Icebreaker Option: What's the funniest thing you've ever believed as a child?
HOPE: In this past week, how did God encourage or challenge you from the words Jesus spoke as recorded in the book of John?
SERMON SUMMARY:
Pastor Justin Kendrick explored the second sign of Jesus in John 4. He highlighted the many times the word "believe" is found John's Gospel and how this miracle points to how faith works. From the account of the official's son, he outlines four stages of faith - seeking faith, tested faith, resting faith, and living faith. He urged listeners to deepen their trust in the goodness of God and take their next step in faith.
HEART:
• What stage of faith do you believe you are currently in?
• Can you share a time when your faith was tested and how did you learn to lean on God during that period?
HEAD: Read John 4:46-54
• How did Jesus respond to the official, how did he meet the man's need, and why was his response unexpected?
• What are the different ways that the official demonstrated his faith in Jesus and what does this teach us about faith?
• John states that this was the 2nd sign Jesus performed. What does this sign point to and what about God does this reveal?
HANDS: What might be your next step in your faith journey?
• Seeking Faith: How will your prayer life change as you acknowledge that you don’t have the sufficiency for what you are facing?
• Tested Faith: How can you apply persistence in your own faith journey, especially when facing doubt or challenges?
• Resting Faith: What are some practical ways you can involve the Holy Spirit in your daily life, so you remain grounded in who God is and what He has spoken?
• Living Faith: How can you actively nurture your faith so it can have a positive impact on others in your life?
HOPE: Prayer
• Ask God to help us fully understand and believe in the truth of His word.
• Pray for the ability to trust God in our faith journey and find peace in His sovereignty.
• Pray for opportunities for our faith to spill over into the lives of those we encounter in the week ahead.
Going Deeper: Questions to reflect upon and encourage the conversation to go deeper.
“The great secret of tested faith is that it's rooted in a conviction that God is good.” Spend time reading and meditating on this truth. Consider these scriptures:
God is good: Luke 18:19, Psalms 34:8, 100:4, 106:1, 107:1
God does good: Genesis 1:31 Psalm 119:68, 104, 107, Romans 12:2
God as the source of good: James 1,17; Psalm 84:11, Romans 8:28, 32, Matthew 7:11, Hebrews 12:10
• When have you wrestled with the truth of God’s goodness?
• From these scriptures, how do you define the goodness of God?
• How will you acknowledge God’s goodness in your prayer life and life with others this week?