Introduction

1. Why do you suppose so many people are willing to embrace and promote whatever religion, cult, or foolish philosophy which is currently popular or politically correct no matter how strange it is?

   People are looking for the meaning of life; something that helps them make sense of their lives and give significance to it. Unfortunately, most people will not come to the Author, Giver and Sustainer of life to answer one of life’s most basic questions of why we are here. To do so would force that person to acknowledge God’s claim upon his or her own life. This is very hard to do because people want to be independent and have control of their lives. Therefore we are left to manufacture our own answers to the meaning of life. Man, from his wisdom and reason, creates a philosophy or religion that proposes to answer this question. However, all these answers are dead-end streets which will eventually leave one spiritually empty.

2. In John 10:10 Jesus promised abundant life. Why then do so many believers find it difficult to discover the meaning of life?

   To discover the meaning of life a believer must be willing to become a normal Christian. So many believers are content to be abnormal, thinking and acting like nonbelievers that they are looking in the same wrong places for the answer to this question. If you look in the same place you will come up with the same answer, which is no answer at all.

3. What do people need in order to discover the meaning of life (Matthew 9:36)?

   People are like sheep without a shepherd. They do not know what to do; they need a shepherd to lead them. Without a shepherd we will follow the influences of our culture, peers and our own reason. Jesus came to be our Shepherd, a Savior, and one who gives direction and meaning to our lives. We shall see in this lesson that to understand the meaning of life we must also understand the meaning of Christ’s journey to earth and the meaning of discipleship.

I.  The Meaning Of His Coming (Matthew 10:34-36)

1. Contrary to what most people think, why did Jesus come to earth (Matthew 10:34)?

   When Jesus came to the Earth He did not bring peace with Him (even though He is the Prince of peace), He brought a sword. This verse has two meanings. First, to the Jew of the day, He did not come to bring temporal prosperity to Israel by forcing out the Romans. Rather, He came to cutoff a disobedient and rebellious nation for rejecting their Messiah (by cutting Him at the cross) by the Roman sword (which took place in 70 AD). This truth has application to every person today in relation to real or spiritual warfare. Jesus confronts people with a decision they must make about where they will stand spiritually. He makes us make a decision of whether to stand with God or Satan, the world or His kingdom, and sin or righteousness. Jesus came to make clear that a great divide between heaven and hell existed; each person must decide which side of the divide they will be on.

2. If God is for family unity, then what did Jesus mean in Matthew 10:35 when He said He would create division in families?

   Jesus is not dealing with people in this passage of Scripture, He is dealing with spirits. Jesus if all for family unity and loving one another in the family; but the reality is that the unsaved person does not understand spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14). The natural mind hates and is opposed to spiritual truth (Romans 8:7). Therefore a saved person can experience division (variance) or even opposition from unsaved family members because the spirit of the flesh (Galatians 5:17) and the spirit of Satan (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) don’t understand, and actively fight, against God and His Word. A person should still love and seek a relationship with the lost family member, but there can never be a total unity between a saved and a lost person because they are of different spirits.

3. How can a family become a foe or enemy (Matthew 10:36)?

   The main way a family becomes a foe is through their opposition to God’s truth. Many people have never discovered the meaning of life because their family of origin taught them a false meaning of life. This is done through lifestyles, traditions and wrong teaching. God gave parents the Great Commandment in Deuteronomy 6:4-7. Parents are to build God’s heart and a passion for God in the hearts of their children. Modeling and teaching the truth of Scripture does this. Christ came to set families straight on the meaning of life so this truth could be passed on from generation to generation.

II.  The Meaning Of Discipleship (Matthew 10:34-38)

1. Is Jesus teaching that we should not love our parents or children in Matthew 10:37?

   No, He is obviously not. As a matter of fact, Jesus taught that our love for others is an indication of our love for God and our sonship (1 John 4:20; Matthew 5:44). The issue here is one of priorities. The supreme love of our lives needs to be God; He is to occupy first place in our lives. The love of anyone or anything more than God is a form of idolatry and sin (Exodus 20:3). Loving God the way we should is necessary for loving others the way we should (Matthew 22:37-39). To be a true disciple of Jesus means He is our first love.

2. What do you suppose Jesus meant by His use of the word “worthy� in Matthew 10:37-38?

   The word “worthy� means “having the weight of another, of life value, or worth as much�. Believers were first called Christians as a term of derision because they acted so much like Jesus. If we are going to have the same value to this world and impact it the way Jesus did, we must do what He did. We must take up our cross and follow Him. We call this discipleship; it is essential to becoming Christ-like and worthy of Him. Every believer is not a disciple. Only when we make a decision to pick up our cross and follow Christ will we become a disciple.

3. What does it mean to take up your cross? What are the results of doing it (Compare Matthew 10:38 with John 14:12)?

   Taking up our cross means dying to our will for our lives and embracing God’s will. This is exactly what Jesus did in the garden (Luke 22:42). There are things in God’s will that may not be pleasant to us; we will endure them knowing that overall His will is the source of true joy in our lives (Hebrews 12:2). In doing God’s will Jesus said it is possible for us to do works as great or greater than He did (John 14:12). This is a life of significance and meaning.

III.  The Meaning Of Life (Matthew 10:39)

1. What is the paradox of life (Matthew 10:39)?

   A paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement that expresses a possible truth. The paradox of life is to find life is to lose it. Life can be lived for self or it can be lived for God and others. Jesus is saying that the way to waste your life and make it useless is to live it selfishly. The way to discover the true meaning of life and have a life of significance is to live your life for others in the service of Christ. God seems to operate by paradox in so many areas because His ways are contrary to human wisdom.

2. How does the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21 illustrate the truth of finding life by losing it?

   The rich fool was willing to abandon eternal riches for the sake of short-lived, temporal riches. This man lived only for himself and to accumulate his wealth. He invested nothing in the heavenly kingdom. When he died everything was left behind for others. He was in spiritual poverty. Using our God-given talents and resources to help others and further God’s kingdom is what brings meaning to our lives. It is how we lay up treasure in heaven; this is true eternal riches.

3. Going back to Galatians 2:20 from the previous lesson, how does living the normal Christian life affect the meaning of life?

   The normal Christian life is to be the life of the disciple. It is the picking up of our cross (dying to self) and following Jesus (Christ living in you). The meaning of life is found by discovering God’s meaning, or purpose, for your life and allowing Him to fulfill His purpose through you. The normal Christian life is the meaning for your life.

Conclusion

1. Christ’s ministry on earth presents us with a choice of whom we will yield our lives.
2. Only the prioritized life of a true disciple of Jesus will make an impact in this world for God.
3. The meaning of life is only discovered by living the normal Christian life.

Project

Have you acknowledged the almost daily choice you face of being a disciple or living for self? Here are some questions to help you see how you are doing.

1. How did you show God this week that He was your first love?
2. What did you do this week in serving:
1. God?
2. Family?
3. Others?
3. Upon whom or where do you think you may have made some spiritual impact this week?