It’s the same broken story
I. Gen 1 and 2 answer the questions: Who is GOD and Who are WE?
A. God creates the world as his temple and makes us his image bearers within it.
B. Ch 3: How our identity and relationships became BROKEN.
C. Ch4: How BROKENNESS extends to our relationships with each other.
D. SHAME and the cycle of DIStrust. (Gen 3:6, 8-13)
II. Brokenness EXTENDS to our relationships with EACH OTHER. (Gen 4)
A. Brokenness is SOWN into the family of HUMANITY (Gen 3:14-19)
B. It’s the SAME story. (Gen. 3-4)
Q. Fear and Anger were emotions that surfaced to cover shame in chapters 3 and 4. What other emotions do you think show up to cover shame?
Q. What about God’s response to Cain do you see as reprimanding or gracious?
Q. How might the outcome have been different if Cain had turned to God rather than to himself after his offering was rejected?
C. Brokenness is MULTIPLYING and FILLING the earth. (Gen 1:28, 3:20, 4:1, 17-18)
III.The brokenness in our STORY.
A. Worshiping the THING (Ps 115:4-8; ; Mt 6:21)
Q. What are the “things” you see being worshiped around us today? It’s easy to name the obvious things like money, and success but what about the more subtle things? Think of how Eve shifted from worshiping God to worshiping the idea of being like God.
IV. The OFFERING of grace.
A. Jesus comes to RESTORE relationships. (Col 3:12-17)
1. Learning to TRUST again. (Prov 3:5-6, Matt 16:24-26)
Q. What does it take to learn to trust someone again after the relationship has been broken?
2. To love God, you need to TRUST God. (Lk 10:25-28)
Q. In what ways do you trust God? In what areas do you struggle to trust God? (It’s ok to admit this, we all struggle on some level)
3. To love your neighbour, you need to LOVE GOD.
Q. Think about this: “To love your neighbour, you need to trust your neighbour.” Why doesn’t this work in the same way as “To love God, you need to trust God”?
B. So what do we do? Or WWJD
1. Pursued UNION with God. (Ps 46:10; II Cor. 3:18; Jn 15:3-4, 17:20-23)
2. Knew the SCRIPTURES (2 Tim. 3:15-16)
3. Engaged in COMMUNITY. (Heb. 10:23-25, Eph. 4:11-13)
Q. What is ONE thing you CAN do, this week, to keep your face turned towards God?