♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
We are in an amazing series,
Themes in the Gospel of John.
It has been such a blessing.
If you've missed any, go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess, or Google us,
Hope Sabbath School,
go to our YouTube channel.
You can watch all of the past episodes
in this series, Themes
in the Gospel of John,
today, Blessed Are Those Who Believe.
We are going to look at some characters
in the gospel story, but it's
also a declaration for us
that we are blessed when we believe.
So welcome, we're glad you joined us
for Hope Sabbath School.
Welcome to the team.
Take a look at each other and wave.
We're glad you're all here today.
You notice I'm particularly excited today
because Sabina's going to be teaching,
and we always are blessed
when our team teachers share
the Word of God.
We've got some great team members
joining us, too, remotely.
And we're happy to welcome Zandile,
good to see you with us today.
And, Cory, great to have you back with us
as we study the Word of God.
And we're glad you're with us.
You say, "Derek, I raise my hand sometimes
when I want to make a comment."
Write it down, send it to us,
sshope@hopetv.org, share with us.
It's an an in-depth, interactive study,
not just here, but around the world.
We're also happy when you write to us,
because it lets us know
that God's working, right?
That's why we do what we do.
So, here is Ndele who writes from Zambia.
Do we have a lot
of Hope Sabbath School members in Zambia?
Ndele writes and says,
"Hope Sabbath School is a winning team..."
(Team) Amen!
(Derek) "...sharing the message of hope
and salvation all the way."
Well, Ndele, I would remind you
that you're part of the team,
that we're all part of the team, right,
because it's a global family,
not just those of us in the studio.
Many are downloading the outline
and teaching interactive Bible studies
where they live.
We're all part of the team together.
Thanks for writing.
Winston writes to us from Australia.
Winston says, "Hello,
Hope Sabbath School."
(Team) Hello.
(Derek) I think they know that we'll wave
if they say that.
"I was home today, wasn't able
to go to church, but I watched online,
and then I started to watch
Hope Sabbath School,
and I really enjoyed the program.
God bless you all."
Well, some people have a sickness
or something happens, they can't get out.
Wherever you are, tell your friends.
Tell people who maybe can't get to church.
Tell them to go to Hope Sabbath School
and study the Word of God with us.
Here's a short, hand-written note
from the state of Kansas
in the United States of America,
and a donor writes, "Please accept
this gift in support
of Hope Sabbath School.
I've been watching since it started."
I think we read one who said, "I've been
watching since last month," right?
One said 10 years; this donor says,
"I've been watching since it started.
In fact, one of your team even came
to my Bible class and told me about it."
Well, it's someone who's not here today.
It's our team member Stephanie.
Some of you know Stephanie
who actually went to this person's church
and told them about Hope Sabbath School.
And a donation of 100 dollars.
(Team) Praise God.
(Derek) Thank you, Donor from Kansas,
for being part of the miracle.
We're all working together.
And thank you to each one of you
for being part of this mission.
You can go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess, click
on that little yellow Donate button.
Or get an address and write to us,
send a gift, say, "Derek, I want
to be part of sharing
the immeasurable, unfailing love of God,"
a message of saving hope as we prepare
for the soon-coming of Jesus.
Thank you for your support.
One last note, from Lil, Lil writes
and says, "Since God
brought me back to Him
after over 25 years away from Him,
one of the first Bible studies I found
was...," you want to guess?
(Team) Hope Sabbath School.
(Derek) "...Hope Sabbath School.
I've been watching every week
and taking notes, transcribing
and using the study guide to facilitate
a Bible class, both for adults
and also for youth and for people
who are new to the faith."
(Team) Wow. Amen.
(Derek) Lil, you have become
an evangelist, right?
Isn't that what Jesus wants
for all of us, right?
Blessed Are Those Who Believe.
"I've gotten so much insight," Lil writes,
"and other perspectives
I didn't think about, and it has enhanced
my love for the Scriptures
and my love for God..."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "...so much more that now
I can share that every week."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) I tell you, I want to meet Lil.
I'm guessing Lil is an abbreviation
for the English name Lillian, Lillian,
but I suppose it could be a nickname.
Write to us and tell us, Lil,
sshope@hopetv.org.
"Thank you for the dedication
and love for Christ that you share.
God bless you all."
Well, I think we'd say "God bless you,
too, Lil,"
wouldn't you say that?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) She's teaching adults,
youth, new believers.
After 25 years away,
Jesus brought you home.
Well, we're glad that you're all part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
That's why we do what we do,
sharing a message of eternal hope.
And have you downloaded the gift yet,
the six Trilogy Scripture Songs
from the words of Jesus,
four from the Gospel of John,
two from the book of Revelation?
