Old Testament Challenge Message 2 – Creating a New Community

My sermon notes ^ | 9/12/2007 | By John Ortberg with Kevin & Sherry Harney, preached by Charlie Dea

[Forgiven_Sinner]

OTC – Old Testament Challenge

Sources:

Old Testament Challenge 1 – Creating a New Community Discussion Guide

By John Ortberg with Kevin & Sherry Harney

On line links: Northwoods Community Church http://www.nwoods.org/storyWithChart.asp?storyid=393

Willow Creek Church http://www.willowcreek.com/resources/courses/otc/

Charlie Dean’s Blog http://charliedean.wordpress.com/

Part 1 – Genesis through Deuteronomy – Life-Changing Stories From the Pentateuch

This series is being covered by Northwoods Community Church in Peoria Illinois. I’ll transcribe the messages and add material from the small group discussion guide.

Message 2 – 9/12/2007 – Charlie Dean

Goal of Creation is to create community between man and God.

Genesis 3:1-7 Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan and sinned.

1. Satan twists the truth: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” 2. Satan gets us to doubt God and then gets us confused. Eve said: “and you must not touch it, or you will die.” That is wrong. Satan makes us question the character of God. Satan makes us think God is a kill joy. Jesus, by contrast, quotes scripture and upholds the character of God. Matthew 4. 3. Satan isolates us. It’s harder to resist temptation alone. Adam does not seem to be present when he tempts Eve. 4. Satan gets us to fixate on the sin. Then when we sin, we feel empty. Unsatisfied. 5. Then we entice others to sin—like Eve tempted Adam. That makes us feel better about our sin. “Everyone is doing it.”

Effects of sin: 1. After Adam and Eve’s sin, the creation was marred. 2. Adam and Eve felt guilty. Their relationship with each other was marred. Their relationship with God was marred. 3. Alienation – Adam and Eve hid from God. 4. Fear – “I heard you and I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” 5. Blame – “The woman that you gave me,” Adam said to God. 6. Pain – enters creation with the fall. The woman bears children in pain. Man works in pain. Men and women will have pain in their relationships.

Grace notes: hope within the chapter of the fall.

1. The serpent and the woman are to be enemies. “He will crush your head.” Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [a] and hers; he will crush [b] your head, and you will strike his heel."

2. God sews them a new set of clothes. Despite their sin, God still loves them. An animal had to die for their sin.

Genesis 4

Cain and Abel take on the sins of Adam and Eve and sin grows.

Cain’s offering is not accepted. His sin starts with spiritual envy of Abel. That leads to the path of Cain.

Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate fruit. Cain killed his brother. Adam and Eve blamed others. Cain argued with God.

Genesis 6 The creation is no longer good. It is all evil. God destroys all the earth but Noah. All of us came from Noah’s family.

Genesis 11 – The tower of Babel.

3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

Irony – “We will build something to make a name for ourselves—to make us great”. But they built it out of baked mud.

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

Irony – “We will build it up to heaven.” But God came down to look at it.

Sin is depressing. God’s judgment is hard to understand. But our hope is in Jesus

Questions from the study guide: Genesis 3:1-5, 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7; John 8:44

1. In our day, Satan tends to be portrayed in two very different ways. Sometimes he is pictured as a cartoon characer with little horns, a tail, and a red suit. No one takes this guy seriously. On the other end of the continuum, Satan is pictured as an unstoppable force of evil that Christians have no hope of resisting. What do these passages teach you about the real character and tactics of Satan?

2. How do these passages paint a picture of the enemy that contradicts those we see in the media?

3. How do you see Satan using these same tactics in the world today?

4. Which of the various tactics of the devil do you find easiest to resist and which do you find the most difficult to resist?

5. What helps you resist the temptations of the enemy?

Genesis 3:6-24 The Consequences of Sin

1. How are we still feeling the aftershocks of how sin has impacted this area of life?

2. God spoke a curse on the serpent, Eve, and Adam (Genesis 3:14-19) What price would each of them pay for their sin? How is the human family still living under these curses?

3. Adam and Eve hid from God They ran away because of their sin and shame. What are some of the ways we tend to run from God when we are struggling with sin?

4. What are some of the possible consequences when we run form God in the face of facing temptation?

5. What would running toward God in the face of temptation look like in your life?

[Forgiven_Sinner]

As always, I look forward to your comments.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

Post to OTC list members!

Please Freepmail me if you wish to be on or off the Old Testament Challenge ping list.

[3AngelaD]

I’m forgiven, too, but shouldn’t this be posted under “Religion”?

[Cinnamon]

good read. bookmarked.

[rusureitflies?]

The Truth will be known to those that know the God of Creation, we as his children, must seek it thru His Son, Jesus Christ... beware of seperating His Truth from His Word...thank you...keep up The Good work.

[Forgiven_Sinner]

“I’m forgiven, too, but shouldn’t this be posted under “Religion”?”

Correct; chalk it up to my inexperience in posting to a different area than News/Activism. I expected the Religion forum to be selected when I select “Philosophy/Religion” as topics or for the forum itself to be selectable while I posted. None of that happened.

Mr Admin Moderator, can you change this to the Religion forum?

Thanks.

F.S.

[Terriergal]

I wouldn’t be looking to anything Willow Creek puts out in order to form an orthodox view of anything!