TEACHING NOTES

Things Jesus Didn’t Say:
…Whoever does the will of my Father will always get the best parking spots.
…If you lose your life for my sake, you’ll always look great in your swimsuit.
…Follow me and every day will be #blessed…healthy…wealthy.

Trouble and hardships prove your faith.

Trouble and hardships prepare you for a purpose.

Could it be, at times, God’s preparation comes packaged as pain?

Following Jesus develops our resilience through resistance.

Think of the hard times as preparation rather than simply pain. That it is not just what is happening TO me, but what God is doing IN me that counts.

God never ever wastes a hurt. Challenges prove your faith and prepares you for a purpose.

TALK IT OVER

INTRODUCTION
So many times, what we think Jesus said is not what He said at all. In this series we are going to look at some of the things the Jesus didn’t say which has a greater impact on the things he actually said. This week we discussed what Jesus said and didn’t say about having Bad Days.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you ever had so many things go wrong that all you could do was laugh? What happened?
2. Have you ever tried something without preparing beforehand? How did that go?
3. What are some reasons God might have for not shielding us from all pain and suffering?
4. What are some benefits of a faith that’s been tested?
5. What are some ways you can start embracing trials as opportunities to strengthen your faith?
6. How can we help other people find peace in the midst of pain?

MOVING FORWARD
I hope you’ll understand, I hope you’ll embrace the good news, the gospel, the good news of God’s love, the good news of his grace, the good news of his presence. The good news is not that Jesus delivers you from your pain, the good news is that Jesus delivers you from your sins, the good news is that his grace is here, that he is real, and he is working in all things.

CHANGING YOUR MIND

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33 (NLT)