Louie Konopka // Rockford Campus // February 23, 2025

SMALL GROUP
DISCUSSION GUIDE

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Genesis 15:1

REMINDERS

GUYS GAME NIGHT
Join Men at Magnify for a Guys Game Night on Monday, March 3rd at the Rockford campus. See the events page on the website for more information.

CONTACT REFRESH
If you haven’t taken time to send in your photos or any updated information, please take a few minutes and do it today!

LEADER DEVELOPMENT CLASS (Sundays, 6–7pm – Rockford Campus, “The Pond” downstairs by the Library)
Join us as we look at leadership principles from Paul David Tripp’s Lead. We’ll have books available for those who want to read along, or simply join us to talk about the principles we can all learn and apply as leaders in our church, homes, and communities.

MEMBERSHIP CLASS
There will be a membership class held at all three campuses this month during the second service. This Sunday (3/2) will be Rockford’s, Northview’s is next week, and Ensley’s the week following. Email Sandy Winell to sign up.

TOGETHER IN LIFE

In Louie’s sermon, he talked about building a fort as a kid and calling it the “Devil’s Playpen.” If you had built your own fort as a kid, what would you have named it and why?

TOGETHER IN THE WORD

THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Genesis 15:1

Note: If you are meeting as a group, we encourage you to read the text together out loud.

KEY QUESTION:

• How satisfied are you in God?

GOING DEEPER:

God is Not Silent

Louie listed four ways that God reveals Himself: Creation, Mankind, Scripture, and Jesus. We can learn a lot about God from studying His handywork (Creation and Mankind), and even more by attending to what He has said and done in the Bible and in His Son.

QUESTIONS

• Did you notice anything in Creation or Mankind that pointed to God this past week?
• How often did you go to God’s Word this past week? What were you hoping to find there?

Jesus is the Center

Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises and prophecy. The Old Testament promised a deliverer who would address the problems of sin and death, and God indicated to Abraham, Isaiah, and others along the way that He would be the one who would come to rescue us Himself. On the cross, Jesus took on all of our sins (100%) and gave us all of His righteousness so that sin would be paid for and death defeated.

QUESTIONS

• How easy or hard is it to believe that Jesus paid for every single one of your sins, past, present, and future?
• What does it mean to you that you have the righteousness of Christ?

Sacrifice, Worship, Longing, and Aspiration

Our sins reveal a heart opposed to God, worshipping lesser things. We deserve only eternal torment, but Psalm 51:7-8 reminds us that there is forgiveness and cleansing from God because of what Jesus did on the cross. Whoever has been forgiven much loves much. Instead of forsaking the fount of living water and digging broken cisterns, (Jeremiah 2:13), we can find our deepest longings met in Christ.

QUESTIONS

• Is there anything that might be keeping you from being more fully satisfied in God?
• Take a few minutes and answer in your heart: how much have you been forgiven? What examples come to mind? Know that God has forgiven 100% of these.
• How might Christ address the needs you feel right now?

 

TOGETHER IN ACTION

This week, try each day to remember God has spoken and still speaks. If you have put your trust in Jesus, He has forgiven you, and you have everything you need in Him. Take time to rest in that truth and thank Him for His great love toward you.

TOGETHER IN PRAYER

Choose some of the verses from this week’s sermon to pray through together as a group:

• John 3:16
• 2 Cor. 5:21
• 1 John 3:2
• Psalm 51:7-8
• 1 John 1:9
• Jer. 2:13
• Lamentations 3:19-24
• Psalm 73:36
• Job 19:25-27