♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
We're coming to the end of a series
that has been life-changing,
Themes in the Gospel of John,
today, The Hour of Glory.
You say, "Derek, what is that?"
It is the the cross, the death
and the resurrection of Jesus,
which not only was a witness
that He was indeed Messiah,
but it gives us life
through faith in Him for eternity.
So, there could be
no more important topic than this.
We're glad you joined us
for Hope Sabbath School.
Welcome to the team,
good to be together.
You can tell I'm a little excited today,
and that's because Puia's going
to be teaching; we're looking forward
to a great in-depth, interactive study.
We've got some remote team members.
Maurice, great to have you with us again,
glad you're here.
Ryan, good to have you with us today.
We're glad you're here for our study.
And, Travis, always good
to have you with us, welcome back.
We're glad that you're here, too,
because you are an important part
of our global family.
And when Puia asks a question today,
you can raise your hand
if you have an answer or send us an email
at sshope@hopetv.org.
But we'd like to just hear
how you're blessed through a study
of God's Word on Hope Sabbath School.
So, I'm glad, Grace, that you
wrote to us from Zimbabwe,
and Grace writes and says,
"Greetings, Hope Sabbath School."
(Team) Greetings.
(Derek) She does that to get the wave.
Grace from Zimbabwe, "I just want
to say I do appreciate
the great work you're doing."
(Jason) Praise God.
(Derek) "I love the interactive study."
Now, get this,
"It's really impacting my life."
(Team) Hallelujah.
(Derek) "I love the energy
of the teachers, and I like it
when someone says, 'hallelujah.'
I follow Hope Sabbath School
almost every Friday."
Well, Grace, thanks for being part
of our global family,
and may God bless you there
in your home country of Zimbabwe.
Amaraizu writes from Nigeria.
Amaraizu writes and says, "My family and I
live in our home country of Nigeria.
We're blessed with four children,
two boys and two girls, and we watch
Hope Sabbath School together."
(Team) Amen!
(Derek) I like that.
Thank you, Amaraizu, for writing to us.
And he says, "My children love it so much.
As a matter of fact, my 7-year-old daughter
knows all of your names.
I am grateful to God for your ministry."
Now, this is amazing.
"Jedidah," the 7-year-old daughter,
"is now teaching her friends in school
about the Bible through the knowledge
she gains on Hope Sabbath School."
(Team) Praise the Lord.
(Derek) I'm going to wave to Jedidah there
and to Amaraizu and the whole family;
oh, you're waving, too.
Everybody wave, we're going
to give a wave there.
Oh, my, teaching her friends at school,
isn't that beautiful?
"What a joy it is to see our children
loving the Lord.
I am really grateful," and you can guess
the last word Amaraizu uses.
(Derek, Team) "Hallelujah!"
(Derek) Thanks for writing to us
from Nigeria, and God bless your family.
Give our greetings to all of them.
Here's a note from a donor
in Michigan in the U.S.
Michigan, Travis,
that's your home territory.
"I'm writing," the donor writes,
"from a small town in northern Michigan.
I've been watching Hope Sabbath School
for about 10 years, and I'm using
the outline to teach a Bible class."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) That's what you'll be using
today, right, Puia?
That's what we use; each of us
has that outline.
"I don't consider myself a teacher,"
the donor writes, "but a facilitator."
Well, if a teacher is a monologue,
then a facilitator is a dialogue, right, interactive.
"I love how the outlines help the study,
and your commitment to produce
Hope Sabbath School
and share with the world.
God bless you all," and a monthly donation
of a hundred dollars.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Now, you can do the math
and just say, "Thank you, Donor."
You are a significant contributor
by making that 100-dollar donation
each month to impact the world.
And today's topic is one
of the most important we'll ever share.
Thank you to each of you.
We're coming to the end of the year.
Thank you for being partners
with us in this mission.
You can go to our website.
Say, "Derek, can I help?" Absolutely.
We're a donor-supported ministry.
Go to hopetv.org/hopess,
click on that yellow Donate button
or get the address and send us a note
with a gift and say, "I'm praying,
and I want to be part of the mission."
