God's Ridiculous Love for the Broken and Lost

Devotional

Day 1: The One He Loves Is Sick

Mary and Martha sent a one-sentence plea to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They didn’t list Lazarus’s virtues or beg for a miracle. They anchored their request to Jesus’ love alone. Their brother was dying, yet they trusted the healer’s heart more than their own arguments. [39:43]

Jesus loved Lazarus deeply, yet delayed two days before going to him. The sisters’ raw appeal revealed their confidence: they knew Jesus’ love would act, even if His methods surprised them. Their story shows prayer isn’t about convincing God but resting in His affection.

When you bring needs to Jesus, do you lead with your résumé or His loyalty? Write your request today not as a negotiation but as a child’s reminder: “You love this person.” What heavy burden can you reframe as a simple trust in His heart?

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick… So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’”
(John 11:1, 3, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to help you trade self-reliance for childlike dependence on His love.
Challenge: Write “The one You love is ______” on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it hourly.

Day 2: Named By His Love

John called himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” five times in his Gospel. Not “the faithful” or “the visionary,” but the beloved. This wasn’t arrogance—it was his core identity. Even as an old man, John led with Jesus’ love, not his own achievements. [42:03]

Jesus’ closest friends didn’t earn His favor. Peter denied Him. Thomas doubted. John himself once sought status. Yet Christ’s love renamed them all. To call yourself “loved” isn’t pride—it’s agreeing with God’s verdict over your life.

How would today change if you introduced yourself as “the one Jesus loves”? Where have you replaced His “beloved” label with “busy” or “broken”? Whisper His name for you now. What shameful title do you need to surrender?

“One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to Him.”
(John 13:23, NIV)

Prayer: Confess any identity rooted in performance. Thank Jesus for naming you “beloved.”
Challenge: Open your phone’s contacts. Add “(Loved by Jesus)” after your own name.

Day 3: So Loved The World

Jesus told Nicodemus, “God so loved the world…” The Greek word for “world” here means the messed-up system opposing God. Yet Christ died for rebels, not résumés. His love targets not the lovely, but the lost. [46:21]

We attach strings to love. God cuts them. The Prodigal Son’s father sprinted toward his pig-stenched boy, not waiting for apologies. Heaven’s love is a scandal—it celebrates prodigals while they’re still dirty. Our role isn’t to qualify, but to come.

Where have you hidden, thinking, “I’ll clean up first”? What broken person have you deemed “too far” when Jesus says “whoever”? Picture the Father running toward you now. What stench are you afraid to let Him embrace?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16, KJV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for loving you at your worst. Ask for courage to love others mid-mess.
Challenge Text someone you’ve judged: “Jesus loves you deeply. How can I pray for you today?”

Day 4: Smelling Of Shame, Clothed In Grace

The Prodigal rehearsed a speech: “Make me a servant.” But his father smothered excuses with a robe, ring, and feast. Before the boy washed, he was welcomed. Grace dressed him in honor he didn’t earn. [52:08]

Jesus’ love skips probation. He doesn’t make us grovel—He throws parties. Our dirtiest moments become His redemption stages. Like Lazarus’ resurrection, God’s love works best when we’ve given up control.

What “servant speech” do you cling to? Where do you think God is waiting for you to improve? Name one area you’ve hidden in shame. How might receiving His robe change your next step?

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
(Luke 15:20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask the Father to replace your self-loathing with His embrace.
Challenge: Take a literal coat from your closet. As you hang it up, pray: “Clothe me in Your grace.”

Day 5: No Check On Worthiness

Religious leaders policed holiness. Jesus partied with sinners. The unlikely gospel says we’re saved because He’s good, not us. Mary and Martha didn’t appeal to Lazarus’ worth—they banked on Christ’s love. [55:33]

Paul said none are righteous. Yet we still rank sins. But the Cross levels all. Addicts and Pharisees alike need the same grace. Your worst day can’t out-sin His best love.

Who have you secretly deemed “too broken” for God—yourself included? What rule have you placed above relationship? Hear Jesus say, “I choose you, not your resume.” When will you stop auditing others’ worth?

