1rst Trimester 2013  THE ORIGINS

From http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/helps/lesshp10.html
http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/#Helps


Lesson & References Index(For the context Check www.biblia.com www.biblegateway.com) with notes added from the different versions of the lesson by our site www.sse6.blogspot.com

Lesson 10– March 2 to March 8

Stewardship and the Environment

(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)

Sabbath Afternoon

Memory text: Genesis 1:28

28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Revelation 14:7

7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

The world in which we live is a gift of love from the Creator
God, from ‘Him who made heaven and the earth, the sea and the springs of water’ (Rev. 14:7, NKJV). Within this creation He placed humans, set intentionally in relationship with Himself, other persons, and the surrounding world. Therefore, as Seventh-day Adventists, we hold its preservation and nurture to be intimately related to our service to Him. . . .
“Since human poverty and environmental degradation are interrelated, we pledge ourselves to improve the quality of life for all people. Our goal is a sustainable development of resources while meeting human needs. . . .
“In this commitment we confirm our stewardship of God’s creation and believe that total restoration will be complete only when God makes all things new.”-Excerpted from “Caring for Creation—A Statement on the Environment by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.”

L. James Gibson, Sabbath School lesson of the day. He's director of the Geoscience Research Institute (www.grisda.org) in Loma Linda, California. Citation of the day from the Sabbath School lesson at www.ssnet.org added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Introduction Daddy, Can We Keep Him?   Gen. 1:26

But as far as possible, taking care of God's creation does mean that we do what we can to be good stewards of the earth...
Nathan Creitz asks these important questions about how Christians view God's creation. “What do we believe about the world? That God created it? That since creation, humanity has fallen and has brought suffering in the world? If so, how does that cause us to act? Do we seek to fight injustice? Do we desire to protect the environment? Do we care for people's physical and spiritual needs? Faith should lead to Action!”*
"Faith should lead to Action!"

* Nathan Creitz, “Organic and Sustainable Christianity,” ChurchETHOS (blog), http://churchethos.com/church-reform/organic-and-sustainable-christianity/(accessed December 5, 2011).
in Zayne Fevrier-Johnson, St. Maarten, from Collegiate Quarterly, Sabbath March 2, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Sunday – Dominion Given at Creation

Genesis 1:26

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Psalm 8

1 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Genesis 2:19

9 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

Genesis 2:15

15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Dominion includes the idea of ruling or having power over these creatures. Nothing is said about dominion over the forces of nature themselves but only over the creatures.

How should our understanding of God as the Creator, or even more specifically our understanding of the Creation story itself, impact the ways in which we treat the environment? Why should our understanding of these things protect us from either gross indifference toward the environment or, in contrast, a fanatical devotion to it?

L. James Gibson, Sabbath School lesson of the day. He's director of the Geoscience Research Institute (www.grisda.org) in Loma Linda, California. Citation of the day from the Sabbath School lesson at www.ssnet.org added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com
 

Evidence: Saving Civilization   Gen. 2:15 
...Read Psalm 50:10 and Revelation 4:11. Into His magnificent and vast creation, this sovereign God placed humanity. While many environmentalists view man as just another species struggling to survive, the Bible reveals that we are God's children, entrusted by Him to care for the earth (Gen. 2:15)...
...Unfortunately, we have not always been faithful to that trust. The prophecy is coming true that “ ‘the earth will wear out like a garment’ ” (Isa. 51:6, NIV)...
Earth’s story will end with a new beginning.
...The One who created the earth has revealed the final chapter. Earth's story will end with a new beginning, and the sin that destroyed our planet will be no more...
Fran McKain, Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.in Collegiate Quarterly, Sunday March 3, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Monday – Caring for Other Creatures

Psalm 50:10

10 For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.

Revelation 4:11

11 “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.”

Exodus 23:5

5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

Exodus 23:12

12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

Proverbs 12:10

10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Luke 14:5

5 Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

Exodus 29:38

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually.

Exodus 29:38

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually.

Creation of the animals was not an accident or an afterthought. God intentionally created them. It was His will that they should exist, and this principle should guide our treatment of them (see also Exod. 23:5, 12; Prov. 12:10; Luke 14:5)...

...Indeed, cruelty toward animals and indifference toward their suffering are widely recognized as symptomatic of personality disorders. Many organizations have been established to promote good treatment of animals, and rightly so...

...However, at the same time, some people have gone so far as to claim that humans are not intrinsically more important than animals, and so humans should not be given preferential treatment...

...Of course, such ideas are not supported in Scripture. Humans have special status in God’s plan in contrast to the animals. (See Gen. 3:21, Exod. 29:38, Lev. 11:3.)...

