Make Room - Week 1

Series Intro:
Life is so busy. We are busy at work, busy at home, busy with family activities, and busy at church.  As a result, many of us feel overstretched when it comes to our time, relationships, and finances. We're trying to keep up with a culture that is running on overdrive all of the time.  It's no wonder most of us feel stressed and behind, and words like "joy," "rest," and "peace" sound so foreign to us.

We don't have to live this way! Many times, we feel like we don't have any choice but to live at or above our limits. However, we can choose to live differently. We can decide to have margin in our lives--where we intentionally make room for things that matter most, for relationships to develop, for money to be left over at the end of the month, and for opportunities to recharge and rest.

The choice is a strange one.  Although most of us don't live this way today, margin is a Jesus-like choice.  It's time to Make Room for more.


Icebreakers:
-On a scale of 1-10, how overwhelming is life right now? Why?  What is the biggest source of stress for you?

-If you could Make Room in one area of your life (i.e. extra hour of unhurried time somewhere, extra cash somewhere in your budget, extra energy for a relationship), where would it be and why?


Study Notes:
-Want to get an idea of what a day-in-the-life of Jesus was like?  Take a minute to read Jesus' calendar:
a- Mark 1:22-28, 29-34, 35-39 
b- Mark 3:7-10
c- Mark 6:30-34, 45-46


REREAD Mark 1:35-39
-Jesus lived a busy life, but still had margin. Margin is not about being a slacker or doing LESS. It's about learning how to be the most effective in your life and Making Room for what's most important.

1- Jesus had to fight to make room for what really mattered to him. What steps did Jesus take in order to find unhurried time?

2- Is it easy or hard for you to find unhurried time in your day?  Where or what time of the day does it tend to happen?

3- Why did the disciples decide to interrupt Jesus? Put yourself in their shoes--what do you think they expected Jesus to do when they said, "Everyone is looking for you?"



-GOOD things can become BAD things when they squeeze out the MOST IMPORTANT things in your life.

4- There were so many needs around Jesus, yet He confidently said "no" to them and moved on to the next area.  Is it hard for you to say no to people?  Why?

5- Why do you think Jesus responded the way He did? What does it tell you about how He ordered His time, energy, and life?


-If you are going to prioritize what is most important, then you have to define what is most important in your life FIRST.

6- Identify the major categories in your life (family, friends, work, fun, faith) and organize the list of what matters the most to you.

Why is it so easy to write them down in the correct order, but our lives are usually spent giving time/energy/effort in a different order of that list?


Next Steps:
7- What's the biggest takeaway from the message/text this week?

8- What's the one action step you are going to take in response to the message/text this week?



Additional Study:
A: Read Matthew 6:33.
-What does it mean to "Seek first the Kingdom of God?"

B: Read Matthew 6:19-21.
-How do these verses relate to our study this week?

Week 1- LEADER HUDDLE

Summer Mixtape: Psalm 139

ICEBREAKERS:

-Take a minute for everyone to introduce themselves, and ask why they joined your rGroup and what they hope to get out of the rGroup this season.

-Take a poll of the group:  If someone tells you, "I have good news and bad news," which do you want to hear first?  Why?


For some people, Psalm 139 sounds like really good news; for others, it sounds like really bad news.


READ vs 1-4
1- David makes it obvious that God knows EVERYTHING about you.

-Is that good news to you, or bad news?

-Why is that a good thing? 
(Don't we all have a deep desire to be known?  To not have to be a fake or a fraud around people, to just be ourselves?  Don't you like relationships like that, and desire more?)

-Why do some think that's a bad thing? 
(If most people in our lives knew EVERYTHING about us, they would judge us, reject us, probably think we are crazy, and may not even want to associate with us anymore.  Do you think that God would respond the same way?)


READ vs 5-6
2- Despite knowing EVERYTHING about you, God still draws near to you

-What is your response when you find out something negative about someone else?  (Do you tend to reach out and offer help, disconnect, give the cold shoulder, automatically forgive, ignore it)

-What does the Bible teach us about how God responds to our sin when we confess to Him through prayer?


