C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON For October 13th, 2019. That the Scriptures Must be Fulfilled. UNIT II: THE SCRIPTURES ARE FULFILLED. LESSON SEVEN
C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
That the Scriptures Must be Fulfilled.
UNIT II: THE SCRIPTURES ARE FULFILLED.
October 13th, 2019.
LESSON SEVEN
CHRIST’S RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION FULFIL THE SCRIPTURES.
Biblical accounts history and archaeology confirm the fact that Jesus resurrection and ascension to heaven in fulfillment of relevant Scriptures.
MEMORY SCRIPTURE
Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every Name.
(Philippians 2:9)
BRIEF COMMENT
The world “therefore” that begins the memory scripture means the statement is a conclusion or a consequence of what is stated in earlier verses. Jesus became the greatest example of a humble servant, through His coming to the earth in humility, living in obedience, and dying on the cross for sinful human beings. Let us not forget that He died for us when we did not show any inclination toward Him. He has proved His power by His resurrection and by His ability to change human hearts. Jesus has proved that He has the best interest of God’s creation in mind, because He willingly left His heavenly position and took the form of a servant so that He might rescue and redeem us. As a result, “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name. No other name can be compared with His. It stands alone. He is the Only Redeemer and Saviour. He alone is the Christ, the Anointed God. He alone is the Son of God. His ranks, titles and dignity are above the others. For His humiliation and sufferings, the exaltation and superior name was the appropriate reward that God could accord His only begotten Son.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK ONE
Mon. 7: Jesus: Not in the Tomb Anymore (Matt. 28:1-6)
Tue. 8: Jesus has Risen from the Dead (Mk. 16:1-6)
Wed. 9: Jesus’ Resurrection Confirmed by Witnesses (Jn. 20:8)
Thur. 10: Resurrected Jesus Appeared to Women (Matt. 28:9-10)
Fri. 11: Resurrected Jesus Appeared to His Disciples (Mk. 16:9-13)
Sat. 12: Resurrected Jesus Assured of His Presence (Matt. 28:16-20)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1. Christ’s glorious resurrection and ascension happened as the Scriptures foretold. Glory be to the accurate God.
2. By Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, we inherit and fully enter the Kingdom of God. We must know and believe that the ascension of Christ is an important and necessary part in the plan of God for the Church and for the world. It all happened according to the Scriptures.
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: 1 Corinthians 15:4-8
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: To help us understand how the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ fulfilled the Scriptures.
OBJECTIVES: At the end of this lesson, learners should have:
i. better understood and be able to scripturally explain the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ;
ii. been able to explain what it means, that Jesus was glorified, both in resurrection and ascension;
iii. become more emboldened to defend the Christian faith, anytime and anywhere; and
iv. been readily awaiting the rapture of believers, which is our own version of the ascension.
INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCE: LUKE 24:4-8; 44-46; JOHN 20:24-31; ACTS 1:2-11; 2:24-36; 1 JOHN 2:1-2.
Glory and adoration to the Almighty God for the previous lesson, CHRIST’S LIFE AND DEATH FULFIL THE SCRIPTURES. We were assisted by God to see how the life Jesus lived, sequel to His birth, perfectly fulfilled Scriptures, in undeniable ways. We also have been reminded of how He died to fulfil the Scriptures. We must have better understand the Scriptures-fulfilling life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also believed that we have all been provoked to pursue fulfillment in all spheres of our lives.
This current lesson is sequel to the previous. If Christ liv D and died, it is just logical to think and talk of His resurrection as well as His ascension to heaven. The lesson we begin this week is therefore geared towards helping us to see and better understand how the resurrection and ascension of Jesus fulfilled Scriptures.
We have earlier discussed in this series, some Scriptures that clearly point in the direction of glorious resurrection and ascension of Jesus that would come. We shall therefore be looking at how Jesus was glorified, both in resurrection and ascension. He wasn’t abandoned in the grave, but rather raised from the death with evidences; how He ascended into the heavens, and is seated with His Father.
May God help us to get to the root of His mind for us in this lesson, and encourage us to fully appropriate same, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
As usual, this lesson has two major divisions I and II, with further subdivision into parts A and B, each.
DIVISION I: GLORIFIED IN RESURRECTION
This division exposes us to Bible proofs that Jesus Christ rose from the dead through the power of God, who was also preserved and kept His body from corruption. That is the basis of our faith as Christians: that Christ arose from the dead! It closes with a hope-lifting charge and encouragement that God would never abandon us, no matter our situations, provided we remain within the confines of His will.
