C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON For October 6th, 2019, That the Scriptures Must be Fulfilled. UNIT II: THE SCRIPTURES ARE FULFILLED.
C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
That the Scriptures Must be Fulfilled.
UNIT II: THE SCRIPTURES ARE FULFILLED.
October 6th, 2019.
II. DIES IN FULFILLMENT OF THE SCRIPTURES (Matt. 26:14-75; 27:3-50; John 19:30-42).
The sufferings and the eventual death of Jesus were all on fulfillment of scriptures. His entire life glorified God, even in death. He had to die for Isaiah 53:5ff and other relevant scriptures to be fulfilled.
How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus? (26:54).
i. Matt. 26:14-16: The 30 pieces of silver that Judas betrayed Jesus for, was the price of a slave (cf. Exod. 21:32). It also fulfilled Zechariah’s prophetic actions (Zech. 11:7-13). Compare this paltry price of Judas’ betrayal with costly devotion of the woman in vv. 7:13. What a terrible level of humiliation Jesus allowed Himself to be subjected to; all for our sake!
ii. v. 31: Jesus saw the eventual abandonment by the disciples and their scattering (v.56)as fulfillment of the scripture (cf. Zech. 13:7).
iii. vv 47-50: Jesus’ betrayal, eventually, by Judas, fulfilled the Scripture (cf. Psa. 41:9).
iv. vv. 50-54: Jesus rebuked Peter for trying to fight for Him. He insisted that He must suffer according to how the Father had programmed it. The cup (Jn. 18:11) refers to the suffering, isolation and death that the Father had given Him to go through.
v. vv. 51-56: Jesus saw His arrest as fulfillment of the Scripture, necessary for the redemption of doomed mankind (Mk. 14:48,49).
vi. vv. 69-75: Peter denied Jesus just as Jesus had predicted (cf. vv. 33-35). Study God’s mind regularly to know what He has for you, so that you don’t misfire in any way.
vii. 27:3-10: Judas’s death and eventual replacement with Matthias in the Apostleship (Acts 1:15ff), is seen as fulfillment of Scriptures (cf. Psa. 69:25; 109:8).
viii.vv. 11-14: Jesus is the real fulfillment of the Sheep who was strangely silenced before His shearers (cf. Isa. 53:7).
ix. vv. 27-35: Jesus was terribly mocked (Jn. 18:22) according to the Scripture (cf. Psa. 22:18).
x. All these terrible things Jesus went through in the hands of the devil and his agents, on His way to the Cross, all ultimately fulfil the Scriptures that the ancient serpent would bruise the heels of the Messiah (the Seed of the woman) for our redemption (cf. Gen. 3:15).
xi. He suffered, was chastised, punished and afflicted, all in the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7. His death was not to ‘show off’ His magical prowess like it was said of an occult, years ago, who boasted to die and resurrect the third day, to show that what Jesus did wasn’t a feat; he magically feigned death, tried to ‘resurrect’, but was truly struck dead by the thunder-like power of the Almighty Jesus. ‘Very sad,’ you would say. Jesus wasn’t trying to prove a point. He was all out to fulfill scriptures regarding our redemption. Don’t allow His painful sacrifice to go in vain over your life.
B. DIES AND HE IS BURIED (Matt. 27:35-50; Jn. 19:30-42)
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46).
i. Matt. 27:35-50: Apart from the earlier mentioned experience of His garment being divided among the solders, Jesus went through a lot of terrible experiences on the Cross (cf. Jn. 19:30ff). The dimension of humiliation He went through on the Cross perfectly fulfilled Isaiah 53:8,9.
ii. vv. 45,46: Jesus’ exclamation in Aramaic, the tongue of His birth, at the inexplicable deep sorrow He was encountering in His human soul, because of the divine abandonedment, is an expression of Psalm 22:1 and the victory the Psalm describes.
iii. Jn. 19:32-36: None of Jesus’ bones was broken, even though, others’ bones had to be broken. This fulfilled the Scriptures (cf. Exod. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psa. 34:20). He is the ultimate passover Lamb of God; the perfect sacrifice (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7).
iv. b. 37: Jesus was hanged on the ‘tree’ to fulfill the Scripture, They shall look on Him whom they pierced (Zech. 12:10).
v. vs. 42: His body was finally laid in the tomb, all in the fulfillment of the Scripture and God’s divine plan (cf. Isa. 53:9).
vi. He obeyed God by humbling Himself, even unto the undeserved criminal death on the cross (Phil. 2:8), to give room for the fulfillment of God’s ultimate plan for the world —- salvation (cf. Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13).
vii. He fulfilled scriptures even in death. What a life! An example for all Christians to emulate. His death is the only one perfectly worth using as a yardstick to pray. Num. 23:10.
