Found: New Peace. Scope and Sequence. Lesson Objective. Sticky Statement. Key Verse. Definitions. Checklist. Resources. Lesson 12

Transcription

1 Lesson 12 Found: New Peace Scope and Sequence Doctrinal Truth: Salvation Lesson Objective Students will understand that Jesus took God s wrath as a sacrifice for sin and be challenged to enter into the presence of God having escaped God s wrath through faith in Jesus Christ. Sticky Statement Key Verse 1 John 4:10 Definitions Propitiation: the turning away of God s wrath toward sinful man made possible by Christ s death on the cross Checklist 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. The Final Sacrifice Video: KING OF GLORY Scene 63 of 70 The Final Sacrifice (4:16). Resources 1. The King of Glory, Scene Self-Crucifixion Photos 3. The Sin Offering 4. The Holy of Holies 5. The Day of Atonement Found Page 121

2 Lesson Overview I. God s Anger A. The wickedness of man has made God angry. B. The wrath of God will condemn all who are wicked. Separation from God is the most devastating expression of His wrath. II. God s Answer A. The Symbolic Sacrifices B. The Saving Sacrifice Propitiation means the turning away of God s wrath toward sinful man made possible by Christ s death on the cross. Hook Have you ever made a friend, a stranger, maybe your parents mad? I mean, really mad? You knew in that moment that they were going to drop the hammer on you. To call it punishment would be putting it lightly! Have you ever been there? [Wait for response.] I think we all have! Teacher s Note: Share personal illustration of when you made someone mad and had to face that person s wrath. Keep this short (3 minutes) and appropriate. It s no fun being under wrath, is it? Well, throughout the ages mankind has always had a sense that we are in danger of God s wrath. Ancient history shows that when there would be a famine, drought, or stormy weather people thought the gods were angry. If the boat sank the captain must have angered the gods. If a volcano erupted the people had angered the gods. People would go through great lengths to please the gods and avoid their wrath. In some cases, they would inflict pain on themselves or others. There are cultures today that practice self-impalement. They will stab themselves through the cheeks to please the gods. Some people mimic the crucifixion to prove their devotion to God or as a sign of their sincere regret for sins. Teacher s Note: There is a website in the resource section that has non-graphic pictures that you could share concerning this. Found Page 122

3 This was even true in the days of the New Testament. Jesus disciples saw a man blind from his birth and they asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:2) Why? Because there is an alarm inside of man, screaming at us, saying, We have sinned! If we have sinned then God must require a payment to right our wrongs. Do you think any of these attempts actually pleased God? Did they remove His wrath? [Wait for response.] Let s discover how Lesson Content I. First let s consider God s Anger A. The wickedness of man has made God angry. [Read Isaiah 64:5.] Wickedness refers to sin within the human heart. Sin is the lack of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God. This means that God s law is our standard, and any thought, action or attitude that willfully breaks it or doesn t measure up to it is sin. Many people see themselves as good but they don t realize how sinful their thoughts and actions are in God s eyes. They think they have done good things; therefore, they must be good people. The problem here is that man is only good in his own eyes. Teacher s Note: Have students turn to Romans 3:10-12, 19. Read these verses. This passage makes it abundantly clear that man is wicked. In verse 11 it says that we don t even try to pursue God. In verse 12 we see that humanity as a whole is unprofitable because of our sin. Finally, in verse 19, he concludes that we are all guilty before God. Have you ever told a lie? [Wait for a response.] Do you realize that makes you guilty of breaking one of God s commands? Have you ever looked at someone and had a sexual thought about that person? That s called lust and Jesus said that it is a form of adultery. There s another one of God s laws. Some people think that because they ve never killed anybody, God will forgive them and let them go to heaven. Unfortunately, some of those same people harbor hatred in their hearts which the Bible equates with murder (1 John 3:15). Teacher s Note: Have student read 1 John 1:5. The Bible often portrays light as righteousness something that is free from sin but also presents darkness as wickedness or evil. Found Page 123

