5. His Death For Our Life

📖 Bible Discovery

💡 Focus Passage

Isa 53:1-12

This passage records a prophecy about Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It vividly describes His suffering and illustrates the extent of His sacrifice, which fulfilled God’s will and brought salvation to all mankind.

Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions:

What stands out to you most in this passage and why?
How does this passage deepen your understanding of Jesus’ role in God’s salvation plan?

🌱 Main Teachings

Jesus fulfilled God’s plan for salvation.
Scriptures reveal that Jesus’ death was not an accident or something that happened by chance. Rather, His suffering and death were part of God’s plan to bring salvation to all (Isa 53:10; Acts 2:23).
How did Jesus fulfill God’s plan for salvation? (Phil 2:5-8)
- He emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men (Phil 2:7).
- He became a ransom, humbling Himself to the point of death (Mk 10:45; Phil 2:8).
- He endured great suffering for our sins (Isa 53:1-12).
  - Physically
    - Keywords: pierced, crushed, wounds (v. 5)
    - Jesus was stricken, beaten, flogged, spit on, pierced by the crown of thorns, and eventually bore a tortuous death through crucifixion (Mt 27:26-30).
  - Mentally / Emotionally
    - Keywords: despised, abandoned (v. 3), humiliated (v. 4), oppressed, afflicted (v. 7), grief (v. 10), anguish (v. 11)
    - Before His crucifixion, Jesus was deeply distressed and troubled. He was under great pressure, stress, and agony (Mk 14:33-34; Lk 22:44).
    - Jesus suffered mocking, taunts, insults, and ridicule after He was arrested and during His crucifixion. Even His own disciples fled from Him in this darkest hour (Mt 27:39-44; Mk 14:50; Lk 22:65).
  - Spiritually
    - Keywords: bore the sin of many, poured out His life unto death (v. 12)
    - Jesus experienced spiritual separation from the Father (Mt 27:46).
    - He bore the spiritual weight of our sins upon Himself and tasted death for all of us (Isa 53:11-12; Heb 2:9).
Jesus’ death brings us new life.
It is only through Jesus’ death and sacrifice that we now have new life and can once again live before God and have a relationship with Him.
- Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3; Gal 1:4).
  - Through His death, we have:
    - Forgiveness of our sins (Mt 26:28; Eph 1:7)
    - Reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18; Col 1:20, 22)
    - Redemption (Heb 9:12, 15)
    - Cleansing (Tit 2:14; Heb 9:14)
  - We can live a new life (Rom 6:3-4).
    - Dead to sin, alive to God (Rom 6:11; Eph 2:4-5)
    - A new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
    - Sin no longer separates us from God. Instead, we can draw near to Him with confidence (Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 3:18; Heb 10:19-22).

Further Study (L5)

👣 Practical Actions

Remember and meditate on Christ’s suffering and death.
- In addition to reflecting on the Lord’s death during biannual local church Holy Communion (1 Cor 11:23-26), we can also meditate on His suffering and death in our daily lives.
- What aspects should we meditate on?
  - Christ’s love
    - Jesus’ death on the cross is His greatest manifestation of love towards us (Jn 15:13; Rom 5:8).
    - When we consider the magnitude of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering Jesus endured for our sake, we can continually remind ourselves of His love for us.
  - Christ’s attitude in suffering
    - Since Christ has suffered in the flesh, we should also arm ourselves with this same mind (1 Pet 4:1).
    - In our own sufferings, we can look to Jesus and His sufferings so that we do not grow weary or discouraged (Heb 12:3). As we share in His sufferings, we can learn to rejoice in our sufferings and entrust ourselves to God.
  - Our response
    - Given His unconditional love and sacrifice, Jesus’ death should compel us to live with gratitude and praise (Col 1:12-14), as well as a determination to remain faithful to Him.
    - Since we have this new life because of Christ, we ought to live for the One who died for us (2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:20).
    - Walk worthy of the Lord (Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12).
      - Bear fruit for God and glorify Him (Rom 7:4; 1 Cor 6:20).
      - Walk in love (Eph 5:2).

💭 Food For Thought

How does Jesus’ death shape your perspective on life — including your values, pursuits, direction, and lifestyle?
How would you share about Jesus’ death with a friend? Consider what you might say about why Jesus had to die, the suffering He endured for our sake, and how He fulfilled God’s will.

🎯 Challenge Yourself

Activity: 5 Day “Cross Reflection” Journaling

Each day for five days, read a passage related to Jesus’ death and write down some of your reflections.
Questions to consider:
- What does this passage teach me about Jesus’ character?
- How is this related to my life today? How can this help me in my faith?
- How can I live differently because of this?
*A sample schedule is provided in Further Study (L5) and passage ideas can be found under the eRhema topical study for Jesus’ Death > Synopsis of events surrounding Jesus’ death.

