EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – Promises We Can Count On – Session 1

Date: June 2, 2024

God’s Promise of Fruitfulness

The Point: God called humanity to rule over His creation.

Get Into the Study

Begin the study by discussing Question #1, then share the following illustration.

If you live in some southeastern or midwestern states, you may be experiencing the emergence of the cicada. It is a natural phenomenon of nature when cicadas emerge to eat, mate, and eventually die. A brood is a certain group of cicadas that only emerges during a certain cycle. This year, two different broods are coming out at the same time, and trillions are expected to make an appearance. The last time this happened was in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson was president, and it will not occur again until the year 2245.

The screeching that accompanies the event is the result of male cicadas that are synchronizing their calls to produce congregational songs, which establish territory and attract females. There is also a courting call that they make before mating.

This may be one of those times when you might ask, “What’s the purpose of cicadas?” According to Rum Village Nature Center Director Garry Harrington, “(Cicadas) are really actually going to be beneficial to a lot of wildlife because it’s going to be a smorgasbord of lots and lots of food for every kind of animals…especially birds. They’re going to be gorging themselves on cicadas, I guarantee it. There are people who eat cicadas too.”

After sharing the illustration, say “While cicadas are beneficial, in the midst of the noise and mess they make, their purpose may not be obvious. Thankfully, as a follower of Christ, we don’t have to wonder what about our purpose.”

Call attention to the statement “God created you on purpose for a purpose,” and continue with the introductory discussion found after Question #1.

• https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/14/cicada-map-2024/73671173007/
• Dual cicada broods begin to emerge simultaneously for first time in more than 200 years (abc3340.com)

Get Into the Study [Option from the Adult Leader Guide]

In advance, play a video clip of some strange gadgets. Then ask Question #1.

Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide]

Click here for images you can use in the opening activity.

Study the Bible

After discussing Question #5, share the following illustration.

Although this is the first Sunday of June, we are still in the spring season, and the beauty of God’s creation is all around us. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and new life is all around us. This is common every year, but this year, many have witnessed an additional illustration of God’s wonderful handiwork.

Because of especially active solar storms on the surface of the sun this year, much of the United States has experienced the beauty of aurora borealis or ‘northern lights.’ The aurora borealis is typically only visible in high north latitudes, but this time, it stretched as far south as Louisiana due to the supercharge of some intense sun eruptions. As a result, breathtaking and beautiful colors have been painted across the evening skies.

NOTE: An option would be to refer to one of the links below and print off color photos or display them on a smart device, monitor or data projector. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a verbal description is also effective.

In Psalms 19:1, the psalmist says that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands” (CSB). When considering the beauty of the northern lights and the wonders and miracles of spring, this verse comes alive. To think that God has entrusted us with the privilege of caring for and ruling over this wonderful world He has given us is unbelievable. Along with that privilege comes a responsibility to rule wisely.

• https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/11/the-aurora-borealis-in-pictures-.html
• https://www.pexels.com/search/northern%20lights/

Lynn Riley is retired from the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, where he served as a team member in the areas of evangelism and church health. He and his wife Cheryl live in Smyrna, Teneessee, and are active members of Rolling Hills Community Church in Nolensville, TN. They are spending their retirement years serving their church and spoiling grandkids.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

• What would you say are some of the greatest challenges of growing old?
• When is the most recent time you thought, “What’s the purpose of this?”
• What are some things that give you a sense of purpose?
• Who is one historical leader you admire? Why?
• What’s one interesting thing on your bucket list?

Genesis 1:26-30

• Why is it essential to remember we are stewards, not owners, of this creation?
• What are attitudes and actions of a good steward?
• What is the relationship between being a good steward and living a fruitful life?
• What are some practical ways our relationship with creation can reflect God?

Genesis 2:16-17

• Why do you think God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which gave them wisdom or experiential knowledge?
• When have you experienced a blessing that came with limits?
• In what ways do our reactions to God’s rules reveal our heart toward God?
• Why does God call for obedience and loyalty from His image-bearers?
• When have you benefited from God-given limits?
• What purpose do God’s commands serve for Christians today?

Genesis 3:16-19

• What are ways sin made stewarding God’s creation more difficult?
• How is God showing mercy even as He’s describing the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin?
• How did Adam and Eve’s sin strike at their fundamental relationships with God, one another, and the earth?
• Why is sin, no matter how small it seems, a really big deal?
• What are the long-term effects of unresolved sin on earth (physical) and in eternity (spiritual)?
• How did sin change the way human beings relate to God’s creation?
• Where do you see God’s faithfulness, grace, and mercy in these verses?

For Those in Your Group

Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:

Research Reveals What God Looks Like

Podcast

Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.

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