The Love of Jesus | Portrait of Jesus | John 13: 1-20
As Jesus approaches the cross, he prepares his disciples for what is about to happen. All coming from his absolute love (v1) for them.
How do you experience the love of Jesus towards you?
What is your response to Jesus/God becoming like a slave, kneeling before us and washing your feet? What does your heart do with a Jesus/God that serves you instead of requiring you to serve him?
What does it look like for you to go and live Jesus’ pattern out to those in our community? What happens for you as you consider becoming like Jesus to pursue and wash the “dirty feet” of those in our community?
The Tears of Jesus | Portrait of Jesus | John 11: 17-44
“Jesus wept.” John 11.35 is the shortest verse in the Bible and yet it contains some of the most potent messaging. It’s part of the resurrection of Lazarus story we’ll look at and, in many ways, is at the heart of the whole story. You can’t build an accurate portrait of Jesus without engaging His tears. Those tears speak volumes of not only His humanity but ours. They confer to us a way of moving in a troubled, broken world that allows us to be not only be more fully human, but also more godly. And as we’ll see, it is through the tears of Jesus that we find salvation and, paradoxically, one day freedom from tears themselves.
Where do you find yourself in sorrow today?
Scott said the tears of Jesus represent both His humanity and His true presence with us—is it hard for you to “see” Jesus as one who weeps for you or is it easier to see Jesus as simply distant power who defeats sin and death? What difference does it make that He is the “God who weeps”?
Scott said the revolution in this passage is knowing the meaning of His tears—the angry tears of determination and the His tears over His impending death. How does a better understanding of why Jesus weeps change your faith?
Scott concluded by saying Jesus transforms our tears—away from grief without hope to hope within grief. We don’t dismiss our tears but neither do we get lost in them without hope. Are there places in your sorrow today that need to be informed by the hope of Jesus Christ?
The Patience Jesus | Portrait of Jesus | Mark 3:7-12
Besides the examples Bob talked about in the sermon, can you think of other examples where Jesus showed patience?
In what ways do you believe that God is patient with you?
Why are humility, patience and humble service counterintuitive regarding cultural transformation and kingdom advancement?
In which area do you struggle most to be patient - Suffering? Service to others? Love? Prayer? Verbal witness?
Bob said that living in union with Christ can bring His patience to transform our hearts. What do you think it means to live in union with Christ? Are there ways you can learn more about this?
The Temptation of Jesus | Portrait of Jesus | Matthew 4:1-11
SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you struggle with the idea of personal evil/Satan? If so, why do you think that is?
2. Scott said Jesus faced three types of temptation that cover the gamut of our lives: appetite, approval and ambition. Of those three, which do you find to be the most tempting?
3. Scott said that Jesus is our escape because He did (refuse to give in to sin) what we have not done and In the process secured our eternal life at the Cross. He is the Living Word that we can draw on in times of need through His Word. What practices do you need to start to be prepared for the battle for your heart? What practices do you need to stop for the same reason?
Power and Authority | Portrait of Jesus | Mark 1: 21-28
We begin our series, Portrait of Jesus, with an opening scene in the Gospels where Jesus declares that God’s kingdom has come with His arrival and immediately he begins to not only teach this—leading to proclamations of amazement among the people—but demonstrated the kingdom through casting out evil spirits. What’s the significance of it all? Jesus is saying, “The King has come and He comes with authority and power.” And what do we do before a true king? We bow. Jesus calls His discipled and He calls us to follow Him too—to bow down in submission—that we might discover the joy of becoming like Him. In discovering the true portrait of Jesus, we see ourselves as we were truly created to be.
1. Have you ever met someone of great power, fame and worth? What was it like?
2. Scott said Jesus comes to us as a king but an unexpected one, to be sure. He gives us a glimpse into His power over life itself in a cosmic showdown with evil but is determined to keep a low profile all the same. How do you make sense of this seeming paradox? What does it teach us for our own lives as His followers?
3. Scott said we all have “kings” that we bow down to, pay homage too. What “kings” have you been following lately in the place of the true King?
4. Scott concluded by noting we have been called to follow Him and this means to “repent and believe” but that is not a one time event as Christians but an ongoing reality. How is God speaking to you about this right now?