Community Group Questions

“The New Hope” 3/24/19

Scripture: Read- Genesis 4

Series: Beginnings- Part 8  

1). What are some of the "firsts" that we see happen in Chapter 4 in Genesis? 

2). If you did not have the rest of the bible and were reading it from the beginning and saw the promise in Genesis 3:15, what would you likely think about Cain? 

3). Although Cain was the first born, he was not the child or promise.  That would be odd in the culture the Bible was written to.  What other times in the Bible did the scripture make it a careful point to show that the blessing went to someone other than the first born? 

4). Since it is such a pattern of God choosing "not the first born", have you ever considered why God has operated in what seems to be an obvious pattern?

5). Why did God regard Abel's sacrifice but have no regard for Cain's?

6). How should that cause us to consider the worship that we bring before the Lord?

7). What was God's counsel to Cain regarding sin in verse 7?  How can we take that counsel to heart in our own lives?

8). One of the main points in this passage is that sin does not remain dormant.  We either master it through God's Spirit or it masters us.  How should this impact the way that we treat sin in our own lives?  How should it impact the way that we parent? 

9). How do we see God's grace EVEN IN the consequences that Cain receives? 

10). Why is the birth of Seth critical for the promise of Genesis 3:15?  In what way to we see Satan biting the heel and God continuing to crush the head of the serpent?

11). In the last two chapters, God took situations that looked helpless and injected them with hope: 

• Has God ever done that in your life in a way that you would be willing to share with the group? 
• How does this help give us hope even when things seem hopeless?