Lesson #2 - Harbour Lake Baptist Church



The Final Days of Jesus / Lesson #5Saturday, SundayImagine we have the whole Bible, except the story of the resurrection. What would change?We must never underestimate the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The world believes that Jesus died, but the world does not believe that He arose from the dead. Peter’s message at Pentecost emphasized the Resurrection. In fact, it is emphasized throughout the Book of Acts. What is the significance of the Resurrection?It proves that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus stated that He had authority to lay down His life and to take it up again (John 10:17–18).It verifies the truth of Scripture. Both in the Old Testament and in the teaching of Jesus, His resurrection is clearly taught (see Pss. 16:10; 110:1). If Jesus had not come out of the tomb, then these Scriptures would not be true.It assures our own future resurrection. Because Jesus died and rose again, we shall one day be raised to be like Him (1 Thes. 4:13–18). In fact, the entire structure of the Christian faith rests on the foundation of the Resurrection. If we do away with His resurrection, we have no hope.It is the proof of a future judgment. “Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man who He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).It is the basis for Christ’s heavenly priesthood. Because He lives by the power of an endless life, He is able to save us “to the uttermost” (Heb. 7:23–28). He lives to intercede for us.It gives power for Christian living. We cannot live for God by our own strength. It is only as His resurrection power works in and through us that we can do His will and glorify His name (see Rom. 6:4).It assures our future inheritance. Because we have a living hope, we can experience hopeful living. A dead hope grows weaker and weaker before it eventually dies. But because Jesus Christ is alive, we have a glorious future (see 1 Peter 1:3–5).Whenever God’s people gather on the Lord’s Day they bear witness that Jesus is alive and that the church has received spiritual blessings. When the followers of the Lord gathered that first Lord’s Day, they were discouraged and defeated. — Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 104–105.Matthew 27.57 – 66. Think of this part of the story from God’s perspective. What is God up to? Why did God sovereignly arrange things so that there was a guard? From God’s perspective, what was the purpose of the guard?The infinite wisdom of God foresaw the objections of unbelievers and infidels, and provided proof against them.—Did the Son of God really die? —Did he really rise again? —Might there not have been some delusion as to the reality of His death? —Might there not have been imposition or deception, as to the reality of His resurrection?All these, and many more objections, would doubtless have been raised, if opportunity had been given. But He who knows the end from the beginning, prevented the possibility of such objections being made. By His over-ruling providence, He ordered things so that the death and burial of Jesus were placed beyond a doubt.—Pilate gives consent to His burial. —A loving disciple wraps the body in linen, and lays it in a new tomb hewn out of a rock, “wherein was never man yet laid.” —The chief priests themselves set a guard over the place where His body was deposited. —Jews and Gentiles, friends and enemies, all alike testify to the great fact, that Christ did really and actually die, and was laid in a grave. It is a fact that can never be questioned. —He was really “bruised.” —He really “suffered.” —He really “died.” —He was really “buried.” Let us mark this well. It deserves remembering. J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Matthew (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860), 398–399.Matthew 27.57 – 59. What do we know about Joseph of Arimathea? What is the lesson in his life for us?Let us learn, for one thing, from these verses, that our Lord Jesus Christ has friends of whom little is known. We cannot have a more striking example of this truth, than we see in the passage now before us. A man named Joseph of Arimath?a comes forward, when our Lord was dead, and asks permission to bury Him. We have never heard of this man at any former period of our Lord’s earthly ministry. We never hear of him again. We know nothing, but that he was a disciple who loved Christ, and did Him honor. At the time when the apostles had forsaken our Lord,—at a time when it was a dangerous thing to confess regard for Him,—at a time when there seemed to be no earthly advantage to be gained by confessing His discipleship,—at such a time as this Joseph comes boldly forward, and begs the body of Jesus, and lays it in his own new tomb.This fact is full of comfort and encouragement. It shows us that there are some quiet, humble souls on earth, who know the Lord, and the Lord knows them, and yet they are little known by the church. It shows us that there are diversities of gifts among Christ’s people. There are some who glorify Christ passively, and some who glorify Him actively. There are some whose vocation it is to build the Church, and