Teachings of Jesus

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  Our Loving Heavenly
  Father


  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 7:9–11, John 14:8–10,
  Luke 15:11–24, Matt. 6:25–34, Heb. 9:14.

  J
       esus delighted to speak of God as the Father.
       According to the Gospels, Jesus applied the name Father to God
       more than one hundred thirty times. On various occasions, He
  added adjectives: “ ‘heavenly Father’ ” (Matt. 6:14, NKJV), “ ‘living
  Father’ ” (John 6:57, NKJV), “ ‘Holy Father’ ” (John 17:11, NKJV), and
  “ ‘righteous Father’ ” (vs. 25, NKJV). The name describes the intimate
  bond that should unite us to our Lord.
      Traditionally, a “father” provides love, protection, security, suste-
  nance, and identity for a family. A father gives a name to the family
  and keeps its members together. We can enjoy these and many other
  benefits when we accept God as our heavenly Father.
     Though it is so essential for us to know the Father, our aim should
  not be just intellectual and theoretical knowledge. In the Bible, to know
  someone means to have a personal, intimate relationship with him or
  her. How much more so with our heavenly Father?
     This week we will explore what Jesus taught about our Father and
  about His infinite love for us. We will look, too, at the close relation-
  ship of the Father with the Son and with the Holy Spirit.

 Our Father in Heaven
   Father was not a new name for God. The Old Testament some-
 times presented Him as our Father (Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Jer. 3:4, 19; Ps.
 103:13). However, it was not the most used name for Him. For Israel,
 the personal name of God was YHWH (probably pronounced Yahweh),
 which appears more than six thousand eight hundred times in the Old
 Testament. Jesus did not come to reveal a different God from YHWH.
 Rather, His mission was to complete the revelation that God had made
 of Himself in the Old Testament. In doing so, He presented God as our
 heavenly Father.
   Jesus made clear that the Father is “in heaven.” It is important to
 remember this truth in order to have the right attitude toward God. We
 have a loving Father who is concerned with the needs of His children.
 At the same time, we recognize that this caring Father is “in heaven,”
 where millions of angels worship Him because He is the only Sovereign
 of the universe, holy and omnipotent. The fact that He is our Father
 invites us to approach Him with the confidence of a child. On the other
 hand, the truth that He is in heaven reminds us of His transcendence
 and the need to worship Him with reverence. To emphasize one of these
 aspects at the expense of the other would lead us to a distorted concept
 of God, with far-reaching consequences for our practical, daily lives.

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   Not everyone has had a loving, caring father. For various reasons, some
 may not even have known their father. Therefore, for them to call God
 “my Father” may have little, if any, meaning. However, all of us have
 an idea of what a good earthly father would be. Besides, we may have
 known some people who did portray the characteristics of a good father.
   We know that human fathers are far from perfect, but we also know
 that most fathers love their children and, in spite of their shortcomings,
 they try to give them the best they can. Imagine, then, what our Father
 in heaven can do for us.

  What does it mean for you, personally, to address God as your
  heavenly Father? What should it mean to you?

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 Revealed by the Son
    Talking about the Father, John says: “No one has ever seen God”
 (John 1:18, NIV). Since the fall of Adam and Eve, sin has hindered us
 from knowing God. Moses wanted to see God, but the Lord explained
 to him: “ ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live’ ”
 (Exod. 33:20, NKJV). Nevertheless, our priority should be to know
 God, because eternal life is to know the Father (John 17:3).

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   In the great controversy, Satan’s main attack has been against the
 character of God. The devil made every effort to convince everyone
 that God is selfish, severe, and arbitrary. The best way to meet this
 accusation was for Him to live on this earth in order to demonstrate
 the falsehood of the charges. Jesus came to represent God’s nature and
 character and to correct the distorted concept that many had developed
 about the Godhead. “The only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,
 he has made him known” (John 1:18, RSV).

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    Jesus was sad and astonished to hear Philip’s question. His gentle rebuke
 actually reveals His patient love toward His dull disciples. Jesus’ response
 implied something like this: Is it possible that after walking with Me, hear-
 ing My words, seeing My miracles of feeding the crowds, of healing the
 sick and of raising the dead, you do not know Me? Is it possible that you do
 not recognize the Father in the works that He does through Me?
    The disciples’ failure to know the Father through Jesus did not mean
 that Jesus had misrepresented the Father. On the contrary, Jesus was
 sure that He had fulfilled His mission of revealing the Father in a fuller
 way than had ever been seen before. Therefore, He could say to the dis-
 ciples: “ ‘If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
 . . . He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ ” (John 14:7, 9, NKJV).

 The Love of Our Heavenly Father
   Jesus came to emphasize what the Old Testament had already
 affirmed: the Father looks at us with incomparable love (Jer. 31:3, Ps.
 103:13).
   “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we
 should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1, NKJV). It is amazing
 that the Almighty God, who rules the immense universe, would allow
 us insignificant and poor sinners living on a tiny planet in the midst of
 billions of galaxies to call Him Father. He does so because He loves us.

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    Christ was not nailed to the cross in order to create in the Father’s
 heart a love for humanity. Jesus’ atoning death was not the means to
 convince the Father to love us; it happened because the Father had
 already loved us, even before the foundation of the world. And what
 greater evidence do we have, could we have, of His love than the sacri-
 fice of Jesus on the cross?
    “The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He
 provided the propitiation because He loves us.”—Ellen G. White, Steps
 to Christ, p. 13.
    Some tend to think that the Father is reluctant to love us. Nevertheless,
 the fact that Jesus is our Mediator does not mean that He has to per-
 suade the Father to love us. Christ Himself dispelled this wrong idea
 when He said: “ ‘The Father Himself loves you’ ” (John 16:27, NKJV).

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  How are we, each of us in our own way, like the prodigal son? In
  what ways have you experienced something similar to what he
  did?
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 The Compassionate Care
 of Our Heavenly Father
    It is important to know that we are cared for. Even though some
 people may be indifferent and neglectful toward us, Jesus taught that
 our heavenly Father cares for us in every possible way. His mercy and
 tenderness are not subject to the ups and downs so common in human
 temperaments; His love is steadfast and unchanging, regardless of the
 circumstances.

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    “There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read;
 there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity
 can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy
 cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father
 is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. ‘He healeth
 the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3. The
 relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though
 there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not
 another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.”—Ellen G. White,
 Steps to Christ, p. 100.
    Amid all the encouraging words here, we cannot ignore the fact that
 tragedy and suffering do strike us. Even in the texts for today, Jesus
 spoke of how “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof ” (Matt. 6:34),
 implying that not everything is going to go well for us. We do have to
 live with evil and its doleful consequences. The point is, even amid all
 that, we are assured of the Father’s love for us, a love revealed to us in
 so many ways, most of all, by the Cross. How crucial, then, that we
 constantly keep the gifts and blessings of our heavenly Father before us;
 otherwise, we can easily become discouraged when evil strikes, which
 it inevitably does.

  In what ways, during a time of crisis, were you able to see the
  reality of God’s love for you? What did you learn from that
  experience that you can share with someone else who might be
  struggling and, amid those struggles, questioning the reality of
  God’s love?

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     “In order to strengthen our confidence in God, Christ teaches us to
  address Him by a new name, a name entwined with the dearest associa-
  tions of the human heart. He gives us the privilege of calling the infinite
  God our Father. This name, spoken to Him and of Him, is a sign of our
  love and trust toward Him, and a pledge of His regard and relationship
  to us. Spoken when asking His favor or blessing, it is as music in His
  ears. That we might not think it presumption to call Him by this name,
  He has repeated it again and again. He desires us to become familiar
  with the appellation.
     “God regards us as His children. He has redeemed us out of the
  careless world and has chosen us to become members of the royal fam-
  ily, sons and daughters of the heavenly King. He invites us to trust in
  Him with a trust deeper and stronger than that of a child in his earthly
  father. Parents love their children, but the love of God is larger, broader,
  deeper, than human love can possibly be. It is immeasurable.”—Ellen
  G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 141, 142.

    “Our heavenly Father has expressed his love for us individually in the
  cross of Calvary. The Father loves us, he is full of compassion and ten-
  der mercy.”—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times®, September 30, 1889.

    We know God loves us. Why, then, is there suffering?
    As a class, go over your answers to Thursday’s final question.
    Think about the incredible size of the universe. Think, too,
   that the One who created it, Jesus, was the same One who died for
   us on the cross. How do we wrap our minds around this hopeful
   news? How can we learn to rejoice, moment by moment, in this
   amazing revelation of God’s love?

  The         Son



  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 24:30; Dan. 7:13, 14;
  Matt. 11:27; Luke 5:17–26; John 8:58; Matt. 20:28.

  A
           fter more than two years of public ministry, Jesus asked His
           disciples: “ ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ ”
           (Matt. 16:13, NKJV). It was not difficult for them to report
  what they had heard people saying about Jesus. More challenging,
  however, was Jesus’ next question: “ ‘But who do you say that I am?’ ”
  (vs. 15, NKJV). Now it became a personal issue. Jesus did not ask
  their opinions about His external appearance or about His character
  traits. His question, instead, went to the essence of Jesus’ very being. It
  required the disciples to express their individual conviction and faith.
     Sooner or later, everyone has to answer this same question. Each has
  to decide, individually, who Jesus is. It doesn’t help to repeat what other
  people say or believe; the answer must be genuinely our own personal
  belief. And, of course, on that answer the destiny of every human being
  hangs.
     This week we will seek the answer on the basis of what Jesus Himself
  said and did. Our aim will be to arrive, by faith, at the same response
  Peter gave: “ ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ ” (vs. 16,
  NKJV).

 The Son of Man
   This title, “the Son of man,” was Jesus’ favorite designation for
 Himself. He referred to Himself as Son of man more than eighty times.
 Other people never addressed Him that way. He, of course, selected this
 special designation for Himself with a purpose in mind.
   This idiomatic expression was common in the Old Testament. With
 just one exception, it always referred to a human; thus, Jesus used it in
 order to emphasize His humanity.
   Scripture presents Jesus as a true human being. He was born as a baby,
 grew up as a child (increasing in wisdom and in stature [Luke 2:40, 52]),
 and had sisters and brothers (Matt. 13:55, 56). He ate (Matt. 9:11), slept
 (Luke 8:23), was tired (John 4:6), and suffered hunger and thirst (Matt.
 4:2, John 19:28). He also experienced sorrow and distress (Matt. 26:37).
   To the casual observer, Jesus seemed to be a common man who
 walked among the people as one of the multitude. Many of His con-
 temporaries did not recognize in Him anything more than a man (John
 7:46). People treated Him as one of them; they laughed at Him (Luke
 8:53), criticized Him (Matt. 11:19), even mocked and beat Him (Luke
 22:63). To them, He was just another human being.
   Unfortunately, they failed to perceive that there is more to be found
 in this title. According to Daniel 7:13 and 14, “ ‘One like the Son of
 Man’ ” came with the clouds of heaven “ ‘to the Ancient of days,’ ” and
 received eternal dominion, glory, and a kingdom. The Jews identified
 this Son of man with the Messiah. So, when Jesus used this title, He
 was revealing, in a half-concealed way, that He was also the promised
 Messiah, the incarnate Christ.

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  Why is it so important for us to know that Jesus was fully
  human? What implications does His full humanity have for our
  salvation? What implications does it have for our daily lives,
  especially in our battles with temptation and sin?
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  The Son of God
     The title “Son of God” was used not only by Gabriel (Luke 1:35)
  but also by several people when addressing Jesus (Matt. 14:33, Mark
  15:39, John 1:49, 11:27). He accepted that title but was very care-
  ful not to apply it directly to Himself, lest He be stoned to death.
  Nevertheless, the Bible does reveal in different ways His special rela-
  tionship with the Father.
     The Father acknowledged Jesus as His Son at His baptism (Matt.
  3:17); the same as at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5).
     Their Father-Son relationship is unique. Christ is the only Being in
  the universe who enjoys that kind of relationship, because only He is of
  the very same nature as the Father. As believers, we have been granted
  the privilege of becoming children of God. But Jesus always was, is,
  and will be the Son of God.

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     The complete unity of Jesus and the Father includes a mutual and
  perfect knowledge of Each Other: a unity of will, purpose, and objec-
  tives. Moreover, it includes a unity of nature. The Son and the Father
  are Two Persons (“ ‘I and the Father’ ”) but of the same nature (“ ‘are
  one’ ”), a fact emphasized by the neuter pronoun one (compare with
  1 Cor. 3:8).
     We have to be aware, however, that because He came to live as a man,
  Christ while here voluntarily subordinated Himself to the Father (Phil.
  2:6–8). This limitation was functional but not part of His essence. Jesus
  subordinated Himself for a specific purpose, a specific goal.
     With this concept in mind, we can understand why Jesus said: “ ‘The
  Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do’ ” (John
  5:19, NKJV); “ ‘because I do not seek My own will but the will of
  the Father who sent Me’ ” (vs. 30, NKJV). From this functional point
  of view, He could say: “ ‘My Father is greater than I’ ” (John 14:28,
  NKJV).

   Jesus was fully God and fully human. What does this amazing
   truth tell us about the close link between heaven and earth?
   What comfort can we draw from this close connection?
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 Christ’s Divine Nature: Part 1
    The deity of Christ is the foundation of our faith. A human being could
 never be our savior, no matter how extraordinary his life may have been.
 Throughout the entire New Testament, we have evidence of His divinity.
 We will focus on what Jesus Himself taught about this subject.
    It was, for starters, not a simple matter for Jesus to explain who
 He was. His mission required Him to make known that He was the
 Messiah, God in the flesh; however, there is no record of His saying
 publicly, I am God or I am the Messiah. Had He done so, His life could
 have immediately been taken. Therefore, He chose to hint at His divine
 nature and indirectly led His hearers to know His deity.
    As Jesus gradually revealed His divine nature, most of His hearers
 understood Him but refused to accept His claim because it didn’t fit
 with their preconceived idea of the Messiah. This is evident by their
 request: “ ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ,
 tell us plainly’ ” (John 10:24, NKJV). Unfortunately, the context shows
 that their question was not sincere.
    As we saw yesterday, Jesus made many references to His special
 relationship with His Father. This was one of the methods He used to
 reveal His deity. Many understood clearly that when He said that God
 was His Father, He was making Himself equal with God (John 5:18).

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   “It required nothing less than creative power to restore health to that
 decaying body. The same voice that spoke life to man created from
 the dust of the earth had spoken life to the dying paralytic.”—Ellen G.
 White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 269, 270.
   Jesus claimed the divine prerogative to forgive sins. He also said
 that He Himself “ ‘will sit on the throne of His glory’ ” (Matt. 25:31,
 NKJV) and judge all the nations, deciding the eternal destiny of each
 one, something that rests on God’s authority alone. How much more
 could He have done here to reveal who He really was?

  Think about how hard-hearted some of these leaders were
  toward Jesus. And these men were supposed to be the spiritual
  guardians of the people. How can we make sure we don’t become
  hard-hearted in our own ways, as well?
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 Christ’s Divine Nature: Part 2
    Jesus declared and demonstrated that He had the same power as the
 Father to overcome death. “ ‘As the Father raises the dead and gives
 life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will’ ” (John 5:21,
 NKJV). Only God can state: “ ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ ”
 (John 11:25, NKJV).
    Another clear indication of Jesus’ divinity is found in His assertion
 to preexistence. He “ ‘came down from heaven’ ” (John 3:13, NKJV)
 because the Father sent Him (John 5:23). Then, again, He reaffirmed
 His preexistence: “ ‘And now, O Father, glorify Me together with
 Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was’ ”
 (John 17:5, NKJV).

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    In contrast with Abraham, who came into being (which is the literal
 meaning of the Greek root gínomai, translated here as “was”), Jesus
 announced Himself to be the self-existent One. He was not only there
 before Abraham’s birth but existed eternally. I am implies continuous
 existence. Furthermore, I AM is the title of Yahweh Himself (Exod.
 3:14). The leaders understood, unmistakably, that Jesus claimed to be the
 I AM revealed in the burning bush. For them, He was guilty of blasphemy
 and therefore “they took up stones to throw at Him” (John 8:59, NKJV).
    The Gospels show that Jesus, without showing disapproval, accepted wor-
 ship from others. He knew very well that, according to the Scriptures, only
 God deserves the adoration of humanity, for He said to Satan: “ ‘It is written,
 “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” ’ ”
 (Matt. 4:10, NKJV). Therefore, by accepting worship from others, He
 was revealing His divinity. The disciples on the sea (Matt. 14:33), the
 blind man healed (John 9:38), the women at Jesus’ tomb (Matt. 28:9),
 and the disciples in Galilee (Matt. 28:17) all worshiped Him openly, rec-
 ognizing His deity. Thomas’s words to Jesus, “ ‘My Lord and my God!’ ”
 (John 20:28, NKJV) would not have been spoken by a Jew back then
 unless he clearly understood that he was talking to God.

  Read John 20:29. What are things that you have not seen, yet
  believe in? What are the implications of your answer for the
  whole question of faith?
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  Christ’s Mission
     After considering who Jesus was, we are in a better position to under-
  stand what He came to do for us.
     Satan made accusations against God. In order to meet those accusa-
  tions, Jesus came to represent the Father’s character, and to correct the
  false concept that many had developed about the Godhead. He wanted
  us to know God, because to know Him is indispensable in order to have
  eternal life (John 17:3).
     However, we need more than knowledge to be saved. We need God to
  provide us a Savior, which is precisely the meaning of the name Jesus:
  Yahweh is salvation (Matt. 1:21). Jesus described His mission in very
  clear terms: “ ‘The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which
  was lost’ ” (Luke 19:10, NKJV). In Eden, humans lost their relationship
  with God, lost their holiness, lost their home, and lost eternal life. Jesus
  came to restore everything: He reestablishes our relationship with the
  Father (John 1:51); He forgives us our sins (Matt. 26:28); He gives us an
  example of how to live (1 Pet. 2:21); and, of course, He gives us eternal
  life (John 3:16).

