There is a false belief in our world today that Jesus is only interested in people who seem to “have it all together.” Of course, this belief is entirely contrary to Scripture’s teaching that Jesus is indeed interested in people who do not “have it all together.” In fact, He came to this earth in order to save those who are lost in their sin. While on Earth, Jesus associated with those who were disliked and sinners. Through His ministry, He taught that no one is so far gone that they cannot be rescued or used by Him.
Who is someone you know who God rescued and used for His kingdom who seemed “too far gone?”
1. Read Luke 5:27-32. What does Jesus’ selection of Matthew as a disciple reveal about who Jesus invites to be a part of His ministry?
Luke 5:27-32
27 Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. 29 Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” 31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
2. According to Luke 5:27-32, what was the purpose of Jesus' coming and His ministry, and how does this purpose speak against the false teaching that Jesus is only interested in those who "have it all together?"
3. Read Mark 8:34-37. How does this teaching from Jesus speak against the false belief that Jesus is only interested in people who have it all together?
Mark 8:34-37
34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul?
4. Instead of coming to Jesus like we have everything all together, how does Jesus invite us to come to Him in Mark 8:34-37?
1. Have you fallen under the false assumption that God is only interested in you if you “have it all together?” Why or why not?
2. How can we follow Jesus’ example that He set during His ministry of reaching out to the lost?
3. Jesus invites us to come to Him surrendered, letting go of the things of this world and without having everything together. What do you need to surrender today that you have been holding on to too tightly?
One way that Jesus reached the lost is that He went to places where He could have intentional conversations with the lost. Where are you currently going to reach out to the lost and build intentional relationships with them? How is it going? If you are not currently going to places to build intentional relationships with the lost, where can you start going to reach out to the lost?
Jesus not only seeks out those who are lost in sin and do not "have it all together." Jesus came to rescue the lost (all of us!) from sin and death and offer a new calling to live for Him and His kingdom. He offers this through His forgiveness, restoration, and the mission He calls His followers to be a part of when they place their faith in Him.
Jesus came and sought out the lost so that He could bring help and healing through the forgiveness of sins. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, we can find freedom in the forgiveness that He offers. We can also extend His forgiveness to others and point those around us straight to Him and the forgiveness that He offers.
1. Read Ephesians 1:6-8.
Ephesians 1:6-8
For So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
2. What was the result of Jesus’ death on the cross, according to this passage of Scripture?
3. How does Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross impact our daily living, according to this passage of Scripture?
4. What would it look like to model Jesus’ forgiveness in our world today?
When sin came into the world, sin marred the perfect, beautiful relationship between God and humanity. When Jesus came, He not only offered forgiveness of sins but also restoration between God the Father and humanity. He redeemed and restored everything that was lost in the Garden of Eden when sin came into the world.
1. Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21.
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2. How did Jesus reconcile the relationship between God and humanity?
3. What is the result of the reconciliation that Jesus brought about through His death and resurrection?
4. How does the reconciliation that Jesus brought between God and humanity impact our daily living, according to this passage of Scripture?
After encountering the forgiveness and restoration that Jesus offers, He gives His followers a job to do. He gives us a job to do. He empowers us and invites us to carry on His ministry that He began while He was here on this earth.
1. Read Acts 1:6-9.
Acts 1:6-9
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
2. Summarize the command that Jesus gave in this passage of Scripture to His disciples before He left earth and returned to heaven.
3. What evidence did Jesus give that we are not alone when it comes to making Him known to those around us? How does that evidence give you hope and confidence as you obey Jesus’ command in this passage of Scripture?
4. Who is one person in your life who needs the hope of Christ? How are you reaching out to them with the hope of Christ?
Now that you have all shared one person in your lives who are far from Christ, pray together for each of these people by name. Pray that God would make Himself known to each one of these people in your lives who do not have a relationship with Him. Pray that He would use each one of you to make Him known in the lives of these people. As you go throughout your week, look for opportunities to have intentional conversations about Christ with these people.
©2025 Sagebrush Church
