BIG IDEA

The full life is built by faithfulness.

MESSAGE NOTES:

WHAT:

'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ' John 10:10 NIV

What do you do when reality hits your expectation?

Maybe there’s a reality that you’re living with that makes you question whether or not the Jesus way is the full life.

SO WHAT:

What do you do when you feel like God didn’t uphold his end of the deal?

Common coping methods for Christians: 1. Become cynical. 2. Justify sins. 3. Give up.

You and I didn’t invent wanting to give up on our faith. You and I aren’t the first ones to say “this isn’t fair”.

'So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.' 1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT

NOW WHAT:

The full life is built by faithfulness.

it’s going to require from you is for you to remain faithful even when you don’t want to.

“It’s training." It’s temporary pain for permanent gain.

You drop weight. You gain wisdom. You redefine what’s worthwhile.

3 places to look to keep being faithful: Look up. Look around. Look ahead.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Q1: Do you feel like your reality usually meets your expectations or not?

Q2: What do you do when you feel like God didn’t uphold his end of the deal?

Q3: Share a time when you have experienced the growth of being faithful through hard time? ie. drop weight, gain wisdom, redefine what’s worthwhile.

Q4: What helps you most? To look up, look around, or look ahead?

Q5: How can you help yourself and each other focus on the eternal over the “right now”?