Basic Bible Teaching

1. Basic Bible Teaching Lesson 9 SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

2. Overview • Review: • The significance of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples • Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven • The fundamental problem of sin – why we need Jesus • How Jesus was different to any other man, but still shared exactly the same nature • The Apostles begin to preach the gospel • What is “repentance”? • The gift God promises to give us, and when we will receive it. • How Jesus’ death provides a covering for our sins • God calls us, but he will not force us – it’s up to us to respond.

3. Review The importance Jesus’ last meal For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.“ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 • Jesus commanded his disciples (followers) to eat bread and drink wine to remember his life and death. • Believers remember Jesus in this way, typically once a week.

4. Review The Death & Resurrection of Jesus • Jesus was crucified – nailed to a tree and left to die in great pain. • As a sinless representative of humanity, Jesus died for our sins. • After 3 days God resurrected Jesus • Because Jesus did no sin, God would not leave him in the grave. So God raised him from the dead and gave him immortal life – never to die again.

5. Review Ascension & A Promised Return • Jesus went up to heaven to be with God, and he will remain their until the time comes for him to return • Soon Jesus will return to set up God’s Kingdom • When he comes, all faithful believers throughout time will be resurrected and made like him - immortal [Jesus] was taken up before their [the disciples’] very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "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.Acts 1:9-11

6. Salvation Through Jesus Christ

7. The Fundamental Problem • Sin separates us from God Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59v1,2)

8. Why do we need Jesus? • We need to have sin removed to be reconciled back to God • That is why Jesus is called “Jesus” She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1v21)

9. Jesus was different to any other person • Although bearing our exact same nature, and tempted just like us, he never sinned. He always obeyed the commandments of God • This was possible because, as God’s son, he inherited characteristics which we do not have, including an ability to quickly understand God’s ways and a desire to do God’s will. “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”Psalm 40:8 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb”Psalm 139:13 “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself”2 Cor. 5:19

10. But Jesus shared our exact same nature • The advantage of being God’s son did not make his daily victory over sin easy or automatic – temptation to sin was always a strong force which he willingly had to overcome. “For 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.”Hebrews 4:15

11. Jesus Christ in the Old Testament • God raised Jesus from the dead, and he will never die again. God has given him eternal life. • As soon as Jesus was raised from the dead, he began to teach his disciples about his death and resurrection. • He showed them how his death and resurrection was predicted in the old testament: He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:44-47

12. The Prophets spoke of Christ’s death Isaiah 53:3-10 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering …. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…By oppression and judgment he was taken away.. For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

13. The Disciples preach the gospel • 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus went up into heaven. • The disciples preached the gospel as Jesus commanded • The started in Jerusalem on a holiday called “Pentecost” • Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, told them about the crucifixion of Jesus, and how they had wrongly crucified an innocent man • Nevertheless, Peter also told them that this was according to God’s purpose, and that God had now raised Jesus from the dead and made him King of them all.

14. Peter’s charge: "Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst … this [Man], delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God,you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put [Him] to death. And God raised Him up again, … Acts 2:22-24 [NASB] The People’s response: "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?“v 37 1 2 Peter’s Advice: 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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.“v 37-38

15. What is Repentance? • To understand that you have sinned against God • To realize that you have disobeyed God’s commandments • To feel the need to change and make your life right with God • To feel this strongly in your heart Sin & Death Eternal Life Repentance = to change the direction of our way of life

16. Repentance: Psalm 32 • King David wrote this Psalm when he had sinned • At first he pretended that he had not disobeyed God, and this made him sick. • But then he repented and confessed his sin to God, and God forgave him. Psalm 32:2-6 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"--and you forgave the guilt of my sin.Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found.

17. Baptism 1 2 Peter’s Advice: 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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.“ v 37-38 • A very important Bible Teaching • The subject of Lesson #10

18. How we benefit from Repentance & Baptism Peter’s Advice: • God will forgive our sins through the Lord Jesus Christ • We are promised a gift: 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 giftof the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.“ v 37-38

19. The Gift we are promised For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Godis eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:23 • The promised gift is eternal life • This gift will be given to all faithful disciples when Jesus returns. • We cannot earn salvation by anything we do in our lives. • The only wage we deserve in God’s sight is death. We all sin, therefore we all deserve to die. • But God wants to give us eternal life. This will be his great gift to us. He can do this through Jesus Christ. • He has promised this free gift of eternal life to all those who repent, are baptized into the name of Jesus Christ, and try their best to obey God during their life.

20. When will we receive God’s promised Gift? "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He (God) may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receiveuntilthe period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.Acts 3:19-21 [NASB] • Jesus will return to set up God’s Kingdom • Then all the people who have repented and accepted Jesus as their savior will receive the promised gift of eternal life • They will live in the Kingdom of God for ever. • This is the same promise that God made to Abraham and David. • They understood that they would be brought back to life and live for ever in God’s Kingdom.

21. How can Jesus save us? Adam & Eve • Adam and Eve used fig leaves to try and cover their sin • Genesis 3v7 • However God gave them animal skins to cover themselves • Why? • Where did animal skins come from? • Animal skin coverings required death and the shedding of blood • Hebrews 9v22 – “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

22. How can Jesus save us? • The requirement for Adam & Eve to kill an animal and cover themselves with its skin pointed forward to what would be accomplished by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ • In the book of Revelation, Jesus is described as “..the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev 13:8) • From the moment Adam & Eve sinned, God had a plan to offer forgiveness of sins and eternal life • This plan focused on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

23. How can Jesus save us?Jesus - a covering for sin • Sacrifice is necessary for forgiveness of sins - it vividly makes us realize that we deserve to die • Old Testament sacrifices point forward to the crucifixion of Jesus …But now he (Jesus) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9v26,28)

24. How can Jesus save us? • It was God’s will that Jesus should die for our sins • God accepted his sacrifice because he was a sinless bearer of our exact same nature • Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God has said that he will accept us and forgive us, for all that we have done wrong. • Hence, association with Jesus’ death provides us with a covering for our sins.

25. God calls us, but he does not force us The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.“Acts 2: 38 • God calls us to believe the Gospel, to repent, and to be baptized. • But he will not force us to do it. • We must decide for ourselves. We must choose to follow Jesus as his disciples. • For those who do decide to obey God, their lives will be changed.

26. The benefits of obeying God’s call 'Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.'Acts 2: 46-47 • They feel happiness and gladness that God has forgiven their sins • They understand that they now belong to God • They believe that they will be given eternal life when Jesus returns to set up God’s Kingdom on earth

27. Review Questions • Why is Jesus different to any other man who lived? • What did Jesus do after his resurrection? • What does repent Mean? • What promise does God make to you if you repent? • Who died to take away our sins? • When will faithful disciples receive the gift of God?

28. Next lessonThe Meaning of Baptism • Why Baptism must follow after repentance • Baptism: “a burial under water” and the “washing away of our sins” • How the act of baptism identifies us with Jesus’ death and resurrection • When we rise out of the water, we commence a new life, serving a new master