Devotional
Have you seen Toy Story? If you haven’t seen the toy story movies you need to get your life together. That is a great movie. For those of you who have seen it, who remembers the moment where Mr. Potato Head saves the little alien dudes? They are about to fly out the window and he catches them just in time. Who can tell me what the aliens say to Mr. Potato Head after that moment? He said, “You have saved our lives, we are eternally grateful. “ In fact they say that over and over and over in that movie.
He saved their lives and from that moment they were brought in, they followed him throughout the movie and over and over again tried to express their gratitude for what he had done.
I wonder if that’s how Barabbas responded.
Barabbas was a criminal in prison the day Jesus was arrested. If you were here this weekend you would know that it was a custom during Passover for the Roman governor to release a Jewish prisoner. So Pilate the Roman Governor has two prisoners on his hands. 1. Jesus who seems to Pilate like an innocent man who does not deserve death, and 2. Barabbas, who is known as a murderer and a thief. He looks at the crowd and he says who should I release to you. I think Pilate was fully expecting the crowds to release Jesus but that’s not what happened. Look at Matthew 27,
“So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, ‘Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’” For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.” “The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. ‘Barabbas,’ they answered. ‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’"
They hated Jesus so much that they would rather release a murder than Jesus. So Barabbas is released from prison and Jesus is sentenced to death on the cross. Now we don’t know how Barabbas responded to this scenario but this weekend we talked about the three responses he may have had.
1. To blow it off and go right back to his life of meaninglessness and crime.
2. Feels like he now owes Jesus something or
3. Realize who Jesus truly was, repent and follow Him.
A lot of us in this room are between options 2 & 3. Some of you consider yourselves fully committed followers of Jesus and you desire to follow Him. You want to live and love like Jesus did and it’s all because you are truly grateful for Jesus’ sacrifice and you trust and love Him. You wholeheartedly agree with 1 John 4:19 that says,
"We love because he first loved us."
But some of you, you follow Jesus, you do believe in Him, and you are a Christian. But not because you really love Him. IF we are honest with ourselves some of us are just trying to gain his approval. We know what He did on the cross, and now we feel like we owe Him. Or you believe God is who He says He is, so you are obeying Him and following Jesus in order to avoid God’s judgment or to get something from Him. The problem is, that is missing the point.
Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we would owe Him something. He didn’t do it so we would be forced into a life of indebted slavery to God. He did it so that we can be restored into a right relationship with God. In John 15:15 Jesus says to the disciples,
"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."
We are not slaves to God. We are friends, we are apprentices of Jesus trying to learn His ways as we grow closer in relationship with God the Father. It’s not about earning or paying Him back. It’s about truly loving Him and wanting to live differently because of what He did.
The question we have to answer is “What's the difference?” A lot of times on the outside they can look very similar. Both kinds of people go to church and read the Bible and pray and do good things for others. Both kinds of people are trying to do the right thing. So how do you know if you are following Jesus because you love Him or because you believe He owes you?
Ultimately only you can know. Because the truth is found in your heart and your attitude to the things of God. Is following Jesus a get to or a have to? Is it a choice you have made or an obligation you feel stuck to? Let’s pray and find out in small groups.
Break the ice
What was your favorite childhood movie? Why?
Small group questions
- Put yourself in Barnabus’ shoes. How would you be feeling after you were released and Jesus took your place?
- What are some things in your life that are like obligations? You have to do them.
- What are some things that are more like gifts or privileges? You get to do these.
- What is the difference in your personal experience between something you get to do and something you have to do? How do you feel about “have to’s” vs. “get to’s”.
- Read John 15:15, Romans 6:23, and Ephesians 2:8. What do these verses tell us about God and salvation?
15I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
8God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
- How would you describe someone who feels obligated to follow Jesus?
- How would you describe someone who has accepted the free gift of salvation and follows Jesus out of their love for HIm not obligation?
8.Be honest, which of those descriptions do you relate to more? Why?
*if students are honest about feeling like they “owe God something” make sure to take some time to work through that as a group*
9. What are some things we could do to help us view our faith as a relationship with God instead of a debt we feel like we have to pay?
Moving forward
If we are honest we all probably have moments where we feel like we need to “pay God back” for what He did for us. But the truth is salvation is a free gift and God wants a relationship with us, not a bunch of slaves who have to follow Him. As a group, pick one practical activity you can do this week to help your group see and feel the love of God more. Whether it’s reading about God’s love in the Bible, memorizing John 15:15, praying but making sure you talk to God like a friend, or something else. Encourage your group to all pick the same activity so you can discuss how it went next week!
Loading saved progress…
Your place is saved in this browser. It will not follow you to another device, and clearing browser data removes it.