unit2_session4_personalstudyguide

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FALL 2012: Personal Study GuideEd StetzerGeneral EditorTrevin WaxManaging Editor


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A D V I S O R Y C O U N C I L

Tese Christian leaders were part of a team who consulted on the creation of Te Gospel Project.

James MacDonald

Senior Pastor at Harvest BibleChapel, Chicago, IL

Daniel Akin

President of Southeastern BaptistTeological Seminary, WakeForest, NC

J.D. Greear

Pastor at Te Summit Church,Raleigh, NC

Eric Mason

Pastor of Epiphany Fellowship,Philadelphia, PA

Kimberly Thornbury

Dean of Students at UnionUniversity, Jackson, N

Jay Noh

Director of Missional Leadershipand Mobilization, ChicagoBaptist Association

Joe Thorn

Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship,St. Charles, IL

Juan Sanchez

Pastor of High Pointe BaptistChurch, Austin, X

Collin Hansen

Editorial director, Te GospelCoalition / editor-at-large,Christianity oday

THE GOSPEL PROJECT FOR STUDENTS

PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE, FALL 2012

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM

EDITORIAL PROJECT LEADER: Chad Jordan

CONTENT EDITOR: Chad Jordan

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST: Edward A Craword

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Charles Long

CONTRACT GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Susan Maywald

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Scott Latta

STUDENT MINISTRY SPECIALIST: Paul Turner

Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel

Project for Students, One LieWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-

0174; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com

MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY PUBLISHING: Jef Pratt

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY: Ben Trueblood

DIRECTOR, SUNDAY SCHOOL: David Francis

Printed in the United States of America

The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is

published quarterly by Li feWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza,

Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President.

2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LifeWay

Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville,

TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription addre ss changes,

e-mailsubscrib [email protected], fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above

address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail

[email protected],fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the

above address.

We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for i ts end;

and truth, without any mix ture of error, for its matter and that all

Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWays doctrinal

guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline .

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the

Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003,

2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quota -

tions marked (NIV) are f rom the Holy Bible, New International Version,copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permi ssion of Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reser ved.


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34 TGP Personal Study Guide


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3FALL 2012

UNIT 2

Our Fallen Responseto Gods Word

FROM HE BEGINNING OF IME, humanity has had trouble correctly responding to GodsWord. Te all started simply enough: Did God really say . . . ? It still continues today as everytime we are tempted, we answer the same question that was posed to Eve in Genesis 3:1. Te serpentmay be craty, but hes not very creative. He only has one trick up his sleeve: to convince us todistrust and disobey God.

Neither Eve nor Adam handled the serpents question well, and we struggle still today. God hasgiven us the same clear instructions He gave to Adam and Eve. For them it was specic to the ree

o Knowledge o Good and Evil. In reality, though, it wasnt really about the ruitit was aboutwhat God has said and done. Its about whether or not you trust Him. oday, He has spoken all weneed to know, yet our response still sends us hiding in the bushes.

I you nd yoursel in the bushes o sin and despair, it is because you have believed a lie. I youhave believed a lie, its because you have distrusted God. And i your lie is marked more by theskeptical questions o a slimy serpent than by the powerul and truthul words o the God whomade you, then you need to once more hear the voice o God. __________, where are you? Iyou hear Gods voice calling your name, come out o the bushes! Return to Him, and learn oncemore what it means to trust and obey.

What are some examples of things that have hindered your ability to hear whatGod is saying to you through His Word? Have you ever experienced a timewhen you found yourself questioning Gods Word?


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SESSION 4

IN GOD WE TRUST?

TRUST IS ONE OF THOSE WORDS. You know the

kindthe ones you think you know the meaning to but

you cant really dene. Words like LOVE, FRIENDSHIP,

INTEGRITY, and LOYAL. We use the words every day

and we generally use them correctly but they are

easier to describe or recognize than they are to dene. This week

we are going to see i we can gain a better understanding o the

word TRUST.

Think about things in your lie that you place trust in every

daythings that without checking to see i they are worthy

o your trust, you simply trust. When was the last time you

examined your brakes beore driving, shook a chair beore sitting,or tested a cup o water beore drinking? These are things we

routinely do every day, yet each one requires major trust.

Why is it then that we so heavily question God about lie

circumstances when we recognize He is in control, knows

the plans He has or us, sent His Son to secure our salvation,

and desires that we know Him? It is difcult to understand

sometimes why we would trust our car to a mechanic we dont

know easier than we would a loving God with our lives.


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3FALL 2012

READY YOUR HEART

Gen. 3:1-2 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LordGod had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You cant eat from any tree

in the garden? The woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees in

the garden.

