Lesson 19 Eyes Fixed on Jesus
Questions 5 and 6
Redeemed from an Empty Way of Life
On the cross, Jesus redeemed you from an empty way of life.
Substance abuse offers a momentary thrill, temporary excitement, but they both leave us empty in our souls. We crave, we yearn, and we long for fullness but end up with emptiness and sickness. God gave the Israelites all the “flesh” they wanted but made them sick and empty in the process (Psalm 106:15).
But look at Jesus on the cross, and what do you see? You see that He “emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:7 ESV) completely, shedding His own blood and breathing out His Spirit. Look at Him hanging there, completely empty even of life itself!
And why did He empty Himself? To redeem you from an empty life and to fill you with His Spirit!
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV
Question 5. What does it mean to you, personally, that Jesus went to a cross to redeem you from an empty life and fill you with His Spirit? Please share your thoughts:
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Reconciled to God the Father
On the cross, Jesus reconciled you to God the Father.
You and I, while immersed in drunkenness, smoking and/or drugs, were “enemies in our minds because of our evil behavior” (Colossians 1:21). We were flirting with the enemy and committing spiritual adultery.
This kept us enslaved to sin because of our guilt, and how we hated God and sensed His disapproval. We were hostile to God and lived as His enemy, in enemy territory, and under enemy power.
But look at the cross, and what do you see? You see Jesus Christ being treated as if He were God’s worst enemy. He has taken your sin on Himself and therefore made Himself the enemy of God, so that God, in essence, declared war on His own Son.
And why did He do this? He did it to reconcile you to God, to make peace between you and God. You were reconciled to God the Father through the death of Jesus the Son:
“For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Romans 5:10 NIV
Question 6. How have you been reconciled to God and made His friend?
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