I sing them all the time.
It's a great way to hide the words
of Jesus in your heart.
Just go to our website,
click on the Free Gift tab.
You know our website: hopetv.org/hopess.
Click on the Free Gift tab, and it will
show you how to download
those six Trilogy Scripture Songs.
I want to thank my wife
for making those available to us
as a gift to you so that you can
hide God's Word in your heart.
And when you're there at the website,
you can download our theme song
for this quarter, Behold! The Lamb of God.
Do you like that song?
That's a testimony of John the Baptist.
Let's sing it together.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) When Jesus comes,
the dead in Christ rise, and the redeemed
are all gathered, caught up
to meet Him in the air, I'm going
to be looking for John
the Baptist, Sabina.
I'm going to thank him for that testimony.
I'm going to start singing,
and he says, "I don't know that song."
And I'll tell him, "Let me
teach you the song,
but thank you for your testimony."
And God bless you as you teach us today.
(Sabina) Amen. Let's behold
a little bit more of the Lamb of God
as we study together.
But let's start with a prayer.
Dear Jesus, our Lord, our Savior,
we are so thankful to be able
to behold these words here.
And as we learn
about the different witnesses
[testimonies]
that were given by all sorts of people
that You touched
during Your ministry on this earth,
we are also moved to grow
into Your likeness.
So, as we join together here,
we ask that Your Holy Spirit,
just like It rested upon You,
It will rest upon us also,
will speak to our hearts
and impress our minds with truth,
with the truth that You
are the Son of God that takes away
the sin from the world.
I pray in a special way for every person
who will be watching this,
that they will also come to witness
about Jesus in their lives.
In Your name we pray. Amen.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) Okay, so as we continue
this series of studies
on the book of John, I love
specifically the first [and second verses]
of the book of John that says,
"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God."
That gives us the clarity
that Jesus' testimony and His work
had not just started when He was
first seen in Galilee or in Nazareth
or in Jerusalem, but He had been working
since the beginning of the world.
And we are going to start our study
looking at the witness of a person
who has not had the privilege
of seeing Jesus walking
and ministering on this earth,
but who has had a prophetic witness
of the work of Jesus that was happening
and that was about to happen
in the future as well, and that's Abraham.
And so, maybe, Travis, if you'll
start us off in the study
by taking us to John 8:56,
and we are going to see what it was
that Jesus talked about
regarding the witness of Abraham
or the revelation that was given
to Abraham about Him.
(Travis) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) Praise God.
(Sabina) So, what was the testimony
of Jesus regarding the revelation that was
given to Abraham? Anyone. Yes, Gladys.
(Gladys) That the Messiah would come.
That revelation was given to Abraham,
and just imagining that, he was glad.
(Sabina) He was glad;
he would rejoice. Yes, Puia.
(Puia) I believe there was also the story
where God asked Abraham
to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
Just before he sacrificed Isaac,
the angel stopped him, and God
provided a ram in the place of Isaac.
And I believe God let Abraham understand
at that point in time that in the future
there would come a Savior, the Messiah,
who would be sacrificed on behalf
of the people of this world.
And so Abraham foresaw Jesus' day.
(Sabina) Okay, so we are seeing here
that Jesus made this testimony
about the revelation that Abraham had,
and it seemed like that one of the moments
where Jesus (and God) was
unveiling Himself to Abraham
was, for instance, in this episode
that you are now reading, right?
So we do have some passages here
that we are going to look at today
in the Old Testament, in Genesis,
the very first book of the Bible,
that will give us evidence of the ways
in which Jesus was already revealing
Himself to Abraham,
and not only to Abraham
but all the nations around him
who were to be blessed by this testimony.
Okay, so maybe, Puia, since you
already initiated us with some
of those stories, if you'll take us
to Genesis 12:3.
(Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Genesis, chapter 12, verse 3:
(Sabina) So we see here especially
that what was happening was
the call of Abraham.
And already in this call of Abraham,
there was a promise, and it was a promise
that was pointing to Jesus.
Maybe, Joshua, can you take us
to Genesis 18, verses 17 and 18.
(Joshua) Of course. I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Sabina) Okay, so, is that revelation
also happening here in this event?
Which event is that?
Do you have any thoughts?
Can you see the revelation of Jesus
occurring here also? Yes, Travis.
(Travis) It is occurring
through his son Isaac, because Jesus
would end up coming
through the lineage of Abraham.
(Sabina) In fact, that is
a very important event
of the revelation of God to Abraham
and to us as well.
I think that's also mentioned
in the New Testament.
