The Christ Event,
Jesus did more than the just die on the
Cross
At Easter time we focus on the death and resurrection of
Jesus. But that’s not all Jesus has
done for us and we need to understand and remember each phase of his ministry.
Sometimes we mistakenly leave Jesus on the cross or just
focus on the cross and miss out on the other and just as important things he
did for us.
Background:
The Old Testament shows us that
God wants to be our God and have a close relationship with us but we as a
people just can’t do it. Our sinful
nature just gets in the way and leads not to God but away from him.
God instituted sin offerings to
help us but they were only good until we sinned again, usually it only took a
short time, even minutes sometimes.
God had a plan from the start to
provide a way for us, Jesus. Jesus was
to come to earth as a man and become a sacrifice for our sin.
The
Christ Event:
Print out the Christ Event chart
for each member of the family and use it for each activity in the events below.
Click here. (to print correctly, change
to landscape print orientation in page setup)
1. Jesus’ Virgin Birth
God provided a way for the
removal of our sin by providing his Own Son Jesus. By providing himself as Jesus was God.
John 1
1In the beginning was the Word [Jesus],
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14The Word became
flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory
of the One and Only, who
came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus came from God and not a
human father that would pass the sin of man to boy born.
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the
blanks - He is God
b. Have everyone draw a picture of baby Jesus in
the manger above the label “His Virgin Birth”.
2. His Sinless Life
To be a sacrifice for our sin,
Jesus had to have a sinless life as God required a sin offering to be without
blemish (sin).
Leviticus 9:2
2 He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram
for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD.
Hebrews 4:15
15For we do not
have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have
one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the blanks – So He
could be a sacrifice for us.
b. Have everyone draw the word “Sin” with a
circle around it and a diagonal line through the center (for “No Sin”) above
the label “His Sinless Life”.
3. He Walked with God with the Holy Spirit
As we talked about at the
beginning, the old testament showed us that no matter how hard we try we can
walk with God. Our sinful nature is to
screw up and sin, chase after other gods and idols. No matter how much our heart loves God (David), or how much
wisdom we have (Solomon), or how strong we are (Samson), we can’t walk
righteously with God, we mess up.
But Jesus showed us that with the
Holy Spirit we can walk with God and how we can minister with the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 12:28
28But if I drive
out demons by the Spirit
of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 4:14
14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him
spread through the whole countryside.
18"The
Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the
blind,
to release the oppressed,
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the blanks – To Show how
we can walk with God.
b. Have everyone draw a dove descending above
the label “He Walked with God with the Holy Spirit”.
4. He Died for Our Sins once and for All
Perfect Sacrifice - In
order for us to have relationship with God, we needed a sin offering to remove
the barrier of sin separating us from God.
Look at #1 above for the passage.
Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and sin offering for us. He was God’s own son (#1), He was without
blemish – sinless, blameless (#2). His
blood sacrifice for us was a once and for all sacrifice. We need no other sacrifice for our
sins! He has washed them all away,
past, present, and future sins that we will commit. God no longer sees our sin as a barrier because Jesus has paid
the price for us.
Isaiah 59:1-
1 Surely the arm
of the LORD is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have
separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face
from you,
so that he will not hear.
3 For your hands
are stained with blood,
your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken lies,
and your tongue mutters wicked
things.
Hebrews 10:10
10And by that
will [Jesus’ will], we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:15-18
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16"This is the
covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds."
17Then he adds:
"Their
sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
18And where these
have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin [required].
So we can have a Relationship
with God - When Jesus died, the bible says that the curtain in the
temple was torn in two. This was the
curtain that covered the opening to the Holy of Holies in the Temple where
God’s presence was. Only a High Priest
could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year after he had atoned for his
sins with a blood sacrifice. God tore
this curtain when Jesus paid the price and gave Himself as a blood sacrifice
for our sins. God tore the curtain from
top to bottom to show us it was Him who did it. And this was a very thick curtain. By tearing the curtain, God removed the barrier and opened the
Holy of Holies for us to walk into and have relationship with Him. He has opened the door and said “Come on
in and have a relationship with Me”.
By his death, Jesus reconciled us
back to God. “Reconcile” is to restore
or reestablish a close relationship.
This is a very important event
that most people miss in what Jesus did for us on the cross.
Matthew 27:50-51
50And when Jesus
had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit [He
died].
51At that moment
the curtain of the temple
was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
Romans 5:9-11
9Since we have now been
justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath
through him! 10For if, when we were
God's enemies, we were
reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having
been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
we have now received reconciliation.
Hebrews 10:19-22
19Therefore,
brothers, since we have
confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain,
that is, his body, 21and since we
have a great priest over the house of God, 22let
us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Note: We are not “saved” nor “go to
heaven after death” with the cross and death of Jesus. It is only through faith and belief in Jesus
and our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior - our God that we are saved
and go to heaven.
Ephesians 2:8
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Romans 5:1
1Therefore, since we have been justified through
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Luke 7:50
50Jesus said to
the woman, "Your
faith has saved you; go in peace."
