The Adult Sunday School

Sunday, July 29, 2012

On 8-5-12, Psalm 146 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Praise for God’s Justice.

Praise for God’s Justice

Psalm 146

International Sunday School Lesson

August 5, 2012

Commentary

Jed Greenough

If you live long enough someone is going to disappoint you. It might be a politician who seemed to have it all: the answers, the charisma, the wit and intelligence. Then a scandal or something as simple as a lack of desire takes them out. Perhaps for you it was a romantic interest, that certain someone who you knew was the love of your life. Then they did something that changed everything.

People are people, in a lot of ways we are all like each other. We have our strong suits, our good runs of time, our weaknesses and our failures. Even the best among us in whom we invest so much faith are going to meet the same fate in the end just as it tells us today in verse 4.

Last week I mentioned in the “For Discussion” section that we have a secular system in place similar to Jehoshaphat’s of 2 Chronicles but not a religious or Christian one. Ours is one of following men and as today’s scripture points out when men are gone they are gone back to the ground but God is forever. Just imagine the superiority of the system or the superiority of a country that day after day, season after season and life after life followed God as the people come and go, live and die. That system or that country would do the things of God such as what we read of in today’s verses.

When you think of empires what do you think about? The Nazis lasted a mere 12 years, the Mongols rule is debated but we will say it lasted 54. The British Empire lasted over 400 years and at least a couple Persian empires each lasted longer. There were some that many do not think of often such as Portugal and a few in Africa. The most famous, longest lasting and probably most familiar to Christians was the Roman Empire.

Each of these empires was here for a time but eventually all of them fell. The Nazis defeated by the Allies, the Aztecs by the Spanish, the Mongols by a succession of squabbles. With the British it seemed it was more the times that overtook it but the results are always the same.

The famous saying about the British Empire was that the sun never sat on the British Empire but the sun was and is God’s and it is still here while that empire is not. One could also say that the church is His and the sun never sets on it either as it has now spread from one small part of the world to the farthest corners.

Just like the empires there are parts to the church that have seen them rise and then fall. Some in spectacular fashion as they had meteoric rises and descents often times tied to their captivating leaders. Others have been here for quite some time in human terms but their decline is visible and in the offing somewhat similar to the British Empire.

Whether it is the empires of the world, tiny churches or a mega-church each is made up of those who did as verse 3 says not to do, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.”

No empire or church has truly lived up to its expectations. As the psalm today says in verse 5 and 6 it is better to hope instead in God because He alone is faithful. As a ruler makes promises or a church chooses to spend only certain amounts to sustain the hungry, help the oppressed, or reach the untouched so that they can spend more on their infrastructure instead, it is God who will remain faithful forever.

It seems easy to look at the empires of the world and see where in not following God they have failed but what about the empire that is the church that has lasted more than 2000 years? Since it is His we know that it will last until the end but while we are here and a part of it how can we do a better job of ensuring that it reflects more of Him instead of resembling a worldly empire?

For Discussion:

1. When considering verse 3 from today it is not that we can’t have trustworthy leaders especially in the church but we should not put too much trust there as only God saves.

2. Discuss in general terms where you have been burned by placing your trust in someone.

3. I watched a sermon last night by one of the most gifted preachers of our time in Adrian Rogers who passed away in 2005 and I have marveled at many of the sermons written by Charles Spurgeon who died in 1892. Discuss this type of “prince’s” contribution and those of others you may be aware of across the church spectrum and discuss in light of verses 3 and 4.

4. Those things in sight in verse 6 remind us of the timelessness of God. Discuss how many different ways we can look at God’s being eternal.

5. From your place in the empire that is the church, how is it doing in reflecting God in taking care of the issues mentioned in verses 7-9?

6. If you decided that your church needed to devote itself more to those items mentioned in verses 7-9 rather than the plans as mentioned in verse 4, how would you go about that, what results would you produce, what kind of opposition would you face?

7. This may seem like a question you won’t want to consider, but has your church leader become a prince? Have our leaders come to think of the church as their empire? If they have, that will be a hard one to discuss, but I challenge you.

8. In our worldly lives most of us plan for our inevitable demise when we reach the end of our life whenever that might come as it is only responsible. Have you ever considered that it might be prudent to do the same in our churches however long a life they might yet have?

