Sabbath, October 2nd - as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV) - Soak in God's Word
Trumpets, October 8th - . . . ye have a sabbath, a memorial of shouting, a holy convocation; Lev. 23:24 (Young’s Literal Translation) A Memorial of Shouting!
Sabbath, October 9th - . . . but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,. . . 1 John 3:2 (ESV) - Be Like Jesus
Sabbath, October 16th - All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:3 (NIV)
Atonement, October 17th - rend your hearts and not your garments . . . Joel 2:13
October 2, 2021
Soak in God’s Word
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV)
Materials: water, measuring cup/graduated cylinder, absorbent materials (sponges, paper towels, velvet, foam, soil)
The paper towel, Bounty, would like you to believe that they are the most absorbent paper towel on the market: you know, “Bounty - the quicker picker-upper.” But are they the most absorbent material? Which of these materials do you think would be the most absorbent? Sponge, paper towel, velvet, foam, soil? We could investigate and find out, with the added challenge of not making a mess as we conduct our experiment!
Being absorbent is a good quality. If soil didn’t absorb water very well, the plants growing in it would suffer. If a sponge didn’t absorb water very well, it would be hard to clean well with it. If the paper towel didn’t absorb well, it would be a lot harder to clean up a mess.
But there’s something else that should be really absorbent: you!! Think about the things that would be good for you to absorb. Nutrients from the food you eat. Water. Oxygen. Instructions from your parents. All good things to absorb - they keep you healthy.
The apostle Paul likewise encouraged Timothy to desire the pure milk of the word. That is, he wanted Timothy to really want to take God’s word into himself. But it’s not enough to just take it in; that’s like letting it go in one ear and right out the other without stopping to make an impact. That’s like water flowing through the sponge without the sponge getting wet. In order for the word of God to cause you to grow - like Paul told Timothy it would - you have to take God’s word into your life. You have to absorb it like a sponge.
Hang onto God’s word. Let it grow you. Let it change you. I hope that people someday say of you that, where the Bible is concerned, you are a quicker picker-upper.
Trumpets, October 8th
A Memorial of Shouting!
. . . ye have a sabbath, a memorial of shouting, a holy convocation; Lev. 23:24 (Young’s Literal Translation)
The Feast of Trumpets is the only holy day to fall on the first day of the month during the year in God’s calendar. It’s also a holy day that doesn’t have much information about it. We know that it’s a day of blowing the trumpet or of shouting. So we can look at some of the other verses which talk about instances when the trumpet was blown or when there is shouting. Then we can build a case for the Feast of Trumpets representing the return of Christ. But what we are literally told is that it is a day of shouting - a day to literally split the air with sound. The word means a loud outcry, shouting, sounding the alarm, clamour, noise, rejoicing, joy or battlecry. What do you think that shout would sound like? What an evocative word picture: splitting the air with sound!!
Isn’t it interesting that the word can mean rejoicing or outcry or battlecry?! If the Feast of Trumpets really is the day that Jesus Christ returns to this earth, the air will split with sound. But what sound will you be making?
The return of Jesus Christ will be a welcome, joyous event for those who belong to Him! 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command [a loud shout, a yom teruah], with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air . . .” This is a fantastic picture. Jesus is returning. We’re getting to see family members and friends who are currently dead. We’re shouting with joy and excitement. But, at the same time, there are those who have been fighting against Jesus Christ. They are not happy that He’s returning and He’s going to win. They are shouting the battlecry with a cry of anger and dismay.
So which are you? There’s no middle ground. You are either one way or the other. Are you on the Lord’s side? Are you shouting today for joy at what is coming? Or are you shouting in defiance of Jesus Christ?
Sabbath, October 9th
Be Like Jesus
. . but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,. . . 1 John 3:2 (ESV)
Materials needed: different kinds/color/textures of yarns, buttons, fabric
If you lose a button off your shirt, you need to try to match a new button to it. If you tear a hole in your jeans, your mom tries to find some denim that will match it to patch it. If you are crocheting a blanket and run out of one skein of yarn, you want to find a new skein that has yarn similar in color, texture, and weight. You want to match these things as closely as possible.
In a similar way, we are told that God is transforming us into the image of His Son. (2 Corinthians 3:18) We want to be like Jesus. We want to like the things He likes. We want to do the things He does. We want to think about things the way He thinks about them. We want to have the same goals and values. We want to be like Christ.
How does that happen? It’s a daily choice. We read the Bible to find out how God feels about things. We pray and ask for wisdom and guidance. We come to church and talk with Godly people about God and about how to live a Godly life. And then, we have to put it into practice. When we’re faced with decisions, we have to choose to do things God’s way. We have to train our minds to view things the way God would view them. We have to desire to be like Christ more than we desire to have our own way.
We are not ever going to be perfect in this life. But when Jesus returns, 1 John 3:2 tells us, “We know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.”
Do you think that you look like Jesus right now? Right now is a good time to start making some choices that will draw you closer to Him.
Trumpets, October 8th - . . . ye have a sabbath, a memorial of shouting, a holy convocation; Lev. 23:24 (Young’s Literal Translation) A Memorial of Shouting!
