Daily Lesson for Monday 18th of November 2024

In addition to the specific signs and testimonies that John used to point to Jesus as the Messiah, John also appealed to the authority of the Old Testament and to its prophecies, which foretold the work of Christ. The Old Testament is central, not just to John’s Gospel but to all the New Testament. Justification for Jesus, for who He was, where He came from, what He did, and what He will do—is based on Scripture, in this case the Old Testament.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

All through the Gospels, time and again, Jesus points to the authority of Scripture as a key witness to Him. For instance, Jesus often uses events from the Old Testament to help point to Himself and to what He does. The following is one case, where He takes an event from Numbers 21:5-9. “ ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up’ ” (John 3:14, NKJV). Here, not only does Jesus refer to the story, but by using it to point to Himself, He basically gives us the authoritative interpretation of what the story meant to convey.

And not just Jesus, but others, as well, use the Old Testament to point to Jesus. For example, early on in John, we read the words of Philip: “ ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote’ ” (John 1:45, NKJV).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24d-08-the-authoritative-role-of-scripture/

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.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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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/