Here are the words for the fill-in-the-blanks in our “It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way” women’s Bible study with Lysa TerKuerst (via DVDs).
Genesis 2:5-9
v. 7: Then the LORD God formed a man
v. 9: . . . trees that were pleasing to the eye
Genesis 2:15-18
v. 16: And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free . . .”
v. 18: “. . . I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:23-25
v. 25: Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Genesis 3:1-9
“You must not” (Genesis 3:1) versus “You are free” (Genesis 2:16)
When God says “Do not = Do not hurt yourself” (Levi Lusko)
Eve assumed that she knew what a good God would do.
Homework: p. 23-33
Created things cannot give what only the Creator can give.
You steer where you stare.
God could have been angry, but instead He asked two questions:
- “Where are you?”
- “Who told you that you were naked?”
Sin demands a sacrifice (Genesis 3:21).
In Genesis 3:22-23 (NIV), banished can be translated as “sent” in Hebrew (shalach).
Look at your disappointments through the lens of the great love of God. It will change how you see everything.
Homework: p. 33-39
Revelation 21:3-6; Revelation 22:3: Eden is restored in the last two chapters of the Bible.
We live with anxiety from the first garden and with anticipation for the final garden.
Mark 14:32-36: The garden of Gethsemane is a picture of what it’s like for us living between two gardens. Jesus told the disciples to keep watch. Mark 14:36
I can’t start at my feelings and process my circumstances. I have to start with what I know is true: God is good.
Hebrews 2:14-18
Homework: p. 55-62
Since He knows what it’s like to be human, we can know He understands what we’re going through. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 5:7-10
Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.
Genesis 14:17-24; Hebrews 7:1-17: Melchizedek was both king and priest.
Because Jesus knows the depth of what we suffer, we can trust everything He teaches.
Homework: p. 62-66
Exodus 12:12-13, Exodus 12:21-23
Truths about hyssop:
- It was used as the paintbrush to spread blood on the doorframes of the Israelites’ houses so that the plague of death wouldn’t strike them. [Example of a problem placed on them.]
Homework: p. 82-90
- It was the purification ingredient in David’s cry to be cleansed (Psalm 51:7). [Example of a problem within.]
- It was used to cleanse lepers (Leviticus 14:4).
- It was present when the promise was fulfilled by Jesus on the cross (John 19:28-30).
- Hyssop was one of the last things of creation that Jesus interacted with before He died.
God’s promise fulfilled applies both to problems placed on us and problems within us. Both can be healed and fixed at the cross.
Psalm 69:21
Jesus didn’t look to something to numb the pain.
Homework: p. 90-94
Psalm 51: written as a communal experience of confession within a community of faith
James 5:16
From community we need accountability and empathy.
If the enemy can isolate us, he can influence us.
Sin never just affects the one who sins.
Four steps of restoration: confession, cleansing, creating, calling
Confession: Psalm 51:1-6
Homework: p.100-109
Cleansing: Psalm 51:7-9
Creating: Psalm 51:10-12
Calling: Psalm 51:13
Homework: p. 109-120
The enemy wants us to have an eroded trust in God and elevated trust in ourselves.
Shallow seeking will lead to shallow believing.
James 1:15
Fears can either move us closer to God or draw us away.
1 John 2:15-17 – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
Genesis 3:6 – good for food (lust of the flesh), pleasing to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and desirable for gaining wisdom (pride of life)
Homework: p. 127-140
Matthew 4:1-11
v. 3: command these stones to become bread (lust of the flesh)
v. 9: all this I will give you if you bow down and worship me (lust of the eyes)
vv. 5-6: throw yourself down and he will command his angels concerning you (pride of life)
Look, linger, longing. We will steer where we stare.
God knows best. He can be trusted.
Homework: p. 140-147
Philippians 4:5-7
James 1:2-4
James 1:12
1 Peter 5:2-4
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
Philippians 4:1
2 Timothy 4:8
1 Corinthians 9:25-27
Homework: p. 155-169