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.
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?
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?
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?
For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:9-12 NKJV
Inagine you are in the Twighlight Zone and you are having a conversation with your teenage self. What would you tell yourself? Here are just a few things I would tell the 15 year old version of me.
Be kind to your parents and family elders. You won’t understand their struggle until you are older and they are gone. Once you understand it will be too late to tell them you get it now, because they will be gone.
Be kind to your teachers who act like they are superior and so much smarter and better than you. They want you to think they have it all together and have arrived, but they are actually fighting insecurities and battles that go back to their own childhood. They cover it up well now so you can’t see it. But when you get older you will look back and see it. But it will be too late to do anything about it, because they will be gone by then.
Be kind to your peers. When you get older you will hear stories about how they were abused at home or at school in ways you can’t even imagine now. When you find out 20 or 30 years later, you will wish you had been kinder to them while you were growing up. You will tell yourself, If only I had known what they were going through I would have been more kind to them. Then you will realize you didn’t need to know what they were going through in order to be kind. You could just be kind.
Savor every bite of your grandmother’s cooking. You will never taste anything that good for the rest of your life.
Don’t stop writing in your journal. Your life may seem routine and mundane now but it will help you see things about yourself later that will help you grow.
Eat healthy food now, so when you get older, healthy food will be your comfort food.
Don’t worry about making stupid mistakes in front of people. The people who see your silly mistakes are just as human as you are. You don’t need to impress them.
Oh and just so you know, the kid you just made fun of in class will be at the airport at 2 am to pick you up, when you fly back home in about 35 years to see your mother right before she dies.
Also, you know you are pretty sure you know who made that generous anonynmus donation to your tuition? Well you’re wrong. Its actually someone you would never guess in a million years. So just be kind to everyone.
I know you were humiliated when the teacher caught you cheating on that test. Don’t worry, she does not think any less of you. The only way she knew you were cheating is because that’s how she cheated when she was in school and got caught. She knows you will never do it again, She’s an honest person now, and she knows you are too.
Learn how to manage your money wisely. Don’t let yourself feel inferior to those who may have more than you. Your self-worth has nothing to do with your bank account. Pay cash. If you can’t afford to pay cash for it, then you certainly can’t afford to pay interest on it as well. You can do without it until you can pay cash for it.
Find the beauty in people. By the time you see the beauty in a flashing star it’s already gone. People are flashing stars too. Don’t wait until they are gone before you realize how beautiful they are.
By the tine you realize how short life is, it will mostly be gone. Use your time wisely.
When you get older, there will be this thing called the Internet and Sabbath School Net. You’re going to love writing for Sabbath School Net, and you will meet a lot of wonderful people doing so!
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator…… Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it……Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 NLT
One last thing: Don’t worry about the future. Everything will turn out way better than you even dreamed possible!
So, if you talked to your younger self, what would you have to say? Please do tell.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson here.
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:1 NKJV
Psalm 136 goes on to describe all the many ways that God’s mercy has endured forever, but my favorite illustration of God’s incredible mercy comes from Joshua chapters 9 and 10.
The Gibeonites used deceit to trick Israel into letting them in on the covenant God had made with them. Even though Israel was not supposed to make a covenant with anyone living as close as the Gibeonites, they did. Later when the Gibeonites were under attack, they called upon Israel to save them, and even though the Gibeonites had used deceit to secure this covenant, God was so relentless in keeping His promise of love, that He caused the sun to stand still until the Gibeonites were all rescued! God fought for Israel as Israel fought for the mischievous Gibeonites. Let that soak in. The Gibeonites were in no way worthy of any of God’s blessings, but God was still so loving and faithful to His promise that He made the sun stand still until they were all rescued! Talk about a love that moves heaven and earth! And this powerful love was given to the most undeserving people! So, scientifically speaking, the greatest power in the universe is not gravity or the suctioning power of the black hole. God’s love overruled all those powers and made the earth stand still. Imagine what this love can do in your heart!
God’s powerful promises and love are also for you and me. In Hebrews 13:5 God promises to never leave us or forsake us, but the Amplified Bible is the only English version that even begins to grasp what God is actually promising.
for He has said, “I will never under any circumstances desert you nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless, nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you- assuredly not!” Hebrews 13:5 Amp version.
Friends, God does not love the Gibeonites any more than He loves you. He mercy did not stop with the Gibeonites.
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:4 NKJV
God’s mercy and truth endures throughout all generations. If God loved naughty Gibeonites enough to make the earth stand still for them, you know God’s love and mercy will do everything supernaturally possible to save you as well.
Friends, let’s not spurn or take God’s great mercy for granted.
how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? Hebrews 2:3-4 NKJV
Let’s talk of God’s enduring mercy, Exercise our faith in His enduring mercy, and contemplate His enduring mercy until we are changed into His image or mercy and truth.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
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?
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?
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?
