30SEPT2013: Lesson 1:The Heavenly Sanctuary Read for This Week’s Study: Jer. 23:23-24; Ps. 89:14; Revelation 4 and 5; Ps. 11:4–7; Deut. 25:1; Heb. 8:1-2. Memory Text: “ ‘Then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause’ ” (1 Kings 8:49, NKJV). Where does God live?” The innocent question of a six-year-old could be quite perplexing. This question could easily lead to more difficult ones, such as, “If God lives in one place, how is it possible that He is everywhere?” Or, “Does God need a dwelling place?” Or, “If He doesn’t need one, why does He have one?” Or, “If He does need one, why does He need it?” Good questions, and, given the little we know (and the lot we don’t), they are not so easy to answer. Nevertheless, we can answer with what we do know. As Seventh-day Adventists, we know from the Bible that God dwells in heaven, that He is actively working in our behalf “up there,” and that the center of His work is in the heavenly sanctuary. Scripture is clear: the heavenly sanctuary is a real place, and from it we can learn truths about the character and work of our God. Thus the focus of this week’s lesson is the heavenly sanctuary and what God is doing there for us, because what He is doing in the sanctuary is, indeed, for us. Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 5. Sunday September 29 God’s Residence We often say that “God is everywhere.” Or that He is “omnipresent,” which means that He is present throughout the universe. “ ‘Am I a God near at hand, . . . and not a God afar off? . . . Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ ” (Jer. 23:23-24, NKJV). David understood, too, that nobody can flee from God (Psalm 139). Indeed, as Paul argues, God is close to everyone, at least in a spiritual sense (Acts 17:27-28). Complementing God’s attribute of omnipresence is His eternal existence. God has neither beginning nor end (Ps. 90:2). He has always been and will always be (Jude 1:25). Read 1 Kings 8:49 and Psalm 102:19. What do they teach us about the place where God dwells? How are we to understand what this means? Can we understand it? The Scriptures are full of statements about God’s residence being in heaven (1 Kings 8:30, 43, 49). Does this mean that God is more present in heaven than He is anywhere else? God obviously dwells in heaven in a special way, in His glorious presence and pure holiness. The greatest manifestation of God’s presence exists in heaven. There is a difference, however, between God’s “general presence” and His “special presence.” God is generally present everywhere; yet, He chooses to reveal Himself in a special way in heaven and, as we will see, in the heavenly sanctuary. Of course, we have to admit that we are limited in our understanding of His physical nature. He is spirit (John 4:24) and as such cannot be contained in any structure or dimension (1 Kings 8:27). Even so, the Bible presents heaven (John 14:1–3) and the heavenly sanctuary as real places (Heb. 8:2) where God can be seen (Acts 7:55-56; Rev. 4:2-3). We have to believe that even heaven and the heavenly sanctuary are places where God condescends to meet His creation. There are many things that are difficult for us to imagine or understand, such as the dwelling place of God. Yet, the Bible says that this dwelling place is real. How can we learn to trust in all that the Bible teaches us, no matter how hard it is sometimes to understand? Why is it important for us to learn to trust even when we don’t understand? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***For further study, click the following links: 4th Quarter **entire online lesson:ssnet.org/lessons/13d/less01.html **Collegiate Quarterly (CQ): cqbiblestudy.org/article/464/cq-april-june-lessons/archives/second-quarter-2013/2q13-lesson-two#.UV89KMop7X8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** Downloadable lessons in PDF: **Standard Edition: absg.adventist.org/Standard.htm **Teacher’s Edition: absg.adventist.org/Teachers.htm **Easy Reading Edition: absg.adventist.org/EasyReading.htm **Collegiate Quarterly (CQ): cqbiblestudy.org/article/3/cq-april-june-lessons#.UV88xMop7X9
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 21:55:42 +0000
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