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Sermon Outline

Themes in the Gospel of John

Epilogue: Knowing Jesus and His Word

Lesson #13 for December 28, 2024

Scriptures:John 4:46-54; 8:42-44; John 11:9-10; 15-17; 21;2 Timothy 3:16.

  1. It is apparent from the Gospels that the disciples were not prepared for the crucifixion or the resurrection even though some of them had been “walking” with Jesus for more than three years. There are three times recorded when Jesus told them what was coming: (1) First warning:Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31-32; Luke 9:22; (2) Second warning:Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43b-45; (3) Third warning:Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34. Why did the disciples not understand these messages from Jesus?
  1. Unfortunately, they were so wrapped up in the idea that Jesus was going to become the Jewish king who would conquer the Romans and give them power over other nations that those warnings were not comprehended at the time. Jesus’s words did not fit their thinking or paradigm.
  2. How often are we bound up by beliefs that are shared by our peers or associates but are not supported by Scripture? Do we have the courage and the fortitude and the determination to be sure that what we believe is supported by Scripture?
  3. If one is reading the Gospel of John, the end of John 20 seems that it would be the logical place to conclude the Gospel. But, there is this extra chapter—John 21.
  4. Some of the disciples had returned to Galilee and had taken up their old trade: fishing. This lesson focuses on the third visit Jesus made with the group of His disciples after the resurrection. We have discussed some of these stories in prior lessons this quarter.

John 21:1-14: 1 After this, Jesus appeared once more to his disciples at Lake Tiberias [another name for the Sea of Galilee]. This is how it happened. 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus were all together. 3Simon Peter said to the others, “I am going fishing.”

“We will come with you,” they told him. So they went out in a boat, but all that night they did not catch a thing. 4As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the water’s edge, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Then he asked them, “Young men, haven’t you caught anything?”

“Not a thing,” they answered.

6He said to them, “Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some.” So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had caught so many fish.

7 The disciple whom Jesus loved [John] said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment round him (for he had taken his clothes off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples came to shore in the boat, pulling the net full of fish. They were not very far from land, about a hundred metres [sic-Br] away. 9When they stepped ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it and some bread. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” [Was that Jesus’s ideal diet?]

11 Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore full of big fish, 153 in all; even though there were so many, still the net did not tear. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13So Jesus went over, took the bread, and gave it to them; he did the same with the fish.

14 This, then, was the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from death.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,John 21:1-14). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].†‡

  1. We do not know if God intentionally prevented the disciples from catching anything that night; but, they had not caught anything before thew threw the net onto the other side of the boat.
  2. The next morning as they were pulling into the shore, they noticed a Stranger asking them if they had caught anything. When they answered, “No,” the Stranger suggested something unusual to them: Cast their net on the shallow side of the boat closer to the shore where the Stranger was standing as opposed to casting it into the deeper part of the water. Suddenly, they realized that they had caught so many fish that they had a difficult time pulling the net in. John was immediately reminded of their previous experience with Jesus.

Luke 5:1-11: 1 One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God. 2He saw two boats pulled up on the beach; the fishermen had left them and were washing the nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats — it belonged to Simon — and asked him to push off a little from the shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowd.

4 When he finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch.”

5 “Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6They let them down and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break. 7So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full of fish that the boats were about to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he fell on his knees before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinful man!”

9 He and the others with him were all amazed at the large number of fish they had caught. 10The same was true of Simon’s partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”

11 They pulled the boats up on the beach, left everything, and followed Jesus.—Good News Bible.* [What happened to all those fish?]‡

  1. What was the purpose of the Gospel writers recording these two accounts of the amazing catches of fish?
  2. Interestingly, Jesus was standing on the shore, apparently having just come from heaven, already having prepared a fire and cooking fish and bread for them to eat! They brought some of the fish they had just caught and prepared them as well, and they all ate together.
  3. But, obviously, Jesus did not go there just to cook a breakfast for them and eat with them!
  4. On the day of Jesus’s crucifixion, Peter had denied Jesus three times. And this was after he had said that he would follow his Lord, even to death. (John 13:36-38) Then came the denials. (John 18:15-27)
  5. Following their meal, Jesus walked along the shore; Simon Peter followed Him.