We are eventually going to get there,
but there is one more passage
in the Old Testament that we can look at
in chapter 22, verses 13 to 18,
and maybe let's have Cory take us there.
And that's just another passage
where we can see the revelation of Jesus
already in the time
of the Old Testament. Cory.
(Cory) Yes, Genesis 22:13-18,
in the New King James:
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) So we see here not once,
not twice, but at least three times
in which this promise
of the coming special blessing
through the seed of Abraham was going
to be revealed in Jesus. Yes, Travis.
(Travis) I just want to make a point.
In verse 8, Abraham says, "My son,
the Lord will provide
a burnt offering Himself."
Many scholars believe
that there should be a comma,
"The Lord will provide Himself,
a burnt offering," and I agree with that.
I think it was revealed to him that God
would provide Himself,
the Lamb to be slain, as we've been
talking about with John the Baptist.
(Sabina) Those are
very interesting thoughts.
Indeed, we know for sure
that it was His provision of Himself
that granted us to have
this blessing in Christ.
So we are going to be looking now
at a couple of verses in the New Testament
that confirm this truth.
Can we please turn to the book of Matthew,
and I'm going to ask Viara,
Viara, if you'll lead us
to the first chapter of Matthew,
and it's going to be verse 1.
And we are going to be looking here
at a New Testament writing that confirms
the revelation that was given
to Abraham about Jesus.
(Viara) I'm reading
from the New Living Translation:
(Sabina) Okay, and do we
have any thoughts here
about this particular verse? Yes, Puia.
(Puia) For us, I believe we take it
for granted that Matthew started
his account of the story of Jesus
with the genealogy because we just read it
like, "Oh, it's just another story."
But the Jews at that point in time
had been expecting the Messiah to come
from the lineage of Abraham and David.
And so Matthew intentionally starting
the story of Jesus by pointing them
back to Abraham should remind them
of that promise that this Jesus, indeed,
is that promised blessing from Abraham.
(Sabina) That's awesome.
I think it's so beautiful, the ways
in which the Holy Spirit has impressed
the different writers to give the witness
that was important in their context.
Because we see that for Matthew
it was so important to refer to Abraham,
while for John, he decided to even go
back to Genesis, right?
So let's look also at Acts 3:25,26,
and maybe, Jason, if you could
read that text for us.
(Jason) Alright, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Acts, chapter 3, verses 25 and 26:
Verse 26:
(Sabina) Yes, that's awesome.
So we can see that God has preached
the gospel through type and promise.
You know, these prophecies that we see,
even in the time of Abraham
were already giving evidence
of God's love and presence
to them back in that day.
So it's important that we keep in mind
that the witness that is given to Jesus
is not just about the stories that we read
in the New Testament,
but also all throughout eternity.
From eternity to eternity, there are
a lot of witnesses that we are going
to hear about Jesus. Yes, Travis.
(Travis) If I may, I would like to read
from the book of Hebrews,
because it wasn't just the writings
about Abraham that confirmed;
it was his life that confirmed it.
Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 9 and 10,
if I could read that.
Hebrews, chapter 11:9,10, says:
He did not just believe
that the Messiah would come,
he believed His mission
would be successful.
(Sabina) That's wonderful,
thank you so much, Travis.
And it's awesome to also see,
just like as we witnessed
in our previous studies, how God
has this way of revealing Himself.
You know, little by little,
He puts the seed.
He explores an experience of a person.
Altogether, He brings us to see HIs work
all throughout history. Yes, Viara.
(Viara) And I guess His plan was
not to just be a God of the generation
of Abraham by blood, but all
that spiritually would accept Jesus.
And how awesome it will be if one day
it says, "And He was the God of Jacob,
the God of Abraham, the God of Viara."
That's what I want to hear one day.
(Sabina) Yes. Isn't it in Galatians,
I think it's Galatians 3:8,
if I'm not mistaken, but if it's not,
we will find it, that actually the Bible
says that even Abraham was justified
by faith in Christ, right?
So there is no such person
that has existed or that will exist
that would not require the sacrifice
of Jesus as the source of their salvation.
Okay, so, I sometimes hear people
[ask] this question, "What happened
to those that came before Jesus?
Would they be able to benefit
[from] the blessing
of the sacrifice of Jesus?"
And what is the answer?
(Derek) Absolutely.
(Sabina) Of course.
There would be no other way.
There was no plan A and now plan B
or plan Z, so the plan has
always been the same from eternity
through eternity. Amen?
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) We are going
to be looking now at the witness
of a beautiful, beautiful story here
that was left in the book of John.
It's the witness of Mary.
