Brand New (4) – What Love Requires

Welcome to CROLCC, we are so glad you are here worshiping with us. We are nearing the end of our series Brand New and I hope you have been able to spend some time processing the questions every week. This indeed is a challenging topic because we all grew up with a set of traditions and a set of values. Even if you grew up in a Christian environment and you hear people say “the Bible says…”, but is it really in the Bible or is it just tradition? We said that our consciences often determine our religious realities whether they actually reflect reality or not. So it’s important to understand and to figure out what Jesus actually said.

We have said from the beginning that the arrival of Jesus signaled the end of the Temple Model and the beginning of something brand new—an approach to faith characterized by love of others. The Temple Model is you-focused, but Jesus’ new covenant calls for a focus on the you beside you. It’s a far more simpler yet much more demanding model. Because it requires you and me to do something. So, what is required if we want to follow Jesus’ example and radically love the people around us?

Moving Forward

Love offers us no place to hide. It offers no loopholes, short cuts, or workarounds. But aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t look for a loophole to loving you? What does love require of you at home, at work, in traffic, in line at the grocery store? We almost always know the answer to that question. The hard part is actually doing what love requires.

Changing Your Mind

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Matthew 25:40

Discussion Questions

1. Talk about a time this week when someone did a small act of kindness for you. What did it do for your day or your week?

2. During the message you heard “Your devotion to God is illustrated, demonstrated, and authenticated by your love for others.” Do you agree with that statement? Why or why not?

3. Read Matthew 25:31–40. In what ways does this passage challenge your assumptions about God? What are its implications in your daily life?

4. What is one group of people that is different from you and that you find it difficult to love? Consider the words of Matthew 25:31–40 in light of that group. What are some obstacles you would have to overcome to love that group of people?

5. Think about a difficult relationship in your life. Within the context of that relationship, what does love require of you? Be specific. What can this group do to support you and hold you accountable as you move to love that person?