Small Group Studies

Believe It or Not Week 3 Study

BIG IDEA

What is something you have created that you are proud of? I knitted a scarf years ago that I am still so proud of. I am not a very skilled knitter, and my scarf reflects those skills. I’m proud of it, but it is mediocre at best. Everything created points to the creator. The same is true with the world and everything in it. We are talking this week about the fact that God is the one who created everything. Because He is the supreme creator, everything on earth points to Him.

BREAK THE ICE

What is something you have created that you are proud of?

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS

Bible Study Questions

1. What do most people think about how the world was created today? Why?

WATCH SERMON RECAP

2. Read Genesis 1:1. What does Scripture teach about the creation of the world?

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

3. Read Psalm 139:13-14. What argument that God is the creator does David use in these verses?

Psalm 139:13-14

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

4. Read Romans 2:14-16. According to Paul, how does the human conscience point to God as the creator in these verses?

Romans 2:14-16

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

Application

1. How has God specifically revealed Himself to you through creation, including this world and the people in it?

2. Which argument do you find most persuasive: the intelligent design and complexity of creation, the sense of morality that every human has, or the fossil records that have been discovered that point to what Scripture teaches about creation? Why?

3. How does living with the confidence that God is the supreme creator of the world impact your life?

 MOVING FORWARD

The truth that God is the creator of the world and the evidence we see throughout creation of Him is too good to keep to ourselves. Think about one person you can have a conversation with about this good news this week. Who can you talk about the evidence all around us that God created the world and everything in it? Share this person with your group. If it is too intimidating for you to have this conversation, invite them to church next week. After everyone has shared, pray for each one of these people. Pray that God will reveal Himself to each one of the people you have shared about.

Going Deeper

Today, we have discussed a brief introduction to apologetics or why you believe what you believe. So let’s dive a little bit deeper. Spend the next few minutes discussing the questions provided below to help you and your group continue this important conversation about creation.

 Discussion 1: Before diving into the questions that we provided, read Job 26:7.

·   This statement by Job must have been revealed by God. People during his day, of course, did not have the technology and scientific discoveries about the earth that we have today. How has science caught up with Job's statement in this verse?

Discussion 2: Before diving into the questions we provided, read Galatians 5:22-23.

·  Based on these verses, where do values such as love, joy, kindness, and patience come from? Evolution supports natural selection, the belief that only the strongest survive as part of the process for how the world came into being. If natural selection were true, what would we, as humans, value most? How do the human conscience and morality contradict natural selection based on what we value most and what we despise?

Discussion 3:

· Evolution teaches that the universe is millions of years old, but that begs the question, “What about Adam?” Does the Bible say that death existed before or after Adam? (See Genesis 3 for help.)  How does your answer to that question affect your view of how old the earth might be?

After your discussion, how has what you have discussed and read in Scripture given you deeper confidence in God’s creation? How would you engage in a similar conversation with someone wrestling with whether to believe that God created the world or in the theory of evolution?

MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.