Christ's work is the main theme of the Bible. God has sent His son to deliver us from our sins (Mt. 1:21; Lk. 19:10; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Jn. 4:14). Through Christ man can:
1. Be reconciled to God through His death;
2. be freed from our bondage to sin by obedience to His will; and
3. have the discord between ourselves and our fellow man replaced by fellowship with God's people through the church.
LESSON 7 THE DEATH OF CHRIST
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Paul's ministry and message of of reconciliation.
1. God is the author of this reconciliation.
2. Christ is the agent (2 Cor. 5:17-20).
3. The achievements of Christ's death on the cross had its origins in the mind of the eternal God (Jn. 3:16; Col. 1:19,20).
B. What is "reconciliation?" (Also translated "atonement." Rom. 5:11 KJV) The act by which two conflicting parts are made to be in agreement.
1. Paul says that the achievement of this atonement is strictly through the work of Christ.
| 2. | SIN | VS. | THE CROSS |
| Caused Estrangement | Accomplished Atonement | ||
| Created a Gulf | Bridged the Gulf | ||
| Broke the Fellowship | Repaired the Break | ||
| Wages of Sin: Death | God's Free Gift: Eternal Life |
C. In this lesson we will consider the centrality and meaning of the cross by emphasizing its vitality and achievement.
II. DISCUSSION [Lesson 7 Chart 1]
A. The Centrality of the Cross The central message of the Bible is "Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins." Some have called this ever present theme "the scarlet thread."
1. The Old Testament a religion of sacrifice.
a. Abel bringing sacrifices to God long before the law of Moses.
b. Moses formalized the system of sacrifices.
c. Through the ages all Jews were taught the ordinances of Lev. 17:11 (see also Heb. 9:22). They knew the purpose of blood sacrifice.
d. The OT sacrifices foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ. The prophets and psalmists foretold the connection (Zech. 13:7; Mk. 14:27; Dan. 9:25,26; Isa. 53; Lk. 24:46).
2. Christ's Thoughts (The Gospels)
a. Jesus recognized Himself to be the ultimate sacrifice as He must "suffer many things" (Mk. 8:31).
b. "His baptism to be baptized with," and "His hour was come" (Lk. 12:50; Jn. 17:1).
c. He was troubled by His coming ordeal (Jn. 12:27,28).
d. He knew His sacrifice was inevitable (Jn. 18:11).
3. New Testament Writers
a. The Gospel writers spent a disproportionate amount of space writing about Christ's last week on earth and His sacrifice on the cross for it not to be very significant (Matthew: 40%; Mark: 60%; Luke: 33%; John: 50%).
b. Paul (Gal. 2:20; 6:14; 1 Cor. 1:22-24; 2:2; 15:3.)
c. Elsewhere in the NT (Heb. 9:26; Rev. 5:5,6,12.)
1. Why would Peter's first epistle be used to explain the meaning of the cross?
a. Peter (along with James and John) was in the inner circle of Apostles. These Apostles were the ones who were closest to the Savior during his earthly ministry.
b. Peter was slow to accept the need for the death of Jesus and even denied the Lord three times when his death was imminent. Yet, when taught by the resurrected Savior and the Holy Spirit, Peter became the champion of the efficacy of the cross (see Acts 2).
c. His references to the cross in First Peter are not his main points, but he uses these references to bolster his points, thus assuming the need of the cross to be true. His references to the cross are made to inspire his listeners.
2. Christ died as our example Peters' first epistle was written during a time of persecution.
a. Peter advises his listeners to be good servants (1 Pet. 2:18-25) and bear persecution as Jesus did. We are to "follow His steps," that is, model our behavior after His.
b. It is hard not to fight back against evil, to bear unjust suffering and overcome evil with good, but this is the call of the cross.
c. The death of Christ on the cross is more than just an example (see Mk. 10:45; Mt. 26:28). His death accomplished more than just a martyr's death (compare Stephen). Humanity was (and is) in need of more than an example it needs a Savior! Only a Savior can: cleanse us from our sins, give us peace of mind, and reconcile us to God.
d. The Apostles associate Christ's coming and death with our sins: Paul 1 Cor. 15:3; Peter 1 Pet. 3:18; John 1 Jn. 3:5.
3. Christ died as our sin bearer (1 Pet. 2:24)
a. To bear sin is to suffer its consequences, to bear its ultimate penalty (Lev. 5:17).
b. In the Old Testament there are instances where someone else would assume responsibility for the sinner (Num. 30; Lam.)
c. God allowed the blood sacrifices of the Old Law to bear the iniquity of Israel's sins (Lev. 10:17 KJV; 16:22).
d. From Hebrews we learn that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin. It would take an ultimate sacrifice such as the one described in Isa. 53 to do that work. "He shall bear their iniquities." "He bore the sins of many."
e. John the Baptist exclaims...(Jn. 1:29).
f. Jesus was made "flesh" in Mary's womb, He was "made sin" on the cross (2 Cor. 5:18,19). He voluntarily took the sins of all humanity on His shoulders. His Father forsook Him as He bore our sins (Ps. 22:1). As He triumphed over our sins He "finished: His work.
g. Yet, we still have work to do, to assure our own salvation. Christianity is not a spectator religion even though Christ's sacrifice was at God's initiative.
h. Peter's clear teaching: Jesus suffered the penalty for our sins for us.
