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THE PATH AND ANSWERS - TEACHER'S VERSION
Intro:
- Blind men and elephant illustration (how put all pieces of Christianity together? Me for life notebook).
- Share what ties Christianity together for me: Following Jesus Christ along a very narrow path; a path we can only follow if leave SELF behind!
- He knew where the path He was walking, led to – a Cross. The cost to Him would be great, but it was worth it to Him. It would cost Him everything in this life, but would gain Him everything in the next.
- When He was here he invited men and women to follow Him on this path (Mk 8:34). He promised them that they would never regret it (Mk 8:35). Those that followed Him lost their life but found it.
GOD'S PART: He gives a new MIND (LIGHT), a new FAMILY
(LOVED), and a new ME (LIFE)
Only He can deal with our moral blindness, insecurity,
and fleshly desires.
OUR PART: We must choose to deny our SELF , take up our
CROSS , and follow Him.
Only we can turn from our pride, self-sufficiency, independency, and half-
heartedness; and reach out in love to others.
It is up to us: we can walk as the old man walked with our lives revolving primarily around ourselves; or we can lose our lives and find them as we walk in the New Man, filled with Christ's life, with our lives revolving primarily around God and others!
GOD'S PART
WITH GOD'S __LIGHT__, WE CAN GO FROM___DARKENED___THINKING
TO ENLIGHTENED__ THINKING (ROM 12:2) Theater in Navy illustration-come out and see popcorn on uniform. Years later I came out of another darkness & found many things wrong with me and the world I did not see in the darkness.
FROM REBELLION TO _SUBMISSION_ LORDSHIP OF GOD
(Eph 5:21)
In the darkness, we blindly see ourselves as the center of our world, those over us as an interference to our plans. In the light, we see God as the center and those over us as part of His plans.
MEANINGLESSNESS TO MEANING INTENTIONS OF GOD
(Eccl 3:11; Eph 1:11,12)
In the darkness, we blindly see meaning in life as centered in "me" & my little life, so in an infinite universe with eternal time, my little life means nothing. In the light, we see that God has given us a purpose that ties us to Him, His plans, His universe, and His eternity. So, we, as His children and seeking after His purposes, have meaning.
CREATURE-WORSHIP TO GOD-WORSHIP GREATNESS OF GOD
(Rom 1:21,25)
In darkness, we blindly see man and his world as worthy of worship (Rock stars and sport stars, for example). In light, we see that only God is worthy. In the world outside of God, men worship man, men, even gods made out of trees. They always disappoint us. Only God will never disappoint us.
MORAL DARKNESS TO MORAL LIGHT HOLINESS__ OF GOD
(Eph 5:8,9)
In darkness, we blindly see evil as good and are able to enjoy what is evil and ugly (R-rated is more enjoyable than G-rated). In the light, we see what is good what is evil, and we are only able to enjoy good.
DISUNITY TO UNITY TRIUNITY__ OF GOD
(Jn 17:21)
In light, we blindly see only what we want for ourselves in a relationship. We cannot see what the other person is feeling and what that person's needs are. In the late 60s people went to Haight-Ashbury looking to be loved, but few went there to give love. In the light, we can see God's pattern for relationships. After thousands of years we are still unable to get along with each other; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been getting along with each other for eternity. 1+1+1=1 when we follow God's pattern!
WITH GOD'S LOVE , WE CAN GO FROM ENSLAVING EMOTIONS TO
LIBERATING EMOTIONS (Matt 11:28-30; I Jn 4:18)
We are enslaved when we think we have to earn God's love and others' love and acceptance. God's love and acceptance are free!! And our love and acceptance of each other should never have to be earned either.
FROM FEELING REJECTED TO FEELING _ACCEPTED__ LOVED
(Heb 13:5) UNCONDITIONALLY
We do not need to try to get people to accept us, we can believe that God accepts and loves us just as we are! No one has been as rejected as Jesus Christ, and no one is accepting of us as He is. He was fully rejected, so He could fully and unconditionally accept us!
FEELING CONDEMNED TO FEELING _CLEANSED_ OPEN ACCESS
(I Jn 1:9; Rom 8:1; Heb 4:15) TO GOD
We do not need to atone four our sins – do penance, etc. We can believe that God has cleansed us from our sins. How can a holy God accept unholy and imperfect people fully? That is what the cross of Jesus Christ is all about.