4 Why do you think the Bible uses these words to describe righteousness and wickedness? [Wait for a response.] God wanted us to have a clearer picture of the vast difference between these two. They are totally opposite of each other. There is no evil inside of God at all. He is the complete opposite of evil, entirely untouched by its influence. B. The wrath of God will condemn all who are wicked. Because God is righteous He cannot overlook what is evil. He will not allow wickedness to go unpunished. Imagine you re in a courtroom listening to a judge declare the verdict on someone who broke the law. You hear those dreadful words, I find the defendant, guilty. What follows the verdict? The sentencing punishment. What happened after Adam and Eve sinned? Their standing with God was broken. Prior to sin, they walked with God here on earth. After they sinned, they were cut off, separated from God. If you have a friend that makes you upset and you stop talking to each other, your fellowship or companionship is broken. God created us for fellowship with Him but we cannot have that fellowship because we are dead in our sin. Separation from God is the most devastating expression of His wrath. Teacher s Note: Have students turn to Revelation 20:12, 15; Read these verses. The Bible says that the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). That s not only physical but eternal separation from God in a place called the Lake of Fire. This is a place of eternal torment by fire that is reserved for Satan and all of Hell one day. God s wrath is a horrifying thing to face. Thankfully, We ve seen God s anger II. Now let s explore God s Answer A. The Symbolic Sacrifices One of the first things we see God do when Adam and Eve sinned was clothe them with the skin of an innocent animal (Genesis 3:21). He had to sacrifice that animal. Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, brought their offerings to the Lord. God had set the example of a blood sacrifice. Abel knew to use a blood sacrifice and it was accepted. Cain chose to offer God fruit instead of a blood sacrifice and it was rejected. Why did God reject Cain s offering? [Wait for a response.] Teacher s Note: Have a student read Leviticus 17:11 and another read Hebrews 9:22. Found Page 124

5 We see in these verses that it took the shedding of blood death to forgive sins. The word atonement used in Leviticus means to reconcile or bring peace between two parties. Here s a couple of other terms you should know as well: (1) the high priest this was the highest religious position in Israel and represented the people before God; (2) the Holy of Holies this was the most sacred place in the tabernacle, Israel s temporary place of worship. The Holy of Holies was inside the tabernacle/temple but was an enclosed room. God s very real presence was inside the Holy of Holies. This sacred room was separated from the rest of the tabernacle/temple by a huge, heavy veil. Teacher s Note: The following information is found in Leviticus 16. No one could go into the Holy of Holies except for the high priest on the one holy day each year. Prior to entering, he had to make a sacrifice for himself to cleanse his own sins. He would then bring the blood of that sacrifice into the room and sprinkle it on what was called the mercy seat. After this he was ready to bring the nation s sin offering to God. He would bring two goats for this sin offering to God. The first goat would be sacrificed and his blood sprinkled on the mercy seat like before. Then the high priest would place his hands on the head of the second goat and confess the sins of the people. God would place the sins of the people on this goat. It would then be taken far away into the wilderness where no one lived and it was set free. The death of the first goat was for the forgiveness of sin. The death of the second goat was for the removal of sin. When it comes to the sacrificial system we just briefly talked about, there is a lot of steps and words that we may not know. But don t get lost in them. The point is this: these two offerings were only symbolic. Why couldn t anyone else go into the Holy of Holies? [Wait for a response.] They couldn t go into this room because sin cannot stand before God s presence. If someone other than the high priest came into the Holy of Holies, that person would die. If the high priest went into the Holy of Holies on any day other than that one holy day, he would die. If the high priest went into the Holy of Holies on that day but didn t first make the sacrifice for himself and trust in the promise of God to spare his life, he would die. God s wrath is unleashed on wickedness; therefore, if someone came into His presence without having been cleansed he would face God s wrath. This is a testament to how holy God is and yet how evil man is. Our sin is offensive to God. The sacrifice made each year was only symbolic for the true sacrifice the Lamb of God. God s wrath is still on unrepentant man but it doesn t have to be. Jesus took God s wrath on our behalf. Found Page 125

