Lesson 2 - December 11, 2016
Focus Text: Romans 3:9-26
Central Truth: Salvation only comes by faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to explain in simple terms how a person may be saved.
Lesson Outline:
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During this Sunday School quarter, “Tips for Teachers” will have a different focus. If asked, we would probably all agree that prayer is essential, not just for every Christian, church, and Sunday school class, but also in the preparation of Sunday school lessons, etc.
The problem often is implementation. We say we believe in prayer and we know we should pray, but we don’t actually take time to do it. In an attempt to encourage his own prayer life, this writer has found it helpful to use a book of prayers as a prayer starter each day.
With that idea in mind, the “Tips for Teachers” in Lessons 2–12 of this quarter will be written as prayers that you could pray each day of the week for each particular lesson, or you could choose of these prayers, one or more to pray for each day of the week.
Heavenly Father, we pray for each teacher reading this text right now. Encourage them in their faith. Bless them in their teaching ministry. Help them to reflect You in everything they do, say, and think, so their students may find in them Christian role models to imitate, and thus grow in their faith. Amen.
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Lesson 1 - December 4, 2016
Focus Text: Romans 1:18-32
Central Truth: Mankind's sin results in an ever-deepening cycle of depravity and despair.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify the characteristics of a sinful person.
Lesson Outline:
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Heavenly Father, help us to worship You with our lives. May You be pleased with every expression of praise, we pray. Amen.
In "God's Word for Today" David Woods writes:
Psalm 145 is the last Psalm in the Psalter that cites David as its author. It is a praise Psalm, and is noted for being an acrostic. Each verse in this Psalm begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There is a problem with this, however. The Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters; this Psalm is comprised of only twenty-one verses. This Psalm is missing a verse beginning with the Hebrew letter nun. Interestingly, the Jewish transla-tors of the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament that Jesus and many of the New Testament writers quoted, added a verse to make up the missing nun. While well-intentioned, this probably should not have been done. (The KJV does not include this verse, but some newer translations do [verse 13b], with a marginal note. The English Standard Version renders this verse as: “[The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works],” but notes that these two lines are only in one Hebrew manuscript, the Septuagint, and the Syriac.) Commentators suggest the absence of one letter of the alphabet in this acrostic Psalm does not indicate a problem with God's Word, but rather was intentional. J. Vernon McGee writes: “From Psalm 145 to 150 we find that every one of them is a hallelujah Psalm. It is an increasing crescendo. Why would one verse be left out of Psalm 145? I think it speaks of the fact that our praise is imperfect.”
Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 77.
"And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness." (Psalm 145:6)
In "Biblical Perspective" Gordon Snider writes:
The psalmist could not find a single adjective to describe the greatness of God. So he added adjective to adjective: “mighty” (v. 4), “wondrous” (v. 5), and here, thy terrible acts. What God does and the way He acts inspires in the righteous reverence and awe. In the unrighteous these same actions inspire fear and dread. The theme of discussion of all generations is the source of His power to do these works. I will declare thy greatness again emphasizes man's public recounting of the mighty acts of God.
Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 77.
In "Doctrinal Discussion" William Sillings writes:
While gospel songs are forms of praise, traditionally hymns have carried the greater weight of praise. Defining a hymn is an elusive task, but most authorities, says Ralph Martin, appeal to Augustine. Augustine claimed there were three distinctive characteristics of a hymn. 1. A hymn is praise. 2. It is designed to be sung. 3. It is directed to God. Furthermore, a hymn differs largely from a gospel song in that the gospel song tends to be more subjective. That is, it tends to concentrate on “my experience” of certain great spiritual truths. In contrast, the most remarkable characteristic of a hymn is its objectiveness. Hymns express in virtually universally applicable terms the praise of the Church to God, whereas a gospel song may describe one person's experience — which, in turn, may not have significance for someone halfway around the world.
Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 80.
“Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off” (v. 6).
The writer once had a professor who had a special passion for the homeless. The professor had made it the focus of his doctoral work. Over the course of two years, by spending time with the homeless, he became their friend and was accepted into their culture. For Thanksgiving, he enjoyed preparing food and taking it to the homeless who were living under interstate overpasses. At the institution where he taught, he obtained permission to have the leftover food from the cafeteria. He and some of the students would put it in back packs. They would walk through the city to share food and the gospel with those who were the neediest in society.
Jesus was called a Friend of sinners. He came from the highest echelon of glory to dwell with sinful mankind. He sees and has regard for the lowly. Let us praise Him for condescending to where we are. As we humble ourselves, He draws near, but if we are lifted up with pride, He withdraws and is far off. (Bob Blankenship)
Hail, Galilean King!
Thy humble state I sing;
Never shall my triumphs end;
Hail derided Majesty!
Jesus, hail! the sinner’s Friend,
Friend of Publicans, - and me.
Charles Wesley (Public Domain)
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p style="font-style-italic;text-align:center;">The better we know God, the better we can praise Him.
Prejudice is an ugly sin. It hurts when people assume negative things about you simply because you are of a certain ethnicity, culture, etc. Prejudice also limits you when you assume that because a person comes from a certain background, etc. that certain things must be true of them. Prejudice shackles people with historical baggage. Prejudice limits the number of positive relationships we can develop. Prejudice is especially ugly when God's people purposefully hold on to biased opinions of people without thinking, questioning, or reasoning. Prejudice held by those who are to marked by agape love is a mark of hypocrisy, a stain on the Bride's wedding gown.
Many of the barriers discussed during this quarter, while serious, can be remedied by small tweaks. Prejudice, on the other hand, may cause long-lasting damage; years later the memories may still linger on.
How will you work this week to banish prejudice and encourage agape love in your class?
Lesson 13 - November 27, 2016
Focus Text: Psalm 145:3-21
Central Truth: Praise to God is the highest expression of redeemed man.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list new ways they will praise God in their lives.
Lesson Outline: