Adult Sunday School Lesson

Please note, I am enclosing the next two weeks lessons in this posting

Join Our ZOOM Sunday School Classes - 17 November at 09:00 AM, EST
Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Passcode: 6689872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09
A Song of Thanksgiving
(Songs of Praise)
Psalm 100
Devotional Reading: Ephesians 5:1-2, 15-20
Background Scripture: Psalm 100

AIM FOR CHANGE:
UNDERSTAND why and how God is to be worshipped, as found in Psalm 100,
APPRECIATE that God is worthy to be praised, and
CREATE a psalm of praise for the Lord.

KEEP IN MIND:
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name." (Psalm 100:4, NRSV).

BACKGROUND:

Psalm l00 invites God's people to join together in worshiping the Lord.  It is both a hymn, a liturgical psalm (or a call to worship), and a kingship psalm. As is common in such psalms, the people gather in Zion ("gates" are a reference to the city), the city of the Great King.

Three times each year, all of Israel was commanded to gather and feast together (Exodus 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16). The pilgrimages reminded Israel that they were the people of God united by their worship of the one true God. It also served as a reminder that they were looking forward to a day when they would meet God in Zion (Jerusalem) and enthrone Him as King forever. The pilgrimage made them long for their King, as did each call to come worship inside the gates of the Lord.
 

Lesson Commentary:

The Call for all the Earth to Enter The Lord's Presence (Psalm 100:1, NRSV)

¹Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.

This psalm begins with a summons to worship: "Make a joyful noise. . . come . . . enter into his gates... [and] into his courts with praise."  These are commands of exhortation, not imperatives.  They are not part of the Law (e.g. "do not steal").  Yet the expectation is that the members of Israel will answer the summons with their presence.

The exhortation goes to Israel and the nations.  The full earth receives this summons.  No one was excluded from this call, just as no one is excluded from the call of the Gospel.  This was an Old Covenant call to all to meet with the one true God.  Many other psalms of this type have the same call for a corporate body to worship the Lord (e.g., Psalm 46; 95; 124; 135)

1.    Why is it important to gather as a group to worship God instead of worshiping individually?

2.    In what ways does your worship remind you of God’s kingship?

Scenes of Celebration (Psalm 100:2-4, NRSV)

²Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.

"Joyful noise," "gladness," "singing," "thanksgiving," "praise," "thankful," and "bless.''  The expectation was that the experience in the Temple would be a celebratory meeting with God.  This would be a greater celebration than any post-election party for a winning candidate, or any ticker-tape parade for a national sports championship team.  This is a call to celebrate the King of all.

Those coming would not need to wait on any musician or priest to worship.  They themselves, having been exhorted to worship with specific commands

1.    Why is music integral to so many public events and celebrations?

Knowledge of the Greatness of God (Psalms 100:3, 5, NRSV)

³Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁵For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

"Know" (v. 3) is the motivation for the celebration in verses 1-2.  We worship that we might know Him relationally.  The call for Israel to worship was not detached from personal intimacy with God.  

Likewise, "for" (v. 5) introduces the reason for the celebratory acts of verse 4: The Lord is good, His covenantal love is eternally secure, and He is faithful to His covenant people forever despite themselves.  God's love and faithfulness are the most paired traits of God praised in the psalms.  It is only in knowing God as Creator and Shepherd, as one always good toward us, that our individual hearts will be stirred to celebrate Him.  When everyone who has this knowledge comes together to speak, sing, and learn of Him, a celebration of great magnitude should take place.  

1.        What characteristics of God draw you to worship Him?

2.        What are some other ways we are like sheep and God is like a shepherd?

3.        The Lord intends for worship of Him to begin before we get to His courts and gates.  Yet we often are quite casual in our approach to our corporate worship gathering each week.  How does our daily interaction with God contribute to how we approach our weekly gathering to Him? 

Lesson in Our Society

Because of the culture's emphasis on personal comfort and freedom, we carry a strong sense of personal autonomy with us into both our walk with God and our worship of Him.  It is common for us to think worship is something that should be guided by preference or feelings rather than being guided by the Scriptures.  However, it should not seem surprising that God would dictate to us how to worship Him.  By following God's teachings in the psalms, we will worship in a way that honors Him rather than simply in a way that pleases ourselves.

