Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024049S
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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:15 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 We're glad that you are joining us today. 00:20 We are on a journey through the great themes 00:22 in the book of John, 00:24 and today we are on lesson number 10 of 13. 00:27 We're looking at "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," 00:30 digging into Jesus, 00:32 who He is and what He offers us today. 00:35 But before we do that, let's begin with prayer. 00:38 Father, we thank You for blessing us 00:40 with a wonderful journey so far 00:42 as we've been looking at the book of John. 00:44 And we ask that today, as You have in the past, 00:46 You will continue to open our eyes, 00:48 our hearts, and our minds 00:50 to more and more of the love of Jesus. 00:53 And we thank You in Jesus' name, 00:55 [both] amen. 00:57 Well, we're grateful to be here once again this week 00:59 and to have with us one of the co-authors 01:01 of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 01:03 Dr. Tom Shepherd. He is the senior research professor 01:06 of New Testament at the Theological Seminary, 01:09 Andrews University. 01:10 Tom, thanks for being with us again. 01:12 >>Tom Shepherd: It's a joy to be here. 01:13 >>Eric: So, lesson number 10, 01:15 "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," we're going to be looking 01:19 at a couple of chapters significantly here 01:22 in this week's lesson, starting with John, chapter 13. 01:25 Now, in John 13, there's an amazing story, 01:28 one that unfortunately a lot of Christians 01:30 kind of miss out on some of the significance of, 01:32 but walk us through what's going 01:34 on here in John, chapter 13, 01:35 with Jesus washing His disciples' feet. 01:38 >>Tom: Okay, just to set the stage for that, 01:41 I'd like to note that from John, chapter 12, 01:45 through the end of the book, 01:47 which is almost half of the book, 01:49 it's really only a period of about one week 01:52 in Jesus' ministry. 01:54 So John slows down-- we call it the narrative time-- 01:57 he slows down the narrative time, 01:59 stretches it out because these are the important events. 02:03 In John, chapter 13, 02:06 is now the feast of Passover has come, 02:10 and Jesus is going to have His last meal 02:12 with His disciples. 02:14 So we want to read that passage and what happens there. 02:18 So we want to read verses 1 through 11. 02:22 >>Eric: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, 02:24 "when Jesus knew that His hour had come 02:26 "that He should depart from this world to the Father, 02:29 "having loved His own who were in the world, 02:31 "He loved them to the end. 02:33 "And supper being ended, the devil having already 02:36 "put...into the heart of Judas Iscariot, 02:38 "Simon's son, to betray Him, 02:40 "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things 02:42 "into His hands, 02:44 "and that He had come from God and was going to God, 02:47 "rose from supper and laid aside His garments, 02:49 "took a towel and girded Himself. 02:52 "After that, He poured water into a basin 02:54 "and began to wash the disciples' feet, 02:56 "and to wipe them with the towel 02:58 "with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. 03:01 "And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, are You washing my feet?' 03:05 "Jesus answered and said to him, 03:07 "'What I am doing you do not understand now, 03:09 "but you will know after this.' 03:11 "Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet!' 03:14 "Jesus answered him, 03:16 "'If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.' 03:19 "Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only, 03:22 "but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 03:26 "'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, 03:29 "'but is completely clean; and you are clean, 03:32 "but not all of you.' For He knew who would betray Him; 03:35 therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.'" 03:38 >>Tom: All right, now, this is a very interesting presentation. 03:42 It's the time of the Feast of Passover. 03:44 It's actually Jesus' last supper with His disciples, 03:47 which occurred on a Thursday night. 03:49 He's going to be crucified on Friday. 03:52 So we're right next to the experience of His death. 03:57 And it's interesting the way our evangelist sets this up. 04:01 He sets this up by describing it's the Feast of Passover, 04:04 and then Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart 04:09 out of this world to the Father. 04:11 Now, so His hour has come, the time of His sacrifice, 04:15 the time of His death. 