BROKEN: Broken Promises

Daily devotionals have been prepared to accompany the First Quarter Series, BROKEN.  They ae available at the Welcome Center or online at www.gpbrokenstudy.blogspot.com.  The following questions can be used as a weekly recap in a small group setting or as a personal study aid for the sermon preached by Pastor Tommy Dove at the Grace Place on Sunday, January 8, 2017.

Small group members are encouraged to bring their completed daily devotionals to their weekly group sessions to share their BROKEN discoveries with their group.  For more information on participating in a small group study, contact Pastor Jon Green.

Weekly Warm-up:

What resolutions did you keep last year?

What resolutions have you made for 2017?

How do you feel about making resolutions?

Watch Weekly Video: (optional)

Weekly Overview: (skip if video is used)

The story of Jacob and his uncle, Laban, is the perfect illustration of a broken promise.  Uncle Laban had promised to give Jacob his daughter, Rachel, to be Jacob’s wife in return for seven years of work.  Laban’s actions were unfair and wrong.  A promise is a sacred trust between two people.  We expect people to keep their promises.

At the time of this story, Jacob was on the run from his brother, Esau, after tricking him out of the birthright.  God had just reaffirmed to Jacob the everlasting covenant He had made with Abraham that He would be their God and they would be His people.

We humans are weak.  We break promises with each other.  We have broken our promise with God.  Because of our weakness, we couldn’t keep our side of the covenant promise to God so Jesus had to come and die in our place.  For our sins.  For our broken promise.  But, since God is still God, He kept His side of the promise regardless of our inability to keep our side.  God sent the Holy Spirit to always be with us and to never leave us alone in this broken world.

Weekly Discussion Questions: (Italicized questions come from daily devotional)

When you first heard the title of this series, what was your reaction?

Review the story of Jacob and Laban in Genesis 29:14-30.

What do you think of a person who breaks a promise?

Who was affected by the broken promise?  Laban?  Jacob?  Leah?  Rachel?

How do you feel when it is you who have broken a promise?

Read Joshua 23:14.

What promise did God make with Abraham and reaffirm to Jacob?

How do you know you can trust God to keep His promise?

Which one of God’s promises gives you the most comfort?

Read John 14:15-21.

What does it mean to you that Jesus promised to always be with you?

What have you learned this week about broken promises?

How do you use your brokenness to help others?

Prayer:

Pray for the mending of hearts hurt by broken promises.

Pray for someone with whom you share a broken promise.

Pray for God to use your experiences to help mend others,