C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON. Eternal Plan of God for Man For April 14, 2019 : TOPIC – IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION
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C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Eternal Plan of God for Man.
April 14th, 2019.
LESSON SEVEN
IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION
If Jesus didn’t come, live, die, resurrect, and ascend to heaven, we would have been eternally and permanently doomed. Praise God!
MEMORY SCRIPTURE
Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him (1 Thessalonians 5:10).
BRIEF COMMENT
Paul, the writer of 1 Thessalonians, was encouraging the people to be awake and hopeful of their salvation, both in now and afterwards. God has not appointed us unto wrath, but unto salvation, occasioned by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus Christ is a pledge of victory, for He died, in order that we, believers might be partakers of His life; and that begins here. The death of our Lord Jesus Christ was an atoning sacrifice for both the Jews and Gentiles to give us salvation now and eternal life afterwards. Whether we live or have fallen asleep, believers shall reign with Him, when He comes back for us. Those who have died in Him shall be raised to go with the saints who are alive, and both shall reign with Him in their immortal state of glory (cf. 1 Thess. 4:15). If Christ willingly surrendered Himself for our salvation, Christians who have accepted Him must do everything to sustain their salvation, while those who have not accepted Him should do so without any further delay. If you remain with Him and in Him to the end, even though you die, you will live with Him again and forever.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READING FOR WEEK ONE
Mon. 8: The Word Became Flesh (Jn. 1:14)
Tue. 9: The Messiah Would Save His People (Matt. 1:21)
Wed. 10: The Messiah Reigns Over Jacob’s House (Lk. 1:33)
Thur. 11: True Redemption is Through Jesus (Gal. 4:4-6)
Fri. 12: True Salvation Comes Through Faith (Eph. 2:8)
Sat. 13: True Reconciliation to God by Jesus (Col. 1:22)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1. Without the death and resurrection of Christ, we would have been eternally doomed; all our lives would have been in vain Glorify Him!
2. Christ’s death has delivered us from the curse of the law and condemnation by Satan. We now live with the hope of reigning with Him in eternity.
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: 1 Corinthians 15:1-58
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: To show that humanity would have been doomed but for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
OBJECTIVES: At the end of this two-week lesson, learners should be:
i. able to discuss prophesies about Jesus’ death and resurrection;
ii. able to discuss why Jesus laid down His life sacrificially for the sinners;
iii. displaying a better understanding of the significance of His ressurrection; and
iv. beaming with, and expressing the hope of resurrection and a life eternal with Christ in His glory.
INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCE: PSALM 16:10; ISAIAH 53:1-9; MATTHEW 1:21; 28:1-7; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:17-19
We thank God for the previous lesson, the sixth in this series, with the topic, HARVEST OF THE EARTH. We could not have easily forgotten that the lesson was premised on Matthew 13:24-43 that preserves the record of our Lord’s Parable of the Wheat and Tares. From this, we have further understood the concept of the harvest of the earth that we should be expecting any moment from now, and how it would happen. May we not regret on that Day. Amen.
This is the seventh lesson in which we are discussing the IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION. God has shown His love for mankind, right from before eternity. Interestingly, it is clearly unmistakable, even in the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden, up till now. He is not slack concerning His words, even in His judgment in the Garden. He promised us a Saviour (Gen. 3:15; cf. 1 Jn. 3:8b). He wants the works of the devil to be destroyed. For this destruction to happen, God sent Jesus Christ to this world, He who has the power/authority to destroy Satan and his works, and to set us free.
The eternal purpose of God wouldn’t have come to fulfillment had it been the precious blood of Jesus was not shed on the cross of Calvary for our sins. This informs why in this lesson, we shall be discussing the importance of the death of Jesus Christ and the perfection of the plan of God for Man.
The celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ shouldn’t be considered a free passage for winning and dinning, or indulging in any act of immorality/ungodliness (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3). We are special people, totally different from the pagans and idolaters. May the Holy Spirit assist us to hold with every sense of importance and carefulness, the salvation bought us by the death and resurrection of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
This lesson is divided into sections 1 and 11, which are further divided into A and B respectively.
DIVISION I: PROPHECIES OF HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Part A examines the age-long prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus Christ, which gave clear and undeniable evidences that He actually came to this world. Numerous proclamations from David, Isaiah, Matthew, etc. abound in scriptures about the first coming of our Lord and Saviour. Jesus also predicted His passion (Mt. 8:21; Mk. 8:31; 9:31). He would suffer and die in the hands of sinners. Part B discusses how His Father would not allow His body to suffer corruption in the grave. The four Gospels also preserve evidences of His life, suffering, death and resurrection. Hope you are no longer in doubt?
