Community Group Questions

“Seeing God in the Creation Narrative” 2/3/19

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Scripture: Read- Genesis 1:1-26, Romans 1:19-22, Job 38:1-5

Series: Beginnings: Genesis 1-12 

Text Theme and big idea: to comfort God’s fearful people with the knowledge that our God is the sovereign Creator God who controls the world’s destiny and ours

1). Read Romans 1:19-20- What does Paul say that God makes known about Himself through the witness of His Creation? 

2). Read Job 38:1-5- What did God expect Job to understand about Himself through the witness of His creation?

a. In what ways did Job “have less to go on” than we do in terms of trusting God in the midst of our fears?

b. How should seeing the way that God spoke to Job help encourage or convict us to fix our eyes on God when we are afraid?

3). What was the setting of this message that God was sharing with Israel through Moses in Genesis 1?   

4). Why does keeping the setting of this passage help us interpret and apply it rightly?

5). Genesis 1 IS a sermon to the nation of Israel (and through them to us) during a time of personal and national crisis.  How does that help keep the focus on God in this passage? 

6). Restate in your own words what God is trying to getting the Israelites to understand about Himself?

7). BIG PICTURE: Why is taking this whole passage as one literary chunk important to understand what God is saying to His people?

8). PERSONAL TESTIMONY: In what ways has God reminded you of His sovereignty and power in times when your heart has been inclined toward fear?

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APPLICATION POINTS: 

If God thought to deliver a message to a people who were going through a specific fearful situation and He wanted those people to know that they stand unique amongst His creation, it stands to reason that:

1. God knew about this situation that was causing them fear- so it stands to reason that God knows about whatever situation is causing you fear

2. God cared that they were fearful and sought to comfort them- so it stands to reason that God cares and wants to bring comfort in the areas that cause you fear

3. The answer to the fear was not a sermon about how God changes circumstances, it was a sermon to get them to focus on God- so it stands to reason that God is not allowing your circumstances for you to get lost on the circumstances, but to fix our eyes on God

4. The Israelites needed to truly believe that God was BIGGER than their fears and ABLE to still show Himself to be God in the midst of them.

5. Sometimes the best way to see God is not to look under every rock but to step back and look at the whole landscape