Sun,
Aug 31
1. CHRIST’S LAST PRAYER WITH HIS DISCIPLES
a. After Jesus finished giving instructions to the disciples, what did He do with them for the last time? John 17:1, 9.
“[John 17:1–6 quoted.] This was Christ’s last prayer with His disciples. It was offered just before He went into the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was to be betrayed and taken.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1145.
b. What does Christ reveal at the opening of this prayer? John 17:1, 2.
“The seventeenth chapter of John speaks plainly regarding the personality of God and of Christ, and of their relation to each other.”—Ibid.
“Study prayerfully the seventeenth chapter of John. This chapter is not only to be read again and again; its truths are to be eaten and assimilated.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 80.
Mon,
Sep 1
2. THE RESULTS OF KNOWING CHRIST
a. What fundamental truth did Jesus pronounce as the basis for eternal life? John 17:3.
“The knowledge of God as revealed in Christ is the knowledge that all who are saved must have. This is the knowledge that works transformation of character. Received into the life, it will re-create the soul in the image of Christ. This is the knowledge that God invites His children to receive, beside which all else is vanity and nothingness.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 475.
“Said Jesus: ‘The Father Himself loveth you.’ If our faith is fixed upon God, through Christ, it will prove ‘as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the Forerunner is for us entered.’ It is true that disappointments will come; tribulation we must expect; but we are to commit everything, great and small, to God. He does not become perplexed by the multiplicity of our grievances nor overpowered by the weight of our burdens. His watchcare extends to every household and encircles every individual; He is concerned in all our business and our sorrows. He marks every tear; He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. All the afflictions and trials that befall us here are permitted, to work out His purposes of love toward us, ‘that we might be partakers of His holiness’ and thus become participants in that fullness of joy which is found in His presence.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 742.
b. What does it mean to know Christ, and what is the result of such knowledge? Compare Hosea 6:3 with John 17:3.
“It is only by knowing Christ that we can know God. . . . To know Christ savingly is to be vitalized by spiritual knowledge, to practise His words. Without this, all else is valueless.
“Christ came to this world to reveal the Father. What patience, what pitying tenderness, what divine compassion, what strength of purpose, he manifested! He did not fail nor become discouraged. He was the embodiment of purity, and His love was without a parallel. At every step He practised self-denial and self-sacrifice. In His death He was the revelation of the reconciliation between God and man.”—The Signs of the Times, January 27, 1898.
“To know God is to love Him.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 22.
Tue,
Sep 2
3. THE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED
a. During His ministry, in what did Christ’s life on earth consist? John 17:4.
“In all the gracious deeds that Jesus did, He sought to impress upon men the parental, benevolent attributes of God. In all His lessons He was seeking to teach men the wonderful truth that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Jesus would have us understand the love of the Father, and He seeks to draw us to Him by presenting His parental grace. . . .
“Jesus came into the world to illustrate the character of God in His own life, and He swept back the misrepresentations that Satan had originated, and revealed the glory of God. It was only by living among men that He could reveal the mercy, compassion, and love of His heavenly Father; for it was only by actions of benevolence that He could set forth the grace of God.”—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 139.
b. What did Jesus ask the Father at the end of His earthly mission? John 17:5.
“Christ is not praying for the manifestation of the glory of human nature; for that human nature never had an existence in His pre-existence. He is praying to His Father in regard to a glory possessed in His oneness with God. His prayer is that of a mediator; the favor He entreats is the manifestation of that divine glory which was possessed by Him when He was one with God. Let the vail be removed, He says, and let My glory shine forth—the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”—The Signs of the Times, May 10, 1899.
“This world is but an atom in the vast dominions over which God presides, yet this little fallen world—the one lost sheep—is more precious in His sight than are the ninety and nine that went not astray from the fold. Christ, the loved Commander in the heavenly courts, stooped from His high estate, laid aside the glory that He had with the Father, in order to save the one lost world. For this He left the sinless worlds on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came to this earth, to be ‘wounded for our transgressions’ and ‘bruised for our iniquities.’ (Isaiah 53:5.) God gave Himself in His Son that He might have the joy of receiving back the sheep that was lost.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 190, 191.
Wed,
Sep 3
4. PREPARING SUCCESSORS
a. By associating with Christ, what conviction did the disciples reach regarding His words? John 7:17; 17:7. What is our duty today?
“Those who are seeking to know the truth and to understand the will of God, who are faithful to the light and zealous in the performance of their daily duties, will surely know of the doctrine, for they will be guided into all truth. God does not promise, by the masterly acts of His providence, to irresistibly bring men to the knowledge of His truth, when they do not seek for truth and have no desire to know the truth. Men have the power to quench the Spirit of God; the power of choosing is left with them. They are allowed freedom of action. They may be obedient through the name and grace of our Redeemer, or they may be disobedient, and realize the consequences. Man is responsible for receiving or rejecting sacred and eternal truth. The Spirit of God is continually convicting, and souls are deciding for or against the truth.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 427, 428.
b. What did Jesus say to His Father with regard to the belief of the apostles? John 17:8. How do these words apply to us today?
“[John 17:3, 8 quoted.] Here is the work laid before us, to be representatives of Christ, as He in our world was the representative of the Father. We are to teach the words given us in the lessons of Christ. . . . We are in the antitypical day of atonement, and not only are we to humble our hearts before God and confess our sins, but we are, by all our educating talent, to seek to instruct those with whom we are brought in contact, and to bring them by precept and example to know God and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent.”—Christian Education, p. 157.
c. In whose behalf, specifically, did Jesus offer His prayer in John 17? John 17:9, 20.
“[Christ] is making intercession for the most lowly, the most oppressed and suffering, for the most tried and tempted ones.”—Our High Calling, p. 49.
Thu,
Sep 4
5. CHRIST GLORIFIED IN HIS DISCIPLES
a. How is Jesus glorified through His disciples? John 17:10, 11. What is necessary in order for this work to be performed?
“Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth. Thus in His people He is glorified. Through them the Sun of Righteousness will shine in undimmed luster to the world. . . . The church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depositary, in which the riches of His mercy, His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and final display. Christ looks upon His people in their purity and perfection, as the reward of His humiliation, and the supplement of His glory—Christ, the great Center, from whom radiates all glory.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 680.
“Only as they were united with Christ could the disciples hope to have the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of angels of heaven. With the help of these divine agencies they would present before the world a united front and would be victorious in the conflict they were compelled to wage unceasingly against the powers of darkness. As they should continue to labor unitedly, heavenly messengers would go before them, opening the way; hearts would be prepared for the reception of truth, and many would be won to Christ. So long as they remained united, the church would go forth ‘fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.’ Song of Solomon 6:10. Nothing could withstand her onward progress. The church would advance from victory to victory, gloriously fulfilling her divine mission of proclaiming the gospel to the world.”—The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 90, 91.
Fri,
Sep 5
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How can a personal knowledge of Christ affect my destiny?
2. In what ways could my Christian experience be used as an educational tool in God’s hands?
3. What can I do to glorify Christ more fully?
4. Under what circumstances did Jesus pray for the last time with His disciples?
5. Explain the reasons for Christ’s first advent.