Sermon 523: The Wondrous Word of God (Psalm 119:129-136)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. The Wonder of God’s Word (v.129-131)
II. Seeking God & Mourning Those Who Rebel (v.132-136)

Psalm 119:129-136

Pe פּ

129   “Your testimonies are wonderful;

therefore my soul keeps them.

130 The unfolding of your words gives light;

it imparts understanding to the simple.

131 I open my mouth and pant,

because I long for your commandments.

132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

as is your way with those who love your name.

133 Keep steady my steps according to your promise,

and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

134 Redeem me from man’s oppression,

that I may keep your precepts.

135 Make your face shine upon your servant,

and teach me your statutes.

136 My eyes shed streams of tears,

because people do not keep your law.

Sermon Discussion questions
The Wondrous Word of God: Psalm 119:129-136

Ice Breaker: What are you most insatiable about? A food, a hobby? A subject, etc.

This Week Specific

1. The psalmist declares that God's word is "wonderful" or "wondrous." When was the last time you felt a sense of awe or wonder at God's word? What might help rekindle that sense of amazement at the power and beauty of Scripture?

2. Verse 131 says the psalmist "pants" and longs insatiably for God's commandments. Are you currently experiencing that kind of eager desire to read and obey God's word? If not, what steps could you take to cultivate a deeper longing for Scripture?

3. Is asking God to protect you from sin a regular pattern in your life? Why or why not? How could this request help you?

4. The sermon mentions praying for protection from sin and temptation (v. 133). What specific areas of sin or temptation do you need to ask God to help you overcome through the power of His word?

5. When you see blatant sin and rebellion against God in society, does it grieve you to tears like it did the psalmist (v. 136)? How do you usually respond? Why is that? How can developing a deeper love for God's word increase our holy sorrow over sin?

6. What is one specific plan you can make to prioritize reading and meditating on God's word this week? When and where will you do it? What portion of Scripture will you focus on?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 522: True Worship (Psalms 134)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. True Worship (Psalm 134)

Psalm 134

Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!

Sermon Discussion questions
True WOrship: Psalm 134

Ice Breaker: What non Bible/notes app are you most tempted to use during worship?

This Week Specific

1. The sermon emphasizes that worship is primarily about glorifying God, not about what we get out of it personally. How can you prepare your heart before corporate worship to make it more God-centered and focused on adoring Him?

2. What emotions or affections do you typically experience during worship services? How can you cultivate deeper feelings of awe, reverence, and joy towards God during times of worship?

3. Pastor Brian encourages using physical expressions like lifting hands as a way to engage mind and body in worship. What helps you become more fully engaged in worshipping God with your whole being?

4. Psalm 134 presents worship as something that should happen day and night. How can you make the daily worship of God more of a priority and practice in your life?

5. John Piper is quoted saying we shouldn't "replace Christ this summer with trifles." What trifles or distractions tend to pull your focus away from Christ during the summer months? How can you intentionally "seek the things that are above" this summer?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 521: The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)

Today’s Bulletin

Leviticus 16

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

“Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.

“Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.

“Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Sermon 520: Starry Eyed Faith (Genesis 15)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. From Fear to Faith Through the Word of God (v.1-6) 

A. God tells Abe, “I got you” (v.1)
B. Abe, “But I got no kids” (v. 2-3)
C. Star Gazing Promises (v.4-5)
D. Justified By Faith (v. 6; Romans 4:3)

II. A Bloody Covenant (v.7-21)
A. Abe Seeking Confirmation (v.7-8)
B. The Strange Obedience Of Splitting Animals (v.9-11)
C. A Dreadful & Great Darkness (v.12-16)
D. The Covenant Confirmation (v.17-21)

Genesis 15

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Sermon Discussion questions
Stary Eyed Faith: Genesis 15

Ice Breaker: What's the most awe-inspiring experience you've had looking up at the night sky? OR What's one thing in your life that you had to wait patiently for over a long period of time?

This Week Specific

1. The sermon highlights that fear is one of the most common human experiences addressed in Scripture. What are some of the fears or anxieties you are currently struggling with? How can focusing on God's promises and trusting in His character help alleviate those fears?

2. Abram is presented as a model for how we can honestly express our doubts, frustrations and anxieties to God in prayer. Why is it important to bring our whole selves, including the difficult emotions, before the Lord? How can doing so strengthen our faith?