IMAGINE YOUR PARENTS walk you into the kitchen one day and have a serious talkwith you that goes something like this: We want you to know that we love you We want

the best or you Thats why we have given you ree reign o the kitchen You can eat

everything in the rerigerator that you want The pantry, too Any time you need a snack,

just come on in But theres one thing Up there on the shel, there is a jar o cookies

Those are bad or you There are plenty o other cookies in the pantry that you can help

yoursel to, just please keep your hands o that one jarThis would be a totally dierent scenario than i you were starving, and your

parents brought you into the kitchen and laughed at your hunger They opened up all

the cabinets and showed you that even though you were hungry, there was no ood in

the house Then they put a steaming hot plate o chocolate chip cookies in ront o you

and told you not to eat them

In the frst scenario, your parents have provided or you They love you Their

command about the cookies, though you might not ully understand it, is built on that

love You know its true

But in the second scene, your parents are misers They withhold things just to be

mean They enjoy their power over you and abuse it or their enjoyment

The great lie o Satan in Genesis 3 made Adam and Eve think about God in terms othe second scenario rather than the frst He talked about God like He was a withholder

rather than a provider And the frst humans succumbed to the temptation They

believed the lie about God, and their behavior was devastating

Sin, at its core, is about disbelie We sin because we dont really believe God loves

us That He wants the best or us That Hes not withholding rom us But i thats true,

then the way you fght sin isnt just to try hard against it Its to remind yoursel o what is

true about God Today, when you are tempted, dont just try and say no Remember who

God is, and use that memory to stand strong

SIN STARTS SMALL

PAUSE AND REFLECT What does reedom in Christ mean? Would you describe Adam and Eve as being ree or

restricted? Why? What about you? Do you fnd reedom in Christ or

restrictions? What has caused that eeling?


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READY YOUR HEART

Gen. 3:2-5 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees in thegarden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, You must not

eat it or touch it, or you will die. No! You will not die, the serpent said to the woman. In

fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,

knowing good and evil.

WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE that you have seen more than any other? Are you thinking oit? Right now, you could probably pick up the dialogue rom any point in that movie In

act, you may have incorporated phrases rom the flm into your regular conversation

Thats your movie; you know it backward and orward

In act, you have such a personal attachment to that movie that you get oended

when people try and quote it, only to butcher what you know to be the true words Butthats how personally you know it Thats how closely you are attached to it

As you read the encounter between the serpent and Eve in Genesis 3, notice that the

serpent questioned the word o God And Eve seemed at frst to deend those words

But i you read careully, youll see that when Eve quoted God back to the serpent, she

almost got it right

Almost, but not quite

And in this case, almost isnt good enough The troubling thing or most o us is that

Satan might actually have a better grasp on the Word o God than we do He knows who

God is, and He knows what God said I we want to be serious about deending attacks

rom the devil, we had better know what God said, too

Not almost knowNot sort o know

Know Exactly

And why shouldnt we? We memorize everything else: song lyrics, movie lines,

avorite quoteswhy not the Bible? Could it be that we simply dont have the same

personal attachment to Scripture that we do to so many other things?

PAUSE AND REFLECT How well you do know Gods Words? What keeps you rom enjoying time with God

and His Word? Could it be that Satan knows the Word o God better

than you do? What changes do you need to make to reverse that?

ALMOST ISNT ENOUGH


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READY YOUR HEART

3FALL 2012

Gen. 3:6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at,and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it;

she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

THE CORE ISSUE IN GENESIS 3 is the same core issue at stake in any temptation Itsnot sex Its not ood Its not anger Its not greed

Its trust

When you go to the doctor, there is always a moment when you list your symptoms

Those symptoms are careully recorded, and when taken together, they lead to a

diagnosis Oten, the symptoms arent really the problem They are the surace-level

maniestations o something deeper going on inside o you Thats why the solution to

a runny nose isnt a Kleenex, its an antibiotic A good doctor doesnt settle with treatingthe symptoms He looks deeper

Such is the case with us We must look deeper, past the surace-level temptations

and into the area o trust When we are tempted toward materialism, the real issue is

whether we trust that God has and will provide enough Are we content with what He

provides? When we are tempted toward sex, the real issue is whether we trust God

when He gives us the prescribed means o sex in marriage Do we believe what God is

telling us or what culture is selling? When we are tempted to overeat, the deeper issue

is whether we trust God when He says that our bodies are temples o the Holy Spirit Are

we willing to treat our bodies as such?

