Jesus and salvation: biblical passages and evidence
A seminar on salvation and eternal life (Bible version: New International Version)
Seminar main topics
• Session 1: Eternal life, heaven and the fall
• Session 2: God’s plan for man’s salvation
• Session 3: God’s solution for man’s salvation
• Session 4: The full picture from the New Testament
SESSION 1: ETERNAL LIFE, HEAVEN, THE FALL (BACK TO MAIN SEMINAR TOPICS)
God
• Was there before creation – Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.
• Created man – Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make
mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Man
• Was to rule over all creation; He is holy – Genesis 1:26 “rule over all creation” – Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them” – Genesis 1:31 “…it was very good”
• Was to live in Eden forever, if … – Genesis 2:8 “Now the LORD God had planted a garden
in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.”
– Genesis 2:17 “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
But man disobeyed = sinned
• Disobedience = mortal and death – Genesis 3:6-7 … She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
– Genesis 3:19 … to dust you will return.
• Banished from the perfect world – Genesis 3:23 So the LORD God banished him from the
Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Human nature = evil
• First murder (eldest murders the younger)
– Genesis 4:8 …While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
• Man’s heart is evil all the time
– Genesis 6:5-6 The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled
God’s justice and love
• God’s judgment on man – Genesis 6:7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face
of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
• Noah – Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of
the LORD. – Genesis 6:9 Noah was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
God’s judgment
• The flood
– Genesis 7:17-23 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth ...18 The waters … 19 rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind… 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out;
– Years after the fall = 1,656 years
God’s covenant
• The covenant (Genesis 8:20-22) – Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some
of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.
– 21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
– 22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
The repopulation of the earth
• Noah’s sons - Genesis 10-11 – Shem: from where the Jews will come (through
Arphaxad) – Ham: from where the Canaanites will come – Japheth: from where the rest of the world’s
population will come (including us)
• The different races/tribes as we now know them – Genesis 11:9 … it was called Babel—because there
the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Kingdoms, civilization timeline
http://www.ddplnet.com/Timeline_world.pdf
Man’s problem: he cannot reach God
• All fall short: Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
• Man’s way: Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
• Satan owns man: Luke 4:5-6 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
• None qualified: Romans 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one;…
From the “Four Spiritual Laws” ©Campus Crusade for Christ
Romans 1: 18-32 commentary on man’s nature
• 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
• 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1: 18-32 commentary on man’s nature
• 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him,
• 23 … exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles
• 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
• 25 worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Romans 1: 18-32 commentary on man’s nature
• 26 … God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
• 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
• 29 … filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.
Romans 1: 18-32 commentary on man’s nature
• … full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.
• … gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
• 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
• 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them
The final destination
• Revelation 20:11-15 – 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was
seated on it ... 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.
– The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 each person was judged according to what they had done.
– 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Man’s attempts to reach God Passage The efforts
Genesis 4:3-5 Sacrifices to God were made
Genesis 10:8 Nimrod, tower of Babel
Genesis 14:18 Melchizedek
Genesis 30:27 Laban - divination
Genesis 31:19 Rachel stole her father’s gods
Exodus 6:11-12 Egyptian secret arts
Judges 6:25-26 Gideon’s father – Baal worship and Asherah poles
Judges 16:23 Dagon, god of the Philistines
1Samuel 28:7-12 Saul consults a witch
Google images
SESSION 2: GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN’S SALVATION (BACK TO MAIN SEMINAR TOPICS)
God and the chosen people
• Abraham’s call and charge – Genesis 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great
nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
• Abraham’s descendants = the future “Israelites” – Genesis 12-50/15:13 Then the LORD said to him,
“Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own …
Abraham’s lineage Noah (502 yrs old)
Shem (100 yrs old)
Arphaxad (born 2 yrs after the flood)
Peleg (born 101 yrs after the flood)
Serug (born 163 yrs after the flood)
Nahor (born 193 yrs after the flood)
Abraham (born 292 yrs after the flood)
Terah (born 222 yrs after the flood)
The chosen people
• Genesis 15: God’s covenant with Abraham • Genesis 17: The covenant of circumcision
– Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, his male people and later Keturah’s sons
• Genesis 19: Sodom and Gomorrah • Genesis 21: Isaac • Genesis 27: Jacob and the birthright • Genesis 37: Jacob is renamed Israel • Genesis 37: Joseph • Genesis 47: Jacob and the family live in Egypt (=582
years after the flood)
The chosen people
• Exodus: Moses
• God’s plan for the Israelites
– Exodus 19:5-6 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
Moses’ lineage
Levi
Gershon, Kohath, Merari
Kohath
Amram Jochebed, sister of Kohath (his aunt!)
