ABRAHAM’S FAMILY: LIVING BY FAITH TO BE A BLESSING TO ALL NATIONS -questions
House Church Series, Lesson 3
ABRAHAM’S FAMILY: LIVING BY FAITH TO BE A BLESSING TO ALL NATIONS-questions
Genesis 12–22
Key Verse: 12:3b
“… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Beginning in Genesis 12 God called one man, Abram, and gave him a covenant promise. And Abram believed God and obeyed his word. God promised to make him a source of blessing for all people. God’s best blessing is salvation from sin and his kingdom. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of Abraham. He called him a man of truth (Jn 8). He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” (Jn 8:56) Paul said that Abraham is our father if we walk in his footsteps of faith. (Ro 4:12) He also said that those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith (Gal 3:9); and God “redeemed us so that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus…” (Gal 3:14) In chapters 12-25 we will study about Abram’s faith, his family and the God of Abram.
1. What was God’s calling? (12:1–3) What made it hard for Abram and Sarai to obey it? (11:27–12:1; Jos24:2–3; Heb11:8b) How could they possibly go through with this? (12:4a,7–8; Heb11:8) In what sense is this decision foundational to living by faith?
2. How did Abram fail to depend on God during a time of famine? (12:10–16) How did God help him? (12:17–20) What spiritual lesson did Abram learn through this about depending on God? (13:8–9; 14:22–24) Why is it so important for families to depend on God for material provisions?
3. What was Abram’s situation and inner condition now? (14:23–24; 15:1–3) What fatalistic life problem did he reveal? How did God plant faith in him? [Note the process God used (15:1,4–5).] What did God reveal about himself by showing him the stars?
4. What does it mean that “Abram believed the LORD”? (15:6a; Isa40:26,28a) What credit did God give him? (15:6b) What does “righteousness” mean? (Ro4:3–5) Why was God so pleased? (Heb11:6) What can we learn here about how house churches can be pleasing to God? (Gal3:6–9)
5. What plan did Abram and Sarai make? (16:1–4a) What was God’s greater plan for them? (17:4–8,15–16) How would God’s covenant of circumcision help them to deny themselves and accept God’s plan? (17:10–14; cf. Dt10:16; 30:6; Ro2:29) How did Abraham express his faith? (17:23) Why is this so important for house church ministry?
6. After circumcision, what change can we see in Abraham’s family in the way they welcomed strangers? (18:1–8) How and why did God share his plan with Abraham? (18:17–21; 2Ch20:7) In light of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, why is it so important to teach “the way of the Lord” and pray for the lost? (18:19,23–33)
7. When conflict arose between Ishmael and Isaac, what did God tell Abraham to do? (21:8–13) How did he show his trust in God? (21:14) How did this event help him to grow as a God-centered man? (21:33) How did God take care of those for whom he was concerned? (21:15–21) What, if anything, needs to be removed from your ministry?
8. What was God’s test to Abraham? (22:1–2) In what respects was this difficult for him to do? How could he resolve this matter through faith? (Heb11:17–19) How did this act of faith make him a source of blessing? (22:16–18) What lesson can we find here for house church ministry about loving God most?
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