Trusting God when it Makes no sense

Big Idea:

When God’s will becomes clear, His grace gives us the courage to obey and He makes it Happen!

1. God’s grace finds us in unlikely places.

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth… to a virgin… whose name was Mary” (Luke 1:26–27).

Being overlooked by doesn’t mean you’re overlooked by

God has always done this—He found Gideon hiding in a winepress and David watching sheep.

2. God’s work doesn’t fit into our plans… We plan for normal—God plans for eternal.

“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus… and he will reign… and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31–33).

God can work with your ; He won’t work with your

“Mary asks, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ (Luke 1:34).”

3. What God from you, His Spirit in you.

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you… For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:35, 37).

What God requires from you, His Spirit produces in you.—The question is never, ‘Am I able?’ The question is, ‘Is God with me?’

“This is the same God who ‘calls into existence the things that do not exist’ (Romans 4:17)”

4. Simple is how we join God’s “impossible” work.

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word’” (Luke 1:38).

Mary didn’t know how it would all work out—she just knew Who she belonged to.

Faith is not having all the ; faith is belonging to the One who and saying ‘yes’ when He calls.

Zechariah: When Doubt Loses Its Voice

Text: Luke 1:5–25; 57–66
Big Idea: God turns our self-disqualifying doubt into praise when we obey His word.

1) They were both Faithful and Barren (1:5–7)

God sees your name and your .

Blameless and barren can live in the same house.

2) A Holy Interruption (1:8–17)

God’s comes with an —“Do not be afraid.”

3) A Pause with a Purpose (1:18–23)

God’s discipline is , not .

Don’t let your “I’m too ___” out-argue God’s “I AM.”

4) Unlocks (1:57–66)

“His name is John.”

Agree with God, and your voice comes back.

Key Verse

“His name is John. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he blessed God.” (Luke 1:63–64)

This Week

Name your deficiency card (“I’m too ___”).
Name the clear step God already said.
Say it and praise Him—agreement before full understanding.

Prayer

“Lord, I lay down my deficiency and choose obedience. Open my mouth to bless You. Amen.”

Failure Isn’t Final (John 21:15–23)

Grace gives you a .

Passage: John 21:15–23

Scene: Breakfast by a charcoal fire. Last fire = denial.

Love (vv.15–17)

Three questions. Three answers. Response to three .

If you love , love His .

Future (vv.18–19)

The call didn’t after your .

Comparison (vv.20–23)

Peter: “What about him?” Jesus: “What is that to you? You follow me.”

is the thief of .

Application

The path to restoration:

Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” not “Are you ?”

For every leader/parent/teacher:

Your job: and . Word and care.

If You’re Comparing:

Stop asking, “What about ?”
Practice: One-week fast from comparison; replace with for others and for you.

The Locked Door of Doubt

Text: John 20:1–31
Jesus doesn’t shame honest doubt—He meets it with His scars, His peace, and His presence, leading us to the confession, “My Lord and my God.”

Journey Through the story:

1) The Empty Tomb — Confusion before (John 20:1–10)

When what I see doesn’t match what God has said, doubt gets loud.

2) The Garden — Jesus calls us by name (John 20:11–18)

Grief doesn’t make faith impossible—it makes focus hard.

3) The Locked Room — Peace for hearts (John 20:19–23)

4) Thomas — The disappointed skeptic (John 20:24–29)

“Unless I see… I will not believe.” (honest, wounded, careful)
Jesus: “Put your finger here… Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas’ confession: “My Lord and my God.”

Why John Wrote This (20:30–31)

These are written so that you may and, by believing, in His name.

Four Kinds of Doubt (and how Jesus meets them)

Doubt — “I prayed; it didn’t happen.”
- Jesus still walks through locked doors of disappointment.
Doubt — “I need reasons.”
- The empty tomb, multiple appearances, and changed disciples give us reasons to believe.
Doubt — crowded schedules, thin souls
- When we can’t get to Jesus, Jesus gets to us.
Doubt — protecting a wounded heart
- Jesus doesn’t humiliate your doubt; He heals it with His scars.

Reasons to Believe (quick facts)

Empty tomb details: folds/linen left ≠ grave-robbery.
Post-resurrection appearances: individuals, small groups, and huge crowds.
Transformed witnesses: fearful disciples became bold martyrs.

