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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you
are joining us today.
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We are on a journey, a journey
through the book of John,
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looking at some
of the great themes
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that run through
this beloved Gospel.
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This week, we're
looking at lesson number 8.
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This is the fulfillment
of Old Testament prophecies.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we want to thank You
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for leading us
along this journey
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and giving us a clear picture
of Your love for each one of us
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as we study the
gospel in the book of John.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together,
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and we thank You in Jesus' name,
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[both] amen.
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We're grateful to have
with us once again this week,
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guiding us along this
journey, Dr. Tom Shepherd.
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He is the senior research
professor of New Testament
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at the Theological
Seminary, Andrews University.
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Tom, thanks for
being with us again.
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>>Tom Shepherd: Good to be here.
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>>Eric: Let's move quickly--
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we've got a lot
to cover this week--
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to the book of
John, John, chapter 5.
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In John 5, Jesus
talks about the relationship
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that He has with His Father.
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Lead us through
this, if you would.
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>>Tom: Okay, so John,
chapter 5 begins with Jesus
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healing the man at
the pool of Bethesda.
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And of course, when He
healed him was the Sabbath.
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And so, the--and He told the
man to take up his bed and walk,
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which he does, and he
doesn't know who Jesus is,
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but eventually he
finds out who Jesus is,
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and then he goes and
tells the leaders who Jesus is.
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He doesn't seem to quite get
it, that they don't like Jesus.
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And so they persecute Jesus
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because He was doing
these things on the Sabbath.
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So in John 5, verse
17: "Jesus answered them,
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'My Father is working
until now, and I am working.'"
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You know, when you think of it,
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God can't stop
working on the Sabbath.
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If He did, we'd
all die and be gone.
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So He continues to do things.
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It's kind of like pastors,
I suppose, not that we're God,
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but that we're very busy
on the Sabbath day, all right?
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So verse 18 is a
very interesting verse
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in the Gospel of
John: "This was why the Jews
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were seeking all
the more to kill Him"--
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notice, they're already
starting, trying to kill Him--
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"because not
only"-- now, look at this--
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"not only was He
breaking the Sabbath,
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"but He was even
calling God His own Father,
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making Himself equal with God."
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Now, some people get
the idea from this that,
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indeed, Jesus did
break the Sabbath.
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And that--so it's okay
for us to break the Sabbath.
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Well, that's not
the point here at all.
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Jesus connects
Himself, and this is a key
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to the whole
understanding of this chapter.
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He connects Himself--
that's what He said in verse 17:
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"My Father is
working still until now,
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and I am working."
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So, it says here that "not only
was He breaking the Sabbath,
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"but He was even
calling God His own Father,
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making Himself equal with God."
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The reason He
wasn't breaking the Sabbath
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is because He is
God, God is His Father,
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and as God is
still working, so is He.
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Now, what happens is
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evidently Jesus
is put on trial here.
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I think the
book "Desire of Ages"
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tells us that He's
before the Sanhedrin.
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And what Jesus does is to
call witnesses to defend Him.
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And so we'll read a
little bit of this to see who--
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what witnesses does He
call to support Himself?
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So verses 19 through 24,
why don't you read those for us?
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>>Eric: "Then Jesus
answered and said to them,
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"'Most assuredly, I say to you,
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"'the Son can do
nothing of Himself,
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"'but what He
sees the Father do;
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"'for whatever He does,
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"'the Son also
does in like manner.
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"'For the Father loves the Son,
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"'and shows Him all
things that He Himself does;
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"'and He will show Him
greater works than these,
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"'that you may marvel.
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"'For as the Father raises
the dead and gives life to them,
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"'even so the Son
gives life to whom He will.
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"'For the Father judges no one,
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"'but has committed
all judgment to the Son,
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"'that all should honor the Son
just as they honor the Father.
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"'He who does not honor the Son
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"'does not honor
the Father who sent Him.
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"'Most assuredly, I say
to you, he who hears my word
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"'and believes in Him who
sent me has everlasting life,
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"'and shall not
come into judgment,
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but has passed
from death into life.'"
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>>Tom: Okay, so here's
a very clear relationship
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between Jesus and His Father.
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He's going to say
later on in John, chapter 10,
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"I and the Father
are one," all right,
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which echoes the
great statement of faith,
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the Shema of the Jews,
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that "the Lord our
God, the Lord is one."
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And so Jesus says,
"My Father and I are one."
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They have the same--
it's two different persons.
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We have another study
later on where we talk more
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about the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit
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and Their
relationship to one another.
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But the Father
and the Son are one
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in Their goals, in what They do.
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They're not the same individual.
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We saw that actually from
the beginning of the book,
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that "the Word was with God."
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He isn't the same as the Father.
