Know the purpose of each question (helps develop some
follow-up questions)
Setting the example (when your co-servant/helper leads
bible-study, it should be more work for you)
-- I apologize because I know that some of you weren’t
treated like this
The Bible has to be blessing for you first.
1. What was your
first experience leaving home? What was
it like? How did it affect you?
Sharing question
2. What are the
commands/promises that God give Abram in v1-9?
Basic reading comprehension
COMMANDS
v1 "Leave
your country, your people and your father's household”
v1 “…go to
the land I will show you.”
PROMISES
v2 "I
will make you into a great nation”
v2 “I will
bless you”
v2 “I will
make your name great”
v2 “and you
will be a blessing.” – note: some
scholars point out that this may be construed as a command
v3 “I will
bless those who bless you”
v3 “whoever
curses you I will curse”
v3 “all
peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
v7 “To your
offspring I will give this land."
3. Focusing on the
commands that God gives Abram, what does this tell us about God? In what ways have you come to know God in
this manner?
That God is
a God of guidance! God loves Abram and
wants what’s best for him.
- little kid
playing with knives
Maybe the reason we don’t feel a
great sense of direction or purpose in our lives is because we’re not walking
with God in the manner in which we should.
-- God’s will isn’t a blueprint,
it’s a scroll
-- satchety, satchety, su po po
-- directions vs. navigator
4. Has God ever
called you to leave a familiar and secure situation for something unfamiliar
and frightening? Explain.
Sharing
question.
What are some
barriers to leaving the familiar?
Chuck
Swindoll lists four “perils of leaving the familiar”. – there are probably more you can think of
● rootlessness – “When a plant is
separated from the soil, it misses its source of nourishment. Soon it droops and fades, and eventually its
leaves fall off. People often reflect
that same disorientation after a move.
Familiar support systems, so important for well-being, are missing. Unless those systems are reestablished, we
run the risk of withering, drying up.
Old root-ends need to be grafted into new support systems if health is
to be restored.”
● loneliness – “Distance separates
friends, with the result that friendships becomes scrapbook memories. We miss the frequent contact and the human
exchange of understanding, acceptance, and warmth that were once taken for
granted. It takes time to cultivate
such relationships-time to grow through the hot and cold seasons of
friendship. Moving interrupts that
process. A sea of unfamiliar faces and
the pain of detachment reminds us that the roots of old friendships need to be nurtured
more than ever and that the seeds of new relationships must be watered as
well.”
● insecurity – “Unfamiliar territory
can intimidate us, incubating insecurity.
In a new environment we need to know how to get around, where to shop or
go to church, where to find doctors and hospitals. The lack of such supply lines are daily reminders that we’ve been
uprooted from our secure, stable environment.”
● uncertainty – “Inevitably, the
unexpected is encountered in a new environment. Neighbors, churches, schools, and stores are not exactly as they
were back home.”
How does God
encourage Abram in the midst of such barriers?
How does God encourage us?
God’s assurance are His promises.
Put yourself in Abram’s shoes –
as the terrain becomes more and more unfamiliar, as surroundings becoming more
and more ominous, as the destination becomes less and less certain, Abram is
forced to cling to God.
(o) Someone once said, “You can’t say that God is all you need
until God is all you have.” Comment on
this.
(o) What are some promises that
you cling to? (Is this how you react in
time of need (i.e., cling to God’s promises)?
-- Note: You should see the necessity of God’s Word
(how can you know His promises but not know His word?)
5. Compare Gen
12:2 with Gen 11:4. What is the
distinction here?
"I will
make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.” (Gen 12:2)
“Then they
said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to
the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over
the face of the whole earth."”(Gen 11:4)
The distinction is simply the
difference between making your own name, and God making your name. Given the messages from LIFE and OIL, we
need to really search our hearts in this regard. How much of our spirituality is really to build our own kingdom
(look good in front of peers, not look bad, develop the reputation of being
spiritual)
Which verse
better describes you?
(o) Are you
building your own kingdom or God’s kingdom?
6. Abram (later
called Abraham) is often referred to as our father in the faith. How do we see this in this passage?
v4 “So
Abram left, as the LORD had told him”
v5 “they
set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.”
v6 “Abram
traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at
Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.”
v7 “The
LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring [1] I will give
this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to
him.”
v8 “From
there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with
Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and
called on the name of the LORD.”
v9 “Then Abram set
out and continued toward the Negev.”
Here, Abram’s faith is measured in obedience (v4-9) and in
depending on God (v8).
(o) How is our faith
by these measures?
(o) What are some
areas that the Lord is calling you to obedience? (priorities, studies, relationships (parents, friends))
Do you see how obedience and
faith go hand in hand (sometimes, it takes not greater understanding to obey
but greater faith)?
The challenge here is in our
desire to do great things for God, in the end it comes down to a personal walk
with God and a willingness to obey.
APPLICATION
You should do your own, but here are a few.