Next Steps

Bring your doubt to Jesus: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mk 9)
Stay with the witnesses: Read John 20–21 and 1 Cor 15 this week.
Touch the scars through testimony: Ask a mature believer, “When did you doubt, and what did Jesus do?”
Act on what’s clear; trust God with what’s not.
Response: Make Thomas’s confession your own—“My Lord and my God.”

Memory/Response Verse:
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” — John 20:29b

It Is Finished

Text: John 19:28–30
Big Idea: Jesus’ “It is finished” means God’s plan completed, our debt paid, the enemy overruled, and the way to God opened.

1) God’s Plan is Finished — Promises kept

The Cross wasn’t an , it was an

Even Jesus’ “I thirst” was on God’s schedule—Calvary lands exactly where Scripture said it would.
Bible: John 19:28–29; Psalm 69:21; Zechariah 12:10; Genesis 22; Isaiah 53

2) The Price is Finished — Debt paid

If He the bill, it can’t be charged .

At the cross, the record of our debt was nailed and marked paid in .
Bible: John 19:30; Colossians 2:14; John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Leviticus 16; Exodus 12; 1 Corinthians 5:7

3) The Power of Darkness is Finished — Claim broken

The enemy can still ; he can’t .

At Calvary the ruler of this world was judged and the powers disarmed—he can hit late, but he can’t change the score.
Bible: John 12:31–32; John 16:11; Colossians 2:15; Luke 11:21–22; Exodus 14; Romans 8:1, 33–34

4) The Path to God is Finished — Way opened

God moved the sign from “” to “.”

Jesus is the Way; by His blood the veil is torn and we may draw near with confidence.
Bible: John 14:6; John 19:34; Hebrews 10:19–22; Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Esther 5:1–3

How to Respond

Turn from sin. Trust Jesus: “You finished this for me.” Take a step: baptism, belonging, and one clear act of obedience this week. (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38–42; Hebrews 10:22)

When Weakness Wins — Handout

Text: John 18:1–40

When fear, pride, and self-preservation are in control, weakness wins—and our choices reveal who (or what) truly rules our hearts.

The Choice in the Garden: The Sword or the Cup? (John 18:1–11)

Control depends on ; Faith leans on the .

Judas arrives with the cohort; Jesus steps forward (“I am”) and they fall back (18:4–6). Peter reacts with a sword, cutting off Malchus’ ear; Jesus commands, “Put your sword away,” and submits to the Father’s will: “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (18:10–11).

When control fails, we just protect ourselves!

The Choice in the Courtyard: “I Am” vs. “I am not.” (John 18:12–27)

We trade belonging to for belonging to the

Inside, Jesus bears witness; outside, Peter warms at the fire. Three times he’s pressed, three times he answers with a small but devastating denial: “I am not” (18:17, 25, 27). The rooster crows—small choices with huge consequences.

The Choice in the Praetorium: Truth or the Shrug? (John 18:28–38)

for truth, or for noise.

Pilate shuttles between the accusers and Jesus. Jesus declares his mission: “to testify to the truth… Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (18:37). Pilate replies, “What is truth?” (18:38) and then takes a poll—outsourcing conscience to the crowd.

Pilate won’t own truth, so he offers a trade. When truth is , we let crowds choose our

The Choice on the Pavement: Jesus or Barabbas? (John 18:39–40)

We are tempted to choose over .

At the Passover custom Pilate offers a prisoner; the crowd chooses Barabbas—a lēstēs (often “insurrectionist/guerrilla”), noted for rebellion and murder (cf. Mark 15:7; variant “Jesus Barabbas” in Matthew 27:16–17). In tragic irony they free the violent rebel and condemn the innocent King. Expedience over righteousness; noise over the Nazarene.

Christ wins where our weakness “wins.” He drinks the cup we deserve, stands firm where we fall, and is rejected so we can be received (Philippians 2:6–8; 1 Corinthians 1:18). Peter’s denials meet a charcoal fire of restoration (John 21). Pilate’s shrug meets a risen Lord. Barabbas walks free because Jesus takes his place—a picture of us.

Response:

Repent: control, compromise, cynicism, crowd-pleasing.
Believe: the King who drank the cup for you.
Choose allegiance: speak his name where you’ve been silent; obey where you’ve stalled; carry a cross where you’ve chased a shortcut.

