Lesson 4 | Cornerstone Connections | Sabbath School | Second Quarter 2015
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1. God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb on the 14th day of the first month and put its blood on the doorposts of their houses. 2. When God struck down the firstborn of Egypt, He would "pass over" any house with lamb's blood on the doorposts. No plague would touch those houses. 3. The blood was a sign for God to pass over the Israelites and spare them from the destructive plague that struck down the Egyptians.
Lesson 4 | Cornerstone Connections | Sabbath School | Second Quarter 2015
- 1. “Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. . . . The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” (Exodus 12:7-13, NIV) keytextkeytext CORNERSTONECONNECTIONSCORNERSTONECONNECTIONS flashlight “Before obtaining freedom, the bondmen must show their faith in the great deliverance about to be accomplished. The token of blood must be placed upon their houses. . . . Had the Israelites disregarded in any particular the directions given them . . . they would not have been secure. . . . By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hope to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. . . . Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works. . . . He must appreciate and use the helps that God has provided” (Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 278, 279). APRIL252015APRIL252015 apply the blood!apply the blood! Scripture Story: Exodus 5–11; 12:1-32. Commentary: Patriarchs and Prophets (or Beginning of the End), chapters 23 and 24. real.solid.stories cornerstoneconnections 17 PhotobyAldenHo
- 2. Of the following items, which would you prefer and why? ___To have a billion dollars in your bank account but not have access to it. ____________________________________________ ________________________________________ ___To have a Ferrari without the keys to start it or a license to drive it. ____________________________________ _________________________________ ___To have all of Superman’s powers but not ever be able to work out how to use them. _______________________________ _____________________________ 1. Jesus came into the city of Jerusa- lem four days before the lamb was killed in the Temple as the Passover sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel. Four days before the lamb was to be sacrificed, it was chosen. Therefore, Jesus entered Je- rusalem on lamb selection day as the Lamb of God. 2. Friday was the day of the Passover celebra- tion and the day that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. Every year for the previous 1,200 years, a priest blew the shofar (ram’s horn) at 3:00 p.m.—the moment the lamb was sacrificed, and all the people would pause to contemplate the sacrifice for sins on behalf of the people of Israel. On Friday at about 3:00, when Jesus was being crucified, He said, “It is finished.” 3. The bones of the Passover lamb weren’t to be broken, and the Gospel writer John makes it clear that Christ’s bones were not broken either (John 19:33). whatdo you think? INTO THE STORY “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ‘This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. “‘The animals you choose must be year-old males without de- fect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the com- munity of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. . . . This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. “‘On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals. . . . The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No de- structive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.’” “Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of your house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the de- stroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. “‘Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descen- dants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this cer- emony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Is- raelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ” “Then the people bowed down and wor- shiped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.” (Exodus 12:1-13, 21-28, NIV) did you know? cornerstoneconnections 18
- 3. punch lines “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, NIV). “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:8, 9, NIV). “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleav- ened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7, 8, NIV). “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, NIV). “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him out- side the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore” (Hebrews 13:12, 13, NIV). “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful wit- ness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Revelation 1:5, NIV). “We cannot exercise love unless we are experiencing grace.”—Jerry Bridges, U.S. Bible teacher and author. “Real Christianity is a dynamic process that changes our lives.”—William Barclay, 20th- century Scottish theologian. OUT OF THE STORY What parts of the story are key? (Underline them.) What aspects or details of the story are new to you? (Place an arrow beside them.) What words or phrases capture the various emotions of this story most? (Circle them.) What is the significance of blood? (See Gen. 9:4-6.) Why do you think the instruction to apply the blood is given so carefully? What emerges as the central lesson of this story? In other words, why do you think it is included in the record of Scripture? What other lessons can be gained from it? If you were to capture this story in five words or less, what would you say? other eyes cornerstoneconnections 19
- 4. Sabbath I n the What Do You Think? section you were asked to choose between having lots of something useless, or lots of something else that was equally as useless. Did it frustrate you? Did you think about how useless it would be to have any of those things but not be able to use them? For something to be meaningful to you, you must be able to use it. The Israelites had to do something with the blood of the slain lamb to make it useful; they had to apply the blood to their door. What would have been the point of sacrificing the lamb without applying the blood to the door? It would have been useless. In the same way, today, what is the point of knowing about God’s grace, which has re- deemed us through Jesus’ blood and provides us the power to follow Him, if we don’t let it affect our lives? Think of ways in which you can be affected by God’s grace and power. It may be by accepting God’s forgiveness, or by showing grace to someone you know. Sunday R ead the story of Moses in the Into the Story section. Work through the study questions in Out of the Story. After that, circle in red all the parts of the story in which you can see symbols of Christ. Also, on the following lines, write what you think this story can teach you about your salvation and the way in which Christ’s blood works for you. Don’t forget where the blood had to come from and what it cost! Thursday E den Ahbez, an American songwriter, once said: “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” Christ gave His blood as a loving sacrifice for you to use, and all He desires is that you will love in return, both Him and everyone here on earth. To apply the blood of Christ to your door means to be loved and love in return. Today, how will you love? Whom will you love? And why will you love? Friday G od has made full provision for us to be saved; we are headed for heaven when we turn to Him, take His provision, and start moving in that direction. In this week’s lesson we have been looking at the blood God has graciously provided us for our salvation—the blood forgives, cleans, and restores. It is only by His blood that we are saved, but by His grace He has provided us His Word, and the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter. Talk with a parent, teacher, or friend and ask them what they appreciate most about the gifts God has given them for salvation. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. makingitreal Monday T he Key Text this week is filled with many symbols; one of the most interesting is the way in which the blood is to be applied to the door of the house. What do you think this door means? Consider what a door does, how it allows access, and also read Revelation 3:20. There it talks about each person having to open their door to the Lord. What, then, do you think it means to have the blood of the Lamb on your door? What changed for the Is- raelites when they had the blood of the lamb on their door? How do you think it makes a difference if you apply or don’t apply the blood to your door? Another symbol in the Key Text is that of the blood. Look through the Punch Lines for texts about what the blood does for those who have it on their door. Tuesday I n the Flashlight section Ellen White re- minds us that for the blood to do anything for us we must do with it what we have been told to do! The quote is really quite under- standable. What is your reaction to it? When you consider that it was God’s love that gave you His own blood in such a gracious way, how does that make you feel? Remember, God won’t ask you to do anything He hasn’t first done for you, that He doesn’t know is best for you, or that He can’t help you do. How do you see yourself applying the blood to your doorposts? Wednesday T he Punch Lines for this week are all about the blood of Christ. In these verses there are different things that the blood does for us. Circle all the action words. Thank God in prayer for the way the blood works in your life. Thank Him for the grace He makes available to you. cornerstoneconnections 20 this week’s reading* Patriarchs and Prophets (or Be- ginning of the End), chapters 23 and 24. *Beginning of the End is a special adaptation of Patriarchs and Prophets, created for you by the Ellen G. White Estate and Pacific Press. Get more infor- mation about it at www.cornerstoneconnections.net/ article/191/about-us/conflict-of-the-ages-compan ion-books#.URlhF1rBO9s. By following the weekly reading plan, you will read at least one book of the Conflict of the Ages Series each year.