3. The passage emphasizes that Abram's righteousness came through faith, not works. How can resting in the finished work of Christ free us from striving to earn our own righteousness? What does it look like practically to live by grace through faith?

4. God made a unilateral, unconditional covenant with Abram, promising blessings despite Abram's inability to uphold his end. How does this foreshadow the new covenant in Christ? What assurance can we take from God's faithfulness depicted here? What’s that mean for you personally?

5. The sermon connects this passage to the means of grace - Scripture, prayer and the sacraments. How can actively engaging with these means strengthen your faith and apprehension of God's promises? What steps could you take to prioritize the means of grace in your life?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 519: Night Ops In the Valley of Siddhim (Genesis 14)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Faithfulness In Conflict (v.1-12)
II. Night Ops (v.13-16)
II. Mysterious Melchizedek (v.17-24)
A. Abe’s Response (v.17-20)
B. Abe’s Declaration (v.21-24)

Genesis 14

Abram Rescues Lot

In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran on the border of the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh) and defeated all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.

Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.

Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Sermon Discussion questions
Night Ops & Mysterious Melchizedek: Genesis 14

Ice Breaker: After a rough exhausting day, what meal would you most want someone to provide for you?

This Week Specific

1. Brian highlighted the importance of not defaulting to an attitude of "not my problem" when others are facing difficulties, especially family and fellow believers. Can you think of a situation in your life where you were tempted to have that attitude, but getting involved made a positive impact? What motivated you to get involved then, and how can you cultivate that mindset more consistently?

2. Abram demonstrated faith-fueled courage by pursuing the powerful army that captured Lot, despite being vastly outnumbered. When has God called you to have courageous faith in a daunting situation of any sort? What were the results of stepping out in obedience? Not just huge ways, what little ways have you seen this?

3. The sermon contrasts Abram's responses to the king of Sodom and Melchizedek. How can you cultivate an attitude like Abram's of not seeking wealth or status from ungodly sources, but instead being focused on glorifying God as the true source of blessing?

4. Melchizedek is described as a foreshadowing or "type" of Christ. What insights does this give you into the supremacy, priesthood, and kingship of Jesus? How can meditating on these truths shape your worship and obedience?

5. The sermon closes with the exhortation to view Jesus rightly as our eternal High Priest who intercedes for us. How can you actively set your mind on this reality throughout your day or week? What difference might it make in your thought patterns, attitudes, and actions?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 518: A Lot Going Eastward (Genesis 13)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Don’t Call It A Comeback: Abram’s Return (v.1-4)
II. Mo Money Mo Problem: Too Rich To Dwell Together (v.5-7)
III. The Fork of Peace (v.8-9)
IV. Eastward (v.10-13)
V. God Speaks, Abe Listens & Worships (v.14-18)

Genesis 13

“So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.”

Sermon Discussion questions
A Lot going eastward: Genesis 13

Ice Breaker: If you could pick any piece of land/real estate to have for yourself, where would you choose and why?

This Week Specific

1. The sermon highlights how Abram had moments of both faithfulness and unfaithfulness to God. When have you experienced seasons of feeling distant from God or struggling with unbelief? What helped you return to a place of trust and worship?

2. Abram initiated peacemaking with Lot and was willing to sacrifice his rights for the sake of reconciliation. Are there any conflicts or strained relationships in your life where you need to take the first step towards making peace? What would it look like to humble yourself and prioritize reconciliation?

3. Lot chose the land that looked most prosperous and desirable from an earthly perspective, but it led him towards the sinful culture of Sodom. When making important decisions, how can you ensure you are considering spiritual priorities and not just worldly or material gain? Any decisions you’re currently making that you need to consider?

4. God renewed his covenant promises to Abram,. how does remembering God's faithful promises encourage you to obey and follow Him, even when it requires sacrifice?

5. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Brian challenges the congregation to be peacemakers in various areas of life. What are some practical ways you can pursue peace this week - in your home, workplace, friend groups, or church community?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 517: A Faltering Faith, A Sister-Wife, A Faithful God: GENESIS 12:10-20

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. The Fear Spiral; aka Faltering Faith (v.10-13)
II. The Unsettling Success of Sin (v.14-16)
III. God's Gracious Intervention (v. 17-20)
IV. Apps For Everyone

Genesis 12:10-20

“Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.”