fill a public place, and there are some who only come forward, like Joseph, in times of special need. But each and all are led by one Spirit, and each and all glorify God in their several ways. — J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Matthew (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860), 399–400.This passage records that they took Jesus’ dead body and put in in Joseph’s tomb. Critics have argued that Jesus didn’t really die. What do you say?Critics deny the gospel accounts of the resurrection in various ways. An old theory that has recently been revived claims that Jesus did not die on the cross but lapsed into a coma. It is no surprise that soon after the phrase “medically induced coma” became common, a critic proposed that Jesus’ friends induced a death-imitating coma by slipping him drugs while he was on the cross (they cite Matt. 27:48). Then, after resting in the tomb, he revived and emerged. Na?ve believers then thought Jesus had risen from the dead.There are many problems with this theory. First, the Roman soldiers were trained executioners. They would not misjudge the condition of a victim. Second, Jesus had been punched and slapped (Matt. 26:67), flogged (Matt. 27:26), beaten in the head (Matt. 27:30), jabbed with thorns (Matt. 27:29), and stabbed with a spear (John 19:34). The flogging alone commonly killed men. Beyond all this, he almost certainly had no food, drink, or sleep after the Last Supper.Third, the very act of being nailed to a cross, even for a short time, could cause mortal injuries. The Jewish historian Josephus was captured by the Romans in the war that concluded with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. To save his life, he became an aide to the Roman general Titus. After one battle, Titus ordered the crucifixion of a group of Jewish rebels and ordered that their crosses line a road on which Josephus traveled. Among the crucified, Josephus recognized three acquaintances on crosses. He pleaded for their lives, and Titus ordered that they be taken down and given the best medical care. Still, two of the three died from the trauma. Jesus suffered far greater trauma, had no medical care, and no food or drink. Instead, his body was wrapped in yards and yards of smothering, confining burial cloths.Fourth, if Jesus did awaken in the tomb, how could he escape? How would he break free from the burial cloths? How would he find, then roll away the stone that sealed the tomb, since it probably weighed several tons? Even if he did roll away the stone, how could he overpower an armed Roman guard—men who would forfeit their lives if Jesus escaped? Fifth, when the disciples met Jesus, they did not offer to help a traumatized man, but trembled in awe at his feet. Truly the resurrection is far more likely than this stream of impossibilities. — Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 514–515.Let’s look at a few other things critics say. Some say the disciples stole the body. You say?Matthew explicitly addresses the theory that says Jesus’ disciples stole his body. This theory is as old as it is improbable. First, the disciples were of no mind to steal the body. They fled at Jesus’ arrest. They were crushed and terrified upon his death. They forgot that Jesus had promised to rise. Second, the authorities posted a guard at the tomb. The disciples could never overpower Rome’s warriors, and they could never bribe the guard, for failure on a watch was a capital offense. Third, if the disciples did steal the body, then nearly all of them died for a lie. But human experience tells us people will not die for what they know to be a lie, especially when they gain nothing from it. — Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 515.Some say the disciples went to the wrong tomb. You say?Christians reply, “If they went to the wrong tomb, all the authorities had to do to end the Christian movement was go to the right tomb and produce the body.” John Dominic?Crossan?(born 1934) is an Irish-American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, and former Catholic priest who was a prominent member of the Jesus Seminar. (that tells you just what a skeptic he was)Crossan counters that the authorities could not produce the body because they had tossed it into a mass grave with other criminals, or let it rot on the cross, or let it be eaten by scavenging animals, or … you get the picture. In short, Crossan admits he knows nothing of what did happen to the body, he only ‘knows’ that it did not rise from the tomb. Thus Crossan falls into the fallacy of assuming what he set out to prove. — Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 516.Matthew 28.1 – 8. Verse 2. An obvious question… Why was the stone rolled back?It was rolled away so that the people could see for themselves that the tomb was empty. In essence—it was not rolled away for Jesus to get out, it was rolled away so we could get in. — Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 105.Verse 6. Come and see the place where he lay. Describe what you see as you imagine this.What did they see in the tomb? The graveclothes lying on the stone shelf, still wrapped in the shape of the body (John 20:5–7). Jesus had passed through the graveclothes and left them behind as evidence that He was alive. They lay there like an empty cocoon. There was no sign of struggle, the graveclothes were not in disarray. Even the napkin (which had been wrapped around His face) was folded carefully in a place by itself. — Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 105.