04:17 And the evangelist John puts it very-- 04:22 makes it very clearly that He's going to the Father 04:25 and that He loved His own, 04:27 His disciples who were in the world; 04:30 "He loved them to the end." 04:32 During supper--now, this is kind of the second part-- 04:35 here is when the devil had already put 04:37 into the heart of Judas to betray Him. 04:39 So now we also have the betrayer there. 04:42 And then verse 3, very interesting: 04:45 "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given 04:47 "all things into His hands, 04:49 and that He had come from God and was going back to God"-- 04:53 why did He say that? 04:54 Because the next thing that Jesus is gonna do 04:58 is totally out of character from what anybody would think 05:02 somebody in His position would do. 05:05 And again, our evangelist, a good storyteller, 05:10 he slows down, he stretches out the narrative time. 05:14 He could have just said He washed their feet. 05:17 No, that's not what he says. 05:19 "[He] rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments." 05:23 He takes a towel. He ties it around His waist. 05:26 It's really slow, you know? 05:28 "Then He poured water into a basin 05:31 and [then He] began to wash the disciples' feet." 05:33 So, all of these steps that are described here 05:36 are all the steps of a servant, what a servant would do. 05:39 So, this is something the disciples probably watched 05:44 in shocked silence 05:47 as He went from person to person, washing their feet. 05:51 I mean that's not what a master does. [chuckles] 05:56 The servant, the disciple, 05:59 is the one who washes the master's feet, 06:01 not just--not the opposite. But Jesus does this. 06:04 So, everybody's quiet. 06:08 Nobody says anything until He comes to Peter. 06:11 And Peter just can't take it. 06:14 He said, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" 06:15 He's like, "That's not right. 06:18 You're not supposed to do that. Please, don't do that." 06:21 And Jesus says, "What I'm doing, you don't understand now, 06:24 but you will later." 06:25 "No, You'll never wash my feet," says Peter. 06:29 And Jesus says, 06:30 "If I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me." 06:34 "Well, then wash all of me." [laughs] 06:35 You see that's what he says. 06:37 He says, "No, you don't need-- you've already been baptized. 06:40 You don't need to be washed again, but just your feet." 06:44 And He says, "And you are clean, see? 06:49 But not all of you," because He knew-- 06:51 it kind of goes back to that thing about Judas. 06:56 Now, what does this mean? 06:59 Why does Jesus wash their feet? 07:00 Well, Jesus explains in verses 12 through 20. 07:07 So that's what we want to read now. 07:10 >>Eric: "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, 07:12 "and sat down again, He said to them, 07:14 "'Do you know what I have done to you? 07:16 "'You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 07:20 "'If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, 07:24 "'you also ought to wash one another's feet. 07:26 "'For I have given you an example, 07:28 "'that you should do as I have done to you. 07:30 "'Most assuredly, I say to you, 07:32 "'a servant is not greater than his master, 07:34 "'nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 07:37 "'If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 07:41 "'I do not speak concerning all of you. 07:43 "'I know whom I have chosen; 07:44 "'but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 07:46 "'"He who eats bread with me 07:48 "'has lifted up his heel against me." 07:50 "'Now I tell you before it comes, 07:52 "'that when it does come to pass, 07:54 "'you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, 07:57 "'he who receives whomever I send receives me; 08:01 and he who receives me receives Him who sent me.'" 08:04 >>Tom: All right, so what Jesus says is-- 08:09 He asked them first, "Do you understand what I've done?" 08:12 And probably they would say, "Uh, no." 08:16 So He says, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you're right, 08:19 for so I am." So, just like the beginning of this passage said 08:24 that He came from God, He's going to God, 08:26 God has given everything into His hands, He is the Lord. 08:30 He is the Lord, all right? 08:32 So He says, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, 08:38 "have washed your feet, you also 08:39 ought to wash one another's feet." 08:42 So this is where we might say servant leadership arises, 08:48 is with Jesus, the Lord and Master, washes his feet. 08:51 So He says, "You're supposed to follow my example. 08:55 "I have given you an example, 08:56 "that you...should do just as I have done.... 08:59 "Truly, truly, I say to you, 09:00 "a servant is not greater than his master, 09:02 nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." 09:05 So if I've done it, you can do it, too, all right? 09:08 So He says in verse 17: 09:10 "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." 