Class 4 lift up jesus - THE SUPERNATURAL BIBLE STUDY - june 2016

1. Lift up Jesus!
Intro:
Many disciples have fallen for one of Satan’s biggest lies: In a non-believing society, one should not
speak about Jesus too early with people. Many fear that one will lose the chance to win our non-
Christian friends to Jesus if we bring up the subject of “Jesus” too quickly. The influence of
“Humanism” has persuaded the typical Christian in our churches to think that one must first build a
very good relationship with one’s non-Christian friend, win his respect and confidence through one’s
own gifts, talents and common interests, just so that one day, you may have the opportunity to share
about Jesus. We act as if the most impressive and attractive thing we have to offer non-Christians is
ourselves, our churches and our programs, not Jesus. This is the utmost example of humanism
infecting the church, and our pride in the reliance upon men.
Jesus says, Joh. 12:32-33 “But I, when I am lifted up, will draw all men to myself.”
It is obvious from the context that Jesus is speaking of the kind of death He was going to suffer. He
was speaking of His impending crucifixion. But I believe that one may broaden the principle to
include that whenever we lift up Jesus in front of people, we will attract people to God. Jesus, not the
church, not the activities of the church or the members of the church, must be the center of our
evangelism. Here are the first four Bible studies that really help to motivate people to seek after a
relationship with God.
1.) The Supernatural bible and the Crucifixion of Jesus
2.) Jesus: Lord, Lunatic, Liar or Legend
3.) The Miracles of Jesus
4.) The Resurrection of Jesus

2. The Supernatural Bible Study
The purpose of this study is to show your friend how supernaturally the Bible was put together,
proving the book to be of divine origin. Once convicted that the Bible is the very Word of God,
the concluding challenge/inspiration is to make the decision to commit one’s life to reading and
obeying God's plan in the Bible for his own life. All sentences that begin with Q - signify a
question to be asked of the person you are sharing with.
Q - Do you believe in an all-powerful being that created the universe?
If the answer is "no", we will be looking at some fascinating things in the
Bible that man couldn't have written without spuernatural help.
If the answer is "yes", then ask –
Q- Do you believe that this being would be capable of writing a book and preserving
its message? (It is not logical to believe in an all-powerful being, and yet not believe
that he is capable of writing and preserving a book. The idea of our creator writing a
book to help us understand Him is not too far-fetched.)
Q - Where do you believe the Bible came from?
Today I'm going to show you some reasons why I believe the Bible came from God, and how
you can begin to use this incredible book in your own life.
IIPeter 1:20-21
Q-Whatdoes theBibleclaimis its“chain of inspiration?God – HolySpirit –Men. Idon’t expect
you tobelievethis today.But Iwould liketoshowyouwhyI nowbelievethis.
Q-What evidencewould you demand from atext to provethat it had asupernatural origin?
Is.52:13-53:7
Written about 700 BC E. Q- How does this person look? Disfigured/ No beauty,
majesty
Q - How did the people feel about Him? Rejected, despised.
Q - Why did He suffer? (53:4-5) (Great chance for Christian testimony) 1.)Took our
sorrows, 2.) Wounded and crushed for our sins, 3.) Took our punishment, 4.) His
punishment brought us (inner) peace
Q- Who is this written about?
Obviously, Jesus - written 7 centuries before he was even born!! The Dead Sea Scrolls
have a perfectly preserved copy of this passage that points to the fact that this was
written 8th century B.C.E., though it is a copy from 200 B.C.E.
Ps22:1-8 Written about 1000 BCE by King David
Q - How did this person feel emotionally? Forsaken by God, people/ Worm, rejected/ they
made fun of His relationship with God.
Ps 22:14-19 Q - How did he feel physically?
Dehydrated/ bones pulled out of joint/ heart in pain/ surrounded by enemies/ pierced
hands and feet/ can see his bones = either so gaunt that you could see his bones through
his skin, or skinned alive through flogging or no bones broken (EX 12:46 Passover lamb!) /
“divide garments among them AND cast lots for my clothes” – JN 19:23-24 – exactly
fulfilled!
Zechariah 11:12-13 Written in 520 BC

