1888 Sabbath School Insights

The Son of God Among Us

2008-07-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

Jesus is the Son of God. He is among us. This means that He is God, revealed to man. The term “Son of God” is an analogy that describes the connection between Himself and God the Father. It indicates origin, a close association and identification. It describes the link within the Godhead. It expresses an intimate relationship between

John the Baptist: Preparing the Way for Jesus

2008-07-18T20:30:00.000-05:00

Preparing the Way for Jesus: The lesson’s author has selected a Scripture of warning for us, which speaks as to why we as a people have been experiencing a delay in the return of Jesus. Colossians 2.8: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the base

All Things to All Men: Paul Preaches to the World

2008-07-11T21:02:00.000-05:00

In preaching the gospel, it quickly becomes apparent that throughout the world (or even in our own neighborhood) there are different issues for different people, and it becomes expedient to adapt the approach we might use. The Holy Spirit does that. He comes to each of us and speaks to our hearts: “There is something in your life that

For Such a Time as This: The Apostle Paul

2008-07-04T01:46:00.000-05:00

Our Lesson Book (Sabbath School Quarterly) for the third quarter is entitled “God’s Great Missionaries.” It’s a study of the lives of people like John the Baptist, the Apostle John, the Apostle Peter, the prophet Daniel, and others. Truly these men (and women, just as deserving) were indeed “faithful” to the Lord. Their

His Return as King and Friend

2008-06-26T21:39:00.000-05:00

As we review the past thirteen lessons about Jesus, one magnificent truth about Him emerges as all-important: He GAVE Himself for us, GAVE Himself completely—emptied Himself as we read here: “Christ Jesus. . . being in the form of God, counted not equality with God a thing to be grasped at, but made Himself of no reputation (a man or

The Efficacy of His Priestly Ministry

2008-06-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

Ellen White was overjoyed when she heard the message of justification by faith from the lips of A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner. To her this clear teaching was consonant with the message of the three angels. “The hour of His judgment is come” and our Priest is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. What connection is there between justification

2008-06-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

The Power of His Resurrection The Greek word anastasis (resurrection) literally means "to stand up again." Satan knocked down the human race through sin, and at the Tree of Knowledge he stood on the neck of his conquered victims declaring that he was stronger than God. However, at the moment Adam sinned and should have died

The Meaning of His Death

2008-06-05T04:36:00.000-05:00

Of all our thirteen lessons this quarter, this one is the most profound. It’s easy to trivialize the subject, as millions do. Putting a cross on a church roof or hanging it around one’s neck or on the living room wall, is not what Jesus meant by His phrase about “bearing the cross:” “He said to them all, If any one will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and

The Tenderness of His Love

2008-05-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

This week we have the tremendous privilege to study the tenderness of God’s love. Sabbath’s lesson seems to equate compassion with “genuine love,” and while compassion is certainly a part of love, God’s love is far more. Matthew 4:23 tells us that Jesus Christ had a teaching, healing, preaching ministry. If we look at the record in the first

The Intensity of His Walk

2008-05-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

These special INSIGHTS accept the Sabbath School Lessons produced by the General Conference, and thank the Lord for them; our contribution is simply to inquire where the 1888 message of Christ’s righteousness may offer a valuable “insight” or comment. Ellen White was overjoyed with that message of 120 years ago. She recognized that its true

The Puzzle of His Conduct

2008-05-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

Both Jesus’ words and conduct have today a specific purpose—for us to repent and allow ourselves to be drawn closer to God. It’s not easy to assign Jesus to a particular category or class, rigid or exclusive. Some are genuinely puzzled by His conduct: Does He expect us to do that, and in the same way? As we study this week’s lesson, let’s try to

The Challenge of His Sayings

2008-05-08T22:15:00.000-05:00

“Thus it was that ‘by the word of the Lord’ all things were created. He spoke the word only, and it was so: the word spoken, itself produced the thing. “Thus it was in creation. And thus it was in redemption: he healed the sick, he cast out devils, he stilled the tempest, he cleansed the lepers, he raised the dead, he forgave sins, all by his

The Wonder of His Works

2008-05-01T20:41:00.000-05:00

The Sabbath School lesson for Sunday asks, “What lessons can we learn from Matthew 8:23-27?” “When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart. But He rested not in the possession of almighty power. It was not as the “Master of earth and sea and

