July 26–August 1
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 5:27–32; 13:1–5; Matt. 22:2–14; Zech. 3:1–5; John 8:30, 31; Luke 14:25–27.
Memory Text: “ ‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’ ” (John 3:14, 15, NKJV).
As the Israelites were being bitten by snakes in the desert, God instructed Moses to make a bronze one and place it on a pole so that whoever was bitten could look at it and be saved.
What healing properties can a bronze snake have? None. Healing came only from God. By looking at the bronze statue, however, the Israelites demonstrated their faith in God as their only hope of life and salvation.
The Lord wanted to teach them a spiritual lesson. He transformed a symbol of death into a symbol of life. That bronze serpent was a symbol of Christ, who became the Bearer of our sins in order to save us. By faith, we can all look to Christ lifted up on the cross and find a cure from the deadly sting of the old serpent, Satan. Otherwise, we are fated to die in our sins. The Word of God expresses what should be painfully obvious: as human beings, we are sinners in need of grace. That grace has been offered to us in Christ Jesus.
This week we will look at Jesus’ teachings regarding the simple practical steps needed for salvation.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 2.
Sunday July 27
Recognize Your Need
Read Luke 5:27–32. How can you know which group you are in?
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Many people are physically healthy and “have no need of a physician.” Who, though, is truly spiritually healthy? Of all human beings “there is none who does good, no, not one” (Ps. 14:3, NKJV); nobody is righteous by themselves (Rom. 3:10). We may do some morally good actions, but we cannot make ourselves righteous before God. Hence,
by saying that He had “ ‘not come to call the righteous’ ” (Luke 5:32, NKJV), Jesus was referring to the Pharisees, who thought they were righteous although they were not. Unfortunately, though they believed that they were in good standing before God, they were blind spiritually (John 9:40, 41).
The first step, then, to receive the cure from sin is to recognize our state of sinfulness and our utter inability to heal ourselves. But how can we see our real need if we are blind? How can we acknowledge that we are sinners if it is precisely our sins that are preventing us from recognizing our true condition?
How can our spiritual eyes be opened so that we may recognize our desperate need of a Savior? See John 16:8. _________________________________________________________
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The only eye salve that can make us see our real spiritual status is the Holy Spirit. Before any other work He may do for us, He has to convict us of sin. Persistently He calls to our conscience in order to produce in us an inescapable awareness of our sins and a deep sense
of guilt, which leads us to long for a Savior. When we hear that call, we must listen and obey it; otherwise, sooner or later, we will be so hardened against the Holy Spirit that nothing can be done for us. What a scary thought!
Though guilt is often a bad thing, in what ways has the Holy Spirit been able to use guilt to your own spiritual advantage?
Monday July 28
Repent
Recognizing our sins is not enough; it must be accompanied by repentance. The biblical meaning of repentance includes three aspects: acknowledgment of one’s sin, sorrow for having sinned, and the desire not to sin any more. If one is lacking, there is no true repentance. For example, Judas admitted his sin, but he lacked grief for having betrayed
the Master (Matt. 27:3, 4). He was overwhelmed with remorse, not with repentance. His confession was generated by fear of the consequences, not by his love of Christ.
We can see the importance of repentance by the fact that John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministry by preaching, “ ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ ” (Matt. 3:2, 4:17, NKJV). Later, when Jesus sent the Twelve on their first missionary trip, they went out, preaching “that people should repent” (Mark 6:12, NKJV). And after Pentecost, Peter exhorted the crowd to do the same (Acts 2:38, 3:19).
Look at the strong words Jesus used to emphasize the universal need for repentance in order to be saved. What message is He giving us here? See Luke 13:1–5.
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Jesus affirmed the sinfulness of all people. Therefore, He urged His hearers: “ ‘Unless you repent you will all likewise perish’ ” (vs. 5, NKJV). Without repentance, redemption is impossible, because the absence of repentance demonstrates that people refuse to surrender to the Lord.
Now, we have been told “the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4, NKJV). What does that mean? A block of ice can be broken into small pieces, but the resulting pieces will still be ice. That same block of ice can be placed next to a heater, and it will melt away into water. The ice of our pride can be thawed only if we are exposed to the warmth of God’s goodness and love. Thus, how crucial for us to dwell, as much as we can, on all the evidences we have been given of God’s love for us.
“We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 189.
What are the evidences of God’s love? What have you seen and experienced and learned that gives you powerful reasons to trust in His goodness? Why is it so important always to dwell on those reasons, especially in bad times?
Tuesday July 29
Believe in Jesus
True repentance goes hand in hand with faith in Jesus as our only Savior. Jesus frequently talked about the need to believe in Him in order to receive His blessings. “ ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes’ ” (Mark 9:23, NKJV). Faith is essential if we are to be saved. Satan knows that, which is why he makes every effort to keep us from believing (Luke 8:12).
According to Jesus, what does it mean “to believe”? It is more than a vague feeling that something will just happen. It is more than a mental exercise. Saving faith is not devoid of content. On the contrary, faith has a definite object: Jesus Christ. Faith is believing not only in something but, especially, in Someone. Faith is trusting in Jesus and His death for us. Believing in Jesus means knowing Him, understanding who He is (John 6:69), and receiving Him personally (John 1:12).
