Category: Lessons

The Great Controversy and the Miracles of Jesus

• Lesson 9 for the week of February 23 to March 2

Relevant Biblical Passages: Matt. 8:5-13; 12:22-32; Mark 5:25-34; John 5:1-18; 11:1-45 Miracles: Gift or Reward? Some of Jesus’ miracles seem to have been performed without any particular merit or even faith on the part of...

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The Great Controversy in the Parables of Jesus

• Lesson 8 for the week of February 16 to February 23

Relevant Biblical Passages: Matt. 13; 20:1-16; 21:33-41; 22:1-14; Luke 15 Human Responsibility and Divine Initiative in Tension: The Parables. If one adopts the so-called “free-will” defense of God in the cosmic struggle between good and...

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Jesus Models Victory

• Lesson 7 for the week of February 9 to February 16

Relevant Biblical Passages: Isa. 53; Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; 16-28; John 6:1-15 A Surprising Messiah. Many passages in the Old Testament could be taken to suggest that the Messiah would sweep away the enemies of...

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Faith Amid Turmoil

• Lesson 6 for the week of February 2 to February 9

Relevant Biblical Passages: Job 19:25-27; Gen. 17:1-11; 22:1-18; Ruth, Dan. 6; Esther 4 Tormented Witnesses. Apparently belonging to the Lord’s side doesn’t mean an easy street in the great cosmic struggle. Can you think of...

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Winning and Losing

• Lesson 5 for the week of January 26 to February 2

Relevant Biblical Passages: Gen. 39; Judg. 13-16; 2 Sam. 11-12; 1 Kings 18; Heb. 11 God’s Witnesses: Imperfect Saints. If the Book of Job provides the framework within which we are to understand the great...

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The War Comes to Earth

• Lesson 4 for the week of January 19 to January 26

Relevant Biblical Passages: Genesis 3, 4, 6-9, 11 Dangerous Freedom. In some ways the early chapters of Genesis mirror the “action” of biblical narratives where God “allows” his creatures to be free. In the New...

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The Contenders

• Lesson 3 for the week of January 12 to January 19

Relevant Biblical Passages: Gen. 3; Job 1-2; Zech. 3; Matt. 4:5-6 Two Lions: The lion is a tantalizing symbol in Scripture. On the one hand, it can symbolize the Devil who stalks the earth “seeking...

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Issues in the Great Controversy

• Lesson 2 for the week of January 5 to January 12

Relevant Biblical Passages: Zech. 3:1-5; Matt. 4:8-11; John 8:42-46; 14:9-11; Rev. 12:17 Theodicy. Technically defined, the term “theodicy” means “justification or vindication of God.” It addresses the dilemma of how a God who claims to...

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War in Heaven

• Lesson 1 for the week of December 29 to January 5

Relevant Biblical Passages: Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-17; Rev. 12 Power Play or Moral Conflict? It is possible to view the great struggle between Christ and Satan as simply a battle between two great generals, one...

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Restoration

• Lesson 13 for the week of December 22 to December 29

Background and Literary Considerations The verses we study this week have occasioned significant debate as to their authorship. Some have argued that everything belongs to the eighth-century prophet who finally got around to some positive...

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Vision Five-No Escape

• Lesson 12 for the week of December 15 to December 22

Background and Literary Considerations Having come now to the last of the five vision reports, we need to ask how they connect with each other and the impact of the whole collection. What is the...

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Vision Four-Summer Fruit

• Lesson 11 for the week of December 8 to December 15

Background and Literary Considerations The fourth vision report in Amos brings us to another literary feature of the prophet’s preaching: puns. While we miss most of these in English translations, the Bible is replete with...

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Vision Three-The Plumb Line

• Lesson 10 for the week of December 1 to December 8

Background and Literary Considerations Again, we come in this lesson to a “vision report,” the third in a series of five. Given Amos’ penchant for surprising us with reversals of expectations, how should we prepare...

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Vision Two-Judgement by Fire

• Lesson 9 for the week of November 24 to December 1

Background and Literary Considerations Review the comments in the previous lesson about “vision reports.” What was the main purpose of these in general and how specifically does Amos use them–individually and the five of them...

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