Last updated: 2020-05-20_20h25
Plan for Sunday School at Home – Senior Class
Introduction During these times when we are not able to meet in person to share God’s Word with the entire Sunday School Class, the Sunday School teachers are proposing that the senior class continue their own individual study at home and then meet by teleconference on Sundays at 10:30 am.
In general, the course will look at the main characters in the Old Testament and examine the first six books of the Bible, from Genesis to Joshua. There will be a special lesson for Passion Week.
Course Structure 1. During the week, students will watch the suggested videos for that week; links given below. The students will also reflect on the indicated study questions; questions given below. 2. On Sunday mornings, at 10:30 am, students will join a teleconference to discuss the suggested videos and chat with one another on their thoughts about how the videos reflect on their own lives.
Course Schedule p. Videos viewed For Sunday Subject Links to The Bible Project Videos # during week of School on 2 2020-03-30 2020-04-05 Introduction to Spiritual https://youtu.be/cBxOZqtGTXE -2020-04-04 at 9:30 am Beings 3 2020-04-06 - 2020-04-12 Easter Special John – Part I: https://youtu.be/RUfh_wOsauk 2020-04-11 at 9:30 am John – Part II: https://youtu.be/G-2e9mMf7E8 5 2020-04-13 - 2020-04-19 Spiritual Beings Series Elohim: https://youtu.be/U5iyUik97Lg 2020-04-18 at 10:30 am (continued) Divine Council: https://youtu.be/e1rai6WoOJU Angels and Cherubim: https://youtu.be/-bMRxQbLUlg The Angel of the Lord: https://youtu.be/qgmf8bHayXw The Satan and Demons: https://youtu.be/CamYtVpoTNk The New Humanity: https://youtu.be/takEeHtRrMw 10 2020-04-20 - 2020-04-26 Genesis Genesis (1-11): https://youtu.be/GQI72THyO5I 2020-04-25 at 10:30 am Genesis (12-50): https://youtu.be/F4isSyennFo 13 2020-04-27 - 2020-05-03 Exodus Exodus (1-18): https://youtu.be/jH_aojNJM3E 2020-05-02 at 10:30 am Exodus (19-40): https://youtu.be/oNpTha80yyE 17 2020-05-04 - 2020-05-10 Leviticus https://youtu.be/IJ-FekWUZzE 2020-05-09 at 10:30 am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmvyrLXoQio 21 2020-05-11 - 2020-05-17 Numbers https://youtu.be/tp5MIrMZFqo 2020-05-16 at 10:30 am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zebxH-5o-SQ 25 2020-05-18 - 2020-05-24 Deuteronomy https://youtu.be/q5QEH9bH8AU 2020-05-23 at 10:30 am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMhmDPWeftw 31 2020-05-25 - 2020-05-31 Joshua https://youtu.be/JqOqJlFF_eU 2020-05-30 at 10:30 am
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Lesson Guide Subject: Introduction to Spiritual Beings return to course schedule Week: March 30th – April 4th Link: https://youtu.be/cBxOZqtGTXE Group discussion: Sunday, April 5th, 10:30 am (text your phone number to and you will be phoned at the start of class) Study Questions: 1. Who are the three main ‘characters’ in the Bible? 2. What is the name used in the Bible for spiritual beings? 3. Are the spiritual beings that we see in popular movies and TV shows an accurate reflection of how the Bible describes spiritual beings? 4. Our reality is composed of how many realms? What are the names of these realms? Are they completely separated? 5. What is the name used in the Bible for humans? 6. What job does God give to all humanity? 7. Do all spiritual beings serve God? 8. What did humanity do after it fell into sin? return to course schedule _
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Lesson Guide Subject: Easter Special: The book of St-John return to course schedule Week: April 6th – April 11th Link: John – Part I: https ://youtu.be/RUfh_wOsauk John – Part II: https://youtu.be/G-2e9mMf7E8 Group discussion: Sunday, April 12th, 9:30 am (text your phone number to and you will be phoned at the start of class) Study Questions: Part One – Establishes Jesus as God 1. Is the Gospel of St-John a firsthand wittiness account or a collection of stories recorded by someone who was not present when they happened?
2. Is Jesus spoken about in the Old Testament?
3. What happened every time Jesus performed a miracle?
4. What did Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine symbolize?
5. What prophecy did Jesus’ make when he drove the moneylenders from the Holy Temple?
6. When Jesus speaks to the women at the well, what claim does He make?
7. What does Jesus call Himself when He feeds the five thousand?
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Part Two – Passion Week 8. What shocking thing does Jesus do at the Last Supper? Why was this shocking? Why did He do it?