So we move from the prophetic witness
of Abraham to now learn about the witness
of a person that actually spent time
with Jesus and saw Jesus
right in front of her.
So maybe, Gladys, if you'll take us
to the book of John, and we are going
to start off in chapter 12,
and if you'll read verses 1 to 3.
And I would like us all
to already be considering,
why did Mary anoint the feet of Jesus
with an expensive ointment? Gladys.
(Gladys) And I'm reading
from the New International Version,
John, chapter 12, verses 1 to 3:
(Sabina) So why do you think
that Mary anointed the feet...?
Yes, Jason.
(Jason) We understand that it was
before His burial, you know, that He
would be anointed, but also her devotion.
I mean, this woman had been delivered
from, like, seven demons,
so her love for Jesus,
she was always at His feet, and so this is
an opportunity for her to express that
in such a loving way.
(Sabina) Yes, Derek.
(Derek) So, I can only conclude
that she was led by the Spirit to do that.
This was very intimate, I mean, pouring
and wiping with her hair.
I don't think she
thought that up by herself.
I think the Holy Spirit impressed her.
I'm not sure she even fully realized
she was anointing for His burial.
I think Jason's right; she was thinking,
"Well, I love my Savior;
He's delivered me."
But sometimes I believe the Holy Spirit
impresses us to do things, and later we
may understand the full implications
of what we're doing.
(Sabina) That's right, so she was
surely very devoted.
She had already experienced Jesus
to a point that she would do
such a pouring out of the things
that she had on hand
as an expression of her inner experience
with God. Yes, Puia.
(Puia) Some have noted that she spent
a year's wage on that anointment.
Think about that,
like one whole year's wage;
that's a lot of money.
And for her to be willing to dedicate that
to Jesus shows that she
really loved Jesus, and she was
fully surrendered to Jesus.
(Sabina) That's right.
And you know what I think is
so interesting is that Jesus is known
as the Christ or also the Messiah,
and if there is one time apart
from when we see that Jesus
was anointed in His baptism
by the Holy Spirit,
we would say that the only time
we see in the New Testament when Jesus
is actually being anointed
with oil is this event.
Have you considered that?
So, not only do we see here the testimony
of a woman who had a love for Jesus,
but God was also using her
in a very special way.
Anointings were given to kings
and to people who had a special role
to play, and God used this woman,
of all people, a person that had a heart
to pour, to do this very anointing
that was done only by the high priests
in very specific situations.
Okay, yes, Cory.
(Cory) I was just going to add to it,
and it actually goes along with what you
were saying perfectly.
If you've ever smelled spikenard,
it's very, very strong.
And so, this being done
before His crucifixion, it probably was
very strong on Him still
throughout that whole time.
So, if you think about the people
He interacted with during that time,
smelling the smell of kings,
of the wealthy, and they're crucifying
this Man who had done nothing wrong,
it's another blessing
or another aspect to think about.
(Sabina) That's right, Cory.
And not only that, but if you look
a little further in John, chapter 12,
we are going to see the Triumphal Entry
of Jesus in this last last week,
in the Passion week.
So imagine that Jesus entered Jerusalem
with that smell of a king.
Right, think about this.
So we are going to look a little further
into that story, and maybe, Tendi,
if you will read for us from John,
chapter 12, from verses 4 to 8,
and we are going to see the reactions
of some of those present
to this outpouring of love from her.
What did they say, and how did
Jesus respond to them?
(Tendi) Thank you, Sabina, and I'll
be reading from the New King James:
(Sabina) Oh, wow.
So, what are some of the reactions
you see here, and how did Jesus
respond to them? Yes, Jason.
(Jason) Of course, it looked like
it was a waste of money.
Like, why would you even do that?
It could be better used
for something else, like the "poor."
But we understand that that wasn't
the motive of Judas.
(Sabina) Right, of all people, it would be
Judas who was the one criticizing
her gesture, right? Derek.
(Derek) I like how you emphasized
that that fragrance stayed with Jesus.
And I wonder if Mary looked back and said,
"That was even more significant
than I ever realized."
In fact, when Jesus said, "She anointed me
for my burial," I wonder
if she [looked wide-eyed], right?
We may think, well, no, she understood
all of that; everything was...
I imagine, back to our lives,
when the Holy Spirit guides us
to be a witness of Jesus, who He is,
that God can do miraculous things.
And we'll look back with joy and say,
"God, You're amazing!" Right?
(Sabina) That's beautiful.
And His attitude towards her
was one of acceptance, of affirmation.
It was not like Judas, of trying
to tell her to withhold from serving
Him in love.
But I think it's very important also
for me to highlight here that Judas
was part of the entourage of Jesus.