Aaron Miriam Moses
Jacob Leah
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun
@2000BC
@1527BC
God’s way to heaven
• The Ten Commandments (=Exodus 20) • The Laws of Living (=Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) • The Sacrifices (=Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
– Exodus 31:24-29 foretold of the people’s disobedience and its consequences
• The chosen people’s response – First generation was wiped out in the desert except Joshua and Caleb – Joshua:
• The people obeyed God (=second generation) • Took the promised land, had peace
– Judges: the third generation forgot God • Turned to idolatry and pagan form of living • A roller coaster relationship with God, mostly going downhill
– The kings and the prophets – The Fall of Israel and Judah
Sacrifices in Genesis Act/person Sacrifice/Offering Purpose Reference
Ate from tree of good and
evil; realized they were
naked
God made garments
of skin – was an
animal sacrificed?
Proper covering of
nakedness?
Genesis 3:21
Cain – some fruits of the
soil
Offering To God -
Thanksgiving?
Genesis 4:3
Abel – fat portions of
firstborn of the flock
Offering To God -
Thanksgiving?
Genesis 4:4
Noah – built an altar;
some clean animals and
birds
Burnt offering To God –
Thanksgiving?
Genesis 8:20
God told Abraham to get
a heifer, a goat, and a ram
(3 yrs old), a dove, and a
young pigeon
A smoking firepot
and blazing torch
passed through the
halves of these
animals
After this – God made
a covenant
Genesis
15:9-17
Sacrifices in Genesis Act/person Sacrifice/Offering Purpose Reference
Go to Mt. Moriah Isaac – the first born son God testing
Abraham if he
fears God and not
withhold his son
from Him
Genesis
22:1-19
Isaac after God appeared
to him telling him not to
be afraid for He is with him
Isaac built an altar and
called on the name of the
Lord
Praise and
thanksgiving?
Genesis
26:25
Jacob – after agreement
with Laban; place called
Mizpah
Sacrifice done by Jacob
(=not clear what)
Agreement?;
thanksgiving?
Fellowship?
Genesis
31:54
Sacrifices in Genesis Act/person Sacrifice/Offering Purpose Reference
Eve of exodus: Lamb (one
year old male without
defect) may also take a
goat
Slaughter at twilight;
blood (from bunches of
hyssop) on doorframes of
houses where lamb is
eaten; leftovers to be
burned
Passover Exodus 12
Old Testament Sacrificial System (as instructed by God to Moses)
Sacrifices in Leviticus Act/person Sacrifice/Offering Purpose Reference
Sins unintentionally and
does what is forbidden in
the Lord’s commands
Sin offering Forgiveness Leviticus 4:1
Anointed priest sins Young bull without
defect
Sin offering Leviticus 4:3-
12
Whole Israeli community
sins
Young bull Sin offering Leviticus
4:13-21
Leader sins Male goat without
defect
Sin offering Leviticus
4:22-26
Sacrifices in Leviticus Act/person Sacrifice/Offering Purpose Reference
Member of the community sins • Does not testify or speak
up • Touches anything
ceremonially unclean • Thoughtlessly takes an
oath; careless swearing
Female goat without
defect Sin offering
Leviticus
4:27-34 Lamb – female
without defect Sin offering
Cannot afford a lamb –
two doves or pigeons Sin offering
Leviticus 5:1-
13 Cannot afford doves or
pigeons: a tenth of an
ephah of fine flour
Sin offering
Sacrifices in Leviticus Act/person Sacrifice/Offering Purpose Reference
Commits a violation and sins
unintentionally in regard to
any of the Lord’s holy things
Ram without defect
from the flock;
Slaughtered on altar of
burnt offering; blood
sprinkled on the sides
of the altar; eaten in a
holy place
Guilt offering =
most holy Leviticus
5:14-19;
Leviticus 6:1-
6
Sins and does what is
forbidden in any of the Lord’s
commands even though he
does not know it
Deceives his neighbor
Cheats his neighbor
Finds lost property and lies
about it
Swears falsely
Leviticus 6:1-
7
Tabernacle (Moses)
Google images http://av.goodseed.com/tabplace/images/tabernacle-painted.jpg
Tabernacle layout (Moses)
Google images; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Tabernacle.png
Temple (Solomon)
Google images; http://sacredsymbolic.com/files/2009/02/solomons_temple_jerusalem.jpg
Temple (Solomon)
Google images; http://warnock.templebuilders.com/Solstem.gif
Temple (Herod, Jesus’ time)
