Sabbath School Lesson for November 23-29, 2024
Overview and Introduction of Lesson 9, The Source of Life
Memory Text: ” ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” John 14:6 NKJV
The Gospel of John highlights the saving, eternal life we receive from Jesus Christ more than any other book in the Bible. The only Person who can be that source of life is God himself, the Creator of life. No angel, holy or fallen, has the ability to give us life of any kind. It is God’s role to give it. That is what He does when we believe who He is and cast our allegiance with the source of life.
John, known as His beloved disciple, made the divine identity of Jesus crystal clear in his first chapter and his entire Gospel record of Christ’s remarkable earthly ministry. Jesus alone can give life, both the saving, abundant life we have now and eternal life with Him in the earth made new. This is because He is the source of life, the Creator of the whole universe.
Jesus also affirmed His deity by making several statements that clearly point to the eternal existence of God. God, who was, is, and will be, called Himself “I AM” when He appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Jesus pointedly described Himself with the words “I AM”–I am the Light of the world, I am the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, and the True Vine.
Here are some aspects of the life He gives His followers:
- Sunday: In Him Was Life–Who gives us life?
- Monday: The Words of Eternal Life–How do we have eternal life?
- Tuesday: Believing and New Birth–What kind of life do we have after we are born again?
- Wednesday: Rejecting the Source of Life–Why do so many reject life?
- Thursday: Condemnation–What happens when we reject life?
Sunday: In Him Was Life
The very first verse in John states that Jesus, the Word, was God. He was with God and He was God (John 1:1). And just a few verses later He is connected with life and light (John 1:4-5). Light must have been very important. We were given light on the first day of creation.
Later, John 8:12 also connected light with life, when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
We actually see two kinds of life associated with the life God invites us to have. Besides giving us eternal life for the future, there is a saving, healing quality found in the new life we now live. This kind of life, the one that leads to salvation from sin, was illustrated by the bronze serpent Moses made for them in the wilderness (John 3:14-15). We, too, can be healed from sin by looking to the light and life found in Jesus, the One who took our place and died for our sins.
Bible Verses:
John 1:29, 3:16, 6:40, 10:10, and 12:27
- What kinds of life do we have with God and why are they both important for us to have?
Monday: The Words of Eternal Life
No one can put a price on the heavenly kingdom God wants us to enjoy with Him throughout eternity. It is everlasting life that draws us so often to God. Especially is its value seen as we grieve over loved ones who have died, or as we grow older ourselves and see death approaching.
What a glorious hope and comfort it is to know that death will someday be defeated. We will nevermore be parted from each other if we have faith, and live to serve and glorify God.
The Gospel of John mentions believing in God; but also receiving, accepting, and abiding in His word as the actions that bring us eternal life. The ability to do anything for God, however, must include our choice to surrender to His will and repent of our sins. He then supplies us with the faith and spiritual strength needed to put us on a path to eternal life.
Bible Verses:
John 3:15-16, 5:24, 6:40, 47, 8:31, 12:46, and 20:31
- What is needed from us in order to have eternal life?
- What part does God’s word have in our ability to believe and abide in Him?
Tuesday: Believing and New Birth
In addition to desiring a life without death, it only makes sense that we desire our life here and now to be better as well. Jesus has promised that when we believe and receive Him into our hearts, we will have a more abundant life (John 10:10).
What does His abundant, new life offer us? In Christ, we have the promise of having hope, love, comfort, peace, and joy in our hearts. These are things the world can only temporarily, and never fully, offer us.
Where do we get the faith to have these blessings? Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Keep in mind that the word of God, the Bible, testifies of Jesus. John even called Jesus, the Word (John 1:14).
We choose to believe the word of God and make the choice to follow Him. As we do so, let us remember that it is God who does the work in our lives that makes our lives more abundant. We owe everything to the Good Shepherd, who looks after all our needs.
Bible Verses:
John 1:12-13
- What are the steps for us to be saved and born again?
Romans 8:16
- How does the Holy Spirit help us become children of God?
John 5:38, 47 and 16:7-8
- How do the Holy Spirit and God’s word work together to save us?
- What is our part in salvation?
Wednesday: Rejecting the Source of Life
Like many Jews at the time of Christ, people today approach their faith in a totally humanistic way. They have faith only when evidence from science, history, and archaeology supports it. They are like doubting Thomas and want to touch the nail prints in His hands.
In reality, we need faith to have faith. After choosing to believe in God’s existence, and searching for ways to know Him better, we given more evidence of His abiding presence in our lives.
An example of this kind of faith and reliance on God was the story of the twelve spies who went into Canaan to see what kind of enemies the Israelites were up against. Only two of them, Caleb and Joshua, came back with faith-filled reports. Instead of trusting their senses, they reported their opinion based on faith in what God had promised. It made all the difference in their ability to defeat their enemies.
Bible Verses:
Numbers 13:23-33
- Why do our enemies sometimes seem larger to us than they really are?
Romans 12:3, Hebrews 10:35, and Habakkuk 2:4
- What are some of the ways we cast aside our faith and confidence in God?
Thursday: Condemnation
People often reject the light of God’s word because they fear that their sins will be exposed and they will be required to change their behaviors. But this rejection leaves them open to doubts and temptations that Satan instead will use against them. With a false sense of their own reasoning abilities, they rationalize their way out of following God, even though doing so leaves them open to the suggestions of Satan.
The story of Adam and Eve illustrates this quite well. Finding herself alone at the forbidden tree, the serpent caused Eve to reason within herself and doubt God’s express will. And Adam later pursued the same faulty reasoning. Surely, God would not want him to lose the beloved wife he’d been given, so he went along with the risky behavior.
Thankfully, Jesus countered Satan’s tempting suggestions in the wilderness by using words of Scripture. He could have rationalized the situation and doubted His Father’s love and protection. But, instead, He let faith prevail, with the result that our condemnation from sinning had the possibility of being reversed with His later sacrifice at Calvary.
Bible Verses:
John 3:18-21, 36 and 5:38
- What are the dangers of not having faith enough to believe God’s word?
Matthew 4:1-4
- Why was it important for Jesus to be tempted like this before He began His public ministry?
- How was Jesus able to withstand Satan’s temptations?
Friday: Final Thoughts
God sent His Son to our sinful planet as a humble servant to help us conquer two of our most dreaded and deadly enemies–sin and death. His victory is ours when we truly believe in Him and accept the measure of faith given to each of us (Romans 12:3). This divine link of faith connects us to the source of life when we accept it and surrender our lives to Him.
Jesus “became ‘a Man of Sorrows’ that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy.” ~Steps to Christ, p. 13 Isaiah 53 describes the humility and love that went out to humanity as He became our Sacrifice–Himself the priest and the victim.
“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves…He suffered death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.” ~Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 25
Next Week: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
To read the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly and see more resources for its study, go to
