I Didn't Know I Fell Asleep

Sermon Highlights 

• “Your intention will get you in the room, but your attention will keep you in the room.”

• “When we set the atmosphere with expectation, we improve our capacity to receive from God.”

• “Don’t fight sleep in a window seat!”

• Signs to know you might be getting “spiritually” sleepy:

  • Little or no desire to pray

  • Loss of appetite for the Word of God

  • No longer convicted of willful sin

  • Desire to be served rather than serving others

  • Easily offended

  • Avoiding accountability

  • Constantly comparing yourself to other people

  • Spreading or entertaining gossip

  • Isolating yourself from the community of believers

Scriptures

• Acts 20:7-12 - Eutychus falls asleep by the window

• Matthew 13:1-8 - Parable of the Sower

• Matthew 26:36-46 - The disciples fall asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane

• 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6; Romans 13:11-12; 1 Peter 5:8 - Stay awake!

• Luke 9:32 - The disciples are sleepy on the Mount of Transfiguration 

Sermon Discussion

Conversation Starter 

• Have you ever fallen asleep at an inconvenient time or place?

Sermon Reflection

• What part of the sermon was just for you?

Discussion Questions

• “Set an atmosphere of expectation!” What are you expecting God to do in your life and what are you doing to prepare for it? (Your “proof of expectation”)

• Who in your life can help you “wake up” when you’re spiritually asleep and what area do you need to ask them to help you “stay awake?”

Additional Questions 

• Pastor Robert Madu shared a list of signs to pay attention to when we’re getting “spiritually sleepy.” Which sign are you susceptible to and what can you do to refocus when you notice these signs in your life?

• “Don’t fight sleep in a window seat!” Is there any area in your life that you feel “close to an open window?” How can you refocus your attention in that area?

Prayer Prompt

Ask this question to your eGroup and include it as part of your closing prayer:

What “signs of sleepiness” have you identified in your life lately?  

Pray that God will give each group member new energy and focus so that they will stay awake and alert.