God bless you and thank you
very much to all of you.
One last note, from Janet
in North Carolina in the U.S.,
"I've been watching Hope Sabbath School
for about a year now and get
so much out of it on DirecTV," now that's
a satellite distribution network
here in the U.S.
"Many times, I have prayed
a heartfelt prayer, and the next morning
it seems that God speaks to me directly
through your Hope Sabbath School program."
(Team) Amen!
(Derek) "May God bless
more and more people through your program.
Also, before even watching your program,
I have wondered why the Scripture
is never set to music in our times,
and that, too, has been answered
on your program!"
We love you all," and that's from Janet
in North Carolina.
Thanks for writing to us, Janet,
and we'd like you
to help us sing right now.
But I hope before we sing that you
and all of the rest of you watching
have downloaded the collection
of six Trilogy Scripture Songs.
They are a gift to you
from the words of Jesus,
four from the Gospel of John,
two from Revelation.
My favorite one, well, you'll have to see
which is your favorite,
but they're all the words of Jesus,
and it's a gift to you.
All you have to do is go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess
and click on the Free Gift tab,
and you can download
those six Scripture songs, digital copies,
and you can share them
and be a blessing to others.
While you're there, you can download
our theme song we've been singing
all this series, "Behold!
The Lamb of God."
Janet, you said you're glad
to find someone doing that.
Well, we'd like you
to help us sing right now.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) And, you know, Puia,
that's really what this study
is about, isn't it,
The Hour of Glory,
"Behold! The Lamb of God."
Thanks for leading us in this study today.
(Puia) Let us pray.
Father God in Heaven, we thank You
for this opportunity
to open Your Word today
and learn more about Your love for us.
At this moment, Father, we invite
the Holy Spirit to speak to us
through Your words.
We pray for all
of our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world, that when they
watch this episode, the Holy Spirit
will touch them as well.
Lord, this is not about us;
this is about You,
so we invite You to come through.
This is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Puia) Before we begin our study,
I just want to come to our viewers online
and from home, thank you
for joining us today.
We'll be studying a very important topic
from the Gospel of John,
the final hours of Jesus,
the cross and the resurrection.
And so, I want to invite you
to grab your Bibles
and open the Bible along with us.
We'll be reading many texts, and I pray
that you will be blessed as well.
So, class, today, we are
on lesson number 12 in this series
on the Themes in the Gospel of John.
And these are the final hours
of Jesus' life on Earth.
And it's interesting to note
that the Gospel of John has 21 chapters,
and about half of the book of John
covers about three-and-a-half years almost
of the story of Jesus.
And then from chapter 11 to the end
of the book, that half of the book
covers just a little over a week,
almost two weeks of Jesus' life on Earth.
So, we can see that John focused
a lot of his writings
on these final hours of Jesus.
So, as we begin our study, maybe we
can start with this question:
Why does John focus in detail
on such a small period of the life
of Jesus with so much emphasis?
Shawn, I see your hand.
(Shawn) It's the climax of everything.
It's what all people from all of history
have been waiting for, the fulfillment
of Scripture, the healing of the nations,
the salvation of all humanity.
If there is one thing to focus on,
wouldn't this be it?
(Puia) Right, this is the climax. Gladys.
(Gladys) Satan accused God
of being unjust,
so [this is the culmination] of the plan of salvation.
So, it's that moment in time
when the wages of sin
will be paid, and it is
the most important part of the book.
(Puia) Yes, I like the part
you mentioned about sin,
taking away of sin.
Didn't we just sing the song,
"Behold! The Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world"?
So this is going to be the climax
of the plan of salvation where God
is going to take the sin of the world.
Now, let's go to John, chapter 20,
verses 30 to 31, and, Stephanie,
would you read that for us, please.
And let's go back to the reason why John
wrote this Gospel in the first place.
Would you read that for us, please?
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Puia) Amen. So, as we just read,
what is the primary reason of John
writing this Gospel? Scott.
(Scott) So we can believe
and have life in His name.
