Easter

Easter Sunday: God's SacrificeLesson w/answers

This lesson on Easter looks at the sacrifice made on the Cross as only God could make it. It literally was God in the form of Man dying once for all of us. If Christ was not God then his sacrifice would have fallen short.

Bible

There has only ever been on way to have our sins forgiven and that has always been through shed blood, and that of only "the anointed one" the Messiah, the Christ would suffice to cover the debt we owe. Was Christ who he said he was, did God actually go to the Cross for us?

We'll examine these questions on this special Sunday morning as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, our savior.

  1. First, we need to know that Christ came from God and was God and was not simply a man born at the right time who did the right thing and died innocently in our place. Jesus truly was the one and only son of God, there were no others and there will be no others. Jesus tells us he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, can he really make that claim? Read the following verses and jot down what they tell you about Christ and his deity:
    1. John 1:1 (NIV)
      1. ANSWER: 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
    2. John 8:58-59
      1. ANSWER: 58“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
    3. Exodus 3:14-15
      1. ANSWER: 14God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD , the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
    4. John 17:5
      1. ANSWER: 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
    5. Isaiah 42:8
      1. ANSWER: 8"I am the LORD ; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols."
    6. Isaiah 43:10-11
      1. ANSWER: 10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD , "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD , and apart from me there is no savior."
    7. Isaiah 44:6
      1. ANSWER: 6 "This is what the LORD says- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."
    8. John 1:14
      1. ANSWER: 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
    9. Colossians 1:15-20
      1. ANSWER: 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
  2. Now that we’ve seen the Christ is God in the flesh how do we know that Jesus was that Christ? Read the following scriptures and write down what they tell you about Jesus being the true Messiah, the anointed one:
    1. Isaiah 7:14
      1. ANSWER: 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
    2. Matthew 1:21-23
      1. ANSWER: 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”
    3. Isaiah 9:6
      1. ANSWER: 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    4. Micah 5:2
      1. ANSWER: 2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are small among the clans [a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
    5. Luke 2:4-7, 10-11
      1. ANSWER: 4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ...10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
  3. As we can see Jesus really is the Messiah, he really is God in the flesh. Did Jesus ever say to anyone that he knew he was the Messiah? Did Jesus understand what God had sent him to die for us, did he ever claim to be God in the flesh?
    1. John 8:24
      1. ANSWER: 24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
    2. John 10:30-33
      1. ANSWER: 30I and the Father are one.” 31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
  4. Knowing that Jesus was the Christ and died for all of our sins what does that mean to us today? How does Christ being raised from the dead and raised to heaven affect us who live on the earth some two thousand years after He rose from the grave?
    1. Hebrews 1:3-4
      1. ANSWER: 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
    2. Colossians 2:9-12
      1. ANSWER: 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
    3. John 20:27-29
      1. ANSWER: 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
  5. It has been over two thousand years since Christ rose from the grave. Time seems to be marching on and Christ has not returned for us yet. How will we know when he does return that it’s actually him, how can we keep from being fooled by imposters?
    1. Revelation 1:7-8, 17-18
      1. ANSWER: 7Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”... 17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Let’s celebrate today the eternal life God has provided for all who believe on His son Jesus, and let’s celebrate in a such a way the whole world can see Jesus living in each of us. Spread the word: Christ has risen! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Yours Eternally In Christ,

Wes