Google images; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Jerus-n4i.jpg/350px-Jerus-n4i.jpg
Temple (Herod, Jesus’ time)
Google images
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2008/images/her_tem_plan.jpg
Punishments Act/wrong Death penalty Cut-off Reference(s)
Gives children to Molech Yes – stoning Leviticus 20:1-2
Approves of the sacrifice to Molech Yes Leviticus 20:3-5
Turns to mediums and spiritists Yes Leviticus 20:6
Practicing as a medium or spiritist Yes - stoning Leviticus 20:27
Curses father and mother Yes – stoning Leviticus 20:9
Commits adultery with another man’s
wife
Yes – stoning; For
both of them
Leviticus 20:10
Sleeps with his father’s wife
(=dishonors the father)
Yes – stoning; For
both of them
Leviticus 20:11
Sleeps with one’s daughter in law
(=perversion)
Yes – stoning; Both
of them
Leviticus 20:12
Man lies with another man as one
lies with a woman (=detestable)
Yes – stoning; Both
of them
Leviticus 20:13
Punishments Act/wrong Death penalty Cut-off Reference(s)
Man marries both the woman and
her mother (=wicked)
Yes – burned in the
fire
Leviticus 20:14
Man/woman has sexual relations
with an animal
Yes- stoning? both Leviticus
20:15,16
Man marries his sister (=disgrace) Yes Leviticus 20:17
Man lies with a woman during her
monthly period
Yes; both Leviticus 20:18
Sexual relations with the aunt or
uncle (=dishonor a close relative)
None – just a “Don’t” Leviticus 20:19-
20
Man marries his brother’s wife (=act
of impurity)
None – will be childless Leviticus 20:21
SESSION 3: GOD’S WAY TO HEAVEN (BACK TO MAIN SEMINAR TOPICS)
God’s way to heaven
• The Savior will come • The perfect sacrifice for sin for all men • Fulfilled all requirements for the salvation of His own
creation • The prophecies:
– Crush Satan’s head (=Gen 3:15) the Fall @2,000 yrs before flood – Virgin birth (=Isaiah 7:14) @730BC – Born in Bethlehem (=Micah 5:2) @700BC – From the tribe of Judah (=Gen 49:10) @1400BC – Descendant of King David (=Jeremiah 23:5) @617BC – When he will come (=Daniel 9:24-26) @600BC – The Lamb as the perfect sacrifice (=Exodus to Leviticus)
@1530BC
God’s way to heaven
• Prophecies: perfect sacrifice and future glory – Guilt offering (Isaiah 53:10) @740BC – Lamb led to slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19/Isaiah 53:7) @740BC,
670BC – Hanged on a tree; crucifixion scenes (Deuteronomy; Psalms 2,
22, 34) @1530BC/@1000BC – Redeemer (Ruth) @1200BC – Resurrection (Isaiah 25,26) @740BC – The only Savior (Isaiah 43,45) @740BC – Blessing to all nations (Psalm 72, 88) @1000BC – He is God (Genesis1, Micah 5:2, Psalm 90:2) @1530BC/ 1000BC/
750BC – Will establish an everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 9:7) @730BC
The Savior came
• Jesus is born (@2,460 yrs after the flood)
– Conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) • Virgin birth
– Announced by the angels (Luke 8:10-11) • Good News: the Savior is born! • Great joy to the people • Angels are ecstatic
– Seen by: • Shepherds • Magi • Chosen people
Jesus’ Ministry
• Baptism in the Jordan river by John the baptizer: – God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit were there
(Mark 1:10-11; Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3:21-23; John 1:29-34)
• The four gospels tell of his teachings, miracles and claims about himself – 30 years old; – Three (3) year ministry – Start from Galilee area – Ends in Jerusalem - suffered (crucified), died,
resurrection)
• Born in Bethlehem • Grew up in Nazareth (30
yrs) • Baptized in the Jordan
river (=Bethany in Perea; Bethabara)
• Started ministry in the Galilee area
• Passed through Samaria • Finished ministry in
Jerusalem
Map of Israel during Jesus’ time
(Including the roads)
Google images; http://www.bible-history.com/maps/ Map -Palestine-New-Testament-Times.jpg
Jesus’ words on His ministry
• Luke 4: 18-21 (in Nazareth) – 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to
him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
– 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
– 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus’ words on His ministry
• Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or
the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them
• Mark 2:10 – But I want you to know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins.”
