Sabbath School Lesson for December 7-13, 2024
Overview and Introduction of Lesson 11, The Father, the Son, and the Spirit
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
The very beginning of John’s Gospel clearly mentions the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Word Jesus, who became flesh and dwelt with us, was God, he tells us in John 1:1, 14. The fact that John brings us back to creation week, beginning his narrative with “In the beginning…” just like Moses in Genesis, also alerts us to the fact that the Spirit was present. We find in Genesis 1:2 that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters at the beginning of creation.
Chapter 1 of John also speaks of the baptism of Jesus. This was a time when all three members of the trinity were together, according to John the Baptist’s testimony (John 1:32-34). God’s voice was heard and the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.
Consistently, we also find the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit trio scattered throughout John’s farewell discourse (chapters 13-17), the closing scenes of Christ’s final week on earth. We not only learn how we can relate to these three persons of the Godhead, but how they relate to each other.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are spoken of by John. We will see…
- Sunday: The Heavenly Father–What was God’s original purpose for His created beings?
- Monday: Jesus and the Father–What was the purpose of God’s Son becoming flesh?
- Tuesday: Knowing the Son Is Knowing the Father–How do the Father and Son work together?
- Wednesday: The Holy Spirit–What was the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our salvation?
- Thursday: The Prayer of Jesus–How does Jesus’ intercessory prayer show how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together for our salvation?
Sunday: The Heavenly Father
The work of creating the heavens and earth seem to be for the purpose of having beings who would love their Father and each other. After sin, an added purpose was to provide a way back to the loving relationship they had experienced before sin.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed, God’s role included saving the world and being its Judge. This pre-ordained plan of salvation was established before our world was created. Working closely with His Son and the Holy Spirit, they continued to love and nurture fallen humanity in various ways.
In the heavenly Father, intimate contact with His followers through His Son was found to be open and inviting. We see that He indeed loves us with a tender, fatherly love. He does all He can to draw Himself close to His erring children, so they will turn to Him and be saved.
Bible Verses:
John 3:16-17 and 6:57
- How does Jesus give us life?
- How are we condemned if it isn’t done by our Father or His Son?
John 5:22, 30
- Why was the role of judging us given to Jesus?
John 6:32, 45 and 14:10, 24
- Why does Jesus speak the Father’s words and not His own?
John 15:16 and 16:23
- Why do we pray in Jesus’ name?
Monday: Jesus and the Father
The first hint of our Father’s love was revealed to us by Moses. He recorded in Genesis that right after the first couple sinned, God came looking for them in the Garden. Even though they were hiding from Him, out of love our heavenly Father longed to interact with them as before.
It was known by the Godhead beforehand that it would be important to get down to their level to the extent that His Son agreed to come down to them in human disguise and remind them of the love of their Father.
Working closely together, the Father and Son found a way to penetrate their hearts by showing them firsthand how much they were loved by their Creator. The Messiah’s sacrifice of Himself left no doubt that He would go to any length to have them once again be His companion and friend for eternity.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 3:7-10
- What excuse did Adam give for their hiding themselves?
- Why did God ask them where they were?
- Can we really hide from God, and why, or why not?
John 1:1-2, 5:16-18, 6:69, and 10:30
- What was the unusual relationship between the Father and Son?
Tuesday: Knowing the Son Is Knowing the Father
John claims that no one has seen the Father, but Jesus, who came directly from the Father’s arms and has declared Him (John 1:18). We see this loving relationship in more detail in the farewell discourse (chapters 13-17) John used to describe the closing events of the Son’s life.
John 5:30 describes Jesus as God’s representative on earth. Everything the Son does points to the will of the Father. He alone is able to show the truth of the Father.
He is the true vine we must stay connected to, if we would know our Creator (John 15:1). We can only come to God through the revelation of God’s character that Jesus provides and the sacrifice He made for our sins by dying for us the way He did. Their roles were different, even though their objectives were the same. Jesus was the true vine, but His Father was the vinedresser–the One who oversees the growth of the plant.
Jesus is given all power to resurrect and judge humanity. We can love and trust this power because Jesus has suffered everything we may have to endure on this earth. He knows and understands our temptations and trials, having experienced them Himself.
Bible Verses:
John 15:1, 9-10
- What different roles do the Father and Son have?
- How do we abide in God’s love?
John 7:16, 8:38, 14:10, 23, 16:27-28
- How close are the Father and Son?
- How would you describe their relationship?
Wednesday: The Holy Spirit
Although the Holy Spirit isn’t featured as prominently as the other members of the Godhead, He plays a significant role in our spiritual growth. John gave a hint of the Spirit’s involvement in John 1:13. We are born of God, not of flesh and blood, or any manmade belief or practice. It’s obviously then a spiritual experience that brings us to Jesus and the Father.
The Spirit’s involvement is comprehensive. He convicts us of sin and righteousness (tells us what is right and wrong in our lives) and convinces us that only God has the power to forgive and empower us to stop sinning. He encourages us to submit to God’s will and put on the spiritual armor He provides that is needed to fight the powers of evil.
Armed with the gifts and talents of the Holy Spirit, we are able to grow a virtual garden of spiritual character fruits that draw others to seek God’s will for their own lives. What a powerful testimony the Holy Spirit provides, making us living testimonies who reflect God’s grace and truth.
Bible Verses:
John 1:10-13, 3:5-8, 6:63
- How important is the Holy Spirit in our decision to follow God?
- What does the new birth experience look like?
- What kind of life does the Holy Spirit give us?
John 14:26, 15:26, and 16:7-11
- What has the Holy Spirit taught you about God?
Thursday: The Prayer of Jesus
A beautiful intercessory prayer of Jesus is found in John 17. It is the longest heartfelt, inclusive prayer of Jesus that’s been recorded. In it, He prays for strength for Himself to endure what He was about to go through, for the steadfast faithfulness of the disciples, and for all believers throughout all the years since His resurrection to stay united. He prayed for you and me!
At other times, we know that Jesus prayed for Peter, and for all His erring children. He even prayed on the cross for His enemies who crucified Him. The kind of love that Jesus expressed in His prayer life could only come from the Father. It is not in the power of humanity to extend that much grace. We need the Spirit and that’s why Jesus prayed for the Father to send His Comforter to us in His absence.
Bible Verses:
John 17:1-5
- Why did Jesus need to pray for Himself?
John 17:6-19
- What kind of blessings did Jesus pray for His disciples? And why?
John 17:20-26
- Besides unity, for what else did Jesus pray for all believers? And why?
Friday: Final Thoughts
As complex as it may seem, God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in three different ways–as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The fact that there is a trinity, a three-in-one God, is puzzling to us finite beings. We even have a hard time wrapping our head around what infinity and eternity mean, although it does sound delightful. Getting to live forever and not having to die can’t be bad.
When it comes to the trinity though, let’s remember that if we can just accept the fact that there is one, we can perhaps allow ourselves to understand more about God. That’s what His intention was in His revelation of Himself this way, and for the most part, it has worked well. Each of the Persons of the Godhead have a role in drawing us closer to an eternal future with Him.
Next Week: The Hour of Glory–The Cross and Resurrection
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