Making Transitions
PREPARING OUR HEARTS FOR A NEW SEASON
Sermon Date: June 11, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Here are important events that you should be aware of and praying over:
-Westview Highschool - We are moving to Westview Highschool, in Bennington, on Sunday, June 25th
WHY CITY GROUPS?
The point of a City Group is to help us apply God’s Word to our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to multiply faithful disciples of Jesus who make more disciples of Jesus. So we gather regularly to give ourselves to three basic Christian practices: sharing stories, reading the Bible, and praying.
PRAY
Ask if anyone would like to open up in prayer and ask God to bless your time together
STORY
Break the ice with a testimony..
Who has prepared their 5-7 minute story?
Who can give testimony of God’s goodness right now? (i.e. answered prayer, provision, transformation, etc.)
VISION FOR THIS DISCUSSION
As we transition as a church to Westview High School, we not only want to prepare our hands for the work ahead, but we want to take time to prepare our hearts. The transition to Westview is not only a physical move, but we as pastors feel like this is the next spiritual step that God has for us as a church.
We believe God has kept us faithful with small beginnings, and now He continues to give us more. We want to steward His grace and His presence well as He entrusts us with a new home. Let’s take time to prepare our hearts so that as we transition now and throughout life, we do it with the right heart in the right ways.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSAGE
Read Joshua 3:1-17 aloud as a group. Any initial observations?
The Ark was the presence of God and was carried by the priests. The people (2-3 million Israelites) followed a distance of 10 football fields behind the Ark. God shows us that there is a correct order when we transition—we must follow behind Him.
Sadly, there are many Christians today who don’t grasp this simple truth.
Many of us make decisions and go through significant transitions without seeking the Lord and His leading.
What seems to be our first inclination or reaction when faced with transitions in life?
One of the keys to following God well is to have the right mindset:
“I never want to get ahead of God, and I sure don’t want to lag behind, either!”
There are many examples in the Bible of the admonition to “wait upon the Lord.”
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience; it’s not love, joy, peace, and hurry!
In what ways or situations in your own life are you able to recognize our human nature to be impulsive, impatient, or both
Allow the people in your group to share experiences they’ve had when they were way out in front or way behind the leading of the Lord.
How has waiting upon the Lord “paid off” in your life?
Read Joshua 3:5. The Israelites were being called to deal with any sin or compromise in their lives before they entered into the transition.
God does not bless our decisions when we compromise and make them with sinful, selfish motivations.
God wants us to trust Him with pure hearts and right motives that honor Him and others.
How can we test our hearts to see if they have right motives in moments when we have to make decisions regarding transition? What practical questions should we be asking ourselves? What questions do you think God is asking us in those moments?
The million-dollar question would be, is it possible to be absolutely certain when God is leading versus your own desires, thoughts and wishes?
Read and discuss Isaiah 58:9, Colossians 3:15–16, & Matthew 6:16-18.
Spend time talking about the disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and fasting, and why they are important when it comes to discerning God’s will.
What are some of the ways you can discern God’s leading, especially when there is a major transition?
Read Joshua 3:8, 14-16. It was only when the priests’ feet touched the water’s edge that God displayed his power.
Every new transition in life involves a certain amount of risk – not foolishness or recklessness – but a certain amount of the unknown if we’ve never been that way before, and it’s in times like this we have to trust God.
If God always made it easy, if he always parted the Jordan River before we got there or removed all of the obstacles, fears, and apprehension, we’d never have the opportunity to see the awesome display of his power on our behalf.
Sometimes God will take us right to the edge and say, “Now, trust me!”. Have you experienced or are you experiencing any moments like this with God? How have you seen his power be displayed through it?
PRAYER
Feel free to ask the group for any pressing prayer requests that would be good to pray over together.
Use the TACOS acronym to let the text you studied pray for you:
Thanksgiving - “Father, thank you…”
Adoration - “Father, You are…”
Confession - “Father, I confess…”
Others - “Father, I pray for…”
Self - “Father, please help me…”
*If size or group dynamics seem to hinder prayer, consider dividing into groups of men/women or groups of 3-4 to reduce barriers to praying out loud.