Directions
Below you will find the corresponding sermon’s small group discussion guide. If you would like to reference the full length sermon via video, simply visit healingplacechurch.org/media and filter by date or use the search option. Simply read over this guide prior to your meeting, pray, and discuss the content allowing time for each person to have input. We know God will do amazing things! ______
Life can bring new starts and changing seasons. Sometimes we see them coming, and sometimes we don’t. Either way, the unknown often brings it’s own set of challenges and concerns. How we handle these moments can genuinely impact our lives. So, let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about how we can handle the unknown.
1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (NLT) Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever –faith, hope, and love– and the greatest of these is love.
Faith : Deciding to rely on God The most important decision that we will make in our lives is whether or not we can rely on God. The reason being is because what we rely on governs our actions and outcome. At the very essence of faith is a lack of full understanding but yet still being convinced because we trust Whom we are relying.
Question : Do you genuinely have faith that God has what’s best for your life or have past outcomes whittled away your trust? Question : How does 1 Cor. 13:12-13 and the rest of His Word help bring back total confidence and grant perspective? Question : What are some ways that you can be intentional at the beginning, and throughout your day, to rely on and seek God?
Hope : Expecting fulfilment in God Hope allotted in wrong places will let us down, but hope in God exceeds our expectations. This type of hope surrenders our end goal for His, trusting that His plans are better even if we cannot see the full picture quite yet.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going
Activity : Take inventory of your life and see where God needs to be the focus. Write these down and at the closing, pray and surrender these to Him. If you feel comfortable, share these with a close friend for accountability. Question : How can bad news effect our optimistic outlook and how can we learn to combat a negative response? Question : What are you hoping for? Love : Treating others like God has treated me Love is the greatest because it expresses God clearest. Love is expressed best in selflessness. Choosing to help someone else shows that we rely on God and expect fulfilment from Him, not our actions.
1 John 4:8 (NIV) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Question : Why can it be difficult to treat others with patience and compassion and how can we work towards change? Share : Tell a story of a selfless act shown towards you and how it reflected Jesus. Question : How can we work to better show the love of Jesus in our daily lives to others?
______Closing At this point, you can discuss and ask for any other thoughts, comments, and prayer needs. When you’re done, simply pray that God deposits this truth in everyone’s hearts and gives the strength to live what was learned.