John 21:15-19: 15 After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love [agape] me more than these others do?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love [phileo] you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my lambs.” 16A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love [agape] me?”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “you know that I love [phileo] you.”

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.” 17A third time Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love [phileo] me?”

Peter was sad because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love [phileo] me?” so he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love [phileo] you!” [These words for love are Greek words. Jesus and Simon Peter were speaking Aramaic, not Greek. We do not know what Aramaic words were used, but John did his best to convey what was said.]

Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep. 18I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will bind you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19(In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.) Then Jesus said to him, “Follow me!”—Good News Bible.*‡

[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] It seems that Peter did not feel that his love for his Lord was as elevated as his Lord’s love for him. Here, in his answer, Peter was showing humility and teachableness, traits that qualified him to “feed my sheep” (John 21:16). This gesture on Christ’s part proved that Peter was now restored and entrusted with taking care of Christ’s flock of believers. What a change! The impulsive and overconfident Peter had finally learned to be humble, distrusting self and trusting Jesus.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 172.†‡§

  1. Some note that Jesus used the verb, agapaō, which means to love, as He was questioning Peter (except for the last time), and that Peter always responded with phileō, which means to love, but just as a friend or family member. The implication is that Peter had not achieved the higher kind of love. However, something else was probably intended by Peter.

[BSG:] Actually, Peter’s response is focused on humility. With Peter’s failure ever before him, it is more likely that he humbly uses a “lower term,” daring not to claim too much for himself. And it is this humility that Jesus affirms, and which becomes crucial in restoring Peter to ministry. No question, humility is one of the greatest qualifications for ministry because the focus then becomes Jesus Christ and not self.

Peter’s restoration and role as leader in the early church is one of the strongest evidences that Jesus rose from the dead. It would be hard to explain Peter’s prominence if Jesus had not, in the presence of the other disciples, restored him to ministry.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, December 22.†‡

  1. At times, Jesus was very humble. Why is humility so important to us?
  2. Peter, of course, was curious. Since John was following the two of them, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John.

John 21:20-24: 20 Peter turned round and saw behind him that other disciple, whom Jesus loved [John] — the one who had leaned close to Jesus at the meal and had asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” 21When Peter saw him, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

22 Jesus answered him, “If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!”

23 So a report spread among the followers of Jesus that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he said, “If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you?”

24 He is the disciple who spoke of these things, the one who also wrote them down; and we know that what he said is true.—Good News Bible.*†‡

[BSG:] Simply put, what Jesus was trying to convey to Peter is that the priority of following Him does not depend on [what anyone] … else does or upon what circumstances may arise. Peer pressure may lead us to veer this way or that, but we must be fully committed to Jesus, regardless of people or circumstances. This mindset is desperately needed today, when people tend to follow whims or public opinion. But, as faithful followers of Jesus, we cannot do that. We must follow Him because of our own personal convictions in Him as Savior because our salvation is a matter between us and God. When Jesus comes again, it will not matter what others think of us; it will only matter what God thinks of us.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 173.†‡

  1. The Gospel writers did not record everything that Jesus did or said.

John 21:25: Now, there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written.—Good News Bible.* [Will heaven give us enough to study?]‡

  1. Does it look like we will have enough to study in the new earth when the rest of what Jesus said and did is revealed to us?
  2. Some people read these Scriptures and have believed that John would live until Jesus returned. But, that is not what Jesus said. He said that if it was His will, John would live until He returned.
  3. Let us review some things which we have talked about in prior studies and consider the contrast in John’s Gospel between light and darkness. See, for example,John 1:4-10; John 3:19-21; John 5:35; John 8:12; John 9:5; John 11:9-10; andJohn 12:35.