09:14 Now, sadly, most Christian churches have 09:17 or do not practice this at this time. 09:20 They practice the communion service, 09:22 but they do not practice what Adventists call 09:26 the ordinance of humility, right, 09:27 where you wash somebody else's feet. 09:31 Actually, Catholics have a tradition 09:34 where the pope will wash 12 poor people's feet. 09:39 I think probably at the time of Easter 09:40 he does this at St. Peter's. 09:43 So there's still some semblance of this, 09:46 at least with our Catholic friends. 09:49 But Adventists do this whenever we celebrate communion, 09:53 and we have this special ceremony. 09:56 Now, I find it very significant, 09:59 very, very wonderful that we illustrate, 10:02 we do something that Jesus did and that He said we should do, 10:06 and that is to wash one another's feet. 10:08 And it just is a great opportunity 10:12 to make sure everything's right. 10:14 When I was taught about this, the idea was, 10:19 if you have something where you're not, you know, 10:23 good with your brother or your sister, 10:25 you should go during the week before the communion service 10:28 and make things right. 10:30 Or maybe at the communion service, 10:31 you wash their feet. 10:34 The church is a--I tell people, the church is a rock tumbler. 10:39 So whenever I teach this in class, I say, 10:42 "Does anybody here do, you know, do you polish rocks?" 10:47 And usually there's somebody, and I say, 10:49 "Well, what do you do?" 10:51 Well, you have this machine, and it's a big tumbler, 10:55 and you open it up, 10:56 and you put in the semi-precious stones 10:58 you wanna polish, and you put all this grit 11:00 in there with it and some water. 11:02 And then you'd better have it in a place where noise 11:05 is not a problem because you turn it on 11:06 and [imitates grinding noise] it makes this terrible noise. 11:09 You put finer and finer grit and by the end of the week-- 11:13 it takes a while--by the end of the week, you bring out 11:15 those stones, and they're shiny and smooth. 11:19 I say to people, "The church is a rock tumbler. 11:22 We each have rough edges that need to be rubbed off." 11:27 Where does that happen? In the church. 11:29 And sometimes there'll be heat between us 11:32 as brothers and sisters. So what happens? 11:35 Well, we need to say-- and what my family calls 11:39 "the magic words"-- 11:40 it's not "please"; it's not "thank you"; 11:41 not even "I'm sorry." 11:45 "I'm sorry" is pretty good, 11:46 but the magic words in my family have always been, "I was wrong." 11:52 I learned when I was young: 11:54 Say them quickly; get them out of the way. 11:56 So sometimes you have to admit you're wrong, 11:59 ask for forgiveness, and go forward from there. 12:02 And I've learned, if you say it quickly, 12:05 you take the responsibility, 12:07 things are quickly, you know, resolved. 12:09 If you don't, somebody will apply the truth to you. [laughs] 12:13 So that's what happens in the church. 12:16 And the ordinance of humility is the opportunity 12:18 to get that all straightened out. 12:20 >>Eric: And it's something that we can engage in today 12:23 and be blessed by today. 12:25 And Jesus says, "Happy are you if you do it." 12:28 And I think there's something to learn there. 12:30 We're going to continue looking at Jesus here as the way, 12:32 the truth, and the life, but before we go to break, Tom, 12:35 share with us a little bit more about that companion book 12:38 that is available for this quarter's lesson. 12:40 >>Tom: All right, well, a companion book 12:41 is a book that's published by Pacific Press, 12:43 and it has additional information 12:45 that you won't find in the lesson quarterly. 12:47 You won't find in the teacher's lesson. 12:48 It gives you added information, sometimes background stuff, 12:52 good exegetical information, just very helpful for you 12:55 to have a better understanding of the lesson. 12:57 And if you're a teacher, extra information to share 13:00 with your students to keep them interested in 13:03 the "Sabbath School" quarterly and the "Sabbath School" lesson. 13:06 >>Eric: So if you would like to pick that up, 13:07 and we would encourage you to do so, 13:09 just go to itiswritten.shop. 13:11 Again, itiswritten.shop, 13:14 and you can pick up the companion book 13:15 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 13:18 In just a moment or two, 13:19 we're going to be back once again 13:21 as we continue looking at Jesus, 13:23 "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," 13:24 here on "Sabbath School," 13:26 brought to you by It Is Written. 13:28 ♪♪♪ 13:32 >>John Bradshaw: The Bible is filled with stories 13:35 of flawed human beings God called to serve Him 13:38 in incredible ways. 13:40 He took a violent, impulsive, racist fisherman 13:43 and transformed him into one of Jesus' closest disciples 13:47 and one of the most influential leaders of the early church. 13:51 Join me for another episode of our series, 13:53 "Great Characters of the Bible," as we look at the life of Peter. 13:58 Peter was far from perfect. 