4 weeks helping students understand and respond to those in vulnerable situations (like human trafficking). Human trafficking is an enormous problem in our world. And it’s not the only one. There are plenty like it. That’s because these industries prey on the vulnerable, and every human being is vulnerable in our own way. Fortunately, Jesus shows us what to do with all of this in the context of the gospel when He declares what He’s about, what we’re about, becomes vulnerable for our sake, and inaugurates His Kingdom.

Video Messages Included

Week 1 (Luke 4:17-19 NLT)

Intro: Human trafficking is a big problem in our world. It happens when vulnerable people are exploited for financial gain. Since we’re all vulnerable people in our own way, this hits closer to home than we might think.

Truth: But when Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of an Isaiah prophecy, He also declared what He was all about. Yes, making it so people could go to heaven was a big piece of what Jesus came to do. But He was and is also about helping people experience real freedom in every area of life. You need to fully grasp that reality before your faith can really help you fight for social justice.

The Point: The value Jesus brought to us isn’t just eternal, it’s also earthly

Week 2 (Luke 4:18 NLT)

Intro: When we discover that we’re vulnerable, it’s easy to react in a way that leads us away from freedom and into oppression.

Truth: That’s why it’s so interesting that, in one of Jesus’ first big public speeches, He chose to declare His focus on caring for the most vulnerable in that society. And not only was Jesus declaring in that moment what He was all about, He was also declaring in that moment what anyone who follows Him would need to be about. Yes, we want to help our friends get to heaven someday, but our influence in their lives needs to be more than just eternally focused. Jesus was about helping real people in their real earthly experiences. We should be about that too.

The Point: The value we bring to others isn’t just eternal, it’s also earthly

Week 3 (Isaiah 53:4-6 NLT)

Intro: Recognizing we’re all vulnerable naturally makes us less willing to stick our necks out for each other. And yet we also want horrible things like human trafficking to come to an end.

Truth: What we see in the gospel is that Jesus stuck out his neck and took on the punishment for our sin. He took on danger so that we would no longer be in danger. He became vulnerable for the sake of us, the vulnerable. And that’s how we change things, little by little. We change things by making ourselves vulnerable, uncomfortable, and maybe even in danger in order to help those who are vulnerable, uncomfortable, and in danger. That’s what Jesus has done for us. That’s what we do for others.

The Point: Become vulnerable for the vulnerable

Week 4 (Luke 4:18-19 NLT)

Intro: As confusing as the already/not yet concept is, it’s something we experience bits and pieces of in our own lives.

Truth: That’s good, because the idea of the already/not yet is a huge piece of the gospel. Jesus inaugurated His Kingdom in Luke 4, and yet His Kingdom hasn’t arrived in its fullness yet. That means that, as followers of Jesus and participants in the Kingdom, the actions we do here on earth play a part in bringing God’s Kingdom to earth! So, yes, the value we bring to others shouldn’t just be eternal, it should also be earthly. But the opposite is also true in a much deeper and more profound way than we’ve probably ever realized before.

The Point: The value we bring to others isn’t just earthly, it’s also eternal