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This Is Not Your Final Chapter

Discussion Guide

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Show Leader Tips

Conversation Starters

Looking for a way to get the group talking? Try one of these conversation starters.
We celebrated 17 years as a church this weekend! Share when you started coming to Elevation and how you’ve seen God work in your life through our church. 
If you could time travel and go back 17 years, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Sermon Reflection

Help transition the group to the discussion with one of these questions.
  • What stood out to you from this week’s message?
  • What from the message encouraged you/challenged you the most?

Sermon Discussion

Select 1-2 themes from the sermon to discuss with your eGroup.
  • Read Jeremiah 36:21-23. Pastor Jentezen taught us that scribes were important in the Bible because they heard what was said in the throne room and wrote it down so that people knew what the king had said. He then encouraged us to “take good notes from the Lord.” When God makes us a promise or performs a miracle in our life, it’s important that we write it down to remember what God has spoken over us and all that He’s done for us.
    • What’s something that you experienced in your faith that you look back on to remember what God has done for you?
    • Read Verse 23. When have you been tempted to trim down a promise to make it more manageable for you, or because it was taking longer than expected?
    • What promise has God given you that you want to hold onto? What can you begin doing today to start moving towards that promise? (Life after a divorce, life beyond the addiction, etc.)
  • Read John 8:6. Just like Jesus wrote another story for the woman caught in adultery, He wants to write us another story, too. Jesus is not afraid of anything in our past — He will always draw near to us. He wrote us out of death and defeat and into life and victory.  
    • What in your past have you seen God redeem? How have you seen God write you out of an old story and into a new story that He was writing for you?
    • What’s a new thing God is writing into your story right now that you’re tempted to doubt? 
    • When you’re tempted to let your past discourage you, what are some practical ways to remind yourself of the new story God is writing for you? (Examples: writing down Bible verses, listening to worship songs, praying with a friend about it, etc.)
  • Read Psalm 45:1. As we speak our praise to God, our tongue acts like a pen to write down and recall God’s faithfulness. Praising God is a way of recalling His faithfulness to us. 
    • Share a time when praising God helped you recall his faithfulness to you in a time when you needed it.  
    • What are some promises or miracles happening in your life right now that you can write down as a future praise? 
    • What would it look like, practically, for you to actually write those down to reflect on when you need it? (Examples: in your phone, on a sticky note on your mirror, in a gratitude journal, etc.)

Activating Faith

Challenge your group to keep activating their faith. Make this a part of your eGroup time or send this activity to them after you meet.
We learned this weekend how, when Jesus was faced with extreme opposition and temptation, He combated it with extreme measures. Jesus fought Satan’s tactics and weapons with extreme fasting, prayer, worship, and dedication to God’s word. During some seasons of our life, we also need to tap into this level of “extreme.”
Write down a “battle plan” for the next time you’re faced with extreme opposition and/or temptation. What can help you cling to God’s promises and find victory?
Examples:
  • Fasting for a time (from food, coffee, social media, etc.)
  • Dedicated time in prayer
  • Memorizing key scriptures 
  • Calling a friend for encouragement and accountability 
  • Spending extended time reading the Bible

Prayer

Close out your group with prayer using one of these options
  • An Interactive Prayer 
    • Get into pairs and spend time praising God through prayer. Reflect and share on past promises, miracles, and provisions from God. Praise God together about those things and give Him glory!
  • A Guided Prayer
    • Dear God, thank you for being the author of my story. Help me remember my story isn’t over yet — you still have more to write for me. Thank you for your promises over my life and for my future. Help me pick up the pen and write the next chapter of what you are doing in my life.

Additional Resources

Want to help your group go deeper after you meet? Send them one of these resources that relates to the sermon topic.
  • Watch this sermon from Pastor Steven for a reminder that this is just the beginning of your story.
  • Listen to “Same God” to encourage you that if God did it in the past, He will do it again now.
  • Watch this Jeremiah overview video from the Bible project to learn more about the book of Jeremiah.