Lesson for April 28, 2013: The Lord Will Triumph (2 Thessalonians 2)

2 Thessalonians 2 King James Version (KJV)

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

² That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
³ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
⁴ Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
⁵ Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
⁶ And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
⁷ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
⁸ And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
⁹ Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
¹³ But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
¹⁴ Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
¹⁶ Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
¹⁷ Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

 

Lesson for April 21, 2013: The Lord Will Return

By Sam E. Stone

The apostle Paul founded the church in Thessalonica on his second missionary journey (Acts 17). Because he was not able to stay with the new converts as long as he would have liked, he continued to instruct them by letter.  A central theme in both epistles to the Thessalonians is the topic of today’s study—the return of Jesus Christ.

Return
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Paul describes Christians who have already died as those who sleep in death. In the New Testament, death is often compared to sleep for the believer (Luke 8:52; John 11:11; Acts 7:60). It lasts only for a brief period. Therefore, Christians should not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

Grief is natural.  When his friend Lazarus died, even Jesus wept (John 11:35). When Stephen died, the people wept (Acts 8:2). But when believers grieve, there is a difference.  We have hope.  The unsaved do not.  They are “without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). For the believer, Paul explained, “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

The Thessalonian Christians were eager for Christ’s return.  It appears, however, that some were worried their brothers and sisters who had already died might miss it.  Paul assured them this would not happen. God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. The Lord had revealed to Paul that we who are still alive . . . will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. Believers still living at the time of Christ’s return will not have an advantage over those who died trusting Jesus.

The apostle explained exactly what would occur. The Lord himself will come down from heaven with . . . the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. The voice of Jesus will call all his people (John 5:25-30).  Once he called Lazarus from death to life with a word (John 11:43). When he returns, the Lord will summon every Christian with the voice of the archangel. Countless angels will accompany Jesus when he returns (Matthew 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7). As at Mt. Sinai, God’s trumpet will also be heard (Exodus 19:16; Hebrews 12:19).

Believers who are living when Jesus returns will meet the Lord in the air. Like the Lord caught away Philip after he baptized the Ethiopian (Acts 8:39), so he will catch us up to meet him as he returns to earth.  So we will be with the Lord forever.

Some Bible students like to discuss technicalities.  Will we actually go to Heaven at that moment, or will that come later?  The important thing is that we will be with Jesus.  Wherever he is, all will be well. This passage wasn’t written to answer all our questions about eschatology (the study of last things). Instead it is intended to encourage us to live faithfully until death.

Readiness
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
We don’t need to know the precise date and time when the Lord will return.  Instead, we are to be ready

always for that moment.  The apostle compares the event to a thief’s visit.  No one knows when to expect a robber.  Neither can anyone predict when Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36).  Nor can expectant parents know exactly when their baby will be born.  An obstetrician may tell the mother-to-be when her baby is due, but the baby may have other plans!

Though the Lord will come like a thief in the night, we need not be “in the dark” about it.  Instead, we are to be watching and waiting. The children of the night face destruction while faithful believers are children of the light and children of the day. Expecting his imminent return, Christians are to be like soldiers prepared for battle (see Ephesians 6:13-17).

The Christian’s destiny is to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus did not appoint us to suffer wrath.  He came to deliver us from judgment, not bring us into condemnation (John 3:17). Whether we are still living when Jesus returns, or whether we are in the sleep called death, we need have no fear (Philippians 1:23).  

All will find new life in Christ. Our goal is to encourage one another. Help other Christians.  Don’t tear them down, but build them up (Jude 20; Romans 15:2).

Lesson for April 14, 2013: The Lord Sends the Spirit

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.

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By Sam E. Stone

Jesus had told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to them (John 14:15-17). Today’s lesson tells when that occurred. It happened on the Day of Pentecost, immediately following his resurrection. Pente means 50^th. Pentecost was observed on the 50^th day after the Sabbath of Passover week. At Passover, Jesus had been crucified; at Pentecost, the inauguration of his earthly kingdom took place.

Passover provided a time to remember when the Lord “passed over” those Jewish households in Egypt which had been marked with the blood of a Passover lamb. It signaled their release from bondage in that foreign land. Pentecost was known as the “Festival of Weeks.” At this annual celebration Jewish pilgrims came to Jerusalem to thank God for a good harvest.

The Spirit
Acts 2:1-4
They were all together in one place. W. R. Walker suggests that they “doubtless refers to the apostles only, not to the entire 120 of their company. This is the natural conclusion from the fact that Acts 1:26 mentions the ‘eleven apostles,’ the nearest antecedent of ‘they.’”

The exact location of their meeting is not mentioned. It could have been at the home of one of Christ’s followers. Many think they were gathered in a room in the temple area, since the disciples had been staying there continually (Luke 24:53). Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the house. It sounded like wind, but it was not wind. In similar fashion, the Spirit of God energized the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 37:9, 10; John 3:8). A divine flame came to rest above each apostle. Fire often symbolizes God’s presence in Scripture (see Exodus 3:2).