He had a big responsibility,
the responsibility of carrying the funds
that were to be used in their mission.
And of all people, the one
who had been entrusted with that power,
he was the one who was criticizing
the very person that God was
about to use. Yes, Travis.
(Travis) As I was reading and thinking
about this story, I was most impressed
with how Jesus responded,
and that is, "Let her alone."
(Sabina) Right.
(Travis) He's always concerned
about His people, you know.
John, chapter 10, "I have them
in My hands, and no one can
snatch them out of My hands."
Here He's coming to her aid.
She's serving Him and He says,
"Leave her alone."
I was just impressed by that.
(Sabina) That's quite outstanding, right,
especially in a context where women
were not seen or regarded in society
as having a word or being able
to [spend so much money
on something] of their own volition.
I wonder if someone was wondering,
"Oh, did she get permission from Lazarus?"
She was a sister of Lazarus.
It crosses my mind.
But now she is being defended by Jesus
who not only accepts that
but also makes sure to say,
"Let her alone; she is Mine."
So, let's make sure, when we also see
the outpouring of an expression of love
from people towards God, that we are able
to recognize it and be sensitive.
And how are some of the ways
that we, ourselves, can also express love
to Jesus as our Messiah? Yes, Viara.
(Viara) I talk to more and more people
who say, "Well, I'm saved, so there is
nothing really I can do to deserve
my salvation," or, "I can stay
the way I am, and I don't have
to do anything for God."
But I think Jesus said, "If you love Me,
you will keep My commandments."
And for me, this is like when you
are in a marriage.
You don't have to do anything, but you
do it because you love this person.
And if you never talk about your husband,
and if you never talk to him, about him,
or listen to him, then maybe you don't
have a real relationship with him.
(Sabina) Okay, so [one very important way
we can pour out love] towards God
[is to pour out love] towards people,
because this is the heart of the Law,
love for God and love for people.
We do those things because He loved us,
and so we also are invited to be loving.
Any other thoughts? Yes, Jason.
(Jason) There are a plethora of things
we can do to be able to show that love.
But what I like to do is actually go
to food pantries and help people out
because I know,
especially in this economy
things are hard, so I am able to be there
to be the feet and hands of Jesus
during those times to help people out
with an actual meal.
(Sabina) Okay, so charitable deeds also.
I also saw Zandile; you had your hand up?
(Zandile) Yes, and I wanted to say
that Judas was not of the same nature
as Jesus Christ; he was one of the twelve
when he was thinking
[of things differently]
from the nature of Jesus Christ.
And one of the [ways in which]
we can express our love to other people
is to be of the same mindset
as Jesus Christ and have
the nature of God, the kindness
of God within us, so that it flows
from within us to all those around us.
(Sabina) That's wonderful.
So, there are many things that we can do.
And I'm just going to get
Cory's comment also.
Cory, I want to hear you, and then we are
going to move to the testimony of a person
that didn't have the same type
of heart as Mary. Yes, Cory.
(Cory) I think a lot of these things
that bubble out of us can only come
from a relationship with Christ,
and that is done
by spending time with Him.
And you see couples that, when they
start dating or get married, start
looking alike because they
start acting alike.
That's how we reflect Christ
to those around us,
spend time with Him, know Him,
so that we can reflect Him.
(Sabina) That's wonderful, yeah.
I really love this testimony of Mary.
I think it's so inspiring,
Derek and friends, because we all
are also invited to pour out everything
we have to Jesus.
And I wonder if there is someone
watching us, and they have been
withholding some parts of their life
from God, maybe afraid
of what could happen.
Maybe it's something very precious to you,
right, the salary of your whole year,
or even [something much more] deep
in your heart, in your mind.
But, you know, don't withhold those things
from Jesus, because nothing you bestow,
in true worship, upon Jesus
will ever, ever be wasted.
Just look at what He did
and how He protected this woman,
and how it multiplies, as Derek
was sharing, even to the cross.
There is nothing that you pour upon Jesus
that you are not going to see Him
taking care of and multiplying it further.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) So, let's look here
at the witness of Pontius Pilate.
So, now we are moving from Mary,
a person that had
this generous heart towards God,
to a person that was more reluctant.
So maybe, Cory, if you will read for us;
we are still going to be reading
from the book of John, chapter 18,
verse 38, and then chapter 19, verse 4.
And then we'll be thinking of what we can
conclude from the testimony
of Pilate regarding Jesus.
(Cory) John 18:38 to start with,
out of the New King James:
And then 19, verse 4:
(Sabina) Thank you.
So, what are your thoughts?
