Building on a Solid Foundation
Lesson 4
Review of Lesson 3: Jesus heals our vision of God
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Who is Jesus? When did He begin? Why did Jesus come from heaven to earth?
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Review the 7 “I AM” sayings of John’s Gospel. What do they say about Jesus’ “mission”?
( [6:35], [8:12], [10:7], [10:11, 14], [11:25], [14:6] and [15:1])
Summary: Jesus’ presence on earth “heals” our vision of God. In Him, we “see” God!
Lesson 4: The Cross and our vision of God
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The God of the OT is often thought of as blood-thirsty and cruel. (Many people think that the God of the OT is just like the gods of other religions.) What might be some reasons for this?
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But, if Jesus came from heaven in order to show us the true face of the Father, that description of God cannot be accurate.
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At the cross, in particular, we don’t see a blood-thirsty and cruel God; we see a self-sacrificing and merciful God.
1. The cross gives us a true picture of how God is Light.
a. The cross exposes falsehood and corruption in the human heart.
- John 3:19-21
- John 11:47-50
- John 19:14-16
b. The cross exposes the evil ways of Satan.
- Luke 4:13
- Luke 22:1-6
- Matthew 16:21-23
c. The cross brings light to Jesus’ true identity.
- Matthew 27:54-56
2. The cross gives us a true picture of how God is Love.
a. Jesus’ persistent choice to die for us on the cross reveals God’s desire to see the entire human race healed from the destructive powers of sin.
- Matthew 16:21
- John 3:14-15
b. The forgiveness that flows from the cross reveals the forgiving heart of the Father.
- Luke 23:34
c. The willingness of Jesus to associate Himself with sinful humanity and absorb our sin into Himself rather than exercise retribution for it reveals the heart of the Father.
- 1 Corinthians 1:23-25.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. The cross gives us a true picture of how God is Life.
a. Death was unable to hold Jesus in the grave-- Acts 2:23-24
b. Death was “swallowed up in Life”-- 1 Corinthians 15:54
c. The resurrection of Christ proclaims the triumph of God’s life over death and the future redemption of this world—1 Corinthians 15:25-28
For personal reflection:
Read the following events in the OT. Imagine that the crucified and risen Jesus is standing next to the Father. Then, try to understand these events in the light of the cross.
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The flood (Genesis 6:1-8)
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The sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14)
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The cleansing of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 7:1-6)