2 Cities Church Podcast

Big Idea: Desperation makes you let go of everything else and hold on to Jesus with both hands.

In the Beginning: Jacob

Genesis 32:1-23

I. Jacob can’t change his past 1-8

Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him. When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim. Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’” When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has four hundred men with him.” Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, herds, and camels. He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”

II.Jacob can’t change his character 9-12

Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. Indeed, I crossed over the Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. Please rescue me from my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children. You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to be counted.’”

III.Jacob can’t change his consequences 13-23

He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau: two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.” And he told the first one, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to? Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?’ then tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is behind us.’” He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.” So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night. During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

Next Steps:

• Believe: Today, I’ve become desperate for Jesus for the first time.
• Become: I need the Holy Spirit to work on my character this week.
• Be Sent: I will walk with someone desperate this week.

Group Discussion Questions:

• Did you ever avoid the consequences for something you did wrong?
• When were you most desperate?
• Did you have anyone to walk with you in the middle of those circumstances?
• Why is desperation fertile soil to grow your faith?
• Can you change your character without external help?Explain your answer.
• Since we can’t undo our past, what’s the best way to handle our mistakes and failures?
• Pray for God to meet us in our desperation this week.

Big Idea: They don’t erect statues to the critics.

In the Beginning: Jacob

Genesis 31: 22-55

I.You don’t have to defend yourself when you’re living for Jesus 22-30

On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his relatives also pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead. Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and taken my daughters away like prisoners of war! Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres, but you didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters. You have acted foolishly. I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s family—but why have you stolen my gods?”

II.Turn the relationship over to Jesus 31-42

Jacob answered, “I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live! Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two concubines, but he found nothing. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of the camel, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but found nothing. She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols. Then Jacob became incensed and brought charges against Laban. “What is my crime?” he said to Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me? You’ve searched all my possessions! Have you found anything of yours? Put it here before my relatives and yours, and let them decide between the two of us. I’ve been with you these twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock. I did not bring you any of the flock torn by wild beasts; I myself bore the loss. You demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or by night. There I was—the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. For twenty years in your household I served you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work, and he issued his verdict last night.”

III. Let God be the Judge 43-55

Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne? Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between the two of us.” So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker. Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound. Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed. Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed and also Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.” Laban also said to Jacob, “Look at this mound and the marker I have set up between you and me. This mound is a witness and the marker is a witness that I will not pass beyond this mound to you, and you will not pass beyond this mound and this marker to do me harm. The God of Abraham, and the gods of Nahor—the gods of their father—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain. Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.

Next Steps:

• Believe: I need Jesus to change my heart today
• Become: I need the Holy Spirit to help me overcome a critical spirit.
• Be Sent: I will live out my faith for others to see (and criticize) this week.

Growth Group Questions:

1. What percentage of your speech is positive this week?What percentage was negative?

2. Would your family agree with your percentages?

3. Why does criticism from a close relationship hurt more than from a stranger?

4. Read Numbers 16:41-50.

A. Why was God angry when people criticized Moses and Aaron?

B. Would you act so quickly to spare the people who criticized you?

C. What does 14,700 dead say about how seriously God takes our critical attitude?

5. Why is it easy to give ourselves grace for the same things we criticize of others?

6. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give us words that represent the heart of Jesus toward others this week.

Big Idea: What happens when we follow God’s leading and not the world around us?

In the Beginning: Jacob

Genesis 31:1-21

I.Situational awareness matters 1-3

Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.” And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same as before. The Lord said to him, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you.”

II.Know the facts and talk it out 4-16

Jacob had Rachel and Leah called to the field where his flocks were. He said to them, “I can see from your father’s face that his attitude toward me is not the same as before, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that with all my strength I have served your father and that he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not let him harm me. If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked. God has taken away your father’s herds and given them to me. “When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ And he said, ‘Look up and see: all the males that are mating with the flocks are streaked, spotted, and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me. Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.’” Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father’s family? Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us and has certainly spent our purchase price. In fact, all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has said to you.”

III. Finish strong 17-21

So Jacob got up and put his children and wives on the camels. He took all the livestock and possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he drove his herds to go to the land of Canaan, to his father Isaac. When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols. And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean, not telling him that he was fleeing. He fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

So What?

• Life is hard
• God is always there
• The choice to listen and act rests with us

Next Steps:

• Believe - I surrender my all to the glory of God and in faith to King Jesus.
• Become - I will seek to find where God is moving in my life and align with His movement.
• Be Sent - I will live out obedience in my actions and follow Him wherever He leads.

Growth Group Questions:

• When did your faith compel you to stand out against the crowd?
• What are some examples of situations where it can be challenging to follow God's leading instead of the world around you?
• How can you develop situational awareness to discern whether we are following God's leading or the world's?
• What are some benefits of following God's leading even when it goes against the norm?
• How can you effectively relate to others when you are following God's leading when they don’t understand or agree with you?
• What practical steps can you take to strengthen your faith and courage to step out from the crowd and follow God's leading?
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to use us to demonstrate what a life lived for Jesus looks like to the world around us.

