The Death and Resurrection of Christ

 

Part 2:  Rose for Me?

What difference does Christ’s resurrection make in my daily life?

The resurrection is a fact, not a religious myth.  Examining the biblical account of the resurrection may be useful in giving facts to emotional impressions. 

 

SESSION 2

HE ROSE FOR ME?

 

Life Question:      What difference does Christ’s resurrection make in my daily life?

Biblical Truth:       When the power of Christ’s resurrection works in your life, you can overcome sin and temptation, and live righteously.

Bible Passages:   Luke 24:1-8; Romans 6:1-11

Key Verse:            Romans 6:4

Biblical Setting:    After Jesus’ death, His followers visited the tomb and discovered He had risen from the dead. In Romans, Paul explained that Christ’s resurrection provides proof that God has power over death and sin.

Life Impact:           We will:

• Examine the events concerning Christ’s resurrection.

• Determine the personal significance of Christ’s resurrection.

• Identify and repent from ways that dishonor God.

• Live in God’s power, not our own.

 

PREPARE

DEVELOPMENTAL LIFE ISSUE:

The resurrection is a fact, not a religious myth. Possibly, many younger youth have seen the resurrection portrayed dramatically several times. Examining the biblical account of the resurrection may be useful in giving facts to emotional impressions. Younger youth may not be aware of the power for living that the resurrection of Jesus provides for all believers. Younger youth struggle with sin and temptation and can find hope in the message and meaning of the resurrection.

 

Read Luke 24:1-8. The following will help you better understand this passage.

Luke 24:1-8 - The Defining Event

·          This account of the resurrection and the discovery of the tomb by the women is described in all the gospels. The resurrection separates Christianity from all other world religions. The resurrection validated all of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus’ resurrection gives hope to all His followers that they can experience eternal life.

·          Among the four gospel accounts, there are minor discrepancies. Were there two angels or one? Standing or sitting? One person mentions two angels, one tells of the one angel that spoke. Mary Magdalene, Salome, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and “others” are mentioned in the four gospel accounts. Each of these women would have given their accounts many times throughout the first century. There were separate accepted traditions about resurrection morning in the early church.

 

Luke 24:1-2 -  The women

·          In Luke’s account the story’s common elements are obvious. Early on the first day of the week, Sunday, women who had been devoted followers of Jesus journeyed to His tomb to complete burial rituals. The large stone at the mouth of the tomb were moved before they arrived. The tomb was empty! Angels reminded the women of Jesus’ prophecy that He would rise from the dead. These facts are consistent in all four accounts. Interestingly, Jesus’ enemies had to accept the fact that the tomb was empty. It was available for physical inspection!

 

Luke 24:3-4 - The task

·          The tomb itself had belonged to Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:50-56). Natural caves or man-made sepulchers served as tombs. Shelves were carved into the sides of the tombs. Bodies were laid on these shelves. Strips of linen would typically be wound around the body tightly and between the layers of cloth would be layers of spices. More than 75 pounds of spices could be used. Eventually, this wrapping would harden around the corpse. The women went to the tomb that morning to add more spice and layers of linen in the tomb. Large stone discs or boulders would cover the mouths of the tombs, often resting in channels cut into the ground.

·          Obviously, the women did not see Jesus rise from the dead. They arrived at the tomb after the fact. The stone was not removed so Jesus could get out, but to allow witnesses to enter in and observe this promised event. The women did enter the tomb and were joined by two angels. The angels’ clothing flashed like lightning, not of an earthly nature.

 

Luke 24:5 - The Message

·          The angel’s message was joyous and slightly corrective. The living were not to be found in a tomb or cemetery. Had the women (and the disciples) remembered and comprehended Jesus’ words, they would not have been surprised but would have anticipated His resurrection. Jesus had repeatedly prophesied His death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; Luke 9:22,44; 18:31-34).

·          The improbability of a physical resurrection kept the women (and the disciples) from immediately celebrating. Even though they were standing in an empty tomb, they remained doubtful, afraid or unbelieving until they saw the living Christ. The women “remembered” Jesus’ words, but they still did not fully comprehend their meaning.

·          The empty tomb alone did not persuade them. Christ’s post-resurrection appearances assured His followers that He had actually risen from the dead. The empty tomb stood as a historical fact, verifying the appearances as being nothing less than Jesus of Nazareth, resurrected in flesh and blood.

·          Jesus’ appearances confirmed His resurrection dramatically. Eleven appearances of the risen Jesus before eyewitnesses are recorded in the Books of Acts, 1 Corinthians, and the four Gospels. The fact of the resurrection empowered Peter’s first sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:32). It should be noted that the resurrection is a fact, not hopeful or wishful thinking. Jesus did rise from the grave just as He said He would.