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    Why did Jesus have to die? It was because He voluntarily took our
  place and bore the punishment of our sin. We are all sinners (Rom.
  3:10–12) and, as such, deserve eternal death (Rom. 6:23). The price
  for our salvation was so high that only the life of the Son of God was
  enough to pay for it.
    “The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. In all the
  universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its
  claims. Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one
  equal with God could make atonement for its transgression. None but
  Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring
  him again into harmony with Heaven.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs
  and Prophets, p. 63.

   Look around at our world and the fate of us all in this world.
   If everything ended in the grave, what hope would we have? We
   would have none at all, were it not for the plan of salvation. How,
   then, can we show our gratitude to God for what He has done for
   us in Christ?
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    “While God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this
 earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word
 existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and
 oneness with His Father. . . . The world was made by Him, ‘and without
 him was not any thing made that was made’ (John 1:3). If Christ made
 all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to
 this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God
 essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity,
 God over all, blessed forevermore. The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine
 Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the
 Father.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 247.

   “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath
 the Son hath life.’ 1 John 5:12. The divinity of Christ is the believer’s
 assurance of eternal life.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 530.

   When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Jesus,
  saw how He died, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God”
  (Mark 15:39). The best place to understand Jesus is at the foot of
  His cross. How often do you go there? When was the last time you
  were there? Why don’t you take a moment, right now, to meditate
  on the infinite sacrifice He made for your salvation?

   A good number of Jesus’ contemporaries rejected Him because
  they had wrong ideas about the Messiah. Unfortunately, many
  people today refuse to yield their lives to Jesus, because they have
  prejudices or a distorted concept about Him. How can we help
  them to see Jesus as He really is? What do we have as Seventh-day
  Adventists in particular that could help give them a clearer view
  of who Jesus really is?

                                            Members celebrate their new church
                                            (left) in Temryuk, Russia.

  The Holy                   Spirit



  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: John 14:16–18; 14:26; 15:26;
  Matt. 12:31, 32; John 16:8; John 3:5–8; Luke 11:9–13.

  O
           f the Three Persons of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit is the least
           understood. It is ironic that the Person who is closest to us, the
           Being who produces the new birth in us, who dwells in us and
  transforms us, is the One we know so little about.
      Why? To begin with, the Bible is less explicit regarding the Holy
  Spirit than it is about the Father and the Son. There are many refer-
  ences to the Spirit in Scripture, but most are metaphoric or symbolic.
  The Bible gives us ample information about the work of the Spirit, but
  it says little about His nature.
     Another reason arises from the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is
  constantly trying to focus our attention on Christ, not on His own
  Person. In the plan of salvation, the Spirit plays a subordinated role,
  serving the Father and the Son, although this function does not imply
  inferiority in essence.
     This week, as we listen to what Jesus taught about the Spirit, let us
  eagerly pray for His transforming presence in our lives.

 The Representative of Christ
   With fear and sadness, the disciples listened as Jesus announced His
 imminent death. When they were deprived of His presence, who would
 be their Teacher, Friend, and Counselor? Knowing their desperate need,
 Christ promised to send His representative to be with them.

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    Helper, Counselor, and Comforter are various translations of the
 Greek parakle-tos, which is made up of the preposition para, “beside,”
 and the adjective kle-tos, “called.” It literally means “one called to the
 side of,” giving the idea of “a person summoned to one’s aid.” It may
 refer to a mediator, an intercessor, a helper, an advisor, or even a legal
 advocate.
    Only John uses the term parakle-tos in the New Testament.
 Interestingly, he also applied this word to Jesus Himself (1 John 2:1).
    During His earthly ministry, Christ was the disciples’ Counselor,
 Helper, and Comforter. Therefore, it is quite appropriate for His suc-
 cessor to receive the same name. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father
 at the request of the Son, and in the name of the Son (John 14:16, 26).
 The Spirit continues Christ’s work on this earth.
    Through the Holy Spirit the disciples had the presence of Jesus. “ ‘I
 will not leave you orphans; I will come to you’ ” (vs. 18, NKJV), said the
 Lord. He was not talking about paying them an occasional visit, which
 wouldn’t be of much comfort to helpless “orphans.” Rather, He was
 announcing a permanent and intimate relationship: “ ‘I in you’ ” (vs. 20,
 NKJV). This was going to be possible only through the indwelling of the
 Holy Spirit.
    Of course, Christ’s human nature hindered Him from being person-
 ally in every place at the same time. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand,
 is omnipresent (Ps. 139:7). By the Spirit, our Savior is accessible to all,
 independent of where people are or the physical distance that separates
 them from Christ.

  In what ways have you experienced the reality of the Holy Spirit,
  even though His nature and how He works in our lives is not easy
  to understand?
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 The Holy Spirit Is a Person
    Ellen G. White wrote that “the nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery.
 Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them. . . .
 Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understand-
 ing, silence is golden.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52.
    Nevertheless, she also affirmed that “the Holy Spirit is a person, for
 He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.
 . . . He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out
 the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God.”—Ellen G. White,
 Evangelism, pp. 616, 617. This statement was based on the Bible (Rom.
 8:16 and 1 Cor. 2:10, 11). So, although we are limited by our human
 nature, through the Scriptures we can at least know that the Holy Spirit
 is a Person and that He is Divine. What Jesus said about the Holy Spirit
 confirms this conclusion.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   Jesus mentioned several activities the Spirit carries out, all of which
 imply a personality. Who better than a person can teach us and bring to
 our remembrance all the things that Christ said (John 14:26)? Or who
 better than a personal being can testify of Jesus (John 15:26), convict
 the world (John 16:8), guide us into all truth, and also hear and speak
 (vs. 13)?
   Following the teachings of Jesus, the New Testament writers made it
 clear that the Holy Spirit has the essential characteristics of a person:
 will (1 Cor. 12:11), intelligence (Acts 15:28, Rom. 8:27), and emotions
 (Rom. 15:30, Eph. 4:30).
   Because the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, we must humbly surren-
 der ourselves to His will and guidance. We will invite Him to dwell in
 our hearts (Rom. 8:9), to transform our lives (Titus 3:5), and to produce
 the fruit of the Spirit in our characters (Gal. 5:22, 23). On our own,
 we are helpless; only through His power working in us can we become
 what we have been promised in Jesus.

  The Holy Spirit is a gift; like most gifts, it can be rejected. How
  can you make sure, day by day, that you are not turning away
  from what the Holy Spirit seeks to do in your life?
  _______________________________________________________ 24

  The Holy Spirit Is Divine
    When Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to the disciples, He called
 Him “another” Helper (John 14:16). The Greek word Jesus used for
 “another” is allos, which means “another of the same kind,” in contrast
 with heteros, “another of different kind or quality.” The same likeness
 of nature that bonds the Father and the Son is revealed in the relation-
 ship between the Son and the Holy Spirit.
    Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “ ‘will tell you things to come’ ”
 (John 16:13, NKJV). Only a divine Being can announce the future
 (Isa. 46:9, 10).
    The divinity of the Holy Spirit is also attested by His role in the inspi-
 ration of the Scriptures, a function that Jesus explicitly acknowledged.
 He argued that “ ‘David himself said by the Holy Spirit’ ” (Mark 12:36,
 NKJV) what is recorded in Psalm 110:1.
    While on this earth, Jesus was constantly under the direction of the
 Holy Spirit. After being anointed by the Spirit in His baptism (Matt.
 3:16, 17), He was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Luke 4:1,
 NKJV). Victorious over the tempter, He “returned in the power of the
 Spirit to Galilee” to carry on His ministry (vs. 14, NKJV). The miracles
 He performed were done through the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:28). The
 fact that the Son of God depended on the Spirit is another demonstra-
 tion of the divine character of the Spirit, for it’s hard to imagine the
 Son of God dependent upon anything less than the Divine.
    Further evidence for the deity of the Spirit lies in His association
 with the Father and the Son in texts that mention the Three Persons
 as equal. Thus, Jesus commissioned the apostles to baptize the new
 disciples “ ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
 Spirit’ ” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV).

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     The comparison between speaking against the Son of man, a sin that
  may be forgiven, and speaking against the Holy Spirit, a sin that cannot
  be forgiven, shows that the Spirit is not a common being. Blasphemy is
  a sin committed directly against God. Thus, we conclude that the Holy
  Spirit is One of the Three Persons of the Godhead. Though much has
  been written about the “unforgivable sin,” the immediate context shows
  people so hardened against the Spirit and His role in salvation that they
  attribute His work to the devil!
                                                                          25

  The Work of the Holy Spirit
     We have already mentioned the important role of the Holy Spirit in the
  life of the incarnated Christ and in the inspiration of Scripture. Let us
  focus now on what Jesus taught about the Spirit’s work for our salvation.

     Who takes their medicine unless they acknowledge that they are
  sick? By the same token, we cannot be saved unless we recognize that
  we are sinners. Softly but steadily the Holy Spirit convinces us that we
  have sinned, are guilty, and are under the righteous judgment of God.
     Then the Spirit guides us to Christ, testifying about Him (John
  15:26), the only One who can save us. Since Jesus is the Truth (John
  14:6), by taking us to Jesus, the Spirit is also taking us “into all truth”
  (John 16:13). It could not be any other way; after all, the Holy Spirit is
  called “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17).
     Once we are convicted of sin (which implies repentance from our
  sins) and are directed to Jesus and His truth, we are ready for the Holy
  Spirit to do His greatest work.

     Those who have tried to reform their lives by themselves know how
  futile their efforts are. It is impossible for us, without divine intervention,
  to transform our deteriorated sinful lives into new beings. The regeneration
  of a sinner requires the kind of creative power that only the divine Holy
  Spirit can provide. We are saved “through the washing of regeneration and
  renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5, NKJV). What the Spirit does is
  not a modification or improvement of the old life but a transformation of
  nature, the creation of a new life. The results of such a miracle are clearly
  visible and constitute an irrefutable argument in favor of the gospel.
     The operation of the Holy Spirit is not necessary only at the begin-
  ning of our Christian life; we need Him constantly. To foster our spiri-
  tual growth, He teaches us and reminds us of all the things that Jesus
  taught (John 14:26). If we allow Him, He abides with us forever as our
  Helper, Comforter, and Counselor (vs. 16).

   Bad character habits are hard to change, are they not? And even
   when we stop, unless constantly vigilant, we can be overcome by
   them again, as well. What should our inherent weaknesses and
   propensities to sin tell us about our constant need to be surren-
   dered to the Holy Spirit? 26

  Filled With the Holy Spirit
     No doubt, it is important to know who the Holy Spirit is. But this
  knowledge would be pointless unless it leads us to completely open our
  lives to be filled with Him. Jesus made it clear that if we fail to invite
  the presence of the heavenly Guest to abide in us daily, there is another
  kind of spirit that is eager to enter into the empty life and produce a
  spiritual disaster (Matt. 12:43–45). Jesus Himself was “filled with the
  Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1, NKJV). “Daily He received a fresh baptism of
  the Holy Spirit.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 139.

  _________________________________________________________

    At the Last Supper, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send
  the Holy Spirit. He emphasized the Spirit’s comforting and teaching
  ministry, which was to meet their need at that time. After Christ’s res-
  urrection, however, the context was different, and the disciples faced
  new challenges.

  _________________________________________________________

     Acts 1:5 contains the only record of Jesus talking about being “ ‘bap-
  tized with the Holy Spirit’ ” (NKJV). John the Baptist had announced
  this special baptism (Matt. 3:11, John 1:33), but it had to wait until
  Christ’s ascension. What does baptism with the Spirit mean?
     In Acts 1:8, Jesus Himself explained this with a parallel expression.
  You are “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5, NKJV) “when the
  Holy Spirit has come upon you” (vs. 8, NKJV). To be baptized is to
  be totally immersed in something, usually water. It includes the whole
  person. Baptism with the Holy Spirit means to be totally under the
  influence of the Spirit, completely “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18,
  NKJV). This is not a “once and forever” experience, but is something
  that needs to be constantly renewed.

   If someone asked you, Have you ever been “filled with the Spirit,”
   what would you answer, and why?

                                                                         27

    “At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions,
 when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel
 helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer
 of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend;
 but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly
 Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our
 right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.”—Ellen G. White,
 The Desire of Ages, pp. 669, 670.

    “The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He [Jesus] could
 solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit
 was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacri-
 fice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had
 been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this
 satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome
 only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead,
 who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine
 power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out
 by the world’s Redeemer.”—Page 671.

   In dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus compared the Spirit to the
  wind. What spiritual lessons may we learn from that comparison?

   Some people claim that the evidence of being “filled with the
  Spirit” is to be able to speak in what is commonly referred to as
  “tongues.” How should we respond to this claim?

   We tend to think of the work of the Holy Spirit on an indi-
  vidual, one-on-one basis, which is, of course, correct. At the same
  time, how can we, as a corporate body, experience the reality of
  His presence in our church as a whole?

  Salvation



  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 18:9–14; John 6:44; Luke
  15:3–10; Matt. 20:28; John 8:34–36; John 6:35, 47–51.

  D
           eath,” we often say, “is just part of life.” No, death is the nega-
           tion of life, not part of it. Yet, so used to death, we mislabel it,
           calling it the opposite of what it really is. However we under-
  stand it, one point is certain: without divine help, eternal death would
  be the fate of us all.
     Fortunately, that help has come. God, in His infinite love, offers us
  salvation through Christ. When the angel announced the birth of the
  Messiah, he named Him “Jesus” (from a Hebrew word that means
  “salvation”), “ ‘for He will save His people from their sins’ ” (Matt.
  1:21, NKJV).
     This week we will consider Jesus’ saving work. First, our attention
  will focus on the basis of our salvation and later on the results of it.
     The Bible is clear. We have only two choices regarding our sins:
  either we pay for our sins in the lake of fire, or we accept Christ’s pay-
  ment for them on the cross. As we review the generous gift of God’s
  grace through Christ, let us once again humbly renew our faith in Jesus
  as our personal Savior.

  Salvation Is a Gift From God

  _________________________________________________________

     The English verb to love, especially the casual way it is often used
  today, is totally inadequate to express the depth of solicitous interest
  expressed by the Greek verb agapao,   - “to love.” In the New Testament,
  this term and its related noun agape,- “love,” reveal God’s deep and con-
  stant love toward His creatures, who are completely unworthy of this
  love. Love is the preeminent attribute of God’s character. He not only
  loves us, but also He is love (1 John 4:8).
     God’s love is not an impulse based on His feelings or preferences. His
  love is not selective, nor does it depend on what we do. God loves the
  world, that is, all human beings, including those who do not love Him.
     True love is known by the actions it generates. Sometimes as human
  beings we may say we love someone, while our actions demonstrate
  the opposite (1 John 3:17, 18). The same does not occur with God. His
  love is reflected in His actions. Out of love, He gave His only begotten
  Son for our salvation. In so doing, God gave us all He had, which is
  Himself.

  _________________________________________________________

     We have probably read this parable so many times that we are not
  surprised by Jesus’ verdict: “ ‘I tell you, this man [the tax collector]
  went down to his house justified rather than the other’ ” (Luke 18:14,
  NKJV). However, those who heard Jesus when He pronounced the ver-
  dict must have been astonished. Wasn’t this an unjust outcome?
     Yes, it was completely undeserved. That is the way salvation is. It
  is a gift from God. Gifts are not earned; they are simply accepted. We
  cannot buy salvation; we can only receive it. Although Jesus never used
  the term grace, He clearly taught that salvation is by grace, and grace
  is being given that you don’t deserve.

   If God gave you what you deserved, what would it be, and why?

                                                                        31

  Salvation: God’s Initiative
     A simple reading of the Gospels shows that we owe our salvation
  entirely to God. Jesus did not come to this world because we invited Him,
  but because the Father, out of love for us, sent Him. The Father’s initiative
  is confirmed by Christ’s frequent use of the phrase “He who sent Me”
  and “the Father who sent Me” (NKJV). (Read John 7:28, 8:29, 12:49.)

  _________________________________________________________

    In spite of the fact that we were sinners and did not love God, He
  loved us and provided the means for our sins to be forgiven through His
  Son (1 John 4:10). This wondrous love is what draws us toward Him.
    Not only is the Father involved, but the Son also has a very active role
  in our salvation. He came with a definite mission. “ ‘The Son of Man
  has come to seek and to save that which was lost’ ” (Luke 19:10, NKJV).
  Whenever we contemplate Him lifted up from the earth, He draws us
  to Himself (John 12:32).

  _________________________________________________________

     These twin parables show that God is not waiting passively for us to
  come to Him but actively seeks us out. We have a seeking God. It does
  not matter if we are astray, far away in a dangerous place or even lost at
  home; the Lord will seek us untiringly until He finds us.
     “No sooner does the sheep go astray than the shepherd is filled with
  grief and anxiety. He counts and recounts the flock. When he is sure
  that one sheep is lost, he slumbers not. He leaves the ninety and nine
  within the fold, and goes in search of the straying sheep. The darker and
  more tempestuous the night and the more perilous the way, the greater
  is the shepherd’s anxiety and the more earnest his search. He makes
  every effort to find that one lost sheep.
     “With what relief he hears in the distance its first faint cry. Following
  the sound, he climbs the steepest heights, he goes to the very edge of
  the precipice, at the risk of his own life. Thus he searches, while the
  cry, growing fainter, tells him that his sheep is ready to die. At last his
  effort is rewarded; the lost is found.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object
  Lessons, p. 188.

