THE L.I.F.E. PLAN THE CROSS BLOCK 4. THEME 8 - HIS DEATH LESSON 4 (140 of 216)

Transcription

1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN THE CROSS BLOCK 4 THEME 8 - HIS DEATH LESSON 4 (140 of 216)

2 BLOCK 4 THEME 8: HIS DEATH LESSON 4 (140 OF 216): THE CROSS LESSON AIM: Present the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. SCRIPTURE: (1 Corinthians 1:18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Crucifixion was nothing new when Jesus died upon the cross. Many world empires had practiced it, and many people had died by crucifixion before Jesus did. The thing that made his crucifixion different from the others was the person who died on the cross and the purpose for which he died. The cross of Jesus is the focal point of all of man s history upon the earth. Those who lived before the crucifixion of Jesus looked forward to the cross, and all who live after him look back to his cross. The cross divided time. The cross determines who will and who will not spend eternity with God in heaven. It is the symbol of our faith. And it is the place where atonement was made for our sin. The Bible refers to the cross in at least three different ways. The first way is of a literal cross. Since crucifixion had been practiced by many peoples and for many years, people were only too familiar with the cross. The mere mention of the cross invoked stark images of pain and suffering. And, the cross became a metaphor for suffering due to the cares of life that everyone encounters. Four types of crosses were used in crucifixion. One cross resembled the capital letter T. Another looked like a plus symbol, both members of the cross being equal in length. Another cross was in the shape of an X. And a forth cross, traditionally the one on which Jesus was crucified, had the upright member extending over the top of the cross beam. A second way the Bible speaks of the cross is by crucifixion. Death by crucifixion was a cruel and horrible death. The Romans had perfected it into a science by doing it is such a way as to cause the maximum pain and suffering. The victim of crucifixion did not die from the wounds but as a result of the suffering caused by the precarious position of the body upon the cross. As we have already learned, when a person was sentenced to death by crucifixion, he was first scourged before going to the cross. If the severe beating did not kill the person, it at least weakened him so as to make his experience on the cross all the more excruciating. After the beating, the victim was made to carry the cross beam, weighing about thirty pounds, to the place of the crucifixion where he was affixed to the cross, usually by iron spikes or ropes. The Romans had learned how to twist the body of the victim on the cross to make his experience much more painful. They learned to drive the spikes into the victim s wrists and feet at the place where they could engage the nerves in that area of the body. When the body was suspended in the air and hung from the cross, the suffering of the cross began. The blood of the victim sank to the lower portions of the body, slowing the volume of flow through the heart. Blood pressure dropped while the heart rate increased. Fever followed and the victim slipped in and out of consciousness. The weight of the body hanging from the outstretched arms compressed the lungs, restricting breathing. In order to get a deep breath, the victim had to push up with his