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] …. Never can humanity, of itself, attain to a knowledge of the divine. “It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?”Job 11:8. Only the spirit of adoption can reveal to us the deep things of God, which “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man.” “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”1 Corinthians 2:9, 10.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 412.3.‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.2006&index=0]‡

  1. Much in the Gospel of John suggests that only Jesus is capable of adequately explaining to us about God the Father because He, Christ, is the only One who has ever seen the Father. Others contradicted this idea. Jesus had some very striking words for the religious leaders.

John 8:42-44: 42 Jesus said to them, “If God really were your Father, you would love me, because I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own authority, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to listen to my message. 44You are the children of your father, the Devil, and you want to follow your father’s desires. From the very beginning he was a murderer and has never been on the side of truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.”—Good News Bible.*† [Would you dare to speak like that to church leaders?]‡

[BSG:] There are some people who are determined to hold on to their mistaken opinions, no matter how much evidence they see to the contrary. They also tend to gather around themselves only those who agree with them, thus serving to reinforce their own errors.

Such was the case with the religious leaders. They were so blinded by their own self-centeredness and prejudice that they hated Jesus with a passion. It is so strange that they claimed to love the Father yet hated His Son. Jesus exposed this hypocrisy in these words: “ ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me’ ” (John 8:42, NKJV).―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 173.†‡§

  1. How often do we have an idea and then search the Scriptures to find verses that we believe support our idea? Why do you think there are so many different religions and so many different ideas about religion, even in our own church?
  2. How do we respond to truth that does not seem to agree with our pet ideas? How should we respond to the truth as spelled out in Scripture?
  3. InJohn 4:46-54, we turn back to the early ministry of Jesus and the second miracle that He performed in Galilee, again in Cana of Galilee.

John 4:46-54: 46 Then Jesus went back to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. A government official was there whose son was ill in Capernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son, who was about to die. 48Jesus said to him, “None of you will ever believe unless you see miracles and wonders.”

49 “Sir,” replied the official, “come with me before my child dies.”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go, your son will live!”

The man believed Jesus’ words and went. 51On his way home his servants met him with the news, “Your boy is going to live!”

52 He asked them what time it was when his son got better, and they answered, “It was one o’clock yesterday afternoon when the fever left him.” 53Then the father remembered it was at that very hour that Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his family believed.

54 This was the second miracle that Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.—Good News Bible.* [Was Joanna, as mentioned inLuke 8:3, this child’s mother?]‡

[BSG:] This man came to Jesus, the Light of the world, but he had made up his mind to believe only if Jesus healed his child. We could say this man’s theology was a “theology from below.” Theology from below sets rules and standards for God and His Word. Human ideas, as flawed and as limited and as subjective as they are, become the final authority on how people interpret the Word of God. What a dangerous trap to fall into!―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday, December 25.†‡

  1. Are we determined to force the Bible and the writings of Ellen White to conform to our ideas of what they should say? Or, are we willing to accept them as they are without imposing any personal or even worldly interpretations? Remember that Jesus stated clearly:

John 7:17: “Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority.”—Good News Bible.*

  1. To hear God’s Word is more than a passive intake of information. It means also to do God’s will. This is the active response to hearing the Word. And this hearing, and doing, of God’s Word is an expression of love for Him.

John 14:23: Jesus answered him, “Whoever loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and live with him.”—Good News Bible.*

  1. So, the question becomes: What is the relationship between our love for Jesus and obedience to Him? Is obedience valid if it is based on any criteria other than of profound love of Jesus? What other criteria might be suggested?
  2. What do you think Jesus meant by the words inJohn 12:32?

John 12:31-32: 31 “Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown. 32When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.”—Good News Bible.*

[BSG:] As we have seen throughout this … [series], the Gospel of John draws us to Jesus, but only if we are willing to know God and to do His will. Throughout John’s Gospel, people who encounter Jesus either accept the light and grow or reject the light and become blind. Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the royal official, the man at the pool of Bethesda, the 5,000 fed loaves and fishes, Jesus’ brothers, the religious leaders, the man born blind, Mary and Martha, Pilate—all encountered Jesus and made choices about the truth and light He brought.