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He's two separate--these
are two separate individuals.
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But They have this
close, intimate relationship.
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And He says, "The
Father judges no one,
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but has given all
judgment to the Son."
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>>Eric: So it seems like we've
got some very clear connections
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here between the
Father and the Son.
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Now, also in
John, chapter 5 here,
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we get the idea that Scripture
plays an important role
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in helping us
understand who Jesus is.
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Walk us through some of this.
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>>Tom: Yeah, so
Jesus is calling witnesses.
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And He calls the
Father as a witness.
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Down in chapter 5,
verse 33: "You sent to John,
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and he has borne
witness to the truth."
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John is a witness to Jesus.
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"And the Father who
sent me"--verse 37--
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"Himself borne witness about me.
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"His voice you have never heard,
His form you have never seen,
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and you do not
[know] His word"--
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"have His word abiding in you,
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for you do not believe
the One whom He has sent."
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Now, verse 39 and 40
tell us about the relationship
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of how the Scriptures witness.
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So why don't you read those.
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>>Eric: "You
search the Scriptures,
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"for in them you
think you have eternal life;
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"and these are they
which testify of me.
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But you are not willing to come
to me that you may have life."
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>>Tom: Yeah, it's a
sad testimony, actually.
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He says the very
Scriptures that you search
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are the ones
that testify about me.
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And we're going to
take a look at that
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as we look at various prophecies
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that are fulfilled
in the life of Jesus
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and described here
in the Gospel of John.
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"You search the Scriptures
because you think that in them
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"you have eternal life;
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...it is [these very Scriptures]
that bear witness [to] me."
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He goes on to talk
about, down in verse 45,
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"Do not think that I
will accuse you to the Father.
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"There is one who accuses you:
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"Moses, on whom
you have set your hope.
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"For if you believed
Moses, you would believe me;
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"for he wrote of me. But if
you do not believe his writings,
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how will you believe my words?"
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It reminds me of the parable
of the rich man and Lazarus
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in the book of Luke.
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And the big
emphasis there is, you know,
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believe the prophets,
Moses and the prophets,
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and that then you
would believe, you know,
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what you're being told to do
and how you're supposed to live.
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And the rich man in hell says,
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"Well, but if you send
somebody back from the dead,
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then, you know,
then they'll believe."
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And He's like,
"If they don't believe
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"Moses and the prophets,
they're not going to believe,
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even if somebody
rises from the dead."
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All right, so now we should look
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at some of these prophecies
from the Old Testament.
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So the first text
that we're going to look at
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is John 1, verse 23.
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And we're going to parallel that
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to the text of
Isaiah 40, verse 3.
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So you look up the text
in John, and I'll look up
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the text in the Old Testament.
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>>Eric: So over
in John, chapter 1,
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verse number 23,
Jesus says, "I am 'The voice
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"'of one crying
in the wilderness:
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"'"Make straight
the way of the Lord,"'
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as the prophet Isaiah said."
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>>Tom: Yeah, so
here's the prophet Isaiah,
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Isaiah 40, verse
3: "A voice cries:
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"'In the wilderness
prepare the way of the Lord;
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make straight in the
desert a highway for our God.'"
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So He's very clearly
tying into that text, right?
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So we have another
text in John 2:16-17.
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>>Eric: So over in
John 2, verses 16 and 17,
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it says, speaking of Jesus:
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"And He said to
those who sold doves,
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"'Take these things away!
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"Do not make my Father's
house a house of merchandise!'
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"Then His disciples
remembered that it was written,
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'Zeal for Your
house has eaten me up.'"
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>>Tom: It's an
interesting text, isn't it?
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Jesus cleansing the temple.
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That has a link
back to Psalm 69,
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starting in verse 6:
"Let not those who hope in You
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"be put to shame
through me, O Lord God of hosts;
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"let not those who seek You
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"be brought to
dishonor through me,
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"O God of Israel.
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"For it is for Your sake
that I have borne reproach,
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"that dishonor
has covered my face.
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"I have become a
stranger to my brothers,
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"an alien to my mother's sons.
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"For zeal for Your
house has consumed me,
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"and the reproaches
of those who reproach You
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"have fallen on me.
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"When I wept and
humbled my soul with fasting,
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"it became my reproach. When
I made sackcloth my clothing,
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"I became a byword to them.
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"I am the talk of
those who sit in the gate,
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and the drunkards
make songs about me."
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So it's interesting
David is here describing
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how he's
zealous for God's house,
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but people are, you
know, opposed to him.
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Well, it's the very
same thing that we see here
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in the Gospel of John
when Jesus cleanses the temple.
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Now, let's turn
over to John 19:36,
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talking about Jesus' death
and what happens when He dies.
