Small Group Questions

November 9 - 15

Sermon Series: Friends & Family

Week 2: Broken Relationships

Ice Breaker, if Needed:

When do you start listening to Christmas music?

Discussion Questions for Small Groups or Individual Study

1. Brokenness enters relationships when we ignore, reject, or give up on God’s plan.             • Read Genesis 16:1-4
• Identify everything and everyone broken in these verses. What had God revealed about the establishment of this family before brokenness entered? How and why did it become twisted?
• Read Genesis 16:5-8
• What is the fruit of this brokenness? How do we see our broken relationships in contrast to how God sees them? How do we want the people who wrong us to be dealt with? What does God want to do with broken people?
• What would shift in your life if you stopped blaming or punishing those who hurt you and started empathizing with their brokenness?

2. The path through family brokenness begins with grieving.
• Why is grieving a critical step in healing? Recall the recent series on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:4).
• Why does grieving what was lost or broken prevent the very real danger of responding to sin with more sin? Identify how Sarah sinned to cope with sin. When have you seen people cope with brokenness by heaping on more brokenness? What happened?

3. The path through family brokenness requires release.
• Read Genesis 21:8-14
• Why did God tell Abraham to listen to Sarah? What is challenging in this passage?
• Why is it important to release what God tells you to release? What is release? What is the relationship between release and forgiveness?

4. The path through family brokenness means you must be open to receive.
• Read Genesis 21:15-21
• God had a plan for Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. What did each of them ultimately receive? Think of provision, plans, and futures.
• What do all broken people have in common? What does God have for each of us in our brokenness?

5. Read Genesis 16:13. God sees you and everything you carry and contend with. How can this help you through heartbreak? How can it help you shift how you see others? Pray for wholeness and healing of broken relationships.