|
Origins: The Effects of Sin (A Case Study) | Genesis 4:1-16
Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips:
Begin by reading Genesis 4:1-16. This account serves as a great case study for the three major themes of our series: God’s design, sin’s disaster, and the hope of deliverance. Verse 5 tells us that not only did God reject Cain’s offering, he rejected Cain himself. Why? Well, 1 John 3:12 gives us insight into the reasoning. It says, “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.” The motivation behind Cain’s offering was not pure because Cain did not truly worship God. God’s design for us is to worship him with authenticity. What does this mean and what should this look like in your life? Sin’s disaster is that it always produces evolving corruption. It has a natural progression of growing and getting worse inside of you over time. Look at the flow of this story and how sin’s degrading power grew inside of Cain. After God rejects his offering, Cain is overwhelmed with anger that leads him to wallow in self-pity (verse 5-6). God comes to Cain and offers a chance for him to make this right. He offers Cain an exit ramp off of this dangerous road he is heading down (verse 6-7). However, Cain doesn’t heed the warning and so his anger evolves and begins to control him. This eventually leads him to commit premeditated murder against his own brother (verse 8). How many times in your life has God extended grace to you by offering you an opportunity to repent and get off of the dangerous road you were on? How did you respond? In the midst of this terrible tragedy, there is still hope for deliverance, a promised redemption. God said in Genesis 3:15 there would be a male offspring of Adam and Eve who would one day defeat the Serpent. Ultimately, that male offspring would be born many years later in a small village named Bethlehem. His blood would cry from the ground like Abel’s, but his blood “speaks a better word” than Abel’s (Hebrews 12:24), for it is the power to save people from their sins. Only through faith in Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection are we freed from the bondage of sin that held Cain captive and holds us captive today. How does knowing how much Jesus has sacrificed for you affect the way you sacrifice for others? Thank Jesus for being the promised One. Praise him for his powerful transforming grace. Ask him to help you treat others with brotherly love. For further study: read 1 John 3:11-16
1 Comment
Origins: Dealing with Sin | Genesis 3:7-24
Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips:
Begin by reading Genesis 3:7-24. Last week we saw how sin was introduced into the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience (Gen 3:1-6). This week’s text shows us how Adam and Eve improperly dealt with their sin and how God righteously deals with it. Verses 7-13 show us how humans improperly deal with their sin. Verse 7 shows us that we humans try to cover or suppress our feeling of shame after we sin with anything we think will make us feel better. For Adam and Eve, it was fig leaves. For us today it may be money, relationships, or even religion. We use these things to “cover” our feeling of shame in a feeble attempt to either deny or diminish the seriousness of our sin. What are some “fig leaves” you have used or are using to cover your feeling of shame? What is the proper response to our sin? Verses 8-10 show us that we try to hide from or avoid God after we sin. When our hearts are full of shame, we become fearful and do not feel like praying or talking to God, because we do not want to face him. Instead of avoiding prayer, what should we do instead immediately after we sin? Verses 11-13 show us that we try to blame others or our circumstances for our sin. Blaming others or our circumstances are cheap ways to try to absolve our guilt and shame. Instead of blaming, what should we do? Verses 14-24 show us how God righteously deals with sin. First, God exercises judgment on sin. He does this toward humans by allowing them to experience the functional consequences of their sin (verses 16-19), but also enforcing the legal consequence of their sin (verses 19, 22-24). Why couldn’t God overlook Adam and Eve’s sin? Why couldn’t he have just swept it under the rug? (Hint: think about what it means for a good judge to exercise justice in today’s world) Verses 14-15 show us that God also exercises judgment on Satan and evil, and will one day destroy them completely. Not only does God exercise righteous judgment, he also offers grace. Verse 15 is the first hope of the gospel in the entire Bible. Verse 21 also points us to the hope of the gospel. One day many years later, the offspring of Adam, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed and his blood would cover our guilt and shame completely. Have you confessed your sins to God and asked him to forgive you, trusting him and him alone for your salvation? 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Thank Jesus for his sacrifice for you. Praise him for being holy, just, loving, and merciful. Confess your sins to him and ask him to forgive you and cleanse you. Rejoice that you are a forgiven child of God! For further study: read Romans 5:12-21 and Revelation 22:1-3. Origins: The Anatomy of Sin | Genesis 3:1-8
Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips:
Begin by reading Genesis 3:1-8. In this familiar story we see the anatomy of sin: it’s objective, reasoning, method, and result. A simple definition of sin is anything that goes against God’s design. Verse 1 introduces us to a “crafty” serpent (Satan) who comes after God’s image bearers (humans) with lies. In conjunction with the rest of Scripture, we learn that sin’s objective is to prevent you from bringing glory to God. The serpent immediately questions God’s word, which is really a questioning of God’s character and integrity. Satan wants us to believe that God does not really have our best interests in mind and cannot be trusted. This is sin’s reasoning: that God is not enough for you. In what ways have you been tempted to question God’s love and care for you? How have you been personally tempted to question God’s truth? Satan makes a false promise to us: that we must reach for something more than God himself (an idol) for our fulfillment in life, and that there will be no consequences for doing so. This is the lie he tells Eve and Adam in verses 4-5. He essentially tells us that we should decide for ourselves what is right or wrong for us, and that our lives will get better and better if we achieve our idols. This is sin’s method for deceiving us. What idols are you currently pursuing? (For example, Acceptance? Approval? Security? Control?) Even if you acquire these idols, in what ways will you still feel empty? Verse 6 shows us that once we allow ourselves