Upcoming Adult Sunday School Class Commentaries

8-12-12: God Promised a Righteous Lord Isaiah 9:2-7 or Isaiah 9:1-7

8-19-12: God Promised a Righteous Branch Jeremiah 23:1-6; 33:14-18

8-26-12: God Promised to Be with Us Ezekiel 34:23-31

9-2-12: Faith Calls for Perseverance Hebrews 10:19-31

Sunday, July 22, 2012

On 7-29-12 2 Chronicles 19:4-11 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Jehoshaphat Makes Judicial Reforms.

Jehoshaphat Makes Judicial Reforms

2 Chronicles 19:4-11

International Sunday School Lesson

July 29, 2012

Commentary

Jed Greenough

Revelation 20:4 begins, “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.”

One day we will be judges and maybe today you find the thought of yourself in that role hard to imagine and that’s okay. Let’s take a look for just a moment at what we are more use to thinking of when we consider the role of judges.

In this country’s judicial system, judges of our courts do not just enter into the position but instead they go through a process that progresses through education and real experience that qualifies them over time as they learn the nuances of being involved in the legal system and over that time they gain understanding. In this way, just as with most things, with experience comes a certain amount of expertise.

Unfortunately that is not always the case and the ones that become judges are not always the best suited individuals. Sometimes the best and brightest do not want to leave legal careers that have become lucrative. Sometimes the ones that become judges are there because of ego instead of a natural progression of their careers. Would it surprise you if at times some judges that have risen to the post accomplished it through knowing the right people? I am sure you aren’t surpised!

Once in the system you might say that some are entrenched so to speak. For those judges that are truly just in their deliberations this is good in that it allows them to make decisions without considering whether or not they will keep their livelihoods. But that also gives us the flipside of the coin in that it insulates poor judges from the fate they deserve.

Looking at the position from its job security side you can understand why in the Bible there is so much emphasis on the issue of judging rightly. You can see how the judge who takes a bribe, who shows favoritism, who judges from a worldly rather than godly viewpoint can do so much damage. The damage creates disorder because the system comes into doubt. People who have been wronged will not have confidence that they can be made whole and the innocent would rightly fear that they will be found guilty.

Biblical history shows (Exodus 18), that Moses understood the need for his people to be taught and to have matters resolved. In fact until prompted by his father-in-law Jethro, Moses was being run ragged by the people of Israel and all of their needs. Thanks to Jethro’s advice, Moses appointed officials to judge and that would lead the people.

We can see from the book of Judges how God had those such as Othniel, Ehud, Gideon and so on. With the upright judges came order and direction and that was the goal of Jehoshaphat as we read in today’s scripture and also a little further back in 2 Chronicles 17. We see how Jehoshaphat chose people to teach and to judge the people of Judah.

So if Moses, Jethro, and Jehoshaphat all saw that one man alone could not do it; and if that one man were left alone to his own devices and not as they should in being just and following the ways of God what happens now? What are we seeing of this today? Do you think our God of order who is unchanging did just that and changed His mind for the church?

If we review the New Testament in places such as Titus 1 we see that Paul was telling Titus that the reason he had left him there in Crete was to straighten out what hadn’t been done but needed to be and that was the appointing of Elders in every town. Reading on we see their qualifications and we see their duties that sound familiar to me as I read what Moses and Jehoshaphat had for their appointed officials.

What has happened to this position of elder from the Bible? According to what I read it was a pretty big job fulfilling the role and according to 1 Timothy 5 it is one for which they should be paid and double if they preach and teach. This is a role similar to the judges in sight today who could handle the affairs of the church. How do you think we are doing with this position now? I think we are seeing the resulting chaos because we aren’t doing very well.

For Discussion:

1. Reading verse 1 discuss if we had a leader such as Jehoshaphat who encouraged the people to God.

2. Considering verses 5-7, discuss the effect on our country if that leader mentioned in 1 above were to appoint judges in place who were Christians as well.

3. Discuss the “supreme court” nature of what Jehoshaphat set up beginning with verse 8.

4. Discuss your country’s judicial system.

5. Discuss how we have a secular version of the system discussed in today’s verses but not a religious one that turns people back to God.

6. Discuss the system that Paul and the other apostles had set up and how we have modified it?

7. Discuss the consequences of not doing what is so clear in the scriptures and what can be done about it.