Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Royalty and Ruin (Prophets and Kings)
Chapter 34 - Jeremiah, the Man Who Felt God’s Anguish
God called Jeremiah to the task of warning God’s people that His patience was running out. Jeremiah wasn’t sure he was prepared for this daunting task. But God had begun preparing him before he was born. Just as He has us.
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Timothy 4:12
Exodus 15:20-21
Matthew 3:1-3
Genesis 6:9-22
Revelation 1:1-3
What do we know about Jeremiah? We actually know a lot because Scripture tells us he was born into the family of Hilkiah who was a priest. He was chosen by God to speak clearly about the path of destruction His people were on. Josiah was king when his ministry started and Zedekiah ruled at the end of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry. God’s calling in his life was very clear. He reminded Jeremiah that He knew him and chose him before he was born and that he was called for a special purpose. In this lesson, we will explore what it looks like to be called by God to be a messenger of hope, reproof, and reconciliation.
Before Sabbath, purchase a bunch of popsicle sticks. (The number will vary depending on your group size.) Write questions on them that will help you get to know the students better, such as:
Be creative! This exercise will help you get to know your group better. Place the sticks in a paper bag, shake them up, and have each student grab one when it is their turn. If a student is uncomfortable with this game, don’t force them to choose a question. Instead, encourage them to think of something about themselves that they could share.
It doesn’t matter whether you are short or tall, funny or serious, young or old, God has a plan for you. The question is, are you willing to follow that plan? In today’s lesson we are going to journey with several of God’s chosen spokespeople and learn what it might look like to be chosen as one of His prophets.
Today marks a very important day in the history of the United States. It’s the 4th of July—Independence Day. Canada Day was this past Wednesday, July 1. Other countries have a similar festive day.
Independence Day contrasts with what is going on in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is set in the waning years of the country of Israel. Babylon is literally knocking down their gates, preparing for the complete annihilation of God’s people. It is in this setting that Jeremiah is called to preach truth. Can you imagine the challenge of speaking for God during a time when your people are under attack by a foreign nation? When God called Jeremiah to prophetic ministry, it wasn’t subtle. It was blatant and intentional.
Read Jeremiah 1:4-5.
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Read Jeremiah 1:6.
Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
Read Jeremiah 1:7-10.
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Read 1 Timothy 4:12.
12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Read Exodus 15:20-21.
20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”
Read Matthew 3:1-3.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
Read Genesis 6:9-22.
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
The story of Noah and the flood is very dramatic. The earth is relatively newly created and already sin has become widespread. God says in Genesis 6:7, “I regret that I have made them.” The next verse says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). Instead of destroying humanity, God chooses Noah to be His prophet and boat builder to save the world’s population.
Read Revelation 1:1-3.
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
QUESTIONS
This week has commemorated two independence days! Many people are celebrating the freedom that independence brings.
In the Garden of Eden, we were given our freedom. In the Garden of Eden, we lost our freedom. That was a dark day. However, we were promised that one day a Savior would come and restore us. Men and women were chosen to point the way to the coming of the Messiah and remind people how to live as they waited. When Jesus was raised from the dead, that was our spiritual Independence Day. On that day, our sins were forgiven, death was conquered, and our Salvation was assured.
Throughout history, God chose people to share hope, bring reproof, and give guidance to His people. Has this made any difference in your life? As you think about the meaning of Independence Day for the United States, or your home country, remember that as amazing as that event is, what Jesus did has had an even greater impact on your life.
Find a veteran in your church, someone who has served in the military, and ask them what Independence Day means to them. Thank them for their service by writing them a note, making them a card, or making them some cookies. In addition, ask them what it was like the day that they made the decision to follow Jesus. Ask them how this has impacted their life and if they had to do it over again, what would they change about the way they have followed Jesus.
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.
Be sure everyone takes time for personal applications before you end your Sabbath School time together.
This week’s lesson is about the call of Jeremiah, as found in the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah. This Sabbath is also Independence Day for people in the United States (the 4th of July). In addition, Canadians celebrated Canada Day on Wednesday, July 1. Many other countries also have their own version of a day that celebrates independence.
