BLESS: Serve Others

Sermon Title: “Serving Like Jesus”

Text: John 9:1-41

Preacher: Alex Hogendoorn

Date: February 9, 2025

Summary Tagline:

“Serving others reveals God’s grace and prepares hearts to meet Jesus.”

Message Summary:

In John 9, Jesus encounters a man blind from birth, heals him, and in doing so, challenges the religious assumptions of his day. His disciples assume the man’s blindness must be the result of sin, but Jesus corrects them, declaring that the man’s suffering would display God’s works. Alex emphasizes that Jesus was sent to serve, and in the same way, believers are sent to serve others—not out of obligation, but out of the self-giving love of Christ.

As the healed man’s story unfolds, his spiritual sight becomes clearer. At first, he only knows that “a man called Jesus” healed him, but as he is questioned and opposed by religious leaders, his conviction grows. He comes to see Jesus not just as a healer but as the Son of Man, and he worships him. Alex highlights how serving others with Christ’s love sets the stage for them to recognize Jesus when they meet him. Service does not save, but it makes God’s grace visible in a world desperate for it.

Group Discussion Guide

Icebreaker Questions:

1. When has an unexpected act of service made a lasting impact on your life?
2. Can you think of a time when you served someone and later saw how God used it in their life?
3. What is one way you have personally experienced God’s love through the kindness of others?

“These next discussion questions are intended to give us each a chance to engage in the message personally and hear what Jesus is doing in each of our lives too. In this, we all become preachers to one another as we learn to follow Jesus together.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Jesus’ disciples assumed the blind man’s suffering was the result of sin, but Jesus corrected them. How do we sometimes fall into the same kind of thinking today?
2. The man’s physical sight was restored immediately, but his spiritual sight grew over time. How have you seen God use service and kindness to gradually open someone’s heart to him?
3. Jesus didn’t just speak healing over the blind man—he got his hands dirty, making mud and touching him. What does this say about how Jesus serves others? How does this challenge you in the way you serve people in real, tangible ways?
4. The religious leaders refused to listen to the man’s testimony, even as he spoke more boldly. How does this story encourage you to keep serving and sharing your faith even when you face resistance?
5. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” What are some practical ways you can live that out in your relationships and community this week?

For Further Study:

1. John 9:1-41 – Jesus heals the blind man, and his spiritual sight grows.
2. Matthew 20:28 – “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”
3. Philippians 2:3-8 – Jesus humbled himself and became a servant.
4. Galatians 5:13 – “Through love, serve one another.”
5. Mark 10:46-52 – Another story of Jesus healing a blind man who responded in faith.
6. Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan as an example of serving others.
7. 1 Peter 4:10-11 – Using our gifts to serve others as stewards of God’s grace.
8. 2 Corinthians 4:6 – “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts.”
9. Ephesians 2:10 – We are created for good works in Christ.
10. Matthew 25:35-40 – “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.”

Gospel Connections

Let’s discuss how we can apply this message to our lives as we seek to make the following connections as we follow Jesus:

1. How does serving others deepen your own relationship with God and help you reflect his character?
2. How can our church embrace a culture of service that demonstrates God’s grace to those in need?
3. How can our group support and encourage one another in serving our communities with gospel love?
4. How can we reflect Jesus’ self-giving love in our city, making his presence known through simple, everyday acts of service?