Introduction Getting Started Going Deeper Letting Go Life Groups

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Letting Go Life Groups Homework May 15, 2016 “Letting Go of Fear” Introduction Welcome to week one of our new sermon series called Letting Go! Together we will learn about God’s desire that we let go of the wrong things and hold fast to the good things that He has for us. We will explore how we can let go of fear, anxiety, and guilt and what this means for us as followers of Jesus in all walks of life. This guide is designed to facilitate deeper understanding and application of the sermon material. Leaders should feel free to tailor it to suit their group’s unique culture. It contains material both for group discussion as well as for individual reflection and integration at home.

Getting Started 1. What do you think are the most common fears that people have? What are some of your greatest fears? What grounds and sustains these fears in our lives? 2. Spend some time reflecting on our culture, e.g., news outlets, films, advertising, and public discourse. Is it accurate to say that, in some ways, we live in a culture of fear? Why or why not?

Going Deeper 1. Read Matthew 8:23-27. How does Jesus respond to the disciples’ fear? Why do you think he invokes their faith (or lack thereof)? What do the disciples conclude is the basis for their security in v. 27? 2. Read Romans 8:15-17. What are the two “spirits” that Paul contrasts here? What is the central difference between them? What does it mean to receive a spirit of adoption? Why is such a spirit mutually exclusive with a spirit of fear? 3. “This is but a little word, and yet notwithstanding it comprehendeth all things. … Although I be oppressed with anguish and terror on every side, and seem to be forsaken and utterly cast away from thy presence, yet am I thy child, and thou art my Father for Christ’s sake: I am beloved because of the Beloved. Wherefore this little word, Father, conceived effectually in the heart, passeth all the eloquence of … the most eloquent rhetoricians that ever were in the world.” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians) How does the word ‘Abba,’ the same word that Jesus used to address the Father, help to abolish fear in Romans 8:15-17?



4. Read 1 Timothy 1:1-7. Paul reminds Timothy in v. 6 not to let go of the good things given to him by God. What is the gift of God in this passage? Why do you think Paul chooses fear to contrast with power, love, and self-discipline? 5. Summarize what you have learned together about the profound difference between fear and the love, joy, and peace of walking with the Spirit.

Living It Out 1. Some of the most common fears people have include the fear of death, rejection, intimacy, failure, commitment, being alone, abandonment, and change. Pick several of these that resonate in your own life and talk about what it would look like to cast away those fears in light of our discussion of the biblical texts. 2. Letting go of fear means that we not only release our emotions and patterns of thought to God, but also that we cling to the good things He has for us. What are some of these good things? What does it look like practically to not only let go of fear, but then to cling to something good? 3. Fear enslaves every part of the person. Discuss how it takes hold of us in our minds, emotions, wills, and even our bodies. Then, discuss how worship, arguably the anti-fear, similarly captivates our entire being. What role does worship play in driving away fear? 4. Close your discussion by listening to either “You Make Me Brave,” or “No Longer Slaves.” You might even choose to sing one of these songs together as a group. Spend some time reflecting on how your chosen song relates to the discussion themes. 5. This week make some time to pray the following prayer from St. Ignatius slowly and reflectively: O Christ Jesus When all is darkness And we feel our weakness and helplessness, Give us the sense of Your Presence, Your Love and Your Strength. Help us to have perfect trust In Your protecting love And strengthening power, So that nothing may frighten or worry us, For, living close to You, We shall see Your Hand, Your Purpose, Your Will through all things.

Corporate Prayer Close your meeting by praying for each other, both for specific requests and also that all group members would be transformed by the message encountered in this week’s sermon.