L. James Gibson, Sabbath School lesson of the day. He's director of the Geoscience Research Institute (www.grisda.org) in Loma Linda, California. Citation of the day from the Sabbath School lesson at www.ssnet.org added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com
 

Logos Owned, Lost, and Reclaimed  Genesis 1:26-28; 3; Ps. 8:4-6; Eccles. 7:18; Luke 19:10

The Context of Dominion (Gen. 1:26-28), The Blessing and the Humbling (Gen. 1:28; Exod. 20:1-3), Responsibility to Each Other (Gen. 1:28), Responsibility to the World (Gen. 1:28; Rev. 11:18), Turning Profit Into Loss (Genesis 3), Hope for Today (Ps. 8:5, 6; Luke 19:10), Avoiding Extremes (Eccles. 7:17, 18).

All is not lost.

Miguel Denny, Roseau, Dominica, in in Collegiate Quarterly, Monday March 4, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Tuesday – The Sabbath and the Environment

Romans 1:25

25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Exodus 20:8-11

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days theLORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

“God set aside the seventh-day Sabbath as a memorial and perpetual reminder of His creative act and establishment of the world. In resting on that day, Seventh-day Adventists reinforce the special sense of relationship with the Creator and His creation. Sabbath observance underscores the importance of our integration with the total environment.”-Excerpted from “Caring for Creation—A Statement on the Environment.”
By pointing us to the fact that God created us and the world that we inhabit, the Sabbath is a constant reminder that we are not wholly autonomous creatures able to do whatever we wish to others and to the world itself. Sabbath should teach us that we are, indeed, stewards, and that stewardship entails responsibilities. And, as we can see in the commandment itself, responsibility extends to how we treat those who are “under” us.

Think about how you treat other people, particularly those who are under your dominion. Are you treating them with respect, fairness, and grace? Or are you taking advantage of the power that you have over them? If the latter, remember, you will one day have to answer for your actions. L. James Gibson, Sabbath School lesson of the day. He's director of the Geoscience Research Institute (www.grisda.org) in Loma Linda, California. Citation of the day from the Sabbath School lesson at www.ssnet.org added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Testimony Next to Godliness   Ps. 8:3-8

 

...All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens speak of God.”1

 

Through faith and hope, labor was to be a blessing to the descendants of Adam and Eve. God never meant that man should have nothing to do.”2

 

How we take care of this planet is not a one-time environmental protest, or the wearing of a “please recycle” T-shirt. It is a daily act of stewardship.

"God never meant that man should have nothing to do."

 

1 Ellen G. White, Child Guidance, p. 53. 2 White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 314. 

From Etajh D. Johnson, St. Maarten, in Collegiate Quarterly, Tuesday March 5, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Wednesday – Stewards of Our Health

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Ellen G. White, The Review and Herald, Jan. 25, 1881

Paul writes to his Christian converts, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Specific directions were given to ancient Israel that no defective or diseased animal should be presented as an offering to God. Only the most perfect were to be selected for this purpose. The Lord, through the prophet Malachi, most severely reproved his people for departing from these instructions.

“A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master; if then I be a father, where is mine honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts. Ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering; should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.”

Let us give careful heed to these warnings and reproofs. Though addressed to ancient Israel, they are no less applicable to the people of God today. And we should consider the words of the apostle in which he appeals to his brethren, by the mercies of God, to present their bodies “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” This is true sanctification. It is not merely a theory, an emotion, or a form of words, but a living, active principle, entering into the every-day life. It requires that our habits of eating, drinking, and dressing, be such as to secure the preservation of physical, mental, and moral health, that we may present to the Lord our bodies—not an offering corrupted by wrong habits, but—“a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.”

Let none who profess godliness regard with indifference the health of the body, and flatter themselves that intemperance is no sin, and will not affect their spirituality. A close sympathy exists between the physical and the moral nature. The standard of virtue is elevated or degraded by the physical habits. Excessive eating of the best of food will produce a morbid condition of the moral feelings. And if the food is not the most healthful, the effects will be still more injurious. Any habit which does not promote healthful action in the human system degrades the higher and nobler faculties. Wrong habits of eating and drinking lead to errors in thought and action. Indulgence of appetite strengthens the animal propensities, giving them the ascendency over the mental and spiritual powers.

“Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul,” is the language of the apostle Peter. Many regard this warning as applicable only to the licentious; but is has a broader meaning. It guards against every injurious gratification of appetite or passion. It is a most forcible warning against the use of such stimulants and narcotics as tea, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, and morphine. These indulgences may well be classed among the lusts that exert a pernicious influence upon moral character. The earlier these hurtful habits are formed, the more firmly will they hold their victim in slavery to lust, and the more certainly will they lower the standard of spirituality.

Bible teaching will make but a feeble impression upon those whose faculties are benumbed by indulgence of appetite. Thousands will sacrifice not only health and life, but their hope of Heaven, before they will wage war against their own perverted appetites. One lady who for many years claimed to be sanctified, made the statement that if she must give up her pipe or Heaven she would say, “Farewell, Heaven, I cannot overcome my love for my pipe.” This idol had been enshrined in the soul, leaving to Jesus a subordinate place. Yet this woman claimed to be wholly the Lord’s!