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>>Eric: In verse
number 36 of John 19,
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it says: "For
these things were done
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"that the Scripture
should be fulfilled,
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'Not one of His
bones shall be broken.'"
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>>Tom: All right, so
this goes back to Numbers 9:
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"The Lord spoke
to Moses, saying,
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"'Speak to the people of Israel,
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"'saying, "If any one of
you or...your descendants
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"'"is unclean
through touching a dead body,
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"'"or...in a long journey,
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"'"he shall still keep
the Passover to the Lord.
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"'"In the second
month on the fourteenth day
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"'"at twilight
they shall keep it.
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"'"They shall eat it
with unleavened bread
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"'"and bitter herbs.
They shall leave none of it
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"'"until the morning,
nor break any of its bones;
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"'"according to all the
statute for the Passover
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they shall keep it."'" So
when they kept the Passover,
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they didn't break the
bones of the Passover lamb.
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And of course, Jesus is
the Lamb of God, isn't He,
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who takes away
the sin of the world.
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And so we've seen
already some of these passages
00:11:23.04\00:11:26.08
that point us back
to Old Testament texts
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and how not
just the text itself,
00:11:28.98\00:11:31.55
not just one little
text, but a whole context
00:11:31.59\00:11:34.32
that gives us deeper
insight into Jesus' life.
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>>Eric: And these are
just a few of the verses.
00:11:38.26\00:11:40.26
I've heard different estimates
as the number of prophecies
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that were
fulfilled, some say 300-plus,
00:11:43.30\00:11:45.73
and I've heard
other ones as well.
00:11:45.77\00:11:47.40
And this is just a taste of it.
00:11:47.44\00:11:48.77
Now, we've been
able to put some of this
00:11:48.80\00:11:52.37
into the study guide,
the "Sabbath School" lesson,
00:11:52.41\00:11:55.68
but not all of it.
00:11:55.71\00:11:57.01
There's a lot more
that is available to find,
00:11:57.05\00:12:00.55
to read, to learn
in the companion book.
00:12:00.58\00:12:02.62
Share a little bit about that.
00:12:02.65\00:12:03.95
>>Tom: Okay, we
have a companion book,
00:12:03.99\00:12:05.29
and it goes into
extra information,
00:12:05.32\00:12:07.86
more than what's
in the lesson study,
00:12:07.89\00:12:09.92
more than what's in the
teacher's lesson quarterly.
00:12:09.96\00:12:12.19
So if you're a teacher,
this is a great resource.
00:12:12.23\00:12:15.20
If you're a class member,
00:12:15.23\00:12:16.53
this just gives you
a fuller understanding,
00:12:16.56\00:12:18.80
and you can join
in the discussion
00:12:18.83\00:12:20.64
in more detail as you study it.
00:12:20.67\00:12:22.20
So we recommend you get
it, and it'd be a useful tech.
00:12:22.24\00:12:26.27
>>Eric: It's very easy to find.
00:12:26.31\00:12:27.68
You can just get it
at itiswritten.shop,
00:12:27.71\00:12:30.58
itiswritten.shop.
00:12:30.61\00:12:31.91
Look for the companion book
00:12:31.95\00:12:33.25
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:12:33.28\00:12:34.95
It is, of course, on "The
Themes in the Gospel of John."
00:12:34.98\00:12:38.42
We're going to continue
looking at the fulfillment
00:12:38.45\00:12:40.12
of some of these Old Testament
prophecies in the book of John,
00:12:40.16\00:12:42.96
showing us that indeed Jesus is
the Messiah, in just a moment,
00:12:42.99\00:12:46.96
when we come back
to "Sabbath School,"
00:12:47.00\00:12:48.76
here on It Is Written.
00:12:48.80\00:12:50.33
¤¤¤
00:12:50.37\00:12:53.20
>>John Bradshaw: The prophet
Daniel writes authoritatively
00:12:55.04\00:12:57.87
about the rise
and fall of kingdoms,
00:12:57.91\00:13:00.14
the fate of nations, and
the soon return of Jesus.
00:13:00.18\00:13:04.51
Join me for "Kingdom Come."
00:13:04.55\00:13:07.25
We'll witness the rise
and fall of global powers.
00:13:07.28\00:13:10.62
We'll understand symbols found
in the writings of the prophets.
00:13:10.65\00:13:14.86
And we'll learn how
Bible prophecy applies
00:13:14.89\00:13:17.36
to our current reality.
00:13:17.39\00:13:20.03
Waiting for the world
to get better seems futile.
00:13:20.06\00:13:23.33
We exist in the
midst of global confusion,
00:13:23.37\00:13:26.53
in a world wrestling
with the devastating effects
00:13:26.57\00:13:29.10
of sickness, war, and death.
