Make Room- Week 4

Running On Empty

RECAP:
When you drive your car, eventually you have to stop and refill your fuel tank.  You life is no different, and if we neglect margin in key areas then we’ll find ourselves stranded on the side of the road of life with our tank on empty.  We can keep our tanks filled and avoid a breakdown in these key areas of life by coming to Jesus first, giving up control, and learning to trust him.


Icebreaker:
1- Have you ever run out of gas?  Tell the story of what you did (walked to gas station, called a friend, called Triple-A to bring some gas) and why you ran out of gas (didn’t notice the gauge was low; thought you could make it a little bit further; gauge didn’t work so played the guessing game; by the time you realized you needed gas, the nearest station was too far away to make it).

2- What type of driver are you when it comes to filling up your car with gas?
A. Anything below a half tank, top it off, just in case!
B. Anything below a quarter tank, start looking for a station.
C. Once the light comes on, start looking for a station.
D. Once the light comes on, drive another 20 miles knowing that you can drive 30 miles after the light comes on before you run out.

Transition:
Jesus extends the invitation in Matthew 11:28 to those who are tired and weary.  It seems that the precursor to seeking God oftentimes is our willingness to admit that we are completely at the end of our rope.

Study
—Get Sick & Tired of being Sick & Tired—

3- Until you are willing to come to terms that your life needs to change, then your life won’t change.  What are the top 3 things in your life that you are sick and tired of?

—Turn to Jesus—
4- What exactly did Jesus have in mind when he said, “Come to me”? What steps or actions are needed to “come to Jesus”? How is this different from society’s solution to getting rest?

5- “Coming to Jesus” is easy to talk about, but hard to put into practice. Why is it difficult for you to turn to Jesus for rest, instead of what society tells us to do?

—Stop Trying to Control Everything—
6- How can being yoked to Jesus actually lighten your load and make your burdens easier to carry?

—Trust Jesus—
7- What does it look like to take those top 3 areas of frustration in life and trust Jesus with them?

8- In Matthew 11:29, Jesus promises “rest for your soul.”  What’s the difference between rest for your body and rest for your soul?


Next Steps:
9- Using your list of the top 3 areas of life in which you are sick and tired, write down a prayer to pray specifically asking God for help in that area.  Pray those daily.

10- Share your top 3 list with someone in the group and ask them to help keep you accountable in those areas.

11- What is one way that you can practically focus on “coming to Jesus” this week? (Maybe praying for 10 minutes a day, setting time aside to pray with your spouse/family, start a week-long bible reading plan on the Bible app)

12- What are the things you do in life that keep your tank full? (spiritually, relationally, financially, emotionally, physically).  Identify those things and make them a part of your daily routine.


Additional study:
13- Read Matthew 11:25-27. After talking about the father only being revealed through the Son, Jesus says “come to me all who labor and are weary, and I will…” If you did not know the way the sentence ends, wouldn’t it be easy to fill in the blank with “reveal the Father to you” or “show you the Father.” 

Instead of claiming Sonship in that way, Jesus switches gears and says that he can give you rest. Could the revelation of God that Jesus says is only found through the Son be directly connected to the rest Jesus offers? (Leader note: This is a deep question that may take a while to understand. That is okay. The point is that true rest is found in the revelation of God, not our circumstance or a physical/emotional feeling. Peace starts with knowing truth. And we know that the best revelation of God is Jesus himself. In essence, a confession of Jesus as God gives access to peace).

14- For more study on the idea of true rest, read Hebrews 3:16-4:11. This is a text on the Promised Land, rest, and salvation by grace alone. Here are a few questions to initiate conversation toward the goal of discovering true rest:

a. God promised the Israelites rest in the Promised Land. Even though Joshua led them into the territory physically, he couldn’t lead them into the land spiritually (4:9).  We already talked about the difference between physical rest and spiritual rest. How does this text from Hebrews connect with that idea in a deeper way? (Leader note: The next question answers this one. We just want the group members to think through this first).

b. Heb. 4:10 says that the same Sabbath rest God took after creating is still available as a promise to claim. The Jewish people at this time were continuing to follow the law and wait on the Messiah rather than follow Jesus and choose grace. Thus, the writer of Hebrews told them to rest from their works. True rest is found in trusting in the grace of Jesus not on our own good works. Have you been subconsciously (or consciously) trusting in your own good works to please God?  (Leader note: the tendency is to answer this question quickly with a resounding “no.” But most people struggle to truly accept the grace of God and relinquish reliance on works. Encourage your group (and yourself!) to do a heart check here. Is the sacrifice of Jesus enough for you to rest in? Or do you try to please God with church attendance, serving the community, sharing the gospel, reading your bible, etc.?)

c. Write down a few ways that you try to achieve rest by working toward salvation, rather than resting from works and trusting in Jesus. Make a corresponding list of how you can self-correct this week (e.g. I try to please God and earn his love by not sinning. This week, when I avoid sin and start to think I earn God’s love/salvation, I will counter that thought by praying a prayer of thanksgiving for the work of Jesus on my behalf).