November 30 | Genesis 1-3 | The Blessing & The Seed
Have you ever had the experience of being locked out of the house, or left out of a group? What is it like to be ‘on the outside’ with no way in? What emotions does it conjure? Share your own experience with the group.
Read Genesis 1:1-4, 26-27. Place yourself there at the dawn of creation; imagine yourself as Adam or Eve. What do you see, hear, and feel? What must it have been like to live in a world unbroken by sin? Why is it important that the Bible shows us this version of the world, and of ourselves?
Read Genesis 3:14-19; 23-24. What effect did sin have on humanity’s relationship to God? Where do we feel the effects in our lives today?
After Adam and Eve are exiled from Eden, a number of other ‘exiles’ happen over the course of Biblical history. In the sermon today, we briefly looked at these stories of those who go ‘outside’. How does this recurring theme relate to the 'initial exile’ of Gen 3, and illustrate its power?
-Abraham goes outside to Egypt (Gen 12)-Isaac goes outside to Gerar (Gen 26)
-Jacob goes outside to Haran (Gen 29)
-Joseph & brothers go outside to Egypt (Gen 37ff)
-Israelites die outside in the wilderness (Numbers 14)
-Northern Kingdom taken outside to Assyria (2 Kings 17)
-Southern Kingdom taken outside to Babylon (2 Kings 25)
Read Matthew 27:50-51. What does the tearing of the temple curtain signify? How do we ‘come inside’ to fellowship with God through Christ?
Spend some moments praying for one another, and worshipping Christ for his work on the cross.