to entertain the idea that God’s purpose and plan for us may not really satisfy us, then sin doesn’t look so bad. We reach for more than what God has given us. We reach for more than God himself. This is a false perception of reality. In what ways has your spiritual “vision” been distorted by sin? How has it affected how you see God, yourself, and others? Verses 7-8 show us the early stages of sin’s result: guilt, shame, and alienation. Sin promises to take you to a better place, but it always takes you further into misery and misfortune. It is a complete scam. However, God’s grace is stronger and more powerful than any sin you’ve ever committed. He desires for you to turn away from your sin and turn to him. We do this by being honest with God about our sin, acknowledging our dependence on his grace, and asking him to forgive us. If you do this, he will always forgive you, no matter how far you’ve gone. Confess your sins to God. Ask him to forgive you. Thank Jesus for living the life you could never live, dying the death you should have died, and giving you power to live a new life through his death and resurrection. God’s grace is truly greater than our sins. For further study: read Matthew 4:1-11 and Romans 5:12-21 Sermon Review | Sunday, Sept 20
Origins: The Design for Humanity: Relationships and Responsibilities | Genesis 2:15-25 Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips:
Begin by reading Genesis 2:15-25. As we continue to look at God’s design for humanity, we further see the significance of being created in God’s image and what this entails. We were made for relationships and have certain responsibilities to carry out. Verses 15, 19-20 show us how we are designed to relate to God’s created world. God has created and produced a good world for us to live in. Therefore, as his image bearers, he has designed us to create and produce good things from his good world, filling the earth with his glory and image. We are called to do this in our everyday lives, especially in our realms of influence and work. In what ways are you helping to build a God-glorifying human society? How can you better use your abilities and worklife to produce good for the glory of God and the betterment of your fellow humans? Verses 16-17 shows us how our relationship to God should be characterized in three ways: satisfaction, dependence, and faithfulness. In what ways are you reaching for something besides God for your inner peace and joy? How can you better express your dependence on God? What’s one step you can take this week to be more faithful and obedient to God’s commands? Verses 18-25 show us the importance of our relationship to other humans. It is not good for us to try to do life independently without other Christians. The first and most important human relationship God created was a marriage. This would become the foundational building block for all of society. How are you seeking to live in Christian community with others? Are you involved with a Community Group at Kernan? Why or why not? If you are married, what is one thing you can do this week to spend time with your spouse and thank them for their companionship? Thank God for creating us in his image and giving us good relationships and good responsibilities. Thank Jesus for bringing us into a personal relationship with God. Ask him to give you opportunities to further develop your relationships and fulfill your responsibilities for his glory and the good of others. For further study: read Ephesians 5:31-32 and Revelation 19:6-8 Origins: The Design for Humanity: Essence, Purpose, Context | Genesis 1:26--2:14
Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips:
Begin by reading Genesis 1:26--2:14. The sixth day of creation is the grand finale. It’s the pinnacle of the creation account because, after creating the universe, the earth, vegetation, and animals, God creates something very different: human beings, made in his image. Verses 26-27 tell us that we are created in the image of God. This is the very essence of who we really are. In your own words, describe what it means to be created in God’s image. How does this truth make you feel? Verses 26 and 28 show us that the purpose for humanity is to multiply and fill the earth with God’s image and have dominion over it. We will look at this mandate in more detail next week, but for now, how do you see humanity failing at this? When do you see humanity doing this well? Verses 28a, 29, and 2:8-14 show us that God blessed humans with a thriving creation. He set us up for success. What characteristics of God do you see on display in these verses? What does this tell you about God’s relation to mankind? Think about the truth of the gospel: that the image of God in you is broken because of your sin, and left to yourself, unrepairable. But, thank God for sending Jesus into his creation to perfectly image God the Father and to redeem and repair the image of God in you. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). For further study: read Psalm 8, Colossians 1:15, and Romans 8:29. Origins: Who is God? | Genesis 1:1-3
Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips:
Begin by reading Genesis 1:1-3. As we begin our fall sermon series of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, it’s important to remember who wrote Genesis and why. Moses wrote Genesis to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness to reveal who God is and his design for the world and people. This was so important for a people leaving one pagan idolatrous land and about to enter another. Why is it important for you to remember who God is on a daily basis? Verse 1 reveals to us that God is eternal. If God is eternal, what does that say about his creation? What temporary things in creation are you tempted to find joy and satisfaction in instead of God? Verses 1-3 do not mention the names “Father” or “Son”, but do refer to God the Holy Spirit. However, this does not mean the Father and Son were not there. God is triune. In other words, God is one in essence, but three in person. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is only one God. Though this is an incomprehensible doctrine, it is a necessary one. And most of all, this account points us to the account of Jesus’ baptism in Mark 1:10-11. Jesus was present at the creation of the universe and “all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16b). What has Jesus created in you? Take a moment to reflect on the greatness of God. Look up at the night sky or perhaps a sunset this week and marvel at God’s creativity and power. Then pray and thank him for coming to earth to die for your sins. Thank him for his resurrecting power in your life and the new creation he has made in you through Jesus. For further study: read John 1:1-5 and Colossians 1:15-17. |
ArchivesCategories |
RSS Feed