Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:1-12.
Memory Verse: “But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:39-40)
INTRODUCTION:
Paul made a positive statement in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, that the death and resurrection of Christ was according to prophecy. When those words were written, it is very probably that only two books of the New Testament had been written: Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians. It is therefore evident that he had reference to the Old Testament, in his statement to the Corinthians, since they do tell of the death and resurrection of Christ.
Christ’s death was necessary because of sin, and sin is the transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4). His law does define sin according to Romans 3:20-21. Essentially there was a law before man sinned, making his acts sinful. In His foreknowledge, God must have known that man would sin, and death would follow (Romans 6:23). Would God create man and permit him to die and perish without further opportunity of life eternal? Before the world was formed, God planned a way to redeem man, and offered him the greatest possible gift – eternal life (Ephesians 1:2-12; 1 Peter 1:18-20). This plan was devised because God “so” loved the crowning point of His creation – man. The Plan of Redemption upheld the law of God, and the crime of sin was laid on the Son of God, who at the appointed time would die, paying the price for man’s redemption. It was man’s need, not God’s, that called for the Plan of Redemption.
LESSON QUESTIONS:
- What positive statement did Paul make in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4? What portion of “the Scriptures” did he mean? How important was the resurrection of Christ? 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, 19.
- When was the Plan of Redemption made: Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:18, 20-21.
- What object lessons were given to teach man the Plan of Redemption? Leviticus 17:14; Hebrews 9:22.
- Why was it necessary for shadowy sacrifices to be repeated, time and time again? Hebrews 10:4. In what particular way was the sacrifice of Christ a perfect one?
- How did the Passover foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ? 1 Corinthians 5:7.
- Discuss whether or not Daniel 9:27, is significantly applicable to the time of Christ’s death.
- What was prophesied concerning Christ’s suffering and death according to Isaiah 53?
- Why was it necessary for the body of Christ to be laid in a tomb prepared for another? John 19:38-42; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 8:20.
- What definite time period did Jesus give for His entombment and resurrection? Matthew 12:40; Mark 9:31.
What prophecy was given concerning the reason Christ’s legs were not broken, as were those of the thieves? Psalm 34:20; John 19:31-36.