Lessons From the Epistles to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians
<< >>
Sabbath, November 7, 2026Lesson 6
Strengthened by the Saviour MEMORY VERSE: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6, 7).
Suggested Reading:
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 290–302.
“You have the Pattern, Christ Jesus; walk in His footsteps, and you will be qualified to fill any and every position that you may be called upon to occupy.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 303.
1. THE SOLID SOURCE Sun, Nov 1
a. In an age where so much information is available, where does the apostle bid us seek answers? Colossians 2:1–4.“I am instructed to say to our people: Let us follow Christ. Do not forget that He is to be our pattern in all things. We may safely discard those ideas that are not found in His teaching. I appeal to our ministers to be sure that their feet are placed on the platform of eternal truth. Beware how you follow impulse, calling it the Holy Spirit. Some are in danger in this respect. I call upon them to be sound in the faith, able to give to everyone who asks a reason of the hope that is in them.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 296.“We are nearing the end of time, and we want now, not to meet the world’s tastes and practices, but to meet the mind of God; to see what saith the Scriptures, and then to walk according to the light which God has given us. Our inclinations, our customs and practices, are not to have the preference. God’s word is our standard.”—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 506.b. For what precious qualities does the apostle specifically commend the Colossian believers? Colossians 2:5.
2. LEARNING IN TODAY’S WORLD Mon, Nov 2
a. How are we to grow at every step in our Christian walk—and how is this to guide us in educating the next generation as well? Colossians 2:6, 7.“The best education that can be given to children and youth is that which bears the closest relation to the future, immortal life. This kind of education should be given by godly parents, by devoted teachers, and by the church, to the end that the youth in turn may become zealous missionaries for either home or foreign fields. They are to be earnestly instructed in the truths of the Bible, that they may become pillars in the church, champions for truth, rooted and grounded in the faith. They are to know whereof they believe, and to have such an experience in divine things that they will never become betrayers of sacred trusts. The youth should be educated by precept and example that they are to be agents for God, messengers of mercy, ready for every good word and work, that they are to be blessings to those who are ready to perish.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 231.b. Considering today’s secular mindset, what vital perspective must we ever keep in mind? Colossians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 3:19.“The most profound intellects of the world, when not enlightened by God’s Word, become bewildered and lost while trying to investigate the matters of science and revelation. The Creator and His works are beyond finite comprehension, and men conclude that because they cannot explain the works and ways of God from natural causes, the Bible history is not reliable. Many are so intent upon excluding God from the exercise of sovereign will and power in the established order of the universe, that they demean man, the noblest of His creatures. The theories and speculations of philosophy would make us believe that man has come by slow degrees, not merely from a savage state, but from the very lowest form of the brute creation. They destroy man’s dignity because they will not admit God’s miraculous power.“God has illuminated human intellects, and poured a flood of light on the world through discoveries in art and science. But those who view these from a merely human standpoint will most assuredly come to wrong conclusions. The thorns of error, skepticism, and infidelity are disguised by being covered with the garments of philosophy and science. Satan has devised this ingenious manner of winning souls away from the living God, away from the truth and religion.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 906.
3. A COMPLETE SAVIOUR Tue, Nov 3
a. What must we realize about the nature of Christ? Colossians 2:9.“Wondrous combination of man and God! . . . The eternal Word consented to be made flesh! God became man! It was a wonderful humility.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1127.“Christ could not have come to this earth with the glory that He had in the heavenly courts. Sinful human beings could not have borne the sight. He veiled His divinity with the garb of humanity, but He did not part with His divinity. A divine-human Saviour, He came to stand at the head of the fallen race, to share in their experience from childhood to manhood.“Christ had not exchanged His divinity for humanity; but He had clothed His divinity in humanity.“Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of Christ. Do not set Him before the people as a man with the propensities of sin. He is the second Adam. The first Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did fall through transgressing. Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience. But Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature, and was tempted in all points as human nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity.”—Ibid., p. 1128.b. What reveals His mighty, all-sufficient power to save us? Colossians 2:10.“By His obedience to all the commandments of God, Christ wrought out a redemption for men. This was not done by going out of Himself to another, but by taking humanity into Himself. Thus Christ gave to humanity an existence out of Himself. To bring humanity into Christ, to bring the fallen race into oneness with divinity, is the work of redemption. Christ took human nature that men might be one with Him as He is one with the Father, that God may love man as He loves His only-begotten Son, that men may be partakers of the divine nature, and be complete in Him. . . .“This union is represented by the union of the vine and the branches. Finite man is united to the manhood of Christ. Through faith human nature is assimilated with Christ’s nature. We are made one with God in Christ.”—Selected Messages, bk. 1, pp. 250, 251.
