Message Notes
Look Back
How have you intentionally been carrying out Jesus’ command to love God and others where you Live, Work, Play or Learn? How have others responded?
Look Up
Read Galatians 5:13-18
- What do most people think “freedom” is? How does this compare to how Paul describes freedom in these verses?
- What does Paul tell his readers to “not” do with their freedom? Why do you think he stresses this?
- What does Paul encourage us to do with our freedom? What does he say should be our motivation and goal?
- Have you ever used your freedom to serve others? What happened and what was the result?
Read Philippians 2:1-8
- How is this passage similar to the Galatians passage? What words and concepts do the 2 passages have in common?
- What do you think Paul means when he says that Jesus “took on the very nature of a servant”? How does this apply to people today?
- How does thinking of others as better than ourselves impact how we serve? Is it possible to serve others without having this attitude?
- In verse 8, Paul says that Jesus was humble and obedient? Which of these is easier for you and how does this impact the way you serve?
Overall (Discovery Bible Study)
- What do these scriptures say about God?
- What do they say about people?
- How will I apply this to my life?
Look Ahead
How can you use your freedom in life to pursue God’s plan for your life?
Notes
Using freedom to become a servant is a radical concept, but this is exactly what Jesus did for us. These verses remind us that our natural response to freedom is to focus on ourselves and our natural desires. However, Paul challenges us to take a different approach that was modeled by Jesus, who gave up everything for us. Serving others is not based on our skills or abilities, but on our attitude. To truly serve others we need to move out of our comfort zone, take an interest in others and come to see them as being more important than our personal interests and desires. This does not happen immediately, but occurs over time when we are obedient and willing to follow the example given by Christ.
