Sermon Notes:
1. You are a relational being because God is a relational being!
2. The reason why relationships matter to you is that relationships matter to your Creator.
In the garden of Eden:
3. There was no need– everything was provided by God.
4. There was no death, crying, pain, guilt, or shame.
5. There was perfect love between God and human beings.
6. There was perfect love between human beings.
7. Everything was happening there that you and I wish was happing today.
After the fall:
8. Our ability of rational thought and discerning truth was compromised.
9. We experience shame, guilt, fear, a loss of self-worth, and belonging.
10. We have a tendency to blame others for our actions and not take responsibility.
Follow-up Questions from Sunday:
Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
Digging Deeper:
1. When you read over points 3-7 from the Sermon Notes and study the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2, what does it reveal to you about the heart of God for us?
2. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve make a poor decision to not trust God and, in the end, it had/has huge consequences for all of God’s creation to this day. What do you think it says about the nature of God when He holds people (made in His image) morally responsible for their choices?
3. In Genesis 3:8, Adam and Eve try to hide from God. How is this thinking faulty and what does it reveal about our fallen condition?
4. What does Psalm 139:7-18 have to say about the truth of hiding from God?
5. What do you think Genesis 3:9-10 says about our fallen nature?
6. Many would say that in Genesis 3 we as humans first experienced guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, a lack of self-worth and belonging, human conflict, and divine conflict. What else would you add to this list?
7. When Adam and Eve were first confronted by God for what they had done, they tried to pass blame. What do you think this reveals about our fallen nature?
a. Why do you think it’s so difficult for us, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, to take responsibility for our poor decisions?
b. How do you see this happening today in our world?
8. We read in Genesis 3:15 that at the moment of the fall, God promises a special one coming from the seed of woman (virgin birth) to defeat what Satan has done and to restore what has happened. (1 John 3:8) What does this tell us about the heart of God for us today?
Taking it Home:
Pray for your relationships this week– thanking God for the healthy relationships that you have & asking God for wisdom and healing for the unhealthy relationships that you have.