We live in a culture that works hard to avoid talking about death—softening it with phrases like “passed away” or distracting ourselves with youth, beauty, and busyness. But Numbers 19 refuses to let us ignore it. In this strange passage about the ashes of a red heifer, God teaches His people that death and sin defile us in ways we cannot fix ourselves. Yet hidden in the ritual is a breathtaking picture of the gospel: the pure becomes defiled so the defiled might be made pure.
Join us this Sunday as we discover how this Old Testament ceremony points directly to Christ—who went “outside the camp,” bore our contamination, and through His death brings us eternal life. Whether you’re weary from guilt, anxious about mortality, or longing for real hope, this passage speaks with surprising power. Come and see how through death comes life.
Big Idea: The Pure was defiled so the defiled might be made pure.
1. The Problem We Can’t Ignore – Death Defiles (vv. 11–13, 20–22)
• Sin and death are not trivial; they contaminate and separate.
2. The Provision God Supplies – The Clean Becomes Unclean (vv. 1–10)
• The red heifer points to substitution: the clean becomes unclean so the unclean can be clean.
3. The Promise Fulfilled in Christ – Through Death Comes Life (Heb. 9:13–14)
• Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice cleanses us fully and forever.
Adult Discussion Questions – Through Death Comes Life
Numbers 19:1–22; Hebrews 9:13–14
• When you think about death, do you tend to trivialize it, sanitize it, or avoid it altogether? Why do you think our culture struggles to face death honestly?
2. The Problem We Can’t Ignore – Death Defiles
• What does Numbers 19 teach us about the seriousness of death and sin?
• How does the idea that “death is contagious” challenge the way we think about sin in our own lives and communities?
• In what ways do we minimize sin and death in our daily lives?
3. The Provision God Supplies – The Clean Becomes Unclean
• The ritual of the red heifer meant that the clean became unclean so the unclean could be clean. How does this point us to Jesus?
• What emotions or responses rise in you when you consider that Christ was “made sin” for you (2 Cor. 5:21)?
4. The Promise Fulfilled in Christ – Through Death Comes Life
• Hebrews 9:14 says Jesus’ blood purifies our conscience from “dead works.” What are some examples of “dead works” we may be tempted to rely on today?
• How does knowing you are fully cleansed by Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice change how you approach God in prayer, worship, or service?
5. Application to Life Together
• Numbers 19 shows that defilement wasn’t just individual—it affected the whole community. How should this shape the way we think about sin in the church today?
• How does your small group / church family help one another run to Christ for cleansing?
• In a culture that denies or trivializes death, how can Christians bear witness to both the seriousness of sin and the greater power of Jesus’ cleansing blood?
Teen Discussion Questions – Through Death Comes Life
• Our world tries to hide death—through filters, entertainment, or just not talking about it. Where do you see people your age avoiding the reality of death or brokenness?
2. Death Defiles (Problem)
• Numbers 19 says touching a dead body made someone unclean for seven days. What does that teach us about how serious sin and death really are?
• If sin spreads like contamination, what are some examples of how one person’s bad choices can affect a whole friend group, team, or family?
3. The Clean Becomes Unclean (Provision)
• The red heifer ritual was a picture that the “clean became unclean so the unclean could be clean.” How is that like what Jesus did on the cross?
• Jesus touched lepers, bleeding women, and even the dead—and instead of becoming unclean, they became clean. What does that show about who He is?
4. Through Death Comes Life (Promise)
• Hebrews 9 says Jesus’ blood can cleanse our conscience from “dead works.” What are some “dead works” teens often try—ways of proving themselves, hiding guilt, or trying to look “good enough”?
• How does knowing you are completely forgiven and clean in Jesus change the way you deal with guilt, shame, or pressure to perform?
• If death and sin defile not just individuals but communities, how can you help keep your group of friends or youth group pointing toward Jesus?
• In a culture that avoids talking about death, how can you show real hope because of what Jesus has done?
Children’s Discussion Questions (K–5th)
1. Opening Picture
• When something is really dirty—like muddy shoes, sticky hands, or spilled juice—what do you usually do to get clean?
2. Death Defiles (Problem)
• In Numbers 19, God said that touching a dead body made people “unclean.” What do you think God was teaching His people about sin and death?
• How is sin kind of like mud—it spreads, sticks, and makes things messy?
3. The Clean Becomes Unclean (Provision)
• God gave Israel a special sacrifice: a red cow (heifer). Its ashes were mixed with water to make people clean again. Who do you think that sacrifice points to?
• Jesus was perfect and clean, but on the cross He took all of our dirtiness and sin on Himself. How does that make you feel?
4. Through Death Comes Life (Promise)
• Hebrews says Jesus’ blood makes us clean on the inside, in our hearts. What’s the difference between just washing your hands and Jesus washing your heart?
• When you feel guilty or bad about something you’ve done, what can you remember about Jesus?
• If sin spreads like mud, how can you help keep your home, class, or friend group “clean” with kindness, honesty, and forgiveness?
• What is one way you can point a friend to Jesus this week?
Pre-K Discussion – Through Death Comes Life
• Hold up muddy hands or imagine sticky fingers after eating ice cream. Ask:
“What do we do when our hands get dirty?”
• In the Bible, God says sin and death make us “dirty on the inside.”
• But Jesus came to wash our hearts clean forever.
• Who makes us clean—us, or Jesus?
• When we feel sad or guilty, who can we run to?
• What happens when Jesus makes our hearts clean? (We can live with God!)
4. Key Phrase (repeat together)
• Short prayer:
“Thank You, Jesus, for making my heart clean. Help me love You today. Amen.”
• Rub your hands together like washing. Say: “Dirty hands need water. Dirty hearts need Jesus!”
Lunch Table Discussion Tool for Parents
A simple way to help kids remember and apply the sermon during Sunday lunch.
Bring up something from the meal (e.g., ketchup on hands, spilled drink, napkins). Ask:
• “What happens if you get ketchup on your hand and then touch your shirt?”
• Show how the mess spreads. Then ask:
• “How is that like sin in our lives?”
• “The pure was defiled so the defiled could be made pure.”
• Jesus took our sin so we could be clean forever.
• “When do you feel dirty on the inside? What can you remember about Jesus then?”
Hebrews 9:14 — “How much more will the blood of Christ… purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (parents can shorten for little ones: “The blood of Jesus makes us clean to serve God.”)
Take turns thanking Jesus for making us clean.