14:00 He was overly confident. He made promises he didn't keep. 14:04 But his experience is an encouragement 14:06 to anyone who knows the feeling of messing up 14:09 as a follower of Jesus, of falling short, 14:12 and wondering if you'll ever get it right. 14:15 God stuck with Peter and helped him grow. 14:18 And if you'll let Him, He'll do the same for you. 14:22 "Great Characters of the Bible: Peter," 14:26 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:32 ♪♪♪ 14:36 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:38 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:40 We're glad that you're joining us today. 14:41 We are looking at lesson number 10, 14:43 "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." 14:46 Tom, I'm going to read a few verses here 14:48 in John, chapter 14 14:50 and then let you respond to what I read. 14:52 John 14, verses 1 through 3, 14:54 I think a familiar passage to many of us, 14:57 Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled; 14:59 "you believe in God, believe also in me. 15:02 "In my Father's house are many mansions; 15:04 "if it were not so, I would have told you. 15:07 "I go to prepare a place for you. 15:09 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, 15:11 "I will come again and receive you to myself; 15:14 that where I am, there you may be also." 15:18 So, a familiar passage-- 15:20 what's the context in which Jesus made this statement, 15:24 and what's the significance of that? 15:25 >>Tom: Okay, so it's very interesting. 15:28 When the Bible was originally written, 15:31 there were no verse divisions; there were no chapter divisions. 15:35 Actually, in Greek, when they originally wrote 15:38 the New Testament, there were even no word divisions. 15:41 It's just a string of letters. 15:42 You have to learn how to read it. 15:44 And they're all capital letters across the line. 15:47 So we often, when we read the Bible, 15:50 we will read a chapter and say, 15:53 "Oh, okay, a nice devotional," you know, 15:55 and then we'll read the next chapter the next day. 15:58 Now here's the interesting thing. 16:00 There's a context in chapter 13 16:03 that fits very nicely with chapter 14 16:05 to give it more context, more kind of a life, okay? 16:11 So in verse 36 of chapter 13 16:14 "Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, where are You going?' 16:17 "Jesus answered, 'Where I am going you cannot follow me now, 16:21 but you will follow afterward.'" 16:23 He's talking about the death, 16:25 His death on the cross, and Peter, of course, 16:27 the tradition is that he also was crucified. 16:31 So verse 37: "Peter said to Him, 16:33 "'Lord, why can I not follow You now? 16:36 "I will lay down my life for You.' 16:38 "Jesus answered, 16:39 "'Will you lay down your life for me? 16:41 "'Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow 16:44 "'till you have denied me three times. 16:48 "'Let not your hearts be troubled. 16:50 Believe in God; believe also in me.'" 16:52 When you see the context that, you know, 16:55 He's just told Peter he's gonna deny Him. 16:56 Peter's, like, [gasps] shocked. 16:59 Jesus says to all the disciples, 17:01 "Let not your hearts be troubled. 17:03 Believe in God; believe also in me." 17:05 So, "You're gonna make a terrible mistake, Peter, 17:09 "but understand, don't let your heart be troubled. 17:12 You believe in God; believe also in me," right? 17:15 Now, there's another beautiful part here 17:17 that I want to bring out. 17:19 In verse 2, He says, 17:20 "In my Father's house are many rooms." 17:22 Actually it's not "mansions." The word means "rooms." 17:24 It's like a big hotel, 17:26 the best hotel you've ever been at. [laughs] 17:29 "There are many rooms in my Father's house." 17:33 So there's a big family in the Father's house. 17:36 He says, "If it were not so, 17:38 would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" 17:40 Now, verse 3, very famous verse 17:42 about the Second Coming of Jesus, 17:43 is very precious to Seventh-day Adventists: 17:46 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, 17:49 "I will come again and will take you to myself, 17:52 that where I am you may be also." 17:55 Now, here's the interesting thing. 17:57 In Greek, when He says, "I will come again," 18:00 it's actually not a future tense. 18:02 That's the future, you know? 18:03 It's not actually a future tense. It's a present tense: 18:06 "I'm coming again." 18:07 But it's very clear from reading the whole text 18:11 that it's actually, He's talking about the future. 18:14 So somebody says, "Well, if you're talking about the future, 18:16 why would you use a present tense?" 18:20 In Greek grammar, it's called a futuristic present. 18:24 Isn't that cool? A futuristic present. 18:25 It's good to learn a little bit of Greek grammar. 18:29 A futuristic present is a future event spoken of 18:35 with such certainty it's described 18:38 as though already happening, all right? 