Theology from below begins with human argumentation to determine and examine the existence and nature of God. The human perspective—flawed, fallen, and prejudiced—takes precedence over the Divine, holy, perfect, and omniscient. Theology from below is guaranteed to lead people astray, as it has done in the past and will do in the future (seeRev. 14:1–12), when human wisdom, seeking to supersede the Divine, will attempt to force false worship upon the world.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday.†‡§

  1. Turning again to Jesus’s final hours with His disciples, He used a familiar example of the vine to describe what it means to abide in Him.

John 15:1-11: 1 “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit. 3You have been made clean already by the teaching I have given you. 4Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can do so only if it remains in the vine. In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me. 6Whoever does not remain in me is thrown out like a branch and dries up; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, where they are burnt. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, then you will ask for anything you wish, and you shall have it. 8My Father’s glory is shown by your bearing much fruit; and in this way you become my disciples. 9I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”—Good News Bible.*†

[BSG:] The secret is to stay connected to Jesus. He is the Word of God, the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Door of the sheep, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the True Vine.

The Members of the Godhead and Their Word, the Bible, are like magnets. If not resisted, they will draw us to them.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, December 26.†‡

  1. Jesus drew an amazing conclusion to this discussion which we can read in John 15.

John 15:12-17: 12 “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. 13The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them. 14And you are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. 17This, then, is what I command you: love one another.”—Good News Bible.*† [“Slaves” or “servants” do what they are told; friends are informed!]‡

  1. So many people have the idea that Jesus is in heaven pleading with the angry Father and think that otherwise, none of us could be saved! Some even believe that we must pray to some saint who in turn must appeal either to Mary who can appeal to Jesus or perhaps directly to Jesus who can then speak to God the Father in order to get Him to accept us. From where did such an idea come?

However, Jesus, having described us as branches that must remain connected to the vine, then went on to say that He no longer calls us servants (the Greek word is actually slaves); but rather, He calls us friends! Could God actually think of us former sinners as friends?

  1. A. Graham Maxwell wrote a fantastic book on this subject entitled: Servants or Friends? Another Look at God. If you have not read it, you owe it to yourself to do so. The book is available online free from the publishers at:

https://speakingwellofgod.org/written-materials/servants-or-friends.

Audio recordings of the book are available for some of the chapters.

  1. Jesus went on further inJohn 16:25-27:

John 16:25-27: 25 “I have used figures of speech to tell you these things. But the time will come when I will not use figures of speech, but will speak to you plainly about the Father. 26When that day comes, you will ask him in my name; and I do not say [notice the very important word, not] that I will ask him on your behalf, 27for the Father himself loves you. He loves you because you love me and have believed that I came from God.”—Good News Bible.*†‡

  1. Think of all the figures of speech that Jesus used to describe Himself and His Father. But, then, on His last night before His crucifixion, He wanted to speak plainly about the Father. His entire ministry had been focused on teaching us the truth about God. And He wanted to speak clearly and plainly about the Father! These are probably the most important words of His ministry!
  2. Through much of the times of the Old Testament, people had been required to take an animal sacrifice and appeal to a priest in order to approach God. But, Jesus said that He was about to eliminate that Old Testament sacrificial system by tearing apart, from top to bottom, the curtain in the temple, symbolically terminating that sacrificial system. We can now make our appeals directly to the Father in the name of Jesus without the need to take any sacrificial animal or go to the temple or work through a priest, not even through Jesus Himself!

Matthew 27:51: Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart.—Good News Bible.*†

  1. How many of us are still fearful of what the Father might do to us because of our sins? Could God really be asking us to think of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as Friends?]
  2. To see what Jesus said about that, read the prayer of Jesus to His Father as recorded in John 17 and what He said about the relationships that He wants to see among us.

