Author: Brian

Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor

Genesis 6-11: Two Ways

On By BrianIn OT Studies

Describe the way of wickedness from these verses:

6:5 (dissect the verse word by word) –

6:11-13 –

8:21 –

9:20-23 –

11:1-4 (compare 9:7, 12:2) –

In what ways are we tempted to follow the sins of Babel? Why don’t we need to? What should we do instead?

In summary, what do you learn about humanity from these verses? (Compare Romans 3:10-18, Ephesians 2:1-3)

In contrast, Noah walked with God. From Noah’s example, what does it look like to walk with God? (See also Genesis 3:8, 5:21-24, Psalm 89:15, Hebrews 11:7)

What is required if we are going to walk with God (6:8, Hebrews 11:7)?

How do you need to grow in your walk with God?

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

3 Reminders as You Enter the New Year 2016 – Brian G. Najapfour

Ten Check Up Questions for the New Year – Kevin DeYoung

Advice for Another Year of Bible Reading – Bruce Ware (DG)

12 Promises for Perseverance in Bible Reading – Dave Zuleger (DG)

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping the Lord with your local church!

Reflections on Genesis 3-5

On By BrianIn OT Reflections6 Comments

Genesis 3 is the saddest story ever penned, as mankind rebels against their Creator. Notice:

  • Satan tempts Eve to question God’s goodness and honesty. When are you tempted to question God’s goodness and the truth of His Word?
  • Eve chooses to seek satisfaction (“good for food…delight to the eyes”) in forbidden fruit rather than in her Creator and the good things he gave her. What forbidden fruit tempts you?
  • Rather than give glory to God, Eve chooses to seek her own glory (“you will be like God”). Whose glory are you seeking?
  • Sin brings misery, not satisfaction. Their perfect relationship with God is broken (they hide from God and are cast out of the Garden). Their perfect relationship with each other is broken (Adam blames Eve; later Cain kills Abel). Pain enters God’s creation (childbearing will be painful). Work which was a joy now becomes toilsome, as creation is cursed with decay and thistles. Separated from the tree of life, Adam and Eve will die, as will their descendants (note the terrible repetition in chapter 5 – “…and he died”). When tempted by sin, remember the consequences.
  • And yet in this sad story of our fall into sin, there is a small seed of hope in 3:15. Satan will bruise the heel of the woman’s offspring on a cross many years later. There on that cross, this man will defeat Satan by bruising his head. The penalty for sin will be paid, so that mankind might yet walk with God!

Application Questions

On By BrianIn Bible Journey1 Comment

After meditating on God’s Word, I often find God pointing to one or two ways that I need to apply the passage to my life.  These applications just “jump” out at me.

But what if an application doesn’t jump out?  Or what if we want to consider further possible applications?  Here are some good questions to help us apply God’s Word to our lives:

  • Is there a promise to claim?
  • Is there a truth to believe?
  • Is there a false way of thinking (from our culture) that I need to reject?
  • Is there a desire to embrace?
  • Is there a corrupt desire (from our culture) that I need to reject?
  • Is there a sin I need to confess and repent of?
  • Is there a command I need to obey?
  • Is there a good example I should follow?
  • Is there a sinful example that I should learn from and avoid?
  • How should this passage affect how I relate to God?
  • How should this passage affect how I relate to people?

Reflections on Genesis 1-2

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

In Genesis 1-2, we are immediately introduced to God as the Creator of all things. In his role as Creator, we see:

  • His Power – He simply spoke and it came to be. His power extends over all of his creation. There is nothing that can come against you that God cannot handle.
  • His Wisdom – He ordered all things perfectly. If God can perfectly order all of creation, can you not trust him to wisely order your life?
  • His Beauty – Having created such a beautiful world, what must God Himself be like? What joy to spend our lives and all of eternity getting to know Him better!
  • His Provision – He provided the plants for food, a garden to live in, and a companion to enjoy. How many ways has he provided for you? Give thanks!
  • His Authority – He made man and then commanded him. As our Creator, he has the right to command; we have the responsibility to obey.
  • His Assignment – He gave man a task – to cultivate the earth and use it for his needs. God did not make you to be idle, but to serve him by working as he gives you strength.
  • His Relational Nature – God says, “Let us make man in our image.” That “us” is the first hint of the Trinity – that God is one God in three persons enjoying eternal relationship with each other. When God created people, he entered into a relationship with them too. God is relational, and he made us in his image to be relational too. Our relationship with God and others is central to what it means to be human. How are you cultivating those relationships?