Sabbath, October 9th - . . . but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,. . . 1 John 3:2 (ESV) - Be Like Jesus
Sabbath, October 16th - All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:3 (NIV)
Atonement, October 17th - rend your hearts and not your garments . . . Joel 2:13
October 2, 2021
Soak in God’s Word
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV)
Materials: water, measuring cup/graduated cylinder, absorbent materials (sponges, paper towels, velvet, foam, soil)
The paper towel, Bounty, would like you to believe that they are the most absorbent paper towel on the market: you know, “Bounty - the quicker picker-upper.” But are they the most absorbent material? Which of these materials do you think would be the most absorbent? Sponge, paper towel, velvet, foam, soil? We could investigate and find out, with the added challenge of not making a mess as we conduct our experiment!
Being absorbent is a good quality. If soil didn’t absorb water very well, the plants growing in it would suffer. If a sponge didn’t absorb water very well, it would be hard to clean well with it. If the paper towel didn’t absorb well, it would be a lot harder to clean up a mess.
But there’s something else that should be really absorbent: you!! Think about the things that would be good for you to absorb. Nutrients from the food you eat. Water. Oxygen. Instructions from your parents. All good things to absorb - they keep you healthy.
The apostle Paul likewise encouraged Timothy to desire the pure milk of the word. That is, he wanted Timothy to really want to take God’s word into himself. But it’s not enough to just take it in; that’s like letting it go in one ear and right out the other without stopping to make an impact. That’s like water flowing through the sponge without the sponge getting wet. In order for the word of God to cause you to grow - like Paul told Timothy it would - you have to take God’s word into your life. You have to absorb it like a sponge.
Hang onto God’s word. Let it grow you. Let it change you. I hope that people someday say of you that, where the Bible is concerned, you are a quicker picker-upper.
Trumpets, October 8th
A Memorial of Shouting!
. . . ye have a sabbath, a memorial of shouting, a holy convocation; Lev. 23:24 (Young’s Literal Translation)
The Feast of Trumpets is the only holy day to fall on the first day of the month during the year in God’s calendar. It’s also a holy day that doesn’t have much information about it. We know that it’s a day of blowing the trumpet or of shouting. So we can look at some of the other verses which talk about instances when the trumpet was blown or when there is shouting. Then we can build a case for the Feast of Trumpets representing the return of Christ. But what we are literally told is that it is a day of shouting - a day to literally split the air with sound. The word means a loud outcry, shouting, sounding the alarm, clamour, noise, rejoicing, joy or battlecry. What do you think that shout would sound like? What an evocative word picture: splitting the air with sound!!
Isn’t it interesting that the word can mean rejoicing or outcry or battlecry?! If the Feast of Trumpets really is the day that Jesus Christ returns to this earth, the air will split with sound. But what sound will you be making?
The return of Jesus Christ will be a welcome, joyous event for those who belong to Him! 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command [a loud shout, a yom teruah], with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air . . .” This is a fantastic picture. Jesus is returning. We’re getting to see family members and friends who are currently dead. We’re shouting with joy and excitement. But, at the same time, there are those who have been fighting against Jesus Christ. They are not happy that He’s returning and He’s going to win. They are shouting the battlecry with a cry of anger and dismay.
So which are you? There’s no middle ground. You are either one way or the other. Are you on the Lord’s side? Are you shouting today for joy at what is coming? Or are you shouting in defiance of Jesus Christ?
Sabbath, October 9th
Be Like Jesus
. . but we know that when he appears we shall be like him,. . . 1 John 3:2 (ESV)
Materials needed: different kinds/color/textures of yarns, buttons, fabric
If you lose a button off your shirt, you need to try to match a new button to it. If you tear a hole in your jeans, your mom tries to find some denim that will match it to patch it. If you are crocheting a blanket and run out of one skein of yarn, you want to find a new skein that has yarn similar in color, texture, and weight. You want to match these things as closely as possible.
In a similar way, we are told that God is transforming us into the image of His Son. (2 Corinthians 3:18) We want to be like Jesus. We want to like the things He likes. We want to do the things He does. We want to think about things the way He thinks about them. We want to have the same goals and values. We want to be like Christ.
How does that happen? It’s a daily choice. We read the Bible to find out how God feels about things. We pray and ask for wisdom and guidance. We come to church and talk with Godly people about God and about how to live a Godly life. And then, we have to put it into practice. When we’re faced with decisions, we have to choose to do things God’s way. We have to train our minds to view things the way God would view them. We have to desire to be like Christ more than we desire to have our own way.
We are not ever going to be perfect in this life. But when Jesus returns, 1 John 3:2 tells us, “We know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.”
Do you think that you look like Jesus right now? Right now is a good time to start making some choices that will draw you closer to Him.
For more sabbath school lessons, activities, devotionals, resources, and encouragement, visit www.forchristianhomes.com
I'm planning to do more visual sabbath lessons at church. The description of how to do the presentation will be posted after sabbath. If you have questions about the verbal description, let me know. (email: cogffcds@protonmail.com