(Puia) Amen. Gladys?
(Gladys) It says that Jesus
is the Messiah, the Son of God;
that's number one.
And then, that we may believe and have life.
(Derek) And I'm thinking, Puia,
that John's prayer would be
that when we study now
about The Hour of Glory,
the death and resurrection,
we wouldn't just know about it
but that we would accept that Jesus
did that for us, so that we
could have eternal life.
(Team) Amen.
(Puia) Amen. So now, I'm coming
to the title of our lesson,
The Hour of Glory.
I want us to turn to John 17,
verses 20 to 26, and, Nicole,
can you read that for us, please,
John 17, verses 20 to 26.
(Nicole) The New International Version
of John 17:20-26 says:
(Puia) Thank you, Nicole,
for reading that.
My question for the team here is,
did any word jump out for you
from those texts, especially in relation
to the title of our study today,
from those final prayers of Jesus,
His final hours of ministry on Earth? Yes, Nancy.
(Nancy) "Unity," because when we are
connected to the vine,
and we are the branches, which is
another way of expressing the same idea,
we are connected to God,
and His Spirit is in us.
And then the way we relate to others
is through blessing people.
(Puia) Derek.
(Derek) I just heard "glory."
In fact, the whole chapter says
glory, glory, glory.
But, "The glory which You gave Me
I have given them."
It's quite startling,
the beautiful revelation
of the character of the Father,
which He has fully revealed.
(Puia) Right! In verse 24, Jesus
specifically prayed that everyone
would behold His glory.
Now, that's the title of our lesson today,
The Hour of Glory.
And what is the glory that Jesus
wanted everyone to see?
And with that, we now come to chapter 18
and the hour of glory is about to begin.
Kylynda, can you read for us John 18,
verses 1 to 11, please?
(Kylynda) Of course, I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Puia) Thank you, Kylynda,
for reading that.
So, in this text, we find
the arrest of Jesus.
Just before this took place, remember,
the context was that Jesus was praying
to God the Father that everyone
would see the glory.
And now, finally, the hour of the glory
has arrived, and what do we see here
from this story that points to the fact
that Jesus truly is the Son of God
and the Messiah? Anyone. Stephanie.
(Stephanie) When He spoke,
they fell to the ground.
That was the first thing
that caught my attention.
(Derek) And not just spoke, Puia,
but said "I am," right?
And we've seen that
through the Gospel of John, "I am He."
He must have said that emphatically,
and the glory of the Son of God
must have been revealed in that moment.
They fell to the ground.
(Puia) Right, that's powerful.
Travis, I see your hand.
(Travis) So, Puia, I agree
with what has just been said,
what Jesus said and the fact that they
would fall to the ground when He spoke.
But all of Scripture written up
until that time pointed forward
to this very event, you know,
the betrayal of Jesus.
You know, in Daniel it says that He
would confirm a covenant with many.
In 2 Peter, it says, "So we have
the prophetic word confirmed,
that we do well to take heed
as a light that shines in a dark place."
Jesus' death, even here before He
even dies on the cross,
these things were prophesied.
This was confirmation
that He was indeed the Son of God.
(Puia) What you're saying, Travis,
is that Jesus was fulfilling
the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures
even to that very point of the arrest
and the crucifixion. Jason.
(Jason) Also, in the book of Luke,
chapter 22, verse 51...
(Puia) Would..?
(Jason) Please, if we might.
(Puia) Luke 22.
(Jason) Verse 51, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
and the Bible says:
And this is talking about the same scene
that John was talking about, that we talked about,
healing Malchus' ear, showing again
His Messiahship, His loving power
in this episode.
(Puia) Right, even at the hour
when He was arrested,
He was healing the "enemies."
Jesus did not look at anyone as an enemy.
That's a powerful scene. Scott.
(Scott) I was noticing here in John 18
how even at this time when there was
a group of people here coming
to arrest Jesus, Jesus identifies Himself,
and He says, "Of those whom You gave Me,
I have lost not one."
So He is thinking about the people
whom He is coming for.