Canceling Calvin

John Calvin on how Sarai could be beautiful despite being older…
“her sterility (not having had children) availed to preserve her beauty, and to keep her whole habit of body entire; for there is nothing which more debilitates females (beauty) than frequent parturition (child bearing).”

Translation in sermon, Calvin says, the reason Sarai is still stunning at 65 is that she has not given birth to any children. He then adds, “Nothing debilitates the appearance of women more than frequent childbirth.”

Nate Bargatze Ording Coffee like Pharaoh Dismissing Abram

Sermon Discussion questions
A Faltering Faith, A Faithful God: Genesis 12:10-20

Ice Breaker: Ice Breakers will return in fall with Small Groups

This Week Specific

1. The sermon this week highlighted how Abram faltered in his faith and acted out of fear instead of trusting God's promises when the famine hit. Can you think of a recent situation where you struggled to trust God's promises and acted out of fear or self-reliance instead? What were the consequences?

2. Abram's lie to protect himself ended up putting his wife Sarai in a compromising situation with Pharaoh. Have you ever made a decision motivated by fear or self-preservation that ended up negatively impacting or putting loved ones at risk? What did you learn from that experience?

3. Pastor Brian emphasizes that despite Abram's lapses in faith, God remained faithful to His promises. How have you seen God's faithfulness evident in your own life, even during periods when your faith wavered?

4. What is one practical step you can take this week to grow in trusting God more fully with the situations and relationships you are facing? What promise from Scripture can you cling to?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 516: One Word That Changed The World (Genesis 12:1-9)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Abram’s Call and Promise (v.1-3)
II. Abram’s Obedience (v.4-5a)
III. Abram’s Sojourn (v.5b-9)

Genesis 12:1-9

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

TULIP Explained

Total depravity: This doctrine asserts that as a result of the Fall, humanity is thoroughly affected by sin, rendering individuals incapable of saving themselves or even seeking God without divine grace.

Unconditional election: This doctrine emphasizes that God's choice of whom to save is not based on any foreseen merit or goodness in individuals but is solely based on God's sovereign will.

Limited atonement (also known as particular redemption): This doctrine holds that Jesus Christ's atonement is effective only for the elect, those whom God has chosen to save, rather than for all of humanity.

Irresistible grace: This doctrine teaches that God's grace is efficacious and irresistible, meaning that when God chooses to save someone, that individual cannot resist God's grace but will inevitably be brought to faith.

Perseverance of the saints (also known as the preservation of the saints): This doctrine asserts that those whom God has chosen for salvation will persevere in faith until the end and cannot ultimately lose their salvation.

Calvin’s Real Quote

“For it is better with closed eyes to follow God as our guide than by relying on our own providence to wander through those circuitous paths which it devises for us.”

Summarized version, “It’s far better to go with your eyes closed while holding the Lord’s hand, than to go with your eyes open, but on your own.”

Abraham’s Travel from Ur to Canaan

Sermon Discussion questions
One Word That Changed The World: Genesis 12:1-9

Ice Breaker: What's your favorite way to relax and rest after a long day?

This Week Specific

1. Consider the phrase "verbum dei nudum" or the "naked word of God.” When has God called you to obey His word even when you didn't have proof or couldn't see the full picture? What helped you trust God's bare word?

2. We heard in the sermon, "It's far better to go with your eyes closed while holding the Lord's hand, than to go with your eyes open, but on your own." When have you experienced the truth of this in your own spiritual journey? What are some practical ways we can learn to better trust and follow God's lead?

3. In the seven promises of God (v.2-3; 7) who does the action? Who fulfills these promises? What do you make of that? Which of these promises encourages or challenges you the most right now? Why?

4. Nancy Guthrie said we are "called to leave behind our comfortable way of life, our earthly pursuits and priorities, and to follow after Christ with reckless abandon and wholehearted commitment." What earthly comforts, pursuits or priorities might God be calling you to leave behind or re-prioritize?

5. In what areas of your life do you need to more wholeheartedly worship, the building of altars, and calling upon the name of the Lord as Abram did? How can we as a small group encourage another in this? What does it look like to build an alter today?

6. The sermon highlights obstacles Abram faced in believing God's promises (Sarah's barrenness, the Canaanites in the land, etc.). What obstacles to faith are you currently facing? How can you imitate Abram's example of persevering faith amidst difficulties? How can you better learn to truly rest in the Lord, take breaks from the rushing, and devote undistracted time to worship as modeled by Abram?

