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SACRIFICE IN SORROW
When Serving Costs You
Dr. Jessica Fernandez, Lead Associate Pastor
October 20, 2024

#god #realspringcreekchurch #sacrificeinsorrow #whenservingcostsyou #sacrifice #sorrow #serving #serve #cost

https://www.springcreekchurch.org/

We will explore the story of the Widow of Zarephath, a woman who faced overwhelming grief and hopelessness. Preparing for what she believed would be her last meal with her son, she was asked by the prophet Elijah to sacrifice what little she had left to serve him first. This act of sacrificial service in the midst of her sorrow came at a cost—but it was through this sacrifice that she encountered God’s miraculous provision and hope.

When we serve others during our seasons of grief, it often feels like it costs us more than we can bear—our comfort, energy, and what little hope remains. Yet, as we’ll see in this story, it is in these moments of sacrificial service that God meets us, sustains us, and provides for us in ways we could never imagine.

This sermon will challenge us to reflect on how God might be calling us to serve, even when it costs us something. When we choose to offer Him the little we have, even in our sorrow, He is faithful to meet our needs and restore our hope.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In what ways do you relate to the widow’s sense of emptiness or lack? How does her story encourage you to trust God?

2. What are some areas in your life where you feel like you have nothing left to give? How might God be asking you to serve despite your lack?

3. How does sacrificial service bring about healing, both for the person serving and those being served? Have you experienced this in your own life?

4. What are some practical ways you can step into serving others, even in a season of grief or sorrow?

How can we encourage each other as a church community to trust God and serve faithfully, especially in difficult times?

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THE FRUIT OF PATIENCE
Fruit-Full – Part 4
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
October 13, 2024

#god #realspringcreekchurch #fruitfull #thefruitofpatience #patience https://www.springcreekchurch.org/

Few things put our faith to the test like having to wait. We wait to hear the results of a biopsy. We grow impatient with our children. Will they ever learn responsibility and grow up? We are in a relationship with someone with no desire to commit and our patience is all but gone. In practically every area of life, we desperately need more patience. If you’d like more patience but don’t know how to get it, that’s what this message is all about.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In what ways were you challenged or encouraged by today’s message?

2. God is slow to heat up and slow to react – which is what patience is all about. What did you learn about God that makes Him so patient? Why do people often think of God in the opposite terms, given to snap judgments, quick to mete out punishment, and even arbitrarily bringing devastation? Some people today even say the same sort of things when natural disasters strike. How would you answer such a person? Do you think that type of thinking is consistent with God as He is revealed in Scripture?

3. When it comes to things that try our patience, Pastor Keith pointed out the three dominant areas as;

• Waiting – The question is “How long?”

• Suffering – The question is, “Why?”

• People – The question is, “How in the world?”

Have any of these been challenging for you? How and in what ways? What are you learning that might help you better cope with the things that try your patience?

4. It’s tempting to get off in the future trying to solve any anticipated problems with today’s resources. But that makes life difficult because you lack the needed resources to deal with tomorrow’s problems. God gives strength for today. The challenge is to remain in the present moment with God. Why is it so difficult to be off in the future? How can you remain centered on God and live in the present moment?

5. Often times we find the present difficult and lose our patience because we don’t see or understand the bigger picture of what is happening or why it may be happening. Because God loves and because God has a different experience of time than us, how does that help us maintain a more balanced view of what is happening and what might be happening?

6. Take some time to re-read the following passage:

The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near… We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. James 5.7-8, 11

In this verse, James talks about what the farmer must do in order for them to see a harvest. For the things that are beyond their control, James advocates for patience. For the things within their control, He advocates for

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THE FRUIT OF PEACE
Fruit-Full – Part 3
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
October 6, 2024

Who couldn’t use a little more peace in their life, am I right? When our marriages are strained or the kids are more than we can handle or office politics makes going to work draining, how do you find peace in the chaos? Sometimes, the way we go about trying to obtain peace practically guarantees we will never experience peace. This weekend, Pastor Keith will show us God’s peace and how it can be yours.

#god #realspringcreekchurch #fruitfull #thefruitofpeace #peace
https://www.springcreekchurch.org/

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Shalom, the Jewish idea of peace, is so much bigger than individual peace. Fundamentally, it’s about a society that flourishes because it is functions as God intended. Why do we reduce big concepts like shalom down to small applications that are only about our personal experience with shalom? In what other ways do we do this to Scripture?

2. Take some time as a group to go back over the differences between the God of peace, the peace of God and peace with God. Have you ever experienced the peace of God in the midst of chaos? If so, what was the situation you found yourself in and describe what the peace of God was like for you. Pastor Keith shared the illustration of the Sawi people of New Guinea and the breakthrough the Richardsons made after watching the exchange of the peace child to end hostilities. How does this story parallel the gospel story of God offering His Son to us?

3. Many settle for pseudo-peace – truces – stalemates – swallowing differences – cold wars. Why do people prefer what is not peace to what actually is? Why is peacemaking such a challenging thing to do? What have been your experiences in this arena with friends? Children? Co-workers? Issues in society?

4. There’s a huge difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking. Can you describe examples of peacekeeping? Have you ever done that yourself? There’s also a big difference between peacemaking and peace-achieving? Why is peace sometimes beyond our grasp?

5. Why do you think peacemaking is so important in the plan of God for our lives? If peacemaking is so vitally important to God, why don’t we see more of it manifested among His followers?