Abraham [Part 4] Your Doubt, God's Decree

Our 2018 winter preaching & small group series is about the life of Abraham. Join us on Sundays and in small groups as we learn from the example of Abraham's faith in God. You can join a small group by clicking here.

Small Groups Notes

You can download these notes as a PDF by clicking here.

Warm-up. Name one way that God has been faithful to you. (TIP: Think of what God has promised you in the New Testament and how he has fulfilled any of those promises.)

Read Genesis 15:1-21 and pray God blesses your study time.

1. God told Abram to ‘fear not’. What was he probably fearing? “Fear not” appears over 200 times in the Bible. What are some things that make us afraid? What are you most afraid of?
2. What are some ways to overcome fear? In verse 1 what does the Lord promise to Abram? How is the Lord a shield to us?
3. Is it alright to doubt and ask God for reassurances? Why or why not? What are you tempted to doubt? How does knowing the struggles of Abram bring light to your own struggles with doubt? What was God’s response to Abram’s doubt (Genesis 15:5)?
4. In Genesis 15:7, God identifies himself in terms of his relationship to Abram. What might he say in your case: "I am the Lord, who..."?
5. What did the dreaded darkness, smoking fire pot and blazing torch represent? How did this vision of God passing between the carcasses alone address Abram’s doubts? How do Mark 15:33, Isaiah 53:8, and Galatians 3:13-14 help us to understand the way this incredible scene applies to Christ and to us?
6. On what basis did God declare Abram to be ‘righteous’ (Genesis 15:6)? What does it mean to be ‘righteous’? Why is it important to us that God's promises to Abram did not depend on his obeying any laws (Romans 4:13-17)?

Praise God as your shield and great reward. Praise him for the covenant he made with Abram and the way he was faithful to it. Ask him to show you how to respond faithfully, as Abram did.