7. In what ways do you need to be more public or bold in proclaiming the name of the Lord and the gospel, following Abram's example? What fears or hindrances keep you from doing this?

8. How can we as a group better encourage and spur one another on to the kind of obedient, worshipful, outward-focused faith modeled by Abram?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 515: To Live Is Christ (Philippians 3:19-26)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

Philippians 3:19-26

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

“All of the pain in this world is the closest we Christians will ever get to hell and all of the happiness in this world is the closest that unbelievers will ever get to heaven. In death we have God to comfort us, but the unbeliever has no one.” - Harriett Reymond

Sermon Discussion questions
It’d Be A Shem To Begot Terah: Genesis 11:10-32

Ice Breaker: If you had to eat one meal from a fast food restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This Week Specific

1. From the statistics shared about death, what stuck out to you the most? Why do you think the reality of our mortality is so easy to ignore or downplay in our daily lives?

2. Brian said our goal should be, “Teaching people to live, preparing people to die.” How can focusing on this goal change your daily perspective and priorities? What are some practical ways we can remind ourselves of this each day?

3. Paul says in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." If you're honest, is living for Christ your highest priority and biggest passion? What are some things that compete for that top spot in your heart?

4. Brian said, “Paul did not think those things were true (about Christ), he knew them as absolutely true." What are some areas of biblical truth that you intellectually believe but don't fully live out with deep hearted conviction? How can you grow in that?

5. The 13-year-old's profound quote was, "All of the pain in this world is the closest we will ever get to hell and all of the happiness in this world is the closest that unbelievers will ever get to heaven." Discuss how this perspective aligns with or challenges your typical view of suffering and pleasure.

6. In what ways are you using your talents, money, time and energy for "fruitful labor" that helps yourself and others grow in their faith in Jesus? What is one practical step you can take to be more intentional about this?

7. The sermon said pursuing intimacy with Christ requires "seeking Him in the Scriptures." What are some ways we can prioritize diligently seeking the Lord through studying and meditating on God's Word?

8. The sermon concludes "May we view death, not as something to be feared, but an event that brings us into the very presence of God." Does the reality of being with Jesus after death fill you with more hope, joy or apprehension? How can we grow in our eternal perspective?

9. Paul says that he is “hard pressed” to choose between life and death. What can we do to get that same mindset Paul?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 514: It'd Be A Shem To Begot Terah (Genesis 11:10-32)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. The Line of Shem (v.10-26)
II. Terah & His Sons (v.27-32)
III. Leaving Ur (v.31-32)

Genesis 11:10-32

These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah. And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

Age of Terah & Abram Issue

There is an age issue here that critics of the Bible like to point out, but is not really an issue.

The issue goes like this. In verse 26 we are told Terah was 70 when he fathered these three sons and some assume Abram is the first born. In chapter 12, verse 4 we learn that Abram is 75 years old when he leaves the town of Haran which is sometime after his father dies, that adds up to 145, but in verse 32 we learn his father was actually 205 years old when he died.

It’s simple math and off by 60 years, Moses can do simple math so it’s not a mistake.

The error here is not the math, it’s assuming Abram was the first born son, he’s not. He’s listed first here because his line becomes the most significant, just like Shem was listed first when we learned about Noah’s sons in Genesis 10:1 even though Shem was not the firstborn.

So mostly likely Haran was born first and when Terah was 70 years old and Abram wasn’t born until Terah was 130 years old and Abram was 75 years old when his father died at the age of 205.

Terah’s Family Tree

Sermon Discussion questions
It’d Be A Shem To Begot Terah: Genesis 11:10-32

Ice Breaker: If you had to eat one meal from a fast food restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This Week Specific

1. Why might they have settled in Haran instead of Canaan?

2. This weeks’ sermon highlights how Abraham's family was steeped in idolatry and moon worship before God called them. Can you identify any "idols" or unhealthy priorities in your own life that you need to leave behind in order to wholeheartedly follow God? Or perhaps some you had to leave behind in the past?

3. Pastor Brian asks, "Have you settled somewhere less than where God has called you to?" Reflect on your current spiritual walk. Are there areas where you have settled or compromised instead of fully obeying and following God's call? If that feels too personal, what are some common areas you see people do this?