READ vs 7-12
3- God knows EVERYTHING about you because there is no where you can go that is outside of His presence and reach

-Is that good news to you, or bad news?

-One of our greatest feelings of concern in life is being alone.  Share an example of a time in life where you felt alone and isolated.

-Knowing that God's presence is promised to us always, how does that affect the words we say, the way we treat others, the things we do, and the thoughts that we have?


READ vs 13-16
-David says that God has a book with every moment of your life recorded in it even before your first moment is lived.  

-Is that good news to you, or bad news?

-Identify the chapters of the book that would have been in David's book:
(Being a shepherd boy, killing Goliath, being crowned king, many great victories in battle, adultery, murder, lies and cover-ups)


-Despite God knowing EVERYTHING about his life, why is David so upbeat and happy in this Psalm?

-How does that relate to your life today?  Why is it so incredible that God knows EVERYTHING about your life?

-What are the specific ways that God responded to that kind of knowledge about you?
(Loved you where you were as a sinner, loved you too much to leave you there hopeless, gave Jesus to die for your sins, sent the Holy Spirit to equip and lead and guide your life, gave you purpose and joy and satisfaction in life)

-What does communion specifically communicate to you about God's response to knowing EVERYTHING about you?

Summer Mixtape: Admit & Agree

Psalm 51

1. To whom should we confess our sin?
2. What happens to our relationship with God and others when we confess our sin? Anyone have any stories to share?
3. What lies do we tell ourselves to justify not confessing?
4. What constitutes sin and therefore warrants confession?

Summer Mixtape: Out of Control

Psalm 2:1–12

Where will you lead your group? Pick and choose from these suggestions to create the right discussion for your group.


Discussion Questions:

Ice Breaker:

What is the worst summer vacation that you have ever been on? Whose fault was it?

Read vs 1–3

Do you agree or disagree that our world – just like King David's – is out of control? What evidence would you use to support that claim?

But it's not just the world, is it? What is one area where your life feels out of control?

Read vs 4–6

David chose to silence the world around him, take off the headphones, and shift his focus to God.  What is your routine / daily time that you spend with God?  How do you focus on God?

Instead of only talking to God, David also listened to God. What is one practical way you can listen to God this week in your own prayer life?

Read vs 7–9

What would it look like for God to win in the area of your life that feels out of control? Have you asked God for that?

Has God proven to you (in the past) that His ways are better than yours? Share a win from God with the group to encourage others that God always wins.

Read vs 10–12

Have you found refuge from God when you brought a situation to him? What was that like?

We find refuge and hope from a variety of places. Have you sought refuge in other places/things other than God? Has that worked out for you? Why/why not?





Next Steps:

End with a challenge to make it real. Commit to a next step as a group and bring the discussion to life this week.

E

Summer Mixtape: The GOAT Father

Psalm 3

Where will you lead your group? Pick and choose from these suggestions to create the right discussion for your group.


Discussion Questions:

Ice Breaker:

What type of dad did you have growing up? Old school, sporty/coach, embarrassing you all the time, cool dad, penny pincher, or outdoorsy dad?

Read Psalm 3

• Studies show that many people dislike the title of “Father” for God due to negative past experiences with their earthly Father. Does the viewpoint of your earthly Father impact the viewpoint you have of God as he bears the same title?

• List the top 3-4 characteristics you think of when you think about your dad on Earth. Now list the top 3-4 characteristics when you think of your Heavenly Father.

• In vs 1-3, David says that God lifts his head when it is low in shame. Most parents operate on a “Do-Good, Get-Good” type of parenting, where kids are rewarded for good behavior and punished for bad behavior. But God gives us his grace, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation in spite of our sin. How has God lifted your heads out of shame personally, and how does it change your heart and life to know that in spite of your sin, God chooses to lift you out of it instead of leaving you in it?