DIVISION II: IMPORTANCE OF HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
Jesus’ death and resurrection were not without purpose. In this division, we would see how the extent of God’s love for man was revealed (Jn. 3:16); allowing His Son to die for the emancipation of man from sin, using His blood. The second part discusses how Christ’s resurrection makes our faith effective, fruitful and lively; this guarantees for us, forgiveness, victory May God enable us enjoy all His graces embedded in Jesus Christ.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. PROPHECIES OF HIS DEATH AND RESSERRECTION
A. OF THE DEATH
B. OF HIS RESURRECTION
II. IMPORTANCE OF HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
A. THE MEANING
B. THE IMPORTANCE
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. PROPHECIES OF HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:1-9; Matthew 28:1-7)
Prophecy is a statement that something will happen in the future. Normally, prophecy comes from God, and is the revelation of His divine will for mankind. Every bit of prophecies concerning Jesus Christ came to pass, and the rest are being awaited. They will come to pass!
A. OF HIS DEATH (Isa. 53:1-9)
He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him (Isa. 53:3).
i. Isa. 53:1-7 give prophecy of the passion of the Messiah. Christ would passionately suffer being despised and rejected. All of Jesus’ life —- birth, life-time, ministry, death and burial —- is a fulfillment of the prophecy (cf. Phil. 2:5-8).
ii. Mk. 8:31: Jesus prophetically taught of His passion (cf. Lk. 9:22).
iii. He spoke about the baptism of suffering, He was going to be baptised with (Mk. 10:38; Lk. 12:50).
iv. It is written that He would be mocked (Isa. 53:3; Lk. 23:11).
v. Jn. 3:14: He would have to be lifted up, just like the serpent in the wilderness. This was fulfilled when He was raised on the Cross (Matt. 27:35ff).
vi. Matt. 12:39, 40 prophesy His humiliation in burial. It was fulfilled (28:57ff).
vii. 1 Pet. 1:10-11 refer back to the prophecies of the suffering and death of Christ that has now been fulfilled unto glory of God.
viii. Apart from the glory of His resurrection, ascension and exaltation, there is the glory of the Word being preached everywhere, causing moral and spiritual changes in us (Acts 16:20; 17:6)
B. OF HIS RESURRECTION (Psa. 16:10; Matt. 28:1-7)
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption (Psa. 16:10).
i. Psalm 16:10 clarifies that God would not abandon the Messiah in the grave.
ii. Matt. 28:5,6 fulfill the sign of Jonah, given by Jesus (Matt. 12:39-40; cf. Jonah 1:17). Jesus indeed resurrected on the third day.
iii. All of the four Gospels preserve evidences of the fulfillment of the prophecies of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:1-7; Mk. 16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-8; Jn. 20:1-8).
iv. From here, it is clear that God has done His part of the salvation of man, by sending His Son to the world because of man’s sins. Also, Jesus shall save us to the end, if we hold on to Him unwaveringly.
v. To enjoy the magnanimity of God in sending His Son to, and for us, it is expedient that we surrender to His will, so that we can reign together with Him in the Kingdom of His Father (Jer. 6:16; Matt. 11:28,29).
LESSONS DERIVED
1. Prophecies of Christ’s death and resurrection attest to the authenticity of our faith in Christ and the originality of the Scripture.
2. We have sure hope and expectation by the fulfillment of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
WORK TO DO
Discuss the role and relevance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to our Christian faith and eternal life.
SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
i. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden due to sin (Gen. 3:23), and so they died physically; but they were to die eternally, by that act.
ii. The Bible says, The soul that sins shall die (Ezk. 18:20).
iii. But God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that those who bewin Him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16).
iv. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of skn(Heb.9:22).
v. Christ’s death saves humanity from the condemnation of sin (Rom. 8:1).
vi. His blood saves us from all uncleanness and has provisionally given us victory over death, occasioned by sin and the consequent fall (1 Cor. 6:11; 1 Jn. 1:7).
vii. By His death, we are made righteous by Him, i.e as if having no sin; discharged and acquitted (2 Cor. 5:21), and so, ó more punishment is coming on us from Satan, as long as we remain in Christ’s hold.
viii. By Jesus’ resurrection, believers are raised from death to life (Jn. 11:25)
ix. We are transferred from the image of Satan to that of Godimage of Holiness (Rom. 12:2).
x. By His resurrection, believers have the hope of eternal life of bliss with Christ (1 Cor. 15:19; Heb. 6:11).
xi. We will one day see God as He is; even now, the veil has been removed —- accessibility (1 Jn. 3:2). We can access His presence as His beloved children.