The Comeback Kid (2)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
● We’re continuing our series called The Comeback Kid, and this week, we’re diving into the topic of
love.
● Let me start by asking you a question: How do you describe love?
● After all, songs have described love in a million different ways.
Bruno mars will jump on a grenade for you
Beyonce describes as being CRAZY in love
Whitney Houston..willl…ALWAYS love you.
● We can all agree that our culture is obsessed with love. TV/Instagram/Movies
● Today we’re talking about a different kind of love—a love that we also sometimes struggle to
describe or understand.
● When we’re at church, we also talk about love a lot, but it’s a different kind of love than in those
songs. We say things like…
God is love
Love God, and Love People
Love is all we need.
But let’s be real: We who call ourselves followers of Jesus don’t always get it right, do we?
A 2019 study by a research group called Barna found that 59% of young people in the U.S. stopped going
to church because they felt Christians were judgmental and hypocritical1. And no matter where you live,
you’ve probably experienced some version of this. Even more recently, a study found that non-Christians
associate Christians with characteristics like hypocrisy (50%), judgment (49%), self-righteousness (46%),
and arrogance (32%). 2
● This can make understanding Jesus really confusing. Especially when…
Sometimes people who represent Jesus are rude.
Sometimes people do mean things and say it’s because they are obeying God.
Sometimes we may even feel judged or disliked by people who call themselves Christians because they
don’t agree with us or don’t like things we have done.
● It can also make us wonder what it actually looks like to love others, or what Jesus is really all
about.
● Last week, we talked about how Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, and his sister, Martha, was
sad and devastated.
● That’s when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and proved that we could have hope in Him.
● Martha’s family was celebrating. However, the religious leaders were not happy.
● They thought that if Jesus got too popular, the Roman government would take action, so they
plotted to kill Jesus.
● This is when Jesus and His closest friends decided to hang out in a small town in the middle of
nowhere.
● Soon after they went there, it was time to celebrate the Passover, which meant Jesus would need
to head back to the city.
● Jesus showed up riding a donkey, which was a statement.
● An important person in Jewish history named Zechariah had said that the future King of the Jewish
people would do just that, and the people there that day knew it.
● That’s why people who watched Him enter the city celebrated and called Him the King of Israel.
● Something else surprising: Jesus was on a donkey—a baby donkey!
● Jesus is King, yes, but Jesus was making a point that He is a humble King.
● After that, what does Jesus decide to do next? He chooses to have dinner with His friends.
● They celebrated the Passover together, and He told them what matters most.
o “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you,
you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are
my disciples” (John 13:34-35 NLT).
● We’re back to the same question: What does it mean to love?
● One phrase can help us understand. Jesus said, “Just as I have loved you.”
● Earlier in this same chapter from John’s story of Jesus, we read:
o The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him (John 13:2-5 NIV).
● Jesus, the King, washed His disciples’ feet.
● First, Jesus served someone who would betray Him: Judas.
● It is written that Jesus had all the power, but He chose humility instead.
● Finally, this act of service wasn’t the most glamorous experience. Jesus chose to do it!
● It was this act of service that Jesus used to show what love looks like.
● To love like Jesus is to serve like Jesus.
● [INTERACTIVE: This Is How We Serve: In this Interactive, you’ll use common household items to
demonstrate the ways in which we can serve others every day.]
● Let's say you did the same—that you served others out of life.
● That’s what Jesus did. And we can do the same!
● To love like Jesus is to serve like Jesus.
● We can look to Jesus’ example of loving through service.
● In fact, here are three thing we can do to serve more like Jesus served:
o Choose to serve our friends and our enemies.
o Choose humility.
o Choose to serve, even when it’s not fun.
● To love like Jesus is to serve like Jesus.
● When we serve, we show love the way Jesus did. We show people what Jesus is all about. [Give
relevant examples.]
● Just think about the potential of what we’ve talked about today. [Give relevant examples.]
● That’s what can happen when we decide to love like Jesus, by serving like Jesus.
● What is one way you can serve like Jesus this week?
