View an in-depth discussion of Signs that Point the Way in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris.
Click on the image below to view the video:

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-signs-that-point-the-way-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion/

Daily Lesson for Monday 30th of September 2024

All through His earthly ministry, Jesus performed miracles that helped people believe in Him. John recorded these miracles so that others would believe in Jesus, as well.

In giving an account of the second sign that Jesus did in Galilee, John points back to the first sign at the wedding in Cana. John seems to be saying, The signs that Jesus did will help you see who Jesus is. Then, John adds, “This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee” (John 4:54, NKJV).

Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com

At first, Jesus’ response to the nobleman’s plea may seem harsh. Yet, this official had made the healing of his son the criterion for believing in Jesus. Jesus read his heart and pinpointed the spiritual sickness that was more profound than his son’s life-threatening illness. Like a lightning bolt from a blue sky, the man suddenly recognized that his spiritual poverty could cost the life of his son.

It is important to recognize that miracles, in and of themselves, did not prove that Jesus was the Messiah. Others have performed miracles. Some were true prophets, others false. Miracles reveal only the existence of the supernatural; they don’t, by themselves, mean that God must be the One doing them. (Satan can perform “miracles,” if by the word “miracles” we mean supernatural acts.)

The nobleman in anguish cast himself on Jesus’ mercy, pleading with Him to heal his son. Jesus’ response was reassuring. He said, “ ‘Go; your son will live’ ” (John 4:50, ESV). The verb “will live” in Greek is actually in the present tense. This usage is called a “futuristic present,” where a future event is spoken of with such certainty as if it were already happening. The man did not rush home but, believing Jesus, got home the next day—finding that, exactly when Jesus had said those words, the fever left his son.

What a powerful reason to believe in Jesus!

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-01-the-second-sign-in-galilee/

John has written what is possibly the most well-known Bible verse in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son” which has had many say 
Lord, I Have Made Thy Word My Choice – Hymn 273 and 
Give Me The Bible – Hymn 272. John writes of many people who turned to Jesus in this quarter’s studies. Here are two hymns from which to choose for your theme hymn this quarter. 

This week we will 
Look For The Waymarks – Hymn 596 that Jesus is pointing out. In the Sabbath afternoon introduction, we read John 20:31 which will have us respond with 
I Know Whom I Have Believed – Hymn 511. 

The Wedding at Cana is explained on Sunday, and we find this story in verse 2 of 
Hymn 145 – Songs Of Thankfulness And Praise.

The man at the Pool of Bethesda showed he had faith which is portrayed in 
Hymn 523 – My Faith Has Found A Resting Place. 

The Hard Hearts on Wednesday is the opposite to what we can sing in 
Hymn 309 – All To Jesus I Surrender. May this be our resolution. 

Ellen White’s writings on Friday return us to 
Hymn 523 – My Faith Has Found A Resting Place. 

Please continue to search the scriptures this week to be blessed, and to bless many others. 

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/ 

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-signs-that-point-the-way-singing-with-inspiration/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 29th of September 2024

Seeing Jesus perform the miracle of changing the water into wine provided evidence in favor of the disciples’ decision to follow Jesus. How could it not have been a powerful sign pointing to Him as being someone from God? (They probably were not yet ready to understand that He was God.)

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

Moses was the leader of the Israelites, and he brought Israel out of Egypt by many “signs and wonders” (Deuteronomy 6:22, Deuteronomy 26:8, NKJV). He was the one whom God used to free Israel from the Egyptians. (He was, in a sense, their “savior.”)

God prophesied through Moses that a prophet would come who was like Moses. God asked Israel to hear Him (Deuteronomy 18:15, Matthew 17:5, Acts 7:37). That “prophet” was Jesus and, in John 2:1-25, Jesus performed His first sign, which itself pointed back to the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt.

