Class Lesson March 10, 2013

Hey Gang,


We continue this week in our new series on “Answering Key Questions.”


Jesus often made statements, told parables, and also used questions to teach spiritual truths and to challenge religious assumptions. I have added to the title of this series, "Forget the Church: Follow Jesus!" to make this very point - sometimes the church (religious leaders or you and me) miss the point and clear direction of God's truth. This is why some of Jesus' questions angered religious leaders who refused to accept truth over tradition. The next five-week study will explore questions Jesus asked and why getting the answers right is essential to growing in discipleship.

Below is an outline of the lessons in this series:



1. March 3 God’s Word or Tradition? - Matthew 15:1-11, 17-20

2. March 10 Commitment or Lip Service? - Luke 9:20-26, 57-62

3. March 17 Compassionate Action or Indifference? - Luke 10:25-37

4. March 24 Serve or Expect to Be Served? - Luke 22:19-30

5. March 31 Recognize Christ or Worship Another? - John 20:1-18 

 Follow Me

Have you ever agreed to do something that ended up involving much more of a commitment than you were led to believe? Would you rather know up front how demanding a commitment will be or find out as you go? Why? 

• For those who may be considering commitment to Christ or those who may have forgotten what they signed up for, it’s a strong reminder that following Christ is an all or nothing proposition that requires consistently choosing to do what God says, no matter the cost.
• Following Jesus takes total commitment. This lesson focuses on the question, “What is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

 



Life Goal: Evaluate what people would learn about Jesus by watching your life.







I. DAILY DO WHAT JESUS SAYS – LUKE 9:20-23

20 “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah!” 21 But He strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.” 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Most of us read one or more of the Curious George books as a child, or have read them to our children. Curious George is a mischievous monkey obsessed with curiosity about anything – good or bad. Curiosity continues into adulthood and it can produce good results or be an excuse for misbehavior. 

How did Jesus use curiosity well in this passage? What questions might you and I ask today to get people curious about Jesus Christ?


When might we use curiosity as an excuse to misbehave? What questions might we ask to get ourselves curious about our enough to evaluate our own behavior?



Who might we invite to be curious about our behavior and what behaviors might prod them toward Jesus Christ? 




Why was it important that Jesus’ disciples understood who He is before being presented with the demands of discipleship?

• Because Jesus is God, He has the right to tell us what to do. He’s also worthy of our total allegiance and entitled to any sacrifice He might ask of us. Perhaps most important, He LOVES us and truly works for our good.

Colleges frequently look for students who are well rounded. But occasionally they look for a student who is well-lopsided – someone with skill in or commitment to a particular area. What would make a well-lopsided Christian, meaning someone who is remarkably committed to God?

• Rather than have an awkward life, this person would be centered and true.
• A well-grounded Christian simply does what God says.
• This Christian obeys not to earn God’s love, but in gratefulness for God’s love.
• This person stands on a foundation of security and trust, simply knowing that God is wise and smart and good. We can trust Him to guide us.

How would you explain how commitment to Christ should permeate all of life? What object illustrates this? How does following Jesus affect tone, words and problem solving? 
 





From every direction, you are being pressed to give yourself, your time, and your possessions to some project. This limits the opportunity to focus with genuine commitment on any particular challenge. This, however, is not unique to life in this 21st century. Jesus recognized it among people in His day, even among His own disciples. He had called them, individually, to follow Him. He knew the strengths and shortcomings of each one. He also knew what they could become once they grasped the challenge of total commitment. Commitment to Christ is not an add-on to other commitments. He is the hub around which all other commitments find their orbits. Describe a commitment of your life that is finding its place because of Jesus’ guidance.


So, what will I do?

While Jesus had the disciples’ attention, he gave them one of the most challenging descriptions in the Bible of what it means to live for Him. It was a clear picture of total sacrifice in three stages:

1. Denying one’s selfish desires.

2. Accepting the daily challenges of life.

3. Following Jesus’ example of self-sacrifice.



How, practically speaking, will you obey Jesus in these three ways? What freedom will you find? What joy will you create?



What does it mean, practically, to deny yourself? What does it mean, practically, to take up your cross? What does it mean to follow Jesus?

• Jesus did not have His life taken from Him; He chose to give His life (John 10:17-18).
• Following Jesus is more than just agreeing with what He taught. It involves dying to our will and giving Him control of our lives. It means being willing to set aside our desires and plans and sacrifice anything He requires of us to obey Him and follow where He leads. If this were meant to be easy, Jesus would not have illustrated it with taking up your cross. His illustration warned, “This is the hardest thing you will ever do.”

Why is the word daily significant?

· The decision to become a Christ follower is a one-time choice we make, but it is also a decision we continually reaffirm by saying, “Today I choose to deny myself and make whatever sacrifices I must to follow and obey my Lord.



What requirements for following Jesus are stated in verse 23?

