SERMON NOTES (click arrow to the right to open)

Main Idea:
Our connection to God is through relationship, not fear, and He sometimes makes, what seems like to us, outrageous, impossible promises. He keeps inviting us to come closer to Him, despite our lack of trust and our failures. Promises may not be fulfilled on our time table, but they will be fulfilled if we choose to enter into relationship with Him, and not a fake relationship either, a truly honest relationship, one where we are not afraid to show him our true feelings.

Sermon Notes:
This past weekend’s sermon centered on the story of Abraham. He did not yet have a relationship with God, and God made him a promise to bless him. That did not mean however, that he would have an easy life with no worries or responsibilities. It did mean that God wanted a relationship with him.

God also promised to bless the whole world through one of his descendants. Although at that time, Abraham and Sarah had no children and were getting older.

Abraham did not yet trust God, and was filled with much anxiety and fear. Fear causes us to try and control our world, through gaining power, power over our education, career, our budgets. It can also lead us to deception, manipulation, and betrayal. Abraham’s fear led him to betray his relationship with Sarah, not once, but at least twice and brought on all kinds of problems for Abraham, Sarah, and Egypt’s Pharaoh.

Gaining power in this world does nothing to alleviate fear, because once you’ve gained power, your fear is doubled since you may lose the very thing that you believe gives you power.

The only true way to confront fear, is placing trust in the only One who truly does control everything, God. He will be with us through every joy and every heartache.

Abraham’s relationship with God evolved over time, and God never left him, God was faithful to Abraham, understanding his frailty and failures. When Abraham finally began a true and trusting relationship with God, that’s when things began to turn around. When Abraham finally started talking truthfully to God, to the point of laughing at God’s promises and saying to God, he could not believe the promise of children, that’s when a real relationship began. Abraham could say to God, ‘I’m afraid, I’m having a hard time believing children are possible’.

When we pray, we need to be honest, despite that fact that God know us inside and out from our very molecules, He desperately wants a true relationship with us, one where we are not afraid to say ‘that’s impossible, it’s hard to believe’, or even ‘I’m angry with you, and hurt because this bad thing has happened’ – He will be there with us through it all.

Key Verses:
Genesis 12:1-20, 15:1-6, 17:3-22, 20:1-7, 21:1-6; Psalms 20:7-8; 61:1-2

Application Questions:
1. Where do you feel your relationship is with God right now? Distant (fear and doubt) or close (trust and freedom)?

2. How do you know this? If you look back on your actions over the past few weeks, do they hint at where you are in your relationship to God? How so?

3. He might already know your inner feelings, but do you feel you can speak them ‘aloud’ to God in prayer?

4. If it is early in your relationship with God, what do you believe would help bring you closer?

5. Would you be willing to devote more time to learning and discussing scripture with others?

6. Would you be willing to spend more time in quiet prayer with Him?

SERMON NOTES (click arrow to the right to open)

Main Idea:
When facing uncertain times, come together and turn to God in prayer.

Key Verses:
Psalms 119: 147-148, 81-82, 103; Acts 1: 3-4, 6-9, 12-14; Acts 2: 1-14, 22-24, 32-33, 36-38, 41; Gal 3: 1; Acts 4: 23-24, 31-35

Sermon Notes:
Heritage is facing change and disruption, but the first church also encountered constant, profound disruption for many reasons:
- persecution
- sin
- doctrine
- racial tension

Disruption creates fear, anger, suspicions - the disciples also dealt with these feelings. There's deep wisdom in the Word.

The disciples came together in prayer, they prayed and they waited for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. When that happened they were able to portray Jesus to the world as their crucified and risen savior.

The pattern is the same throughout history when disruption occurs:
- move upward in worship
- move toward one another in love
- move outward into the world with the gospel of Jesus

Application Questions:
Think back to times in your personal life when disruptions have occurred, whether great or small.
1. How did you handle the disruption(s)?
2. If you turned to friends/loved ones, how did they comfort you? With words or actions?
3. Did you also pray, and how did the comfort you received from friends/loved ones compare to comfort received with prayer?
4. If you have examples of how prayer has helped you or someone you know, please share with the group the experience and how it has affected your faith.