12.05.21-God-WIth-Us-LOVE-Part-2-Phx-LGL

 
Welcome and Hangout
time (15 min., not included in the 1 hour)

 
Worship (10 minutes)

 
Vision (5 minutes)– Promote the Vision of Destiny; Winning souls and
making disciples by: WIN, LIBERATE, DISCIPLE, LEAD! Teach this weekly!!

 
Explain the
IMPORTANCE of ATTENDING CHURCH

 
Offering (5 minutes)
2 Corinthians 9:7 (or prepare your own verse)

TEXT TO GIVE!  Text any
dollar amount followed by PHX-LG to 84321 to give.  For Example: 
$100 PHX-LG

 

 
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

  • THE ENCOUNTER: Prep, Retreat,
    Support 

At
Destiny we love to impact people’s lives through Jesus, the best way for you to
be impacted is at the Destiny Encounters! Only God has the power to bring
change in your life. The Encounter is three-day retreat in the beautiful Tonto
Forest in Payson AZ, that will give you a different perspective on how to live
for Jesus, and with an intense encounter weekend in the middle, you are sure to
overcome in every area of your life! The cost of this incredible retreat is
just $150 and includes 6 meals, drinks, & snacks + all programs &
activities.

 

For
more information and to register, go to: OR use the Church Center App and click
on events.

 

NEXT ENCOUNTER DATES:

Men’s
Encounter Dates: March 4th -March 6th, 2022

Women’s
Encounter Dates: March 11th – 13th, 2022

 

  • TOY DRIVE!

Destiny Phoenix we need your help! We will be having a toy drive from November 28th –
December 19
th. We will be taking toys for all ages. You can drop off your new and unwrapped toys at the Information Booth. 

 

  • KID’S CHRISTMAS CHOIR:
    The
    Destiny Kid’s CHRISTMAS Choir is ready to jump into action and prepare for
    our performance during the Christmas Services on December
    18-19th! 
    If any of your children ages Preschool-5th
    Grade and Youth Helpers of all ages who are attending the services and
    Lifegroups would like to participate,
    below is the link with all the
    information on rehearsals, song videos, and lyrics. 

 https://dstny.cc/PhxKidsChristmas

 

  • Destiny Christmas Service Times! 

Sunday, December 19th, 10am , join us for our
Traditional Christmas Service! Cookies and Cocoa,

Santa, Gifts for the kids, and a Celebration of Our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ!! 

Friday, December 24th, from 6pm-7pm  will be a special
one-hour, candlelight communion service for the whole family.  

Sunday, December 26th, we will be having regular service at 10 am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GOD WITH US BRINGS LOVE–
Part 2 Christmas Advent Series

 

 

WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING THIS YEAR FOR CHRISTMAS? (not
just gifts, but family gatherings, seeing loved ones, etc.)

 

WHAT IS THE CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS FOR?  Remembering the birth of Jesus, our Lord and savior. 

 

Today as we celebrate together the second part of our
Advent journey of God with Us, we are celebrating love.

 

Mary
and Joseph: A Love Story

 

Joseph
and Mary’s parents had arranged for them to be married.  They were excited, getting to know one another, and then Mary receives a visit from an Angel. She learns she would be impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and the Son of God would be growing in her womb! When she told Joseph this news, it was difficult for him to hear and believe that it was in fact the Holy Spirits doing.  Joseph called the engagement off, and Mary left to stay with her aunt Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with John the Baptist.

 

WHY DO YOU THINK THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS OKAY WITH PUTTING
MARY IN THIS PREDICAMENT?  HOW DO YOU THINK MARY FELT HAVING TO TELL JOSEPH THIS NEWS?  HOW DO YOU THINK JOSEPH FELT RECEIVING THIS NEWS?

 

Isn’t
that just the kind of crisis that threatens to destroy any good love story?
Now, the exact circumstances are different from what you or I will ever face,
but the feelings and emotions and relational challenges are no different at
their core. Mary and Joseph’s is a true human
love story, but it is also a supernatural love story that involves you and me
and every human who has walked or will ever walk this earth.
Let’s dig deeper into this point and look at how it affects you and me—and how we can experience this supernatural love of God with Us through the Advent season and beyond.

 

  1. God IS
    LOVE. 

 

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A PLACE IN YOUR LIFE WHERE ALL
YOU HAD TO HOLD ON TO WAS THE LOVE OF GOD, AND TRUST HE WOULD FIGURE IT
OUT?  EXPLAIN. 

 

The
test of any good love story is this: Is love enough? Is this love strong enough
or deep enough or true enough to handle x, y, or z—from the trivial and annoying to the catastrophic and potentially crushing?  Yes, my friends, with GOD, love is enough. God is enough. And His love is faithful.

 

  1. God GIVES
    LOVE.

 

Mary’s
response was overwhelming. She said, maybe sang, “My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble
state of his servant” (Luke 1:46–48).

In
the midst of Mary’s trial God provided LOVE to help her through it.

 

WHEN HAS GOD USED SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE TO HELP YOU
THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME WHEN YOU HAVE FELT BROKEN?

 

HAS GOD USED YOU TO HELP SOMEONE IN
THIS WAY?  EXPLAIN.

 

HOW CAN YOU BE MORE AVAILABLE FOR GOD TO USE YOU IN
THIS WAY? 

 

In
this supernatural love story, God knew that Joseph needed some supernatural
love. So Joseph, too, got a visit from an angel with this message: “Joseph son
of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins” (Matthew 1:20–21).

Notice
how God knew exactly what was at the heart of Joseph’s hurt: fear.

 

HOW HAS GOD SHOWN UP IN A TRIAL FOR YOU AND HELPED YOU
IN A SUPERNATURAL WAY? 

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED “HOW COULD GOD LOVE ME?” It’s incredible that God loves us regardless of who we are. He does, and always will. 

 

HAS GOD EVER FORGIVEN YOU WHEN YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T
DESERVE IT?  

HAS GOD EVER HEALED YOU? HAS HE BEEN WITH YOU WHEN YOU
FELT ALONE?  HAS HE RESTORED THINGS IN YOUR LIFE YOU DIDN’T THINK COULD BE RESTORED?
We have so much evidence that God really loves us in our lives!

 

Romans 8:38–39 reminds us: “For I am convinced that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor
any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

ACCORDING TO THESE VERESE, WHAT CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM
THE LOVE OF GOD?  (NOTHING!!!)

 

  1. God’s Love
    FLOWS THROUGH US

 

Like
any true, God-written love story, Mary and Joseph’s love didn’t end with
themselves. It was built upon the foundation of God’s perfect, supernatural
love, and they trusted God and followed Him on a crazy ride, unlike anyone
else’s in history. And when they opened their hearts to God’s love, He allowed
it to flow right through them as a small current in a overwhelming ocean—and
this is the same one that sweeps us up.

 

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT THROUGH THINGS WITH
GOD, THAT YOU DIDN’T THINK YOU WOULD SURVIVE? 

 

THINK OF A TIME WHEN YOU HAVE OVERCOME A TRIAL, AND
WHEN YOU LOOK BACK, YOU CAN SEE VALUABLE THINGS THE LORD HAD TAUGHT YOU DURING
THAT TIME.  SHARE SOME OF THOSE LESSONS WITH THE GROUP.  

 

Pray for each
person in your ministry to apply this lesson.

 

Altar Call: (DO
NOT USE YOUR OWN.  USE ROMANS ROAD (below) and it should be NO MORE than 5 minutes. 

Romans 3:10As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one”.

Romans 5:8 “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 10:9-10If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

Romans 10:13For Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

Break into groups and pray for each other (5-10 minutes).