SESSION 4

TEACHINGS LIKE NO OTHER

38 S E S S I O N 4

Session 3

© 2014 LifeWay

What makes your favorite teacher your favorite teacher?

#BSFLteachingsQ U E S T I O N 1

B I B L E S T U D I E S F O R L I F E 39© 2014 LifeWay

THE POINT

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFEWhatever you’d like to learn, someone will teach it to you. If you want to enter a certain profession, you can find a college, university, or trade school that will take your money and give you education and training in that specific field. Some skills, however, are best learned through a private tutor or instructor. Whether you are hoping to discover how to play the piano, plant a garden, or build a website, people are available to help you on your way. They instruct, lead, teach, correct, guide, and encourage. And with their help, you gain a skill set.

But where do you go to learn how to live well? Where do you go when you want to know how to follow Christ and live an upright life? Who do you seek to teach you what is best or how to make right choices?

Do you turn to magazines? Talk shows? YouTube?

The greatest Person to teach you about life is Jesus Christ. He is not simply a religious icon or a distant God speaking in ethereal or intangible terms. His teaching is clear and gets to the heart of what it means to live life to the fullest. Let’s consider how the Giver of life is also the Teacher of life.

Jesus teaches us how to live and calls us to follow Him.

4 0 S E S S I O N 4© 2014 LifeWay

B I B L E S T U D I E S F O R L I F E 41

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Mark 1:21-22; 10:17-22 (HCSB)

1:21 Then they went into Capernaum, and right away He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.

22 They were astonished at His teaching because, unlike the scribes, He was teaching them as one having authority.

10:17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God.

19 You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.”

20 He said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.”

21 Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22 But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

© 2014 LifeWay

THE POINT

Mark 1:21-22

We don’t know what Jesus specifically taught in this passage, but one thing is clear: those who heard Him teach knew He did so with authority. “They were astonished at His teaching because, unlike the scribes, He was teaching them as one having authority.”

For the rest of us, any authority we have is limited to the roles we’ve been given. Whether you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a mother corralling a 3-year-old, your authority only extends so far. Yet Christ’s authority is unlimited because it rests intrinsically within Him. He taught with authority like no other because He Himself is that authority. He embodies absolute truth. He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Jesus backed up His authority with His actions. He demonstrated the dependability of His words with miracles. During His earthly ministry, He cast out demons (see Mark 1:23-27) and raised the dead (see Mark 5:35-42). Later, He walked on water His followers feared (see Mark 6:45-52).

His actions and miracles gave credibility to His words. If Jesus’ teachings had gone no further than the ones who originally heard Him speak, the authority in His teaching might have gotten lost on the dusty shelves of history. But His teachings didn’t end with those events. In fact, shortly before He returned to His Father, Jesus commanded His followers to go out in the world and teach on His behalf. Out of His authority, He gave this charge. After He gave this commission, He returned to heaven and, once again, sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). Jesus sits in a position of authority today, and He has called us to both live and teach His words from a position of authority as well (Ephesians 2:6).

What’s the difference between knowledge and authority?

Q U E S T I O N 2

Jesus teaches us how to live and calls us to follow Him.

42 S E S S I O N 4© 2014 LifeWay

When have you asked God for something only to be surprised by His answer?

Q U E S T I O N 3

Mark 10:17-21a

Small things can pack a powerful punch. A look. A word. A moment. According to Albert Einstein’s most famous equation, E=mc2, the mass of a single paper clip contains nearly the same energy as an atomic bomb. And a dollar’s worth of pennies can power New York State for two days.

Of course, we don’t have the capacity to convert paper clips and pennies entirely into energy, but that doesn’t negate the theory. In fact, Jesus himself said that faith the size of a tiny mustard seed could move an entire mountain. And in this case, Jesus has the capacity to turn that faith into energy when we trust Him to do just that.

For example, look at the shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35. It reads, “Jesus wept.” They are only two words but they reveal an abyss of emotion. They don’t tell us that Jesus teared up. They don’t say that he dabbed the corners of his eyes with his hand towel. Instead, those two words let us know precisely that Jesus did more than just cry, he wept. Not only that, but he wept in front of others.

