week of 12/12

 Unit 4 Session 2

GOD SHOWS HIS POWER

eXODUS 5-12

God is faithful to bring deliverance from bondage, but that deliverance came

at a price.

Moses accepted the call to be God's messenger in Egypt, going to Pharaoh

with the full authority and power of God, the great "I AM". But upon arrival,

his message was met with resistance and retaliation by Pharaoh, which

resulted in near-rejection of Moses' leadership by the people of God. Yet

God reaffirmed His covenant with Moses. God's power would be demonstrated

in full force as He unleashed a series of plagues, culminating in the death

of Egypt's firstborn sons and the sparing of Israel's through the Passover

sacrifice.

Points to consider:

✞   God remembers His covenant with His people.

     * How has God's Self-revelation in Scripture since

        the creation account increased our knowledge

        of Him?

✞   God requires a perfect sacrifice from His people.

     * What are some ways believers in Jesus are marked

        by the faithfulness of God on their behalf?

✞   God releases judgment in the midst of His people.

     * Why is it important to recognize the just judgment

        of God against sin?

     * How has God worked to bring you to a Biblical

        understanding of His just judgment and salvation

        by grace?

week of 12/5

 Unit 4 Session 1

GOD SHARES HIS NAME

eXODUS 1-4

God heard the cries of His people in distress and responded by raising up Moses, the one He would send to provide deliverance.

Through Joseph's influence, God's people initially lived in Egypt as honored

guests. But a new Pharaoh came to power who did not remember Joseph.

As a result, God's people suffered under brutal oppression in Egypt for

generations. But the covenant-keeping God heard their cries and prepared

to demonstrate His power on their behalf. He would do so through an unlikely

messenger - a Hebrew man named Moses, Egypt's fallen prince, who was

grinding out his existence in obscurity, shepherding on the backside of

nowhere.

Points to consider:

✞   God reveals His holiness to His servant.

     * Why is it important that we learn about God's

        holiness from His special revelation?

✞   God reveals His identity to His servant.

     * What did God's name have to do with the

        plight of His people in Egypt?

✞   God reveals His power to His servant.

     * How have you seen God's sovereign power

        on display?

     * Why do we need God's power through Jesus

        to save us from our sin?

week of 12/5

Unit 3 Session 6

THE GOD OF PROVIDENCE

psalm 103 ; matthew 5-7  colossians 1

The Lord, through His providential work in creation, holds

all things together, rules over all, and provides all that is 

needed.

In the wake of the flood and the scattering of humanity at the Tower of

Babylon (or Babel), God's plans seem to be struggling, if not failing. His

image-bearers largely reject His sovereign and benevolent rule. But

things are not as they seem, for God continues to hold all things together

and works in His creation and creatures to accomplish His will. God

demonstrated this by calling Abraham and making a covenant with him

and his descendants to bless the world. In spite of human sin, and often

through it, God providentially took care of His people and worked all

things for His glory and our good.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord's hand holds together all of creation.

     * How should we read the Bible in light of the

        fact that Jesus is God?

     * How can we show that Jesus is our foundation

        in life?

✞   The Lord's hand rules over all in righteousness.

     * What are some ways human beings run from

        their mortality?

✞   The Lord's hand provides what we need.

     * What are some ways you have seen the Lord

        provide when you were focused on trusting Him?

week of 11/28

 Unit 3 Session 5

A FAMILY PRESERVED

GENESIS 37-50 

God works through adversity and even the evil actions

of people to bring about good.

We now enter the story of Joseph. We learn in Genesis 37 that Joseph

was Jacob's favorite son, and once again, favoritism caused problems

in this dysfunctional family. Joseph was one of the youngest of Jacob's

children, yet in his dreams, Joseph saw his family bowing down to him

(Gen. 375-11). In their jealousy and spite, the brothers sold Joseph, and

he became a slave to Potiphar in Egypt (Gen. 37:36). Joseph earned great

favor in Potiphar's household but was thrown into prison when Potiphar's

wife lied and said Joseph had tried o sleep with her.

Points to consider:

✞   God is faithful to be present with His people,

     even in adversity.
     * How can we know God cares for us in difficult

        circumstances?

     * Why are we tempted to rely on our own strength

        or ability and not trust God?

✞   God is faithful to prompt forgiveness and 

     reconciliation in His people.

     * How does trusting in God's sovereignty factor

        into our willingness to forgive others?

✞   God is faithful to bring good, even from evil.

     * How does Joseph's story affect the way you

        understand your life circumstances?

week of 11/21

 Unit 3 Session 4

A PLAN UNHINDERED

GENESIS 25-33  

God's plan to bless the world continued, even in spite

of the sin and dysfunction of His people, a people He

was remaking in His image.

Abraham died, but his legacy miraculously continued with his son

Isaac, whose wife faced the same struggle as her mother-in-law,

Sarah. Rebekah was barren, but God heard the prayers of Isaac and

she had twin sons, Jacob and Esau. These brothers competed from

the beginning, and early on, Jacob convinced Esau to give up his

birthright. After this, Isaac followed in his father's footsteps and

listened to the God of Abraham as he settled in Gerar, yet the

descendants of Abraham also followed various paths of sin and

dysfunction.

Points to consider:

✞   God's plan continues despite sin and deception.
     * How does our faith relate to our actions?

✞   God's plan continues despite family dysfunction.

     * How have you experienced God's comfort in the

        midst of hardships or afflictions?

     * Why are God's plans more trustworthy than our

        own?

✞   God's plan continues through changed people.

     * What experiences has God used to transform

        you the most?

week of 11/14

Unit 3 Session 3

A PROMISE TESTED

GENESIS 21-22  ;  Hebrews 11:17-19

God calls on His people to place a deep faith in Him, a

faith that believes God can do the impossible.

For years, Abram lived believing God's promise that he would have

many descendants - that he would become a great nation and through

his offspring all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. God's

promise carried him through trials and troubles, though at times

Abram unwisely tried to help the process along. God even changed

Abram's name as a sign of this promise, and Abram became Abraham.

Through many long years, Abraham's faith in God did not waver. And

then one day, Abraham's faith became sight.

Points to consider:

✞   God provides the son of promise.
     * How should this Biblical account affect our hope

        in God's promises?

✞   God demands the sacrifice of the son of promise.

     * What are some truths about God's tests that we

        should know?

     * How have you seen faith in God lead to extra-

        ordinary acts of obedience?

✞   God provides a substitute for the son of promise.

     * How should we respond to the grace of God in

        providing His Son as a sacrifice in our place for

        our sins?

week of 11/7

   Unit 3 Session 2

A PRIEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

GENESIS 14  ;  Hebrews 5-7

Abram tithed to Melchizedek, a priest to God Most High,

which would point to a greater priesthood than the one

that was to come through Aaron.

From the moment the first two people sinned, a promise has weaved

its way through the history of Genesis: the promise of an "offspring"

(Gen 3:15) - a descendant of the first humans who would defeat the

serpent that led them to sin against God. Generations later, we are

introduced to Abram, whom God promised He would bless and through

whom all the peoples of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). God

made a covenant with Abram that would never be broken and further

confirmed it by a priest of God Most High.

Points to consider:

✞   God's servant rescues a captured relative.
     * What are some ways God has proven Himself

        on your behalf when circumstances seemed

        stacked against you?

✞   God's servant is blessed by a priest to God Most High.

     * Why might we struggle to grasp Melchizedek's

        significance in Scripture?

     * What are some ways God continues to bless us?

✞   God's servant tithes to a priest to God Most High.

     * What are some examples of things you do that

        show that all of you belongs to the Lord?