Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School Class, November 23, 2024.

Main Theme: This week we will look at more ways John revealed Jesus as the Messiah, and also, we will look at why some people still continued to reject Him—despite all the powerful reasons affirming Him as the Christ.

Read in Class: John 5:39-40, 46-47. Ask the class to define the main idea of these passages.

Study: What do these verses teach us about Jesus’ attitude toward the authority of Scripture?

Apply: Read John 19:28.What does this passage teach about the authority of Scripture as understood by Jesus and John? What should this tell us about the crucial role all Scripture must have for our faith, as well?

Share: Your friend asks, you, “What are the forces today that either subtly or openly work to undermine our faith in the authority of the Bible?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 1:23, Isaiah 40:3, John 19:36 and Numbers 9:12.

Study: How are these New Testament and Old Testament passages linked? That is, how does the New Testament use these texts to bear witness to Jesus?

Apply: How does the fulfillment of these prophecies strengthen your faith an all Scripture, including scriptures that have not been fulfilled yet?

Share: Your friend says that every religion has its own god, how do we know our God is the real God? How can you even prove Jesus even really existed? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 12:13, Psalm 118:26, John 13:18 and Psalm 41:9.

Study: What do each of these passages from John’s Gospel reveal about Jesus as a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy?

Apply: Read Matthew 24:9. How does the fulfillment of the prophecy about Jesus being betrayed make you feel about the prophecy of what we as Christians will one day face if we are not facing it already? What comfort do you gain by knowing Jesus has already experienced being betrayed?

Share: Your friend asks you what other prophecies about Jesus being the Messiah were predicted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament? What do you tell your friend? See The Messiah in Scripture.

Read in Class: John 8:12-30. Ask the class to define the main idea of these passages.

Study:  What is the dynamic here between Jesus and these religious leaders? Which texts best explain why many rejected Him?

Apply: What lessons do you draw from Jesus’ exchange with the religious leaders? How can we be “from above” and not “from beneath”—and how can we know the difference?

Share: Your friend mentions there were some obstacles that kept certain people from believing in Jesus in His day. What are some obstacles that kept you from first believing in Jesus? How did you overcome those obstacles? What do you tell your friend?