Genesis 1-5: Temptation

On By BrianIn OT Studies

Here are some questions to explore the theme of temptation in Genesis 1-5:

Describe the temptation in Genesis 3; compare to I John 2:15-17. What similarities do you find in your own temptations?

Describe the temptation in Genesis 4. When are you tempted in a similar way?

What did Cain need to do? Compare to I Corinthians 10:13.

How can we overcome temptation according to Matthew 4:1-11, 6:13, Galatians 5:16-23, and Titus 2:11-14? In one word?

Where did temptation come from in Genesis 3? In Genesis 4?

Compare the ways that Adam and Eve, Cain, and Lamech each respond to their sin. Is there a downward trend?

What are the consequences of sin in chapters 3, 4, & 5?

Reading the Bible in 4 Years

On By BrianIn Bible Journey

This week our church begins a new Sunday School series with the plan to read and discuss our way through the entire Bible in four years.  Each week we will focus on 4-6 chapters.  Questions we will be asking each week include:

  • What observations do you make about this passage?
  • What do you learn about God?
  • What do you learn about people, sin, and our need of a Savior?
  • How does this passage point us to Jesus and salvation?
  • How do I need to apply this passage to my life?

In addition to those questions, we will be focusing on one theme from each week’s passage which I will post here each Monday.  And I have written two reflections for each week that I will also be posting here.

If you don’t have a Bible reading plan, I invite you to join us.  The schedule for the next four weeks:

January 4-10: Genesis 1-5
January 11-17: Genesis 6-11
January 18-24: Genesis 12-17
January 25-31: Genesis 18-23

New Year’s Collection

On By BrianIn Holidays, PASSION Collections

It is time to ponder some new year’s resolutions!  Here are some good posts as you reflect upon your life this past year, and how God might be leading you to grow in 2016:

Ten Questions to Ask at the Start of a New Year – Donald Whitney

One Big Tip to Make Your Resolutions Stick – Tim Challies

Striving for a More Intentional Life of Prayer – Erik Raymond

The Church Comes First – Nick Batzig

Star Wars Collection

On By BrianIn Current Collection

The cultural event of the year has seemingly arrived, and it wouldn’t hurt to try to think about it through some Christian lenses.  So here are some helpful posts to do just that.

Star Wars and the Ancient Religion – Peter Jones (Ligonier)
The appearance of a new episode of the Star Wars film series is an important moment for Christian witness. To be sure, we can shrug our shoulders, since Star Wars is old news. Or we can enthusiastically introduce our grandchildren to what we might think is a beloved, harmless yarn. Or we can—and should—discover in the series an occasion to sharpen our presentation of the gospel message and help our children and grandchildren, and anyone else who might be interested, to understand the culture in which they live.

The Irresistible Force of ‘Star Wars’: 3 Popular Approaches – Michael Svigel (TGC)
The Star Wars saga trades in universal themes of fall and depravity, struggle and conflict, sacrifice and redemption, heroism and hope. In this way, it sings truth to our souls. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, drank deeply from the wells of human experience and incorporated themes that have repeatedly appeared in epic poems, plays, legends, myths, and religious beliefs of various cultures through millennia.

Be A Yoda, Not a Grinch – Marshall Segal (DG)
Inspired by the proximity to Christmas, I’m putting a light saber into the hands of the greedy Grinch and pitting him against the Star Wars hero of blockbuster past. In the end, the two may only have a green complexion in common, but comparing them really can be an exercise in treasuring the coming of Christ, and in living and serving more like him.