Starting Over

Week 4 | Redeem Your Regrets

Nov 6, 2022

Big Idea

To fully exit the Sorry Cycle and start over, we need to allow God to redeem our regrets, trusting him to make something good out of them.

Scripture

Mark 10:45, Titus 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Romans 8:28

Opening Questions

  1. How have you been able to B.L.E.S.S. someone recently?
  2. What is one food you’d never want to taste again?
  3. Today we are looking at redeeming regrets. Redemption is when an unexpected good comes out of a bad situation. We call this the long view of our mistakes. One example would be recycling useless pop cans and then buying lunch with the money you received from the recycling center. When have you seen redemption in your life?

Bible Discussion

The word redemption is a theological term idea many of us may already know or have experienced. In the New Testament, one of the words we translate as redemption is the Greek word lytrosis, which was frequently used to mean redeem, liberate, ransom, or set free. This word was used in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. A slave was “redeemed” when the price or ransom was paid for his freedom. Read the following verses that contain this word.

  1. Read Mark 10:45, Titus 2:14, and 1 Timothy 2:5-6. How would you summarize what these verses are saying?
  2. How do these verses speak to the truth that Jesus wants to redeem us, even our regrets?
  3. In Titus, it says Jesus gave himself up so we would be purified and eager to do what is good. How might holding onto regrets keep us from being eager to do what is good?

Life Application

Read Romans 8:28. The philosopher Dallas Willard once explained the meaning of this verse, saying, “Nothing irredeemable has happened or can happen to us on our way to our destiny in God’s full world.”

  1. What have you written off as irredeemable in your own life? What would it take for you to begin to see it through the eyes of Romans 8:28?
  2. We can take preparatory steps to put us in a place where God can work powerfully in our lives. For example, If you’re hoping for God to send you a spouse, maybe you need to put yourself in places where you’ll meet single people. Or, if you are craving a more challenging career, perhaps it’s time to go back to school. What do you think about taking preparatory steps so God can work redemption in our lives?
  3. What are some steps you can take right now?