Overview
This final chapter in The Acts of the Apostles offers an inspiring call to carry on the legacy of spiritual heroes. Ellen White writes:
“The enemy of righteousness left nothing undone in his effort to stop the work committed to the Lord’s builders. But God ‘left not himself without witness.’ Acts 14:17. Workers were raised up who ably defended the faith once delivered to the saints. History bears record to the fortitude and heroism of these men. Like the apostles, many of them fell at their post, but the building of the temple went steadily forward. The workmen were slain, but the work advanced. The Waldenses, John Wycliffe, Huss and Jerome, Martin Luther and Zwingli, Cranmer, Latimer, and Knox, the Huguenots, John and Charles Wesley, and a host of others brought to the foundation material that will endure throughout eternity” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 598).
Scripture
Ephesians 2:19-21
Discussion Video
Lesson 1
Scripture Passages
OVERVIEW
Home Renovation in Process
Flip the channel to the HGTV network and we are likely to see a home either in demolition mode or new floors and tiles being applied for a renovation. Home is a place we are all familiar with, so when Jesus talks about Himself as a firm foundation to build on, we can understand His illustration. The rooms in a newly built home are just blank spaces until they have specific furniture added and pipes or electrical hookups connected. We are the same in some ways, because only when God’s design is followed in our lives do we find our clear purpose. A kitchen without a sink, oven, refrigerator, table, and chairs would not be useful for its designed function. As we trust God’s design for our lives, He equips us for the purposes He has for us. Faith put into action is like when people use and enjoy their home with purpose. As Christians, we are the most at home when God’s Holy Spirit is living in us and directing our life.
OPENING ACTIVITY: FAITH AND LEGOS
Needed: an instruction booklet for a Lego set
Look at the various pages in the instruction booklet, while you discuss the way a Lego set is put together. Lego blocks come in various sizes, shapes, and colors, and each piece is essential to create the final structure. You can’t build a Lego set by starting on page 16 of the instruction book, because there is order and purpose in the design which requires a step-by-step process. If a piece is missing, the Lego set will not fit together the way it was intended. Even the smallest piece, if it is not attached in the proper spot, can throw the entire design off. Building with a Lego set requires some faith, because the pieces are randomly attached to one another until a shape starts to form and eventually looks really great! As we read Bible verses one at a time, we can build our knowledge of God and grow in faith. Piecing together the promises, prophecies, stories, and poems of the Bible builds a solid foundation of faith in our lives. If God’s design at first doesn’t make sense, we should keep building, because we will see His plans for our lives are good, and when we follow His instructions great things happen!
QUESTIONS
- Why is it important to build a Lego set following the instructions from page 1? How does building our faith one “piece” at a time make sense?
- What “Lego pieces” in your life have at first not made sense? In what way was it hard for you to see their purpose at first?
- When are times in your life when those strange looking “Lego pieces” started to make sense?
- Would you be able to build a Lego set just by looking at the picture of the completed structure? Why or why not?
- What did God give us as instructions for building our lives?
- Why is the process of building something a good illustration for how your journey of faith is going?
- Like building a Lego set requires following the instruction book, how does following the Bible impact our spiritual growth?
Bible Study Guide
Read each Bible passage, then discuss the questions.
God’s House
Read Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV).
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Questions
- Compare and contrast the experience of being a citizen of a country here on earth (U.S., Canada, Bermuda, etc.) to being a citizen of God.
- How are the apostles and prophets a foundation for us?
- What part of the building process do you feel you are in as a Christian?
- How do you feel about being a citizen with God’s people and a member of His household?
Spiritual Milk
Read 2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV).
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
Read 1 Peter 2:2-3 (NIV).
2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
Questions
- How does reading the Holy Scriptures cause Christians to grow?
- Compare and contrast continuing to learn in school with becoming wiser through reading the Bible.
- How can a person grow spiritually as a baby would grow from an infant to a child to a teen to an adult?
- What is spiritual milk?
- What does it mean to taste that the Lord is good?
- How do you see spiritual growth in your life?
Jesus: Firm Foundation
Read Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV).
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Questions
- Why is it important to have a strong foundation in order to build a house?
- What are some things in life that might be like damaging rain and winds?
- What might be an example of “sand” in our lives?
- How does it feel to crash?
- What are some ways we can avoid putting our trust in the “sand” of the world?
