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EVER WONDER WHY?—3

WHY DIDN’T GOD ANSWER MY PRAYER?

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14 NIV

The purpose of prayer is to know God so we can do His will.

WHY DIDN’T GOD ANSWER MY PRAYER?

Maybe you have a broken relationship.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:24-25 NIV

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Peter 3:7 NIV

Maybe you have the wrong motives.

Maybe you don’t believe God will do it.

“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24 NIV

… “Your faith has healed you.” … Matthew 9:22 NIV

… “Your faith has saved you ...” Luke 7:50 NIV

… “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30and their sight was restored. … Matthew 9:29-30 NIV

Maybe God has something different.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15 NIV

TALK IT OVER Read Mark 11:24-25. Think about a time when you learned how your relationships with others can impact your relationship with God. Why do you think God cares about our relationships with others? Share about a time when God didn’t answer a prayer the way you thought He should. What did you learn through that experience?

What does it look like to pray so that you can know God better? How will you pray with that purpose in mind this week?

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EVER WONDER WHY?—4 WHY SHOULD I TRUST GOD? Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7 NIV

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm 13:1-2 NIV

How do you grow to trust in a God you can’t see?

1. You question.

“We’re closer to God when we’re asking questions than when we think we hold all the answers.”

“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Mark 9:22 NIV

God would rather you run to Him with your questions than run from Him with your doubts!

1. You pray.

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed,“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24 NIV

1. You surrender. Choose to trust God, even when you don’t understand.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Trusting God doesn’t mean you always get what you want.

Trusting God means that no matter what happens, you believe that God loves you and is working all things for your good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV

Even though I don’t understand the plan, I trust God has a purpose.

TALK IT OVER Read Mark 9:23-24. How often do you take your questions to God in prayer? What might your faith look like if you made this a regular habit?

Share about a time when you chose to trust God. What did trust look like, and how did it grow your relationship with Him?

Talk about an area of your life where you might be struggling to fully trust God. How can you remember that He has a purpose, even if you don’t understand the plan?

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EVER WONDER WHY?—5 WHY CAN’T I STOP?

You’re focusing on the poison of religion and forgetting the power of grace.

Religion is our attempt to earn God’s approval by following all the rules.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. Titus 2:11 NIV

charis: the unmerited goodwill and favor of God The grace that saves you is also the grace that sustains you.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age … Titus 2:11-12 NIV

How Does God’s Grace Change Us?

The focus of religion is outward. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matthew 23:25-26 NIV

The power of grace is inward.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,. Ephesians 3:16 NIV

• Religion says, “Try harder.” • Grace says, “Trust more.”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 10… For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV

Asking for help is never a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of wisdom.

You’re trying to meet a need or relieve a hurt with something besides God’s grace.

… But where sin increased, grace increased all the more … Romans 5:20 NIV

Think About It

What is your thought process like when you’re trying to break a bad habit? How could you focus less on the outward and more on the inward power of grace?

Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Where might you need to rely on God’s power more than yours?

You are only as strong as you are honest. Talk about a habit in your life that you’d like to change. How can your church family support you?

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EVER WONDER WHY?—6 WHEN GOD FEELS FAR AWAY I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. ... 11You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:8-9, 11 NLT

But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? Psalm 88:13-14 NIV

WHY DON’T WE ALWAYS FEEL GOD?

1. Maybe you’re oversensationalizing God’s presence.

So they asked [Jesus], “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” John 6:30 NIV

If you always felt God, you wouldn’t need faith.

1. Maybe your heart has hardened. … “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. …’” Matthew 13:14-15 NIV

2. Maybe God just wants to draw you closer.

“From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26-27 NIV

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD ... Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV

Just because God feels distant doesn’t mean God is absent.

… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:20-23 NIV

I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:8 NLT

Think About It

Read Psalm 16:8-9, 11. How can you remember God is always with you, even if you don’t feel His presence? If we always felt God, we wouldn’t need faith. What are some ways you can seek God, regardless of your feelings?

