March 5-11, 2000
MEMORY VERSE: “Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for Thee; the desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee.” Isaiah 26:8.
STUDY HELP: Desire of Ages, 642–661.
INTRODUCTION: “Looking upon the crucified Redeemer, we more fully comprehend the magnitude and meaning of the sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven. The plan of salvation is glorified before us, and the thought of Calvary awakens living and sacred emotions in our hearts. Praise to God and the Lamb will be in our hearts and on our lips; for pride and self-worship cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.” The Faith I Live By, 300.
“Know Ye What I Have Done unto You?”
1 What thoughts were in the Lord’s mind when He decided to wash the disciples’ feet? John 13:1.
NOTE: “How was Christ to bring these poor souls where Satan would not gain over them a decided victory? How could He show that a mere profession of discipleship did not make them disciples, or ensure them a place in His kingdom?…So Christ expressed His love for His disciples. Their selfish spirit filled Him with sorrow, but He entered into no controversy with them regarding their difficulty. Instead He gave them an example they would never forget.” The Desire of Ages, 643–645.
2 What further thought was in the Lord’s mind? John 13:2.
NOTE: See Desire of Ages, 650.
4 When Peter protested against the Lord’s action, what explanation did the Lord give him? John 13:6–10.
NOTE: “Peter could not bear to see his Lord, whom he believed to be the Son of God, acting the part of a servant. His whole soul rose up against this humiliation. He did not realize that for this Christ came into the world. With great emphasis he exclaimed, ‘Thou shalt never wash my feet.’ Solemnly Christ said to Peter, ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me.’ The service, which Peter refused, was the type of a higher cleansing. Christ had come to wash the heart from the stain of sin. In refusing to allow Christ to wash his feet, Peter was refusing the higher cleansing included in the lower. He was really rejecting his Lord.” Desire of Ages, 645, 646.
“This is My Body Which is Given for You”
5 What perpetual memorial of His death did the Lord provide for His followers? Luke 22:19, 20.
NOTE: “Here our Saviour instituted the Lord’s Supper, to be often celebrated, to keep fresh in the memory of His followers the solemn scenes of His betrayal and crucifixion for the sins of the world. He would have His followers realize their continual dependence upon His blood for salvation. The broken bread was a symbol of Christ’s broken body, given for the salvation of the world. The wine was a symbol of His blood, shed for the cleansing of the sins of all those who should come unto Him for pardon, and receive Him as their Saviour. The salvation of men depends upon a continual application to their hearts of the cleansing blood of Christ. Therefore, the Lord’s Supper was not to be observed only occasionally or yearly, but more frequently than the annual Passover. This solemn ordinance commemorates a far greater event than the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. That deliverance was typical of the great atonement which Christ made by the sacrifice of His own life for the final deliverance of His people.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 203.
6 What important truth should we never forget? Isaiah 53:5, 6.
NOTE: “Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death, which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. ‘With His stripes we are healed.’” Desire of Ages, 25.
7 How was our redemption made possible? 1 Peter 1:18, 19.
NOTE: “Christ is still at the table on which the paschal supper has been spread. The unleavened cakes used at the Passover season are before Him. The Passover wine, untouched by fermentation, is on the table. These emblems Christ employs to represent His own unblemished sacrifice. Nothing corrupted by fermentation, the symbol of sin and death, could represent the ‘Lamb without blemish and without spot.’” Desire of Ages, 653. (See also Peter Marshall, The First Easter, 22, 25.)
8 How long are we to partake of the Lord’s Supper? 1 Corinthians 11:26.
NOTE: “At the first feast He attended with His disciples, Jesus gave them the cup that symbolized His work for their salvation. At the Last Supper He gave it again, in the institution of that sacred rite by which His death was to be shown forth ‘till He come.’ 1 Corinthians 11:26. And the sorrow of the disciples at parting from their Lord was comforted with the promise of reunion, as He said, ‘I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’ Matthew 26:29.” Desire of Ages, 149. (See also Desire of Ages, 659, 660.)
“Buried With Him in Baptism”
9 What is the significance of baptism? Romans 6:3–6.
NOTE: “The resurrection of Christ is commemorated by our being buried with Him by baptism, and raised out of the watery grave, in likeness of His resurrection, to live in newness of life.” Early Writings, 217.
“Man was brought again into favor with God by the washing of regeneration. The washing was the burial with Christ in the water in the likeness of His death, representing that all who repent of the transgression of the law of God receive purification and cleansing, through the work of the Holy Spirit. Baptism represents true conversion by the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Those who have been buried with Christ in baptism, and been raised in the like-ness of His resurrection, have pledged themselves to live in newness of life. ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.’ Colos-sians 3:1, 2.” The Faith I Live By, 143.
10 Does baptism give one the right to continue to break God’s Law? Romans 6:1–2, 6.
NOTE: “Baptism is a most solemn renunciation of the world. The waters cover the candidate, and in the presence of the whole heavenly universe the mutual pledge is made. In the name of the Father, and Son, and the Holy Spirit, man is laid in his watery grave, buried with Christ in baptism, and raised from the water to live the new life of loyalty to God. The three great powers in heaven are witnesses; they are invisible but present. We have died to the world.…We have been buried in the likeness of Christ’s death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection, and we are to live a new life. Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ.” The Faith I Live By, 146.
“If Thou Believest With All Thine Heart”
11 What precondition is necessary before baptism? Acts 8:36–38.
NOTE: “You may say that you believe in Jesus, when you have an appreciation of the cost of salvation. You may make this claim, when you feel that Jesus died for you on the cruel cross of Calvary; when you have an intelligent, understanding faith that His death makes it possible for you to cease from sin, and to perfect a righteous character through the grace of God, bestowed upon you as the purchase of Christ’s blood.…The plan of salvation is not appreciated as it should be. It is not discerned or comprehended. It is made altogether a cheap affair.” Review and Herald, July 24, 1888.
12 What provision is made for those who, through falling into sin, feel the need to renew their baptismal vows? John 13:10.
NOTE: “We do not come [to the Lord’s table] with our minds diverted to our past experience in the religious life, whether that experience be elevating or depressing. We do not come to revive in our minds the ill-treatment we have received at the hands of our brethren. The ordinance of humility is to clear our moral horizon of the rubbish that has been permitted to accumulate. We have assembled now to meet with Jesus Christ, to commune with Him.” Review and Herald, June 7, 1898. (See also Desire of Ages, 646, 647.)