Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Read Luke 12:16–21. What’s the relevant message to us here? What strong rebuke did the Lord give to the foolish man, and what should that say to us regarding our attitude toward what we own? Though the message is broader than this, one could argue that this was a story Jesus told about what not to do in retirement. Accordingly, if a person is quitting work to spend his accumulated assets on himsel...

Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 12:16–21, Eccles. 2:18– 22, Prov. 27:23–27, 2 Cor. 4:18, Eccles. 5:10, Col. 1:15–17. Memory Text: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13). As we near the end of our earning years...

Further Thought: In the conquest of Jericho, Achan was not the only man carrying silver and gold back to the camp of Israel. Joshua had told the men to bring back the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron to the treasury of the house of God (Josh. 6:19, 24). Everything else was to be burned. Achan, however, was the only man to keep something for himself. “Of the millions of Israel there wa...

Overcoming Covetousness Covetousness is a matter of the heart and, like pride and selfishness, often goes unnoticed, which is why it can be so deadly and deceiving. It’s hard enough overcoming sins that are obvious: lying, adultery, stealing, idolatry, Sabbath breaking. But these are outward acts, things that we have to think about before we do them. But to overcome wrong thoughts themselves? That...

Ananias and Sapphira It was an exciting time to be a member of the church. Following the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the apostles were preaching the gospel with power, and thousands were joining the church. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God...

The Heart of Judas One of the most tragic stories in the Bible is that of Judas Iscariot. This man had a privilege that only 11 other people in all the history of the world have had: to have been with Jesus all that time and to have learned eternal truths directly from the Master Himself. How sad that many people who never had anything remotely like the opportunities that Judas had will be saved,...

An Accursed Thing in the Camp It was arguably one of the grandest times in the history of Israel. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they were finally enter- ing the Promised Land. Through a dramatic miracle, the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River at its flood stage—on dry land. This dry-land crossing was so impressive that the hearts of the heathen kings in Canaan melted, and...

The Ultimate Original Sin? The question often arises, and understandably so, about how sin arose in God’s universe. We understand how, at least somewhat. And at its heart, it was because of covetousness. Perhaps covetousness, then, is the ultimate original sin. Read Isaiah 14:12–14. What hints are given there about the fall of Lucifer? How did covetousness play a crucial role in that fall? “Not co...

Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 14:12–14, Eph. 5:5, Joshua 7, John 12:1–8, Acts 5:1–11, 1 Cor. 10:13. Memory Text: “ ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses’ ” (Luke 12:15, NKJV). Covetousness has been defined as an inordinate desire for wealth or possessions that really don’t belong to you. Covetousness is a big deal, big...

Further Thought: “No scheme of business or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the brief years of this present life and makes no provision for the unending future. . . . No man can lay up treasure in heaven without finding his life on earth thereby enriched and ennobled.” —Ellen G. White, Education, p. 145. “That which lies at the foundation of business integrity and of true s...

Seeking Godly Counsel There are scores of secular money-management gurus out there, but God warned us against consulting them for the management of the assets He has entrusted to us. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and...

Working With Integrity Another phase of a “successful” life, the last phase, has the potential to be the most enjoyable—if the decisions of the earlier years have been wise and not ruined by unexpected events. In an ideal situation the parents have raised their children to become independent adults, the home is paid for, the transportation needs are met, there are no lingering debts, and there is...

The Earning Years As we have seen, God intended for humans to work in one capacity or another. This part of our life (the working years) is usually about 40 years long. For many people this is the time when children are being brought up and educated and when the home and other major purchases are acquired. This can be a very intense time financially. It is a very sensitive time because the family...

The Blessing of Work (Ideally) Unless you are independently wealthy, or the beneficiary of a trust fund that Mommy and/or Daddy set up for you so that you would never have to work a day in your life (if you read many stories about these kids, the money, meant to be a blessing, often leads to tragedy for them as adults), you will sooner or later need to work for a living. The ideal, of course, is t...

First Things First Read Ecclesiastes 12:1. What’s the message there for us? As youths mature into adulthood, thoughts will arise about having to provide for basic needs—food, clothing, and shelter. Jesus Himself has told us how to prioritize our needs when He said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). Of course, f...

Read for This Week’s Study: Eccles. 12:1; Gen. 2:15; 1 Tim. 5:8; Col. 3:23, 24; Gen. 39:2–5; Prov. 3:5–8. Memory Text: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23, 24, NKJV). Most people want to live a “successful” and happy life. Of course, in a falle...

Further Thought: “ ‘When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another.’ Thus Christ on the Mount of Olives pictured to His disciples the scene of the great judgment day. And He represented its decision as turning upon one point. When...

Consider the Man Job Read Job 1:8. How was Job described by God Himself? That’s pretty good, having even God call Job “perfect” and “upright” (Job 1:8), so perfect and upright that no one else on the earth at that time could equal him. Again, these are God’s own words, verbatim, about Job. Even after Job faced one catastrophe after another, God repeated what He had first said about Job, that there...

Zacchaeus was a wealthy Jew who had made his money by working as a tax collector for the hated Romans. For that, and because he and other tax collectors exacted more tax than was really due, Zacchaeus was hated and called a “sinner.” Zacchaeus lived in Jericho, which sat on a trade route with much business commerce. The meeting of Zacchaeus and Jesus was not a coincidence. Zacchaeus had apparently...

The Rich Young Ruler We don’t know much about the rich young ruler other than that he was young, a ruler, and rich. And he had an interest in spiritual things. He was so energetic that he came running to Jesus (Mark 10:17). He was excited to learn about eternal life. This story is so important that it is recorded in all three synoptic Gospels: Matthew 19:16–22, Mark 10:17–22, and Luke 18:18–23. Re...

God’s Provision for the Poor In their writings, the Bible’s authors included many of God’s provi- sions for the poor, the strangers, the widows, and the fatherless. We have records of this that go all the way back to Mount Sinai. “ ‘Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what...

The Life and Ministry of Jesus Early in His public ministry, Jesus traveled to Nazareth, in the region of Galilee. This was His hometown, and the local people already had heard of His work and miracles. As His custom was, Jesus attended Sabbath services in the synagogue. Though Jesus was not the officiat- ing rabbi, the attendant handed Him the Isaiah scroll and asked Him to give the Scripture rea...

Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 4:16–19; Isa. 62:1, 2; Deut. 15:11; Matt. 19:16–22; Luke 19:1–10; Job 29:12–16. Memory Text: “ ‘Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” ’ ” (Matthew 25:34, NKJV). The Bible speaks often of the strangers (sometimes called aliens), the fatherless, and th...

Further Thought: God honored His part of the covenant by bless- ing Abraham. And Abraham honored God by not storing up treasures on this earth. “The heritage that God has promised to His people is not in this world. Abraham had no possession in the earth, ‘no, not so much as to set his foot on.’ Acts 7:5. He possessed great substance, and he used it to the glory of God and the good of his fellow m...

Moses in Egypt The character of Moses dominated the early years of sacred history. He was kept alive in the providence of God, who worked through an enterprising mother and a caring sister. When Pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses in the ark of bulrushes, she asked his Hebrew mother to care for him and paid her to do so. What a blessed challenge for a young mother who was an exile and slave! Joche...