Even though all the people are scattering,
John doesn't tell us, but other Gospels
tell us that His disciples fled.
But still Jesus says, "Of those You
gave Me, I have lost not one,"
because Jesus is thinking
of the big picture.
He is thinking of salvation,
even though the mob out there
was just thinking small picture.
(Puia) Thank you.
So, we have seen Judas betraying Jesus,
working with the religious leaders,
who in turn turned to the soldiers
who came to arrest Jesus.
Let's see where the story takes us next
in John 18:28; Ryan, could you
read that for us, please?
John 18, verses 28 to 38.
(Ryan) Yeah, John 18:28-38, you said?
And this is the New King James Version, and it says:
(Puia) Thank you, Ryan, for reading that.
So, how does this encounter of Jesus
with Pilate reveal the fact that He
was the Son of God, truly?
That He was the Messiah?
Anything stand out for you? Gladys.
(Gladys) Well, He says, "My Kingdom
is not of this world,"
so He was presenting that He was a King
and that He had the authority
to say that He was a King.
(Puia) Right, so in a way, Jesus answered
the question of Pilate,
that He was indeed a King,
not just of a nation or a territory
on this planet earth.
He's the King of the universe. Wow. Scott.
(Scott) I love how He says in verse 37,
"For this purpose I was born
and for this purpose
I have come into the world -
to bear witness to the truth."
Even in this trial, when He
could be trying to save His life
and tell Pilate what will rescue Him,
instead, He's focused on His mission.
(Puia) Wow. Could it be that Jesus
was also trying to reach Pilate
in that moment, trying to touch
his heart as well? Nancy?
(Nancy) That's what I was about to say,
that it's like He's trying to give
a little bit of a Bible study to Him.
But Pilate kind of leaves too early
because he asks, "What is truth?"
And then he walks away.
He could have kept going.
(Puia) Right, if only Pilate
stayed a little longer,
I believe Jesus would have told him,
"I am the truth. I am the way."
Some things could have changed.
But we see that Pilate rejected
the opportunity to be touched
by the Holy Spirit to learn
about the truth.
Kylynda, do you have a comment?
(Kylynda) Yes, I was thinking
about verses 31 and 32 when they say
to Pilate, "We need to condemn Him
to put Him to death."
It's to signify the type of death
that they wanted Jesus to die.
(Puia) Immediately.
(Kylynda) Right, and we know that Jesus,
when He was speaking to Nicodemus,
gave reference to Moses and the lifting up
of a serpent that healed people
in the time of Moses and the exodus.
So, Jesus knows that He's going to die
by crucifixion by being lifted up.
So, even when all of these people
are conspiring, Jesus is still in control.
(Puia) Wow, that is powerful.
Isn't it ironic that a Gentile ruler,
Pilate, said, "I find no fault in Him,"
and yet the very people who were chosen
for the Messiah's mission
rejected Him and wanted Him
to be condemned and crucified?
Pilate did not see
any fault in Jesus, as we read.
He went out and told the people,
"I find no fault in Him."
(Derek) I was just thinking of Stephen,
the way the Jews killed people,
they stoned them.
But, as Kylynda pointed out, there were
prophecies a thousand years before,
even more, actually, going back to Moses,
you know, 1,400 years,
that He would be lifted up, the prophecy
of the psalmist, Psalm 22, that His hands
and feet would be pierced.
Every single prophecy will be fulfilled
in the life of Messiah.
(Team) Amen.
(Puia) That is powerful.
So, Pilate wanted to set Jesus free,
didn't he, because he didn't find
any fault in Him.
Let's read the next couple of verses.
Jason, can you read for us John 18,
verses 39 to 40, and let's see
what else Pilate did
to try to set Jesus free.
(Jason) Right, and the Bible says:
Verse 40:
(Puia) Wow. Thank you for reading that.
So, we see that Pilate wanted
to set Jesus free and offered them
an opportunity to release a prisoner.
Maurice, do you have
a comment here from this text?
(Maurice) I was just noticing
that throughout the life
and ministry of Christ,
He spoke about His Kingdom a lot.