*** from : In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant; every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. The servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished.Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done.' But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, Because… The folded napkin meant,?I'm coming back!------He is Coming Back!No one has been able to prove if the above story or tradition is actually true but If the point of the little story was to lend credence to Jesus' statement that he would return, there are dozens of New Testament passages where that is clearly stated. Consider this one from John 14:1-3: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you,?I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (NRSV). Is that not promise enough? Why do you suppose Jesus left these clothes behind? Why not transform them or discard them?One of my favorite things about spring is the appearance of butterflies. Each year, my children and I purchase a butterfly garden and some caterpillars. We feed them, love them, and, of course, name them. Time passes, and each caterpillar attaches itself to the top of the container, shrouding itself in a chrysalis. It is all very mysterious to the children, and I hear the same questions every year: What is happening? Are they dead? There is some confusion and a little bit of fear. After all, they have grown to love these caterpillars. Several times a day, the children will rush to the garden to see if anything has changed. And then it happens! One child will notice a change, and then another and another, until one day, they peek into the garden to see empty chrysalis shells and little butterflies fluttering about. Oh, the excitement of this discovery! When Mary Magdalene and the other women found the tomb empty and were told that Jesus had risen, they hurried to tell the apostles. While some didn’t believe, Peter immediately rose and ran to the tomb. He bent over, looked in, and saw them—the strips of linen that had once bound the body of Jesus were lying by themselves. Jesus had emerged from the grave and left His grave clothes behind. He no longer needed them! Nothing about Jesus’ life, death, or resurrection was an accident. He could have very easily risen in the grave clothes. He could have allowed Himself to be seen wrapped in linen. But Christ wanted to make it clear that no part of the grave still had a hold on Him. The linen strips lying there were vivid reminders that He had, in fact, been dead. And in leaving them behind, Jesus was making it clear that He was, and is, truly alive. We all face dark times, when we feel confused or fearful. We endure the loss of things we’ve grown to love. We think, “What is happening? What is God doing?” Yet in God’s infinite wisdom and goodness, sometimes He removes things from our lives that we thought we needed. In those moments, take another look. The old wrappings point to the soaring freedom of an eternal future in Christ. There is a message of life in the linens left behind. — Stacy J. Edwards, Devotions for Easter (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017).What changed that day? How did the disciples change? How were their lives different after, as compared to before this day?The remarkable change in the early believers is another proof of His resurrection. One day they were discouraged and hiding in defeat. The next day they were declaring His resurrection and walking in joyful victory. In fact, they were willing to die for the truth of the Resurrection. If all of this were a manufactured tale, it could never have changed their lives or enabled them to lay down their lives as martyrs.There were over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive at one time (1 Cor. 15:3–8). These appearances of the risen Christ were of such a nature that they could not be explained as hallucinations or self-deception. The people who saw Him were surprised. It would have been impossible for over 500 people to suffer hallucinations at the same time. Even the Apostle Paul, who was an enemy of the church, saw the risen Christ; and that experience transformed his life (Acts 9). — Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 105.The growth of the church serves as circumstantial evidence for the resurrection. How so?The existence of the church, the New Testament, and the Lord’s Day add further proof that Jesus is alive. For centuries, the Jews had been God’s people, and they had honored the seventh day, the Sabbath. Then a change took place: Jews and Gentiles united in the church and became God’s people; they met on the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. The New Testament is a lie if Jesus is dead, for every part of it points to a risen Christ.Of course, Christians have experienced His resurrection power in their own lives. While the inward, subjective experience alone would not prove our Lord’s historic resurrection, when combined with the other evidences, it adds great weight to the case. Still it is possible for people to be self-deluded. “Believers” in all kinds of cults will claim their way is true because of what they have experienced. But Christians have the weight of church history, Scripture, and dependable witnesses to back up their own personal experiences of faith.