(This is the Teacher Guide. Click to see the Student Handout.)
Carry the Cross
Sunday Night Bible Study on March 7, 2010
at Christian Missionary Alliance in Aurora, Indiana
In order to be His disciple, we must carry a cross (Luke 9:23-27; 14:27; Matthew 10:38-39; c.f. I Corinthians 15:31), love all less than Christ (Matthew 10:37), hate all (Luke 14:25-27), and abandon all (Luke 14:33).
1. How do other passages relate to "hate... father and mother" (Matthew 14:26)?
a. Do not murder parents (I Timothy 1:9; c.f. Exodus 21:15).
b. Do not disobey parents (Romans 1:30; II Timothy 3:2); instead, obey parents (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20; I Timothy 3:4)
c. Honor parents (Matthew 15:4; Matthew 19:19; Luke 18:20; Ephesians 6:2-3).
i. Support your family's widows as a religious expression (I Timothy 5:3-8).
ii. Obligation to parents’ needs (John 19:25-27) supercede obligations to religious customs (Mark 7:8-13).
2. How do other passages relate to "forsake...
WARNING: DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND!!! Zacheos - even though a swindler - is forgiven without ACTUALLY handing over each penny he owned to the poor.
Luke 19:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house,
Yes, true, it could be argued how the math played out with Zacheos, but the sacred text itself does not say that he gave everything. The points from the other teaching about working to have to give are important to remember: "Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it." (Proverbs 21:20)
I do not own even myself right? Bought with a price by Christ. Everything I am and have is on mission. It's down with the struggle - all of me, all I have.
