In a world in the clutches of sin, spiritual warfare, and death, how can we live? God gives us three lessons through the line of Seth in Genesis Five.

Outline: What does a God-centered life involve?

1. It involves belonging to God (5:1-5)

2. It involves being with God (vv. 21-24)

3. It involves believing God (vv. 28-32)

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. Where have you felt the longing that there would be no death?

2. Scott Adams said one week before he died: "I do believe that the dominant Christian theory is that I would wake up in Heaven if I have a good life.” Imagine you got to speak with him before he passed, what would you say?

3. Which of the three points: belonging to God, being with God, or believing God spoke to you most directly today and why?

4. Choosing sin is often viewed as “living free.” Why is this a lie?

5. Read Galatians 5:1: Where have you experienced the gospel setting you free?

6. Share some ways you have enjoyed being with God? What changes have you made (or need to make) to prioritize this?

7. In your own words, what is the difference between believing in God and believing God?

8. Personal Reflection: Your best friend is writing your obituary, what would they say about your walk with God?

We will survive the battleground of spiritual warfare as we learn to live by faith and not by sight.

Outline: Four treacherous tactics of the Enemy to destroy God's people:

1. The enemy confounds hope (vv. 1-2, 25)

2. The enemy exploits the flesh (vv. 3-7)

3. The enemy slays the righteous (vv. 8-16)

4. The enemy establishes the godless (vv. 17-24)

But the enemy fails to stop God's promise (vv. 25-26)

Questions for personal reflection:

1. In what ways/areas are you experiencing the battleground of spiritual warfare?

2. There is danger in putting our faith more in how we think God will act than in Him as the God who will act. Where have you seen this error in the modern church? How have you made this error yourself?

3. How have you seen anger become a foothold for the Enemy?

4. What ways have you found work well for fighting sin?

5. The truth that the Enemy slays the righteous and establishes the godless can be crushing to our day-to-day hope. Read Psalm 10, how does the Psalmist deal with his soul-crushing circumstances? Where does the Psalmist find his strength to endure and remain hopeful?

6. Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Paul is facing his imminent unjust execution, how does his faith in Jesus make his death not a triumph of evil but a testimony that God’s promise does not fail?

The very day our sin separated us from God, God began the work to bring us back.

Outline: How does redemption begin?

1. Redemption begins with the reality of sin

2. Redemption begins with God's grace alone

3. Redemption begins with trusting God's Word

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. With the numerous serious problems in our world that need to be fixed, should sin be treated as the greatest problem? Support your answer.

2. The chasm sin creates involves being (1) far from God (2) pointed away from God (3) prevented from returning to God. Which one of these realities hit you the hardest today?

3. How does recognizing the seriousness of sin make the grace of God more amazing?

4. Why is it important to be surprised that the Bible has a page 4? What difference does it make in reading the Bible to recognize every page reveals some measure of God’s grace toward us?

5. “The very day our sin separated us from God, God began the work to bring us back.” How can this truth help us turn to God when we feel unforgivable or unlovable?

6. Adam trusted in God’s Word not just by professing it but by acting upon it: he cleaved to Eve and started a family. Where might you need to show trust in God’s Word by acting upon it?

What are the consequences of sin?

Three consequences:

1. Sin corrupts us

2. Sin condemns us

3. Sin separates us

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. What is one question you would ask Adam and Eve about life in the garden before the fall?

2. Genesis 3 shows how far humanity has fallen, but also how far God is willing to go to redeem, restore, and reconcile. How does that tension—our deep brokenness and God’s deeper grace—shape the way you view your story and the story of our world?

3. Adam and Eve hid from God and then blamed each other when confronted with their sin. How do you tend to react when confronted with your sin?

4. Out of the three consequences of sin (Corruption, Condemnation, and Separation) which one do you tend to think of when you think about sin? Why?

5. In Christ we are a “new creation” and no longer condemned. What part of that truth is hardest for you to believe on a daily basis?

6. How does thinking of sin primarily as separation from a good and gracious God (rather than just rule-breaking) change the way you view your own sin?

The Good Shepherd takes His flock from Found to Family to Forever. Are you in His flock?

Note: This message was given via Zoom due to the inclement weather that cancelled our in-person service.

Outline: Three questions to appreciate Jesus' leadership and draw closer to Him:

1. Why does He lead?

2. How does He lead?

3. Where doe He lead?

When we lay our lives down for one another, we show He lives in us.

Outline: A healthy church is the responsibility of the whole flock. All have a part to fulfill:

1. Elders do their part by being shepherds (vv. 1-3)

2. Members do their part by being shepherded (v. 5a)

3. Everyone does their part by practicing humility (v. 5c)

Questions for Personal Reflections

1. A recent Lifeway poll has shown “trust in clergy” falling steadily. In 2019 trust was 40%, in 2025 its near 25%. Why do you think trust is so low and getting lower for church leaders?

2. What are some things you look for to identify if a church is healthy?

3. Reread 1 Timothy 3:2-7. What characteristic catches your attention? Why do you think character is so much the focus and not skills for an elder?

4. When Peter says, “You who are younger, be subject to the elders” What is hard about that command for you? What does it mean for you personally to heed it?

5. Where are you tempted by the world’s ethos “your life for mine?” How does involvement in church help you live out the gospel message “my life for yours” instead?

6. What might practicing humility look like in your workplace/school, parenting, marriage?

Can we truly believe God loves us even when bad things happen?

Outline: Two proofs assuring God’s people of his love for them that lead to a secure promise.

Proof 1: God gave up his greatest treasure for you (vv. 31-32)

Proof 2: Jesus took your full condemnation (vv. 33-34)

Promise: Nothing can separate you from the love of God. (vv. 35-39)

Personal Reflection Questions:

1. What are some typical insecurities that people have? And how do people try to mask them or deal with them?

2. Why do you think people find it hard to believe that God's love is unconditional? How have you struggled with this truth?

3. What are some reasons people give for loving other people? How does the gospel change our idea of what love means?

4. Read Romans 8:35, How might sufferings and trials lead people to the conclusion that they are separated from God? Why does suffering distort people's idea of God being love?

5. Read Romans 5:3-5, what do you think is the goal of God allowing suffering? Share a time when you suffered or went through a trial and describe how it pulled you into the heart of God.

Will you faith stagnate or strengthen in 2026?

Outline: Three competing priorities that can halt us from following Jesus.

1.We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: personal freedom (v. 18)

2. We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: a comfortable life (vv. 19-20)

3. We will not follow Jesus far if our top priority is: family (vv. 21-23)

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. Icebreaker: Share an accomplishment from your life from 2025.

2. Read Acts 19:18-20. Why were the magic books burned? What does verse 20 say resulted from this costly act? What might be equivalent to magic books in our world today?

3. “Staying with Jesus requires leaving the crowd” Where have you experienced the truth of this statement in your own faith?

4. Some synonyms of a comfortable life are: Ease, Security, Wealth, Independence, Popularity, Status, Respectability. Which one of these is the scariest to imagine losing for you personally?

5. Where has the gospel required you to give up personal comfort. What did you learn as a result?

6. How have you experienced family as a competing priority to your walk with Jesus? How has your life demonstrated you love Jesus more?

7. Read Philippians 3:8. Personalize this verse. Expand the word “everything” to include specific things that you consider as loss to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.