• First is to deny self – this is not exactly the same thing as denying things for yourself. It is to deny yourself. This is a strong way of saying that selfish actions and attitudes must not be central in our lives. Denying things is one way of denying yourself, but self-denial is a larger concept. It involves affirming Christ as Lord of our lives – every aspect of our lives. The world’s way is to seek things that make us more important than we are. Jesus denied Himself when He chose to give Himself for others rather than to seek for Himself those things that sinful people seek. So verse 23 calls us to follow Christ in the way of self-giving love that is the way of the cross.
• Secondly, we are called to take up one’s cross – cross bearing is often described in popular Christian circles as accepting and enduring burdens of life about which one has no choice. But these are burdens and pains of life that are not chosen by the afflicted person. By contrast, taking up one’s cross is a voluntary choice, just as Jesus chose freely to go to the cross. Therefore, cross-bearing is choosing to give oneself for God and others, no matter what the cost. Jesus followers are to do this daily.
• Jesus insisted that following Him involved the way of the cross.

II. QUIT FOCUSING ON SELF – LUKE 9:24-26

24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. 25 What is a man benefited if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and that of the Father and the holy angels. 

When Jesus talked about saving and losing, He introduced a principle that was foreign to those who listened to Him – to give yourself rather than grasp stuff for self. This is costly on one hand, but it cost so much less than grasping and defending. Many years ago a man came through a village with an investment scheme that promised unbelievable dividends. He produced papers that seemed to confirm that what he offered was valid. People were swept off their feet by his sure-fire promises. You guessed it. He left one night, and without a trace he was gone. A number of gullible people lost large amounts of money which they thought would secure them wealth. If it’s too easy, it likely can’t be true. Jesus isn’t asking you to be gullible. He asks you to try the truth.



What are the dividends of investing yourself? What’s scary about this? What have you learned about how to do this in good and godly ways? What is a way to invest yourself that Jesus would NOT bless? What does it mean to gain the world? What does it mean to forfeit self? What does it mean to gain the self, God created you to be?

• Gaining the world and what it has to offer – reaching the pinnacle in one’s carer, amassing a fortune in earthly possessions, triumphing over others, achieving political success or social prestige – such is the dream of many people. Jesus may well have had in mind the temptation Satan placed before Him when he offered Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would but bow before him. It IS tempting, but in response to that temptation, Jesus gave Satan the strongest rebuff of all (Matt. 4:8-10).

What would be the tragedy of forfeiting yourself? What have you discovered about how MUCH God values you? What have you discovered about how much He wants you to be the person He created you to be?


What makes a person insist on serving self rather than deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Jesus? Even when you know the delight of following Him, why do you deprive yourself of it? How are the costs far less than denying Jesus, both now and in the future?



So, what will you do?

Jesus predicted a harsh judgment on those who were “ashamed” of Him. Turning aside from His Spirit leaves you a hopeless victim of foolishness or self-indulgence. You know this; embrace it.

 



III. GO WHEREVER JESUS GOES – LUKE 9:57-62

Following Jesus

57 As they were traveling on the road someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go!” 58 Jesus told him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” 59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” “Lord,” he said, “first let me go bury my father.” 60 But He told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

GOD ADORES YOU

We too often assume that commitment is drudgery. In reality it’s linking to all that matters: godly love, godly purpose, and godly relationships. Whatever is of God is true and real and worth investing in. Since Jesus Christ is the author of our salvation and there’s nothing we can do to make Him love us more or love us less, what part do we play in commitment?

• Following, imitating, drawing on God’s power, doing as God says, delighting, enjoying, keeping on keeping on, finding my place in the center of God’s will, loving as God loves me, staying with it, and showing kindness.

What part does He play in commitment?  


Why do people quit when the going gets tough? How has God equipped you to keep on keeping on even when ministering gets tough? How would you explain to a new Christian what following Jesus Christ involves? 


Luke grouped together three incidents in Jesus’ ministry which may or may not have happened in succession. They all dealt with the cost of discipleship. He drove home the meaning of total commitment. In the first instance (9:57-58) a man whom Jesus apparently had not called came with enthusiasm and offered to follow Jesus wherever He went. Matthew (8:19) identified him as a scribe, a teacher of the law, who may have been awed by Jesus’ application of God’s law to everyday life. Jesus reminded him that He had none of the taken-for-granted creature comforts. The second man (Luke 9:59-60) probably had become a faithful follower and supporter of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. This man had been well taught and would be a good proclaimer. So Jesus may have eyed him in the crowd and beckoned as He called, “Follow Me.” The man’s request that he be allowed to go and bury his father appeared reasonable on the surface. But his father may not have even become ill yet. The third man (9:61-62) sounded as if he too, was a genuine believer in Jesus’ gospel. He wanted to be a full-time follower, but he had something else he wanted to do first. Following Christ was not the most important thing.



So, what will I do?

• Aware that Christ knows my thoughts and the true intentions of my heart, I will choose godly motives and intentions.
• Allow God to remake you into a person committed to Him and doing just as He says. Make a list of delights that come from living in commitment to Jesus: start with how He enriches your work; proceed to your family; notice chores; and more.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, help me take up my cross daily and follow You. Amen.

Wow, this lesson really get's to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. Did you know this before? Did you know what it meant to deny self, take up your cross and follow Jesus? It's worth giving a real hard look at ourselves to see if we are totally committed or just halfhearted interested.

We will discuss this on Sunday, see you then!

In His Love,

David & Susan