“Come and see!” was followed by “Go and tell!” We must not keep the Resurrection news to ourselves. The angel sent the women to tell (of all people) Christ’s own disciples. They should have been expecting the news, but instead, they questioned it even when they heard it. — Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 105–106.Luke 24.13ff. Look over this story. Who can summarize it?Luke 24:13–35 may be one of the most dramatic presentations in the whole New Testament. In essence, it’s a three-act play. Act One takes place on the road between Jerusalem and Emmaus, with the stage occupied by only two players, Cleopas and his friend. Act Two, also on the road, begins when a mysterious stranger joins them, (the resurrected Jesus). And Act Three takes place in a humble home in Emmaus as the three prepare to share a meal. — David Jeremiah, The Power of Encouragement (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), 43.What is the emotion of this story?Discouragement seems to have three levels. Doubt comes first. These two disciples had heard the testimony of Mary Magdalene and the other women, yet they did not believe. Disappointment naturally followed. Verse 21 spells out the cause of their gloom: “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” All of their dreams for the future had been crucified with Jesus. They probably had heard from the Eleven that Jesus stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” They believed He was the Messiah, the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies. Yet now this One in whom they had invested all of their hopes had been taken to a cross and crucified. For all they knew, He was still dead—despite the rumors, despite the stories.Despair came next. Their discouragement didn’t stop with doubt and disappointment. It spiraled down even further until it reached the point of despair. All hope had been abandoned; three days had passed since the crucifixion. There had been no credible news upon which to pin any new hope. — David Jeremiah, The Power of Encouragement (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), 43–44.Why do you suppose Jesus kept his identity hidden? What is the lesson for us?My guess is He wanted to draw from them what He already knew they were thinking. As He had done so often with the Twelve, He wanted to expose their lack of faith. But even more than that, I think Jesus was giving us, the future readers of this account, an example of how to deal with people steeped in disbelief. He naturally walked with them. He easily conversed with them. Only at the appropriate moment did He open the Scriptures to them.“Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). People sometimes say, “You can’t learn about Jesus from the Old Testament. You must learn about Jesus from the New Testament.” But please observe: Jesus preached about Himself through Moses and the prophets—that is, from the Old Testament. Serious students of the Bible understand that the Old Testament is a picture in advance of the Messiah, who is presented in detail by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. — David Jeremiah, The Power of Encouragement (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), 45–46.***** There is a great lesson for us all here. As Jesus did with these two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we too must develop and cultivate relationships with people as we seek to share the good News with them. As we talk to “our one” or anyone else the Lord places in our path to share Christ with, we must help them develop a trust in us—that is to know that we have their best interests at heart; that we genuinely care about them as friends. Then, as that relationship builds, at just the right moment, we can confidently share the gospel, knowing that it will have a much more powerful impact because they count you as a friend. And friends really do want what’s best for one another. *******What Old Testament verses do you imagine Jesus turned to? What Old Testament verse point to Christ?Wouldn’t you love to know what Jesus said when He opened the Scriptures and taught concerning Himself? I’ve often wondered what passages He used.Did He use Genesis 3:15 to show that He was the seed of the woman prophesied to crush the head of the enemy Satan? Did He tell the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah and how God provided Himself a lamb—a substitute for Isaac?Did He quote Isaiah 7:14 to say He was the one predicted to be born of a virgin? Did He preach the gospel from Isaiah 53:6? “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Did He refer to Psalm 22—a Messianic Psalm written by David that