And I was reflecting on the question
you asked about why John spent
so much time writing
about these last few weeks.
And what's interesting
is that there have been other prophets,
there have been individuals that have done
miracles through God's help,
but there is no one else in history
that did the things that Jesus did
in this period of time
that John is writing about.
But I'm noticing that there is this theme
where Jesus is so intentional
to always mention His Kingdom, and I think
there is something valuable there
that we could take away from the fact
that He's always focused on His Kingdom,
whether it is here
in this situation or in a parable.
And I believe that the focus
that He had on the Kingdom
was highlighting that there is
this Kingdom with a King
that is like no other king.
And John is helping us realize
that the King of this Kingdom
is no ordinary man.
And I just thought that was beautiful.
(Puia) Right. If Jesus wanted to escape,
of course He could have,
the King of the universe.
Go with me to the next few verses
in the next chapter, John 19,
and let me request Nancy to read
John 19, verses 1 to 4, please.
And let's see what else Pilate did
to try to set Jesus free.
(Nancy) I'm reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Puia) So, at first, Pilate told
the people, "I find no fault in Him."
But the people and the Jewish leaders
did not want to let Jesus go.
And so Pilate offered them a chance
to choose a prisoner to be released,
and they chose Barabbas instead.
And now, Pilate probably hoped
that by letting Jesus get beaten,
the people would feel some sort
of a sense of pity, probably,
and would let Jesus go.
And so Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.
And we find in verse 4 where Pilate
said, "Behold, I am bringing Him out."
Earlier, we sang the song
from the testimony of John the Baptist.
What did we sing there?
(Team) "Behold! The Lamb of God."
(Puia) Isn't it interesting
that Pilate here is bringing Jesus out
and says, "Behold," and brings Him out.
In connection with the testimony
of John the Baptist where John said,
"The Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world," Pilate was
basically letting them see, "Here, behold!
The Man is the Lamb." Scott.
(Scott) I find it fascinating that Pilate
is doing everything in his power
to release Jesus except for taking
a courageous stand.
(Puia) Right. Now finally, let's see
what the final decision of Pilate
looked like, and, Scott, can you read
for us in chapter 19, verses 5 to 16?
(Scott) Alright, I'm reading
from the English Standard Version:
(Puia) Thank you, Scott, for reading that.
How can we explain the behavior
of the religious leaders and Pilate here
while they knew very well
that Jesus was innocent? Gladys.
(Gladys) Blinded by Satan,
blinded by jealousy.
They were completely taken over,
their minds; they couldn't see,
they couldn't hear, because they had let
the devil really take over their thoughts.
They were not in control
of themselves at this point.
(Puia) Thank you for highlighting
the movements behind the scene.
Beyond the physical realm,
there is the Great Controversy,
the cosmic conflict between Satan and God.
And so, what you're saying is Satan
has been working on the hearts
of the people there
to crucify Jesus. Kylynda.
(Kylynda) I think it also is a warning
for us today about appeasement
and how sin can take hold in our lives.
Because, first, Pilate listens
to the Pharisees, and then Pilate
offers a compromise with a swap,
and then eventually Pilate beats Jesus,
which he knows is wrong,
and finally, he allows Jesus to die.
So he has all these steps of compromise
to take him down
to finally allowing Jesus to die.
What if, at the very beginning,
he had said, "I'm not hearing
this case; go away"?
Instead, he allows it
to get to them accusing him
of this act against Caesar.
So, we need to be careful when we're faced
with sin in our lives - stop immediately.
(Puia) That's a powerful thought.
It wasn't a sudden fall of Pilate
in condemning Jesus to be crucified.
But, as you said, he
compromised, step by step.
Derek, you have a comment?
(Derek) So, I'd like to respond, I think,
to the idea that they were blinded
because that sounds like they didn't know
it was the Messiah, but they did.
So, what Jesus says in John 3 is,
"This is the condemnation...that men,"
women, "loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil."
Now, the tragedy is that these were
religious leaders, even the high priest.
(Puia) Right.