  The Required Death
    John the Baptist described Jesus as “ ‘the Lamb of God who takes
  away the sin of the world’ ” (John 1:29, NKJV). This image was easy
  for any Israelite familiar with the sacrifices offered in the temple
  and the sacred history recorded in the Old Testament to understand.
  Abraham had revealed his faith that “ ‘God will provide for Himself
  the lamb for a burnt offering’ ” (NKJV); and the Lord did provide the
  animal to be sacrificed in place of Isaac (Gen. 22:8, 13). In Egypt, a
  lamb was slain by the Israelites as a symbol of their divine deliverance
  from the bondage of sin (Exod. 12:1–13). Later, when the sanctuary
  service was established, two lambs were to be sacrificed on the altar
  each day, continuously: one in the morning and the other at twilight
  (Exod. 29:38, 39). All these sacrifices were symbols of the coming
  Messiah, who “was led as a lamb to the slaughter” because “the Lord
  has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6, 7, NKJV). Therefore,
  by introducing Jesus as “ ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin
  of the world’ ” (John 1:29, NKJV), John the Baptist was revealing the
  vicarious nature of Christ’s atoning death.
    During His ministry, Jesus repeatedly announced His death, even
  though it was hard for the disciples to understand why He had to die
  (Matt. 16:22). Gradually, Jesus explained the great purpose of His death.

  _________________________________________________________

  “ ‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for
  his friends’ ” (John 15:13, NKJV); this holds true even if they do not
  understand or accept that sacrifice. On the cross, Jesus shed His blood
  “ ‘for many for the remission of sins’ ” (Matt. 26:28, NKJV).
     It is important to notice that Jesus died voluntarily. As the Father gave
  His one and only Son, so the Son gave His own life to redeem the human
  race. Nobody forced Him to do so. “ ‘No one takes it [my life] from Me,
  but I lay it down of Myself,’ ” declared Jesus (John 10:18, NKJV).
     Even Caiaphas, who openly rejected Jesus and led the plot to kill
  Him, involuntarily recognized Jesus’ substitutionary death (John
  11:49–51).

   Think of how much ingratitude humans have toward God and
   what He has given us in Christ. How can we make sure we don’t
   fall into that trap? Why is this so easy to do, especially when we
   are going through difficult times?
   _______________________________________________________
                                                                           33

  Free From Sin
     Without Christ, we were slaves of sin, slaves to the evil impulses
  of our fallen human nature. We lived in a self-centered way, pleasing
  ourselves instead of living to the glory of God. The unavoidable result
  of this spiritual slavery was death, because the wages of sin is death.
     But Jesus came “ ‘to proclaim liberty to the captives . . . , to set at lib-
  erty those who are oppressed’ ” (Luke 4:18, NKJV). These aren’t literal
  captives but spiritual prisoners of Satan (see Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:1, 2).
  Jesus did not release John the Baptist from Herod’s prison, but He did
  release those who were bound by the chains of sinful lives and delivered
  them from the heavy burden of guilt and eternal condemnation.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     The use of the word indeed in verse 36 shows that there is also a false
  kind of freedom, a pseudo-freedom that actually shackles human beings
  to further disobedience to God. Jesus’ hearers trusted in their ancestry of
  Abraham as their hope for freedom. We run the same risk. The enemy
  wants us to rely upon anything—for instance, our doctrinal knowledge,
  our personal godliness, or our record of service for God—anything
  except Christ for our salvation. But none of these, however important
  they may be, has the power to free us from sin and its condemnation. The
  only true Liberator is the Son, who was never enslaved by sin.
     Jesus delighted in forgiving sins. When four men brought a paralyzed
  man to Him, He knew that this man was sick as a result of his dissolute
  living, but He also knew that the man had repented. In the pleading
  eyes of this man, the Lord saw the longing of his heart for forgiveness
  and his faith in Jesus as his only Helper. Tenderly, Jesus said to him:
  “ ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you’ ” (Mark 2:5, NKJV). Those were the
  sweetest words this man ever heard. The load of despair disappeared
  from his mind, and the peace of forgiveness filled his spirit. In Christ
  he found spiritual and physical healing.
     At a Pharisee’s house, a sinful woman washed Jesus’ feet with her
  tears and anointed them with perfume (Luke 7:37, 38). Perceiving
  the Pharisee’s disapproval, Jesus explained to him that “ ‘her sins,
  which are many, are forgiven’ ” (vs. 47, NKJV). Then He said to her:
  “ ‘Your sins are forgiven’ ” (vs. 48, NKJV).

   “ ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ ” Why are these the best words any of
   us will ever hear? 34

 Christ Gives Us Eternal Life
   Because of our sins, we deserve to die. But Christ took our place
 on the cross and paid the death penalty that, otherwise, rested on us.
 He, being innocent, took on our guilt and received our punishment
 so that we, being sinful, could be declared innocent. Through Him,
 instead of perishing we receive eternal life. John 3:15 makes this
 amazing promise to us. It says that “ ‘whoever believes in Him should
 not perish but have eternal life’ ” (NKJV), a promise repeated at the
 end of John 3:16.
   Some think that, even after accepting Christ as Savior, the promise of
 everlasting life will be real only after His second coming. However, the
 promise of salvation is expressed in the present tense: “ ‘He who believes
 in the Son has everlasting life’ ” (John 3:36, NKJV). Whoever believes
 in Christ “ ‘has everlasting life’ ” now, “ ‘and shall not come into judg-
 ment’ ” in the final day, “ ‘but has passed from death into life’ ” (John
 5:24, NKJV). Thus, even if we die and sleep in the grave, this temporary
 rest doesn’t take away from the reality of eternal life.
   When Jesus becomes our Savior, our life acquires a whole new
 meaning, and we can enjoy a richer and a fuller existence. “ ‘I have
 come,’ ” stated Jesus, “ ‘that they may have life, and that they may
 have it more abundantly’ ” (John 10:10, NKJV). Instead of transitory
 worldly pleasures, which fill us up without really satisfying us, He
 offers us a life lived in a completely different way, full of inexhaustible
 satisfaction in Him. This new abundant life includes our whole being.
 Jesus performed numerous miracles to restore the physical life of many
 people. But above all, He wanted to give them a renewed spiritual life,
 clean from sin, filled with faith in Him and the certainty of salvation.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

  Meditate on the concept of eternal life. It is not only an imperish-
  able existence but above all a blessed, satisfying, and happy life in
  loving communion with God in the new earth. Although we are
  still living in this world, how can we start to enjoy, even partially,
  what it means to have eternal life?
  _______________________________________________________
                                                                         35

   “Looking upon the crucified Redeemer, we more fully comprehend
 the magnitude and meaning of the sacrifice made by the Majesty of
 heaven. The plan of salvation is glorified before us, and the thought
 of Calvary awakens living and sacred emotions in our hearts. Praise to
 God and the Lamb will be in our hearts and on our lips; for pride and
 self-worship cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in memory the
 scenes of Calvary.
   “He who beholds the Saviour’s matchless love will be elevated in
 thought, purified in heart, transformed in character. He will go forth
 to be a light to the world, to reflect in some degree this mysterious
 love. The more we contemplate the cross of Christ, the more fully shall
 we adopt the language of the apostle when he said, ‘God forbid that I
 should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
 world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.’ Gal. 6:14.”—Ellen G.
 White, The Desire of Ages, p. 661.

   On Monday we read texts showing that salvation is the result
  of God’s initiative. He makes every effort to save us. Yet, Jesus also
  said that we need to seek the kingdom of God and His righteous-
  ness (Matt. 6:33). His words “ ‘Strive to enter through the narrow
  gate’ ” (Luke 13:24, NKJV) imply that we need to seek our salva-
  tion. How do we explain this?

   How does Christ’s death on the cross reveal God’s justice? How
  does it also reveal God’s mercy?

   If we could work our way to eternal life, through our own efforts
  and good deeds, and even our own law-keeping, what would that say
  about the seriousness of sin? Instead, think about just how bad sin
  must be that only the death of Jesus could atone for it.

   Religious Jews see in the Sabbath a foretaste of what eternal
  life will be like. In what ways does that idea—eternal life prefig-
  ured in the Sabbath—make good sense?

                           Allen and Kelley Fowler continue to minister to
                           their beloved Navajo people in Page, Arizona.

  How to Be                     Saved



  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 5:27–32; 13:1–5; Matt.
  22:2–14; Zech. 3:1–5; John 8:30, 31; Luke 14:25–27.

  A
           s the Israelites were being bitten by snakes in the desert, God
           instructed Moses to make a bronze one and place it on a pole so
           that whoever was bitten could look at it and be saved.
     What healing properties can a bronze snake have? None. Healing
  came only from God. By looking at the bronze statue, however, the
  Israelites demonstrated their faith in God as their only hope of life and
  salvation.
     The Lord wanted to teach them a spiritual lesson. He transformed a
  symbol of death into a symbol of life. That bronze serpent was a sym-
  bol of Christ, who became the Bearer of our sins in order to save us.
  By faith, we can all look to Christ lifted up on the cross and find a cure
  from the deadly sting of the old serpent, Satan. Otherwise, we are fated
  to die in our sins. The Word of God expresses what should be painfully
  obvious: as human beings, we are sinners in need of grace. That grace
  has been offered to us in Christ Jesus.
     This week we will look at Jesus’ teachings regarding the simple prac-
  tical steps needed for salvation.

 Recognize Your Need Read Luke 5:27–32. How can you know which group you are in?
 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Many people are physically healthy and “have no need of a physi-
 cian.” Who, though, is truly spiritually healthy? Of all human beings
 “there is none who does good, no, not one” (Ps. 14:3, NKJV); nobody
 is righteous by themselves (Rom. 3:10). We may do some morally good
 actions, but we cannot make ourselves righteous before God. Hence,
 by saying that He had “ ‘not come to call the righteous’ ” (Luke 5:32,
 NKJV), Jesus was referring to the Pharisees, who thought they were
 righteous although they were not. Unfortunately, though they believed
 that they were in good standing before God, they were blind spiritually
 (John 9:40, 41).
    The first step, then, to receive the cure from sin is to recognize our
 state of sinfulness and our utter inability to heal ourselves. But how
 can we see our real need if we are blind? How can we acknowledge
 that we are sinners if it is precisely our sins that are preventing us from
 recognizing our true condition?

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   The only eye salve that can make us see our real spiritual status is
 the Holy Spirit. Before any other work He may do for us, He has to
 convict us of sin. Persistently He calls to our conscience in order to
 produce in us an inescapable awareness of our sins and a deep sense
 of guilt, which leads us to long for a Savior. When we hear that call,
 we must listen and obey it; otherwise, sooner or later, we will be so
 hardened against the Holy Spirit that nothing can be done for us.
 What a scary thought!

  Though guilt is often a bad thing, in what ways has the Holy
  Spirit been able to use guilt to your own spiritual advantage?
                                                                         39

 Repent
   Recognizing our sins is not enough; it must be accompanied by
 repentance. The biblical meaning of repentance includes three aspects:
 acknowledgment of one’s sin, sorrow for having sinned, and the desire
 not to sin any more. If one is lacking, there is no true repentance. For
 example, Judas admitted his sin, but he lacked grief for having betrayed
 the Master (Matt. 27:3, 4). He was overwhelmed with remorse, not with
 repentance. His confession was generated by fear of the consequences,
 not by his love of Christ.
   We can see the importance of repentance by the fact that John the
 Baptist and Jesus began their ministry by preaching, “ ‘Repent, for
 the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ ” (Matt. 3:2, 4:17, NKJV). Later,
 when Jesus sent the Twelve on their first missionary trip, they went out,
 preaching “that people should repent” (Mark 6:12, NKJV). And after
 Pentecost, Peter exhorted the crowd to do the same (Acts 2:38, 3:19).

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   Jesus affirmed the sinfulness of all people. Therefore, He urged His
 hearers: “ ‘Unless you repent you will all likewise perish’ ” (vs. 5, NKJV).
 Without repentance, redemption is impossible, because the absence of
 repentance demonstrates that people refuse to surrender to the Lord.
   Now, we have been told “the goodness of God leads you to repentance”
 (Rom. 2:4, NKJV). What does that mean? A block of ice can be broken into
 small pieces, but the resulting pieces will still be ice. That same block of
 ice can be placed next to a heater, and it will melt away into water. The ice
 of our pride can be thawed only if we are exposed to the warmth of God’s
 goodness and love. Thus, how crucial for us to dwell, as much as we can,
 on all the evidences we have been given of God’s love for us.
   “We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to
 us His love in order that we may repent.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s
 Object Lessons, p. 189.

  What are the evidences of God’s love? What have you seen and
  experienced and learned that gives you powerful reasons to trust
  in His goodness? Why is it so important always to dwell on those
  reasons, especially in bad times?

  Believe in Jesus
    True repentance goes hand in hand with faith in Jesus as our only
  Savior. Jesus frequently talked about the need to believe in Him in
  order to receive His blessings. “ ‘If you can believe, all things are pos-
  sible to him who believes’ ” (Mark 9:23, NKJV). Faith is essential if we
  are to be saved. Satan knows that, which is why he makes every effort
  to keep us from believing (Luke 8:12).
    According to Jesus, what does it mean “to believe”? It is more than
  a vague feeling that something will just happen. It is more than a
  mental exercise. Saving faith is not devoid of content. On the contrary,
  faith has a definite object: Jesus Christ. Faith is believing not only in
  something but, especially, in Someone. Faith is trusting in Jesus and
  His death for us. Believing in Jesus means knowing Him, understand-
  ing who He is (John 6:69), and receiving Him personally (John 1:12).
    God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus, so that all who truly
  believe in Him will have eternal life. His death does not mean that
  everyone will be saved, however. We have to be covered by His righ-
  teousness. By believing in Him, we have righteousness, we have assur-
  ance, and we have the great promise that He will raise us up at the last
  day (John 6:40).

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    According to the Gospels, when Jesus healed some people, He
  said to them: “ ‘Your faith has made you well’ ” (Matt. 9:22, Mark
  10:52, Luke 17:19, NKJV). By saying these words, He was not
  assigning any healing power to their faith. Their faith was just a
  complete trust in Jesus’ power to heal them. The power of faith does
  not come from the person who believes but from the God in whom
  that person believes.

   Why must we be very careful in how we understand the role
   of faith in regard to prayer, especially about healing? Why is it
   wrong to conclude from the above verses that if healing doesn’t
   come as we pray, it’s because we don’t have enough faith?

                                                                         41

 The Wedding Garment
    Jesus sat before the people and uttered what must have been to them
 shocking words: “ ‘Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness
 of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of
 heaven’ ” (Matt. 5:20, NKJV). Few were more scrupulous in the obser-
 vance of the letter of the law than were the Pharisees. Nevertheless,
 they failed because their behavior was intended to impress men more
 than to please God. Jesus warns us not to do likewise (Matt. 6:1).
    How, then, can we be righteous before God? The parable of the mar-
 riage feast gives us the clue in finding the source of true righteousness.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    The king provided the wedding robes free of charge. Those present
 were invited randomly while traveling on the highways, and probably
 did not have the appropriate attire for the wedding, nor money to
 buy it. Both the invitation and the garment were gifts from the king.
 The only requirement needed to attend the feast was to accept both
 presents.
    Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, every human being is spiri-
 tually naked. Adam and Eve felt naked after disobeying, and they
 attempted to cover themselves by sewing fig leaves together, some-
 thing utterly uncomfortable and ineffective (Gen. 3:7). The best
 righteousness that human effort can achieve is “like filthy rags” (Isa.
 64:6, NKJV).
    As in the parable, God provides the garment we need. He made
 garments for Adam and Eve and clothed them (Gen. 3:21), a symbol
 of His righteousness covering the sinner. The Lord also provides the
 garment of Christ’s righteousness for His church, so that she may “be
 arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright” (Rev. 19:8, NKJV), “not hav-
 ing spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27, NKJV). This robe
 “is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that
 through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal
 Saviour.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 310.

  Above and beyond anything else we believe, why must we under-
  stand that our salvation comes only from the covering that Christ
  gives us as a gift? Why must we always remember this? 42

  Follow Jesus
    When in faith we recognize our need, repent, confess our sins, and
  claim Christ’s righteousness for ourselves, we become His disciples.
  During His ministry, Jesus called different people, such as Peter and
  James and John, to be His disciples, a call that implied leaving every-
  thing in order to follow Him (Matt. 4:20, 22; Mark 10:28; Luke 5:28).
  In fact, in the Gospels the verb to follow practically became a synonym
  for disciple.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     Some people try to separate faith in Jesus from adherence to Jesus’
  teachings, as if the first would be more important than the latter. But
  Jesus did not make such a distinction. For Him, both aspects are closely
  interrelated and fundamental for true discipleship. A disciple of Jesus
  is committed to His person, as well as to His words. Though there is
  always the danger of getting so caught up in doctrines and forms of
  faith that we lose sight of Jesus Himself, we must also be aware of the
  danger of thinking that all that matters in our walk with the Lord is to
  believe in Jesus.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    Jesus used the verb to hate as a hyperbole meaning “to love less.” The
  parallel passage in Matthew clarifies the meaning of Jesus’ words: “ ‘He
  who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he
  who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me’ ” (Matt.
  10:37, NKJV). Jesus must have the first place in our lives if we want to
  be His disciples.

   What has following Christ, being His disciple, cost you? What
   does your answer say about your walk with the Lord?

                                                                       43

   “We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the
 conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ.”—Ellen G. White,
 Steps to Christ, p. 26.

    “As we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the
 mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness
 of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested
 a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love,
 it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the
 soul.”—Pages 26, 27.

    “The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will
 appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as
 a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his
 sins before God. And it is written, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful
 and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous-
 ness.’ 1 John 1:9.”—Page 41.

   It is possible to recognize our sins without bearing “fruits wor-
  thy of repentance.” Why isn’t that true repentance? What is the
  value of these fruits? Are they good works done in order to gain
  God’s favor? Explain your answer.

   Discuss the fact that Christ’s righteousness is free, but not
  cheap. Although we do not have to pay for it, the Lord had to pay
  an infinite price at the Cross. Think about how fallen we are, and
  how serious sin must be, that it took something as “extreme” as
  the death of the Son of God Himself in order to save us from the
  consequences of sin.

