SDA Sabbath School Lesson 11-4th Quarter 2024-The Father, the Son, and the Spiri

[Richard Myers]

4th  Quarter        Lesson 11                                                                                                                                                           Dec 7 - Dec 13

The Father, the Son, and the Spirit

Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study
John 14:10; John 14:24; Genesis 3:7-9; John 16:27-28; John 16:7-11; John 17:1-26.

    Memory Text:
    “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26

The Gospel of John is a mosaic of themes. John calls upon signs (miracles) to show that Jesus is the Messiah promised by the prophets. John uses an array of witnesses to proclaim Jesus as the Christ. He also uses the “I AM” statements to point to His divinity.

All three members of the Godhead are mentioned in John 1:1-51; John 1:1-4; John 1:14; John 1:18; John 1:32-34). For centuries humans have tried fully to understand the nature of the Godhead, but because we can’t, many reject the idea. How foolish, though, to reject something just because we can’t fully understand it or because it doesn’t fit within the narrow limits of human reasoning.

There are indeed mysteries regarding the godhead, but there is much we do know that has been revealed in Scripture. And what is revealed is just what God wants us to know about Them. He has told the prophets very much, even in our day the light shines ever brighter. It is sad that so very few take advantage of what we are told about the third person of the godhead, the Holy Spirit. For instance:

Those who at Pentecost were endued with power from on high, were not thereby freed from further temptation and trial. As they witnessed for truth and righteousness they were repeatedly assailed by the enemy of all truth, who sought to rob them of their Christian experience. They were compelled to strive with all their God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. Daily they prayed for fresh supplies of grace, that they might reach higher and still higher toward perfection. Under the Holy Spirit’s working even the weakest, by exercising faith in God, learned to improve their entrusted powers and to become sanctified, refined, and ennobled. As in humility they submitted to the molding influence of the Holy Spirit, they received of the fullness of the Godhead and were fashioned in the likeness of the divine. AA 49.

Knowing this about the third person of the godhead, do we share this knowledge with others? Do not we all want a baptism of the Holy Spirit daily? "Since this is the means by which we are to receive power, why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the daily baptism of the Spirit every worker should offer his petition to God." Hopefully our lessons this week will open to us the work of the Holy Spirit.

John says that if you want to understand God, you must look at Jesus and what has been revealed in the Word. This approach opens to us a whole new world of relationships—among the Three Members of the Godhead, between the Members of the Godhead and humans, and among humans themselves. This week’s lesson looks at how the Gospel of John presents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but now within the context of the farewell discourse (John 13:1-17:26).

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 14.

[Richard Myers]

Sunday  December 8
The Heavenly Father

The Gospel of John is written from the standpoint of the overall biblical narrative, beginning with our origins. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Or: In the beginning the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth. They are the Source of all that exists. They created the universe, including the beings who inhabit it. On our planet there was a special creation of life, and the most special of that creation was humanity. And God’s purpose for creating humanity was that we should live in loving harmony with Him and with one another.

Unfortunately, Lucifer brought sin into this world. Sin is, among other things, a disruption of our relationship with God. It misrepresents who God is. Thus, Jesus took upon Himself our human nature in order to restore knowledge of God and to bring salvation to humanity.

Amen! Because Satan interrupted our connection with God when he enticed Eve to disobey God, it was necessary for Christ to take on our fallen nature. The Bible tells us He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Romans 8:3. Yes, Jesus took on our fallen nature. By so doing, He revealed that we too could overcome the temptation to sin while living in fallen flesh. False teachers make it hard for professing Christians to understand that Satan's great lie is that we will surely not die if we sin. Most of professing Christians have been taught that they are saved in sin, that we cannot overcome the temptation to sin because we live in fallen sinful flesh. Thus, Jesus who took on our fallen nature is an example that we can overcome sin and thus be saved. "What love! What amazing condescension! The King of glory proposed to humble himself to fallen humanity! He would place his feet in Adam’s steps. He would take man’s fallen nature and engage to cope with the strong foe who triumphed over Adam. He would overcome Satan, and in thus doing he would open the way for the redemption of those who would believe on him from the disgrace of Adam’s failure and fall. Review and Herald,  February 24, 1874.

And, Jesus will retain His glorified human nature for eternity.

 “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son.” John 3:16. He gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him to the fallen race. To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only-begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature. This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder.” God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven.—The Desire of Ages, pg 25. 

While here, Jesus submitted His life to the Father, living according to His guidance. He said, “ ‘I and My Father are one’ ” (John 10:30). “ ‘The Father is in Me, and I in Him’ ” (John 10:38). “ ‘If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me’ ” (John 10:37).

What were some of the roles of the Father, as described in the following passages?

John 3:16-17; John 6:57

John 5:22; John 5:30

John 6:32; John 14:10; John 14:24

John 6:45

John 15:16; John 16:23

These verses present the Father in close connection with Jesus Christ, His Son. The Father has intimate contact with our world and a deep investment in our salvation. What does this truth teach us about God’s love for us?