depicts His crucifixion as though David were an eyewitness—and written 1000 years before crucifixion was ever created by the Romans. Did He refer to the Passover lambs of Exodus and how everyone covered by their blood escaped death.Did He reveal Himself from Zechariah 12:10 that prophesies that the soldiers would pierce the Messiah’s side?We won’t know until we get to heaven, but that is one story I want to hear in detail from my Savior. David Jeremiah, The Power of Encouragement (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), 46.What caused these two to believe? (By the way, we are not told that it is two men. Some think it is a man and wife.)Jesus opened up the Scriptures to them and thereby opened up their eyes so they could see. But it wasn’t the opening of the Scriptures or the opening of their eyes that caused them to recognize Jesus. Verse 35 tells us, “He was known to them in the breaking of bread.” They discovered it was Jesus when He broke bread for the evening meal.Remember, the two had been on a long journey and it had been a long day. They were emotionally spent. They came in, sat down at the table, and Jesus took over. It wasn’t His home, yet He broke custom by distributing the food. He asked the blessing. He presided over the meal, even though He was a guest. He took the bread, began to prepare it, broke off a couple of pieces, and handed them to the men.Cleopas and the other person looked down, took the bread out of Jesus’ hand—and what did they see? A nail print. Can you imagine their reaction? I wonder what they said? I can just imagine Cleopas turning to his friend, (perhaps wife), and exclaiming, “Look! Look! It’s Him! The One about whom we have talked is here in our home with us, Himself!” Then, just as quickly as He had joined them on the road, He vanished from their sight. — David Jeremiah, The Power of Encouragement (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), 47.Again, what changed? What difference does faith make?Just think of the incredible change that took place within the hearts of these men. Consider their feelings at the beginning of the journey. Recall the Bible lesson they received. Imagine seeing the Resurrected Christ. Just a few hours earlier, they were ready to give up on life; their hopes were gone. Now watch what happens.These men had endured a long day of travel. They were preparing to feed their physically and emotionally exhausted bodies. Then Jesus vanished. And then? And then they were so energized that they got up and made the trip back to Jerusalem that very night—seven-plus miles—to find the disciples!“And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the Eleven and those who were with them gathered together” (Luke 24:32–33).An hour before, they wouldn’t have had the energy or the desire to make such a trip. But now, after seeing Jesus and being encouraged by His presence, they were ready to fly! Back to Jerusalem they went. They found the disciples and told them about their life-changing experience. He was alive! He had risen from the dead! The Bible says He opened the scriptures (Luke 24:31). Then in Luke 24:35 we see He opened their mouths! And they couldn’t stop talking about the One they had seen. — David Jeremiah, The Power of Encouragement (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997), 47–48.*****Oh, that our walk with Jesus would be so close and so profound that it would energize us as well to tell others about eternal life with the risen Savior.*****What is the application from this story?Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong.… What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer.…We look for visions from heaven and for earth-shaking events to see God’s power. Even the fact that we are dejected is proof that we do this. Yet we never realize that all the time God is at work in our everyday events and in the people around us. If we will only obey, and do the task that He has placed closest to us, we will see Him. One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ. —OSWALD CHAMBERS / Thomas Nelson, A Daybook of Prayer: Meditations, Scriptures and Prayers to Draw near to the Heart of God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).What do you want to recall from today’s conversation?Write it down—keep it handy to be fresh in your mind _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name three transforming principles/precepts/values/doctrines/etc., you have learned today that you will now apply to your life. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How can we pray for each other today?Please take a moment to write down 5 prayer requests and we will be sharing them together after our study. ________________________________________________________________________________B. _________________________________________________________________________________C. _________________________________________________________________________________D. _________________________________________________________________________________E. _________________________________________________________________________________ ................
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