What can we conclude
from the testimony of Pilate
regarding Jesus? Yes, Puia.
(Puia) Pilate stood
before the truth in person.
Jesus is the truth, and Jesus said,
"I came to make known
the truth to the world."
And Pilate asked what we could consider
one of the most important questions
that we could ever ask God,
"What is truth?"
But then the text said he then went away.
He didn't stay to receive
the revelation of God.
So, there is that lesson for us
to stay a little longer and allow God
to reveal Himself to us.
(Sabina) That's right, Puia.
Maybe if Pilate had stayed
a little longer, right, paid
a little more attention
to what he had right in front of his eyes,
the story could have been different,
at least for him and his family.
So, I also find it interesting that he
found no fault in Jesus,
even though he didn't resonate with Jesus.
So, in that staying a little longer,
maybe we are kind of already seeing
something happening, and it may not
always make sense to you,
because it was not making sense to Pilate.
He said, "What is truth?"
Like, it seemed like truth for him
was not something that obvious
or for Jesus it was,
and he should have taken a little longer
to maybe understand that, even if he
couldn't reconcile that,
that it was exactly what was happening.
Yes, Gladys.
(Gladys) At this point, Pilate
had already heard about Jesus.
He had heard about His ministry.
He had heard about the miracles.
So, even though he didn't have
the full revelation, even though he
didn't take the time to spend,
he could have at least been
a little bit more conscious towards
the Person that he was dealing with,
but he chose not to.
(Sabina) Right, and we are
going to see further, maybe if Lezlie
would take us to Matthew 27:19,
that there was more revelation
that was given to Pilate about Jesus.
So, let's read there in Matthew 27:19,
and we are going to learn
about this revelation.
(Lezlie) I'm reading
from the New Living Translation,
Matthew 27:19:
(Sabina) Oh, wow.
So, what special revelation
is being given here to him?
He had experienced what he saw
as his own witness, and now...Yes, Derek.
(Derek) And even if we don't know
the content of the dream,
we see the love of God, that God
loves Pilate, that Jesus wants
Pilate to be saved.
But in my favorite book
on the life of Jesus, The Desire of Ages,
it speaks about that dream given
to Pilate's wife, a revelation
of what would happen, including the coming
of Jesus in glory.
And one translation said nightmare,
mine just said a dream,
I don't know; it was troubling to her
because this innocent man
was the King of Glory.
But even if we didn't know the dream,
I see the love of God,
"What else can I do," you know,
"to reach out in a loving rescue, " right,
salvation to this person.
(Sabina) That's right.
So, He not only gave that opportunity
for him to witness for himself,
and he failed to stay a little longer,
as Puia was saying,
but He also then took the time
to communicate with the person
who was the most important person
in his life, I suppose, to see
if maybe he would listen to his wife.
Isn't that powerful, to see the ways
that God is trying to find our hearts.
So, how do you explain, then, the actions
of Pilate in light of his testimony
and special revelation
that was given to him?
How can we explain that he
still wouldn't hear that? Yes, Gladys.
(Gladys) Well, we have been talking
about how Satan just blinds us
and makes us deaf.
And obviously in his response
to the revelation he has received
and his response to the dream
that his wife had,
he still did not open his heart
to accept Jesus for whom he was seeing
that He could be.
(Sabina) Yes, Zandile, I see
you have your hand up.
(Zandile) As you were questioning
I thought of the fact that Pilate
and his wife were Romans,
but we find God revealing Himself
to the Romans, the Gentiles at that time,
people who did not have anything
to do with God, people who did not
know Him, but He comes to them.
Even Jesus, He was
about to be a sacrifice for everybody,
but God is saying,
"Hey, listen, have nothing..."
He is revealing Himself to show
that He cares for all humanity,
for everyone, not only the Jews.
But in light of the question
that you just asked, I wanted to say
that God had already said,
"I have given today
in front of you life or death.
It's up to you to, you know, choose life
or you choose death."
(Derek) Wow.
(Sabina) Yes. Puia, I see your hand up.
Would you take us to John 19,
verses 1 and 16.
We are going to see
a little bit more there,
and then maybe you can add...
(Puia) Sure, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
John 19, verse 1:
And verse 16:
What I wanted to comment on, Sabina,
was that Pilate was
pressured by the crowd.
It may be easy, to kind of, blame him,
but I believe there is also danger
for us today that we, too, can
be pressured to go along
with the majority.
It's not fun to be different
from the crowd, so one reason Pilate,
while knowing that Jesus was innocent,
why did He still deliver Jesus
to be crucified?
Well, because he gave in
to the pressure of the crowd.