DIVISION II: GLORIFIED IN ASCENSION
In this division, we saw how Jesus Christ was taken up to heaven, after His glorious resurrection, in a most glorious way befitting the only begotten Son of God. This glorious ascension marked the crowing event of His exaltation, and served as a necessary precursor to His continued work through the Spirit and the Church. It ended with assurance that Jesus is already in heaven pleading our course, because He is our only God-approved advocate.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. GLORIFIED IN RESURRECTION
A. ISN’T ABANDONED IN THE GRAVE
B. IS RAISED WITH EVIDENCE
II. GLORIFIED IN ASCENSION
A. GOES INTO THE HEAVENS
B. WITH THE FATHER AS OUR ADVOCATE.
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. GLORIFIED IN RESURRECTION (Luke 24:4-8,44-46; John 20:1-31; Acts 2:24-36)
Christ was glorified in His resurrection. In His resurrection, Christ changed His state: He was a man in the flesh, but now He is the life-giving Spirit (I Cor. 15:45). His entire being was pneumatised, transfigured into the Spirit, and now He is the Spirit of the glorified Jesus, the Spirit of reality, and the life-giving Spirit. What a wonder!
A. ISN’T ABANDONED IN THE GRAVE (Lk. 24:4-8,44-46; Acts 2:24-36)
Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it (Acts 2:24).
i. Lk. 24:44-46: Jesus explained that His resurrection fulfilled the predictions of the prophets (cf. Psa. 16:9-11). This could be true only if someone arose from the dead (Acts 13:34-38); and only that One is Jesus who rose from the dead.
ii. vv. 4-8: Isa. 53:7-12 had predicted that the Messiah would die, but He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days (v. 10). How could this be? Only by resurrection. Jesus is the Resurrected One! (Lk. 24:5,6 Acts 2:23-31; 17:2,3; 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
iii. Imagine Jesus making such a powerful prediction in Matt. 16:21 and Jn. 2:18-22. If He were fake, shortly after His death, everyone would have known He was. But at the end, and instead of losing His followers, many people testified that they personally saw Hinalive again, after His death (cf. Matt. 17:9,23; 20:19; 26:32; 27:63; Mk. 8:31; 9:9, 10:34 14:28; Lk. 18:33; 17:9, 23; Acts 10:40-43).
iv. Acts 2:24-36: Peter boldly affirmed the God approved resurrection of Jesus (v. 24), having been a very eyewitness of it. He then went ahead to scripturally prove that Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled Psa. 16:8-11, ultimately (vv. 25-36). Paul was also apologetic in this way in Acts 13:33-39.
v. Such a belief in both the death and resurrection of Christ is of central importance to the Christian faith (I Cor. 15:14,17-19).
iv. Chris’s resurrection replaced the reproach of His death; He knew God would not leave Him alone in the grave. Believers too, need to know that God will not leave us alone with our struggles. His silence is not His absence; inactivity is never apathy.
B. IS RAISED WITH EVIDENCES (Jn. 20:1-31)
Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Go not be unbelieving, but believing” (v.27).
i. Jn. 20:1-10: If Jesus had simply died without being raised, Satan would have been the Victor, and we would all still be in our sins (Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:16, 17). In order to defeat Satan and thereby justify us, Jesus had to rise from the dead (Matt. 28:1-10).
ii. vv. 1-8: Luke claimed under inspiration that Jesus presented Himself alive rolled away and the empty tomb (cf. Matt. 28:6a; Mk. 16:4; Lk. 24:2,3) are part of these evidences.
iii. vv. 11-18: John, being an eyewitness, also confirmed that He appeared to His disciples and commissioned them, with Thomas not present.
v. vv. 24-29: He later appeared to the disciples, again, with Thomas around, that time. The scars on His body are sure evidences (Jn. 20:27).
vi. Paul lists several of Jesus’ appearances, including the appearance to Paul himself on the road to Damascus, which are evidences of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-8).
vii. vv. 27-31: What will you do with these indisputable proofs of Jesus’ resurrection? Don’t be a Thomas; believe Jesus without seeing (Rom. 10:9,10; 2 Cor. 5:7). Then, go and preach the resurrected Christ, alone (Matt. 28:18ff)!
viii.Spreading the good news of Jesus’ resurrection cum His second Advent, is the only means by which Christianity can spread and continue to exert great influence throughout the world. And most importantly, we are positively fulfilling scriptures (Matt. 28:18ff; Mk. 16:15ff) by so doing.
LESSON DERIVED
1. If God didn’t abandon Jesus in the grave, He will surely not abandon you in any situation, as long as you remain under His shadow.
2. The Bible is replete with evidences of Jesus’ resurrection.
WORK TO DO
God preserved our Lord’s body from corruption while He was lying in the grave, and then, He took back His life, like He promised, on the resurrection morning. Discuss.
SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
i. The divine power preserved Christ’s body from decay, just as it raised it up from death this fulfils the Scripture that His bones would not be broken (Psa. 34:20).
ii. God didn’t allow the body of Christ to see corruption in fulfillment of the Scripture (Psa. 16:10).
iii. In fulfillment of Scriptures, both in the O.T. and from the very mouth of our Lord Jesus, He rose majestically from the grave. God can never lie.
iv. The Lord Jesus rose from the death and left the grave by an u stoppable divine power. This is sufficient proof that men are to be raised up by divine power, not only from their graves, but also from any dust/unpleasant situation whatsoever.
v. In the risen Christ, all is eternally secure; and life not death, incorruptibility not corruption, are before us and indeed may actually be possessed by us at any moment, “in the twinkling of an eye,” at Christ’s coming again.