9. What does Jesus tell His disciples to do?
10. Who is it that Jesus says He will send ‘after He goes away’? What will the person do?
11. Name 3 of Jesus’ “I Am…” statements? How many were there?
12. Who is the first person to see Jesus following His resurrection?
13. Name 3 of Jesus’ miraculous signs recorded in the Gospel of St-John? How many were there?
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Lesson Guide Subject: Spiritual Beings Series (continued) return to course schedule Week: April 13th – April 18th Link: Elohim: https://youtu.be/U5iyUik97Lg Divine Council: https://youtu.be/e1rai6WoOJU Angels and Cherubim: https://youtu.be/-bMRxQbLUlg The Angel of the Lord: https://youtu.be/qgmf8bHayXw The Satan and Demons: https://youtu.be/CamYtVpoTNk The New Humanity: https://youtu.be/takEeHtRrMw Group discussion: Sunday, April 19th, 10:30 am (text your phone number to and you will be phoned at the start of class) Study Questions: Elohim 1. There are different names for the biblical spiritual beings in different languages. What is the name in Hebrew? What is the name in Greek?
2. When we say “spiritual beings” we are saying the name of a category of beings. What is some of the beings that fit into this category?
3. What is the name of the Christian god?
4. Is our God part of the Elohim? How does our God compare to the members of the Elohim: Is He less powerful, equally powerful or more powerful?
Divine Council
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5. What are some other names used in the Bible for the Divine Council?
6. What does the Divine Council do? Does God need them?
7. Can the members of the Divine Council do evil?
8. When we look at earthly nations that do evil, are these nations only comprised of humans doing bad things (e.g., sin)?
9. Can the rebels to the Divine Council be defeated? Who can do this?
10. Are the rebels to the Divine Council around today? Are they still a problem? Do we need to fear the rebels to the Divine Council? Why not? How do we know this?
11. What is our only defense against the rebels to the Divine Council?
Angels and Cherubim
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12. In the Old Testament, where are some of the physical places that we find cherubim? What are they doing?
13. How does the Bible describe the appearance of cherubim? Why do they look like this?
14. Are cherubim angels?
15. What does the word ‘angel’ mean?
16. What do we find angels doing in the Bible?
The Angel of the Lord 17. Is the Angel of the Lord the same as all other angels mentioned in the Bible?
18. In those Bible stories in which the “Angel of the Lord” appears, who else always shows up?
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19. Whom is it that we say is the Angel of Lord?
The Satan and Demons 20. What is the Satan: God, a member of the Elohim or a person?
21. What does Satan mean? Is it a name or a description?
22. What does the Satan want from people?
23. How many times are we told of the rebellion against God by the members of the Divine Council?
24. Do demons exist? What does the Bible say demons do in the earthly realm?
The New Humanity 25. Were Adam and Eve spiritual beings?
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26. In the Garden of Eden, from which of the two trees mentioned were humans allowed to eat?
. 27. When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Life, what did it allow them to do? What was lost to them, and by us, when the Tree of Life was no longer accessible?
28. We are unable to always resist the temptations of the rebels to the Divine Council. Was Jesus?
29. When we follow Jesus, we are asked to become a new type of humanity. The lesson mentions three ways in which we must think differently than those humans who ignore Jesus. a) Who says that all people are created equal: The world or Jesus?
b) Who says that power comes from forcing your will on others: The world or Jesus?
c) Who says that peace comes from love: The world or Jesus?
30. In communion, we say that we eat of the body of Jesus and drink of His blood. Is this similar to anything else in the video clip? What is this other event? How is it similar?
31. How does the Bible story end?
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_ Lesson Guide Subject: Genesis return to course schedule Week: April 20th – April 25th Link: Genesis (1-11): https://youtu.be/GQI72THyO5I Genesis (12-50): https://youtu.be/F4isSyennFo Group discussion: Sunday, April 26th, 10:00 am (Zoom: ID – & pswd – ) Outline: Study Questions: Genesis – Part I 1. What does the word “Adam” mean in ancient Hebrew? Are both women and men made in God’s Image?
2. What are the 3 jobs that God gives to humans?
3. How many Trees were/are there in the Garden of Eden? Adam and Eve faced a choice in regards to which Tree? What is that choice? What would happen if Adam and Eve chose wrong?
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4. What does God promise Eve? What was odd about this promise?
5. The video gives two possible interpretations of who were the “sons of God”. What are these interpretations? Regardless of which is correct, who descended from the sons of God?
6. Why did God chose to destroy the Earth in the Great Flood?
7. Did humanity learn from the Great Flood?
Genesis – Part II 8. What does God promise Abram/Abraham? Why does He make this promise? What is the special word for this promise from God?
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9. What is the theme that we see during the stories of Abraham’s family?
10. What does “Jacob” mean? What does “Israel” mean?
11. Who was Joseph? What horrible and great events happened to him? What did he do for his family?
12. What are the last words attributed to Joseph? How are these words important?
13. On his deathbed, Jacob/Israel predicts who of his twelve sons will God’s covenant be carried. Who is the covenant-bearing son?
