Memory Text: Luke 24:46 “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:”

Sunday – End-Time Drama and Discipleship
Matthew 25:31-46 CEV “31 ¶ When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all of his angels, he will sit on his royal throne. 32 The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, "My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. 35 When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36 and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me." 37 Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?" 40 The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me." 41 Then the king will say to those on his left, "Get away from me! You are under God’s curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me." 44 Then the people will ask, "Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?" 45 The king will say to them, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me." 46 Then Jesus said, "Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life."”
Matthew 25:35-36 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES The union between Christ and his people is the most tender and endearing of all connexions. It is represented by the closest unions of which we have knowledge. This is a union not physical, but moral; a union of feelings, interests, plans, destiny; or, in other words, he and his people have similar feelings, love the same objects, share the same trials, and inherit the same blessedness. Hence he considers favours shown to his people as shown to himself, and will reward them accordingly. They show attachment to him, and love to his cause. By showing kindness to the poor, and needy, and sick, they show that they possess his spirit--for he did it when on earth; they evince attachment to him, for he was poor and needy; and they show that they have the proper spirit to fit them for heaven.

Monday – The Commissioning in Mark
Mark 16:14-20 KJ21 “14 ¶ Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat; and He upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." 19 ¶ So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat at the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen.”
Mark 16:15 COMMENTARY BY ALBERT BARNES Man has no right to limit this offer to any class of men. God commands his servants to offer the salvation to all men. If they reject it, it is at their peril. God is not to blame if they do not choose to be saved. His mercy is manifest; his grace is boundless in offering life to a creature so guilty as man.
Matthew 28:18-20 KJ21 “18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Amen.”

Tuesday – Discipleship and the Gospel
Mark 16:15-16 Moffatt NT “15 And he said to them, "Go to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature: 16 he who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who will not believe shall be condemned.”
Revelation 14:6 NKJV “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth——to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people——”
John 3:14-19 Holman “14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. 16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God. 19 “This, then, is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.”
John 3:18 COMMENTARY THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL Unbelief is the world’s crowning sin; and belief is, humanly speaking, the source of its justification.

Wednesday – The Commissioning in Luke
Luke 24:36-53 CEV “36 ¶ While Jesus’ disciples were talking about what had happened, Jesus appeared and greeted them. 37 They were frightened and terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 But Jesus said, "Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? 39 Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones as you see I have." 40 After Jesus said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, "Do you have something to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43 He took it and ate it as they watched. 44 Jesus said to them, "While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen." 45 Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them: The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. 47 They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, 48 you must tell everything that has happened. 49 I will send you the one my Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven. 50 ¶ Jesus led his disciples out to Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them. 51 As he was doing this, he left and was taken up to heaven. 52 After his disciples had worshiped him, they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy. 53 They spent their time in the temple, praising God.”

Thursday – Witnesses of These Things
Luke 24:45-48 NIV “45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.”
Luke 24:47 COMMENTARY JOHN WESLEY NOTES Beginning at Jerusalem-This was appointed most graciously and wisely: graciously, as it encouraged the, greatest sinners to repent, when they saw that even the murderers of Christ were not excepted from mercy: and wisely, as hereby Christianity was more abundantly attested; the facts being published first on the very spot where they happened.
Further light - Christ’s death and resurrection
Romans 5:6-10 NRSV “6 ¶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.”
1 Corinthians 5:7 NRSV “Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NRSV “3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,”
Galatians 1:4 NRSV “who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”
Ephesians 1:7 20th Century NT “For in him, and through the shedding of his blood, we have found redemption in the pardon of our offenses.”
1 Peter 2:22-25 20th Century NT “22 He ‘never sinned, nor was anything deceitful ever heard from his lips.’ 23 He was abused, but he did not answer with abuse; he suffered, but he did not threaten; he entrusted himself to him whose judgements are just. 24 And he ‘himself carried our sins’ in his own body to the cross, so that we might die to our sins, and live for righteousness. ‘His bruising was your healing.’ 25 Once you were straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

Friday – Further Study
Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, pp.28-29 – “The disciples were to carry their work forward in Christ’s name. Their every word and act was to fasten attention on His name, as possessing that vital power by which sinners may be saved. Their faith was to center in Him who is the source of mercy and power…When Christ said to the disciples, Go forth in My name to gather into the church all who believe, He plainly set before them the necessity of maintaining simplicity. The less ostentation and show, the greater would be their influence for good. The disciples were to speak with the same simplicity with which Christ had spoken….Christ did not tell His disciples that their work would be easy. He showed them the vast confederacy of evil arrayed against them…But they would not be left to fight alone…He made full provision for the prosecution of their work and took upon Himself the responsibility of its success.”