FREEDOM RECOVERY – OVERCOMING LIFE STRUGGLES WEEK 2
LG VIDEO – WEEK 2 – 08:16 MINUTES
FULL SERMON 33:41 MINUTES
DISCUSSION:
- If animals could attend church, which one do you think would be the most devout attendee?
- Share your notes from the teaching, what impacted you? Was there a moment you sensed the Holy Spirit?
SCRIPTURE
GENESIS 22:1-19 – ABRAHAM TESTED
22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
FAITH
We demonstrated faith just by the fact that we are involved in a recovery program. If we didn’t have faith in the promise of a better future for ourselves and our family we wouldn’t put ourselves through the hard work and pain involved in recovery. But as time passes we may grow discouraged at the length of the process. We may have our spirits dampened by the ups and downs along the road, feeling our faith ebb more often than flow. Some people report instant release from their addictions, but for most of us it will take faith and patience to inherit the promise of a new life.
The writer of Hebrews wrote,”You will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham… God took an oath in his own name, saying “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond numbers.” Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised” (Hebrews 6:12-15). The entire story of Abraham’s life can be found in Genesis 11-25.
The key point to consider here is that Abraham waited 25 years to see the promise fufilled. As he waited, there were times when he showed impatience. At one point he took matters into his own hands, having a son by means of a second wife. At times he probably wondered if he had ever really received the promise at all. He even laughed in disbelief when he was told to promise was soon to come about. But in the end he did receive the promise, and at the end of his life “the Lord has blessed him in every way” (Genesis 24:1). Let’s keep holding on! The fact that recovery usually takes time doesn’t mean that our faith is in vain.
UNcomplicate it:
Observation Question:
What do you observe about the passages? Take turns sharing from observations from the text or your personal notes from service.
Understanding Question:
- How has your faith helped you through your addictions and recovery process?
- Has the process been discouraging for you? Why or why not?
- What are some things that are helpful for you when your spirit is dampened while you are waiting?
Application Question:
How will you apply faith differently in your life this week?
Before Next Week:
– Pick someone to share next week from their Life Journal to kick off the group discussion.
– Pray for one another in groups
Life Journal Reading Plan:
Day 1: Genesis 22:1-2
Day 2: Numbers 9:15-23
Day 3: Matthew 20:1-16
Day 4: James 1:2-8
Day 5: Ephesians 2:8-10
Day 6: Hebrews 11:6
Day 7: Matthew 17:20
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