Inward Prayer

Small Group Questions:

1. Do you struggle with busyness? What does a normal week look like?
2. What are your understanding of the Sabbath and daily devotion? Why does God give us it?
3. What is the biggest obstacle from stopping you taking one or two moments a day with God?
4. What is your greatest fear in stopping to weekly sabbath or daily devotion?
5. Sabbath means to stop regular busyness and replace it with worship, rest, and delight. If you could plan your perfect sabbath, what would it look like? (What’s stopping you from doing it?)

Outward Prayer

Know Yourself That You May Know God

THE MAIN POINT
Many of us are eager to develop or relationship with God. The problem, however, is that we can’t stop long enough to be with him. We are addicted to busyness, yet God offers us a rhythm that can breathe freshness into our lives; the healing rhythms of Scripture and Sabbath.

THE BIBLE
Psalm 23: 1-3, Exodus 20: 8-11, Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

THE CONTEXT
If you want to experience the peace that comes in the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus. Jesus is not only our Saviour, friend, and king, but he is our example of how to live. It is in the nature of God to lead us to green pasture, quiet waters, and restore our soul. Yet for many of us, even the idea of quiet scares us. We are conditioned to expect that life should be busy, full of noise, and always on the go. Many of us own cell phones which: 1. Give us access to infinite information. 2. Make us available at all times to all people. 3. Convince us that any problem can be fixed by us. The words that describe these three points are: Omniscience which means all-knowing, Omnipresence which means all-present, and Omnipotence which means all-powerful. The irony of what we have been conditioned to be is that as human beings we are adopting attributes that have only ever belonged to God. Have you ever wondered why this lifestyle makes you feel so tired and powerless? Because you were never designed to have these attributes.

The discipline of a weekly sabbath and daily devotion is actively placing time in your week where you are acknowledging that you are a human being, who needs to rely on the Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent God. Sabbath literally means “to cease”. To actively put down work, your phone, your busyness and embrace the freedom of a day of rest in which you worship, experience joy, relax, and disconnect from hurry and hustle.

THE CORE
As you prepare the core of the message using personal stories and questions keep in mind these points:

1. Share what your experience of the Sabbath and Scripture is.
2. Sabbath means to stop, rest, delight, and think. How may this better our entire life?
3. What may green pastures and quiet waters look like for your listeners?
4. Jesus doesn’t guilt us into daily devotion and weekly sabbath, it is actually a gift to us.
5. How may students embrace a culture of sabbath if their family does not? (be creative)

THE APPLICATION
As you prepare the application, challenge and/or encouragement, keep in mind these points:

1. How may your listener see Sabbath and Daily Devotion as a healing gift?
2. How can students practically practice weekly sabbath and daily devotion
3. ?Not practicing the sabbath is saying that we don’t need rest and know better than God… What do you think happens to those who follow this path to its end conclusion?
4. A large part of the sabbath is delighting. What activities, people or things create rest and delight for your listener?