WEEK 1 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

The ruthless elimination of hurry: There has to be a better way.

Introduction:

Do you ever feel like you need more time in the day? All of us hurry too frequently. This rush causes us not to be present, and our relationships with God and others suffer. Dallas Willard once said, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Busyness and hurry are quiet cancers that will wreak havoc on our spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Hurry doesn’t just make you weary. It is the great enemy of your spiritual life.

Something To Talk About:

Hurry is a systemic social disease affecting contemporary society. The recent dramatic technological advances have not resulted in greater leisure for most people; to the contrary, many find that an endless array of tasks now consumes their lives, and whatever time remains is entirely swallowed up by the nearly infinite distractions of entertainment media. This has led to a broad array of adverse outcomes, affecting people’s physical health, mental and emotional well-being, relationships with others, and spirituality. The current crisis of hurry and attention in our society has led to a significant deficit in the ability to experience and enjoy the most essential things in life. We must not hurry and miss out on what He can do in and through us.
The solution is to learn the way of Jesus—to apprentice oneself to His lifestyle, listen to His teachings, and observe and apply His manner of life to one’s own. Taking again Jesus’s words from Matthew 11:28-30: “ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” We can overcome hurry by observing and applying how Jesus lived during His ministry. These practices are not an exercise of willpower but a response to God’s gracious invitation of healing and restoration.
If Jesus never hurried, then we do not need to hurry. If we do, we will run ahead. He cannot make our paths straight if we have hurried ahead of Him. What do you have to do if you pass the guide driver on a caravan road trip? Wait for them to catch up so you can follow them. We must stop and wait for Jesus to be back in front of our lives and direct our paths.

Discussion Questions:

Do you ever feel like you are skimming your life instead of living it? What does it mean to skim our lives?
What does healthy busyness look like, and what does unhealthy busyness look like? What are the symptoms of having too much hurry in your life?
How does hurry damage our emotional and spiritual health?
The solution to hurry sickness is not more time but rather to slow down and simplify what matters. Agree or disagree and why? What factors or limitations inhibit our ability to slow down?
What is it about Jesus that gives His life that unhurried feel? How did He manage to be busy but never in a hurry?
What would you need to do to live around what matters?
How have you seen hurry as a distraction to the most important things in the lives of those closest to you?
How can a yoke be “easy” and “light?”
What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful, or challenging to understand from this sermon?

Take one thing home with you:

Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. He made the most of each moment in His life. He connected with others and used His words and actions to be a part of God’s restoration to hurting people. This seems to be the reason why He wasn’t worried; He had faith and focus for the moment He was in, and He never minded God’s interruptions.

When Jesus was on His way to heal a synagogue ruler’s daughter from death, He took time to stop, talk with, and heal a woman who had suffered bleeding for years (Luke 8:40-48). Christ didn’t worry He would miss the opportunity to heal the ruler’s daughter. He allowed Himself to be used in the moment.

From Jesus’ example, we can learn to allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide. We need to be purposeful yet calm, not hurrying our lives and missing opportunities to minister. Just think of how God could use us if we stopped worrying about what was next, slowed down, and looked up. Our lives and the lives of others would be radically changed for Christ.