God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus, so that all who truly believe in Him will have eternal life. His death does not mean that everyone will be saved, however. We have to be covered by His righteousness. By believing in Him, we have righteousness, we have assurance, and we have the great promise that He will raise us up at the last
day (John 6:40).
To a woman who had lived a sinful life, Jesus assured her: “ ‘Your sins are forgiven. . . . Your faith has saved you’ ” (Luke 7:48, 50, NKJV). What does that mean? Does our faith save us? _________________________________________________________
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According to the Gospels, when Jesus healed some people, He said to them: “ ‘Your faith has made you well’ ” (Matt. 9:22, Mark 10:52, Luke 17:19, NKJV). By saying these words, He was not assigning any healing power to their faith. Their faith was just a complete trust in Jesus’ power to heal them. The power of faith does not come from the person who believes but from the God in whom that person believes.
Why must we be very careful in how we understand the role of faith in regard to prayer, especially about healing? Why is it wrong to conclude from the above verses that if healing doesn’t come as we pray, it’s because we don’t have enough faith?
Wednesday July 30
The Wedding Garment
Jesus sat before the people and uttered what must have been to them shocking words: “ ‘Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven’ ” (Matt. 5:20, NKJV). Few were more scrupulous in the observance of the letter of the law than were the Pharisees. Nevertheless,
they failed because their behavior was intended to impress men more than to please God. Jesus warns us not to do likewise (Matt. 6:1).
How, then, can we be righteous before God? The parable of the marriage feast gives us the clue in finding the source of true righteousness.
Read Matthew 22:2–14. Why did the king want to be sure that every guest had the wedding garment for the feast? What did that garment represent? See Isa. 61:10, Zech. 3:1–5.
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The king provided the wedding robes free of charge. Those present were invited randomly while traveling on the highways, and probably did not have the appropriate attire for the wedding, nor money to buy it. Both the invitation and the garment were gifts from the king. The only requirement needed to attend the feast was to accept both presents.
Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, every human being is spiritually naked. Adam and Eve felt naked after disobeying, and they attempted to cover themselves by sewing fig leaves together, something utterly uncomfortable and ineffective (Gen. 3:7). The best
righteousness that human effort can achieve is “like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6, NKJV).
As in the parable, God provides the garment we need. He made garments for Adam and Eve and clothed them (Gen. 3:21), a symbol of His righteousness covering the sinner. The Lord also provides the garment of Christ’s righteousness for His church, so that she may “be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright” (Rev. 19:8, NKJV), “not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27, NKJV). This robe “is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 310.
Above and beyond anything else we believe, why must we understand that our salvation comes only from the covering that Christ gives us as a gift? Why must we always remember this?
Thursday July 31
Follow Jesus
When in faith we recognize our need, repent, confess our sins, and claim Christ’s righteousness for ourselves, we become His disciples. During His ministry, Jesus called different people, such as Peter and James and John, to be His disciples, a call that implied leaving everything in order to follow Him (Matt. 4:20, 22; Mark 10:28; Luke 5:28). In fact, in the Gospels the verb to follow practically became a synonym for disciple.
What two elements are essential in order to be a disciple of Jesus? See John 8:30, 31.
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Some people try to separate faith in Jesus from adherence to Jesus’ teachings, as if the first would be more important than the latter. But Jesus did not make such a distinction. For Him, both aspects are closely interrelated and fundamental for true discipleship. A disciple of Jesus is committed to His person, as well as to His words. Though there is
always the danger of getting so caught up in doctrines and forms of faith that we lose sight of Jesus Himself, we must also be aware of the danger of thinking that all that matters in our walk with the Lord is to believe in Jesus.
What is the high cost of being a disciple of Jesus? See Luke 14:25–27.
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Jesus used the verb to hate as a hyperbole meaning “to love less.” The parallel passage in Matthew clarifies the meaning of Jesus’ words: “ ‘He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me’ ” (Matt. 10:37, NKJV). Jesus must have the first place in our lives if we want to be His disciples.
What has following Christ, being His disciple, cost you? What does your answer say about your walk with the Lord?
Friday August 1
Further Study: Ellen G. White, “Repentance,” pp. 23–32, in Steps to Christ.
“We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 26.
“As we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul.”—Pages 26, 27.
“The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God. And it is written, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ 1 John 1:9.”—Page 41.
Discussion Questions:
- Many try to drown their sense of guilt with alcohol, drugs, worldly pleasures, or by cramming their lives with frenzied activities. Why do none of these methods really work? How would you help someone who is in this condition to find the true solution for guilt?
- It is possible to recognize our sins without bearing “fruits worthy of repentance.” Why isn’t that true repentance? What is the value of these fruits? Are they good works done in order to gain God’s favor? Explain your answer.
- Discuss the fact that Christ’s righteousness is free, but not cheap. Although we do not have to pay for it, the Lord had to pay an infinite price at the Cross. Think about how fallen we are, and how serious sin must be, that it took something as “extreme” as the death of the Son of God Himself in order to save us from the
consequences of sin.