LESSON DERIVED
1. Jesus’ suffering were predetermined by God for an eternal redemptive plan. There are things you have been ordained to pass through to get to the fulfillment of your destiny. Pray for the grace to go through them successfully.
2. Even in death, Jesus Christ was still fulfilling Scriptures. Do you love your life and living pattern to be a fulfilling Scriptures?
QUESTIONS
1. Jesus knew what He had been billed to pass through in life and death, yet, He faced them headlong. Any implications for Christians today?
2. The whole lifetime of Jesus, from childhood to His death, was all about the fulfillment of the Scriptures. What does this mean to you as a believer?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
i. Jesus was fully aware of all He would go through in life, worst of all, for the sake of the undeserving elements, called human beings. For instance, a panorama of it all was brought to Him Gethsemane. Most amazing is that He chose to bear all these despite the pains involved.
ii. He knew that it would all end in glory, so He did not focus on the suffering, rather on the result. He knew the scriptures that had been written about Him regarding the onerous task He had come to accomplish, and wasn’t ready to let anything take Him off the track.
iii. Jesus’ eyes were focussed on the Cross right from the day He entered the world to the day He eventually nailed to the cross. He wasn’t going to allow anything else (the hustle-bustle of the business, religious and political world, the niceness and nastiness of disciples and siblings, the threats and defence of His enemies, the euphoria of performing miracles, etc. to take away His attention.
iv. Christians must also maintain focus by keeping their eyes and minds on the glory ahead, and not on the distracting trials (cf. Rom. 8:18).
v. Jesus was determined to obey His Father in saving the world from sin and death, so what He would face in achieving that was of no importance to Him as His mission.
vi. Christians must determine to follow Christ, both in life and death, not giving in to the trials, temptationa and persecutions of the world (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1).
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
1. This means that Jesus was fully and wholly devoted to His mission.
ii. This means that Jesus lived His entire life walking and operating in the will of God.
iii. Jesus Himself is the Word who came in person to manifest Himself physically in human form.
iv. As followers of Him, we should always remember that, whether we know it or not, we are fulfilling scriptures with our lives.
v. We should therefore be very careful lest we will be fulfilling scriptures negatively. Judas is a very bad example in this regard.
vi. We should therefore regularly study the Bible and pray well so that we are not in the dark as to the scriptures yet to be fulfilled.
vii. We must strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to fulfill those positive scriptures that He expects us to fulfill. Only then do we have the guts to meet Him with great joy and confidence in Him, on the last day. May we not miss that privilege, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
LIFE APPLICATION
Jesus Christ lived His entire life fulfilling scriptures. In fact, He had told them directly, on several occasions, that He would die to fulfill the mission —- ransome. He lived His life as a practical play out of those scriptures about Him in the O.T. and those He foretold about Himself as He prepared to launch the New Covenant. This is an example for all Christians to emulate for a lifetime. However, scriptures may not find fulfillment in one’s life if he/she does not align him/herself to the pattern of life that will be most suitable for the scriptures to be fulfilled. You must live your life in a way that glorify God, and trigger the fulfillment of God’s promises and covenants for your life. You must also keep believing God as the covenant-keeping God who neither fails nor disappoints. He means what He says, and He says what He means to do.
CONCLUSION
God’s word will never fall to the ground; it shall surely accomplish the purpose for which it is sent. Scriptures have been fulfilled, are being fulfilled, and many more will still be fulfilled. These scriptures include personal revelation, prophecies, covenants and visions from God to man. The life and death of Jesus Christ are clear indications of this. He came, lived, suffered, and died in fulfillment of the scriptures. Man must therefore live and pattern his life in a way that will easily permit scriptures and God’s will to be fulfilled in his life. Jesus Christ is our perfect example as the totality of His life (from birth to death) was a reflection of scripture fulfillment. May God help us to follow suit. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READING FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. Sept. 30: Christ Came to Fulfill Scriptures (Mat. 5:17)
Tue. Oct. 1: All Scriptures must be Fulfilled (Mat. 5:18)
Wed. Oct. 2: Jesus Cried Out on the Cross (Mat. 27:46)
Thur. Oct. 3: Jesus Finally Surrendered His Spirit (Mat. 27:50)
Fri. Oct. 4: Jesus’ Death’s Immediate Effects (Mat. 27:51-54)
Sat. Oct. 5: Jesus’ Body was Buried (Mat. 27:57-60)