Let’s review:
1. Tell Me about Jesus
2. Why did Jesus have to die?
3. How will Jesus “come again?”
Tonight we are going to continue our study in I John.
In your groups:
1. I John 5: 3 says “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. ” What does burdensome mean? Why are the Commands of God not burdensome? Don’t they sometimes feel hard? what is the difference?
2. I John 5 :14,15 says “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. ”
Are you always confident that God hears your prayers? Why or why not. Make a list of five things that take away our confidence in God. Now make a list of five things that build our confidence in God.
Come back together:
Let’s remember as we begin this study that John was Jesus ____________ friend while he ministered on the Earth.
John had a ________________ life. By the time he wrote most of his books all his friends had been ______________. His own brother was killed in _____________ for the faith. Church history tells us that John was captured and sentenced to death by ___________ in oil. But he wouldn’t boil. So he was sent into ______________. Later he was released and he became the pastor of the church in _______________.
John says the commands of the Lord are not _______________. That does not mean that sometimes they are not ______________. Some of the things God may ask us to do are hard. But he helps us carry the ________________.
It is that way with obedience. God asks us to come away from sin. That’s ______________. Temptation is strong. But we do not have to fight alone. Paul wrote : “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. ” I Cor. 10:13
What are some of the ways out God will give us in _____________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Prayer is always a key to _______________ in the Christian life. We can be ______________ that God hears us when we pray. What are some of the things that cause us to lose confidence in the power of prayer?
How can we rebuild that confidence?
Ultimately we need to become more _______________.
God is calling you tonight to build your faith. What are you going to do to build your faith tonight?
Reinventing the We'll 