Genesis 29-30 Discussion Guide
Sermon Date: July 9, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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WHY CITY GROUPS?
The point of a City Group is to help us apply God’s Word to our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to multiply faithful disciples of Jesus who make more disciples of Jesus. So we gather regularly to give ourselves to three basic Christian practices: sharing stories, reading the Bible, and praying.
PRAY
Ask if anyone would like to open up in prayer and ask God to bless your time together
STORY
Break the ice with a testimony..
Who has prepared their 5-7 minute story?
Who can give testimony of God’s goodness right now? (i.e. answered prayer, provision, transformation, etc.)
VISION FOR THIS DISCUSSION
Jacob has arrived back to his uncle Laban’s home. Jacob had his eyes set to marry Laban’s daughter, Rachel, but Laban tricks him into marrying Leah and makes him work another 7 years in order to marry Rachel. Once married, Leah feels unloved but is able to have children right away, while Rachel feels loved but cannot have children right away. Competition quickly sets in and shows us the ugly effects of comparison.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSAGE
Read Genesis 29:28-30:1-24 aloud as a group. What are some initial observations that caught your attention?
Read Genesis 29:32, 34, & Genesis 30:20. Why does Leah want children so badly? What does she really want?
Read Genesis 30:1, 8, & 23. Why does Rachel want children so badly? What does she really want?
APPLICATION
Read Proverbs 27:4 and James 4:2-3. Any initial observations of what God has to say about jealousy?
Many times we find ourselves angry, hurt, or frustrated with people because we want something—just like Rachel and Leah. We want to feel loved, accepted, respected, valued, etc. While this is not wrong, sometimes these feelings can be so strong that they end up controlling us. We can want them so badly that we are even willing to sin to get them!
What do you think you want most when you find yourself upset/fighting with others? (to feel loved, accepted, respected, valued, etc.?")
Many times we find ourselves discontent, there’s jealousy lurking right around the corner. We find ourselves comparing our lives—finances, jobs, families, marriages, homes, cars, trips, etc. to other people’s, and it’s killing us from the inside out! We are constantly thinking about all the things we don’t have, rather than the things we do.
The first and most important thing we forget we have when we become jealous of others, is our identity in Jesus.
Read Proverbs 14:30. What appears to be the opposite of a jealous heart?
Read Psalm 23:1. What appears to be the “cure” for a jealous heart?
Ephesians 1:3 says we have every spiritual blessing in Christ—we really do have all that we need!
What are some spiritual blessings we need to remember we have in Jesus? (visit Remembering Your Identity in Christ for a list of specific verses)
Read Colossians 3:12-17. What do you see in this passage that can help us get practical in our fight against jealousy?
How can we build rhythms of thanksgiving into our everyday?
Take time to pray as a group and give thanks to God for all his blessings to you.
Ask God to give us more loving hearts that sacrificially will the good of others more than ourselves.
PRAYER
Feel free to ask the group for any pressing prayer requests that would be good to pray over together.
Use the TACOS acronym to let the text you studied pray for you:
Thanksgiving - “Father, thank you…”
Adoration - “Father, You are…”
Confession - “Father, I confess…”
Others - “Father, I pray for…”
Self - “Father, please help me…”
*If size or group dynamics seem to hinder prayer, consider dividing into groups of men/women or groups of 3-4 to reduce barriers to praying out loud.