Romans 8:1
1Therefore, there is
now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the blanks – So we
could have a relationship with God.
b. Have everyone draw Jesus on the Cross above
the label “He Died for Our Sins once and for all”.
5. He Rose from the Dead
Jesus did not stay on the cross
and we should not leave Him there.
Easter is just not about the Cross, but His resurrection from the dead
on what we celebrate as Easter Sunday.
By His resurrection he conquered
death for us. Our spirits, who we are
will no longer die if we believe and have faith in Jesus. Death no longer has power over us. Yes the body we are in now will eventually
breakdown and stop functioning but we will go on living with Christ.
Romans 6:1-10, 23
1What shall we say,
then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his
death? 4We were therefore
buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5If
we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be
united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
7because anyone who has died has been
freed from sin.
8Now if we died with
Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer
has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he
lives, he lives to God.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You also read in these passages
that Sin also has no hold on us or power over us any longer because of Jesus’
death and resurrection. But that is
devotional for another day.
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the blanks – So He
could conquer death for us.
b. Have everyone draw a Cross without Jesus
between the label “He Died for Our Sins” and the label “He Rose from the Dead”.
c. Now have everyone draw Jesus alive walking
around above the label “He Rose from the Dead”.
6. He Ascended to Heaven
Jesus is no longer on Cross, no
longer in the tomb, no longer walking the earth. He is back in Heaven reigning with God at his right hand.
Acts 7:55
55But Stephen,
full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand
of God.
2 Timothy 2:12
12if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
Jesus also is in Heaven
interceding for us. When we who are
saved, have faith in Christ, are one of his own and we sin, he is there to let
God know that our sins are forgiven.
They have been washed away by his blood.
Romans 8:34
34Who is he that
condemns? Christ Jesus,
who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for
us.
Hebrews 7:25
25Therefore he is able to save completely [or
forever] those who come to God through him, because He always lives to intercede for
them.
Most importantly, Jesus had to
ascend so he could send us the Holy Spirit, the final step in the Christ Event.
John 16:7
7But I tell you the
truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away [ascend to Heaven], the Counselor [Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to
you.
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the blanks – Went to
Heaven to reign and intercede for us
b. Have everyone draw Jesus ascending to heaven
above the label “He Died for Our Sins once and for all”.
7. He Sent Us the Holy Spirit
Because God Loves Me and His
Grace abounds for Me, so far we’ve seen that Jesus
> Has shown me how I can walk
with God,
> Has washed away my sins once
and for all, past, present, and future by His blood - a perfect sacrifice, his
death on the Cross for me.
> Has conquered death and in
him it no longer has any hold on me.
> Is now at the right had of
God interceding for me.
Yes my sins are forgiven and I am
saved from death, but as everyone else in the Bible, I don’t have the ability
to understand the things of God. I
don’t have the ability to walk upright with God or change from the person I am
to the person Jesus is. I don’t have
the ability to minister to and help people as Jesus did. I need the Holy Spirit just as Jesus
did. We are nothing without God and we
need God in us like Jesus. It’s just
me, and my stuff without Jesus’ Spirit in my life.
So in a way up to now in the
Christ Event, we are ready for a relationship with God, we need the Holy Spirit
– “God Spirit” to help me do it. I
can’t do it by myself with my own strength.
Now the next step in God’s plan
for us, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit:
> To help me walk with God in
His ways and not may ways or the ways of sin.
> To teach and guide me in all
things about God.
> To give me life, His life
“in” me.
> To lead me.
> To help me change from the
inside out to be like Jesus (sanctify) me.
> To minister and help others
through me as Jesus did.
John 14:16-17
16And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will
be in you.
John 15:26
26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the
Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:13
13But when he,
the Spirit of truth, comes, he
will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will
speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Romans 8:1, 5, 11, 26
5Those who live
according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature
desires; but those who
live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit
desires.
11And if the Spirit of him who raised
Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead
will also give life to
your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
26In the same
way, the Spirit helps us
in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
1 Corinthians 2:10-14
10but God has
revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's
spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the
Spirit of God. 12We have not received the
spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the
Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come
from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Galatians 5:16-25
16So I say, live
by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
17For the sinful nature desires what is
contrary to the Spirit, and the
Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with
each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did
before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature
with its passions and desires. 25Since
we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
13But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the
Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
and through belief in the truth.
John 14:12
12I tell you the
truth, anyone who has
faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father.
As you can see this is an
important and critical step in what Jesus did for us when He came to Earth as a
man. Without the Holy Spirit we would
be just like those in the old testament trying to walk with God but never being
able to do it.
Activity:
a. Have everyone fill in the blanks – So we can walk
with God with His help and power.
b. Have everyone draw a dove descending down on
us above the label “He Sent Us the Holy Spirit” on the Christ Event chart.
Summary
Using the Christ Event chart,
review each step of the Christ Event and what it did for us.
Do you see the steps in God’s
overall plan and desire to have a personal relationship with us?
Which step should we be focusing
on each day?
Praise God for giving us his Son
as a perfect sacrifice for our sins once and for all. So we can enter into a personal relationship Him. And for sending
His Holy Spirit to live in us, So we can walk with Him and become like Him.
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