031206

Christ Followers
The Great Gamble
John 10, Mark 8, 10, Philippians 2, John 13
March 12, 2006


John 10:1-10 (Monday)
“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV)
1) Read Genesis 28:10-22. Pay particular attention to verses 13 and 16. When Jacob awoke, what did he call the place where he had seen the stairway to heaven? Who was standing above the entrance?
2) I recently heard Beth Moore teach on this passage in Genesis (I believe it was from the video on her most recent Bible study, the Patriarchs) and it knocked me to my knees—what a God we serve! Jesus, and His work for us on the cross just screams from every page of God’s Holy Word! Oh, if only we would look, taste and see that the LORD is good! I’m afraid I’m really not going to do Beth’s teaching on God’s wonderful word justice, but here goes! Earlier chapters in Genesis tell us how Jacob tricked, lied, schemed and deceived his older brother, Esau, out of both his legal birthright as the firstborn son, and, far more importantly, the spiritual blessing that came with it! Oh, you better believe Jacob was on the run! He was well aware of the fierceness of his brother’s wrath—and Esau wanted nothing short of blood! Jacob’s deceptive and self-serving ways could cost him dearly—his very life! (Now, let’s pause here for a moment. Do you think that maybe, just maybe Jacob was running because he was also a little weary of himself! His sins had caught up with him, and, you might say—Jacob was caught up in his sins! Have you ever noticed that trying to keep up with, or run from your sin can absolutely—physically, emotionally and spiritually wear you out? Well, it can and believe me, it does!) Poor Jacob finally finds a place to rest his weary head, and of on all places, a stone—a rock! (Well, you have to know that Jesus is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:1-4!) The way Beth describes this scene is with the stairway coming across Jacob’s prone body, forming a type of cross! (I think it helps to picture this as you read that the stairway was resting on the earth (vs. 12.) When you rest a ladder against a house, it’s slanted out at an angle—not vertically straight!) Here we see the stairway slanted across Jacob’s prone body, with his head resting upon the rock, and if we step back from the scene we can actually visualize the shape or form of the cross, and above the stairway, the only possible gateway to the throne room of God—the LORD! And, Jacob? Oh, what a picture of a weary sinner finding rest on the Rock of Ages! Jacob’s prone position actually is a picture of Jacob dying to himself—exactly what we are called to do when we follow our Lord, Jesus! Jacob, of course, is later renamed Israel and the promises the LORD repeated to him, were those very same promises first given to Abraham, our spiritual father in faith! Oh, sinner—this is what Jesus desires from us—to rest from our self-efforts! Rest from our need for self-exaltation! Instead, get prone (die) and oh, rest on the Rock! Oh, I hope I was able to capture a little of what is going on in this passage! Beloved of the Lord, what we have here is the gospel! Glory, glory, glory!
3) I don’t know about you, but I find it very interesting that though the stairway reached all the way into the heavens, the LORD was above even that place! No wonder Jesus is the only way! Not only is Jesus the only way to heaven, but He is also the only way to live abundantly!
4) How do you picture the abundant life Christ is calling us to?
5) Would you say you are living the abundant life? Why or why not.
6) Jesus has been given many names—the Gate, The Way, the Truth, the Life, the list is endless. Here Jesus portrays Himself as the Good Shepherd. The psalmist, David, the man after God’s own heart, was anointed as king over Israel while serving as a lowly shepherd boy, in servitude to his father and many, many brothers (1 Samuel 16.) Another beautiful picture of Christ! David loved shepherding and he loved his sheep, often risking his life for theirs (1 Samuel 17:34-36! Yes, David risked his life which is very noble! Christ laid down His life—what a Savior!
7) How do you like being liken to sheep? They are so cute and loveable, but truthfully, not the least bit intelligent. Sheep are always wandering off, in constant trouble! That’s why the shepherd carried a rod and a staff. The shepherd would gently correct them with his rod, and guide them with his staff back into the safety of the pen. Sheep need constant supervision, no wonder only the shepherds were up to witness the angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest! Peace, goodwill towards men!” Their workday never ended! When they weren’t feeding, pruning, sheering the sheep by day, the good shepherd kept vigilant watch over them at night, protecting them from wolves, bears and thieves! Good picture of our Lord!
8) How does it feel to know that Jesus calls you by name—even before you were fully formed in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139!)
9) Jesus said His sheep will hear and know His voice. Have you heard Him calling (Revelation 3:20?)
10) How does Jesus speak to us today? Can we be sure that what we are hearing is indeed the voice of Jesus?
11) How do/would you respond to His voice?