  Growing in Christ




  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: John 3:1–15; 2 Cor. 5:17; John
  15:4–10; Matt. 6:9–13; Luke 9:23, 24.

  N
          icodemus felt drawn to Christ but dared not visit Him openly.
          He greeted Jesus politely, acknowledging Him as a teacher
          from God. The Master knew that behind this courteous greeting
  was a seeker of truth; therefore, wasting no time, He told Nicodemus
  that he did not need theoretical knowledge as much as he needed spiri-
  tual regeneration, a new birth.
     This concept was hard for Nicodemus to grasp. Because of his
  descent from Abraham, he was sure he had a place in God’s kingdom;
  in addition, as a strict Pharisee, he surely deserved the favor of God,
  right? So, why did he need such a radical change?
     Patiently, Jesus explained that spiritual transformation is a super-
  natural work produced by the Holy Spirit. Though we cannot see or
  understand how it happens, we can perceive the results. We call it
  conversion, a new life in Christ.
     Though we should always remember how the Lord called us and
  converted us, our challenge is to steadfastly abide in Him daily so that
  He can transform us more and more into His image.

 To Be Born Again
   A zealous Christian confronted a politician and asked her, “Have you
 been born again?” Angry at what she deemed a personal question, the
 politician replied, “It worked the first time, thank you.”
   Maybe it did, but considering our fallen nature, our first birth
 isn’t enough, at least not for eternal life. For that, we must be “born
 again.”

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    No doubt Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel, knew the Old Testament
 Scriptures, which speak about the need for a “new heart” and God’s
 willingness to create it in us (Ps. 51:10, Ezek. 36:26). Jesus explained
 to Nicodemus this truth and how it can happen.
    The dialogue recorded by John ends with Jesus’ words. No answer
 from Nicodemus. He probably went home immersed in profound
 reflections. Quietly, the Holy Spirit worked in him, and three years later
 he was ready to openly become Jesus’ disciple.
    The fact that it is necessary to be born again shows without a doubt
 that our previous birth is insufficient from a spiritual standpoint. The
 new birth must be a double one: of water and of the Spirit. In light of
 John the Baptist’s ministry, Nicodemus easily understood that to be
 born of water referred to baptism with water. What he also needed to
 know was that to be born of the Spirit is the renewing of the heart by
 the Holy Spirit.
    There are similarities between physical and spiritual births. Both
 mark the beginning of a new life. Also, we produce neither birth
 ourselves; it’s done for us. But there is also an important difference
 between them: we were unable to choose if we wanted to be born physi-
 cally; we can, however, choose to be born spiritually. Only those who
 freely decide to allow the Holy Spirit to generate a new spiritual self
 within them are born again. God respects our freedom and, although
 eager to transform us, He does not change us by force.

  Think about the way in which the Lord produced your conver-
  sion. It does not matter if it was through dramatic circumstances
  or through a long and imperceptible process of transformation.
  How have you experienced the new birth?
                                                                        47

 The New Life in Christ
    Being born again is possible only through the work of the Holy
 Spirit. Jesus made use of the fact that the Greek word pneuma means
 both “Spirit” and “wind” in order to illustrate the process of conversion
 (John 3:8). The wind blows; none of us can start it, direct it, nor stop it.
 Its great power is beyond human control. We can only react to it, either
 resisting it or using its potential for our benefit.
    Likewise, the Holy Spirit is constantly working upon the heart of
 every human being, drawing him or her to Christ. No one has control
 over its great saving and transforming power. We can resist it or yield to
 it. When we surrender ourselves to His convicting influence, the Holy
 Spirit produces a new life in us.
    Is there any way to know if we have experienced the new birth? Yes.
 The Spirit works invisibly, but the results of His activity are visible.
 Those around us will know that Jesus created a new heart in us. The
 Spirit always produces an outward demonstration of the inward trans-
 formation He makes in us. As Jesus said, “ ‘by their fruits you will
 know them’ ” (Matt. 7:20, NKJV).
    The new life in Christ is not a patched-up life with a few external
 reformations. It is not a modification or improvement of the old life but
 a complete transformation.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   Through the Holy Spirit, Christ implants in us new thoughts, feel-
 ings, and motives. He awakens our conscience, changes our mind, sub-
 dues every unholy desire, and fills us with the sweet peace of heaven.
 Though the change doesn’t happen instantly, over time we do become
 a new creature in Christ. We have to, because the original version, the
 one that came out of the womb, isn’t right with God.

  Meditate on your life during the last 24 hours. To what degree
  did those who relate with you perceive Christ in your words, atti-
  tudes, and actions? Pray about those traits of character that still
  need to be modeled by the Holy Spirit. 48

  Abiding in Christ
    A flourishing spiritual life is possible only by constantly depend-
  ing on Christ. Jesus used the illustration of the vine to teach us how
  to accomplish this. “ ‘I am the vine, you are the branches,’ ” said
  Jesus (John 15:5, NKJV). In the Old Testament, Israel was depicted
  as a vine that the Lord had planted (Isa. 5:1–7; Ps. 80:8, 9; Jer.
  2:21), but Jesus presents Himself as “the true vine” (John 15:1)
  and urges His followers to be united with Him just as the branches
  abide in the vine.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     A branch recently separated from the vine may appear alive for a
  while, but it will surely wither and die because it has been cut off from
  the source of life. By the same token, we can receive life only through
  our connection with Christ. But in order to be effective, this union must
  be maintained. Devotional time in the morning is essential, but our
  communion with the Lord has to continue throughout the day. Abiding
  in Christ means seeking Him constantly, asking for His guidance, pray-
  ing for His strength to obey His will, and begging for His love to fill us.
     One of the most deceitful traps is to try to live the Christian life
  independently from the Lord. “ ‘Without Me you can do nothing’ ”
  (John 15:5, NKJV). Without Him we cannot resist even one tempta-
  tion, overcome one sin, or develop a character in His likeness. The new
  spiritual life can grow only by means of an uninterrupted communion
  with Christ.
     By reading the Word and meditating on it, we are nourished and
  strengthened. “ ‘The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they
  are life,’ ” said Jesus (John 6:63, NKJV). Treasured in our hearts and
  minds, these words will inspire our prayers in order to keep us in con-
  tact with the Lord. Though it’s easy to be distracted by “ ‘the cares of
  this world’ ” (Mark 4:19, NKJV), we must make a concentrated effort
  to abide in Jesus.

   What are the greatest obstacles that prevent you from abiding
   constantly in Christ? What steps can you take in order to remove
   or overcome them?
                                                                         49

 Prayer
   Along with studying the Bible, prayer is indispensable in order for
 us to abide in Christ and grow spiritually. Even Jesus Himself needed
 prayer to be united with the Father. He left us an example of a life of
 prayer. Prayer marked the crucial moments of His life. He prayed when
 He was baptized. He often prayed in solitary places before daylight or
 on the mountain after sunset. Sometimes He spent the entire night pray-
 ing, such as when He chose the Twelve Apostles. He prayed to resurrect
 Lazarus. Not even the cross deterred Him from praying.
   If the “ ‘Father knows the things you have need of before you ask
 Him’ ” (Matt. 6:8, NKJV), why do we need to present Him our needs
 in prayer? Because through prayer, we learn to empty ourselves of our-
 selves and become more dependent upon Him.
   “ ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock,
 and it will be opened to you’ ” is Jesus’ promise (Matt. 7:7, NKJV).
 Although we do not need to impress Him by endless prayers of vain
 repetitions (Matt. 6:5–9), we need to persevere in prayer, clinging to
 His promises (John 15:7, 16:24) no matter what.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Jesus is our Mediator in heaven. Therefore, He instructed us to
 address our prayers to the Father in His name. “ ‘Most assuredly, I say
 to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you’ ”
 (John 16:23, NKJV). Christ taught that there are certain conditions in
 order for this wonderful promise to be fulfilled. We need to believe that
 God can answer us (Matt. 21:22). An attitude of forgiveness toward our
 neighbor is required (Mark 11:25). Most important, our will should
 always be subordinated to the Father’s will (Matt. 6:10, Luke 22:42).
 And any “delay” in the answer should not discourage us; on the con-
 trary, we need to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

  “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1) is always a relevant request,
  no matter how long ago we accepted Christ as our Savior. In what
  aspect of your prayer life do you still need to grow by the grace
  of God?

 Die to Self Every Day
    Paradoxically, it is only by dying that we may truly live. When bap-
 tized, we (ideally) died to our old nature and rose again to a new life. It
 would have been wonderful if the old man of sin had permanently died
 when we were buried under baptismal waters. Sooner or later, however,
 all of us have discovered that our past habits and tendencies are still
 alive and do strive to regain control of our lives. After our baptism, our
 old nature has to be put to death again and again. That is why Jesus
 associated the Christian life with a cross.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Many think the cross they have to bear is a serious sickness, unfavor-
 able circumstances in life, or a permanent disability. While any of these
 surely is heavy, the meaning of Jesus’ words goes further. To take up
 our cross means to deny ourselves daily. Not just once in a while but
 every day; not just a part of us but our entire being.
    The Christian life is a cruciform life. “ ‘I have been crucified with
 Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’ ” (Gal. 2:20,
 NKJV). In the ancient world, the victims of crucifixion did not die
 immediately. Usually, they agonized for many hours, sometimes several
 days, while hanging on the cross. Similarly, our old nature, although
 crucified, fights to survive and get down from the cross.
    It is not easy to deny ourselves. Our old nature lingers on; our old man
 doesn’t want to die. Moreover, we cannot nail ourselves to the cross.
 “No man can empty himself of self. We can only consent for Christ to
 accomplish the work. Then the language of the soul will be, Lord, take
 my heart; for I cannot give it. It is Thy property. Keep it pure, for I cannot
 keep it for Thee. Save me in spite of myself, my weak, unchristlike self.
 Mold me, fashion me, raise me into a pure and holy atmosphere, where
 the rich current of Thy love can flow through my soul.
    “It is not only at the beginning of the Christian life that this renuncia-
 tion of self is to be made. At every advance step heavenward it is to be
 renewed. . . . Only by constant renunciation of self and dependence on
 Christ can we walk safely.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons,
 pp. 159, 160. There must be a daily surrendering to the Lord.

  When was the last time you died to self? What does your answer
  say to you, especially in light of today’s texts?
                                                                           51

    “The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought.
 The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a
 struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in
 holiness.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 43.

   “We cannot retain our own self and be filled with the fullness of
 God. We must be emptied of self. If heaven is gained by us at last, it
 will be only through the renunciation of self and in receiving the mind,
 the spirit, and the will of Christ Jesus.”—Ellen G. White, In Heavenly
 Places, p. 155.

    “When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms
 the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love,
 humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes
 the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven.
 . . . The blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders itself to
 God. Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new
 being in the image of God.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages,
 p. 173.

   Who hasn’t struggled with the issue of prayers that are not
  answered, at least as we have prayed them? How do you maintain
  faith in God and in His promises in the face of requests that have
  not been answered as you wanted? What crucial things must we
  always keep in mind in such situations?

   What is it about self, about the very nature of self, that we are
  called to deny it daily? Look at it this way: if you didn’t deny self,
  if you allowed self to dominate all that you thought or did, what
  kind of life would you live? Would it, in any way, resemble that of
  our Master? What does your answer tell you about yourself apart
  from Christ?

                       It’s hard to find an hour—a thoughtful hour—
                       reading and studying the Gospel accounts of
                       Jesus’ life. This book is designed to make that
                       thoughtful hour easier, to give a little structure
                       and focus to a study of the life of Christ.

       A   dventist Mission continues to bring you mission
           stories from around the world. Meet the people, see
       how your generosity touches lives. For use in Sabbath
       School, church, classrooms, and more.

             Download this and more absolutely free
               at www.adventistmission.org/dvd

  Living Like Christ




  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 9:36, Mark 10:21, Luke
  10:30–37, Matt. 25:31–46, Luke 6:32–35, John 15:4–12.

  C
         ontrary to what many think, the command to love our neighbor
         is not something newly taught by the New Testament. In the Old
         Testament, God already had commanded His people to “love your
  neighbor as yourself ” (Lev. 19:18, NKJV) and to “love [the stranger] as
  yourself ” (vs. 34, NKJV).
    Why, then, did Jesus say, “ ‘A new commandment I give to you’ ”
  (NKJV)? The newness of Jesus’ instruction was in that it had a new
  measure: “ ‘as I have loved you’ ” (NKJV). Before the incarnation
  of Christ, men did not have a full manifestation of God’s love. Now,
  through His selfless life and death, Jesus demonstrated the real and
  deepest meaning of love.
      “Love was the element in which Christ moved and walked and
  worked. He came to embrace the world in the arms of His love. . . .
  We are to follow the example set by Christ, and make Him our pattern,
  until we shall have the same love for others as He has manifested for
  us.”—Ellen G. White, Our Father Cares, p. 27.
    This week, as we consider Jesus’ tender, sympathetic, consider-
  ate, and compassionate life, let our hearts be touched and molded by
  His divine active principle of love, which is the watermark of true
  Christianity.

  _________________________________________________________

    Jesus was sensitive to the needs of people, and He truly cared about
  them. His heart reached out with compassion to great multitudes that
  were weary and scattered. He was moved with compassion toward help-
  less individuals, such as the two blind men near Jericho (Matt. 20:34),
  a pleading leper (Mark 1:40, 41), and a widow who had just lost her
  only son (Luke 7:12, 13).

  _________________________________________________________

    Every act of mercy, every miracle, every word of Jesus was moti-
  vated by His infinite love, an unwavering and permanent love. At the
  end of His life, He vividly showed His disciples that, having loved them
  from the beginning, “He loved them to the end” (John 13:1, NKJV).
  With His death on the cross, He demonstrated to the entire universe that
  selfless love triumphs over egoism. In the light of Calvary, it is clear
  that the principle of self-renouncing love is the only valid foundation
  of life for earth and heaven.

   “ ‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life
   for his friends’ ” (John 15:13, NKJV). How do you understand
   what this means in daily, practical terms? How does one apply
   this principle day by day?

                                                                            57

 Love Your Neighbor
   To live like Jesus means to show the same love He demonstrated.
 He illustrated this kind of love through the parable of the good
 Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37), which He told in dialogue with a law-
 yer. The lawyer summarized our duty to God and fellow human
 beings: “ ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
 with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,”
 and “your neighbor as yourself ” ’ ” (vs. 27, NKJV). The lawyer knew
 His Bible well (he quoted by heart Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus
 19:18), but he must have felt guilty for not demonstrating love to his
 neighbor. In an attempt to justify himself, he asked Jesus: “ ‘Who is
 my neighbor?’ ” (Luke 10:29, NKJV).

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    To the question: “who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered, basically,
 that our neighbor is every person who needs our help. Thus, instead of
 asking: “what can my neighbor do for me?” we should ask: “what can
 I do for my neighbor?”
    Jesus went far beyond the usual negative rendering of this rule at
 that time: “do not do to others what you yourself dislike.” By present-
 ing it in a positive way, He addressed not only what we need to avoid
 but especially what we have to do. We need especially to remember
 that this principle does not tell us to treat others as they treat us. After
 all, it’s easy to be kind to those who are kind to us or nasty to those
 who are nasty to us; most people can do that. Instead, our love toward
 our neighbor should always be independent of the way our neighbor
 treats us.

  Think of someone who has treated you in a bad way. How
  have you treated him or her in return? What does Christ’s
  example, and how He treated those who mistreated Him, teach
  you about how you could better relate to those who don’t treat
  you kindly?

 Loving Service What is the basic message of Matthew 25:31–46?
 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   At the final day there will be many surprises. Those at the right hand
 of the Son of man never imagined that their manifestation of unself-
 ish love would be so decisive. Christ will not commend them for the
 eloquent sermons they have delivered, the valuable work they have
 done, or the generous donations they have given. Instead, Christ shall
 welcome them into heaven for the little caring things done to the least
 of His brethren.
   Those at the left-hand will also be surprised at the reason given
 by the King for His verdict. Some of them will even say: “ ‘ “Lord,
 Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in
 Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” ’ ” (Matt. 7:22,
 NKJV). Although these are desirable deeds, without a loving attitude
 they are worthless. These people professed to serve Christ, but the
 Lord never knew them (vs. 23) because they never really loved Him
 or His brethren. They didn’t practice the principles of true religion
 (see James 1:27).
   Commentators have suggested various interpretations regarding
 who are “the least of these My brethren” (Matt. 25:40). It is impor-
 tant to determine who they are in order to know the extent of our
 Christian responsibility. Some interpreters argue that Jesus’ “least
 brethren” are the apostles and other Christian missionaries. They
 find support for this view in Matthew 10:40–42 and conclude that
 the fate of all human beings depends on how they treat Christian
 missionaries. Other scholars claim, based on Matthew 12:48–50,
 that Jesus’ “least brethren” are His followers in general. There is no
 doubt that all the disciples of Jesus are His brethren; but the scope
 of Jesus’ words seems to be even wider. Christ “identifies Himself
 with every child of humanity. . . . He is the Son of man, and thus a
 brother to every son and daughter of Adam.”—Ellen G. White, The
 Desire of Ages, p. 638.

