Sabbath School Summary

By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza

What More Could I Have Done?

Lesson 11

Memory Text: “Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice’ ” (John 18:37, NKJV).

Introduction
Some years ago, an insightful children’s story was printed in Guide magazine. The story focuses on a boy named Denis, an orphan living as a foster child with a family in medieval times. Denis passionately hates the king of his land because, when his parents were sick, the king’s soldiers carried him away, and he never saw them again. Only later did he learn that the king separated them in order to spare the living all the horrors of the Black Plague. The truth about the king sets Denis free from the hatred that he had harbored almost his entire life. The king had always, and in every case, acted out of love for his people.
Many people today view God somewhat like Denis viewed the king. The evil they have witnessed or experienced brings them to hate or dismiss God. Where is God when there is suffering? If God is good, why is there so much evil? The cosmic conflict sheds light on this crucial issue, but many questions remain. Yet, when all our attempts at answers fail to satisfy, we can look to Jesus on the cross and see in Him that God can be trusted, even with all the questions that remain unanswered for now.

SABBATH:
Years ago, a story issued in Guide Magazine talks of an orphan, Denis, in medieval times who had deep hatred for his king after being separated from his sick parents. Later, he got to know that the king’s actions were an act of love to spare the living from the Black Plague. He was freed from the hatred. Many now question God’s love amid evil. The cosmic conflict help us understand but Jesus on the cross is the ultimate assurance that we can trust God always.

Christ the Victor

SUNDAY:
The Bible tells us that Satan is the arch-deceiver, slanderer, accuser, & usurping ruler of this world. It also tells us that Satan is a defeated foe; Jesus is the victor over Satan in every way (Rev. 12:9, Matt. 4:3, John 8:44, 2 Cor. 11:3, 1 John 3:8; Rev. 12:10, 13:6, Job 1, 2, Zech. 3:1, 2, Jude 9; John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, Acts 26:18, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, 1 John 5:19). Jesus testified the truth & showed God’s love at the cross. He’ll end Satan’s kingdom (John 18:37, Rom. 3:25, 26; 5:8, Rev. 12:10, 11, 12, 11:15).

The Just and the Justifier

MONDAY:
The life of Christ is a direct rebuke to Satan’s claims that God is not fully righteous. Christ’s work undoes the work of Satan. The total defeat of Satan is in two stages; 1. The cross disproves his claims, 2. Later, Satan & his kingdom will be destroyed. After Jesus’ death, unfallen angels & the whole of heaven got to know how Satan revealed himself as a murderer. He now has no mercy in heaven (DA, p. 761, Rev. 12:10-12, Gen. 3:15, 18:25, Deut. 32:4, 1 Sam. 3:18, Ps. 145:17, Dan. 4:37, Hab. 1:13, Rev. 15:3).

The Song of My Beloved

TUESDAY:
Why was sin permitted? How did God deal with sin? Should God have done more than He has done to prevent and/or remove evil? We’ve seen from the cosmic conflict that God has acted to respect our free will & acted within moral constraints/rules of engagement. He has acted to show His love for us. We’re God’s vineyard & He’s the owner (Isa. 5:1-4, 1:8, Jer. 2:21). Isaiah tells us that God has done everything possible for His vineyard (us) to flourish but it grew wild (worthless/stinking) grapes.

Christ’s Parable of the Vineyard

WEDNESDAY:
Christ’s parable of the Vineyard picks up from Isaiah 5 to pose the question “what more could He (God) do?” (Matt. 21:33-39). God leased His vineyard to vinedressers & went into a far country. When He sent His servants (the prophets) to collect the harvest, the vinedressers killed them. He sent His only Son & they killed Him too (John 3:16). In this cosmic conflict, God could not use force but love through the work of Christ to show His true character.

The Vindication of God’s Name

THURSDAY:
The plan of redemption laid out by the Godhead vindicates God’s name (Rom. 3:25, 26, 5:8, 3:1-4, Isa. 5:3, 4). God invites us (mere creatures) to judge His character even though we have no right to do so. In the end when all the “books” are opened, we’ll see evidence of the righteous & just nature of God (Rom. 15:3, Rev. 19:1-6). God is concerned about His name because trust is key in a relationship. In the pre & post-Advent judgment, God stands vindicated (1 Cor. 6:2, 3, 4:5, Phil. 2:10, 11).

Further Thought

FRIDAY:
All secret things belong to God. In the new world, the mysteries that perplexed us will be made plain. Where our finite minds saw only confusion & broken promises, we shall see the most perfect & beautiful harmony. “We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

—Ellen G. White, “The Reward of Earnest Effort,” pp. 285–288, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9.

Keywords

DA- The Desire of Ages

The Godhead- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

Divine Suffering- While people suffer greatly in this cosmic conflict, God Himself suffers most of all. When we look at the Cross, we can, indeed, see what suffering and pain sin has brought to God Himself.

Discussion Questions

📌Have you been perplexed in trying to understand the providences of God? How does it comfort you to know that all such things will be made plain in the end?

📌 Ponder what Christ gave up in order to become human and to die for this world. Further reflect on what this tells us about God’s love and whether God can be trusted. What more could He do?

📌 What is so important about God’s “name”? What implications does this have for those of us who call ourselves Christian? In what ways have Christians sometimes brought disrepute on the name of Christ, and what can we do in our local communities to show people what following Christ looks like in practice?

📌 In the end, even our best “answers” relative to the problem of evil are incomplete for now. What can we do in practice to draw close to those who are suffering and be agents of relieving suffering in this world as we await the final, eschatological solution to the problem of evil that only God can bring?

📌 Dwell more on Isaiah 53:4, on the fact that Christ bore our “griefs” and “sorrows.” What happened corporately at the Cross that helps us understand the plan of salvation and what it cost God to save us?