 

Read Romans 6:1-11. The following will help you better understand this passage.

Paul’s epistle to the Roman believers was written to prepare them to receive him and his preaching ministry. The first five chapters deal with salvation. Beginning with chapter 6, Paul dealt with the believers’ call to holiness. Paul discussed what was to happen in believers’ lives after salvation. Paul wanted them to understand that they had been declared righteous before God because of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Believers were to begin a process of spiritual maturity. Paul addressed the doctrine of sanctification (the lifelong process of transformation into Christ’s likeness) in chapters 6–8 of the Book of Romans.

 

Romans 6:1 - The Question

·          The question Paul wrote in verse 1 is in response to his teaching in Romans 5:20, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Paul anticipated this question from the Roman believers. God’s grace, Paul had concluded in chapter 5, was always greater than the greatest sin. So, God could save the greatest sinners.

·          Was it OK to sin so that grace could increase? Paul’s emphatic answer was, “No!” In fact, the Greek words Paul used translated as, “What shall we say, then?” presuppose a negative answer to the question. Believers in Jesus have a new relationship to sin. Rather than living in sin, relishing sin, becoming an expert at sin and being enslaved by sin, believers have died to sin. It was not reasonable for those who had died to sin to continue to live in sin, Paul claimed. According to verse 3, this death to sin occurred when they believed in Jesus and received God’s grace gift of forgiveness and once-and-for-all righteousness.

 

Romans 6:3 - An illustration

·          Paul used a word picture of baptism to illustrate this concept of “death to sin.” Scholars agree that the early church baptized by immersion. As a person is lowered into the water, they could be seen as “dying.” Symbolic burial occurs as the water covers the person. Rising up again from the water pictures the new start, the new life of a believer. By this spiritual “baptism,” a new believer identifies with Jesus’ experience of death, burial, and resurrection. This word-picture does not attribute physical baptism as a saving power. Rather, physical baptism illustrates the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer.

·          Paul literally said believers had died to sin. This death happened when Jesus died on the cross. It is in identifying with Jesus as a substitute that a believer dies to sin. This death defeats the power of sin over a believer forever. The daily “death match” struggle against sin continues in every believer’s life as the Holy Spirit leads them to holy living.

 

Romans 6:4 -Buried with Him

·          Christians should understand that their death to sin is linked to Christ’s physical death on the cross. Their eternal life is linked to Christ’s physical resurrection. The “old self” in verse 6 refers to the person that a believer was before salvation. The body of sin that is “done away with” is literally “nullified,” or made to be of no effect. Because the old self was nullified, Christians are no longer slaves to sin. They don’t have to sin. They have a new ability to resist sin that the old self didn’t have. This is the freedom given to believers who have died to sin. The words “has been freed” mean that believers have been declared righteous. The tense of the Greek verb indicates that this is a past action (when Christ died as the believer’s substitute) with a continuing impact (sin’s mastery is forever broken).

 

Romans 6:8-11 - Life in Christ

·          Three times in Romans 6:1-11, Paul said that believers “know,” in verses 3, 6, and 9. This repetition indicates that these principles are basic doctrines. Misunderstandings of Jesus’ substitution for believers (v. 3), the believer’s daily struggle with sin (v. 6), and Jesus’ once-for-all victory over death (v. 9) impact the church today and shape the differences between Christian denominations.

·          When a believer identifies with Jesus in death to sin, the believer is given new life for eternity and for living daily. The new moral force in a believer’s life is Jesus, who is not dead and can never die again. Because Jesus rose from the dead, sin and death have no power over Him. Because believers are identified with Jesus, sin and death have no power over them any longer. This is the victory of the resurrection. The greatest enemies of humanity, death and sin, have been once and forever defeated. As Jesus “died to sin,” (v. 10) and lives to God, so will His believers live a new life “to” God. Christ is our example. When Christ died, He also died to sin. We can take our place with Him in respect to sin and regard it as something we have already died to. Paul was not suggesting that we too die physically, but that that we regard the power of sin as dead in our lives.

 

Romans 6:11 - The Challenge

·          Verse 11 includes an accounting term; “count yourselves.” It literally deals with putting a deposit into a person’s account. A believer, then, is to accept the teaching of death to sin and is to believe that this death is put into his account. What God’s Word teaches about the defeat of sin is true and it is true in every believer’s life at all times. This accounting is not based on feelings, but on the completed work of Christ.

 

ENCOUNTER

from death to life (5 Min.)

