Lesson Highlights Archives - Page 29 of 41

Preparing to Enjoy Heaven
Preparing to Enjoy Heaven

Preparing to Enjoy Heaven

In "God's Word for Today", Steve Oliver writes the following question:

Imagine that you are touring an art gallery filled with the greatest works of art in the world. Would you enjoy it? Now imagine that an art expert who has studied art his whole life is touring the same art gallery. Who would enjoy it more — you or the art expert?

Oliver suggests this answer:

The art expert has spent his life studying and preparing to understand the art, so he will certainly have a much greater appreciation for the art. And we can expect to have a much greater enjoyment of heaven if we have put much effort into preparing for it.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 47.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-23T09:00:00+00:00July 23rd, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Preparing|0 Comments

How does edification work?
How does edification work?

How does edification work?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" Don Englund writes:

Leaping out of the pages of the Bible is the spiritually-sounding word of edification — a word that comes from two Greek words meaning “house” and “to build.” …
But how does the process of edification work? First, the work of edifying — building up one another — must be intention-ally pursued. “Let us therefore follow after [pursue] the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another” (Rom. 14:19). In addition, the ministry of edification needs the added ingredient of love. “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (1 Cor. 8:1). And don't forget to add your spiitual gifts to the pursuit of building others up. Identify the gift, and then put it to work! “[While] ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (1 Cor. 14:12).
Finally, time in the Word of God is essential for building up others. A failure to spend time in God's Word will virtually guarantee that we will participate in tearing down others in our sarcastic, cynical world. “The word of his grace . . . is able to build you up” (Acts 20:32). As we are repaired and remodeled by His grace, we will be effective in building up others.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 49.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-22T09:00:00+00:00July 22nd, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Edification|0 Comments

How many times is Jesus referred to as a Lamb in Revelation?
How many times is Jesus referred to as a Lamb in Revelation?

How many times is Jesus referred to as a Lamb in Revelation?

"And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." (Revelation 7:10)

In "Biblical Perspective" R.E. Trotter writes:

Although the world is rocking and reeling and its very foundations are crumbling at the center of the universe, God's eternal throne is still as solid and secure as ever. God is sovereign, and the Lamb is still Savior, and everything is under perfect control. Whereas Jesus was referred to as a Lamb once in the Old Testament (Isa. 53:7), twice in the Gospels (John 1:29, 36), and once in the Epistles (1 Peter 1:19), He is referred to as the Lamb twenty-eight times in the Book of Revelation. We have to conclude that it is a book of salvation available to the very end.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 45.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-21T09:00:00+00:00July 21st, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Lamb|0 Comments

Do We Really Want Justice?
Do We Really Want Justice?

Do We Really Want Justice?

In "God's Word for Today", Steve Oliver writes:

Think back to when your children were small — or, for that matter, not so small. Did you ever hear, “That's not fair!”? What was the real problem that the child was protesting? Usually, it did not have anything to do with real fairness or justice. Rather, the problem was that the child didn't get what he or she wanted. Like children, adults tend to think of justice as “I get what I want” rather than what I actually deserve, but sometimes justice dictates that I get precisely what I do not want. Since God is just, He will always act in a just way, and justice includes giving punishment when it is deserved. In fact, when Christ took our sins, He had to endure the full weight of punishment for them.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 40.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-16T09:00:00+00:00July 16th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Justice|0 Comments

When the Dam of God's Love Bursts
When the Dam of God's Love Bursts

When the Dam of God's Love Bursts

In "Biblical Perspective" R.E. Trotter writes:

Someone has said that God's wrath is God's love dammed up by man's disobedience, until finally the dam bursts, and it is poured out on the disobedient in righteous judgment. For myriads of people, the dam will burst after Jesus returns, and the tribulation will be a dreadful expression of His wrath and fury.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 42.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-15T09:00:00+00:00July 15th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Judgment|0 Comments

What lessons should we learn from the vision of martyrs and God's judgment in Revelation?
What lessons should we learn from the vision of martyrs and God's judgment in Revelation?

What lessons should we learn from the vision of martyrs and God's judgment in Revelation?

