Steve Welch // Rockford Campus // June 23, 2024

 

Faith, Doubt, Grace

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 

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REMINDERS

Table Time: Registration for Table Time is now open in the events section of the website. This is an opportunity to get to know people from your campus better by meeting for dinner once a month with groups of 3 couples or 6 adults. Rockford and Ensley groups will meet once per month in July, August, and September. Northview groups will be formed for the fall.

Summer Events: Reminder to check out the Events page on the website for a list of summer events for men, women, families, and students. You can see a list of Sunday night programming, Guys Nights Out for men, women’s bonfires and playdates, and Kids and Teens Worship Arts Camp.

 

TOGETHER IN LIFE

Share about some Summer memories from your childhood you’ll never forget.

What made these moments so powerful in your memory?

 

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE:   Luke 7:18-35

Note: We encourage you to read the entire text together as a group out loud.

 

The Gap of Confidence: Doubt

Sometimes there’s a moment or a season where we are met with moments that we can’t make sense of what we are expecting versus what is actually happening. In these moments it is especially tempting to insert suspicion, cynicism, and – ultimately – doubt.

QUESTIONS:

• Share about a time when expectations didn’t meet reality. When you hoped for something  – and that thing, person, or event fell short of your hopes.
• Where do you go with the gap between your expectations and reality?

 

The Promises

Promises of God that Jesus confirms in John 7:21-22

“eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Is. 35:5)

“the dead shall live…” (Is. 26:19)

“the deaf shall hear…” (Is. 29:18)

“bring good news to the poor…” (Is. 61:1)

You will be tempted to doubt Jesus and be offended when He doesn’t accomplish what you want, when you want, and how you want it.

QUESTIONS:

• What in your life stands to most threaten belief in Jesus?
• Why is it sometimes difficult to take Jesus at His word?
• Wh

 

The Five Majors

The Five Major movements of God’s overarching story that He continues to work through…

CREATION  // FALL // REDEMPTION // CHURCH // NEW HEAVEN/NEW EARTH

In the grand scheme of our experiences in life, God has a plan that is far larger and bigger than we can imagine. This requires the “eyes of faith” – the “eyes for eternity” in order to understand it. This requires trust that God’s plan is never failing and that He is faithful to accomplish the things that He says He has, He does, and He will. We are not called to “blind faith”; we are called to faith in light of reality and truth. Only God is eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. Our faith in Him enables us to have hope and see His plan for humanity.

QUESTIONS:

• How would you describe each part of the “Five Majors”?
• How do we know these are true? What evidence do we have for these things?
• Why does it matter that we know what we believe?
• Why is it sometimes difficult to be reminded that God is in control in the midst of the Five Majors playing out across history?
  • There has always been reason to doubt – what are some ways doubt has played out across the Five Majors?

 

Response to the Message of God

There’s two kinds of people: those who humble themselves and are baptized by faith into the community of Jesus-followers and others who either through outright rejection or arms-crossed questioning stands at a distance from the Lord.

QUESTIONS:

• What does Jesus say about John?
• Why does that matter?
• What teaching does Jesus in light of John’s characteristics?

 

The Roots of Doubt

Intellectual: There is always a measure of uncertainty around our ability to know an infinite and all-knowing God. But when we believe that enough intellectual evidence will enable us to believe, we fall short of the call to faith. There will never be “enough evidence” in order to get us believe in something that we are called to believe in on account of faith.

* Intellectual arguments can serve as a “smoke screen” of intelligence that justifies a heart that wants it’s own way.

* Hidden sin creates a “moral resistance” where just don’t want to feel bad or follow someone else’s marching orders.

QUESTION:

• Why is intellectual understanding of God important?
• Why does it ultimately fall short of our call to believe?

 

Disconnected: When we disconnect from the Word, Spirit, and People of God, Truth is reduced and our own opinion, our own version of reality, or own preferences replace The Truth.

*As we’re disconnected, a natural erosion occurs in our hearts against God and against people.

QUESTION:

• Why is it tempting to distance ourselves from the Word?
• Why is it tempting to distance ourselves from the Church?
• Why is it tempting to distance ourselves from the Holy Spirit?

 

Forgetful: We can sometimes forget key parts of the Gospel – either we forget that God is Savior or we forget He is Lord – and we take matters into our own hands.

*Doubts can undermine the True Gospel of Jesus Christ in which He accomplishes our freedom, we bring nothing worthy to the table, and He offers us all of His righteousness.

QUESTION:

• What does it look like when we forget Jesus is our Lord?
• What does it look like when we forget Jesus is our Savior?
• What helps us be reminded that He is and can only ever be both?

 

Not a Believer: Some who doubt it is because they are not truly saved. We can do the “works” of God, in the “name” of God, but not in true faith and repentance to Christ as Lord and Savior

* Read Matt. 7:21-23

* This kind of doubt can be GOOD for us because it ought to act as a STRONG alarm of awakening that let’s us know there is self-deceit and we need to come home to Jesus.

* 1 John: 3 Tests of true faith – Do we repent? Do we love God? Do we love others?

QUESTION:

• What passages of Scripture remind you that you can have assurance of your salvation in Jesus?
• Why is it good to memorize Scripture and have it deep in your soul?

 

Circumstances: When circumstances stand against us that would tempt us to doubt God’s goodness and instead grasp for control.

QUESTION:

• Share about a time when you were tempted to doubt God’s goodness after a season of faithful surrender to Him.
• Why is it sometimes difficult to remain faithful in the face of great struggle?

 

Danelle’s Story

Danelle shared with vulnerability a hard story of her daughter Brienna. Her daughter, born prematurely, experienced blindness. While away at a camp for blind children at the age of 7, Brienna died due to an accident. Brienna had such strong and abundant faith, even in her young age. Upon finding her journal, Brienna’s hope was in her very best friend Jesus and that she so looked forward to her first sight being that of Jesus. Through this, Danelle and her family had peace and faith that God would be faithful.

Bri saw something that many of us don’t see: that it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about our hope in Him and NOTHING else.

QUESTIONS:

• What about Danelle’s story resonates with you?
• What about their story might have caused you to doubt?

 

The Doorway of Doubt: Grace

Disappointment is a doorway that we can walk through. But if we leave our doubt in place, we dwell in it and get comfortable with it – it becomes corrosive to our soul and we miss the living hope of Jesus’ love.

QUESTIONS:

• What happens when your doubts meet Jesus?
• What happened in Scripture when doubt met Jesus?
  • How did some people respond? Peter? Thomas? Blind Bartemaeus?
  • How did Jesus respond?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

Name one thing that you are (or could be) hung up on that could block God’s work in your life?

What portion of God’s promises stabilize you to remain faithfully engaged in the “Big Picture” of God’s plan?

 

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

READ Hebrews 10:23-25

Pray for each other’s faith. Pray that the Lord would protect each other in His name, and that through connection to His Word, Spirit, and People, you would actively and regularly gather to encourage each other in the face of great struggle. Pray over other people’s struggles in your life who struggle to trust God in the midst of their lives. Pray over your own obstacles to faith.