Daily Sabbath School: The Radiant Light

FRIDAY October 31

Further Study:

Instant Substitute: “The instant man accepted the temptations of Satan, and did the very things God had said he should not do, Christ, the Son of God, stood between the living and the dead, saying, ‘Let the punishment fall on Me. I will stand in man's place. He shall have another chance.’ ”—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1 p. 1085.

Sacrifice of Isaac: “The sacrifice required of Abraham was not alone for his own good, nor solely for the benefit of succeeding generations; but it was also for the instruction of the sinless intelligences of heaven and of other worlds. The field of the controversy between Christ and Satan—the field on which the plan of redemption is wrought out—is the lesson book of the universe. Because Abraham had shown a lack of faith in God's promises, Satan had accused him before the angels and before God of having failed to comply with the conditions of the covenant, and as unworthy of its blessings. God desired to prove the loyalty of His servant before all heaven, to demonstrate that nothing less than perfect obedience can be accepted, and to open more fully before them the plan of salvation.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 154, 155.

Importance of Isaiah 53: “This chapter should be studied. It presents Christ as the Lamb of God. Those who are lifted up with pride, whose souls are filled with vanity, should look upon this picture of their Redeemer, and humble themselves in the dust. The entire chapter should be committed to memory. Its influence will subdue and humble the soul defiled by sin and uplifted by self-exaltation.”—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1147.

Discussion Questions:

Go back through the week’s lesson. Take everything that’s taught each day and write a summary of all that we can learn about the plan of salvation from what God has revealed in these Old Testament accounts. Bring what you’ve learned and share it with the class.

Read the first Ellen White quote listed above. What does that tell us about the character of God? What does it mean to have “another chance”?

As a class, go over the story of Abraham on Mount Moriah. What other lessons can we take from it about what it means to live by faith?

Summary:

Centuries before Christ was on this earth the Lord gave us promises of salvation. Those promises were fulfilled in a very precise way. The question remains, How should we respond to the reliability and trustworthiness of the Lord as revealed in the fulfillment of those promises?

I N S I D E Story

The Radiant Light
Hidemi Sugawara stopped halfway down the aisle of her church and blinked in stunned silence. Her seat was taken. In fact, the front half of the church was full. Where could she sit? How would she hear?

Hidemi was a faithful Adventist Christian. She had lived in rural Japan for years, but as she grew older and had more trouble getting around, she decided to move to the city. She found an Adventist church near a subway stop and began attending. She missed her old friends from her country church and found it difficult to make new friends in the large city.

She sat in the front of the church to hear better. But this Sabbath the front pews of the church were full. She found a seat toward the back. But she couldn't hear the service. She watched as people stood and knelt, but she heard only mumbled noises. What's the use of coming if I can't hear? She asked herself. I may as well stay home and pray and sing alone.

As the pastor prayed the benediction his face suddenly shone with a radiant light. Then as the worshipers walked down the aisle toward the door, she saw that everyone wore that same radiant light. Am I dreaming? she wondered. Or are my eyes going bad too?

She walked out of the church and started toward the subway. She examined the faces of the people who passed by. They looked normal enough. But when she turned and looked at the church, she saw that same radiant light on it. What is happening? she wondered. She saw some church members at the subway station and noticed that they still wore the radiant light.

Then she understood. God wanted her to continue attending church, and He wanted her to know that He had a special blessing for His people and His church. If she continued attending church, surely God would bless her as well.

Hidemi realized that as she fretted over her inability to hear, she had missed the blessing God had for her by simply being with believers in His church. It was not so important to hear everything that was said; just being there was enough. She continued attending church and brought her friends as well. In time she made many friends in the church, young and old.