The church in Smyrna faced difficult times. Jesus encouraged them to remain faithful to Him. Remaining faithful to Jesus and His work is the only way to have hope in life and at the end of life.

Questions:

1. Why did Jesus identify Himself as the First and the Last?

2. How does persecution "test us"?

3. What are some of the reasons Jesus doesn't remove hardships? See 1 Peter 1:6-7 and James 2:2-4.

4. What is the second death? How can we help others avoid the second death? See Rev 20:6 and Rom 6:3-5.

Synopsis:

The book of Revelation holds 7 letters from Jesus to his church. One of these letters is addressed for the Christians in Ephesus. These Christians received praise in the letter and a charge to repent. He says that the church has "forgotten the love they had at first". In today's sermon we will see what Jesus meant by returning to their first love and how we as the church today are called to repent and take back our first love.

Questions:

1. Do you find it tough to share the gospel in your community? Explain.

2. Have you ever shared the gospel with your enemies?

3. If Jesus is charging us to repent from neglecting the lost souls in our community, what are some next steps we can take to regain our love for sharing the gospel with the lost?

Title: Hard Faith for Hard Times

Text: Habakkuk

Summary:

You either have an easy faith or a hard (strong) faith. When life gets difficult, and it will, an easy faith will leave you unsatisfied. You must develop a hard faith to survive in this hard world. Habakkuk shows us how to develop a hard faith.

Questions:

1. Is it Okay to question God when life gets hard? (Read Habakkuk 1:1-4.)

2. We usually want to know why things happen. But when God tells us why, we often don't understand His reasoning. What is more important to focus on during hardships than the "why"?

3. Read Psalm 23:4 and Romans 8:28. What is God's promise for our suffering?

4. Share a recent difficulty you have faced and how you think God wants to use that time for your good.

Life isn't Fair...but it Should Be - Joshua 20-21 - Mark Bourne -

We have a God given sense that things ought to be fair. We long for justice. For real fair justice, we need to hear from God. Thus God has given us His Word - and to reinforce this justice - God has given us His people.

Questions:

1. How old were you when you figured out that life isn't fair?

2. Have you ever tried the practice of "no physical food until you have tasted spiritual food"?

3. What are the relationships that drain you? What are the ones that are making you a better person?

4. How can we make our world a better place? (Ie - more just and fair)

Have you ever found yourself in a mess? Sometimes the circumstances of life cause us trouble. Many times, however, the messes we get into are self-inflicted. What do you do when you find yourself in a self-caused mess? See God’s answer as we look at Joshua and his strange encounter with the Gibeonites.

Sermon Questions:

Joshua 9-10

1. Discuss a time when you got into a mess that was self-inflicted. How did it happen?

2. Why did Israel get into a mess with the Gibeonites? (see Joshua 9:14) How has this same problem caused you to get into trouble in your life?

3. Why didn’t Joshua let the Gibeonites die in battle (see Joshua 10:5-7)? What lesson is this for us and our problems? (Answer: Sometimes taking the easy way out is the wrong decision.)

4. Sin sometimes puts people in impossible, lose-lose situations where even the best move will cause harm. When have you observed this? What was the situation? How could it have been avoided?

5. In what ways are you regularly trying to ask God what He wants you to do so that you avoid future messes? How can this improve?

Synopsis:

When we think of how God commanded the Israelite people to live and conduct themselves we can too quickly point fingers calling it unfair and tyrannical. God set up specific rules to be followed by his people when they conquered other nations. However, if we look below the surface of the rules and wars we see God wasn't looking just after their own best interest but actually for the interest of their neighboring nations along with the rest of the world to come. Joshua chapter 7 shows us how serious God is about sin and how if not dealt with properly it will affect and infect not just the sinner but the family, community and world.

Questions:

What is the difference between lust and coveting?

For Achan, his eye was caught, and looking too long his heart was captivated. In your experience, how quickly can people, possessions, and positions of power take our hearts from us?

How do you think Achan's clan felt when the lot was on him for committing the crime against God?

How many others do you think knew about the crime but they didn't talk?

Do you believe God was right in how far he went in disciplining his people?

Can you trust God when discipline comes to your local church? To your family? To you?

Jesus' sacrifice is the greatest beauty for our hearts. Focus on his sacrifice for you and may your priorities be closer aligned in the Father's will.

Challenge:

It's important we confess our sins and struggles to a trusted small group. Would you consider opening up with whom you trust about your struggles so accountability can be implemented and that you and everyone around you can be liberated from the sin?

We don't follow God because life is better that way. We follow God because He is God. And then life is better.

Questions: Joshua 5-6

1. What was the number one thing that made you want to become a Christian?

2. When Jesus said that you have to give up your life in order to find it, what did He mean?

3. How much time do you spend listening to God (in Bible study) compared to talking to God (in prayer)? Should we be spending more time listening or talking?

4. What was the biggest decision you ever made, without thinking about God? How would things have been different if you thought about God before making that decision?

It's easier to be a spectator on the sidelines rather than a warrior in the fight. But as Christians, we just don't have that luxury. See why the fight to follow Jesus is crucial as we begin a new series through the book of Joshua.

Sermon Questions: Joshua 1-5

1. Share a situation in your life where you went from being an observer on the sidelines to an active participant. What caused this change?

2. Why did Israel not enter the promised land the first time (see the 12 spies in Numbers 13:27-33)? When have you failed to trust God?

3. Moses, the giver of God's Law, failed to enter the promised land, but Joshua (the Old Testament name for Jesus) did get to enter it. What should we conclude from this? See Galatians 3:21-29 (leaders note: the law makes you guilty, but only the grace of Jesus forgives you.)

4. Once we enter God's promised land (ie. Become a Christian) we now have to fight. What are some of the major battles you are fighting as a follower of Jesus?

5. Of the battles you are fighting as a Christian which ones are you winning and which ones are you losing? How can we pray for you in this?

It's easier to be a spectator on the sidelines rather than a warrior in the fight. But as Christians, we just don't have that luxury. See why the fight to follow Jesus is crucial as we begin a new series through the book of Joshua.

Sermon Questions: Joshua 1-5

1. Share a situation in your life where you went from being an observer on the sidelines to an active participant. What caused this change?

2. Why did Israel not enter the promised land the first time (see the 12 spies in Numbers 13:27-33)? When have you failed to trust God?

3. Moses, the giver of God's Law, failed to enter the promised land, but Joshua (the Old Testament name for Jesus) did get to enter it. What should we conclude from this? See Galatians 3:21-29 (leaders note: the law makes you guilty, but only the grace of Jesus forgives you.)

4. Once we enter God's promised land (ie. Become a Christian) we now have to fight. What are some of the major battles you are fighting as a follower of Jesus?

5. Of the battles you are fighting as a Christian which ones are you winning and which ones are you losing? How can we pray for you in this?

Some things in life are so big that they need to have the kind of impact that others can see. If you really love someone - they ought to be able to see visible signs of your love. In this message we will see how God displayed His love for us in the visible life and death of His Son. And because we love God, there are things we do, sacrifices we make, and service we offer. We love God so much that it can be seen in the way we live.