4. "Following Christ means leaving behind so much of our former lives of sin and idolatry." What specific sins, habits, or mindsets have you had to purposefully leave behind to follow Jesus more closely?

5. Like Abraham's father Terah, have you ever started out in obedience to God but then settled partway instead of going "all the way to Canaan"? What caused you to settle, and how can you regain motivation to fully obey?

6. “Idols offer no grace, no mercy, and cannot save you from your sin or give you an eternal home." How have you experienced the grace, mercy and eternal life that only comes through faith in Jesus Christ?

7. What influential voices, relationships or situations in your life currently make it tempting to "settle in Haran" instead of wholeheartedly following Jesus? How can you counter those influences?

8. Share a time when you had to deny yourself and "take up your cross daily" (Luke 9:23) in order to obey Christ's call. What challenges did you face and what helped you persevere?

9. Brian talks about idols - what's one modern-day "idol" you see people commonly worshipping today in our culture?

10. How should God’s selection of Abram’s family offer us encouragement?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 513: Compassion of the Weary (Mark 6:30-44) [Jon Dunning]

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

Mark 6:30-44

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Sermon Discussion questions
Compassion Of the Weary: Mark 6:30-44

Ice Breaker: What fills you up?

This Week Specific

1. How does Jesus respond to the needs of the disciples? To the needs of the people? To our needs?

2. What other shepherds do we look to?

3. Read Psalm 23 -replacing all words referring to God with ‘no one’. How does the psalm make you feel now?

4. What are some ways you are weary or wandering? Or both? How does Jesus’ seeing you in that place change things?

5. In what ways do your lack and limits prevent you from serving where Jesus leads you?

6. What are some ways you have seen Jesus, in his grace, provide for your needs? How can you share these things to the benefit of others?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 512: This Jesus (Acts 2:22-36) Easter Sunday

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Peter & The Situation
II. “This Jesus” You Crucified (v.22-23)
III. “This Jesus” is Alive (v.24-32)
IV. “This Jesus” is Lord & Christ (v.33-36)
V. This Jesus Will Come Again (Acts 1:11)

Acts 2:22-36

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Sermon Discussion questions
This Jesus: Acts 2:22-39

Ice Breaker: What’s your favorite Easter tradition?

This Week Specific

1. What impacted or stood out to you most from this sermon on Peter's message about Jesus?

2. Peter confronts his listeners with their role in crucifying Jesus (v.23, 36). Why is it important to recognize our own sinfulness and need for a Savior? How can remembering this lead us to a deeper appreciation for Christ's sacrifice?

3. The sermon highlights how the crucifixion was part of God's sovereign plan, yet the people bore responsibility for their actions. How do you reconcile God's sovereignty with human responsibility? What does this teach us about God's character?

4. What evidences for Jesus' resurrection are presented in the sermon? Why is the resurrection so crucial to the Christian faith? How can we discuss this truth winsomely with others?

5. Peter says Jesus is both "Lord and Christ" (v.36). What does it mean practically in your life for Jesus to be your Lord? What areas do you need to submit more fully to His lordship? What does it mean that Jesus is the Christ? Why is it important that Jesus was “the Christ” before the resurrection? What evidence is there for this?

6. The sermon describes those hearing Peter's message as being "cut to the heart" (v.37). What have you found renews that sense of awe over what Christ has done?

7. Peter calls the crowd to "repent and be baptized" (v.38). What is the relationship between repentance and faith? If you are a believer, how is continual repentance still needed in your Christian walk?

8. When did you place your faith in Jesus? Who was influential in that process? What convinced you of your need for Christ?

9. Why does Peter emphasize Jesus’ humanity at the start of the passage?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 511: The Tower (Genesis 11:1-9)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Humanistic Hubris (v.1-4)
II. The Lord Knows (v.5)
III. Ya Basic! (v.6-7)
IV. You’re Dispersed (v.8-9)

Genesis 11:1-9

“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

Chiastic Structure of Genesis 11

Ziggurat

Most likely the tower was what the Babylonians called a Ziggurat Temple like the example below.

Sermon Discussion questions
The Tower: Genesis 11:1-9

Ice Breaker: What foreign languages can you speak or understand? Or What’s the highest thing you’ve ever climbed?

