Trust in God's Promises

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Trevor Gibbs
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1 5 Trust in God's Promises And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Despite our best efforts to make good decisions, to walk in God s path, to listen to His calling, and to align with His purpose, there will be times when the storms of life hit us. Challenges come our way, and life in this broken world isn't easy. How do we deal with these difficult circumstances? How do we navigate life s shipwrecks? How do we hold onto faith and believe that God is working for good when things seem bleak? Life is hard sometimes. That shouldn t surprise us. In fact, Jesus said we d have trouble in this life, and He knew what He was talking about. But we can choose to focus on God s promises rather than our circumstances. How? That s what we re going to talk about in this final session of our study. 66 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 67

2 68 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 69 Share your story Open your group with prayer. Then, begin your time together by using the following questions and activities to get people talking. What is the biggest mess you've made either something you've spilled, wrecked, demolished, or destroyed? What happened? As we enter this final session, what has God been showing you about making good decisions? What is one decision you ve made during the last few weeks that you feel was influenced by what you ve been studying? How have we been doing with talking to the people in our Circles of Life about God or church? What specific conversations are you praying about for the weeks to come?

3 70 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 71 watch the video Watch the video for this session now. Use the space provided below to record any key thoughts, questions, and things you want to remember or follow up on. After watching the video, read the Scripture and discuss the questions in the Hear God's Story section and in the Create a New Story section.

72 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 73 hear god, 's story Use the following questions to guide your discussion of the teaching and stories you just experienced and the Bible

4 72 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 73 hear god, 's story Use the following questions to guide your discussion of the teaching and stories you just experienced and the Bible passage below. READ MARK 4: That when evening came, he said to his disciples, Let us go over to the other side. Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, Teacher, don t you care if we drown? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? They were terrified and asked each other, Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him! When Jesus suggested crossing the lake, do you think He knew that a storm was going to come? If so, why did He suggest making the trip? Use your five senses to imagine yourself in the place of the disciples. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel as the storm quickly hits? Brainstorm as a group about what it would be like to be in that boat. What emotions and thoughts do you experience as you imagine yourself in the situation? What emotions or accusations are behind the question don t you care? How would you rate the disciples level of trust at that moment? The text says the disciples were frightened by the storm, but it also says they were terrified by the calm after the storm. What were they afraid of in each of those circumstances?

create a new story In this section, talk about how you will apply the wisdom you ve learned in this session. Think about a storm or shipwreck you weathered in the past.

5 create a new story In this section, talk about how you will apply the wisdom you ve learned in this session. Think about a storm or shipwreck you weathered in the past. How did it impact your story, your faith, and your relationship with God? What did you learn about navigating shipwreck moments? To close your time together, ask everyone to share: How can we pray for you this week? Be sure to write prayer requests on your Prayer and Praise Report on page 94. Spend some time thanking God for the ways you ve seen Him working through this study. Even though this study is ending, be sure to continue to pray for one another. What storm are you currently facing in your life? Are you in a shipwreck moment? Share with the group. In the video, we listened to a conversation about God s promises, presence, power, and purposes in the storms of life. Which of these do you need to experience to? Take some time to pray for one another, that each person would trust God s promises, presence, power, and purposes. As this is the last meeting in this study, take some time to celebrate the work God has done in the lives of group members. Have each person in the group share some step of growth that they have noticed in another member. (In other words, no one will talk about themselves but affirm others in the group). Make sure that each person gets affirmed and noticed and celebrated whether the steps they ve made are big or small. If your group still needs to make decisions about continuing to meet after this session, have that discussion now. Talk about what you will study, who will lead, and where and when you will meet. If you plan on continuing as a group, contact the church! They'd love to hear about it. Review your Small Group Agreement on page 84 and evaluate how well you met your goals. Discuss any changes you want to make as you move forward. If you plan to continue meeting and your group starts a new study, this is a great time to take on a new role or change roles of service in your group. What new role will you take on? If you are uncertain, maybe your group members have some ideas for you. Remember you aren t making a lifetime commitment to the new role; it will only be for a few weeks. Maybe someone would like to share a role with you if you don t feel ready to serve solo. 74 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 75

76 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 77 For Additional study Explore the Bible passages related to this session s theme on your own, jotting your reflections in a journal or in

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

6 76 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 77 For Additional study Explore the Bible passages related to this session s theme on your own, jotting your reflections in a journal or in this study guide. You may want to use a Bible website or app to look up commentary on these passages or read the passage in a different version to get a new perspective. READ 2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-10. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. This passage comes from a letter written by the Apostle Paul, who had definitely experienced trials, and even literal shipwrecks (read Acts 27 for a detailed account of one of those incidents). What enabled him to endure the struggles and setbacks in his life? What do you think it means to have treasure in jars of clay? Notice the pairs of words that Paul uses to describe his life, such as hard pressed but not crushed. What overall tone do these pairs of words create? What do you think Paul s intent in writing this in a letter to new believers? How is the life of Jesus revealed in our body? What do you think that means? READ JOHN 16:20-22, You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. Do you now believe? Jesus replied. A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Jesus talks about grief and hints at His own grief in this passage. What loss, disappointment, or abandonment are you grieving right now? Spend some time talking to Jesus about your grief. Ask for His comfort. What promises do we find in this passage? Read through and underline each promise. How do these promises make you feel? What theme do they have in common? One of the promises (or predictions) Jesus makes is that we will have trouble. However, we can still have hope. Why?

7 78 Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE Chase Oaks Church PICK ONE 79 daily devotions Use these daily devotions to go deeper into this week s topic. On the first, you may want to read over all the verses for the week to get the big picture of the passage. Each, read the verse given. Take your time. Ask God to speak to you through His Word. Notice which word or phrase stands out to you. Then, take some time to journal your response back to Him. Listen to what God wants to say to you through His Word, and respond to Him as you meditate on the truths of Scripture. 4 READ PHILIPPIANS 4:7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Take a few minutes to simply be quiet and still. Ask God to fill you with His peace. Pay attention to the experience of that peace. As you go through your, stop occasionally to re-focus on God s peace, allowing it to guard your heart and mind. 1 READ PHILIPPIANS 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! When are we to rejoice? READ PHILIPPIANS 4:5. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 5 READ PHILIPPIANS 4:8. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. As you go through your, notice your thoughts. Are they positive or negative? Do you think about what s wrong or what s right? Do you focus on the good or the bad? Ask God for help in redirecting your thoughts. 2 How do we make gentleness evident to all? What actions would we need to take or choices would we have to make to do this? READ PHILIPPIANS 4:9. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 3 READ PHILIPPIANS 4:6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. What should we do when we experience anxiety or worry? 6 How can you put the Bible s teachings into practice to? Think about a situation you ll face in the next 24 hours, and ask God to give you peace as you navigate it.

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