Hard to Believe Workbook: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus

HARD TO BELIEVE

WORK BOOK

UNDERSTANDING THE HIGH COST AND

INFINITE VALUE OF FOLLOWING JESUS

JOHN MACARTHUR

Copyright © 2004 by John MacArthur

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990, 1994 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Scripture quotations noted NASB are from the taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Produced with the assistance of The Livingstone Corporation (www.LivingstoneCorp.com). Project staff includes Elly Johnson, Emily Malone, Christopher D. Hudson, Neil Wilson, and Linda Taylor.

ISBN 0-7852-6346-2

Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

How to Use This Companion Workbook

1. The Cost

(Hard to Believe Introduction and Chapter 1)

2. Telling the Truth

(Hard to Believe Chapter 2)

3. The Humility of the Cost

( Hard to Believe Chapter 3)

4. Following the Leader

(Hard to Believe Chapter 4)

5. Two Choices

(Hard to Believe Chapter 5)

6. More Than Words

(Hard to Believe Chapter 6)

7. The Foolish and the Wise

(Hard to Believe Chapter 7)

8. The Real Christian

(Hard to Believe Chapter 8)

9. No Compromise

(Hard to Believe Chapter 9)

10. The Defectors

(Hard to Believe Chapter 10)

11. The Christian Mission

(Hard to Believe Chapter 11)

12. Those Who Believe

(Hard to Believe Chapter 12)

About the Author

HOW TO USE THIS

COMPANION WORKBOOK

This workbook has been written to enhance your experience of reading my hardcover book Hard to Believe. In this workbook, as always, I encourage you to continuously cross-check the Scriptures I’m using and to grapple with the passages upon which I base my teaching. In large measure, Hard to Believe represents a directed study of the biblical passages that will shape your thinking about what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

The content of the book has been divided so that the introduction and twelve chapters can be studied personally and/or discussed by a small group in twelve sessions. The individual lessons have been based on the assumption that a reader will desire to review the content in the book and reflect on the implications for his or her own life.

Groups using this workbook for Hard to Believe are encouraged to provide each member with a personal copy of the book and workbook for participation. Leaders are advised that the final pages of each lesson include notes and specific answers to factual questions. These should assist them in lesson preparation.

LESSON COMPONENTS

The lessons in this workbook include the following components:

• BIBLICAL FOCUS—Lists the primary Bible passages to which I refer in developing the material in the lesson chapter.

• READING ASSIGNMENT—Lists the particular chapter in the book that relates to the lesson.

• ANOTHER LOOK—A set of questions to facilitate review of the content of the chapter in the book.

• BIBLICAL CONNECTIONS—Questions that focus on the biblical passages related to the particular ideas discussed in each lesson.

• HIGHLIGHTING THE LESSON—Questions that will allow you to review your understanding of the central teaching points I have developed from the Scriptures.

• LASTING IMPLICATIONS—These questions assist you in drawing personal conclusions from God’s Word regarding the requirements of true belief.

In addition, you will find:

• SIDEBARS—Thought-provoking quotes taken from Hard to Believe.

• DAILY ASSIGNMENTS—Five sets of questions for each lesson to allow you to personally review the content of the lesson.

• BEARING THE CROSS—The close of each Daily Assignment will allow the participant to engage in one of Jesus’ habits: prayer.

• FOR LEADERS—A section of notes and suggested answers for selected questions.

May you be challenged and blessed as you discover what

it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ.

1

THE COST

BIBLICAL FOCUS

Key passages from this section of the book: Matthew 16:24-25; Matthew 10:34-36; Luke 9:23-26.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Read both the introduction and chapter 1 of Hard to Believe.

ANOTHER LOOK

The following questions will help you review the material you read in the book.

1. The introduction to Hard to Believe sets the stage for what it costs to follow Christ today: The world is filled with millions of people who think they are headed for heaven—but they are deadly wrong. Probably most people think heaven awaits them, but it doesn’t. But what is especially sad, is that many of those people sit in evangelical churches misinformed! (p. ix). What was your initial reaction to this challenge that many Christians who believe they are headed to heaven have been misinformed? Why?