3. Q – Who is doing the speaking here? The Lord.
Q – Who was the person that was sold for a price? The Lord
Q- How much was he sold for? 30 pieces of silver.
Q – What did the person who was paid off, do with the money? He threw it into the “Temple of
the Lord” and somehow, to “the potter.”
Let’s move ahead 550 years in time – Mt. 27:3-10
Q – How much was Judas paid for betraying Jesus (the Lord), and what did he do with the money?
30 pieces of silver, that, when filled with remorse, he threw back into the temple.
Q – What did the Pharisees do with that same money? Bought “the Potter’s Field” – so that same
money ended up in the hands of the potter. Notice how very specific this set of prophecies is, and
how accurate they are. Only God, and a Bible inspired by a supernatural being cold be this good!
Certainly, this is not the writing and the musings of men!
Discussion
Q- Why do you think predictive prophecy is such an important proof for the supernatural origin of
the Bible? No other text has predictive prophecy. There are HUNDREDS of prophecies in the
Bible that have been exactly fulfilled. http://worldview3.50webs.com/prophecy.html - just a
sample - can’t vouch for the entire website, but for the section on “Predictions that prove the
Bible’s Authority.”
Q – How does all of this make you feel?
Concluding challenge – Read Gospel of John and write down all of Jesus’ “I am” statements, and
what you think they mean.

4. Jesus: Lord, Lunatic, Liar, Legend?
Intro:
Q- What makes someone a controversial person? A person who creates debate, who separates
people. These people stand for strange or challenging principles. These people inspire love of hate.
Q-Who is your favorite controversial person and why?
Jesus Christ is probably the most controversial person in world history.
I. Controversial Claims of Jesus
a. Jn 5:39-40 Jesus said, “The Scriptures are written about me.”
b. Jn 8:12 Q-How would this statement change in meaning if Jesus had said, “I am a
light in this world.”?
c. Jn 8:46 Jesus said that He had NEVER sinned!
d. Jn 8:58, 17:5 Q-How long did Jesus claim that He had existed? Q- Do you know
what Jesus meant when He called Himself, “I am”? This was the most sacred name
that the Jews had for God. No one was allowed to write it out, nor speak it. It came
from God’s own name for Himself when He called Moses from the burning bush in
Ex. 3:13-14.
e. Jn 10:30 The Father and I are ONE.
f. Jn 11:25-26 If you believe in me [Jesus] you will NEVER DIE.
g. Jn 14:6 Jesus says that He is the only way to God – no accepting of other world
religions.
Let’s explore the possibilities to these claims from Christ…
Possible alternatives to the claims of Jesus
Jesus KNEW that
the claims were
false.
Jn7:32,40-48
His effect on people
MT 5:38-48, 6:19-24
His teachings!
NOT TRUE TRUE
Jesus DID NOT know that
the claims were false.
Lunatic!
Jesus NEVER
MADE the claims.
Q- What kind of influence has Jesus’
teaching had on the world?
Hospitals, orphanages, homes for the aged,
systems of law, works of art, music,plus
Multiple extra-biblica references: Thallus,
Josephus, Seutonious, Babylonian and
Jerusalem Talmud, Cornelius Tacitus,
Pliny the Younger, Phlegon, Lucian of
Samosata, Koran, etc.
LK 6:46 – If Jesus is
God, DO what He
says.
Promise: Jn 8:31-32

5. Q- What motivates a person to lie?
Personal gain, avoid pain or shame,
Make someone else look bad or self good
Q- What did Jesus gain from His “lie”? MK 14:55-65
Q-What did His followers gain by lying?
All apostles martyred or persecuted.

