Series
The Story of God: The Fall
Jun 16th
We’re continuing The Story of God. After Creation comes the Fall. Tonight we looked at Genesis 3 as Kari Patterson taught us this second ‘chapter’ of the Big Story. Here’s a little summary:
FALL | The good God set this good Story in motion, with a good & perfect creation. At the center were man & woman, created in God’s image, as very good, and meant to love, know and enjoy God and cultivate His good creation. Even with all this goodness, they were prone to doubt God’s goodness, and were tempted to forsake knowing and enjoying God as the primary source of their life and happiness. Now comes the Fall, from grace, from godly desires, from dominion over creation, from life, and the beginning of death. Everyone, everywhere, now feels the effects of the Fall, and are co-conspirators with Adam & Eve following Satan in rebelling against our Good Father.
Genesis 3 Discussion Questions:
- What are ways that Satan tries to make people discontent? How does he sow seeds of doubt about God’s goodness? How does our culture chase after selfish desires? In what ways do you see that people around you are deceived? Do you see any of these slippery slopes in your own life?
- Consider the claim that every act of sin or disobedience has consequences. What consequences of sin do you see around you? In what areas are you tempted to think that your actions won’t have consequences?
- [separate for men and women, based on the Curse]
GUYS: In what ways do guys exploit, or take advantage, of girls’ weaknesses? How can you accept God’s call on your life to protect the girls around you? How will you do that this week?
GIRLS: In what ways do girls use the way they dress or act to get attention from guys? How is that selfish exploitation? How can you accept God’s call on your life to protect the guys around you? How will you do that this week?
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The Story of God God’s Word (the Bible) and God’s world follow the same storyline:
Creation → Fall & Rebellion → Redemption → Restoration (Glory)
Next week: Rebellion.
Beginning The Story of God
Jun 11th
Yes, we’ve begun studying (and enjoying!) The Story of God God’s Word (the Bible) and God’s world follow the same storyline:
Creation → Fall & Rebellion → Redemption → Restoration (Glory)
This Wednesday Aaron enjoyed preaching on Creation. We were created by God (in the triune God’s image), and for God (for His glory, to worship Him at all times, in everything). We looked at Genesis 1-2, in this first ‘chapter’ of the Big Story. Here’s a little summary of it:
CREATION | The story does not begin with a God in hiding. God initiates the story by creating all that exists, including His prized creation – human beings – whom He pursued in relationship. What God created in the beginning was not just good, but perfect, whole, complete, lacking in nothing. He designed the Earth as an ideal environment for His creation to flourish.
Next week? The FALL. (Read ahead: Genesis 3.)
The Story of God: Creation, Fall, Rebellion, Redemption, Glory
Questions:
- How many of you feel confident you could summarize the Bible? Not just the story of Jesus’ life, but the entire Bible?
- [After seeing amazing photos and considering the staggering immensity and beautiful design of space and this earth] Looking at the universe like this … does it make you feel small?
- What were we made for? What is our ‘chief end?’ (“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” —Westminster Shorter Catechism)
Tonight: Ruth 2:1-13
May 12th
Tonight we continue studying the book of Ruth. We’ll be in chapter 2, looking at the first 13 verses:
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
(Ruth 2:1-13, ESV)
We ended by singing, “From the Inside Out”:
NEW SERIES: Ruth
May 1st
This wednesday, we’re going to start going through the Old Testament book of Ruth verse by verse, chapter by chapter, to see what God would have for us in it all.
I’m super excited and I hope you are. Here’s an introduction to the book:
The Old Testament is often criticized for being “too violent” or filled with images of a God who is way too wrathful. Between just the books of Leviticus and Judges, I would think to agree. However, the entire Bible often moves between the bad news of humanity (that all have rebelled and sinned against God) and the reactionary good news of God (that He has come as a man to conquer death and give life to those he desire it). The Old Testament book of Ruth is a beautiful picture of this move from bad news to good news, and more importantly how through both the good and the bad, God is in total control of it all in order to work out his good and perfect plan. Sandwiched in between two of the most violent Old Testament books, Ruth is the story of a young family hit with some awful news of famine, death, and betrayal. And yet, through the pages of this short story, we see a God who redeems by bringing death to life, and bad to good. Plus, it’s also just a dang good love story.
WORSHIP is not a religious word
Mar 31st
Tonight we’re starting a new series on worship. What on earth does that mean?
While it is not spoken about often, worship is certainly the most basic human action. We use the word “worship” all the time when we talk about religion, but we never use it when we’re buying clothes or going to a concert. Even though we don’t think about worship all the time, the truth is we are constantly worshiping. We are, as Harold Best puts it, “continuous outpourers,” we are constantly giving ourselves and sacrificing to something larger than us.
Have you ever been to a professional football game? Have you seen a grown man paint his body blue and white to cheer on the Colts? Why is that man doing that? He is fulfilling his basic human need to give himself to something bigger, greater, and more awesome.
But what if there was something better than football? Better than clothes and iPods and sex? You see, worship is not a religious thing, worship is a human thing. The question is not am I worshipping? The question is, what am I worshipping? We may not physically bow down to clothing or technology or whatever, but we certainly give our hearts to so many different things. For the next four weeks we’re going to look at this idea of worship. What is worship? What is worth worshipping? And how do I worship? Is music the only way to worship God? Ultimately, if we humans are worshippers at our core, the most important thing we need to find out is: whom should we be worshipping?
Grahm Doughty // Worship Leader
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