1. Adult Bible Study Guide Apr May Jun 2013 Adult Bible Study Guide Apr May Jun 2013 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com

2. Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide An Appeal Dear User…. This PowerPoint Show is freely shared to all who may find it beneficial. While intended primarily for personal use, some find it useful for teaching the lesson in church. There are those, however, who add illustrations, change background, change fonts, etc. While their intention may be good, this is not right. Slide #1 says “designed by claro ruiz vicente.” For honest Christians, it is not necessary for another’s creation to be copyrighted in order to be respected. P LEASE U SE A S I S.

3. Zdravko Stefanovic Principal Contributor “Seek the Lord and Live!” Major Lessons From Minor Prophets

4. “Seek the Lord and Live” Contents 1 Spiritual Adultery Hosea 2 Love and Judgment: God’s Dilemma Hosea 3 A Holy and Just GodJoel 4 Lord of All Nations Amos 5 Seek the Lord and Live! Amos 6 Eager to ForgiveJonah 7 God’s Special People Micah 8 Trusting God’s Goodness Habakkuk 9 The Day of the Lord Zephaniah 10 First Things First! Haggai 11 Vision of Hope Zechariah 12 Heaven’s Best Gift Zechariah 13 Lest We Forget! Malachi

5. “Seek the Lord and Live” Our Goal {169} IT’S PRESENT TRUTH — God’s message to us today just as it was a message to those who lived in the time of these twelve writers who, though long gone, still speak. The question is, will we listen?

6. “Seek the Lord and Live” Lesson 8, May 25 “Seek the Lord and Live” Lesson 8, May 25 Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk)

7. Key Text Habakkuk 2:14 NASB “ ‘FOR THE EARTH will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.’ ”

8. Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk) Initial Words {255} HABAKKUK WITNESSED INJUSTICE, violence, and evil. Even worse, God appeared to be silent amid it all, though He did ask Habakkuk to trust in His promises. The prophet did not live to see the fulfillment of those promises; yet he learned to trust in them anyway.

9. Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk) Quick Look 1. Habakkuk’s First Problem (Habakkuk 1:2, 3) 2. Habakkuk’s Second Problem (Habakkuk 2:2-4) 3. Habakkuk’s Psalm of Praise (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

10. Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk) 1. Habakkuk’s First Problem Habakkuk 1:2, 3 NKJV “O LORD, HOW long shall I cry, and You will not hear? Even cry up to You, ‘Violence!’ and You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contentions arise.”

11. 1. Habakkuk’s First Problem Perplexed Prophet {256} HABAKKUK IS UNIQUE among prophets because he does not speak for God to the people but rather he speaks to God about the people. The prophet begins his struggle to understand God’s purposes with a cry of bewilderment: “O Lord, how long?”

12. 1. Habakkuk’s First Problem Perplexed Prophet {256} Habakkuk knows well how much God loves justice and hates oppression; so, he wants to know why God allows injustice to continue. All around he notices violence and law-breaking, and it seems that the wicked triumph over the righteous.

13. 1. Habakkuk’s First Problem Perplexed Prophet {256} God’s answer reveals His future plans. He will use the army of Babylon to punish the people. This announcement surprises the prophet. He did not anticipate that God would use such a ruthless army to discipline Judah.

14. Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk) 2. Habakkuk’s Second Problem Habakkuk 2:2, 3 NKJV “ ‘WRITE THE VISION…. For the vision is yet for an appointed time…. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come. Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.’ ”

15. 2. Habakkuk’s Second Problem Living by Faith {257} GOD’S ANSWER POSES an even more vexing question: can a righteous God use the wicked to punish those who are more righteous than they? Habakkuk’s question in verse 17 has to do with divine justice. He was puzzled by the certainty that his country would be judged by another nation, one worse than his own.

16. 2. Habakkuk’s Second Problem For the Earth Shall Be Filled {258} God’s answer mocks the proud oppressor. Five woes affirm the message that Babylon’s doom is sealed. The punishment on the enemy will be in accordance with the “measure for measure” principle. They will reap what they sow, because God cannot be mocked by proud human beings.

17. 2. Habakkuk’s Second Problem For the Earth Shall Be Filled {258} In contrast to the oppressor, the righteous have the promise of eternal life in Christ, regardless of what happens to them here in this life. The righteous are persistent in their wait for divine intervention, even if they see it only at the Second Coming.

18. Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk) 3. Habakkuk’s Psalm of Praise Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV “T HOUGH THE FIG tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines;…the olives may fail, and the fields yield no food;…the flock be cut off from the fold…and no herds in the stalls— yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the gladness of His salvation. The Lord God is my strength….”

19. 3. Habakkuk’s Psalm of Praise Remembering God’s Fame {259} HABAKKUK EXPRESSES HIS acceptance of God’s ways in a prayer set to music. Being fully aware of God’s power, he asks the Lord to remember His mercy when the judgment begins. With one eye he looks back to the Exodus event while with the other he looks ahead to the day of the Lord.

20. 3. Habakkuk’s Psalm of Praise Remembering God’s Fame {259} The hymn describes God’s deliverance of Israel from the Egyptian bondage. What has happened at the time of the Exodus is a foreshadowing of the great judgment day. The godly should not be anxious about the day of the Lord, but they must wait, persevere, and rejoice in the hope that is theirs.

21. The hymn is also a celebration of the power, glory, and victorious nature of God. Habakkuk describes the Lord as sovereign over the whole earth. The revelation of His glory is comparable to the splendor of the sunrise. 3. Habakkuk’s Psalm of Praise Remembering God’s Fame {259}

22. Trusting God’s Goodness (Habakkuk) Final Words {258} “T HE FAITH THAT strengthened Habakkuk…was the same faith that sustains God’s people today. In the darkest hours…the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source of all light and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope and courage may be renewed.”— Prophets and Kings 386, 387.