(Derek) But there was something in them.
And back to saying don't let us
go down that same road, let's say,
"God, take away any love
for darkness in me,
because I want to come to Jesus
who is the light of the world
and let Him save me."
(Puia) That is powerful.
We could be standing here
and thinking that we're different
from the people there,
but what if we were there?
What if we were among the crowd?
Would we be any better?
That's a great question,
if we think about their motives
for delivering Jesus to be crucified.
We have the Roman soldiers
who were just following orders.
We have Pilate who was pressured
by the crowd and the religious leaders
so he could save his job.
We have the religious leaders
who were jealous of Jesus and who were
not willing to open their hearts.
And we have Judas
who betrayed Jesus because of greed.
So, what we can see here
is that different people who played parts
in the crucifixion of Jesus
had different motives that we, too,
are facing today, right?
So the question is, how can we avoid
the same fatal mistake
that the people made there?
Not just Pilate, but remember it's
all those series of actions
that the people made. Shawn.
(Shawn) We need to be examining
our own hearts to see
how we're responding to Jesus.
You know, Gladys and Derek both mentioned
Satan's influence over the people.
He was filling them with his bloodlust
and his hatred for the Messiah.
And as you pointed out, He will try
to do the exact same thing to us.
So, what we need to do is
be on the lookout,
put on the armor of God,
and make sure he's not influencing us,
and then meditate on what Jesus
has done for us in Scripture
so that our love for light
will grow stronger than our love
for darkness, and we will become
that light of the world.
(Puia) Amen. Thank you. Gladys?
(Gladys) This verse right here, 12,
where it says, I mean in [15] where they
say, "We have no other king but Caesar,"
it just reminded me of the people
of Israel when they
started asking for a king.
And God said to Samuel, "They
did not reject you, they rejected Me."
So they are doing the same thing
all over again; they are choosing
an earthly king over God Himself.
So this is the same thing for us.
Everything comes down to one choice.
(Puia) Powerful. Stephanie,
we'll take your comment,
and then I want Travis to read for us
John 19, verses 17 to 22.
But before we go there, Stephanie,
you have a comment.
(Stephanie) I don't think there's
any exemption of who could fall
into this mistake.
If our eyes are not on Jesus,
if we're not spending time with Him
every day in His Word and in prayer,
we will be feeding the world.
So we need to feed our spiritual lives
so that the world gets pushed
out of our lives,
and only Jesus reigns there.
(Puia) Wow. You know, you remind me
of a book I read a few years ago
called The Cross of Christ
by a famous author named John Stott.
And in that book, he asked the question,
"Why did Jesus die?"
And then he traced
through the different reasons
like Pilate, the religious leaders,
and Judas and the people who were
involved, and the soldiers
who crucified Him.
But at the end, he concluded
that ultimately Jesus died
because of our sins.
So we played our part because of our sins.
And he wrote this line that I remember.
He wrote, "Before we can see
the cross of Christ as something
done for us, we need to see it first
as something done by us."
We were the ones
who put Christ on the cross.
Travis, would you take us to John 19,
verses 17 to 22, and let's see
the hour of glory on the cross.
(Travis) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Puia) Wow. So, we see here
that on the cross, the title of Jesus
was clearly written.
What was the purpose of this sign
above the cross?
Do you think there is a movement
behind the scene that orchestrated
that title on the cross so that everyone
who was in Jerusalem on that day
would be able to read that?
I mean, it says it was written
in three languages.
Scott, I see your hand.
(Scott) You can think of it on one side
as a sarcastic thing, you know, "Here,
look what's happening
to the king of the Jews."
But then you think about what Pilate
had been saying earlier, and you
almost wonder if he was
more serious about this.
Like, he actually believed;
he wasn't courageous enough
to take a stand, but he believed it.
And it's unfortunate that there are
plenty of people who believe the truth
but are unwilling to take a stand.
(Puia) Thank you. Kylynda, would you
take us to verses 23 to 27 of John 19,
and let's see the rest of the story here.
(Kylynda) I'll read this
from the New King James Version:
(Puia) Can you also read
verse 30 here, please.