4. BEHOLDING GOD’S METHODS Wed, Nov 4
a. Describe the experience represented by baptism. Luke 3:16; Colossians 2:11–13.“Baptism is a most solemn renunciation of the world. Those who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their Christian life declare publicly that they have forsaken the service of Satan and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. They have obeyed the command: ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean thing.’ ”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 91.“The Lord is fitting a people for heaven. The defects of character, the stubborn will, the selfish idolatry, the indulgence of faultfinding, hatred, and contention, provoke the wrath of God and must be put away from His commandment-keeping people. . . . God will send reproof and warning to His people as long as they continue upon earth.”—Ibid., vol. 4, p. 180.b. What must we understand about those ordinances nailed to the cross? Colossians 2:14, 15.“After the completion of the tabernacle [the Lord] communicated with Moses from the cloud of glory above the mercy seat, and gave him full directions concerning the system of offerings and the forms of worship to be maintained in the sanctuary. The ceremonial law was thus given to Moses, and by him written in a book. But the law of Ten Commandments spoken from Sinai had been written by God Himself on the tables of stone, and was sacredly preserved in the ark.“There are many who try to blend these two systems, using the texts that speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished; but this is a perversion of the Scriptures. The distinction between the two systems is broad and clear. The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood. This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease. It is this law that Christ ‘took . . . out of the way, nailing it to His cross.’ Colossians 2:14. But concerning the law of Ten Commandments the psalmist declares, ‘Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.’ Psalm 119:89.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 364, 365.
5. DEVELOPING DISCERNMENT Thu, Nov 5
a. In contrast to the seventh-day Sabbath in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11), in what different context is the word “sabbath” also found in Colossians 2:16, 17? Explain the distinction. Leviticus 23:37–39; Hebrews 10:1–4.“Paul endeavored to direct the minds of his hearers to the one great Sacrifice for sin. He pointed to the sacrifices that were shadows of good things to come, and then presented Christ as the antitype of all those ceremonies—the object to which they pointed as the only source of life and hope for fallen man. Holy men of old were saved by faith in the blood of Christ. As they saw the dying agonies of the sacrificial victims they looked across the gulf of ages to the Lamb of God that was to take away the sin of the world.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 424.b. Give examples of what Paul warns about in Colossians 2:18–23.“The teachers of spiritualism come in a pleasing, bewitching manner to deceive you, and if you listen to their fables you are beguiled by the enemy of righteousness and will surely lose your reward. When once the fascinating influence of the archdeceiver overcomes you, you are poisoned, and its deadly influence adulterates and destroys your faith in Christ’s being the Son of God, and you cease to rely on the merits of His blood. Those deceived by this philosophy are beguiled of their reward through the deceptions of Satan. They rely upon their own merits, exercise voluntary humility, are even willing to make sacrifices, and debase themselves, and yield their minds to the belief of supreme nonsense, receiving the most absurd ideas through those whom they believe to be their dead friends. Satan has so blinded their eyes and perverted their judgment that they perceive not the evil; and they follow out the instructions purporting to be from their dead friends now angels in a higher sphere.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, pp. 297, 298.
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, Nov 6
1. Why is it wise for me to cherish the studies I learn from Scripture?2. Name some subtle dangers faced when pursuing secular higher education.3. How is knowing the nature of Christ able to make us better people?4. What do I need to understand about Colossians 2:14, 15?5. What kind of sabbath is Paul referring to in Colossians 2:16, 17?