2. In your opinion, how does the title of chapter 1, Tastes Great, Less Filling, represent the author’s concern about how some churches are presenting the gospel?

3. One example of the cost of being Jesus’ disciple is found in Luke 14:26, when Jesus said, If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life, he cannot be My disciple (NASB). How does Jesus’ statement point to the lite-ness of many gospel presentations today?

4. What similarities do you see between false teachers in the ancient world as described in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 and the man-centered self-esteem gospel that eventually became the seeker-friendly movement (p. 4) in our churches today?

5. What institutions appear to endorse Christianity Lite (see the following excerpt)? In what ways do you think their watered-down approach has affected their success or popularity?

It’s Christianity for consumers: Christianity Lite, the redirections, watering down, and misinterpretation of the biblical gospel in an attempt to make it more palatable and popular. It tastes great going down and settles light. It seems to salve your feelings and scratch your itch; it’s custom-tailored to your preferences.

—Hard to Believe, p. 2

BIBLICAL CONNECTIONS

These questions will allow you to think through the biblical passages used in this particular lesson.

6. Read Luke 9:23-26. Jesus gave three commands for anyone who wants to be a Christian. Describe in your own words what these three things mean.

• deny yourself: ________________________________

• take up your cross daily: ______________________

• follow Jesus: _________________________________

7. Matthew 16:24-25 is similar and puts it this way: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (v. 25). What does it mean to lose your life for Christ’s sake?

8. What did losing your life mean for the rich young man in Mark 10:17-22?

WORD FOCUS

When Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation in 1517 by posting his Ninety-five Theses on the door at Wittenberg, he affirmed in the fourth thesis that salvation required self-hate. He wrote that self-hate remains right up to entrance into the kingdom of heaven. The original Greek word for deny means to refuse to associate with. The thought is that if you want to be Christ’s disciple, and receive forgiveness and eternal life, you must refuse to associate any longer with the person you are! You are sick of your sinful self and want nothing to do with you anymore.

—Hard to Believe, p. 7

9. Jesus said that the door to eternal life is narrow, and many who seek to enter in will not be able to (Luke 13:23-24). How might this be true of many churchgoers today?

10. Read Hebrews 2:10. What made Christ the perfect Leader? As we follow Him, what should we expect?

HIGHLIGHTING THE LESSON

These questions will help you identify the central points made in this section of the book.

11. How does Christianity Lite contradict the message Jesus gave in Matthew 7:21-23?

TRUE DISCIPLES

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter . Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS." (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB)

12. Consider the idea put forth in Robert Schuller’s book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation: The first thing we have to do is put an end to classical, God-centered theology and replace it with man-centered theology (discussed in Hard to Believe, p. 3). What does it mean to have a man-centered theology?

13. In what ways has our culture encouraged us to fulfill our own needs and avoid anything that is difficult or painful?

14. What are some ways the church can avoid being sucked into this obsession with self-fulfillment?

THE GATE TO DESTRUCTION

Excuse me, but if Christians don’t acknowledge and preach the fact that salvation is through Christ alone, they are herding unwitting people through the wide gate that leads to destruction. That’s not my opinion; that’s the Word of God. People are breezing through those wide, comfortable, inviting gates with all their baggage, their self-needs, their self-esteem, and their desire for fulfillment and self-satisfaction. And the most horrible thing about it is they think they’re going to heaven. And somebody thinks he’s done them a big favor by coming up with a consumer-friendly gospel about which everybody feels good.

—Hard to Believe, p. 13

LASTING IMPLICATIONS

The following questions will assist you in drawing personal conclusions.

15. Consider your own approach to life, especially your concern for spiritual matters. Try to identify some everyday activities that reflect your tendency toward self-fulfillment rather than self-denial.

16. In what ways can you invest your time that would encourage a godly self-denial?

17. Think about the statement: If you’re not willing to pay the price of a permanent split in your family unless your loved ones come to Christ—if you’re not willing to pay the price of greater trauma, greater conflict, greater suffering in your family—then you’re not worthy to be Jesus’ disciple (pp. 7-8). What does your reaction to this reveal