Faith That Overcomes. Part 1 – Obey
Introduction
Abraham has often been called the father of faith. In the epistle, to the Hebrews in Chapter 11:8-12 and Romans 4:16-20, we find two things about Abraham’s faith in God. The first was that he believed in God and moved from where he was, away from his family, established connections, and simply trusted God to lead him from what was known to the unknown. The second was regarding the promised birth of a son despite the fact that he and Sarah were advanced in age and past childbearing. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
Abraham’s life remains a great catalog for any Christian who wants to live a life of growing in faith. We know that the Bible says “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Everything we do as Christians (followers of Jesus) will be birthed and sustained from the premise of having faith in God. Do you want your faith in Him to grow? The God of Abraham (who obeyed God) has not changed one bit. “He is the same yesterday today and forever” and available to help us all.
Let us dig into the word and hear what the Holy Spirit has to teach us as we meditate, discuss, and pray together on this all-important subject.
Group Discussion
Please take 5 or more minutes to read the scripture text below. Don’t rush the reading. If you find that a verse sticks out to you pay attention to that verse and think (meditate) on it some more. The group may choose to share out portions to be read out loud by participants. Choose whichever way you prefer.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 12:1-20
What stood out to you in the scripture text?
- Discuss your observations as a group
Further Guided Conversations
- Describe how Abram obeyed God’s instructions. See Vs. 4-5
- What was one result of Abram’s faithful obedience? See Vs. 7
- Were there problems after he obeyed as well as solutions? See Vs. 10-20
- Did anyone find any further lesson, a prayer, a thought, and even more wisdom in the texts?
- What are your general observations about God at work in Abraham’s life? Are you able to draw similarities in your life where the Lord worked miraculously as well?
Conclusion/Summary
Faith describes our God-given ability to believe Him and as a result, OBEY His instructions. When Jesus was on earth the only thing that seemed to surprise Him about humans was the presence of faith or lack thereof. Please read Mark 6:5-6 and Luke 7:7-9. This tells us that the subject of growing and expressing faith in God is important in the sight of God. Apostle Peter closes his second epistle with the famous words in 2 Peter 3:18 “grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ…” Brothers and sisters in Christ as the days get darker the one way our light will shine through the darkness is that we are growing in our obedience to Him.
Prayer Time
- Any Praise Reports?
- Give thanks to God for His faithfulness in all our lives.
- Pray for the grace to grow our faith in God through Scripture study and prayer. 2 Peter 3:18
- Thank God for the growth we are experiencing in Joy Fountain. Ask for wisdom for us to obey Jesus in the work of making disciples. Matthew 28:19-20
- Pray for one another’s needs as needed.
Announcements
- Next Small Groups Wednesday, March 1, 2023
- Prayer Summit March 12 pm to 3 pm
- Faith That Overcomes Part 2 – Learning His Voice