Real Life. Real People. Real Jesus. 

1. What Your Life Reveals
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Question: Where do you see your everyday choices revealing what matters most to you?

Go deeper:

• When you look at your time, energy, and resources, what seems to receive the best of you?
• Where does your love for Jesus naturally show up in how you care for others?
• What part of your everyday life feels hardest to offer to God?

Connection: The sermon repeatedly asks whom or what we worship because our devotion shapes our service. Paul grounds this response in God’s mercy: we offer ourselves because of what God has already done for us.

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2. Love That Shows Up
Nehemiah 11:2 (ESV)
“And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.”

Question: When have you experienced someone’s willing service as a personal expression of God’s love?

Go deeper:

• What made that person’s willingness meaningful to you?
• How has being loved through someone’s actions shaped the way you treat others?
• What helps you serve gladly, and what tends to turn service into an obligation?

Connection: The bus driver’s faithful jail visits and the volunteers who moved into Jerusalem demonstrate love expressed through willing action. Their examples invite us to consider how God might use our willingness to influence someone else’s life.

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3. When Love Costs Something
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Question: What keeps you from willingly serving when it interrupts the life you have planned?

Go deeper:

• Which feels hardest to release right now: time, comfort, control, money, or familiarity—and why?
• When has God used an inconvenient opportunity to change your priorities?
• What would it look like to bring your hesitation honestly to God and let someone in this group support you?

Connection: The sermon describes the sacrifices involved in moving to Jerusalem, including leaving familiar comforts and taking on new responsibilities. Renewed thinking helps us recognize God’s purposes when obedience carries a personal cost.

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4. Whose Name Matters?
Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Question: Where do you notice a desire to be appreciated influencing your willingness to serve?

Go deeper:

• How do you respond when your effort goes unnoticed or someone else receives the credit?
• Who has modeled faithful service without needing attention, and what have you learned from them?
• How could your response to being overlooked become an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus?

Connection: The bus driver wanted people to remember Jesus more than his own name. The sermon connects this attitude with Jesus’ call to serve visibly in ways that direct people’s attention toward the Father.

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5. Your Willing Yes
Nehemiah 11:2 (ESV)
“And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered to live in Jerusalem.”

Question: What would it look like for you to give Jesus a willing “yes” through one specific act of service this coming week?

Go deeper:

• Who in your home, church, workplace, or neighborhood could benefit from your presence and help?
• What will you need to rearrange or release to follow through?
• How can this group encourage you and check in with you next time?

Connection: The sermon closes by asking how we will willingly serve Jesus and points toward the volunteer fair as one practical opportunity. This question turns the message into a concrete response that flows from love for Christ.

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Closing Prayer
Thank God for His mercy and for the people whose willing service has helped you know Jesus. Ask Him to reveal anything competing for your devotion, deepen your love for Him, and help each person follow through on one willing act of service this week.

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Take-Home Challenge