Resolutions

BBCC Bible Study Notes

Resolutions

Introduction

The end of a year is a natural moment to think about change — who we want to be, what we want to do differently. But for a follower of Jesus, self-improvement is never simply a matter of trying harder. It starts in a counterintuitive place: losing your life in order to find it.

I. How to Be a Follower of Jesus (Matthew 16:24–26)

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?'" (Matthew 16:24–26, ESV)

Rick Warren famously opened The Purpose Driven Life with the line, "It's not about you." That is exactly where Jesus starts. Discipleship begins with "losing" your life — which sounds alarming until you realize what Jesus means. Self-denial is not the suppression of your inner self, as though the goal is to flatten your personality or will. It is something more specific: getting out of your own head. It means changing your focus away from yourself as the center of your story.

Jesus consistently uses counterintuitive principles. The way up is down. The way to find your life is to stop clutching it. These are not motivational slogans — they describe the actual shape of the kingdom of God.

II. The Way to Refocus (Matthew 22:34–40)

If the problem is a self-focused life, Jesus gives the solution clearly when asked about the greatest commandment. He defines the refocused life in two directions: toward God and toward others.

Loving God, as Jesus defines it, requires genuine effort. It is not a passive feeling but an active orientation of the whole person — heart, soul, and mind. Loving others may feel slightly more accessible, because Jesus grounds it in something we already know: if you love yourself, you already have a working knowledge of what love looks like. Apply that same care outward.

III. Three Ways to Resolve to Love

1. Serve Jesus through obedience to his teachings (John 14:15)

"If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15, ESV)

This is the logical first step. Obedience is not the way to earn God's love — it is the natural expression of love already received. And obedience requires knowing what Jesus actually taught, which means there is no shortcut around getting to know God better through his Word.

2. Serve Jesus by using your talents in ministry (Matthew 25:14–15)

In the Parable of the Talents, the master entrusts his servants with resources and then goes away. The expectation upon his return is not that the servants kept what they were given safe and untouched — it is that they were fruitful with it. Every follower of Jesus has been given something. The question is what we are doing with it while the master is away.

3. Serve Jesus by helping the hurting (Matthew 25:34–40)

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40, ESV)

Helping those who have needs is not an optional add-on to Christian life — it is a core component of following Jesus. Jesus takes it personally. When we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and care for the sick, he considers it done to him directly.

IV. Summary and Application

Any self-improvement plan in the life of a Christ follower includes spiritual growth components. The resolutions worth making at the start of a new year are not about self-optimization — they are about reorienting your life around Jesus. Start simple. Restart as often as it takes to build good habits. The goal is not a perfect January; the goal is a life increasingly shaped by love for God and love for others.

BBCC Verse of the Week — Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"

Discussion Questions

1. Jesus says the way to find your life is to lose it. What does that actually look like in a practical, everyday sense — and where do you find it most difficult?
2. Self-denial is described here as getting out of your own head and changing your focus, rather than suppressing who you are. How does that distinction change the way you think about following Jesus?
3. Of the three expressions of love — obedience, using your talents, and helping the hurting — which comes most naturally to you, and which feels most like a stretch?
4. What is one simple, concrete step you could take in the new year to grow in your love for God or love for others?