Isaac’s Promised Arrival | Good With God | Mitch Harrison

The goodness of God sounds so exciting until you find yourself waiting for God to move. It can be easy to wonder how long He will take or if he will even move. After promising a new nation to Abram and Sarai in Genesis 11, they found themselves waiting for God to fulfill His promise. Sometimes the good God has for you might not come as you hoped. So how do you wait for God in the in between?

KEY VERSES

  • Psalms 23:6 NLT: Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

  • Genesis 12:1-3 NLT: The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

  • Genesis 12:4 NLT: So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

  • Genesis 15:1 NLT: Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

  • Genesis 15:1-6 NLT: Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”Then the LORD said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.

  • Genesis 15:6-8 NLT: And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”

  • Genesis 21:1-3 NLT: The LORD kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.And Abraham named their son Isaac.

  • Hebrews 11:8-12 NLT: It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

  • Matthew 1:2 NLT: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

  • Matthew 1:16 NLT: Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

  • Galatians 6:9 NLT: So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

  • Romans 8:28 NLT: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above, and dive deeper into this week’s message.

Recap

+ Reconnect

To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

  • What are you thankful for?
  • What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
  • What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?

+ Recap

  • Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
  • Did you live out your response from last week?
  • Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?

Discovering What God Is Saying

+ Read and Retell the Bible Story

  • One person reads the story out loud to the group.
  • Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.

+ Read and Look

  • Read the passage again (different version if possible)
  • What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?

+ Read and Look Again

  • Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
  • What does this passage say about people in general?

Doing What God Is Saying

+ Consider

  • What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
  • How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
  • Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.

Sharing what God is saying

+ Praying Together

  • Take prayer requests
  • Pray together

+ Share

  • Who in your life needs to hear this story?
  • Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?

Become a Partner

Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.

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