John 11:32-45
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This is the third week in our mini-series on The Fruit of the Spirit. This sermon is called "The Love of Jesus"
Questions and going deeper resources
Small group questions
Connect What regular opportunities do you have to express goodness in your heart & through your actions?
Warm-Up
- Do you think our culture understands love to be more of a noun or a verb?
- Why would Richard Dawkins claim that when you look at the universe who see pitiless indifference?
- How does looking to Jesus show us radical love rather than pitiless indifference?
Read John 11:17-37
- What was Jesus’ relationship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus? What was the message sent to Jesus?
- When Jesus nears Bethany, what cry is he greeted with by both Mary and Martha? Is this accurate?
- What would it have been like for Jesus to walk into this situation? How would you have felt?
- How was Jesus making himself physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually vulnerable?
- How would Jesus make himself ultimately vulnerable for us because of his love?
- How should this give us confidence that we can make ourselves vulnerable with God? What do you think it looks like in practice to make yourself vulnerable to God?
- In the face of suffering, do you ever feel like God hasn’t shown up? What do you do with that?
Read 1 John 4:9-12
- What does John say is the ultimate expression of God’s love for us?
- What is the significance of God loving us before we loved him? Why is God’s unmerited love good news?
- How should this type of love enable us to trust him and also love others in a similar way?
- What can cause us to hold back our love for God? How about love for other people? What might help?
Read John 11:38-46
- Why—according to Jesus—was it so important for people to witness the resurrection of Lazarus?
- What does it mean to believe in Jesus? How is Jesus’ sacrificial love for us the means by which the ultimate enemies of sin and death are conquered? How is Lazarus’ resurrection a glimpse of this?
- Can you think of an example of being loved sacrificially by someone (other than God)?
- What do you find most challenging about loving? How is Jesus both the standard and source of love?
- In the knowledge of God’s love for us, how do you think you are called to love others?
Apply How could you be more vulnerable with God so that you might grow in your experience and expression of his (vulnerable, unmerited, and sacrificial) love?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, we pray that this day you will fill us with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Amen.
Going deeper resources
On Your Frontline this Week
What fruit of the Spirit is least prominent on your frontline? How can you nurture it?
For Families
- Download: some of the family resources to use at home: stbartskids.org
Listen, Watch, and Read
- Listen (sermon): “The Love of Jesus” by Tim Keller:
https://gospelinlife.com/sermon/the-love-of-jesus/ - Listen (sermon): “Love each other” by Vaughan Roberts:
https://stebbes.org/sermons/love-each-other/#sermons - Listen (sermon): “Jesus, the resurrection and the life” by William Taylor:
https://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/talk/56894/ - Listen (sermon): “The Emotions” by John Stott:
https://www.allsouls.org/Media/AllMedia.aspx?show_media=51729&show_file=58443 - Watch (video): “Love” by the Bible Project:
https://bibleproject.com/videos/agape-love/
Series Resources
- Read (book): “Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit” by Christopher Wright. 📚
- Listen (sermons): “Fruit of the Spirit & the Character of Jesus” by Tim Keller: https://bit.ly/3r5alRY
- Watch (video): “Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit” by Chris Wright: https://us.langham.org/fruit/
