Sabbath School Lesson for May 6-12, 2023
Overview for Lesson 7, Worshiping the Creator
Memory Text: ” ‘You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.’ ” Revelation 4:11 NKJV
Topics studied this week include:
- Sunday: A Companion in Tribulation–“we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” Acts 14:22
- Monday: Worship the Creator–“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1
- Tuesday: A God Who Is Close–“I in them, and You in Me” John 17:23
- Wednesday: Gospel, Judgment, Creation–“in whom we have redemption through His blood” “For by Him were all things created” Colossians1:14, 16
- Thursday: The Creator on the Cross–“He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death” Philippians 2:8
We have seen many vital Christian themes proclaimed by the first angel of Revelation 14. This message contains the everlasting gospel, a call to worship and give glory to God, the need to prepare for the judgment in progress, and finally the opportunity to know Christ as our Creator and Redeemer.
So often we take things in life for granted. As a matter of fact, we take life itself for granted and neglect to see the Power behind the existence of our entire universe. We must pause and appreciate deeply all that God has done for us, if we would draw closer to Him and become more like Him during our short lives on earth.
Scientific and philosophical strongholds of human thought have particularly attacked the creatorship of God, causing us to know less and less about the One who loves us so much that He was willing to die in our place. Evolutionary theories and other ideas really kicked up a notch in the 1800s, right about the time when the 2,300 days ended and our “last days” on earth began.
Remembering the Creator of Genesis 1 may help us come back to the core of our reason for worshiping the one true God, our Lord and Savior.
Sunday: A Companion in Tribulation
No one understands our trials better than Jesus, considering all He went through when He lived and dwelt here on earth. No wonder He was the One who came to comfort and uplift the apostle John during his lonely exile on the island of Patmos. The emperor Domitian had no idea that this punishment would ultimately be turned into such a positive experience for not only John, but all those who have read about his visions since then.
All through the Bible we read about the sufferings of God’s people and prophets. And yet, their faith and worship of God often remained constant and strong. They recognized that we were created to be worshipful creatures, and the closer we come to true worship of God, the more we discover our true purpose in life. We not only have something to die for, as many of them did, but we have something to live for as well.
If all those faithful saints had trials and tribulations, we should expect similar trouble from time to time. But especially those of us living in the last days, as these messages from Revelation have reminded us.
Bible Verses:
Revelation 1:9
- Why is it important to remember that we have companions in tribulation? How does that knowledge uplift us?
- Why had John been sent to Patmos?
Matthew 13:21
- What kind of roots can we establish that will keep us from stumbling when trials come?
Acts 14:22
- What can tribulations do for our faith, and why should we expect hardship on our journey to God’s kingdom?
John 16:33
- What can give us peace when we have rough experiences in life?
Monday: Worship the Creator
This final appeal in Revelation to worship our Creator has been crucial to our salvation from the very beginning. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Throughout the Bible are calls for us to recognize His creatorship. Only when we see the vast dimensions of the universe at large, can we appreciate the love God has bestowed on us, such tiny creatures by comparison.
In contemplating the heavens and earth, it’s been found that the sun produces more energy in one second than what we have used from oil, gas, coal, or fire since the very beginning of our time on earth. The sun is so large that it could hold one million planets the size of earth. And yet there are at least 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, many of them much larger than the sun we circle.
How humbling to know that the powerful God who made us, sustains us, will also never forsake us. We can count on our Creator to accomplish His will in the end.
Bible Verses:
Isaiah 40:26, Romans 1:20, and John 1:1-3
- Why does God invite us to recognize His creatorship?
- How is it be possible to worship nature that God created, rather than the Creator Himself? What must we do to avoid that trap?
Tuesday: A God Who Is Close
Simply put, the God who made us knows us pretty well and is interested in our well-being. A couple of theological words might be helpful to our understanding of these concepts about God. First, there’s the transcendence of God–which means He is above and over all His creation. We are glad that He stands high above all our weak attempts to conduct our lives. But, at the same time, there is the immanence of God–which means He also is intimately involved in everything that happens to and through us.
Jesus prayed for the Father to be in us (John 17:23) Just as He was close to His Father, He wished for us to feel an intimate closeness with our God. God had to get close to Adam to create Him, and He longs to draw near to each of us again, making us new creatures in Christ.
This concept of closeness should bring us hope and comfort. At first, it can make us feel uncomfortable, and even intimidated, that there is Someone who knows us that well, the good and the bad. But the gospel of forgiveness is tailor-made to bring us peace about His presence. There’s no need to fear, when God is near.
Bible Verses:
Colossians 1:17
- How does this verse define the transcendence and immanence of God? What do those concept about God mean to you?
2 Corinthians 5:17
- How close does God have to be to create us or re-create us?
Acts 17:27, 28
- Describe a time when you reached out for God. How did you find Him, and would it have been easier if you had remembered He was with you all the time?
Wednesday: Gospel, Judgment, Creation
Just as God was getting ready to deliver His message through that first angel in Revelation 14, Satan made sure that the world would hear his messages of evolution and atheism, which would totally dispute God’s claims. The first angel was to proclaim the everlasting gospel, the judgment hour, and worship of the Creator.
There was a church that came out of the 1800s, about when those 2,300 years were ending, that preached heavily about these topics. The very name Seventh-day Adventist signifies its emphasis on a God who created us in six days and rested on the seventh day, plus the coming Judgment Day at Christ’s Second Coming, or Advent.
Jesus’ death on the cross becomes meaningless without the foundational truths found in the first angel’s message. The truth about God’s creation and His judgment help us to fully appreciate all the Messiah has done and is doing for our complete restoration.
Bible Verses:
Ephesians 3:9, Revelation 4:11, and Colossians 1:13-17
- Why is it important to remember that Christ is our Creator, especially in the last days?
- How does worshiping on the seventh day help us remember who Christ is?
Thursday: The Creator on the Cross
Those of us living in the last days have received a call to worship the Creator (Revelation 14:7). For quite some time, God’s people have neglected to honor His creatorship by not worshiping on the seventh-day, the day God gave us for resting and remembering Him. God foresaw this when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The Fourth Commandment begins with, “Remember the Sabbath day…” (Exodus 20:8).
But our call to worship the Creator does not diminish our need to remember Christ’s death on the cross, the event that made our re-creation possible. God also has the power to make us new creatures. We must remember that it was our Creator who died on that cross, as Paul and so many other writers of the New Testament, have emphasized.
We have much to thank our Lord for. The call to worship, found in Revelation 14, is a call to remember all He has done for us. The life He gives us and the death He suffered were both for our benefit. This all-inclusive worship of all God has done will fortify us in knowing that He will continue to do everything possible to save us in these last, difficult days on earth.
Bible Verses:
Philippians 2:6-8
- How does Christ’s humble, obedient life inspire us to be humble and obedient?
- Why are humility and obedience so important? What happens when one of them is lacking?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Worshiping the Creator brings us to the very heart of the great conflict between good and evil, between God and Satan. Who we worship is at the core of who we are. Will we be servants of God, or pawns of Satan? The outcome of our choice is stark and frightful if we don’t place our allegiance with the Being who created us, and died for us.
God, our Creator, has a plan for our lives. He created us and continues to sustain us every day we are alive. He sends us the Holy Spirit to guide us into His plan when we let Him come into our hearts. This must be our daily choice: to worship the Creator, the only true God of the universe.
Next Week: The Sabbath and the End
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