"Do Not Be Afraid" - Genesis 32:1-21 (August 30, 2015)

1. Have someone read the passage aloud.
2. What are the things that you fear?
3. What the things that we see Jacob fearing in this passage?
4. Ryan said that fear is "First and foremost a spiritual problem." What are the reasons this is true?
5. How does God help us in our fears?
6. What are the ways that God changes us in the midst of our fears?
7. Take some time and pray for the areas of fear where you need God to help you.


Sermon outline:
1. God meets us in our fear
   a. Fear of harm
   b. Fear of loss

2. God helps us in our fear
   a. Our plans
   b. Our prayers

3. God changes us in our fear

"We're Not Fooling Everybody" - Genesis 31:14-55 (August 23, 2015)

1. Have someone read the passage aloud.
2. What were some of the reasons Ryan mentioned for why people kept idols? What purpose did they play in people's lives?
3. Where in the passage do we see the centrality of Laban's idol in his heart and in Rachel's?
4. Think about those things in your life that you hide from everyone. Why do you hide them? What does your attempts to hide them say about your perceptions of yourself, your community, and about God?
5. What is your initial reaction to the awareness that God sees everything, even those things we hide?
6. Why does embracing God's awareness of our hidden idols produce freedom?

Sermon Outline:
1. The things we hide
   a. What?
   b. Why?
   c. How?
   d. So What?

2. The God Who sees
   a. Keeps watch
   b. Maintains justice
   c. Inspires fear