Focus Text: Luke 24:13-29
Central Truth: Christ is the complete fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to explain the historical evidence concerning the resurrection of Christ.
Lesson Outline:
I. Revealed Through the Word (Luke 24:13-27)
II. Revealed Through Communion (Luke 24:28-45)
I suppose every Christian, in this time of unprecedented social upheaval (Unprecedented in our lifetimes!), has a verse to which they turn for comfort and strength. For some of us, the place is Psalm 46:8-11. The keynote of the passage is v. 10: "Be still and know that I am God."
When I was a fifth grader (Please note – the year was 1962!), each school day began with a time of "opening exercises." My teacher had a little book of poems from which we read each morning. Although 1962 was long ago, one of those poems still is sealed to my mind.
The world today is going so fast,
I can't keep up; I am traveling half-masked.
I think I will go east, and I find I have gone west.
I am hurrying so fast to keep up with the rest.
They're hurrying here, and hurrying there;
Not sure where they are going, and they don't much care!
In the rural world, where I find my greatest delight, we call it "chasing our tail" – creating lots of activity, for little or no purpose. And if that was the case in 1962, how much more has been true in more recent times! Sports, music, school activities, church activities, political activism, professional activities, texting, social media, electronic communication – that is life! Or is it? Evidently God does not think so! For on the seventh day, God rested (Gen 2:1). The Creator God found it necessary to hit the "pause button" – to take time to reflect.
The world has defied God in many ways, and the church has rightfully decried many of them. Sadly, however, the church has joined the world in defying God's call to rest – to "be still and know that I am God." And I cannot help but wonder if the current change of pace isn't, in part, God's way of getting His people to do by decree what they refused to do by choice – "be still."
Please do not misunderstand. I do not know whether God sent this virus, or, like with Job, allowed it. I also do not know what God's purpose is in this current crisis. I just know He has one! And I am quite sure that His purpose involves His people as well as the world. And it doesn't seem His people are taking very kindly to what He is doing! One dear brother mentioned that his wife is not taking very well to this idea of cooking at home! I hear others decry this loss of freedom. Yes, change is difficult to accept, especially when we seem to have little choice!
In commenting on Psalm 46:10, Charles Spurgeon makes this interesting observation. "Either by terror or by love God will subdue all hearts to himself." The cross showed His love. And in a smaller way, COVID-19 shows His terror. He is the Sovereign God, so COVID-19 did not take Him by surprise.
Let's go back to Psalm 46:8, where the psalmist talks about a part of the work of God being "what desolations he hath made in the earth." Verse 9 talks about God's ability to stop war by bringing desolation. It is in that context that God, through the psalmist, calls upon his people to "be still and know that I am God."
Job too faced desolation, and, to be sure, that desolation did not cause him to be still! In fact, Job became quite vocal – maybe like us – in his protesting the desolation in his life. Until, that is, God appeared in chapter 38. And when God gets done with dealing with Job's faulty theology, Job finally acknowledges that he should have not talked so much.
Therefore, have I uttered that I understood not;
things too wonderful for me, which I knew not (Job 42:3).
As stated earlier, none of us know for sure what God is doing through this pandemic. And we should learn from Job that, when God brings desolation, whether by decree or permission, we need to learn silence. Spurgeon refers to it as "expressive silence."
The modern church world is not very good at "silent praise." Maybe God is trying to teach us something new! Psalm 46 is an excellent place to learn what that "something new" might be!
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are still in your sins” ( v. 17).
Toolbox, check. Parts all over the garage floor, check. Instruction manual, check. You’re ready to put that new cabinet together. You get through steps 1 and 2 like a pro. Then you turn the page and realize there's a problem; the next step in the manual is 8. Part of the manual is missing. We need all of the Bible. We can’t skip to the ending and miss out on the beginning or middle. We need each and every word and truth.
Some reject the doctrine of man's sinfulness and only want the hope of resurrection. Others ignore the life of resurrection in favor of the sinfulness of man. But it is an error to emphasize Calvary to the exclusion of Gethsemane and vice-avers. We cannot separate the cross from the empty tomb. They are one.
At the cross, we died with Christ; out of the tomb, we are made alive with Christ (Romans 6:3-4). At the cross, we resolve our past; at the tomb we gain our future (Romans 6:11).