  Think of a time when you were in desperate need of help, and
  someone came to your aid. What did that aid mean to you in
  your suffering and pain? How did that experience show why it’s
  so important that we be willing to help others who are in need in
  any way we can?
                                                                      59

  Love Your Enemies
    The supreme proof of genuine Christianity is loving our enemies.
  Jesus established this high standard in contrast with the prevalent idea
  of His time. From the commandment, “ ‘ “You shall love your neighbor
  as yourself ” ’ ” (Lev. 19:18, NKJV), many had inferred something the
  Lord never said or planned: you shall hate your enemy. Of course, that
  wasn’t implied in the text itself.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     An adversary can show us enmity in three different ways: hostile
  attitudes (“hate you”), bad words (“curse you”), and abusive actions
  (“spitefully use you and persecute you” [Matt. 5:44, NKJV]). To this
  threefold expression of enmity, Christ instructs us to respond with three
  manifestations of love: doing good actions to them (“do good” to them),
  speaking well of them (“bless” them), and interceding before God for
  them (“pray” for them). The Christian’s answer to hostility and antago-
  nism is to “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).
     Notice: Jesus requests us first to love our foes and then, as a result,
  to demonstrate this love through good actions, kind words, and inter-
  cessory prayer. Without heaven-inspired love, those actions, words,
  and prayers would be an offensive and hypocritical forgery of true
  Christianity.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     In order to help us to understand this high command, the Lord used
  three arguments. First, we need to live above the low standards of the
  world. Even sinners love each other, and even criminals help each other.
  If following Christ doesn’t raise us to live and love in a way superior
  to the virtue of the children of this world, what would its value be?
  Second, God will reward us for loving our enemies; even though we do
  not love for the reward, He will grant it graciously to us. And third, this
  type of love is an evidence of our close communion with our heavenly
  Father, who “ ‘is kind to the unthankful and evil’ ” (Luke 6:35, NKJV).

 How to Live Like Jesus
    Jesus’ teachings set such a high ideal of a selfless, loving life that
 most of us probably feel overwhelmed and discouraged. How can we,
 who are selfish by nature, love our neighbor unselfishly? Moreover, is
 it even possible for us to love our enemies? From a human point of view
 it is utterly impossible.
    But the Lord would never ask us to love and serve those who are
 hateful and unlovable without providing us also with the means to
 accomplish it. “This standard is not one to which we cannot attain. In
 every command or injunction that God gives there is a promise, the
 most positive, underlying the command. God has made provision that
 we may become like unto Him, and He will accomplish this for all who
 do not interpose a perverse will and thus frustrate His grace.”—Ellen
 G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 76.
    What is the promise underlying the command to love our enemies?
 It is the assurance that God is kind and merciful to the unthankful
 and evil (Luke 6:35, 36), which includes us. We can love our enemies
 because God loved us first, even though we were His enemies (Rom.
 5:10). When we daily reaffirm our acceptance of His loving sacrifice
 for us on the cross, His self-denying love pervades our lives. The more
 we realize and experience the Lord’s love for us, the more His love will
 flow from us to others, even to our enemies.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   Our daily need is not only to accept Christ’s death for us again but also to
 surrender our will to Him and abide in Him. In the way Jesus Himself did
 not seek His own will but the will of the Father (John 5:30), so we need to
 depend on Jesus and His will. For without Him, we can do nothing.
   As we choose every day to submit ourselves to Jesus, He lives in us
 and through us. Then “ ‘it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in
 me’ ” (Gal. 2:20, NKJV) and changes my egocentric attitudes into a
 selfless, loving life.

  Read again John 15:4–12. What is the joy that Jesus is talking
  about there? How can we experience for ourselves the joy that
  comes from serving Him, even when we don’t necessarily feel
  happy about our immediate circumstances?
                                                                           61

    “All around us are poor, tried souls that need sympathizing words and
 helpful deeds. There are widows who need sympathy and assistance.
 There are orphans whom Christ has bidden His followers receive as a
 trust from God. . . . They are members of God’s great household, and
 Christians as His stewards are responsible for them. ‘Their souls,’ He
 says, ‘will I require at thine hand.’ ”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object
 Lessons, pp. 386, 387.

   “It is not the greatness of the work which we do, but the love and
 fidelity with which we do it, that wins the approval of the Saviour.”
 —Ellen G. White, In Heavenly Places, p. 325.

   It’s one thing to love your “enemies” when they are nothing
  but annoying, unfriendly creatures, such as difficult coworkers,
  rude acquaintances, or ungrateful neighbors. That’s hard enough.
  But what about true enemies, people who have done you harm or
  who intended to do you or your family harm? How are we to love
  them?

   People can argue with us over our theology, doctrine, lifestyle,
  pretty much everything. But who can argue against unselfish,
  disinterested love? Unselfish love reveals a power that transcends
  rational or logical argument. How can we learn to express this
  love, no matter the cost to ourselves?

  The Church




  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Deut. 32:4; Ps. 28:1; John 17;
  John 15:1–5; Matt. 7:1–5; Matt. 5:23, 24; 18:15–18.

  T
         he roots of the Christian church can be traced back to Adam,
         Abraham, and the sons of Israel. The Lord had called Abraham,
         and later the Israelites, to enter into a covenant relationship with
  Him in order to bless the world through them. In the course of sacred
  history, that covenant relationship was continued by the church.
     The church was not an invention of the apostles or of any human
  being. During His ministry, Christ Himself announced His inten-
  tion of establishing His church: “ ‘I will build My church’ ” (Matt.
  16:18, NKJV). The church owes its existence to Jesus Christ. He is its
  Originator.
     According to the Gospels, the term church appears on the lips
  of Jesus only three times (Matt. 16:18, 18:17). This doesn’t mean,
  however, that He didn’t deal with the subject. In fact, He taught very
  important concepts relating to the church. Our study this week will
  center on two main ideas: the foundation of the church and the unity
  of the church.

 The Foundation of the Church
    Jesus said, “ ‘On this rock I will build My church’ ” (Matt. 16:18,
 NKJV). Who is the rock (petra in Greek) upon which the church is
 built? Some interpreters believe that Peter is the rock. They argue
 that the Lord used a play on words between Peter and rock (Petros
 and petra, respectively, in Greek)—a play that presumably would be
 clearer in the Aramaic language, which Jesus probably used. The fact
 is, however, that nobody knows with certitude the exact wording of
 Jesus’ statement in Aramaic. We have only the Greek text recorded by
 Matthew, which distinguishes between Petros (stone) and petra (rock),
 a distinction that should not be overlooked.
    There are good reasons to affirm that petra refers to Christ. The
 immediate context of Jesus’ statement (vss. 13–20) centers on Christ’s
 identity and mission, not Peter’s. Besides, Jesus had previously used the
 image of building upon a rock, clearly identifying the rock as Himself
 and His teachings (Matt. 7:24, 25).

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    When Peter and the other apostles heard Jesus speaking of building
 His church on a rock, they would have interpreted the image in terms of
 what it meant in the Old Testament—namely, a symbol of God.
    Peter himself affirmed that Christ is “ ‘the stone which was rejected
 by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone’ ” (Acts 4:11,
 NKJV), and he applied the term rock to Christ as the foundation of the
 church (1 Pet. 2:4–8). While he compared Christians in general to “liv-
 ing stones,” he applied the term rock (petra) to Christ alone. In the Bible
 no human being is called petra, except Jesus.
    The apostle Paul used the term petra in reference to Christ (Rom. 9:33,
 1 Cor. 10:4) and decidedly declared that “no other foundation can anyone
 lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11, NKJV). We
 conclude, therefore, that the apostolic church unanimously understood
 that Jesus Christ Himself is the underlying petra upon which the church
 is built, and all the prophets and apostles, including Peter, are the first
 layer of living stones in the church’s spiritual edifice (Eph. 2:20).

  Why is it important to know that the church, feeble as it some-
  times may seem, is founded upon Christ Himself?
                                                                         65

 Christ’s Prayer for Unity
   It was Thursday night. After the Last Supper, Jesus and the disciples
 went toward the Mount of Olives. On their way to Gethsemane, Jesus
 stopped and prayed for Himself, for His disciples, and for all who later
 would believe in Him through the apostles’ preaching. Although the
 agony of the Cross was before Him, His greatest concern was not for
 Himself but for His followers. John 17 presents Jesus’ longest interces-
 sory prayer recorded in the Bible. It is encouraging to think that He
 prayed for everyone who believes in Him, including each of us.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Unity is crucial for the life of the church. We can measure its impor-
 tance by the fact that four times Christ repeated His eager desire that
 His followers may be one (John 17:11, 21–23). In that special final
 hour, the Lord could have prayed for many other very significant and
 necessary things. Instead, He focused His prayer on the unity of the
 believers. He knew that the greatest danger for the church would be a
 spirit of rivalry and division.
    Jesus’ plea is not for uniformity but rather for a personal unity similar
 to His relationship with the Father. He and the Father are Two Persons,
 distinct from each other, with different functions. Yet, They are One in
 nature and purpose. By the same token, we all have different tempera-
 ments, backgrounds, abilities, and roles, but we all should be united in
 Jesus Christ.
    This kind of unity does not happen spontaneously. In order to have it,
 we must fully accept Christ’s lordship in our lives. He must mold our
 character, and we must surrender our will to His will.
    This unity is not an end in itself. It is a testimony to inspire the world
 to believe in Christ as the Savior sent by the Father. Harmony and union
 among men of diverse dispositions is the strongest witness possible that
 God has sent His Son to save sinners. It is an unquestionable evidence
 of Christ’s saving and transforming power. And we have the privilege
 of bearing this witness.

  Many times unity is threatened by nothing other than selfishness.
  How can we make sure that we are not guilty of jeopardizing
  unity for no good reason?

  Christ’s Provision for Unity

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     “ ‘You in Me, and I in you’ ” (John 14:20, NKJV) expresses the inti-
  mate relationship we need to have with Jesus. The presence of Jesus
  in our hearts produces unity. He brings to our lives two things that are
  indispensable for unity: the divine Word and divine love.
     If we have Jesus, we will also have His words, which are actually the
  words of the Father (John 14:24; 17:8, 14). Jesus is “the truth” (John
  14:6), and the Word of the Father “is truth,” as well (John 17:17). Unity
  in Jesus means unity in the Word of God. In order to have unity, we
  need to agree on the content of the truth as presented in the Word of
  God. Any attempt to attain unity without adherence to a body of bibli-
  cal beliefs is destined to failure.
     The Lord also wants His followers to be united by true love. If we
  have Jesus, we will have the perfect love the Father has for the Son
  (vs. 26). This love is not a temporary emotion or feeling but a living
  and permanent principle of action. In order to have true love, we must
  have less of self and more of Jesus. Our selfish pride must die, and
  Jesus must live in us. Then we will truly and sincerely love one another,
  making possible the perfect unity that Jesus prayed for.
     “When those who claim to believe the truth are sanctified through
  the truth, when they learn of Christ, His meekness, and lowliness, there
  will be complete and perfect unity in the church.”—Ellen G. White,
  Signs of the Times®, September 19, 1900.
     It has not always been easy to maintain a high view of truth and to
  have deep love for one another at the same time. There is always the
  risk of emphasizing one at the expense of the other. There was a time
  when doctrine alone was considered the most important element for
  unity. Fortunately, this lack of balance has been gradually corrected.
  Today, however, we run the risk of going to the other extreme: to think
  that love is more important than truth for unity. We need to remember
  that love without truth is blind, and truth without love is fruitless. Mind
  and heart must work together.
     The apostolic church exhibited the unity for which Christ prayed.
  “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine [truth] and fellow-
  ship [love]” (Acts 2:42, NKJV).
                                                                          67

 A Great Obstacle for Unity

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    It is much easier to see the faults in others than to see our own. To
 criticize gives a false sense of superiority, because the critic compares
 himself with other human beings who seem to be worse than he is. Our
 aim, however, is not to compare ourselves with others but with Jesus.
    How many problems could we avoid if we would all obey the divine
 command: “ ‘ “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your
 people” ’ ” (Lev. 19:16, NKJV). It is painfully true that “a whisperer
 separates the best of friends” (Prov. 16:28, NKJV).
    On the other hand, there are circumstances when it is necessary to
 speak about another person. Before we do that, however, we should ask
 ourselves three questions:
    1. Is what I am about to say true? “ ‘You shall not bear false witness
 against your neighbor’ ” (Exod. 20:16, NKJV). Sometimes we may
 report something as a fact while it is actually an assumption or a guess.
 Besides, we may unconsciously add our own subjective assessment,
 running the risk of judging erroneously the intentions of other people.
    2. Is what I am about to say edifying? Will it be helpful for those who
 hear it? Paul admonishes us to speak only “what is good for necessary
 edification” (Eph. 4:29, NKJV). If something were true but not edify-
 ing, wouldn’t it be better not to say it?
    3. Is it possible to say it in a loving way? The way we say something
 is as important as what we say (see Prov. 25:11). If it is true and edify-
 ing, we have to be sure that we can say it in a way that it will not offend
 other people.
    James compares the tongue with a little fire that kindles a great
 forest (James 3:5, 6). If we hear gossip, we shouldn’t add more wood
 to the fire, because “where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and
 where there is no talebearer, strife ceases” (Prov. 26:20, NKJV). Gossip
 requires a chain of transmitters to be alive. We can stop it by simply
 refusing to hear it; or, if we have already heard it, avoid repeating it.
 “Instead of gossiping, thus creating mischief, let us tell of the match-
 less power of Christ, and speak of His glory.”—Ellen G. White, The
 Upward Look, p. 306.

  There’s no doubt about it: criticism of others can make us feel
  better about ourselves. What happens, however, when we com-
  pare ourselves with Jesus? 68

 The Restoration of Unity Why is reconciliation with an offended brother a prerequisite for
 acceptable worship? See Matt. 5:23, 24.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   There were different kinds of offerings brought to the altar, but Jesus
 was probably referring to an animal sacrificed so the sinner could
 receive divine forgiveness. Before we can obtain God’s pardon, how-
 ever, we must make things right with others. Reconciliation requires a
 humble recognition of our faults. Without this attitude, how could we
 ask for God’s forgiveness?

 _________________________________________________________

    Jesus tells us that, instead of talking about the offense with others,
 we should speak to the erring person, not to criticize but to show the
 person his (or her) fault and invite him (or her) to repent (Lev. 19:17).
 With a spirit of meekness and tender love, we should make every pos-
 sible attempt to help the person see his (or her) mistake, allowing him
 (or her) to repent and apologize. It is very important not to put the
 person to shame by making his (or her) error public. That would make
 the offender’s recovery much more difficult.
    Ideally, the private conversation will lead to repentance and recon-
 ciliation. However, if the offender does not admit wrongdoing, or is
 unwilling to make things right, the next recourse is to take one or two
 witnesses (Deut. 19:15) in an effort to persuade the erring person. They
 should not be personally involved in the situation in order to be in a
 better position to call the offender to repentance. If the offender refuses
 to hear their counsel, they can bear witness to the efforts that have been
 made on his (or her) behalf.
    Finally, and only if the first two attempts have failed, we should “tell
 it to the church”—not yet for a disciplinary action but for an ultimate
 appeal to lead to repentance. From the beginning, the whole process has
 a redemptive goal (Gal. 6:1).

  We should remember that redemption is the best way to bring heal-
  ing for everyone involved in a dispute. When someone has hurt us,
  why do we so often not follow the procedure that Jesus gave? How
  can we learn to not let a desire for revenge cloud our thinking?

                                                                         69

     “Union is strength; division is weakness. When those who believe
  present truth are united, they exert a telling influence. Satan well under-
  stands this. Never was he more determined than now to make of none
  effect the truth of God by causing bitterness and dissension among the
  Lord’s people.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5,
  p. 236.

    “We should endeavor to think well of all men, especially our brethren,
  until compelled to think otherwise. We should not hastily credit evil
  reports. These are often the result of envy or misunderstanding, or they
  may proceed from exaggeration or a partial disclosure of facts.”—Page
  58.

    However important unity is to the Christian church, how
   well has that unity been maintained? How do you think a
   non-­Christian, looking at Christianity, would view the idea of
   “Christian unity”?

    Jesus instructs us to forgive those who hurt us. But what if they
   have not repented and do not ask us to forgive them? How are we
   to relate to them?

    What is the relationship between love and discipline?
    The ecumenical movement claims to be an attempt to create
   the unity that Christ prayed for. However well-intentioned the
   motives that some might have, what problems can we see with the
   ecumenical movement, apart from the obvious issues regarding
   last day events?

    “We should endeavor to think well of all men, especially our
   brethren, until compelled to think otherwise.” How should we
   understand that sentence, especially in light of the fallen nature of
   humanity? 70

  Our Mission




  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 5:14–16; Luke 24:48, 49;
  John 20:21; Matt. 28:19, 20; Rev. 14:6–12.

  E
         arly in Jesus’ ministry, He called Peter and Andrew to be His
         disciples, which meant that they were to lead others to Him:
         “ ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men’ ” (Matt.
  4:19, NKJV). Later, the Lord appointed 12 disciples “that they might
  be with Him and that He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14,
  NKJV). Christ sent out the Twelve Apostles and later 70 disciples to
  evangelize as well (Matt. 10:5–15, Luke 10:1–12). During the 40 days
  after His resurrection, Christ appeared several times to His disciples
  (1 Cor. 15:3–8), and He placed the responsibility of preaching the
  gospel in their hands (Acts 1:2, 3). Again and again He entrusted
  them with the gospel commission. Though none of the gospel writers
  recorded every word Jesus said, each one set down a few sentences of
  the Lord’s instructions, each account emphasizing a different aspect of
  the gospel commission and thus providing us with valuable insight into
  its purpose, methodology, and scope.
     This week we’ll look at the gospel commission as Jesus Himself
  presented it.

 To Be the Light of the World Read Matthew 5:14–16. What is Jesus saying here to each of us indi-
 vidually and as a church community?

