Sunday, December 16, 2018

A Thrill of Hope: Baby Soft Skin

2 Kings 5:1–14



Intro:

When you were a kid, what was one of the things on your Christmas list that you hoped for the most? Did you ever get it?


Scripture Discussion & Application:

Read 2 Kings 5:1–7

Put yourself in Naaman's place. How would you feel knowing that you held a position of power and authority and yet suffered a skin disease you could do nothing about?

Have you ever felt hopeless like that? Frustrated that there was something in your life you could not control or fix? How can those times be beneficial in our relationship with God?

Why are we sometimes disappointed with the way God or other people respond to our requests?

What might out disappointment reveal about our hearts? (See Romans 12:3)

Compare and contrast Naaman and the servant girl.

What do you think this girl must have believed to be true about God in order to tell Naaman how he could be helped?

How do her actions remind you of what Jesus did for us in the gospel?

Let's not forget the fact that this girl was a slave, taken from her home. She could have been bitter about her circumstances, but instead she chose the path of hope. How have you let your current circumstances steal your hope in Jesus?

Read 2 Kings 5:8–14

What does Naaman's response to Elisha (vv. 11–12) reveal about his opinion of himself? How might such an opinion produce disappointment – instead of hope – in our relationship with God?

Why do you think God required Naaman to receive healing by dipping in the Jordan River? What was God trying to teach Naaman?


Next Steps:

What are the biggest sources of disappointment in your life right now? More importantly, how can you place your hope in Jesus?

Who do you know that you wish you could share the message of hope with? What keeps you from doing it? What steps can you take towards having the conversation?


How to Pray This Week:

Spend some time in prayer, asking God to help you find hope and satisfaction in Him alone.

Pray that God would humble us so that we would both seek Him and help those around us seek Him.


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Happenings

Christmas Eve Eve Service
Sunday, December 23rd at 5pm at both campuses.
There is no rWorld for the evening service.
(Sunday morning services are still happening that day as well. Normal schedule for those.)

21 Days of Prayer (Launch Service)
January 6th, 5pm at South Fork Campus
This is the kickoff to our yearly 21 days of prayer as a church. What better way to start off our year than by gathering to focus our hearts and minds on prayer as 2019 is beginning. We will worship through singing, corporate prayer, and hearing stories of answered prayers from 2018. This service is designed to help you see how God works through prayer and how you can apply prayer to your life and relationship with God this year. Prayer guides for 21 Days of Prayer will be in seats at the AM and PM services so we can aim or prayers to the same focus each day.

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