The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Central Thought: By His death and resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ paid the price for our redemption.
Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Text: John 19:1-18, 20:7-9, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
The word “death” as applied to man in the Scripture means separation or a cutting off from realizing God’s purpose, for which he was created. Death does not mean extinction of being. There are 3 types of death namely physical, spiritual and the second death or eternal death. Physical death is the common denominator of all mankind in the sense that the rich and the poor and yea, everybody will die. This is the separation of inner man from the outer man: that is the soul and the spirit from the body. The body dies and goes to dust, Genesis 3:19. The body without the spirit is dead, James 2:26. Spiritual death is separation of man from God because of sin, Genesis 3:8; Isaiah 59:2; Matthew 8:22; Colossians 2:13. Eternal death is the eternal separation from God, Matthew 10:28; Revelation 2:11.
Resurrection is the state of one raised from the dead or returning to life. The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are two key events in the Scriptures that have profound impact on our Christian faith. They are the bedrock of our salvation and the hope of the glorious life to come.
Lesson Objectives:
- To understand the significance of the death of Christ.
- To highlight some evidences showing that Jesus was raised from the dead.
- To appreciate the benefits of Christ’s resurrection to the believers.
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What is the significance of Christ’s death? John 12:24; Hebrews 2:14-15, 9:15, 22 & 28; Titus 2:14
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary was to pay the price for our sin. We are bought with a price (a ransom), this price is the precious blood of Jesus which was shed on the cross of Calvary and on our behalf, Galatians 3:13, 4:4-5. Our redemption means that we are released from the law and form sin, which was not possible by our keeping of the law in order to obtain acceptance from God. We are also redeemed form guilt as we received forgiveness of sin, Ephesians 1:7.
Christ’s death was substitutional. By this He took our place of death, which we rightly deserved. His substitutional death qualified Him to become our advocate and intercessor before the Father in heaven. Christ’s death is significant in that we are not only forgiven but in the sight of God, we appear as if we had never sinned. This is possible only by having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us who were enemies of God, Romans 4:23-15.
Anyone can therefore identify with the death of Christ by believing in Him, John 3:16 and also walking in newness of life, Romans 6:3-5.
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Explain the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Resurrection is the act of raising a person from death or returning to life, experienced by a person that had been dead. Resurrection qualified by the article “The”, refers to rising again of Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrected Jesus Christ remains alive forevermore, Revelation 1:18, never to die again.
We have the resurrection of Christ as the first fruit of all mortal humans who have and will certainly experience physical death. The Lord Jesus is at times referred to as the second Adam, who brought life to all men who were dead in sin. By virtue of His resurrection, those who believe in Him shall be raised up at His coming, 1 Corinthians 15:23; Revelation 20:6.
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What efforts were made by man to secure the tomb of Jesus? Matthew 27:62-66
After Jesus was buried, the chief priests and Pharisees went to meet Pilate the next day saying that they don’t want to make mistake; for they said that when Jesus was going about His earthly ministry, He did say that after 3 days, “I will rise again”. As a result, security measures were put in place. A guard of four Roman soldiers, which were changed every three hours, the tomb sealed. Dake’s comment, a cord was stretched across the stone and an official seal with clay was fastened at each end so it could be detected if the grave was opened. All these were man’s arrangement but could not stop the finger of God. The natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit.
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Highlight some evidences that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:14-18; John 20:16, v24-29, 21:5-7; Acts 1:3-9; 1 Corinthians 15:6
-The empty tomb, Matthew 28:6
-The Angel’s statement to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.
-His appearance to the eleven, Mark 16:14-18
-His appearance to Mary, Mark 16:9; John 20:16-24-27.
-He showed Himself to Thomas bodily and asked him to touch His wounds as proof that He rose from the dead, John 20:24-29.
-His appearance to the disciples at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, John 21:4-7.
-He also physically showed Himself to the disciples and ate with them, Luke 24:30-33, v.36-44.
-In Luke 24:39, He said, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have”. Besides He ate physically with them in Luke 24:43.
-His appearance at Mount Olivet, Acts 1:3-9.
-He was seen of over 500 brethren after His resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:6, and still being evidenced by the testimonies of believers today.
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What are some of the benefits of Christ’s resurrection to the believer? 1 Corinthians 15:7, v.55-57
From observation, the resurrection story is very familiar. It brings power, grace unto the lives of the hearers and because Christ resurrected the benefits are of tremendous importance and they include the following
-The promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost as it is today, Acts 2:1-4.
-The resurrection gave us believers, victory over death, 1 Corinthians 15:52.
-Guarantees our own resurrection because Christ is the first fruit of resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:20 & 23.
-Has brought us joy, hope, assurance of salvation, forgiveness of sin.
-Establishes the authority of the believer over Satan and his cohorts; by this, believers ought not to be faint hearted.
-Opens the door to our inheritance in Christ.
-Unites all believers, ex. No tribe, no color. We are on tribe in Christ.
-The resurrection brought our justification because He is alive and ever liveth to make intercession for us.
Daily Living Application:
The resurrection story is not a fable but the power of God made known to us, so that we cannot afford to loose focus of its significance.
This calls for self-denial and regeneration. He took our place in penalty for sin. He resurrected for our justification and restoration, so let’s follow His step.
The implication for humanity is that the biblical story is true and all contained in the Bible will come to pass, even judgement.
Memory Verse:
Romans 4:25 – “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”