C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON For September 29th, 2019, That the Scriptures Must be Fulfilled. Lesson 6 : TOPIC – CHRIST’S LIFE AND DEATH FULFIL THE SCRIPTURES
LESSON SIX
CHRIST’S LIFE AND DEATH FULFIL THE SCRIPTURES
The life and death of Jesus Christ fulfilled the relevant Scriptures in terms of humble beginning, life of suffering, atoning death, etc. He must be believed and accepted as Lord and Saviour of all. Have your done that?
MEMORY SCRIPTURE
I was daily with you in the Temple Teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the scriptures must be Fulfilled.
(Mark 14:49)
BRIEF COMMENT
A songwriter wrote, “Daily as I live, often as I breathe, let my whole life be as expression of Your grace,” Jesus fulfilled scriptures, both in life and death. He was and still is a perfect example of a Scripture-fulfilled life. All His actions, words, and teachings were in fulfillment of Scriptures. He declared in Matthew 5:17-18 that He did not come to condemn or abolish the law, but to ensure its fulfillment.
The process and activities that led to His death, including His actual death, were all in fulfillment of Scriptures. Our Memory Scripture gives an example of such instances. As the arresters came to seize Jesus, He challenged them as to why they couldn’t lay hold of Him as He went in and out among them for so long a time. This statement in itself is pregnant with the truth that they could do nothing to Him before the time He was eventually arrested, because it wasn’t time (cf. Lk. 4:28ff). In fulfillment of Scriptures, there was an appointed time for Him to give up the ghost, just like the time of His birth (cf. Gal. 4:4).
Christians (genuine followers of the life and teachings of Christ) we should seek to pattern our lives in line with God’s will and plan. Remember that God has time for us in all things, and nothing He plans for us would happen earlier or later than His appointed time, as long as we remain with, and in Him. By so doing, God will be glorified in us. Do you live your life after God’s ordinance?
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK ONE
Mon. 23: Christ’s Birth was Predicted (Isa. 9:6-7)
Tue. 24: Christ’s Birth Details Revealed to Mary (Lk. 1:31)
Wed. 25: Christ was Born as Predicted (Lk. 2:7)
Thur. 26: Christ was Circumcised and Named (Lk. 2:21; cf. Gen. 17:12)
Fri. 27: Christ, Dedicated in the Temple (Lk. 2:22,23; cf. Exo. 13:2)
Sat. 28: Christ, Baptised to Fulfill All Righteousness (Matt. 3:13-17)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1. The life and death of Jesus both fulfilled Scriptures. Yours must be patterned according to His Word, to be adjudged ‘fulfilled’ in life.
2. What aspect(s) of your life does not glorify Him. God’s Word, promises and covenants with man are true. But man’s attitude, character and lifestyle will go a long way in determining either the fulfillment or abolishment of the same.
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Philippians 2:5-7; Matthew 5:17-18
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: To expose to God’s people how the entire life and death of Jesus Christ were all in fulfillment of scriptures.
OBJECTIVES: At the end of this lesson, the learner should be:
i. showing evidences of having firmly grabbed the fact that Jesus lived and died to fulfill scriptures.
ii. ready to willingly pattern his/her life in such a way that God will be glorified in line with the scriptures;
iii. able to defend that God’s Word, promises and covenants are yea and Amen, and that the yet-to-be-fulfilled scriptures will surely be fulfilled in due time; and
iv. more committed to living a life of total reliance on God, even unto death.
INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCE: MATTHEW 2; 3; 26; 27; LUKE 1; 2; 4; 5; 9; JOHN 2; 19; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-7
We give unto God all every adoration, honour and praise, for the grace and opportunity to be blessed weekly and daily, through the Sunday school. It is our prayer that our labour in His vineyard will be duly rewarded, and we shall be counted worthy ambassadors till Christ comes in Jesus name.
