30 a.d.

We  serve  a  God  who’s  actually  got  experience  succeeding  in  the  things  we  
  
need  help  with.  It  gives  Him  credibility,  and  us  all  the  more  reason  to  trust  
  Him,  and  find  comfort,  security,  and  peace  in  the  fact  that  He  loves  us.  
 It  means  that  where  we  fail,  Jesus,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  
  us,  really  can  help  us  overcome,  because  He  overcame.  
 
The Jesus Story
• Jesus,  the  Savior  of  the  world,  lived  through  poverty  and  hardship,  
  while  God  could  easily  have  made  Him  rich.  There’s  a  theme  here  
  Wk  4  Luke  2:22-­‐52     that  hardship  can  make  us  better.  Yet,  maintaining  this  perspective  

MESSAGE  NOTES:   y
 
Luke’s Gospel on  hardship  when  life  stinks  can  be  challenging.  What’s  the  normal  
reaction  when  we  face  hardship  in  life?    
o How  is  Paul’s  perspective  in  2  Corinthians  1:3-­‐11  different  
NOT  A  HANDICAP    (James  1:2-­‐4)  
1. Hardship  is  ________________.   than  what  most  of  us  would  think  when  facing  physical  or  
emotional  challenges?  
2. God  always    _PROVIDES  
_________        f  or  
         u      s      i  n  
       _T__________________  
HE  MOST    LOVING  &   • We’re  told  Jesus  learned,  and  spent  time  talking  and  studying  in  
BENEFICIAL  WAY  POSSIBLE    (Hebrews  5:8)  
_______________________.   God’s  temple,  even  as  a  boy.  This  was  a  part  of  preparing  him  for  his  
ministry.  Think  about  your  own  life,  are  you  intentionally  preparing  
3.  Jesus  is  clearly  shown  as  _FULLY   GOD  &      F_ULLY  
________   MAN   (Phil.  2:5-­‐11)  
_________.   yourselft  to  be  a  light  for  God  to  others?  What  are  some  ways  you  
can  equip  yourself  to  show  God’s  love  to  others?  What  happens  if  
DISCUSSION  QUESTIONS:   you  don’t  prepare  yourself?  (1  Peter  3:15,  Proverbs  1:32)  
Main  Themes:  God’s  Provision  &  Beneficial  Hardship   o The  point  of  this  question  is  for  kids  to  evaluate  openly  how  their  personal  
• Jesus  was  a  teenager,  just  like  you  –  He  grew  physically,   pursuit  of  godly  holiness  and  maturity  is  going.  
o Jesus  is  our  example  of  diligence  and  training.  
intellectually,  spiritually,  and  relationally.  Do  you  think  Jesus  ever  
o The  Proverbs  verse  is  meant  to  illustrate  that  there  is  no  standing  still.  
laughed,  played,  was  made  fun  of,  or  cried?  Is  it  weird  to  picture   Complacency,  or  laziness/lack  of  action  or  initiative,  is  not  a  healthy  part  
Jesus  having  an  average  childhood?  Why  or  why  not?   of  pursuing  God.  Not  pursuing  holiness  as  a  Christian  always  has  negative  
o It’s  safe  to  assume  he  encountered  hardship  as  a  kid  too.  In   consequences  attached  to  it,  whether  big  or  small.  It  may  be:  
your  life  so  far,  what  grade  has  been  the  hardest  &  why?    Having  a  hurting  friend  and  you  are  unprepared  to  meet  their  needs.  
 Being  susceptible  to  temptation.  
What  external  or  internal  things  made  it  hard?  
 GOOD  OPPORTUNITY:  Be  open  as  a  leader  with  your  hardships  as   • Luke  Chapter  2  describes  God  meeting  our  need  for  a  Savior  through  
the  kids  share  theirs.  This  discussion  has  the  potential  to  be  a  good   Jesus.  Other  places  in  the  bible  show  God  meeting  peoples’  desire  to  
connecting  point,  and  help  you  get  to  know  the  kids’  past.   have  kids,  or  peace,  or  food.  What  things  in  your  life  do  you  want  
 Giving  students  categories  might  help  jog  conversation.  You  can  ask   badly?  How  have  you  done  at  trusting  God  for  those  things?  What  
something  like:  did  you  ever  encounter  hardship  related  to  School,  
does  it  mean  to  depend  on  God?  
Family,  Self-­‐esteem,  Friends?  
o For  our  students,  this  may  be:  A  family  member  being  saved,  Friends  at  
 Most  kids  will  have  experienced  internal  self-­‐esteem/  identity  issues  
school,  Work  for  a  parent  or  for  themselves.  
in  junior  high,  it  could  be  interesting  to  talk  about  whether  Jesus  
o Depending  on  God  primarily  has  parts:  
faced  any  of  those  same  identity  issues  or  not.  
 Submitting  our  worries  to  God  through  prayer  
o Read  Hebrews  4:14-­‐16.  Jesus  faced  temptation  and  hardship,    Faithfully  trusting  God’s  provision  and  timing  and  accpeting  His  
just  like  us,  except  he  always  endured  and  succeeded.  How   peace.  
does  that  help  us?    Being  aware,  expecting,  and  looking  for  God’s  provision,  though  it  
may  not  be  the  way  we  expect.  

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SCHEDULE reminders GAME

• SETUP:  (5:45pm)   • FUSION  CHRISTMAS  PARTY  (12/21)   • INTENTIONAL  HANGOUT  
o Food  Run   o Ugly  Sweater  Contest!   o No  formal  game  this  week.  
• LEADER  MEETING:  (6:30pm)   o Dear  Brock:  Please  be  Santa!   Instead,  we’ll  have  cocoa  &  casual  
• HANGOUT:  (6:45pm)   o Dear  Danny:  Please  be  an  elf!   board  games  &  pick-­‐up  physical  
• ANNOUNCEMENTS:  (7:10pm)   o We  will  spike  the  cider.   games  going  on.  Let’s  be  
o Winter  Camp     intentional  as  leaders  to  spread  
• MORE  HANGOUT:  (7:15pm)     • CHRISTMAS  BREAK:   out,  and  facilitate  opportunities  to  
o BOARD  GAMES   o NO  TUESDAY  FUSION  (12/28)   connect  with  our  kids.  Out  of  the  3  
o OUTDOOR  GAMES     weeks  in  our  game  rotation,  this  
• INTERVIEW:  (7:40)     • HS  SUNDAY  X-­‐MAS  PARTY:  12/5   week  most  allows  us  to  connect  
• MESSAGE:  30AD  wk4  (7:45pm)   o CANCELED   with  the  extroverts  and  introverts;  
• SMALL  GROUPS  (8:05pm)    Most  of  us  will  have  like  5+   so  take  advantage  of  it!  
o Prayer  Requests:  (8:45pm)   parties  this  week,  so  instead    
• DISMISS  FROM  GROUPS:   we’ll  have  our  Xmas  fun  on  the  
(8:50pm)   21st  w/  our  Fusion  Tuesday  party  
:  )  

Prayer requests
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Name:  _________________  Request:  __________________________________            Name:  _________________  Request:  ____________________________________  
 
Name:  _________________  Request:  __________________________________            Name:  _________________  Request:  ____________________________________  
 
Name:  _________________  Request:  __________________________________            Name:  _________________  Request:  ____________________________________  
 
Name:  _________________  Request:  __________________________________      2      Name:  _________________  Request:  ____________________________________