This Week Specific

1. The sermon mentions pride and the desire to "make a name for ourselves" as the main sin displayed at the Tower of Babel. In what areas of your life do you struggle with pride or the desire for personal recognition/achievement over glorifying God?

2. What "towers" or sources of identity/purpose apart from God are you tempted to build your life around (career, relationships, hobbies, etc.)? How can we reorient our lives to find meaning and purpose solely in knowing and glorifying God?

3. How does the gospel unite diverse peoples and languages, reversing the scattering and division that occurred at Babel? How can we as a church better reflect the beauty of people from every tribe and tongue being brought together in Christ?

4. The sermon states: "You don't need to be great in this life, you need to know the Lord. That's all." Discuss what it looks like practically to have this mindset and find your identity and worth in Christ alone rather than achievements.

5. How can we encourage one another to pursue excellence and technological/cultural advancement, but do so for God's glory rather than human pride and self-exaltation?

6. The final charge is: "Stop thinking strictly in terms of what you will accomplish...and start thinking about what God is doing in and through you for His glory." What are some ways God may want to use you and our group for His purposes?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 510: The Laborers In The Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-17)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

Matthew 20:1-17

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,

Sermon Discussion questions
The Laborers In The Vineyard: Matthew 20:1-16

Ice Breaker: What was your first job? Do you have an interesting story about it?

This Week Specific

1. What strikes you the most about this parable? What aspects of the story stand out to you?

2. Put yourself in the shoes of the workers who were hired early and worked all day. How would you feel about getting the same pay as those who worked only an hour or two? How would you respond to the landowner's actions?

3. The landowner says to one of the workers, "Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?" (v. 15). What does this reveal about God's sovereignty and His right to distribute His grace as He sees fit?

4. Do you relate with the workers hired first or last more? Why?

5. How can this parable challenge our sense of entitlement or our tendency to compare ourselves to others? What does it teach us about having a spirit of humility and gratitude?

6. Think about Jonah & the prodigal son, what does it say about our hearts that we get angry at mercy?

7. Where have you struggled to believe God is right and faithful to you?

8. Are there any areas in your life where you struggle with envy, resentment, or a sense of unfairness? How can the truths of this parable help address those attitudes?

9. What is one practical way you can apply the lessons of this parable to your life this week?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 509: The Table of Nations (Genesis 10)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. The Reliability of Scripture
II. The Unity, Diversity & Depravity of Mankind
III. The Line of Shem, The Seed Identified
IV. God’s Love For The Nations

Genesis 10

These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 8 Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and 12 Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites dispersed. 19 And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

21 To Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Joktan. 26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 The territory in which they lived extended from Mesha in the direction of Sephar to the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

32 These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

The Sons of Noah in table form

General idea of where all these lines of Noah went in this era…

Jump to 37 seconds to hear Nimrod…

Sermon Discussion questions
The Table of Nations: Genesis 10

Ice Breaker: What is your ancestry, where your people from? Or Who is your most famous relative or ancestor?

This Week Specific

1. The passage highlights the reliability and trustworthiness of Scripture. What are some practical ways we can develop a habit of regularly reading and studying God's Word? How can we approach the Bible with the right attitude of trust and reverence?

2. Brian emphasized God's love and plan for all nations and people groups. How does the Table of Nations challenge or confirm your understanding of human diversity, unity, and the overarching narrative of God's plan throughout history as depicted in the Bible?

3. Reflect on the vision of Revelation 5:9 and 7:9, where people from every tribe, language, and nation worship before the throne of God. How should Christians approach concepts of identity, unity, and diversity within the context of faith and community?

4. Discuss the importance of abandoning cultural tribalism within the Church and embracing gospel unity. How can we practically apply this principle in our interactions with fellow believers?
   What are some potential barriers or challenges we might face, and how can we overcome them?

5. In the sermon Brian mentioned the importance of prayer for the spread of the gospel and the growth of the church in different parts of the world. What specific nations, people groups, or missionary efforts do you want to commit to praying for regularly? How can we collectively stay informed and engaged with global missions?

6. In what ways can we actively engage with our local "mission field" and demonstrate Christ's love to those around us? Share practical ideas or experiences of reaching out to neighbors, coworkers, or friends with the gospel message.

7. How can the exploration of biblical genealogies and historical narratives like the Table of Nations deepen our understanding of God's sovereignty, providence, and the interconnectedness of human history?