• John 5:24 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life
Jesus’ words on His ministry
• John 11:25-26 – 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the
life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
• John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me
Jesus declares He is God
• John 1:18
– No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, …
• John 5:37
– “And the Father himself, who sent me, has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.”
Jesus declares He is God
• John 8:23-24 – And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am
from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”
• John 12:44-45: – “Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in
Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.”
• John 14:9 – “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”
God the Father’s affirmation
• Matthew 17:2-3,
– 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
– 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
Jesus’ sacrifice
• Betrayed • Abandoned by His friends • Unjustly judged • Flogged • Crowned with thorns • Spat at, sneered, mocked • Via Dolorosa • Nailed to the cross • The ultimate humiliation • Died a most difficult
death
God’s love for the
world ↓
(Jesus had no sin yet He suffered the full penalty
of sin)
Google images; http://scripturechildren.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/maps-jerusalem-33ad.jpg
Golgotha traditional site
Golgotha? Google images
Looks like the skull The top is the calvarium
Google images; http://www.covenantkeepers.co.uk/images/golgotha.jpg
Jesus’ words on His work of salvation
• Luke 23:43 – Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you
will be with me in paradise.” (=after death man either goes to paradise or to the place of torment)
• Matthew 27:46 – About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a
loud voice,“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (=God the Father placed the sin of man on Jesus – cut off the relationship with His Son)
Jesus’ words on His work of salvation
• John 19:29; Mark 15:36; Matthew 27:48
– Drank (wine vinegar) from stalk of a hyssop plant
• John 19:30
– When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (=Jesus’ work of salvation is done)
The perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9)
Elements Old Testament New Testament
High priest Imperfect people Jesus, the sinless man
Tabernacle Man-made Perfect, not man made – It is heaven itself
The sacrifice Bulls, calves, lamb, goats
Jesus himself
Entry; # of sacrifices
Several times Only once
Means of entry Blood of bulls and calves
Blood of Jesus
Redemption Temporary Eternal
At Jesus’ death
• Darkness in the afternoon (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45)
• An earthquake (Matthew 27:51) • Veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom
(Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45) • Tombs open and holy people raised to life (Matthew
27:52) • Centurion: “He is the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54;
Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45) • Women watching from a distance; support group
(Matthew 27:55; Mark 15:40; Luke 23:49)
Parallels in the Old Testament and Jesus’ sacrifice
Guilt offering: ram, unblemished Offering: Jesus without sin
Passover process 1. Unblemished lamb (ram) 2. Blood placed on the
doorframes with hyssop plant
Sacrifice for sin once for all: 1. Jesus (without sin) 2. Sin of man placed on Jesus 3. Blood shed for the
forgiveness of all sin (debt is paid in full)
4. Drank from hyssop pole
5. “It is finished”
God passed over Israelites – sparing them from death
Veil of temple rent – man can now access God directly because of Jesus’ sacrifice
Sabbath: God rested from His work of creation
Sabbath: Jesus, God, rested from His work of salvation
Temple (Herod, Jesus’ time)
Google images; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Jerus-n4i.jpg/350px-Jerus-n4i.jpg
Temple (Herod, Jesus’ time)
Veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom
Google images
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2008/images/her_tem_plan.jpg
Why “It is finished!”?
• Jesus, the man without sin, made the perfect sacrifice – Hebrews 9:22 … without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness – Hebrews 10:12-14 12 But when this priest had offered for
all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
– 1Peter 1: 18-19 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Why was Jesus crucified outside the city walls?
• Hebrews 13:11-14 – 11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into
the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.
– 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.
