Here are some follow up notes I have out to our Community Group (CG leaders) following the message I preached on Lot's daughters (Genesis 19) on March 20, 2011. You can listen to the message here: http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media.php?pageID=5
The notes have been divided into three sections.
1. The Story
2. The Story Continues (Ruth)
3. The Parallels of the Stories of Lot & Noah (personally I find this fascinating and instructive but you will have to read until the end, :)
The BIG IDEA in this story is that God's mercy is always greater than my sin. To me that is the story of the Bible and no story illustrates this so clearly. The way to see this theme is by looking at ways a couple of different scriptures connect. I think this story more than any other story we have done will give your CG a chance to look at how different passages of scripture connect together. To accomplish that, you will need to take a look at a couple of these scriptures yourself before hand!
1. The Story
Read Genesis 19:30-38
Notes
- How would you have felt if you were Lot's daughters in this situation? What led them to think up such a shocking plan? It is important to note here that up until this point their lives have been dictated by others. How have people in your group experienced or been led into sin by others? It may be worth discussing or at least keeping in the back of your mind as we approach this story. We cannot condone their act, but I am certainly sympathetic towards their plight. Some members of your CG may have experienced or witnessed horrible sins be careful not to focus on how bad this was it may people push people away from experiencing God's mercy and freedom from shame.
- The story of Lot in Genesis ends abruptly. Romans 6:23 states, "The wages of sin is death." Lot's life comes to an abrupt end such is the wages of sin. Do we really believe that sin leads to death? What sins are we holding onto or ignoring (or embracing) in our lives?
2. The Story Continues
Read Deuteronomy 2:9,19
Notes: How does God tell the Israelites to treat Moab and Ammon? Why? An amazing example of God's grace. He is providing for the descendants of this sordid incident. He remembers Lot and his daughter's despite their sins (drunkness and incest). If this is so, why would we ever doubt God's grace towards us through the provision of his own Son when we sin?
Read Ruth 1:4-5,15-18
Notes: One of great,great... grandaughters of one of Lot's daughters is Ruth. God will divinely orchestrate the events of Ruth's life (the arrival of her husband due to the famine, the death of her husband, and later she happens open Boaz's food) to make a path for her (she is the great,great grandmother of King David) to participate in God's long-awaited rescue plan - Jesus. Her willingness to face her fears
(and not be controlled by them) and live a life of faith (your people will be my people, your God will be my God) is an amazing example of true repentance. Do you view the circumstances of your life as a curse or as a way that God may be leading you into his eternal plan of redemption?
Read Matthew 1:1-6
Notes: Ruth, the Moabitess, is one of only there women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. One of the offspring of Lot and his daughters is the Christ. I can't help but worship. GOD'S MERCY IS TRULY GREATER THAN MY SIN. Let the full ramifications of how the story of Lot fits into the "big story" of scripture really sink into you. Meditate on it until in grabs at your soul.
3. The Parallels stories of Lot & Noah
Read Luke 17:26-32
Notes: Jesus ties together the stories of Lot & Noah to help us see how these stories shed light on what we can expect as his return draws near. Jesus explicitly says that in his day (that continues till now) the world will be like the worlds of Noah & Lot before their destruction came suddenly. Do we believe Jesus is returning? Do we believe in eternal judgment? If not, why not? Jesus taught it. How should this effect the way we live our lives as believers?
Read Genesis 9:18-29
Notes: Jesus ties Noah and Lot together. Let's look at how their lives parallel in this story and what we can learn from them.
1) How we live out our faith effects those around us (especially our families!). Noah was a man who walked with God (Genesis 6:9) and obeyed God's call to build an ark. Lot was a man who chose to leave the only man he knew who truly walked with God (Abram) to pursue economic opportunities in the most sinful of cities on earth. Their families watched their husbands' lives. Both men are called righteous (2 Peter 2:7) by God's grace, but only Noah lived his life in such a way that his family respected his faith. When Noah does sin (even Noah was imperfect!) two his sons mercifully cover his shame (interestingly Ham doesn't even though he was raised in the same house, we do not always understand why some follow God and others do not). Does the way we live our lives reflect what we believe? Think about this carefully. Are we the reason people around us do not believe that Jesus is returning or that there will be eternal judgment? Do we live like these truths are an reality?