(Sabina) That's right, he gave in
to the pressure of the crowd.
And he also had a role,
and sometimes the pressure can even be
because of a certain profession
that you have.
Because he had a role to play,
and part of his role to play
was to make sure that all parts
and communities were satisfied and happy.
So one day [he had to satisfy one group]
and another day [another group],
so he had to reconcile his call
as a leader with the witness of Jesus
that was right in front of him.
And it seems like he failed. Yes, Travis.
(Travis) I was thinking of a song
that I sang as a kid, Stand up,
Stand up, for Jesus.
Jesus was going to the cross,
whether Pilate flogged Him or not,
because it was His time.
But he could have taken a stand for Jesus,
and he chose, as mentioned,
not to take a stand
because of popular opinion.
And I think there is a lesson
for us to learn, as when we're asked
to take a stand, we
might not change a situation,
but we can stand.
We can stand for Jesus.
(Sabina) Yes. So I see
many hands up, and I would love
to continue talking about that,
but we are going to move
to our next witness.
And, Cory, if you will help us there.
We are going to be looking
at the witness of Thomas,
Thomas who struggled to believe
that Jesus was risen from the dead.
So we already know, we heard
from the story of Mary and her testimony.
We've seen here in the testimony,
also, of Pilate, who was
a completely different person than Mary,
a different background,
a different response.
Now, let's look at Thomas, who was
one of those close followers of Jesus.
So, if you'll read for us from John,
chapter 20, from verses 19 to 24, Cory.
(Cory) I'm reading
from the New King James:
(Sabina) Okay, so, Cory,
just stick with us a little longer here.
I saw you had your hand up,
and you just read this text.
Why do you think that Thomas
was struggling to believe
that Jesus was risen from the dead?
What are your thoughts?
(Cory) I think some people
just need to [feel and] see things
with their own hands and eyes,
and there were so many doubts
because he really believed Jesus
was going to be a king on Earth right now.
And [with] his belief, he doubted
everything that was going on,
so he needed to see it himself.
(Sabina) Okay, thank you so much.
And we are going to look
a little further here.
Maybe, Joshua, if you'll read
for us John 20:25,26, and we are
going to be thinking
[of what more we can learn]
about Thomas from these two verses?
(Joshua) Alright, I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
John 20:25-26:
(Sabina) So, what can we learn
about Thomas? Yes, Gladys.
(Gladys) I think that he is like what Cory
was saying, that he is somebody
that needs something tangible,
that needs tangible evidence
before they can believe.
But I just love that Jesus, even though He
knew that he didn't believe,
He's so loving, the love of God
is so big, that He reaches
even beyond our unbelief
and reveals Himself to us.
(Derek) I always struggled
with calling him "Thomas the Doubter."
I think he's a skeptic.
I think, like Cory said, he may need
a little more tangible evidence.
But I want us to note that he is there
in the upper room, right,
eight days later; he is there.
So, his heart is open, and I'm so thankful
for what happens next,
because while Jesus says,
"Blessed are those who believe
even though they don't see,"
He doesn't say, "Thomas, you're a loser.
Leave the room."
I see the love of Jesus there.
But I want to affirm Thomas,
even though he was struggling,
he showed up with the people of God.
(Team) Amen.
(Sabina) So, looking to that,
maybe, Jason, if you'll read for us.
We are going to look at the way
that Jesus encourages Thomas
and also how Thomas
finally responds to Jesus,
so verses 27 to 29,
if you'll read that for us.
(Jason) My pleasure, and the Bible says:
(Sabina) Thank you.
So, first of all, how did
Jesus encourage Thomas?
Do you have any thoughts about it?
Yes, Travis.
(Travis) I'm just really impressed, first,
by Thomas' request, and then Jesus giving
him exactly what he needs to believe.
We've been going through this study
of John, and many people were asking
for signs; Jesus didn't give them a sign.
And here now Thomas is saying,
"Unless I see this....," I think it has
to do with the condition of the heart.
I think Derek is right.
He wanted to believe,
but he wanted evidence.
And I've been in this situation
with Thomas before, and God
has revealed Himself to me
in a powerful way.
When your heart is willing and receptive,
God knows what you need, and He
will give it and reveal Himself to you.
(Sabina) Puia. I see so many hands up.
We're always stirred up with that story.
Yes, Puia.
(Puia) I am very encouraged by this story,
because I myself struggle with doubts
quite a lot of the time.
And there could be two types of doubters.
One group would be doubting towards faith,
and one group would be
doubting towards unbelief.
What we see from Thomas is that, yes,
he was struggling with doubts,
but he was doubting towards faith.
