Join us this morning (Saturday), 10:00 AM at Solid Rock Coffee House for a time for prayer for Easter.
Scripture – Isaiah 53
The prophet Isaiah wrote these words about 700 years before Jesus birth. God allowed Isaiah to look forward and see an image of Jesus. So here is the big question; who killed Jesus? Of course, the leaders of the Hebrew people brought him to trial (a false trial at that), and the Romans put Jesus on the cross. Pilate refused to release Jesus in order to appease the people, and Judas betrayed him. Some would say that you and I killed Jesus… it was our sin that put him there, which is true. But who actually killed Jesus? Read v. 10 for the answer.
Personal exercise – Do a Bible study of this chapter. Place three columns on a piece of paper. At the top of one column, put the word “God”. In the second column put the name “Jesus” and in the third column put the word “me”. Go through this chapter and write phrases and ideas in the appropriate columns. If the passage is talking about something God the Father did, put it in that column. If it is referring to Jesus, put those ideas in that column. Sentences and phrases that refer to people, place in the column under “me”. After rewriting the material in these columns review. Give thanks to God the Father and Jesus the Son for what they have done to atone for your sin.
Family exercise – Go find a huge stone, something that would take multiple people to move. If you don’t have a stone like this near your yard, you can usually find one in the landscaping of neighborhoods. Have each person try to move the stone by themselves, and then try together. Use this as a way to talk about the grave of Jesus, the fact that a large stone was placed in front of the grave. Explain that Jesus was buried in a small cave, rather than a hole in the ground and that a large stone, too big for a few people to move, was rolled in front of the opening. You can explain that the miracle of Easter is that the stone was moved and Jesus arose. But for now, the stone is in front of the tomb, and Jesus body is still inside.