2) It is easy to grow comfortable with the sin around us. Notice Ham's reaction to his father's sin; he laughs and jokes about it. He gossips about it. When we see sin (on TV, at work, at a bar) do we laugh at it, do we tell others about it? Are we like Ham? Similarly, Lot's son-in-laws in Genesis 19:14 thought Lot was joking when he told them that Sodom would be destroyed. Apparently, Lot while troubled by the sin of Sodom (see 2 Peter 2:7) had found a way to live in the midst of it without upsetting those around him. When he finally gets up the nerve to tell his closest neighbors (his son-in-laws) that the city will be destroyed for its sin, they think he is jesting. And why wouldn't they? It appears that had never condemned the sin of the city before. He had found a way to look a lot like the city he was in while maintaining his "internal" righteousness. How many Christians live like that? Never rocking the boat at work. Never standing up for what is right. Never calling sin sin. Even when like Lot they know better. Then, when catastrophe strikes still no one listens to them. Our lives speak louder than any circumstance. Do you live with this truth in mind? Does our church live like this? Does our community group live like this? Jesus words ring loudly here, "Stay awake." (Mark 13:35-37 // Luke 21:36)
3) Covering the sin of others brings about a blessing for a community. Shem and Japheth are blessed by Noah. Do we talk about peoples' sin with others? Or do we seek to help a person in the midst of their sin, communicating the weight of the sin (they walked in backwards) but gently protecting and helping them in the midst of it? A church will be ruined by Hams but will be unstoppable when we treat one another as Shem and Japheth treated their father.
By now you have realized that you will only be able to focus on either the story of Noah or Ruth in your CG. I would suggest you go with Ruth unless you really feel up for the Noah story (be prepared to spend a significant amount of time on it; it will be a fruitful study if you think your group is ready for it).
Grace to all of you!
--
David W.
Team Leader
Fenway Church
__________________________________
Website: http://www.fenwaychurch.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/David_W_Hill
The notes have been divided into three sections.
1. The Story
2. The Story Continues (Ruth)
3. The Parallels of the Stories of Lot & Noah (personally I find this fascinating and instructive but you will have to read until the end, :)
The BIG IDEA in this story is that God's mercy is always greater than my sin. To me that is the story of the Bible and no story illustrates this so clearly. The way to see this theme is by looking at ways a couple of different scriptures connect. I think this story more than any other story we have done will give your CG a chance to look at how different passages of scripture connect together. To accomplish that, you will need to take a look at a couple of these scriptures yourself before hand!
Notes
Read Deuteronomy 2:9,19
Notes: How does God tell the Israelites to treat Moab and Ammon? Why? An amazing example of God's grace. He is providing for the descendants of this sordid incident. He remembers Lot and his daughter's despite their sins (drunkness and incest). If this is so, why would we ever doubt God's grace towards us through the provision of his own Son when we sin?
Notes: One of great,great... grandaughters of one of Lot's daughters is Ruth. God will divinely orchestrate the events of Ruth's life (the arrival of her husband due to the famine, the death of her husband, and later she happens open Boaz's food) to make a path for her (she is the great,great grandmother of King David) to participate in God's long-awaited rescue plan - Jesus. Her willingness to face her fears
(and not be controlled by them) and live a life of faith (your people will be my people, your God will be my God) is an amazing example of true repentance. Do you view the circumstances of your life as a curse or as a way that God may be leading you into his eternal plan of redemption?
Notes: Ruth, the Moabitess, is one of only there women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. One of the offspring of Lot and his daughters is the Christ. I can't help but worship. GOD'S MERCY IS TRULY GREATER THAN MY SIN. Let the full ramifications of how the story of Lot fits into the "big story" of scripture really sink into you. Meditate on it until in grabs at your soul.
Notes: Jesus ties together the stories of Lot & Noah to help us see how these stories shed light on what we can expect as his return draws near. Jesus explicitly says that in his day (that continues till now) the world will be like the worlds of Noah & Lot before their destruction came suddenly. Do we believe Jesus is returning? Do we believe in eternal judgment? If not, why not? Jesus taught it. How should this effect the way we live our lives as believers?
Notes: Jesus ties Noah and Lot together. Let's look at how their lives parallel in this story and what we can learn from them.
- Both men were living right after their respective world's had been judged and destroyed by God.
- Both men were lulled into vice - drunkness.
- Both men had children who had witnessed God's rescue of their families (or parts of their families in Lot's case) from destruction.
- Both men's nakedness was "uncovered" by some of their children.
- One man had the respect of two of his sons, one man's son-in-laws laughed in his face.
- One man's children covered his nakedness, one man's daughters uncovered his nakedness.
David W.
Fenway Church
__________________________________
Website: http://www.fenwaychurch.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/David_W_Hill
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