6 B. The Saving Sacrifice Teacher s Note: Have student read Hebrews 10:1-4. The animal sacrifices could not forgive sin; they only foreshadowed the coming of Jesus. As we said before, Jesus took God s wrath for us. His sacrifice was the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means the turning away of God s wrath toward sinful man made possible by Christ s death on the cross. Teacher s Note: Have student read Hebrews 9:12. Does this sound familiar? [Wait for a response.] This is similar to what the high priest did for the people. The difference is that He used His own blood and because He is an eternal being, totally free from sin, it was the once and for all, final sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14, 24-26). Teacher s Note: Have student read 1 John 4:10. Propitiation tells us that we are free from the wrath of God and we are enabled to pursue fellowship with God! This is only made possible by Jesus Christ. I want you to watch this short video that will help portray all that Christ has done for us by way of His death on the cross. Teacher s Note: Play video KING OF GLORY Scene 63 of 70 The Final Sacrifice (4:16). After the crucifixion, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was ripped from top to bottom. The barrier that was between God and man has been removed. We are now invited to come into God s presence! [Have student read Hebrews 4:16.] Connection How do we apply this to our hearts? First, recognize with thanksgiving what Jesus did for you on the cross. The sacrifices made in the Old Testament paint a vivid, horrifying picture of the cost of sin. It took the death of the innocent to cleanse the sins of the guilty. If you haven t accepted His sacrifice for your sins, what s holding you back? Right now, I want to challenge you to take that step. If you have any questions or would like to talk about it, please see me or one of the youth leaders. We want you to have a relationship with God. Found Page 126

7 Teacher s Note: Be sensitive to the fact that you might have unsaved students in your group, especially if there are visitors. This would be a good point to have an invitation, giving them an opportunity to be saved. Consider having them all close their eyes and raise their hand if they want to accept Christ as their Savior. You could invite them to follow you in prayer or to meet with them following the service. The point is giving them a direct opportunity to make a decision. If you have accepted that gift, when s the last time you specifically thanked Jesus for what He did for you on the cross? We should express our gratitude through our words and actions every day. One of the ways we express our gratitude is to boldly enter into the presence of God every day. Jesus lived as a man; He experienced life on earth and can relate to our feelings. More importantly, He made a way for everyone to come into His presence. We are not confined to entering into God s presence one day per year. God wants us to come boldly to His throne of grace bringing every burden, heartache, and concern to Him. Decision Teacher s Note: Prepare handouts or 3x5 cards with Romans 5:8, Romans 8:1, and 1 John 4:10 on it. Give each student a handout at this time. Take some time this week to explore the topic of propitiation. Look up the verses on this handout. Write down how they relate to the idea of propitiation the turning away of God s wrath. Tape this card somewhere visible so that you can see it every day as a reminder that since you have trusted in Christ, you are no longer under God s wrath. Sticky Statement Found Page 127

8 Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Why was there a need for a sacrifice? (Try to lead students in a discussion about mankind s sin and God s wrath. A follow-up question could be: What did man do to make God angry? Help the students see that God s wrath is against them too, apart from Christ, but that is why Jesus came.) 2. What is the significance of the veil to the Holy of Holies being torn? (We want them to see that they have unlimited access into the presence of God. Direct students to Hebrews 4:16 if they struggle with an answer. Follow-up questions could be: Why does God want us to come into His presence? What are the benefits of coming into His presence?) 3. How will you respond as a result of the veil being torn? (Help the students understand the privilege of access to God. Help them to see the importance of daily communicating with God. Challenge them to make a point to take advantage of this access to God this week. Maybe you can encourage them to connect with one another this week to help them develop consistent communication with God.) Found Page 128