual influence, what about our influence as a Sabbath School Class? How does your local Sabbath School class impact your local community?

by In Light Of The Cross

9: Reconciliation and Hope-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, For Sabbath School Class on February 28, 2026.

Central Theme: The process of individual reconciliation is unpacked in this week’s passage. As with the cosmic sphere, it happens through the death of Christ. On the individual level, the cross, far from being a passive symbol, becomes an active reality, with God’s love transforming people as they hear the gospel and receive Christ Himself, the hope of glory.

Read in Class: Colossians 1:21-23. Ask the class to briefly summarize this passage.

Study: What is Paul alluding to with his reference to alienation and being enemies? And what is the expected end result of Christ’s death (see also Eph. 5:27)? What do you think Paul means by remaining “grounded and steadfast” in the faith? (See also Col. 2:5 and Eph. 3:17.)

Apply: What has been your experience regarding the importance of continuing to exercise faith? That is, why must you always make a conscious choice to do that? What will happen if you don’t?

Share: Your friend tells you that we need the cross for reconciliation here on earth, but the angels did not need it because they are perfect and unfallen. Therefore, once we are in heaven, we won’t need the cross either. What do you tell your friend? See Why Heaven Needed Reconciliation.

Read in Class: Colossians 1:24-25. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does Paul say about his suffering for Christ’s sake?

Apply: Think about your own life. How might the decisions you make (big and small) fit within God’s larger plan? Can we really know whether a decision is actually “small”? How might it have larger ramifications that will become apparent only later?

Share: Your friend says that when we suffer for Christ, we are also suffering for His body, which is the church. If so, how are we suffering for each other when we are suffering for Christ? How have you suffered for the church?

Read in Class: Colossians 1:26-27, Ephesians 1:7-10, and Ephesians 3:3-6. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: What is the mystery Paul is talking about in these passages, and what does this mystery have to do with the plan of salvation?

Apply: How has this mystery of the gospel already reunited you with heaven while still being right here on earth?

Share: Your friend asks you what the mystery of God is in Revelation 10, and how and when it is finished in verse 7. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Colossians 1:28-29. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is Paul’s focus? Why do you think “everyone” (NKJV and ESV) is repeated three times?

Apply: How do you understand what it means to be “perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28)? How does an understanding of what Jesus accomplished for us at the cross help in knowing what it means to be “perfect in Christ Jesus”?

Share: Your friend asks, since Paul wants to present every man (and woman) perfect in Christ, does that mean that none of us are beyond hope of reconciliation and redemption? What do you tell your friend?

Mission: Can you think of someone who has been abused and mistreated and never really seen the love of God? How can you show them the love of goodness and God this week so they can be reconciled to Christ? See Romans 2:4.

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

9: Living the Law-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for the Sabbath School class, August 30, 2025.

Main Theme: God gave us practical instructions for daily living.

Read in Class: Exodus 21:12-19. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What specific regulations were given regarding Hebrew slaves, homicide, and bodily injuries?

Apply: Though in most of the world the evil practice of institutionalized slavery has, for the most part, been abolished, some of its principles still exist, and what can we do, in our own limited sphere, to fight against these principles?

Share: Your friend asks you if you know the signs of someone being a victim of human trafficking, and what to do if you suspect someone is a victim. What do you tell your friend? Hint: See Signs of Trafficking on Shared Hope.

Read in Class: Exodus 22:16-26. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What issues were dealt with in these laws and how?

Apply: How graceful and patient are you when others reject some of the truths of God’s words, of Jesus Himself? 

Share: Your friend asks you how you think foreigners should be treated in your country. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 5:38-48. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study:  How does Jesus interpret the meaning of the retaliation law? How should we apply it today?

Apply: How should the realization that one day justice will come help you deal with all the injustice that we see in the world now?

Share: Your friend asks you if you find it hard to pray for and bless your enemies. She asks if it’s even practical to expect us to love our enemies in real life. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:19. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: What promise and command are found in these verses, and how are they closely related?

Apply: What are the ways we can learn to love in the way we are commanded to? Why does it always include “death to self?”

Share: Can you think of someone in your past whom you may need to forgive? Could you please reach out to them this week and share the same amazing grace that God has given to you? Remember, while some things are unforgivable, God’s grace makes the unforgivable forgivable.