1) Christ bore our sins on a "tree." (Deut. 21:22,23). Confirmed by Paul (Gal. 3:13).
| 2) | Compare 1 Pet. 2 | to | Isa. 53 |
| He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips | He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth | ||
| He was reviled | He was despised and rejected by men | ||
| He himself bore our sins | He bore the sin of many | ||
| By his wounds you have been healed. | With his stripes we are healed. | ||
| You were straying like sheep | All we like sheep have gone astray |
Confirmed by Philip the Evangelist in Acts 8:30-35. The Isaiah passage is about Christ and His mission.
3) See also 1 Pet. 1:2,18,19, where Peter compares Jesus to the original Passover sacrifice.
III. CONCLUSION
A. 1 Pet. 3:18 Sin separated us from God and Christ had the power to reconcile us to God. He died for our sins "once for all," which means the feat need not be repeated.
B. Christ's atonement for our sins is a work we could never accomplish on our own. If we could secure our own forgiveness then His death would have been redundant (Gal. 2:21).
C. Our healing comes through Christ's wounds, our life comes through His death, our pardon comes through His pain, and our salvation comes through His suffering. Won't you take advantage of Christ's work on your behalf even this hour?
LESSON 8 THE SALVATION OF CHRIST
I. INTRODUCTION Christ's work is the main theme of the Bible. God has sent His son to deliver us from our sins (Mt. 1:21; Lk. 19:10; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Jn. 4:14). Through Christ man can:
1. Be reconciled to God through His death; (Lesson 7)
2. be freed from our bondage to sin by obedience to His will (His Word); and
3. have the discord between ourselves and our fellow man replaced by fellowship with God's people through the church.
A. Salvation is more than forgiveness. God's plan for us goes beyond forgiveness of our past sins and makes arrangements for our present and our future.
B. While the death of Christ brings us forgiveness of our past sins, it is His Spirit-given Word and His Body the church that keeps us in a right relationship with God and His people.
II. DISCUSSION
A. The Work Of the Holy Spirit The return of Christ to the right hand of the Father did not leave us helpless, but in fact allowed the Comforter to come and dwell in His Apostles. (Jn. 16:7-11; 14:16-18)
1. The Holy Spirit dwells in us as well. (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19; Acts 5:32) This indwelling is a fellowship we also have with the Father and the Son. It is controlled by Their collective teaching.
2. Therefore we have the Holy Spirit if we obey the gospel and continue to abide in the teaching of Christ.
3. The gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38 deliverance from sin!
B. The Power of the Word It is through Christ's Word that we come to the knowledge of how to abide in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
1. God in us, us in Him (Jn. 14:23; 2 Jn. 9a.) We must be content to abide in the teaching of Christ if we would have God dwell in us. (Compare to Israel in Lev. 26:11,12)
2. Christ in us, us in Him (Jn. 6:53,54,63; 2 Jn. 9b.; Gal. 2;20)
a. Through faith in Him Eph. 3:17; A faith that comes through hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17; 1 Jn. 2:24)
b. We abide in Christ when we keep His commandments (1 Jn. 3:24; Jn.15:5-7)
c. To receive the Apostles words is to receive Christ's Word (Mt. 10:40, see v. 14).
3. The Holy Spirit in us, us in Him (Rom. 8:5-11) our indwelling relationship with the Spirit is the same as our indwelling relationship with God and Christ through Their collective teaching and abiding and obeying that teaching.
C. Fellowship in the Church of Christ As we strive to remain in fellowship with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit by abiding and obeying The Word, we have a place to come where we can reach out to those of like precious faith the Church.
1. Who is this "called out body?" (the church) (Mt. 28:19; 16:18) a fulfillment of the promise to Abraham to bless all nations through his Seed (Gal.3:29)
2. The church is Christ's Body every member an organ, with a specific function, needful for the health of the whole. (Rom. 12:5-8)
3. The local church provides us with opportunities to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, enjoy fellowship with our brethren and to minister to the needy saints.
4. Whenever we go in this world where the church is active, we are welcome as family
5. Unfortunately all professed Christians and all so-called churches of Christ, are not in a right relationship with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Why? They are not individually and collectively abiding and obeying the Word.
III. CONCLUSION
A. It is up to us as individuals to take advantage of the Christ's death on the cross to have our sins forgiven. How? By being obedient to His will and abiding in His Word.
B. But what does this entail? Hearing (Rom. 10:14,17); Believing (Heb. 11:6), Repenting (Acts 17:30); Confessing (Rom. 10:10); Being Baptized (Gal. 3:27), and Abiding in the Word.
C. The church of Christ is our refuge here on earth and our family for all eternity. In it we have fellowship with God's people and insulation from the world of sin. Won't you take advantage of Christ's death, His Word, and His church this very hour?