~Open in prayer~
Icebreaker
• What is your favorite tradition on Easter?
• Share your favorite Easter memory.
• What is your favorite part about the Resurrection story?
Message Review
John 19:25-27 (NKJV)
25 “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”
On Good Friday Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected within three days. I want you to understand what took place during the time of Jesus’ death. I want you to know is that Mary was Jesus’ only connection to the flesh. Jesus was not born of the seed of a man. He was born of the seed of God. All the way back in Genesis three when Adam and Eve fell into sin, God came on the scene. God had a plan to fix what was done. He knew and had a plan and said the seed of a woman will crush the head of the serpent. Adam hadn’t even tasted the apple in his mouth and God already had a plan to fix it before Adam messed it up. But God said the seed of a woman and women don’t have seed. So, what did that mean? The Bible says that the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and she conceived and bore a son and called him Emmanuel which means God with us. His name shall be Jesus, so the word overshadow is actually a procreation term. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and in that moment, she conceived the seed of God. That made Jesus born of Heaven from the seed of God, but He was of the flesh from the womb of Mary. This made Jesus the perfect God man. Jesus is fully God and fully man.
Let’s Talk About It!
Jesus was of the seed of God because the male determines the bloodline. The blood that was going to be shed for our sins could not be defiled. So, it had to be blood that was precious, unblemished, and not regular. The blood had to be untouched by sin and the sinful nature that all of mankind was dealing with. Mary was responsible for giving the son of God a body to live in and everything else came from Heaven. Jesus’ only connection to the flesh is now at the bottom of the cross begging Him not to die. But Jesus had to die because that’s what He was sent to do. Jesus was born for the purpose of dying.
Mary was at the foot of the cross crying out please don’t die not understanding that for a moment she was standing in the way of Jesus’ assignment. She was temporarily a hurdle for God’s almighty infinitive plan of salvation for all mankind. She’s at the bottom because the Bible says that our struggle in this day and time is that Satan has been crushed by Jesus. So, I am no longer fighting all these demons and devils. The Bible says that now my struggle is with the flesh. My flesh wars against me and my mind. In my spirit I delight in the law of God which is found in Romans chapter seven and eight. On the inside where I have been born again, I want to follow God, but the Bible says that every time I want to do good, evil is right there present with me. That means that this shell of flesh has passions. I don’t need a demon to mess up my future, all I need is a flesh.
The people with the most damaged lives in the world are people that say yes to their flesh every time it wants something. Your flesh has the ability to destroy your life right before your eyes with no help from a devil at all. This connects to Mary being at the bottom of the cross telling Jesus not to die. From here Jesus tells Mary to go home and let me die. Why does he say this? Because as long as Mary is talking Jesus cannot die. Whatever you talk to lives and whatever you quit talking to dies. Stop talking in your marriage and you’ll see each other in the divorce court in a year because what you quit communicating with dies. You want a friendship to end, stop talking. You want a relationship to live, start praying and speaking over it. In the story of Jesus’ death, a powerful principle is taking place. Jesus could not go on and do the will of God as long as the flesh was fighting Him. Jesus has already died and taken away sin. He already had the keys to death, hell, and the grave. He has already overcome Satan but now He has to overcome His flesh that was present with him. Mary was telling Jesus not to do what He was sent to do. Of course, she had no idea, she was the mother of Jesus and she loved her son. That was Jesus‘ only connection in the earth. As long as Mary was communicating, Jesus was living. If you want something to live again talk to it. You have a dream that died a long time ago, start talking to it.
John 19:28-30 (NKJV)
28 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
Jesus removed the flesh through telling Mary to go and now all things have been accomplished. The flesh died and the only thing left was thirst. Jesus received the sour wine and it was finished after that. Jesus had a plan from the beginning, He chose us before the foundation of the world. When God started working in the Earth, He already had His plan. So, when Jesus said, “it is finished” He meant that everything in the Heavens and unseen realm has now been completed. We have to understand that God does not look at our life like we do. God is not the past, present, and future; He is I am. God had a plan to save you through Jesus before you were even born!
Discussion Questions:
1. Share something in your life right now that needs to be resurrected. (ex. family crisis or broken relationship)
2. What is your favorite part of the Easter story?
3. Name one point that stuck out to you in this guide.
4. Keeping in mind that Jesus was sent and born with the purpose of dying on the cross for your sins. What does that say about His love for you?
Prayer Focus and Requests
Ask your members if they have any prayer requests or praise reports. Encourage one another to stir up your faith and pray BIG prayers this week and expect God to blow your mind with His answers.