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return to course schedule _ Lesson Guide Subject: Exodus return to course schedule Week: April 27th – May 2nd Link: Exodus (1-18): https://youtu.be/jH_aojNJM3E Exodus (19-40): https://youtu.be/oNpTha80yyE Group discussion: Sunday, May 3rd, 10:00 am (Teleconference: ; code: ) Outline: Study Questions: Exodus – Part I 1. How long after the book of Genesis does the book of Exodus take place? Were the Israelites (also referred to as “Hebrews”) a few people or many?
2. How does the Pharaoh of Egypt regard the Israelites? What specific things does he do them?
3. Moses is a principle character in the book of Exodus. How did he escape the mass murder?
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4. How does God appear to Moses? What does He tell Moses to do?
5. What does God say He will do the Pharaoh? What does this mean?
6. The Exodus account talks about the hardening of the Pharaoh’s heart in two stages. What are these stages? What happened in each stage?
7. How many plagues were there? What was the last one? What custom arose from the Israelites response to the last plague? What was the heart of the custom?
8. What is the message of the Song of the Sea?
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9. True or False: Having been miraculously saved by God, the Israelites remain content in the knowledge that God loves them. What is your evidence?
Exodus – Part II 10. Insofar, of how many covenants have we heard? What are they and to whom where they made?
11. Under the covenant, how many Laws do the Israelites need to follow? What is the intent of these Laws?
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12. What is the name given to the sanctuary that God tells the Israelites to build? What are its six main features? What is its purpose? Of what does this remind us?
13. How long do the Israelites obey the Covenant? What happens? What is the role of Aaron? How does God respond? What is the role of Moses?
14. How does God describe Himself to Moses?
15. What is the surprise ending of Exodus?
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return to course schedule _ Lesson Guide Subject: Leviticus return to course schedule Week: May 4th – May 9th Link: https://youtu.be/IJ-FekWUZzE Group discussion: Sunday, May 10th, 9:45 am (Teleconference: ; code: ) Outline: Study Questions: 1. The book of Leviticus starts right where the book of Exodus ended. What is the surprise ending of Exodus? What was the significance of this event?
2. What does the word “holy” mean?
3. What makes God holy?
4. Identify and describe the problem that the book of Leviticus solves.
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5. How many types of ritual sacrifice does God give in the book of Leviticus? List and describe them. What was the point of these ritual sacrifices?
6. How many annual feasts were there? What were their names? What was the point of these feasts?
7. Who were the first priests of Israel? What was the role of the priests? Could anyone be a priest?
8. What are the ways that an Israelite could become ritually impure? What do these have in common? What was the purpose of the ritual purity laws?
9. Was being ritually impure sinful? Why or why not?
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10. What are the categories of moral purity that the Israelites were to maintain? What was the purpose?
11. What was the purpose of the Day of Atonement? What did it involve?
12. If the book of Leviticus sets forth the means by which the Israelites could enter into God’s presence, how do we know that it worked?
Discussion Questions: (These are to be answered by reflecting on what you learned in the videos) 1. In following the laws set forth in Leviticus, the ancient Israelites must have killed hundreds, if not thousands, of animals a year. How does this make you feel? How do you reconcile this mass death with a God that is supposed to be kind and loving? Defend your answer.
2. Today, we as Christians do not sacrifice animals for our impurity. Why?
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3. Under Levitical Laws, the Israelites would have been different than their neighbouring nations. Similarly, Christians are often thought of as ‘goody-two shoes’ and when we fail to meet that standard of moral purity, we are accused by non-Christians as being hypocrites. Is this true? Why? How would you actively respond to such an accusation? Actively means that you need to talk the person and explain your views instead of walking away or saying that they can have their own opinion, etc.
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Lesson Guide Subject: Numbers return to course schedule Week: May 11th – May 16th Link: https://youtu.be/tp5MIrMZFqo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zebxH-5o-SQ Group discussion: Sunday, May 17th, 9:45 am (Teleconference: ; code: ) Outline: Study Questions: 1. What are the main events (as listed in the video) that proceed the book of Numbers?
2. How long were the Israelites at Mount Sinai?
3. Name the physical places/locations that the Israelites visit in the book of Numbers. List them in the order in which they were visited by the Israelites.
4. According to God’s law, how is the camp of Israelites to be laid out?
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5. Who leads the Israelites on their travels?
6. Are the travels of the Israelites uneventful?
7. How many spies does Moses send into the Promised Land (Cana)? How many give an honest report? What do the other spies do? What do the Israelites do?
8. How does God respond? What is Moses’ role?
9. Who rebels next? How does God deal with these rebels?
10. Is Moses himself perfectly behaved? What happens to him? Why?
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11. What is the strange symbol that God uses to heal the rebel Israelites?
