September 29, 2024
The Story | Can I Say "No" To God? | Chapter 4
Beginnings: How God Got Things Started, A Chosen People.
As we continue journeying through the Story of God, you may find yourself encountering things you didn't expect. Bible ‘heroes’ who eat the forbidden fruit, get drunk, betray their brothers, and this week, one who does everything he can to avoid joining God in rescuing His people. There aren’t many Bible heroes, just a bunch of failing humans. God is not deterred. He has and will do everything He can to rescue people, even if it’s just by the skin of their teeth. It’s all quite marvellous and mysterious.
Songs for this week: Spotify
Chapter 4: Exodus 3:1-14
- Share a time when you were asked to do something (whether by a parent, a boss, or even God), but you didn’t want to do it. What happened? How did things turn out?
- What were some of the excuses or objections that Moses raised when God called him to lead?
- How might God be calling you/us to help lead others to freedom? Begin by identifying some of the ways people in our world might be caught in bondage.
- Who is someone in your life you are praying will come to know Jesus?
Is there an opportunity to connect with them—by listening, sharing a meal (or coffee), serving them in some way, or talking about your faith?
Which of these—praying, listening, eating, serving, and sharing—comes naturally to you? Which ones challenge you the most? - Has God provided you with an "Aaron"—someone to walk alongside you in this journey? Identify that person, and consider asking them to pray with you as you step into this assignment.
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Recent Sermons
Acts 3:1-21 - Now what? The story of Acts is what happens after the death and resurrection of Jesus. God takes ordinary people, fills them with His Spirit, and sends them out into the world. It's a crazy idea! Peter and John transform an everyday visit to the Temple into a medical miracle and preach a compelling message to boot. Hundreds of people come to trust Jesus. Just another day of walking in the Spirit.
John 20:24-29 - All through his ministry, Jesus took time to speak with individuals. Even after the resurrection, he never changed course. John records an interaction with Thomas that speaks to doubt and the struggle it is for each of us to believe.
John 12:9-19 -When Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the shouts and cheers of the crowd, there was no mistaking what was happening: the King was back in his rightful place. There were several responses to this long-awaited event: some celebrated, some grumbled, and then… everyone went home. It may have looked anticlimactic, but Jesus wasn’t going anywhere. He had come to do what only the true King of Israel could do.
John 14:1-14 -John’s biography of Jesus slows as he chronicles the week leading up to Jesus’ death. Jesus has a long, careful conversation with the disciples, and today, we listen to the beginning of that conversation. He begins with a strong command: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He then reinforces it with three unshakable assurances: He is going ahead of them, He has cleared the way to the Father, and He will send supernatural power so they can continue His work.
John 8:48-59 -Jesus’ friend John was very careful to record the things that Jesus said about Himself. As an observant Jew, John knew that there is only one God. From time to time, God sent prophets, ordained priests, and crowned kings so that the people of God had someone to lead them to Him. Everyone knew that these leaders only ever pointed to God; they never claimed any status beyond being messengers. But when Jesus came, He was different. He claimed to be “the Light of the World,” “the Truth that sets you free,” and “the Resurrection and the Life”—all of them ridiculous claims for anyone but God to make. That was exactly His point.
Luke 15:11-32 - Jesus tells a story about a father with two lost sons. The rule-breaking younger son was lost in self-indulgence, and the rule-keeping older son was lost in self-righteousness. The father loved both generously and even recklessly. Both needed to be found. Were they?