00:13:29.14\00:13:31.97
Yet God encourages us:
"The dream is certain."
00:13:32.01\00:13:37.11
The
interpretation can be trusted.
00:13:37.15\00:13:40.15
Jesus is coming back
soon. The best is yet to come.
00:13:40.18\00:13:45.62
Don't miss "Kingdom Come"
00:13:45.65\00:13:47.62
as we explore
the book of Daniel.
00:13:47.66\00:13:49.96
"Kingdom Come"
on It Is Written TV.
00:13:49.99\00:13:53.16
>>male announcer:
Loving well is a way of life.
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And loving well means wanting
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"Send me across the
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00:14:08.88\00:14:12.91
"Work in me to impact
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"And if I can't go myself,
00:14:17.72\00:14:19.45
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00:14:55.79\00:15:00.10
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:00.13\00:15:01.96
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:02.00\00:15:03.73
We're taking a look
at the book of John,
00:15:03.77\00:15:05.10
great themes in the book
of John, lesson number 8,
00:15:05.13\00:15:07.90
the fulfillment of
Old Testament prophecies.
00:15:07.94\00:15:10.44
And, Tom, we've been through
several prophecies already:
00:15:10.47\00:15:13.11
John the Baptist being
the voice in the wilderness;
00:15:13.14\00:15:15.54
the cleansing of the temple,
00:15:15.58\00:15:16.88
no bone being broken
of the Passover lamb,
00:15:16.91\00:15:19.05
these being fulfilled in Jesus.
00:15:19.08\00:15:20.68
What's the next one?
00:15:20.72\00:15:22.02
>>Tom: All right, so if we look
00:15:22.05\00:15:23.62
at John, chapter
12 and verse 13--
00:15:23.65\00:15:28.39
if you could
read that text for us.
00:15:28.42\00:15:30.29
>>Eric: It says they
"took branches of palm trees
00:15:30.33\00:15:32.33
"and went out to meet
Him, and cried out: 'Hosanna!
00:15:32.36\00:15:35.26
"'"Blessed is He who
comes in the name of the Lord!"
00:15:35.30\00:15:37.87
The King of Israel!'"
00:15:37.90\00:15:39.67
So this is the triumphal entry.
>>Tom: The triumphal entry.
00:15:39.70\00:15:43.30
And so they're
using this terminology,
00:15:43.34\00:15:46.37
and it actually comes
from the Old Testament,
00:15:46.41\00:15:48.11
from Psalm 118,
00:15:48.14\00:15:51.45
so if we look at
Psalm 118, we read verse 25,
00:15:51.48\00:15:57.05
it says, "Save
us, we pray, O Lord!
00:15:57.09\00:15:59.89
"O Lord, we
pray, give us success!
00:15:59.92\00:16:02.42
"Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord!
00:16:02.46\00:16:05.29
"We bless you from
the house of the Lord.
00:16:05.33\00:16:07.96
"The Lord is God, and He has
made His light to shine upon us.
00:16:08.00\00:16:11.63
"Bind the festal
sacrifice with cords,
00:16:11.67\00:16:13.84
up to the horns of the altar!"
00:16:13.87\00:16:15.17
So this was
something that was used
00:16:15.20\00:16:16.84
in the sacrificial
experience of the people.
00:16:16.87\00:16:20.94
But here's the very
words that they're quoting
00:16:20.98\00:16:23.71
from the Old Testament:
00:16:23.75\00:16:25.05
"Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord."
00:16:25.08\00:16:27.65
>>Eric: We've got
another one here also looking,
00:16:27.68\00:16:29.65
kind of
continuing with the story
00:16:29.68\00:16:31.15
of the triumphal entry,
00:16:31.19\00:16:32.69
John, chapter
12, verses 14 and 15.
00:16:32.72\00:16:35.86
It says, "Then Jesus, when
He had found a young donkey,
00:16:35.89\00:16:38.89
"sat on it; as it is written:
'Fear not, daughter of Zion;
00:16:38.93\00:16:42.46
behold, your King is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt.'"
00:16:42.50\00:16:47.14
>>Tom: All right, so this is
a link to the book of Zechariah.
00:16:47.17\00:16:50.94
Zechariah, chapter 9,
00:16:50.97\00:16:53.01
and Zechariah actually ties
into an older tradition as well,
00:16:53.04\00:16:57.95
but Zechariah 9 and
verse 9 says, "Rejoice greatly,
00:16:57.98\00:17:01.32
"O daughter of Zion!
00:17:01.35\00:17:03.05
"Shout aloud, O
daughter of Jerusalem!
