The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus — Look Back and Meditate
A note on the audio: This message has a Korean audio recording. The notes below are in English, but pressing play will play Korean speech.
1. Faith That Knows the Living Jesus Personally
Being familiar with church life is not the same as knowing and trusting the living Jesus personally. True faith does not stop at knowledge about Jesus. It grows into a relationship in which you know him, hear his word, and follow him.
John 10:27
Reflection Questions
Q. What do you think is the difference between true faith and merely practicing a religion?
Q. To you, is Jesus someone you have only learned about, or the living Lord whom you trust and depend on today?
2. Jesus Is Fully God and Fully Human
Scripture bears witness beforehand that the Savior promised by God would come, and it says that Jesus came to fulfill that promise.
Psalm 40:7
Jesus' Miracles Are Signs
John 2:11
The miracles Jesus performed do not end with the astonishing events themselves. They are signs that point to who Jesus is. They are like signposts revealing that Jesus is the Creator and the Son of God.
Reflection Questions
Q. To whom do Jesus' miracles point?
Reflection Questions
Q. How have you understood Jesus' miracles? What have you come to see in a new way through this message?
Why Did He Have to Become Both God and Man?
Philippians 2:6-8
Jesus is the Son of God, and he also became human. He had to be human so that he could die in the place of human beings, and he had to be the sinless Son of God so that he could bear our sin. In Jesus, God's wisdom and love are revealed together.
Reflection Questions
Q. As you listen to this message, what are you beginning to understand about why Jesus had to be fully God and fully human? Try putting it in your own words.
3. The Most Important Work Jesus Did
Jesus did good and gave precious teaching. Yet the most important work he came to do was to die on the cross for our sin and rise again. Believing in Jesus means understanding what his cross and resurrection mean for your salvation and relying on him.
Reflection Questions
Q. How do you understand and believe in the cross and resurrection of Jesus?
The Cross
Isaiah 53:4-6
2 Corinthians 5:19-21
On the cross, Jesus bore our sin in our place. God did not treat sin lightly, yet he wanted to be reconciled to us and reached out first in Christ. The cross is where God's justice and love are revealed together.
Reflection Questions
Q. What appeal from God do you hear in this passage?
Reflection Questions
Q. How did God fulfill his justice in order to reconcile us to himself?
Reflection Questions
Q. How would you like to respond to God, who loved you and reached out first?
Reflection Questions
Q. What change have you experienced as you trust and depend on Jesus' cross? If you have not experienced this yet, what would you like to seek before the cross?
The Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:20
If Jesus' death had been the end, he could not be our Savior. Jesus rose again and conquered the power of sin and death. The risen Jesus is not only a figure of the past or someone confined to doctrine. He is the living Lord who still saves those who come to him in faith.
John 11:25-26
Reflection Questions
Q. As you listen to this message, what does Jesus' resurrection mean for your salvation? Try writing it down in detail.
Reflection Questions
Q. How does Jesus' resurrection affect your faith and life today?
Reflection Questions
Q. In what part of your life will you trust and depend on the living Jesus today?