8. We learned that Japheth's descendants occupied most of the world, and many in the group may be descended from him. As "middle children," how can we avoid feeling overlooked or insignificant in God's plan? What are some practical ways we can find our identity and purpose in Christ?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

Sermon 508: Noah Gets Hammered (Genesis 9:18-29)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Noah’s Family (v.18-19)
II. Noah’s Hits The Bottle (v.20-21)
III. Noah’s Son’s Response (v.22-23)
IV. Noah’s Curse (v.24-29)

Genesis 9:18-29

The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.

27 May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

—————-

Sermon Discussion questions
Noah Gets Hammered: Genesis 9:18-29

Ice Breaker: What is one of your most embarrassing moments?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

This Week Specific

1. From this story, what is your impression of Noah? His Sons?

2. How’s this compare with what you thought when you read Genesis 6:8-9?

3. What lessons can we learn from Noah’s story about the dangers of complacency and the importance of remaining vigilant in our spiritual lives?

4. Why do you think the Bible includes stories of its heroes’ failures and shortcomings, like Noah’s drunkenness, despite their overall reputation for righteousness?

5. Reflecting on your own life, have you ever experienced a time when personal struggles or neglect led you to compromise your beliefs or values?

6. How did Noah get here?

7. What are some biblical perspectives on the consumption of alcohol, and how does Noah’s story add depth to this discussion?

8. How does this passage challenge you to honor your specific parents, even in difficult or embarrassing circumstances, as exemplified by Shem and Japheth's respectful response to Noah's drunkenness?

9. Why did Noah curse Canaan for his father’s actions? How has your life been affected by your parents sin or mistakes or such? What about their successes?

10. Consider your own reactions when you become aware of someone else's sin or mistake. How can you apply the principles demonstrated by Shem and Japheth to your own relationships and interactions? What does covering others sins look like?

11. In what ways does our response to others' shortcomings reflect our understanding of God's grace and mercy? How can we demonstrate grace and compassion towards others, even when they fail?

Sermon 507: The OG Rainbow (Genesis 9:1-17)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

IV. Obligations For People In A Sin Stained World (v.1-7)
A. Propagate Like Bunnies (v.1; 7)
B. A New Tree aka How To Eat An Animal (v.2-4)
C. Proportionate Sword of Justice (v.5-6)
II. What Is A Covenant?
III. Who’s In This Noahic Covenant? (V.9-10)
IV. What Does God promise In The Noahic Covenant? (v.11)
V. What’s With The Rainbow? (v.12-17)

Genesis 9:1-17

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

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Sermon 506: Never Again (Genesis 8:20-22)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. But First We Worship (v.20)
II. The Lord Makes A Promise (v.21)
III. Common & Not So Common Grace (v.22)
IV. Until The World Ends (v.22)

Genesis 8:20-22

“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

—————-

Chiastic structure of the flood narrative

A. God resolves to destroy the corrupt race (6:11-13).
B. Noah builds an ark according to God’s instructions (6:14-22).
C. The Lord commands the remnant to enter the ark (7:1-9).
D. The flood begins (7:10-16).
E. The flood prevails 150 days, and the mountains are covered (7:17-24).
F. God remembers Noah (8:1a)
E. The flood recedes 150 days, and the mountains are visible (8:1b-5).
D. The earth dries (8:6-14).
C. God commands the remnant to leave the ark (8:15-19).
B. Noah builds an altar (8:20).
A. The Lord resolves not to destroy humankind (8:21-22).

Sermon Discussion questions
Never Again: Genesis 8:20-22

Ice Breaker: What is a strange subject or topic you would probably be good at teaching a class on?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

This Week Specific

1. How has “worship as a luxury” affected your view of corporate worship?

2. How does the sacrifice of Noah relate to our worship today?

3. Genesis 8:22 states, "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." How does this verse speak to the consistency and faithfulness of God's provision? How does it inspire us to trust in God's ongoing care for creation?

4. What does it look like to believe this? What does it look like when you struggle to?

5. How can you willingly give your time as a sacrifice to the Lord today? How is this different from your time being stolen from you or being given reluctantly?