That God would allow His innocent Son to come to this dark spot in the universe where Satan claims dominion a helpless baby subject to the weakness of humanity to fight the battle of life as we have to fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss, tells us He loves us more than we can ever think. Jesus could have sinned. Here in is love! Wonder O heavens and be astonish O Earth!!!

[Richard Myers]

Monday  December 9
Jesus and the Father

We were created by the Godhead for a personal relationship with Them (Genesis 1:26-27). Yet, because of sin, that relationship was radically disrupted. We can see the immediate impact of this disruption in the Garden of Eden story.

Read Genesis 3:7-9.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

How does this reveal the breach that sin caused, and what does it mean that it was God seeking them out, not vice versa?

The intention of the Godhead was to offer healing to all humanity for that breach caused by sin, even if all humanity would not accept what They offered.

To accomplish the restoration of this relationship, one Member of the Godhead became human. Thus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, manifesting the glory of God (John 1:14-18). As a result, humanity has received His fullness and grace. This is what Jesus came to share, to declare the glory of God so that the relationship broken by sin might be restored, at least to all who were willing to accept by faith what has been offered them in Christ Jesus.

What wonderful hope is seen for us in these texts? John 1:1-2; John 5:16-18; John 6:69; John 10:10; John 10:30; John 20:28.

“In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 530. Yet, as the incarnate Son who had “emptied himself” (Philippians 2:7, RSV) of the exercise of His prerogatives, Christ, speaking of His existence on earth as a man among men, could refer to His possession of life as a gift from God. “The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 530.

God was not recognized by humanity (John 17:25). Thus, He sent His only Son (John 9:4; John 16:5) in order that He, the Father, might be known.

In the context of the cosmos, an atheist wrote, “In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” What does the Bible teach, which shows just how wrong this man is?

the Bible tells us that if we will behold the glory of God, He promises it will heal the sick. 2 Cor 3:18: "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." In Gen. 3:15 we are also told that God will give ua hatred for Satan and sin. There are conditions to be met before this takes place. It is the everlasting covenant which which was made before the foundation of the Earth was laid. Jesus must first be bruised and man must learn to love the Lord our God with the whole heart.

[Richard Myers]

Tuesday  December 10
Knowing the Son Is Knowing the Father

Throughout the Gospel of John, the apostle describes how Jesus, the Son, does activities that point to the Father. Jesus explains who the Father is and shows what His relationship to our world is. This is all in keeping with John 1:18, which says that He makes the Father known (Greek exēgeomai: to explain, interpret, exposit). Again and again Jesus does this. The word Father (patēr) appears 136 times in John and 18 times in 1–3 John, more than one-third of the entire uses in the New Testament. The farewell discourse is one of the prime locations in the Gospel where Jesus makes the Father known.

Jesus was the Father’s representative on earth, and He came to live out, in human flesh, the Father’s will. In fact, Jesus said that in all things He sought to do the Father’s will, and not His own (John 5:30). This may seem at first a startling statement, but it shows how totally surrendered Jesus, as a human being, was to the Father.

Jesus said, too, that He had been sent by the Father to finish His work—the salvation of humanity—and that the Father Himself bore witness to His work (John 5:36-38).

Jesus proclaimed that the Father sent Him to serve as the only one through whom humanity may come to the Father (John 6:40; John 6:44). The Father wants people to have the eternal life found in Jesus, who promises to raise them up in the resurrection.

What do the following texts teach us about the relationship between Jesus and the Father? John 7:16; John 8:38; John 14:10; John 14:23; John 15:1; John 15:9-10; John 16:27-28; John 17:3.

Jesus’ claims about His relationship to the Father are astonishing. He asserts that all of His teachings are the teachings of the Father; that all He says He had personally heard from the Father; that belief in Him is the same as belief in the Father; that both His very words and His works are all of the Father; and that He and the Father are united in loving and working for the salvation of humanity. What a powerful testimony to the closeness of Jesus to His Father in heaven!

How would your life be changed if your thoughts and actions were fully an expression of God’s will for your life? That is, how can we better live out what we know from Jesus is God’s will for our lives?

The answer is always the same, we need to be vitally connected with Jesus in order to do any good thing. We must be born again of the Spirit in order to live out God's will for us.

[Richard Myers]

Wednesday  December 11
The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is not as prominent in the Gospel of John as the Father and the Son are. Yet, His role is crucial to the success of Jesus’ mission.

Read John 1:10-13.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

What does this text teach us about the importance of the Holy Spirit for conversion?

it is not made clear that the Holy Spirit is the One who reveals truth, who lives in the heart and brings with Him the fruits of the Spirit, all of them at conversion. The new birth consists in having new motives, new tastes, new tendencies. Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ. When men who claim to be Christians retain all their natural defects of character and disposition, in what does their position differ from that of the worldling? They do not appreciate the truth as a sanctifier, a refiner. They have not been born again ( The Review and Herald, April 12, 1892).

In the first chapter of John, we can see just how central the role of the Holy Spirit is. John tells us that as many as received the Word (that is, as many as believed in Him) became children of God, those “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). This comes only from the work of the Holy Spirit.

