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WEEK 1 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

August 4, 2024

Reset

Introduction:

Have you ever found yourself tirelessly striving, immersed in the busyness of life, worn down by obstacles, when suddenly you realize you’re running on empty? Perhaps you’ve tried dismissing this weariness as just a temporary dip or a mere emotional fluctuation, but deep down you recognize it’s something more enduring, something that can’t be ignored. It is time for a reset.

Something To Talk About:

  1.  Start asking God to do something new in you: You are a product of your past. You have been shaped by the good and the bad things in your life. But that can change.  That’s what Christianity is all about.  Here’s what God says about your past: “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NCV). God doesn’t want you constantly looking at the past. If you’re always looking in the rearview mirror, you’ll crash. The only way you can move forward is to focus on the present and look forward to the future. The rest of your life is in the future, not in the past. Maybe that starts with a reset.  Everyone needs a reset at some point—because life is hard, and we all make mistakes. Are you ready for God to do something new in your life? Ask him for a fresh start, and he’ll give you renewed energy, a renewed spirit, hope, and a renewed heart.
  2. Pinpoint specifically what you want changed. Where do you need a reset: Nothing becomes transforming until it becomes specific. You can ask God anytime for a fresh start in your life. But you don’t just say, “God, I want you to change me.” You cannot solve any problem until you first identify it as a problem, which means you have to admit that there are problems in your life. The more specific you are about what you want God to change in your life, the sooner it will happen. Where do you need a reset? What would you like God to change to give you a fresh start? How about in your connection to God? If there has ever been a time in your life when you felt closer to God than you do right now, then you need a reset. Do you need a reset in your priorities? Have you started spending all your time doing things you know are not important? It would be best if you had a reset in your schedule. Do you need a reset in your thought life? If you’re having thoughts that you know are wrong, that you can’t control, or that scare you, then you need God to help you reset your thoughts and give you new ones. Whatever needs a reset in your life, just ask God for it—and be specific.
  3. Find some people to support your reset: If you need God to reset your life, you need to find people to support your reset. You can’t do something as big as a life change on your own. That’s because God has wired us so that we don’t get healed and whole until we get other people involved in our lives. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:10-12, “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble . . . A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” You need people in your life who will help you along your Christian journey. Community is God’s antidote to discouragement. Your small group or Christian friends will help you keep the right perspective. You will need other believers’ encouragement as God does a reset on your life. Find your people. It will take courage and vulnerability; if those feel in short supply right now, ask God for help. He will help you do all the things that He has called you to do.
  4. Eliminate anything unhelpful or unhealthy: What’s the first thing you do when you go on a diet? Many people go straight to the refrigerator and pantry, take out all the junk food, and get it out of the house. When you realize you need a life reset, eliminating anything unhelpful or unhealthy is important. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “We must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete” (CEV). Maybe you need to let go of a relationship that’s pulling you down—a friend that’s not being a friend or a boyfriend or girlfriend that is leading you away from Jesus. It’s almost always easier to get pulled down. To have a successful reset, you need to get rid of anything that has come between you and God. Things in your life that are unhealthy and unhelpful may look like a bad attitude, certain books, movies, or music, distractions, hobbies, or habits. What do you need to get rid of or let go of to help you reset and focus on Jesus as you run your race in life?

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you had a dramatic “reset” experience in your life? What happened, and what did God teach you through it?
  2. Which category of warning lights are flashing most in your life that may require a reset? What signs may indicate it’s time for a reset in your life?
  3. The areas of your life that need attention are not often identified in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. What do you need to do to become thoughtful and intentional about naming the areas of your life that need a reset?
  4. How many times throughout your life do you think you can ask God for a reset?
  5. How can a trusted Christian friend help you identify what might need a reset?
  6. What keeps you from being honest with others about your struggles and need for a reset?
  7. If you think there are no opportunities for community in your life, you may not have noticed them because you weren’t looking for them. Spend some time asking God to show you where He has already provided for you in this area.
  8. What unhealthy things in your life do you find most difficult to let go of? What has God made available to you to help with this?
  9. How can you change one unhealthy rhythm this next week, and who will you bring in to help hold you accountable for that?
  10. What is the biggest takeaway from this week’s message?

Take one thing home with you:

What if we asked God to reset our lives, and we truly meant it? Would our daily routines, relationships with those around us, and attitudes remain unchanged?

The good news is that God is all about resets. He wants you to have a fresh start in life, to do something new. Isaiah 43:18 (ESV) says, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” God is telling us to forget what happened before because the book is closed on it. God is far more interested in our future than He is in our past.

A divine reset comes when we thank God for what He is doing now, for our past failures because we have learned from them, for past challenges because He has brought us through them, for past defeats because He has caused us to overcome them; and for past attitudes, because He has given us a new attitude in their place.