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Sabbath Bible Lessons

Worship in Awe and Reverence

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Lesson 3 Sabbath, July 21, 2012

Honoring the Son of God

“That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23).

“In the name of Jesus we may come before [God] with confidence, but we must not approach Him with the boldness of presumption, as though He were on a level with ourselves.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 252.

Suggested Reading:   Early Writings, pp. 76-78

Sunday July 15

1. NOT A “JUNIOR” GOD!

a. How long has Christ existed? John 1:1, 2; Proverbs 8:22–30; Micah 5:2.

“If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity. God over all, blessed forevermore.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1126.

“In speaking of His preexistence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.”—Lift Him Up, p. 17.

b. What caused the Jews to reject this truth, and how are we today in danger of the same trap? John 8:56–59 (first part); 2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4.

“No man can even once devote his God-given powers to the service of worldliness or pride without placing himself on the enemy’s ground, weakening his own soul and misleading others.”—The Review and Herald, June 20, 1882.


Monday July 16

2. CREATOR, SUSTAINER, AND KING

a. Who were involved in the creation of the universe and its inhabitants? John 1:3; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:15–17.

“The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34.

“It was Christ that spread the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space and fashioned the flowers of the field. ‘His strength setteth fast the mountains.’ ‘The sea is His, and He made it’ (Psalms 65:6; 95:5). It was He that filled the earth with beauty and the air with song. And upon all things in earth, and air, and sky, He wrote the message of the Father’s love.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 20.

“The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.”—Education, p. 132.

b. According to prophecy, what doctrine would be tampered with by false teachers near the end of time? 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1–4.

“Before the last developments of the work of apostasy there will be a confusion of faith. There will not be clear and definite ideas concerning the mystery of God. One truth after another will be corrupted. [1 Timothy 3:16 quoted.] There are many who deny the preexistence of Christ and therefore deny His divinity; they do not accept Him as a personal Saviour. This is a total denial of Christ. He was the only-begotten Son of God who was one with the Father from the beginning. By Him the worlds were made.

“In denying the miraculous incarnation of Christ, many turn from other truths of heavenly origin and accept fables of Satan’s invention. They lose spiritual discernment and practice that which is brought to them and impressed upon their minds through the agency of Satan. As the convict is branded and defaced by a hot iron, so their consciences are seared and marred by sin. They proclaim their own righteousness and exalt themselves before the people in order to gain confidence and to draw to their side those who have not received the love of the truth.”—The Signs of the Times, May 28, 1894.


Tuesday July 17

3. GOD GAVE ALL

a. For what reasons did Christ personally come to planet Earth as the Son of God? Isaiah 9:6: John 3:16, 34–36; 1 John 4:9.

“By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God—God’s thought made audible. In His prayer for His disciples He says, ‘I have declared unto them Thy name’—‘merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth’—‘that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them’ (John 17:26; Exodus 34:6). But not alone for His earthborn children was this revelation given. Our little world is the lesson book of the universe. God’s wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love, is the theme into which ‘angels desire to look’ (1 Peter 1:12), and it will be their study throughout endless ages. Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 19, 20.

b. Why is a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ so important for human beings? John 17:3; 1 John 2:23; 5:11, 12.

“In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which ‘seeketh not her own’ has its source in the heart of God (1 Corinthians 13:5), and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto.”—Ibid., p. 20.

“In following Christ, looking unto Him who is the Author and Finisher of your faith, you will feel that you are working under His eye, that you are influenced by His presence, and that He knows your motives. At every step you will humbly inquire: Will this please Jesus? Will it glorify God? Morning and evening your earnest prayers should ascend to God for His blessing and guidance. True prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives us the victory. Upon his knees the Christian obtains strength to resist temptation.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 615, 616.

“To know Christ savingly is to be vitalized by spiritual knowledge, to practice His words. Without this, all else is valueless.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1146.


Wednesday July 18

4. REVERENCE EXPECTED

a. How does the Bible illustrate God’s long-suffering towards His people? Isaiah 5:1–4, 7. What does the parable of the vineyard teach of what the Father expects of those who meet His Son? Matthew 21:33–37.

b. What can we learn from the statements of God the Father regarding God the Son? Matthew 17:5; Hebrews 1:1–10.

“[Hebrews 1:4–12 quoted.] In this language is represented the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus. He is introduced to the Bible student as the Creator of the world, and was its rightful Ruler.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 921.

c. Describe the attitude which Heaven clearly bids us manifest toward Christ. John 5:23; Revelation 5:11, 12; Philippians 2:9–11.

“When we approach the subject of Christ’s divinity clothed with the garb of humanity, we may appropriately heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, ‘Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground’ (Exodus 3:5). We must come to the study of this subject with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, and will repay the searcher who digs deep for hidden truth.”—Ibid., pp. 904, 905.

d. What duty must both church leaders and laypersons more fully realize? Romans 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

“Men handling sacred things do not feel the reverence and awe that they should. They do not speak with trembling of the things of God. This is the sure result of a lack of personal piety. They take very little time to seek God’s counsel in humble contrition of soul.”—Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, pp. 454, 455.


Thursday July 19

5. OUR SAVIOUR, ADVOCATE, AND JUDGE

a. Name some vital points about Christ’s incarnation. Philippians 2:6–8; Acts 4:12.

“In Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead. But the only way in which He could reach men was to veil His glory by a garb of humanity. The angels beheld the hiding of His glory, that divinity might touch humanity. Christ ever retained the utmost hatred for sin, but He loved the purchase of His blood. He suffered in the place of sinful men, taking them into union with Himself.

“This is the mystery into which angels desire to look. . . . It was a mystery to them that He who hated sin with intense hatred felt the most tender, compassionate sympathy for the beings that committed sin.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 904.

b. What is the twofold role of Christ in the judgment of humanity? 1 John 2:1; John 5:22; 2 Corinthians 5:10.

“God designed that the Prince of sufferers in humanity should be judge of the whole world. He who submitted to be arraigned before an earthly tribunal, He who came from the heavenly courts to save man from eternal death, He whom men despised, rejected, and upon whom they heaped all the contempt of which human beings inspired by Satan are capable, He who suffered the ignominious death of the cross—He alone was to pronounce the sentence of reward or of punishment.”—Ibid., vol. 6, p. 1100.


Friday July 20

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. In what ways is the identity of Christ questioned in the last days?

2. What was Christ doing at the time of creation?

3. Describe the mystery into which angels desire to look.

4. What should be our attitude regarding Christ’s incarnation?

5. Explain Christ’s comprehensive role in the final judgment.

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