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Covenant at Sinai-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, 23 August 2025.

Main Theme: God calls out to all of us; our eternal destiny depends on our response.

Read in Class: Exodus 19:1-8. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What did God promise them here, at the base of Mount Sinai?

Apply: Imagine being God’s “special treasure”! What special privileges would that encompass? What special responsibilities would you have?

Share: Your friend says that when Jesus died on the cross, He made a new covenant with His people, which was no longer based on the law. What do you tell your friend? Hint: See Was the Law or the Covenant Given at Sinai Changed at the Cross?

Read in Class: Exodus 19:9-25. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: How did God prepare Israel to receive the Ten Commandments?

Apply: How do you understand the idea of the Ten Commandments as an expression of God’s love? What does that mean? How is God’s love revealed in them?

Share: Your friend notes that in Exodus 19:10, the people are told to wash their clothes in preparation for keeping the commandments. Your friend asks if this is why in Revelation 22:14, some translations say, “wash their robes,” while others say “keep the commandments.” What is the parallel between “washing our robes” and “keeping the commandments?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Exodus 20:1-17. Ask the class to share the main idea of this passage.

Study: What are the principles of the Decalogue, and how is it organized?

Apply: in John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Why is it important to keep the commandments out of love, rather than just to receive a reward? How can we be sure we are not just doing it for the sake of the latter?

Share: Your friend says that she heard that God’s biddings are His enablings, and that His commands are actually promises. Is that true? If so, can you explain to your friend why?

Read in Class: James 1:23-25 and Romans 3:20-24. Ask the class to share the main idea of these passages.

Study: What is he saying, and how do these words help us realize what the function and importance of the law is, even though it cannot save us?

Apply: How should we apply the meaning of “Christ is the end of the law” in Romans 10:4?

Share: Your friend says that faith abolishes the law. What do you tell your friend? See Romans 3:31.

by In Light Of The Cross

3: Rough Start-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class, July 19, 2025.

Main Theme: Moses and the command to lead God’s people out of Egypt—about as clear a call from God as anyone could have. Indeed, it included miracles, as well as God Himself speaking directly to Moses and letting him know exactly what He wanted Moses to do. How much easier, then, could it have been for Moses, knowing that he had been called by God and even given a specific task?

Read in Class: Exodus 5:5-23. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: What were the immediate results of Moses and Aaron’s first recorded encounter with Pharaoh? Put yourself in the place of these men as they confronted Moses and Aaron. Why would they say what they did?

Apply: What are some better ways you and others might be able to deal with local church leaders when disagreements arise, as they inevitably do?

Share: Can you share an experience you had where things did not get off to a great start but ended wonderfully?

Read in Class: Exodus 5:22-6:8. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is God’s response to Moses, and what important theological truths are revealed here?

Apply: What passages of Scripture give you hope when things seem to be going rough?

Share: Your friend asks, “What other Bible characters have cried out in complaint before God, and with good reasons? Why is it OK, at times, to pour out your soul to God and even complain about your situation? Why, though, must you always do it in faith and in trust?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Exodus 6:9-13. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: What happened next, and what lessons can we take from this story about times of disappointment and struggle in our lives?

Apply: Think through the phrase, “I will take you as My people, and I will be your God” (Exod. 6:7, NKJV). Though the context was corporate, how does this apply to each one of us individually, and how should this relationship be manifested in our daily lives? (See also 2 Cor. 6:16.)

Share: How do you respond when people don’t seem to be listening to you, especially when what you have to say is very important?

Read in Class: Exodus 6:28-7:7. Ask the class to summarize this passage.

Study: How does the Lord deal with Moses’ objection?

Apply: Moses ran out of excuses for not following what God had called him to do. What excuses might we use to try to get out of what we know God wants us to do?

Share: Your friend asks what it means that Moses was a God to Pharaoh? What do you tell your friend? How might this concept be applied today?

by In Light Of The Cross

7: Foundations for Prophecy-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, May 17, 2025.

Main Theme: Human rebellion, ultimately and forever, will be ended. And, more than that, God’s loving character, His self-denying and self-sacrificing character, will shine even brighter than it did in His original design for humanity. Though God never intended for humanity to fall, through the cross, God’s loving character has been put on display in a remarkable way.

