MAIN POINT:

Our faith grows and we gain eternal perspective when we lay our doubts before the Lord in His House.

ICEBREAKER:

What simple thing in life did you doubt you could do but ultimately were successful? (Making pie crust? Running a marathon? Changing your own oil?)

INTRODUCTION:

This weekend Pastor Chris continued in our series, Bullet Proof, with the sermon entitled “Deal with It”. He conceded that a 3 week sermon series will not remove all doubts, but at Faith Promise we know the best place to deal with doubts is in the church, a safe place to ask the hard questions. We know the Lord is not worried or threatened by our questions. We must ask them so that our spiritual growth is not impeded. For Christ followers, life is “heaven practice”. We must keep our eyes laser focused on Him and His Kingdom and not on the things of this world. A heavenly focus dispels doubt. When we do encounter someone who is doubting, we must extend mercy to them (Jude 22). Remember, before we were saved, we were safe from the enemies attack. We are not any longer. His focus is to kill, steal and destroy. We are on God’s Team; we should expect trials and attacks. The devil dispenses doubt. It is one of his best tools. But Christ followers must have an eternal focus. The best way to deal with doubt is to bring them to God, get planted in His House, be in His Word daily, and be in a small group. This is the formula for becoming bulletproof!

ENCOUNTERING GOD THROUGH BIBLE STUDY:

Read Philippians 3:18-20.

1. On what did Paul tell us our mind needs to focused?

2. Share with your group what that means practically to you. How can you apply this to a  situation that you are currently experiencing?

Read Jude 22.

3. How is the believer supposed to react to a person who is doubting?

4. How can you help a person who has questions?

Read Psalm 73:1.

5. How does the psalmist begin?

Read Psalm 73:2-14.

6. In these verses, the psalmist admits his doubts and struggles with what he sees and feels. In what ways is doubting different from unbelief?

7. Share with your group if you have experienced the similar struggles to what the psalmist is describing.

8. Is the psalmist’s conclusion in verse 13 correct? Why or why not?

Read Psalm 73:15-28.

9. Asaph worried about how his conclusion would affect younger believers (aha!), and took some strategic steps to correct his thinking. What did he do?

10. What can you find in a the House of God that is not on offer elsewhere?

11. Has your perspective ever changed regarding a personal trial after you have been to a worship service at church? Please share with your group. 

Read Psalm 92:12-14.

12. If you have been at Faith Promise for more than 6 months, does this verse look familiar to you?

LEADER NOTES

1. On heaven
2. Answers may vary. 
3. With mercy
4. Gently and lovingly point them to CHRIST! Show them His love for them, talk to them about salvation and how exciting it is to study God’s Word. Bottom line- make sure they understand that you genuinely care for them. Consider getting them plugged into a small group if they are not in one, especially with mature believers who can serve to mentor them.
5. With a statement of fact of God’s attribute- God is good.
6. An unbeliever stubbornly refuses to surrender to God while a doubting person is struggling to believe.
8. Incorrect- We do not serve God for what we can get out of it; we serve Him because He is worthy of our worship and service! 
9. He took his troubles to the House of God! 
10.  In the House of God, one can be surrounded by and worship with other believers and be filled with His life-giving Word. 
11. Our perspectives can transition from a worldly view to a heavenly view. We are able to shift our focus from the circumstances around us and started pondering our destiny before us- Glory! 
12. It is our theme verse for 2015, and it proclaims the truth about how God’s people can live a spiritually vivacious life when we are planted in the House of the Lord.