9: Blessed is he who Comes in the Name of the Lord-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

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?

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?

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?