5. His Death For Our Life

📖 Bible Discovery

💡 Focus Passage

Isa 53:1-12

This passage records a prophecy about Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It vividly describes His suffering and illustrates the extent of His sacrifice, which fulfilled God’s will and brought salvation to all mankind.

Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions:

What stands out to you most in this passage and why?
How does this passage deepen your understanding of Jesus’ role in God’s salvation plan?

🌱 Main Teachings

Jesus fulfilled God’s plan for salvation.
Scriptures reveal that Jesus’ death was not an accident or something that happened by chance. Rather, His suffering and death were part of God’s plan to bring salvation to all (Isa 53:10; Acts 2:23).
How did Jesus fulfill God’s plan for salvation? (Phil 2:5-8)
- He emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men (Phil 2:7).
- He became a ransom, humbling Himself to the point of death (Mk 10:45; Phil 2:8).
- He endured great suffering for our sins (Isa 53:1-12).
  - Physically
    - Keywords: pierced, crushed, wounds (v. 5)
    - Jesus was stricken, beaten, flogged, spit on, pierced by the crown of thorns, and eventually bore a tortuous death through crucifixion (Mt 27:26-30).
  - Mentally / Emotionally
    - Keywords: despised, abandoned (v. 3), humiliated (v. 4), oppressed, afflicted (v. 7), grief (v. 10), anguish (v. 11)
    - Before His crucifixion, Jesus was deeply distressed and troubled. He was under great pressure, stress, and agony (Mk 14:33-34; Lk 22:44).
    - Jesus suffered mocking, taunts, insults, and ridicule after He was arrested and during His crucifixion. Even His own disciples fled from Him in this darkest hour (Mt 27:39-44; Mk 14:50; Lk 22:65).
  - Spiritually
    - Keywords: bore the sin of many, poured out His life unto death (v. 12)
    - Jesus experienced spiritual separation from the Father (Mt 27:46).
    - He bore the spiritual weight of our sins upon Himself and tasted death for all of us (Isa 53:11-12; Heb 2:9).
Jesus’ death brings us new life.
It is only through Jesus’ death and sacrifice that we now have new life and can once again live before God and have a relationship with Him.
- Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3; Gal 1:4).
  - Through His death, we have:
    - Forgiveness of our sins (Mt 26:28; Eph 1:7)
    - Reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18; Col 1:20, 22)
    - Redemption (Heb 9:12, 15)
    - Cleansing (Tit 2:14; Heb 9:14)
  - We can live a new life (Rom 6:3-4).
    - Dead to sin, alive to God (Rom 6:11; Eph 2:4-5)
    - A new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
    - Sin no longer separates us from God. Instead, we can draw near to Him with confidence (Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 3:18; Heb 10:19-22).

Further Study (L5)

👣 Practical Actions

Remember and meditate on Christ’s suffering and death.
- In addition to reflecting on the Lord’s death during biannual local church Holy Communion (1 Cor 11:23-26), we can also meditate on His suffering and death in our daily lives.
- What aspects should we meditate on?
  - Christ’s love
    - Jesus’ death on the cross is His greatest manifestation of love towards us (Jn 15:13; Rom 5:8).
    - When we consider the magnitude of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering Jesus endured for our sake, we can continually remind ourselves of His love for us.
  - Christ’s attitude in suffering
    - Since Christ has suffered in the flesh, we should also arm ourselves with this same mind (1 Pet 4:1).
    - In our own sufferings, we can look to Jesus and His sufferings so that we do not grow weary or discouraged (Heb 12:3). As we share in His sufferings, we can learn to rejoice in our sufferings and entrust ourselves to God.
  - Our response
    - Given His unconditional love and sacrifice, Jesus’ death should compel us to live with gratitude and praise (Col 1:12-14), as well as a determination to remain faithful to Him.
    - Since we have this new life because of Christ, we ought to live for the One who died for us (2 Cor 5:14-15; Gal 2:20).
    - Walk worthy of the Lord (Eph 4:1; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 2:12).
      - Bear fruit for God and glorify Him (Rom 7:4; 1 Cor 6:20).
      - Walk in love (Eph 5:2).

💭 Food For Thought

How does Jesus’ death shape your perspective on life — including your values, pursuits, direction, and lifestyle?
How would you share about Jesus’ death with a friend? Consider what you might say about why Jesus had to die, the suffering He endured for our sake, and how He fulfilled God’s will.

🎯 Challenge Yourself

Activity: 5 Day “Cross Reflection” Journaling

Each day for five days, read a passage related to Jesus’ death and write down some of your reflections.
Questions to consider:
- What does this passage teach me about Jesus’ character?
- How is this related to my life today? How can this help me in my faith?
- How can I live differently because of this?
*A sample schedule is provided in Further Study (L5) and passage ideas can be found under the eRhema topical study for Jesus’ Death > Synopsis of events surrounding Jesus’ death.