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Throughout the Bible, light is intimately associated with God. “The
 Lord is my light,” sang David (Ps. 27:1), and John stated that “God is
 light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5, NKJV). God is the
 source of light. In fact, the first thing He created was light, because
 light is indispensable for life.
    Given the close connection between light and God, Scripture fre-
 quently uses light to symbolize truth, knowledge, and godliness. To
 walk in light means to have a character like God’s (Eph. 5:8, 1 John
 1:7). Light stands for God; darkness, for Satan. That’s why it is a griev-
 ous sin to “put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isa. 5:20).
    Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, is “ ‘the light of men, . . . the
 true Light which gives light to every man’ ” (John 1:4, 9, NKJV). He
 alone is the light that can illuminate the darkness of a world enshrouded
 in sin. Through Him we may have the “light of the knowledge of the
 glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:6), that is, His character.
    When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become “ ‘sons of light’ ”
 (John 12:36, 1 Thess. 5:5, NKJV). But we have no light in ourselves.
 Like the moon, all we can do is reflect the light that shines upon us.
 When we let Jesus shine through us, we will not do good works to
 parade our own virtue but to lead people to glorify God.
    “If Christ is dwelling in the heart, it is impossible to conceal the
 light of His presence. If those who profess to be followers of Christ
 . . . have no light to give, it is because they have no connection with
 the Source of light.”—Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of
 Blessing, p. 41.
    Wouldn’t it be absurd to light a lamp only to put it “ ‘under a basket
 or under a bed’ ” (Mark 4:21, NKJV)? Then why is it that sometimes
 we do so with Christ’s light? A concealed disciple is no more useful
 than a lamp under a bowl on a dark night. Therefore, “arise, shine; for
 your light has come! and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” (Isa.
 60:1, NKJV).

  Light itself is actually invisible. It has to be reflected off of some-
  thing; otherwise we cannot see it. What spiritual lesson can we
  draw from this about how, as believers, our light is to be revealed?
                                                                       73

 To Be Witnesses
    Jesus’ first encounter with the disciples after His resurrection was
 very important. They were fearful, distressed, discouraged, and per-
 plexed. They had locked the doors of the room out of fear, but Jesus
 came and stood in their midst. With a clear and warm voice He said
 to them: “Peace to you.” Startled and terrified as they were, it was
 difficult for them to believe their eyes and ears. Lovingly, the Lord
 showed them His hands and His feet and explained to them everything
 the Scriptures said about Him. That night, His presence and His words
 transformed them dramatically, dispelling their anxiety and unbelief
 and filling them with the peace and joy that come from the certainty
 of His resurrection.
    Then Christ began to expound their mission, gradually helping them
 to grasp the significance of their responsibility as witnesses of His
 death, His resurrection, and His power to forgive sins and to transform
 lives (Luke 24:46–48). They had surely seen Him die, but they had also
 seen Him alive again. So they could testify for Him, that He was the
 Savior of the world.
    A witness is someone who has seen an event happen. Anyone can be
 a witness, provided that he or she has personally watched something.
 There is no such thing as a secondhand witness. We can testify based
 only on our own experiences, not on someone else’s. As rescued sin-
 ners, we have the privilege of telling others what Jesus has done for us.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   The book of Acts shows that the believers’ testimony could have con-
 vincing power only through the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling in
 their hearts. After receiving the Spirit, “with great power the apostles
 gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33, NKJV).
 That is, they were able to speak, openly and with great power, about
 what they themselves had witnessed and experienced. In a very real
 sense, our witness about Christ must always include our own experi-
 ence with Him.

  What has been your own personal experience with the Lord?
  What has God done in your life that you can witness about first-
  hand to others? Bring your answer to class on Sabbath.

 So Send I You
   John’s Gospel also reports Jesus’ first encounter with the disciples
 in the upper room but mentions other elements not included in Luke’s
 Gospel.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Jesus had already mentioned this concept a few days before, when
 He prayed: “ ‘As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into
 the world’ ” (John 17:18, NKJV). Sending someone implies that the
 one who sends has authority over the one who is sent. It also involves
 a purpose, since one is sent with a mission to fulfill. Jesus was sent
 by the Father to save the world (John 3:17), and we are sent by Jesus
 to proclaim salvation through Him. Evidently, our commission is a
 continuation of Christ’s work, which consisted of a complete ministry
 to all people (Matt. 9:35). He expects us not only to continue what He
 had initiated but also to go further. “ ‘He who believes in Me,’ ” said
 the Lord, “ ‘the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than
 these he will do’ ” (John 14:12, NKJV).
    Jesus provided the Holy Spirit to enable the disciples to carry out
 their mission. At Creation, God “breathed into” Adam “the breath of
 life” (Gen. 2:7). Now Jesus “breathed on” the disciples “ ‘the Holy
 Spirit’ ” (John 20:22, NKJV). As the breath of life transformed lifeless
 dust into a living being, so the Holy Spirit transformed fearful and
 discouraged disciples into powerful living witnesses to continue Jesus’
 work. The same anointing is indispensable today to fulfill the commis-
 sion entrusted to us.

  Jesus has called you to be a witness. What can you witness about?
  That is, what have you seen or experienced that you should share
  with others about Jesus?
  _______________________________________________________

  _______________________________________________________

  _______________________________________________________

                                                                      75

  To Make Disciples
     After His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples in Galilee, at
  “the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matt. 28:16,
  NKJV). Not only the eleven, but also more than five hundred followers
  gathered there to meet the risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:6). The One who had
  conquered death said to them: “ ‘All authority has been given to Me
  in heaven and on earth’ ” (Matt. 28:18, NKJV). His power and author-
  ity are no longer voluntarily limited as they were during His earthly
  ministry. Rather, as before the Incarnation, His authority includes the
  whole universe. Based on His unquestionable authority, He entrusts a
  mission to His followers.
     According to Matthew’s account, in giving the Great Commission, Jesus
  used four verbs: go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. Unfortunately,
  many Bible versions do not reflect on the fact that, in Greek, the only
  verb that is imperative is make disciples, while the other three verbs are parti-
  ciples. This means that the emphasis of the sentence is on make disciples,
  the other three activities being dependent on it.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     Jesus’ mandate indicates three activities involved in making dis-
  ciples. The three activities do not need to occur in a particularly sequen-
  tial order; rather, they complement each other. While going to different
  places, eventually to the entire world, we should be teaching everything
  Jesus taught, baptizing those who accept Him as Savior and are willing
  to observe all the things Jesus commanded.
     We rejoice when somebody is baptized, but baptism is not the end of
  the story. It is just part of the process of making someone a disciple.
  Our task is to invite people to follow Jesus, which means to believe in
  Him, to obey His teachings, to adopt His way of life, and to invite oth-
  ers to become His disciples, too.
     The word all characterizes this text. Because Jesus has “all author-
  ity,” we have to go to “all the nations” teaching them to observe “all
  things” pertaining to the gospel, with the assurance that Christ is with
  us “always” (literally, “all the days”) to the end of the age.

   Think about your local church. What is done there to help nur-
   ture and disciple new believers? What more can be done? Ask
   yourself, too: What talents do I have that I could use in this
   important part of fulfilling the gospel commission?

 The Early Explosion
    With its characteristic conciseness and clarity, the Gospel of Mark pre-
 sents the commission in one short sentence: “ ‘Go into all the world and
 preach the gospel to every creature’ ” (Mark 16:15, NKJV). As in Matthew,
 the verb go in Greek is a participle that indicates not the task but the move-
 ment needed to fulfill the task. The mission itself is expressed by the Greek
        -
 verb Kerusso,                                           -
                given here in the imperative mood. Kerusso      means “to pro-
 claim aloud, to announce, to preach.” Mark uses this term 14 times, more
 than any other Gospel. The church must proclaim the gospel.
    During Jesus’ ministry, the Twelve had been sent not to the Gentiles
 but only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6). Now
 they are sent “into all the world” and “to every creature.” The eleven
 alone could never announce the gospel to the entire world, much less to
 every creature living in it. A task of such worldwide dimension requires
 the participation of the entire church. It is entrusted to all the believers
 in Jesus in all ages. This includes you and me.

 _________________________________________________________

    Preaching the gospel to every creature, however, doesn’t automati-
 cally mean that everyone will accept it. Only “ ‘he who believes and
 is baptized will be saved’ ” (Mark 16:16, NKJV). We should preach
 eagerly, hoping that every hearer will yield to the gospel invitation.
 Nevertheless, we have to be aware that many will not accept the Word,
 as the image of the narrow gate clearly shows (Matt. 7:13, 14).

 _________________________________________________________

   There is an encouraging parallelism between Mark 16:15 and Matthew
 24:14. Both texts refer to the proclamation of the gospel to all the world.
 While the first passage presents Jesus’ commission to preach, the second
 gives Jesus’ promise that the mission will actually be carried out.

  Christ “made full provision for the prosecution of the work, and took
  upon Himself the responsibility for its success. So long as they [His
  disciples] obeyed His word, and worked in connection with Him, they
  could not fail.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 822. The ques-
  tion, then, that we each need to ask ourselves is, How willing are we to
  be used by Him in this crucial work?

                                                                           77

   “Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a mission-
 ary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life.
 The receiver becomes a giver. The grace of Christ in the soul is like
 a spring in the desert, welling up to refresh all, and making those
 who are ready to perish eager to drink of the water of life.”—Ellen G.
 White, The Desire of Ages, p. 195.

   “The Saviour’s commission to the disciples included all the believ-
 ers. It includes all believers in Christ to the end of time. It is a fatal
 mistake to suppose that the work of saving souls depends alone on the
 ordained minister. . . . All who receive the life of Christ are ordained
 to work for the salvation of their fellow men. For this work the church
 was established, and all who take upon themselves its sacred vows are
 thereby pledged to be co-workers with Christ.”—Page 822.

   In what ways is your local church continuing Jesus’ ministry
  in your community? How could you help to improve the church’s
  missionary service?

   Jesus said that the gospel would go to all the world. For the vast
  majority of human history since He spoke those words, methods
  of communication had not changed. Two hundred years ago com-
  munication wasn’t much faster than it was 2,000 years ago, when
  Jesus gave us the gospel commission. Of course, all of that has
  changed, especially in the last 50 years, in which we have devel-
  oped methods of communication that are amazing. How can we
  better learn to use the incredible technology we have been given in
  order to do the work that we have been promised will be done?

   In class, based on the question at the end of Monday’s lesson,
  let those who are willing share their own personal experience with
  Jesus. How can we use our own testimony as a witness to others?
  Why should we use our own experience?

  The Law of                  God



  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 5:17–19, 5:21–44, Mark
  7:9–13, Matt. 19:16–22.

  T
          hough many leaders in Israel highly exalted the law, some mis-
          understood its purpose, believing that they could obtain righ-
          teousness by obeying the law. As Paul was to write: “For they
  being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish
  their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righ-
  teousness of God” (Rom. 10:3).
     This is why Jesus often questioned, and even disapproved of, the
  traditions of the religious elders (Mark 7:1–13). And their misunder-
  standing was why they criticized and confronted Him about His views
  of the law.
     It is important to understand that, although Jesus criticized the
  openly legalistic practices of the Pharisees, He exalted the Ten
  Commandments, clearly affirming the perpetuity of the Decalogue and
  explaining its meaning and purpose. Christ Himself said that He had
  come to fulfill the law (Matt. 5:17). In many ways, His death was the
  ultimate revelation of the continued validity of God’s law.
     This week we will analyze Jesus’ teachings in regard to the law and
  the impact His teachings should have in our lives.

  Jesus Did Not Change the Law What does Matthew 5:17–19 teach about Jesus’ attitude toward the law?
  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    Although the word law is often used to refer to the first five books
  of the Bible (also known as Pentateuch or Torah), in this case the
  context seems to indicate that He was referring primarily to the Ten
  Commandments. When saying He had not come to “destroy” the law,
  Jesus is literally saying, I have not come to make invalid or abolish the
  Ten Commandments. His statement is very clear and probably meant to
  show that it was the religious elders, not He, who had been destroying
  the law, reducing its effect through their tradition (see Matt. 15:3, 6).
  In contrast, by filling it with a deeper meaning, Christ had come to
  “fulfill” the law, thus giving us an example of what perfect obedience
  to the will of God looks like. (See Rom. 8:3, 4.)

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    “Christ was not only the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness . . .
  but it was He who gave the law to Israel. Amid the awful glory of Sinai,
  Christ declared in the hearing of all the people the ten precepts of His
  Father’s law. It was He who gave to Moses the law engraved upon the
  tables of stone.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 366.
    The fact that Christ Himself gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai
  makes it even more important for us to take it seriously. Also, if the
  Lawgiver Himself further explained it through His teachings, as we
  find in the Gospels, we would do well to obey that law. One would be
  hard pressed to find in the life and teachings of Jesus anything imply-
  ing that the Ten Commandments are not binding on Christians. On the
  contrary, His words and example teach us the opposite.

   Though we know that the law is still binding, we also know that it
   does not, indeed cannot, save us. (See Gal. 3:21.) How then do we
   understand the relationship between law and grace?

                                                                        81

 Jesus Deepened the Meaning of the
 Law
   After establishing the perpetuity of the Ten Commandments, Jesus
 continued His Sermon on the Mount, now setting forth a few specific
 examples of Old Testament laws. People had so greatly misunderstood
 these specific commandments that Jesus felt the vital need of explain-
 ing their true meaning.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Note that in each instance Jesus first cites an Old Testament text
 (Exod. 20:13, 14; Deut. 5:17, 18; Exod. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut.
 19:21) and then appears to argue against it. Was Jesus discrediting
 the law? Of course not. By further explaining and expanding what the
 religious leaders had narrowed down to nothing but formality, He was
 simply contrasting the teachings of the Pharisees with the true meaning
 of the law.
    The rabbis cited tradition as their authority for their interpretation of
 the law. In contrast, Christ spoke on His own authority, as the Lawgiver
 Himself. The expression “but I say unto you” appears six times in this
 chapter. Who alone but the Lord Himself could rightly make a claim
 like that?
    What’s fascinating, too, is that Christ’s requirements went radically
 beyond the simple form of the law. His teachings included the spirit
 behind the letter of the law. The spirit imparts meaning and life to what
 otherwise can only be pure formalism. Law-keeping, in and of itself, as
 an end in itself, leads to nothing but death if the law is not understood
 as an expression of what it means to be saved by grace.

  Consider the scribes’ and Pharisees’ attitudes as described in
  Matthew 23:3–5, 23–28. How can we obey God’s commandments
  wholeheartedly without falling into similar hypocrisy and legal-
  ism? What crucial role does understanding grace play in sparing
  us from legalism?

  _______________________________________________________

 Jesus and the Seventh Commandment How did Jesus expand the meaning of the law, as seen in Matthew 5:27,
 28? What did He say in verses 29 and 30? How are we to take these
 words?

 _________________________________________________________

    In this passage Christ referred to two commandments: the seventh
 and the tenth. Until then, the Israelites considered adultery to be only
 the overt physical sexual act with another person’s spouse. Jesus points
 out that in reality, because of the tenth commandment, adultery would
 include lustful thoughts and desires, as well.
    In verses 29 and 30, Christ was using a figure of speech. Of course,
 one could argue that it would be better to go through life mutilated than
 to forfeit eternity with Christ. However, rather than pointing to mutila-
 tion, which would be contrary to other biblical teachings (see Lev. 19:27,
 28; 21:17–20), Jesus was referring to the control of one’s thoughts and
 impulses. In His references to plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand,
 Christ was figuratively speaking of the importance of taking resolute
 decisions and actions toward guarding oneself against temptation and sin.

 _________________________________________________________

    Both texts (Matt. 5:31, 19:7) are citing Deuteronomy 24:1. In Jesus’ days
 there were two rabbinic schools that interpreted this text in two different
 ways: Hillel understood it to allow divorce for almost any reason, while
 Shammai interpreted it to mean only explicit adultery. The Pharisees were
 trying to trick Jesus into taking sides with one school or the other. However,
 they had overlooked the fact that it was not God’s original plan for anyone to
 divorce, ever, which is why Jesus said: “ ‘What God has joined together, let
 not man separate’ ” (Matt. 19:6, NKJV). Later, because of the “hardness” of
 their hearts, they asked why God had allowed a man to give his wife a “ ‘cer-
 tificate of divorce’ ” if he found some “ ‘uncleanness in her’ ” (Deut. 24:1,
 NKJV). Christ corrected the misuse of this passage by uplifting the sanctity
 and permanence of marriage: the only cause for divorce, before God, is “sex-
 ual immorality” or “fornication” (in Greek porneia, literally “unchastity”).

  How seriously do we take Jesus’ warning about plucking out our
  eyes or cutting off a hand? How much stronger a warning could
  He have given us about what sin can do to our eternal destiny? If
  this warning scares you, good. It should!

                                                                           83

 Jesus and the Fifth Commandment
    During another encounter Jesus had with the scribes and Pharisees
 (Matt. 15:1–20; see also Mark 7:1–13), they questioned Him about a
 tradition of the elders, one not found in the Law of Moses. This tradi-
 tion stipulated that one should ritualistically wash his hands before
 eating, something Jesus’ disciples had neglected to do. Christ imme-
 diately responded by citing another tradition of the Pharisees, one that
 invalidated the fifth commandment.
    Before analyzing Christ’s argument, we need to understand that the
 tradition the Pharisees had established, called Corban, comes from a
 word that means “a gift.” When a man applied the words, “It is Corban”
 to anything, it was considered an oath: it was something dedicated to
 God and the temple.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    It seems as if the Pharisees had found the perfect excuse to deny
 one’s parents their rightful support. They had expanded the solid prin-
 ciples found in the Pentateuch and transformed them into man-made
 commandments, which, in their leaders’ own thinking, could supersede
 one of God’s commandments.
    This isn’t the only time Jesus dealt with the same spiritual perver-
 sion: “ ‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all
 manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you
 ought to have done, without leaving the others undone’ ” (Luke 11:42,
 NKJV; emphasis added). They should have kept both commands, first
 by honoring their father and mother, without leaving aside their giving
 to the Lord.
    No wonder Jesus summed up His argument by applying to the
 Pharisees a description Isaiah made of the Israelites 700 years earlier:
 “ ‘ “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me
 with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship
 Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” ’ ” (Matt. 15:8,
 9, NKJV). Once again, Christ upheld the Ten Commandments and con-
 trasted His position with that of the Pharisees.

  In what ways might you be seeking little technical loopholes in
  order to avoid doing what’s clearly your duty?