Read in Class: Ezekiel 28:11-17, Isaiah 14:12-14 and Revelation 14:1-12. Ask the class to identify the main idea of these passages.

Study: What led to Lucifer’s downfall? How does the contrast between Lucifer’s fall and humanity’s high position in Christ help us understand what takes place in Revelation 14?

Apply: What role do we have as a church, and as individuals, in letting people know about what Christ has done for them?

Share: While talking to your neighbor across the fence, she asks you what is the three angel’s message that the Adventist church refers to all the time. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Isaiah 6:6-8. Ask the class to identify the main point of this passage.

Study: Isaiah knew that sin means that we are “undone.” The wages of sin is death. But instead of leaving us to the consequences of sin, a God of love pulls us closer. What was the outcome of this meeting, and why is it important?

Apply: Read Genesis 3:21-24. How were the cherubims protecting our future by guarding the tree? What other roles do we see angels participating in regarding prophecy and our salvation?

Share: You friend asks, I’ve always heard that angels are our dead loved ones, but if angels are our dead loved ones how could there be angels guarding the tree of life when no one had died yet? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Ezekiel 1:1-14, Isaiah 6:1-6, and Revelation 4:1-11. Ask the class to identify the main idea of these passages.

Study: What similarities do we see depicted in all these passages?

Apply: Whenever we see God’s throne whether in the typical ark of the covenant, which served as God’s meeting place with Moses (Exod. 25:22), or the breathtaking visions of the prophets the cherubim are always there. They are intimately tied to the throne of God. All of God’s creatures were designed to reflect His glory whether we are talking about the human race made in His image or the angelic beings who are posted immediately next to His glorious throne. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. How do you measure up in contrast to the holiness that Ezekiel witnesses here? What does your answer tell you about your need of the gospel?

Share: Your friend asks you if you have ever seen an angel. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Numbers 2: 3, 10, 18 and 25. Ask the class to identify the common thread in passages.

Study: There was one dominant tribe on each of the four sides of the tabernacle. According to Numbers 2, who were these four dominant tribes?

Apply: Of course, we don’t live in the camp of Israel. But what are ways we can, in our own lives now, draw close to the presence of God?

Share: Your friend asks you how we know if God is with us or not? What do you tell your friend?

by In Light Of The Cross

8: Free Will, Love, and Divine Providence-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, February 22, 2025.

Main Theme: Strong Biblical evidence shows that God does not determine everything that happens. Instead, He grants humans free will, even to the point where they (and angels) can choose to act directly against His will. The history of the Fall, of sin, and of evil is a dramatic and tragic expression of the results of abusing this free will. The plan of salvation was instituted in order to remedy the tragedy caused by the misuse of free will.

Read in Class: Psalm 81:11-14, Isaiah 30:15-18, and Luke 13:34, Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these texts say about the question of whether God’s will is always being done?

Apply: Think through the implications of any theology that attributes everything that happens to God’s direct will. What kind of deep problems, especially in the context of evil, would such a theology create?

Share: Your friend says that she has always heard that God puts into office whoever He wants in that office, and yet Hosea 8:4 says, “They set up kings, but not by me?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Revelaion 11:17, Matthew 19:26, Jeremiah 32:17-20. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What do these passages teach about God’s power?

Apply: Scripture also teaches that God wants to save everyone (for example, 1 Tim. 2:4-6, Titus 2:11, 2 Pet. 3:9, Ezek. 33:11), but not everyone will be saved. What does this fact teach about the reality of free will and the limits of God’s power with beings granted free will?

Share: Your friend asks, you if there was ever a time when you knew what the right thing to do was, but you still had a hard time doing it? What did you end up doing and what were the results?

Read in Class: Ephesians 1:9-11. Ask the class to identify the main idea of this passage.

Study: What is this text saying about predestination? Are some people predestined to be saved and others to be lost?

Apply:  What kind of attitude and response to God might people have if one believed in predestination? 

Share: Your friend says that if God knows the end from the beginning then we really have no choice in anything? How is your friend’s thinking faulty? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 16:33. Ask the class to define the main idea of this passage.

Study: Even when the consequences of other people’s choices bring us trials and suffering, what hope does this passage give us?

Apply: How often do you think about the fact that God is grieved by suffering as well? 