00:17:03.08\00:17:06.29
"Behold, Your
King is coming to you;
00:17:06.32\00:17:09.16
"righteous and
having salvation is He,
00:17:09.19\00:17:12.13
"humble and mounted
on a donkey, on a colt,
00:17:12.16\00:17:16.16
the foal of a donkey."
00:17:16.20\00:17:17.83
So this is
exactly what Jesus does.
00:17:17.87\00:17:20.47
He has His
disciples go get a donkey.
00:17:20.50\00:17:22.74
They go borrow a
donkey from someone.
00:17:22.77\00:17:25.11
They put their clothes on
it. He sits on the donkey.
00:17:25.14\00:17:28.11
People strew their garments
and branchy leaves and things
00:17:28.14\00:17:31.95
on the ground in front of Him,
00:17:31.98\00:17:33.45
and they were saying,
"Hosanna to the King," you know.
00:17:33.48\00:17:35.78
So everybody
understood what this was about.
00:17:35.82\00:17:39.52
And yeah, it's a
fulfillment of a prophecy,
00:17:39.55\00:17:42.39
but it's also
something that was typical.
00:17:42.42\00:17:45.56
When David gave
the throne to Solomon,
00:17:45.59\00:17:48.56
he had him ride on a donkey
00:17:48.60\00:17:50.73
and they did
this; they anoint him.
00:17:50.77\00:17:52.80
So Jesus is claiming
Himself to be the King as well.
00:17:52.83\00:17:56.30
Now, the next one is linked up
00:17:56.34\00:17:59.21
with John, chapter 13, verse 18.
00:17:59.24\00:18:04.65
>>Eric: In John 13, verse 18,
Jesus is speaking and He says,
00:18:04.68\00:18:07.62
"I do not speak
concerning all of you.
00:18:07.65\00:18:10.22
"I know whom I have chosen;
00:18:10.25\00:18:12.32
"but that the
Scripture may be fulfilled,
00:18:12.35\00:18:14.46
"'He who eats bread with me
00:18:14.49\00:18:16.26
has lifted up his
heel against me.'"
00:18:16.29\00:18:18.73
>>Tom: Right, and this
has a link to Psalm 41.
00:18:18.76\00:18:22.13
If we read Psalm
41, verses 8 through 10:
00:18:22.16\00:18:25.20
"They say, 'A deadly
thing is poured out on him;
00:18:25.23\00:18:28.04
"he will not rise
again from where he lies.'
00:18:28.07\00:18:30.87
"Even my close friend in whom
I trusted, who ate my bread,
00:18:30.91\00:18:35.81
"has lifted his heel against me.
00:18:35.84\00:18:38.31
"But you, O Lord,
be gracious to me,
00:18:38.35\00:18:41.05
and raise me up,
that I may repay them!"
00:18:41.08\00:18:43.82
All right, so here we
have this also, this prediction
00:18:43.85\00:18:48.09
of what Judas Iscariot would do.
00:18:48.12\00:18:51.36
Betrayer, he ate
bread with Jesus.
00:18:51.39\00:18:53.23
He was there at
that last meal with Him.
00:18:53.26\00:18:55.66
Jesus washed his feet,
00:18:55.70\00:18:57.57
and yet Judas went out
and betrayed his Master.
00:18:57.60\00:19:02.34
Another of these texts links us
up to the death of Jesus again,
00:19:02.37\00:19:07.98
John 19, verse 37.
00:19:08.01\00:19:10.51
>>Eric: In verse 37 it says,
"And again another Scripture
00:19:10.55\00:19:13.75
says, 'They shall look
on Him whom they pierced.'"
00:19:13.78\00:19:18.35
So that seems to be a
pretty clear reference
00:19:18.39\00:19:20.36
to the Crucifixion.
00:19:20.39\00:19:22.36
>>Tom: Yeah, so you have
those two texts together.
00:19:22.39\00:19:25.26
Why don't you read
the two verses together,
00:19:25.29\00:19:27.13
verse 36 and verse 37.
00:19:27.20\00:19:29.96
>>Eric: "For
these things were done
00:19:30.00\00:19:31.70
"that the Scripture
should be fulfilled,
00:19:31.73\00:19:33.57
"'Not one of His
bones shall be broken.'
00:19:33.60\00:19:36.00
"And again
another Scripture says,
00:19:36.04\00:19:37.84
'They shall look on
Him whom they pierced.'"
00:19:37.87\00:19:40.24
>>Tom: Okay, so the apostle John
00:19:40.28\00:19:41.94
in writing this is quoting
first from Numbers 9, verse 12,
00:19:41.98\00:19:46.68
in relationship
to the Passover lamb
00:19:46.72\00:19:49.38
and how it was to be taken,
00:19:49.42\00:19:51.82
and you weren't to
break any of its bones.
