https://content.lessons.church/files/bundles/VZb2ecfUCya/Study Files.zip?dt=1661525139242

Study Files

Session 2 Video

To be on the cross is to be a failure. It was to be shamed. The cross enables us to be honest with ourselves - here we can be honest about our failures. But Jesus is setting us free from the shame of our failures. We have been reconciled to God through Him.

Session 2

Today You Will be With Me: From Failure to Hope

Free video resources for you and your church. Designed for use in these environments: Adult Studies, Student Ministry, Leadership Training, Personal Growth.


The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

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Lesson Outline

https://content.lessons.church/files/study/Fv48sjq1hqD/WdHyeXjvoZB/Way of the Cross (Doug Welch).pdf?dt=1661524891147

In this engaging and enlightening series, Doug Welch, a seasoned New Testament faculty member at Ozark Christian College, takes participants on a deep dive into the profound message of the cross. With compassion and wisdom, he addresses the struggles and uncertainties faced by many Christians, providing clarity and understanding on the true nature of salvation. By unraveling the significance of the final seven statements uttered by Jesus on the cross, Welch guides individuals on a transformative journey from ignorance to empathy, failure to hope, isolation to family, abandonment to confidence, weakness to control, ambition to contentment, and ultimately, surrendering their lives into the hands of God. Through each session, participants will be equipped to navigate the complexities of their faith, discover renewed purpose, and experience the profound freedom that comes from embracing the way of the cross.

The Way of the Cross

 In this transformative series, Doug Welch (New Testament faculty at Ozark Christian College) explores the final seven statements of Jesus on the cross, providing guidance and clarity for Christians facing challenges and seeking a deeper understanding of salvation.

Classroom

Lesson

- We shouldn’t want to be taking this journey — talking about being disciples in the way of the Cross through the 7 words of Jesus from the cross.
   - I don’t think we really fully appreciate what crucifixion meant in the time of Jesus.
   - It’s obviously a means of execution — but it’s more than that.
   - Generally, the Romans saved crucifixion for those they wanted to make an example of — specifically in a political way. It was generally reserved for those who were rebelling against Rome or inciting others to rebel.
   - So for these failed rebels, the Romans would execute them in a public way — outside the city along a major road, with a sign over the criminal’s head stating what they did.
   - It was basically Rome’s way of saying “Don’t mess with us. This is what happens to those who mess with us.”

- So to be on the cross is to be a failure. It was to be shamed.

- The cross enables us to be honest with ourselves — here we can be honest about our failures.
   - Somehow, someway, that failed rebel saw victory when others only saw defeat. Saw a  coronation to a Kingdom when others only saw shame.
   - He understood (how? No idea) — the hopeful aspect of the Kingdom — that what God is doing in the world requires trust, it requires the kind of hope that sees beyond present suffering.

- And to this failed rebel, Jesus says the 2nd word from the cross: “Today, you will be with me in 
paradise.”
    - This word teaches us that Jesus is setting us free from the shame of our failures
   - In Romans 5:6-11 Paul reminds us who we used to be — here are the words he uses for us: “powerless,” “ungodly,” “sinner,” and “enemy.”
   - But it’s failures like us that God is restoring and reconciling to Himself

- And to that one failed rebel, that hope came “Today!”
  - The difference between a wish and a hope is how it affects you right now in the present.
   - We have been reconciled to God.

- We cannot bring about paradise by ourselves, despite how well things might be going at the moment.

Today You Will be With Me: From Failure to Hope

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