We are in the middle of a brand-new series called What If? This week, we are answering an essential question for anyone who claims to follow Jesus: What If we loved people like Jesus calls us to? During His ministry on Earth, Jesus called His followers to show love to the people around us. He also demonstrated what it looks like to truly love others. Imagine the impact if every Christ-follower obeyed this command and loved people in the same way that Christ demonstrated His love.
Who is someone in your life who has demonstrated Christ-like love?
1. How would you define Christ’s love?
2. Read John 13:31-35, a passage which took place shortly before Jesus’ death. How did Jesus redefine what love looks like?
John 13:31-35
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once. 33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
3. Read Mark 10:35-45. How did Jesus demonstrate His love, according to this passage of Scripture?
Mark 10:35-45
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.” 36 “What is your request?” he asked. 37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” 39 “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. 40 But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.” 41 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
4. Read 1 Peter 4:10-11. What is the purpose of the gifts that God has given us, according to this passage of Scripture?
1 Peter 4:10-11
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
1. What does it look like today to demonstrate the love that Jesus modeled?
2. How is Jesus’ definition of love different from the world’s definition of love?
3. What specific ways has God gifted you to show your love for others by serving?
Now that everyone has shared specific ways that God has gifted them to serve, think about how you can put those gifts into practice. Share with your group one step you can take to serve. Maybe you have the gift of hospitality, making people feel welcome. Can you volunteer with our Guest Services team to welcome people to our weekend services? Maybe you have a gift of sharing your faith. If so, the First Steps room is an excellent place for you to serve. Maybe you have a gift of working with children. If that is you, find out more information about serving in Kids Planet. Whatever you decide, share how you will take a step to serve others with your group. When you are finished, pray together. Ask God to guide all of you as you seek to love the people around you well by serving.
As we discussed in our Bible study earlier, if we want to understand how to love others in the way that God calls us to love, we can look to Jesus, who set the ultimate example for us of what true, genuine, sacrificial love looks like. Over the next few minutes, take a deeper look at how Jesus loved throughout His ministry on earth to gain a better understanding of His call to believers to love the people around us.
While many of us today tend to pick and choose those we want to love, Jesus modeled a different way. Unlike many of us, Jesus showed no partiality when it came to those whom He loved. He loved the outcasts and those who were caught up in sin. Jesus loved everyone.
1. Read Matthew 8:1-4.
Matthew 8:1-4
Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. 2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
2. Compare the way Jesus treated the man with leprosy with the way the rest of the world treated him.
3. Who are some of the people today that we treat as outcasts, outsiders, or “unclean?”
4. What does it look like today to love people in the same way as He loved the man in this passage of Scripture?
Not only did Jesus love the outcasts and those who were deemed to be “unlovable,” He also loved people who hurt him and insulted Him. He did not harbor resentment or anger. Instead, He had compassion and forgiveness. In doing so, He modeled for us how to forgive and “love our enemies” (Matthew 5:44)
1. Read John 18:1-11, a passage of Scripture that took place as Jesus was arrested right before His crucifixion on the cross.
John 18:1-11
After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. 2 Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. 3 The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. 4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. 5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7 Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” 9 He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.” 10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”
2. Why do you think Peter did what he did in this passage of Scripture?
3. What did Jesus’ healing in this passage represent?
4. What does it look like today to love people in the same way Jesus showed love to the man in this passage of Scripture?
One of the most powerful ways that Jesus redefined love was through His sacrifice. Jesus' love is so profound and grand that He lived a life rooted in sacrifice while He was on this earth. Although He was the Son of God, He came to earth to give His very life to save humanity from sin.
1. Read John 10:11-18.
John 10:11-18
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd. 17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
2. What did Jesus reveal about His role as the “Good Shepherd” in these verses?
3. How would Jesus demonstrate His love, according to this passage of Scripture?
4. What does it look like today to love people in the same way that Jesus expressed His love in this passage of Scripture?
After looking at how Christ demonstrated love, what stands out to you about the way He loved? Share that with your group. Next, share one way you can grow based on the sacrificial love He demonstrated to all people, even the outcasts and those who had hurt Him. Share that with your group. Finish your time together praying. Ask God to help you all as you seek to follow Christ’s example of love for the people around you.
If you were to ask a room full of people if they struggle with worry, well over half of the room would raise their hands. Worry has become an increasingly alarming struggle that so many people face. Because worry is so prevalent in our society, today we will dive in to see what Scripture teaches about worry and learn how to wage war on the worries that we face.
What types of things do people worry about today?
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1. Do you struggle with worry often, or is worry not a main struggle for you?
2. Read Matthew 6:25-30. Why do Christ followers not need to worry, based on this passage of Scripture?
Matthew 6:25-30
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
3. Read Matthew 6:31-34. How can we fight against worry, according to this passage of Scripture?
Matthew 6:31-34
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
4. Read Philippians 4:6-7. How does prayer help us in the battle against worry?
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
1. How have you personally been impacted by worry?
2. Name one way God has taken care of you in the past. How does His past provision help you in the battle against worry?
3. What are you worried about today? After reading our Scripture passages for today, how can you fight against that worry?
Earlier, you shared one way you have been impacted by worry. Take a few minutes to follow Paul's instruction in Philippians and pray. Pray about the areas you are concerned about. Ask God to work in each one of your lives and to fill you with His peace.
Lack of faith in God is one of the reasons for worry. When we do not trust Him to take care of us, we doubt His power to work in our lives and let worry take over. Alternatively, when we trust His power, our faith is strengthened, and our worry begins to subside. When Jesus was on this earth, He demonstrated His divine power. Specifically, He demonstrated His power over nature and death. He also proved that He has the power to save all who trust in Him. When we remember His power, we can start to let go of worry and trust His plan.
While He was on earth, Jesus and His disciples were caught in a terrible storm at sea. It was so bad that the disciples feared for their lives. They soon learned that they had nothing to be afraid of because Jesus has power over nature.
1. Read Mark 4:35-41.
Mark 4:35-41
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
2. Compare the disciples’ reaction to the storm versus Jesus’ reaction to the storm?
3. Why do you think Jesus was likely sleeping?
4. What did Jesus show His disciples about Himself in this passage of Scripture?
5. How does Jesus’ power over nature bring peace to our worries?
As Jesus’ time on earth was coming to an end, it was time for Him to prove just how great His power is. His friend Lazarus had died. While many were mourning, Jesus had a plan all along. He was going to show His power in an extraordinary, unforgettable, and unmistakable way.
1. Read John 11:38-44, a passage of Scripture that took place when Jesus arrived at Lazarus' tomb.
John 11:38-44
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” 40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
2. Describe how Jesus felt in this passage of Scripture. Why do you think He felt that way?
3. What did Jesus hope would happen after raising Lazarus from the dead?
4. How does Jesus’ power over death bring peace to our worries?
Jesus made it clear throughout His ministry that He has the power to save. Because of His saving power, we can have hope of eternal life with Him one day if we place our faith in Him. Take a look at what Jesus taught us about His power to save in John 3:16-17.
1. Read John 3:16-17.
John 3:16-17
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
2. How does Jesus offer saving power, according to this passage of Scripture?
3. How did Jesus demonstrate His saving power that He spoke about in John 3:16-17?
4. How does Jesus’ saving power bring peace to worries we might have?
1. In what area of your life are you feeling worried and in need of God’s power?
2. How does Jesus’ power give you peace in the middle of the worries you may be experiencing?
Commit to praying for each other this week. Pray for the worries and concerns that were shared. Pray also that God would give each one of you peace and confidence in His power.
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