Sermon & Discussion Questions
Sunday, October 11
Amazing Faith – Pt. 3
Genesis 15
Faith results in getting credit for what we did not do
- In Genesis 15, God promises Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Why was this promise humanly impossible for Abram to fulfill at that specific moment in his life?
- God “accounted” or “credited” righteousness to Abram. What does this specific banking terminology tell us about how God views our spiritual standing?
- How did Abram get this ‘credit’ of righteousness to his spiritual account?
- How does true biblical belief differ from simply acknowledging that God exists? See also James 2:19.
- Review the sacrifice that Abram offered. How does it point us to the cross? Why is this significant?
- How does God crediting Abram with righteousness help us understand the cross better?
- Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21 and discuss how this passage connects with what God did for Abram.
- Why is it so easy to believe God can forgive “minor” sins (like a little lie or gossip) but doubt His ability to forgive our heaviest secrets?
- Read verse 13. What did God want Abram to “know for certain?” What has God promised us that we need to know for certain as well?
- Knowing you have received an infinite deposit of grace, how can you use your transformed status to serve the needy and broken people around you?
Don’t forget to read your Daily Devotionals.
Sunday, October 4
Amazing Faith – Pt. 2
Genesis 13-14
Faith is making choices based on God being in control
- In your own words, what does it look like to live a life based on God’s control rather than your control?
- Why is it dangerous to measure our faith purely by how we feel on a given day?
- The sermon lists several things we cannot control (e.g., terminal illness, a spouse’s addiction, a critical family member). How does acknowledging your lack of control over these things actually bring freedom rather than despair?
- Abram showed great faith by moving his entire life to an unknown country simply because God asked. What is the “unknown country” God might be asking you to step into right now?
- In Genesis 13:7, strife breaks out between Abram’s herders and Lot’s herders. How does Abram’s response to this conflict (offering Lot first choice of the land) demonstrate his trust in God’s provision rather than his own control?
- Immediately after Lot leaves with the best land, God tells Abram to look in every direction and promises it all to him (Gen 13:14-15). Why does God often wait until we surrender something valuable before He reaffirms His promises to us?
- How do we balance trusting in God’s supernatural power with using our practical wisdom and strategic planning in difficult situations?
- What does this voluntary act of tithing, long before the Law of Moses was established, reveal about Abram’s heart regarding who was in control?
- If faith is a choice we make based on God’s control, what are you trying to control that God wants you to let go of?