Each week, these sermon discussion guides are made available to help you engage the sermon text more fully. For those in a small group, this is what your group will use as its jumping-off point. You are also encouraged to use this in the context of your own home, whether personally or as a family, as you seek to apply the message to your life.
Sermon Summary: Luke 9:28-36
Main Ideas
I. The cross wasn’t Jesus’ plan B, so it shouldn’t be our plan B either
II. The cross was necessary because it fulfills our salvation
III. The cross was necessary because it fulfills Jesus’ own glory
IV. The cross was necessary because it fulfills God’s eternal plan
Application Points
I. Don’t treat the cross and the gospel like safety nets. Run to them with desperation.
II. When we avoid the path to the cross, we rob Jesus of glory.
Quotes
This account centers on Jesus, not on Moses and Elijah and not even on Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. The law and the prophets pointed to Jesus. He is the essence and the heart of God’s revelation… Therefore when anyone seeks to add something, making the Christian faith “Jesus + _____,” a basic misunderstanding of the Christian faith has occurred. — Robert H. Stein "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." — John 1:14
Questions for Personal Response
Where have you seen (in yourself or others) the tendency to treat grace and forgiveness as a “plan B”?
What challenges do we face as we seek to make running to the cross our first response?
What situations are you facing right now where the cross needs to take its rightful place in your response rather than being seen as a “plan B”?