Follow God in the little things (go to church, do your
QT, go to family group, pray for people, witness where you are).
Spend time in God’s Word (learn His promises, memorize
His Word)
Take risks for God – stretch your faith (don’t be a
practical atheist)
1. What was your
first experience leaving home? What was
it like? How did it affect you?
2. What are the
commands/promises that God give Abram in v1-9?
COMMANDS
v1 "Leave
your country, your people and your father's household”
v1 “…go to
the land I will show you.”
PROMISES
v2 "I
will make you into a great nation”
v2 “I will
bless you”
v2 “I will
make your name great”
v2 “and you
will be a blessing.” – note: some
scholars point out that this may be construed as a command
v3 “I will
bless those who bless you”
v3 “whoever
curses you I will curse”
v3 “all
peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
v7 “To your
offspring I will give this land."
3. Focusing on the
commands that God gives Abram, what does this tell us about God? In what ways have you come to know God in
this manner?
That God is
a God of guidance! God loves Abram and
wants what’s best for him.
Maybe the reason we don’t feel a
great sense of direction or purpose in our lives is because we’re not walking
with God in the manner in which we should.
-- God’s will isn’t a blueprint,
it’s a scroll
4. Has God ever
called you to leave a familiar and secure situation for something unfamiliar
and frightening? Explain.
What are some
barriers to leaving the familiar?
Chuck
Swindoll lists four “perils of leaving the familiar”. – there are probably more you can think of
● rootlessness – “When a plant is
separated from the soil, it misses its source of nourishment. Soon it droops and fades, and eventually its
leaves fall off. People often reflect
that same disorientation after a move.
Familiar support systems, so important for well-being, are missing. Unless those systems are reestablished, we
run the risk of withering, drying up.
Old root-ends need to be grafted into new support systems if health is
to be restored.”
● loneliness – “Distance separates
friends, with the result that friendships becomes scrapbook memories. We miss the frequent contact and the human
exchange of understanding, acceptance, and warmth that were once taken for granted. It takes time to cultivate such
relationships-time to grow through the hot and cold seasons of friendship. Moving interrupts that process. A sea of unfamiliar faces and the pain of
detachment reminds us that the roots of old friendships need to be nurtured
more than ever and that the seeds of new relationships must be watered as
well.”
● insecurity – “Unfamiliar territory
can intimidate us, incubating insecurity.
In a new environment we need to know how to get around, where to shop or
go to church, where to find doctors and hospitals. The lack of such supply lines are daily reminders that we’ve been
uprooted from our secure, stable environment.”
● uncertainty – “Inevitably, the
unexpected is encountered in a new environment. Neighbors, churches, schools, and stores are not exactly as they
were back home.”
How
does God encourage Abram in the midst of such barriers? How does God encourage us?
God’s assurance are His promises.
Put yourself in Abram’s shoes –
as the terrain becomes more and more unfamiliar, as surroundings becoming more
and more ominous, as the destination becomes less and less certain, Abram is
forced to cling to God.
(o) Someone once said, “You can’t say that God is all you need
until God is all you have.” Comment on
this.
(o) What are some promises that
you cling to? (Is this how you react in
time of need (i.e., cling to God’s promises)?
-- Note: You should see the necessity of God’s Word
(how can you know His promises but not know His word?)
5. Compare Gen
12:2 with Gen 11:4. What is the
distinction here?
"I will
make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.” (Gen 12:2)
“Then they
said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to
the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over
the face of the whole earth."”(Gen 11:4)
The distinction is simply the
difference between making your own name, and God making your name. Given the messages from LIFE and OIL, we
need to really search our hearts in this regard. How much of our spirituality is really to build our own kingdom
(look good in front of peers, not look bad, develop the reputation of being
spiritual)
Which verse
better describes you?
(o) Are you
building your own kingdom or God’s kingdom?
(Why do you study? Why do you
spend time with certain people? Why do
you do the things you do?)
6. Abram (later
called Abraham) is often referred to as our father in the faith. How do we see this in this passage?
v4 “So
Abram left, as the LORD had told him”
v5 “they
set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.”
v6 “Abram
traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at
Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.”
v7 “The
LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring [1] I will give
this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to
him.”
v8 “From
there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with
Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and
called on the name of the LORD.”
v9 “Then Abram set
out and continued toward the Negev.”
Here, Abram’s faith is measured in obedience (v4-9) and in
depending on God (v8).
(o) How is our faith
by these measures?
(o) What are some
areas that the Lord is calling you to obedience? (priorities, studies, relationships (parents, friends))
Do you see how obedience and
faith go hand in hand? Sometimes, it is
not greater understanding that is required to obey but rather greater faith
(ex., forgiveness is not a matter of not knowing what to do, but rather
entrusting the potential hurt to God).
The challenge here is in our
desire to do great things for God, in the end it comes down to a personal walk
with God and a willingness to obey.
APPLICATION