​We struggle to walk fully in the promises of God because we impose our own definitions of when and how they should be fulfilled by God in our lives. But God invites us into an extraordinary life of faith that is not limited by our own plans and presuppositions, offering us far more than we can hope for or imagine.

See file linked below for PDF of sermon slides. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is something that you really struggle to be patient in waiting for? Why? 
2. Have you ever waited on God for something that has taken (or is taking) years for him to answer? How has it tested or stretched your faith? 
3. How does the story of Abraham and Sarah encourage you in your waiting? How does the way their story unfold challenge you? 
4. What are some of the parallels you see between the miraculous birth of Isaac and the story of Jesus and the gospel? How might it challenge you to think or live differently? 

​We can be smart in so many areas of knowledge and yet be totally lacking in wisdom when it comes to living life well. The Bible tells us that God alone is the source of all true wisdom.

​Click below for sermon slides 

Discussion Questions:
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1. In what ways have you encountered a simplistic faith of religious slogans? Have you ever found yourself in this camp? 
2. In what ways has your view of God been shaped by your life experience? 
3. What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom? Do you have any examples in your own life or in the life of others of being smart in some areas but lacking in wisdom? 
4. What are some ways in which you may be an unreliable narrator for your own life story? 
5. Close your time by praying that God would give you the faith to allow his perspective of shape how you understand your story. 

​Based on his limited personal experience Job makes some sweeping and unwarranted conclusions about who God is and how he cares over his creation. We are often guilty of doing the same.

​Click below for sermon slides

Discussion Questions 
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1. Have you ever been falsely accused of something or have you ever falsely accused someone? How did that make you feel? 
2. Job feels sheer terror when he thinks about God who has allowed all this suffering in his life. Have you ever felt an unhealthy fear of God? What's the difference between a healthy and unhealthy fear of God? 
3. Have you ever complained (or thought to yourself) that you could rule the world more justly than God? Why isn't justice as simple as punishing the bad people and showing mercy to the good people? 
4. Job's suffering led him to some unwarranted conclusions about God's nature. Why is it dangerous to base our view of God totally on life experiences?
5. What are some Bible passages that can help anchor our faith during difficult times? 

We often struggle to receive God's love fully because we do not understand God’s true nature or our own. But God has given us pictures of sheep and a shepherd to show us what He is like, what we are like and what it means to follow Him.

​Click below for sermon slides. 

​DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How did you do in the Sheep Trivia quiz? Which answers surprised you the most? (see questions and answers further below if you missed it)
2. What stuck out to you about the unique characteristics or behavior of sheep within the sermon? Which of these positive or negative behaviors do you feel convicted to emulate (or avoid)? 
3. Two ways mentioned in which we can become better listeners of God's voice is to "seek him in quiet" and "study and obey his word". Which of these two come easier for you? Which is harder? Why? 
4. Read Luke 15:1-7. Jesus teaches this parable to demonstrate how much God loves those that are easy to judge and hate -- not because they are sinful, but because they are lost. In what ways do you find it easy to judge those that are sinful? What might help you have more compassion on the lost? 

​In a world where the righteous suffer and the wicked go unpunished, it seems as though God’s system of justice is broken. How do we square the injustice that we see in our world with what God tells us in his Word?
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Discussion Questions:
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1. Job's friends throw around their words very carelessly. At the end of the story, we're told that God was angry with them because they spoke words about God that were not right. Can you think of times when you wished you were more careful about the words you've used? 
2. The principle of retribution (the righteous are rewarded while the wicked are punished) is generally true, but not intended to be taken as an airtight guarantee. What are some other principles in the Bible that operate in the same way? 
3. Have you ever witnessed the principle of retribution at work in your life? Have you ever been disappointed because your righteousness wasn't rewarded or the wickedness of someone wasn't punished? 
4. Have you ever experienced a moment of suffering or struggle that made you question whether God was really on your side?