The Wisdom of His Teachings

2008-04-24T20:05:00.001-05:00

The Wisdom of His Teachings This lesson opens with a quotation from Ellen White: Jesus “would not spare a moment from teaching the knowledge of the science of salvation. His time, His knowledge, His faculties, His life itself, were appreciated only as the means of working out the salvation of the souls of men.” “And the Father demonstrates His

“The Reality of His Humanity”

2008-04-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

Are there eternal consequences to what we believe about what kind of human nature Christ assumed? What is the problem God solves by sending His Son in human flesh? Was there ever a time when we were united on this subject? Let’s begin with the historical context. “Adventist thought leaders up through the early 1950s generally followed the lead of Jones and Waggoner in holding that Christ’s

“The Mystery of His Deity”

2008-04-10T21:20:00.001-05:00

“Since the beginning of the Advent movement in 1844, the divinity of Jesus Christ has been one of its fundamental beliefs. Formulated for the first time in 1872 and several times since, it was stipulated again in the following terms at the General Conference session of 1980: “God the Eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him all things were created, the character of God is

2008-04-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

These new lessons are rich in Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy worthy of prayer and study throughout this new Spring Quarter. Make a choice at the beginning as you open the Lesson Book that you will respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit when He appeals to you to read the Word that is the heart of the Lessons themselves. The Bible is the Book that the Lord intends we shall not only

Patterns of Discipleship

2008-03-27T19:51:00.000-05:00

During my long life, I have known many pastors and evangelists, but I have never known any that have been privileged to do all the wonderful things that Jesus told His disciples to do: (1) “Heal the sick.” We pray for them, we give them treatments, we take them to doctors and clinics—thank the Lord we can do something. But we lack the wonderful healing gifts that Jesus gave His disciples.

“Mission and Commission”

2008-03-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

With joy we find that “The Gospel” is the most prominent feature of this week’s lesson! The author set a clear lesson goal for the week in the last sentence of the Sabbath afternoon section: “This week we will look at the gospel in the context of the Great Commission.” The Gospel is the revelation of Jesus Christ in men: Romans 1:16, 17 says that the gospel of Christ is the power of God to

“More Lessons in Discipleship”

2008-03-12T20:11:00.000-05:00

Our lesson addresses two issues: fear of persecution, and the danger of the teachings of the Pharisees. At first glance these topics might not seem related. Understanding the Jewish leaders will shed light on our study of the fears held by Jesus’ disciples. It will help us understand the fear that affects us all, and show us the need for a message that will deliver us from those fears so we can

Discipleship Under Pressure

2008-03-06T20:33:00.000-06:00

This week’s lesson asks some powerful questions under “The Week at a Glance” section. “What warning should we take away from the disciples’ bid for political power? What lessons does Judas have for us? What was behind James’s and John’s willingness to destroy those who rejected Jesus?” These questions strike at the root of the sin problem that resides in each of our hearts. Each of these

Discipleship: “Following the Master: Discipleship in Action”

2008-02-29T20:16:00.001-06:00

To use an overworked cliché, this is the “where the rubber meets the road” lesson. The word “Action” is emphasized in the title with bold, large type. This of course means, do something! But what is it that we should be doing? What is the “action” here? And what motivates the “action”? We have been taught that we are to go and teach others to read their Bible, pray, and witness every day—all

Preparation for Discipleship

2008-02-14T21:51:00.000-06:00

Our new Sabbath School Lesson asks a powerful question in the first paragraph: “What good does it do if the folks we baptize soon leave?” There is Reality! The time has come for us as a world church to get over our “rich-and-increased-with goods” obsession with our supposed success in large baptisms; we need to ask that same simple question. The word “soon” can be omitted: “What good does

Ethnicity and Discipleship

2008-02-06T18:54:00.000-06:00

Over in Burma, Adoniram Judson was lying in a foul jail, ankles chained to a bamboo pole. A fellow prisoner, with a sneer on his face, said, “Dr. Judson, what about the prospect of the conversion of the heathen?” His instant reply was, “The prospects are just as bright as the promises of God.” Indeed God promised Abraham, himself called by God out of Babylon, “in thee shall all families of the

Discipleship: “Gender and Discipleship

2008-01-30T19:40:00.000-06:00

The cost of discipleship is whatever “everything” means to you. In last week’s lesson, when confronted by the rich young ruler, Jesus did not directly challenge his claim of keeping the commandments. He simply showed him that he had not given up everything to serve God. For the rich young ruler, “everything” was his great wealth. “Everything” is different for each of us. Each of the