The river Nile was a key resource and a deity for the Egyptians. One of the plagues was directed at the river—the changing of its waters to blood. At Cana, Jesus performed a similar miracle but, instead of turning water into blood, He turned it into wine.

The water came from six water pots used for purification purposes in Jewish rituals, linking the miracle even more closely to biblical themes of salvation. By recounting the incident of changing the water to wine, and thus referring back to the Exodus, John was pointing to Jesus as our Deliverer.

What did the master of the feast think of the unfermented wine that Jesus provided? He was indeed surprised by the quality of the drink and, not knowing the miracle that Jesus had performed there, thought that they had saved the best for last.

The Greek term oinos is used both for fresh and fermented grape juice (see The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, p. 1177). Ellen G. White states that the juice produced by the miracle was not alcoholic (see “At the Marriage Feast,” The Desire of Ages, p. 149). No doubt, those who knew what happened were astonished at what had taken place.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-01-the-wedding-at-cana/

Sitting in a shop in Tehran, Iran, the Persion rug depicted an ancient forest. Beautifully done, it re-created a scene in Switzerland: mountains, a waterfall, a turquoise lake, forested hillsides, and an expansive blue sky dotted with clouds.

Anyone in that shop could have spent their time noting the details: the number of knots per square inch, the fabric of the carpet, the types of dye used–all the minutiae that resulted in the rug.

Image © Pacific Press

Or the person could have focused, instead, on the arresting techniques and themes that gave the carpet its unique beauty: the sky reflected in the lake,  the snow that capped the mountains, the verdant forest complimented by the deep green moss. The themes of the carpet combined with one another in a deftly coordinated display of beauty to manifest the splendor of that serene of the Alps.

This quarter we will be studying another finely crafted masterpiece. This work is not the result of a brush on canvas, a precisely framed photograph, or a skilfully woven carpet. Rather it is the Word of God as artfully expressed in the Gospel of John.

Words have meaning within their contexts. For anyone to understand what Scripture intends to say,  it must be studied in context–the immediate sentences, chapters, and sections, and the overall message of the Bible itself. Finally, because the entire Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit, each part should be studied in the context of the whole.

The intention this quarter will be to understand the message of John’s Gospel. It is unique among the four Gospels, often focusing attention on personal interviews between Jesus and just one or two people–such as the Nathaniel, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda, the man born blind, Lazarus and his sisters, Pilate, Peter, or Thomas. Many of these stories appear only in John.

The Gospel of John is the Word of God conveyed to us through the apostle. As with the entire Bible, the Gospel came by the will of God, rather than by the will of man. John was merely the willing instrument the Holy Spirit used to convey many crucial themes: the Word (logos), light, bread, water, the Holy Spirit, oneness, signs, testimony, and prophecy. These themes mutually enhance and illuminate one another throughout the Gospel.

Bible study often concentrates on the meaning of a word or a small passage of Scripture. We check the meaning of the word in a Bible dictionary. We examine the grammar, the immediate context, and the historical context; and –using our analogy of the carpet–we grt caught up in the examination of the number of knots per square inch, the fabric, the dyes, and the backing. All of these details are important.

But let us not miss the big picture while examining the details. Indeed, just as the Persian carpet could transport someone to the beautiful Alpine scene, so may the Gospel of John carry us back to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, whom to know is life eternal. The details have a role, which is to point us toward the big picture, and in John that big picture is a divinely inspired revelation of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

E. Edward Zinke, a former associate director for the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, is involved with many church activities and boards, including serving as vice chair of the Ellen G. White Estate Baord and as a senior advisor for the Adventist Review Ministries. He holds three honorary doctorate degrees from Seventh-day Adventist universities. He lives in Maryland. 

Thomas Shepherd PhD, DrPH, is senior research professor of New Testament at the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 2008. He and his wife, Sherry Shepherd, MD, have served as missionaries in Malawi, Africa, and Brazil. They have two grown children and six grandchilren.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/themes-gospel-of-john/