Next Week Lesson:  24 November 2024 at 09:00 AM, EST

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 24 November 2024 at 09:00 AM, EST

Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09
God’s Promised Presence
(Wonderful, Marvelous!)
Printed Text: Psalm 139:1-12
Devotional Reading: Exodus 33:12-23
Bible Background: Psalm 139

AIM FOR CHANGE:

DEVELOP a greater sense of self-worth and intimacy with God;
REFLECT on the all-knowing God and our relationship; and

KEEP IN MIND:

"O LORD, you have searched me and known me." (Psalm 139:1, NRSV).

BACKGROUND: 

Today one often hears of people having an identity crisis, or a midlife crisis. These expressions refer to people in search of answers to the question, "Who am I, really?"  It should not be surprising to us that this question is asked so frequently.  The prevailing notion is that we are a part of a vast universe.  Psalm 139 presents us with a man who is seriously thinking about himself and his relationship to an all-knowing, ever present, all-powerful Creator.  Psalm 139 teaches us that God is omnipresent (all-present or present everywhere), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipotent (all-powerful). Nothing can escape His divine presence or knowledge.

LESSON COMMENTARY:

The Unfathomable Knowledge of God (Psalm 139:1-2, NRSV)

¹ O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.

The psalm opens with David's declaration of God's divine omnipresence.  David rejoices in the fact that the Lord has intimate knowledge of our thoughts and our actions.  His declaration is fueled by a repetition of verbs that define the word "know" (NIV, emphasis added): "You have searched" (v. 1); "you perceive" (v. 2); "you discern" and "are familiar" (v. 3); and "you know it completely" (v. 4).  These phrases make it clear that there is no part of David's (or, by extension, our) character that is hidden from God, who has exhaustive knowledge of David's very soul.

Because we are human, we perceive through our senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.  There are limits to what our senses let us perceive and understand.  For instance, scientists have discovered that our sense of taste is altered if we are blindfolded and asked to taste something.  God's senses are not limited in any way.  His Spirit "searcheth all things" (1 Corinthians 2:10).  The exhaustive knowledge God has concerning each of us is echoed further in the New Testament.  God is so aware of us that He has numbered the hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7).  God knows our prayers before we pray them (Matthew 6:8). God hears every whispered word, and one day He will shout them from the housetops (Luke 12:3).

The Inescapable Presence of God (Psalm 139:3-6, NRSV)

³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely.
⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.

The phrase in Psalm 139:3, "My downsitting and mine uprising," denotes God's awareness of our actions and our conduct.  God also is aware of our strengths and our weaknesses.  We can rest in the knowledge that He is aware of every frustration in our lives.  The temptations we battle daily are known to Him; our dreams and aspirations are no secret to Him.

When David acknowledges, "Thou compassest my path" (verse 3), he is saying that God is in control.  It is not fate, not chance or happenstance that charts the path ahead for us; it is He—the true and living God.  It is God who tells us when to stop and rest.  He gives us time for spiritual refreshment to pause from the stress and weariness of this life.  Consequently, we should be careful to listen when the Lord tells us to slow down and rest.  These are times for us to meditate and rest in Him, and He will reward our obedience with spiritual renewal.

The next verses reveal that God is fully aware of our motivations and actions.  Even when it is unclear to us why we say and do the things we say and do, God knows because He has planned our days, guided our ways, and protected our path.

God, the Omnipresent One (Psalm 139:7-12)

⁷Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
⁹If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
¹¹If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,"
¹²even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.

The Lord is always with us, even in times of tremendous pressure, trials, and tribulations.  God promised that He would never leave or forsake us.  God will never violate His own Word, for it is impossible for Him to lie (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 6:18).  Scripture tells us that no matter where we go, God is close at hand. We cannot hide from the Spirit of God, nor can we at any time elude His presence.  There are times when we act as if this truth did not exist—for example, when we curse out our neighbor, pocket company stationery, or lie about a car accident.  No matter how much we try to justify our actions; say, "No one will ever know the truth; or think It’s their word against mine, God is the ultimate eyewitness.  He sees and hears everything, and it is God to whom we will eventually have to give an account (Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12; Hebrews 4:13).