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8, NIV)

Prayer: Confess any judgment toward others’ failures. Thank Jesus for covering all.
Challenge: Destroy one item (note, photo, etc.) that symbolizes a past failure. Replace it with “Loved” written boldly.

Sermon Summary

John presents Mary, Martha, and Lazarus as Jesus’ closest friends, then lets the first five verses of John 11 carry a surprising load. The sisters do not send a long resume for Lazarus. The note simply says, Lord, the one you love is sick. That line refuses to bargain with merit. It banks everything on Jesus’ love, not Lazarus’ goodness. The text keeps pressing that angle. John himself keeps naming himself the disciple whom Jesus loves. Five times. That is not spiritual posturing. That is a settled identity. Those nearest to Jesus sound less impressed with their love for him and far more occupied with his love for them.

The contrast between do-better religion and loved-first discipleship sits in plain sight. Modern disciples tend to stack up practices to earn a nod. Read the Bible. Pray daily. Attend regularly. John 11 redirects the engine room. Practices belong, but as a response to being loved, not as a ladder to get loved. Grace does not wait for better performance. Grace makes new life possible, then trains life into shape.

John 3:16 throws gasoline on that fire. God so loved the world does not mean God loves the spinning rock. It means God is wildly in love with a busted system and broken people. The so cranks the volume up, and whoever blows the doors off every boundary. That does not make sense to scorekeeping hearts that attach strings to love. God already knows many will never reciprocate. He still offers his Son.

Luke 15 sketches the picture. The Father runs to a son who smells like pigs and shame, cuts off the apology, and orders a party. The logic of the older brother sounds right to religious ears, but the Father says, we had to celebrate. That is the ridiculous love on offer. Not cheap sentiment, but costly embrace that restores the unworthy and then teaches them to live as sons and daughters.

Back in Bethany, the sisters place their hope exactly there. Not on Lazarus’ resume, but on the love Jesus has for him. Jesus does not rush on their timetable, but his delay is not distance from love. The gospel here is not do the right thing so you will be loved. The gospel is good news that a Savior has come because God loves first, loves much, and will not let go. There is nothing anyone can do to get out from underneath that love. Obedience then becomes a gift back, not a bid to get in.

Key Takeaways

1. The note leans on Jesus’ love. [38:40] The sisters do not argue Lazarus’ worth. They remind Jesus who Lazarus is to him. Intercession that starts with God’s affection, not human merit, rests on better ground. Prayer learns to say, Lord, the one you love, and leaves the case there. [38:40]
2. John boasts in being beloved. [41:41] John’s self-name, the disciple whom Jesus loves, is not ego, it is identity. Life gets reordered when belovedness is the truest thing in the room. Holiness grows best from soil soaked in that fact. [41:41]
3. Discipleship flows from being loved first. [44:36] Spiritual habits matter, but as response, not leverage. Duty without delight becomes brittle and resentful. Delight awakens duty into worship, because love has already settled the acceptance question. [44:36]
4. God so loves a busted world. [46:48] The so raises the volume, and world names the broken system. Whoever means the doors stay open to the least likely, the hard to love, the ones others write off. Grace refuses the gatekeeping that fear demands. [46:48]
5. The Father celebrates prodigals, not performances. [53:37] The embrace lands before the apology finishes, and the feast replaces probation. The older brother’s logic cannot survive the Father’s joy. Celebration is not denial of sin, it is the triumph of mercy over death. [53:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:50] - Thanking God through the worst
[29:24] - Giving and upcoming events
[30:43] - New series: Men with Jesus
[31:52] - Prayer over offering and grads
[35:44] - Unlikely series finale in John 11
[38:40] - The one-line note to Jesus
[41:41] - John’s nickname and why it matters
[44:36] - From do-better to loved-first
[45:44] - God so loves a busted world
[49:17] - The Father of Luke 15
[52:41] - The logical older brother exposed
[55:33] - Unworthy made worthy by Jesus
[56:06] - The gospel, not moralism

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 11:1-5 (ESV)
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Observation Questions

