May 28 - Do You Love Me? - John 21:15-23
OVERVIEW OF JOHN 12-21
The overview will be uploaded shortly.
VIDEO LESSON
Listen to the Audio of the Lesson
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Intro - Focus Attention
- Q. Think back to the last time someone messed up or let you down. How should we handle that type of situation?
- Discuss.
- We might want to get mad, cut ties, or get even.
- We know we should show love, mercy, and forgiveness.
- Q. How would you want someone else to respond when you mess up or let them down?
- Certainly we would want others to forgive us and show grace.
- Matt 7:8 & Lk 6:31 are often referred to as the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
- Unfortunately we get that twisted and think it says, “Do unto others as they have done unto you.”
- Today we are looking at how Jesus addressed Peter’s denial by restoring him and calling Peter to follow Him.
- Context:
- Last week we looked at Jesus appearing to the disciples and how Thomas believed once he saw the Lord.
- Immediately following that passage John summarized the whole purpose of the gospel when he said, “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31). He invited everyone who read this gospel to respond in belief.
- Today we are going to be looking in the last chapter of John where we see Jesus appear to the disciples for a third time and then restore Peter to ministry by asking three times, “Do you love me?”
Truth - Explore the Text
Do You? – John 21:15-17
- The context of this conversation is on the shore of Galilee after they had eaten breakfast with the Lord.
- Q. When’s the last time you heard your full name being called out? How did it make you feel?
- Give time to respond.
- Graduation and you likely felt proud.
- By your parents and you likely felt scared knowing you got caught.
- Q. Why do you think Jesus used Peter’s full name?
- Discuss.
- To signify importance, to establish the significance of the conversation.
- It’s also possible that they were going back to the beginning, starting from scratch (In Jn 1:42 Jesus used the same name before changing his name to Peter).
- Q. What point(s) do you think Jesus is trying to make throughout this conversation with Peter?
- Give time to answer.
- Ok, you messed up: “Remember the three times you denied Me?”
- I’m not through with you: “I still have work for you to do.”
- Q. How does this passage give us hope for our lives?
- Discuss.
- The fact we have failed doesn’t mean we are finished.
- God can still use us if we confess, repent, and obey.
Will You? – John 21:18-19
- Q. Who in here would like to know God’s plan for your life?
- Give time to respond.
- Q. How can we know it?
- Discuss.
- Spend time in His word.
- Grow closer to Him.
- Pray and seek godly counsel.
- Q. Would knowing you would be a martyr for your faith in Jesus cause joy or anxiety? Explain.
- Give time to respond.
- Joy, because it means that I will stand firm in my faith.
- Anxiety, anxiety because my flesh is selfish and I might not want to go through the pain.
- Q. Read Mark 1:16-18. Why do you think Jesus repeated His mandate for Peter to follow Him?
- Discuss.
- Jesus didn’t want Peter to second guess himself. Jesus called him to the same mission He had before.
- Peter would only be successful if he followed Jesus. He couldn’t do this on his own.
What About …? – John 21:20-23
- Q. Why do you think Peter asked about John’s future?
- Give time to answer.
- The motivation is not recorded so all we can do is guess.
- It’s possible that he was trying to shift the focus to someone else.
- Q. What are the dangers of comparing ourselves to other believers?
- Give time to respond.
- It can lead to pride, distractions, a judgmental spirit, doubts, and more.
- Ultimately it can distract us from pursuing God’s calling in our life. We think to much about others and not enough about what God is calling us to do.
- Q. How do we stay focused on Jesus’ call for our life?
- Discuss.
- Don’t worry about anyone else. You are called to follow and obey Jesus, not compare ourselves to others.
- If we are following Jesus we won’t be distracted by the actions of others.
Application - Summarize and Challenge
- Believers are offered God’s grace even when they fail.
- Believers should examine the depth of their love for Jesus.
- Believers can faithfully follow Jesus in spite of their past.
- Believers are to trust God’s plans for their lives.
- Q. How can we be more redemptive when a person fails to represent Christ well?
- Discuss.
- Show grace, mercy, compassion.
- Don’t compromise the truth, speak truth in love.
- Remember the grace and restoration that has happened in our lives.
- Personal Challenge:
- Q. Reflect on times when you have failed Jesus in some way. Have you asked Jesus to forgive and restore you? If not, do that today, or even right now.
- Q. What can you learn from that experience that will help you in the future remain faithful to Jesus?
LIFEWAY RESOURCES
Quicksource
Lifeway’s Quicksource is a quick and simple tool that dives directly into the biblical text. Furthermore, it provides a simple outline of the lesson with “Talking Points” and discussion questions for each section. This resource is extremely helpful for facilitating a discussion.
Explore The Bible Podcast
Lifeway provides a podcast for teachers as they prepare to teach each lesson. These podcasts are available on the Leaders Helps webpage (look below), Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Leader Helps
Lifeway has a blog where they post Leader Helps for teachers. These range from articles on leading online groups to Extra Ideas for introducing and concluding the lesson with a current news story. You can check it out using the link below
QUOTES / ARTICLES / MEDIA
In Philippians 2:6-11 Paul quoted an early Christian hymn that testified of the work of Christ. The following article was produced by Lifeway and discusses how early believers used songs.