Challenges, hard times, and suffering can bring us closer to God. Share a time when you saw God working, even if you didn’t sense His presence.

EVER WONDER WHY?—7 DOES GOD LOVE ME? For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

Two Kinds of Love

1. A love that loves because the object is valuable.
2. A love that loves and gives value to the object.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

God’s love makes you worthy. … God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10 NIV

When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” Luke 9:54 NIV

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 NIV

Think About It Read Romans 5:8. What’s your thought process like when you read about God’s unconditional love for you?

Pastor Mike mentioned two kinds of love: a love that loves because the object is valuable, and a love that loves and gives value to the object. What are some differences between these two types of love?

When you consider God’s love for you, what thoughts or feelings do you have? If you’re currently struggling with feeling worthy of God’s love, share that with your LifeGroup. How might they be able to support you as you begin accepting God’s love?

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Abide In Me: Jesus Is The Vine

POINT #1 – THE VINE IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

“God is looking for people through whom he can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” A.W. Tozer

POINT #2 – THE CHRISTIAN LIFE CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED ON OUR OWN

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

POINT #3 – ABIDING IN CHRIST SHOULD RESULT IN LIVES THAT LOOK LIKE JESUS

In order to establish or reestablish connection, there are a few simple ways to respond.

1. Recognize your dependence upon Christ
2. Repent and commit to living in obedience
3. Repeat daily

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Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14 // 2 Corinthians 5:17 // Colossians 3:12

If we are in Christ, We are chosen to be a blessing. We are adopted to be a part of the family of God We are redeemed to be free. We are purposed to live on purpose. We are sealed to be faithful.

Think: If I am in Christ then I can live into all of these spiritual blessings because they are true of me.

Feel: No matter how I feel about myself, the truth is that I am chosen, adopted, redeemed, purposed, and sealed.

Do: Stop believing the lies told to you by the evil one and trust in the blessing of God

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Week 2: Grateful For Grace Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10 // 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Write Up: We are God’s handiwork and were created in order to do good works that He planned for us to take part in. These good works are not executed to receive the love of God. These good works are the result of God’s good grace toward us. We should live lives of gratitude because we are loved by God as His beloved creation.

Think: I can do nothing to make God love me more. I can do nothing to make God love me less.

Feel: I am so grateful for God’s grace in my life that I will gladly take part in His designed plan for my life.

Do: I should consider all of the reasons I have to be grateful and make a point of thanking God for it.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some examples of God’s grace in scripture?
2. How can we give our weaknesses to God?
3. Where is a place that you see God’s grace in your life?
4. Can you think of a time where your weakness made you more dependent on God?
5. What has God done in your life that you are grateful for?

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Experience The Gifts of Christmas

Sermon 3: Experience The Gift of Joy

“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.” 1 Peter 1:8 (NLT)

“ 11 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! 12 Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he is coming!” Psalm 96:11–13 (NLT)

1. Anticipate Joy “but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” Luke 2:10–11 (NLT)

“The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Luke 2:20(NLT)

1. Recognize Joy “When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10–11 (NLT)

“Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” James 1:2–3 (NLT)

1. Choose Joy Choose Gratitude: “ Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NLT)

Choose to Obey: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11 (NLT) John 15:10

Choose to Abide: John 15

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you describe your feelings about Christmas as “filled with joy”?
2. What is keeping you from experiencing joy this Advent season?
3. Between gratitude, obedience and abiding in God’s love, which is hardest for you to remember and do?
4. How can you make time this week to practice this and make room for joy?

For more information about Middle River Assembly of God visit https://middleriverag.org/ To help support the mission of Middle River Assembly of God, please go to our new giving platform https://tithe.ly/give?c=4877442 CCLI Copyright License # 1013363 CCLI Streaming License # 20006236 Thank you for your support.

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