Seekers for Jesus: April- June 2021

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Seekers for Jesus is a quarterly written especially for young people ages 12-14. In addition to introductory material and biblical exposition, each lesson contains a section to help students apply the lesson to life. Questions are interjected to gauge the student’s understanding of the presentation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Feb 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781681678238

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Lesson

1

04/04/21

Our Help Has Come

Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 53:4–11

Background Scriptures: Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Luke 24:1–35

CHECK OUT TODAY’S LESSON

NRSV

SURELY he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.

9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.

11 Out of his anguish he shall see light….

Today’s Word

Our world, unfortunately, is a violent one. Our phones and TVs are filled every day with one tragic event after another. The tragedies of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others come to mind immediately. Murder, racism, and violence are rampant in our society and sometimes it can feel like there is no hope. Sometimes, it can feel as if there is no justice.

Particularly for teenagers, it can be a scary world to be growing up in—never knowing what wrong move will set another person off. Thankfully, Jesus knows this struggle. He was wrongfully imprisoned and killed for a crime He never committed. He died a horrific death that He didn’t deserve, but He did it for you and me. He wanted to offer us the ultimate hope that this world is incapable of providing.

Where can we find the promise of joy that will overcome our deepest sorrow?

Long before Jesus died on the cross, the prophet Isaiah made a prophecy about Jesus coming to our world. He predicted that the Messiah would take on our pain and suffering and endure everything that we do and feel what we feel. Jesus did that then, but He also does it now. Whenever we’re struggling with something that’s too heavy for us to bear, we can give it to Him. He can carry it easily and take the strain off of our backs. Why would a good and perfect God willingly submit to this torture at the hands of those He created? Because He loves us more than we could possibly understand. He freely took on our burdens and suffered out of love for us. He did it so we wouldn’t have to.

Imagine if Jesus had come to earth, lived a nice life, said I love you, to His followers, and then went back to heaven. They would’ve thought, Wow that was a nice guy, and then gone back to their normal lives. But when Jesus suffered and died on our behalf, He proved just how great His love was. He demonstrated how much we mean to Him. He isn’t just some nice guy; He is truly our Savior and Messiah.

Why do we need to be saved? Because we are wandering sheep. We’re easily distracted by the shiny things of this world that promise us satisfaction but never quite deliver. Popularity, social media, fame, money, relationships—none of it will bring us the true joy and peace that Christ offers.

The Bible compares us to sheep quite often. Sheep will follow the leader wherever he goes. If the shepherd is not wise or is cruel, he will lead the sheep off a cliff or into a raging river, and the sheep will blindly follow. The sheep aren’t able to take care of themselves, which is why they need a wise and good shepherd to look out for them. If left to their own devices, they’d all die. Thankfully, Jesus is our shepherd and He cares enough to step in and save us from ourselves.

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Isaiah predicts that not only would the Messiah be severely beaten, but He would in fact die. He had to make the ultimate sacrifice. When the time would come for Jesus to be arrested and imprisoned, Jesus would never defend Himself. He would never scream and demand to be released. He would never call the guards names or gloat that He couldn’t be killed. He would be completely silent and accept His coming death as a lamb at slaughter. Not out of weakness, but out of knowing this was coming and not fighting it. He absolutely could’ve stopped them but He chose not to because He loves us.

At this point, Isaiah wants to make it very clear that this didn’t just happen to Jesus. It wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t a twist of fate. It wasn’t a conspiracy theory or an act of political tug-of-war. This was ordained by the Lord because it was part of God’s plan. Jesus needed to die for us to be saved. This was God’s good and perfect plan that Jesus submitted to, humbly and willingly. God and Jesus were working in unity to bring reconciliation to our fallen