18:41 A future event spoken of with such certainty 18:45 it's described as though already happening. 18:47 So we could translate it this way: 18:49 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, 18:52 "I will most certainly come again and receive you to myself, 18:57 that where I am you may be also." 19:00 Some people worry about the second coming of Jesus. 19:03 It's been a long time since He left, 19:05 and they're wondering, you know, is He really coming back? 19:10 It's not just a question of Bible prophecy, my friends. 19:13 It's a question of the man who made the promise. 19:15 You can trust this man. He said, "If I go away, 19:19 I will most certainly come again." 19:21 Trust Him on what He said. 19:23 >>Eric: So, some beautiful promises that we find there 19:25 in the beginning of chapter 14. 19:28 I want to jump now to some statements that Jesus made, 19:33 the "I am" statements. There are seven of them. 19:36 Help us to understand these statements 19:38 and their significance. >>Tom: Okay, so 19:40 there's some dispute, I think, 19:42 in terms of just how many of these are, 19:44 but we have these--let me kind of run down them quickly here 19:48 and list them off. 19:50 We have in John 6, verse 35, 19:53 He says, "I am the bread of life." 19:56 In John 8, verse 12, He says, "I am the light of the world." 20:00 In John 10, verse 7, He says, "I am the door of the sheep." 20:05 In John 10, verse 11, He says, "I am the good shepherd." 20:09 In John 11, verse 25, He says, 20:11 "I am the resurrection and the life." 20:14 John 14:6, He says, 20:16 "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 20:18 In John 15:1, He says, "I am the true vine." 20:22 Now, these seven statements each have a context. 20:28 We already saw that in chapter 6, verse 35, 20:30 when He spoke of the bread of life, 20:32 that's when He fed the 5,000. 20:34 And what does this teach us? 20:35 Well, it teaches us that Jesus is the source of spiritual life. 20:39 He's the source of spiritual sustenance. 20:42 If you don't have Jesus, you don't have life. 20:45 Now, this also teaches the importance 20:47 of the communion service 20:48 because it's about the communion service 20:50 where we partake of the bread and the cup 20:53 that represent His body and His blood. 20:56 He comes to especially be with us. 20:58 Don't miss the communion service, my friends. 21:02 Be sure you're there. 21:03 In chapter 8, He talks about being the light of the world. 21:08 And in chapter 9, 21:09 when He heals the man who's born blind, 21:12 He gives him eyes, so to speak; 21:14 He creates those eyes that he didn't have. 21:17 At that time He also says, 21:18 "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 21:21 It's beautiful. 21:22 In chapter 10, He has this kind of metaphor; 21:27 you'd almost say a parable. 21:28 John never uses the word "parable," 21:30 but kind of a parable about the sheep pen 21:33 and the shepherd. 21:34 He says, "I'm the door of the sheep." 21:36 So He gives-- 21:38 He's the entryway into the church. 21:40 He's the good shepherd. 21:41 He's the protection for the church. He's salvation. 21:44 He brings the church to where it needs to be. 21:47 I missed the one on light of the world. 21:50 He's the source of spiritual vision. 21:52 He says, "I'm the resurrection and the life" in chapter 11. 21:55 That's dealing with the resurrection of Lazarus. 21:59 And so, He is our future hope. 22:03 He is the way, the truth, and the life. 22:05 He is our guide. 22:06 And that's in chapter 14, verse 6. 22:08 In 15:1, the true vine, 22:10 we must be connected to Him to have spiritual life. 22:14 So these seven statements that show up different places, 22:18 different contexts in John, tell us more about Jesus 22:20 and how He is the source of our life. 22:24 And it's wonderful what we have in these beautiful statements. 22:28 >>Eric: And one of those statements 22:29 that you just referenced is John 14, verse 6, 22:33 which is right, essentially, where we are. 22:34 I'm going to read a few verses, verses 5 through 11. 22:38 Verse 5: Thomas says to Jesus, 22:40 "'Lord, we do not know where You are going, 22:42 "and how can we know the way?' 22:44 "Jesus said to him, 22:45 "'I am the way, the truth, and the life. 22:48 "'No one comes to the Father except through me. 22:51 "'If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; 22:54 "and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.' 22:57 "Philip said to Him, 22:58 "'Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' 23:01 "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, 23:04 "'and yet you have not known me, Philip? 23:06 "'He who has seen me has seen the Father; 23:08 "'so how can you say, "Show us the Father"? 23:11 "'Do you not believe that I am in the Father, 23:13 "'and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you 23:16 "'I do not speak on my own authority; 23:18 "'but my Father who dwells in me does the works. 