God's Ways Are Better // Genesis 16:1-4a

Cut to the Heart // Genesis 17:12-27

God was never after the mark on Abraham’s body — He was after his heart. In this study, we unpack circumcision, covenant, and the daily battle between flesh and Spirit, and discover why real faith obeys God now — before we have all the answers. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Ezekiel 36:26-27. Looking back, where have you seen God soften something in you that used to be hard? - Read Mark 7:20–23. Are there any changes in behavior that you're trying to work on right now? What wrong beliefs do you think have driven that wrong behavior? - Read Hebrews 11:8. Tell us about a time you followed God’s leading before you understood the whole plan. What made it hard? How did it turn out? - Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What do you tend to add to Jesus as proof that you’re really OK with God? How do VV.8–9 and V.10 hold together without turning grace into a checklist? - Read Joshua 24:14-15. How can husbands and fathers lead their families in a God-honoring way, without compromise, yet not being a dictator?

The Mark of Lordship // Genesis 17:1-11

After 14 years of silence, God meets Abram — now 99 and drifting — and doesn’t open with a rebuke but with His own name: “I am God Almighty.” In this study, we explore what God says to a believer who has wandered, why He gives Abram a new name and an everlasting covenant, and how the strange sign of circumcision points to the heart of discipleship: lordship — surrendering every part of our lives, even our flesh, to God. It’s a message about walking with God, the difference between earning blamelessness and receiving it, and the Spirit’s power to keep Christ on the throne of our hearts. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Luke 15:17-24 (the prodigal son comes home). It had been 14 years since Abram heard from God, and he had drifted. Have you ever gone through a season of feeling distant from God, and then sensed Him meet you again? What was that like? - Read aloud Isaiah 6:1-5. God reintroduced Himself to Abram as “God Almighty,” and Abram fell facedown. When Isaiah glimpsed God’s holiness, he responded the same way. When was the last time God felt that big to you? What tends to shrink your view of Him day to day? - God renamed Abram “Abraham” so he could see himself the way God saw him. How do you think God views you? Has your understanding of that question changed as your faith has grown? - Read Romans 2:28-29 and Matthew 7:21-23. The sermon warned that there is no salvation by ethnicity or by outward ritual — only by faith that is real on the inside. How can we tell whether our heart has truly been changed by faith, or whether we're just "checking the boxes" through external behaviors (e.g., church attendance)? - GROUP PRAYER (decide beforehand whether to stay in one group or split into guys/girls for this question). Read 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 and Philippians 2:12-13. Abraham couldn’t consistently keep his flesh off the throne — but we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, who gives power Abraham never had. Where do you most want the Spirit to grow and change you this season? Pray that over one another.

The God Who Sees // Genesis 16:4b-16

When a pregnant, frightened Hagar runs into the wilderness to escape a mess she didn't create, she discovers that the God she didn't even know already saw her. In this study of Genesis 16:4b–16, we unpack why waiting on the Lord is active rather than passive, how shortcuts around God's plan create fallout far bigger than we imagine, and why El Roi—"the God who sees"—still pursues the running, the overlooked, and the worn out. It's a message about trusting God's timing, the real cost of taking matters into our own hands, and the relentless grace that finds us first. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Lamentations 3:25-26 and Psalm 62:1-5. The sermon argued that waiting on the Lord is active, not passive — praying, getting into the Word, praising, and listening for His voice. When you've been in seasons of waiting, what spiritual practices have you found most encouraging? - Read James 1:5 and Proverbs 3:5-6. Abram and Sarai made two huge decisions without ever praying about them. How have you seen prayer make a difference when you were facing a big decision? - If someone asked you, "What should I expect to happen when I pray over a big decision?" How would you answer? - Read Romans 12:2 and 1 John 2:15-17. Where do you notice the culture quietly shaping your thinking more than Scripture does? (Be honest — this is hard for all of us.) - Read 1 Peter 2:13-21 and Hebrews 13:17. God met Hagar with grace — and then called her to do a hard thing: go back and submit to Sarai. Where is submitting to authority hardest for you? And how do we discern the line between God-honoring submission and a situation that is genuinely wrong?

God's Ways Are Better // Genesis 16:1-4a

Most Christians don't lose their faith in a dramatic moment; they lose it because their expectations of the Christian life were never biblical to begin with. In Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai get tired of waiting on God's promise after ten years and make a mess that's still playing out in the Middle East today. This message traces the cost of impatience from one couple's bedroom to the breakdown of an entire culture — and lands on a single quiet conviction: God's ways are better. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read 2 Corinthians 4:16–18. When you first believed in Jesus, or started taking your faith seriously, what did you assume the Christian life would be like? How has reality matched what you expected, and where has it diverged? Where did those expectations come from in the first place? - Read Romans 8:18-25. Christians aren’t exempt from the natural consequences of living in a fallen world. Do you think you’ve been quietly holding on to any assumptions about the kind of life God “owes” you? - Read Colossians 3:1-5. Even good things — a spouse, a child, a healing, a career — can become idols when we put all our hope in them rather than in God. Has a good thing ever become an idol in your life? How do we tell the difference between a strong, godly desire and an idol? - Many Christians try to find a way to please God and people. Do you think this is possible when God and people hold opposite opinions (e.g., homosexuality)? What are the dangers of trying to please both God and people? - Before you pray, ask if anyone has things they are waiting on the Lord for. Pray for patience, faith, and peace as they wait.

The Covenant Maker & Keeper // Genesis 15:7-21

In Genesis 15, God doesn't meet Abram halfway—He walks through the bloody covenant alone, taking on Himself the consequences of every breach by either side. This message traces that picture from Abram's vision all the way to the Cross, where Jesus paid for the half of the covenant we could never keep. If you've ever feared you could blow it and lose your salvation, this one's for you. SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS: - Read Genesis 15:7-21. Was there anything about the text that you didn’t understand? Did it raise any questions for you? What sticks out to you? - Read Lamentations 3:22–26. Share about a time you had to wait a long time for God to answer a prayer or fulfill a promise. Looking back, what did the waiting produce in you that you wouldn't have learned any other way? - Read 2 Timothy 2:11–13 and John 10:27–30. Have you ever feared losing your salvation? What did that fear sound like in your head? How do these two passages speak to that fear? - Jeff shared that his mom “never let go of the rope” and prayed him into the kingdom. Who are you holding the rope for right now, in prayer? Pray for each name as a group.