Sunday, May 17, 2026
Not That Jesus #7 - Silent Jesus

WELCOME   (15 minutes)
Ice Breaker: What’s something you asked for as a kid that felt like a huge deal at the time?

 WORSHIP (10 minutes)
Use your favorite streaming service & sing, “Turn Your Eyes” – Live by Sovereign Grace Music.

 WIN   (15 minutes)
Pray for people you know who don’t know Jesus as their Savior.

 WORD   (25 minutes)

1. Read Matthew 7:7–11. Buried underneath a lot of our disappointment is a painful assumption: If God is good, He will give me the version of good I already decided is best. Where do you see that assumption show up in people’s lives?
2. Some people don’t walk away from Jesus because they hate Him. They walk away because they feel like they needed Him and He didn’t show up. Why do you think silence from God can begin to rewrite what people believe about Jesus?
3. Read Luke 7:18–23. John brought his doubt to Jesus, not away from Jesus. What are some places people carry their doubt instead of bringing it to Jesus? Discuss this statement: “Doubt carried away from Jesus will derail you, but doubt carried to Jesus can deepen you.” How have you seen either side of that?
4. Read Luke 7:21. While John is in prison, Jesus is healing others. Why would that be painful for John? John’s problem is not that Jesus isn’t working. John’s problem is that Jesus is working everywhere except where John most wants Him to. Have you ever felt that tension?
5. Read Luke 7:23 again. What does it look like when disappointment hardens into offense? The sermon described offense as moving from “Jesus, I don’t understand” to “Jesus, I don’t trust You,” or from “Jesus, where are You?” to “Jesus, You failed me.” Which of those phrases feels most dangerous or familiar?
6. Where are you most tempted to interpret Jesus through your prison instead of interpreting your prison through Jesus? What is one prayer that has felt unanswered, delayed, or met with silence? Where are you most tempted to let disappointment become offense? Finish this sentence: “Jesus, I believe You are the One, but I need help to trust You with ________.”

 WORKS (25 minutes)

• Pray in pairs or triads.
• Pray for anyone waiting on an answer, healing, provision, reconciliation, or clarity. Pray for honest doubt to move toward Jesus, not away from Him. Pray that disappointment would not harden into offense. Pray: “Jesus, we believe; help our unbelief. Help us keep asking, seeking, and knocking.”