As the youth leader, you can adjust, incorporate, or tweak this lesson to include Independence Day themes. For example, Jeremiah lived at the time just before God’s people lost their independence to the Babylonians. God’s messages through Jeremiah warned the people that because of their generations of disobedience to the covenant, they would lose their independence. Later the message came to Jeremiah that they would lose their independence for 70 years—basically the rest of their lives, but not necessarily the lives of their descendants (see Jeremiah 25:9-11).
This relational Bible study will focus on Jeremiah 1 and God’s call on Jeremiah before he had even been formed in his mother’s womb. This has tremendous significance for young people, especially those who aren’t aware that God chose a young person, Jeremiah, who could have easily been a teen himself, to begin sharing God’s messages publicly with others.
Good News or Bad News?
What is your source for good news? What is your source for bad news?
Read Jeremiah 1:1-19.
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”
“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”
14 The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord. “Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah.
16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.
17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
1. Jeremiah was the son of a priest from Anathoth, which means . . .
2. How often would you like to receive messages from God (vs. 3)?
3. Is God’s call on Jeremiah, from the womb, good news or bad news?
4. God had a plan for Jeremiah before his birth. Is that true for you too?
5. What difference does age make when it comes to speaking for God?
6. How would you respond to God’s promise of protection from attacks?
7. What do you see God doing right now (vs. 11, 13)?
8. What is God’s GOOD news for you, your church, your community, and the world? What is God’s BAD news for each of these?
From a relatively young age, Jeremiah received messages from God that he was to share primarily with God’s people. These weren’t happy, feel-good types of messages. They were messages of doom, including messages about God’s people going into captivity to a heathen country, and their city and God’s temple being destroyed. That’s not a very fun message to pass along from God to everyone you know! But the focus of this introductory chapter to Jeremiah lets us know that God can speak to and through young people. That means God can speak to and through the young people in your Youth Sabbath School right now! It also brings up the question of God’s will for one’s life since God told Jeremiah he had called him to this specific task even before Jeremiah’s birth.
God has a call on your life.
Download the PDF document called “What I Can Say/Do for God.” It’s just one page.
Jeremiah was probably a teen when God called him. But God told Jeremiah He had laid out these plans even before Jeremiah was forming in his mother’s womb! If that was true for Jeremiah, and if that’s true for you, God has had His eye on you for quite a few years. This stands in contrast to many young people who think they can’t do much until they are older, have a college education, and have worked for at least a few years. But that simply isn’t the story from the Bible.
Take this one-page handout and consider what you can say and do for God right now. You might need to think back a month or two and consider some virtual graduation ceremonies in which young people, or older people speaking to young people, told them they could make a difference now. Some may have said they could make a difference in the future. Some have already made a difference.
Notice on the handout that there are three boxes related to time periods for what you can say and do for God. One is the present time—right now. Another box is for two years ago. This requires some reflection and may necessitate asking others what they remember from two years ago. And the third box points to the future and your imagination and even your prayers about what God will do and/or say through you. Two years is a long time in the life of a teen. A lot can happen in two years! This activity can be done individually and privately. (Teachers: You may choose to invite the youth to share.)
Traditionally, people of God have assumed that God has a will for one’s life. But many live in quiet frustration because they can’t seem to figure out God’s will for their life. It’s obvious that we are expected to be loving and kind, and to follow God’s commands. But what about specific choices such as:
Check out the Youth Sabbath School materials from September 29, 2019. Here’s a link for a spinner game that can be done individually or in small groups, even in a family. Click on the “Opening Activities” option.
And check out the second Bible Study Guide in this link for discerning God’s sovereign will, God’s moral will, and God’s specific will for one’s life. Click on the “Bible Study Guides” and go to the second example, called “God’s Will for Your Life (A.K.A. Give Me A Clue About God’s Will For My Life).
By Steve Case
It’s great to be in a tightly-knit group, but getting to that point often proves challenging. Sometimes a simple game does the magic, but other times nothing seems to work. How does a group come together? Are there certain ingredients we can count on, or is it just hit-and-miss, better luck next time?
Although each group is unique, you can count on some key principles and follow a basic flow to foster closeness and community in your group—whether that’s with 5 people, 50, or 500.
Youth ministry veteran Steve Case has put together this “bag of tricks” which he collected over decades of experience. You may have seen, led, or possibly invented some of these activities, but now you have them arranged in a flow and with descriptions that will enable you to craft your own group-building experiences.
