King’s Cross by Timothy Keller – Chapter 9 – The Turn

Opening prayer

Read the italicized passages of Scripture in Chapter 9.

Questions

1. According to Timothy Keller, what are the two things that Jesus says in Chapter 8 of Mark’s Gospel?
2. The Jews of the first century were expecting the Messiah to come, but a Messiah who came to suffer was not only unexpected, it was hard to comprehend.  Why did Jesus’ followers not understand when he said that he must suffer and die?
3. Timothy Keller speaks of a personal necessity, a legal necessity and a cosmic necessity that moved Jesus to willingly suffer and die.  In your own words, what is the personal necessity for Jesus’ suffering and death (pp. 98-100)?
4. How does the security of Jesus’ love enable us to need less and love more?
5. What is the legal necessity for Jesus’ suffering and death (p. 100-101)?
6. How does what Jesus did for us on the cross move us to “pay the price” we need to pay to forgive others?
7. What was the cosmic necessity for Jesus’ suffering and death (pp. 101-103)?
8. How does Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross take away our fear of death?  What difference does that make in our lives?
9. Timothy Keller writes “Once you see the Son of God loving you like that, [suffering and dying on the cross,] once you are moved by that viscerally and existentially, you begin to get a strength, an assurance, a sense of your own value and distinctiveness that is not based on what you are doing or whether somebody loves you, whether you’ve lost weight or how much money you’ve got.  You’re free—the old approach to identity is gone” (p. 105).  In your own words, describe how our identity becomes rooted in Christ instead of performance or people-pleasing.
10. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).  Describe the cross that we pick up as we begin life in the kingdom of God.
11. Close by reading the last 2 paragraphs of Chapter 9.

Closing Prayer