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February 27, 2020

Firstly, here is a link to a devotional guide for your students to use. I had a couple of students ask me if I’d be willing to create a bible study like the one’s we did at retreat for our devotion times. I’ve done this in the past, but pretty soon, almost none of the students were using them. I am more than happy to write these, but would LOVE for them to get used. Please help me by printing them off and reminding your students that they are available. I also hand out hard copies to the students at youth group. This first study will be through the book of Joel. 🙂 More than anything I want our students to be in the Word! That’s where God is most going to get ahold of their hearts!

Last night we continued our series of “The Story of the Bible.” We’re actually nearing the end of the story. We’ve talked A LOT about the Old Testament, and how God has a plan to restore humanity into right relationship with Himself. The main way that He is going to do that is by sending a man to come and crush the tempter, the “snake” as we see in the garden of Eden. We learn along the journey that human hearts, because of sin, are wicked. Even when God provides ways for His people to be faithful to Him, providing commands and laws that will help keep them from straying into sin, they still wander. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about how the prophets were God’s messengers, reminding the people that God still has compassion, and would not break His covenant with His people, even though
they had been unfaithful.

Finally, in the NT, we have seen the first piece in the finishing of God’s plan to redeem and save a lost and broken humanity by looking at the cross. We talked about how, if we don’t have the cross of Christ, and resurrection of Christ, then as Christians, we have nothing. If the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ didn’t happen, then we have no hope. But in fact, it did happen. Jesus went to the cross in order to become a “curse” for us. He is our advocate before the Father, interceding on our behalf, making us Holy, and bringing us back into right standing with God. In His actions on the cross, He defeated the only power that the snake had… the ability to enslave humanity to sin. Last night we looked in depth at all that Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished by studying 18 different verses. We found that in Jesus’ death and resurrection: 
He became a curse for us, He brought us eternal life, He forgives sin, He shows His great love and grace, He makes us ALIVE, He ransoms us back, He makes us righteous, He takes away condemnation, He makes us holy, He free’s us from slavery to sin, He creates a zeal in us for good works, He becomes the place of worship for His people, He free’s us from fear, He glorifies Himself and the Father, He becomes a model for marriage, He brings about the worship of God, He destroys the hostility between races, and He reveals himself as the one and only King who will come back to finally defeat the snake and all of his minions. 

Here’s some questions to help you follow up with your students:

• What does Christ’s death and resurrection mean to you? Why is important for your Christian faith?
• Are you ever ashamed to tell people, especially those that are skeptics, that you believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection? Why or why not?
• Why do you think God planned it this way? Why did Jesus have to die?

How would you defend your belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection against someone who is skeptical of it?