Displaying 61 - 90 of 332 in total
Ruth 1 - In the days when the judges ruled
Moral growth and moral decline may be intertwined throughout history. The story of Ruth is well-known and widely loved, and for good reason. It's a love story, with v...
2 Samuel 12 - You are the man!
How to "preach our unique remnant message" while staying alert to the challenge that we too can fall into the "heinous sins described in Rev 13"? The first situation ...
Psalm 67 - You judge the peoples with equity
The Psalms explore themes of suffering, judgement, good and evil. However, it is possible this is due to such things being an almost universal part of human experienc...
Psalm 5 - Bloodthirsty and deceitful
How can we best use images and symbols in "God's songbook", the Psalms? The lesson this week comments on judgement themes in Psalm 5. We find it somewhat difficult to...
Ezekiel 2 - A rebellious people
The foundation of prophecy is perhaps hope. In the end, the Bible says in so many ways, God and goodness do triumph. Prophecy seems to use this long-term hope for the...
Isaiah 1 - Your incense reeks and offends Me!
Animal sacrifice is one of the most pervasive symbols in the Bible, and yet is foreign to modern society. One interesting aspect of the sacrificial system in the Old T...
Matthew 3 - Turn these stones into children for Abraham
God seems entirely willing to work with imperfect people, cultures, and institutions. This episode follows on from our last one, exploring issues of human government a...
Genesis 10 - A mighty hunter
Nations fall short of God's ideals, but removing government usually leads to anarchy. When listing the nations descended from Noah, Genesis 10 points out that Nimrod ...
Hosea 3 - And love raisin cakes
Marriage is a strong but tricky image throughout the Bible. It is interesting to see that God is able to reveal aspects of himself through this image both when marria...
Genesis 22 - Do not lay your hand on the boy
Genesis is a foundation for many of the symbols and images that become significant throughout the Bible. But it is fascinating to reconsider just how detailed these i...
Matt 13 - Why do you speak to the people in parables?
One principle of prophecy is that God wants to be understood. But it does sometimes seem strange then that He chooses such mysterious analogies and images. This new s...
John 13 - By this everyone will know
"Love and Justice" is often narrowed to "Love or Commandments". This may not be the most helpful juxtaposition. The Adventist lesson guide this week asks "how could w...
Psalm 82 - judgment among the "gods"
What does God's concern for justice mean for us today? This Psalm is only brief, but resonates deeply with numerous bible passages about God's passion for justice. Ho...
Isaiah 5 - What more could have been done?
How much does understanding actually help us to cope with suffering? An interesting feature of the Sabbath School lesson this quarter is that it consistently assumes t...
Luke 16 - Won't be persuaded
Are there rules for the Cosmic Conflict? The lesson this week sets out to explore the "rules of engagement" in the conflict between God and Satan. Is this a helpful f...
John 10 - Life to the full
What about celebrating what God does, more than analysing what he might not prevent? This conversation grows out of the previous episode, revisiting the idea of compa...
Ephesians 1 - Destined us for adoption
How does God's love and providence work with our free will? A lot has been said over Christian history about how we might understand God's will, His providence, and t...
Micah 6 - Love kindness
When is it more important to love kindness? Exploring aspects of perverted justice invariably leads to any number of scenarios that defy the just/unjust categorisatio...
Micah 6 - Do justice
What does it mean for God to love justice? The idea of justice appeals to everyone who feels ripped off, but "God's judgement" can sound threatening. There are aspect...
Exodus 34 - Slow to anger
Divine wrath can be a difficult concept to put alongside a "loving God". In fact, this attribute of God is perhaps more prominent in the Bible than in many contempora...
1 Corinthians 13 - Not jealous
God is passionate and compassionate. We (meaning humans in general and Seventh-day Adventists in particular) tend to be somewhat distrustful of emotions, but it turns...
Luke 15 - We had to celebrate
This belated episode explores what it means to "be pleasing to God". Some disruptions are referenced at the start of the conversation, and others persisted long enoug...
John 11 - a deep anger welled up
Is anger incompatible with love? This question from the quarterly introduction leads in many productive directions. It comes up in this context because many Christian...
Isaiah 53 - Light of life
We start a new season looking at the God of Love and Justice. There's a lot in Christian history that suggests love and justice are somehow opposing attributes of God...
John 21 - They didn't recognise him
It is important to focus on the resurrection as we conclude an exploration of John's gospel. This is a well-known passage, but worth revisiting. It is interesting tha...
John 19 - We have no king but Caesar
John's gospel includes an extensive interaction with Pilate as part of the crucifixion story. There may be no "book of Pilate" in the Bible, but there are some intere...
John 16 - I am going away
How can it be best for the followers of Jesus if He goes away? This is a simple statement Jesus makes in John 16, but it seems at first glance quite counterintuitive....
John 14 - Way, Truth, Life
We look at seven "I am" statements from Jesus in the gospel of John. It is interesting to see some patterns in these various passages. People listening typically have...
John 6 - has eternal life
John loves the phrase "eternal life", but what does it tell us? This phrase in John serves a similar role as the phrase "Kingdom of God" in the synoptic gospels. We e...
Psalm 69 - Passion for your house
It is interesting to explore how Jesus fulfills themes and concepts from the Old Testament.