At the cross, the power of sin is broken; at the tomb, the power of righteousness is released. (Romans 6:13);
In the cross, we taste mercy; at the tomb, we drink grace (Romans 6:22). (Don Callaway)
In the Cross of Christ I glory
Towr'ing o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime. -John Bowring
“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Focus Text: Matthew 27:50-54, 57-61; 28:1-8
Central Truth: Jesus' bodily death and resurrection is the central claim of the Christian's faith.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify key reasons why Jesus' bodily death and resurrection is the central claim of the Christians' faith.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. Jesus' Death (Matthew 27:50-54)
II. Jesus' Burial (Matthew 27:57-61)
III. Jesus' Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8)
Read John 10:1-9
“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep” (v. 7).
During the summer, our four children spend hours outdoors nearly every day, playing with friends, riding their bikes, and climbing nearby trees. While they play outside, our back door remains unlocked, giving them easy access to the amenities of home--snacks, drinks, and the occasional bandage. At night, though, our children stay inside, sleeping within the security of locked doors and under the care of their parents.
Similarly, our loving shepherd Jesus grants us access to all the delights of His caring presence, security, direction, and nourishment. Indeed, Jesus gives us abundant life as long as we follow Him. After all, Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10b).
As the “door of the sheep,” Jesus stands ready to welcome sinners into the sheepfold, where His flock enjoy His loving care and watchful protection. (Lyle Witt)
Seeking the lost, He is seeking today,
Seeking His sheep that have gone astray;
Up in His arms, and safe from the cold,
He tenderly bears them back to the fold.
-- J. A. Lee
Jesus still opens the door for all who will follow.
Printed Test: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:1-10
Central Truth: Christ, our tested and sympathetic High Priest cannot fail.
Objective: By the end of this class my students should be able to explain the difference between Christ as our High Priest and an ordinary man as our priest.
Lesson Outline:
I. An Understanding High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)
II. An Acknowledged High Priest (Hebrews 5:1-5)
III. A Perfected High Priest (Hebrews 5:6-10)
Focus Text: Hebrews 3:7-19
Central Truth: The Christian must guard against falling into unbelief and disobedience.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list some ways in which they can guard against unbelief and disobedience.
Lesson Outline:
I. A Warning (Hebrews 3:7-11)
II. An Exhortation (Hebrews 3:12-15)
III. The Consequence (Hebrews 3:16-19)
Focus Text: Hebrews 2:8-18
Central Truth: Jesus suffered and died for all so we can have victory over sin and death.
Objective: By the end of this lesson, my students should be able to identify areas of Christ's sovereignty.
Lesson Outline:
I. Perfected Through Suffering (Hebrews 2:5-10)
II. Partaker of Flesh and Blood (Hebrews 2:11-15)
III. Powerful in Temptation (Hebrews 2:16-18)
What is the significance of God having spoken through Jesus Christ “in these last days”?
Almost everyone understands that our world is in the midst of an authority crisis. Two related questions keep being asked. Who can I believe? Who should I obey?
These questions are not so different from the questions the writer of Hebrews is seeking to answer. In the early New Testament era there were many voices seeking to be heard, both within Judaism and in paganism. The writer of Hebrews seeks to show that, among all the voices clamoring for attention, Jesus is the only truly authoritative voice. As a teacher you might want to start today's lesson making a list of all the voices in our day clamoring for attention: psychics, new agers, politicians, economists, entertainers might be a good start. What evidence can a Christian give to the world that Jesus should be believed over any of these voices?
Read John 8:48-59.
“Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (v. 58).
Every faith traces their history back to outstanding figures of the past. Abraham was often considered the “father” of the Jewish faith. Indeed, his willingness to heed God’s call (Gen. 12), his intimate intercession with God (Gen. 19), his obedient dedication to God (Gen. 22), were among the examples that caused him to be revered by the Jews. In the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Fame,” Abraham is mentioned for his faith. Although Abraham’s sacrifices and intercession were exemplary, he could not atone for “Adam’s fallen race.”
Renown and reputation does not make a redeemer! While the Jews sought and looked forward to a “rescuer,” Jesus Christ came to be the Redeemer. He came to provide the atonement needed to bring “whosoever will” into an “at-one-ment” relationship with God. In many respects Abraham provided an example of faithful service, but Jesus Christ offers us living faith so that we can be a part of “the family of God!” While remembering Abraham may be inspirational, turning to Jesus Christ is transforming! Truly the Son of God has no equal! (Rodney Stearns)
“Great God, how infinite art Thou!
How poor and weak we are!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to Thee.”
Isaac Watts
“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”(I John 4:4).
