Sabbath School Summary
By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza | Jesus Opens the Way Through the Veil.
Lesson 10
Memory Text: Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”
Introduction
When the disciples returned from the Mount of Olives, right after Jesus had ascended to heaven, they were filled with joy and triumph. Their Master and Friend had ascended to a position of power over the world and had invited them to approach God in His name with the absolute confidence that God would respond favorably to their prayers (John 14:13, 14). Even though they continued in the world, attacked by the forces of evil, their hope was strong. They knew that Jesus had ascended to prepare a place for them (John 14:1-3). They knew that Jesus was the Captain of their salvation and that He had opened a way into the heavenly homeland through His blood.
The ascension of Jesus to heaven is central to the theology of Hebrews. It marks the beginning of Jesus’ rule and the beginning of His High Priestly ministry in our behalf. And more important, Jesus’ ascension marks the moment that the new covenant, which provides the means through which we can approach God boldly through faith, has been inaugurated. It is our privilege now to approach God with confidence through Jesus and the merits of His righteousness.
SABBATH: From Mount Olives, He [Jesus] mounted in triumph to His throne in heaven. All heaven was waiting for this hour of triumph. He was gone from the earth. His voice of wisdom would be silent & His seat at the table would be empty for the disciples. Yet, they were filled with joy. Christ gained power over the world & man could boldly talk to God (John 14:1-3, 13, 14). The new covenant also began.
SUNDAY: The timeline of Christ’s death, ascension, & priestly work matched the celebration of the 3 feasts allotted to all males in Israel (Heb. 9:23, 24). 1. Passover; how God saved Israel from Egypt (John 19:14). 2. Pentecost; pointed to the barely harvest & in the NT to the giving of the law in Sinai (Acts 1, 2). 3. Feast of Booths; God’s care for Israel in the desert walk (Exod. 23:14-17, Deut. 16:16,1 Cor. 15:20).
MONDAY: God’s plan is to draw all men to Himself. He saved Israel from Egypt & invited them to taste His grace. First, they were to purge themselves to see God’s glory. The disobedient would die (Exod. 19:3, 4, 10-15, 19:13, 24:9-11, Deut. 5:5, 24, 25-27; Exod. 20:18-21). God wanted Israel to “fear” Him & also show them His mercy (Deut. 4:10, Ps. 111:10, Prov. 9:10, 10:27, Exod. 34:4-8). Israel lacked faith (Deut. 9:19).
TUESDAY: Sin can lead a person astray. When the sinner return he’d be unfit to come to the presence of God. A means was needed for him to come close to God. A veil was needed to draw men to God & not be consumed by His glory. 3 veils were used in the sanctuary (Exod. 38:18, 36:37, 26:31-35, 33:3, 7, 12-20, Lev. 16:1, 2, 10:1-3, Num. 1:51, 53, 3:10). Christ also became our veil (John 1:14–18).
WEDNESDAY: The new covenant is the “new & living way” Jesus has given us through His sacrifice. As “captain”, He bid us to imitate Him. Christ forgave us & put His law in our hearts (Heb. 10:19-22, 2:10; 6:19, 20; 12:2, 8:13). The covenant was a way God wanted to cling to “accused” men (Heb. 9:18-21, Exod. 40, 19:4-6, Lev. 8, 9, Heb. 5:1–10, 7:1-8:13, Zech. 3, Job 1, 2, Rev. 12:7–12; John 12:31, 16:11).
THURSDAY: The condescension and ascension of Christ is a fact. But in faith, we go to Mount Zion; heavenly Jerusalem. Thus, with Christ as our High Priest, we taste God’s goodness & approach Him in confidence. Our faith, therefore, has a historical anchor (see Heb. 12:22-24, 11:1, Eph. 2:5, 6; Col. 3:1, Heb. 4:14, 16, 10:23, 6:4, 5, 19, 7:22, 11:10, 13–6, Rev. 7:15-17, 21:1-4, 22:1-5, Num. 6:24-26).
FRIDAY: The ascension of Christ to heaven beckoned an outpouring of blessings on His followers. Angels escorted Christ in triumph. He was installed as our High Priest when He passed through the gates of heaven. After His coronation, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents & Christ was glorified. The Pentecost was a sign of His institution. His Spirit came as promised. He doesn’t fail!
—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 38, 46.
Keywords
NT- New Testament
Veil- The purpose of the veil was not to keep the people from their leader or God. But to enable the people to come close to their leader or God. After meeting God, Moses had to wear a veil to prevent the radiant of God on his face from frightening the people. Christ is the (our) veil that enables us to approach God & experience His glory without being consumed.
Feast of Booths- It shows God’s care for Israel as they sojourned in the desert. In the NT, The Feast of Booth is yet to be fulfilled. Christ ascended to heaven to build many mansions for His children. He’ll come again to take us to a better home to show God’s care for the human race.
Additional texts for Sunday- (John 20:17, 2 Chron. 7:14, Ps. 27:8, 42:2, 105:4, 17:15, Heb. 6:19, 20, 11:10, 13-16).
Captions
SUNDAY- Jesus Before the Father
MONDAY- God’s Invitation
TUESDAY- The Need for a Veil
WEDNESDAY- The New and Living Way Through the Veil
THURSDAY- They Will See His Face
Discussion Questions
📌 The psalmist said, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42:2, ESV). How can we have the same thirst to come into the presence of God? If we don’t rejoice now in the presence of God as we worship Him and come before His presence in faith, will we rejoice in the future? What are the factors that lead to joy before God?
📌 In a book mocking faith, someone created a robot that supposedly did our believing for us. Though this was a spoof, how can we be careful not to do as Israel did in the desert, and that is to make a request for intermediaries between us and God? We tend to allow other people to study the Bible in our behalf and find the gems of truth in the Bible. Some people may feel tempted to think that the prayers of others in their behalf carry more weight before God than their own prayers. Why should we avoid this spiritual trap? Why, because of Jesus, can we approach God without the need of anyone else?
📌 Hebrews is about assurance of salvation. How, though, must we be careful not to mistake presumption for assurance