Daily Lesson for Sunday 17th of November 2024

In addition to the specific miracles that John used to point to Jesus as the Messiah, he also recorded the broader discussion about the signs, works, and wonders that Jesus did.

The signs and wonders, in and of themselves, were not proof of His Messiahship because many prophets, sometimes false ones, also performed miracles. John did not record the signs because they pointed to a great miracle worker only. The signs that John wrote about had the unique character of pointing to Jesus as the Messiah and to show that He, indeed, came from God the Father Himself.

Image © Kim Justinen from GoodSalt.com

Jesus used the signs to show His close working relationship with the Father. The two were one. The works showed that “ ‘the Father is in Me, and I in Him’ ” (John 10:38, NKJV; see also John 14:10-11.)

The purpose of Jesus’ coming was to do the works of the One who sent Him, in order that these works might be made manifest to the world. That is, He came to do the work that the Father sent Him to do, and the works that He did testified, clearly, that He was from the Father.

And yet, as we have already seen, even despite the powerful signs and the testimonies from many people, people still chose not to believe.

The religious leaders asked Jesus, “ ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me’ ” (John 10:24-25, NKJV).

If Jesus had come right out and said He was the Messiah, the religious leaders—looking for anything they could find against Him—would have pounced on Him. Knowing this, Jesus instead pointed to the works He had done. If Jesus had said He was the Christ, they could easily seek to deny that. But how could they deny the signs, the works, and the wonders? These were powerful testimonies to who He was and where He had come from.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-08-signs-works-and-wonders/

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 16th of November 2024

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: John 5:17,20,36-40,46-47; John 13:18; John 17:12; Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 9:9; John 8:12-30.

Memory Text:

“ ‘But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me’ ” (John 5:36, NKJV).

We can see again and again in the book of John all the things that Jesus said and did which revealed that, yes, the Messiah (hammashiach), the Christ, had come to Israel. And He had come, in fact, as one of them, a Jew born in Bethlehem, just as the Scriptures had predicted.

Yet, as John wrote, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10, NKJV).

He was in the world, the world was made through Him, and yet the world did not know Him? That’s an amazing statement. And, as we can see in John and in the other Gospels, many people didn’t know Him even though they should have, especially because of all the things that Jesus did and said. And, even more so, because the Old Testament scriptures pointed to Him.

This week we will look at more ways John revealed Jesus as the Messiah, and also, we will look at why some people still continued to reject Him—despite all the powerful reasons affirming Him as the Christ.

What can we learn from their mistakes?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 23.

Sunday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-08-fulfilling-old-testament-prophecies/

The Mission program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is an opportunity for us to understand the needs of others and share in supporting them. Please click on the image below to watch the Mission Spotlight presentation for this week:

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-november-16/

Inside Story for Friday 15th of November 2024

By Andrew McChesney

Jacob Pierce’s whole family loved trading pins, and they fanned out to find new pins at the International Pathfinder Camporee in the United States.

Then Mother saw a man with an Alaska pin. Knowing that Jacob loved Alaskan nature, she tried to convince the man to make a trade.

“I can’t trade,” he said. “It is a one-of-a-kind pin for pastors in Alaska.”

Mother’s interest only grew. “What do you do up in Alaska?” she asked.

Image © Pacific Press

The man introduced himself as Tobin Dodge, director of Alaska Camps, a mission initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Alaska Conference, which sponsors camps for children ages 8 to 17 every summer.

“Could my son work there?” Mother asked.

“Yes, we take counselors-in-training at 16 and counselors at 18,” he said.

Jacob jumped at the idea of spending the summer in Alaska. He joined the camp staff—and went three years in a row.

The camp experience can be challenging, he said. One year, he enjoyed spending time with an Alaska Native boy at Camp Polaris, located on Lake Aleknagik in southwestern Alaska. They shared an interest in nature and climbed Jackknife Mountain, which looms above the camp. But the boy refused to behave. He also used vulgar language and seemed more interested in promoting superstitions than hearing Bible truth. He blamed a rainy day on a boy who had killed a spider, saying, “If you kill a spider, it rains.”

Jacob grew frustrated. But at the end of camp, the boy gave Jacob a hug and walked over to his father. As he watched the two, Jacob suddenly began to understand the boy’s behavior. The boy was practically raising himself.

“Most of the kids don’t have any Christian background at all,” Jacob, 20, said in an interview at Camp Polaris. “That’s what makes it really an eye-opener and, to me, an amazing mission field.”

He said the spiritual battles at Camp Polaris are different from those at other summer camps sponsored by the Alaska Conference because it is comprised almost entirely of Alaska Native children, who often face struggles with trauma, superstition, and substance abuse.

“But being here is worth it,” he said. “It is a calling that is stronger than any that I have seen. God really needs volunteers here. This is a mission field.”

Thank you for your 2016 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering that helped repair and expand Camp Polaris so more children could attend. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a center of influence at the Adventist church in Bethel, Alaska. The Bethel Church sends local children to Camp Polaris every year.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-07-inside-story-from-pin-trader-to-camper/

Daily Lesson for Friday 15th of November 2024

Read Ellen G. White, “The Test of Faith,” Pages 145–155, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “In Pilate’s Judgment Hall,” Pages 723–740, in The Desire of Ages.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Thomas “cast himself at the feet of Jesus crying, ‘My Lord and my God.’ ”

“Jesus accepted his acknowledgment, but gently reproved his unbelief: ‘Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ The faith of Thomas would have been more pleasing to Christ if he had been willing to believe upon the testimony of his brethren. Should the world now follow the example of Thomas, no one would believe unto salvation; for all who receive Christ must do so through the testimony of others.

“Many who are given to doubt excuse themselves by saying that if they had the evidence which Thomas had from his companions, they would believe. They do not realize that they have not only that evidence, but much more. Many who, like Thomas, wait for all cause of doubt to be removed, will never realize their desire. They gradually become confirmed in unbelief. Those who educate themselves to look on the dark side, and murmur and complain, know not what they do. They are sowing the seeds of doubt, and they will have a harvest of doubt to reap. At a time when faith and confidence are most essential, many will thus find themselves powerless to hope and believe.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, Pages 807, 808.

Discussion Questions

<–Thursday

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-07-further-thought-blessed-are-those-who-believe/