Lesson 7 August 8-14
Jesus: The Master of Missions
Sabbath AfternoonRead for This Week’s Study: 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Isa. 42:1-9; Dan. 9:24-27; Luke 2:8-14; Matt. 10:5-6; Acts 1:1-14.
Memory Text: "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you"" (John 20:21 NIV).
According to Scripture, a core activity of the Trinity is mission. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are involved in saving humanity. Their Word began at the Fall and continues through until the end. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will then restore this redeemed world to full unity with the divine will.
According to the Gospels, Jesus underwent the radical change into human form necessary for His mission to succeed. In Jesus Christ, the meaning of history comes into focus, the total mission activity of God becomes coherent, and the deepest needs of humans for meaningful existence are fulfilled.
In the New Testament, we are made acquainted with the purposes of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We find here how He outlines the program for mission, and we get glimpses of how Jesus met people from other nations, people of other faiths. In the Word of God, we can see the incredible saving activity of God on behalf of fallen humanity.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 15.
Sunday August 9
Jesus in the Old Testament
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began"(2 Tim. 1:8-9, NKJV).
Besides being great texts about the futility of salvation by works, these texts reveal the eternal nature of salvation; they show that the plan for our redemption had been formulated long, long ago.
So it is no wonder that all through the Old Testament Jesus Christ is revealed in one way or another. Especially powerful are the prophecies, which clearly show that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
Read the following Old Testament texts, all applied to Jesus. What do they say about Him and His role as Messiah? Isa. 61:1; Dan. 9:24-27; Isa. 7:14; 9:6; 42:1-9.
The prophet Isaiah describes the mission of Jesus with these words: <"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. . . . I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Isa. 42:1,6-7 NIV).
Dwell on the incredible idea that Jesus, the Creator, took upon Himself our humanity and in that humanity lived and died as He did. What great hope does this offer you in a world that, in and of itself, offers no hope at all?
Monday August 10
The Desire of Ages
Jesus Christ is Lord of both the church and the world. His coming is a fulfillment of the Old Testament expectations of a saved community that would extend far beyond the Jewish people. The coming of Jesus, especially His suffering and resurrection, ushered in a new age in which the distinction between Jew and Gentile, as far as the gospel is concerned, disappears. Jerusalem would remain the center, at least for a while. However, the point of departure was no longer Herod’s temple in Jerusalem but the Jews converted to Christ; they had become the living temple. These Christian Jews would then be the true "remnant" of Israel at that time in the early church, the ones called to bring the gospel to the world.
This announcement of the worldwide, universal mission of Christ as Savior of all nations was repeated at His birth, during His childhood, and at His baptism.
What do the following texts teach about the universal mission of Jesus to the world?
Luke 2:8-14
Luke 2:25-33
Luke 3:3-6
John 1:29
No question, Jesus came as the Savior for all humanity. What does this truth mean for us in the context of mission?
"The missionary spirit needs to be revived in our churches. Every member of the church should study how to help forward the work of God, both in home missions and in foreign countries. Scarcely a thousandth part of the work is being done that ought to be done in missionary fields. God calls upon His workers to annex new territory for Him. There are rich fields of toil waiting for the faithful worker."—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 29.