6. The Miracles of Jesus
The purpose of this study is two-fold:
1.) To show the historical evidence for Jesus outside of the Bible, and
2.) Through showing that Jesus was able to perform many supernatural feats, to begin to show that
Jesus was not just a prophet or good teacher, but divine.
Intro: Q- Can you give me a definition for a miracle?
 A miracle is an event that either suspends the Laws of Nature, or goes against them,
that cannot be replicated by man. If we admit that there can be a God, then we must
admit the possibilities of miracles. C.S. Lewis defines a miracle as “an interference with
nature by supernatural power.”1
 Characteristics of miracles in the New Testament: 1.) They were immediate, 2.) They
were always successful, 3.) They were always only to promote good, 4.) The miracles
only glorified God and not any man. Look at this passage as an example – Mk. 1:29-
45
 Q- Why do you think miracles are important for figuring out who Jesus was? John
20:30-31 John, inspired by God, wrote that the miracles were written down to bring
people to faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.
I. Source criticism’s approach for assessing if a miraculous event really happened
a. Witnesses:
i. How many?
ii. What did they have to gain by their testimony?
iii. What was their pre-disposition to the miracle worker prior to the event?
b. Do contradictory reports exist?
c. Does the report resemble a mythological tale or legend? “Once upon a time, in
a little village far away…”
d. What effect did the miracle have on the general public where it occurred?
e. Was the miracle spontaneous, or delayed and staged, more like a magic
show?
II. Applying this approach to one of Jesus’ miracles – the raising of Lazarus from
the dead – John 11:1-53, 12:9-11
a. Witnesses:
i. How many witnesses? (v.19,45,48)
ii. What did they gain by their testimony? (v.48-53, 12:10-11)
iii. What was their pre-disposition to Jesus prior to the miracle? (v.2,3,5) Jesus
was a very close friend of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Yet, (v.7,8,16) the
majority of the Jews in the region called Judea were not only hostile to
Jesus, but also wanted to stone Him to death. (v.21,32, 39) Both Mary and
Martha blamed Jesus for the death of their brother – they believed in Jesus’
miraculous power to heal people while alive – they had witnessed that. But
they had absolutely no faith for a resurrection from the dead.
b. Do contradictory reports exist? None that we have discovered so far.
c. Does the report resemble a mythological tale? Look at the level of detail: How
many details are just in (v.1-7)? How about (v.17-24)?
d. What effect did the miracle have on the general public? This is literally the
turning point in the Gospel of John. This miracle polarized the people. From this
point on, the chief priests and Pharisees are determined to kill Jesus – and Jesus had
1
C.S. Lewis, Miracles (1948), p. 5