What do the following passages tell of the activities of the Holy Spirit? John 3:5-8; John 6:63; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7-11.

“In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.

What a blessing, then, to receive the Holy Spirit, who certifies that God is true (John 3:33). It is the Spirit that convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8-11). Hence, the key for us to know what is right, what is true, and what is good is our submission of our reason and life experiences to the Word of God through the convicting and convincing power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen! "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." John 17:20,23. Abide in me and I in you is the work of the Holy Spirit the representative of Jesus.

What a wonderful statement! The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. In mind, in purpose, in character, they are one, but not in person. By partaking of the Spirit of God, conforming to the law of God, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ brings His disciples into a living union with Himself and with the Father. Through the working of the Holy Spirit upon the human mind, man is made complete in Christ Jesus. Unity with Christ establishes a bond of unity with one another. This unity is the most convincing proof to the world of the majesty and virtue of Christ, and of His power to take away sin Manuscript 111, 1903

[Richard Myers]

Thursday  December 12
The Prayer of Jesus

John 17:1-26 is sometimes called the high priestly prayer of Jesus. It concludes the farewell discourse. Jesus came to this earth so that humanity might be restored, ultimately, to its original personal relationship with God. He faithfully performed the signs that God gave Him to do. In words and acts, He communicated God to the people.

Jesus would soon be leaving this earth. He desired to share once again His love for His disciples. He wanted them to understand the close relationship between Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. And He wanted to bring them into the same personal relationship with God the Father and the Spirit that He Himself had.

Read John 17:1-26.


1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

What words or phrases in this chapter express the desire of Jesus for a close relationship of love between Himself, the Father, and His disciples?

The whole chapter.

Many read John 17:1-26 to mean that the only thing that matters is unity and love. No question, God’s purpose is to restore us to a personal relationship with Him and with all people. But a more careful reading suggests a much more vital connection between love and truth.

“ ‘This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God’ ” (John 17:3), not God, whoever we think He is. “ ‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me, . . . and they have kept your word . . . and know in truth that I came from you’ ” (John 17:6; John 17:8, NRSV). “ ‘Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth’ ” (John 17:17).

Christ came to reveal the Father. This revelation was important because of the many misconceptions about God. The Gospel of John shows how seriously Jesus took this mission. He rightly represented God’s Word and actions. If truth did not matter, why go to such lengths?

Jesus lived a life of great difficulty ultimately to be rejected by the religious authorities. He suffered indifference from the people and even, at times, from His own disciples. One of His disciples betrayed Him, and another denied Him three times. He went through an unremitting trial and died on a cross at the hands of the very ones He came to save.

How can you better reflect the love of God, such as exists between Jesus and the Father, in your own life?

The answer is always the same. We are being sanctified when we obey the truth. At conversion we are sanctified, but it does not end there. We form the habit of obedience the more we obey. Thus we are continually being sanctified to a higher level as we continue in obeying the Word of Truth.

[Richard Myers]

Friday  December 13
Further Thought

Read Ellen G. White, “ ‘Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled,’ ” pp. 662–680, in The Desire of Ages; “Additional Note on [John] Chapter 1,” The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 911–919.

In assessing who Jesus is, His opponents judged by human standards “ ‘according to the flesh’ ” (John 8:15). This is probably even worse than judging “by mere appearances” (John 7:24). Here they resorted to the criteria of the flesh, of fallen humanity in a fallen world, without the compelling control of the Spirit (see John 3:3-7). They saw His “flesh,” as it were, but never contemplated the possibility that He could be the Word made flesh (John 1:14). To regard Christ by such limited criteria is to weigh Him from a worldly point of view (2 Corinthians 5:16).

“The Comforter is called ‘the Spirit of truth.’ His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. It is through false theories and traditions that Satan gains his power over the mind. By directing men to false standards, he misshapes the character. Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the word of God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 671.

Amen! The very best description of the work of the Holy Spirit is found in this chapter in Desire of Ages.

The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high. DA 669.


Discussion Questions

    Eternal life is to know God (John 17:3). What does it mean to know God, as opposed to merely knowing certain facts about Him, that is, that He is mighty or loving or a God of justice? If someone were to ask you, “Do you know God?” what would you say? How does Jesus fit in with your answer?

Jesus came to reveal who God is. In order to love God with the whole heart, we must know Him supremely. We cannot trust Him with all we have and all we are unless we know Him intimately.

    In practical, everyday terms, what is implied by Jesus’ words “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17)?
 
It is the Word of Truth that sets us free from the captivity of sin which is in our flesh. The Word was made flesh, Jesus. It is the Word, the Truth that reveals God's great love for us while we were yet sinners. We will love Him because He first loved us.

    Jesus prayed, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). How do our own choices impact how well this prayer can be answered in our own lives?

We all have free will. God will not force us to love and obey Him. If we choose to follow Jesus, then God will do all He can without making us to sin not.  If we refuse to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will not keep us from sinning. But,if we want to quit sinning, He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit reminding us of His great love. It is by beholding His glory, His character that we become recreated in His image. 2 Cor. 3:18.