- How does it make you feel when you think of being safe in Christ as your foundation in life?
The Point Is
Just like a home is built on a solid foundation where piece by piece a meaningful structure is designed, when your faith is built on Jesus and in Him you live out your purpose, then a life of hope and security is promised. When God told Peter about the Rock that He would build His church on, He assured him that nothing would overcome Him, not ever. There will always be people who believe in the true God. Never will there be a time when evil overcomes good. From now until eternity, you are a loved and nurtured member of God’s family.
APPLICATION
Consider applying what you learned in this week’s lesson by doing one or all of these activities:
- Build a Lego set and imagine lessons of faith from the process.
- Create a painting that illustrates the concept of building your faith.
- Take a walk in nature, while contemplating the building blocks of creation.
- Record yourself reading one of the Bible verses from today’s lesson and post on your favorite social media.
- Journal about how the “Construction Zone” of faith is progressing in your life.
Lesson 2
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
OVERVIEW
As we open this important book to Chapter 7, the Church of God is still a divided one, part on earth, and part in heaven. The first part shielded while amid evil; the second part raised above it, caught up, while tribulation is yet raging here, compared to the perfect calm that abides there. As we look at this portion of scripture for our study, we see God finally uniting His Kingdom. This gives us hope that we will be with God, and we won’t have to ever encounter sin or its effects anymore. At the end of all the suffering, pain, stress, sickness, and death, God wins! His people are also winners for trusting in him. Our text can be navigated and explored using seven questions about the citizens of God’s Kingdom.
- Where are they seen? “Before the throne, and before the Lamb.” More conscious than when clad in flesh garments. The veil of sense and the limitations of earth no longer obstruct their sight or cripple their service. They are forever with their God, where they have wished and longed to be.
- What is their appearance? They have “white robes.” “The fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” They are “without fault” before the throne of God. They have “palms in their hands” tokens of honor and of victory. The struggle is over. The conflict ended. The victory won.
- Where did they come from? “Out of every nation;” they are “of all tribes and peoples and languages.” The separation brought about by the sin and confusion of earth is done away in Christ. In heaven its effects disappear. There the barriers caused by diversity of language, skin color, and social status will finally be obliterated.
- How did they arrive? They came through the pathway of a common experience. “Out of the great tribulation.” They reach heaven on the ground of a common redemption. The atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus availed for them all.
- What do they miss? “They shall hunger no more.” They are free from unfavorable influences from without. Neither shall the sun smite them with its scorching blaze, nor any heat. No tear shall be shed. God shall wipe every tear away. No more shall the mingled scenes of life and death agitate the soul. All dying shall be over. All sorrow has passed away.
- What do they enjoy? The presence of God. “He . . . shall dwell among them.” The thought is of a tent over them, and His abiding presence with them. He who is in relation to God the sacrificial Lamb, will be in relation to His people their tender Shepherd. They shall be led by “fountains of the water of life.” Here they had sprinkles from the stream; there they have the fullness of the fountain. Here the water of life reached them through earthen channels; there they shall be at the fountainhead! Entire satisfaction. Perfect security and repose.
- How are they occupied? One aspect of their occupation is given here. “They serve him day and night in His temple.” This is the greatest honor of redeemed people—to serve God. These who have been served by Him, and saved by Him, now in gratefulness and with reckless abandon offer themselves in service in heaven forever!
With these final pictures, John reassures his readers that they will indeed receive the final eschatological reward, which is eternal life with God. All of this is quite in keeping with the overall theology of the book. Though there is great pain in tribulation for God’s people, the church militant will inevitably become the church triumphant. Everyone and everything are ultimately in God’s hands.
“We are Winners!”
Can you share about a time when you gained an improbable victory?
Read Revelation 7:9-17.
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.
12 They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
1. What current issues in our country/world make you yearn for heaven?
- Poverty.
- Diseases (Covid-19, Monkey Pox).
- Divorce.
- Laodicean state of the church.
- Classism.
- Racism.
- Sex trafficking.
- Other.
2. What is Revelation’s main point in Chapter 7:9-17?
- Painting a picture of fiction characters.
- Hope that heaven is going to be better than earth.
- The church will eventually triumph and be at peace.
- God will save and be with His people in the end.
- Love wins!
- God is going to give multiple chances to people at the end.
