He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:6)
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of Your only Son. We thank You for His sinless life, His suffering in our behalf, and His loving sacrifice. We praise You for Your power in raising Him back to life and His victory over sin and death, giving us reason to worship this and every Easter!
In "Doctrinal Discussion" Randy Bland quotes N.T. Wright's Surprised by Hope:
I know that God’s new world of justice and joy, of hope for the whole earth, was launched when Jesus came out of the tomb on Easter morning, and I know that He calls His followers to live in Him and by the power of His Spirit, and so to be new-creation people here and now, bringing signs and symbols of the kingdom to birth on earth as in heaven.
Bland finds three truths from this statement:
Consult your Adult Teacher's Insights for more discussion!
Source: Jesus, Son of God: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 26.
John 3:14-16:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God's gift of love to us!
When I was a young boy, the church we attended had a vibrant men's class. It was a good group of men, and they had enjoyable class sessions, but the discussion was often on anything besides the lesson. The teacher would start the class off with scripture, but the culture of this group was such that one topic would dissolve into another, and that one into yet another. These men might "solve" the problems of the world, but never seriously consider the assigned scripture.
It might be too much to ask for a class never to get off on a tangent. In fact, tangents might be helpful at times. But if this happens too much, the integrity of the teaching moment can be lost. Our lessons are designed with a specific spiritual truth and objective. At the end of your lesson, do your students know both the truth and how to apply it in their lives?
Read I Peter 1:1-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (v. 3).
Resurrection power is not wishy-washy. Today’s scripture reminds us that Christ’s mercy is
abundant and our hope is lively, both related to His resurrection.
In 2000 our daughter, Becky, had a serious spinal injury. fter surgery the anesthesia affected her thought processes. She went through what she now calls her “loopy period.” She thought she was going to die, but didn’t say so. That night she told her husband, “Go home.” I was at their home caring for their three children. When Paul arrived he sunk into a chair and said something like, “I can deal with the effects of the injury, but this crazy stuff I don’t know how to handle.” He went to bed upstairs and I settled into a fitful sleep on the couch.
Early the next morning the phone rang. On the way down the stairs Paul said, “Becky called. She‘s going to be alright.” Our hope had taken on a lively twist. God’s mercy was evident. Becky’s mental anxiety was gone, but the physical healing has taken time. While today she walks without assistance, it’s mind over matter. (Ann Coker)
Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone; because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living – just because He lives. – William and Gloria Gaither
We all have reason to rejoice over God’s mercies and the hope that His resurrection brings.
This devotional is the Sunday, March 27, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.
Lesson 4 - March 28, 2016
Central Truth: The resurrection is the heart of the Christian faith.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to give at least three proofs of the resurrection of Christ.
Lesson Outline:
Heavenly Father,
Please bless our teachers and students today as they study about Christ suffering patiently as our Substitute. Help us to learn to suffer patiently as well for His sake. In Jesus' name, Amen.
In "Word Focus" Darrell Grim writes:
The Sanhedrin was the ruling body of the Jews. It consisted of seventy-one members including scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and elders. The high priest was the presiding officer. Certain regulations were set forth to cover such events as a trial. There was to be a quorum of twenty-three. Criminal cases were all to be tried in the daytime and must be completed during the daytime. A trial could only be finished on the day it was begun if the verdict was “not guilty.” Otherwise, a night had to pass before a guilty verdict could be pronounced. No decision of this body was valid unless they met in their own meeting hall in the Temple precincts. All evidence had to be sworn to by at least two witnesses who were examined separately and had no contact with each other. A false witness was punishable by death. In every trial the evidence for the innocence of the accused was to be put before the court before any evidence of his guilt. In their rush to eliminate Jesus, the Sanhedrin completely disregarded its own rules.
Discussion: What happens to a society when its courts no longer uphold justice?
Source: Jesus, Son of God: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 16.
In "Doctrinal Discussion" Randy Bland writes:
The doctrine of expiation says that believers can further be cleansed from the stain of sin.
This doctrine goes back to the time when God gave the law to Moses. Once a year on the Day of Atonement the Israelites were to sacrifice two goats to the Lord. The first goat was to be killed as a sin offering for the people. This sacrifice of propitiation was offered to satisfy God’s wrath. The second goat was treated very differently. The high priest was to lay his hands upon the head of the goat and confess all of the sins and iniquities of the people, thus transferring them from the people to the goat. This scapegoat was then banished from camp and set to wander in the wilderness, forever cut off from the people. He was a sacrifice of expiation that cleansed the people by carrying away their sins.
Jesus was our Scapegoat, taking away our sins so that we could be cleansed from the stain of sin.
Source: Jesus, Son of God: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 20.
If you have taught much at all, and especially if you have invited students to dialogue with you or each other during the lesson, you most likely have discovered that certain people like to dominate the discussion. What you may have overlooked, however, is your own potential to be overbearing. Sometimes we want to avoid certain people from hijacking the conversation. Sometimes, we are intent on making a certain point. Sometimes, we just want everyone else to listen to us. The end effect, though, is a stifled discussion and lack of reflective thought.
There will be certain points that you need to press home to the students. There will be those who will take over the conversation if you are not careful. This requires extra preparation. Who can you plan to call on to give an extra voice, so one or a few don't take over? How can you teach that essential point by asking questions, rather than just giving the answer?