7. to live “under ground” (11:54). On the other hand, many others put their faith in
Jesus as the Messiah (11:45, 12:10-11).
e. Was the miracle spontaneous or rather delayed and staged like a magic
show? (11:38-44) Jesus performed the miracle out in the open, in front of the cave-
like grave, in front of a large crowd of people. He had no props, nothing happened
behind a curtain. As soon as Jesus called for Lazarus to come out, the formerly dead
man walked out “…his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a
cloth.”
III. A short list of the miracles of Jesus
A. Short list of Jesus’ miracles: (Jn 2) Water turned to wine, (Jn 4, Mt8) Healed the sick, (Mt
8) Cleansed the lepers, (Mk 2) Healed a paralytic, (Mt12) Straightened out a withered
hand, (Lk 11) Cast out demons, (Mk 4) Stilled a storm on a lake, (Mt 9) Healed a
hemorrhaging woman, (Mk 8) Healed a blind man, (Mk 6) Fed the 5,000 with 2 fish and
5 loaves, (Mk 8) Fed the 4,000 with 7 loaves and a few fish, (Mt 14) Walked on water,
(Mk 7) Healed the deaf and dumb, (Mt 17) Tribute for taxes caught in the mouth of a
fish, (Mt 21) Cursed a fig tree and it withered from the roots, (Lk 5) Miraculous huge
catch of fish, (Lk 7, Mt 9, Jn 11) Raised people from the dead, ( Lk 24) His own
resurrection!!
IV. Extra- Biblical Witnesses
a. References to the Resurrection:
1.) Cornelius Tacitus (52-55 AD) Roman historian
2.) Suetonius (50 AD) Roman historian and analyst
3.) Lucian of Samosata (170 AD) Greek satirist
b. References to a full-eclipse of the Sun at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion:
i. Thallus, History of the Mediterranean World – (52 AD)
ii. Phlegon, Chronicles (140 AD) Cites the same eclipse as taking place
between the 6th and the 9th hour! ( See Mt 27:45) Also notes that Jesus had a
supernatural knowledge of future events, which came to pass.
c. Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews (93 AD) He was writing in favor of the
Jewish people, trying to get the Romans off of the Jews' back. He was not positive
towards Jesus: "For He was one who wrought surprising feats…." He attributed
teaching and healing to the ministry of Jesus.
d. Reference from Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus c. AD 95 , and a Rabinic
discussion (110 AD). as to whether it was ok to be healed in Jesus’ name.
e. Talmud - rabbi's commentary on scripture, Jesus referred to as "an heretical
teacher, sorcerer, Ben-Strada, Balaam." Referred to in both the Jerusalem Talmud
(350 AD) and the Babylonian Talmud (500 AD) - here he is referred to as one "who
practiced sorcery and led Israel astray…."
f. Holy Qur’an (approximately 650 AD) attributes many miracles to Jesus. The
Qur’an says that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he spoke while he was still only a
baby, that he healed the blind and the leper by God’s leave, and that he raised the
dead. Some of the Israelites rejected Jesus, and conspired to kill him, but Allah
(God) rescued Jesus and raised him to Himself. Allah will cause Jesus to descend
again, at which time Jesus will confirm his true teachings!
g. Patristic Writers (Early "church fathers")
1.) Clement of Rome - died ca 102 AD, probably martyred
2.) Ignatius - died ca 117 AD, martyred.
3.) Polycarp - died ca 155 AD, martyred
4.) Papias - wrote of the Gospel of Mark "having become the interpreter of Peter,
wrote down accurately everything that he remembered, without, however, recording
in order was either said or done by Christ."
5.) Didache , ca 98 AD, a church manual

8. 6.) Justin Martyr, died ca 166 AD, martyred
7.) Irenaeus, died 190 AD, martyred
All of these extra-biblical sources, with the exception of the Patristic fathers, are NOT pro-
Christianity. None of the writers, except the patristic fathers, wanted to present Jesus as the Son of
God, nor did they believe in Him as such.

9. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Intro:
All but four of the world’s major religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. The
other four are based on personalities rather than on a philosophical system. These personality-
based religions are Judaism, based upon the choosing of Abraham; Buddhism, based upon the
Buddha; Christianity, based upon Jesus Christ of Nazareth; Islam based upon the life of
Mohammed. Abraham, the father of Judaism, died about 1900 B.C. and there are no resurrection
accounts of him. The earliest accounts of the death of the Buddha are found in Mahaparinibbana
Sutta. The date of his death is unsure – 545, 544, 483 B.C.E. Concerning his death, it reads that
when the Buddha died, “…it was with the utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains
behind…” Mohammed died June 8, 632 A.D. at the age of sixty-one, at Medina, where his tomb
is annually visited by thousands of devout Muslims.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is THE historical event that everything else about Jesus is based
upon. Jesus’ divinity, the truth of Jesus’ teachings and the main hope of all Christians – eternal
life with God, is entirely based upon the resurrection.
I Cor. 15:1-8
the Apostle Paul reminds the Christians in the church in Corinth of the basics of the Christian
faith. A large part of the foundation to Christianity is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins; that
He was buried; that He was raised on the third day; and that He appeared to numerous witnesses
after His resurrection.
I Cor. 15:12-19
Paul goes on to explain how many other things in Christianity become useless and false if Jesus’
resurrection did not occur:
 (v.14) Christian preaching is useless
 (v.14b) Christian faith is useless
 (v.15) The apostles and the early Christians are liars
 (v.17) Christians are still lost in their sins, since there is now no forgiveness of sins
 (v.18) Those who have already died in the faith are lost forever
 (v.19) If the only hope that Christians have is for this life, and not the life to come,
they are to be pitied more than all other men on earth.
I. Jesus bases the truth of His teachings and His identity upon the Resurrection –
MT 12:38-41 (Jesus predicts His own resurrection: Mt. 12:38-41, 16:21, 17:9,
17:22-23, 20:18-19, 26:32, 27:63; Mk 8:31-9:1, 9:10, 9:31, 10:32-34, 14:28, 14:58;
Luke 9:22-27; John 2:18-22, 12:34, John 14-16 )
II. The death and burial of Jesus – Mt. 27:45-66
a. (v.50-56) The moment of death, Jesus cried out in a loud voice and died, The
temple curtain ripped in half, Jerusalem was hit with an earthquake, graves were
opened and many dead and righteous people were resurrected from their graves
and walked around the city, the officer guarding the cross of Christ declared,
“This man must be the son of God!”
b. (v.57-66) The Burial - Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body. He prepared
Jesus for burial, then buried Him in his own tomb, cut out of solid rock and the
entrance sealed with a big stone. There was no back entrance. Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary were present at the burial. The chief priests and Pharisees
were very clear about the statements of Jesus that He would rise from the dead on