Share: Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good to those who belong to God. This does not mean that everything that happens is God’s will or even good. What it does mean is that God will overrule everything that happens to bring about good to those who love Him. Can you think of someone this week, who you can encourage by your own testimony on how God has overruled evil in your life? How can you share your testimony with that person this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

2: God’s Covenants With us-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Prepared by William Earnhardt, For Sabbath School Class January 14, 2023.

Main Theme: Our responses to God’s promises determines if they are fulfilled for us.

Read in Class: 1 John 5:13, Matthew 10:22 and 2 Peter 1:10-11. Define the common thread in these passages.

Study: How do these passages say we receive the gift of salvation?

Apply: Though salvation is an unmerited gift, what’s the difference between those who accept the gift and those who don’t? What does accepting this gift require that we do?

Share: Your friend tells you she believes on once saved always saved. She believes there is no way a saved person can lose salvation. Using Scripture, what do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What great blessings are promised the people? But what must they do to receive them?

Apply: What does it mean for us, today, to “hearken diligently” to what God tells us to do?

Share: Your friend tells you the book of Deuteronomy is in the Old Testament. We don’t have to obey, only believe. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Proverbs 3:9-10 and Malachi 3:10-11. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What are the promises and the obligations found in these verses?

Apply: What does your tithing (or lack thereof) say about your own spirituality and relationship to God?

Share: Your friend says there is no way he can tithe and feed his family. He says God understands He can’t afford to tithe. What do you tell your friend? How could 1 Kings 17:8-16 help, Especially verse 13?

Read in Class: 2 Chronicles 7:14. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What are the “ifs” and “thens” of God’s proposal here?

Apply: What does it mean to “heal their land?” In what ways do we need healing today?

Share: Can you think of a friend or family member who is struggling with making a full commitment to Christ? Besides praying for them, is there any way you could speak a word of encouragement to them this week?

by In Light Of The Cross

11: Waiting in the Crucible-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, September 10, 2022.

Main Theme: It may not seem like it to us, but God’s time is always perfect. That is why we need to wait on Him.

Read in Class: Romans 15:4-5, Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:7, Romans 5:3-5. Discuss the common thread in these passages.

Study: What are these verses saying to us? What does patience lead to?

Apply: What things are you desperately waiting for? How can you learn to surrender everything to God and to His timing? Are you willing to pray your way into an attitude of complete surrender and submission to the Lord.

Share: Your friend says she was praying and waiting for God to heal her father, but He never did, and her father died. Another couple have been waiting for a long time to have a child, but have been unable to have children. Meanwhile they lament the fact that so many abusive parents are allowed to have children while they have none. What do you tell each of your friends? What examples found in the Bible might you use for each case?

Read in Class: Romans 5:6 and Galatians 4:4 and Daniel 9:24-27. What is the common thread of these two passages?

Study: What do these passages tell us about God’s timing? What was the time period for Daniel 9 and why such a long time?

Apply: What examples can you find in the Bible of God’s doing things in His own time that can help you learn to trust that He will do for you what’s right in His own time, as well? (Think, for instance, about Abraham and Sarah and the promise of a son.) At the same time, ask yourself, “What might I be doing that could be delaying the answer to a prayer that could have been answered long ago?”

Share: Your friend says in 2 Peter 3:12 it tells us to hasten Jesus’ second coming. If God’s timing is always perfect why do we need to hasten His coming? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 1 Samuel 26:8-11. Discuss the most important idea in this passage.

Study: Why doesn’t David kill Saul and just become king? After all, God has already anointed him as king, and taken the kingdom from Saul. What is there to wait for?

Apply: How much patience and trust in God do you have when you are waiting for a job, promotion, soulmate, or other?

Share: Your friend says David should have taken Abishai’s advice. How do you answer your friend?

Read in Class: 1 Kings 19:1-9. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: After such a powerful intervention by the Lord on Mount Carmel, Elijah should have been full of faith and trust; instead, he runs in fear for his life. What lesson can we learn from this bad example?

Apply: Have you ever been tempted to run away from a situation instead of waiting on the Lord to take care of things? What did you do? How did it turn out? What did you learn?

Share: Can you think of someone who has been waiting a long time for a certain blessing? How can you encourage them this week?

 At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen. Isaiah 60:22 NLT