The Upper Room Fellowship

Sermon Questions/Thoughts -

* Read 1 Kings 20:39-42. This is your wakeup call! - Discuss your first reaction to hearing the prophet and king story and its connection to you.

* Chris said, "You are the person you're supposed to be watching. You are the most suited to deceit, you are the one who's most able to hurt yourself. Your life is snatched when you're not paying attention." - What do you need to do to pay attention? What do you need to stop in order to pay attention?

* Read Prov 4:23, Jude 1:21, Jer 17:9 - Discuss what you can do to keep from deceit or tricking yourself. "Paying attention" isn't enough - we need concrete answers for issues that keep us from our future self.

* Remind everyone of the Two Things To Guard:

1) Giving In (distractions and lies) and 2) Giving Up (difficulty and struggle)

* What are common distractions you have in your life? Are there areas of struggle that you've just given up on? Can you go back to those places of distraction and struggle and make new or different plans?

* Read Ps. 81:16 - God wants to bring goodness in the midst of the difficult stuff! He will pull honey from the rock!

* Review - Change can be seen one of two ways: 1) A threat, 2) an opportunity

- A threat is seen as something we must survive

- An opportunity is seen as something that is possible

* Review - You cannot dream in survival (or threat) mode.

* In the midst of areas of upheaval and change in 2020/21, right now, how are you viewing and feeling about change?

* What areas of your life feel most 'threatened' and what areas feel like you are able to see opportunities and dream?

* Read Isaiah 43:14-19

* Where have you seen God's faithfulness in the past? Are you able to trust that he will be faithful in the future?

* Is there anything you need to grieve/consider/work through in order to see and accept that God wants to do a new thing? Are you looking back longingly? What can you do to be able to move forward? (if none, consider/discuss tools/help!)

* Read Luke 5:36-39 // Review 4 points - 1) You can't get new along with the old 2) Looking back longingly reduces God's ability to do new things 3) Don't limit God and the ways he can work 4) Expect God to do things that will stretch your faith

Future You - Show Me Your Friends And I'll Show You Your Future // Beth S.

Future You - What Do You See When You Look At The Ark? // Chris H.

Future You - Throw Off Everything That Hinders // Chris H.

Future You - Guard This Man // Chris H.

Future You - Little By Little

Future You - In Lieu Of Crisis // Chris H.

Future You - Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

Christmas Eve : Advent - Christ  // Chris H.