Time after time, history records our Savior as having great emotion and love. Our Lord felt great compassion and that compassion motivated His actions in love. We read:

] “When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them … “ (Matthew 9:36).

] “As He approached and saw the city, He wept over it …” (Luke 19:41).

Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-21 was no exception. Out of His love, Jesus affirmed this man’s actions and gave him one very powerful invitation—sell all he owned and give to the poor. In doing so, the man would store up treasures in heaven. Out of His love, Jesus urged the young ruler to let go of all the things that were keeping him from experiencing true treasure.

B I B L E S T U D I E S F O R L I F E 43© 2014 LifeWay

THE POINT

Why is it loving for Jesus to call us to do something difficult or even painful?

Q U E S T I O N 4

Jesus teaches us how to live and calls us to follow Him.

"To merely admire Jesus as a

great Teacher, without applying

the truths He taught, is to forfeit

the treasure of which He spoke."

— T O N Y E V A N S

LIVE BY FAITH

What resources have you found to be helpful as you seek to learn more about Christ’s teachings?

What lessons have you learned about acting in faith on what you believe?

4 4 S E S S I O N 4© 2014 LifeWay

Mark 10:21b-22

Jesus’ teaching calls for a response. To merely admire Jesus as a great Teacher, without applying the truths He taught, is to forfeit the treasure of which He spoke. This pattern also leaves you vulnerable to life’s storms when they come. When we hear God’s truth and fail to follow it, it’s as if we’re declaring we really don’t believe Him after all. Obedience to what Jesus teaches is proof that you believe Him.

Acting in belief on Christ’s words requires faith. This kind of faith is measured by your life, not your lips. It involves your feet, not just your feelings. It should be a lifestyle, not an event. In fact, to not live by faith is to call God a liar. To not love by faith is to challenge His integrity because faith means you are taking Him at His word.

Faith is only as powerful as the object to which it is attached. You could have all the faith in the world that your car will suddenly sprout wings and fly you to the moon, but you would still end up on the ground. Yet when you attach your faith to Jesus Christ and His Word—and you respond by obeying what He has revealed—that is the faith that moves mountains (see Matthew 17:20). Responding to Jesus’ teaching means trusting Him enough to do what He says.

You wouldn’t hire a music teacher, computer programmer, or gardener to teach you how to do a certain skill and then not apply what he had shown you. Furthermore, a person who went to college to learn how to be an accountant, for example, but chose not to follow the rules of mathematics and business would not only be considered a fool, but would also be unemployed.

Jesus is the greatest Authority on how to live our lives. And He has given us His teaching in His Word. To read it, study it, discuss it, and yet not apply it makes no sense at all. It makes about as much sense as building your house on top of sand. Listen to Jesus’ teaching and respond with trustful obedience.

Does our obedience accurately reflect our commitment to Christ? Explain.

Q U E S T I O N 5

B I B L E S T U D I E S F O R L I F E 45© 2014 LifeWay

THE POINT

How can you apply Jesus’ teaching to your daily life?

] Read through the Gospel of Mark over the next several weeks. As you come across Jesus’ teachings, identify how living by that teaching would benefit your life and your walk with God.

] Choose to respond to something God is calling you to do in this season of your life. Follow His leadership and trust Him to give you guidance along the way.

] Teach. Consider leading a small group Bible study or volunteering to teach in the youth or children’s ministry at your church. Let God use you to communicate to others the teachings of Jesus.

Books, the internet, or magazines may be helpful sources for some information, but they’re no match for the perfect guidance and wisdom Jesus offers. This week, take time to learn from Him and experience life to the fullest.

Gray Areas

We live in a world of infinite possibilities, even when we’re addressing important moral and ethical issues. For some questions, there seems to be no right or wrong answers. What’s worse, in other situations, there seems to be several right answers. Not only do good people disagree, really good people really disagree.

To continue reading “Gray Areas” from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.

LIVE IT OUT

Jesus teaches us how to live and calls us to follow Him.

In your quest for truth, let God’s love be

your guide.

~Gray~ Areas

24 HOMELIFE FEBRUARY 2014

4 6 S E S S I O N 4© 2014 LifeWay

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