00:19:51.85\00:19:54.16
And now he's referring to
Zechariah, chapter 12, verse 10,
00:19:54.19\00:19:58.96
which says, "And I will
pour out on the house of David
00:19:58.99\00:20:01.66
"and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem
00:20:01.70\00:20:03.23
"a spirit of grace
and pleas for mercy,
00:20:03.26\00:20:05.87
"so that, when they look on me,
on Him whom they have pierced,
00:20:05.90\00:20:10.71
"they shall mourn for Him,
00:20:10.74\00:20:12.31
"as one mourns
for an only child,
00:20:12.34\00:20:15.04
"and weep bitterly over Him,
00:20:15.08\00:20:16.81
as one weeps over
a firstborn," okay?
00:20:16.85\00:20:20.82
So, striking
parallels between these texts
00:20:20.85\00:20:24.75
and the life of Jesus.
00:20:24.79\00:20:26.99
Now, these are
just some of them.
00:20:27.02\00:20:29.22
There are other texts
00:20:29.26\00:20:30.56
that our gospel writers
will quote and will refer to
00:20:30.59\00:20:34.66
in relationship
to the death of Jesus
00:20:34.73\00:20:37.83
and some of the
things about His life.
00:20:37.87\00:20:40.17
It's really interesting.
00:20:40.20\00:20:42.10
Actually, at the
cross, the religious leaders
00:20:42.14\00:20:44.77
quote from the Old Testament.
00:20:44.81\00:20:46.94
Now, do they know
what they're doing?
00:20:46.98\00:20:50.08
You know, maybe they do,
00:20:50.11\00:20:51.51
but they use
these terminologies,
00:20:51.55\00:20:55.28
these terms from
the Old Testament,
00:20:55.32\00:20:57.89
and the gospel writers
just kind of lay it out for us,
00:20:57.92\00:21:00.99
and they'll say,
well, here's what happened.
00:21:01.02\00:21:04.83
Here's what people said.
00:21:04.86\00:21:06.73
And sometimes the
people, like the disciples,
00:21:06.76\00:21:09.60
didn't know that they
00:21:09.63\00:21:11.07
were fulfilling
scripture until later.
00:21:11.10\00:21:13.77
And they look back and say,
00:21:13.80\00:21:14.94
"Oh, you know,
we did that to Him.
00:21:14.97\00:21:17.97
And wow, that
was the fulfillment
00:21:18.01\00:21:20.41
of a prophecy about Him.
00:21:20.44\00:21:22.34
Now, that would be
quite an amazing experience,
00:21:22.38\00:21:25.55
you know, that you
had fulfilled a prophecy
00:21:25.58\00:21:28.18
when you didn't even realize
that you were doing something
00:21:28.22\00:21:30.89
that would
fulfill that prophecy.
00:21:30.92\00:21:34.29
It's like being the
answer to somebody's prayer.
00:21:34.32\00:21:37.09
You know, I
remember an experience
00:21:37.13\00:21:38.43
when we were
missionaries in Africa.
00:21:38.46\00:21:42.73
An old pastor had wanted to have
a clinic built at his village.
00:21:42.76\00:21:47.90
When he retired, he
didn't go to an Adventist mecca.
00:21:47.94\00:21:50.47
He went where
there were no Adventists,
00:21:50.51\00:21:52.34
and he raised up a church.
00:21:52.37\00:21:53.94
And then he wanted a clinic,
and he believed in it so much
00:21:53.98\00:21:57.58
that he burned bricks,
he made bricks in a kiln
00:21:57.61\00:22:01.58
and had them ready.
00:22:01.62\00:22:03.45
Well, there were people
00:22:03.49\00:22:05.39
who had their
eyes on those bricks.
00:22:05.42\00:22:07.76
Some of the government people
00:22:07.79\00:22:09.09
wanted to use them to
build houses for policemen,
00:22:09.12\00:22:11.79
and they kept pressuring him.
00:22:11.83\00:22:13.93
And I was the
director of health clinics
00:22:13.96\00:22:17.70
at that time there in Malawi,
00:22:17.73\00:22:19.80
and I had not seen his bricks.
00:22:19.83\00:22:23.51
And one day I
showed up, me and my wife,
00:22:23.54\00:22:26.01
we showed up in my little Jeep.
00:22:26.04\00:22:28.04
We had not been--told anybody.
00:22:28.08\00:22:30.81
We had not told
anybody that we were coming.
00:22:30.85\00:22:33.45
Knocked on his door and I said,
00:22:33.48\00:22:34.88
"Pastor
Kamwendo, I'm Dr. Shepherd.
00:22:34.92\00:22:36.79
"I'm here to see those
bricks that you've burned.