12) Jesus warns that others may try to climb in the sheep pen (the pen represents the safe dwelling place of those who belong to Him) through some other way, i.e., self-effort or good works. This could be an individual or another faith or religion that tries to use any means other than resting on the work accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross for their salvation. This is what makes such a person a thief and a robber—he attempts to steal God’s glory by earning his way into God’s heaven! Still others will try to deceive others into following them (as if they were our savior,) instead of our true Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What does Jesus say our response to such as these should be?
13) Who is the watchman that opens the gate for Jesus (Hosea 9:7-9?)
Mark 8:34-38 (Tuesday)
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” (NIV)
1) Is denying yourself taking up your cross and losing your life and one time event? Explain.
2) Why do you think Jesus added, “…and for the gospel” as a way of saving one’s life? What do you think that means to us today?
3) Name some ways that even as Christians, Christ followers, we sometimes show that we are ashamed of Jesus?
4) Remember that red stew (Genesis 25:27-34) we talked about a couple of weeks ago? Really, what are some things the world earnestly and hungrily seeks after, maybe without even realizing they are actually forfeiting their own souls?
5) Do you think Christians are immune to this particular sin? Explain.
6) Is there anything in your own life that you need to lay down so your soul may be healed? If you are comfortable, please share.
Mark 10:23-31 (Wednesday)
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (NIV)
1) Jesus’ words here are not condemnation of having wealth. Rather, Jesus is expressing genuine pity for anyone who places undo value on possessions or on their own welfare and personal prosperity. Mark 10:17-22 tells us that this man truly believed he was attempting to live a good and righteous life. Jesus responded to this man’s question about gaining eternal life by mentioning commandments which dealt with the rich man’s relationship with others—vs. 19. Then, Jesus wasted no time in getting to the heart of this man’s problem—his relationship to God. You see that Jesus already knew this man’s heart in how He responded to his greeting. This man ran to the “Good Master,” to learn how to gain eternal life, the problem was he failed to recognize and come to Jesus as God!
2) When given the choice to follow Jesus, this man couldn’t or wouldn’t go down the path of self-sacrifice. Given this life-altering choice, he clung to what mattered to him most, what he loved most—money! That’s why Jesus pitied him! He couldn’t see that in losing possessions, anything that God asks of us, we gain everything. Now, that’s a God concept! Know, it’s not money, but the LOVE of money that has its root in evil (1 Timothy 6:10.) Loving money, loving anything more than God is idolatry (Exodus 20:1-6!)
3) Well, of course this horrified the disciples, if someone as outwardly good as that man couldn’t get into the kingdom of heaven, how on earth could anyone? Good question! How do anyone gain eternal life?
4) Have you left something to follow Jesus? Have you seen this promise of receiving a hundred fold back come to fruition in your life? Share.
5) Does it comfort you that though the world may hold you in low esteem, one day Jesus promises that you will be put to the head of the line? Oh, it does speak to my heart! Yeah!
Philippians 2:1-8 (Thursday) John 13:3-17 (Friday)
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!” (NIV)
John 13:3-17 “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me `Teacher' and `Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (NIV)
1) Jesus chose the path of humility, sacrifice and service. The cross being the supreme model for us! Imagine, our Lord, our Savior, our God—on the night before he was betrayed took it upon Himself to get up from the Passover meal and do a service to His disciples that they themselves thought they were too good for! This was not just any service. No! The service he performed was saved for the lowest servant in the master’s household—the washing of the guests’ feet! Our Jesus, wrapped a towel around His royal waits, bent His knees and wiped away the dust and dirt of each and ever person in that room—even his betrayer, Judas (John 13:1-18!)
2) Jesus had confidence in Who He was, but not pride, but a confidence in God the Father! That’s knowledge is what allowed Him to freely serve others, even unto death. Truly, we are kings and priests, holy, set apart unto the Lord (Revelation 1:4-6!) More, one day we will reign and rule with Him (2 Timothy 2:11-13!) Everything He has, He freely shares with us (Romans 8:16-25!) Jesus has laid down the gauntlet—set the marker! He’s asking us to follow Him, down the narrow path of humility, obedience, death to ourselves and service to others! What is your response to such an invitation?
3) Putting others before ourselves? Let go of selfish ambitions? How do we do this? By having the same attitude of Jesus! What attitude ruled Him—love (John 13:1!) Oh, I do so hope you can read this in the KJV—oh, here it is, “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” Can you love unto the end?
4) I know. We have covered this a hundred times, but, please, look again at the law of love—1 Corinthians 13! That may not be a perfect description of you and me, but its the perfect description of our Lord, Jesus Christ! Amen!