Genesis 18 Discussion Guide
Sermon: April 16, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Here are important events that you should be aware of and praying over:
Finance meeting April 16th @ 2pm via Zoom
-Link will be sent through weekly church email
CLB 101 Class Sunday, April 23rd, 9-11a @ Anchor Pointe
-Visit “Upcoming” tab at clb.church to register for class & childcare
WHY CITY GROUPS?
The point of a City Group is to help us apply God’s Word to our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to multiply faithful disciples of Jesus who make more disciples of Jesus. So we gather regularly to give ourselves to three basic Christian practices: sharing stories, reading the Bible, and praying.
PRAY
Ask if anyone would like to open up in prayer and ask God to bless your time together
STORY
Break the ice with a testimony..
Who has prepared their 5-7 minute story?
Who can give testimony of God’s goodness right now? (i.e. answered prayer, provision, transformation, etc.)
VISION FOR THIS DISCUSSION
God has given Abram and his wife Sarai new names—Abraham and Sarah. And He has made a covenant to reaffirm that He will make Abraham exceedingly fruitful in order to bless the nations. He also tells Abraham that Ishmael will not be the offspring from whom this blessing will come.
Rather, He will bless him with another son will be born from Sarah, and they shall name him Isaac. We now pick up in the story to see that Abraham’s life has not gotten any easier as he waits for God to make good on His covenant promise.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSAGE
Read Genesis 18 aloud as a group. What are some initial observations that caught your attention?
What can we observe about what Abraham’s relationship with God is like? Which verses help us see this?
-Abraham makes every effort to eagerly make room and receive God’s presence. Do we feel like we do that in our lives? (i.e. what we think about, what we talk about, our prayer life, how we spend our time, what we run to for comfort/rest, etc.)
Read verse 14. God asks a rhetorical question that shows us the type of faith that pleases Him.
-Do you think you have that kind of faith? Why/why not?
-Can you relate to Sarah in thinking that one of your prayers is just too “hard/wonderful” for God to actually answer? Is there anything you’re struggling to trust God in your life with right now?
-Why do you think it’s so difficult to trust God? How can we grow in trusting God?
After the angels turn toward Sodom, what does Abraham do?
-Read verses 23-25. Do you think God needed to be reminded to be just? Why do you think Abraham talks to God like this? If we’re honest, do we ever find ourselves talking to God like this? (Wrestling with God? Or even arguing with or blaming God?)
Abraham shows us intercessory prayer—aka praying for others. But intercessory prayer is also more than that. It is “standing in the gap” between the person you’re praying for and God Himself. It is placing yourself in their position instead of your own.
-Read Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”
-We see Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us in heaven. He knows better than anyone what it means to place himself in our position. We see that most clearly at the cross. And now in heaven, he not only can relate to us perfectly and completely, but he even continues to pray and intercede for us!
-Looking at the example of Abraham and Jesus, do you find yourself praying for others like this? What is the biggest obstacle in intercessory prayer? How can we grow in praying like this?
We have seen Abraham’s heart in his plea with God as he intercedes on behalf of the people of Sodom. But what do we see about God’s heart in this exchange?
-Do you think God is quick to kill and destroy? Do you think God is just to punish evil?
-How does the cross show us both God’s mercy AND justice?
-How does this story and the cross help shape how we should pray for lost people in a fallen world?
Who are you going to be interceding for this week and “standing in the gap” for?
-Feel free to take time to intercede as a group to end your time. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and help you know who and what to pray for. Don’t forget to intercede for one another too!
PRAYER
Feel free to ask the group for any pressing prayer requests that would be good to pray over together.
Use the TACOS acronym to let the text you studied pray for you:
Thanksgiving - “Father, thank you…”
Adoration - “Father, You are…”
Confession - “Father, I confess…”
Others - “Father, I pray for…”
Self - “Father, please help me…”
*If size or group dynamics seem to hinder prayer, consider dividing into groups of men/women or groups of 3-4 to reduce barriers to praying out loud.