(Puia) So Jesus was crucified.
The soldiers mocked him,
tore His clothes into pieces.
Travis, where do you see the love of God
on this cross of Jesus?
(Travis) Puia, I want to address
that question, but I just have to make
a response to the last comment,
because there was something
really significant, I believe,
about His name being written
in three different languages on there,
and that is that the gospel
was for the whole world.
The gospel is for everybody,
and so the way I see
God's immeasurable, unfailing love
is that the death on the cross
was for every person including that thief
that died on the cross.
It was for every person.
No person has to perish.
I love the verse in the Bible
where Jesus says He's not willing
that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
God's gift of salvation was
for everyone, full and complete.
(Puia) Wow. Thank you, Travis,
for that point - full and complete.
How does that relate
to the final words of Jesus on the cross
when He said, "It is finished"?
What was finished? Scott.
(Scott) Jesus' whole mission,
His purpose in coming to this earth,
His purpose in showing us how to live,
all these things.
It came to its culmination,
and Jesus says, "This whole process,
now salvation is available
to all who believe."
(Puia) Wow, so the mission of Jesus
has been accomplished;
it is finished on the cross.
John the Baptist testified, "Behold!
The Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world."
And on the cross when Jesus was crucified,
He was the Lamb of God who was sacrificed
for the sin of the world.
He took away the sin of the world.
And on the cross, Satan's lies
have been exposed - it is finished.
Satan can no longer tell people
that God doesn't love us
because we see God who loves us enough
to the point of death on the cross.
Nicole, you have a comment?
(Nicole) Just two things, one, I want
to be clear that His earthly ministry
is finished; He is still doing
a mighty work for us in His Kingdom.
So, "It is finished," I think is
really referring to, "What I had to do
on Earth, I've now completed,
and now I'm going to go and finish
this work so I can save all of mankind
into My Kingdom."
(Puia) Thank you for saying that
because that let us know that the story
was not over when He died.
So let's now go to the final part
of our study for today, John, chapter 20.
And, Gladys, can you read for us
John 20, verses 1 to 10, please?
(Gladys) Sure, and I'm reading
from the New International Version,
John, chapter 20:1-10:
(Puia) Thank you for reading that.
You know, in my version,
the New King James Version, in verse 7
regarding the linen of Jesus, it says
that it was "folded together."
How does that point to the evidence
for the resurrection of Jesus?
You know, in comparison to other theories
that maybe someone else
stole His body? Scott.
(Scott) I can't imagine a thief
bothering to fold the linen clothes.
And I wonder if that's part of it,
because it says that John,
this other disciple, didn't understand
the Scripture yet, but still he saw it
and he believed.
So he saw this evidence; he didn't know
what it meant, but he believed
there must be something there.
(Puia) Right. What other evidence
do we see as evidence for the resurrection
other than the folded clothes there? Nancy.
(Nancy) The Roman guards weren't there.
They were supposed to be guarding
the grave, and they had a seal
on the stone, and on pain of death they
weren't even supposed to, of course, leave
their post or fall asleep.
Why wouldn't they be there?
(Puia) Right. So Jesus rose again.
Who was the first person that saw
the resurrected Jesus in the story?
(Team, Puia) Mary.
(Puia) Isn't it interesting
that Mary was there until the final hour
of Jesus on the cross,
and here Mary is again
on the resurrection morning.
Travis, you have a comment here.
(Travis) I think the biggest evidence,
Puia, that Jesus has risen from the grave
is the tomb is empty.
I mean, there are a lot of gods
that are held in high regard
all over the world,
whether it is Buddha or whoever.
Those graves are occupied.
This tomb is empty; He's gone.
(Puia) Thank you. Amen.
Maurice, can you read for us
Matthew 28, verses 9 to 10, and let's see
what other meetings Jesus had
after the resurrection,
Matthew 28, verses 9 to 10.
And after this, I am going to ask Ryan
to read for us 1 Corinthians, chapter 15,
verses 1 to 8, if you can be ready
for the next text,
1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 to 8.
