Lesson 1 (Dec 26-Jan 1, 2021), Crisis of Identity

Hear O Heavens

1. Why do you think we are informed as to the times in which prophets ministered, such as the reigns of which kings and often the very years?
2. Why do God's people rebel against him? Is it for the same reasons that children rebel against their parents?
3. What exactly were the sins of Judah?

Rotten Ritualism

1. What is ritualism? Why did God himself establish rituals?
2. Why is worship meaningless if the worshiper is guilty of sins against the poor? Can one be guilty of sins against the poor merely by neglecting to encourage and defend them? 
3. Why do people attempt to worship even if they are guilty of not following God's instructions to help the oppressed?

The Argument of Forgiveness

1. Why is red a symbol of sin, and why is white a symbol of forgiveness? Is this color prejudice?
2. What does God mean by offering to "reason together" with sinners?
3. Can one be held guilty for the sin of leaders and the general population?

To Eat or Be Eaten

1. Why is "eat/devour" used to describe what the sword does?
2. In what sense can heaven or earth testify to what people do?
3. How true is it in this life that people disobedient to God are punished by the sword, and the good rewarded with sumptious food?

Ominous Love Song

1. What are the wonderful things that God did for his people Israel similar to what a gardener does for a plant?
2. In what ways is the plant to blame if the fruit is not good?
3. What more could God have done for Israel to draw a better response? What more could Israel have done in response to God's provisions and care?

Lesson 13 (Dec 19-25, 2020), Heaven, Education, and Eternal Learning

 The Fate of the Dead

1. What evidence or logic is there if any, that there is life after death?
2. Why would God want to allow humans to live forever?
3. If there is no life after death, is it worth being "good?"

A New Existence

1.  Why will there be a new heaven along with a new earth?
2. Why are tears wiped away only in the New Earth and not in Heaven?
3. How easy is it to have assurance of being in the New Earth?

Then Shall We Know

1. Will we ever run out of new things to learn in the earth made new? 
2. Will we remember everything we learn in the New Earth?
3. How will we learn in the New Earth?

The School in the Hereafter

1. How might it be possible to learn things without a microscope or telescope?
2. Why does Rev 21:1, 2 say there will there be no sea in the New Earth?
3. Will we need a teacher in the hereafter?

The Great Teacher

1. What qualified a person to use the term "Rabbi?"
2. What qualities does a teacher need to have to be successful?
3. What did Satan mean when he told Eve she could be like God if she ate the fruit of the forbidden tree? Was it a lie?
4.  Does one learn better inside a classroom or outside?

Lesson 12 (Dec 12-18, 2020), Sabbath: Experiencing and Living the Character of God

  Time to be Astonished

1. Are Genesis 1 and 2 two accounts of creation or one account? What makes the difference between one and two accounts of a story?
2. On the basis of Genesis 1 referring to God as Elohim and Genesis 2 using his name Yahweh, some scholars attribute the accounts to different sources? How valid is this argument? How many people have two "names"?
3. What kind of a relationship do you imagine between God and Adam before Eve was created?
4. What do you think Adam and Eve talked about when they first were introduced? What was there to talk about?

Time for Rediscovery

1. What could be the causes why humans forgot about the Sabbath? At what period do you think that happened?
2. Why do you think God supplied manna on Sabbath if he didn't want the Israelites to collect it on that day?
3. Why is the Sabbath full of restrictions? Why are Sabbath keepers so happy for the Sabbath to arrive on Friday evening, and yet equally happy for it to end on Saturday evening?
4. What does the fourth commandment imply about what should be avoided on Sabbath?

Time for Learning Priorities

1. What is the relevance of the Sabbath as a sign between God and his people Israel? Is Sabbath keeping still a sign that a people belong to God? Why or why not?
2. What significance is there in Isaiah's instruction about Sabbath keeping? What is the connection between work of the fourth commandment and "pleasure" in Isa 58?
3. Are you as a person generally more or are you less strict about Sabbath keeping today compared with the earlier part of your life? At the same time is your relationship with God closer now or before? What are reasons for your answer?

Time for Finding Balance

1. Why do you think religious leaders multiplied the restrictions in Sabbath observance after coming back from Babylon? Can anyone enjoy the Sabbath with full restrictions?
2. Why did Jesus heal on Sabbath? Couldn't he have come back another day?
3. Why didn't Jesus condemn his disciples for plucking grain on Sabbath? Is it okay to harvest on Sabbath?
4. How can children be educated on Sabbath observance so that they do not view it as a burden?

A Time for Community

1. Why do we need to go to church on Sabbath? Isn't it a day of rest? In fact why did Moses tell the Israelites not to come out of the house on Sabbath?
2. What are the benefits of attending church? Is it wrong to go for a walk in nature instead of going to church?
3. How has the lockdowns of recent months affected our religion? How has the lack of church affected our relationships with other members or with God?

Lesson 11 (Dec 5-11, 2020), The Christian and Work

 The Many Sides of Work

1. What does "work" mean? How can play be work?
2. Should a person work who does not need it for money? What are the blessings of work?
3. Would we consider what Adam was doing before sin as "work?" Why did Eden have to be dressed and kept?

Work and Nurture

1. What are kinds of work that do not involve the use of hands?
2.  Are we breaking the fourth commandment if we do not labour for six days a week?
3. What makes some people more generous and helpful than other people?

Work and Excellence

1. What is the cost of excellence--doing whatever we do to the best of our ability?
2. What makes people lazy? 
3. If work is good for humans why do modern inventions attempt to reduce effort?
4. Do we dishonour God if our churches are less than the cleanest and tidiest possible?

Work and Spirituality

1. How practical is it to manifest the gifts of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness etc. in the workplace?
2. How well do non-Christians display the gifts of the Spirit in their lives and work?
3. In what way are love, joy, peace, etc gifts? Are kindness and gentleness developed or are people born like that?

Work and Stewardship

1. What can we do now about all the time we wasted on the job in earlier years?
2. Do administrators who bear heavy responsibility have a right to benefits from the organization more than lower employees. 
3. What are ways in which a worker can show great stewardship in the workplace?

Lesson 10 (Nov 28-Dec 4, 2020), Education in Arts and Sciences

 The Lord Alone

1. What can a person learn about from God purely from nature?
2. How has sin corrupted in nature so that some may get a distorted view of God?
3. What makes something/anything beautiful? To what extent is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

The Beauty of Holiness

1. What is the difference in the phrases "beauty of holiness," and holiness of beauty?" Are they both true?
2. Should Christian homes and campuses be more beautiful that non-Christian ones? How can surroundings be beautified without undue expense?
3. Is there any beauty that is not holy?

Experts in Error

1. Why do some people still believe in a flat earth? How so we know that the earth is really spherical? 
2. When we use terms like "sunrise" and "sunset" are we implying the sun goes around the earth?
3. Why do we use the term "four corners of the earth?" What does it really mean? 

Foolishness and Wisdom

1. Should Adventist schools teach evolution? In case it has to be done how should it be handled?
2. Can an Adventist believe in continental drift and the ice age etc?
3. How far can Adventist go in understanding the age of the earth, since we just advocate a "short chronology?"

The Lord Answered Job

1. Why did God give Job a long lecture on nature?
2. What was Job's problem and how did that lecture on nature help him, so that he recanted at the end?
3. Why did God speak twice to Job? Would one have not been enough?
4. Why didn't Jesus teach humans about science and the universe?