• Do you ever fall into the “Do-Good Get-Good” trap with your Heavenly Father? What are the dangers in that kind of relationship?

• David says multiple times in the Psalms that when we cry out to God, He always hears and is always there. How does it impact you as a child of God to know that God’s presence in your life is constant? Why is his constant presence such a big deal?

• David cries out to God in vs 7, and God hears his calls. Has there been a time in your life that you desperately called out to God? What were you asking of God?  

• How did He respond? (Give you His presence, deliver you from the challenge, teach you something through it, etc). Why does God sometimes not deliver us out and give us what we ask for during our times of trouble?

• David closes the text by acknowledging that God is the true hero and savior of David. Other than the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, how has God proven to be the hero and savior of your life (marriage, finances, relationships, getting through the past, struggling through forgiveness, etc)

Next Steps:

End with a challenge to make it real. Commit to a next step as a group and bring the discussion to life this week.

Earthly Dads (and all of us!) can learn a lot from the example of God in this text as the perfect Father.  What is the action step in your personal life from this text?

Upcoming Opportunties:

Summer Serve in rWorld
We need extra people to serve in rWorld over the summer. We're asking each rGroup member to serve 3 Sundays in the summer (June, July, August) to meet the needs. Contact josh@discoverrevo.com to sign up and schedule your serving days.

Summer Mixtape: I Just Want to Be Happy

Psalm 1:1-6

Where will you lead your group? Pick and choose from these suggestions to create the right discussion for your group.


Discussion Questions:

Read Psalm 1:1

The first word in this Psalm is the word "happy" (blessed). The word means something deeper just good feelings about what is happening in our lives. Verse 1 claims that happiness is possible. Do you agree, disagree, or care?

What does it mean to "walk" in the counsel of the wicked"? Have you experienced this in your life or seen it in the life of another? What did this walk look like?

What does it mean to "stand in the way of sinners"? Have you experienced this in your life or seen it in the life of another?

What does it mean to "sit in the seat of scoffers"? Have you experienced this in your life or seen it in the life of another?

What would you tell someone who is walking, standing, or sitting with the wicked?

Does sin lead to happiness? Why or why not?

Read Psalm 1:2

By contrast what does the blessed man do? How does a person "delight" in the Law of the Lord?

What does it mean to meditate on God's Law? How is your commitment to meditate on God's law?

What benefits have you found from spending time in God's Word or hearing God's Word being taught?

Read Psalm 1:3

Who is someone that you know is "like a tree planted by the rivers of water"? What is it about their life that makes you see that?

Is it really true that the blessed man prospers in all that he does? How?

Read Psalm 1:4-5

What's the difference between our church's core value of "Grow Deep" vs "the chaff which the wind drives away"?

Read Psalm 1:6

What does it mean that God "knows" the way of the righteous? Does this produce happiness?

On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you score your trust in the Lord? ... Would you give the same score to your happiness? Do you see how trusting the Lord and happiness are connected?

Based on the truth of Psalm 1, what does ultimate happiness look like?



Next Steps:

End with a challenge to make it real. Commit to a next step as a group and bring the discussion to life this week.

You were designed to live life in a relationship with God according to his plan for your life. Make a commitment to meditate on his Law and allow his Word to lead you in every area of your life.

This week, do everything you can to ensure your life resembles the tree that is planted by streams of water.

• I will make it a priority in my life to study and meditate on the Word of God.
• I will surround myself with Godly people who will help keep me on the right path.
• I will pass on to my family/friends the secret of true happiness.

Upcoming Opportunties:

Baptism Celebration - June 9th
Does anyone in your group need to profess their faith through baptism? Be sure to know everyone's personal story of when/if they were saved and baptized. Contact barrett@discoverrevo.com for more info about baptism.

Summer Serve in rWorld
We need extra people to serve in rWorld over the summer. We're asking each rGroup member to serve 3 Sundays in the summer (June, July, August) to meet the needs. Contact josh@discoverrevo.com to sign up and schedule your serving days.