John 17:9-26: 9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those you gave me, for they belong to you. 10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine; and my glory is shown through them. 11And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one. 12While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost — so that the scripture might come true. 13And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness. 14I gave them your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. 16Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world. 17Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. 18I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. 19And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you. [Could this happen to us today?]

20 “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. 21I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: 23I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me.

24 “Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory you gave me; for you loved me before the world was made. 25Righteous Father! The world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you sent me. 26I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and so that I also may be in them.”—Good News Bible.*†‡

[EGW:] The voice of God is speaking to us through his word, and there are many voices that we will hear; but Christ has said we should beware of them who will say, Here is Christ or there is Christ. Then how shall we know that they have not the truth, unless we bring everything to the Scriptures?—Ellen G. White, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,* April 3, 1888, par. 7.‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p821.8765&index=0]‡

  1. Are we prepared to surrender our views and to be evaluated by the Word of God?
  2. Are we prepared to draw closer and closer to Jesus through the ministration of the angels and the Holy Spirit?

[EGW:] The angels of God are ever passing from earth to heaven, and from heaven to earth. The miracles of Christ for the afflicted and suffering were wrought by the power of God through the ministration of the angels. And it is through Christ, by the ministration of His heavenly messengers, that every blessing comes from God to us. In taking upon Himself humanity, our Saviour [sic-Br] unites His interests with those of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, while through His divinity He grasps the throne of God. And thus Christ is the medium of communication of men with God, and of God with men.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 143.1.‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.619&index=0]‡

  1. Which passages or which stories in the Gospel of John were most impressive to you?

[BSG:] The history of Western Christianity is filled with horrific examples of what happens when the Word of God is made subject to the politics and prejudices of humans. What are some of those examples, and what lesson can we learn from them today about just how dangerous it is when human perspectives become the dominant filter to “interpret” the Bible?―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Friday, December 27.‡

  1. Now that we have come to the end of our study of the themes in the Gospel of John, how do you think Jesus felt about the preparedness of His disciples for His departure? Remember how many times Jesus had warned them of what was coming but how, at the time, they did not comprehend that warning!
  2. How do you think you would have responded if you had been there on that last meeting on the hill in Galilee when Jesus suddenly appeared? (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 14:28)
  3. Why do you think Peter suggested they go back to fishing? Did they really believe Jesus’s words that if they became fishers of men, He would care for all their needs?

[BSG:] It is hard to believe, but true, that Peter and the other disciples thought that, during His earthly ministry, Christ was going to restore the literal kingdom to Israel by defeating the Roman power. After the Resurrection, the hope of the two disciples was crushed as they traveled to Emmaus. And as Jesus (unrecognized by them as the Savior) joined them, He explained to them the prophecies concerning Himself. Moreover, the reality of the Resurrection, and, shortly afterward, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, helped to actualize what He had taught the Twelve all along. Finally, it became so real to the disciples that they were willing to risk their lives for the cause of the gospel.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 171.†‡

[EGW:] We are prone to look to our fellow men for sympathy and uplifting, instead of looking to Jesus. In His mercy and faithfulness God often permits those in whom we place confidence to fail us, in order that we may learn the folly of trusting in man and making flesh our arm. Let us trust fully, humbly, unselfishly in God. He knows the sorrows that we feel to the depths of our being, but which we cannot express. When all things seem dark and unexplainable, remember the words of Christ, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”John 13:7.—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing* 486.7.†‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p135.2564&index=0]‡

  1. Think about your relationship with Jesus Christ when He was “lifted up on the cross.” How does that impact your thinking? Does that attract you? Does that teach you that there are other things that you need to do as you continue to abide in Him?

82024, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. HBold type is added. ‡Text in brackets is added. 'Italic type is in the source. [sic-Br]=This is correct as quoted; it is the British spelling.          

Last Modified: November 13, 2024                                                                                    Email: Info@theox.org