The Cross Student handbook

THE

CROSS STUDENT HANDBOOK Written by Edward Surrey

A book by Christian Education Publications Published January 2014 Copyright © Edward Surrey 2013 This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism and review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without the express permission of the publisher.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc. Christian Education Publications PO Box A287 Sydney South NSW 1235 AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 2 8268 3344 Fax: +61 2 8268 3357 www.cepstore.com.au National Library of Australia ISBN 978-1-925041-0-88 Project manager: Derek Nelson Managing editor: Natasha Percy Theological editor: Guangyao Un Proofreader: Loren Becroft Cover design: Joy Lankshear

Read this

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Stop and reflect Group discussion

CONTENTS 1. Cross purposes 4 Genesis 3

2. Cross reference 9 Exodus 12

3. Cross eye 14 Isaiah 53

4. Cross roads 19 Matthew’s Gospel

5. Cross examination 24 John 19

6. Crossed line 28 Romans 5

7. Star-crossed lovers 33 1 John 4

8. Cross to bear 37 Mark 8

9. Cross culture 42 1 Peter

10. Cross court 48 Revelation 5

7 STAR-CROSSED LOVERS 1 JOHN 4 Jesus died on the cross as our sin-bearing substitute. He was our Passover lamb, dying so that we can live. He took God’s punishment in our place, as prophesied in Isaiah 53. But why? The Bible gives one resounding answer to that question.

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4 5

DO YOU REALLY LOVE ME? 1. Think of someone who says they love you. How would you prove that what they say is true? Try and come up with five pieces of evidence that prove they love you.

1 2 3 4 5

LOVE ACTUALLY 2. Love is all over the movies. One movie in particular, Love Actually took the topic to town. As we look at some clips, try to work out what ‘love’ is in each of the relationships:

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CLI P

CLI P

CLI P

CLI P

Jamie proposes to Aurelia

Christmas cards for Juliet

Colin’s dilemma

Would you like it giftwrapped?

CLI P

CLI P

CLI P

CLI P

Jamie proposes to Aurelia

Christmas cards for Juliet

Colin’s dilemma

Would you like it giftwrapped?

Love in the Bible is based around something much more concrete. God’s love is not just a dream, an idea, a feeling. Love is seen in actions—one action in particular.

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Love

i.

God

i.

How to really show love

ACTUALLY LOVE …

In the New Testament, we find the letter of 1 John, which was written to a church with a ‘love problem’.

As a group, let’s share how we could try to convince someone that God loves them, without referring to the cross?

3. READ 1 JOHN 4:7–12, carefully filling in this table as you do.

Love Love

i. i.

God God

i. i.

ii. ii.

ii. ii.

iii. iii.

iii. iii.

How to really show love How to really show love

How to really show love How does God’s loveLove compare to the different versions God of love from the movie clips?

i.

THINK IT THROUGH

i.

ii.

4. What would you say to these peopleii.from this passage? iii.

iii.

‘Jesus’ ‘Jesus’

suffering.’’ ng.

e of death was just a good exampl sufferi death was just a good example of

‘On ‘On

the cross Jesus was able to empathise with the human ’ the cross Jesus was able to empathise with the human race.’ race.

s God, with a Son and a Spirit who are little gods. t s One God, with a Son and a Spirit who are little gods. t s One Three , where the Father is most powerful, then the Son, then thirdly the Spirit. t s Three Gods Gods , where the Father is most powerful, then the Son, then thirdly the Spirit. t s OneforGod , with a sacrifice Son and afor Spirit what God is like The fancy word ‘atoning our who sins’reflect is ‘propitiation’.

As .we have seen in The Cross so far, t s One God , with a Son and a Spirit who reflect what God is like. t as ‘equally it means sacrifice bears God’s anger ourallsin.

On the cross Godthat , with three persons whoatare and fully JesusGod was. able to empathise with the human race.’ t s One ’ all equally and fully God. One God , with three persons who are ng. feri suf of e mpl t exa d ’ goo ‘Jesus just ,aequal in power, who come to earth at different times. th wasGods s deaThree t s Three Gods, equal in power, who come to earth at different times. t s One God, who has three ‘masks’ which he can wear at different times. t s One God, who has three ‘masks’ which he can wear at different times. t 5. How can you tell when someone has really understood God’s love for them? (v 11)

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GOD IS LOVE

6. In your opinion which of these best describes the God of the Bible?

s One God, with a Son and a Spirit who are little gods.

John 15:12–15 John 13:34–35 Ephesians 5:25–27 1 John 4:19–21 s Three Gods, where John 15:12–15 Johnpowerful 13:34–35, then the Ephesians 1 John the Father is most Son , then5:25–27 thirdly the Spirit . 4:19–21 t s One God, with a Son and a Spirit who reflect what God is like. t t

s God, with three persons who are all equally and fully God. tWho areOne we Who we Gods, equal in power, who come to earth at different times. sareThree t to love? t

s One God, who has three ‘masks’ which he can wear at different times.

to love?

How are we How are we to love? to love?

John 15:12–15

John 13:34–35

Ephesians 5:25–27 LOVERS 1 John 4:19–21 7. STAR-CROSSED

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be and must have been dd 1 John 4 says that ‘God is love’. For this to be true,‘Onhethemust cross Jesus was able to empathise with ’ loving all the time, even since before thesuf world The only way that this could fering.began.

‘Jesus’ death was just a good example of happen would be if God had someone to love before the creation of the world. This is where the Trinity comes in. Who did God love before the creation of the world?

the human race.’

7. Does God need us, or the cross, in order to be loving?

t

s One God, with a Son and a Spirit who are little gods.

t

s One God, with a Son and a Spirit who reflect what God is like.

t

s Three Gods, where the Father is most powerful, then the Son, then thirdly the Spirit.

s One God, with three persons who are all equally and fully God. tYOU ALL NEED IS LOVE … t

s Three Gods, equal in power, who come to earth at different times.

The famous Beatles song claims that ‘all you need is love’. We’ve seen that this was certainly true at the s One God, who has three ‘masks’ which he can wear at different times. t cross.

It’s also true when it comes to Christian relationships.

8. Fill out this table to see how relationships are changed by the cross.

John 15:12–15

John 13:34–35

Ephesians 5:25–27

1 John 4:19–21

Who are we to love?

How are we to love?

Why are we to love?

Any extra bits?

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The cross can seem theologically complicated, historically ancient and geographically distant. But here we see that, at its heart, it is all about God’s love for us. His real, visible, actual love for us—not because we are lovely, but because he loves to love.

dd How should that make us feel?

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