– 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
Jesus shows He is God
• Luke 24:4-7 =The Resurrection – 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly
two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
Jesus shows He is God
• John 20:26-27 = after the resurrection; closed room
– 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Jesus shows He is God, the Savior
• Matthew 28: 18-20 = before ascension
– 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus shows He is God, the Savior
• Mark 16:15-16 – 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
• Luke 24:50-51 (The Ascension, 40 days after the resurrection) – 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of
Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
• Born in Bethlehem • Grew up in Nazareth (30
yrs) • Baptized in the Jordan
river (=Bethany in Perea; Bethabara)
• Started ministry in the Galilee area
• Passed through Samaria • Finished ministry in
Jerusalem • Resurrection • Ascension
Map of Israel during Jesus’ time
Google images; http://www.bible-history.com/maps/ Map -Palestine-New-Testament-Times.jpg
Jesus’ warning
• Matthew 10:32-33 – 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will
also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
• Mark 8:38 – “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Jesus’ warning
• Matthew 12:32
– Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Jesus will be back
• Acts 1: 10-11 (The angels tell of Jesus coming back, immediately after He ascended to heaven)
– 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
– 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Jesus said He will be back
• Luke 21:27
– 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory
• Mark 13:26-27
– 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
Jesus said He will be back
• Matthew 25:31-46 – 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will
separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
– 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, …
– 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…
– 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
SESSION 4: THE WHOLE PICTURE FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT (BACK TO MAIN SEMINAR TOPICS)
The explanation from the gospels and the letters
• Jesus is God, He is the creator – John 1:1-4 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
• Jesus became man – John 1:14 14 The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
The explanation from the gospels and the letters
• Man rejected Him – John 1:10-13 10 He was in the world, and though the world
was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
• Jesus is God’s love – John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The explanation from the gospels and the letters
• God’s purposeful love – Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled scripture – John 3:14-15 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
• He died for sin once for all – 1Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the
righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
The explanation from the gospels and the letters
• Jesus made the perfect sacrifice; He had no sin – Hebrews 9:22 … without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness – Hebrews 10:12-14 12 But when this priest had offered for
all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
– 1Peter 1: 18-19 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
The explanation from the gospels and the letters
• The meaning of the cross – Colossians 2:13-14 13 When you were dead in your
sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
• Only Jesus can save – Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there
is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
How can we be saved?
• Acts 2:38 – Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
• Acts 16:30-31 – 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
• Romans 10:13 – “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”
How can we be saved?
• Ephesians 2:8-9
– 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
• Romans 10:9-10
– 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved
What will we do?
1. Recognize our sins and be sorry
2. Confess these to the Lord (1John 1:9)
3. Believe in the Lord Jesus as the only way to heaven and He is Lord of all
4. Make Him the Lord of your life from now on
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness
A suggested prayer of faith
• Lord Jesus, I need you.
• Thank you for dying on the cross and saving me from the fires of hell and painful torment forever. Thank you for giving me eternal life.
• I am sorry for my sins and confess them to you.
• I ACCEPT YOU AS my LORD AND SAVIOR.
• Do with me according to what your plan for my life.
• Amen.
Who empowers us to live the Christian life and share this great news?
• Acts 1:8
– 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (answer=the Holy Spirit)
Who empowers us to live the Christian life and share this great news?
• Acts 2: 17-20 (= Peter quoting the prophet Joel) – “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
What happens to us when we die?
• We face judgment – Hebrews 9:27 Just as people are destined
to die once, and after that to face judgment, (=there is no soul sleep or annihilation)
• There are only two places where we will go – Luke 16:19-25 In Abraham’s bosom or in Hades
where one is in torment in the flames
– Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (=Abraham’s bosom is now called Paradise)
What will happen to the Christians when Jesus comes back?
• On the second coming:
– 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 The dead in Christ will rise first … we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (=we will meet the Lord in the air and will be with Him forever)
What will happen to the Christians when Jesus comes back?
• 1Corinthians 15:51-54 – 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
– 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (=we will have new bodies similar to the resurrected body of Christ)
My confidence in the Bible
• Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never
pass away
• 2Timothy 3: 16-17 – 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
• Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”
The answer
• Why do we need Jesus? – Without Him man has no hope
– Without Him all men will end up in hell together with Satan and his followers (imagine having Lucifer or Satan as your next door neighbor, both of you suffering forever and ever)
– We need Jesus to have salvation and to end up in heaven with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in perfect joy and peace forever and ever
GOD BLESS YOU (BACK TO MAIN SEMINAR TOPICS)