Daily Lesson for Wednesday 16th of October 2024

In John’s Gospel, humanity seems to be divided into two overarching groups: those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as the Messiah and those who, having the opportunity to believe, choose not to.

Eleven of the disciples are in the first group, as are others such as Nicodemus (who comes to faith slowly), the woman at the well, and the man born blind. In the second group are Pharisees and high priests, people at the miracle of feeding the 5,000, and even one of the disciples, Judas.

People in the hand of God

It is interesting that the noun pistis (Greek for faith/belief) never appears in the Gospel of John. However, the verb pisteuō (believe) appears 98 times, compared to 241 times total in the entire New Testament! This verb is, indeed, a very big theme in John. This use of the verb instead of the noun may point to a very active sense of becoming a Christian. Being a believer in Jesus is something that we do, and this is expressed in how we live and not just in a set of beliefs. As we know, the devil believes in Jesus, as well (see James 2:19).

In John, the major difference between the two groups is the way that they relate to Jesus. Believers, or those who come to believe, have an openness toward Him, even when He confronts or rebukes them. They come to Jesus and do not run away. He is the Light that shines on them. And by faith, by believing, they become the children of God.

Unbelievers, on the other hand, typically come to Jesus to fight with Him. They are characterized by those who love darkness rather than light. They find His sayings hard to accept or they see Him breaking old traditions and not fulfilling their expectations. They stand in judgment on Him rather than letting His light measure and judge them. This attitude, of course, had been seen again and again in the religious leaders, who ideally, as the spiritual guides of the nation, should have been the first ones to have accepted Jesus.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-03-reappearing-themes-belief-and-unbelief/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 15th of October 2024

The Prologue, John 1:1-18, describes not only who Jesus Christ, the Word (logos), is but also how people in the world related to Him. In John 1:9, He is called the true Light, who enlightens every person coming into the world. That light illumines the world, making it understandable. As C. S. Lewis puts it, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”—“Is Theology Poetry?” (n. p.: Samizdat University Press, 2014), p. 15, originally presented in 1944.

Image © Justinen Creative from GoodSalt.com

Also, look at the implications of what John 1:9 is saying. Light comes to everyone, but not everyone welcomes the light. As we will see in tomorrow’s study, a major theme in the Gospel of John is how people receive or reject Jesus. That theme begins here. The sad litany is that the Messiah came to His own people, the people of Israel, and many did not receive Him as the Messiah.

In Romans 9:1-33; Romans 10:1-21; Romans 11:1-36, Paul deals with the same tragic theme, of many Jews rejecting Jesus. But Paul doesn’t end on a negative note, saying in fact that many Jews, along with Gentiles, will accept Jesus as their Messiah. Indeed, he warns the Gentiles not to boast against the Jews. “For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?” (Romans 11:24, NKJV).

In a similar vein, John says that all who do receive Jesus as their Savior will become the children of God. This happens by believing on His name. (See John 1:12-13.)

Here is the connection between the prologue and the conclusion of the Gospel. In John 20:31, the apostle presents why he wrote—that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life by His name. Thus, the introduction and conclusion form a kind of unity. They are related concepts that enclose all that occurs between them. This linkage points to the overarching goal of the Gospel of John—that people will be saved by believing on Jesus Christ as their Savior.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-03-hearing-or-not-hearing-the-word/

Daily Lesson for Monday 14th of October 2024

John starts his Gospel not with the name “Jesus” or His role as Messiah/Christ but with the term logos. Around the time John wrote, various philosophies used the term logos to refer to the rational structure of the universe, or to refer to the idea of logic and reason themselves.

Also, the teaching of the influential ancient philosopher Plato had divided reality into two realms. One is the heavenly and immutable realm, where absolute perfection exists. The other is the realm here—perishable, changing, a very imperfect representation of the perfect realm above, wherever it supposedly existed. (Plato never answered that question.) Some philosophies identified the logos as some abstract intermediary between the eternal forms and the perishable, earthly forms here.

Image © Darrel Tank at Goodsalt.com

John uses the term in a completely different manner. He maintains that the truth, the logos, is not some ethereal and abstract concept floating between heaven and earth. The logos is a person: Jesus Christ, who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

For John, the logos is the Word of God. More important, God communicated; that is, He revealed Himself to humanity in the most radical way: God became one of us.

In the Gospel of John, the logos represents the eternal God, who enters time and space, who speaks, acts, and interrelates with humans on a personal level. The eternal God became a human being, one of us.

In John 1:14 the apostle indicates that the logos “became flesh and dwelt among us” (NKJV). The underlying Greek word, translated dwelt, means to pitch a tent. John is alluding to Exodus 25:8, where God told the Israelites to make a sanctuary, a tent structure, so that He could dwell in their midst. In the same way, in the Incarnation, Jesus, the divine Son of God, stepped into human flesh, veiling His glory so that people could come in contact with Him.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-03-the-word-made-flesh/

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. 

The wonders of our Lord Jesus come to us again this week, and we find that He is the Light that all humanity needs so much: 
Hymn 234 – Christ Is The World’s Light, 
Hymn 345 – Christ Is The World’s True Light and 
Hymn 515 – The Lord Is My Light. Sunday closes off with “He is still the divine Son of God”: 
Hymn 637 – Son Of God, Eternal Saviour. 

Monday brings us the information saying 
O Word Of God Incarnate – Hymn 274. 

With joy, in accepting Jesus, we are 
Children Of The Heavenly Father – Hymn 101. Through the process John takes us, we are able to sing 
I Do Believe – Hymn 486 and then ask 
Gracious Father, Guard Thy Children – Hymn 621. 

Our believing continues on Wednesday:
Hymn 511 – I Know Whom I Have Believed. 

Thursday enlightens our thinking with “Jesus is presented as the divine Son of God, the Creator of the universe”: 
Hymn 320 – Lord of Creation. The day’s study closes: “God’s greatest glory is revealed in His greatest shame—bearing the sins of the world in Himself”: 
Hymn 237 – In The Cross Of Christ I Glory.

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/3-the-backstory-the-prologue-singing-with-inspiration/

Key Thought: The prologue is the opening of the book of John as he tells the story of Jesus within the historical period of Jesus’ life and summarizes its major themes.
October 19, 2024

1. Have a volunteer read John 1:1-5, 14.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What do these verses tell us about Jesus and what He did?
3. Personal Application: What would we lose if Jesus were just a mere created being? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of you relatives states, “Why would John start out talking about Jesus in His role as Creator? Is it important to have a correct understanding of Creation?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read John 1:9-13.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
   b. What harsh reality is John stating here about how people respond to Jesus?
   b. Personal Application: How has your life changed by becoming a son or daughter of Christ as you accepted Him? Share your thoughts.
   c. Case Study : One of your friends states, “Have you ever denied being Christian, or hid it from someone? Have you ever been shamed for being a Christian? How could this lead to being honored or rejected by Christ?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read John John 3:16-21, John 9:35-41, John 12:36-46.

1. a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How do these texts repeat the theme of belief/unbelief found in the prologue?
3. Personal Application: In what ways do you live out your faith in Jesus rather than just holding a mental assent to Him being the Messiah? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “Have you ever had questions about the character of God or the Father? Do you think they exhibit differences in their characters in the Bible? How do you deal with doubts about God’s character?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read John 17:1-5.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What did Jesus mean when He said, “Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you”?
3. Personal Application: How does God offer Himself dying on the cross to save us from sin tell us about just how bad sin really is? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/3-the-backstory-the-prologue-teaching-plan/