00:22:36.82\00:22:38.85
We're gonna
build a clinic here."
00:22:38.89\00:22:41.29
And he was so excited
00:22:41.32\00:22:42.62
because in his
house at that very time,
00:22:42.66\00:22:45.53
there were
policemen, people, or leaders,
00:22:45.56\00:22:49.40
who were there
pressuring him for those bricks.
00:22:49.43\00:22:51.53
And when he came back--
he showed me the bricks,
00:22:51.57\00:22:53.37
and he came back, and he said,
"No, we can't use those bricks
00:22:53.40\00:22:55.20
for policemen's houses. We're
going to build a clinic here."
00:22:55.24\00:22:57.94
[chuckles] So it's nice to be
the answer to somebody's prayer.
00:22:57.97\00:23:01.84
And it's wonderful
to see the fulfillment
00:23:01.88\00:23:05.05
of these
prophecies in Jesus' life.
00:23:05.08\00:23:09.25
>>Eric: And as you mentioned,
there are a whole lot more,
00:23:09.28\00:23:11.02
many more than we've
been able to cover here.
00:23:11.05\00:23:13.76
I want to jump over to
John 8 for a moment or two.
00:23:13.79\00:23:17.09
I'm going to read
verses 12 through 20
00:23:17.13\00:23:19.66
and then ask you a
question about this.
00:23:19.69\00:23:22.26
Over in John 8, verse
12, it says, "Then Jesus
00:23:22.30\00:23:25.00
spoke to them again, saying,
'I am the light of the world.
00:23:25.03\00:23:27.60
"'He who follows me
shall not walk in darkness,
00:23:27.64\00:23:29.97
"but have the light of life.'
00:23:30.01\00:23:31.47
"The Pharisees
therefore said to Him,
00:23:31.51\00:23:33.61
"'You bear witness of Yourself;
Your witness is not true.'
00:23:33.64\00:23:36.78
"Jesus answered
and said to them,
00:23:36.81\00:23:39.18
"'Even if I bear witness
of myself, my witness is true,
00:23:39.21\00:23:42.32
"'for I know where I came
from and where I am going;
00:23:42.35\00:23:44.85
"'but you do not
know where I come from
00:23:44.89\00:23:46.79
"'and where I am going.
00:23:46.82\00:23:48.12
"'You judge according to
the flesh; I judge no one.
00:23:48.16\00:23:50.93
"'And yet if I do
judge, my judgment is true;
00:23:50.96\00:23:53.13
"'for I am not alone,
00:23:53.16\00:23:54.46
"'but I am with
the Father who sent me.
00:23:54.46\00:23:56.56
"'It is also written in your law
00:23:56.60\00:23:57.93
"'that the
testimony of two men is true.
00:23:57.97\00:24:00.04
"'I am One who
bears witness of myself,
00:24:00.07\00:24:02.70
"and the Father who
sent me bears witness of me.'
00:24:02.74\00:24:05.57
"Then they said to
Him, 'Where is Your Father?'
00:24:05.61\00:24:07.88
"Jesus answered,
00:24:07.91\00:24:09.21
"'You know
neither me nor my Father.
00:24:09.24\00:24:11.18
"'If you had known me,
00:24:11.21\00:24:12.51
"you would have
known my Father also.'
00:24:12.55\00:24:14.28
"These words Jesus
spoke in the treasury,
00:24:14.32\00:24:16.69
"as He taught in the temple;
and no one laid hands on Him,
00:24:16.72\00:24:19.85
for His hour had not yet come."
00:24:19.89\00:24:23.29
You'd think there's
a lot of evidence here.
00:24:23.32\00:24:25.29
>>Tom: Yeah, and you
know, He's really referring back
00:24:25.33\00:24:29.33
to that experience
in John, chapter 5,
00:24:29.36\00:24:31.00
where we said there were
different people He called
00:24:31.03\00:24:32.83
as witnesses, and now
He testifies about Himself.
00:24:32.87\00:24:36.57
And they just don't believe Him.
00:24:36.60\00:24:40.54
And they say,
"Where's Your Father?"
00:24:40.58\00:24:42.88
He already told them, you know?
00:24:42.91\00:24:44.41
And so you can talk
until you're blue in the face,
00:24:44.45\00:24:47.68
sometimes people say,
and they wouldn't believe.
00:24:47.72\00:24:49.68
It's really sad that
they wouldn't believe,
00:24:49.72\00:24:52.45
because He went
against their expectations,
00:24:52.49\00:24:55.79
and He was a challenge to
their authority and power.
00:24:55.82\00:25:00.30
And that's a great lesson
that we should learn that,
00:25:00.33\00:25:05.33
you know,
sometimes people in power,
00:25:05.37\00:25:07.77
they need to hear the
truth, truth spoken to power.
