Sermon Guide

November 24, 2024: Psalm 136

 What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

Key Takeaways:

1. God's faithful love (chesed) is an all-encompassing, covenant love that endures forever.
2. We often forget to be thankful for basic blessings like health and family.
3. God's love for us is not dependent on our actions but on His character and promises.
4. The cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for us.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are you most grateful for right now, and why?
2. How does understanding God's chesed (covenant love) change your perspective on His relationship with you?
3. The Israelites asked God, "How have you loved us?" despite His many acts of faithfulness. Can you relate to this attitude? Share a time when you questioned God's love.
4. How does reflecting on the cross help you grasp the depth of God's love for you?
5. Read Genesis 15. God’s covenant with Abraham was one-sided, depending entirely on God. How does this impact your understanding of your relationship with God?
6. What makes it difficult for you to fully accept or understand God's love sometime

Practical Applications:

1. Write Your Own Psalm: Take time this week to write your own psalm, listing ways God has acted on your behalf. After each line, include the refrain "His faithful love endures forever.”
2. Gratitude Challenge: Each day this week, identify one thing you're thankful for that you often take for granted. Share these with the group next time you meet.
3. Love Reminders: Place visual reminders (e.g., sticky notes, phone wallpaper) with the phrase "His faithful love endures forever" in places you'll see regularly.
4. Cross Reflection: Spend time meditating on the significance of the cross as a demonstration of God's love for you personally.
5. Use Ephesians 3:17-19 as a guide to pray for each other, asking God to help the group comprehend and experience the fullness of His love.

Sermon Guide

December 1, 2024: Psalm 42

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

What makes it challenging for you to be thankful right now?

What is your response when your thankfulness is challenged? Do I respond with Praise and Truth?

What will you do in response to remind yourself of God’s presence and purpose in your life’s circumstances?

Key Takeaways:

1. A thankful soul goes beyond a temporary attitude; it's dependent on God, not circumstances.
2. We must acknowledge when our souls are not well to begin the journey towards thankfulness.
3. God can handle our honest feelings and struggles.
4. We need to actively fight for a thankful soul in a fallen world.
5. Remembering God's truth and presence is crucial for maintaining thankfulness.

Discussion Questions:

1. As Pastor Tyler shared his personal experience with loss, did it bring to mind a time you faced a situation where it was difficult to be thankful? How did you navigate that?
2. David in Psalm 42 describes his soul as "dejected" and "in turmoil." Why is it important to be honest about our spiritual and emotional state?
3. The sermon mentioned viewing God as both Savior and sovereign Lord. How does this dual perspective impact our ability to be thankful in all circumstances?
4. What does it mean to you that "God can handle your mess"? How might this change the way you approach prayer and your relationship with God?
5. As water flows over a waterfall, hitting rocks, but continuing to flow, how can we apply this image to our own lives when facing obstacles?
6. Discuss the statement: "Even as little time as my wife and I had with Maggie B, that's still more than we ever deserved in the first place." How does this perspective challenge our typical attitudes towards blessings and losses?
7. What are some practical ways you can remind yourself of God's presence and truth in your daily life?

Practical Applications:

1. Create a personal reminder: Like the pastor's bracelet saying "God's got this," develop a physical reminder of God's truth to carry with you.
2. Practice daily gratitude: Start or end each day by writing down three things you're thankful for, even in difficult times.
3. Memorize a key verse: Choose a verse from Psalm 42 or another scripture mentioned in the sermon to memorize and meditate on this week.
4. Honest prayer journal: Spend time this week writing honest prayers to God, expressing both your struggles and your desire to trust Him.
5. Share your story: Be vulnerable with a trusted friend or family member about a time when you struggled to be thankful, and how God met you in that place.

Sermon Guide

December 8, 2024: Matthew 11:28-30

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

How do you typically seek rest in your life?

Key Takeaways:

1. Jesus offers a deeper rest than just physical relaxation - it's a soul-level rest.
2. We are often yoked (attached) to things that burden us: performance, appearances, fear of man, merit-based acceptance.
3. Jesus invites us to come to Him like children - with simplicity, trust, and without shame.
4. Jesus' yoke is easy because He carries the weight, and He is gentle and lowly.
5. True rest comes from ceasing activity because the work is finished - Jesus has completed the work of salvation for us.

Discussion Questions:

1. There are various "yokes" we might be attached to. Which of these do you struggle with most, and how does it affect your life?
2. How does the idea of coming to Jesus "like a child" challenge or encourage you?
3. Reflect on the stories of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood and the deaf-mute man. What do these stories reveal about Jesus' character and how He relates to our neediness?
4. Rest was defined as "ceasing from activity because the work is finished” like God did in Genesis 2  How does this definition change your perspective on rest, especially in relation to your faith?
5. In what areas of your life do you find it hardest to rest in Jesus? Why do you think that is?
6. How does what God did at Christmas connect to the theme of rest?

Practical Applications:

1. This week, identify one "yoke" you're carrying that you need to surrender to Jesus. Take a concrete step to let it go and trust Him instead.
2. Practice coming to Jesus "like a child" in your prayer time. Be honest about your needs and struggles without trying to filter or polish them.
3. Set aside time to reflect on areas where you might be holding onto guilt or anxiety. Write these down and pray over them, asking Jesus to help you rest in His finished work.
4. Look for opportunities to extend gentleness and lowliness to others this week, as Jesus does for us.
5. Commit to engaging more deeply with your faith community - consider joining a Bible study, attending a class, or reaching out to fellow believers for support and encouragement.

Sermon Guide

December 15, 2024: Job 9

What stood out to you most from the sermon? Why?

Key Takeaways:

1. Job's struggle highlights the impossibility of being justified before God on our own.
2. There is a vast separation between God's nature and human nature.
3. Job longed for a mediator between himself and God.
4. Jesus Christ is the answer to Job's cry - He is our mediator who reconciles us to God.
5. Christmas reminds us that we are not alone; God came near through Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

1. Thinking about a typical a Hallmark Christmas movie, how do you think they appeal to our desire for peace and joy during the holiday season?
2. Job experienced immense suffering and loss. How does his story challenge or encourage you in your own struggles?
3. In Job 9:32-22, we see Job’s realization that he couldn't justify himself before God. Why is this an important spiritual truth to grasp?
4. How does the concept of Jesus as our mediator impact your understanding of your relationship with God?
5. How does “Emmanuel - God with us" affect your daily life, especially during challenging times?
6. Job felt alone in his struggles. Have you ever felt similarly in your spiritual journey? How does the message of Christmas address this feeling?
7. We often try to carry the weight on our own. In what areas of your life do you find this tendency, and how can you surrender this weight to Christ?

Practical Applications:

1. Reflect on areas in your life where you might be trying to justify yourself before God. Write these down and pray for God's grace in those areas.
2. Choose a verse about Jesus as our mediator (e.g., 1 Timothy 2:5) to memorize this week.
3. Reach out to someone who might be feeling alone or struggling this holiday season. Share the encouragement of "God with us" with them.
4. Take time each day this week to thank God for sending Jesus as the answer to our need for reconciliation.
5. If you haven't yet trusted in Christ as your Savior, consider taking that step. Talk to another person in your Community Group or a pastor about your questions.