Week 4 Sermon Questions For Groups

Faith Over Fear: A Better Way: When you feel anxious.

Introduction:

When our world is shaken, it’s easy for fear to spread. But God promises to be with us no matter what comes our way. In times of uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to trust who God is and how He says we can live even when we feel anxious, alone, and afraid.

Bottom Line: What we call someone, tells us a lot about the relationship.

Something To Talk About:

God you are my strength: The story of God’s people is one of God’s strengths covering our weaknesses. Our heavenly Father takes our problems, sins, fears, and feebleness and uses them as opportunities to demonstrate the overwhelming power of His love. He takes those the world deems to be the weakest and uses them to accomplish incredible, powerful works. Isaiah 40:28-31 says: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Today, we are talking about how God gives us strength. God fills in all the places we lack, and He wants to hold you up and strengthen you today in your weakness. We can release the need to appear strong because we have a very strong God on our behalf.
God, you are faithful: Numbers 23:19 describes a foundational aspect of God’s character, His faithfulness. Scripture says, “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” Being able to fully trust God is the beginning of living an abundant life. Believe that God is faithful to lead you into the best possible life you could live. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Your God is wholly faithful to you. No matter what you do, He will be there for you. His faithfulness isn’t dependent upon your works. All He requires is a willing heart to bring about the incredible fruit of the Spirit in your life, and grow the relationship.
God, you are my hope: Hope is the feeling and confidence that what is wanted or desired will happen. Hope is what drives us. It is what makes efforts and the journey justifiable and tolerable. That is why hopelessness is so scary and debilitating. If you are going to hope, it would make sense that you would place it in the biggest, most certain, and most powerful source. For us as believers, our hope is always in God. He is who we should always place our faith and trust in. God actually wants us to place our hopes in Him. Prayer is a clear indication of that. God asks us to pray to Him because He wants to provide and pour out His grace on us. God wants to give us hope. God’s hope fills us with joy and peace because we know our hope is well placed and secure. What if God is not just the giver of hope, but He is our hope. Real hope is not just what God can give us, rather, it is God Himself. The fact that we can know Him and He knows us is hope enough.
God, you are near, forgiving, and loving.: Understanding God’s character is essential to being in a relationship with Him. In relationships with each other, we start by getting to know each other. We ask about someone’s interests, where they’re from, what they do, and so on. The same goes for God. In order to draw nearer, you must know who He is. But we also can’t fully comprehend God because He is so very complex. But knowing that God desires you and longs for a relationship with you should make you want to draw nearer by seeking to know Him as much as we can. Some ways we can know Him more and therefore be nearer to Him is by reading His word, conversing with Him in prayer, and studying Him in other ways like church, community groups, Bible studies, and so on.

Discussion Questions:

How do you choose patience and kindness when you don’t feel like it?
What does it mean to act kindly and patiently?
What is the biggest thing you are worrying about right now?
Have you ever experienced God’s strength in a time of weakness? What happened?
God is our strength. He’s always faithful. He’s our hope. He’s near. He’s good. And He’s full of unfailing love. Which of those attributes do you need to lean on the most right now?
How can you trust God in the midst of your worries this week?
What would your day look like if you prayed more and worried less? How would your happiness be affected?

What about the message sticks with you over time?

Take one thing home with you:

“But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” – Proverbs 1:33

Fear is real, but God is bigger. Fear zeros in on the problem, while faith keeps it in perspective. Now, faith does not mean blindly running into danger or ignoring common sense. But it does mean turning to God every time fear begins to creep in. It means choosing courage rather than fear. Fear can paralyze us. Courage frees us to live life to the fullest.

Jesus epitomized courageous faith as He boldly walked God’s will – even to the cross. However, He knew very well the power fear could have on our lives and often reminded the disciples to cling to faith, not fear. One example of this is found in Matthew chapter 14. The disciples found themselves caught in a terrible storm, fearing for their lives. Suddenly, out of nowhere, they see Jesus walking out to them on the water. “… “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” (Matthew 14:27)

The comfort for Jesus-followers in this story is this: Finding courage in the face of fear comes through putting our faith in Jesus Christ.