00:25:07.80\00:25:11.31
And that can always be dangerous
00:25:11.34\00:25:13.64
for the person
who speaks the truth.
00:25:13.68\00:25:15.54
Well, it was for Jesus,
so we shouldn't be surprised
00:25:15.58\00:25:18.18
if we're persecuted
when we speak the truth.
00:25:18.21\00:25:20.48
We should always
speak it in love,
00:25:20.52\00:25:22.42
but we should speak the truth.
00:25:22.45\00:25:26.12
>>Eric: So if someone
is listening to this today
00:25:26.15\00:25:28.42
and they're trying to
say, okay, when and how
00:25:28.46\00:25:30.96
do I apply this
lesson to my life?
00:25:30.99\00:25:33.66
I want to speak the truth.
00:25:33.70\00:25:34.96
I want to be as
effective as I can.
00:25:35.00\00:25:37.17
What are some
guidelines, some thoughts,
00:25:37.20\00:25:40.10
that I can keep in
the forefront of my mind
00:25:40.14\00:25:42.00
if I want God to use me?
00:25:42.04\00:25:44.47
>>Tom: Well, I
would say, first of all,
00:25:44.51\00:25:46.24
always speak the truth in love.
00:25:46.27\00:25:47.88
Christ always did.
00:25:47.91\00:25:49.98
He had no one that
He wanted to keep out.
00:25:50.01\00:25:52.88
He wanted to bring everybody in.
00:25:52.91\00:25:55.65
The decision would
always be their decision
00:25:55.68\00:25:58.12
as to whether they
would accept the truth or not.
00:25:58.15\00:26:00.92
Now, Jesus--we are not
Jesus. We need to remember that.
00:26:00.96\00:26:08.26
So we can be sure
when we're speaking
00:26:08.30\00:26:11.87
with the truth of the Scripture,
00:26:11.90\00:26:14.00
but we should always
prepare people for the truth.
00:26:14.04\00:26:16.87
If you're
studying with somebody,
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.34
don't just bring out some
truth that is so challenging
00:26:19.37\00:26:24.05
to whatever they've
believed in the past
00:26:24.08\00:26:26.28
that it's impossible for them
to, you know, understand it.
00:26:26.31\00:26:30.05
Build a case
slowly. Make friends first.
00:26:30.09\00:26:34.26
Guide people with the Scripture.
00:26:34.29\00:26:36.76
Don't assume too many things,
and go slowly with people
00:26:36.79\00:26:41.50
and actually just be a friend.
00:26:41.53\00:26:43.43
Everybody has some
great story to tell,
00:26:43.47\00:26:46.67
some great
experiences that they've had.
00:26:46.70\00:26:49.70
Listen to them and
affirm them as much as possible.
00:26:49.74\00:26:53.51
And then the truth can have
a salutary effect on their life
00:26:53.54\00:27:00.25
and be a blessing to them.
00:27:00.28\00:27:02.52
>>Eric: So build
those friendships,
00:27:02.55\00:27:03.85
build those relationships,
and use those friendships
00:27:03.89\00:27:06.79
and relationships as a bridge
to share the gospel with people.
00:27:06.82\00:27:10.76
There's plenty of evidence
that Jesus is the Messiah.
00:27:10.79\00:27:13.29
We've been through just
a little bit of it today,
00:27:13.33\00:27:16.36
but there's much, much more.
00:27:16.40\00:27:18.43
And God, by His grace
and the doors that He opens,
00:27:18.47\00:27:21.00
will give you opportunities
to share some of those truths
00:27:21.04\00:27:24.24
with people that you come
in contact with every day,
00:27:24.27\00:27:27.58
if your heart and your mind
and your will are open to it.
00:27:27.61\00:27:31.28
We're continuing our study
of the book of John next week
00:27:31.31\00:27:34.08
when we come
back together again.
00:27:34.12\00:27:35.42
We're making our way
through, we're getting closer
00:27:35.45\00:27:37.35
to the end of
our 13-week journey,
00:27:37.39\00:27:38.99
but we're not there yet.
00:27:39.02\00:27:40.32
Still some
significant ground to cover,
00:27:40.36\00:27:42.52
and we want to
invite you to join us.
00:27:42.56\00:27:45.16
We're going to be
delving more deeply
00:27:45.19\00:27:46.90
into the book of John,
00:27:46.93\00:27:48.20
bringing out some
more of these great themes
00:27:48.23\00:27:50.63
as we continue to study.
00:27:50.67\00:27:51.97
And we'll be
back again next week
00:27:52.00\00:27:54.24
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:54.27\00:27:55.67
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:55.70\00:27:58.11
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00:27:58.14\00:28:03.08
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