SERMON NOTES
Uncharted Commitment | Uncharted | Week 5
Pastor Dave Pretlove
Genesis 18:16-33
- Abraham had grown from just caring for “me and mine” to “everyone everywhere”.
- Genesis 18:10,16-25
- Matthew 5:43-48
- Acts 1:8
- The promise had become Abraham’s purpose.
- Genesis 12:3
- Romans 1:14
- The situation before Abraham was urgent enough for him to risk everything.
- Genesis 18:26-33
- Romans 9:3
- Acts 17:26
GROUP QUESTIONS
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- When was a time you were persistent and didn’t give up?
- Would you consider yourself expectant for God to move? Or is it hard for you to believe that God will act?
- What is one hope or prayer you have for LifeChurch as we embark on this Uncharted journey? Write these down as a group as we seek to live out the commitments we’ve made.
PERSONAL REFLECTION QUESTIONS
LifeGroup Leaders: Choose a few that would be best for your unique group!
- Read Genesis 18:23-32 together. What do you see about Abraham’s heart for the people of Sodom here? How does Abraham’s relationship with God impact his expectation of God’s activity?
- Remember that God previously called Abraham into this territory and region. How does your current place reflect your calling? Do you believe God is calling you to intercede and care for the people around you? What might it look like for you to embrace your current place as your calling (maybe that’s your work, your home, your city)?
- Can you pinpoint what rhythms Abraham established in his life that he would be filled with so much compassion for the people of Sodom?
- How can you actively increase your compassion for the people around you?
- Read Mark 2:1-5 together. These men do the unexpected and uncomfortable to bring their friend to Jesus. They’re burdened for their friend and take big, bold risks to help him find healing. How might God be burdening you for others? Is there a specific group that you’re feeling burdened for?
- What do you notice about Jesus’ response to the men’s persistence? How does God respond when we intercede for others?
- Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). How will you intercede for others and boldly ask, seek, and knock for God to move in the lives of people around you?
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON
“Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’”
Genesis 18:23-36 NIV
“And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”
Mark 2:1-5 ESV
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7 ESV
RESOURCES
Article | “Persistence: The Parable of the Persistent Widow” by Theology of Work
“Only God can bring about justice in a corrupt world. That is why we must pray and not give up in our work. God can bring miraculous justice in a corrupt world, just as God can bring miraculous healing in a sick world.”
Article | “God is Like a Nursing Mother” by Carissa Quinn and BibleProject
“The word ‘compassion’ in Hebrew is rakhum, and it is related to the word ‘womb,’ or rekhem. The word itself conveys the emotion and nurture that a mother has for her vulnerable child.”
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TO TRY
This week, try the spiritual practice of intercessory prayer.
Tyler Staton writes, “Prayer is the pathway God has made to get us back to his original plan. Prayer is the way we can rule, manage, intercede for this world … God has shared his power with you. He calls you a co-manager of heaven, walking around on earth.”
Pray tangibly and specifically this week for the people around you. Maybe start a list of people in your life who don’t know Jesus yet and pray for each name every day this week. Prayer is your way of ruling, managing, and interceding for the community around you.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
We often live in a scarcity vacuum. It’s so natural for our thoughts to go toward “not enough”. Without even questioning or pondering the thought, it invades and declares something true, even if it’s not true.
Even looking at our first thoughts of the day, many of us start the day telling ourselves, “I didn’t get enough sleep.” Or around noon a co-worker might joke, “I didn’t get enough coffee this morning!” Later in the day, you may tell your friend, “I didn’t have enough time.”
Scarcity pervades everything and I believe it goes all the way back to the original fall with the serpent misnaming Eve in the Garden of Eden. In his questions he whispers to Eve (you can re-read the story for yourself in Genesis 3), he subtly tells her that she is not enough. Even though God just said she was very good, the serpent tells her the way God made her was insufficient. The serpent names Eve as lacking and not enough. The serpent declares scarcity.
These lies trickle in constantly for us. Because of the work of Jesus, we now get to capture those lies and evaluate them. When a scarcity thought comes in, ask yourself, “Is this actually true? God, what do you say about this? What blessings do I currently have? God, what have you already given me?” Don’t let the serpent whisper scarcity to you when God has proclaimed freedom and abundant life for you.
Fighting “Not Enough” With You,
Lydia Long