Identity Opens the Door — John 17:6–11

Kept in His Name, kept as one—so our neighbor sees Jesus.

Today’s Text: John 17:6–11
Key Word: Name = God’s revealed character and authority

opens doors that can’t open!

This Week: Three Simple Habits

Say it : “Father, keep me in Your Name today.” (John 17:11; Rom 8:15)
share it : One gentle Jesus marker at work/home. (Matt 5:16; Deut 6:8–9)
Show it : One unrequested act in Jesus’ Name each day. (Col 3:17; John 13:34–35)

Memory Verse

“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me.” — John 17:11

One-Sentence Prayer:
Father, keep us clearly marked by Your Name, and keep us as one so Wichita Falls sees Jesus. Amen.

From Sorrow to Joy — John 16:16–33

Big idea: Jesus doesn’t swap sorrow for joy; he transfigures sorrow into joy through his death, resurrection, and the gift of the Spirit. That joy is practiced through prayer in his name and therefore can’t be taken away.

1) Living in the “”

“A little while” — Jesus them in the confusion (John 16:16–19).
Christian maturity isn’t escaping uncertainty; it’s in it.
“God meets you in the before He gives the .”

2) The of the Cross

“Your sorrow will be joy” (not replaced) (John 16:20–21).
Childbirth: the same event that causes produces.
“God doesn’t your pain; He it.”

3) Joy that can’t be

“No one will take your joy” (John 16:22); “Ask the Father in my name… that your joy may be full” (John 16:23–24).
Praying “in Jesus’ name” isn’t a sign-off; it’s with Jesus’ purposes and promises.
“Ask in Jesus’ name; watch the gate swing open.”

“Take heart; I have the world” (John 16:33).

“Hated without a cause”

Text: John 15:18–25

1. The World Will Hate Genuine

“If you love like Jesus, don’t expect the world to clap”

If we never feel , maybe it’s because we’ve too well.

When has loyalty to Jesus made you look different than the crowd?
If the world never resists you, is it possible you’ve stopped resisting the world?

Cain killing Abel (1 John 3:12). Abel’s righteousness provoked hostility.

hates the !

“Where do I need to stop blending in and quietly stand out for Jesus?”

2. Hatred of Christ Is Hatred of God

“Rejecting Jesus is rejecting God Himself.”

Jesus says, “If they Me, they persecute you also.”

Israel didn’t revelation; they it.

Does your Christianity ever cost you something?
When’s the last time loyalty to Jesus made you lose an advantage — a friendship, an opportunity, a reputation boost?

Ask yourself: “Where am I tempted to silence my faith so I don’t look different?” Pray for courage to let your allegiance to Christ show, even in small costs.

3. The Spirit Empowers Our Message

“Our courage comes from the , not .”

is the enemy of evangelism. It changes our faith experience from to .

Do you ever talk about Jesus with anyone outside these church walls?
If not, why not — fear, busyness, or simply not thinking about it?

Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2). Once timid, now Spirit-empowered to proclaim boldly.

Practical Step

This week, pray: “Lord, give me one open door to speak or show Jesus.” It might be sharing Scripture with a hurting friend, praying with a co-worker, or inviting a neighbor to church

Connections in this world are

They give resources, opportunities, and belonging, but only temporarily.

Israel’s Vine that (Psalm 80)
- Israel had but no
- Israel as the vine shows that their religious identity is . People need a deeper connection to God’s .
When Israel failed, Jesus declared, “I am the True Vine” (John 15:1-5)
- Life and Fruitfulness flow only by in Him.
- Disconnected Branches and die.

In Christ, we are not just “connected”, we His life!

Connected Branches are Pruned to make fruitfulness stronger (John 15:2)
- Pruning feels like , but its really !

The “Fruit” is not just good deeds, its a changed life!

The Love of Christ binds us to the branch (John 15:9-11)
- Our connection is a bond sealed in . He calls us and laid down His life for us!

The Secret to unshakeable Joy is this with Jesus!

Are you plugged in?
- Are your connections rooted in temporary things or in the eternal Christ?
- Do you resist pruning, or do you see it as God’s work for your own good?
- Are you living as a cold servant to rules, or a friend of Christ abiding in love?

Life, Fruit, Joy come only by abiding in Christ!