3 legs which had been twisted and bent at the knees. Pushing up with the legs caused the raw nerve to rub against the iron spike through the feet or ankles, shooting unbearable pain through the legs of the victim. While the breath was desperately needed, it quite frankly was not worth the pain, causing the victim to die from a combination of heart failure and asphyxiation. Death by crucifixion was a slow, terribly painful ordeal. The victim often lingered on the cross from thirty-six to seventy-two hours before dying. During this time, he was also exposed to the elements; scorching heat or extreme cold, depending upon the season of the year at the time of his crucifixion. If all of this were not enough, birds of prey often landed on the cross and on the victim, plucking out his eyes and tearing the flesh from his body while he was yet alive. No wonder crucifixion was such a feared means of execution. This is the death Jesus died for you and for me. He was scourged and crucified upon a cross. He experienced the torments described in the preceding lines above. Adding to his physical torment was the weight of the sins of the world which he had carried to the cross to dispose of. He was separated from his Father, causing him to feel the multiplied suffering of the eternal separation we would have suffered if he had not born our sins to the cross. As he hung there, he was mocked and ridiculed by the religious leaders of Israel. In fulfillment of the Scriptures, the soldiers who crucified him gambled for his clothes while he suffered. He was parched and thirsty from the effects of the crucifixion. He spoke seven different sayings from the cross, one of them charging his disciple John to look after his mother. As he was made sin for us and as he bore the sins of the world to the cross, God covered the earth with darkness as he hung there, sparing the onlookers from seeing the horrible sight that Jesus had become. As we said, death by crucifixion usually took two to three days to kill a man, but Jesus died in a matter of hours. He voluntarily and willingly gave up his life on the cross. He said that no one took it from him but that he laid it down of his own will. He was crucified between two thieves on the day before the Jewish Sabbath. So that the bodies would not be on the crosses on the Sabbath, the soldiers came to break the legs of the victims to hasten death. When they came to Jesus, he was already dead. They did not break his legs but ran a spear through his side and into his heart instead. Finally, when the Bible refers to the cross, it is speaking of the redemption that Jesus accomplished through his death on the cross. In the death of Jesus, God fulfilled the promise he had made in Genesis 3:15. This is the reason Satan was so persistent in trying to keep Jesus from the cross. The cross, for one thing spelled the doom of Satan. It also accomplished the redemption God required for man s sin. Paul stated the exact fulfillment of this promise by saying of the work of Jesus on the cross, Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it, (Colossians 2:14-15). In verse fourteen, Jesus rescued the fallen; in verse fifteen, he destroyed the works of the devil, just as God promised he would do. Jesus was the Lamb of God, slain from before the foundation of the world. His eternal purpose was to come to the world and lay down his life for the sins of man, making it possible for our relationship with God to be restored. He never, not a single time, shrank away from this purpose of God for his life. He humbled himself and became obedient unto the death of the cross. Consequently, God has now highly exalted him. He is now the judge of the world. What you do now with what he did then on the cross will decide what he does with you in the end. He died so you could live eternally with him. Do not refuse his redemption. Embrace the cross.

4 LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 4 THEME 8: HIS DEATH LESSON 4 (140 OF 216): THE CROSS Three meanings of the cross in Scripture: I A LITERAL CROSS A. The cares of the world B. 4 types of crosses II CRUCIFIXION A. Description of crucifixion B. Jesus was crucified III REDEMPTION A. God fulfilled his promise B. Redemption was accomplished SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. The crucifixion of Jesus Matthew 27 Mark 15 Luke 23 John The cross Philippians 2: Corinthians The sacrifice of Jesus Hebrews LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. CHRISTOLOGY The death of Christ 2. SOTERIOLOGY Redemption Atonement Propitiation Grace Faith

5 3. ANTHROPOLOGY Preaching the gospel 4. THE DOCTRINE OF SIN No remission without shedding blood QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What promise did God make in Genesis 3:15? That he would send a deliverer to rescue man and to destroy the works of the devil 2. What New Testament passage of Scripture states that this promise was fulfilled by Jesus? Colossians 2: What was the usual cause of death by crucifixion? Heart failure and asphyxiation 4. What distinguished the death of Jesus on the cross from all others who were crucified? The person who was dying, and the purpose for which he died 5. Who was the person who died on the cross of Jesus? Jesus, the Son of God, God s Messiah, the redeemer 6. What was the purpose for which Jesus died on the cross? To redeem fallen men, to destroy the works of the devil 7. Why was Satan so persistent to kill Jesus short of the cross? If Satan could keep him from the cross, Jesus would fail in his purpose to destroy him 8. Have you acknowledged Jesus and the work he did for you on the cross? Student response

6 BLOCK 4 THEME 8: HIS DEATH LESSON 4 (140 OF 216): THE CROSS QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What promise did God make in Genesis 3:15? 2. What New Testament passage of Scripture states that this promise was fulfilled by Jesus? 3. What was the usual cause of death by crucifixion? 4. What distinguished the death of Jesus on the cross from all others who were crucified? 5. Who was the person who died on the cross of Jesus? 6. What was the purpose for which Jesus died on the cross? 7. Why was Satan so persistent to kill Jesus short of the cross? 8. Have you acknowledged Jesus and the work he did for you on the cross?