A King Forever And Ever (December 2024 - February 2025)

Editor's Page

There is something about royalty that captivates our attention—the majesty, the dignity, the sovereignty. The problem with every human king we have encountered is that they are... well... human, and as such, imperfect: their power can go to their heads; their heart can get corrupted; their wisdom can be flawed. This is one of the reasons we anticipate the return of Christ as our eternal and perfect King.

The winter quarter, “A King Forever and Ever,” explores the broad sweep of biblical teaching about God’s reign and connects to Jesus as the earthly exhibition of the divine Kingdom. Beginning with key moments in the history of David’s ancestors, Unit I highlights Jesus’s birth as the “Son of David.” Unit II is a four-week study of psalms that extol the reign of God, while Unit III gives a New Testament look at Jesus’s teaching on “Life in God’s Kingdom.”

Unit I, “Jesus, the Heir of David,” prepares us for the Christmas season with five lessons from Ruth, 2 Samuel, and Luke. Lessons 1 and 2 deal with key moments in the history of Jesus’s ancestors. Lesson 3 considers the role of John the Baptist in preparing the way for “a Savior from the house of David,” while Lesson 4 highlights how Jesus’s birth, as the heir of David, brings good news to the world. Lesson 5 is a glimpse of Jesus, the “Son of David,” who bestows mercy on those in need.

Unit II, “Our God Reigns,” is a four-week study of psalms that extol the reign of God. The first lesson explores Psalm 10, a lament in which the psalmist finds comfort in the assurance of God's reign. Lesson 2 examines two psalms (47 and 93) that praise God as the eternal and all-powerful King. In Lessons 3 and 4, we study Psalms 103 and 145, which recount God’s merciful and powerful acts as ruler of an everlasting kingdom.

Unit III, “Life in God’s Kingdom,” gives four lessons from Matthew in which Jesus explains the nature and obligations of Kingdom life to His disciples. In Lesson 1, we contemplate what it means to pray, “forgive us our debts” in a world sustained by debt and obligation. Lesson 2 presents a frank acknowledgment that the Kingdom of Heaven will meet resistance in this world. Lesson 3 promises a reward in the Kingdom for those who have given up much to follow Jesus. Finally, in Lesson 4, Jesus tells a parable about the judgment to challenge His followers to faithfully serve the King.

May God bless your faithful study of His Word this quarter!

Steve

The intentions and aims of the Bible study handouts are:

  • To provide adults and older youth with a quarterly magazine for personal or group use that helps them to continually renew their knowledge of the Bible, the Christian faith and church life, especially that of Seventh-day Baptists.
  • To enable a study of Christian beliefs that empowers students to pass on their faith.
  • To strengthen appreciation for Seventh-day Baptist heritage and belief in Sabbath truth.
  • To promote moral and spiritual aspects of everyday life and decision making.
  • Provide materials for daily devotions and devotional life.
  • To promote the educational work of Seventh-day Baptists around the world.

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