Lesson 24 - The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

    Suggested Bible Reading: Mark Chapter 15, Luke Chapter 24

    The most important event that has ever happened in all of history is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no question that Jesus Christ is the most important person in all of history. More books have been written about Jesus Christ than any other person who has ever lived. But why did Jesus come? What was His reason for living on this earth? The Bible says in Matthew 18:11, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” We are going to study what Jesus did for us so that we can be accepted by God and go to heaven when we die.

    The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

    The Bible says in Mark 15:22-25, “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.” Golgotha was a lonely hill that was located just outside the walls of Jerusalem. The women of Jerusalem often prepared a drink as an act of mercy to help numb the pain of those being crucified, but Jesus refused to drink it. Jesus was then made to lay down upon the cross, and the Roman soldiers nailed his hands and feet into the wooden cross. The cross was then placed in an upright position and dropped into a hole on top of the hill. Jesus said in John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus was prophesying to Nicodemus that one day He would be crucified for the sins of the world.

    Usually a sign was put above the criminal to indicate what crime he was being crucified for. But Jesus had committed no crime. Pilate could find nothing with which to charge him and so they made a sign instead which said, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Jesus did not die because he was a guilty sinner. Jesus had NO SIN! Jesus was dying for my sins, your sins, and the sins of the whole world. You and I are the ones who deserved to be on that cross. He was taking our place and was punished for our sin.

    A Sinless Sacrifice

    Jesus was able to sacrifice his life for our sins because he was sinless. From the beginning, God said that whenever a person sacrificed an animal to God, it had to be perfectly healthy. It could not be sick or injured. Remember when Isaac was bound to the altar and Abraham was about to slay his son? God stopped Abraham and caused a ram to be caught by his horns in a bush behind them. God put it there so it could die in the place of Isaac. If the ram was injured, then it would not be acceptable to God. That is why the ram was caught by his horns. Just as the ram died in Isaac's place, so Jesus came into the world to die in our place.

    Jesus suffered the complete punishment for our sins so God can freely forgive and accept all those who repent and believe on Jesus the Savior. The Bible says in Mark 15:37, “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.” Jesus did all that was necessary to deliver us from Satan, sin, and death. He shed his blood as the payment for our sins. All those who repent and trust in Jesus are forgiven by God of all their sins. God gives them the gift of everlasting life. Jesus Christ did for us what we could not do. He was the only One who could make a way for you to be accepted by God. The blood of Jesus Christ is the only payment that God will ever accept as payment for our sins.

    The Burial and Resurrection

    Jesus was taken down from the cross and put in a tomb of a rich man named Joseph of Arimathaea. A massive stone was rolled in front of the entrance. Jesus' body was in the tomb for three days and three nights. At the end of this time, on the morning of the first day of the week (Sunday), some of the women who had believed in Jesus returned to the burial cave. It was the custom of the Jews to put fragrant spices on the bodies of the dead. These women came early Sunday morning to anoint the body of Jesus. They expected to find his body still in the tomb. But what a shock they received!

    The Bible says in Luke 24:2-3, “And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.” The women did not know that God had sent his angel to roll the heavy stone away from the entrance of the grave. The body of Jesus was not in the tomb! And then, they were greeted by two angels.

    The Bible says in Luke 24:4-7, “And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

    Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would. Jesus is God. He came down to earth and became a man to deliver us from Satan, sin, and death. Jesus knew before he left heaven that he would die and rise again. All of his followers should have been waiting for him and expecting him to rise from the dead because he had told them many times he would rise on the third day. But they were so sad that He had been crucified, that they totally forgot all of the Scriptures that promised that Jesus would rise again!

    We are sure that Jesus is God and the promised Savior because he was raised from the dead. The Jewish leaders crucified Jesus because he claimed to be the Savior, but God raised Jesus from the dead so that everyone would know that Jesus was who he claimed to be. We are also assured that God was completely satisfied with the payment for our sins which Jesus made with his blood because God raised him up from the dead. The only way for us to be accepted by God was for Jesus to pay the complete price of our sins.

    So, how can you be delivered from Satan, sin, and everlasting separation from God? You must repent and agree with God that you deserve to go to hell for your sins against God, and that you are unable to save yourself. Then place your complete trust in the Lord Jesus, believing that he gave his blood as the full payment for your sins and rose again from the dead to give you eternal life. Jesus died for all people, and God wants everyone to know that they can be delivered from Satan, sin, and death. God does not want anyone to suffer everlasting punishment. This is the purpose of this Bible Study: so you can hear and understand and believe this wonderful news and be able to share it with others.

    What is the Gospel?

    This is the message of the Gospel. Many people have heard about the Gospel, but they really have no idea what the Gospel is. The Bible says in I Corinthians 15:1-4, “I declare unto you the Gospel….how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” The Gospel is the message that Jesus Christ has died and paid the price for your sins with His own blood, and He rose again from the dead, to defeat the curse of sin forever. It is important that you believe this message which God has written in his Word. God says that those who believe on Jesus Christ can know that their sins are forgiven by God and that he will accept them. The only way to be born again is to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Are you willing to believe on the Son of God? Are you prepared to depend only on Jesus to forgive your sins, guide your life, and give you a home in heaven?

    After Jesus commanded his disciples to take this Good News to every person, he left them and returned to Heaven. Jesus is coming back to the earth again, but when He does it will not be to deliver sinners from Satan, sin, and death because he completed that work. The next time Jesus comes, it will be as the judge of the whole earth. God now commands everyone to repent, that is, to turn from their sins and to trust only in the payment which Jesus has made for them. All those who have not repented and trusted in Jesus the Savior will be thrown along with Satan and his demons into the Lake of Fire when Jesus judges the earth!

    Study Questions

    1. Why did Jesus Christ come to this earth?
    2. In John 3:14, Jesus prophesied to that he would be crucified for the sins of the world.
    3. Jesus was able to sacrifice His life for your sins because He was .
    4. What is the only payment that God will ever accept for your sins?
    5. The disciples expected Jesus to rise again from the dead after 3 days.
    6. What must you do to be delivered from your sins and eternal separation from God?
    7. What is the message of the Gospel?
    8. Jesus died for all people.
    9. God will accept everyone into heaven.
    10. Will God accept you into heaven? . Why or why not?

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