Big Idea: Healthy boundaries are gates, not fences.

In the Beginning: Jacob

Genesis 30:25-43

I.Set boundaries around what is most important. 25-28

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland. Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you.” But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” Then Laban said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

II. Boundaries hold everyone accountable. 29-36

So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me. For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The Lord has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?” Laban asked, “What should I give you?” And Jacob said, “You don’t need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock. Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages. In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.” “Good,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them. He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flock.

III.Givers must set boundaries because takers never do.37-43

Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches. He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep—in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink. The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young. Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with Laban’s sheep. Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches. As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.

Next Steps:

• Believe: I need God’s help to remove the boundary I’ve set over my soul.
• Become: I need the Holy Spirit’s help to set healthy boundaries this week.
• Be Sent: This week, I will set boundaries on my time to better serve Jesus.

Growth Group Questions:

• What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy boundaries?
• How do you identify when your boundaries are being violated?
• How can setting healthy boundaries improve your relationships with others over time?
• What are some effective ways to communicate your boundaries without making them sound like an attack?
• What does a lack of appropriate boundaries say about your self-respect?
• What are some relationship clues that demonstrate it’s time to set a healthy boundary?
• Pray and surrender every relationship to the authority of the Holy Spirit.

Big Idea: 4 rules to overcome Envy & Every Enjoyment Vexes You.

In the Beginning: Jacob

Genesis 30:1-24

I.Everyone’s success doesn’t make you a failure 1-8

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!” she said to Jacob. Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring from you!” Then she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family.” So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; yes, he has heard me and given me a son,” so she named him Dan. Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Rachel said, “In my wrestlings with God, I have wrestled with my sister and won,” and she named him Naphtali.”

II.Nothing can satisfy your soul but Jesus 9-13

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” and she named him Gad. When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, Leah said, “I am happy that the women call me happy,” so she named him Asher.

III.Vent to the Holy Spirit 14-21

Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?” “Well then,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night. God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar. Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. “God has given me a good gift,” Leah said. “This time my husband will honor me because I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zebulun. Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

IV.You can rejoice at another’s success 22-24

Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son, and she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” She named him Joseph and said, “May the Lord add another son to me.

Next Steps:

• Believe: I need Jesus to change my heart.
• Become: I need more contentment.
• Be Sent: I will help someone find freedom in Christ.

Growth Group Questions:

1. What’s your first thought when a friend succeeds?

2. What does watching win do for your emotional health?

3. How much time did you spend on social media yesterday?How did you feel about your life after?

4. Read Philippians 4:11-13.What does it mean to be content?

5. Is contentment something that you receive or earn? Explain your answer.

6. What do your prayers sound like when your dreams don’t come true?

7. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill your life with contentment this week.

Big Idea: No one can love you- or hurt you- like family.

In the Beginning: Jacob

Genesis 29:13-35

I.When your home isn’t a safe space.13-20

When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened. Laban said to him, “Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month, Laban said to him, “Just because you’re my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. Leah had tender eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.” So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

II.Who can you trust, if not family? 21-30

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Since my time is complete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with her.” So Laban invited all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave. When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What have you done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?” Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.” And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban for another seven years.

III.Families should fight for, not against, each other.31-35

When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected, he opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive. Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction; surely my husband will love me now.” She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “The Lord heard that I am neglected and has given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “At last, my husband will become attached to me because I have borne three sons for him.” Therefore he was named Levi. And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.

Next Steps:

• Believe: I need to be adopted into God’s family today.
• Become: I need Jesus to heal my broken family.
• Be Sent: I will invite my family to join God’s family.

Growth Group Questions:

1. On a scale of 1-10, how emotionally healthy is your immediate family?

2. Have you ever experienced any hurt or betrayal from a family member?

3. If so, where did you turn after the pain?

4. Have you ever confronted a family member about the pain they caused you?How did they respond?

5. How do you respond when a trusted friend or family member lies?

6. What would it be if you could change anything about your family today?

7. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you heal broken families.

The true meaning of Easter

Hebrews 11:17-19

Easter has the power to change Bad Bunny and rotten eggs.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

I.Forget yesterday’s hurtV. 17

II.Free up today’s heavy load V. 18

III Find hope for tomorrow V.19

Next Steps:

• Believe: I need Jesus to bring my dead heart to life.
• Become: I need Jesus’s help with my struggles.
• Be Sent: I will help someone learn about Jesus this week

Group Questions:

1. What is your favorite Easter tradition?Why?

2. What do you want your grave marker to say about you?

3. How would you explain Easter eggs or bunnies to a new Christian?

4. What sacrifice is God asking you to give to offer him?

5. What burden do you need Jesus to help you carry today?

7. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you Easter hope throughout the week.