What specific phrase did Mary and Martha use in their message to Jesus about Lazarus, and what does this reveal about their understanding of Jesus’ relationship with him? ([38:40])
How does John repeatedly identify himself in his Gospel, and why might this self-designation matter? ([41:41])
In Luke 15, what action does the father take before the prodigal son finishes his rehearsed apology, and how does this contrast with typical human responses? ([51:36])

Interpretation Questions

Why might Mary and Martha have chosen to appeal to Jesus’ love for Lazarus rather than listing his merits or their own faithfulness? What does this imply about prayer?
Jesus says Lazarus’ illness is “for the glory of God” (John 11:4). How does this statement challenge common assumptions about suffering and God’s love?
The prodigal son’s father celebrates his return without conditions. How does this parable redefine what it means to be “worthy” of love or forgiveness?

Application Questions

The sermon highlights that spiritual habits (like prayer or Bible reading) should flow from being loved, not as a way to earn love. What is one habit you’ve treated as a “duty” rather than a response to grace? How could you reframe it this week? ([44:36])
John’s identity as “the disciple Jesus loved” shaped his life. What would it look like for you to start each day reminding yourself, “I am the one Jesus loves”? How might this change your interactions with others?
The prodigal son’s father ran to embrace his son despite his failures. Is there someone in your life you’ve been hesitant to love or forgive because they “don’t deserve it”? How can you reflect the Father’s posture toward them?
The sermon says, “Grace refuses the gatekeeping that fear demands.” Where have you seen yourself or others “gatekeep” God’s love (e.g., judging who is “too broken” for grace)? How can you actively reject that mindset?
Mary and Martha’s note to Jesus was simple: “The one you love is sick.” How could you practice praying this week by focusing more on God’s love for others rather than their “worthiness” for help?

Sermon Clips

52s

“Short time later, man, they're in the barn and they're kicking it. Electric slide taking place, all that good stuff. Chicken I don't know, not chicken dance. Let me ask you a question. How long was it between the time when the boy walked up to the driveway smelling of shame and dirt and stink till he was on unclean on the dance floor? And what did he do to deserve it? Listen. That's not how you and I would do it. We'd be like, boy, we're gonna party. You're gonna sit over in the corner till you figure out what you did wrong until you come to grips with how bad you were. And you sit over there and we'll think about giving you something. We might give you a hamburger, not the t bone, the hamburger. That's what we do. We tell him to sit over there and watch us celebrate. Not the father.”

37s

“That's the ridiculousness, the ridiculous love that God has for us. We are the screw up who walk up the driveway smelling of dirt and stink and shame. And he is the father who said who wants to doesn't wanna hear our pathetic excuses, who just says, get you cleaned up. Let's get you cleaned up. Let's get you in better clothes. Let's get you on the dance floor. Let's get you let's get you a steak dinner. Let's get you fed. Let's get you back to a position where you're looking healthy again. The I don't wanna hear your nonsense.”

44s

“So the dad came out and the the brother's ticked. And in fact, actually, if you read the story from our perspective, he's the only logical person in the entire story. He's like, dad, my brother is a screw up. He wasted all your money. He did all the wrong things. I stayed around. I've been working the farm. I've been doing all the things. You didn't bother to give me any steak for me and my friends. How can you celebrate this screw up? In this one line, the father says, we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead. Now he's alive. He was lost. Now he's found.”

44s

“And I'll prove it to you. The writer of this gospel, John. Do you know that John gives himself a nickname? John gives himself a nickname, which is weird because nobody gives yourself a nickname. That's weird when people give yourself it. I mean, like, know a lot of guys that have nicknames. You're like, how'd you get that nickname? And I swear a few of them, they're like, if you gave yourself that nickname. Right? That's socially awkward. But John gives himself a nickname. You know what his nickname is? The disciple whom Jesus loves. Can you imagine introducing like, hi. My name is John. I am the disciple whom Jesus I mean, like, me coming to you going, hi. I'm Steve. I'm the most loved pastor in Gibson County Of Jesus.”

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God's Ridiculous Love for the Broken and Lost

Devotional

Day 1: The One He Loves Is Sick

Day 2: Named By His Love

Day 3: So Loved The World

Day 4: Smelling Of Shame, Clothed In Grace

Day 5: No Check On Worthiness

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

God's Ridiculous Love for the Broken and Lost

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