Finding Hope Through Discovery in Bible Study

Full Class Teaching Notes December 25, 2010 Larry R Evans Introduction Rain and more rain. Day after day. That’s the story of many western states on the brink of Christmas. With the rain came devastation. Graphic pictures remind us of the power of water and mud. Many questions of the heart come to the surface as we see water racing down main streets, mud barging into living rooms and new homes falling from their perches and being escorted down swollen rivers by torrents of water. One home owner declared that this was enough for her. Her family’s lives were worth more than their house. Others wept saying, “We’ve lost everything.” In the midst of circumstances beyond our control we often ask, “Why?” “Where do we turn next?” Baruch, the special scribe for the prophet Jeremiah, had his own questions too. He had been faithful. He had been loyal to Jeremiah and it appeared he had a good future ahead of him. But then calamity came in pieces—bit by bit an...

Class Teaching Notes December 25, 2010 Larry R Evans Rain and more rain. Day after day. That’s the story of many western states on the brink of Christmas. With the rain came devastation. Graphic pictures remind us of the power of water and mud. Many questions of the heart come to the surface as we see water racing down main streets, mud barging into living rooms and new homes falling from their perches and being escorted down swollen rivers by torrents of water. One home owner declared that this was enough for her. Her family’s lives were worth more than their house. Others wept saying, “We’ve lost everything.” In the midst of circumstances beyond our control we often ask, “Why?” “Where do we turn next?” Baruch, the special scribe for the prophet Jeremiah, had his own questions too. He had been faithful. He had been loyal to Jeremiah and it appeared he had a good future ahead of him. But then calamity came in pieces. Jeremiah was put in prison d...

A destitute widow, two noteworthy football players and the wife of a presidential candidate – What do they all have in common and what don’t they have in common with this week’s Sabbath School lesson? Read on . . . (Teaching Notes Have Been Added) December 11, 2010 Larry Evans, Class Teacher An Introductory Commentary to This Week’s Study and Reflection The definition of faith is illusive. True we have the comment in Hebrews which says “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) but how does that help you define faith! That is hardly a definition. Wouldn’t that apply to just about anything? Take for example the high school football player in Washington state who said he was surprised he received a penalty for pointing to Heaven after a touchdown. "I do that to give glory to my Heavenly Father, Jesus. He gives me the strength. He's the one who gives me these abilities in the first place." What I fou...