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Bouquet Canyon Church
Love Is Not Blind
Locations & Times
Bouquet Canyon Church
26900 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
WHY LOVE OTHERS?
1. God has commanded it
2. Jesus has championed it
3. It keeps us walking in the light
4. We know who we are in Christ
Discussion Notes (for use in a small group or individual study)
Sermon: Love Is Not Blind
Questions:
1. Opening question: Have you ever injured yourself because you couldn’t see clearly? What happened?
2. The sermon was based on 1 John 2:7-14. What stood out to you in the sermon? Do you have any questions to bring up?
3. Loved People Love People
a. Read John 13:34–35 and 1 John 4:7–12, 19. Jesus calls His followers to love one another, but the New Testament never presents Christian love as something we simply manufacture through greater effort. Our love begins with God's love for us.
b. Why do you think Jesus made our love for one another such an important identifying mark of His disciples?
c. How might being deeply convinced that you are loved and forgiven by God change the way you respond to someone who is difficult to love?
4. Hatred Can Distort Our Vision
a. Read 1 John 2:9–11 and the story of Jonah in Jonah 3:10–4:11. Jonah knew many true things about God—and could even give an excellent theological description of God's character (4:2). Yet his anger toward the Ninevites profoundly distorted his perspective.
b. What was Jonah able to see clearly, and what was he unable—or unwilling—to see? How does his story illustrate John's warning that hatred can affect our ability to see where we are going?
c. How can resentment, anger, or hurt distort the way we see another person? (See also Matthew 7:1–5; James 3:13–18.)
5. Remember Who You Are
a. Read 1 John 2:12–14 and Colossians 3:12–14. John reminds his readers that they are forgiven, they know God, God's Word lives in them, and they have overcome the evil one. Paul similarly begins his instructions about loving relationships by reminding Christians who they already are: “God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”
b. Why do you think the New Testament so often reminds Christians of their identity before—or while—calling them to live differently? What goes wrong when Christian obedience becomes simply “try harder”?
c. Which truth about your identity in Christ do you most need to remember when you are struggling to love someone?
6. Is there someone you need God's help to see differently this week? What would taking one concrete step of Christlike love toward that person look like?
7. Thank God for loving you first—for forgiving your sins, bringing you into His family, and giving you new life in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any bitterness, resentment, prejudice, or unresolved hurt that may be distorting the way you see others. Pray for specific people who are difficult to love, asking God to help you see them in His light and to let the love you have received from Christ flow through you to them.
Sermon: Love Is Not Blind
Questions:
1. Opening question: Have you ever injured yourself because you couldn’t see clearly? What happened?
2. The sermon was based on 1 John 2:7-14. What stood out to you in the sermon? Do you have any questions to bring up?
3. Loved People Love People
a. Read John 13:34–35 and 1 John 4:7–12, 19. Jesus calls His followers to love one another, but the New Testament never presents Christian love as something we simply manufacture through greater effort. Our love begins with God's love for us.
b. Why do you think Jesus made our love for one another such an important identifying mark of His disciples?
c. How might being deeply convinced that you are loved and forgiven by God change the way you respond to someone who is difficult to love?
4. Hatred Can Distort Our Vision
a. Read 1 John 2:9–11 and the story of Jonah in Jonah 3:10–4:11. Jonah knew many true things about God—and could even give an excellent theological description of God's character (4:2). Yet his anger toward the Ninevites profoundly distorted his perspective.
b. What was Jonah able to see clearly, and what was he unable—or unwilling—to see? How does his story illustrate John's warning that hatred can affect our ability to see where we are going?
c. How can resentment, anger, or hurt distort the way we see another person? (See also Matthew 7:1–5; James 3:13–18.)
5. Remember Who You Are
a. Read 1 John 2:12–14 and Colossians 3:12–14. John reminds his readers that they are forgiven, they know God, God's Word lives in them, and they have overcome the evil one. Paul similarly begins his instructions about loving relationships by reminding Christians who they already are: “God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”
b. Why do you think the New Testament so often reminds Christians of their identity before—or while—calling them to live differently? What goes wrong when Christian obedience becomes simply “try harder”?
c. Which truth about your identity in Christ do you most need to remember when you are struggling to love someone?
6. Is there someone you need God's help to see differently this week? What would taking one concrete step of Christlike love toward that person look like?
7. Thank God for loving you first—for forgiving your sins, bringing you into His family, and giving you new life in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any bitterness, resentment, prejudice, or unresolved hurt that may be distorting the way you see others. Pray for specific people who are difficult to love, asking God to help you see them in His light and to let the love you have received from Christ flow through you to them.