And fghting these temptations? Well, thats an issue o trust, too Do we really trust

that God will give us the grace to stand frm, or are we relying on our own strength? Itall comes down to trust So who are you trusting today? Take a look at your actions

Theyre the symptoms and they will lead you to the truth

DONT TREAT THE SYMPTOMS

PAUSE AND REFLECT When it comes to resisting sin, who are you trusting? Think about the nagging sin present in your lie right

now. What is the real issue behind that sin? What areyou trading or looking or when you give in to that sin?

How can Christ satisy that need better?


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Rather than trustingGods Word...Adam and Eves misdirected worship is rooted in the way theyhandled Gods spoken word. By looking at the actions o Adamand Eve, we can see our own tendency to rebel against Godswritten Word by putting our trust in ourselves rather than in

God. Can we really say that we trust, worship, and obey Godwhen we question, belittle, and disobey Gods Word?

Did God really say?the serpentasked. Some people do not obey Gods Word becausthey do not believe it to be Gods Word. They rejectthe Word because they see no authority behind it.

What are some reasons people deny the truththat God inspired the Scriptures?

Is it possible that some o us deny theauthorship o Scripture because we do notwant Scripture to have authority in our lives?

We Question It.Whenever weapproach Scripture,our primary question shouldbe What does this text sayabout God? This particularpassage makes clear thatthe serpent was among thecreatures that God made. Weknow rom Genesis 12 thatGod made everything good,meaning that everythingoriginally unctionedaccording to His purposes.

What are someexamples o how manhas taken things thatGod made goodand used them orevil purposes?

What are some virtuesthat Satan twistsinto vices?

Gods word had not restrictedAdam and Eveuncaringly; rather, His command oered amazinglyabundant choices. In the garden, the man and womanhad endless opportunities or obeying God and reallyonly one or disobeying Him. But it was at the point o therestriction that the serpent made his craty attack.

Why is it that we seem so drawn to the onething rather than ocusing on the reedomound in the many?


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Conclusion There is only one person who livedlie that demonstrated without reservation the truth o thisstatement: In God I trust. He too was put to the test likeAdam and Eve, but He demonstrates the proper response.

Whom are you trusting in today? Sel? Public opinion?Jesus? How is that playing out in your lie?

How does the all into sin aect the mission that Godtasked Adam and Eve with? How does our sin keep us asChristians rom carrying out the responsibilities God hasentrusted to us?

How do you plan to apply what you have learned in yourdaily approach to Gods Word?

Our postmodern infatuationwith entertainment and social media highlightsour desire to make our own truth claims. Facebookhas the Like button. Twitter has a Retweetbutton. Both are geared toward receiving thepraise o men through their afrmation o oneseeting expressionwhether truthul or not.

How might both public opinion andpersonal preerence negatively shape yourunderstanding o God and His Word?

In what way is questioning Gods Worddierent rom asking questions oGods Word?

We Belittle ItEve belittled Gods word by adding to it. Her addition to tword of God misrepresented God as a harsh taskmaster.

How has our cultures obsession with being true toourselves or being independent aected our vie

o God and His Word? When you think o sin, what do you generally consiit: Disobedience or Revolution? How do they dier?

Why does our sinimply that we arewiser than God?

When we sin, whydo we think wecan fll a void withsomething otherthan God? Howtemporarily is thatvoid flled?

We Disobey It.We know that the serpent, Adam, and Eve alltransgressed Gods command. Each o themwas guilty o disobeying Gods word, asare we. And every time we choose to disobey,we are proclaiming to God that we arewiser than He is. We are craty and wedeserve condemnation.

Worship is at stake in how weapproach the Word o God. How we handle andrespond to Gods Word will show whomwe worship.

What are some examples o times in yourlie when you were orced to answer thequestion Did God really say? How did yourespond to the temptation to distrust God?


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ENCORE

1. WE QUESTION IT (GEN. 3:1-2).

Whenever we approach Scripture, our primary question should be What does this text say aboutGod? Tis particular passage makes clear that the serpent was among the creatures that God made.

We know rom Genesis 12 that God made everything good, meaning that everything originallyunctioned according to His purposes. At some point, things changed or the serpent. Now heentered the garden in order to disrupt the peace o Gods creation.

Te serpent displayed his twisted wisdom by subtly attacking Gods word and maligning Godscharacter. Te serpent spoke: Did God really say? Te irony o this scene is heavy. Te Bible began

with God speaking all things into existenceincluding the serpent. And now the serpent that was

created by the word o God has questioned the authority o the One whose word created him! Withthis subtle question, he usurped the clearly communicated word o God.