For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth.My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin. Psalm 102:3-5 NKJV
Do all our prayers have to be upbeat, cheerful, and positive? No! Do we show a lack of faith when we lament? No! Cynicism doubts God’s existence and love. Lamenting is when we grieve knowing God exists and loves us. There is an entire book in the Bible about lamenting, its called Lamentations. A great portion of the Psalms and other portions of Scripture include prayers of lamentations. As a matter of fact, in the end of the book of Job, God rebukes Job’s friends for not allowing Job to lament.
To me, lamenting is clinging to God like Jacob did to the angel until He blesses us, or until things get better. God wants us to be real with him and pray real prayers. This includes praying prayers of lamentations when our hearts are grieving. Talk to God when you are joyful. Talk to God when you have complaints about the pain and grief He is allowing in your life. Bottom line is talk to God!
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.
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?
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; Psalm 19:7 NKJV Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97 NKJV
It’s amazing to me how people claim God’s law was done away with when it was absolutely perfect. David loved God’s law. Wouldn’t he be heartbroken to see it done away with?
I have a hard time understanding why some say the law was done away with at the cross. They say Jesus did away with the law when He died for our sins. This does not make sense to me, because since when has a law ever been done away with when someone paid the penalty for breaking that law? Paying for speeding tickets does not do away with speed limits. Serving time in prison for a felony does not do away with the laws of the nation. Never in all eternity has anyone ever paid the penalty for breaking a law and done away with the law at the same time, so why would anyone think Jesus did away with God’s law by paying the penalty for breaking His law? Fact is, if God’s law could be done away with, Jesus would not have needed to die. It was because God’s law could not be done away with that there needed to be a sacrifice to keep us from paying the penalty ourselves.
Also, why do people claim promises in the Old Testament while claiming the Old Testament law was done away with? If the Old Testament is no longer valid, wouldn’t that also mean the promises in the Old Testament are no longer valid either? Including the promises about the Messiah? If the promises in the Old Testament that we love to claim are still valid, then so is the law in the Old Testament.
Many preachers who preach the law was done away with preach themselves out of a job. 1John 3:4 says sin is breaking God’s law. If there is no law, then I can’t break a law that no longer exists. If I am not breaking any laws (because they no longer exist) then I can’t sin. If I can’t sin why do I need grace ? If I don’t need grace, then I don’t need a Savior. If I don’t need a Savior, then I don’t need a preacher to tell me about the Savior. The fact that I still need a Savior to give me grace demonstrates that the law is still in effect.
After all, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 warns us that the man of sin creates the mystery of lawlessness. Lawlessness is not the work of Christ. It is the work of Lucifer and those working under his control. Isaiah 14:13-14 tells us Lucifer wants to overthrow God’s government and set up his own government. In order to remove God from the throne you have to do away with His law. God is no longer reigning over us if we are no longer keeping His laws.
Lucifer thinks to strip God of His authority by rendering His laws invalid. Then Lucifer thinks to set up his own government with his own set of laws. Naturally when a new government takes over, they destroy the seal of the previous government and make their own seal. The Sabbath commandment is like a seal to God’s government. It has His name “The Lord.” It has God’s title, “Created” (Creator), and it states His jurisdiction, “the heavens and the earth. the sea and all that is within them.”
Lucifer seeks to replace God’s seal with a man-made Sabbath. By destroying God’s law and God’s seal or authority, Lucifer thinks to destroy God’s government and thinks to set up his own government. Thus he thinks to achieve his goal stated in Isaiah 14:13-14 of being above God and even taking His throne. Through the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7, Lucifer thinks to accomplish on earth what he wanted to accomplish in heaven, and that is to get rid of God and take His place.
Revelation 19:16 tells us that Jesus is still Lord of lords and King of Kings. Our God still reigns. Lucifer’s attempt to take over has failed. God is still God. The Sabbath, God’s seal is still in tact. God’s government has not been over thrown. God still has authority. God still reigns, and His law has never been abolished. And His law is perfect. God’s law is still loved by His loyal subjects just as much as it was loved by David in Psalm 119:97.
Do you love God’s law?
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
”For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?“ Psalms 6:5 NKJV
I have seen Christian music videos illustrating someone dying and immediately going to heaven and singing in the heavenly choir. But David in the Psalms is quite clear along with the rest of Scripture that the dead know nothing and rest in their graves until Jesus comes.
”You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.“ Psalms 104:29 NKJV
”The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence.“
Psalms 115:17 NKJV
Furthermore New Testament Scripture resonates David’s theology about resting in the grave instead of going straight to heaven when we die.
”Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,“ Acts 2:29, 34 NKJV
Scripture is very consistent from beginning to end that the dead know nothing and rest in their graves until Christ returns. David, Jesus, Peter and Paul never once say anyone dies and goes straight to heaven. But you know who does? The lying serpent in Genesis 3:4, who claims we don’t really die.
Let’s believe the Word of God instead of the lying serpent. Some lies may be fun to believe, but they are never safe to believe. The serpent never tells a harmless lie. Every lie from the serpent is intended for deception and destruction. Yet no one who believes in the Word of God will be deceived. God‘s Word which is truth will keep us safe.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
In Light of The Cross 
