Gospel Project Week 5: "God's Law for Life"

Here are the materials for the week of January 27 as we prepare for Sunday, February 2, "God's Law for Life."


Devotional Material

• "Trust and Obey" (p. 55) is a devotion that reflects on last week's lesson. 

• "Law" (p. 65) and "Get Vertical" (p. 66)  are devotionals that prepare for February 2. (Check the blog later this week for 2 bonus devotionals...)

• Key Passage: Exodus 20:1-17

If you want to find out more about this week's topic, you can dig in deeper with these resources:

Study Material

• “Law and Grace” — (1855) Sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Sermon Podcasts

• J. D. Greear: “God’s Laws & Our Lives” — The Summit Church

• Paige Patterson: “The Ten Commandments” (Sermon Series) — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Don't Treat the Symptoms (Week 4: Bonus Devo 2)

Genesis 3:6: "Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

The core issue in Genesis 3 is the same core issue at stake in any temptation. It's not sex, food, anger, or greed. It's trust.

When you go to the doctor, there is always a moment when you list your symptoms. They are carefully recorded, and when taken together, they lead to a diagnosis. Often the symptoms aren't really the problem but the surface-level manifestations of something deeper. That's why the solution to a runny nose isn't a Kleenex, it's an antibiotic. A good doctor doesn't settle with treating the symptoms. He looks deeper.

Such is the case with us. We must look deeper, past the surface-level temptations and into the area of trust. When we are tempted toward materialism, the real issue is whether we trust that God has and will provide enough. Are we content with what He provides? When tempted regarding sex, the real issue is whether we trust God when He gives us the prescribed means of sex in marriage. When tempted to overeat, the deeper issue is whether we trust God when He says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

And fighting these temptations? Well, that's an issue of trust too. Do we really trust that God will give us the grace to stand firm, or are we relying on our own strength? It all comes down to trust. So who are you trusting today? Take a look at your actions. They're the symptoms, and they will lead you to the truth. 


Pause and Reflect

• When it comes to resisting Sin, who are you trusting?

• Think about the nagging sin present in your life right now. What is the real issue behind that sin? What are you trading or looking for when you give in to that sin?

• How can Christ better satisfy that need?

Almost Isn't Enough (Week 4: Bonus Devo 1)

Genesis 3:2-3: "The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, "You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die."'"

What is the one movie you have seen more than any other? Are you thinking of it? Right now, you could probably pick up the dialogue from any point in that movie. You may even have incorporated phrases from the film into your regular conversation. That's your movie; you know it backward and forward. In fact, you have such a personal attachment to it that you get offended when people try to quote it only to butcher the words.

As you read the encounter between the serpent and Eve in Genesis 3, notice that the serpent questioned the word of God. And Eve seemed at first to defend those words. But if you read carefully, you'll see that when Eve quoted God back to the serpent, she "almost" got it right. Almost, but not quite. And in this case, almost isn't good enough. The troubling thing for most of us is that Satan might actually have a better grasp on the Word of God than we do. He knows who God is, and He knows what God said. If we want to be serious about defending attacks from the Devil, we had better know what God said too-not almost know, not sort of know, but know...exactly.

And why shouldn't we? We memorize everything else: song lyrics, movie lines, favorite quotes-why not the Bible? Could it be that we simply don't have the same personal attachment to Scripture that we do to so many other things? 

Pause and Reflect

• How well do you know God's Word?
• What keeps you from enjoying time with God and His Word?
• Could it be that Satan knows the Word of God better than you do? What changes do you need to make to reverse that?

Gospel Project Week 4: "In God We Trust?"

Here are the materials for the week of January 20 as we prepare for Sunday, January 26, "In God We Trust? God's Perfect Word and His Imperfect People" as we study the Fall in Genesis 3 in light of God's Word to us.


Devotional Material

• "Being Before Doing" (p. 41) is a devotion that reflects on last week's lesson. 

• "Approaching God's Word" (p. 53) and "Promises, Promises" (p. 54)  are devotionals that prepare for January 26th. (Check the blog later this week for 2 bonus devotionals...)

• Key Passage: Genesis 3:1-6

If you want to find out more about this week's topic (God's Word), you can dig in deeper with these resources: 

Study Material

• “The Fall”—Chapter 10 from According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy (available here on Google Books)
• “The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels”—Chapter 2 from The God Who Is There by D. A. Carson (preview available here on Google Books, ebook available on Amazon Kindle for 3.99 here)
• “The Promise of a King and a Kingdom”—Chapter 4 from From Creation to New Creation: Making Sense of the Whole Bible Story by Tim Chester

Sermon Podcasts

• David Landrith: “The Gospel According to Genesis” — Long Hollow Baptist Church
• Ben Mandrell: “The Story: The God Who Does Not Give Up on Us” — Englewood Baptist Church

Gospel Project Week 3: "God is Not Mute"

As we prepare for this Sunday's lesson "God is Not Mute", I hope that you will take the time to think and respond to the devotionals for this week out of The Gospel Project book The God Who Speaks. 

Devotional Material

"God's Goodness" (p. 29) is a devotion that reflects on last week's lesson. "Complete" (p. 39) and "Glorious Love" (p. 40)  prepare our minds and hearts for the lesson this Sunday on the way God speaks to us through his Word. I hope you will take the time to read these this week.

If you want to be even more prepared to discuss and share, I would love to encourage you to look ahead to the lesson for this week (p. 32-38) and spend time meditating on the following primary passages:

2 Timothy 2:16-17
Psalm 19:11-17
Luke 24:25-27

Also, there are discussion questions on p. 42 that we will discuss on Sunday if you like to think on your own before you share with the class.


If you want to find out more about this week's topic (God's Word), you can dig in deeper with these resources: 

Study Material

• “Special Revelation”—Chapter 3 by David S. Dockery and David P. Nelson from A Theology for the Church, edited by Daniel L. Akin (free sample here on Google Books including the entire chapter and available for purchase on Amazon Kindle)
  
  “Introduction”—From God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts (free sample here on Google Books including the entire Introduction and available for purchase on Amazon Kindle)

“Billy Graham and the Rest of the Los Angeles Story” — Blog post by Collin Hansen

Sermon Podcasts

Mark Dever: “Understanding the Story Line of the Bible” — Capitol Hill Baptist Church

W. A. Criswell: “The Witness of the Word to Itself” — First Baptist Church, Dallas