In the previous lesson, we examined the topic, THE MESSIAH EVENTUALLY COMES. We saw how the Scriptures came to reality, in that, the Messiah, who was predicted/promised, eventually came. The lesson dealt so well with His human birth and the circumstances that surrounded it, as realities of what the Scripture had earlier predicted. May His good purposes be fulfilled in us, in Jesus name.
The present lesson, being the sixth in the series, is titled CHRIST’S LIFE AND DEATH FULFIL SCRIPTURES. This is examined in two major dimensions; how His life was all about fulfilling Scriptures, from His childhood to adulthood, and the other reveals how, even His suffering and eventual death, were all in fulfillment of the Scriptures. What a divinely fulfilled life!
May He grant us deep insight into His Word and make the Word find utmost expression and fulfillment in our lives, too, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
This lesson is divided into two sections, I and II. Each of the sections is further subdivided into A and B.
Division I: Lives To Fulfill Scriptures
This division deals explicitly with how Jesus lived His entire life fulfilling scriptures, under two subdivisions. Part A exposes how His childhood fulfilled scriptures, which is taken from Matthew 2:13-15; Luke 1:80; 2:41-52; Phil. 2:5-7. Part B reveals His adulthood as regards the fulfillment of scriptures. It is taken from Matthew 3:16-17; 4:13-15; 5:17-18; Luke 4:17-21; 9:27-36; John 2:16-17. We are challenged to pattern our lives after Him.
Division II: Dies In Fulfillment Of Scriptures
This division deals with how Jesus died eventually also as a fulfillment of scriptures. It is subdivided into two parts. The part A, Suffers As The Scripture Says, is taken from Matthew 26:14-75; 27:3-35, and the Part B, Dies And He Is Buried, is taken from Matthew 27:35-50; John 19:30-42. These two divisions give deep insight into the childhood, adulthood, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ, as they were all geared towards the fulfillment of scriptures.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. LIVES TO FULFIL SCRIPTURES
A. HIS CHILDHOOD
B. HIS ADULTHOOD
II. DIES IN FULFILLMENT OF SCRIPTURES
A. SUFFERS AS THE SCRIPTURES SAYS
B. DIES AND HE IS BURIED
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. LIVES TO FULFIL SCRIPTURES (Matthew 2:13-15; 3:16-17; Luke 1:80; 2:41-50; 4:13-21; 5:17, 18; 9:27-36; John 2:16-17; Philippians 2:5-7).
The entire life Jesus Christ was all about the fulfillment of scriptures. He daily lived from His childhood to adulthood, all fulfilling prophecies that have been said concerning Him (the Saviour), several years back.
A. HIS CHILDHOOD (Matt. 2:13-15; Lk. 1:80; 2:41-50; Phil. 2:5-7)
But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7).
i. Phil. 2:5-7: Jesus could have decided to suddenly appear in the world as a super-power/super-hero, but instead chose to take on the form of an ordinary child, even a bondservant, in fulfillment of the Scripture (Isa. 7:14; 9:6).
ii. Matt. 2:13-15: His divinely ordered escape to Egypt gives full meaning to the Scripture (Hos. 11:1) in which God called the Israelite nation His son. Jesus is God’s genuine Son, Israel’s (and the world’s) Messiah.
iii. vv. 16-18: Herod’s massacre of those innocent children (sons) just to get at the boy, Jesus, is another picture of Rachel mourning the brutal loss of her sons, as in Jer. 31:15 that refers to the bloody Babylonian captivity of 586BC.
iv. 19-23: His return to Nazareth in Galilee fulfilled Scripture (v. 23).
v. Lk. 1:80: The fact that the boy Jesus grew to become strong (cf. 2:40, 52) fulfilled the Scripture that He (the Messiah) shall grow up before Him (Yahweh) as a tender plant (Isa. 53:2a).
vi. Doesn’t the attitude of Jesus, in Lk. 2:41-50, to temple worship perfectly fulfil Psa. 122:1ff? This is because of His passion (cf. Psa. 69:9).
vii. His whole childhood was lived/spent fulfilling scriptures. No one is too young to please God and live a life that glorifies Him.
viii.This is the more reason you have to stop believing (that is, if you have been taking into consideration, before) those fables and fallacious stories and comments that the mostly magical in nature, about His childhood, found in some extra-biblical materials and ‘other scriptures’. Jesus’ childhood fulfilled scriptures in ways that really glorified God.
