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Delivered Because of Grace
Lesson 10 - November 5, 2017
Focus Text: Genesis 19:1, 15-25
Central Truth: We find deliverance from God’s judgment through God’s grace.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to understand that God’s grace is available in life’s most difficult circumstances.
Lesson Outline:
- Abraham’s Intervention (Genesis 18:17-33)
- Lot’s Deliverance (Genesis 19:1-23)
- Sodom’s Destruction (Genesis 19:24-29)
Community Service
Present the possibility to the class of engaging in various forms of community service on a regular basis. This venture will challenge students to think of others and to reach beyond the four walls of the church. Start by brainstorming about some options that could be considered. Ask individuals to share the types of volunteerism in which they currently participate or activities they have especially enjoyed in the past. It would be feasible to clean a home or yard for a shut-in or neighbor, or to visit a soup kitchen to serve the needy. Food could be brought along to encourage the interest and involvement of the group. There might be a girls' home or pregnancy center nearby to which the members could donate items. Some individuals may be unable physically to attend the outreach effort, but they could pray and/or donate toward the cause.
Israel’s History Foretold
Read Genesis 15:8-16
“And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance” (v. 14).
With each move, from parsonage to parsonage, from one church and town to the next appointment, our possessions increased. I have a mental picture of that move from our first church to the second. All we owned fit in the back of a borrowed pick-up truck. We saw the baby dresser and rocker at the back of the truck as we followed in our car down Mississippi’s red-clay roads. My pastor/husband’s books could fit in one bookcase, assembled by his father, and now his study has floor to ceiling built-in shelves nearly full of books and resources.
God’s promise to Abram included “great substance” after 400 years of affliction in a strange land. God repeated that promise with specifics to Moses: “When ye go, ye shall not go empty” (Ex. 3:21). The Israelite men and women would “borrow” gold and silver jewelry from their Egyptian neighbors. Thus, Israel would “spoil the Egyptians” (Ex. 3:22). The gold and silver, along with fine linen, would be used to build the tabernacle. (Ann Coker)
The God of Abram praise, All praised be His name,
Who was, and is, and is to be, Always the same!
The one eternal God, Whose timelessness is clear;
The First, the Last: beyond all thought, Throughout the years!
— Daniel ben Judah
What God promises He fulfills in His good time.
This devotional is the Tuesday, October 24, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.
God's Sure Promise
Lesson 9 - October 29, 2017
Focus Text: Genesis 15:1-8; 17:3-8
Central Truth: We can trust God to keep His word.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list various promises God has fulfilled in history.
Lesson Outline:
- Promise of the Covenant (Genesis 15:1-21)
- Confirmation of the Covenant (Genesis 17:1-9)
The Key to Right Choices
Read Proverbs 3:5-10
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (vs. 5, 6).
I have been watching the construction of a section of interstate highway to the north of our hometown. We live in an area bounteous in limestone, so the earthmoving machinery has had to move tons of material to clear the way for the leveling of the ground.
The basic promise in our text for today is that God will "clear the way" for
you - if you trust Him, if you renounce your own wisdom, if you acknowledge Him in everything. But that’s a tough program unless you have come to a place of total surrender to Him.
When we allow God to cleanse the rebellion from our wills, then the most
natural thing is for us to trust Him for wisdom to make right choices. (Leonard Sankey)
Breathe on me, breath of God, Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will, to do and to endure. - Edwin Hatch
God has given to humans the awesome power of choice; it is our responsibility to use it wisely.
This devotional is the Sunday, October 22, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.
Sabbath Rest
Observation: Sundays can be as eventful as other days. There are seasons in the church calendar which make the Lord’s Day just as hectic as any other. Check in with the class for input about this issue. Do they notice themselves being so industrious in “God’s work” that they fail to reserve intervals to restore their souls? Are they too harried to be sensitive to the needs around them? Do the class members take opportunities to sit down with their families for occasional meals and quality time? Inspire the group to plan sessions to refuel and restore their spirits before the Lord. When Sundays become crowded with church events, encourage them to seize additional moments on alternative days in the week to devote to time alone with God. Rest from one’s work is modeled by God. It is important that we discuss how to follow His model.