Week 1

Use this curriculum to help you further engage with the sermon, the scriptures, and each other. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring things up to encourage and guide you so that you are always growing in your faith. If the Spirit leads you away from these questions and into conversation and prayer that encourages and points you to Jesus, go for it.

scripture

Read the following scriptures together: Genesis 3.

overview

This week we begin a new series entitled Sinners & Saints, which coincides with the start of Lent – 40 days of reflection and repentance that leads us into Easter when we celebrate Christ’s victory over sin and death. The Bible as a whole is a story about sin and its remedy; as we read in Genesis 3, we see how sin entered humanity from the very beginning. The goal of this series is to grow deeper in our walk with the Lord and as we take time to look at our own sin and God’s remedy for it, our love and thankfulness for the Lord will deepen. This series offers us the opportunity to dig deep and walk away from any sinful behaviors we might have fallen into – this is Good News.

question 1

Why are humility and vulnerability important postures for us as we go through this series?

discussion

From Genesis 3, we can see that sin sprouted from a lack of trust in God due to the serpent (Satan) planting doubt in Eve in his questioning of the law of God given to her. Eve knew the law and yet fell prey to his crafty scheme. Read 1 Peter 5:8 and John 10:10. These Scriptures are warnings to us to be aware that there is an enemy of God in this world who wants God’s children to fall into sin and therefore lose their freedom and faith. We also fall prey to sin when we follow our own evil desires (James 1:13). As we read about Adam and Eve blaming someone else, we need to admit that we tend to want to blame someone or something rather than looking inward. Dealing with sin needs to begin with us looking inward at ourselves and acknowledging any areas we are falling short and repenting, rather than copying the behavior of Adam and Eve by hiding from God and being filled with guilt and shame. 

question 2

Pointing the finger at someone else and blaming is a great tool of deflection so that a person can avoid their own responsibility. Have you ever been a part of a relationship that fell into conflict due to the “blame game”? What was the outcome? 

The topic of sin and its consequences is heavy and not one that most people want to talk about. For us as Christians, we have hope. Jesus is the One who restores us back to God when we put our faith in him and repent of our own failings. He brings us to wholeness and empowers us to resist temptation and live in union with God. The truths of the gospel grant us the power to not hide from the discussion of sin. It will be helpful for each of us to go through this series remembering that God has given us guidelines because of his abundant love for us. Like children, we might think, “There is no harm in this… Why can’t I…” but our vision is blurred, self-focused, and narrow and therefore we don’t always see God’s reasoning. It will take an increase in faith for all of us to trust our loving Father. 

response

End by reading Psalm 139:23-24 together and praying for one another to be aware and open to where God wants to lead you through this series.

final thoughts

If you have never engaged in Lent activities, consider doing so this year. You can sign up for the Lent devotional or attend Wednesday mornings at 7:30am at the Warehouse.