Below is a liturgy you can use as a personal devotion or in household worship with your family or a few friends and neighbors. The elders are praying for you and look forward to gathering again very soon.
New City Catechism • Question 4 (Review)
Question • How and why did God create us?
Answer • God created us male and female in His own image to glorify Him.
A brief teaching for the following passage can be found by clicking the button below.
Genesis 3:1-15 · ESV
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Reflection and Discussion
Jackie Hill Perry (JHP) made the point, “We assist the devil in his desire to deceive us when we are not clear on God and His word.”
Eve responded to Satan with something that God never said.
What are you currently doing to make God’s word more clear in your life?
JHP mentioned three lies from the text; namely that we are able to escape the judgment of God, that God is a liar, and that sin would make us like God.
In what ways have you believed any of these lies?
JHP makes the point that a tree is a foolish thing to hide behind because a created thing cannot save you.
What created things do you find yourself hiding behind?
She also makes the point that where you are with God affects how you are with people.
In what ways do you “hide” from people?
JHP closed her teaching reminding us that what God said would happen, happened and that because of His grace in Jesus, He is not up in heaven waiting for you to mess up.
How does this bring comfort to you? How does it free you up to be honest and to confess your need for Jesus?
Videos with hymns that you can sing along with can be found by clicking the buttons below.
Father, help us to love you more than anything. Help us to see you as a Savior who is greater than all our shame. Remove those created things behind which we hide from one another and from you. Empower us to live in obedience for our joy and your glory. In the name of Christ. Amen.