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. In the verses that follow, the apostles preached the message of salvation. Jesus had promised that he would baptize them in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 8; Luke 24:49). Now the apostles were able to speak in various languages, languages they could not use in normal circumstances (Acts 2:6-12).

The Reaction
Acts 2:5-13
Many Jews were present in Jerusalem. A large number of them had traveled a great distance from home to attend the two feasts. Others lived there year-round. Some of the nations represented are listed in verses 9-11. The sound like a mighty wind had attracted a crowd; hearing many foreign languages spoken at once was even more compelling. Each one heard their own language being spoken. The miracle was in the speaking of the apostles rather than in the hearing of the people.

The crowd was utterly amazed! Luke heaps up descriptive words to explain the tremendous impression this miracle made. The people asked each other, “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?” People could recognize the apostles by their dialect (Matthew 26:73). God chose the perfect miracle. The apostles could not only convince people from many countries of the divine message, but also communicate the gospel itself to them clearly, each in his own language. An interesting way to see the great distance from which the people had come is to look up on a map all the places that are listed.

The people’s response was mixed. Many asked, “What does this mean?” Some have described the experience that day as “Babel reversed.” The people had never seen or heard anything like this. Some made fun of the apostles saying, “They have had too much wine.” Years later the apostle Paul warned that a stranger entering a Christian meeting in which all were speaking in tongues might conclude that they were mad (1 Corinthians 14:23).

The Message
Acts 2:14-16
What followed was the first Christian sermon ever preached. The Savior had instructed his followers to wait until they received power from on high before taking the message of salvation to a lost world. They did just that. Now that the Holy Spirit had obviously and miraculously come on them, they were ready. Simon Peter stepped forward to speak out. Although he had denied his master on the night when Judas betrayed him, Peter had repented completely and Jesus had reinstated him (John 21:15-19).

First, Peter refuted the accusation that they were drunk. “It’s only 9:00 a.m.,” he told them. No one gets drunk so early in the morning! Instead, Peter explained, this is what the prophet Joel predicted years before. He then began to tell them who Jesus is and what he had done. This basic presentation of Jesus as “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36, NIV 1984) was used by all the apostles in the years that followed.

Lesson for March 17, 2013: Gabriel Interprets Daniel’s Vision

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
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By Sam E. Stone
The type of prophecies that Daniel gave to the Jews are frequently called apocalyptic. Using a great deal of symbolic language and unusual pictures of animals and people, his messages—like those in Revelation—are often difficult to interpret. In today’s lesson we have a great advantage: God’s messenger explains what the vision means! The interpretation points to a future time, not the Babylonian Empire with which Daniel and his people were dealing when he wrote.

Tremper Longman III notes, “The connection of Daniel 8 with chapter 7 is obvious. The first verse associates the two by introducing the second vision as occurring after the one already given. It comes from approximately the same time period (Belshazzar’s third year). Both visions compare the leaders to animals, showing hostility between the earthly kingdoms and the divine realm.”

Meeting the Interpreter
Daniel 8:1, 15-19
In this chapter the author reverts to the Hebrew language. (Daniel had used Aramaic in 2:4-7:28.) James E. Smith observes, “This change was appropriate because from this point on God revealed to Daniel what would happen to his people in the more immediate future.” Daniel had felt “deeply troubled” by what he had seen (7:15, 28). During this time he continued to pray to the Lord.

In the vision he saw himself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam, beside the Ulai Canal. This city later became one of the chief centers of the Persian Empire. Verses 3-14 record the vision itself. Our printed text explains its meaning. Daniel heard a man’s voice from the Ulai call, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” Gabriel is the first angel to be named in the Bible. Later he appears in the New Testament to announce the great acts of redemption soon to take place (Luke 1:19, 26).

Daniel fell prostrate on the ground. Gabriel asked if he understood this vision. Then he raised Daniel to his feet and declared, “I am going to tell you what will happen later . . . because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.”

Receiving the Interpretation
Daniel 8:20-26
Gabriel began to explain the vision to Daniel. The two-horned ram . . . represents the kings of Media and Persia. Two kingdoms combined into one when Cyrus conquered the Medes, took over their territory, and proclaimed himself king of Persia (modern Iran). He ruled over the Jews, later allowing them to return to their homeland and simply pay tribute to him.

This arrangement lasted for some time. Then Alexander the Great of Greece (the “large horn” or the “first king” in the vision) came into power, conquered the Persians, and ruled over Palestine. He was born about 194 years after Daniel’s vision. Next the vision shows four horns replacing the one that was broken off. When Alexander died at age 33 in 323 BC, his kingdom was eventually divided among four of his generals (called the Diadochi). No single one of them could match the power he had.

Next on the scene appears a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue. Antiochus IV (known as Epiphanes) started out small and grew large through his military success, expanding his influence into Egypt, Persia, Parthia, and Armenia, in addition to Palestine.

He is described as completely wicked. He could not be destroyed by human power, but he will be unable to stand against the Prince of princes (God). In the second century before Christ, the Lord allowed him to use his might and power to punish the Jews, because of their rebellion against God (Daniel 8:23). For a long period he will succeed in whatever he does and destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will be destroyed eventually, but not by human power.