10. the third day after His death. They were so concerned about this claim of Jesus
that they persuaded the Roman Governor Pilate to dispatch a Roman Guard to
watch the tomb as well as to place an official roman seal over the entrance to the
tomb.
III. The facts about the Resurrection –Mt. 28:1-20
a. For a full account of all of the facts about the resurrection, have your friend also
read Mk 16, Lk 24, John 20-21, Acts 1:1-11.
b. Facts from Matthew’s account:
i. (v.1) This was the day after the Sabbath, the first day of the week, or
Sunday. Those present at the tomb were Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary.
ii. (v.2-6) An angel caused an earthquake and rolled away the stone in front
of the tomb. This scared the Roman guard so much that they fell down
like dead men. The angel speaks to the women and tells them that Jesus
is raised from the dead.
iii. (v.5-10) The witness of the two Marys:
1. They both saw the empty tomb.
2. They HEARD the voice of Jesus when he greeted them.
3. They clasped the actual feet of the resurrected Jesus – this was
not a ghost or illusion, but a physical body.
4. Then they saw Jesus with their own eyes.
5. In any Jewish court of law in the time of Jesus, the testimony of
a woman was not considered valid testimony or evidence. To
make matters worse, Mary Magdalene was a woman who had
had seven demons driven out of her – Luke 8:2. The fact that
Jesus would first appear to women, and in particular, a woman of
such a questionable background, only further supports the truth
of this report.
iv. (v.11-15) The Guard’s report to the chief priests. The penalty for a roman
sentry to fall asleep at his post, or to allow the prisoner he was guarding
to escape, was death. The Guards are not executed, but rather paid off to
spread a rumor that the body had been stolen. This is still the most
popular thinking of Jews today in explaining Jesus’ empty tomb.
v. (v.16-20) The remaining 11 Apostles collectively witness the resurrected
Jesus and hear Him command them to go out into the whole world and
preach the Gospel.
IV. Eye-witnesses to the Resurrection – I Cor. 15:3-9 more than 500 at one time!
a. Other witnesses: MK 16:12, LK 24:13-49, Joh. 20:3-31, JN 21, Acts 1:4-8,
Acts 9:1-18
V. The witness of the early Christians
a. The preaching of the Apostles – Acts 2:30-31, 3:15, 4:10,33 All of the apostles
died a martyrs death for their testimony about Jesus. The apostle John was the
only one who was not executed. He ended his life on a prison Island named
Patmos under Roman guard.
b. Conversion of Saul – Acts 9:1-22
c. The early Christians – read excerpts from Polycarp’s execution.

11. Apostles stole
the body and
lied.
Jewish rulers
stole the body
Romans
stole the
body
Wrong
tomb
UFO / Aliens
stole the body