Big Idea: The importance of going on a journey led by God.

Genesis 29:1-12

1. Find a well.

Genesis 29: 1-3

Jacob resumed his journey and went to theeastern country. He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well. But a large stone covered the opening of the well. The shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep when all the flocks were gathered there. Then they would return the stone to its place over the well's opening. 2. Confirm your location

Genesis 29: 4-8

Jacob asked the men at the well, "My brothers! Where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they answered. "Do you know Laban grandson of Nahor?" Jacob asked them. They answered, "We know him." "Is he well?" Jacob asked. "Yes," they said, "and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with his sheep." Then Jacob said, "Look, it is still broad daylight. It's not time for the animals to be gathered. Water the flock, then go out and let them graze." But they replied, "We can't until all the flocks have been gathered and the stone is rolled from the well's opening. Then we will water the sheep. 3. Celebrate your arrival at your destination.

Genesis 29:9-12

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep for she was a shepherdess. As soon as Jacob saw his uncle Laban's daughter Rachel with his sheep, he went up and rolled the stone from the opening and watered his uncle Laban's sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly. He told Rachel that he was her father's relative, Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

Next Steps:

• Believe: I want God to lead me on my journey this week.
• Become: I will seek guidance from God's GPS.
• Be sent: I will set the example for others to trust God as they travel this week.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you seek counsel from God on your journey?

2. Is there a time or point in your life where you question God in reference to His direction for you?

3. What advice do you seek from God at different points in your life?

4. Why do we try to take shortcuts to get to or do what God wants us to?

5. Should Christians take the time to celebrate how far God has brought them? Why or why not?

6. Do you have family or friends you would like to take with you on this Christian journey? If so, who and why?

7. Pray for guidance on your journey this week.

Big Idea: Your 3 Choices when catfished: 1. get mad, 2. get revenge, or 3. get over it!

Genesis 27:41-28:22

1. Esau plots revenge

Genesis27: 41-46

Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides—until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?” So Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick of my life because of these Hethite girls. If Jacob marries someone from around here, like these Hethite girls, what good is my life?” So Isaac summoned Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite girl..."

2. Jacob runs away

Genesis28: 1-9

So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. Esau noticed that Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to get a wife there. When he blessed him, Isaac commanded Jacob, “Do not marry a Canaanite girl.” And Jacob listened to his father and mother and went to Paddan-aram. Esau realized that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women, so Esau went to Ishmael and married, in addition to his other wives, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. She was the sister of Nebaioth.

3. God comes to the rescue

Genesis28: 10-22

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it. The Lord was standing there beside him, saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying. Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring..."

Next Steps:

• Believe: I need God to rescue me from sin today.
• Become: I need God’s help getting over some hurt.
• Be Sent: I will invite someone far from Jesus to Easter.

Group Questions:

1. Why do some family problems hurt the deepest?

2.Have you ever done something self-destructive because you were mad at others?Why?

3. What makes revenge so tempting when you’ve been hurt?

4. Can you run away from your hurt?Explain your answer.

5. How do you recognize the presence of God?

6. Who would you like to invite to join you this Easter?

7. Pray for those people by name.

Big Idea: You can’t Catfish Jesus.

Genesis 27:1-40

1. Rebekah distrusted Jesus

Genesis27: 1-13

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death. So now take your hunting gear, your quiver and bow, and go out in the field to hunt some game for me. Then make me a delicious meal that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I can bless you before I die.” Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Listen! I heard your father talking with your brother Esau. He said, ‘Bring me game and make a delicious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the Lord’s presence before..."

2. Jacob deceived Jesus

Genesis27: 14-24

So he went and got the goats and brought them to his mother, and his mother made the delicious food his father loved. Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them. She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. Then she handed the delicious food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob. When he came to his father, he said, “My father.” And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob replied to his father..."

3. Isaac disobeyed Jesus

Genesis27: 25-29

Then he said, “Bring it closer to me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.” Jacob brought it closer to him, and he ate; he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come closer and kiss me, my son.” So he came closer and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothes, he blessed him and said: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the..."

4. Esau did Jesus’s will

Genesis27: 30-40

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from his hunting. He had also made some delicious food and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.” But his father Isaac said to him..."

Next Steps:

• Believe: I surrendered to Jesus today.
• Become: I will submit to Jesus this week.
• Be Sent: I will speak to someone about Easter.

Growth Group Questions:

1. Do you know anyone who is clearly trying to disobey God?

2. What makes it hard for some people to trust God?

3. Was there an event that destroyed harmony in your family? Explain.

4. What makes anyone feel like they can disobey God?

5. When was the last time you submitted to God, even when you didn’t want to?

6. Who do you know that needs to hear about Jesus this Easter?

7. Pray for the courage to submit to Jesus even when it’s scary this week.