Fortunately, the Lord has given us a Helper who guides us in the things of God and reminds us of His Word.  He is called the Holy Spirit, and He lives in the heart of every believer.  Wherever we go, we take Him with us. This truth should remind us to be "God-conscious" in every situation and encourage us to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily activities.

Anger is a typical response at the beginning of most hardships.  We feel victimized and wonder, "Why me?"  As we grow in the Lord and become spiritually mature Christians, we learn that God is worthy of praise because He is God.  Our current situation does not dictate our response to Him.  He was worthy before the problem arrived and will remain worthy whether the problem stays or goes away.  Spiritually mature Christians have learned to appreciate God in both good and bad times.  Their response to Him is not based on superficial or temporary circumstances; they have learned to praise Him during seasons of prosperity and seasons of adversity.  Developing a "God-centered" attitude, where the Lord is the focus of praise, will help us get through the "highs" and "lows" that come with living this Christian walk.

According to the Word of God, we are made wonderfully!  Our "wonderful" status is not based on how we feel about ourselves because much of what we feel about ourselves has been prescribed to us by the world.  We do not judge ourselves according to the world’s standards.  We do not view ourselves according to the world’s viewpoint.  Our self-worth is based on the standards of God. God’s Word defines who we are, and His Word has much to say about us.  For example, the Bible tells us that we are righteous and holy in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30), we are justified through Him (Romans 3:24), we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), we are adopted as God’s children (Ephesians 1:5-6), and we are forgiven by God through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:7).  Who we are in Christ does not make us better or less than anyone else.  Our position in Him is given to us by God’s mercy and grace, not by our good deeds.  This truth should remind us to walk humbly before others.

DISCUSS THE MEANING:

1.    As we grow and mature in our relationship with the Lord, we become more Christlike and we also become more aware of our sin. Explain why our hatred of sin should grow as we mature in our relationship with the Lord.

2.    What are the benefits of asking God to examine our hearts? What are some of the consequences of not asking?

3.    What insights have been gained in recognizing that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient?

4.    When experiencing difficulties in life, why do some adults blame God?

LESSON IN SOCIETY:

This lesson raises a very important question for Christians: Exactly what does it mean to be so completely known by God?  Many of us spend a great deal of time and energy hiding ourselves from other people.  We are so afraid that people won't accept the "real" us.  So, it may be a terrifying thought to some to know that because God is all-knowing, we have nowhere to hide.  Well, here's the wonderful news: Yes, God knows absolutely everything about each one of us—everything!  And in His infinite wisdom, He loves us just the way we are!  Like the most loving of parents, He continues to call us into a loving relationship with Him.

NEXT WEEKS LESSON:  1 December 2024 at 09:00 AM, EST

The Ancestry of God
(Jesus’ Ancestry)
Printed Text: Ruth 4:9-17; Luke 3:23, 31-32
Devotional Reading: Galatians 4:1-7
Bible Background: Ruth 1-4, Luke 3:23-38

Sources:

Achtemeier, Paul J. Harper's Bible Dictionary. 1st ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985.

Allen, Leslie C., Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 21, Psalm 101-150. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002.

Biblical Studies Press: The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.

Brown, Raymond E., S. S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S. J.; Roland E. Murphy, O Carm. The Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

Dummelow, J. R., M.A. Rev. The One Volume Bible Commentary. New York: The Macmillan Company Publishers, 1961.

Estes, Daniel J., New American Commentary: Psalms 73-150, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, Volume 13. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2019.

James Orr, M.A., D.D., International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Electronic Edition, Parsons Technology, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1998.

Nowell, Irene, The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary, Volume III: Introduction to Hebrew Poetry, Job, Psalms, Introduction to Wisdom Literature, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, New York: Abingdon Press, 2015.

Morris, William, ed., Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: Psalms Vol III. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004

Strong, James, Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, Electronic Edition STEP Files, QuickVerse, a division of Findex.com, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska. 2003.

Vine, W.E. Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Edited by Merrill F. Unger and William White Jr., Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.