 Jesus and the Essence of the Law Read Matthew 19:16–22. From the immediate details of this specific
 story, what broad and important truths can we derive from this
 account about the law and what the keeping of the law entails?

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    The rich young man couldn’t comprehend that salvation from sin
 does not come from following the law, even strictly. It comes, rather,
 from the Lawgiver, the Savior. The Israelites had known this truth since
 the beginning, but they had forgotten it. Now Jesus set forth what they
 should have heeded from the start: that obedience and full surrender
 to God are so united that one without the other becomes only a pre-
 tense of Christian life. “Nothing short of obedience can be accepted.
 Self-surrender is the substance of the teachings of Christ. Often it is
 presented and enjoined in language that seems authoritative, because
 there is no other way to save man than to cut away those things which,
 if entertained, will demoralize the whole being.”—Ellen G. White, The
 Desire of Ages, p. 523.
    In another encounter, the Sadducees had been questioning Christ about
 the resurrection, and Jesus had astonished and silenced them with His
 answer. So, now the Pharisees gathered together, ready to make a final
 attempt to lead the Savior into saying something that they could interpret
 as being against the law. They chose a certain lawyer to question Jesus
 about which was the most important commandment (Matt. 22:35–40).
    The lawyer’s question probably arose from the attempt of the rabbis
 to arrange all the commandments by order of importance. If two com-
 mands appeared to be in conflict, the one assumed to be more impor-
 tant took priority and left a person free to violate the less important
 one. The Pharisees particularly exalted the first four precepts of the
 Decalogue as being more important than the last six and, as a result,
 they failed when it came to matters of practical religion.
    Jesus answered in a masterful way: first, and most important, there
 must be love in the heart before anyone can begin to observe God’s
 law. Obedience without love is impossible and worthless. However,
 where there is true love toward God, a person will unconditionally put
 his life in harmony with God’s will as expressed in all ten of His com-
 mandments. That is why Jesus later said: “ ‘If you love Me, keep My
 commandments’ ” (John 14:15, NKJV).

                                                                        85

   “Speaking of the law, Jesus said, ‘I am not come to destroy, but to
 fulfill’ . . . ; that is, to fill up the measure of the law’s requirement, to
 give an example of perfect conformity to the will of God. . . .
   “His mission was to ‘magnify the law, and make it honorable.’ Isaiah
 42:21. He was to show the spiritual nature of the law, to present its far-
 reaching principles, and to make plain its eternal obligation. . . .
   “Jesus, the express image of the Father’s person, the effulgence of
 His glory; the self-denying Redeemer, throughout His pilgrimage of
 love on earth was a living representation of the character of the law of
 God. In His life it is made manifest that heaven-born love, Christlike
 principles, underlie the laws of eternal rectitude.”—Ellen G. White,
 Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 48, 49.

   As we know, the argument against the continued validity of the
  Ten Commandments often is nothing but an attempt to get around
  the seventh-day Sabbath. Review all the Sabbath healing stories in
  the Gospels. How do they affirm not only the continued validity of
  God’s law but also of the seventh-day Sabbath? Why are the words
  and example of Jesus the last place anyone who wants to deny the
  Sabbath should go?

   Theologians sometimes talk about “a moral universe.” What
  does that mean? How is our universe a moral place? If it is, what
  do you think makes it so? What role would God’s law have in a
  moral universe? Could the universe be a moral place without
  God having a moral law to govern it? Discuss. How does the idea
  of God’s law in a moral universe help explain Satan’s attempt to
  undermine that law?

  The Sabbath




  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: John 1:1–3; Matt. 12:1–5; Luke
  4:16–21; John 5:16, 17; Matt. 24:20.

  T
          hroughout His ministry, religious leaders challenged Christ’s
          Sabbath observance. When criticized, Christ emphasized His
          authority as Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8, Mark 2:28,
  Luke 6:5). He also showed what correct observance of the Sabbath
  should be.
    Today we are confronted not only with the challenge of “correct
  observance” of the Sabbath but also with the popular belief that Sunday,
  not Sabbath, is the day of rest. Those pushing for Sunday, however,
  have nothing in their favor in the Gospels. The Sabbath controversies
  in the Gospels dealt only with how the Sabbath was to be kept, never
  with when. Jesus’ life and teachings leave no doubt that the seventh-day
  Sabbath would continue as God’s day of rest, even after His death and
  resurrection.
    This week we will discuss Christ’s relationship to the origin and lord-
  ship of the Sabbath. Next, we will study the example and teachings of
  Jesus regarding the observance of the Sabbath. Finally, we’ll look at the
  Sabbath as seen in His teachings and in the example of His disciples
  after the Resurrection.

 Christ, the Creator of the Sabbath What do the following texts indicate about Jesus’ role in Creation?
 Why is this so important, especially when considering the origin of
 the Sabbath? See John 1:1–3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:1, 2.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    John begins his Gospel with the famous statement: “In the beginning
 was the Word. . . . All things were made through Him, and without Him
 nothing was made” (John 1:1–3, NKJV). Both John and Paul leave no
 doubt as to the role of Christ in creation. God the Son, Jesus Christ,
 created all things: “By Him all things were created that are in heaven
 and that are on earth, visible and invisible. . . . All things were created
 through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16, NKJV). Through Christ, God
 made the universe, including our solar system, the earth, and every-
 thing in it, animate and inanimate.
    Christ, who was to be man’s Redeemer, was also his Creator. And
 right there, at the end of Creation week, the Lord gave us a day of rest.
 “The Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord’s day. It belongs to
 Christ. . . . Since He made all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it
 was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation.”—Ellen G. White,
 The Desire of Ages, p. 288.
    The same God who created humanity with the need to rest also
 provided the means to rest: a weekly day in which human beings are
 to set aside weekly toils and troubles and to rest in Him, the Creator.
 After finishing Creation, He Himself rested on the seventh day, not
 because of tiredness but in order to bless and sanctify the Sabbath and
 give us an example to follow. And He also rested on Sabbath when
 He finished our Redemption on the cross, not because He needed it
 but in order to (among other things) confirm the perpetual value of
 the Sabbath. Christ, who invites restless human beings to rest in Him
 (Matt. 11:28, 29), invites us to rest in a special way, once a week,
 every Sabbath day.

  Sabbath keeping ties us to the beginning of earth’s creation, to
  the very foundation of our existence. What better time to dwell
  upon the important question: What am I doing with the existence
  that God has given me?


                                                                         89

  Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath Read Matthew 12:1, 2. What is going on here? Why would the
  Pharisees consider this action as “not lawful”?

  _________________________________________________________

     Deuteronomy 23:25 states: “When you come into your neighbor’s stand-
  ing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a
  sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain” (NKJV). The problem, therefore,
  was not the action itself, but the day on which it was done. Rabbinical
  regulations expressly prohibited many types of work on Sabbath, such as
  reaping, threshing, and winnowing. In the Pharisees’ opinion, by plucking
  the ears of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and separating the grain
  from the husks, the disciples were guilty of doing all of them.

  _________________________________________________________

     With the first example (1 Sam. 21:1–6), Christ argued that, although
  in normal circumstances David and his men should not have eaten the
  bread meant for the priests (Lev. 24:9), yet because their lives were in
  danger, their actions should be considered a permissible violation of a
  ceremonial rule. The second example Jesus mentioned (Matt. 12:5) has
  to do with the sacrifices and offerings ordained for the Sabbath day in
  the temple service, which were twice as many as those offered on any
  other day (Num. 28:9, 10). The Jews themselves recognized that the
  temple service had priority over the Sabbath.
     After citing these examples, Jesus made two statements that vindicate
  His authority to redefine the Pharisees’ burdensome observance of the
  Sabbath: (1) “ ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
  Sabbath’ ” (Mark 2:27, NKJV). Here Jesus reaffirms the Edenic origin of
  the Sabbath, and redefines the incorrect priorities of the Pharisees regard-
  ing man and the Sabbath: the Sabbath was created to benefit human beings
  and continues as a God-given gift at the service of humanity, instead of
  humanity at the service of the Sabbath. And (2), by saying, “ ‘The Son
  of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath’ ” (vs. 28, NKJV), Christ ratified His
  status as Creator and Legislator of the Sabbath. Therefore, He alone had
  the authority to free the Sabbath from these man-made laws.

   The spiritual leaders of God’s people charged the Lord of the
   Sabbath with violating the day that He Himself had created and
   sanctified. What message should we all take from this about the dan-
   gers of spiritual blindness among those who should know better?

  The Example of Jesus What does Luke 4:16 tell us about Jesus’ attitude toward the
  Sabbath? Why is this so important for us today? See John 14:15,
  1 Pet. 2:21.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

   The word Luke used in verse 16, custom, comes from a Greek
 word related to habits constant in time and practice. In other words,
 Jesus regularly attended the synagogue every Sabbath that He could.
 Moreover, this is so important to Luke that four times in his Gospel
 he mentions Jesus’ attendance at the synagogue on different Sabbaths
 (Luke 4:16, 4:31, 6:6, 13:10). Also, Luke specifically identifies the
 Sabbath as the seventh day of the week (Luke 23:54–24:1). The fact
 that Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry, observed the seventh-day
 Sabbath, along with the Jews, testifies that the weekly cycle had not
 been lost since the giving of the law at Sinai, or even since Creation.
 His example as an observer of the Sabbath is a model for Christians to
 follow, in both time and manner of observance.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

   This wasn’t the first time Jesus read and spoke at a synagogue. More
 than a year had already gone by since He was baptized in the Jordan
 River. However, this was Jesus’ first visit to Nazareth after leaving the
 carpenter shop, where He spent the first 30 years of His life and where
 He attended the local synagogue. During His youth, “often in the syna-
 gogue on the Sabbath day He was called upon to read the lesson from
 the prophets, and the hearts of the hearers thrilled as a new light shone
 out from the familiar words of the sacred text.”—Ellen G. White, The
 Desire of Ages, p. 74.
   But this time it was different. Jesus selected a particular passage,
 Isaiah 61:1, 2, a text that explains the Messiah’s work on earth and how
 He will come “ ‘to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord’ ” (Luke
 4:19, NKJV). That was the Sabbatical, or jubilee, year, a time of rest.
 Appropriately, Jesus chose the day of rest, the Sabbath, to announce His
 ministry of redemption, liberation, and healing. Truly, we find rest in
 Jesus, a rest expressed in a tangible way every Sabbath day.

                                                                       91

  Miracles on the Sabbath
     The Gospels mention numerous miraculous healings that Jesus car-
  ried out on the Sabbath day. It is interesting to note that, in most cases,
  the healing came by Jesus’ initiative, as if He purposely wanted to heal
  on the Sabbath, though He could have done it any other day. Jesus was
  trying to make a point: healing on the Sabbath was not unlawful. On
  the contrary, it was more lawful than what many of the Pharisees and
  religious leaders were accustomed to doing on the Sabbath.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     Although it is true that we must set aside our own interests during
  the Sabbath (Exod. 20:9, Isa. 58:13), it should never be considered as
  a period of useless idleness. In His controversies with the Pharisees,
  Christ clearly pointed out that “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”
  (Matt. 12:12, NKJV). According to rabbinic traditions, a sick person
  could be treated on the Sabbath if the situation was life-threatening.
  Likewise, if a sheep or an ox fell into a pit, it was permissible to pull
  the animal out on the Sabbath day to save its life. Wasn’t a person’s life
  more valuable than an animal’s? Unfortunately, Christ’s critics showed
  more compassion toward their own animals than to suffering human
  beings. They approved watering an animal, but not restoring a person.
     Jesus also stated: “ ‘My Father has been working until now, and I
  have been working’ ” (John 5:17, NKJV), referring to God’s work in
  favor of His creatures. Even on the Sabbath day He continues giving
  life and sustaining the universe (Heb. 1:2, 3).
     Jesus taught that we should not be legalistic when observing the
  Sabbath. To keep it means to “rest” from our own works (Heb. 4:10)
  and, even more important, to stop trying to work our way to salva-
  tion—which is impossible anyway. Satan wants to convince us to keep
  the Sabbath selfishly. If he cannot move us against the Sabbath, he
  will try to push us to the other extreme: legalism.

   Though it’s easy to be legalistic about the Sabbath, others can
   be very lax in keeping it. How do we strike the right balance?
   Also, why must we be careful in our response to how others keep
   the Sabbath (don’t forget how the Pharisees viewed Christ’s
   Sabbath keeping)?

 The Sabbath After the Resurrection
   Many Christians keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath, offering a
 host of reasons, the main one being the resurrection of Christ. Besides
 the fact that nothing in the New Testament, including the passages on
 the Resurrection, teaches that Sunday is to replace Sabbath, the New
 Testament shows that Christ intended for His Sabbath to be kept even
 after His resurrection.

 _________________________________________________________

   Christ’s words in Matthew 24:20 show us that in a.d. 70, about forty
 years after His death, the Sabbath was to be considered as sacred as it
 had always been. The commotion, excitement, fear, and travel neces-
 sary to flee from Jerusalem would be inappropriate on the Sabbath
 day.

 _________________________________________________________

   For the disciples, going to the synagogue was what church attendance
 should be for us today: one of the best ways to observe the Sabbath.
 This is especially noticeable with the apostle Paul, who was present at
 the synagogue services on Sabbath when no church was there. It was
 his custom, following Jesus’ example (Acts 17:2). Although he was the
 apostle to the Gentiles and the champion of justification by faith, he
 usually went to the synagogue on Sabbath, not only to preach to the
 Jews but also to keep holy the Sabbath day.
   One Sabbath, after the synagogue service was finished, the Gentiles
 begged Paul to preach the gospel to them. The apostle could have
 invited them to hear him the next day, Sunday, but he waited one week.
 “ ‘The next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the
 word of God’ ” (Acts 13:44, NKJV). These texts provide powerful evi-
 dence that the early church knew nothing of the first day of the week
 as a replacement for the seventh.

  OK, so we know we’re right about the right Sabbath day. That’s
  important, of course. How, though, can our Sabbath keeping
  make us Christians who are more compassionate, loving, and
  caring?

                                                                     93

    “ ‘Wherefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.’ These
 words are full of instruction and comfort. . . . It [the Sabbath] points
 to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier. It declares that He who
 created all things in heaven and in earth, and by whom all things
 hold together, is the head of the church, and that by His power we are
 reconciled to God. For, speaking of Israel, He said, ‘I gave them My
 Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that
 I am the Lord that sanctify them,’—make them holy. Ezek. 20:12. Then
 the Sabbath is a sign of Christ’s power to make us holy. And it is given
 to all whom Christ makes holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the
 Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel
 of God.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 288, 289.

   What is the problem with a legalistic obedience of the fourth
  commandment? On the other hand, why is a watered-down obser-
  vance of the Sabbath not the solution to legalism? What is the key
  element that makes keeping the Sabbath a real blessing?

   Why should the Sabbath, and the opportunity to rest on the
  Sabbath day, be a special reminder to us of the crucial truth that
  we are not saved by our works, but by the merits of Christ in our
  behalf?

   What are ways that we can learn to have a deeper and richer
  experience with the Lord on the Sabbath?

   What lessons about how to keep the Sabbath can we learn from
  Christ’s example of Sabbath healings? How do these healings help
  us understand better what the Sabbath should be about?

   We are told to keep the Sabbath “holy.” Think through some of
  your Sabbath activities. How holy are they?

  Death and Resurrection




  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: John 11:11; John 1:1–4; Luke
  8:54, 55; John 5:28, 29; Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; John 11:38–44.

  H
           umans have an innate repulsion toward death because we were
           created only to live and never to die. Death is an intruder; it was
           not meant to be.
     That’s why, during His earthly ministry, Jesus showed immense sym-
  pathy toward the bereaved. When He saw the widow of Nain taking her
  only son to the grave, “He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do
  not weep’ ” (Luke 7:13, NKJV). To a heartbroken father of a 12-year-
  old girl who had just died, Christ consoled him, saying: “ ‘Do not be
  afraid; only believe’ ” (Mark 5:36, NKJV). Every time death strikes our
  loved ones, Jesus is tenderly moved by our grief. His compassionate
  heart weeps with us.
     But Christ does far more than weep. Having conquered death with
  His own death and resurrection, He owns the keys of death, and He
  promises to raise everyone who believes in Him to eternal life. This
  is, by far, the greatest promise that we have been given in God’s Word;
  otherwise, if death has the final say, our whole lives and everything we
  have ever accomplished will be in vain.

  The State of the Dead
     Old Testament writers consistently held that a human is an indivis-
  ible living being. The various Hebrew terms usually translated as
  flesh, soul, and spirit are just alternative ways to describe, from dif-
  ferent points of view, the human person as a whole. In harmony with
  this perspective, the Scriptures use different metaphors to describe
  death. Among them, sleep stands out as a fitting symbol to reflect the
  biblical understanding of the condition of the dead (see Job 3:11–13,
  14:12, Ps. 13:3, Jer. 51:39, Dan. 12:2). Death is the total end of life.
  Death is a state of unconsciousness in which there are no thoughts,
  emotions, works, or relationships of any kind (Eccles. 9:5, 6, 10;
  Ps. 115:17; 146:4).
     By the time of Jesus, however, this view of humanity, and particu-
  larly of death, was challenged by the pagan dualistic concept of the
  immortality of the soul, which was rapidly propagating throughout the
  known world.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     Despite this and other passages, a number of Christians argue that
  Jesus believed in the immortality of the soul, for He said to the thief
  on the cross: “ ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me
  in Paradise’ ” (Luke 23:43, NKJV). The meaning of this text changes
  entirely, depending on where the commas are placed. (The oldest Greek
  manuscripts of the New Testament don’t have punctuation marks.) If
  the comma is placed after you, as most Bible versions render the text,
  it means that Jesus and the thief went to Paradise that same day; if the
  comma is after today, the text means that Jesus assured the thief his
  future redemption. Actually, Jesus’ words emphasize assurance of sal-
  vation, not the timing of the thief’s entrance into heaven. The context
  confirms this. To begin with, the thief had not asked for an immedi-
  ate transfer to heaven at death but rather to be remembered when the
  Lord would come into His kingdom. Moreover, three days later Jesus
  Himself affirmed that He had not yet ascended to Paradise (John
  20:17). This text, therefore, does not teach that the souls of the dead go
  to heaven after death.

