"Joy to the Weary" - Genesis 11:10-12:3 (December 21, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage.
2. Where do we see weariness in this passage?
3. What makes you feel weary? What is wearying about the world?
4. How is weariness dealt with in this passage?
5. What brings you joy? Think about your day to day life, your actions, your words, etc. and consider what they say about where you're looking to find joy.
6. Where does this passage tell us ultimate joy is found?
7. How can we seek this joy on a daily basis?


Sermon Outline:
MP 1: Walk with the weary
   A: The childless
   B: The fatherless
   C: The homeless
   D: The Godless
MP 2: Welcome Joy
   A: God supplies joy
   B: God multiplies joy
   C: God spreads joy

"Christ Came to Save Builders" - Genesis 10:1-11:9 (December 14, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage.
2. What are some of the ways that we build walls between others? Think culturally, relationally, etc.
3. Read Ephesians 2:11-22. How does Paul speak of Jesus' work regarding the dividing walls between Jew and Gentile?
4. How can we cultivate a community, personally and corporately, that reflects this breaking down?
5. How were God's people seeking to promote and protect themselves in this passage (Genesis 10-11)?
6. What are the ways that we promote and protect?
7. How does Jesus do both these things for us?

Sermon Outline:
1. Building Walls
   a. Between our neighbors
   b. Between our enemies
2. Building Towers
   a. To promote ourselves
   b. To protect ourselves

"Christ Came to Save Failures" - Genesis 9:18-29 (December 7, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage
2. How do we see things falling apart in Noah's life?
3. Where do we see in our lives things falling apart?
4. In the passage, we see Noah abusing God's gifts and then abdicating his responsibility, what are the gifts God has given that we're prone to abuse? Are there places where you're abdicating your responsibility? Why?
5. What is the significance of what Ham did?
6. Why do we take pleasure in the shame of others?
7. How does God deal with our shame and our curse?

Sermon Outline:
1. Jesus covers our shame
   a. Abuse of God-given resources
   b. Abdication of God-given responsibilities
2. Jesus carries our curse
   a. Neglect
   b. Disrespect

"What Now?" - Genesis 8:20-9:17 (November 30, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage.

2. The very first verse of this passage indicate God’s loving response to Noah’s sacrifice.  What does this tell you about God’s character and his disposition toward you?

3. God established a vision before Noah of a world re-cultivated with life.  In what ways do you see this vision continuing to take shape?  What are elements in our world that give us reason to doubt this is even possible?

4. Where are some places in the passage we see evidence of God’s heart toward man?  Does this encourage you?  If not, why not?

5. How does the hope of Christ secure the vision of the world established in this passage?

6. What are some things we can do to participate in God’s desire to establish a world full of life and divine relationship?

"God Remembers You" - Genesis 7:11-8:19 (November 23, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage.
2. Think about a situation where you were forgotten. How did you feel? What was at stake for Noah if he was forgotten?
3. Noah could have easily been experiencing concern that there was no end in sight, how does the passage assure us that thought Noah, and we, don't know the our days, God does?
4. How does God show that he is in complete control in this passage? What is a circumstance in your life where you need to remember that God is in complete control?
5. What is God rescuing Noah from?
6. How can we have confidence that God remembers us?

Sermon outline:
1. When there is no end in sight
2. When there is no control
3. When there is no direction

"Living at the End of the World" - Genesis 6:9-7:10 (November 9, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage.
2. Ryan began by talking about the importance of remembering who we are and how we live. What are the dangers of focussing only on one and not both?
3. How is it that Noah stood out as being different from the world around him?
4. What are some ways that we can live counter culturally in our world?
5. Where in the passage do we see Noah's faith on display?
6. Where are the places in our lives that we are questioning what God has called us to? How can we grow in our faith and trust in him?

Sermon Outline
1. Countercultural Lives
   a. Righteous
   b. Blameless
2. Counterintuitive Faith
   a. To build the ark
   b. To board the ark

"Ready or Not?" Genesis 5:1-6:8 (November 2, 2014)

1. Have someone read the passage.
2. In chapter 5, we read of lineages of God's people. What is the experience that we share with each of the people listed?
3. Why do we and our world shy away from talking about the reality of death?
4. Ryan mentioned some of the different things that we put our security in, what are the areas of your life that you find yourself putting security in that are not the Lord?
5. How does this passage show us that God is the source of our true security?
6. Where do we see God relenting in this passage?
7. Discuss ways that you can seek to grow in seeing and trusting God as your true security.


Outline from the sermon:
1. Living with a false sense of security
   A. Our Longevity
   B. Our Legacy
   C. Our Morality
2. Living with a true sense of Security
   A. The Lord who resolves
   B. The Lord who relents