Faithful Deliverer | Yesterday, Today, Forever | Week 1

Opening 

Invite your group members to share how they have been experiencing Christmas this year. What shifts if they reflect on Christmas as a sign of God’s faithfulness to people?  

Overview  

It is easy for believers to be numb to the true meaning of Christmas. Because the complexity of life clouds our Christmas experience, we find it hard to trust in the faithfulness of God. Instead of sitting in the hope of the coming of Jesus, we can become cynical and complacent. But God has a history of sending people in complex moments to remind us of his faithfulness. In that, God invites us to trust in His faithfulness and partner in His purposes.  

Jesus’ arrival is the ultimate symbol of God’s faithfulness because it reveals God’s commitment and loyalty to His people. God’s faithfulness is His commitment to provide for and protect His people. But when we resist God’s faithfulness in our complex moments, we are blocked from participating in God’s purposes. Remembering God’s faithfulness brings us into partnership with God and aligns us with His purposes. Trusting in God’s faithfulness compels us to partner with Him through increased obedience and holiness.  

Discussion Questions  

1. How are you responding to the complexity of your life?   
2. Where is God inviting you into increased obedience and holiness?  

Practice 

Matthew 1: 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).  24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. 

Read the passage aloud and talk through the story. What must Joseph have been feeling? What other responses could he have had? Invite people to share some of the complexity of their lives. How could they respond like Joseph to their situations?  

Closing  

Pray that your group members will remember the faithfulness of God in the complexity of their lives.