But let's see first, Maurice,
Matthew 28, verses 9 to 10.
(Maurice) Alright, and I'm reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Puia) So Jesus continued to appear
to the disciples after the resurrection.
Now, Ryan, take us, please
to 1 Corinthians 15, verses 1 to 8,
and let's see what Apostle Paul
wrote down regarding the evidences
for the resurrection of Jesus.
(Ryan) Sure thing, this is
from the New King James Version,
1 Corinthians 15:1-8, it says:
(Puia) So, what were the other evidences
for the resurrection of Jesus?
Who else witnessed the resurrected Christ?
What do we see here? Gladys?
(Gladys) It said that many people saw Him,
so it was not just one person.
It was 500 people at once,
and then Peter and James and John,
so many at the same time.
(Puia) Right, and they were all willing
to suffer for this message that Christ
was crucified and rose again.
They were no longer afraid
of any other persecution.
The disciples of Jesus
were all martyred, basically,
except John the Apostle who wrote this.
But even he, he suffered so much.
Scott, what do you see here?
(Scott) There is so much evidence
for the resurrection, so many people
who have seen - so many witnesses.
Even ancient historians took that as fact.
If you really look into it,
you really can come to no conclusion
other than that Jesus was resurrected.
(Puia) Thank you.
Maurice, you have a comment here.
(Maurice) Yeah, one
of the most fascinating evidences to me
is that when Jesus was alive,
some people believed in Him.
The religious leaders didn't.
And He had this small following
that kind of grew over time.
A lot of them were following Him
based on miracles
and the things that they saw.
But then when He died,
even His disciples were discouraged.
And so, the very next scene
in the gospel story is just an explosion
of people who are now following Him
and believing in Him,
which would make no sense
if He was still dead.
And so, I think one of the evidences
for the resurrection is the fact
that Christianity exists today.
The fact that so many people
began to be followers after the death.
And the only thing that would make sense
was that there was a resurrection,
and those people believed that it was so.
(Puia) Amen. Thank you, Maurice, for that.
In fact, Paul said that, if we continue
reading in that chapter, "If Christ
is not risen, our faith is futile."
So, let me conclude with this question.
What's the benefit for us -
now that we have learned that Christ
was crucified for our sin
and that He rose again -
what benefit is there for us to believe
in that story, in that event? Gladys.
(Gladys) That our sins are forgiven,
and we can have zoe forever with Jesus.
(Puia) In our previous lesson, we learned
about the zoe life,
that is, the life abundant.
Friends, that is what Jesus wants
to offer to us all.
We don't follow a crucified Savior alone.
We follow a resurrected Savior as well.
When we study these stories of Jesus,
there is something
about Jesus' love for us.
I want to invite you, friends, to continue
reading the stories of Jesus,
and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
As Gladys just pointed out, the good news
is that your sin and my sin
have been forgiven.
Jesus has forgiven us our sins.
We need to continue to follow Him
all the way to the very end
when He will come again.
So today we learned
about The Hour of Glory,
the cross and the resurrection.
Jesus has been glorified,
and He will continue to be glorified.
Derek would you close our study.
(Derek) Thank you so much, Puia.
Thank you for joining us today
as we studied a beautiful topic.
You say, "Putting someone to death?"
Yes, but the revelation
of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God
and that death was conquered
in the resurrection of Jesus.
And in that same chapter
in 1 Corinthians 15, it said, "But Christ
is risen...the firstfruits."
We are going to participate with Him
in His victory over death
through faith in Him.
Someone ought to say, "Amen."
Someone ought to say, "Praise God!
Thank you, Jesus,
for what You did for me."
Let's pray; Father in Heaven,
we've reflected on a most sacred topic,
the death of Jesus for our sins,
the gift of eternal life.
Evidenced in His resurrection
from the dead, He is
the Messiah, the Son of God.
May we trust Him as our Savior.
I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Well, thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School.
You say, "I serve a risen Savior!"
And He's coming back soon to take us home.
Trust Him today and go out
and be a blessing to those around you.
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