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.
Chapter 25, Royalty and Ruin (Prophets and Kings)
Isaiah reminds us of three elements of receiving a call from God, who we are in order to accept the call, and how not to drop the call when we hear it.
Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 13:8-10
John 15:1-17
Matthew 10:37-39
Hebrews 10:24-25
God created only one of you, which highlights the fact that you are a unique and valuable part of His plan. God’s calling for your life is just as specific and important as Isaiah’s calling. When we understand who we are, we can discover God’s special purpose, exclusive plans, and the mission He has for us. The ways we use our talents for His honor and glory will give us the most satisfaction and meaning in life. We will be authentically defined by our service to God and to others.
OPENING ACTIVITY
Guess Who . . . I Am?
Supplies Needed: paper, pens
Pick a friend from your church to pair with for this activity. Due to social distancing, you will need to use either texting or video chatting to complete this activity. Grab paper and pens and play a guessing game to determine how well you and your friend know each other. Each person will answer the following questions about themselves. Then, ask each other the following questions, and silently write down the answers. After asking all the questions, share the correct responses to determine how well you know your friend.
QUESTIONS
Although God created us each with individual and unique abilities and purposes, He also designed us to be in relationships with others. From the beginning of the existence of people, God was in a relationship with us. Adam’s relationship experiences continued to grow as he became a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so forth. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with people, in relationships, who were part of God’s mission. Each had a unique calling for their lives. Even in eternity, we will have continuous relationships with God and others.
Read each Bible passage, then discuss the questions. If you are still worshiping from home, consider discussing one or more of the questions on social media, in a Zoom meeting, or in a group chat with friends.
Let’s read Isaiah 6:1-8.
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Called to Love
Read Romans 13:8-10 (NIV).
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
QUESTIONS
There are people whom God placed in our lives for a specific purpose. In some cases, we could be the only Christian that friends or family members know. The way we live and the way we communicate could make a difference for eternity in someone’s life. Showing God’s love to others is a high calling.
Called by Jesus
Read John 15:1-17 (NIV).
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Being a disciple of Jesus means being His friend and His representative. God is love, so it makes sense that we are called to love—which reveals the character of God.
Priorities
Read Matthew 10:37-39 (NIV).
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
In this life, we fulfill a variety of roles. We study when we are younger, and later we work for a living. We have many responsibilities. God’s calling is our first priority. God’s calling is revealed through our relationship with Him.
Careful Connections
Read Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV).
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
As we fulfill the purpose God has for our lives, keeping connected to others is the catalyst that makes showing love and sharing God possible. Technology has made us more connected than ever, but it also is the reason some people are less connected than ever. Having a prayer connection with God daily will clarify His commands for us. As we pray for “Divine appointments” with others, He can use our contacts, communication, and connections to share His love and plan of hope and salvation.
God has called you to serve Him and serve others. How will you prepare today for your unique calling?
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
Isaiah 6:1-13
Exodus 19:18
Exodus 40:34-35
2 Chronicles 7:2
Revelation 15:8
Matthew 13:14-15
Mark 4:10-12
Luke 8:10
John 12:39-41
Acts 28:26-27
Romans 11:8
Matthew 5:8
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.
Please share the following background with your class before going to the first question on the handout. You will also want to pray directly for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
“I saw the LORD, high and lifted up!” Isaiah’s personal testimony (Isaiah 6:1) often stands alone in our thinking. We often don’t put it in context. Take a minute to see how the context enriches this passage.
The first verse of Isaiah 6 begins with, “In the year King Uzziah died. . .” And we tend to just breeze over that and move on to the “good stuff.” But let’s reflect. King Uzziah had been king for 52 years, starting at the age of 16—the age of some in Youth Sabbath School. (See 2 Chronicles 26:1-23 to read about his remarkable reign.) The nation of Judah did well, and they followed God because of Uzziah’s practices and directions.
And now let’s reflect on Uzziah’s head. He saw himself as so important that he went into the Holy Place of the sanctuary in Jerusalem (a place only the priests were to enter) and burned incense (something only the priests were allowed to do). The high priest, along with 80 other brave priests, went in and confronted King Uzziah. His response was anything but repentant. Uzziah refused to leave or to even set down the incense burner in his hand.
