Grace Works (part 4): Reset

**NOTE TO GROUP LEADERS**

Next week will be the last small group discussion guide before the summer transition. During summer we encourage groups to focus on relationship building through acts of service, celebration and connection. We’d encourage you NOT to stop meeting during the summer, though you’re welcome to change up the timing, frequency or format of your meetings.

We won’t supply your group with discussion questions for the summer. We will however provide a list of possible ways to spend June, July and August for the glory of God and the good of your group. That list will post to the discussion guide right here on the website next week, and will be provided in print in the church foyer for the duration of the summer.

 

TO START

Have group members share an embarrassing moment from their youth in which they wish they’d had a start over button (or maybe one of those mind erasers from Men In Black). Keep the stories light and funny. We’ll save the heavy stuff for later in the discussion.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Throughout this series we’ve made the claim that you can’t understand God until you understand grace. Now that you’ve spent a few weeks thinking about grace, what do you think you’ve learned about God?

In Exodus 34: 6-7, God shares with Moses His essential identity in just a few short sentences. According to God, Who is God?

This Sunday we focused our attention on the idea that in Christ you can always start over.

  • How does that strike you? Does it feel true? Is it true?

  • Have you ever struggled with guilt over past sins? How does that feel? How does guilt affect your relationship with God? Is it helpful? Or does it get in the way of you being who God made you to be?

  • What can we do, practically speaking, to get rid of guilt?

Have you ever tried to start over and found it difficult? Share a personal experience.

  • What made starting over so hard?

Even though they’re sometimes hard, new starts are also some of the best things that could ever happen to us. Share with the group about a fresh start that was just exactly what you needed. Have you ever started over and seen God do amazing things?


Does starting over get harder or easier with experience? Why do you think that is?

Now, let’s get to the heart of what your group needs to talk about tonight…

Encourage group members to share one way they need to start over right now. Where do you need God's grace today? Is there a sin they just can’t shake, a habit that’s messing everything up, an attitude that’s devolving over time… Have members say one specific place/arena/category where they’d like to start over. 

 

PRAYER

Once members have shared where they need to start over, pray over them as a group one by one. Pray for courage, forgiveness and freedom from guilt. After each prayer go ahead and push the start over button (even if it feels corny). :)
 

SCRIPTURE

Read Isaiah 1:11-18

Who is God in this passage? And what does He want from His children?

 

FOR FUN

Watch this commercial for the “Do Over Button”: https://youtu.be/MIU9DlluX_8

  • What do the “do over button” and the “start over button” have in common?
  • How are they different?

 

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