“The angelic interpreter reaffirms the time frame of the suffering and its end,” points out Longman. The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future. “Even in historical retrospect we cannot be dogmatic about the meaning of the 2,300 evenings and mornings (v. 14).

The number is given not so much so that those who read Daniel’s sixth-century prognostications in the second century could compute when the suffering would stop as much as to assure them that God had things under control.”

Lesson for March 17, 2013: Gabriel Interprets Daniel’s Vision

Daniel 8

King James Version (KJV)

8 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.

 

² And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

³ Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

⁴ I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

⁵ And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

⁶ And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.

⁷ And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

⁸ Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

⁹ And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

¹⁰ And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

¹¹ Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.

¹² And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

¹³ Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

¹⁴ And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.

¹⁶ And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

¹⁷ So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

¹⁸ Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.

¹⁹ And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

²⁰ The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

²¹ And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

²² Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

²³ And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

²⁴ And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

²⁵ And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

²⁶ And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

²⁷ And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.

Announcement: The Easter Play!

Announcement: The Easter Play!  

 

The play for the adults is a non speaking play and we will only have to act out the narration.  The youth play is very simple, plus they youth will have recitations.  

 

On Sunday, the youth will receive their recitations. 

 

This is the first of 4 we want to put on in 2013 - Remember St. Augusta Play Members, you are on CONTRACT!   :-)

The rehearsal dates will be as follows:
Thurs. 3/14  @ 6:30 p. .m.
Sat. 3/16 @ 10 a.m.
Tues. 3/18 @ 6:30 p.m.
Thurs. 3/21 @ 6:30 p.m.

Lesson for March 10, 2013: Daniel’s Prayer (Daniel 9)

Daniel 9:4-17

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
⁵ We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
⁶ Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
⁷ O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
⁸ O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
⁹ To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
¹⁰ Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
¹¹ Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
¹² And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
¹³ As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
¹⁴ Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
¹⁶ O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.

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By Sam E. Stone

“The events of Daniel 9 were triggered by the reading of Scripture,” explains James E. Smith. “Daniel had access to a collection of prophetic literature which included the scroll of Jeremiah. He noted in Jeremiah 25:11 that the desolations of Jerusalem were to end after the termination of the seventy years of Babylonian world rule.”

This is the background for Daniel’s prayer that we study today. It is surely one of the most heartfelt pleas to God found anywhere in the Bible. Daniel knew well that the captivity came because of the disobedience of his people. He admits this freely. They needed to repent and receive God’s mercy.

When God brought the Israelites back into the promised land from their Egyptian bondage, he told them that their well-being depended upon their obedience to his law. If they proved unfaithful, they would be given into the hands of their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). That happened. But God had also assured them that if they would repent and return to him again, he would restore them (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). It is this assurance that prompted Daniel to pray for his people.

Confession
Daniel 9:4-6
When Daniel came before the Lord, he was well aware of what God had already done for his people. He had prompted Cyrus to issue a decree in favor of the Jews (Ezra 1). Although the Jews themselves were responsible for the exile, even so God’s mercy had not changed. None could say that God had not kept his covenant of love with those who . . . keep his commandments. The Jews had brought the punishment of captivity on themselves. We have been wicked and have rebelled, Daniel admitted.

God had permitted the godless Babylonians to conquer the Jews as punishment for their turning away(his) servants the prophets to warn the people. from his commands. He had warned them about this long before (Deuteronomy 28:1-14; 64-68). Daniel lived centuries after those words were written, when Israel was suffering for having broken the covenant. They experienced the curses connected with disobedience. Even though this happened, God used

Realization
Daniel 9:7-14
Over and over Daniel reminded the people of their wrongdoing—using words like shame, unfaithfulness, rebellion, and sin. Moreover, he is careful to include everyone in his confession of the nation’s sin. It involved Jerusalem, as well as both Judah and Israel. It included all of the groups within the land—we and our kings, our princes, and our ancestors. No one could claim that he or she was innocent.

Over the years God had sent his prophets faithfully and frequently in his continuing effort to get the nation to repent and return to him. Daniel prayed that the captivity not be prolonged, but that God grant mercy now to the Jews. Paul Butler wrote, “That Daniel was in earnest is indicated by the fact that he fasted and humbled himself in sackcloth and ashes—the customary attire for a Jew who wished to subdue the flesh in order to concentrate on the spiritual.”

It is as if Daniel told God, “You are right and we are wrong!” Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. Even when God executes judgment on his disobedient children, he is completely in the right. The Lord our God is righteous in everything he does. The prophets spoke truth when they faithfully delivered their messages of warning and called for repentance. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and many others were sent by God, but still the people would not listen.

Appeal
Daniel 9:17
The printed text does not include vv. 15 and 16. There Daniel asked God, “In keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem.” He added, Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. His prayer continues through v. 19, but v. 17 summarizes his final appeal. The nations have profaned the Lord’s name, his city of Jerusalem, his temple, and his people (see Ezekiel 36:21-23). Daniel prayed in effect, “Don’t let them tarnish your name, God! Not for the sake of the people, but for your sake, God, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.”