Responding to the grace of God (Genesis 25)
Group Guides | Sharing the gospel, sharing our lives (1 Thessalonians 2:8)
For the sermon that preaches Christ from Genesis 25, please listen here: reformingchurch.org/sermons/gods-sovereignty-human-responsibility-and-a-bowl-of-stew-genesis-25
By way of introduction: What are things in life that people tend to think “we” deserve?
Read Genesis 25
As we read this episode, what importance do verses 1–18 teach us about ‘birthright’?
Rebekah gives birth to twin boys whom God speaks of their future. What does God say?
Why does Esau ‘despise’ his birthright in this episode, and what is going on in his heart do you think?
Read Hebrews 12:1–17. The writer (preacher) of Hebrews interprets what is going on here and tells us the application for our hearts – discuss what this means for us as a church.
Would you say that Jacob is an innocent person in all of this? why or why not…
Here’s a preview of the future… Jacob is renamed as Israel, and everywhere where Jacob (Israel) fails, Jesus is the true Israel. So, how do we see this episode look forward to Jesus doing what Jacob doesn’t do well?
How can we pray that we and our friends would respond rightly to the grace of God, and not despise it?
Pray for one another and our church, that we would live holy lives as we respond to the grace of God.
Prayer points for people…
Reforming is becoming a teenager, 13 years old!
On the first Sunday in February, 2013, Reforming Church launched with its first service of gathered worship. It was the day of small things, and we rejoiced.
Since then our testimony is that everything we have is a testimony to God’s grace. Even that we could plant a church, even that Reforming still exists as a local church, even that we have the blessings of Reforming House and being a family of God’s precious people. All of this is God’s grace to us.