What lessons should we learn from the vision of martyrs and God's judgment in Revelation? In "Doctrinal Discussion" Don Englund suggests these conclusions:

What can this vast crowd of those “slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” (Rev. 6:9) teach us? What can we learn from the outpouring of God's vengeance on a world that has rejected Him?
First, the martyrs teach us that the thing that matters most in life is faithfulness to God. These martyrs had not only been faithful to God but also to other human beings whom they had loved enough to testify to them of God's truth. … We may be repaid for our witness with death — and this is what happened to the souls John saw at the altar — but our love for others will impel us to speak up for the gospel. The martyrs in heaven are not taking care of the vengeance, but they are calling on God to handle it. …
Second, this passage teaches us that there will be an end of human history, and our Sovereign Lord will preside over this dramatic alteration of all things as we know them now. Just as the gospel is a leveler of men, the judgments at the end of the age will also be a leveler of mankind. Fake sources of security like money, power, nationality, influence, or freedom will carry no weight before God's judgment.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, pages 42-43.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-14T09:00:00+00:00July 14th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Judgment|0 Comments

Why have we lost the sense of worship?
Why have we lost the sense of worship?

Why have we lost the sense of worship?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" Don Englund answers this question, at least in part, with the following thought:

Decades ago, the Christian writer G. K. Chesterton observed that our world does not lack wonders, but a sense of wonder. Our generation has witnessed the destruction of human lives on a scale unimaginable a century ago. We have learned to view social and technological change as routine. And the culture has met a great deal of this phenomena of social upheaval and change with cynicism. The deadly infection eats away at our built-in, God-given capacity to wonder in childlike delight and amazement, and most serious of all, it corrodes our channels of worship. Like John, we must raise our eyes higher than the unworkable solutions of this world!

Discussion: With this thought in mind, how can we regain a worshipful spirit?
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 37.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-09T09:00:00+00:00July 9th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: worship|0 Comments

What happens when Christians take salvation for granted?
What happens when Christians take salvation for granted?

What happens when Christians take salvation for granted?

In "God's Word for Today" Steve Oliver writes:

Especially if we have been in church our entire lives and have heard the message of salvation repeatedly, it is easy to take salvation for granted. Being saved can just become a “normal” part of life, and we may lose the freshness of the experience. We may also forget the incredible cost of salvation and perhaps never realize the vital part that redemption plays in God's plan for world history. One of the dangers of this complacency is that we fail to value our salvation sufficiently, so sin can become “no big deal.” We also forget that redemption proves beyond any doubt God's love for us, the central place that the atonement holds in His plan, and the lengths to which He is willing to go to provide for our salvation.

Discussion: How have you seen such complacency affect the spirituality of Christians?
Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 33.

Herald & Banner Press2016-07-08T09:00:00+00:00July 8th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: salvation|0 Comments

How Does Compromise Begin?
How Does Compromise Begin?

How Does Compromise Begin?

In "God's Word for Today" Steve Oliver writes:

Compromise happens when we allow our interactions with this world to undermine our loyalty to Christ or our obedience to His commands. Although it may end with something flagrantly wrong, compromise begins small and is often almost unnoticed. It begins, not in our actions, but in our attitudes — envy at our neighbor's possessions indicate a worldly attitude of materialism. A sense of shame that our projects do not look like the Pinterest photos indicates that we are valuing ourselves by comparison to others.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 16.

Herald & Banner Press2016-06-18T09:00:00+00:00June 18th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Compromise|0 Comments

What Does Repentance Involve?
What Does Repentance Involve?

What Does Repentance Involve?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" Don Englund writes:

Evangelist “Big Ray” Smith used to point out that repentance involves three actions — one that is almost wholly the responsibility of the Holy Spirit, another that is partly the responsibility of the seeker and partly the responsibility of the Holy Spirit, and a third that is almost wholly dependent upon the individual. First, it is within the office of the Holy Spirit to make the sinner aware of sin, and that an undebatable consent to and a yielding to evil has occurred. Second, repentance involves a change in attitude toward sin which is partly the work of the pleading sinner and partly the work of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the element of repentance that is dependent upon the individual is that of turning from sin. Big sins, little sins, and all others must come to an abrupt halt in the new Christian's life, rather than just tapering down slowly.

Source: Christ, the Triumphant Lord: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 19.

Herald & Banner Press2016-06-17T09:00:00+00:00June 17th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: Repentance|0 Comments