The gospel creates a real before-and-after in our lives, changing what people see on the outside through love, hope, and faith. It transforms us on the inside with new strength and confidence that God is for us. And it moves us into a new Kingdom, where we don’t just act better, we live rescued and changed by Jesus.

The Gospel changes the outside

The Gospel changes the inside

The Gospel changes your Kingdom

Life Group Discussion:

Where do you feel like your actions don’t always match what you say you believe?

When life gets hard, what do you usually run to for strength or control?

What would it practically look like this week to live like you belong to a new Kingdom instead of just trying to be a “better person”?

JP taught that spiritual drift isn’t usually rebellion but routine, doing the right things while losing real desire for God. Jesus’ message to Ephesus shows the answer isn’t trying harder but repenting and returning to our first love. When we rebuild rhythms that stir our affection for Him, our faith becomes real again.

Discipline without desire leads to drift 

Lost love is restored through repentance 

Return to rhythms that stir affections

Life Group Discussion:

What spiritual habits do you keep out of routine rather than relationship?

How could admitting drift strengthen your relationship with God instead of producing shame?

What specific practices or environments help you feel closest to God?

JP’s sermon taught that many of us struggle to love God because we’re afraid, He’s disappointed in us. But God is love, and His perfect love removes our fear because Jesus already took our punishment. We don’t love God to earn love; we love because we’re already loved.

God is love

Perfect love casts out fears

God loves you

Life Group Discussion:

When you think about God, do you naturally picture love or disappointment? Why?

In what areas of your life do you need to let God’s love replace fear right now?

What helps you remember God’s love when you mess up or feel unworthy?

When we believe in Jesus, our faith shows up in real ways: we love God’s people, walk in obedience, and live with confidence that Christ has already won the victory. Because of that faith, we don’t just survive the world around us, we live joyfully, grounded in who Jesus is and what He’s done.

We Love His children

We Obey His commands

We are Victorious over creation

We Enjoy faith in Christ 

Life Group Discussion:

Who is someone in your life that’s hard to love right now, and what might it look like to love them like Jesus does?

Which of God’s commands do you find easiest to follow—and which feel the hardest right now?

Where do you need to start believing that Jesus has already won, instead of living like you’re trying to win on your own?

What spiritual habits help your faith feel alive and meaningful?

Real love doesn’t start with us trying harder, it starts when we finally grasp how deeply God loves us through Jesus, even in our sin. When that love takes root, it changes everything: healed people love people, and a life transformed by grace becomes a life poured out for God and others.

The command and capability to love Is from God

The proof and purpose of God’s love in Jesus

Remember your sin to rekindle your love

Life Group Discussion:

What “environmental inputs” (community, media, habits, worship, Scripture) are currently shaping your heart—for better or worse?

Where might God be inviting you to love someone this week by laying down comfort, convenience, or control?

How have you seen gratitude for God’s forgiveness deepen someone’s love, joy, or obedience (maybe even in your own life)?

JP taught that access to God’s Kingdom means little if we don’t truly love Him. From 1 John 2:15–17, he showed that pleasure, possessions, and position apart from God pull our hearts away from loving Him.

The pursuit of pleasure apart from God

The pursuit of possessions apart from God 

The pursuit of position apart from God

Life Group Discussion:

What desires or habits are shaping your appetite right now, and how are they affecting your love for God?

What is something you want right now, and how can you tell if that desire is rooted in gratitude or coveting?

In what situations do you find yourself most concerned with how others see you?

Love always changes your life, and Jesus says the most important thing about you is not what you believe, but who you love, starting with God and flowing out to others. This year’s invitation is simple but weighty: sit in God’s love, let it reorder your priorities, and watch your love for Him grow into real, tangible love for people.

This Command Is the Benchmark

This Command Is a Blessing

This Command Comes with a Barometer

Life Group Discussion:

What areas of your life (time, money, habits, relationships) most clearly reveal what you love the most?

Where do you notice restlessness or dissatisfaction in your life, even when things are “going well” on the outside?

Who is the hardest person in your life to love right now, and what makes that difficult?

Pastor John Elmore reminded the church to grasp the gravity of Christmas, that Jesus, fully God and fully man, humbled Himself to come for us. He called listeners to receive Christ as the servant who willingly came to die and save sinners. Finally, he challenged believers to live transformed lives that glorify Jesus in everything we do and offering back to Him all that He has first given us. 

Do you grasp the gravity of Christ?

Have you received the gift of Christ?

How will your life glorify Christ? 

Life Group Discussion:

What practices or rhythms help you slow down and truly reflect on the significance of the incarnation?

Is there anything that makes it hard for you to ask Jesus for help or surrender control to Him?

This week, what is one practical way you can “play your best for Him” in your everyday life?

True joy isn’t fragile happiness, it’s a settled gladness rooted in Jesus, often born out of waiting and disappointment. Psalm 98 shows that joy comes when we receive salvation, grows as Christ reigns in our lives, and lasts because God rules with righteousness. Because Jesus is the solution to our deepest brokenness, we can live with unshakable joy and hope, knowing how the story ends.

Joy comes when we receive salvation

Joy grows where Christ reigns

Joy lasts in righteous ruling

Life Group Discussion:

What’s a season or “well” Jesus has pulled you out of, and how does remembering that shape your joy today?

Who is someone you know that consistently lives with joy, and what do you notice about how they order their life?

How does trusting God with justice and fairness change the way you respond when you’re hurt or wronged?