   Because we understand that death is an unconscious sleep, why is
   the teaching of the resurrection so crucial to us?
                                                                         97

 The Hope of Resurrection
    At Creation, “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
 breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” As a result, “man became a
 living being” (Gen. 2:7, NKJV). As long as God maintains the breath of
 life in the living creatures, they are alive. But when He takes away their
 breath, they die and return to dust (Ps. 104:29, Eccles. 12:7). This is not
 an arbitrary decision of God; it is the inevitable consequence of sin. But
 the good news is that, through Christ, there is hope, even in death.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   Christ has life in Himself, for He is the life (John 14:6). He created
 everything and has the power to give life to whom He wills (John 5:21).
 Thus, He can raise the dead.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   According to the Bible, resurrection is the reversal of death. Life is
 restored when the breath of life comes back from God. That is how
 Luke explained the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter. After learning that
 the twelve-year-old girl had passed away, Jesus went to the house and
 told the mourners that she was sleeping. Then He “took her by the hand
 and called, saying, ‘Little girl, arise.’ Then her spirit [pneuma] returned,
 and she arose immediately” (Luke 8:54, 55, NKJV). At Jesus’ divine
 command, the life principle imparted by God returned to the girl. The
 Greek term that Luke used, pneuma, means “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit.”
 When the Bible uses it in relation to human beings, it never denotes a
 conscious entity capable of existence apart from the body. In this text it
 clearly refers to the breath of life.

  Death is so common that we take it for granted. How, though,
  can we learn to trust in God’s promises about eternal life, even
  though for now, death seems to be the victor? 98

  The Resurrection and the Judgment
     What we have studied so far could lead us to think that the resurrec-
  tion will be for only a few people. But Jesus affirmed that a time will
  come when “ ‘all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come
  forth’ ” (John 5:28, 29, NKJV, emphasis added). Believers and unbe-
  lievers, righteous and sinners, saved and lost, all will be raised. As Paul
  declared, “ ‘There will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and
  the unjust’ ” (Acts 24:15, NKJV).

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     The universality of the resurrection doesn’t mean that at the final
  day everybody will be ushered into a blissful and joyful eternal life.
  “ ‘Those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlast-
  ing life, some to shame and everlasting contempt’ ” (Dan. 12:2, NKJV).
     The Bible teaches that God will judge the lives of every human
  being, deciding the eternal destiny of each person who ever lived
  (Eccles. 12:14, Rom. 2:1–11). The execution of the divine sentence,
  however, does not occur immediately after the death of each individual
  but only after his or her resurrection. Until then, both the saved and
  the lost sleep unconsciously in the dust. The resurrection, by itself, is
  neither a reward nor a punishment. It is the precondition to receiving
  eternal life or condemnation.
     Speaking of the two resurrections, Jesus indicated that our destiny
  will be decided on the basis of the moral quality of our deeds (good
  or bad). This fact, however, doesn’t mean that works save us. On the
  contrary, Jesus clearly taught that our salvation depends exclusively on
  our faith in Him as our Savior (John 3:16). Why, then, are works taken
  into consideration? Because they show whether our faith in Christ
  and our surrender to Him are genuine or not (James 2:18). Our works
  demonstrate whether we are still “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph.
  2:1, NKJV) or “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our
  Lord” (Rom. 6:11, NKJV).

   Dwell on the ultimate destiny that awaits each of us. If anything is
   standing between you and eternal life, why not, right now, choose
   to get rid of it? After all, what possibly could be worth losing eter-
   nity for?
                                                                          99

  What Jesus Said About Hell
    Jesus used two Greek terms, hades   - and gehenna, to speak about
  death and the punishment of the unrighteous. Given the popular belief
  in the meaning of the term hell, we need to consider it carefully.
    Hades- is equivalent to the Hebrew she'ôl, the most common Old
  Testament term for the realm of the dead. These names simply repre-
  sent the grave or the place to which all descend at death, with no con-
  notation of punishment or reward. There is one text, however, where
  hades- appears to be connected with punishment. It is in the parable of
  the rich man and Lazarus.

  _________________________________________________________

     This parable is not focused on the state of man in death. A popular
  but unbiblical belief that many of Jesus’ contemporaries held provided
  the background for this parable. Nevertheless, the parable teaches an
  important lesson: our future destiny is determined by the decisions we
  make daily in this life. If we reject the light God grants us here, there
  is no opportunity after death. Any attempt to interpret this parable
  literally leads to many insoluble problems. Actually, the details of the
  picture seem purposely awkward in order to show us that Jesus did not
  intend His words to be taken literally, but figuratively.

  _________________________________________________________

    In many Bible translations, the word hell appears 11 times on
  Jesus’ lips. He actually used the Greek term gehenna, from the
  Hebrew name Gê Hinnom, “Valley of Hinnom.” According to the Old
  Testament, in this gorge south of Jerusalem, kings Ahaz and Manasseh
  conducted the horrendous pagan rite of burning children to Molech
  (2 Chron. 28:3, 33:6). Later, godly king Josiah brought the practice to
  a halt (2 Kings 23:10). Because of the sins perpetrated in it, Jeremiah
  prophesied that God would make the place a “valley of slaughter” (Jer.
  7:32, 33; 19:6). Hence, for the Jews, the valley became a symbol of
  the last judgment and the punishment of the impenitent. Jesus used the
  name figuratively, without explaining any details regarding the time
  and place of the punishment, which we find in other biblical passages.
  Hell, though, is not a place of eternal punishment. 100

  Jesus Conquered Death Why was Lazarus’s resurrection the crowning miracle of Christ’s
  earthly ministry? See John 11:38–44.
  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     Though Jesus had raised two others from the dead, none was as dra-
  matic as this. Lazarus had been dead for four days, a fact that Martha
  corroborated at the graveside. Jesus performed the miracle in the full
  light of day before a crowd of respected witnesses from Jerusalem. The
  evidence couldn’t be dismissed.
     Still, far more important than Lazarus’s resurrection was Jesus’ own
  resurrection. Since He has life in Himself, He not only has the power to
  raise the dead and give life to whom He wills (John 5:21), but He also
  has the power to lay down His own life and take it again (John 10:17,
  18). His resurrection proved this convincingly.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    Christ’s power to break the bonds of death is undisputed. He arose
  from the sepulcher as the first fruits of those who slept in Him. His
  resurrection is the guarantee of every believer’s resurrection, for He has
  the keys of death (Rev. 1:17, 18).
    “To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the life. In our Saviour
  the life that was lost through sin is restored; for He has life in Himself to
  quicken whom He will: He is invested with the right to give immortality.
  The life that He laid down in humanity, He takes up again, and gives to
  humanity.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 786, 787.

   Death is so powerful that only the One who first created life can
   restore it. What does this truth tell us about why we must trust
   that Jesus can, and will, resurrect us as He promised?

   _______________________________________________________

                                                                          101

     “The voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks
  upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to heaven,
  He cries: ‘Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!’
  Throughout the length and breadth of the earth the dead shall hear that
  voice, and they that hear shall live. . . . From the prison house of death
  they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying: ‘O death, where is thy
  sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ 1 Corinthians 15:55. And the liv-
  ing righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout
  of victory.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 644.

    What are some of the dangers inherent in the idea of the
   immortality of the soul? Why is Satan eager to propagate this
   nonbiblical belief? What role will this concept play in the religious
   scenario at the time of the end? Think about all the potential
   deceptions out there from which those who understand death as a
   sleep until the resurrection are spared.

                           Muka (left) lives in a rural settlement in northern
                           Namibia with her extended family.

  The Second Coming of
  Jesus


  Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: John 14:1–3; Matt. 16:27;
  1 Thess. 4:13–18; Matt. 24:3–14; 24:42, 44.

  T
          he second coming of Jesus, mentioned more than three hundred
          times in the New Testament, is the capstone of our teachings. It
          is essential to our identity as Seventh-day Adventist Christians.
  The doctrine is engraved in our name, and it is a crucial part of the
  gospel that we are called to proclaim. Without the promise of His com-
  ing, our faith would be in vain. This glorious truth gives us a sense of
  destiny and motivates our missionary outreach.
     It could be argued that the stretching of time beyond our expec-
  tations would undermine our belief in Jesus’ promise to return.
  However, this has not happened. For many, our passion for Christ’s
  return is stronger than ever.
     This week we will review what Jesus said about “the blessed hope
  and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”
  (Titus 2:13, NKJV).

 The Promise
    After the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that He would go to
 a place where, at least for now, they could not go (John 13:33). The
 thought of being separated from the Master filled their hearts with sor-
 row and fear. Peter asked, “ ‘Lord, where are You going? . . . Why can
 I not follow You now?’ ” (vss. 36, 37, NKJV). Christ knew their desire
 and assured them that the separation would be only temporary.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

    Our Lord’s pledge could not have been more emphatic. In Greek,
 the promise “I will come again” is in the present tense, emphasizing
 certainty. It could literally be translated, “I am coming again.”
    Jesus has given us the certitude of His second coming. He did not say
 “I may come again,” but “I will come again.” Every time He mentioned
 His return, He referred to it in certain terms.
    Sometimes we make promises we later cannot keep, even in spite
 of our best efforts and determination. That’s not the case with Christ.
 Many times He proved unmistakably that His word is trustworthy.
    Referring to His incarnation, the Lord prophetically announced
 through David: “ ‘Behold, I come’ ” (Ps. 40:7, NKJV). And He did
 (Heb. 10:5–7). The reality of His first coming sustains the certainty of
 His second.
    During His earthly ministry, Jesus promised a despairing father:
 “ ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well’ ” (Luke
 8:50, NKJV). And sure enough, Jairus’s daughter was made well,
 although she had been dead. Christ announced that three days after His
 own death He would rise from the grave; and He did. He promised the
 Holy Spirit to the disciples; and He sent Him right on time. If our Lord
 honored all His promises in the past, even those that, from a human
 perspective, seemed impossible, we can be certain that He will keep
 His promise to come again.

  How can you keep the fire burning in your own heart for the
  second coming of Jesus?


                                                                    105

  The Purpose of Jesus’ Second Coming
    The great plan of Redemption will find its culmination in the Second
  Coming. Without Christ’s return to this earth, His incarnation, death,
  and resurrection would have no effect for our salvation.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

     Life is not always fair; in fact, often it is not fair. We do not always
  see justice in our society. Innocent people suffer while evil ones seem
  to prosper. Many people do not receive what they deserve. But evil
  and sin will not reign forever. Jesus will come “ ‘to give to every one
  according to his work’ ” (Rev. 22:12, NKJV).
     This assertion implies that a judgment must take place prior to
  Christ’s return. When Jesus comes, the destiny of each human being
  will already have been decided. Jesus clearly hinted at this investigative
  judgment in the parable of the wedding feast (Matt. 22:11–13). The fact
  that we are judged by works does not mean that we are saved by our
  works or by our own merits. Salvation is by God’s grace and received
  by faith in Jesus (Mark 16:16, John 1:12), which we demonstrate by
  our actions.
     What’s important about the promise in Matthew 16:27 is that justice
  will be done. We just have to wait for it.
     Also, at the Second Coming, those who sleep in Christ will be raised
  to eternal life. As we saw earlier—because we know that the dead are
  asleep in the grave—the promise of the Second Coming and the resur-
  rection to eternal life that follows is especially important to us.
     “Amid the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightning, and the roar
  of thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints.
  He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to
  heaven, He cries: ‘Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and
  arise!’ Throughout the length and breadth of the earth, the dead shall
  hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth shall
  ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred,
  tongue, and people. From the prison house of death they come, clothed
  with immortal glory, crying: ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
  where is thy victory?’ 1 Corinthians 15:55. And the living righteous
  and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory.”
  —Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 644.

 How Will Jesus Come?
   In His prophetic sermon, Christ expressed concern about wrong
 teachings in regard to His second advent, and He warned His disciples
 against people who would come in His name, “ ‘saying, “I am the
 Christ” ’ ” (Matt. 24:5, NKJV; see also vss. 23–26). He doesn’t want
 His followers to be deceived. Therefore, He clearly indicated the way
 in which He will come.

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   Lightning cannot be hidden or faked. It flashes and shines throughout
 the sky in such a way that everyone can see it. So will Jesus’ second
 coming be. No advertisement will be needed to call people’s attention
 toward it. Every human being, good and evil, saved and lost, even “they
 who pierced Him” (Rev. 1:7, NKJV), will see Him coming (Matt. 26:64,
 NKJV).

 _________________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________________

   In His second advent, Christ will be seen with all His divine glory
 as “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). In the
 Incarnation, the Son came alone and without any external splendor,
 with “no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isa. 53:2, NKJV). But
 this time He will descend with all His majesty and magnificence sur-
 rounded by “all the holy angels” (Matt. 25:31) and “with a great sound
 of a trumpet” (Matt. 24:31). If all that weren’t enough, the dead in
 Christ will rise to immortality.

  If we trust the Lord regarding an event as incredible as the
  Second Coming, why should we not trust Him about every aspect
  of our lives?
                                                                   107

  When Will Jesus Come?
     When Jesus said regarding the temple that “ ‘not one stone shall be
  left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down’ ” (Matt. 24:2,
  NKJV), the disciples were astonished. “ ‘Tell us, when will these things
  be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the
  age?’ ” (vs. 3, NKJV), they inquired. In their thinking, the destruction
  of the temple would coincide with the end of history at Jesus’ return.
     Jesus’ answer skillfully combined the signs for both events: the fall of
  Jerusalem in a.d. 70 and His second advent, because the disciples were
  not prepared to grasp the difference between them.
     It is important for us to understand the nature and purpose of these
  signs. They were not given for us to determine the date of Jesus’ return,
  for “ ‘of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,
  but My Father only’ ” (vs. 36, NKJV). Rather, the signs show the his-
  torical tendency of events in order to alert us that His coming is near,
  even at the doors. While we should never be date setters, we must never
  ignore the time we live in either.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    The most important idea Jesus wanted to impress on the disciples’
  minds was that His coming is near. Actually, His entire prophetic ser-
  mon addressed the apostles as if they were to be alive when He would
  come (see Matt. 24:32, 33, 42).
    In a real sense, from the personal perspective of each of us, the
  Second Coming is never farther away than a moment after our death.
  Death is a deep unconscious sleep. We close our eyes in death and,
  whether one year has passed or one thousand years have passed, the
  next thing we know is the second coming of Jesus. Thus, the idea of the
  nearness of Christ’s coming, which Paul, Peter, and James also shared,
  makes perfect sense. For each of us, individually, His coming is never
  more than a moment after we die.

   How does this concept help us understand the “imminence” of
   Christ’s second coming?

  Watch and Be Ready Why is it crucial for us always to watch and be ready for Jesus’ coming?
  See Matt. 24:42, 44.

  _________________________________________________________

  _________________________________________________________

    The keynote of Jesus’ prophetic sermon is the imperative to watch,
  to be on alert. It doesn’t mean to wait idly but to be actively vigilant,
  as is the owner of a house who remains diligent against any potential
  thief (Matt. 24:43). While watchfully waiting, we have a work to do, as
  did the faithful servant who carried out the tasks his master entrusted to
  him during the master’s absence (Matt. 24:45, Mark 13:34–37).

  _________________________________________________________

     The parable of the evil servant is very sobering, especially for us as
  Seventh-day Adventists. This servant represents those who profess to
  believe that Christ will come again, but not immediately. Believing that
  the Lord is delayed, they think they still have time to live selfishly and
  indulge in sinful pleasures because, surely, there will be plenty of time
  to prepare for the Second Coming. Unfortunately, this idea is a deadly
  trap, because no one knows when Jesus will come. Moreover, even if
  Christ doesn’t come yet, any one of us could be called to rest unexpect-
  edly, suddenly ending our opportunity to make things right with God.
  But above all, repeated indulgence in sin gradually hardens and desen-
  sitizes the conscience so that it becomes more difficult to repent. The
  devil doesn’t care that we believe theoretically in the second coming of
  Jesus, as long as he can make us postpone our preparation for it.
     How can we be ready today? By repenting and by confessing our
  unconfessed sins to Jesus, by renewing our faith in His expiatory death
  on the cross for us, and by surrendering our wills totally to Him. Walking
  in communion with Him, we can enjoy the deep peace of being covered
  by His robe of righteousness.

   How much do you think about the Second Coming? How much
   of its reality impacts your life? How do we strike the right bal-
   ance in going about our daily work and yet living in anticipation
   of Christ’s return?

                                                                       109

     “Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the
  size of a man’s hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and
  which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people
  of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence
  they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and
  more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like
  consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant. Jesus rides
  forth as a mighty conqueror. . . . With anthems of celestial melody the
  holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way. The
  firmament seems filled with radiant forms—‘ten thousand times ten
  thousand, and thousands of thousands.’ No human pen can portray the
  scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor.”—Ellen G.
  White, The Great Controversy, pp. 640, 641.

    Dwell more on the idea that the Second Coming is never far
   off from each one of us on a personal, individual level because our
   death is never really that far off, no matter how long we live. What
   does this idea tell us about just how close the Second Coming
   really is as far as we each are concerned?

    How do you respond to those who mock the idea of the Second
   Coming? Before you respond to them, try to put yourself in their
   shoes, looking at things from their perspective. After you do
   that and see their arguments, think through ways that you can
   respond.

    What about this idea that we, as a people, can either help has-
   ten or delay the Second Coming? What are the arguments either
   way in that discussion?

    If you knew that Jesus was coming next week, what in your life
   would change now?