Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, March 2, 2024.

Main Theme: In all the Psalms, through the psalmists’ laments, thanksgivings, praises, and cries for justice and deliverance, we can hear the echoes of Christ’s prayer for the salvation of the world.

Read in Class: Pslam 23, Psalm 78:52-53 and Psalm 100:3. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How is the relationship between the Lord and His people portrayed in these texts?

Apply: Read John 10:11-15. What does Jesus say about Himself as the Good Shepherd?

Share: You friend asks you how Jesus has been a Good Shepherd to you? When has He actually Shepherded you? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 22:16-31 and Psalm 118:22. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: How was the Messiah treated by those He had come to save?

Apply: Jesus on the cross paid in Himself the penalty for every sin you have ever committed. How should the fact that He suffered on your behalf impact how you live now, that is, why you should find sin so abhorrent?

Share: Your friend asks you why Jesus had to suffer and die in order to save us? Why couldn’t God just forgive us without anyone having to die? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 89:27-32, Psalm 89:38-46 and Psalm 132:10-12. Define the common thread in these passages.

Study: What is the Davidic covenant about? What seems to have endangered it?

Apply: Read Colossians 1:16; Colossians 1:20-22. What do these verses teach us about who Jesus was and what He has done for us? What promise can you take away from this for yourself?

Share: Your friend asks, why God had to reconcile heaven to Himself? What do you tell your friend? See Why Heaven Needed to be Reconciled to God at the Cross?

Read in Class: Psalm 2:1-12 and Psalm 110:4-7. What is each Psalm saying?

Study: What do these passages tell us about Jesus being an eternal king and an eternal priest? How is Christ’s priesthood unique, and what great hope can we find in Christ’s heavenly priesthood?

Apply: Read Hebrews 7:20-28. What are some of the implications of Christ’s superior priesthood?

Share: Your friend asks, “How does Christ’s unique and superior priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek strengthen the certainty of salvation for God’s people?” What do you tell your friend?