So, if we are struggling
with doubts today, there is
a lot of encouragement from this story,
that Jesus doesn't condemn.
Instead, the words of Jesus said,
"Blessed are those who have not
seen Me but believe."
He's talking about us.
(Sabina) Yes, so at the same time, Thomas
was encouraged by Jesus,
so Jesus listens to Thomas, He comes
towards Thomas and his needs
in that moment, but at the same time,
He uses Thomas' story
as an object lesson,
let's put it this way, for all of us.
So we that are here, and we do have
the chance right now to be like, "Oh,
Jesus, can I touch it?"
But He is going to make sure that we know
that we are more blessed than Thomas
if we are able to believe without having
that same experience that he had.
So, Gladys, just to conclude this part
about Thomas, what encouragement
do you find in this story for your life?
(Gladys) Well, I feel like the man
that Jesus asked if he believed,
and he said, "I believe,
but help my unbelief."
You know, sometimes we have this doubt,
but God finds a way to just reveal Himself
in a personal way to [move]
towards belief, like Puia was saying.
You have doubts, but, yes,
[He will] move you closer to Him
towards believing in Him.
(Sabina) Isn't He loving?
Isn't He so caring, that even if we are
in that moment of doubt, of challenges,
He is going to make sure to come
towards you because He loves you.
He is not trying to make it hard,
right, Gladys, for us?
(Gladys) He's not.
(Sabina) He's trying as much as He can
to attract us to Him.
Thank You, Jesus, for that.
And so, maybe, Lezlie, if you'll take us
to the final part of our study, we are
going to be looking at the way
in which John concludes his own witness
because John is also a witness
of all that, and he gives that witness
of many things that he saw
and what he thinks of Jesus.
So, if you'll take us to John,
chapter 20, verses 30 and 31, please.
(Lezlie) Okay, I'm reading
from the New Living Translation:
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) So, what testimony
is John giving here? Yes, Travis.
(Travis) I'm going to make the argument
that that should be the last verse
of the Bible, because I think
that encapsulates all of Scripture.
I think that's the reason
all of Scripture was written.
But John wanted to be sure
that we knew that that was the reason.
As a matter of fact, now when I study
the book of John, and I
have that understanding, wow,
there's a whole new revelation.
You read the Bible in a different way
when you know that that's why
it was written.
(Sabina) Yeah, it seems like John's desire
was that you and I would believe
those things, you know?
Ultimately, [it was] all he wanted,
and through the Holy Spirit he
was inspired because he knew
that if we have the life of Jesus,
we have eternal life.
If we belong to Jesus,
we have eternal life.
And just to conclude here, do you have
a story of your own,
your testimony about Jesus?
We are going to say that in short;
we don't have much time.
Is there something that you can say here
that you are inspired to share.
Yes, Tendi.
(Tendi) How I came to the church,
it was a trying time for me,
but I held onto the fact that, leaving
my job to honor the Sabbath
and being unemployed for three years,
Jesus will honor my fidelity one day.
I stood firm to the belief that I had
and the conviction I had.
(Team) Amen.
(Sabina) Thank you, Tendi.
I think that each one of us here
(if I start asking, we won't have time)
would have a testimony to share
of the many ways in which Jesus
has been touching our lives.
And that's my invitation also for you
who are watching us.
I'm sure that Jesus has been working
in your life even before you were alive.
He was thinking of you
when He made you and knitted you together
in your mother's womb.
He had a plan for you.
He has a desire for your life,
and that desire is that you would come
to believe in Him and have life.
So just please take this invitation
from Jesus, it's a gift,
and not only receive the witness
that we see in the Bible from Thomas
or from Mary or the prophetic witness
of Abraham or the witness of Tendi,
Puia, Derek, but also see the witness
of what the things are that Jesus
will do in your life.
I look forward to learning of the ways
in which we are witnessing His work
in you for eternity. Amen?
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Derek) What a powerful study.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) And, "Blessed are those
who believe," is not just those back then,
but could we testify, "We are
blessed because we believe"?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) We believe what?
We believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that by believing
we have life in His name.
Thank you, Sabina, for sharing with us.
And thank you for joining us.
I just want to appeal to you
as Sabina has; don't let this
just be information.
John said these stories
are not just to entertain you
but so you could be saved
forever in God's Kingdom.
Let's pray together.
Father in Heaven, may the testimonies
of those who believed, that we have
shared today, including present testimony,
remind us that You are not trying
to hide from us, but You want
to find us and save us and use us
to bless others with a word
of hope through You.
Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School - what a journey.
Take what you've learned, my friend,
go out and be a blessing
to those around you.
♪ theme music ♪