FEELING _WORTHLESS_ TO FEELING VALUABLE VALUED
(I Pet 1:18,19)
We do not need to impress others into believing that we have worth. We can fully believe that God greatly values us. I would not give up my son for any amount of money. The Father gave up His Son because He values us so greatly!
FEELING _ ANXIOUS _ TO FEELING PEACEFUL ETERNALLY
(Phil 4:6,7) CARED FOR
We do not need to carry all our concerns on our little shoulders, we can believe that God will take care of us. Martha carried her cares; Mary carried her cares to Jesus Christ and left them there!
FEELING _FRUSTRATED TO FEELING JOYFUL DISCIPLINED
(Phil 4:4; James 1:2-4)
We do not need to overcome the obstacles in our lives. We can believe that God is lovingly using even the obstacles in our lives for our good. We are like a rebellious orphan that God has adopted. He is disciplining us for our good so that we can more fully enjoy our new family life.
WITH GOD'S LIFE , WE CAN GO FROM SELF-LIFE TO CHRIST-LIFE (Galatians 2:20; II Peter 1:3,4)
The most pitiful addicts are the self-aholics! Many offer solutions: Eastern religions – lose self; Psychology – program, assert, or accept self; Education – understand self; and Religion – suppress self. Christianity's solution is to put self under Christ's control!
FROM DEATH TO SPIRITUAL LIFE LIFE OF CHRIST
(Jn 11:25; Col 1:27)
Jesus said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." When we were separate from God's life, we were dead spiritually. Now, with His life, we have been raised from spiritual death to spiritual life.
BLINDNESS TO SPIRITUAL SIGHT ILLUMINATION
(Jn 8:12,16:13; I Cor 2:12)
Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world." He gives us the spiritual ability to see the world as He sees it.
EMPTINESS TO SPIRITUAL COMPLETENESS FULLNESS
(Jn 6:35; Col 2:9,10)
Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. He filled up our spiritual vacuum. Pascal said, every man has a God-shaped vacuum that can only filled by God Himself.
WEAKNESS TO SPIRITUAL POWER EMPOWERMENT
(Jn 11:25; Acts 1:8)
Jesus said, 'you will receive power from the Holy Spirit." Without the power of God, we are like lamps that are not plugged in. We were never meant to live godly lives apart from God's power.
OUR PART
WE MUST DENY SELF, TAKE UP OUR CROSS (LK 9:23)
DENY SELF-DECEPTION (I Jn 1:8-10) CONFESS
We need to go from "I did not do it," to "I did it."
SELF-RELIANCE (Prov 3:5,6) RELY
We need to go from "I will do it myself" to "I will depend on Him to do it."
SELF-WILL (James 1:22) OBEY
We need to go from "I will do only what I want to do" to "I will obey Him and do what He commands me to do."
SELF-SEEKING (Matt 6:33) SEEK GOD
We need to go from "I will do it my way" to I will seek out what His purposes and plans are and do it His way."
SELF-SERVING (Phil 2:3,4) SACRIFICIALLY SERVE
We need to go from "I will take care of #1" to I will make God others #1 in my life, no matter what the cost."
AND SEEK TO REACH OUT IN LOVE (MATT 22:37-40)
TO GOD (John 14:21) LORD BECOMES LORD
TO OUR FAMILY (Col 3:18-21) OUR FAMILY IS A FAMILY
TO BODY OF CHRIST (ACTS 2:42-47) VITALITY IN CHURCH
TO OUR WORLD (MATT 28:19,20) EVANGELISM OF THE LOST
WILL YOU FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST ALONG THE PATH OF THE CROSS?
WILL YOU LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT THE PATH?
WILL YOU FOLLOW THE PATH WHEREVER JESUS MAY LEAD YOU? (IN
YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE? IN YOUR IMPORTANT DECISIONS?)
A SIMPLE GOAL: MAKE GENUINE LOVE YOUR GOAL (I TIM 1:5). EVERYTHING LISTED ABOVE IS THE WAY TO GET TO THIS GOAL ---THE WAY OF THE CROSS! JESUS' CROSS TO OUR CROSS!
GOD'S GOALS? EPH 3:16-19; I PET 1:13-15
