Sermon Recap
This week Pastor Matt opens his sermon by issuing a challenging question: how do we walk the Narrow way of faith not just when things are going well, but also when they aren’t? To help narrow our focus, he directs us to look at our faith through the lens of understanding who God is, and what he is able/willing to do. Next we dive into some of the hallmark verses on faith found in Hebrews 11. With a basic foundation laid, we are challenged to go even deeper. Pastor Matt said that we are not just to have a “general” faith in God, but a specific faith in what he has said, also known as his promises.
Before moving on, Pastor Matt exposes some pitfalls of how many in the church view God’s promises. More specifically, we can be tempted to use God’s promises to focus on a “me” centered gospel. In other words, when we receive our concept of blessing, our faith goes up, but if we don’t perceive that we are blessed, that our faith goes down. Our expectations or misinterpretations of God’s promises might actually lead to a weaker faith in the first place.
The application is to understand what God’s promises are for. To help us understand, Pastor Matt explores 2 Peter 1:3-8. Here we find that God’s promises are for us to live a godly life and participate in his divine nature. Through these verses, we come to understand that regardless of our circumstances, God’s primary purposes for us can always be fulfilled. If our level of faith is connected to our level of worldly success, we are going to struggle, but if our level of faith is connected to our belief in God’s ultimate purpose for us (to be like him) then our faith will grow!
Key Scripture
Read through these passages together:
Discussion Questions
Discuss together, pushing yourself toward transparency. The more we are authentic and humble with one another, the more we can grow in Christ.
Describe a time you had to have faith in someone but you found it difficult (ie… Peter trusts Jesus to walk on water, Jasmine trusts Aladdin to fly on carpet…. It doesn’t have to be a magical movement encounter, it could just be something someone said to you)
Hebrews 11:6 says “It is impossible to please God without faith” Why do you think God desires for us to operate on Faith? Discuss.
Have any challenging things happened in your life that have challenged your faith? Discuss.
Are there any promises in scripture that you or your group might know that speak to these situations? Share.
Read 2 Peter 1:3-5 Scripture states that God’s promises are for us to become like him. Knowing this is his goal for us, how does that help us understand how to handle our challenging situations? In other words, can we still have faith in God to fulfill this promise even if things don’t go our way?
Prayer
Oftentimes, we need to simply pray to have faith, and for our faith to grow. It cannot be overstated how important it is to reaffirm our faith and ask God to help us believe the things we pray when we talk to him. A common practice is to end every prayer by reaffirming my faith and walking away believing God can/will do the things we’ve asked.
Life Application
For some, you might be in a struggle and simply need to choose faith, trusting that God has your best interest in mind.
For some, you might be in a season of faith without action, and God is calling you to step out on faith to follow him on a new exciting journey.
Don’t Forget
Find a NEW Class or Group to go deeper with this fall
Additional Resources
Discussion Guide Index| Sermon Playback & Video | Spotify Playlist | Church Center App