Pre-Sermon Small Group Guide: The Hiding Place

(For the Wednesday BEFORE the sermon)

Series: Preparing for Dwell (Week 3)

Focus: Exploring the universal feelings of shame, hiding, and the desire to "cover up."

(5 mins) ENGAGE: Starting the Conversation

Welcome! This Sunday, our "Dwell" series continues by looking at the moment perfect "at-homeness" with God was broken. Tonight, let's talk about the very human experiences of shame and hiding. Facilitator:(Open in prayer.)

Icebreakers:

What's a game you played as a kid that involved hiding (like Hide-and-Seek)? What was the best part of that game?

Think about a time you wore a "costume" or "uniform" (for work, a party, a play). How did wearing that "covering" make you feel or act differently?

Facilitator's Note: Keep it light. Just introducing the concepts of hiding and covering.

(15 mins) TENSION: Wrestling with Shame and Hiding

As we get older, "hiding" becomes less of a game and more of a strategy for dealing with life.Facilitator:

Questions:

Why is the feeling of being "exposed" or "found out" (for a mistake, a flaw, a secret) so powerful and uncomfortable?

What are some modern ways people "hide" their true selves, their fears, or their failures from others? (e.g., social media filters, humor, workaholism, appearing perfect).

When people "found out," what's the typical first reaction? Where do you see the "blame game" play out in our culture today (in politics, at work, even in families)? are

Facilitator's Note: Discuss how natural it is to point the finger. This prepares them for Adam and Eve's reaction on Sunday.

(30-35 mins) TRUTH: Glimpses of Sin and Covering

The Bible talks a lot about this human tendency to hide and God's desire to cover us. Let's look at three snapshots of this.Facilitator:

Part 1: The Personal Pain of Hiding

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered... For when I kept silent, my bone wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover up my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." (ESV) Read Psalm 32:1-5.

What physical and emotional damage did "keeping silent" and "covering up" his sin do to the psalmist (David) (vv. 3-4)? Question 1:

Facilitator's Note: Highlight "bones wasted away," "groaning all day long," "strength dried up." Sin we hide eats us from the inside out and damages our relationship with God ("your hand was heavy upon me").

What was the action that led to relief and forgiveness? (v. 5: "I acknowledged," "I did not cover up," "I confessed").Question 2:

This passage talks about the of having sin "covered" (by God, v. 1) and the of "covering up" our own sin (v. 5). What's the big difference between those two?Question 3:blessingburden

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered... For when I kept silent, my bone wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover up my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." (ESV)

What physical and emotional damage did "keeping silent" and "covering up" his sin do to the psalmist (David) (vv. 3-4)? Question 1:

Facilitator's Note: Highlight "bones wasted away," "groaning all day long," "strength dried up." Sin we hide eats us from the inside out and damages our relationship with God ("your hand was heavy upon me").

What was the action that led to relief and forgiveness? (v. 5: "I acknowledged," "I did not cover up," "I confessed").Question 2:

This passage talks about the of having sin "covered" (by God, v. 1) and the of "covering up" our own sin (v. 5). What's the big difference between those two?Question 3:blessingburden

Part 2: The Required Cost of Covering

So, hiding our sin is painful, but do we need covering in the first place? In the Old Testament, God set up a system to show how serious sin is and what was required to "cover" it so He could dwell with His people. This was the Day of Atonement.Facilitator:why

"Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil... and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins." (ESV) Read Leviticus 16:15-16.

What had to happen for the sins of the people to be "covered" or "atoned for"? Question 4:

Facilitator's Note: A sacrifice had to be made; blood had to be shed.

This blood was brought into the "Most Holy Place" (inside the veil), where God's presence dwelt. What does this tell us about the relationship between God's holiness, our sin, and the need for a sacrifice? Question 5:

Facilitator's Note: Guide the group: God is perfectly holy. Our sin ("uncleannesses") creates a barrier. A payment (a life, symbolized by blood) is required to cover the sin so that a holy God can continue to dwell with sinful people. Sin isn't just "swept under the rug"; it has a cost.

"Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil... and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins." (ESV)

What had to happen for the sins of the people to be "covered" or "atoned for"? Question 4:

Facilitator's Note: A sacrifice had to be made; blood had to be shed.

This blood was brought into the "Most Holy Place" (inside the veil), where God's presence dwelt. What does this tell us about the relationship between God's holiness, our sin, and the need for a sacrifice? Question 5:

Facilitator's Note: Guide the group: God is perfectly holy. Our sin ("uncleannesses") creates a barrier. A payment (a life, symbolized by blood) is required to cover the sin so that a holy God can continue to dwell with sinful people. Sin isn't just "swept under the rug"; it has a cost.

Part 3: The Promised Gift of Covering

Hiding our sin is personally destructive (Psalm 32), and covering our sin requires a costly sacrifice (Leviticus 16). This sets the stage for God's ultimate solution, which isn't a system but a gift.Facilitator:

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness..." (ESV) Read Isaiah 61:10.

What kind of "clothing" does the prophet celebrate being given by God?Question 6:

What does the image of a "robe of righteousness" suggest about righteousness? Question 7:our own

Facilitator's Note: We don't make it; it's a gift given to us that covers our unrighteousness. This perfectly contrasts with the flimsy, self-made "fig leaves" we try to sew ourselves, which will be the topic on Sunday.

How does this "robe" from God solve the problems we saw in Psalm 32 (our inner guilt) and Leviticus 16 (our need for a costly covering)?Question 8:

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness..." (ESV)

What kind of "clothing" does the prophet celebrate being given by God?Question 6:

What does the image of a "robe of righteousness" suggest about righteousness? Question 7:our own

Facilitator's Note: We don't make it; it's a gift given to us that covers our unrighteousness. This perfectly contrasts with the flimsy, self-made "fig leaves" we try to sew ourselves, which will be the topic on Sunday.

How does this "robe" from God solve the problems we saw in Psalm 32 (our inner guilt) and Leviticus 16 (our need for a costly covering)?Question 8:

(10 mins) ANTICIPATION: Preparing for Sunday

These passages paint a powerful picture: our attempts to cover our own sin are destructive, God requires a covering, and He to provide that covering as a gift. This Sunday, we go back to Genesis 3 to see the of shame, hiding, and blaming—and the very first hint of God's plan to provide a costly covering.Facilitator:costlypromisesorigin

Questions:

Why do you think the first human reaction to failure was to hide and to blame, rather than to ask for help?

What questions do you have about the story of the "fall" in Genesis 3 that you hope might be explored this Sunday?

(5 mins) CLOSING: Prayer & Invitation

Let's pray that we would be a community where it's safe to be honest.Facilitator:

If comfortable, offer a short prayer asking God to help us stop "hiding" from Him and to trust in the "covering" He provides.Prayer Prompt:

Thanks for this honest discussion. I'm looking forward to diving into Genesis 3 with you all on Sunday.Closing: