Walking in Love, Truth, and Obedience

Discussion Questions

The sermon describes agape love as something not inborn but received through humility and dependence on God. In what ways might pride or self-sufficiency block you from receiving and extending this kind of love to others in the body of Christ?

The pastor draws a parallel between the dependence of a two- or three-year-old on a loving parent and the posture we should have before God. How does this image challenge or reshape the way you currently approach your relationship with God?

The sermon suggests that walking in love, truth, and obedience are inseparable, like sides of the same coin. Can you think of a time when you pursued one of these without the others? What was the result?

The pastor proposes spiritually receiving communion three times a day as a way of drawing near to God and sustaining agape love. What daily rhythms or disciplines help you stay dependent on God, and how effective have they been?

The three false teachings about Jesus-Docetism, Gnosticism, and Cerinthianism-distorted his nature in ways that affected how people lived. How does a clear understanding of Jesus as fully God and fully human affect the way you live out your faith?

The sermon references Romans 2 to suggest that God has written his law on the hearts of all people and will judge accordingly through Christ. How does this shape the way you relate to and speak about people who have never heard the gospel or who follow other faiths?

The pastor uses the image of all paths leading up the same holy mountain to describe how God judges the hearts of all people. How do you hold together a deep conviction about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ with a generous and humble posture toward those outside the church?

The sermon points out that 1 John uses the word agape roughly forty times across five chapters, with forty percent concentrated in chapter four. What does this emphasis suggest about what God considers most central to the Christian life?

The pastor's mother told him he would always seem like a ten-year-old to her, and he reacted with frustration. How does that story connect to the challenge of accepting childlike dependence before God, especially for people who value competence and self-reliance?

In Matthew 5, Jesus deepens the commandment against murder to include anger and contempt toward a brother or sister. How does this interior standard expose areas where you need God's agape love to do work you cannot do on your own?

Small Group Guide: Walking in Love and Truth

Based on 2 John

Overview

This guide helps your group explore the sermon's themes from 2 John: walking in love, truth, and obedience. These are inseparable-two sides of the same coin, with obedience woven throughout. Use the questions and applications to spark honest conversation and personal reflection.

Key Takeaways

• Love and truth cannot be separated. To walk in one without the other is to walk incompletely. Obedience ties them both together.
• Agape love is not inborn. Unlike eros, filial, and storge love, agape comes only from God. It must be sought humbly, received, and actively shared-or it evaporates.
• Walking in love is not about trying harder; it is about drawing closer to God. The posture is that of a small child fully dependent on a loving parent.
• The truth that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human is the foundation that makes transformation possible. It is what released the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
• God judges the hearts of all people through Christ Jesus. His law is written on every human heart, and his grace extends further than we often imagine.

Opening: Ice Breaker

The pastor shared that his mother told him he would always seem like a ten-year-old to her. Can you recall a time when someone close to you said something affectionate that landed the wrong way? What was your reaction?

Walking in Love

The pastor described four Greek words for love-eros, filial, storge, and agape. Before this sermon or your time in 1 and 2 John, how would you have defined love in a Christian context? How has your understanding shifted?

The pastor said, "Walking in truth and love is not about trying harder, but it's about drawing closer to God." What does drawing closer to God look like in your daily life? What gets in the way?

Agape love can evaporate when we hold it only for ourselves instead of extending it to others. Have you experienced a season of spiritual dryness because you were receiving without giving? What brought you back?

John's call to love brothers and sisters concerns the body of Christ, which can be as divided as the broader culture on political and social issues. How does your group navigate disagreement among believers while pursuing agape love?

Walking in Truth

Docetism taught that Jesus only seemed human, Gnosticism emphasized salvation through secret spiritual knowledge, and Cerinthianism separated Jesus from the divine Christ. Which distortion do you think appears most often in modern Christianity, even subtly? Why does it matter to get this right?

The pastor argued that Jesus' full divinity and humanity make genuine transformation possible, because this is what released the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. How does that theological reality connect to your everyday experience of faith?

Walking in Obedience

In Matthew 5, Jesus extends "do not murder" inward to anger and contempt toward a brother or sister. The pastor connected this to needing agape love even toward people who "deserve it, more than deserve it." Is there a relationship where you need to bring this to God as a small child asking for help?

Romans 2 describes people without the law of Moses following its requirements because the law is written on their hearts. How does this shape your view of people outside the church and your conversations about faith with non-believers?

Bringing It Together

The pastor closed with the image of a mountain: all paths lead upward toward the God-man who judges people's secrets according to what is written on their hearts. How does this image hold together the seriousness of truth claims about Jesus and the breadth of God's grace? Where do you wrestle with that tension?

Practical Applications

For personal devotion: For one week, pause morning, midday, and evening to ask God to let Christ's broken body and shed blood renew your capacity to love. Journal what you notice.

For relationships within the church: Identify a relationship with a fellow believer marked by tension, distance, or unresolved conflict. Ask God to work agape love in you toward them, then take one small, concrete step toward that person before the group meets again.

For relationships outside the church: Pray this week for someone who does not follow Christ but seems to live with integrity and care for others. Let Romans 2 shape your prayer, trusting God's knowledge of that person's heart.

For your group: Read all thirteen verses of 2 John together. If this letter were a "booster shot," as the pastor described it, what truth does your group most need to be reminded of right now?

Closing Reflection

The pastor reminded us that agape love is not something we manufacture. It is something we receive from God and pass on. Close by praying honestly together, asking God to do in each of you what you cannot do for yourselves. Walk out a little more dependent on him than when you walked in.