B. HIS ADULTHOOD (Matt. 3:16-17; 4:13-15; 5:17, 18; Lk. 4:17-21; 9:27-36; Jn. 2:16-17)
Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up” (Jn. 2:17).
i. Matt. 3:16-17: Jesus was Baptised and the Holy Spirit came upon Him, physically in form of a dove, and the voice that came from heaven was to confirm Jesus as the promised Son (cf. Isa. 9:6a).
ii. 4:13-15: Jesus began His Galilean Ministry in fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7.
iii. 5:17,18: Jesus Christ made it clear that He actually came to fulfill Scriptures, and this was very evident in His dealings, speeches and actions.
iv. Lk. 4:27-21: Jesus was handed the book of Prophet Isaiah and He read it aloud in the Synagogue, after which He confirmed to the people that what just happened was the fulfillment of a scripture (Isa. 61:1-3).
v. 9:27-36: Jesus’ experience here, in the presence of His core disciples, showed Him as the true fulfillment of what those great icons spiritually represented in God’s unfolding programme —- Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets).
vi. Jn. 2:16-17: When Jesus drove away the merchants from the temple, He was fulfilling the Scriptures (cf. Psa. 69:9 122:1), reinstating the real and original purpose of His father’s house, and portraying the zeal of the same.
vii. Another major instance of Jesus’ adulthood glorifying God and fulfilling scriptures is found in Matthew 4:1-10, where Satan tempted Jesus. All His responses are in fulfillment of scriptures, thus: 4:4 is the fulfillment of Deut. 8:3. 4:7 is the fulfillment of Deut. 6:16; while 4:10 is the fulfillment of Deut. 6:13.
viii.Just like those fables and magical insinuations about the childhood of Christ, never give a second to considering such write-ups aimed at discrediting Jesus and consequently dampening your faith. Beware!
LESSONS DERIVED
1. The life, from childhood to adulthood, of Jesus Christ was all about the Scriptures being rolled out in fulfillment.
2. The fact that many Scriptures have been fulfilled should energise and encourage you, indeed. God’s Word will never go unfulfilled, even for you.
WORK TO DO
The O.T Scriptures point towards Jesus Christ, and He came to practically fulfil them. Discuss.
SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
i. Jesus Christ is the perfect Lamb of God, typified in the Old Testament, and who appeared in person in the New Testament.
ii. According to John 1:14, The Word became flesh… Jesus is the Word that was with God from the beginning (John 1:1), by whom the heaven and earth were made (Gen. 1:ff), and that all things were made through Him (Jn. 1:3).
iii. Jesus is that Word who came physically in the New Testament. He was seen, touched, talked to, heard, handled, etc. Like anybody else who lived in the physical, not just like a ghost or spirit (1 Jhn. 1:1-3).
iv. Jesus came in the New Testament to fulfill God’s promises and prophecies in the Old Testament.
v. Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb that was pointed to in the Old Testament (Exo. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Jn. 19:32-36). He came to physically and practically fulfil scriptures related to that. He was born physically, lived physically, died physically, resurrected physically, and ascended to heaven in the full glare of witnesses. Evidences abound to prove all of these.
vi. In all, the O.T. points to Christ, while the N.T. is a fulfillment of Christ. The whole Scripture centres around Christ Jesus —- expectations about Him, and fulfillment of those expectations.
vii. He must therefore be believed without reservations, lest one loses favour with the Giver of the Scripture —- God who comes soonest to judge the world based on individual’s attitude to the ultimate Fulfiller of the scripture (Jesus)