6. What might it look like to give yourself wholly to the Lord?

7. In what ways have you seen God’s common grace serve as an avenue for redemptive grace?

8. What areas are hardest for you to give “wholly”?

9. Compare Gen 6:5 and 8:21. Why did God flood the earth if he knew this evil wouldn’t be extinguished by the flood?

Sermon 505: The Gospel According to Noah (Genesis 8:1-19)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. God Remembers (v.1a)
II. God Recreates & Restores (v.1b-3)
III. God Drains the Tub (v.3-5)
IV. Send Out The Raven! (v.6-7)
V. The Dove Experiment (v.8-12)
VI. God Speaks, Noah Obeys (v.13-19)

Genesis 8:1-19

“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.”

—————-

Chiastic structure of the flood narrative

A. God resolves to destroy the corrupt race (6:11-13).
B. Noah builds an ark according to God’s instructions (6:14-22).
C. The Lord commands the remnant to enter the ark (7:1-9).
D. The flood begins (7:10-16).
E. The flood prevails 150 days, and the mountains are covered (7:17-24).
F. God remembers Noah (8:1a)
E. The flood recedes 150 days, and the mountains are visible (8:1b-5).
D. The earth dries (8:6-14).
C. God commands the remnant to leave the ark (8:15-19).
B. Noah builds an altar (8:20).
A. The Lord resolves not to destroy humankind (8:21-22).

Another way of looking at symmetry using only the numbers used in the passage.

7 days of waiting for flood (7:4)
7 days of waiting for flood (7:10)
40 days of flood (7:17a)
150 days of water triumphing (7:24)
150 days of water waning (8:3)
40 days of waiting (8:6)
7 days of waiting (8:10)
7 days of waiting (8:12)

Mt Ararat (2 views)

Sermon Discussion questions
The Gospel According to Noah: Genesis 8:1-19

Ice Breaker: If you could only know one, what detail do you wish God shared about this story?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

This Week Specific

1. What do you think Noah and his family did while waiting in the Ark for so long?

2. How do you think you’d have responded when the dove came back with nothing?

3. What good news comes after the flood?

4. What is something you’re struggling to wait patiently on the Lord for?

5. What aspect of this passage do you need today? (Patience to wait for God’s timing, reassurance of God’s promises, etc.)

Sermon 504: A Boatload of Grace (Genesis 6:9-7:24)

Today’s Bulletin

OUTLINE

I. Noah & Sons (6:9-10)
II. The End of All Flesh (6:11-13)
III. Frälsningsbåt: Ikea For Salvation Boat (6:14-22)
IV. God’s Recreation Kit (7:1-9)
V. The Unimaginable Waters of Judgment (7:10-20)
VI. All Flesh Died (7:21-24)

Genesis 6:9-7:24

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, and seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in.

The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

—————-

Chiastic structure of the flood narrative

A. God resolves to destroy the corrupt race (6:11-13).
B. Noah builds an ark according to God’s instructions (6:14-22).
C. The Lord commands the remnant to enter the ark (7:1-9).
D. The flood begins (7:10-16).
E. The flood prevails 150 days, and the mountains are covered (7:17-24).
F. God remembers Noah (8:1a)
E. The flood recedes 150 days, and the mountains are visible (8:1b-5).
D. The earth dries (8:6-14).
C. God commands the remnant to leave the ark (8:15-19).
B. Noah builds an altar (8:20).
A. The Lord resolves not to destroy humankind (8:21-22).

Gustave Doré’s images of the flood (1866) are a bit more terrifying. This is more realistic than the sermon art.

Sermon Discussion questions
A Boatload of Grace: Genesis 6:9-7:24

Ice Breaker: If you could only know one, what detail do you wish God shared about this story?

Weekly Questions

1. What stood out to you/challenged you most in this sermon?

2. What’s one area you feel the Lord wants to grow you into more Christ likeness?

3. How can this group pray for you this week?

This Week Specific

1. What do you find most amazing about this story?

2. How would the way people views Noah in this day be similar to the way those outside the faith view you as a Christian today?

3. What is something difficult God in his word has asked of you?

4. Was it right for God to wipe out so many people?

5. 100 years of building the ark is a long time to work… and be mocked. What can we learn from Noah in this?

6. Anyone willing to share an area you are struggling to obey “all that the Lord commands” (v.7:5)? Anyone else have wisdom for that?

7. How does the story of Noah reflect God’s righteous judgment? How does this same story reflect his grace and mercy?

8. How does the flood reverse how God created the world?