Truth for the week:

JESUS DIED IN OUR PLACE FOR OUR SIN SO THAT WE COULD BE FORGIVEN AND RESTORED TO GOD.

Verse for the week: 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

1. What are some false views you have heard when it comes to Jesus’ death and resurrection?
2. What does God have to say about the life Christ lived and the death he died from his word? 
3. What does God say about Christ’s resurrection?

For Kids: What does God have to say about the life Christ lived and the death he died from his Word? 

word? What does God say about Christ’s resurrection? (See answers 2 and 3).

Prayer:  Father we praise you for sending Jesus to live righteously for us, to die as our perfect substitute and sacrifice and rise from death so that we could have life in Him even though we die. May we be faithful witnesses of this gospel message. Give us boldness and the words we need to share this message with the lost. 

Answers: 1) Some believe that Jesus died tragically. They believe he died a martyr’s death. Many do not believe Jesus was raised physically from death, but his spirit lives on in us.  2) God is clear in his word that Christ came to save sinners. He came to live the perfect life we failed to live and lay his perfect life down for ours. He died the death we deserve so that we through faith alone in him alone could be forgiven of sin and restored to God. 3)  God is clear that Jesus rose from the dead three days after death. His followers found his tomb empty on the first day of the week after his crucifixion. They later saw him physically alive after death. He appeared to hundreds of people at different times over a period of time. Many of these eyewitnesses laid their life down for the cause of the risen Christ. 

Truth for the week:

JESUS DIED IN OUR PLACE FOR OUR SIN SO THAT WE COULD BE FORGIVEN AND RESTORED TO GOD.

Verse for the week: 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

1. What makes the crucifixion of Christ, while glorious, a dark event?  Read Acts 3:14-15, 7:51-52, 1 Corinthians 2:8. 
2. Read Luke 23:44. What is God showing us about this event by bringing darkness? Contrast this to what happened on the night Christ was born. Read Luke 2:8-14 and Matthew 2:1-2. 
3. Read Psalm 22:1. Read Matthew 27:46. What inexplicable and unfathomable thing happened at the cross that resulted in Jesus making that statement? If Jesus simply died a martyr’s death, what was the purpose of the Father forsaking him? Why did the Father turn from the Son?  

For Kids: Read Luke 23:44. What is the purpose of the darkness over the land while Jesus is dying? Answer: Darkness in the Bible was often a sign of God’s judgment. While we deserve to be punished by God because we have sinned against him, Jesus came and took our place and suffered for us so that he could save us.

Prayer: Father we praise you that you did not spare your own Son but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32).   

Answers: 1) God’s people betrayed and murdered the Messiah. They killed the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ. 2) When Christ was born, his birth was announced with light. Angels came and lit up the night sky. Jesus is even referred to as the light of the world. While we are not told specifically in Luke 23, darkness is often a symbol of divine judgment. At the cross, the wrath of God is being satisfied by being poured out on the Light of the World, God’s Son, King Jesus. 3) Jesus is indicating that a divine departure has taken place. At the cross, we learn that God the Father is separated from God the Son. Because Jesus bore our sin, God could not look upon him. If Jesus died a martyr’s death for a good cause, there would be no need for the Father to forsake the Son. At the cross, God turned his back on his Son because his Son became sin for us.

Truth for the week:

JESUS DIED IN OUR PLACE FOR OUR SIN SO THAT WE COULD BE FORGIVEN AND RESTORED TO GOD.

Prayer: Father we praise you for the incredible work you did for us through your Son at the cross. Lord Jesus, we praise you for taking our sin on yourself and enduring divine wrath for us so that we could be made righteous. 

Answers: 1) Old Testaments priests were sinners. They had to offer up sacrifices for their own sins along with the sins of the people. They eventually died and God’s people needed another. The sacrifices they offered up were insufficient. Jesus is our great high priest because he is truly God and truly man, eternal and sinless. He also offered the perfect sacrifice—himself. 2) It is important to remember that while Christ bore sin, he himself never became a sinner. Though he was engulfed in sin, he remained sinless but bore the whole wrath of God for the sin of the world. We learn in Matthew 27:46 that Christ had no desire for the sin he bore but has a longing for God. 3) Jesus was very clear that no one takes his life from him. He lays it down. He did not deserve to die but chose to die and laid his life down for us to save us. 

Truth for the week:

JESUS DIED IN OUR PLACE FOR OUR SIN SO THAT WE COULD BE FORGIVEN AND RESTORED TO GOD.

Verse for the week:    

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

1. Read Luke 23:45. What is the significance of the curtain being torn? Why should this miracle be a source of great joy to believers?
2. Read Matthew 27:51b. What is the significance of the earthquake? 
3. Read Matthew 27:52. What is the significance of this miracle?  Why should this miracle be a source of great joy to believers?

For Kids: Why did God tear the temple curtain when Jesus died? (Answer: God wanted to show that the way into his presence was opened now because Jesus had died for our sins. Now, instead of the high priest entering the temple once a year, it is God’s presence in our hearts every day. When we believe and place our trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live in us. Jesus opened the way.)

Prayer: Father we praise you for sending Christ down to us so that we could be brought back to you. Lord Jesus, we rejoice in the fact that because you are righteous, we are righteous—because you live, we will live even though we die through faith in you.

Answers: 1) This miracle is significant because it takes place right outside the most holy place. This place was where God’s presence resided in a very special way. This place reminded man of the fall and the separation that took place because of the fall. When Christ died, the curtain that covered this place was torn from top to bottom. God tore the veil. He sent his Son and through Christ’s accomplished work at Calvary, the way to be made right with God was made available once again. 2)  God, with this miracle, is simply drawing attention to the fact that Christ’s work at Calvary is an earth-shattering event. Christ has opened a way for man to be made right with God and be at peace with Him. 3) God is giving His people a little taste of what is to come. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead—the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor. 15:20).  

Truth for the week:

JESUS DIED IN OUR PLACE FOR OUR SIN SO THAT WE COULD BE FORGIVEN AND RESTORED TO GOD.

Verse for the week: 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

1. Read Luke 23:47. How does the centurion respond to Jesus? Name some other centurions who turned to Christ in the New Testament. Read Matthew 8:5-13 and Acts 10.  What do these accounts tell us of the scope of God’s Gospel? Read Romans 1:16.    
2. Read Luke 23:48. How does the crowd respond to Jesus? Explain why it was not enough.
3. Read Luke 23:49. How do the women at Calvary respond to Jesus? How does their response differ from that of the disciples? Explain the vital role that women play in God’s story of redemption. 

For Kids: What is your response to Jesus? What is your response to his great person and great work at Calvary? Do you believe in it? Are you trusting in Christ alone for your salvation? If not, would you give your life to him and make him your Lord today?  

Prayer: Father we praise you for the fact that you have made a way for all peoples—Jew and Gentile to be forgiven of sin and restored to you through faith in Jesus. We lift up those in our homes and church who do not know you. We pray you would work in their hearts and they would respond to that work by giving their lives to Jesus.

Answers: 1) The faith of the centurion in Luke 23 is like the faith of the centurion in Matthew 8 and Cornelius in Acts 10.  God shows us through these accounts that he is a missional God and that the salvation that he provides through Jesus is available for all who believe. 2) They felt guilty for what they had witnessed. They returned home sorrowful but left unchanged. 3) They had been following Jesus since Galilee and had ministered to him during these dark difficult hours.  They do not respond like most of Jesus’ disciples. They did not move further away from Christ, but closer to him at Calvary.