Did Godreally say? the serpent asked. Some people do not obey Gods Word because they donot believe it to be GodsWord. Tey reject the Word because they see no authority behind it. Teserpent planted a seed o doubt in Eves mind regarding the source o authority: Did Godreally saythat? He knew that i she doubted the source o the command, she would disregard it.

Gods word had not restricted Adam and Eve uncaringly; rather, His command oered amazinglyabundant choices. In the garden, the man and woman had endless opportunities or obeyingGod by eating the ruit rom any o the other trees. Tere was only one solitary possibility ordisobedience. But it was at the point o the restriction that the serpent made his craty attack. Eves

response was at least initially hopeul, or she recognized the serpents subtle error and corrected him.She also maintained the source o the command as being rom God. However, in her correction welearn something about ourselves.

2. WE BELITTLE IT (GEN. 3:2-5).

As the conversation between Eve and the serpent unolded, Eves own doubts emerged in the orm oher adding a harsh exaggeration to Gods word: But about the ruit o the tree in the middle o thegarden, God said, You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die (v. 3). Eve belittled Gods word byadding to it. Her addition to the word o God misrepresented God as a harsh taskmaster.

Some skeptics belittle Gods Word bysubtractingrom it while others reduce Gods Word by

addingto it. Tomas Jeerson created his own Bible by physically removing certain sections andkeeping others he deemed more important. Joseph Smith, the ounder o Mormonism, added toGods Word by claiming that an angel had given him Te Book of Mormon.

Tese are extreme examples, but the error o both is the same as that o Eve. Her posture towardthe word o God demonstrated her desire or independence. D. A. Carson writes: A lot o peoplethink that sin is: just breaking a rule. What is at stake here is something deeper, bigger, sadder,uglier, more heinous. It is a revolution. It makes me god and thus de-gods God.

When Satan cant get us to undermine Gods Word through outright unbelie, he will try to getus to undermine it through misplaced trust. Tats why Eve began to speak authoritative words

IN GOD WE TRUST?

Rather than trusting Gods Word...


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4FALL 2012

herselwords that painted God in a negative light. From this account we learn that one o the greatdangers we ace when handling the Word o God is the temptation to place ourselves in the seat oauthority over it.

3. WE DISOBEY IT (GEN. 3:6).

God had spoken very plainly to Adam in Genesis 2:17 regarding this prohibited tree. Oten menwill begin to play the blame gameIt was Eves ault! We see this unold in Genesis 3:12.Adam blamed Eve, and in some sense he also blamed God: Te woman You gave to be with meIn 1 imothy 2:14, it seems that Paul afrmed that it was Eve who was deceived. But Paul alsosaid in 1 Corinthians 11:3 that man is the head, or steward, over the woman. God had given thecommandment to AdambeforeEve was taken rom his side. It was Adams responsibility to teachand protect Eve. But we nd Adam standing nearbysilent and complicit.

Te point o this story is not about the type o ruit, as i the ruit juices would poison the mindso Adam and Eve. No, the poison o sin coursed through their veins beore the ruit entered their

mouths. It was not the nature o the tree that made it dangerous, the bearer o covenant curse anddeath, but what it stood or: obedience to the word o God.

We know that the serpent, Adam, and Eve all transgressed Gods command. Each o themwas guilty o disobeying Gods word, as are we. And every time we choose to disobey, we areproclaiming to God that we are wiser than He is. We are craty and we deserve condemnation.

What happened in the garden is replayed in our own lives every single day. Oten when we aretempted, we wonder, Did God really say...?Our answer to that question is illustrative o whom

we really trust and whom we really worship. When Adam and Eve questioned, belittled, anddisobeyed Gods word, they went rom being awestruck worshipers o God to being brazen idolaters

worshiping themselves.

Worship is at stake in how we approach the Word o God. How we handle and respond to GodsWord will show whom we worship.

CONCLUSION

Tere is only one person who lived a lie that demonstrated without reservation the truth o thisstatement: In God I trust. He too was put to the test like Adam and Eve.

God placed Adam into a lush garden with endless possibilities to worship and obey, with onlyone prohibition. God drove Jesus into the wilderness where He had no ood, water, or shelter. Andthere Jesus came ace to ace with that craty serpent who used the same game planto get Jesus toquestion, belittle, and disobey Gods Word.

How did Jesus respond? By afrming His trust in Gods Word. By upliting the true intent oGods Word. By obeying Gods Word. Tere in the wilderness, Jesus succeeded where Adam andEve had ailed. Jesus perectly ullled Gods purposefor usHe worshiped and obeyed the Fatherby trusting His Word. And when Jesus laid down His lie as an atoning sacrice or us on the cross,His perect worship and obedience were made available to us.

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