Suffering with a Purpose - The Crucifixion

Jim Leffel

Though it seems foolish to humanity, Jesus' death on the cross illustrates God's wisdom, justice, power, and authority, as well as His compassion for us. God had been planning this from the beginning. The Messiah was to be our substitute in death in order to redeem us so that we may be saved; Jesus' death is our only hope of reconciliation with God. When we accept God's forgiveness through Jesus, we become God's children and enjoy a personal relationship with Him.\r\n

Suffering with a Purpose - The Crucifixion

John Cleary

The suffering and crucifixion of Jesus is more than merely a historical event. This is evident in some of the statements surrounding Jesus on the cross. Those statements include: 1) they crucified him; 2) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?; 3) it is finished; 4) Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise. Jesus wants each individual to personally respond to this dramatic event.

History or Propaganda? - The Gospels

Jim Leffel

What really happened at the crucifixion? Are the gospel accounts historically accurate? Or are the gospel accounts propaganda? Who is responsible for the death of Christ? These questions are addressed through the lens of archaeological evidence and eyewitness accounts.

History or Propaganda? - The Gospels

Jeff Gordon

The historical reliability of the gospel narratives is shown using the bibliographic test. This tests the dating and transmission of a text to see if it is an accurate representation of what the original author wrote. To assess its reliability, the Bible is compared to other historical documents and archaeology. The question of who is ultimately responsible for Jesus' death is also addressed.

History or Propaganda? - The Gospels

Chris Lang

How do we know what actually happened at the crucifixion of Christ? Are the gospel accounts reliable? Some of the evidence that supports the reliability of the gospels include: 1) an ample number of extremely old manuscripts; 2) a consistent story between gospels; 3) evidence outside the gospels (from both ancient historians and archaeological findings); 4) a large early following; and 5) a crucified Messiah. Who is responsible for killing Jesus is also addressed.

Why Believe in Jesus?

Dennis McCallum
2 Peter 1:12-21

We can be sure of our belief in Jesus because of the testimony of the apostles, predictive prophecy, and the uniqueness of the Bible. The Old Testament, in comparison to all other ancient Near East religions, is vastly different and does not follow the evolution of religion as it happened throughout the rest of the world, instead remaining steadfast and unchanging on its unique views of the Lord.

Introduction

Gary DeLashmutt
2 Peter 1:12-21

God's wisdom revealed through His Word often comes across as counter-intuitive and foolish. Often, this is because human thinking is distorted against God's desires. God's wisdom was fully realized through the cross, which provides us with an ability to see real character change, acceptance, and reconciliation with God free of charge through Jesus. The message of the cross is profound and wonderful for those who have place their faith in Christ, but is offensive to those who don't want God's insight into their problems.

The Cross

Dennis McCallum
John 18:33-19:30

After his betrayal, Jesus is beaten, flogged, mocked and led to the cross for his crucifixion. He endures physical torment, psychological torment, and spiritual torment, taking on the full wrath of God for the sake of humanity. Christ's perfect life made him able to atone for all of human sin for all time. We learn that Christ accepted this brutal and excruciating death to make human reconciliation with God possible, by faith.

The Mystery Hidden for Aeons Past

Dennis McCallum
1 Corinthians 2:6-8

Romans 16 talks about a "mystery hidden for long ages past." Collectively, scripture teaches that this mystery was the coming of Christ. Old Testament prophecies predicted both a King Messiah who would set up righteous reign, and a Suffering Servant who would be sacrificed. Prior to Christ's death no one, not even the angels or Christ's disciples understood that these two pictures were of the same person! We learn that God intentionally hid this plan from Satan, such that Christ might provide salvation for all.