Wherever they may be, those who are truly sanctified will elevate the moral standard by preserving correct physical habits, and, like Daniel, presenting to others an example of temperance and self-denial. Every depraved appetite becomes a warring lust. Everything that conflicts with natural law creates a diseased condition of the soul. The indulgence of appetite produces a dyspeptic stomach, a torpid liver, a clouded brain, and thus perverts the temper and spirit of the man. And these enfeebled powers are offered to God, who refused to accept the victims for sacrifice unless they were without a blemish! It is our duty to bring our appetite and our habits of life into conformity to natural law. If the bodies offered upon Christ’s altar were examined with the close scrutiny to which the Jewish sacrifices were subjected, who, with our present habits, would be accepted?

With what care should Christians regulate their habits, that they may preserve the full vigor of every faculty to give to the service of Christ. If we would be sanctified, in soul, body, and spirit, we must live in conformity to the divine law. The heart cannot preserve consecration to God while the appetites and passions are indulged at the expense of health and life.

Those who violate the laws upon which health depends, must suffer the penalty. By intemperance in eating and drinking and dressing, they lessen physical, mental, and moral power, so that their bodies are an offering which the Lord cannot accept. They have so limited their abilities in every sense that they cannot properly discharge their duties to their fellow-men, and they utterly fail to answer the claims of God.

When Lord Palmerston, Premier of England, was petitioned by the Scotch clergy to appoint a day of fasting and prayer to avert the cholera, he replied, in effect, “Cleanse and disinfect your streets and houses, promote cleanliness and health among the poor, and see that they are plentifully supplied with good food and raiment, and employ right sanitary measures generally, and you will have no occasion to fast and pray. Nor will the Lord hear your prayers, while these, his preventives, remain unheeded.”

...According to these texts, the whole question of health itself, and how we take care of our bodies, the “temple of God,” is a moral issue, one filled with eternal consequences...

...But to the extent that lies within our power, we are to do our best to maintain our bodies, made in the image of God...
L. James Gibson, Sabbath School lesson of the day. He's director of the Geoscience Research Institute (www.grisda.org) in Loma Linda, California. Citation of the day from the Sabbath School lesson at www.ssnet.org added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

How-to Help Wanted   Gen. 1:28

National Parks Director. Genesis 1:28 and Matthew 25:14-30.
Veterinary Staff. Exodus 23:5, 12; Proverbs 12:10; and Luke 14:5.
TV Show Host for  1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 6:19, 20.

---

A love for others . . . should be clearly visible.
Fred Cornforth, Caldwell, Idaho, U.S.A. in Collegiate Quarterly, Wednesday March 6, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Thursday – Stewardship Principles

James 1:17

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Matthew 25:14-30

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 326-327.

All men have been bought with this infinite price. By pouring the whole treasury of heaven into this world, by giving us in Christ all heaven, God has purchased the will, the affections, the mind, the soul, of every human being. Whether believers or unbelievers, all men are the Lord's property. All are called to do service for Him, and for the manner in which they have met this claim, all will be required to render an account at the great judgment day.

But the claims of God are not recognized by all. It is those who profess to have accepted Christ's service who in the parable are represented as His own servants.

Christ's followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service--service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they had ever known. By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection with Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men.

To His servants Christ commits "His goods"--something to be put to use for Him. He gives "to every man his work." Each has his place in the eternal plan of heaven. Each is to work in co-operation with Christ for the salvation of souls. Not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God.

In the end, because God is our Creator, and because everything we have is a gift from Him, we are obligated before Him to be good stewards of whatever has been entrusted to us.

“To His servants Christ commits ‘His goods’-something to be put to use for Him. He gives ‘to every man his work.’ Each has his place in the eternal plan of heaven. Each is to work in co-operation with Christ for the salvation of souls. Not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God.”-Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 326, 327.

L. James Gibson, Sabbath School lesson of the day. He's director of the Geoscience Research Institute (www.grisda.org) in Loma Linda, California. Citation of the day from the Sabbath School lesson at www.ssnet.org added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com


Opinion Who Really Owns It All?   Ps. 50:10-12

Because God created human beings in His own image, we can expect that we'd be designed to handle creation in the same way He did when He formed it. This suggests that in our consumption of earthly resources, we would build rather than destroy, tend rather than pillage, plant and reap rather than slash and burn. We would take care of what is in the world just as God took great care in creating it.

We are . . . the caretakers of [God’s] world.

 

Tim Lale, Boise, Idaho, U.S.A. in Collegiate Quarterly, Thursday March 7, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day at added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com

Friday – Further Study

Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 326-327. – See above quotation again

“Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they had ever known. By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection with Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men.”-Ellen G, White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 326.

Exploration Dominion, Not Destruction   Gen. 1:26-28

... John 1:3, several thousand years later, informs us that “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (NIV). Everything God does is important, therefore His creation is important. And from the very beginning, He wanted it to be important to us as well. As followers of God, we are called to care for the natural habitat of humankind and the animals as if it mattered. Because it does.

Alan Hecht, Takoma Park, Maryland, U.S.A. in Collegiate Quarterly, Friday March 8, 2013, www.cqbiblestudy.org, Citation from the Sabbath School lesson of the day added by us here at sse6.blogspot.com