Place a large sheet of paper on the wall. Play music as students arrive. Instruct them to list things on the large sheet of paper that come back to life after they die. After a few minutes, turn off the music and call for responses. Students will probably struggle with this assignment. Explain to students that Christ is the only person who has ever come back to life after death. Only God has resurrection power.

 

resurrect it (Replacement Option)

Prior to class, collect several “dead” items (dead plants, dead batteries, etc.). Display these items on a table. As students arrive, direct them to the tables. Explain to students that they have three minutes to determine a way to bring those items “back to life” again. Call for reports. Students will obviously struggle with this assignment and will not be able to resurrect the items. Explain to students that Christ is the only person who has ever come back to life after death.

 

Here’s What It Means (20 min.)

Before class, arrange chairs in several circles. Display one sign per circle with the following school subjects written on them: Math, English, History, Science, and Foreign Languages. Instruct youth to choose a circle that matches their favorite school subject. Write the instructions listed below on a three-by-five-inch card for each group and paper.

·          Math. Read Luke 24:1-8 and Romans 6:  1-11. Write a mathematical equation or a geometric proof that calculates the power of the resurrection in a teenager’s daily life. Include at least two phrases from the passages and write in mathematical language.

·          English. Read Luke 24:1-8 and Romans 6:1-11. Write a paragraph or poem explaining the power of the resurrection in a teenager’s daily life. Quote at least twice from the passages.

·          History. Read Luke 24:1-8 and Romans 6:1-11. Write historical facts or document uses of power that explain how the power of the resurrection can be used in a teenager’s daily life. Include at least two historical facts from the passages.

·          Science. Read Luke 24:1-8 and Romans 6:1-11. Write a scientific formula or list scientific evidence that explain the power of the resurrection in a teenager’s daily life. Include at least two phrases from the passages and write it in scientific terms.

·          Foreign Languages. Read Luke 24:1-8 and Romans 6:1-11. Using nouns or verbs from your favorite foreign language(s) explain how the power of the resurrection impacts a teenager’s daily life. Translate at least two words or phrases from the passages.

After several minutes, call for reports. Stress: God’s relationship with us is personal and custom-designed. He communicates with us right where we are. He wants us to understand the power we have because of Christ’s resurrection. What did you learn from other presentations?

 

What Happened? (15 min.)

Explain that to resurrect is to rise from death. Challenge pairs to find details about the resurrection by drawing Luke 24:1-8 in cartoon form with one frame per verse.

Direct each youth to discuss a different verse. Count the details students name (Samples for verse 1: first day, early in the morning, women went rather than men, spices for dead body, etc.) Instruct students to add to their frames any details they omitted. What detail about Jesus’ resurrection do you especially like?

 

Who Happened? (Replacement Option)

Instruct youth to read a book such as C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity to report ways the resurrection can make a difference in their lives.

 

You’ve Got the Power (15 min.)

To find out what the resurrection means for a present-day believer, guide youth to read Romans 6:1-11 in responsive form, half of the class reading the first part of each verse, and remaining half reading the second part, and then repeat verses 8-11. Allow youth to choose where to divide the verses. Say: Living the resurrection is the key to living “to God.” The resurrection reveals Jesus’ power over everything. Because of His power, you also have power, especially power to overcome sin and temptation. What are specific ways you want to use this power? As youth share ideas, list them on the board or a large sheet of paper. Say: The resurrection is more than just understanding that we too will have life after death. It is evidence that Jesus has power over everything. Invite one youth to lead a time of prayer about living with resurrection power.

 

Pictures of Power (5 min.)

Challenge youth to search the room, their pockets, or their purses for examples of Jesus’ resurrection power. Call for youth to present their object lessons by completing this statement: Jesus’ resurrection power is like (the object chosen) because __, but it is even more powerful than (the object) because __. Say: Jesus’ resurrection power comes as we access Him, plug into Him, and connect to Him. What are some ways to do this? Let’s name a few. Guide youth to name several ways. Close the session in prayer. Invite students to talk with you after class if they have any further questions.

 

light it up (Supplemental Option)

Give each youth a light bulb. Ask: What do we have to do with this bulb to get light? Provide fine-point permanent markers and direct youth to write Romans 6:4 on the light bulb to remind them of the type of life that glorifies God. Direct youth to put this bulb in prominent place (not to use!) they see each day. Challenge them to continue to look for symbols of resurrection power.

 

CONTINUE

·          Challenge youth to access God’s power in a different way each day this week.

·          Encourage youth to spend time alone with God this week. Encourage them to use ec (essential connection) for their daily quiet time.

·          Encourage youth to memorize the Key Verse for this week (Rom. 6:4). Contact students throughout the week to affirm them.