That’s when leprosy broke out on his forehead—right in front of the priests who were the ones to determine whether or not a person had leprosy. And with that, Uzziah became a king in isolation, including unable to return to worship at the sanctuary because of his leprosy. He handed over the kingdom to his son to rule.
And let’s not forget that Assyria, an up and coming powerful country, was on the move and overrunning all the nations that Judah previously defeated. Here was a force coming for the people of Judah. What would happen next?
Now let’s return to Isaiah 6. When King Uzziah died, Isaiah received a vision of being in God’s presence inside the sanctuary, in front of the altar of incense. Whoa! His response was the opposite of the unrepentant king’s. Isaiah saw himself as sinful in comparison to the king. And God cleansed him on the spot with a coal from the altar where prayers ascended to heaven. That’s pretty cool!
But Isaiah’s call to serve as God’s spokesperson was a call to a thankless task. The people wouldn’t listen to what he said and the nation would sink further into apostasy and ruin. And yet Isaiah’s response was, “Here am I, LORD; send me.” Of course. He was completely overwhelmed by God. King Uzziah and the threat of Assyria, and the deaf ears of the people of Judah were nothing compared to the One Isaiah saw in vision.
What would be your response? Have you been overwhelmed by God? What is God’s call to you? This sets the stage for this Relational Bible Study.
Overwhelming!
Describe a time when something overwhelmed you—blew you away!
Read Isaiah 6:1-13.
1. Isaiah saw God in His glory. When have you seen God’s glory?
2. Rank (1-9) what would grab your attention the most in God’s temple.
____ Being in God’s temple itself.
____ The lofty throne—looking straight up at God.
____ The lengthy train on God’s robe—there is nothing like it.
____ The seraphim (“shining ones”) who bow due to God’s glory.
____ The singing.
____ God’s unmistakable presence.
____ The shaking of the temple (Exodus 19:18).
____ Smoke filling the temple (Exodus 40:34-35; 2 Chronicles 7:2; Revelation 15:8).
____ Other: _____________________________
3. When do you feel sinful or unclean?
4. What question(s) has God posed to you?
5. What conditions would you set with God if He wanted you to speak on His behalf?
6. Why does God send messengers when no one seems to listen?
7. What is my generation doing right in their relationships with God? What is my generation doing wrong? What about me?
8. What is God’s message to me? What is God’s message to my generation?
Isaiah experienced God in an overwhelming manner. His response to God’s question, “Who will go for Me?” was automatic: “Here I am; send me.” In contrast to the many things that can overwhelm us in this world and in our lives, when we see God for who He is, hopefully we are overwhelmed and will do whatever He wants us to do, go wherever He wants us to go, and say whatever He gives us to say.
Isaiah gave an immediate response to God’s inquiry in vision: “Here am I; send me.” But he was sent to hard-hearted people. Who would follow through? Those who have seen God and His holiness. For your application of this lesson, consider responding alone with God and also with others, just as Isaiah did. Here are some ideas to get you going:
By Steve Case
Want some small group discussion starters? Use these prompts to get your group going.
Steve Case draws on his love for Scripture, personal experiences, and training by taking a passage of Scripture and offering questions that draw out the meanings that lead to personal applications of the Bible.
You won’t find pat answers or cookie-cutter spirituality. Instead, you’ll discover new possibilities to engage with familiar and not-so-familiar portions of God’s Word, interact with God and others, and wrestle with how to live as a follower of Jesus Christ here and now.
Each of the 52 Bible studies starts with an ice-breaker question that “levels the playing field” so everyone in your group has equal access to God and vice versa. Multiple-choice options will stretch you to think in new ways, sometimes bringing a smile to your face or a surprise to your mind and heart. Deeper questions conclude each study and move participants from talk into action.
Small group leaders will appreciate the content and flexibility of these Bible studies. Use this resource to make copies for others in your group or provide a copy for each person. Tap into the portion that includes keys for leading small groups and prayer possibilities.
If you want to talk about Jesus, here’s a great way to begin the conversation.
#Playbook Youth & Young Adult Leadership Convention
You are invited to join the North American Division Youth Ministries Department for networking and leadership training from September 3-5, 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico! This event is open to all local church, conference, and union youth and young adult ministry leaders. It will feature a wide variety of seminars plus training for youth Sabbath School, Master Guide leadership, and much more.