12. Who is the sorcerer in the book of Numbers? What does he want to do? What does he actually do?
13. What was the great irony of the Balaam story?
Discussion Questions: (These are to be answered by reflecting on what you learned in the videos) 1. Read the story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:4-8. God’s use of the bronze serpent is a strange way to provide the healing that the Israelites needed. However, this story is often cited as a great foreshadowing of a future event. What event do you think is being foreshadowed? Explain what the bronze serpent symbolizes.
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2. In Numbers we see God going to great lengths to both provide for His people and to stand back and allow ‘bad’ things to happen to them? These accounts show two characteristics of God that are seemingly mutually exclusive, i.e., both cannot be true. As such, many atheists point to these mutually exclusive characteristics as proof of their claim that the ‘God of the Bible is not great enough to be deserving of our worship’. How would you actively defend against this claim? Structure your defence on how these seemingly mutually exclusive characteristics can, in fact, both be true.
3. Reading the book of Numbers can be terrifying. The book essentially documents the repeated rebellion of the Israelites against God. What is extraordinary about the book is that the Israelites never seem to learn! They rebel against a God that they can actually see, He allows their rebellion to destroy them, then He lifts them back up and takes care of them. It may seem strange to us, but the book of Numbers is often cited by atheists as proof to their claim that the entire Torah section of the Bible (the first five books) is no more than made-up stories. In essence, these atheists say that the sheer stupidity demonstrated by the Israelites in the book of Numbers is so huge that it cannot possibly be true. Do you believe this? If not, support your answer by describing how, in your experience, people today act just like the rebellious Israelites of Numbers.
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return to course schedule _ Lesson Guide Subject: Deuteronomy return to course schedule Week: May 18th – May 23rd Link: https://youtu.be/q5QEH9bH8AU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMhmDPWeftw Group discussion: Sunday, May 24th, 9:45 am (Teleconference: ; code: ) Outline: Study Questions: 1. Recap: How did the generation of Israelites that God brought out from Egypt disqualify themselves from being able to enter the Promised Land, i.e., Cana?
2. What is the main event in the book of Deuteronomy?
3. What is the significance of then name of the book of Deuteronomy?
4. What prayer does Moses give the people? What is it called? How important is it?
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5. What does “Shema” mean? Explain it in the Hebrew sense.
6. What is the sense in Hebrew of the verb ‘to love’?
7. Why is it important that the Israelites follow the Shema?
8. How many temples were the Israelites to have?
9. How much money were the Israelites required to provide? What was the driver?
10. How was the governance structure of Israel different from its neighbours?
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11. Are we as Christians suppose to follow the Covenant Laws like the ancient Israelites? Why?
12. What are the two futures or paths that Moses lays out for the Israelites? What will determine which path they take?
13. Which path does Moses think that the Israelites will take? What is the hope that he offers them?
14. To what event do you think that Moses is pointing towards when he speaks of God circumcising people’s hearts?
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Discussion Questions: (These are to be answered by reflecting on what you learned in the videos) 1. Read Deuteronomy 25:4. Why would God give a law about treating oxen kindly? Read what St-Paul says about this passage in his epistle, 1 Corinthians 9:9-10. What do you think that St- Paul means when he says that “whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest”? Explain your answer by considering how obeying these laws would change how the Israelites looked at the world? (Hint: What was the general purpose of the Covenant Laws?)
2. In school, you may have studied the civilizations of ancient, pre-Christian Europe, Africa and the Middle East, e.g., Samaria, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Sparta, Rome and the Celtic and Germanic peoples. One thing that all of these ancient civilizations had in common, was that if you broke a law, the penalty that you would have faced depended on your social status. For example, if you killed some one, you would be put to death if you were a peasant but might only need to pay a small fine if you were a noble. Today, our law system is described as being based on social justice. A key principle of social justice is that the same penalty applies to everyone. Do you think that this principle of social justice is based on the Covenant Laws? Do you think that we can have social justice if we don’t recognize God as the author of all that is good?
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3. For the Israelites, the Covenant Laws governed both their religious and civil lives. However, once the Covenant Law served its purpose in helping to identify Jesus Christ, Jesus released His followers from having to follow the religious laws pertaining to ritual purity. (Review the lesson on Leviticus if you do not remember the ritual purity laws.) However, since the time of Jesus, Christians and the countries they founded, have based their civil law on the Ten Commandments. This includes Canada and other “Western Nations”. Why do you think our law system is based on the Ten Commandments? What advantages does a law system based on the Ten Commandments have? Would a law system not based on the Ten Commandments be equally effective? Why not? Explain your answer.
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4. For the Israelites, God was present in every part of their lives. Do you think that this is still the case today? Does that make our lives better or worse? Why? Explain your answer.
5. Please prepare a question based on this week’s lesson that you will ask one of the other students.
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