- You better be on the side of good; evil will fail.
- Tranquility will overcome unrest and confusion.
- Other.
3. What is the celebration about in Revelation 7:10-12?
- Salvation has come.
- The Super Bowl is over, and the L.A. Rams won!
- The people are happy that Jesus won over their enemies.
- There is no celebration; this is just a good action story.
- The angel is just giving John some comfort in prison.
- There is a party because of Satan’s defeat.
- There will never be world hunger again.
- People will now have oceans of water to drink.
- Other.
4. What is the essence of John’s words in Revelation 7:17?
- To hell with hunger and pain.
- Love trumps all.
- A Golden Corral will be in heaven.
- God is going to give us bodies with no tear glands.
- God has favorites and those near the front of the line will eat.
- Their presence there is because of God’s leading.
- God pitches His tent among His people.
- The results of evil have been erased.
- Other.
5. Which of the seven praise points in Revelation 7:12 do you use most?
- Blessings.
- Glory.
- Wisdom.
- Thanksgiving.
- Honor.
- Power.
- Authority.
- Other.
6. What do “white robes” and “palm branches” mean in Revelation 7:9?
- Purity and victory.
- Joy and pain.
- Mother and father.
- Jesus and His people.
- Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.
- Saints and overcoming.
- Power and glory of the redeemed.
- Heaven’s dress as opposed to fig leaves.
- Other.
7. What can you imagine yourself doing in this multitude?
8. Is God so centered in your life right now, that heaven will be your reality?
SUMMARY
Revelation 7:9-17 is among my favorite passages in all the Scriptures. That’s partly because of the vision it gives God’s people of the kinds of things that are going on in the earth right now and God’s response that results in victory.
Here we see the redeemed triumphant, because of Jesus’ blood. He gave His life because of His incalculable love for humanity. It is of the greatest importance to remember that this love of God does not only forgive a person because they stained their garments, but it also makes them clean.
The merits of this bloody sacrifice also give us entrance into the hereafter with Him. We will then be safe in His presence forevermore. “He will pitch his tent over us.” We look forward to the endless ages of eternity, throughout which we are confident that God will indeed dwell in our midst. Never shall we be deprived of His presence, His sustenance, and His favor. To be without the presence of God is utter loss; to have Him dwell among us is salvation evermore.
APPLICATION
This image presented in Revelation 7:9-17 teems with strength and unity, victory and assurance, hope that is achieved and received, as a result of Christ’s sacrifice and expressed by the shouting of praises to Him for who He is and what He has done. This crowd is not just shouting praises, they are experiencing them; they are involved as they partake in the worship of Christ. They are overcome with His presence, and in awe as the crowd, angels, and witnesses again fall prostrate before the Sovereign Lamb. What a scene to read about! The only thing better is to experience it personally!
Below, find some application activities to help you to interface with this lesson. These are simply to provide ideas, or to invite you to imagine and create some of your own, as you impact the lives of teens for God’s glory.
FLASH MOB
- As the crowd in came from every nation under heaven, plan a flash mob with your youth group, or choir, or even your entire church.
- If your church is small, then team up with other churches in your area.
- You may want to notify the authorities ahead of the event. Great spots for flash mobs are malls, theme parks, or other crowded areas.
- Have someone begin to sing and others join in, and then a few more join in, and then others, until everyone in your group is singing and moving to a central point. Having an evangelistic outdoor activity to accompany this would be awesome.
- Remember to debrief with your class concerning the lessons learned as you interacted with such a large crowd.
CLEAN AND WHITE
- Plan a service trip to a few of your seniors’ homes and offer to do yardwork or housework, as needed.
- Let them know that you want to do this is in connection with your lesson study this week.
- Share with them the reading of a modern-day version of .
- Let them know that you are excited to have the opportunity to do this.
- As usual, debrief with your class and share stories about the experiences you have had.
PUPPET PRAISE
- Plan a puppet show for the kids in your church (do it during kids’ church, kids’ story time, or some other convenient time), and create the narrative/script around .
- Make your own puppets or look online to find some in stores.
- Please ensure that you write your script well, thinking through as many aspects of the text as you can.
- Also, try to involve as many in your class in the preparation and execution of the puppet show as possible (remember publicity).
- After the show, debrief what you learned with your class. Who knows, a puppet ministry may evolve as a result!