Life Groups // Spring 2022 // Week 1
Posted April 22, 2022 — Lincoln Berean
A Heart of Worship // Genesis 3:1-7
Introduction
Everyone has areas of their life they wish they could change—negative attitudes or actions that always seem to come out at the worst times in the worst places. The first week of the Real Change sermon series focuses on a heart of worship. What does it take to truly rid ourselves of selfishness and pride so that we might instead possess a heart of worship? Life Group Questions are geared to help us wrestle with and process these heart issues so that real change can occur from the inside out.
To think through the main ideas in the sermon and prepare for your discussion together, we invite you to look over the questions below and write your thoughts down before you meet with your group.
Warm Up (Suggested time: 30 min)
Here are some suggestions to get your conversation started:
1. If you could change your view from your back porch, what would it be?
2. What heart issue would you most like to remove from your life and why: anger, selfishness, fear, chaos or comparison?
Getting Started
Transition into group discussion.
1) Open group discussion with prayer. Here are a few potential prayer items:
a. For the Spirit of God to lead you in truth
b. For the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in your lives
c. For grace to hear and apply what the Spirit says to you
2) Invite someone to read the passage in the group.
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
1) Beginning a new sermon series is a good time to identify your starting line. How do you typically respond to change?
Read Psalm 139:23-24. Is this a personal prayer in your life right now? Are you in a place where you desire to examine the things of your heart (with God) so that real change might be realized in your life? Why or why not?
What do you see as your role and God’s role in the process of heart work?
2) After considering the sermon and scripture, construct a simple definition of worship. Using your definition of worship, how then would you describe a heart of worship?
3) Often times, it may be easier to identify a heart of worship by first realizing what it is not. The dialogue of Genesis 3:1-7 demonstrates some key components of what worship is not as the serpent and Eve devalue the goodness of God. What questions about God’s goodness does the serpent lead Eve to consider? How does the serpent’s questioning lead Eve to believe in lies rather than trust God?
The lies of the serpent are the same big lies that define our culture today. Satan attacks the heart of the believer by causing us to question the goodness of God. He makes us think we can be like God and decide for ourselves what is right and wrong. In one word, how would you define this type of heart posture? How do you see this as the opposite of a heart of worship?
Share of a time, past or present, when you have questioned the goodness of God. How did you feel more susceptible to the lies of enemy during this time? What are the lies that distracted you from believing that God is good?
4) Read Romans 1:20-25. According to Paul, what are some key components to a heart of worship? What are some variables that should not be present in a genuine heart of worship?
We all have areas in our life where we tend to worship the creature rather than the Creator. What are some things that compete for your affections? How have they caused you to exchange the truth of God for a lie?
5) Real change starts with cultivating a heart of worship. It comes as a choice to trust God, to know that He is good and to hold on to truth in all circumstances. Most times this requires a turning from self and a refocus on God. Think of a specific area in your life that you have not yet surrendered completely to God. What would it look like to surrender all the details of this specific area to God? How might a faithful, Christian community be a blessing and encouragement during those times when surrender is your next step?
Prayer (Suggested time: 20 min)
A significant part of “coming together” is being open and honest with our lives. Sitting in a group of people for prayer may be new or it may be familiar to you. If you would rather not pray aloud when it is your turn, feel free to pray silently and then say “Amen” aloud signaling the next person in the group to pray. Whether or not you choose to verbalize your prayer, everyone is a participant in sharing this time before God together.
Take a few moments to prepare a prayer request. What did the message, working through the above questions or the discussion cause you to notice about your own relationship with Jesus? Would you be willing to share your prayer request with the group?
Personal Spiritual Exercises
Just like physical exercises help strengthen and stretch our bodies for healthy living, these spiritual exercises are meant to move us spiritually in ways that may be new so we might experience inner growth. Since God longs for us to experience Him with our whole selves—mind, body, spirit—we invite you along each week to strengthen your souls with suggestions and prompts. Next week in your Life Group, take a few moments to share how either of these exercises may have changed your outlook on your daily life.
Setting Your Mind on the Truth – choose a verse or passage that that invites you into worship with the Creator.
Exercise 1: Read Genesis 1 and 2 daily to remind yourself of the goodness of God in the creation story. Meditate on how God intended the world to be. Identify one way you can better reflect His image to those around you that day.
Exercise 2: Go for a walk outside and listen to Genesis 1 and 2 and experience the work of the Creator in your own neighborhood. As you walk and listen, mentally engage in the following heart work.
- Affirm your choice to worship Him.
- Surrender those areas where you are trying be your own god.
- Choose next to trust God rather than self and others.