Sabbath School Summary

By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Lesson 11

Memory Text: “ ‘The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you’ ” (John 14:26, NKJV).

INTRODUCTION
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 (John 1:1-4, 14, 18, 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.
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 13-17).


SABBATH:
The heavenly trio; the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit actively work together for our salvation (John 1:1-4, 14, 18, 32-34). John draws on several themes in his Gospel to help us grasp the concept of the Godhead. John says that if you want to know God, you must look at Jesus in the Word. He reveals Jesus’ Messiahship & divinity with signs & the “I AM” word. He shows the web of relations among the Godhead, Godhead & man, & man & man (John 13-17).

SUNDAY:
John’s Gospel points us to our origins when God (the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit) made the universe. The Triune God laid the foundations of our world & crowned it with the creation of man. God’s desire was for man to live in loving harmony with Him & with fellow humanity (Gen. 1:1). But sin disrupted this relationship. Jesus became man to restore us back to God (John 10:30, 37, 38; 3:16, 17; 6:57; 5:22, 30; 6:32; 14:10, 24; 6:45; 15:16; 16:23). Believe in Him!

MONDAY:
As the Godhead were one in creation, so they’re one in salvation. To redeem us back to the Father, Jesus, a member of the Godhead, became man to manifest God’s glory. Through Christ, humanity has now received the fullness & grace of God (John 1:14-18). We were created to have a personal relationship with God (Gen. 1:26, 27). Jesus came to restore this (John 1:1, 2; 5:16-18; 6:69; 10:10, 30; 20:28). In Him is life, original & unborrowed (Phil. 2:7, DA, p. 530).

TUESDAY:
The oneness of the Godhead is confirmed in Jesus’ statement, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”. All what Jesus did on earth pointed to the Father. He makes the Father known (occurs 136 times in John & 18 times in John 1-3). That’s, Jesus’ farewell talk is one of the prime spots He makes the Father known (John 1:18, 5:30, 36-38). The Father desires for all to gain eternal life found in Jesus (John 6:40, 44, 7:16; 8:38; 14:10, 23; 15:1, 9, 10; 16:27, 28; 17:3).

WEDNESDAY:
The Holy Spirit does not receive the same attention in the Gospel of John as do the Father & the Son. But He works vitally behind the scenes such as the conception of Jesus Christ. He is key to the success of Jesus’ mission. We become children of God through the guidance of the Spirit in the Word (John 1:10-13, 3:5-8,33, 6:63, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-11). The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift Jesus gave to the disciples. It’s the Spirit that convicts of sin (DA, p. 671).

THURSDAY:
The priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 reveals the link between love & truth. God is love. He desires a loving relationship with us. He gave us Jesus to restore this broken relationship & give us eternal life. Eternal life is knowing the “only true God” & not any other “God” (John 17:3, 6, 8, 17). Before Jesus left, He reiterated the oneness between Himself, the Father, & the Holy Spirit. He showed us the truth of God’s love in His words & actions. He suffered to do this.

FRIDAY:
Jesus rebuked the practice of judging “according to the flesh” (John 8:15, NKJV), as it reflects a fallen human view, & not the Spirit’s influence (John 3:3–7). Focusing on His human nature, the people failed to recognize Him as the Word made flesh (John 1:14). They assessed Him through worldly criteria (2 Cor. 5:16). The Holy Spirit, called the Spirit of truth, works to reveal & uphold truth, offering peace & comfort while exposing and expelling falsehood.

— 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.

Keywords

DA- The Desire of Ages

The incarnation- Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt with us. 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.

Captions

SUNDAY- The Heavenly Father
MONDAY- Jesus and the Father
TUESDAY- Knowing the Son Is Knowing the Father
WEDNESDAY- The Holy Spirit
THURSDAY- The Prayer of Jesus

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?

📌 In practical, everyday terms, what is implied by Jesus’ words “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17)?

📌 Jesus prayed, “ ‘I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one’ ” (John 17:15, NKJV). How do our own choices impact how well this prayer can be answered in our own lives?