23:21 "'Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, 23:25 or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.'" 23:29 So what are these questions that Thomas and Philip have 23:33 about Jesus and where He's going? 23:36 >>Tom: Okay, so Thomas and Philip seem to be 23:38 two disciples who have a little challenge with faith, 23:42 a little challenge with understanding, you know. 23:45 And maybe you and I can relate to them 23:47 because sometimes during our life, 23:49 our Christian walk, we have challenges, 23:52 and maybe we falter on our steps, 23:55 and we need somebody to kind of come along beside us 23:58 and say, "You know, it's okay to have questions." 24:01 And that's what Jesus seemed to-- 24:04 He accepted their questions. 24:06 So Thomas seems to ask a logical question: 24:09 "Lord, we don't know where You're going, 24:10 so how can we know the way?" 24:13 And He says, "Well, I'm the way. 24:16 I'm the truth. I'm the life." 24:19 It's kind of beautiful, you know. 24:21 You and I don't know all the steps in our life. 24:25 If you had told me when I was a young boy 24:29 that I would be a teacher, I would have-- 24:33 my family's very medical-- I would have said, 24:34 "No, I'm going to be a medical doctor." 24:36 Well, that's not where my path led, you know. 24:39 And God has brought me various paths. 24:43 Recently, He brought me back into, you know, 24:45 the regular pastoral ministry. 24:47 I started my work as a pastor, 24:49 and now I'm ending my work as a pastor, 24:51 and I'm officially retired, but I'm pastoring two churches. 24:56 But it's beautiful that God leads you. 24:58 So you don't need to know all the steps 25:03 of where you're going to go. 25:06 You need to know that Jesus is by your side, 25:09 leading your steps, and that's very encouraging. 25:12 "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 25:14 We have Him with us. 25:16 Now, Philip's question, well, kind of statement: 25:20 "Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us." 25:23 The Gospel of John in chapter 1 25:25 says no one has ever seen God at any time. 25:29 Moses, back in the Old Testament said, 25:32 you know, "Show-- God, let me see You." 25:36 God said, "You can't see me. 25:38 If you saw my face, you would die," 25:40 because you're sinful, see? 25:41 But He says, "I'll let you see as much as you can see," 25:45 and He put his hand over him-- God must have a big hand. 25:47 [laughs] And He walked past, and He let him see His back, right? 25:51 Now, Jesus is God in human flesh. 25:56 And so, He says, "Philip, I've been with you so long. 26:00 "You don't know me? I and the Father are one. 26:03 You know, you've seen me, you've seen the Father." 26:05 So, it's interesting. We haven't seen God, 26:10 but we have the stories of Jesus. We have Jesus. 26:15 And He is the expression of God to us that shows us 26:19 what the Father is like. 26:21 And that should be enough for us to know Jesus. 26:25 >>Eric: What would you say to somebody in just a few words 26:28 who says, "I want to get to know Jesus a little bit better. 26:32 "I want to know the way, 26:34 but I'm not sure exactly what to do." 26:37 What would you tell that person? 26:38 >>Tom: All right, so that's a good question. 26:39 What I would say to this person is, 26:41 first, you're going to find God in the Bible. 26:43 You gotta read the Bible. Now, where's the best place to start? 26:46 You know, the Gospel of John is not a bad place to start 26:49 because, as we've already said in these lessons, 26:51 that it draws you to Jesus. 26:53 There's these different ways that John does that. 26:56 I also, in my own personal experience, 26:58 I would say there's a beautiful little book 27:00 called "Steps to Christ." 27:02 It's short, and it has wonderful chapters. 27:05 I struggled with doubt as a young man. 27:07 There is a chapter, "What to Do with Doubt." 27:10 I read it over and over, and it was a blessing to my life, 27:13 and I would recommend that book as well. 27:15 >>Eric: So two excellent books, the book of John 27:17 that you'll find in the Bible 27:18 and a little book called "Steps to Christ," 27:21 both phenomenal books. 27:23 We're glad that you have chosen to join us this week 27:26 on "Sabbath School." We've been looking at 27:27 "The Way, the Truth, and the Life," 27:30 and we trust that you have found the way 27:33 or will continue to seek for the way 27:36 because He most certainly wants you to find it. 27:39 And we look forward to seeing you again next week 27:41 as we continue our journey. 27:42 We're getting close to the end of it here 27:44 in the book of John. 27:46 Just a few more episodes to go, a few more lessons, 27:48 but we look forward to having you join us 27:50 once again next week here on "Sabbath School," 27:53 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:55 ♪♪♪ 28:24 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-11-28