REALLIFE STUDY GROUP

"Mess Up!"

 

ICEBREAKER:  How often do you make a mess of things and who do you most often call to help you fix things when you mess up?

 

INTRODUCTION: Today's lesson is entitled "Mess Up!" because in order to accomplish much, often we make messes along the way.  Sometimes you gotta mess up to move up.  If you gotta make a mess, then mess up but don't stay down. You may have made a mess or messed up but you are not a mess. In fact, never mess with the God that cleans up messes. Jesus said "He that is without messes cast the first stone...Now go and learn from this mess and stop making this same mess." Well that's my paraphrased version!  I'm not saying purpose to mess up but I am saying purpose to attempt great things and give the mess you create through the process to God and let Him give you the strength to clean up the mess, learn from the mess and find the message in the mess. Most of the time when we try something for the first time we make a mess at it. In fact often we have not mastered what we are attempting even on our one hundredth attempt. Thank God that our God sent the mess cleaner upper and His name is Jesus!

 

CONFESSION:  By God's grace I can...

·        Turn my mess into a message

·        Turn my mirage into a reality

·        Turn my meltdown into a miracle

·        Turn my test into a testimony

·        Turn my sour note into a symphony

·        Turn my set back into a comeback

·        Turn my breakdown into a breakthrough

·        Turn my downfall into an upgrade

·        Turn my opposition into an opportunity

·        Turn my defeat into a delight

·        Turn my desert into an oasis

·        Turn my resistance into resilience 

·        Turn my down time into something uplifting

·        Turn my mistake into an education (A learning Experience)

·        Turn my challenge into a championship

·        Turn my loss into my gain

·        Turn my pain into a cause

·        Turn my trial into a triumph

·        Turn my little into a seed

·        Turn my problem into a promise

·        Turn my impossibility into a possibility

·        Turn my demotion into a promotion

·        Turn my exit into acceleration 

·        Turn my raw material into a sculpture, a product, a commodity, a treasure

·        Turn my disappointment into a divine appointment

·        Turn my enemy into my inspiration

·        Turn my off day into my on day

·        Turn my dead end into a turning point

·        Turn my grave into a gold mine

·        Turn my sorrow into a celebration

·        Turn my stress into a motivator 

·        Turn my scars into stars

·        Turn my ordinary into extraordinary

·        Turn my common into something uncommon

 

DEFINITION:

Mess Up means to make a mistake while attempting to do something great!

Mess Up means to unintentionally miss the mark while trying to hit the bullseye.

Mess is also translated portion

 

OUTLINE:  Life Can Get Messy Principles

1.    Where there is a negative you will always find a positive!

2.    A mistake will only continue to be a mistake if you refuse to learn from it!

3.    If you are not making some kind of mess, you are probably not doing the work!

·        You cannot drill for oil without a little danger and dirt

·        Athletes never win without some blood, sweat and tears

·        There usually will be no bread without getting a little flour on the floor

·        There rarely will be a harvest without getting some dirt on your overalls

·        There will be no warmth from the fire or hotdogs or smores without getting the smell of smoke on your clothes and in your hair

·        The fisherman cannot catch the fish and fillet it without smelling like one and touching the bait

·        It would be difficult to paint the entire house without getting a little paint on your hands

·        It would be nearly impossible to repair a car without getting any grease under your fingernails

·        The butcher cannot cut up the meat or the old testament priest could not prepare the sacrifice without making a bloody mess

·         The beautiful bouncing baby cannot be born naturally without the water breaking

4.    Your mess is not too big for your God! Jesus came to clean up our mess!

5.    If you are afraid to get messy you will miss out on your reward!

6.    The mess isn't the point; it's just part of the process!

7.    The mess reminds us that we are human!

8.    The mess prepares the mess maker to become a messenger !

9.    Don't make a mess you are not willing to live with or pay the price to clean up!

 

TEXT:  Proverbs 14:4, Genesis 1:1,2, Genesis 43:34(KJV)

 

STUDY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1.    Name somebody in the Bible that messed up and what they did.

2.    Have you ever felt like your life was a mess? Why did or does that feel like?

3.    Identify something you learned as a result of making a mess.

4.    Name one mess we are facing in our world today that we could pray about.

5.    Read Proverbs 14:4 again.  Describe a harvest, reward or positive result of making a mess.

6.    Which of the following do you find most messy?

a.    Creation was a chaotic messy program

b.   Business is a messy proposition

c.    Birthing is a messy process

d.   Building is a messy project

e.   Baking is a messy procedure

f.     Battling is a messy profession

g.    Believing is a messy proposal

h.   Bonding is a messy promise

7.    If God were to show you the big picture purpose for your life what would it look like?

 

PRAISE REPORTS & PRAYER REQUESTS:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

ACTION POINTS:  This week I am going to look for the positives every time I experience a negative in my life.