The Blessing of Blessing

The New Testament is in the Old concealed;
the Old Testament is in the New revealed.
— St. Augustine

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
- Genesis 1:1

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
- Genesis 1:28

He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
- Genesis 3:1b

1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”

2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.

4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear.

14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeanceseven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.  
- Genesis 4:1-15

To Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
- Hebrews 12:24

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Mixer

Fill in the blank: I have no true grasp of the depth of God’s love for me - but I think I get a little idea when _________________.

‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In Pastor Harry’s 9/7 entry, More Jesus, he gives us the example of Peter’s interaction with the lame man: "...he looked at him intently." Share a time when someone stopped what they were doing and really “made eye contact” with you? What did that mean to you? If Jesus were to walk in the room right now and gazed intently into your eyes, what would you see there and how do you imagine you would feel? How can you do this for someone else this week - give them More Jesus?
2. In Youth Ministries Director Cristina’s 9/9 entry, God’s Got Talent, she asked how we are stewarding the talents God has given us? Make a list with two columns. At the top write down what your gifts, talents and passions are. In the left column, write “Inward” and list all the ways that you have benefited from these gifts. Then give thanks! In the right column, write “Outward”; spend some time with God and list the ways He says you can use your gifts to benefit others.

Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-2, 1:28; Genesis 3:1; Genesis 4:1-15; Hebrew 11:4, 12:24

1. What impacted you most about Sunday’s message?
2. How have you typically related to your Bible? Religious Text, or an Invitation from God to taste and see He is good?
3. What do you mean when you say “I am blessed.” Pastor Jared said we often think of something being good as an achievement, a goal to attain. What if you were shown two pictures - one of a man sitting in his manicured backyard, and one of a boy sitting on a trash heap - which one is blessed? What is your starting point for deciding between the two - Genesis 1 or 3?
4. What did Pastor Jared say God’s blessing really is? How does this help you understand yourself - are you the sum of your curses, or are you living from the knowledge that you are blessed from Day 1, according to the Scriptures?
5. In the account of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, we see two different examples of giving. (See Hebrews 11:4) Are you giving from a place of original blessing, or from having expectations of God, of your family, of your co-workers, etc?
6. Pastor Jared asked this question: Are you living in Cain’s world or Christ’s World? What does Hebrews 12:24 teach us about Jesus, justice and mercy?
7. If God is the God of Life, and not death, can you recall a time when God showed mercy and compassion to you, like He did Cain - instead of justice? How does that change how you live today?

Go Deeper - with Goodbook

Dr. Mark Strauss and Pastor Ken Ingold
Sermon on the Mount | The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)

1. What is the importance of the Sermon on the Mount in the context of Jesus’ ministry?
2. What is a “Beatitude”?
3. Why are the “poor in spirit” blessed? Why are “those who mourn” blessed?
4. What does it mean to “hunger and thirst for righteousness”?
5. In what ways does being a “peacemaker” reflect the heart of God?
6. Why are the “those who are persecuted” blessed?
7. What are some ways these beatitudes differ from the world’s value system?

If you would like to join the Tuesday Night online Q & A sessions: ken@thechurchrb.org

Serve

The Good Neighbor work crew will be at Brookview Village Retirement Community in Poway on Sat, Sept 18 to assist seniors with household chores they are no longer able to do. Sign up online or in app.

Pray

for the launch of new Table Groups! Where two or more are gathered, Jesus is there!

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