Finding Hope Through Discovery in Bible Study

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com   February 28, 2009 Larry R Evans  Introduction It happened last Sabbath.   After a wonderful Sabbath School and a great sermon Carrie and I went home to enjoy a nice Sabbath meal and then made a hospital visit.   Later we looked at our mail and noticed that we had received what appeared to be free trial samples of different products.   A little closer look and we discovered that they were not free and not only had we been charged but some had actually been ordered on a perpetual plan! A call to our credit card company led to the discovery that many more packages had been ordered and from several international companies.   More have now arrived.   Someone, not us, used my name, my address and my credit card and ordered things I would have never thought about ordering.   Someone misrepresented me and that is not a happy experience.   This week’s lesson is all about prophetic integrity.   If there ar...

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com   February 21, 2009 Larry R Evans   Introduction   Hardly a week goes by without the news telling us that a compromise has been worked out between different parties whether they be political, organizational or religious. Is it possible to have both authority and a compromise?   How do we relate to different voices with different messages claiming to speak words of counsel, warning or instruction for the church today?   Do they have authority to speak?   What gives someone authority and when should we listen?   These are not new questions but how we go about answering them is critical.   How do we use the Bible, Ellen White or any other inspired writing when counsel or thoughts seem to be contradictive?   Not all answers will be found in this week’s study but hopefully we will find a foundation from which we can draw some helpful principles.  Reflective Quiz 1.         Rejecting the words or co...

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com   February 21, 2009 Larry R Evans   Introduction   Hardly a week goes by without the news telling us that a compromise has been worked out between different parties whether they be political, organizational or religious. Is it possible have both authority and a compromise?   How do we relate to different voices claiming to speak words of counsel, warning or instruction for the church today?   Do they have authority to speak?   What gives someone authority and when should we listen?   These are not new questions but how we go about answering them is critical.   How do we use the Bible, Ellen White or any other inspired writing when counsel or thoughts seem to contradictive?   Not all answers will be found in this week’s study but hopefully we will find a foundation from which we can draw some helpful principles.  Reflective Quiz 1.         Rejecting the words or counsel of a prophet is the same...

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com   February 14, 2009 Larry R Evans   Introduction  David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons in their book UN Christian tell of the following incident:   “Several months ago, I was browsing the religious section at a bookstore.   As I stood there, checking out the titles, two young men and a young woman wandered into the same section.   It was obvious that the three twentysomethings were not searching for books. They were hanging out, discussing life, and joking as friends do.        I was not particularly tuned in to their conversation, not really aware of what they were talking about until one of them said, ‘Oh, check this out.   It’s a Bible with a metal cover!’   That caught my attention.        The young woman said, ‘What? What are you talking about?’        ‘Yeah, look.   It’s a Bible encased in metal.’        ‘Huh? What’s that for?’        ‘How the heck should I know? Maybe it’s supposed to be ...

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com   February 14, 2009 Larry R Evans   Introduction  David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons in their book UN Christian tell of the following incident:   “Several months ago, I was browsing the religious section at a bookstore.   As I stood there, checking out the titles, two young men and a young woman wandered into the same section.   It was obvious that the three twentysomethings were not searching for books. They were hanging out, discussing life, and joking as friends do.        I was not particularly tuned in to their conversation, not really aware of what they were talking about until one of them said, ‘Oh, check this out.   It’s a Bible with a metal cover!’   That caught my attention.        The young woman said, ‘What? What are you talking about?’        ‘Yeah, look.   It’s a Bible encased in metal.’        ‘Huh? What’s that for?’        ‘How the heck should I know? Maybe it’s supposed to be ...

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com   February 7, 2009 Larry R Evans   Introduction   I must have been eight or nine years old when I got out of bed, saw the light on in the dining room and tip-toed and looked around the corner.   What I saw would stay with me for the rest of my life. It made a big difference during a rebellious time when I was a teenager.   What I saw was my mother wiping the tears from her cheeks as she read a book.   The book? The book goes by the name The Desire of Ages and was written by Ellen White.   It is a book about the life of Jesus. Our family was having a difficult time in many ways. There were reasons for tears but that is not why they had come.   I knew what my mother was reading and her tears came not from sorrow but from appreciation for what Jesus went through for her.   Years later that image of my mother reading the book about Jesus would flash into my mind.   It provided the brakes I needed ...